Sue Kelly

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the false argument by the Democrats that the tax relief this Republican Congress has provided the American people during the last 5 years isn't helpful. Democrats are vowing to repeal these tax cuts and are running around with a terribly false sound bite that tax cuts are for the rich. So I ask them: Do only rich people have children? Because we increased the tax credit to $1,000 per child for every American family. So I ask them: Do only rich people get married? Because we fixed a major flaw that punished every American married couple by charging them higher taxes for filing jointly. And I ask them: Do rich people have a family income of $14,000 a year? Because it was for them that we created an income range, a new 10 percent tax bracket to specifically cut their tax rates. It cuts taxes for 6.1 million low-income taxpayers in New York alone. Finally, I ask them: Are you labeling every small business owner in America as rich? Because we on the Small Business Committee worked very hard to ensure the majority of these tax cuts specifically helps small businesses. When I walk down the main streets of Hudson Valley and visit the small businesses, the owners tell me they are certainly not rich. They tell me they need tax cuts to pay their workers, to serve their customers, and create new jobs. Mr. Speaker, the truth is in the numbers. The Treasury Department shows that a family of four, making $50,000 a year, would experience a 132 percent tax increase in 2011 if Congress repealed these tax cuts. Let's remain a Congress that votes in favor of the taxpayer.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Coast Guard reauthorization. I am pleased to see that the section that Mr. Barrow of Georgia and I authored in a bipartisan fashion is included in the measure before us. Our provision would clarify the role of the Coast Guard in protecting our Nation's nuclear power plants along navigable waterways. This language will allow the Coast Guard to work with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to better safeguard nuclear facilities like the Indian Point facility along the Hudson River in my district and provide vessels and weaponry capable of thwarting waterborne attacks. I want to thank Chairman Young and Coast Guard Subcommittee Chairman LoBiondo for their great work in support of the U.S. Coast Guard and for working so cooperatively with Congressman Barrow and me to have this provision included. This provision will go a long way towards protecting a segment of our Nation's energy infrastructure that still remains vulnerable of attack.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Ryan White CARE Act and the great care that it offers for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. But today I reluctantly rise in opposition to this legislation because it contains flawed provisions with harsh and negative effects for New York's Hudson Valley and New York State. I represent Dutchess County, New York, and the eligible metropolitan area in that county. If this bill is passed, Dutchess County would lose up to 5 percent the first year, and then incrementally more in the second and third year. And by the fourth year, all funds for title I would be eliminated for Dutchess County. Title I money goes for support and services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The patients benefiting from these services simply will not get their needed medication because the program won't exist. If the funds to Dutchess County disappear, there is absolutely nowhere near where the HIV/AIDS patients would be able to go for support, services, and medication because the entire State is suffering from the cuts for New York that this bill calls for. This means over 1,600 people in Dutchess County alone will lose out with the passage of the Ryan White CARE Act in its current form. This is unacceptable, and that is why I reluctantly ask that you vote against H.R. 6143 at this time. This legislation should be brought up under regular order so that amendments can be offered. And while I strongly support the Ryan White Act, the HIV/AIDS problem is a problem that requires resources to fight. While we recognize the need to direct attention to those communities where this is an emerging problem, we must not do so at the cost of the places that need it the most. People in my district and the people of New York need these lifesaving funds. Please don't take away from them. Vote against H.R. 6143.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge this House to correct a broken impact aid formula that unfairly limits the Federal funding received by local school districts in military communities. A significant portion of the students I represent in Highland Falls- Fort Montgomery Central School District are children of military families living at West Point. Impact Aid funding complications have Highland Falls struggling to preserve its full curriculum for students. The Impact Aid funding shortfall leaves the local community surrounding West Point facing major property tax increases. This is not the way the Federal Government should be treating the families of Highland Falls and West Point. Impact aid schools need and deserve consistent Federal support. They are not getting that through the current Impact Aid formula. I urge this House to pass the Impact Aid Update Act, a bill I introduced to correct the outdated cap that is restricting Impact Aid funding to Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District and other Impact Aid schools. I also call on this House to pass H.R. 390, a bill I am cosponsoring to improve the Impact Aid program. This Congress needs to permanently fix Impact Aid funding formulas so that local school districts like Highland Falls throughout the country have the full resources they need to teach our children.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge the passage of legislation that I am cosponsoring with the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce). The Health Insurance for Life Act provides extended health care coverage to individuals and families who need COBRA when they are in between jobs or waiting for their health insurance to begin at a new job. Suburban families like those living in the Hudson Valley in New York encounter a job change an average of seven times. Workers need assurances that their health insurance remains as transferable and uncomplicated as possible when job changes occur. COBRA provides the safety net that parents and children need to maintain affordable health insurance, but under current law there are time limitations on how long families can use COBRA. H.R. 5740 removes COBRA's time limits and ensures that families in need of extended COBRA coverage cannot be charged unreasonable premiums. This Congress must continue developing new ways to protect the underinsured and uninsured in New York and throughout our country. Passage of our bill ensures that time is on the side of families and children who rely on COBRA for their health insurance.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago, Congress created the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation. We tasked them with establishing a memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The Foundation's work is important, but it is not yet complete. When they are finished, they will have created a memorial that is long overdue to pay tribute to our Nation's veterans who have returned from the battlefield bearing the scars of war. I have been working closely with the Foundation to help them in their efforts. I have introduced legislation in the House, H.R. 1951, that would mint a commemorative coin in honor of our disabled veterans. The proceeds of this coin will go towards the efforts of the Foundation to build the memorial. This legislation currently has 195 cosponsors, and I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation that pays tribute to our veterans in two ways, by minting a coin honoring our Nation's disabled veterans, and by helping the Foundation in their efforts to build a memorial to disabled veterans. I would like to quote from a letter from Bradley Barton, the National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, which has endorsed the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Coin Act. Commander Barton says, ``We express our pride, patriotism, values and national identity through memorials that signify and define who we are as a Nation; and it is important that we maintain public recognition and awareness of the extraordinary sacrifices disabled veterans have made on behalf of their fellow citizens and our country.'' Disabled American Veterans, Washington, DC, September 21, 2006. Hon. Sue Kelly, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Kelly: Once again, Congress is prepared to adjourn sine die without addressing the ``American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act,'' H.R. 1951. The Senate bill, S. 633, passed on May 25, 2006. It has been held since then, pending House action. This legislation provides for the minting and sale of special coins to commemorate living disabled American veterans and authorizes special surcharges on these coins to be contributed to the fund for construction of a memorial to disabled veterans on grounds near the Nation's Capitol in accordance with legislation already enacted. We express our pride, patriotism, values, and national identity through memorials that signify and define who we are as a nation, and it is important that we maintain public recognition and awareness of the extraordinary sacrifices disabled veterans had made on behalf of their fellow citizens and our country. The coins will be minted starting in 2010, the same year that the groundbreaking and dedication of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will take place. A portion of the proceeds from this coin will support the construction of this Memorial. Please don't let this legislation die in the 109th Congress. I call upon you to cosponsor H.R. 1951. Please let me know if you plan to cosponsor and support this legislation. Sincerely, Bradley S. Barton, National Commander. The Foundation's cofounder and chairwoman is Lois Pope, a woman who is dedicated and committed to making this memorial a reality. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $25 million of the $65 million needed to build the memorial. More telling still is the sheer number of people they have enlisted to help in their efforts. Within the last 2 years alone, more than 550,000 individual Americans have contributed in support of the memorial. H.R. 4275, the bill before the House today, would extend the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation's charter until 2015. This would provide the Foundation with ample time to complete their fundraising, design and construction efforts on the disabled veterans memorial. The National Park Service also supports the extension. National Park Deputy Director Donald Murphy testified before the House National Parks Subcommittee on May 25, saying that, ``The Foundation has proceeded in a professional and responsible manner in all aspects of the memorial process, and we feel it is fair to allow the Foundation additional time to continue fundraising and complete design development.'' The Foundation was created by an act of Congress in 2000, and the Congress should extend its charter so this organization can complete the important work we have tasked them with. I encourage every Member of this House to support H.R. 4275, and I support the great work that the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation continues doing to honor our Nation's disabled veterans.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the extraordinary sacrifices made by American's veterans by voting ``yes'' on H. Con. Res 419. This resolution supports the establishment of a National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in the birthplace of the Purple Heart in New Windsor, New York. The Purple Heart is the oldest and one of the most prestigious honors bestowed upon an American soldier. By passing this legislation today, we recognize the sacrifices of the brave men and women who have received this honor. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor will uniquely highlight the stories of the Purple Heart veterans. Every Purple Heart veteran is a hero whose story needs to be hold. By hearing these stories we can fully honor their sacrifices and learn from their experiences. The stories will echo within the halls of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, and they should inspire our Nation not only to preserve the legacy of our military heroes, but to better appreciate the freedoms for which they fought. The Hall of Honor is scheduled to be officially dedicated November 10. It will be located at New Windsor Cantonment, the site in my congressional district. This is the site of the last encampment of the Continental Army, where General George Washington first presented the Badge of Military Merit in 1782. Since then more than 800,000 members of the Armed Forces have been awarded this medal, which is now called the Purple Heart. It is an honor reserved for those soldiers who are wounded or killed while defending the greatest of our principles, freedom. New York State has done a great deal to make the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor a reality. Governor George Pataki and Bernadette Castro, our State's park and recreation preservation commissioner, led the effort. Our State's senator, Senator Bill Larkin, a retired lieutenant colonel with 23 years of Active Duty in the United States Army, has been a true champion in working on siting the Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor. I am also grateful for the efforts of the military personnel subcommittee chairman, John McHugh of New York, who helped bring this legislation to the floor today. I want to thank especially Rick Weeks, the State commander of the New York Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The Military Order contributed $500,000 toward the construction of the Hall of Honor. I will insert this letter of support from the National Military Order of the Purple Heart in the Record. Commander Weeks was also instrumental in gathering support for this resolution. I thank him very much. While the Hall of Honor is in New York, it is important to remember it is a national institution that will celebrate the sacrifices of soldiers and veterans who have lived in all areas of our country. Passage of this resolution today, as our troops are courageously fighting overseas to defend and preserve democracy, will send a strong message to our Armed Forces and our veterans that our Nation is grateful and continues to be grateful for the sacrifices made by our military men and women. Military Order of the Purple Heart, Springfield, VA, August 1, 2006. Chairman Duncan Hunter, House Armed Services Committee, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) is in total support of H. Con. Res. 419, which has been referred to your committee. This resolution recognizes and encourages support for the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. This Hall of Honor, while located in New York, is really a national effort and one that will recognize and honor all our country's men and women who have been recipients of the Purple Heart Medal for their death or wounds received in combat. MOPH urges you and your colleagues on the committee to support this very worthwhile endeavor in a timely manner. Respectfully, James D. Randles, National Commander.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to continue addressing the needs of small businesses that create seven out of every 10 jobs in our communities. Small businesses are the backbone of our local economies. During the past month, I held small business walks down the main streets and through the business districts of towns and villages in New York's Hudson Valley. I talked directly to small business owners and employees in places like Warwick, Port Jervis, Beacon and Highland Falls to hear directly from them about the challenges they face every day. They asked for continued tax relief so they can afford to pay their employees. They need to keep more of their earnings in order to create new, good paying jobs in our local communities. They asked for affordable health insurance to be more accessible for them to be able to provide for their employees. Only 41 percent of the smallest businesses can afford to offer health benefits, compared with 99 percent of large companies. When I discussed small business health plan legislation that we have passed in the House, they often agreed that would be a practical first step toward solving the problem of America's uninsured. Mr. Speaker, these and other proposals are part of a five-point plan I have been pushing to help our small businesses, and I ask my colleagues to support these initiatives that level the playing field for small businesses and provide them the tax relief they need

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise, along with several of my colleagues, this morning to urge this House to pass a bill I am sponsoring called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act. I appreciate the co- leadership of the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) on this important bipartisan bill. We are here today seeking to improve treatment coverages and access to inpatient care for women suffering from breast cancer. No woman should be forced to fight breast cancer and red tape at the same time. It is our responsibility in Congress to make sure that necessary laws are in place to protect a breast cancer patient. We need to guarantee the best treatment and support possible. A breast cancer diagnosis is scary and stressful for a woman. Insurance restrictions and difficult cost-saving decisions only complicate her fear and stress. By passing our bill, we can eliminate undue anxiety and ensure that a woman and her doctor are in control of her treatment decisions. More than 175 cosponsors of our bill have recognized the need to help more than 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year. But we believe every Member of this body should be cosponsoring our legislation. Together, this Congress can make a positive difference in the lives of women suffering from breast cancer by passing the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, this Congress needs to continue the tax relief and economic policies that have helped small businesses create new jobs and foster strong economic growth across our country. I have been pushing a five-point agenda to help small businesses succeed: One, continue the tax cuts for small businesses, which we accomplished earlier this year by passing the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act into law. Two, we need to make health care costs more affordable for small businesses and their employees. The Senate, like the House, needs to pass legislation to create small business health plans that will lower their premiums by up to 30 percent. Three, we need to level the playing field for small businesses. The Senate can help us do this by approving two of my bills that have been overwhelmingly passed in the House to help small businesses earn interest on their checking accounts and gain increased access to capital. Four, the Senate, like the House, needs to vote to permanently end the death tax on small businesses and family farms. Five, we need to stop excessive and redundant Federal regulations on small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to immediately consider my bill that has passed the Government Reform Committee and would help prevent Federal agencies from imposing unnecessary regulations that suffocate small businesses. Mr. Speaker, let's fully demonstrate our commitment to small businesses by passing these legislative solutions to help small businesses in New York's Hudson Valley and all over the Nation.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of today's H.R. 5068, to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. I want to thank Chairwoman Pryce, Chairman Oxley, and Chairman Manzullo. We have created a strong bill that will empower small businesses in America to export. This legislation gives small businesses dedicated loan officers and creates a structure for dealing with small business concerns that ensures that they are dealt with at the highest level of the bank. America's competitiveness and economic growth depends on small business exporters. American-made products are still the best in the world, and they deserve to have the same support from our government in making sales that our foreign rivals do. Today's bill recognizes that fact and challenges Ex- Im to meet its commitment that 20 percent of all the lending goes to small business. Passage of H.R. 5068 today will not end the strong oversight of Ex-Im that Chairmen Manzullo and Pryce have provided in the last few years. Our success will not be measured by passing this bill, but it will be measured by the number of small business jobs that we create through increased exports by supporting America's small businesses. I urge passage of H.R. 5068.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Sensenbrenner for his hard work on this piece of legislation, which goes a long way toward protecting our children from predators and abusers. Our Nation loses four children a day to abuse and neglect. Our government owes it to these children to provide our law enforcement and child protective service communities with a deep, ready, and effective arsenal that they can utilize to protect the most vulnerable element of our society. The conference report contains a provision I authored in the House to create a Federal registry of child abuse and neglect at the Department of Health and Human Services. This registry will close a glaring loophole in our current law which allows child abusers to find sanctuary by merely crossing States' borders. This legislation puts a ``go-to'' Federal resource in place to help local jurisdictions identify and track those with a history of child abuse anywhere in this country. Now our State and local child protection services will be able to access this valuable tool to weed out predators and help them fight child abuse and neglect across State lines. It is a commonsense child protection measure. It was passed by the House twice, and I am very happy to see it included in this conference report before us today. With the establishment of the Federal Child Abuse and Neglect Registry, local and State child advocacy services will have a full picture of the individual who would have children placed in their care, abuse them, and then try to escape; and our Nation's most vulnerable children will now be protected. I would like to thank Chairman Sensenbrenner again for his leadership on this issue, and I also want to thank my constituent John Walsh for his hard work over many years to bring this bill to fruition.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of the Homeowners Tax Relief Act. I have introduced this act to help bring much-needed property tax relief to middle-class families. Taxes are one of the most critical issues our constituents face. When I talk with residents of the Hudson Valley in my New York district, they repeatedly tell me they are at wit's end because their property tax rates are increasing faster than their incomes. We have passed significant tax relief legislation in this Congress, but we can do more to show our constituents that we are committed to tax cuts, not tax increases. My legislation is particularly aimed to help middle-class families. It would enable homeowners to deduct on their Federal tax forms the amount of property and school taxes that they pay in excess of the national average. This also brings a first-of-its-kind property tax deduction to residents who use the standard deduction. The IRS estimates that two-thirds of taxpayers use the standard deduction. They would be able to get this tax relief. Mr. Speaker, both Republican and Democrat cosponsors are on my bill. We need to move it forward to bring additional tax relief to middle- class families in New York and throughout the country.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, last year in the wake of the Supreme Court's Kelo v. New London decision, House Republicans drafted and passed legislation to better protect private property owners from eminent domain. Today I rise seeking support for my effort to stop the potential for eminent domain abuse brought forth by last year's energy bill. Permit holders now have the ability to petition U.S. District Court for authority to use eminent domain to construct power lines. This gives eminent domain power not to an accountable government agency, but rather to private companies. In my Hudson Valley district, a company has a disruptive and damaging plan to place a power line from central New York all of the way to New Windsor, in spite of objections from numerous municipalities in its path. Eminent domain is a tool that will likely be sought to advance this widely opposed plan. To end this threat, I am introducing a bill called the Protecting Communities from Power Line Abuse Act. Let's value our constituents' rights to personal property. Cosponsor my bill and prevent efforts to abuse eminent domain and undermine our local communities.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise once again in opposition to the recent decision by the Department of Homeland Security to cut antiterrorism funds for New York City and Washington by 40 percent, while increasing spending for many smaller cities that are far less prone to terrorist attacks. This week's revelation by the DHS Inspector General about the serious flaws in the National Asset Database further underscores this irrational judgment by the DHS. Not only is DHS taking money away from the Nation's largest and most populated city, while another recent terror plot against New York came to light just last week, but its antiterrorism database listed the States of Indiana and Wisconsin with more potential terrorist targets than New York. This New Yorker finds it painfully ironic that the DHS said that one of the reasons for the cut in funding is our lack of landmarks necessary to protect New York. Well, if that statement is not illogical enough, consider this. Among the items in its National Asset Database that the DHS does find necessary are a petting zoo in Alabama, a popcorn factory in Indiana, and Mule Day. And here is a picture of the Mule Day Parade in Tennessee. As a New Yorker, it is certainly fair to question the rationale for our funding reduction if these are the priorities in other States which are receiving New York's money instead.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of the Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention Act. I have co-introduced this bill because a more coordinated Federal effort to fight Lyme disease is long overdue. Lyme disease is one of the most mysterious and misunderstood illnesses that our families, including our children, face every day. Our health care community faces extremely difficult challenges in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease. The epicenter of Lyme disease is in my district in the Hudson Valley, but incidence rates have increased dramatically throughout the country in the past few years. There are 49 States that have experienced Lyme disease cases. It is time for the Federal Government to assume greater Lyme fighting responsibilities. Our bill will help develop a realistic and reliable diagnostic test, it will help increase Lyme disease research, and it will create an advisory committee of patient advocates and specialized physicians to help Health and Human Services develop and implement a vastly improved national strategy to fight Lyme disease. We can't leave the burden of controlling Lyme disease to our local health agencies alone. By passing this bipartisan legislation, more work will be done at the Federal level to help our local communities. Please help me pass this legislation.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call on this House to pass legislation of major importance to my constituents in New York's Hudson Valley. The Indian Point nuclear power plants are located within 35 miles of New York City, making it the largest population in the country that lives within the vicinity of a nuclear power plant. I visited the plants on January 30 with a nuclear safety engineer from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Afterward, I requested that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorize an independent safety assessment at Indian Point. As I saw on my visit, there are many people working at Indian Point who are fully dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure plant. They deserve our sincere appreciation. But Indian Point is an aging plant with a history of problems, and an ISA is the best way to identify areas of weakness before they become serious issues. My Hudson Valley colleagues and I have introduced legislation to call on the NRC to commit an ISA at Indian Point. Additional colleagues here in Congress have joined me in this. This would ensure the utmost safety at Indian Point for our surrounding communities. The NRC needs to put the safety of the residents of New York's Hudson Valley first, and I urge the House to promptly consider and approve our legislation.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, we have passed important legislation in this Congress to help America's small businesses; we have passed legislation to help make health insurance more affordable and accessible, and legislation to provide tax relief. But we need to continue demonstrating our commitment to helping small businesses in New York and throughout the country by passing legislation that I have introduced to help relieve the excessive regulatory burden on small businesses. The Cut Unnecessary Regulatory Burden For Small Business Act, passed by the House Government Reform Committee earlier this month, would enable Congress to better eliminate excessive Federal regulations that hamper small business, job growth, and productivity. When Federal agencies overregulate small business owners, it forces them to spend extra time and money and manpower completing endless paperwork instead of growing their businesses and creating new jobs. In small business forums and small business walks I have held throughout the year in the Hudson Valley of New York, excessive regulations were cited by small business owners as one of the major problems they are facing. And every small business spends $7,0000 per employee per year on regulatory compliance costs. Let us help small business remain vibrant and strong, not overregulate it. Let us pass the CURB Act.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk briefly about one aspect of our fight against terrorism that is often overlooked, and that is our efforts to detect and eradicate terrorist funding networks around the world. The fight against terror finance goes hand in hand with the war on terror. Terrorists infiltrate our financial systems to distribute the money that they need to support their evil activities around the globe. They exploit a wide variety of alternative funding networks that range from charities to commonplace criminal activity like drug peddling and illegal cigarette sales. My colleagues would likely agree that while we may have targeted the financial resources of terrorists networks at times prior to 9/11, the fight against terror finance didn't begin in earnest until after the 9/ 11 attacks. The 9/11 hijackers used U.S. and foreign banks to transfer the roughly half-million dollars necessary to the plan to execute their attacks on America. We fought back against terror financiers with people like Dennis Lormel, a veteran FBI agent who was tasked with tracking down the financial lifelines that enabled the 9/11 hijackers to operate. We fought back with people like David Aufhauser, who was then general counsel at the Treasury Department who was put in charge of a small interagency terror finance group which met regularly at the White House after 9/11. And we fought back here in this House. Chairman Oxley and the ranking member, Mr. Frank, convened a Financial Services Committee hearing on terror finance just 3 weeks after the attacks. Shortly thereafter, this body passed the PATRIOT Act, which provided critical new terror finance tools. We have held numerous hearings since to improve the government's antiterror finance efforts and to identify which foreign countries need to do more to stop terror financing within their borders. And we have created the bipartisan Congressional Anti-Terrorist Financing Task Force to bring a stronger focus on bolstering our fight against terror financiers. In just a few years, we have made significant progress in combating terror-funding networks. We still have a long way to go, but we are on the right track. Last December, the 9/11 Commission came out with a report card grading the government's response to 9/11. The government's efforts against terror finance got the highest grade of them all, an A minus. Just last week, an al Qaeda planning document was found in al Zarqawi's hideout which laments our successes in restricting the al Qaeda financial outlets. This House has played an important role in this effort, and it has been approached in a bipartisan way even when dealing with terror finance in Iraq. Continued progress on this complex issue requires a sustained commitment from our Congress. Last year, members from both sides of the aisle joined me in a letter pressing Syria for more action in stopping the flow of fighters and finances into Iraq. Members from both sides of the aisle joined me in asking the government of Italy to crack down on open fundraising efforts for Iraqi terrorists in their country. As we move forward, our challenges continue to grow more daunting as terrorists perpetually adapt to our methods to stop them. They are constantly finding new ways to raise and distribute money. So we must work even harder to keep up with terrorists' ever-changing financing techniques. We must continue pressing foreign governments to do the same. Continued progress on this complex issue requires a sustained commitment from Congress. By stopping the flow of terrorist money, we can diminish the ability of terrorists to attack our citizens and our country. Fighting terror finance must remain a critical component of the War on Terror.

Ms. KELLY

Ms. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, volunteer service is vital in the basic framework of our nation. Without those sacrificing their time, energy, and efforts for the benefit of others we could not advance as a society. It is in this notion of service that those in need are given opportunity. It is because of people who dedicate their life to helping others that our communities flourish and lives are changed. The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in thousands of communities with the dedicated service provided by volunteer firefighters. Their reward is not monetary, but is in the lives they change, people they save and those they protect day in and day out. On June 10, 2006, the Minisink Hook & Ladder Company #1 will celebrate 100 years of courageous service to the people of Orange County, New York. On behalf of the people of the 19th Congressional District, in recognition of a century of service I proudly commemorate this momentous achievement. I congratulate and wish the Minisink Hook & Ladder Company continued success in serving the public and keeping people safe.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express the shock, disgust and frustration that I have felt since the Department of Homeland Security slashed homeland security money for New York and increased funding for other smaller, rural cities across America. For many months since 9/11, Congress has been working to convince this administration that a risk-based distribution formula is the right way to protect Americans in cities like New York that are the most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. If the mission at Homeland Security is truly to protect America, then Department of Homeland Security funding should never be a pork-barrel matter. Yet the lack of common sense displayed by cutting New York's funding by 40 percent, while increasing the funding of nearly every other city, demonstrates that the threat is clearly not foremost in the minds of the DHS. This is a slap in the face to all of us who experienced 9/11 in New York. We need to look no further than the 9/11 Commission report to understand that we must dedicate our resources to areas like New York where the risks are the highest and where multiple terrorist attacks have already occurred. Our constituents ask us to spend taxpayer money wisely. By cutting first responder funding for New York and instead sending it to other areas of the country that are not at as much risk, the administration has failed terribly in its responsibility to spend taxpayer dollars wisely. If truly committed to securing our homeland, the administration must work with New York and immediately correct this horrendous blunder.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. I have spent a lot of time working on aviation safety on this issue because we need to establish more fairness in the contract negotiation process between the Federal Aviation Agency and our air traffic controllers. When one side is able to cut off negotiations and impose its will on its employees at any time, it is difficult to argue that this is an environment for fair negotiation. Unfortunately, this is the system we have in place right now for recruiting and maintaining America's best assets for keeping our air safe, our air traffic controllers. It is a flawed system that would weaken aviation safety. It is appropriate that Congress take action to correct this situation now, before problems grow to a point where we can no longer fix them. Our air traffic controllers are absolutely essential to protecting our skies. We need to ensure that we are recruiting and maintaining the best possible personnel for our really vitally important jobs. That is why I introduced the legislation this year with my colleague, Mr. Costello, to address this situation. And as he pointed out, we had a bipartisan group of 267 Members behind our legislation that seeks to establish more fairness in the negotiation process. Well, it would be my preference that it would be our bill that would be up for debate today. I sincerely appreciate the leadership's recognition that this matter merits debate and action by this body. The bill that is offered by my colleagues, Mr. LaTourette and Mr. LoBiondo, provides us with a positive step in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, it does not favor one side over the other. It does not speak in favor of one specific contract proposal over another. It simply sends them back to the negotiating table. This is the right thing to do to keep our negotiation process fair and our skies safe. I support this legislation. I encourage the other 265 cosponsors that have cosponsored this bill with Mr. Costello and myself to similarly support this bill offered by my colleagues, Mr. LaTourette and Mr. LoBiondo.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, the high gas prices and energy costs that we are experiencing now demonstrate more than ever we have to increase the urgency of achieving U.S. oil independence from foreign sources of oil. Congress needs to work faster to develop new fuel choices and achieve fuel savings. I am a cosponsor of the Fuel Choices for American Security Act. Our legislation initiates a plan to achieve U.S. oil savings of 2.5 million barrels per day by 2015. That is the amount of oil we currently import from the Middle East every day. Our plan is committed to developing alternative energy courses and renewable fuels. It will create better market incentives to use the resources and technology already available here in America to develop new fuel choices and bring them to consumers faster. As long as the U.S. dependence on foreign oil continues to increase, gas prices will continue to increase as well. Looking backward and using high gas prices to launch political attacks gives us no solution to the Nation's energy problems. Political maneuvers are not an energy policy. Looking forward by passing this bipartisan legislation is the correct approach to implementing the initiatives we need to tackle the Nation's energy problems. Let us commit ourselves to the American consumer and not to politics.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, the more we help small businesses, the more jobs they create for local residents across the country. That is why we passed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act in 2003. The economy has been growing ever since. More than 5 million new jobs have been created. But we need to do more. Small business owners in my district in New York's Hudson Valley tell me they feel overwhelmed by excessive taxes. We need to give them more tax relief and more incentives to continue hiring new workers. We should extend and make permanent the small business tax relief provisions that have been critical to economic growth. We need to increase small business expensing limits so small businesses can continue growing their businesses and creating new jobs. And we should pass the Small Business Tax Relief Act. We should phase out the Alternative Minimum Tax that is especially harmful to small business owners. Mr. Speaker, some have suggested letting tax cuts expire, which would amount to a major tax increase on America's small businesses. Raising taxes on small businesses would reverse this trend of economic growth and job creation. We must continue our economic policies that are working and continue developing new ways to help our small businesses.

Mrs. KELLY

Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, we must always keep the promises we have made to our veterans who have dedicated themselves to faithfully serving our country. However, under current law, veterans are being prohibited from using Medicare coverage at local VA hospitals. They can only use Medicare at non-VA hospitals, and they lose out on the personalized care they prefer to receive at VA hospitals. This forces veterans to choose between cost and comfort. That is not the way our veterans should be treated. I have introduced the Veterans Medicare Assistance Act to correct this problem. Our laws should be working for veterans, not against them. I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort to enable our veterans to use their Medicare benefits to help them pay their bills at VA hospitals. Most veterans pay into Medicare for most of their lives. This law should not prohibit them from using those Medicare benefits at VA hospitals later on in their lives. Cosponsor H.R. 4992 and show our veterans that we are putting their needs first. We need to work together in Congress to enhance health care options for our veterans, not take them away.