Daniel Lipinski

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise to share my deepest sympathies and solemn condolences with the people of Poland and all those who are impacted by this tragic plane crash. President Kaczynski will be deeply missed. He was determined to ensure the strength, prosperity, and sovereignty of Poland and was a strong ally of the United States. Chicago also mourns the loss of one of our own, Wojciech Seweryn, who perished in the crash. The Polish and American people have long shared a deep attachment to the values of freedom and independence. Today, with over 9 million people of Polish ancestry in the U.S., including roughly 1 million in Illinois, Poland remains one of America's closest allies. Our two nations continue to cooperate closely on issues of national security, regional and global security, democratization, and human rights. Our friendship and partnership have been and will continue to be steadfast. Nothing we say today will make up for the tremendous loss that Poland has suffered and continues to grieve. However, as a proud Polish American, I hope that by sharing our own grief, sympathy, and unity with the Polish people, we will be able to help them gather the resolve and strength needed to get through such difficult times.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. We have all heard of the tragic events that occurred over the weekend in Russia where an official delegation from Poland, including President Lech Kaczynski, the First Lady, and 94 others, were killed in a plane crash. This tragedy is made only more painful by the fact that they were traveling to commemorate the Katyn massacre, the 1940 murder of more than 20,000 Polish officers, intellectuals, and others by the Soviet secret police. The citizens of the United States and Poland have a deep and long- lasting friendship based on mutual values and respect, and we are proud to call Poland a trusted and close ally. Today we are joined by Polish Ambassador Robert Kupiecki and others from the Polish Embassy. As we mourn the loss of the President and other members of the Polish delegation, we extend our most solemn condolences to their families, the people of Poland, and those of Polish descent everywhere. I now request that we observe a moment of silence to honor those who passed away in this tragic event. Moment of Silence

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of order.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this motion from Chairman Oberstar. I would like to commend Chairman Jim Oberstar and Chairman Jerry Costello for their leadership and for making FAA reauthorization and aviation safety top priorities of our committee and of this House. We've held over 20 hearings and five roundtables on the FAA reauthorization in the last couple of years. The House-passed FAA reauthorization will not only modernize our Nation's air transportation system--which is crucially needed right now--but will also significantly boost safety and enhance protections for consumers and the environment. I was especially pleased to work with the chairman to incorporate a number of pro-consumer/pro-environment provisions into the bill, including holding airlines more accountable for delayed passenger bags; requiring airports to consider the implementation of recycling programs; establishing a Federal research center to develop alternative jet fuel; funding research to eliminate the use of lead in aviation gas; and requiring an open, competitive process for airport projects with the use of QBS. I look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Oberstar, Chairman Costello, and the ranking member as we move to conference with the Senate. Right now we have to continue to look forward, especially with NextGen. We need to get this done for the American flying public, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Robert Workman, an acclaimed artist from Mt. Greenwood, Illinois. On January 15, 2010, Robert Workman's pen and ink drawing became the first American work of the 21st century admitted to the internationally renowned Louvre Museum in Paris. A passionate artistic practitioner, Mr. Workman is a graduate of the Ecole du Louvre and the Art Institute of Chicago--two of the preeminent art institutions in the world. In addition to having a place in the Louvre, his work is part of the Archives of the Musees Nationaux de France. The specific piece of art admitted to the Louvre was a pen and ink work featuring an ancient Egyptian theme--mixing the human form with an array of hieroglyphic text. This work was credited by the head of the Department of Sculptures with bearing ``witness to the international renown of the Louvre.'' Mr. Workman's art is only part of his contribution to society. He is a tireless author and illustrator, and has published numerous children's books and a graphic novel. I ask you to join me in honoring Robert Workman for his remarkable achievements in art, and his recognition by the Musee du Louvre.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I have a background as an engineer. I actually have a master's degree in systems engineering. I understand the need for understanding how systems work and for understanding what can be done in preparation so that, in the case of Mr. Wu's bill, we can do the best that we can to mitigate, to avoid the problems, and to deal with what happens in the aftermath of earthquakes and windstorms. I thank Mr. Wu for this bill, and I thank Chairman Gordon also for moving this bill forward and for bringing it to the House floor. I thank the Republicans for their work, and I thank Mr. Broun here today. I think this is something that we often forget about until after a disaster strikes. With the earthquake in Chile, we've heard so much talk about the planning beforehand, about the requirements that buildings have to be designed in a certain way to withstand earthquakes, and about the lives that were saved. Probably tens of thousands of lives were saved from this. This was all through a type of planning that can come through this bill. I think it is also important--and I see this so often, not just in the NSF, NIST, USGS, or NOAA. We see all these silos--all these departments, agencies--which are doing separate work, and they don't oftentimes enough coordinate the work that they are doing. So I think this bill does a very good job of making sure that we have the coordination when it comes to planning for earthquakes and for looking into what we can do about that for windstorms. So I thank Mr. Wu for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1097, supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week. As one of only a handful of engineers in Congress, as Chairman Wu mentioned, I am proud to again sponsor this resolution honoring National Engineers Week. I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan, Dr. Ehlers, for working with me on this resolution and on many other issues. Unfortunately for this institution and for America's science and technology policy, Dr. Ehlers announced a couple of weeks ago that he is retiring at the end of the year. We are going to miss his leadership and knowledge, especially in the area of science, technology, engineering, and math education. I will particularly miss working with him as a co-Chair of the STEM Ed Caucus. Promoting STEM Ed, and especially engineering education, is a big part of what National Engineers Week is all about. Two weeks ago marked the 20th anniversary of National Engineers Week, and for each of the 5 years I have introduced this resolution, it seems to get more important. We continue to fall behind other countries in the STEM fields, with China seemingly poised to overtake us as the leading producer of knowledge within a decade. Our infrastructure continues to languish, and we face serious energy and water challenges in our country. At the same time, we face an urgent need to create jobs. If we want to solve these problems, any of these problems, we need engineers. Of course, engineers build bridges and airplanes, but they also are the ones who design our computer networks and turn new discoveries into products, industries, and jobs. The more than 2 million engineers in the U.S. have helped make our country great, but we need more of them, and we need to recognize the contributions they have made and continue to make to our Nation. National Engineers Week seeks to address this problem through events aimed at educating youth and fostering public awareness about the vital contributions made by engineers to our quality of life and our economic prosperity. Through programs like Future City Competition, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, and the first robotics competition, the National Engineers Week Foundation confronts the challenge of encouraging more students to pursue careers in engineering. Engineering Week comprises numerous events like the ones I just mentioned. Another example is students learning the value of teamwork as they work in groups to create creative and practical solutions to some of the most important problems facing our Nation and the world. Projects like designing future cities make engineering come alive for students, planting a seed that can lead to further studies or a career in engineering. In fact, research shows our children's early experience with science and engineering are a stronger prediction of long-lasting interest in science fields than aptitude tests. By drawing upon volunteers throughout country, Engineers Week reaches thousands of parents, teachers, and students, exposing them to the excitement of engineering in a real and tangible way. I can attest that my own childhood experiences with science and engineering captivated me. As I grew up, I was always fascinated with the way things work. I remember going to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Touring the coal mine and watching the model trains run over this enormous track layout that they had were two of my favorite activities. These exhibits excited and captivated me. Most importantly, though, I remember the teachers in school who helped mold this childhood fascination into an interest in engineering. All these experiences instilled in me the knowledge, confidence, and intellectual curiosity needed to pursue an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, and a master's degree in systems engineering at Stanford. One of the central goals of National Engineers Week is to provide this kind of inspiration, inspiration that I had as a child, to inspire the next generation of students. We desperately need these students, since it's projected that by 2012, about 46 percent of all engineering jobs could become vacant due to retirement by the aging workforce. Educating and exciting America's youth about engineering and science needs to be a national priority. I understand personally that an engineering education is useful, no matter what someone decides to do. My education helps me understand science and technology issues, STEM education, transportation, manufacturing, and risk analysis. But it is more than knowledge. Engineering is problem-solving. There are so many problems that we need to find solutions to, in our Nation and in the world, and engineers will be involved in finding all of these solutions. Madam Speaker, I'd like to again thank the gentleman from Michigan, Dr. Ehlers, as well as the 27 other cosponsors of this resolution. I'd also like to thank Senator Kaufman for introducing a companion resolution in the Senate. Above all, I'd especially like to thank the engineers who have contributed so much to America and honor them for their commitment to continuing to better our society. I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be introducing today the National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010. I would like to especially thank the 27 members of Congress who have joined me in supporting this bipartisan bill. While our Nation reaps enormous benefits from a strong domestic manufacturing base, it is increasingly clear to me that we need a coherent and forward-looking plan for supporting America's manufacturers. I believe that by requiring the President to develop and submit to Congress a National Manufacturing Strategy every four years, we can ensure the government is doing all it can to ensure this vital industry is able to succeed. Manufacturing is too important for us to continue to manage it in an ad hoc, unplanned fashion. Currently, Federal, State and local governments interact with and strive to support manufacturing in their own ways. Unfortunately, these efforts are too often reactive, uncoordinated, and stovepiped within agencies and jurisdictions. What we need instead is an approach that is coordinated, proactive, and fulfills both short- and long-term goals to improve our manufacturers' international competitiveness. My bill would require the President to closely consult with industry leaders and stakeholders in undertaking a far-reaching analysis of factors related to domestic manufacturing, its workforce, research and development, investment, the defense industrial base, and other related areas. Based on this analysis, the President shall develop a National Manufacturing Strategy that includes specific goals and recommendations for improving the manufacturing sector's competitiveness. Importantly, my bill will establish a Manufacturing Strategy Board. This advisory group of experts in manufacturing, innovation, and the workforce will provide the President advice and guidance on manufacturing issues, both specific to the development of the Strategy, as well as on a regular, continuous basis. I very much appreciate the support, feedback and guidance that my office has received from a wide range of individuals and organizations during the development of this bill. Individuals from the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, National Defense Industry Association, American Iron and Steel Institute, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace Industry Association, Center for American Progress, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, among others, have provided valuable comments and suggestions that helped us produce a better bill. I want to thank everyone who took the time to assist us with this important effort. Fundamentally, this bill is simple. Manufacturing is crucial to our economy and our middle class, to our national security, and to our ability to satisfy our domestic needs with domestically produced goods. It only makes sense that we have a sound plan for how the government can best help the private sector succeed. I believe that a National Manufacturing Strategy will help us accomplish that, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and doing the absolute best that we can to support manufacturing in America.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding. I know a lot of people have talked about Jack Murtha as a giant, and I really think that this institution probably will not see another man like Jack Murtha in many ways. But I really think what stands out most to me and what has come through here is that Jack Murtha had a heart of gold. He really cared about people. He cared about the men and women in our Armed Forces. He cared about his colleagues. And he cared about his constituents greatly, especially in his hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. I really didn't get to meet Jack Murtha until I was elected in 2004, but I feel like I really started to get to know him before that. In 2000 I started dating Judy, who is now my wife, and she is from Johnstown. Her family is still in Johnstown. So I would go to visit Judy's family in Johnstown and I would hear people talk about Jack Murtha. I would see what Jack Murtha did for his district. And I knew that his constituents, especially the people of Johnstown, loved Jack Murtha. When I was elected, I would often go say hello to Jack over in the Pennsylvania Corner, just come over to say hello, and so many times he would give me that smile and he'd tap his colleague next to him on the shoulder and say, This guy married a gal from Johnstown. And I always felt a very close connection to Jack because of that. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity in these 5 years to get to know Jack Murtha and what he did for Johnstown. I certainly saw people suffer through floods, economic turmoil, and he really cared about the people, and doing all he could for them meant a lot to him. I will really miss Jack and what he meant to so many of us. I really think that Jack loved his job because he knew it gave him a great opportunity to do what he really believed, and that is take care of people, to help people out. And this job gave him the opportunity to do that, and he did it throughout all of his life. And because of that I will greatly miss Jack Murtha. God bless Jack Murtha, Joyce, and his entire family.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend Ms. Sanchez for her work on this amendment and also on cybersecurity in general on the Homeland Security Committee. From my time as a university professor, I understand the importance, first of all, of the cooperation between the private sector and universities. It is something that I feel very strongly about. We need to improve that; and certainly in cybersecurity, it is especially important. The other thing that I understand is the need to have information, and the more information sharing that we can have, the better we can do with cybersecurity. This amendment helps accomplish both of those things, so I strongly encourage my colleagues to support and vote for this amendment.

Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and to support the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LIPINSKI. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. LIPINSKI. I would like to thank Mr. Heinrich for working with the committee on amendment language. I have visited Sandia. We also have great work going on in my own backyard at Argonne National Lab on cybersecurity. There is a lot of great work going on at all of our labs and contributing so much behind the scenes to things that we don't see. So I want to thank Mr. Heinrich for his amendment. I urge my colleagues to support it. But in closing, on their last amendment here, I also would like to thank Mr. McCaul for all of his work. This is the way the American people want to see us work, work together, Democrats and Republicans. We work very well together on the Science and Technology Committee. It's an important issue that impacts people in their everyday lives. The amount of time that all of us spend on the Internet, the vulnerabilities that are out there, hopefully through this work, I know that we can really make things better, make the Internet more secure so we have fewer problems with attacks not just on the government but on individuals. Again, I would like to thank Mr. McCaul, Chairman Gordon, and everyone who has worked together on this.

Mr. LIPINSKI. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Nye).

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Nye's amendment calls on the GAO to examine key weaknesses within the Nation's cybersecurity infrastructure and to offer recommendations on how the Federal Government should address those weaknesses, and calling on the GAO will help to find those areas that are especially insecure. We certainly have heard enough times of where we have seen attacks, and attacks come from many different places, and there are attacks on many different cybersecurity systems. So I want to thank Mr. Nye for this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LIPINSKI. As the designee of the gentleman from Virginia, I rise to offer the amendment.

Mr. LIPINSKI. First off, I want to commend Mr. Kratovil for his amendment. We have certainly seen Centers for Excellence do some very good work not only in the science and technology field, but I also know that in the transportation field, we have also seen that. I think this amendment that would establish a merit-based and a competitive-based Center for Excellence for Cybersecurity will be a great addition to our IT research in the country. I think it could be a very good enhancement to this bill, so I strongly support this amendment. I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment.

Mr. LIPINSKI. I'd like to thank Mrs. Halvorson and Ms. Shea-Porter for their amendment and more broadly for all the work that they do on behalf of our veterans. It certainly is an issue of great importance. Last night, I had a father come to me and tell me that his son had come back from Iraq and was having trouble finding a job and was actually faced with re-enlisting because of his struggles in trying to find something. This amendment will certainly help there. Many of our veterans have technical backgrounds already. With some additional training, they are well positioned to continue serving their country by joining our Federal cybersecurity workforce, including at civilian agencies. So I want to, again, commend Mrs. Halvorson for her amendment, and strongly urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LIPINSKI. I want to commend the gentleman from Virginia for his amendment. Obviously, as the gentleman talked about, the Internet is great for children, young adults, provides so many opportunities, but we need to be very careful because we all know the dark side and the down side. So much more can be done and should be done to protect children, young adults. And Mr. Connolly's amendment does that. So I want to urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. LIPINSKI. This is a very good and thoughtful amendment, and I thank Ms. Clarke for helping to ensure that the Federal workforce assessment that we require in our report is complete and thorough in its analysis. I would like to also thank Ms. Clarke and her staff for working with the committee on this language, and I strongly support this amendment and urge my colleagues to vote for it.

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlelady from New Hampshire for her amendment. It certainly ensures that we retain individuals who are trained at government expense, making sure the Scholarship for Service program provides the best value for taxpayers, and it is certainly also a good value for those who are receiving their education. It is a good, commonsense amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LIPINSKI. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people fall victim to Internet fraud so it's really clear we need to improve our cybersecurity awareness and education. There are some who are especially vulnerable to falling victims to this fraud. So I think that this amendment by Mrs. McCarthy and Mr. Kratovil is a very good amendment. I know that certainly I have seen and have had experience with people, especially those who are elderly, falling victim to crimes. I've had them come to my office and have problems about that and trying to clear that up. So I think this is an especially good amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Chair, I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Gordon for all his work on this bill and on the cybersecurity issue in general. This is, as the chairman said, a good bipartisan bill. I also want to thank Ranking Member Hall for his work and Dr. Ehlers, as we worked on the Research and Science Education Subcommittee on this bill. Almost a year ago, President Obama called for a comprehensive 60-day review of U.S. cyberspace policy. This call and the expert recommendations contained in the resulting report led to a series of hearings in my Research and Science Education Subcommittee as well as the full Science and Technology Committee. We heard in these hearings about the various aspects of cybersecurity R&D, including the state of research programs, partnerships with the private sector, the IT workforce, and how both NIST and the NSF are responding to the review. H.R. 4061 is built upon what we learned in these hearings and addresses some of the critical issues raised in the 60-day review. Specifically, it aims to build strong public-private partnerships, improve the transfer of cybersecurity technologies to the marketplace, train an IT workforce for both the public and private sectors, and coordinate and prioritize Federal cybersecurity R&D. Information technology is an integral part of all of our daily lives. Computers, cell phones, and Internet have greatly increased our productivity and connectivity. Unfortunately, this connectivity and dependence of our critical infrastructure on information technology have increased our vulnerability to cyberattacks. One month ago, we saw a coordinated foreign attack on Google's Web site. Last week, we also saw an infiltration on our House Web site. Last year, the Pentagon reported more than 360 million attempts to break into its network. But it is not just the Pentagon or House of Representatives that needs to worry about cybersecurity. Cybercrime is a problem for businesses, large and small, and for every single American. The FTC estimates that identity theft costs consumers about $50 billion annually, and that, even more alarmingly, it is the fastest growing type of fraud in the United States. And these aren't just individual criminals. Increasing globalization in the Internet means that sophisticated organized groups can mine information, selling it both nationally and internationally. Improving the security of cyberspace is of the utmost importance and will take the collective effort of the Federal Government, the private sector, our scientists and engineers, and every American to succeed, and this bill takes an important step forward in doing this. Last fall, as Chairman Gordon said, under the leadership of Congresswoman Clarke, we passed a resolution recognizing National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Among other things, this resolution contributed to an important education and awareness campaign, a national effort to make people aware of the problem and to make them think about what I like to call practicing good computer hygiene. However, Federal leadership is not only needed to increase public awareness, but also in research, education and in demonstrating how to secure our systems. Chairman Gordon gave a very good summary of what is in this bill. I want to focus on one particular aspect a little bit, on education. By that, I mean educating individuals, educating companies, and educating the next generation of IT professionals. H.R. 4061 addresses this by building on existing partnerships, such as the NSF-sponsored Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois, in my district. This single school in my district has trained more than 600 cybersecurity faculty since 2003. Individuals are now teaching at community colleges and technical training programs nationwide. In order to realize the full benefits of information technology, we not only need a highly skilled IT workforce, but also advances in basic R&D. Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, and cybersecurity R&D must evolve in concert through a combination of near-term fixes and long- term projects that build a more secure foundation. And because people are perhaps the weakest link in many IT systems, our research strategies need to include the social and behavioral sciences that can help us better understand how humans interact with technology. This is something that is often overlooked but is contained in this bill. So, in closing, I just again want to thank Chairman Gordon for his work on this. I am very proud to be the author of this bill, and I urge its passage by the full House.

Mr. LIPINSKI

Mr. LIPINSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Lithuanian Independence Day Commemoration. The celebration was organized by the Lithuanian American Council of Chicago and will take place at the Lithuanian Center in Chicago, Illinois on February 14, 2010. The Lithuanian American Council has a proud legacy of action in the Lithuanian American community. Lithuanian Americans have a presence in Chicago, Illinois lasting more than a century. Chicago is home to the greatest concentration of Lithuanian Americans, and I am proud to have so many people of Lithuanian descent in my district. The organization of this event pays due respect to the courageous act of proclaiming a newly independent Lithuanian state in 1918. Although true independence was put on hold until after World War I and the fall of Germany, this single rebellious act paved the way for what has become a free and democratically governed state. Lithuanian Americans have reason to celebrate their heritage proudly, and to remember with great pride the signing of the Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16, 1918. I ask you to join me in honoring the Lithuanian Independence Day Commemoration on this important occasion.