Ron Klein

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to Mr. Peterson's amendment, which would end the longstanding moratorium of new drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. For the past 25 years, bipartisan legislation and executive memoranda have kept this area off limits, preserving one of the most sensitive ecological areas off limits to oil and natural gas drilling. The Peterson amendment would open new areas to natural gas drilling. Although at first glance natural gas drilling may seem favorable to some, but I urge my colleagues not to be tempted by this fool's gold. There is no guarantee that natural gas drilling will only get natural gas. In fact, according to the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, when drilling for natural gas, ``There are a lot of times when you drill for oil and find gas instead, and the other way around. You never for sure what you're going to find until you're in there.'' And certainly I think we all understand very clearly what would happen if oil was found instead of natural gas. Mr. Chairman, as a representative with over 75 miles of coastline along South Florida's east coast, new drilling could be a death knell for our environment, for our economy, and our way of life. During my time in the Florida legislature, I worked with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to keep the moratorium in place. I pledged zero tolerance then, and I still pledge that same zero tolerance against any attempts to open up drilling off Florida's coast. And, of course, it is not only Florida's coast we are talking about. I said I would not compromise and I would not capitulate; so I am here today with my Florida colleagues to oppose this amendment. But, most importantly, now that I am here in Congress along with many others, this is a false choice. It is a false choice of saying either we have oil or gas to cool hotels or to provide energy or we do something different. I don't know about many of the other Members of this body, but I think there are a lot of people that have a lot of passion about this issue not only to stop drilling off the coasts but a passion to expand into alternative energy sources. As a matter of fact, this Congress has already taken steps to say instead of huge billion dollar subsidies for oil companies, let's focus those resources on our scientists, our universities, our business entrepreneurs, whether it is wave power or ethanol, wind power, solar power, coal liquefaction, nuclear power. There are a whole lot of ideas. I don't know if any of them are good and any of them necessarily are not the right answer. But it could be any combination of sources of alternative energy that will get us through this. So let's not put this as a question of it is either we drill off the coast or we don't have adequate energy for this country. We have the ingenuity. We have the innovation. We are very smart people. And there is nothing that Americans can't do if they put their nose to it. So I would suggest today that this amendment is not a good amendment and, rather, we should focus our attention, our passion, our science, our energy, and our resources toward alternative energy sources to take this country into the next generation.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend the distinguished chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Mr. Oberstar) for his support of House Resolution 505 and for his leadership on the committee. These days we face mounting challenges to improve our infrastructure and protect our highways and waterways from expanding populations and from terrorist attacks. Personally, I can think of no other person better qualified to lead this important committee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 505 to highlight the important contribution of the recreational boating community and the boating industry to our quality of life and to our continued economic prosperity and to urge the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the American people to observe National Boating Day. Boating is a famous symbol for south Florida, where I am from. Millions of residents and tourists take to the waters of south Florida by boat to fish, dive, snorkel, and view scenic tours along our pristine coastline and unique intracoastal waterway. Palm Beach County alone has over 40,000 registered boaters, and Ft. Lauderdale's majestic canals have earned it the nickname the ``Venice of America.'' But the significance of the boating community is not only symbolic. The recreational marine industry is a major economic force in Florida, responsible for over $18 billion of revenues and 220,000 jobs statewide. And I should note that $13 billion of the economic impact and 162,000 of those jobs as well as almost half of the industry's gross sales come from the tri-county region of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. As many of our colleagues know, the contributions of the recreational boating community extend far beyond the Sunshine State. The boating population exceeds 73 million individuals in our country and an estimated 18 million recreational watercraft. In addition, the recreational boating industry provides more than $39 billion in sales and services to the U.S. economy and provides nearly 380,000 manufacturing jobs. Altogether there are approximately 1,400 active boat builders in the United States with contributions from all 50 States. One need only look at the geographic diversity among members of our Congressional Boating Caucus, of which I am a proud member, to measure the broad influence and contributions of the boating community and the boating industry to our country and the quality of our life. Members come from 38 States, including Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and West Virginia. Clearly, boating is not just a coastal pastime; it is an American pastime. In addition, boating also brings us closer to our national treasures. I strongly believe that an appreciation for environmental stewardship comes through interacting with nature. For example, it is hard to comprehend the beauty of coral reefs until you see them underwater with your own eyes. Once you do, you begin to understand their importance and the need to protect them for the continued health of our oceans. Boating gives us these cherished opportunities to commune with nature. It should be no surprise that boaters can be impassioned stewards of the environment, teaching future generations of boaters a healthy respect and appreciation for our natural resources. It is for these and other reasons that I introduced House Resolution 505, recognizing the contributions of the recreational boating community and the boating industry to the continuing prosperity and affluence of the United States. This resolution calls upon President Bush to issue a proclamation to observe National Boating Day with an appropriate time being July 1. I was happy to have so many of our colleagues from the Boating Caucus join me in supporting this resolution, including the distinguished co- chairs of the caucus, the Honorable Gene Taylor from Mississippi and the Honorable Candice Miller from Michigan. I am sure that they can attest that boating is an integral part of our economy and our quality of life not just for those along the coast but for the entire country. Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleagues for adopting this resolution today and recognizing the contributions of recreational boating and the boating industry.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I rise for the purpose of engaging in a brief colloquy with the subcommittee chairman and the ranking member regarding the Corps' regulatory program. As you are aware, shore protection is a concern not only to residents along the coast but to all residents, all Americans who come to our beaches to relax, fish, boat, and dive. But our coasts are facing a real crisis. They have become seriously eroded, endangering both the personal property and personal safety of countless residents. This is not a crisis limited to my constituents in south Florida. In my conversations with other Members representing coastal communities, I know that shore protection is a major issue facing our great country. Mr. Chairman, among its many duties, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is entrusted to regulate the permitting of projects affecting U.S. waters. Comprised of many honorable and hardworking civil servants and military officers, the Army Corps has a long history of dedicated service towards the preservation of our natural resources. I reluctantly rise today to voice my grave concern that the regulatory process under the Army Corps is simply taking too long. Critical erosion control projects that local communities wish to undertake to protect their people from the very real dangers posed by hurricanes or other deadly storms are languishing under the inertia of bureaucracy. Mr. Chairman, the residents of Singer Island in Palm Beach County where I reside cannot wait 2 years for the Army Corps to complete their environmental impact statement. That means two more hurricane seasons and two more chances to have their lives literally washed away. Singer Island isn't alone. Up and down the coast, local communities are in the same dire situation waiting for the Army Corps to act upon the regulatory authority. I know that you have heard the identical concerns during the many lengthy hearings that the committee has held. I understand that the chairman is willing to work with me to bring transparency and efficiency to the Army Corps regulatory process when you go to conference. I want to thank you for your leadership on this issue, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to our working together. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the distinguished chairman and the ranking member.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I appreciate the chairman's attention to this issue. Mr. Hobson, would you also agree with the need to address these concerns? Would you also help us with the regulatory process?

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay homage to a Vietnam War veteran by the name of James Willis. Mr. Willis, who is stricken with cancer and only has weeks to live, has been living on the streets of West Palm Beach for nearly 20 years. Because of the good will of a local police officer who has been keeping track of Mr. Willis for the past year, Mr. Willis received a $121 bus ticket to Greensboro, North Carolina, so he could spend his dying days with the only family left, his half brother. Friends, it is an absolute shame that many of our Nation's veterans are living on the streets. These brave men and women in uniform served our country with bravery, honor and sacrifice. Yet unfortunately many of them are barely scraping by, and, in the case of Mr. Willis, are homeless. In the words of Palm Beach County Corporal Karl Martin, who arranged through the Marine Corps League to purchase him a bus ticket, ``There's no reason for any veteran in this country to be living in the woods somewhere.'' Corporal Martin, you're a hero for arranging for Mr. Willis to spend his last days with his family. And to Mr. Willis from our entire Nation, we are grateful for your service to our country. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made to protect our freedom.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. Stem cell research has the capability to cure our most common and pervasive diseases and conditions. From Alzheimer's to Parkinson's disease, cancer to juvenile diabetes, the potential of stem cell research presents one of humanity's greatest leaps toward the ultimate goal of preserving, prolonging and improving life. As a member of the Florida State Senate for 10 years, leading efforts to utilize and fund embryonic stem cell research was not just a priority of mine, it was a mission. A large part of my passion and drive toward funding stem cell research is driven by people like Adam Susser, a young boy from the town I reside in, Boca Raton. Adam was asphyxiated at birth and, as a result, is cortically blind with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. It is driven by Matthew Romer, a young boy in south Florida who died from a fatal genetic disease, despite both parents being told they did not carry the gene. Both Adam and Matthew suffer from illnesses that stem cell research could find cures for. Today, I encourage my friends in Congress to support the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. The passage of this Act is vitally important to the millions of Americans who suffer today from incurable disease and to the millions of Americans who will suffer from incurable diseases in the future.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an excellent new project to improve the lives of American soldiers who were wounded serving our country: the Disabled Sports USA Military Golf Program. The Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled Sports USA, America Supports You and the PGA of America have created a new program that aims to help rehabilitate veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. By instructing these wounded warriors how to play golf, the PGA and Disabled Sports USA teaches our disabled veterans a fulfilling recreation pursuit. These organizations provide invaluable services to our veterans. Wounded Warriors offer programs nationwide that offer our severely injured soldiers opportunities to rebuild their lives. Disabled Sports USA, established in 1967 by disabled Vietnam veterans to serve the war injured, has expanded to provide rehabilitative sports programs to anyone with a permanent disability. America Supports You was launched in November, 2004, by the Department of Defense, and built a network of supporters that writes letters, sends care packages and helps the wounded when they return home. And the PGA, America's largest working sports organization, comprised of 28,000 men and women dedicated to growing, teaching and managing the game of golf, has throughout its 91-year history provided instruction and equipment to the military and employment opportunities to veterans. I am proud to recognize these four organizations that are doing so much to aid our honored veterans. I hope my fellow members of Congress share my passion for the Military Golf Program. The program, and its purpose of giving back to those who so nobly served our country, is worthy of our praise.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Representatives will vote on a war spending bill that does not call for accountability. Unlike the previous Iraq supplemental, the bill we are voting on today does not provide the American people with a path to end this war. For me, the issue of accountability is imperative. Without a real accountability plan in Iraq, there is no telling how long this war will continue. We were elected to bring a new direction in Iraq, and I will continue that fight, along with many of my colleagues. As I have made clear time and time again with my votes, I fully support our troops and their families. But I also believe that it is Congress' duty to support a change in the Iraq policy that will meet our national security objectives. When the people of South Florida chose me to be their voice in Congress, they put their trust and faith in me to represent their values and priorities. Along with the people of South Florida, I will continue to stand up and work toward a new policy in Iraq. For these reasons, I will vote against the Iraq supplemental bill today.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. If you think about accountability and confidence, if you have confidence in the people that are representing you, you will certainly have a lot more confidence in the policies and the things that they do in Washington. And what happens in Washington, whether it's dealing with Iraq or whether it's dealing with the cost of health care, which is another huge issue which hopefully we're going to start tackling soon, or whether it's dealing with any number of issues that we are talking about right now, I feel so much better now just watching the process than looking last year and seeing the Medicare bill that was drafted by pharmaceutical companies that had a big donut hole and really took advantage of people's good intentions of needing health care at an elderly age. And certainly in Florida, in all of our communities, we have a lot of senior citizens. So the Medicare and the pharmaceutical issues unfortunately were not handled the right way, you know, the energy issues. These are solvable problems. We started talking about that in our opening tonight, solvable issues. Little bit of backbone, little bit of roll up your sleeves, and turn off the air conditioning, and put a coffee down and nobody's getting up and out until you finish the job, that's the kind of can-do attitude that I think we have and we're going to continue to have over the next year.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank you for that close, because as we do approach Memorial Day, we do want to extend our appreciation and our acknowledgment to our families all over the United States whose lives were affected by brave men and women who served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice. We conclude this evening. I would like to thank my colleagues, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Braley of Iowa and Mr. Welch, representing our freshmen class. We look forward to, every week, coming back here and giving a little update on what is going on. We look forward to another busy week, and, of course, a working week at home catching up with our friends and family. Have a nice weekend, everyone, and we will see you soon.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. PAYGO, pay-as-you-go. You can't keep borrowing, you can't keep spending, adding new programs unless there's money in the budget. You can't pretend there's some trickle-down future great thing. If it happens, wonderful, but you know something, we all want lower taxes. We all want a reasonable amount of spending, but you've got to be fiscally responsible. I'm just proud that we're getting things back on track. So maybe like in the 1990s, when we moved into a budget surplus, which we should have been proud of and sustained that over time, we want to go back to the old ways of the 1990s and certainly not the way of the last seven or eight years.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. The discipline it takes to do this Federal budget, which we're doing right now and I'm really proud we're doing it, is the same discipline that you do with your own family budget. You don't keep borrowing and borrowing and borrowing if you can't afford to pay it back. And these are the kinds of things that are absolutely necessary. What is this principle that we passed I think unanimously in this House.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. A balanced budget. Every one of our States at the end of the year, we all participated in a balanced budget, for 14 years.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. From China, and seems like such an unfathomable, unsustainable kind of thing. Did you ever operate your small business that way or you personally? You balance your checkbook.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I was just thinking as you're talking about the economic dream and the responsibility, and one of the things that I heard on the campaign trail over and over and over again, and I just felt that in my own heart as a small businessman, we had 75 employees in our business, was the fact that this government, for so many years, was just operating in this deficit higher and higher, spend and spend and spend. And it's one thing we talk about lower taxes, which obviously we want lower taxes, but you have to have lower spending. It has to balance, and it still just goes beyond my imagination as to why Members of Congress over the last number of years could spend and spend and borrow 10s of billions of dollars.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thought it was George Washington Perlmutter.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. That's right, and there's still unfortunately a few that are still being investigated, and that's going on and that's wrong. It's wrong at home, in any business. It's wrong in any community whether it's done person-to-person, and certainly when you run for higher office in Congress, you have a higher responsibility to make sure that you do the people's business and you're an independent thinker. So I think I'm very proud and I know these discussions are going on right now.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. But it goes beyond that. I think there are other ways that we can break this link, and I think some of the discussions going on right now of continuing to do things and disclosure and all those kinds of things are very important in making sure that the history of this Congress, particularly over the last few years, whether it was the Cunningham and the Tom DeLay and the Bob Ney.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Another big issue that many of us ran on was ethics reform and lobbying reform and the whole notion of this connection between lobbyists and legislators and Members of Congress. I know in Florida before I left Florida, and I was in the Florida Legislature for a number of years, we passed a law that said you can't take a cup of coffee. It used to be fancy meals, fancy trips and wine. You know something? The average person and most of us who ran said that was not necessary. It creates an impression that there is this unholy connection between a lobbyist and a Member of Congress. Of course, we also know that many people who give us information are lobbyists, too, but they come in the unpaid variety. One of my teachers talked to me about No Child Left Behind. That's a lobbyist as well. We're talking about the paid ones. I'm very proud that this Congress, this House, in the earliest going, one of the first packages we passed out of this chamber was to change the rules that this House governs itself by, and the freshmen of this class, of course, once again took the lead because we felt we were the closest ones, having heard the most from the public that we said no more cups of coffee, no more fancy meals, none of that. You know something? It works just fine. I think all of us can buy our own cup of coffee. We had a little cup of coffee before. Mr. Welch and I, we had our dinner together and were glad to pay for it ourselves.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. We all are very committed, and we are seeing some great ideas. This is about business and consumer behavior changing. You also mentioned something about National Guard. In Florida, we are coming up on our hurricane season June 1. The National Guard has played a big role in emergency services. Mr. Braley, I know you have a lot of specific information about your National Guard.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. When we went into Iraq in the first place, they were supposed to be able to pay for their entire rebuilding through their own oil revenues. Unfortunately, that has not happened. I know Mr. Perlmutter has been one of our leaders on renewable energy, as has Mr. Welch. Mr. Welch, you have brought many ideas forward on renewable energy and alternative energy and energy independence. Why don't you bring us up to date on some of your thoughts.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Well, I think it is fairly clear. Unfortunately, what has happened in this industry is there is a consolidation. Do you remember there was a term a number of years ago called the seven sisters? That was a term many years ago talking about large oil companies. Well, there has been big consolidation with multinational oil companies that obviously have lots of different people that are tending to their interests. And at this point in time, if you look in any community, I can look at my own community in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, there are fewer competitive stations, company stations versus independents, fewer independents, you don't see a lot of independents at all, which really drives the market a little bit. Then, at the end of the day, there really is very little activity that would show there is true competition. But I think the real question, of course, and what this law is going to get to, is there is market manipulation, are there antitrust violations. We are going to define it, we are going to strengthen it, and there are consequences. By the way, don't let anybody tell you, some of the Republican debate on the floor, some of the Republicans that opposed it said, oh, we are going to knock down the independent service stations, the little mom and pop groceries that have a pump in front of them. We are not talking about them. The minimum size of activity that can become subject to this is a company that sells $500 million of fuel. So we are not talking about the mom and pops. We are the one who are protective and interested in our communities in the mom and pops. I think there are lots of questions out there that need to be answered. Again, I think the consequences of violating our Federal law is what is going to change this.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure and an honor to be here tonight with the Members of the freshman class. All of us were elected this past November with great ideas brought to us by the people that we represent; lots of good suggestions on how to solve some of the problems that our country, of course some of them are overseas and some of them are home, but the great news is all of them are solvable. Every problem that we have in this country is something that there is a solution to. And it typically requires good faith, working together, Democrats and Republicans, Independents, people of good minds and good faith, to solve the problems. Tonight we are going to start out our conversation as the freshman class with something that all of us came to this Congress to talk about and to work on and to solve. And it has unfortunately risen up as another significant problem that I think that we are very unhappy about right now, and that, of course, as everyone who has filled up their tank lately knows, is gas prices. I am from Florida, the 22nd District, which is parts of Broward and Palm Beach Counties in southeast Florida. It is fascinating to me because I have watched gas go up and down and up and down over the years, and Congress has never seemed to have the backbone, if you will, the President and this administration hasn't shown much interest in dealing with gas prices. Maybe it's because of the backbone of some of the people of the administration, or maybe not; but the bottom line is that we have a situation now where gas prices in my area are at about an average of $3.25 a gallon, and as much as $3.59 a gallon. We understand what this means. This is a real problem for consumers, it is a real problem for our businesses. Whether you have transportation, whether your personal transportation to and from work or the shipping of goods to and from a location, this is something that is beginning to affect our economy. And I think I am going to throw it over to my colleagues here, but I just want to throw out a few rhetorical questions, because every time we go through this and the price spikes, we hear excuses. You know, last time the excuse was we had a hurricane called Katrina, and it shut down refineries. No hurricane this time. Last time we heard there is a disruption in the oil deliveries out of the Middle East. No disruption. Last time we heard, well, there is a summer spike because of demand during the summertime. It's May, no summertime. What is the excuse? What is the bottom line? What I am so pleased about is the fact that our freshman class, along with a more senior Member, Mr. Stupak, took on this issue this year and passed today, out of this Congress, in a bipartisan way, I am very proud to say that all the Democrats and I think 70 or 80 Republicans, I think, joined us and passed something called the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act. The purpose of this act is to allow the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission, to go in with some teeth and enforcement authority, to go in and investigate what's wrong. If the price of oil per barrel is the same or even less than it was last year at this time, how could gas prices be so much higher? And all the commonsense things that we know. What I am going to do is I am going to introduce each one of you, and I am going to ask you all, I know you all have your own perspectives and some thoughts on this. I am going to start out with Congressman Perlmutter from Colorado. Please give us your thoughts.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman for the time and thank you for the opportunity to speak to this very important issue. Mr. Speaker, the rising cost of gasoline is causing huge problems for families throughout south Florida, which I represent, and certainly throughout the whole country. In south Florida a gallon of gasoline is well over $3.25 and rising. In fact, there is gas even at $3.59 per gallon in my local area. What is the excuse this time? Is it disruptions of oil in the Middle East? Not that I am aware of. I haven't heard. Hurricane damage to refineries? No, again. How about the summer driving season? Seems to me this is May. So, again, no excuses, no excuses, but we just hear more and more excuses from oil companies that it's the drivers, it's this or that. Yes, there are a lot of answers here, but let's focus on where the market manipulation is going on. In my area, tourism drives the economy. When gas prices go up, the first thing families do is they stay within their budget and cut back on their vacations, vacations that many times are planned to Florida. When gas prices go up, families and businesses feel it, and it negatively impacts every part of our economy. That's why I am here today to show my strong support for the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act. This bill, authored by my friend Mr. Stupak and others, would give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to crack down on the people who price gouge. This bill is an excellent step in the short term because it protects consumers and gives the government the teeth it needs to go after market manipulators. In the long term, we are only going to solve this problem by moving towards energy independence. American families can no longer afford to rely exclusively on oil for their energy needs. We all know that investing in alternative fuel sources is vital to our national security and to our economy. Being energy-independent is a goal that many of us have been talking about and working on for many years. That goal has never been more important than it is right now. But today is the time we need to make changes that will reduce gas prices for American consumers now, and in the future let's work towards energy independence.