Joseph Kennedy

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer).

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to quickly address an issue of future appropriations for the network of manufacturing innovation. As recently as the fiscal year 2014 omnibus appropriations act, Congress included language in the explanatory statement, pointing out that the appropriations bill did not address a manufacturing network as Congress had not considered or approved a legislative proposal. Well, the bill before us today solves that problem. It would authorize agencies to use funds to spur innovation and boost domestic manufacturing. Even more recently, the fiscal year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill that passed the House on May 30, 2014, included report language on this topic showing an openness to further funding. Congress had been waiting for this bill to come to the floor to formally authorize this important program. After we pass this bill, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to provide much-needed funding for the network of manufacturing innovation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have left?

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, with cosponsors and supporters in every corner of the country and each side of the aisle, we must pass this bill and move forward with a national manufacturing policy. We are here today as part of a process that involved many, many people. Last month, we held a markup in the full Science Committee, adopting several amendments and addressing concerns from members on both sides of the aisle. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, this bill represents how Congress is designed to work, ideas from across the country coming together in open, honest discussion to formulate policy that will move our country forward. I would like to mention the significant staff work of the House leadership offices and the Science Committee for their tireless efforts for bringing us to this point and echo some of the names that Chairman Smith already mentioned. From the Science majority, if I may, Jamie Brown, Cliff Shannon, Kirsten Duncan, Chris Shank, Chris Weigel. From the minority staff, Dick Obermann, Dahlia Sokolov, Marcy Gallo, Kim Montgomery, John Piazza. From Congressman Reed's office, former staffer Laura Ringdahl and Drew Wayne. From Senator Brown's office, Chris Slevin and Nora Todd. From Senator Blunt's office, John Smedile and Tracy Henke. And from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Jim Schufreider. Mr. Speaker, through the revitalization of our manufacturing industry, we can provide access to a modern economy for millions of Americans. Our manufacturing industries these days make far more than just the cheapest widget and Cheetos. By supporting partnerships between the private sector, government, and academia, we can capitalize on the opportunity offered through growing industry such as life sciences, biotech, precision manufacturing, and many, many others. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in strong opposition to this bill. I have been deeply saddened and distressed to see the images and hear the stories of so many unaccompanied minors at our border. But from Massachusetts, I have also read other stories. I have read the stories of the over 150 overdoses from heroin that we experienced in Taunton, with over ten deaths. I recently met with the DEA officials in Massachusetts, who indicated that the heroin drug trade alone with Mexico is over $40 billion a year; that the cartels have moved up into owning trafficking corridors throughout Mexico; that despite many of my other colleagues who are calling for the destruction of aid and reduction of aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, the United States bilateral aid is less than $200 million a year. Gang violence in Los Angeles alone costs over $1 billion a year. If we are truly going to address this problem, we have to get to its core. We have to take a good, hard look at what is driving an economic instability that is pushing young kids to figure that they have a better life by getting on a bus by themselves to our border. This is what our country is supposed to be all about: a better future for young children trying to make a life for themselves. I hope that we come to that conclusion.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from California for allowing me a chance to share some words today, and I thank her for her leadership on this issue. To my colleagues Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. Blumenauer, thank you for your continued leadership on this issue and many others. It has been through your persistence and perseverance that this day comes, and you deserve quite a bit of gratitude and recognition for your work. Throughout the war in Afghanistan, U.S. servicemen and -women worked alongside thousands of Afghan partners who were employed as translators, as drivers, as cooks, as NGO staff, cultural advisers, and janitors. These Afghans risked their lives on a daily basis to come to work. They faced the very same violence, attacks, and threats as U.S. troops, but bravely put themselves in harm's way to aid in our shared mission. As has frequently been the case in the past, when the United States began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Congress created a Special Immigrant Visa program open to foreign nationals who served in critical roles and supported the American war effort. To date, more than 9,000 Afghans have benefited from the Special Immigrant Visa program. I am pleased to hear that the State Department has accelerated the processing time for these special visas in recent months, especially since there are over 6,000 still in the pipeline. However, as a result of this progress, the State Department is quickly running out of visas previously authorized by Congress. The bill before us today will authorize 1,000 visas for the remainder of 2014 so that the State Department can continue processing applications for Afghan men and women who assumed enormous risks to aid our troops. Most importantly, this bill sends a message that the United States is a loyal partner, that we keep our word and we honor our promises, that we stand with those who stand with us in an ongoing fight for a fairer, freer world. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus as tensions between Turkish and Greek Cypriots rose. This invasion cost thousands of lives and forced an estimated 170,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. The Greek Cypriots who remained in the Turkish occupied territory and those refugees who fled to the south lost property and possessions and continue to face restrictions on their ability to access and worship at religious sites. Throughout the years leading up to the conflict and the past forty years of division, our country has been committed to a peaceful solution and a unified Republic of Cyprus. Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson helped delay the occupation by strongly urging the Turkish Prime Minister against intervening in Cyprus. In a letter to the Prime Minister, President Johnson insisted that ``a final solution of the Cyprus problem should rest upon the consent of the parties most directly concerned.'' Since the invasion, our government has supported a peaceful resolution that brings both parties together in an effort to end the division and restore unity. Today we have reason for increased optimism as leaders from both sides on the Island have reengaged in negotiations. The calls of Greek and Turkish Cypriots for a unified Republic have grown louder, and I hope this anniversary will increase the urgency to restore the rights of all Cypriots and create a lasting peace on the Island.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding. Madam Speaker, in January of this year, I joined over 90 of my House colleagues in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in advance of the arguments in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius. The free exercise of religion is one of our country's foundational principles and greatest strengths, but so too is the fundamental commitment to equality and fairness--the core idea that the rights and privileges of one American never snuff out the rights and privileges of one's neighbor's. We are disappointed in the Court's ruling that closely held corporations can now place themselves between patients and doctors. We are disappointed that it is yet another blow to women's health. We are disappointed in yet another threat to the economic security of women and families, and we are disappointed that, for the first time, our Supreme Court gave a religious exemption to a generally applicable law to a for-profit corporation. For-profit corporations do not exist to advance the interests of individuals with a shared religious faith, and in fact, they are prohibited by law from hiring, firing, or structuring their memberships on the basis of religion. I am proud to stand with Representatives Slaughter, DeGette, and Nadler in offering legislation to keep private medical decisions between patients and their doctors, and I look forward to the day that our laws acknowledge that corporations are not people and that the constitutional rights of an individual are what this country is formed to enshrine and protect.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 1216, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the Dr. Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center. Dr. McKinley was a dedicated and greatly admired public servant in Prescott, Arizona. As chief of psychology at the Prescott VA Medical Center from 1981 to 1996, he earned the respect and honor of many veterans' service organizations. His tireless efforts to support the mental health needs of Arizona servicemembers and their families made a huge difference to many veterans. Dr. McKinley was a groundbreaker. He established a 24-hour information center, teams of support groups, and was responsible for establishing a veterans' mental health and rehabilitation center. For his ``exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous service to his community,'' he received the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He was also made a charter member of Chapter 95 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, who cited his dedicated efforts on their behalf. A Shreveport, Louisiana, native, Dr. McKinley was an avid outdoorsman, capturing the beauty he experienced fishing, hiking, and canoeing with his camera and on canvas as an artist and calligrapher. An avid reader of student history, Dr. McKinley also volunteered for the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress. He helped to preserve firsthand accounts of veterans he met at the veterans center he helped establish. In 1997 to 1998, he volunteered at the national Vietnam Wall in Washington. While Dr. McKinley is no longer with us, his longstanding commitment to our Nation's heroes lives on. He is the ideal candidate for the naming of the Veterans Affairs Vet Center in Prescott. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1216, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to start, Mr. Speaker, by thanking my colleague from Mississippi for coming down to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, this simple resolution, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent last week, would authorize the use of the Capitol rotunda for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Shimon Peres. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian honors; and Shimon Peres, Israel's President, is most deserving of this noteworthy award. During a recent trip to Israel last year, I had the distinct honor of meeting President Peres who, even at 90 years of age, is as devoted as ever to a strong and unbreakable bond between our two nations. Awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Shimon Peres will put him in a distinguished category of only nine individuals who have ever been awarded both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President Obama awarded Peres in 2012. Of the dual medalists, four are also Nobel Peace Prize laureates, an honor also bestowed on President Peres. The resolution before us today is particularly timely, as President Peres is scheduled to visit the United States next week. With passage of this resolution, Congress will be able to hold the commemoration ceremony with him in attendance. I would also like to take this time, Mr. Speaker, to thank the hardworking folks at the U.S. Mint, who have been working around the clock to be sure the medal will be ready on time. Also, I thank the staff on the Financial Services Committee and members of leadership from both sides of the aisle in the House and the Senate, as well as their staff, for their support. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Massachusetts for yielding me this time. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), who is here as well, for his diligent and important work on this bill. It has been a pleasure to work with him and see him gather his fellow colleagues to support an extremely important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill would award the Congressional Gold Medal to Israel's President, Shimon Peres, in honor of his pivotal role in forging the strong and unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian honors. It is not lightly conferred or frequently granted. President Peres is most deserving of this extraordinary recognition. During my last trip to Israel, I had the distinct honor to spend some time with President Peres. What impressed me most about the President was, even at 90 years of age, he is as committed to peace in his beloved Israel as never before. During the time that I and my colleagues spent with President Peres, particularly as someone who was, at that point, not even a year and in his first term in Congress, the opportunity to listen to Mr. Peres' words of wisdom and counsel over his decades of service was a true gift. Over his tenure in public life, it is Israel's future that has always lit his way. Throughout our travels in the country, we met with politicians young and old. We visited sites from Jerusalem to Ramallah to the Dead Sea; and in each historic site, every meeting, every church or shrine was a poignant reminder that, without the courage and strength of leaders like President Peres, Israel's story would be very different than it is today. A few days ago, we celebrated Israel's 66th independence day, and we are also in the midst of Jewish American Heritage Month. Awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Shimon Peres is a timely and fitting acknowledgement of a man whose influence has touched so many lives in Israel, across the Middle East, and around the world. Mr. Speaker, I urge that my colleagues support this bill. I would also like to thank, for the Record, Stanley Treitel, Lee Samson, Rabbi David Baron, Robert Rechnitz, Joe Stamm, and Hassan Ali Bin Ali, who have been instrumental in this bill.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Staff Sergeant Nicholas Lavery from Medway, Massachusetts. Nick graduated from UMass with a degree in criminal justice and enrolled in the Special Forces in 2007. After graduating as a distinguished honor graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course, he became a Green Beret. There is an excerpt from a letter that I wanted to share with you that Nick left his loved ones when he first deployed. If I should fall, do not let your heart fill with sadness. Know that I passed doing what I love to do, what I believe in, what brings me happiness, that is protecting those who cannot fend for themselves, protecting the United States of America, and all those who I love so dearly. Look back on me with kindness and happiness, be happy knowing that I could not have chosen a better way to go. With love filling my body for my friends and family, I tried to always be there for you all. Whether the shirt off my back or somebody's teeth, if you needed it, I would get it for you. Happiness was brought to me through the eyes of my loved ones. Seeing you all happy brought me such joy. I live for you. I never wanted money, accommodations, or even any sort of recognition. None was necessary. I hope I served you all well. I gave it my all. No need for thank you. The pleasure was all mine. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, Nick Lavery will be coming home, loved, alive, and a hero. Since enlisting in 2007, Nick has been awarded three Purple Hearts. In the spring of 2013, Nick and his team were involved in a green-on- blue attack, which is a strike against coalition members by people dressed in their own uniform. Nick sustained injuries to his right leg during that attack and subsequently had it amputated below his knee. He will receive a Silver Star with Valor and a Bronze Star with Valor at Fort Bragg on March 27. After over a year in Walter Reed, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the town of Medway is proud to say to Nick: welcome home.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3824 to end the Republicans' refusal to extend unemployment benefits that protect nearly 63,000 workers in Massachusetts.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advocate for the 1.3 million Americans and their families who have been hit hardest by this recession. Affording the most basic necessities--food, transportation, rent, and health care--just got even harder. Their needs are not extravagant. The benefits of unemployment insurance are not a blank check. They are a modest lifeline for families who are in need of desperate help over the holidays and in a cold winter. Since Congress has failed to act, over 60,000 residents of Massachusetts have lost access to these benefits. If we fail to do so, 140,000 more residents of our State are in jeopardy. At a time when the State's overall jobless rate is around 7 percent, and rises to 12 or 13 percent in some of our most challenged communities, to not extend these benefits today is wrong. My colleagues that are blocking this bill will tell you they are concerned with the number of people accessing these benefits. Well, you know what? So am I, and cutting those benefits off today is wrong. The funding that we seek today is an essential lifeline for these individuals at a time when we need to be expanding workforce development programs, workforce training programs, community colleges, vocational schools, and STEM education. We have to support our small businesses, an economic engine for so many American communities. I am in support of transportation upgrades, investments in infrastructure, and affordable housing. While there is a whole lot we should be working on right now, getting our economy going again and getting people back up should be priority number one.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this piece of legislation. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their diligence and their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. I also want to recognize my esteemed college from Wisconsin for his service in the Peace Corps and his dedicated public service ever since, and recognize my fellow returned Peace Corps volunteers that are on the floor as well. Mr. Speaker, this piece of legislation seeks to recognize the commitment not just of Peace Corps volunteers, but some of the core values and ideals of our country. As a returned Peace Corps volunteer myself, serving in the Dominican Republic, I got to see some extraordinary, dedicated American citizens working day in and day out in some very tough circumstances over the course of their over-2 years of service. And of all of the memories that come up in my 27 months abroad, one has particularly stuck with me. About a year or so into my service, I was on my way back into Santo Domingo, the nation's capital, on a bus initially designed for probably about eight, but with about 20 people crammed into it. I was in the second-to-last row with a backpack on my lap, when an older gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and asked, in Spanish, Cuerpo de Paz, inquiring if I was actually a Peace Corps volunteer. Apparently, I didn't blend in quite as well as I had hoped. The gentleman explained that he grew up on the outskirts of Santo Domingo in a rural village that, at the time, didn't have any running water, and a Peace Corps volunteer arrived and helped construct an aqueduct to bring clean water to the village. He, at that point, thanked me, not for my work, but for the work that that other volunteer had done decades before. He never asked my name. He never asked where I was from. He never asked what I did. He just said thank you; and a few moments later, the bus stopped, he got off and I never saw him again. It is that generosity of spirit, that dedication to the ideals and values of this country that Peace Corps represents and that this monument will seek to commemorate in our Nation's Capital for time to come. I am so grateful for the support of our other Peace Corps volunteers that are serving in Congress and want to thank them for all the work that they did to make this day come to fruition.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. I want to thank my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Schneider) for his important work and leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3212. I want to thank and recognize my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, the chairman of the subcommittee, Chris Smith, and the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Royce, for their important leadership and hard work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of this bill, I speak on behalf of all left-behind parents and, in particular, on behalf of a constituent of mine from Newton, Massachusetts, Colin Bower. Colin was granted full custody of his children, Noor and Ramsey, in 2008. In 2009, the boys' mother unexpectedly took them out of school, boarded a plane, fled to Egypt, and has never since returned. Through all that time, she has refused to return the children. It has been nearly 2 years since Colin has seen or spoken with his sons. Despite the custody ruling of a U.S. court and a subsequent Egyptian court order granting him the right to visit with his children, Colin has been denied the opportunity to see his children time and time again. I just got off the phone with Colin a few moments ago. He recapped the details of his ordeal yet again to me, but I guess, in the words that he said most poignantly: No parent should ever have to go through this. Between the years of 2008 and 2012, Mr. Speaker, parents reported more than 4,800 cases of abduction involving more than 7,000 children, according to the State Department. Currently, 89 countries are party to a Hague treaty that provides a legal framework for children who are victims of international abduction. This bill would require the Secretary of State to enter into a memorandum of understanding with those countries that have not signed the Hague agreement, creating a mechanism where none exists to bring children home safely. Additionally, it would provide better reporting to parents and to Congress. No parent should have to suffer the unbelievable heartbreak that Colin has experienced over the past 5 years. No child should be torn away from a safe home and loving family because their country didn't have the proper protections in place to protect them. We can do more to ensure that these children find a way home. I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we can end this Republican government shutdown today.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday morning, I, along with a number of my colleagues, left our offices to walk over to the House floor to vote after the government had already been shut down. We passed on our way a cleaning crew who was down to half staff--half of her team not here to clean our offices. We are not the ones that make this Chamber function. Yet we are clearly sending home those that do. They're not a line item in a budget. They've got rent and mortgages to pay, mouths to feed, and children to clothe. But because some of my colleagues have decided that it's better to shut down this government than to provide millions of Americans access to safe and affordable health care, here we are. As you all know, the Affordable Care Act was modeled upon the health care reform we have already conducted in Massachusetts. So it's worth taking a quick look at where that Massachusetts health reform stands. We have 100 percent of all kids covered. We've got 98 percent of all adults covered. We've made certain that no person is now one bad accident or one bad gene away from medical bankruptcy. Regarding cost containment, our rates have increased for individuals, and premiums are at a 1.8 percent increase this year. We need to get this bill done, and I ask for your help.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. To my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), the chairman of the House Manufacturing Caucus, I want to thank you for organizing this and for your leadership on this issue. On October 1, just 2 days ago, the Institute for Supply Management reported the manufacturing index rose in September for the fourth straight month to a reading of 56.2. Any reading above 50 indicates growth, and it's the highest level we've seen since April of 2011. Now a couple of monthly statistics about manufacturing: In 2011, manufacturing contributed over $1.8 trillion to the Nation's economy and accounted for 47 percent of all U.S. exports. For every $1 that we spend in manufacturing, another $1.48 is added to the economy, the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector. Nine percent of the workforce, more than 11 million Americans, are employed in manufacturing. And two-thirds of the U.S. private sector investment in research and development occurs in the manufacturing sector. The value and potential for future growth in manufacturing in Massachusetts is a perfect example. The industry continues to be a critical segment of our economy. Yes, in the downturn, we were hurt. But what's remarkable is that the persistence and ingenuity of the manufacturing industry statewide continues to rank above the national average in terms of the concentration of manufacturing employment. And after years of decline, in 2011, the total number of manufacturing firms actually increased. This means that companies and industries like aerospace, electronics, computers, pharmaceuticals, they're central to the success of the Massachusetts manufacturing economy. It's why I believe in advanced manufacturing in that it promises future growth, and it's essential to the public-private partnerships that are going to innovate and are going to be needed to commercialize and bring new products to market. That's why I'm proud to have written and introduced the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act, RAMIA, of 2013, along with my Republican colleague Tom Reed of New York, the fellow cochairman with you, Mr. Chairman. The bill is designed to bring industry, universities and community colleges, Federal agencies, and State and local governments all under one roof to accelerate manufacturing innovation. It establishes public- private sectors for manufacturing innovation that will help bridge the gap between basic research and development and commercialization of novel technologies. The centers will serve as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence and will provide access to cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, creating an unparalleled environment to educate and train the next generation of our workforce. And as we've seen, Mr. Chairman, we've seen this model work right there in your hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, the area that you represent. There are great advancements that we have seen in additive manufacturing in 3-D printing. Our bill is locally driven manufacturing policy that addresses the disconnect between research, commercialization, and workforce training. We've seen that back in my district in communities like Taunton, Fall River, and Attleboro, where industrial manufacturing and manufacturing has been and can be a key to economic development in the future. That's why I support this industry. That is why I am proud to support this bill. And I thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. I thank my colleague from New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House and ask that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR, and go to conference on a budget so that we can end the Republican government shutdown that is hurting public safety.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. I thank my colleague from New York for yielding. I want to thank the ranking member for his work on the bill and for the continued leadership my colleague from New York has shown in STEM education, an issue that is particularly important for my district and the local workforce back home. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this bipartisan amendment and of the continued work that we need to do here in Congress to support and expand engineering education. This amendment would simply have taken advantage of existing title II funding to bring industry expertise from the STEM fields into the professional development we provide for our teachers. It reflects the goals of bipartisan legislation my colleague and I have introduced together, the Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act, and reflects the underlying principle at the heart of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which we consider for reauthorization today--the fundamental equity and equality of opportunity in American education. Engineering and technical skills across the STEM fields are going to be anchors of the 21st-century economy. The most rapidly growing sectors of our economy and our country's growth right now are the innovation sectors: advanced manufacturing, life sciences, information technology, and clean energy. Economists continue to predict expansive growth in these areas over the next decade--a very bright spot for our economic future. It is the job of our schools to make sure that every child from every ZIP code has access to an education that prepares them to fully engage in this economy and become a productive member of our workforce. The more kids we educate in these fields and the better the education, the wider and deeper our prosperity will be. While we withdraw this amendment today, we will continue to work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strengthen our commitment to engineering education and to revitalize the workforces in our local communities by preparing today's students and tomorrow's workers for good jobs in the innovation sectors.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the underlying bill because it takes food nutrition away from working families.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two dear friends and dedicated public servants--State Representative John Fernandes and State Senator Richard Moore from Milford, Massachusetts. Representative Fernandes and Senator Moore are being honored this week with a prestigious Environmental Merit Award from the EPA for their tremendous work they have done to combat phosphorus pollution in their communities. When studies showed that the phosphorus levels in the Charles River at nearly double the healthy standards, these two men immediately recognized the dangerous impact this would have on the region's cities and towns. They came up with a simple, direct, and creative solution that worked for families and businesses alike. Most importantly, they got it through the State house and the executive chamber, delivering real results in record time for their constituents. That's par for the course for these two local leaders, who have proven time and again that they are the best of the best when it comes to public service. As dedicated as they are diligent, as creative as they are compassionate, they seek every day to do better and more for their communities they represent. I am honored to work with them, to recognize them, and to call them friends.