Sander Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, actually, this issue can be stated very succinctly, very briefly and, I think, very compellingly. We now have 6\1/2\ million unemployed workers who have been looking for a new job for over 6 months. That's twice the numbered of long-term unemployed compared to any other time on record before this recession. I repeat, twice the number of long-term unemployed compared to any other time on record before this recession. Furthermore, under both Democrats and Republicans, we have routinely considered extended unemployment benefits emergency spending, and we've passed extensions before in this House by voice vote. And yet, in the other body, Republicans blocked assistance to these jobless workers and to their families. They claimed their opposition was rooted in concern about the deficit. Well, just briefly saying what that's all about, in the past, those who now raise this issue have presided over increases in the deficit, paying for tax cuts, paying for the Iraq war, paying for other programs, passing them without paying for them at all. So, in a word, we should now rise together and pass this bill. The unemployed people of this country are waiting. Those looking for work when there are no jobs available are waiting for action by this House. At long last, the Senate has acted, and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to reach beyond partisan divide, beyond partisan rhetoric and pass this bill with a strong, strong bipartisan vote. The unemployed people of this country deserve it. They're looking to this House. And those who talk about balancing budgets who have not balanced them in the past should not be now trying to do so on the backs of hundreds of thousands of unemployed in our beloved country. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself 30 seconds. Once again, the party of ``no'' has spoken. Every jobs bill that has come before us they have voted ``no.'' When the President came to power, we were losing 779,000 jobs a month. The last month we gained 162,000 jobs. The people of this country deserve more than a ``no,'' another ``no'' from the party of ``no.'' I now yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the State of Washington who is chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. McDermott.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. LEVIN. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise to join so many of my House colleagues in mourning the loss of President Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Maria Kaczynska, who died last Saturday in a plane crash in western Russia along with dozens of other distinguished civilian and military leaders of Poland. We mourn their loss and join in sending our sincere condolences to the people of Poland, and especially the family and friends of those who perished in this tragic accident. Poland is a close friend and ally of the United States. Our two countries are linked by longstanding ties of family and friendship. My home state of Michigan has a large and vibrant Polish-American community. We stand in solidarity with them during this difficult time as we pay our respects to all of those who were lost in this tragedy. I also wish to express my appreciation to Representatives Dahlkemper and Lipinski for introducing the resolution before the House. I am pleased to join them in cosponsoring it and urge its passage.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself the balance of my time. I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this. I really urge my colleagues on the minority side to think not twice, but to think thrice before voting against this bill. I don't think everyone has to march in a partisan way in this place, especially on a bill that will help create jobs. I have a letter regarding the contingency fund from a Republican Governor and a Democratic Governor, which states that, ``currently, 23 States are drawing down the fund for subsidized jobs, with several more State applications pending approval. Many of these programs take time to develop and implement. By allowing States more time to access these funds, Congress can help maximize the impact of TANF ECF in providing crucial skill development and training to our workers.'' Regarding the Build America Bonds, almost every State has taken advantage of these. It's for local communities and States to build--to build. Who builds roads? Who builds bridges? Not robots. Basically, it's human beings. So if you come here and vote ``no,'' you are voting against jobs for human beings. In terms of the pay-for, the only entities that will pay taxes will be those who are evading them, who are essentially using tax havens to avoid paying taxes. I think the Senate will take a second look at this. I think this can become law, and we should join together to help make this become law. We owe it to the people of this country. This is a jobs bill. Vote ``yes.''

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1205, I call up the bill (H.R. 4849) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax incentives for small business job creation, extend the Build America Bonds program, provide other infrastructure job creation tax incentives, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I ask that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN. In addition, the Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp and I have asked the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation to make available to the public a technical explanation of the modifications that were made to H.R. 4849 by the rule. This technical explanation supplements the Committee Report 111-454, with information on the Committee's understanding and legislative intent behind these modifications. It is available on the Joint Committee's Web site at www.jct.gov and is listed under document numbered JCX-21-10. It is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to our most distinguished majority leader, Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. This, indeed, is a jobs bill. It's a continuation of the work in this Congress by some of us to spur job creation to recover from the 8.4 million jobs lost in this recession and to improve the quality of life in our communities. The cornerstone, indeed, of this package is an extension of the Build America Bonds program. It's been an effective tool in job creation. It's been a vital resource for State and local governments looking to advance infrastructure programs. Mr. Camp talks about the number of States--I think you referred to 47--where jobs have been lost. I think every one of those States--it's 47--has benefited from the Build America Bonds program. The money goes to local communities for infrastructure, and that creates jobs. That's what finance experts have said about BABs. It's one of the economic recovery effort's biggest successes. As I mentioned, as of March 1, 2010, State and local governments have used BABs to finance more than $78 billion in infrastructure programs. Now, as to small business. The legislation excludes 100 percent of capital gains on small business stock to help encourage immediate investments in growth. It will, in turn, help our small businesses hire new workers and continue fueling our economic recovery. Also included are provisions to remove onerous penalties from small businesses so they can create more jobs. Also, there's a provision, an important one, to reduce the barrier of startup expenses on new businesses. The bill would also extend, for 1 year, the TANF emergency contingency fund. The Governors Association has said this fund helps ``speed economic recovery through subsidized employment and training programs.'' This bill is completely offset and will not add a dime to the Federal deficit. The bill is offset with provisions to ensure compliance with our tax laws, close down a loophole that allows paper companies to claim a $1.01 per gallon tax credit for highly corrosive fuel waste products, and it does crack down on foreign tax haven corporations that are taking advantage of the U.S. tax treaty network in order to dodge U.S. taxes. And to just say you're opposed to any tax increases? Tax increases on people who are avoiding paying legitimate taxes. I have a chart here, in very simple terms, that spells out how these companies, these foreign corporations that are not part of a tax-treaty country, how they evade taxes through a gimmick. And to oppose this because of that, I think, is very, very inappropriate. So, in a word, this bill is another significant step towards helping our country continue down the path of economic recovery and job creation. It should be a bipartisan bill. In the markup that we held, there wasn't a single amendment offered by the minority to strike a specific jobs provision here. This Congress will continue to take additional targeted and effective steps to accelerate economic recovery for American families. And I say with sadness, as I hear Mr. Camp speak, that it looks like it will not receive the bipartisan support it so fully deserves. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. It's now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to my colleague and friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel). (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. I now yield 2 minutes to another senior member of our committee, Mr. McDermott of the great State of Washington. (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Georgia, my friend John Lewis.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 2 minutes to my friend from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) who is such an active member of this committee on the issues before us.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. To the gentleman who just spoke, this bill is paid for unlike bills you voted for. And also let me say to the distinguished gentleman, you are opposed to this bill because it isn't big enough or it is too small. It's not clear. The recovery program is beginning to work. This will make it work better, and yet you are standing here opposed to it. I now yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra).

Mr. LEVIN. I am glad to now yield 1 whole minute to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. LEVIN. I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).