Ron Klein

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, this Tuesday marked an historic day for science and medical research efforts across our country as President Obama lifted the ban on federally funded stem cell research enacted in 2001. With this executive order, the President has restored the federal government's commitment to funding promising medical research with the potential to treat and cure some of the most debilitating human diseases. One of the great promises of stem cells is their potential for use in developing new therapies for life altering diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's. Stem cell research offers the hope of a better life to millions of Americans, and by supporting this research we will open the door for groundbreaking discoveries at research facilities like Scripps Florida. The President has been clear that stem cell research in this country will not be undertaken lightly, and will only be conducted in the most responsible, ethical manner possible, with strict guidelines to prevent misuse and abuse. Funding stem cell research is also a great investment in our future, not only from a personal health standpoint but from an economical and cost-efficiency perspective. Finding cures and therapies may reduce the cost of hospitalization and other expensive components of our health care system. By increasing our investment in stem cell research, we can also retain and attract some of the best and brightest scientists that have, up to now, been stifled by restrictions on which stem cell lines they may use for their research. The United States has always been a world leader in science and technology, and with this ban lifted, we can once again conduct the most cutting-edge research right here in the U.S. that will bring the next big breakthroughs in the world of medicine. From juvenile diabetes to paralysis, the potential of stem cell research in all of its forms presents one of humanity's greatest leaps toward the ultimate goal of preserving, prolonging and improving the quality of our lives. As a strong advocate of this research, I commend the President for his commitment to funding comprehensive stem cell research in the United States.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of George W. ``Bob'' Gill, an extraordinary resident of my congressional district who helped build Fort Lauderdale into the world-renowned tourism destination it is today. Tourism is the economic engine of south Florida, and Mr. Gill was a pioneer in the field. After opening six area hotels over 60 years, he even earned the nickname ``the Dean of Fort Lauderdale tourism.'' Mr. Gill had a knack for marketing and a sharp business sense. His ideas helped to bring vacationing northerners to enjoy Fort Lauderdale's beautiful beaches. He created some of the most iconic hotels in south Florida, including the Yankee Clipper and the Jolly Roger, the first hotels in the area to offer air-conditioning way back in 1952. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Gill lived a long and rich life, passing away last week at the age of 93. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter Linda and all the friends and family that Mr. Gill left behind. He left an enduring legacy on south Florida, and Mr. Gill will be missed.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to submit how I would have voted on March 9, 2009, when I was tending to a family commitment, for which the timing was not flexible. Had I voted, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 110; ``yes'' on rollcall No. 111; ``yes'' on rollcall No. 111.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 14, supporting the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. More than 400,000 Americans live with multiple sclerosis. This disease knows no gender, age, or ethnic boundaries. It strikes all in our society, even our children, with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 who live with this terrible disease, by attacking the central nervous system. Symptoms, progress, and severity of the disease vary widely from patient to patient. Some can lead normal lives with symptoms like numbness in the limbs while others can be stricken with paralysis or blindness. Mr. Speaker, I think everyone here can say that they know someone with MS. My wife and I know a number of people in our community in South Florida that are currently affected. Despite the prevalence of this terrible disease, we are still a long way off before a cure is found. We still don't know what causes MS and have no definitive way to diagnose it. Physicians are forced to use a combination of diagnostic strategies, which includes ruling out all other possible diagnoses. The result is that patients can go months, if not years, without a definitive understanding of what's causing their debilitating symptoms. Mr. Speaker, we must find a cure. As we have seen with other diseases where we have made major advances in treatment, progress starts with awareness in all levels of society and government. That's why the concurrent resolution that we are considering today is so important. Not only does it recognize the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, but it reaffirms our national commitment to finding a cure. I am proud to support this resolution. I thank my colleague from California, Ms. Lee, along with Mr. Carnahan and Dr. Burgess, for introducing this resolution, and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on final passage.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman from Kentucky. Thanks for your leadership on the issues, as we know, we have been really faced with as we move into this next congressional session. It was interesting. A week ago, most of us were at home, speaking to people in small businesses, speaking to homeowners. Many of us do Congress on Your Corner, which is an idea where we just meet at the local supermarket or local drug store or local 5 and 10 and just have a chance to talk to people about what they're really thinking about right now and how we can solve these problems that our country is looking at. You know, it breaks down into three things: One is: What can we do to stimulate the economy? What can we do to generate consumer interest and business interest? Because, if we produce more, people will buy more and demand will go up, all those kinds of things. What do we do about the mortgage crisis? It's not just the people who are sort of in foreclosure. There's a very large number of people who are at jobs where maybe they're earning $50,000. I was just at a car dealer's the other day, and they were telling me that the owner of the company came to the 140 employees and asked them to vote on whether they wanted to reduce their salaries. He, himself, the owner, had taken no salary in the last year, but he literally asked them if they'd be willing to take less compensation in order to avoid people being laid off. They took a vote and they did it. The reality is someone who's earning $50,000 may be earning $40,000 or $35,000, and someone who is willing or is able to pay $750 for a mortgage maybe now can afford $600. Well, there are simple solutions to that, and I'm very gratified that Congress is moving forward. The Obama administration has put out a number of proposals which, I think, need quick movement because they're just commonsense, and they make sense. Everyone understands it's not in the best interest of a street for a home to be foreclosed on on that street. The better way to deal with that is to keep that person in the home. If the person is earning a little less than he was earning before, or that $50,000 to $35,000, and he can afford $600 versus $750, well, it's simple enough. Take the difference and defer it to the end of the mortgage or amortize the mortgage 40 years instead of 30 years. Get the payments to where the person can still afford to stay in the home and can take care of that home and can have a roof over his head. Add value to the community versus having that home boarded up and having it depress every other property on the street. That's the kind of work that we need to encourage the banks to work on with our local community folks, with our homeowners, and those are some of the proposals that are out on the table today. I think those are the kinds of things that I've been hearing from our communities. We need to know that the government is working on encouraging banks and on finding incentives to get the banks to work with us. Of course, other than the stimulus, which is already in place--and it's going to begin to filter into the communities over the next number of weeks--the last thing, of course, is fixing the banks in a way that they will lend to small businesses. I know we're going to talk about that tonight because we're a country of small businesses. We understand that's the lifeblood of our communities--to create jobs, to create wealth and to support local communities. I know that there are a number of ideas we're going to discuss which will help get those small businesses back on track because we know that we need to get the banks to help out with that. So, with that, I'll turn it back to the gentleman. I'm looking forward to this good discussion on how we're going to move forward over the next number of days.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Well, I thank the gentleman for the discussion today. Because I think if we think about how we plan our family budgets, whether it's sending your kids to college, whether it's planning for retirement, if you're in retirement, making sure that the investments you have, even in difficult times like this, will pay for the expenses that you have, these are all things, it's all about certainty, and it is about trying to know where you will be and plan for the future. I know a lot of small businesses I talk to, they want to know for sure about how they will be in a position to plan their capital budget, cover the expansion, make the investments in their equipment and things like that. So one of the things we've been working on is this budget. And the budget of course is the plan for this next year's fiscal spending of our government. And of course there are a lot of fixed expenses, there are things like, everything from prisons to roads to our military and defense and veterans, which are so important to us, particularly at a time when we are fighting two wars and we are creating a new generation of veterans. So as they come home, as this Congress has demonstrated, we will make sure that anyone who wears the uniform gets the benefit of making sure that this country stands behind them and their families for all the necessary care that they need in the future, as well as jobs. But for the rest of the country, this really is a question of times when we do plan the necessary future vision. And I think what President Obama has offered to many of us that I think is really visionary and exciting-- and we're seeing this in the blueprint or what we call our budget--it's a focus on education, it's a focus on health care, it's a focus on energy. Each one of these is a crucial component of moving our economy forward. Education by far--and I've believed this for a long, long time; my mom is a teacher, she is a public school teacher, she has taught second grade. She absolutely instilled in me the notion of how important education is. And as one of the first people to go to college in our family, it really has given me the opportunity to do things that have allowed me to serve in Congress. But more importantly, education is the best investment as a country that we can make. And between the stimulus plan and the budget, there is investment in college education. In President Obama's speech last week he talked about having every person who wants to be able to get a college education get one. We see our competition around the world, whether it's Singapore or China, other places, the engineering degrees and other degrees that are coming forward; that's an investment in their future. Well, we have a great education system and a great university system, and community colleges and apprenticeship programs and vocational programs, all of these need to be nurtured and supported. And every student who wants to go to school--and every adult who wants to go back to school, particularly in a time like this--needs to have that support because that will turn into a very high productive economy. Health care. We know health care is just the Pacman eating up the costs in our economy, not just for government, not just for Medicare and Medicaid, but for private businesses. I know that when I was in a business, we had about 75 employees. Every year--and I know many of the people who are on the floor here understand this from their businesses or people at home understand this--every year you go back and have that conversation of what it's going to cost to renew your health insurance; double-digit increases every single year--whether there has been an experience of sickness or anything in the business, that's exactly what happens, double-digit increases. So you have to make decisions; do you cut back? Do you pass off more of the costs to your employees? And at some point in time businesses say I can't afford it. And we want to give them the opportunity to provide that type of health insurance because it keeps their employees healthy. We don't want people showing up at the emergency room. So this budget has an investment of changing our health care system to make it more efficient, better quality of medicine. And one of the ways they do this is bringing our health system into the 21st century with health technology. And this is something really simple. Think of when you go to your doctor's office, and your doctor, and all his good medicine and good advice he's given you, he writes down the information about his observations and your evaluation on a chart in pen, in many cases--not all, but many of them still do--and that's because their systems have just not kept up with. It's not a fault of the doctors, it's just that the systems have really not kept up in this business. Now, every other business in the United States, we pretty much are on computers. Well, you still see large racks of files in a doctor's office. So, God forbid if something happened, let's say I'm at home and I have my personal doctor, and that doctor has my little chart. And he takes some tests, my heart and all the cholesterol and all the normal things, and I get sick as I'm traveling--let's say I'm up here in Washington, D.C. Well, I may go to a doctor up here, and guess what that doctor starts with? Zero. Nothing. No file, no nothing. And if he wants to get information, he has to call and maybe have somebody Federal Express or some type of courier of the record up to Washington and maybe has to take tests all over again. It just adds tremendous cost into the system instead of having a very simple--with privacy, of course, secure--but a simple system to have all of the technology of health care. Plus, certainly the quality of medicine can be improved on as well; I know many of my doctor friends tell me that all the time. There is an investment, an incentive for doctors and providers, hospitals and others. This is just common sense. Again, if we can save money it can result in better quality of medicine. Lastly, of course, is energy, and I know many of us in this Chamber, Democrats and Republicans, most Americans, understand that we have got to get a grip on our energy policy and stop sending billions and billions of dollars to countries that are not our friends but, in many cases, our enemies. We complain about Venezuela and Hugo Chavez, rightfully so, he is very anti-American, and he is a threat. And what do we do? We send millions and millions and millions of dollars daily over to Venezuela and buy their oil. Well, that makes absolutely no sense to me and, I think, to most Americans. Well, it's not just Venezuela, it's all the Middle Eastern countries and plenty of other places. The sooner we can get into a mode where we can develop alternative energy, and whether it's wind or wave or solar or any combination of electric powers out there, and obviously there is coal and nuclear--and there are probably some answers as we focus our technology on some of those things as well to figure out the solutions to those problems--any number of ways that we need to make this country energy independent. What President Obama does, and I certainly support, and I know most Americans do, is to really get our attention focused and make the kinds of investments necessary to get us into alternative energy. For energy conservation, electric grid, make sure that you are home, for example, with a new technology. I had a small businessman in my area that came to me and said he has created a device which can now purchase and store electricity at the least expensive hours of the day. We know that at nighttime there is a low demand for power and you could, if they start pricing it that way, you could buy it less expensively. Boy, that makes a lot of sense, and then you can actually get more capacity out of our existing electric power plants, common sense. And these are the kinds of things that President Obama and many of us as Americans understand are the kinds of things that we need to do. So the gentleman from Kentucky, I am actually very excited about the kinds of things that are in this budget. Well, sure, we are going to work on some and make them a little better. Maybe some won't work out, but I think there is a blueprint here for the future, it's a blueprint that will get our budget back in line, put people back to work, make the quality of our education, the quality of our health care, and certainly an energy policy that will put us into the future. This is the kind of leadership that I am really excited about.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding organization in my Congressional District, the Arc of Palm Beach County. The Arc works to improve the lives of children and adults with developmental and mental disabilities, as well as their families. Arc programs, which include therapeutic education and Community Inclusion Services, are invaluable to their clients and our community. From young couples raising their children with disabilities, to aging parents working to care for their adult children, families depend on the Arc for essential services. I am committed to standing up for children and adults with disabilities, whether it is supporting the majority leader's ADA Restoration Act or fighting for increased funds for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I'm looking forward to addressing the Arc's first annual Arc Angels luncheon this Friday in West Palm Beach. And I congratulate all of the hard-working staff at the Arc, as well as their President, Executive Director and Board of Directors. Their efforts will have a valuable and lasting impact on South Florida.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be here this afternoon as I get together with a number of the members of our class of 2006. We've now finished our first 2 years, and we're beginning the third year of our service here in Washington, and it's truly an honor and a privilege to be serving on behalf of the American people, particularly at a time when the challenges are so great. Just to boil it down very simply, all you have to do is go home, talk to your neighbors, talk to your friends, talk to the people you go to church or synagogue with, see people at the grocery store. And what you're hearing in Washington is quite different and the people that come before our committees, that represent large banks, or people that are even coming up before this Chamber. We have a respectful difference of opinion. But I think the American people know what the bottom line is. The bottom line is they are hurting, and they are hurting in numbers like we haven't seen in our lifetimes. I spoke to my dad the other day. My dad is 80 years old. He just had his birthday, we celebrated. It was a wonderful opportunity for our family to be together. And he grew up, he was born in 1928, so he was born right at the beginning of the Depression, but he certainly lived through the 1930s and '40s, and told me what it was like and how their family had to make do, and what it took to save for that last thing that they needed, the clothes, the hand-me-downs, all the other things they did to make do. Well, we don't live like that today, by and large. But more and more people are forced to make very, very difficult decisions about how they're going to put food on the table, pay for their mortgage, pay for their insurance, put their kids through school, buy medicine, all the most basic things. And I'm just going to take a quick showing of a graph here that was prepared, very interesting graph. It's from our United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. And it talks about recessions, the last few recessions we had. One was in 1990, one was right after September 11, and unfortunately, the aftermath of that, and now we have the current one. If you just look at the lines, here's the beginning of the recession. They all start at the same place, and that's zero, at the point in which there are no new jobs created but no jobs lost, what they call the beginning of the recession. And if you take a look at the blue line, that was the one from 1990, it basically, after 10, 11 months it began turning around, actually it was 9 or 10 months, began turning around; and within about 2 years it was back to normal and on its way up in a very nice steep incline, the way we like to see growth in this country. And the people that create the growth are the people that have small businesses. These are the people we're focusing on. The one after September 11 went on a little longer, but still you saw this big increase after a period of time, a nice spectacular increase. Well, now we take a look at this green one. This is the one, unfortunately, we're in right now. This is the recession that started a number of months ago, and it is a line that's going almost straight down. That's the level and the depth of which we're at right now, which is far deeper than the last two recessions. Now, you probably heard a lot of people say that this is probably the worst it's been since the Great Depression, and it certainly seems that way. Thank God that at the present time many people are still working, but more and more people are on the edge, and more and more people are making decisions on what they can buy and what they can afford and decisions about the choices on the daily life of whether they're going to make an investment as a business owner or not. And these are the things that affect the broad base of our economy. So it's interesting when I hear people say, well, we're going to spend this; we're going to spend that. But it's also very fascinating to me that over the last number of years, there hasn't been that kind of questioning when we're spending billions and billions of dollars every month in Iraq or other places around the world. Well, as far as I'm concerned, yes, of course we have to worry about our national security and we're going to do what it takes to protect people in America and our interests. But you know something? It's also about time we start thinking about Americans and the lives that we lead and the roads that we live on, the schools that we build for our children, and the universities and opportunities to move our country ahead. These are the important things that we're going to have to do, and we're going to work very hard, and we've been working very hard at trying to get this going. What I'd like to do, I've got a number of members from our class to join us. I'm going to first ask the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) to lead off here and just share with us some of your thoughts and what's going on in Connecticut.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Well, thank you. The gentleman from Kentucky has hit it right on the mark, the gentleman from Connecticut as well. We are joined by Members from all over the country today. Everyone is going to have their opportunity. I think I'll just highlight one point really fast: As we've been working on this for the last number of months, in speaking to people at home, to economists, to experts, to businesspeople from the Reagan administration or from the Clinton administration, and to everything in between, I think the great thing about this opportunity is that we've gotten a very broad perspective, and the message has been very clear. There is no silver bullet. There is no one answer that is going to solve this in terms of creating consumer demand and confidence. You're going to have to try a number of things--be bold. Move it along because we're hemorrhaging--so we can get things stabilized as quickly as possible. The great thing is that 90 percent of the jobs being created are private-sector jobs. The private sector is going to drive the economy. As Mr. Courtney clearly said, the private sector is stimulated at a time like this by the government's doing things that are good for us, whether it's enhancing school buildings, broadband technology, things like that. We are joined by the gentlewoman from Ohio, from our Midwest, from the heartland, and she has just been a great leader on so many of these issues affecting families and small businesses. So, if you could, certainly give us your insight from the Ohio perspective.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Thank you very much. The gentlelady from Ohio has hit the nail on the head, and I think we agree with everything you said. It really is about Americans first. It is about putting aside every bit of the politics. There is a time for jousting and a time for debate, and there is a time for action. This is the time for action. The next couple of days will be a signal to the American people, to our business community, to our consumers that we are ready to turn the corner. With that, I would like to turn it over to the gentleman from New York State (Mr. Arcuri) and get his perspective, please.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman from Maryland. You're absolutely right, and if we think about it, we're approximately 3 weeks from the inauguration of President Obama, and right now, we're on track for a historic Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act that he laid out principles before, during and after that inauguration. And I think all of us are very dedicated as Americans to making sure that we get it right. It's not a question of how much time it takes to pass the bill. It's a question of getting it right, and I think that after weeks and weeks and weeks of getting experts and lots of people from back home and up here to help us understand what we need to do, the combination of the right tax cuts, the right investments will help us get it right. Madam Speaker, I'm going to yield back to the Chair, and I want to thank you.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I appreciate the personal experiences and personal observations from your district. I think we share that same experience from all of the people we're talking to. And as we had in the Financial Services Committee today, we heard from a lot of the large New York banks, and they talked about how the fact that--if you listen to them, that they're lending, they're doing this, they're doing that. I don't understand why it's not translating to our communities. I mean, if you believe what they're saying, it sounds like everything is okay. And we know the lifeblood of the economy is credit, consumer credit, people being able to buy automobiles or consumer goods or student loans, things like that--and not to mention small businesses that needed just to invest in their small businesses to keep their business going. It's not happening. And that needs to change, and that's part of this goal of fixing the economy, stimulating it, and getting the financial system fixed. We have a gentleman, Mr. Walz. We really appreciate your being here and being part of the explanation and the experience that you've had up to this point. I know you've been hearing from your people back home. We were just talking about it over the weekend. And why don't you share some of that with us.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank you for your passion and your expression of what's going on in Minnesota. I think we're seeing that the same situation is going on in all 50 states. For those of us who lived during recessions before, some recessions were tied to real estate, some were tied to manufacturing, different parts of the country. But you know something? People from every corner of this country are feeling this right now, which is why we have to act now. Do the right thing. We'll adjust as we go along. But every economist has told us that this is the right combination: some tax cuts, some investments, but all towards the future. I want to express my appreciation to the President who has expressed it this way because I think he's right on the mark. What I'd now like to do, if I could, is introduce my friend, the gentleman from Connecticut, who's been a great leader also on small business incentives and making sure small business has all of the opportunities to grow, and we know this is the moment for that. So why don't you give us some expression on that issue.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman from Connecticut, and I think we all have a number of Angelos in our communities, whether they're little bake shops or barbershops or supermarkets or florist shops or little machine shops. I grew up in a variety store. My dad worked 6 days a week, like most of our parents did. And I worked with him alongside, like a Woolworth type of little local store, and he taught me about what it takes to make a budget, and I think most Americans understand that right now when we know that we have to get jobs back on target here. I'd now like to add another State to the mix here. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), if you can give us your understanding and your thoughts, I'd like to yield to Mr. Sarbanes.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Retired Lieutenant Colonel Leo Gray, a resident of Dania Beach and one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary African American fighter pilots of World War II. As you know, February is Black History Month, and it is up to all of us to recognize and celebrate achievements in black history. Lieutenant Colonel Gray and his colleagues are heroes not only of African American history but of American history. Their brave and daring missions over enemy territory contributed to our victory in World War II and helped convince President Truman to desegregate our military. The Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal, the Nation's highest civilian honor, in 2007 and were invited to witness President Obama's historic inauguration this January. Yet despite this recognition, Lieutenant Colonel Gray remains rooted in our south Florida community, attending public events to inspire the next generation of African American, and simply American, heroes.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as we begin National Cancer Prevention Month to honor an extraordinary member of our south Florida community, Mrs. Nancy Brinker. Nancy is the founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the largest charity in the world. Named after Nancy's only sister who succumbed to breast cancer in 1980, the foundation has raised tens of millions of dollars for research and currently includes 100,000 volunteers worldwide. As many of you know, the signature event of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is its annual Race for the Cure. This past weekend, I was honored to participate with many others for the Race for the Cure held in West Palm Beach, where I walked in honor of my sister who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. At this event, I was delighted to meet Nancy in person and thank her for her tireless efforts in fighting this terrible disease. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Nancy Brinker and all of the participants in the 2009 West Palm Beach Race for the Cure for their commitment to defeating breast cancer.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the members of the J.P. Taravella High School Marching Band and their director, Neil Jenkins. Taravella was selected by the Presidential Inaugural Committee as the only high school marching band from the State of Florida to participate in the 2009 Inaugural Parade, and these students from Coral Springs made us all proud. Their journey was possible because business owners and citizens from across our community came together and they raised $150,000 to make the trip. I hope that being in Washington D.C. for this historic inauguration was as meaningful to these young musicians as it was for me. I know they will carry memories of this extraordinary event with them for the rest of their lives. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my congratulations to these fine students, their parents, teachers and chaperones for being part of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. This critical legislation will take care of unfinished business from the 110th Congress by providing health insurance coverage to 11 million children along with enacting needed reforms to the CHIP program. I applaud Speaker Pelosi for bringing this bill to the floor so quickly and President-Elect Obama for calling on Congres to have this legislation ready when he takes office. To be frank, this bill can't come fast enough for the millions of children without basic healthcare coverage and for the low-income families struggling to make ends meet. Never in my life has our country been in such a precarious state. Our once soaring economy is teetering, with unemployment at 7.2 percent, and the traditional pillars of our economy are struggling to stay in business. Now more than ever, the government must fill its role by helping the most vulnerable in our society meet their basic needs like healthcare. Madam Speaker, we're not asking my colleagues to take a leap of faith on some untested program. Created a decade ago, the State Children's Health Insurance Program is a product of true bipartisanship. A Republican Congress passed it, and a Democratic President signed it into law. And it is not an entitlement program; it is an empowerment program that encourages enrollment into private health insurance programs and a sliding scale for premiums based on a working family's ability to pay. In my home State of Florida, CHIP is administered through the Healthy Kids Program. During my tenure in the Florida State Senate, I helped oversee its implementation while serving on various committees. While we ran into some roadblocks with enrollment, I can say that people from both parties as well as the business community felt it was an innovative way to provide health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of low income children in Florida. Madam Speaker, passing CHIP legislation today is our first test of leadership in the 111th Congress. If we fail--if we fail our children-- then we must ask ourselves what leadership means in a time of crisis and whether we deserve the trust of the American people.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the month of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to commend the Boca Raton Community Hospital for its renewed efforts to fight breast cancer and to raise awareness of this disease. Breast cancer claims the lives of thousands of our mothers, daughters and sisters each year. The disease is the second most common type of cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Yet, if discovered early breast cancer can be treated and the victim's chances of survival greatly increased. Currently, 61 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed at a localized stage, due largely to early detection by mammography screening and improvements in treatment. In October, the Boca Raton Community Hospital hosts its 5th annual Go Pink Cancer Awareness Luncheon and later this year, the hospital will open the Eugene and Christine Lynne Cancer Institute at the Sandler Pavilion. This 98,000-square-foot facility will house oncology, chemotherapy and clinical research that will lead the fight against cancer in my South Florida community. With over 20 oncology physicians, the Institute will treat over 3,000 patients each year. These outstanding physicians and early detection programs will allow more breast cancer patients and their families win the battle against this disease. Like many other families in my community, mine has been affected by breast cancer. This month allows each and every one of us to remember those who died from this disease and celebrate the triumph of those who have survived. I look forward to continuing the fight against cancer here in Congress and at home in South Florida.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, today I rise to commend my constituent, Sherry Friedlander Olsen, on being named Florida's Outstanding Older Worker for 2008. This year marks the eleventh year Experience Works has recognized remarkable individuals, 65 and older, who continue to make valuable contributions in the workplace through the Prime Time Awards. Experience Works is a national organization that seeks to improve the lives of every day Americans through community service, training and empowering seniors through the dignity of work. Sherry Friedlander was given this honor on account of her revolutionary program that helps find missing children, elderly people and disabled individuals by enabling law enforcement agencies to get the word out quickly. Sherry is the founder of A Child Is Missing and currently serves as the program's Executive Director. Since its inception, her program has assisted in the safe recovery of over 380 missing people. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Sherry came to Fort Lauderdale in 1964 to marry her husband, George. Since then, Sherry has remained committed to helping those in need. Her tireless work has been recognized in Congress with the passing of H.R. 5464, A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act. This bill expands the widely-praised South Florida nonprofit organization into a national program with regional centers under the Department of Justice. The bill passed with the support of more than two thirds of this distinguished chamber. For her achievements, Mrs. Friedlander Olsen has received the prestigious J. Edgar Hoover award for Distinguished Public Service and was named the Kiwanian of the Year. It is now my distinct pleasure to congratulate Sherry Friedlander Olsen as Florida's Outstanding Older Worker of 2008.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. To be clear, there are certainly issues that Congress must address in any future consideration of the flood insurance program. But first and foremost, we must ensure that the NFIP continues to protect our communities. The NFIP was established to provide homeowners with protection from flood, following recognition that the private market was simply not capable of providing the necessary coverage. The program, which has been operating since 1968, is integral to ensuring that homeowners in high-risk areas, such as my South Florida district, are able to receive adequate protection from flood and are able to swiftly recover following a disaster. In Broward County, we currently have over 400,000 residential NFIP policies in place--which is more policies than any other county in the nation. Palm Beach County is also near the top of the list with over 150,000 NFIP policies. The stability provided by the NFIP allows homeowners to responsibly insure their property from flood damage, which is especially important given the active the nature of this year's hurricane season. It's important to recognize however that the NFIP is only one piece of the larger puzzle of protecting our homeowners from disaster. With the property insurance crisis growing across the U.S., many people are facing difficulties protecting themselves against windstorms. And it is no longer simply a Florida problem, but is becoming a national issue. Policyholders are being dropped or are facing dramatic rate increases in states that are not traditionally considered high risk, such as Massachusetts and New York. Many insurers are no longer writing at all on the coasts of states like Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. That is why Congressman Tim Mahoney and I introduced and passed the Homeowners' Defense Act last year. This legislation addresses the crisis in availability and affordability of homeowners' insurance. It helps states to manage the risk that has been assumed by their state sponsored insurance funds by allowing them to enter the capital markets to find global investors that would be willing to assume that risk on their behalf. Our plan aims to increase market stabilization, particularly in times following natural disasters when rates traditionally increase dramatically and homeowners are dropped from their insurers. With this legislation having already passed the House, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to pass our comprehensive plan to help homeowners and stabilize the market.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 1361, a resolution that urges the U.S. government to prevent the upcoming U.N. World Conference on Racism from being hijacked by those seeking to spread anti-Semitism and hate. The theory behind a conference on racism, where members of all nations come together to fight hate and promote diversity, is an important goal. Unfortunately, just as they have in the past, the organizers of this U.N. conference on Racism seem to have buried the task at hand. In 2001, the conference was held in Durban, South Africa, and was hijacked and transformed into an anti-Israel tirade. While racism and the promotion of hate are taught in many classrooms around the world, the organizers of this U.N. conference unfairly chose to single out Israel. This must stop. The United States must take a leadership role now, while the conference is still in planning stages, to ensure that such a despicable charade will not be repeated. The administration must work with our allies and use its leverage to ensure that this conference lives up to its name. And, if it seems that the conference is going to mock the world's fight against racism and it becomes clear that the conference will become a forum to promote hate and anti-Israel sentiment, then I urge the administration to pull U.S. support and work with our allies to show the conference for what it is: a sham. Finally, I join the sponsors of this legislation in commending the efforts of our allies, France, Canada, and Israel for declaring their intentions not to participate in Durban II if its agenda is diverted. It is imperative that the United States not stand idly by while countries around the world belittle the fight against racism. I look forward to working with my colleagues, the administration and countries around the world until we get this right.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. I rise in support of H.R. 6338, a bill to honor the life and legacy of Specialist Daniel J. Agami, who was killed in action on June 21, 2007, while serving his country in Iraq. Daniel Agami was a devoted friend, a loving son and brother and courageous soldier. Growing up in South Florida, Daniel's parents raised him with strong Jewish values, and he was very proud of his Jewish heritage. To his friends, and he got quite a kick out of it, he was known as ``GI Jew.'' A little different. Daniel knew he was meant to serve a greater purpose in life, and in 2005 his love for country and an unyielding drive to serve others led him to enlist in the United States Army. For his heroism in combat, Daniel was posthumously presented with multiple medals of honor, including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. During his service in the U.S. Army, Daniel worked with local schools, devastated from war and destruction, to refurbish their structures and mentor their students. The communities he served in Iraq and here at home have suffered a tremendous loss. Daniel made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, and it is with great pride that I rise in support of this legislation to recognize his strong moral character and his work to make this world a better place. It is my sincere hope that when the South Florida community utilizes the services of the post office in Coconut Creek, Florida, they will remember and honor Army Specialist Daniel Agami and his exceptional patriotism and courage. I would like to also thank the members of the Florida congressional delegation for their strong support of this legislation. I would also like to recognize the Agami family: Parents, Beth and Itzhak; brother, Ilan and his wife, Elisha; sister, Shaina; and grandmother, Sandy Becker. The Agami family will be in Washington D.C. later this week where they will celebrate and honor Daniel's life and memory. I urge passage of this piece of legislation.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the chairman. I rise to support the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act. This bill is a real comprehensive energy solution, one that will bring down gas prices in the short-term and, most importantly, end our national addiction to oil in the long-term. This is the energy plan that Americans have been waiting for since the oil embargo of 1973. The sooner we take oil out of the equation, the better it will be for our economy and our national security. This legislation has the potential to dramatically reduce gas prices and set our country on a path to energy independence with real investment in clean technologies and provide tax breaks for individuals and businesses which make smart energy choices. In this package we treat oil as a transition to the innovative technologies of the future, but it is only a transition. Congress has finally learned through the American people that we cannot continue to feed our oil addiction and remain competitive in a global economy. This package opens up new parts of the Outer Continental Shelf for drilling, 85 percent of it, and it also includes the drill-it-or-lose- it provision that I have supported. This basically says that Congress is telling the oil companies that they must drill on the land or offshore areas that they already control, or step aside and let someone else drill on that area. I have always believed that most Americans believe that that ingenuity that put a man on the Moon can and will solve our energy crisis, and this package provides the necessary incentives for our scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to perfect the next generation of clean, affordable energy sources. America is well ahead of the Bush administration on energy policy, and is more than ready to embrace this comprehensive energy plan.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to recognize the achievements of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale on its 40th anniversary. Since opening its doors in 1968, the Art Institute has helped countless students grow artistically and develop skills vital to the many industries that graduates of the Art Institute choose. Just some of the notable Art Institute alumni include: three-time Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist Carol Guzy, American fantasy artist Tony DiTerlizzi, and fashion designer and tennis world champion Venus Williams. Currently, the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale is composed of 15 art departments, two applied-art schools, and the International Culinary School. The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale continues to raise the bar in South Florida higher education. The Art Institute works with Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade county high schools to help a broader range of students achieve their professional goals through art education. I would like to congratulate the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale on its first 40 years of expansion and success and wish it all the best in the future.