Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank Ranking Member McGovern and commend him for his work on this important rule. I rise in opposition to this rule, but, frankly, I'm relieved to finally debate a farm bill in this country. This past year and a half has been marked by far too much uncertainty in our agriculture industry as a result of Republican leaders here refusing to even consider a farm bill in the last Congress. That has hurt economic growth in this country from coast to coast. American agriculture is responsible for 1 in 12 jobs in our country, and it's vital to give confidence to the market and to give certainty to our agricultural enterprises that we move a bill forward. Thank goodness the other body did it and we are compelled to do it here. But this bill cuts $20.5 billion in nutrition assistance that will cut over 2 million low-income people, starting with senior citizens in this country and with children who won't get school meals anymore. I don't know what the gentleman from Texas is talking about. I invited him to Ohio before, and I hope he accepts my invitation. Simply, these cuts are unconscionable. Shockingly, the bill also has zero funding for the energy title. When American energy security is at stake and gas prices are hovering around $4 a gallon, to not invest in that is simply backwards thinking. I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule, and hopefully we can improve the bill as it comes to the floor for a final vote.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a woman of substance: Betty Morais passed from this life in May 2013, in Toledo, Ohio. Betty was born in Minneapolis on March 5, 1923, to Esther and Lewis Himmelman. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and her graduate degree from Ohio State University. She worked in New York City of the Army Adjutant General's Office, then made her way to Toledo where she worked for Lasalle & Koch. It was at the downtown department store that she met her husband, Harold. They married in 1950 and together raised three children, sons Peter and Anthony, and daughter Nina. Harold and Betty enjoyed 49 happy years until his passing. Betty met further heartache when her son Anthony passed away a decade later. Betty spent twenty years as a committed volunteer for the Toledo section of the National Council of Jewish Women, the Junior League and the League of Women Voters. She volunteered with groups assisting children in need and worked for the Economic Opportunity Planning Association of Toledo. Betty's calling, however, was to lead Planned Parenthood of Northwest Ohio. Betty Morais became the executive director of Planned Parenthood and ably guided the agency for eighteen years until retiring in 1993. Under her leadership, the agency grew from a storefront to its own clinic, expanded educational initiatives and medical services, and growing into the rural areas of the region. She was open, compassionate and a visionary. It was important to Betty to serve people who needed her help. Her efforts brought her recognition from the Junior League, receiving its Community Service Award; the YWCA, receiving its Milestones Award; and the legal aid associations' Community Advocacy Award. Betty Morais gave fully of herself. She was a pioneer in many ways, and a focused advocate. She has left her mark on our community. We offer our condolences to her family, and hope they may draw strength from Betty Morais' memory and the gift of her life.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Janet Blaufuss, a woman of vision. She passed from this life in May 2013, in Toledo, Ohio. Janet was born in Minneapolis on July 6, 1941 to Mary Vonda and George Bernard Boutlinghouse. She graduated from the University of Illinois College of Nursing. During the 1960s, she worked in juvenile and psychiatric nursing, and was instrumental in establishing the first sheltered care homes in central Illinois. She served as president of the Illinois Association of Local Health Department Nursing Administrators. Janet then moved to Toledo to work for the Visiting Nurse Service. She worked for the agency for eleven years and was its executive director for the last four years. In 1978, Janet Blaufuss teamed with other leaders in the American hospice movement to found Hospice of Northwest Ohio. ``She believed strongly in it because it allowed people to remain at home with more dignity and comfort'' her son explained. In 1989, Janet Blaufuss moved to North Carolina to become director of nursing for the Iredell County Health Department. Fourteen years later, she returned to Toledo and family. Janet Blaufuss invested her life in caring for people and taking care of others. Her legacy has lifted up countless others and their families in their time of need. We offer our condolences to her family, and hope they may draw strength from Janet Blaufuss' memory and the gift of her life.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I would like to offer my highest commendation to Congressman Hastings for his work on this vital issue. Let me begin with the words of Congressman Hastings: ``No bees, no food.'' The amendment being offered today will help coordinate the Federal response to the sudden, massive, and frightening decline in our Nation's bee population. Specifically, the amendment would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to work with the Secretary of Interior and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the long-term viability of our bee population. The amendment would allow the establishment of a task force on bee health and commercial beekeeping to coordinate Federal efforts in addressing the significant bee population decline. Preliminary results from a survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that over nearly a third of managed honeybee colonies in our country were lost during the 2012-2013 winter. That is an increase of 42 percent in honeybee losses. On average, U.S. beekeepers lost nearly half of their colonies during this past winter. This was an increase nationally of over 78 percent from the previous winter. Traditionally, the average loss had only been about 10 to 15 percent, and there have been significant honeybee losses in 22 different States. This amendment will help coordinate the Federal response to the sudden massive decline of our Nation's bee population. Since 2006, we have lost 10 million beehives, costing beekeepers more than $2 billion. No one knows what is causing these dramatic losses, which was formally referred to as ``colony collapse disorder.'' We don't know if it is a natural phenomenon, we don't know if it is the result of changes in the environment, we don't know if it is due to interactions with genetically modified crops, we don't know if it is due to pesticides. I can tell you one thing it is due to, because I've seen it myself in Ohio. It is due to mites that were shipped in to our nation from foreign countries in imported material. The critters got into these hives as they intermingled with our native hives. The mites came from foreign countries--from China, and from South Africa by way of Brazil-- varroa mites among them--these mites are just crippling these colonies that have pollinated our orchards and our fields for generations. We need to take this seriously because the massive decline in these populations threatens us all. Without sufficient bee pollination we will not be able to meet the demands of U.S. agricultural crops that require pollination to grow. It isn't by magic that all this happens. Not every plant is a self-pollinator. That means if we do not have proper bee pollination, we will not be able to grow the food we need to feed our country. We are already importing too much food, food that could be grown here at home. China, but the way, is now shipping a product they call honey into our country. But it is not honey. It is corn syrup diluted with water. We need better honey labeling. The decline in the bee population has been occurring over a period of time. But listen to these losses. In 1947, when America only had about 146 million people, we had 6 million bee colonies. In 1970, that number dropped to 4 million. And in 1990, the number fell to 3 million. Today, there are only 2.5 million bee colonies in our country. We have a population of 310 million, and it is projected by 2050 we will have a population of 500 million people. These numbers are not moving in the right direction. Bee health is vitally important for our food system, as bee pollination helps produce about a third of what we eat--one-third. This adds $125 billion in global agricultural production value and 20 to $30 billion in United States agricultural production value. Of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of the world's food, over 70 percent are pollinated by bees. Are we listening? Of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees. That's 70%. In North America, honeybees pollinate nearly 95 different kinds of fruits, including many specialty crops like almonds, avocados, cranberries, oranges, raspberries and apples, and so much more. The current Federal response to this problem is entirely inadequate. People are somnambulant. They think this is nonexistent because the bee is so small it can fly right by you and you don't even see it. In fact, most people don't know the difference between a honeybee and a bumblebee. Well, let me tell you, there is a big difference. It is so bad that one professor was quoted as saying: ``We are one poor weather event or high winter bee loss away from a pollination disaster.'' Why have we let it get to this point where one bad storm could essentially wipe out our bee population? It is clear what we are doing is not working. The amendment is supported by: American Honey Producers Association, American Beekeeping Federation, Pollinator Partnership, American Farm Bureau, Florida Farm Bureau, National Farmers Union, Blue Diamond Growers, Center for Food Safety, National Wildlife Federation. In closing, I hope we can come together on a bipartisan basis to help stem the decline in our Nation's bee populations. I urge adoption of the amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. Yes, I am the designee of the gentleman from Florida.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments of Doctor Joseph Calabrese, professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Mood Disorders Program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. Doctor Calabrese recently gained international acclaim when he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the European Bipolar Forum at its annual meeting in Seville, Spain. The accolades are well deserved--and I speak from personal experience--because Doctor Calabrese has taken the lead role in a major initiative that I helped launch under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Defense to study the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on soldiers returning from combat zones. I have watched as Doctor Calabrese, working in concert with doctors at the University of Toledo, has conducted truly groundbreaking research involving combat veterans who suffer from PTSD. As a member of the Defense Subcommittee of House Appropriations, I have long been concerned about the incidence of suicide among our combat veterans. In communities and families throughout our country, we have seen the devastating impact of PTSD. The ambitious research project by Doctor Calabrese that I have been privileged to support has studied the relationship between PTSD and suicidal ideation among members of the Ohio Army National Guard. After completing a research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health, Doctor Calabrese returned to Cleveland to start the Mood Disorders Program. He also co-directs, along with Doctor Robert Finding, M.D., the NIMH-funded Bipolar Research Center in Cleveland. Doctor Calabrese has been the recipient of no fewer than five federal research grants from the NIMH. The Mood Disorders program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center was designated as a Center of Excellence under Dr. Calabrese's exceptional leadership. Dr. Calabrese has dedicated his work to the improvement of clinical outcomes in under-served populations of bipolar disorder, including people who receive care at community health centers, children, adults, older adults, those in prison and those currently abusing alcohol or drugs. His research reflects a caring nature and true gift of service. During the course of his career, Doctor Calabrese has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers. He is a member of a number of scientific advisory boards and is affiliated with the American Psychiatric Association. I am proud to support his clinical efforts and his exemplary service to the Cleveland community, our nation, and veterans everywhere. I am pleased to commend Doctor Joseph Calabrese on the occasion of his receipt of the European Bipolar Forum's Lifetime Achievement Award and thank him for his noble work.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in order to recognize Mr. William G. Zurkey who has recently retired after thirty-six years as a music teacher, the last twenty-six which have been at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio. Having spent his career in education and inspiring our youth, I am beyond privileged to celebrate his career. William Zurkey holds a bachelor of Music Education from Bowling Green State University, a Master's degree in Music from Cleveland State University, and has completed course work in his doctoral studies at Kent State University. His impressive academic resume is indicative of the immense skill and dedication William brought to his job. The communities of Avon Lake, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio know William for being a superior director and musical mind. Over the years, his high school chorales have received numerous awards, garnered state- wide, national and international recognition, and have been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City three times. In addition to his high school duties, William has served as an adjunct Faculty of Music Education at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio where he directed the Women's Chorale. He has also worked with chorales at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music in Berea, Ohio. William's passions for music and mentoring community youth led to involvements outside of the classroom as well. He coached football at multiple levels, most recently as the head coach of the 8th Grade team at Avon Lake. Last year, William was hired to create and direct the Cleveland Pops Orchestra Chorus, which performs four times per year. William has excelled in his career, having received widespread adulation. This past spring, his alma mater Bowling Green State University recognized him as an outstanding, notable and accomplished alumnus. He has been the president of the Ohio Choral Directors Association and has served on the American Choral Directors Association's Central Division Board. Finally, William has been named multiple times in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, a list of student-nominated educators that have been inspiration and influential in their students' lives. I am delighted to submit a record of William's service and accomplishments. I thank him for his career-long commitment to the utmost important task of educating our younger generations: I thank him for his constant and masterful development of the arts. And I wish him only happiness as he enjoys retirement, spending time with his wife and their children, staying involved with the Bay United Methodist Church in Bay Village, Ohio, and his continued community and musical endeavors.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct privilege of recognizing Jim Foster, who recently retired as Executive Director of the City Club of Cleveland. For twenty years, Mr. Foster provided strong and innovative leadership, building on the worldwide reputation of the City Club of Cleveland as ``the citadel of free speech.'' Jim Foster originally joined the City Club of Cleveland in 1993 as managing director and become executive director a year later. His involvement, however, was a continuation of a life and career spent in the Greater Cleveland community. Jim grew up in Shaker Heights, was an active member of the Air Force Reserve, and previously worked in city and county government. As executive director, Jim continued the tradition of excellence of the City Club of Cleveland--the longest running continuous independent free speech forum in the country--in addressing the most salient issues while enacting necessary organizational changes to keep up, and ahead of, the time. Displaying savvy leadership, Jim enhanced the club's media footprint on television and radio, secured the www.cityclub.org web address and built a website. As social media expanded, Jim kept the organization in front, providing all their forums via live stream, podcast, and archived on the Club's YouTube channel. Throughout his tenure, Jim displayed a fervent commitment to free speech and the collegial exchange of ideas by pursuing speakers of national prominence and profound influence on a variety of topics, including politics, business, education, and health care. Speakers from all vantage points were hosted and subjected to the challenging but fair questions for which the City Club Forums are well-known. Just recently I worked with Jim to help bring Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to the City Club for a luncheon address that was extremely well received. I can confidently say that Jim fulfilled the Club's mission of being an exemplar of a democratic community. As he enters retirement, I thank Jim for his immense dedication and excellence in serving the community. His character and career accomplishments epitomize what democracy and citizenship are about. I join the City Club of Cleveland, its board of directors, the greater community, and friends and family in wishing Jim health and happiness in the years ahead. It is my privilege to honor Jim Foster.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and Beijing massacre in China. A quarter of a century ago, the world watched with horror as the atrocities in Tiananmen Square and nearby streets in Beijing unfolded. During this anniversary period, it is with solidarity that we remember the victims of that deep tragedy. The courageous students protesting on those days in April, May, and June of 1989 sought basic freedoms. Prophetic in their presence, they called upon their autocratic, Communist government to embrace liberty, respect human rights, and put an end to deep-seated corruption. Chinese intellectuals like Wei Jingsheng championed political reform. They posted essays on the Democracy Wall in Beijing. For that, he was arrested and imprisoned twice for a total of 18 years. The Democracy Wall and its postings were shut down. Today, still autocratic and still Communist, China faces many of the same challenges, despite promises by its new leadership that reform would occur. Millions of Chinese people remain denied adequate food, housing, and health care, and over 1,200 Chinese dissidents and critics are known to be imprisoned or detained for standing up for freedom of speech. Deep disparities between the rich and the poor of China exist. Eight hundred million Chinese, close to a billion people--60 percent of its people--exist on less than $15 a day, all while the government seizes land and forces evictions. Meanwhile, Communist Party leaders have become billionaires, often through corruption, graft, and theft, with immunity from a lawless regime. To rise economically in China, you must take an oath to the Communist Party and then be accepted into that club of politicians who become vastly wealthy as they climb the party ladder. The Market-Leninism that drives China has resulted in 83 billionaires buying seats in their parliament. I can only imagine what that money power does to drive out the voices of the masses of the people longing to be free. The average fortune among these wealthiest 83 Communist Party delegates is $3.35 billion. Environmental issues are also a major source of concern for the Chinese people, and they remain unaddressed. The New York Times recently reported on the findings of the Global Burden of Disease Study, which states air pollution contributed to 1.2 million premature deaths in China in 2010. It is no secret religious organizations are heavily restricted and monitored in China. The Catholic Church is banned, and phony bishops are sanctioned by the government in their stead. Often, ethnic and religious minorities are intimidated or harassed by government officials. Despite extensive documentation of the truth, the Chinese Communist Party continues to manipulate and censor the facts surrounding the events at Tiananmen Square and Beijing a quarter century ago; not to mention their ongoing censorship of the press and the Internet. The government blocks the social media, denying Facebook and Twitter the ability to operate. Journalists are regularly harassed and often imprisoned. In remembrance of freedom's prophets, lost peacefully pursuing liberty at Tiananmen Square and in Beijing a quarter century ago, and those today who dream of a more liberty-loving future in that country, our Nation honors their noble spirits, their courage, their aspirations, and their lives given in pursuit of the cause of liberty.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Just this past Sunday, our Nation celebrated Mother's Day, a day that honors the mothers of our Republic. In March, we observed Women's History Month, honoring the progress toward full equality of over half our population. Thus, one would have thought that when over 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh--seamstresses, sewers, cutters, helpers--died working in dangerous factory conditions for an average wage of $38 a month, America's retailers would have been the first to sign the landmark international safety agreement to improve the working conditions of these workers, who are predominantly women. Surely, when 20 percent of Bangladesh's exports, mostly garments, are destined for U.S. buyers, our Nation's clothing firms should be on the front lines fighting for decent working conditions and a fair day's pay, not exploiting women workers. But only Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein have stood up for women garment workers, millions of invisible hands working in death traps, making so much of the clothing we wear that is marketed in our country. So, where are Walmart and Sears? Where is the Gap? Where is Target? They appear to be missing in action. We need to reward those companies that care about workers and women workers in particular. When you think about buying clothing, think Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein and ask, Where are the others? Without conscience and, obviously, on the wrong side of honor.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for yielding and ask unanimous consent to insert my statement in the Record opposing the GOP's shameful Mother's Day gift--more work and less pay for working moms. Happy Mother's Day.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, it has now been more than 2 months since mindless sequestration across-the-board cuts were enacted, crippling so many important services and benefits that Americans rely on, such as Social Security processing at Social Security offices around this country. Well, there's another very important earned benefit that's being cut--unemployment benefits. Republicans keep rewarding the superrich while cutting unemployment benefits. When you cut benefits, you not only hurt men and women who are looking for work, you actually hurt economic recovery. Fact: unemployment checks pump money back into local communities, helping the economy to recover. Where does the money go? Groceries, gasoline, school clothing, rent payments, basics. The U.S. Department of Labor, during the Bush administration, found that every dollar spent on unemployment benefits pumped $2 back in to the local economy. It's a good deal. Therefore, sequestration cuts in unemployment compensation inflict pain not only on jobless families, but also harms economic growth in a major way. I call on my Republican colleagues to come to the table, compromise, reverse the mindless sequester that is cutting unemployment benefits. Let's celebrate Mother's Day by paying workers their full earned benefits, not imposing more worry on the unemployed among America's working families.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank Congressman Polis for yielding time and rise against the rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 1406, the More Work for Less Pay Act. Congress should protect workers' wages and overtime rights, not undermine them. USA Today reported yesterday that stock markets and corporate profits are breaking records, but workers who rely on paychecks for their income have been running in place--financially speaking--and falling behind, despite their productivity increasing consistently for the last several years. That means they're working harder for less. Adjusting for inflation, an average worker who was paid $49,650 at the end of 2009 is now making about $545 less, and that's before taxes and deductions. Living standards aren't rising for the middle class; they're falling. Yet the profits of Standard and Poor's 500 companies hit a record in the first quarter. The roaring market is making the richest Americans even richer, giving them even more money to spend. How about this? Brian Moynihan, Bank of America, he earns about $12.1 million that is reported in the papers--I'm sure it's even more than that--and Goldman Sachs, their CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, $21 million that he's willing to admit; and John Stumpf at Wells Fargo, $22.9 million. Frankly, how much more do they need? Now, meanwhile, during the first 2 years of the recovery, while average net worth rose for the top 7 percent of households, it fell for the other 93 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. The reason is clear: corporate America isn't sharing its record earnings with those who are earning them. In fact, higher corporate profits owe partially to the employers' success at paying workers less even while those workers are working harder, and holding down their raises and forcing overtime rather than hiring from the ranks of the 12 million who remain unemployed. Productivity has been rising at an average of 1.5 percent a year since the recovery began, while companies are squeezing more out of each worker even as inflation-adjusted wages have stagnated and hiring remains sluggish.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman. Still, so many Americans are out of work that employers can get away with giving no raises at all. America is supposed to be about opportunity for all, not just the few. We're supposed to be about fair pay for hard work. I ask my colleagues to oppose the Republican More Work for Less Pay Act, and I would urge us to pay fair wages for a fair day's work. All you have to do is go to parts of the country where people's faces are worn. You'll see what's really happening out in the real America. Let's oppose this Republican bill and the rule. The bill gives employers the flexibility not to pay overtime to their workers; instead employees would be provided comp time. However, employers, not the employee, are provided the flexibility to decide when and even if comp time can be used. There is nothing in the legislation that guarantees that workers will be able to use the comp time they have earned when they need it. In fact, the bill permits the employer to deny a comp time request if the employee's use of comp time would unduly disrupt operations. Employers can even veto an employee's request to use comp time even in cases of urgent need under the legislation. If an employee does not accept comp time, they could be penalized with fewer hours, bad shifts, and loss of overtime hours. Given that it is cheaper to provide comp time than to pay overtime wages, this bill provides a significant incentive for employers to hire fewer people and rely on overtime to be paid for future comp time. The Fair Labor Standards Act currently allow employers to provide workers with flexibility and time off without compromising their right to be paid fairly for the hours they work. Consequently, this legislation is unnecessary based on current law. Workers should not have to put in extra time beyond a 40-hour week and be forced to forgo pay to earn time to care for themselves or their loved ones. The same bill proposed and died in committee in 2003 and failed in 1996 and 1997 to get through Congress. [From USA Today, May 6, 2013] Economy Leaves Wages Behind (By Paul Davidson and John Waggoner) Stock markets and corporate profits are breaking records. The economy suddenly looks brighter after the government's surprising report Friday that employers added 635,000 jobs the past three months. But instead of celebrating, many working Americans are borrowing a line from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire: ``Show me the money.'' Hourly wages ticked up 4 cents in April to an average $23.87, rising at about the same tepid 2 percent annual pace since the recovery began in mid-2009. But taking inflation into account, they're virtually flat. Workers who rely on paychecks for their income have been running in place, financially speaking. Adjusting for inflation, an average worker who was paid $49,650 at the end of 2009 is making about $545 less now--and that's before taxes and deductions. Stagnant wages aren't only tough on workers--the American economy is paying a price too. Living standards aren't rising. Consumer spending, which is 70 percent of the economy, is more restrained. And the recovery advances at a slower pace. Ultimately, for the economy to thrive we need everyone participating,'' says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. The profits of Standard & Poor's 500 companies hit a record in the first quarter. Their healthy earnings have boosted stocks, and April's encouraging jobs report sent the stock market even higher Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average crossed 15,000 for the first time and closed at a record 14,973.96, up 142.38 points. The roaring market is making the richest Americans richer and giving them more money to spend. But in 2010, only 31 percent of U.S. households had stock holdings of $10,000 or more, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). During the first two years of the recovery, average net worth rose for the top 7 percent of households but fell for the other 93 percent, the Pew Research Center says. Meanwhile, Corporate America isn't sharing its record earnings with employees. ``Don't hold your breath,'' for employers to become more generous, says John Lonski, chief economist for Moody's Investors Service. One reason, he says, is that revenue growth has been meager, up between 0.5 percent and 1 percent in the last year. In fact, higher profits owe partially to employers' success in controlling labor expenses by getting workers to be more productive, holding down raises and hiring conservatively. Productivity, or output per labor hour, has risen an average 1.5 percent a year since the recovery began. Companies are squeezing more out of each worker even as inflation-adjusted wages have stagnated. Another reason for stagnant wages is the law of supply and demand. Sure, the job market has picked up: Employers added 165,000 jobs last month and an average 196,000 a month this year, up from 183,000 in 2012. And the jobless rate has fallen from a peak of 10 percent in 2009. Few incentives to boost pay Yet today's 7.5 percent unemployment rate is still high. Nearly 12 million Americans are unemployed, and millions more want to work but are so discouraged they've stopped looking. With an abundant supply of potential workers, employers have little reason to shell out big raises. ``High unemployment hurts workers' bargaining power,'' EPI economist Heidi Shierholz says. ``Employers know they can go get someone else.'' So many Americans are out of work that employers could get away with giving no raises at all, Zandi says, leaving household income falling behind inflation. But employers realize that would hurt morale and, in turn, productivity, he says. Still, wage increases that just barely keep up with inflation don't make for a prosperous economy. ``We're not seeing the living standard growth of American workers that we should be seeing,'' Shierholz says. Stagnant wages also hurt consumer spending. Low- and moderate-income workers typically spend nearly all their paychecks, juicing the economy, while high-income workers tend to save a portion, says Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Larry Breech, of Milville, Pa., a retired farmer who makes about $10,000 a year, says his per diem pay for substitute teaching hasn't changed in several years. ``We will be frugal,'' he says. ``Fiscal restraint is imperative.'' Consumer spending, which has been growing at an average annual rate of about 2 percent during the recovery, would be rising by 2.5 percent if employers simply passed their productivity gains onto their workers, Zandi says. Some workers are getting bigger raises. While the lowest 10 percent of income earners got average raises of 0.3 percent last year, those in the top 25 percent saw their pay jump 3.1 percent, say the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Moody's Analytics. Workers with higher skills and more education in booming industries, such as energy and technology, can command higher salaries. Stephen Allen, an oil industry contractor in St. Louis, says his wages have increased by more than 60 percent the past three years. He makes about $85,000 a year. For now, it's up to Americans like Allen and those with large stock holdings to generate a bigger share of spending and economic activity. The top 20 percent of households based on income account for nearly half of consumer spending, according to Barclays Capital. good news for households A bright spot is that despite puny wage increases, other barometers of household finances show improvement. The housing market is continuing a solid recovery. Climbing home and stock prices have helped households overall recover the wealth they lost in the recession and housing crash. And the share of income Americans are using to pay off debt has fallen to 10.4 percent, the lowest level since the government began tracking the data in 1980, reports the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, falling gas prices are putting more cash in consumers' pockets. Such developments can partly offset sluggish wage growth and pave the way for higher spending. After working off debt the past three years, Allen says he expects to be debt-free this summer ``and then save for a down payment on a house.'' Still, economists say consumer spending won't take off in earnest until inflation-adjusted wages return to a normal growth rate of about 1.5 percent a year. Baker says that likely won't happen until unemployment falls below 6 percent, probably in 2016. Then, employers will begin to worry about not finding enough workers. ``They'll start to hire more aggressively,'' pushing up wages faster, Zandi says.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in remembrance and to honor our dear friend and former colleague, Congressman Charlie Wilson of Ohio. On Sunday, we learned that Congressman Charlie Wilson passed away from complications from an operation following a serious stroke he endured in February, living each moment thereafter with great courage. Today, the Ohio delegation honors his life and his achievements for the State of Ohio, his Sixth District that he represented with such dignity, and his impact on our Nation. Surely, his work on jobs, health care, veterans benefits were truly a benefit to not just his district, but to the Nation. He was such a relentless advocate. Charlie Wilson embodied the ethic of public service. His political demeanor, his civility, his gracious manner characterized his exemplary service. Throughout his 16 years in public service, 12 in the Ohio House and 4 here in the United States House of Representatives, he served as a true advocate for his constituents in the hard-scrabble economy of eastern and southeastern Ohio. He embodied the aspirations of our middle class. He dedicated his life to public service with unwavering energy, selfless dedication, and a kindness that should be emulated by all Members. I never heard him raise his voice in anger. How proud he was of his family, his son, Jason, who succeeded him in the Ohio Legislature, all of his children, his family. And may Angela and his family be comforted during these difficult times. Congressman Wilson had an uncanny ability to make people laugh and make everyone around him feel at ease. He genuinely cared about improving the lives, not only of his constituents, but of all people around him. His last political race in 2012 showed the measure of the man, as millions and millions of dollars poured in from out of State against him, and he kept going, no matter what. Our delegation's thoughts and prayers are with Charlie, with his entire family, his four children, his nine grandchildren and, of course, his beloved Angela. We are all saddened by his death but encouraged by his legacy, his achievements, and the memories that he leaves with all of us. I know that each Member of the Ohio delegation shares in my desire to honor Congressman Charlie Wilson's memory.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak against any proposed reduction in earned Social Security benefits through the so-called chained CPI calculation. No issue better focuses the interests of the senior citizens of our country versus the top 1 percent greater than the debate over Social Security. Earlier this year, over my objections, this Congress cut senior meals by $823,000 in Ohio--or, roughly, 145,000 meals. Now some here in Washington are approaching the jugular for our seniors' Social Security benefit cuts. The majority of seniors across our land depend on every single dollar they get from Social Security to put food on the table, to pay for utilities, to pay for housing. So many struggle with that every day. By slashing benefits in Social Security, while continuing to give tax havens to the richest people in this country, it proves that the priorities in Washington lie with the 1 percent, not with those Americans who struggle every day. The White House has chosen to include the so-called chained CPI method for calculating Social Security cost of living adjustments in its fiscal proposed 2014 budget, the one that we will be considering. But I agree with Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, who said what a chained CPI really is is like being in a boat with a chain and a ball around your ankle, and they throw you in the water and you start to sink. That's exactly what a chained CPI is in Social Security. Numerous government programs, including Social Security benefits, and income thresholds for tax brackets are indexed for inflation. That's what CPI is all about. Every year, seniors wait to see what their inflation adjustment will be in Social Security and in Medicare to see whether they'll get as much money as they got last year or less. The formula change that is being proposed would add up to a big cut for America's senior citizens who have earned their benefits. Imagine, for example, a person born in 1935 who retired to full benefits at age 65 in the year 2000, and they paid into Social Security their entire working life. According to the Social Security Administration, people in that position under the current formula have an average monthly benefit of $1,435, or about $17,220 per year. Under the cost-of-living adjustment for 2012, that benefit would rise a bit to $1,986 a month this year, or about $23,832 a year. But under the chained CPI proposal, that sum would be less. It would be about $1,880 a month, or $22,560 a year. That's a cut of over 5 percent, or a $106 a month cut, and more as you go further and further into future years. In other words, it gets worse and worse. The other problem is that the people who rely most on their Social Security benefits--people who are older, people who have illness--are the ones who sadly the chained CPI does the worst job of accommodating. In fact, the group that gets the biggest FICA tax hike is families making between 30 and $40,000 a year--dead center in our middle class. Their increase would be almost six times worse. It would affect them six times more than those who are in the millionaire tax bracket. That's because millionaires are already in the top tax bracket so they're not being pushed by the formula into higher marginal rates because of changing bracket thresholds. Isn't that convenient. So because senior citizens spend more of their income on health care and housing, two areas where the formula is flawed and their true cost is under represented, the chained CPI proposal hurts seniors more. Beyond the benefit inflation formula, we should not be supporting a plan that uses Social Security to pay for deficits it didn't create. The Social Security trust fund is sound. Without anything being done, it would function well into 2038; and even after that time with no changes, we could pay 80 percent of the benefits that people have earned. Now, one of the reasons that Social Security looks over a long time horizon is because of economic downturns. When people get thrown out of work, they're not contributing into the Social Security trust fund. The answer to Social Security is to put people back to work. We have 12.5 million people unemployed in this country, and that creates a temporary blip that would affect people who will retire 20-25 years from now. We can fix that problem because Social Security is an efficient and effective program, but we shouldn't be using the American people's annuity for retirement that they earned and mix it up with the regular budget. It's two different things. About 98 percent of Social Security benefits go out in the form of benefit checks which the beneficiaries spend on whatever they value most. Most of them spend the vast majority on food. But less than 2 percent of Social Security today is put on administrative expenses. The program is very efficiently run, and no private pension plan, no 401(k) that took so much of the people's money away, no private annuity, can claim that kind of efficient operation. Cuts in promised Social Security benefits, whether they occur because of the chained CPI, or some people here are talking about a higher retirement age or means testing, will shift more costs onto already struggling American families and our senior citizens. Frankly, I don't support that. I applaud that the chained CPI proposal that was in the White House budget had a provision to protect the very oldest and disabled persons who receive supplemental security income and low-income veterans, but let me put on the record: these groups represent less than half of the seniors who have earned Social Security benefits. The formula doesn't really take care of others who are impacted by this proposed CPI change. Frankly, this is not the time to cut earned benefits of millions of senior Americans who are already struggling financially. And I can guarantee you, the lowest-income citizens in this country are women over the age of 85, and I would never vote to take a penny away from them. This formula should be there in a form that allows them to live in dignity. We have been unwilling as a Congress to close tax loopholes for the billionaires and millionaires of our country. This has been a Congress unwilling to prosecute Wall Street bankers for the damage they did, but it appears that some are willing to take money from our seniors who have earned and worked for Social Security benefits that are critical to their livelihoods and which they depend upon. You know, I have a story to tell. Last weekend, I was doing grocery shopping for our family back home, and I saw an older gentleman. I was thinking about what I was going to say here in Congress. He was in the supermarket and he had his cart, and he was all bent over. He was trudging along aisle after aisle, and he had quite a bit of trouble even raising his neck to look at what the prices were. He seemed to be going around, and I noticed he wasn't putting a whole lot in his cart, but he was putting some things in, watching every penny. And when I finished with my shopping, I saw him out in the parking lot. I thought, Is he going to his car? Where's he going? I watched him push his shopping cart, and he had put all of his groceries in two backpacks. I saw him pushing his grocery cart across the parking lot way to the corner by the sidewalk, and I realized what he was doing: he wasn't going to a car--he didn't have a car. What he was doing was, he was putting his groceries in these backpacks to put on his back, and then in his condition walk to wherever his home or wherever he was residing. I looked at that, and I thought, you know, I have to go back to Congress and tell that story because that's exactly the kind of person that the chained CPI would impact the most. These senior citizens shouldn't have to have this Congress debating about their benefits because they get scared all across our country. We should never do anything that upsets our seniors, who are dealing with so many issues in their own lives that each of us someday will have to deal with. And I find it sad, really, that this issue of Social Security has been included in the budget debates that we are about to get into. Social Security is separate. It has its own trust fund. It is sound. It has a formula that works. The best thing we can do for future generations is to get everybody back to work so that the FICA trust fund works 50 years down the road. But right now, we shouldn't be worrying our seniors. We shouldn't be asking them to take cuts in senior meals. The people who go for senior meals are senior citizens who actually need better nutrition. I've gone to many senior sites. One image that remains in my mind at one site in my own district is a very thin senior woman who is probably 85 years old, and the senior center served a small sandwich for lunch. They served a little bit of warm corn. There was a little pudding, and an apple and a can of milk on the tray, and that woman ate everything but half her sandwich, and she took that half of the sandwich that she didn't eat and she wrapped it up and put it into her worn purse, and she left that senior center and walked home. Those are the seniors that we have to see here and care about. I'm just glad and I'm very grateful to the citizens of my region that they've sent me here, and I urge my colleagues to oppose any Social Security cuts for current or future beneficiaries in any deficit reduction package, especially that contained in the chained CPI proposal. My vote will always be to give our seniors freedom from worry, freedom from the chains of the CPI proposal that would pull them down if they're thrown overboard. The American people would not want to do what is being proposed in this chained CPI to the senior citizens of our country if they really understood what it means. $100 to a senior in a monthly check is doled out penny by penny by penny. We have a program in the Department of Agriculture where, in the summer months, our seniors can go to some fruit stands around our country and they get a little coupon and they can buy fruits and vegetables. And the owner of this one fruit stand in Ohio said to me, you know, Congresswoman, I never realized, among seniors, how much they had to sacrifice. They can't buy things that normal families buy. I said, tell me more. And the farmer said, you know, I had a woman in here last week who stared and stared at a container of raspberries. And the price on the raspberries at that stand was $4. That senior woman had not eaten raspberries in 25 years because she couldn't afford them. And that farmer said, you know, when I saw her coupons, I told her, ma'am, I will cut the price in half. And her total bill came up to, like, I think he said it was like $10.96, and he was going to give her the four pennies back. And he said, you know what? How about if I give you some green beans to put in your sack for the extra 4 cents? And that's exactly what happened at that one transaction. Multiply that times millions of seniors across this country and get a sense of what they face. I can tell you in Ohio, and I'm sure it's the same everywhere, the largest increase in the number of people coming into our food banks across this country are senior citizens. You can say, why is that? Well, you know, if they had a bank account, if they were able to save a little bit, it doesn't pay anything in interest now, after the crash of 2008, so they're not making anything off any savings that they might have. A lot of them, if their kids are unemployed, they've let them move in with them; and so grandma and grandpa are the ones that are holding millions of families across this country together until their kids and grandkids can get back on their feet again. And I think what the seniors are doing, because prices are rising, prices haven't gone down, they're going into these food banks and they're getting a bag of groceries to help them stretch the meager dollars that they have. So as we move into this deficit debate and into the budget debate, I want my colleagues to think about the citizens that they represent and how vital that Social Security check is, and to do nothing to those who have not asked for any reduction. They can't afford any reduction. There are so many other places in this economy where we can go in order to try to balance the budget. We should not do it on the backs of our senior citizens. So I would say, free our seniors from the CPI. Oppose any proposals to change the formula that would cut their benefits. We already tax those who have significant assets if they earn over a certain amount on Social Security with other income. We don't need to harm the millions of Americans who just get by month after month. I thank my colleagues for listening. I ask the Members of this Congress to oppose the chained CPI and to stand with our senior citizens to give them the dignity in their retirement years that they have earned. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank Congressmen Polis, a leader on these issues, for yielding me time. I rise, Mr. Speaker, in opposition to the rule and the underlying bill, which would prevent the National Labor Relations Board from doing its job. The NLRB is tasked with protecting employees' rights to organize by helping employees determine whether they want a union to represent their interests or not. Nations with bargaining rights have middle classes; those that don't have bargaining rights don't have middle classes. The NLRB also investigates charges of unfair labor practices from both employees and employers, facilitates settlements rather than expensive lengthy litigation, and enforces rules by administrative law judges that provide orderly procedures to prevent the disruption of the flow of commerce due to a labor dispute. This bill before us is just another partisan ploy to undermine union workers and continues the Republican war against the middle class. First we had the Ryan budget, which would put the burden of paying for two wars and tax cuts for the wealthy on the backs of seniors and our middle class families. Now we have a bill that would result in violations of worker rights going unpunished, union elections not being certified, and that would end recourse for workers who are wrongfully terminated. Instead of letting the courts do their job, Republicans want to take a Big Government action by preempting any decision from a higher court. This bill ignores the fact that Republicans in the Senate would not allow for a vote on any of the President's nominees, and said publicly that they just wanted to make the NLRB inoperative. It is ironic that when President Obama follows the path as President Reagan and President Bush did, that of appointing individuals to carry out the work of our government, the Republican House proposes a bill to completely undermine an independent Federal agency. Finally, studies show that the world's best performing economies and strongest middle classes have high union density and a high level of cooperation between labor and management. If Republicans care about creating jobs and strengthening our economy, then why are they considering a bill that would take away a forum for employers and unions to work out their differences? Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this rule and the underlying bill.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant support of this continuing resolution. The action we are taking today will restore some semblance of regular order. The CR, with the inclusion of 5 of the individual bills, is preferable to no appropriations process at all. Perhaps this catch all bill for the remainder of 2013 will break the logjam and signal restoration of regular order for 2014 bills, a return is long overdue. This is the Congress' rightful Constitutional role and duty--open hearings, normal amendments, and full floor consideration of all 12 appropriations bills. Two weeks ago as the House first considered the CR, I had hoped to see significant improvement through the process of its consideration. This hope was not fully realized. Though some areas were improved, significantly the inclusion of 3 additional bills, in other areas the CR does not adequately address national needs. The Energy and Water Development jurisdiction is just one example of where the CR falls short. Congress' failure to do our jobs and pass discrete annual appropriation bills limits our ability to respond to changing realities within government programs as well as our ability to perform appropriate oversight. The bill does not address the sequester. These unnecessary, indiscriminate reductions will cut economic growth by one-third. Though economists predict sequestration will cost 2 million jobs, not passing the measure would cost even more. We cannot continue to make decisions whose adverse impact falls primarily on the middle class and those who are the most vulnerable in our country. Our Nation is at its best when we ensure that opportunity is available to everyone, opportunity which is the bedrock of the American dream. The measure, though far from perfect . . . gives some confidence, albeit late, to the 2013 budget, the public, and the markets so that normal federal transactions can occur--with clarity. While I believe improvements could and should be made, the alternatives carry a higher risk. I will therefore reluctantly support this bill.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Will the gentleman kindly yield just for a couple of seconds here----

Ms. KAPTUR.--Just to say that the first obligation is to feed the hungry, feed the hungry. And I don't think the gentleman would want to have on his conscience any harm to the senior citizens of this country, so I'd ask you to rereview your budget and fix it.

Ms. KAPTUR. Well, then you've seen them in the line. You've seen the senior women in the line in all these food banks, a third of an increase, sir.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time. I would say to the gentleman, what you said was very, very important, because we do have choices in a budget. And you know, sir, at the food banks around this country, there isn't enough food being provided. They're absolutely at the edge. There isn't enough to go around. That's where the Government of the United States has to come in. We can't ask our seniors to have any less meals. We can't ask our seniors to take any other nutrition cuts. There simply isn't any slack there. Now, maybe you live in a community that's more affluent, I'm not sure. I represent three of the lowest income communities, urban areas in this country, and I see what's happening there. And you know, if you look at the amount of subsidy going out to the producers in our country, we could nick that just a little bit, and we could find the funds to help our seniors. I would invite you to Ohio. I would invite you to see a State that still has 7 percent unemployment and what happens at these food banks. It's vitally important that we not cut help for senior citizens. There isn't any loving child or grandchild in this country that wants to hurt their grandmother or their mother or father. I think that your budget is misguided, and I would commend the gentleman, please look at those lines. Restore the funds I'm asking for. And I invite you to Ohio.