Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, this is a simple 5-day CR, and I happily yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, Chairman Obey calls this legislation the Jobs for Main Street Act; I call it economic insanity. Truly, this is one of those rare occasions when I hardly know where to begin. It is because of legislation like this and the manner in which it was produced that the public has lost faith in this Congress and why confidence in Washington is at an all-time low. This legislation repeats the failures of the so-called ``Recovery Act'' by pouring another $150 billion into programs included in the original stimulus package that have so far failed to produce real results or real jobs. Secondly, this legislation adds an additional $150 billion to a budget deficit that has already tripled in the last year. The Democrat majority claims that this spending is offset with funds from the TARP program, but under present law these dollars are already dedicated to reducing our debt. The public should not be fooled; every dollar will come out of the Treasury and taxpayers will be footing the bill. Further, this legislation is a virtual mystery to almost every single Member of the House. I think we got the basic material like at 11 o'clock last night, I think. Its contents were released just shy of midnight last night for most, and there is no way for anyone to have read or understood it completely. How much thought or Member input really went into it? I dare say very, very little. Ironically, it was Chairman Obey who said on December 11, 2006, We will work to restore an accountable, above-board, transparent process for funding decisions and put an end to the abuses that have harmed the credibility of the Congress. This is a demonstration project of just how serious Mr. Obey was about that. Let me take just a moment to outline the transparent process by which this legislation comes before us today. Chairman Obey instructed his majority staff not to share any details or information with the minority staff about the bill. Chairman Obey's staff sent the bill to the Rules Committee at 11 o'clock last night. It has had no hearings, no markup, and is prevented from being amended on the House floor today. Mr. Speaker, martial law in the House of Representatives is hardly change that we can believe in. Yet another irony in today's debate is that the Democrat majority has suddenly found religion by championing so-called ``PAYGO'' rules. This is occurring at the very same time that they are proposing to spend another $150 billion and even as they have voted to increase the debt limit. We pass the debt limit, spend another $150 billion. Not long ago, small business in America was the backbone and the lifeblood of our national economy. Today, higher taxes and excessive government regulations have small business in a stranglehold, and that's even before Congress puts its stamp of approval on government- run health care. With all this reliance on Uncle Sam, why don't we just put everyone in the United States on the Federal Government payroll and call it a day? In essence, that's what this fatally flawed process attempts to do. According to Transportation Weekly, ``Even if you only count title I of the stimulus II bill as an appropriations bill, it would still be the third largest fiscal year 2010 discretionary appropriations bill-- bigger than Agriculture, Commerce-Justice, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior and Environment, legislative branch, State/foreign operations, and the THUD bill.'' Imagine what Ranking Member David Obey's reaction would have been had a GOP majority moved a supplement of this size to the House floor on less than 24-hours' notice and with no committee markup? Can you imagine the screaming from the rooftops? We have seen that before. On more than one occasion, my friend, the majority leader, has suggested that the House minority has become the so-called party of ``no,'' but he forgot to finish the sentence. House Republicans are the party of no more spending beyond our means. We are the party of no more increases to the historic debt limit. Republicans in the House are the party of no more busting the spending cap and calling it ``emergency spending.'' Our country's economy will never recover as long as Congress continues making the same mistakes over and over again. Spending by this House majority is unconstrained and unsustainable. Billions and billions and billions spent on the continued expansion of government will only exacerbate our financial troubles and will bring little or no relief to those without jobs. Through this legislation, Congress is demonstrating once again that it is both unwilling and incapable of restraining its appetite to spend. This is nothing short of a taxpayer-funded Christmas shopping spree, financed with money borrowed from the Chinese. I appeal to my friends, the Blue Dogs, to take a stand on this legislation. If you are serious about making a statement, this is your chance. Are the Blue Dogs serious about deficit reduction? If so, then vote ``no.'' Madam Speaker, simply put, this is an awful bill produced through a dreadful process. I strongly urge a ``no'' vote. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia, Jack Kingston.

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to recognize the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen) for 2 minutes.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, the gentleman from Kansas, for 3 minutes, Mr. Tiahrt.

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri, who is the ranking member on the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, Mrs. Emerson.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp), ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, it's my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling), Chairman Frank's great friend from the committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, it's my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor), the Republican whip.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, by way of inquiry of my chairman, aside, Mr. Chairman, from the unprecedented and secretive process by which this bill was put together and is being brought to the floor, the rule before us contained a most unusual provision to allow the chairman to submit a report explaining the legislation. It would be very helpful to all Members before we vote on over $154 billion in spending to actually have the benefit of the chairman's explanation. I, for one, have not only not seen this report, I didn't even know he was writing one. Therefore, I would ask the chairman, is there a copy of this report, and will you make it available now so that Members will have a chance to see it before we vote on this bill?

Mr. LEWIS of California. The chairman certainly might have given us the courtesy of communicating that that was his intention ahead of time. And it's very clearly stated within the report that the Members would have it available to them. Obviously, the chairman has chosen to ignore that side of the responsibility. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. We have no speakers remaining. I might make a few remarks after I hear what the chairman has to say.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Can you give me an idea how much of your time you intend to take?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Ten minutes?

Mr. LEWIS of California. I think it would be very important for the Members to know, Madam Speaker, that up to this point, only about 15 percent of the first piece of this package has been spent, so Stimulus I is a long ways away from being spent. And I think we all know that the agencies are awash in money coming through the pipeline, and they wonder where it's going to go from here. It's significant to know that as we spend the people's money in this process, with very, very little information available to our Members, the majority is choosing to push another $150 billion down that pipeline, regardless of what has been spent already. It seems to me that one of the lessons to be learned here is that the American people are much smarter than we give them credit for. They know that just throwing money at every perceived problem out there is no way to solve such a problem. In the meantime, I will listen with interest to my chairman's closing remarks. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I certainly would not object, but I had asked the chairman about additional speakers, and clearly I would never, ever detract from our Speaker, but in the meantime, a little straightforward discussion would be helpful.

Mr. LEWIS of California. I certainly do.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I would like to pay tribute today to Redlands Police Lt. Bill L. Cranfill, who has provided protection and service to the city's residents for more than three decades and has helped make the force one of the most professional and well-respected in the region. Bill Cranfill began working with the Redlands Police Department in 1976 as a volunteer reserve officer, and was hired as a permanent officer in May 1978. He graduated from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy that year and holds both a bachelor's and master's degree from La Salle University. Officer Cranfill won the first of the two Meritorious Service Awards he has received in 1980 for rescuing a woman from a burning building. He was promoted to corporal in 1981 and was made a sergeant in 1985. After completing a wide range of leadership training, including the FBI Academy, he became a lieutenant in 1998. Lieutenant Cranfill has helped to make the Redlands Police Department one of the most professional and progressive forces in the region, working alongside Police Chief Jim Bueerman and other top officers like Lt. Dan Shefcik, Lt. Rogelio Garcia and Commander Tom Fitzmaurice. During his career, Lieutenant Cranfill has headed the Patrol Services Bureau and the Investigative Services Bureau. He has been the department's crisis negotiation coordinator, and was named the Redlands Public Safety Manager of the Year in 2008. For many in the Redlands community, however, Lieutenant Cranfill is known as the Director of Public Safety for the University of Redlands. Serving under contract in that role for much of the past decade, Lieutenant Cranfill has helped the university maintain top standards for security, courtesy and even-handed discipline with an open campus that is an asset to the community around it. Beyond his high-profile role with the university, Lieutenant Cranfill is well-known for community involvement. He has helped run the Redlands Emergency Services Academy, which trains high school graduates in police and fire techniques, and is a strong supporter of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, an internationally-known bicycle race. He is an active member of the Redlands Morning Kiwanis and has served as the Redlands Police Department's representative to the United Way. He has volunteered numerous times for Tipa-Cop fundraisers for local charities, ran in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run and Redlands Community Hospital Run for Life benefiting the Special Olympics and participated frequently in the Loma Linda University Medical Center Children's Hospital Halloween event. Madam Speaker, after 30 years of dedication to law enforcement, Lt. Bill L. Cranfill is retiring this month. Please join me in thanking him for his decades of providing safety and service to the residents of Redlands, and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Redlands City Clerk Lorrie Poyzer, who over the past three decades has established herself as the institutional memory of this Southern California city. A true native of this San Bernardino County city, Lorrie Poyzer is a Redlands High School graduate and the daughter of Marion H. Poyzer, who was the city's elected Treasurer from 1960 to 1975. Her grandfather and his sister were the first recorded twins born in the city around 1900. After graduation from Redlands High School and then San Bernardino Valley College, Louie Poyzer worked for seven years as office manager for the Redlands Teachers Association, and seven more as the assistant manager's secretary of the Bank of America Redlands branch. She went to work in the City Clerk's office in February 1976, shortly after her father retired as city Treasurer. In those days before computers, she had to retype minutes of the City Council meetings three or four times as changes were made. She was appointed deputy clerk within a year. Her expertise and years of service led to the City Council appointing Lorrie Poyzer acting City Clerk in January 1983, and she was elected to the first of seven consecutive terms in November 2003. Madam Speaker, as with many growing cities, Redlands has seen its share of changes in leadership. Ms. Poyzer has served with 10 mayors, 29 City Council members and 11 City Managers. She has overseen the accurate recording of minutes for more than 1,000 council meetings. Under her leadership, Redlands has become known for its incredibly accurate recordkeeping. The office has ensured that all former paper records have been transferred to computers, and she is proud to say that her office can find any document--even dating back to the city founding in 1888--within 10 minutes. As City Clerk, Ms. Poyzer has overseen numerous municipal elections and has a long-established reputation for fair and impartial handling of candidates. Her duties have ranged from administering oaths and affirmations to helping organize the city's Centennial celebration in 1988. She has even taken charge of selling tickets to the annual Fourth of July celebration at the University of Redlands. Over the years, Lorrie Poyzer has become known as the person who knows everything about the city and community of Redlands. She handles all requests for help and information cheerfully and efficiently. Madam Speaker, after serving as the elected city clerk for 26 years, Lorrie Poyzer is retiring this month. We will all miss her vast knowledge of our city and its history, but we wish her success and happiness on her retirement. Please join me in commending her for a fabulous life of public service.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. I appreciate very much my colleague's yielding. As I open my remarks, I know I want to join my chairman to express our appreciation for the fine work of our staff. They worked long hours and should be very much appreciated by all of us. So as we break for the Christmas recess, I hope you all take some time to really enjoy yourselves. You deserve it. Once again, interestingly enough, Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves approaching the holiday season with our appropriations work largely unfinished. Here we are 2 weeks before Christmas and 10 weeks after the end of the fiscal year demonstrating to the world that Congress remains incapable of getting its work done. It's ironic that some in the House are quick to find fault in the lack of efficiency of governments such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Perhaps if we did a better job of meeting our own milestones, like finishing our spending bills by October 1 of each year, we would be in a better position to suggest milestones for others. It's laughable to this Member that some in the Democrat majority are pointing fingers at the Republican minority for this failure of leadership. After all, it's the Democrat majority that controls both the House and the Senate and the White House. As much as it may pain my friends on the other side of the aisle, they can no longer blame George Bush or the Republican Party for their own failure to lead. Still left unfinished is the Defense Appropriations bill, which many believe will be used by the majority leadership to pass unpopular legislation that has little chance of passing on its own. On this point let me be very clear: The House Republicans will not support passage of a Defense Appropriations measure if it is used as a vehicle to raise the debt limit and if it contains other controversial legislative items. The reckless record of spending by the Congress has caused our national debt to more than triple over the last year. In this $450 billion package that's before us today, spending on domestic programs has increased by an astonishing 14 percent, while Military Construction and Veterans funding, for example, is held to only 5 percent. Sadly, the misplaced priorities of this Congress have resulted in too much spending, fewer jobs, and bigger government that the public doesn't want and certainly cannot afford. Some in Washington refer to this unrestrained spending as a ``change we can believe in.'' Most people in our country call it ``business as usual.'' There is no question that the era of Big Government has returned to Washington. One need only look at the so-called Recovery Act or double- digit unemployment, a job-killing cap-and-trade bill, and an unpopular government takeover of health care as evidence. It's no wonder that the public confidence in the Congress is at an all-time low. Mr. Speaker, I cannot and will not support this package of spending bills because it simply spends too much money and makes a mockery of our legislative process.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1854. This bill will revise a previously authorized project to allow the mountain community of Big Bear, which is located in the 41st Congressional District, to move forward with the Army Corps of Engineers to begin replacement of an aging water infrastructure. The bill reduces the authorized amount of the project by $3 million. The city of Big Bear Lake currently distributes water through pipes that are over 70 years old and crumbling by the minute. This lack of integrity from the water infrastructure has led to declining water quality, massive water loss, and dangerously low flow levels that do not meet firefighting standards. California is in the midst of a water crisis, and San Bernardino County has been granted Federal disaster status due to extreme drought conditions. In a misguided effort to protect fish, the Federal Government has shut off pumps for the California Aqueduct, further reducing water supplies for southern California communities. Under these severe conditions, we cannot overlook any opportunity to conserve what water we have. This bill will provide immediate and measurable conservation. Equally dire, Big Bear is located within the San Bernardino National Forest. Because of lack of consistent management in the past, the San Bernardino National Forest has become a powder keg for wildfire. We have made some progress at reducing the threat through aggressive hazardous fuels removal, but the danger remains extreme. Replacing the water infrastructure will help protect the Big Bear community and provide the U.S. Forest Service with another vital weapon in the event of catastrophic wildfire. As a side benefit, the increased pressure in the pipes will also drastically reduce the power consumption currently needed to pump water throughout the system. It has been a priority of this Congress to implement policies that conserve resources and I believe this bill is consistent with those goals. I urge a ``yes'' vote of H.R. 1854.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am submitting the following: in regards to my bill, H.R. 1854 to amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 to modify an environmental infrastructure project for Big Bear Lake, California. Agency: Army Corps of Engineers Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Big Bear Department of Water and Power Address of Requesting Entity: 41972 Garstin Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 Description of Request: The city of Big Bear Lake delivers its potable water from 70 year old 2-inch diameter pipes that have led to declining water quality at the faucet, massive unaccounted for water loss, and most dangerously--low water pressure. Because of this lack of water pressure the city does not have the capability to effectively fight a fire of size within city boundaries. Big Bear exists within the San Bernardino National Forest one of the most high risk zones for wildfire in the State of California. It has also led to rampant power consumption to move water through the system making Big Bear Lake the second highest rate payer in the region. This bill will modify an existing authorization for Big Bear Department of Water and Power and reduce the previously authorized amount by $3,000,000. Amount: $9,000,000

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to oppose H.R. 3962. Madam Speaker, our health care system is the envy of much of the world. That does not mean it is perfect. Major challenges such as pre-existing conditions and portability can be dealt with by breaking down barriers between states and through nationwide underwriting. California-style liability reform provides a model to reduce the cost of defensive medicine and can significantly reduce the cost of health care. Tax incentives can be used to encourage broader participation by families, without federal mandates. The Speaker and her congressional advisors are committed to government-run health care. We can solve existing problems without adding a trillion dollars on the backs of average American taxpayers. Vote ``no'' H.R. 3962. Help save us from single payer healthcare.