Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the so- called Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, H.R. 4437. I am deeply concerned with this legislation because it fails to seriously address our Nation's true immigration problems. Our nation's immigration system needs a serious overhaul, but this is not it. This is a bill that has been rushed to the floor, about a week after it was introduced and after only one committee hearing that later discharged the bill on a party line vote. For an issue as important as this, we should work together, we should work towards consensus, we should take the time it takes to get it right. Instead, the Republican leadership is more interested in passing legislation that may look good on a press release, but does not solve our immigration problems and is not realistic. If the Republican leadership was serious about securing our borders and preventing the entry of undocumented immigrants, they would fully fund the additional 10,000 border agents that we authorized when we passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, Public Law 108-458, last year. The addition of these agents, which had broad bipartisan support, was a provision that would have a direct impact on securing both our Southern and Northern borders and had broad bipartisan support. However, when it comes time to fund these additional agents, Congress consistently comes up short. This bill is strongly opposed by a broad range of organizations such as U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Farm Bureau, National Association of Homebuilders, Catholic Charities USA, Associated Builders and Contractors, United Auto Workers, among others. This broad coalition of organizations and interest groups understands that H.R. 4437 is not a solution to our existing immigration problem and in fact may exacerbate it. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), who incidentally, was born in New York State.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis). (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder), the author of this important resolution.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 358, the Little Rock Commemorative Coin Act, introduced by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder). This bill authorizes the Treasury to mint a dollar coin during the year 2007 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Those events, which have gone down in history, were the first major tests of the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. None of us who were alive in 1957 will ever forget seeing those nine African American children walk bravely into Central High School surrounded by Federal troops and a raging mob. Their courage in the face of hatred and their resolute determination to overcome bigotry serves as a shining light to all of us. I don't believe any one of us are aware of what a historic event it was and what a history changing event it has become. Imagine the strength that it must have taken. Only days before one of the students was almost lynched when she attempted to enter Central on the first day of school, and the Arkansas National Guard kept the other African American students out. The events of the next few days are the stuff of legends. NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall and a future member of the Supreme Court obtained a Federal ruling preventing Governor Orval Faubus from using the National Guard to keep the nine children out of Central High. Although Faubus announced on TV that he would comply with the court order he added that the nine should stay away, and I quote from his own words, stay away for your own safety, end quote. Encouraged by his comments, a mob surrounded the school. Finally, at the request of Congressman Brooks Hays and Mayor Woodrow Mann, President Eisenhower dispatched 1,000 troops of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to protect the nine school children and federalized the Arkansas National Guard so that Faubus could not order them to intervene. Incidentally, Brooks Hays lost his next election because of the strong feeling of the community. It was an act of bravery on his part. On September 25, 1957, the Little Rock Nine, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Melba Patillo, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta Walls, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray, Thelma Mothershed and Minnijean Brown, entered Central High School and went to class. A year later, in 1958, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., attended the graduation of Ernest Green, the first African American student ever to graduate from Central High. Mr. Green is now a partner in Lehman Brothers. In fact, all of the Little Rock Nine went on to professional achievements in and strong contributing lives to their communities. This bill has over 300 bipartisan cosponsors and has been passed by the House by voice vote in June. We consider today the bill, as amended by the Senate, which contains a provision requested by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder) to fix a problem that we learned of after House passage. The amendment provides that the Little Rock School District can satisfy the statutory requirement of matching private funds through a local bond issue. In light of the unique circumstances of the Little Rock historical site, I would like to deeply thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for their help in solving this problem and moving this legislation forward. On the 40th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine, President Clinton gave a Congressional Gold Medal. There was a celebration here in the Library of Congress, and in this Congress I had the opportunity of meeting many of them and congratulating them for their historic life- changing courage that helped so many others through their courage and acts. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I do not have any further speakers. I congratulate Mr. Snyder for his leadership on this legislation and Mr. Renzi, and their leadership on many other issues. I yield back the balance of my time, and I urge the unanimous support of this important bill.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in very, very strong support of this important legislation for the Indian American community.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 487, supporting the goals and ideals of Korean-American Day. This important resolution also recognizes the 103rd anniversary of the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States. In January 1903 the first Korean immigrants came to the United States. Since then, Korean-Americans have raised families, participated in their communities, and contributed to the economy. I am proud to represent the thousands of Korean-Americans living in my congressional district. These hard-working individuals have started numerous businesses which help to strengthen the economy of New York City. Our nation's diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and I am pleased that this resolution honors the achievements of this vibrant community.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his leadership on this extremely important bill. And I rise in strong support of the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act for an additional 2 years. The creation of antiterrorism insurance after 9/11 stabilized our Nation's economic footing, but it is set to expire at the end of this year. Businesses in my district with insurance policies that have expired since this September have told me that they cannot find insurance coverage in this country anywhere. They have been forced to look in England. Homeland security includes economic security, and after 9/11, of all the acts of this body, the most important was the antiterrorism insurance. It helped us start to rebuild and to build our economic foundation in New York and across this country. That is why it is so very important that we pass this extension. Clearly, the terrorist threat remains, and TRIA is still an economic necessity. I am disappointed that the good work of the Financial Services Committee to create a stronger bill that would help the private sector take on the problem of terrorism insurance has been set aside in favor of a more limited bill that simply kicks the can down the road, as Chairman Oxley so correctly put it and as Ranking Member Frank and Mr. Kanjorski have highlighted. The bill before us would be better were it to extend to group life, domestic terrorism and if it covered nuclear, biological, chemical or radioactive events, and were it to create the commission to study the problem and make recommendations, as included in the House bill. We should task the private sector with developing innovative solutions instead of just relying on the government. Because I feel these elements are so very important, I am cosponsoring a bipartisan bill with my New York colleague Vito Fossella to establish the commission and to provide flexibility in extending coverage for target sites such as Ground Zero. Though the House bill did much better than this bill, we need to pass what we have before us today and continue to work on the problem together. Once again, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their help and support to New York City, and I thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for backing this bill and passing TRIA. It is important, and we will continue to work together.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I will always support our troops, and I thank them and honor them for their bravery and valor during the difficult task of fighting the insurgents in Iraq. I also commend and admire the people of Iraq for their determination and bravery in the historic elections this week. The turnout was impressive--it was a testament to the spirit of the people and it will hopefully lead to a strong democracy. I hope and pray that we are successful in Iraq--that the violence ends, that the country is stabilized and that our soldiers come home safe, sound and soon. Unfortunately, more than 150,000 of our best and bravest remain in Iraq having been given no real plan to win the peace and no defined terms of victory. Indeed, they were sent to Iraq by an administration that was unaware of the circumstance in Iraq and unprepared to win the peace. I plan to vote ``present'' on this resolution because it calls for ``complete victory'' without actually defining victory. The administration has set tangible dates for elections and for the creation of a government, but why is it always vague about the terms of ``victory''? We have trained 100,000 Iraqi troops, will ``victory'' be achieved only after we train 100,000 more? Can victory only be won after our troops remain in Iraq in full force for another ten years? Longer than that? Our military is the best in history, and it can achieve victory in any situation, as long as it is told what victory entails. Elections are important milestones, but they are not magic pills. In 1967, there was an historic vote in South Vietnam, similar to the elections Iraq is holding now. As we all know, hostilities in Vietnam would continue for 7 years after those elections, with 50,000 more Americans losing their lives. We continue to wait for the Iraqi forces to be capable of securing Iraq themselves, but the vagueness of our goals and the vagueness of ``victory'' in this war gives them little incentive to take over from our military. We badly need a timetable, but, ``When they stand up, we'll stand down,'' is hardly adequate.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, OPEC and the U.S. Energy Department delivered another blow to financially strained American consumers Monday when they announced that high energy prices are here to stay. During a meeting in Kuwait, OPEC members said they may cut production of oil, increasing prices here in the U.S. At the same time, U.S. Federal energy forecasters projected the current high gas prices will last until at least 2014. This news comes at a devastating time for millions of families currently struggling to pay mounting home heating costs. The onset of bitterly cold winter weather in New York City and across this Nation means that many people will have to make difficult sacrifices to afford these added expenses; and yet, Republican leaders in this body recently passed legislation that provides billions of dollars in financial assistance to energy companies, while cutting vital funds from LIHEAP, the low-income home heating assistance program. Mr. Speaker, this is unconscionable. We should be increasing the LIHEAP funding and assistance and spreading this to the needed families over this holiday season.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Lantos for yielding me this time, and really thank him for his consistent voice and work for human rights across the globe and for his particular focus on moving this legislation forward as well as Chairman Smith. And to my dear friend and colleague Deborah Pryce, with whom I worked on the End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act, which has been incorporated in this bill, I thank her for her tenacious, determined persistence in working towards bringing this to the floor. I thank you deeply. This bill seeks to reduce the demand for sex trafficking by providing critical funding to law enforcement to prosecute the demand side, the purchasers of commercial sex acts, sex traffickers and exploiters. Sex trafficking in people is modern-day slavery, and human trafficking is the slavery of the 21st century. I had no idea what a huge, huge problem it is: Over 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, mostly women and children, and potentially many more are trafficked within our own borders. This is a $10 billion worldwide industry and the second largest organized crime ring in history. On the committee on which my colleague Deborah and I serve, she serves as the chair and I as the ranking member, the Domestic and International Monetary Policy Subcommittee, we had a series of hearings earlier this year on tracing and trying to track the flow of funds that are derived from trafficking. For many years, I have been working with Equality Now and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to end sex tourism and shut down sex tour companies based in New York and in my district. This legislation will help stop sex tour operators, like Big Apple Oriental Tours, which is based in my district, from advertising and taking sex tourists to Thailand, the Philippines and other countries to exploit impoverished young girls and boys. We need to protect all people who are being manipulated and tricked into entering a life of prostitution, no matter where they are from. The State Department has been issuing this excellent report, Trafficking in Persons report, and it tracks what is happening internationally, and it rates what other countries are doing; but we cannot focus only on what other countries are doing without working with law enforcement to address the problems here in the United States, and that is what this bipartisan legislation will do. It will provide critical assistance to the victims of sex trafficking, and it will also go after the purchasers of commercial sex acts by providing law enforcement with grants and with improved tools to fight sex trafficking. It is important that we protect the victims of the sex trade industry and punish the predators and those who are doing this terrible thing. Many, many people were part of this passage. I would like to thank Lifetime TV, which has highlighted it in programs that they have put on TV. They have also championed Ms. Pryce's bill and my bill and started a letter-writing campaign in support of it. Oprah Winfrey advocated for those who have no voice and started the Stop Child Sex Trafficking, a letter-writing campaign in support of this bill. I want to thank everyone who has worked on it. I thank the ranking member, Mr. Lantos, for yielding me this time and for his extraordinary leadership on this and so many other areas, as well as Mr. Bobby Scott for all of his hard work. Mr. Speaker, I spend a great deal of time working on women's issues. The stories I have heard from American girls that have been trafficked have been the most heart-wrenching, the most terrible stories I have ever heard in my entire life. This bill will save lives. It is important. It is will protect young girls and boys. It will go a long way toward ending this terrible attack on human dignity; and I include for the Record a list of organizations that have come out in support of this bill. The following groups/individuals have endorsed the end demand for Sex Trafficking Act: AEGIS Foundation; Basic Ministries, International, of Midland, TX; Breaking Free; Coalition Against Trafficking in Women; Concerned Women for America; Dignity House; End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes- USA, Inc.); Equality Now; Faces of Children; Hudson Institute; Institute on Religion and Democracy; Institute on Religion and Public Policy; Leadership Council for Human Rights; National Association of Evangelicals; Polaris Project; Religious Freedom Coalition; Salvation Army; Shared Hope International; Southern Baptist Convention; Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE); Survivor Services and Education NetWork; Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; VERONICA'S Voice; World Vision; Professor Donna Hughes; Oprah Winfrey; Lifetime Television.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce legislation that allows veterans to use their guaranteed VA loans to purchase co- operative housing units. FHA and other government agencies already have programs to give loans for co-operative residential units, and most banks accept co-operative shares as collateral. The Department of Veterans Affairs should do the same. For many veterans who live in communities where co-operative housing is common or where the cost of houses and condominiums can be high, a co-operative residential unit is an affordable alternative.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the conference report to H.R. 3199, the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005. Unfortunately, this bill does not do enough to protect the civil liberties of innocent Americans. Clearly, preventing another terrorist attack should be our highest priority. However, it should not be done at the expense of the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and that is what I fear we are doing today. Like the version of this legislation I voted against in July, this conference report would make permanent 14 of 16 provisions included in the original PATRIOT Act passed in 2001. I continue to have serious concerns about how this administration and future administrations could apply the provisions included in this bill. I simply do not believe that this body should relinquish its oversight duties. Many of these provisions should still have sunset clauses, and Congress should not be abrogating its responsibilities to review how these laws are being implemented. By agreeing to this conference report today, the House will effectively give up its oversight over sneak-and-peek searches, secret search orders, and surveillance authority provided by this bill given how little oversight we have had on these issues. Our constituents expect more from us. Why are oversight and an independent review so opposed? While I applaud the efforts of the conferees to reduce the extension of two key provisions relating to roving wiretaps, which allows taps on multiple phones and computers of a suspect, and business and library records from 10 years to 4 years, this legislation is woefully inadequate. My constituents are concerned that the government is watching them just because they are visiting their local library or bookstore. Under the PATRIOT Act, these records could be obtained with insufficient oversight by the courts or any independent review. Law enforcement should spend its time going after the terrorists, not using valuable resources reviewing the library records of innocent people. Unless we have an independent review, I know that I will not be satisfied that our rights are being protected. To make matters even worse, there are entirely new provisions in the conference report to expand the Secret Service's ability to restrict free speech by creating ``exclusion zones.'' These provisions were included in neither the House nor the Senate version of this bill. I would think that this expansion of the Secret Service's authority at the very least deserves serious consideration by this body, and should not be slipped in at the last minute without any hearings or markups. My constituents have legitimate concerns about the lack of independent, judicial oversight over the provisions included in the PATRIOT Act. We all want terrorists to be apprehended before they commit horrific acts of violence against innocent people. All we are asking is that we prevent unnecessary civil rights violations by ensuring that the administration is not abusing its powers. But this new provision is just the most glaring example of the lack of diligence that this Congress appears to have on protecting our rights. I am incredibly disappointed that throughout the entire debate on this legislation, the leadership of this House has refused even to discuss the topic of civil liberties, the very issue that makes this legislation so divisive. When the House debated this bill in July, the Rules Committee denied a bipartisan effort to debate an amendment offered by Representatives Christopher Shays, Tom Udall and myself that would have made the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board, created by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, more robust. This board would have been in line with what the 9/11 Commission envisioned when they issued their report. Today, 3 days before the 1 year anniversary of the signing of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board has yet to hold its first meeting and the 9/11 Commission has given Congress and the President a D for our work implementing this board. It appears to me that Congress and the President refuses to even have a discussion about our civil liberties and are opposed to implementing commonsense protections. This bill is just another example of that. I urge my colleagues to vote against this conference report.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy), who was instrumental in the passage of this bill. We thank him for his leadership.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted that the House is taking up this bill that Congressman Castle and I initiated, and I truly believe it is a win-win for taxpayers and the economy, the Presidential $1 Coin Bill. As we recall, the House passed our version of this bill by an overwhelming bipartisan majority last April, and the Senate has now done the same with its version and sent it back here for final passage. As our earlier vote reflects, this is an idea that we can all agree on. The Presidential dollar coin will begin in January of 2007 with the issuance of the George Washington dollar and continue at the rate of four Presidents a year until all Presidents who have completed their term of office have been honored, including President Bush and at least one successor. The back of the coin has the Statue of Liberty, which is located in the harbor of the city I represent. It is recognized throughout the world as the image of the United States and the symbol of freedom and opportunity. I am particularly pleased and thankful for discussions with Representative Pomeroy from North Dakota, Indian tribal chiefs and women's groups, on the provisions of the bill relating to the Sakakawea dollar coin that have been clarified, really strengthened, to make sure that Sakakawea will continue to be honored on the dollar throughout the program and after the program is complete. This is also true in the Senate version which we are voting on today. This initiative builds on the remarkable success also led by my dear friend and colleague Congressman Castle of our 50 State quarter bill. Like the State quarters, the Presidential dollar coin will revive interest in and encourage use of the dollar coin, educate the public about our Presidents and their first ladies and make money for the taxpayers. After 5 years at the halfway point, the 50 State quarter program had made $4 billion for the United States Treasury, primarily from collectors taking the coins out of circulation so that the Federal Reserve then buys more from the Mint. Over 130 million Americans, including children, adults and collectors, are collecting the quarters. I know from firsthand experience. My daughter is one of these collectors, and she has collected every single quarter, has books on them; her friends collect them. Teachers have told me that they use the quarter in their classrooms for educational purposes, and I believe that the Presidential dollar bill will likewise be used as an educational tool for collectors and for school children. We have similar hopes for the effect of the individuals collecting the Presidential dollar coins for them to be useful in the classroom and helpful to the Treasury. In addition, this bill will revive interest in and encourage use of the dollar coin. The GAO has estimated that general use of dollar coins could save the government as much as $50 million per year because they last longer than the dollar bill. I have received correspondence from small businesses, who are delighted that the bill will boost usage of the dollar coin in everyday commerce. As dollar coins achieve greater use in meters, fare machines, coin operated laundromats or car washes, these businesses will benefit and consumers will get faster and more efficient service. We have done a great deal of research to make sure that this coin is successful. In the course of developing this bill, Congressman Castle reached out to the National Federation for the Blind to ask for the perspective of persons with visual impairments whom we might expect to have the most concern over problems with usage of a dollar coin and specifically with distinguishing it from a quarter. The NFB responded that so long as the edge of the coin was distinctive, persons with visual impairments would not have a problem, and we have accommodated that need. The legislation also leaves a great deal of flexibility to the Mint to design the coins in such a way that they will be sufficiently distinctive, and we have made the Mint aware of this imperative. I am also proud of the bill's provision for also honoring each first spouse. The bill provides for these to be issued both as gold bullion collectors items and also in a bronze version, making them more accessible to school children and the public. This bill earns money for the government, benefits small businesses and consumers, educates all users of American currency about their Presidents and revitalizes interest in the dollar coin. I would call that a bill that clearly deserves our full support. I would like to thank Congressman Castle for his initiative and steady work on this bill, a bill that should be supported easily by everyone. The fact is that it makes money for the Treasury, educates people and helps our economy, but we had many, many hurdles that we had to jump over, and his thoughtful and persistent work was absolutely critical for its success. I also thank my good friend Representative Pomeroy for helping to make this a bill that continues to honor Sakakawea, both during the time that it is being minted and afterwards; and also our ranking member, Mr. Frank, for helping us to move this to the floor for a vote. Of course, Congressman Oxley, we will miss you and miss your leadership in this body. I would also like to thank Joe Pinder and Emily Pfeiffer on the majority staff of the Financial Services Committee for their assistance throughout this process. And I would finally like to thank Jaime Lizarraga of the minority Financial Services Committee and Eleni Constantine for their work on it. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support it. It is not often that we have an opportunity to vote on something that will educate adults and children about our history, put money into the Treasury, save taxpayers money, help small business, and it is just plain fun to collect. So I am thoroughly in support of it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, after five years of setting records for weak job creation, the President is giving us a rosy outlook for our economy. What he fails to mention in his economic pep talks is the elephant sitting in the room--this administration continues to set record debts and deficits, long-term, structural problems that will bog us down for generations to come. What is our response as a Congress to this fiscal mess? A bill that would cost $81 billion over 10 years. A bill that would pile on to the deficit that is projected to be $3.5 trillion over 10 years. I suppose the thinking is compared to $3.5 trillion, what's another $81 billion? Only in Washington. What's worse, the middle class--the foundation of our Nation and our economy will be largely ignored by the bill before us. It's bad enough that working Americans have already been left behind in our economic recovery. But this bill will essentially raise taxes on 17 million American middle-class families by failing to protect them from the Alternative Minimum Tax. Make no mistake, they will not get real protection from yesterday's fig-leaf AMT bill, and they will get nothing from the bill before us today. We are considering more of the same. More debt, more deficits, more working Americans who are ignored. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill and ``yes'' on the sensible Rangel substitute, which will allow us to really fix the AMT, help the middle class and help working Americans.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his leadership on so many other issues. Bringing this to the floor took a great deal of work and conversations and negotiations and Mr. Frank led that work in many ways. I also want to really compliment the passion of Gary Miller from California, who has introduced this legislation in a number of Congresses. Before coming to Congress, he worked in urban areas in redevelopment and knows the problem that brownfields can cause to localities in holding back economic development. He has been really devoted to passing it, and it has been my pleasure to work with him on this for three Congresses. The primary purpose of this legislation is to increase the flexibility of the HUD Brownfields Economic Development Initiative, the BEDI program, and make the program available to more local governments. This is a very important initiative, particularly for upstate New York, a former industrial area. Many manufacturing jobs have left and left behind contaminated brownfields. Our localities, our villages, towns and cities desperately need this money to clean up these brownfields and return these economic centers to economic growth. The Financial Services Committee has reported this legislation out by an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the past two Congresses, reflecting the bipartisan consensus that brownfields clean-up benefits the economic development of our entire Nation. The legislation eliminates the requirement that communities applying for BEDI grants must pledge their Community Development Block Grant funding as security for the loan. This requirement puts local governments, particularly smaller local governments, between a rock and a hard place. Since its inception, the larger brownfields program has proven to be an effective government response to a serious environmental problem, and it is important that we maximize its use. Brownfields spot our country from coast to coast, especially in areas with high or formerly high levels of industrial activity, especially urban areas. These brownfields locations have a potential for economic development, but they have been held back by the environmental problems created by former or current users. New York City and State, and I am sure probably every State and city, is full of them. The EPA program has successfully used a variety of financial and technical assistance to restore these sites which would otherwise be doomed to further decay. I am very pleased that we are moving this legislation forward today, but very disappointed that the BEDI program appears to be under attack from the administration. The budget the administration put forward this year would have discontinued the BEDI program at HUD and shifted its function to Commerce. Therefore, this bill is especially important this year to preserve the very survival of the brownfields initiative. I truly do want to thank Gary Miller for his consistent and persistent leadership in introducing this legislation year after year and Ranking Member Frank for championing it, along with his staff; and of course Chairman Michael Oxley for his leadership on this and so many other issues.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for organizing this important Special Order. Tonight, we stand to honor Michigan's most famous export, John Dingell. He has served and led in this body for many years. His partner in life, Debbie Dingell, has been an important part of his work and causes. It is absolutely amazing how much he has helped improve people's lives through the legislation and causes he has advanced. Because John is so tenacious, determined, knowledgeable and effective, I always seek him out to help me with those causes nearest to my heart. There have been many, but one is the equal rights amendment which like-minded men and women have been trying to pass since the first women's rights meeting at Seneca Falls in New York in 1848. John believed that the best way to advance women's rights was through an economic argument, so we commissioned and worked together on what became known as the Dingell-Maloney Reports. One called ``A New Look at the Glass Ceiling'' proved that women managers earned significantly less than their male counterparts. Another, ``The Glass Ceiling Under the Microscope,'' proved that this wage gap had persisted unchanged for 20 years. College professors and teachers tell me that they use the Glass Ceiling reports as part of their women's studies curriculum. John, thank you for helping me on these reports, and for so many other issues, health care, campaign finance reform, energy policy, clean water, clean air. John is known for many, many, many achievements. He is one of the most outstanding legislators this body has ever seen, but, above all, John cares. He cares about people, and he cares about quality public policy. We thank Michigan tonight for her proud gift to the Nation, Congressman John Dingell. And as we say in New York, sto lat, sto lat: may you live 1,000 years, may you serve 1,000 years.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, data released this Monday on productivity and wages show why the American people do not believe President Bush when he says our economic prospects are as bright as they have been for a long time. Yes, productivity is strong, and the economy is growing. But the benefits of that growth are showing up in the bottom lines of companies, not in the paychecks of the American worker. While productivity grew at a 4.7 percent annual rate in the third quarter, workers' pay, including their benefits, shrank at a 1.4 percent rate. Americans are working harder and harder and producing more and more, but they are getting paid less. This is not a bright economy.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today Representatives Maxine Waters (D- CA), Charlie Melancon (D-LA) and I introduced the Mortgage and Rental Assistance Reauthorization Act to give victims of Hurricane Katrina the same housing aid awarded to New Yorkers in the aftermath of 9/11. Once fully implemented, the Mortgage and Rental Assistance (MRA) program was one of the most useful FEMA programs following 9/11. This grant program provided direct mortgage or rent payments for individuals still living in their home, but were experiencing difficulties in making payments. When FEMA administered the program in New York, recipients were required to have a loss of income of at least 25 percent to quality. Rent or mortgage payments lasted up to eighteen months. This program was particularly useful for people who lost their job as a result of 9/11 and could not afford to pay their rent or mortgage. Unfortunately, 9/11 was the last disaster for which this program was available. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 eliminated this program because it was considered too costly and difficult to administer (the enactment date was 18 months and the attacks of 9/11 occurred after this act was signed into law, but before enactment). The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 merged temporary housing assistance with grants to individuals and families. This merge now limits the assistance FEMA is allowed to provide victims of disasters. On December 1, 2005, the three-month mortgage suspension on mortgages for victims of Katrina expired and many individuals are now faced with mortgage bills they are unable to afford. This week the Bush Administration announced a limited loan program to assist victims having difficulty paying their mortgage. This program was instrumental in stabilizing New York's economy after 9/11, it is beyond me why we are now refusing to get the people of the Gulf Coast the very same aid we got in New York. The offering of loans to pay off loans unfairly straddle Katrina victims with more debt. When Congress debated converting reconstruction aid to Iraq from grants to loans, the Administration threatened a veto. Why should reconstruction of the Gulf Coast be any different?

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the extraordinary achievements of an important member of the New York community, Dr. Alicia Zizzo. Critics have described Dr. Zizzo as one of America's most important classical musicians, both for her skills as a pianist and her research on George Gershwin's body of work, celebrated and forgotten. Her pianistic artistry has brought her international acclaim and has been recognized on four continents. Dr. Zizzo's musicological scholarship is focused on the research and restoration of the classical piano literature of George Gershwin. She has been able to enhance what was a remarkably small classical piano solo repertoire by working with the Library of Congress, Warner Brothers Publications, the Gershwin estate and other scholars. Dr. Zizzo succeeded in researching, transcribing and inevitably recreating Gershwin's lost and forgotten classical solo piano manuscripts notated in his own hand. She approaches these manuscripts not with the objective of making yet another arrangement of his melodies as so many musicians have already done, but rather to literally reconstruct from fragments, sketches and partially completed scores that had been long neglected. Critics have lauded her for the discovery of transitional scores which bring new life to classic Gershwin material. For example, the New York Times, Washington Post and many other widely recognized publications throughout the United States and the world have hailed Dr. Zizzo for her groundbreaking musicological analysis of the original manuscripts of Gershwin's famous Rhapsody in Blue. Dr. Zizzo was able to restore approximately 80 measures, mostly solos, that were deleted during editing--not done by Gershwin himself--for publication. Dr. Zizzo has also been praised for unearthing material never known to exist. Her landmark, best selling CDs feature lost Gershwin classics like Seven Preludes, Blue Monday, Lullaby, Sleepless Night and other previously unpublished scores. She also created a brand new manuscript edition of Rhapsody in Blue and a piano solo suite on the background orchestral scores of the movie Shall We Dance (1937). Also published is a piano solo transcription of the symphonic work I Got Rhythm Variations. In 1998, during the Library of Congress's four day celebration of the Gershwin Centennial, Dr. Zizzo was the only concert pianist invited to present a full recital and lecture. Later that year, she was recognized by Hofstra University with an Honorary Doctorate degree for her important contributions to American music. Mr. Speaker, I request that my distinguished colleagues rise and pay tribute to a great New Yorker, Dr. Alicia Zizzo, for her accomplishments. Her many successes have brought to light music scores by our greatest American composer, George Gershwin, important scores that we may continue to enjoy for generations to come.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, data released Monday on productivity and wages show why the American people do not believe President Bush when he says our economic prospects are bright and improving. Yes, productivity is strong, and the economy is growing. But the benefits of that growth are showing up in the bottom lines of companies, not in the paychecks of American workers. While productivity grew at a 4.7 percent annual rate in the third quarter, workers' pay, including benefits, shrank at a 1.4 percent rate. Let me repeat that important point. Workers' pay shrank by 1.4 percent. Americans are working harder and producing more, but they are getting paid less. President Bush is seizing on some recent favorable economic indicators to claim that the Nation's economic outlook is brighter than we have seen recently. I certainly wish that that were true for most Americans. The typical American family has a very different view because they know that they are still being left behind in the current economic recovery. When I listen to the President recite the numbers he thinks show Americans are doing better, I am reminded of his speech in the Rose Garden several days after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, when he recited the numbers of trucks, pounds of rice and the National Guardsmen he had ordered to New Orleans. Meanwhile, anyone with a TV set would see that Americans were still desperately struggling to survive with absolutely no Federal help. The President seems equally out of touch on the economy. Ask your constituents how they are doing. Ask them if they have a secure job with benefits. Ask them if they are confident that they will have a job until they are ready to retire. Ask them if they think their children will have a job when they graduate from college. In fact, a closer look at the numbers show that the administration has run a strong economy into the ground. Here are the facts. Under the Bush presidency, the economy has experienced the most protracted job slump in the postwar era. That is the worst record of any president since Hoover and the Great Depression. The unemployment rate is nearly 1 percentage point higher than it was when President Bush took office. That is a 25 percent increase from where it was in the Clinton administration. Over 1.6 million more people are unemployed. Twice as many people are long-term unemployed. Most people are actually earning less. The typical worker's earnings have barely kept up with inflation under President Bush, and real wages have been declining recently. Under President Bush, real median household income is down $1,700, and 5.4 million more Americans live in poverty. That is the greatest decline in real household income and the second largest increase in the poverty rate of the last nine administrations. The most vulnerable among us are being hit the hardest. Under President Bush, real median family income has fallen for each fifth of the income distribution, but the largest decline has been in the poorest fifth of the distribution. Because of the reckless economic policies of this administration, large projected budget surpluses have been turned into large actual deficits and the Federal debt is ballooning, rather than shrinking as it was at the end of the Clinton administration. And here we see the numbers in blue of the surpluses during the Clinton years. Yet when the Bush Administration came to power, that surplus disappeared and we have had ever increasing deficits reaching the highest deficit recorded in our history of over $412 billion. It has come down to $319 billion, but it is still a structural problem. We also have the largest trade deficit in the history of this country, of over $670 billion. As Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan and many other economists repeatedly noted, our exploding deficits and debt are long-term structural problems that are rapidly getting worse. Only last week he repeated that warning: ``In the end, the consequences for the U.S. economy of doing nothing could be severe,'' and our allies have called our deficits ``unsustainable'' even as we continue to increase the amount of U.S. debt held by China and other Asian nations. As Chairman Greenspan also warned recently, ``at some point, foreign investors will balk at further financing'' the growing U.S. deficit. Thanks to the economic policies of this Administration, our national debt now stands at $8.3 trillion. That translates into over $27 thousand of debt for every man, woman and child in the country. What is this Administration doing about this crisis? They have increased the debt ceiling three times. They have pushed for deficit-raising tax cuts for the very wealthiest while refusing to give tax relief to the middle class. This Administration is continuing to set records for debts and deficits while turning its back on working Americans.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of the United Community Civic Association (UCCA) on the occasion of its annual holiday champagne brunch. I ask that my colleagues join me in saluting UCCA's distinguished honorees: Assembly Member Michael N. Gianaris, Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., Gerald J. Walsh, and Dr. Arthur N. Gualtieri. The United Community Civic Association is one of the Queens community's foremost neighborhood organizations. Deeply committed to the improvement of the Queens community, UCCA has remained vigilant on a variety of issues relevant to Queens residents, including airport pollution and health concerns. Furthermore, UCCA is an important catalyst for community pride and involvement. UCCA hosts a yearly candlelight ceremony honoring the firefighters who lost their lives on September 11 and organizes the annual Flag Day Parade in Queens. These events are moving tributes to the best America has to offer, and are always beautifully done. UCCA is also known for its tradition of excellent leadership. UCCA's president, Rose Marie Poveromo, has served as a pillar of the Queens community through her leadership and activism. She has contributed to community dialogue on issues of public concern and sustained the spirit of civic participation so important to our Nation's health and well-being. The recipients of UCCA's ``Men of the Year'' awards, Assembly Member Michael N. Gianaris and Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., have outstanding records of public service and community activism. Representing the 36th Assembly District in Queens, Assembly Member Gianaris has established himself as an effective and smart legislator, authoring many public safety measures to enhance New York's security after the attacks on New York on September 11, 2001. A lifelong resident of Queens, Assembly Member Gianaris has committed himself to improving the community in which he grew up and has provided the residents of Queens with impeccable leadership. Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., also has shown exemplary public service to our community. A tireless advocate for public safety issues, Council Member Vallone has led the fight to keep illegal guns off of the streets of New York City. Council Member Vallone has also been a strong advocate for environmental rights, introducing bills to curtail the carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Gerald J. Walsh, this year's recipient of the Valerie Fisher Community Service Award, was born and raised in Queens and is a longtime community activist and leader. Currently the Deputy Director of Computer Operations Hardware and Financial Information Services for the City of New York, Mr. Walsh is the President of the Dutch Kills Civic Association and also serves as a member of the 114th Police Precinct. Dr. Arthur N. Gualtieri, the Deputy Commissioner at The City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and former Medical Director of the Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens, is being recognized with the Special Award of Recognition. A devoted public servant, Dr. Gualtieri is both a physician and a lawyer and a member of both the Queens County Bar Association and the Queens County Medical Society. As a resident of Astoria, Dr. Gualtieri continues his devotion to the Queens community by serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Astoria Civic Association, SHAREing & CAREing, and UCCA. Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to the United Community Civic Association and its celebrated honorees: Assembly Member Gianaris, Council Member Vallone, Mr. Walsh, and Dr. Gualtieri.