Ron Klein

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today the House is going to consider the Health Insurance Fair Competition Act. This bill will level the playing field by repealing the health insurance industry's unfair advantage and helping encourage competition by bringing down costs for families and businesses. Everyone knows that competition drives our economy. Fair competition is what encourages innovation, ensures quality service, and drives costs down, and that applies to health insurance, too. Unfortunately, health insurance companies are exempt from these fair competition rules. This is like your neighborhood pharmacy calling up its competitor down the street and deciding to set all of their prices at the exact same amount. You can't do that. It's not fair to consumers, and no other business in the United States is allowed to act that way. What's fair for every other business in this country is certainly fair for the health insurance industry. Today's bill makes commonsense changes, and I look forward to voting for it to make sure health insurance companies can no longer get away with price-fixing and other anti-competitive practices. Let's level the playing field.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, we saw a tough new law go into effect. The CARD Act cracks down on the abusive practices of some credit card companies and contains strict protections for consumers long overdue, including banning unfair interest rate increases and outlawing abusive fees and penalties by credit card companies. Putting this law into effect marks a new day for consumers and families in my district in south Florida. We finally have put in place some commonsense provisions to ensure that hardworking people aren't unfairly taken advantage of by credit card companies. Too many of us have seen the tricks used by credit card companies-- whether it is changing the date the bill is due or doubling or tripling the interest rates with no notice at all. I am glad to say those days are long gone. This bill lives up to its name as a true Credit Card Holders' Bill of Rights. I look forward to working with my constituents to continue to make sure that we put the needs of local consumers first.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1044) commemorating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp, honoring the victims of the Holocaust, and expressing commitment to strengthen the fight against bigotry and intolerance, as amended.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume. As an original cosponsor of this legislation, I would like to thank the author of this resolution, my good friend from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen) for authoring this important statement. This resolution recognizes the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As the many in this Chamber know, Auschwitz was one of several Nazi concentration and extermination camps. Auschwitz served as a death factory of Eastern Europe's Jewish community and many others who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis. On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz was liberated by Allied Forces, and that day is commemorated around the world as International Day of Holocaust Remembrance. Today, Auschwitz is a reminder of the consequences of hatred, bigotry, and humanity's worst. The words, ``Never again,'' are a mission, a goal to ensure that humanity never again sinks to those depths. This resolution reminds us of this purpose and focuses our efforts on education and prevention. This is something that I have personally been working on for many years. As a member of the Florida Senate, I helped pass the first requirement for Holocaust education in public school curriculum. Now, many States have followed suit, and more American children of all walks of life are learning these important lessons. In Congress, I have learned that Holocaust education can take many forms. Just down the street from the U.S. Capitol is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Since I've come to Congress, Congressman Mike Pence and I have sought to bring new Members of Congress every 2 years to the Holocaust Museum so they can bear witness to this tragic history. They take this knowledge with them and bring it back to their districts across America and use their new understanding to raise awareness of anti-Semitism and bigotry around the world. I would like to thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for focusing this resolution on Holocaust education. As the generation of American liberators and Holocaust survivors begins to pass away, the mission of education and of ``Never again'' is more critical than ever. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the many ceremonies that were held last week in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, including one at Auschwitz, attended by Poland's President and Prime Minister, along with education ministers from nearly 30 nations and about 150 Holocaust survivors. At this commemoration, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu proclaimed, ``We will not allow the deniers of the Holocaust . . . to erase or distort the memory [of what happened].'' This is our mission as well, and today the House of Representatives should speak with one voice in support of this mission. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady and the speakers this afternoon on this very important resolution. I urge Members of this Chamber to support this resolution and send a strong message worldwide, never again.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 708, a bill to congratulate Ms. Nancy Goodman Brinker for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Nancy Brinker, a resident of my Congressional District in South Florida, has had a remarkable impact on the fight against breast cancer. As founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation named for her sister who unfortunately lost her battle with breast cancer 30 years ago, Nancy has helped raise over $1 billion dollars in support of research, education campaigns and support services for patients and their loved ones. Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Race for the Cure have helped create a global movement to empower and support those touched by this disease. Now the largest grass roots breast cancer movement in the world, Susan G. Komen for the Cure offers a place for patients, their friends and family, and those who have lost loved ones to breast cancer to share their stories, raise awareness and donate their time and resources toward finally putting an end to this disease. I was honored to participate in the Race for the Cure held in West Palm Beach, FL 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. Nancy's work to honor the life of her sister by helping countless others is truly admirable, and deserving of this distinguished civilian award. I would like to thank my friend from Illinois, Congressman Schock for introducing this resolution, and Chairman Towns for his leadership in bringing this bill to the House floor today. I urge passage of the bill and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, this week I had the chance to meet with some of the survivors of the SS St. Louis in my community of south Florida. This was a memorable and moving experience that provides each of us with a powerful lesson about our past. As you know, the SS St. Louis carried nearly 1,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany in 1939, and, shamefully, the United States turned the ship away. Its passengers were sent back to Europe where hundreds of them perished. We cannot forget this dark moment in our Nation's history, and we must remember the story and share it with our next generation in order to keep our promise of ``never again.'' I'd like to associate myself with Senate Resolution 111 passed by the U.S. Senate, which recognizes the tragedy of the SS St. Louis and honors the memory of the passengers who lost their lives. I join my colleagues and continue to pay tribute to those who did not survive, and I express my gratitude for the opportunity to join the survivors in person this week.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to submit a record of how I would have voted on December 14, 2009. Had I voted, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 969 and ``yes'' on rollcall No. 970.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act. It is deeply disappointing that the Iranian government continues to choose to isolate itself. The Iranian government has chosen its clandestine nuclear program and its support for global terrorism over joining the community of nations in allowing its economy to thrive. That is why I worked to include an important provision in today's legislation that requires companies applying for contracts with the United States Government to affirmatively certify that they do not conduct business with Iran. The legislation gives companies a single choice: do business with the United States or do business with Iran. We cannot allow the U.S. Government to be a financial crutch of this rogue regime, not on our watch and not on our dime. And with the passage of this legislation, Iranian businesses will have a choice as well: support a regime that chooses economic isolation or work to change the behavior of the Iranian government. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, creating jobs in south Florida is one of my top priorities in these challenging economic times. We must find ways to create good jobs in our community and ensure that our small businesses are growing and expanding in order to provide opportunities for work in our local neighborhoods. There are great success stories that we can build on. One example is TBC Corporation, which is located in my district in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. After working closely with the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, TBC, a leading national supplier and retailer of auto tires, will expand their headquarters and data center to create 50 new, high-quality jobs in our community. Congratulations to the management of TBC. These are the business models we must support and encourage, and I look forward to working with other local businesses to continue to create good jobs in south Florida.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman from Colorado and thank him for his work both on the Financial Services Committee and on this rule, and certainly I support the rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 4173, Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. And we think about the name, Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This is self-descriptive, exactly what Americans have been looking for for the past year. Our current economic crisis is the worst in decades, and it certainly didn't happen overnight. It happened over the last number of years because of a failure of regulation and oversight. The one thing I'll agree with Mr. Dreier from California is that it's not a question of more or less regulation. It's smart regulation. It's the right type of regulation. It's the right type of people in those agencies that know what they're doing, that have the proper training, they're probably paid, and they're not outsmarted by some people who are trying to scam the system. That's what Americans have been asking for. That's what Americans are looking for Congress to do. And finally, after a tremendous amount of work--and again, a lot of it has been through good work by Democrats and Republicans--I'm very sorry to see that this moment it's becoming a partisan issue. But the good news is this bill is good quality, is one of the most important things that has been done in our economy and our financial system in over 50 years, and it will be an answer to not only figure out what went wrong in the past and learn from those mistakes, but also anticipate what can go wrong in the future. There are a lot of very smart people out there that have learned how to scam the system, and we as Americans need to make sure that we are anticipating what those kinds of problems may be so we can avoid those problems from happening again. Under the bill before us today, we've created a regulatory structure that will protect consumers and ensure that investors have the appropriate information to make knowledgeable investment decisions. There's no guarantee in investing, and every person has to take personal responsibility for themselves in making those decisions, but at the same time, you can't be fraudulently misled. You can't have a lack of information, a lack of context. And it's important to have an agency that will stand up for the consumers or abusive other financial institutions that are out there. This legislation also restores responsibility and accountability through Wall Street. Regulatory loopholes and gaps in regulation have been closed to make sure that there is common sense, transparency, and adequate oversight. Financial institutions that were previously unregulated--and we've already heard the stories of who they are--will now be brought under government supervision. Derivatives and other complex financial products that we've never even heard of--credit default swaps and other things--will now be tightly regulated to eliminate unnecessary risk taking by financial institutions. And executive compensation at these institutions has also been modified to discourage risky speculation for short-term gains that have negative effects on our overall economy. This bill also makes sure the American taxpayer, all of us, won't have to bail out Wall Street banks by putting in place resolution authority that will allow these firms to fail without damaging the financial system and the entire economy. No more ``too big to fail'' or we have to rescue them because, if they fall, the whole economy fails. We cannot let it get to that point, and that's exactly what this bill does. It stops it before it gets to that point. We've also learned that both quality and the quantity of staff at regulatory agencies, as I said before, are very important. We want to have qualified technical staff, and we want to know that if someone blows the whistle and calls something out that the staff at these agencies will respond quickly and efficiently to make sure that that doesn't continue. It's also important to hold individuals who committed misdeeds to account. Many financial players committed abusive and fraudulent acts, from Wall Street to local mortgage brokers, and we have to hold these people accountable. Americans, all they ask for is a sense of fairness. They want to know if they play by the rules, that people who sell them products are also playing by those same rules. And unfortunately, there haven't been enough prosecutions for those who committed some of these very bad acts that brought us to our knees. That's unacceptable. People that commit these types of criminal fraudulent acts must be punished.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Yet simply punishing these bad actors is not enough. We have to learn from the past and anticipate the future and make sure our financial structures are adapted accordingly. The reforms made by this legislation are essential to creating a functional, sustainable financial system that families and our businesses can count on. We cannot and will not, as Americans, allow what happened last year to happen again. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Congress, to the passage of this bill, to the President signing it, and to Americans knowing that they will have confidence in their financial system. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, last week I had the chance to visit a remarkable organization in my congressional district, the ARC of Broward County. ARC Broward is a private, not-for-profit organization that supports children and adults with autism, Down's syndrome and other developmental disabilities. This innovative group provides an invaluable service for their clients in our community. Currently serving over 1,600 people, ARC Broward also provides good jobs for more than 450 local health care, educational, and other professionals. ARC clients find independence and dignity both at home and at work. ARC is currently home to 80 residents, many of whom have single family homes that ARC owns and operates. In addition, they provide job training in fields like culinary arts and own and operate an on-campus electronic recycling business. I would like to thank the residents and staff at the ARC for welcoming me so warmly last week and congratulate all of them on their extraordinary contributions to our community.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County for launching a new innovative Armed Services Advocacy Project. This new service will provide civil legal assistance to Armed Forces members who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and their families. With over 1,200 veterans of these ongoing conflicts residing in our community, the need for these services is tremendous. The legal services provided by Legal Aid will be free of charge to Active Duty servicemembers, veterans and their families, and will cover a range of issues, most importantly, helping to improve access to veterans benefits. I believe that every person who puts on the uniform of this country must have access to the full range of benefits they have earned. And this new Legal Aid project brings us one step closer to meeting this commitment in south Florida. I would like to thank Robert Bertisch, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, and Elaine Martens of the Armed Forces Advocacy Project, as well as all members of the society for their dedication to serving those who have served our country.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act. This vital component to health care reform will finally eliminate the widely criticized Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR, and implement a new, fairer system to pay our doctors and protect and strengthen Medicare for all our seniors. Originally enacted in 1997, the SGR has been, in my opinion, an attempt to balance the budget on the backs of doctors and other providers, and this is not acceptable. Not only has the SGR failed to curtail spending, but in some cases it incentivizes volume of services instead of quality of care, and it may be expediting the shift from primary care services to specialty and sub-specialty services. As you well know, Mr. Speaker, the alarming shortage of primary care physicians remains one of the most pressing challenges to our health care system. Make no mistake: passing this bill today is of the utmost importance for our seniors and our physicians. Since 2001, doctors have faced cut after cut in their Medicare reimbursements due to the flawed SGR. Each time, Congress stepped in at the 11th hour to block the cuts and provide increases to their pay to ensure that seniors can continue to see the doctors of their choice under Medicare. We are facing the same alarming situation now due to the SGR. Doctors are facing a crippling cut of 21 percent in January 2010. Let me repeat that number so all my colleagues who intend to vote against this bill can hear this loud and clear. Doctors who care for our seniors are facing a 21 percent cut in their pay. It doesn't take an economist to know that if doctors face a 21 percent cut in their salary, they will stop taking Medicare patients. I can't speak for my colleagues, but I will say this. When I came to Congress 3 years ago, I vowed to strengthen and protect Medicare for my seniors, and that means fixing once and for all the way we pay our doctors under Medicare. By passing this bill, seniors will not have to lose another night of sleep over whether they can be treated by the doctor of their choice. This bill will bring peace of mind to thousands of seniors and health care professionals in South Florida. This important legislation builds on the critical reforms that we passed in H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will finally close the donut hole for seniors enrolled in Part D, allow for drug price negotiation in Medicare, and eliminate copayments for vital preventive services to our seniors. Combined with this permanent fix to the way we pay doctors, this Congress is following through on our promises to our seniors and strengthening Medicare for years to come. This bill will also include an important component to reducing the federal deficit. The ``pay as you go'' principle of budget discipline requires Congress to offset any new spending with either cuts to existing programs or increases in revenue. It was in place during the 1990s when Congress balanced the budget and actually ran a budget surplus. Pay-Go was allowed to expire and now we have the situation we are in now. As a deficit hawk, I am absolutely committed to balanced budgets and reducing our deficit. I am a very strong supporter of writing pay-as- you-go requirements into law. This is a common-sense principle that families follow around their kitchen tables every day, and the government should be no different. We can only buy what we can afford, and nothing more. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3961.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 867, a resolution that calls on the Secretary of State and the President to unequivocally oppose further consideration of the Goldstone Report in international arenas. This resolution sends a clear message to the international community: the Goldstone report does nothing to advance peace and security in the Middle East. Rather, it serves to reinforce the deep mistrust that pervades the region and excuses the actions of terrorist groups and their state sponsors. The Goldstone report ignores the facts. The terrorist threat surrounding Israel's defensive operations in Gaza required a decisive response, and any sovereign nation would have--and should have--done what Israel did. In fact, Richard Goldstone himself said, ``If this was a court of law, there would have been nothing proven.'' The Goldstone report disregards what it means to fight against terrorists who use human shields and have no regard for human life. The findings and conclusion of the report have ominous consequences for the United States and other countries who seek to prevent terrorist threats from taking root around the world. We cannot allow the Goldstone report to set a precedent--the stakes are too high. This report was not guided by a commitment to human rights, but rather motivated by a bias against Israel. Now is the time for the United Nations to immediately turn its attention to the very real human rights violators around the world. Human rights victims are pleading for the world's attention. I would urge U.N. member states to devote time and thought to the realities of human rights around the world--not Israel. Israel, with strong democratic and judicial institutions, can make any necessary determinations about how to move forward from here. I would like to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for their leadership in authoring this resolution and bringing it to the floor. This is a true example of the importance of bipartisanship because the U.S.-Israel relationship is stronger when we work across party lines. I would urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 291, a resolution honoring the work of Tower of Hope, an organization that provides assistance dogs to disabled veterans. Thanks to modern medicine, more and more of our brave men and women are able to survive wounds that may have been fatal in the past. This is a blessing, but it requires new tools in order to ensure that these soldiers lead productive lives. Tower of Hope helps to keep America's promise to disabled veterans and helps improve their quality of life after their service. Tower of Hope helps veterans cross the street, go to work, take their medications, and visit the doctor's office. Tower of Hope has also helped me to craft H.R. 3266, the Wounded Warrior K9 Corps Act, legislation to reimburse organizations for the work they do in training assistance dogs and veterans. I have seen these programs in action. These programs succeed, and I believe that every American who puts on a uniform and risks their life for this country should have the full support of this Congress. I thank my colleague from Florida, Mr. Hastings for his leadership on this resolution and the staff and supporters of the Tower of Hope for their important work, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor to be here today after months and months of discussing the health care reform proposals with the people of America and particularly with those in my district in south Florida. It's great to be here to talk about how, finally, we're going to deal with preexisting conditions and about how, finally, people who have mental illnesses and chronic illnesses won't have arbitrary caps on their insurance and about how, finally, small businesses, which are the heart of our total economic system, will be able to pool their purchasing power to bring their costs down. Medicare is one of the most important programs in our country. It's about fixing the doughnut hole to reduce the costs for prescription drugs, which is the lifeblood of many Americans within our senior citizen population. This is what the American people want. I am very proud that we are fixing the Medicare system and that we are making it last even longer than has been alleged by those on the other side. It's about time we do something right to fix health care. This is the proposal.

Mr. KLEIN of Florida

Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 867, a resolution that calls on the Secretary of State and the President to unequivocally oppose further consideration of the Goldstone Report in international arenas. This resolution sends a clear message to the international community. The Goldstone Report does nothing to advance peace and security in the Middle East. Rather, it serves to reinforce the deep mistrust that pervades the region and excuses the actions of terrorist groups and their state sponsors. The Goldstone Report ignores the facts. The terrorist threat surrounding Israel's defensive actions in Gaza require a decisive response, and any sovereign nation would have and should have done what Israel did. In fact, Richard Goldstone himself said, If this was a court of law, there would have been nothing proven. The Goldstone Report disregards what it means to fight against terrorists who use human shields and have no regard for human life. The findings and conclusions of the report have ominous consequences for the United States and other countries who seek to prevent terrorist threats from taking root around the world. We cannot allow the Goldstone Report to set a precedent. The stakes are too high. This report was not guided by a commitment to human rights but, rather, motivated by a bias against Israel. Now is the time for the United Nations to immediately turn its attention to the very real human rights violators around the world. Human rights victims are pleading for the world's attention. I would urge U.N. member states to devote time and thoughts to the realities of human rights around the world, not Israel. Israel, with strong democratic and judicial institutions, can make any necessary determinations about how to move forward from here, and it is doing so. I would like to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for their leadership in authoring this resolution and bringing it to the floor. This is a true example of the importance of bipartisanship, because the U.S.-U.N. resolution is strong.