Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentleman for his beautiful words. Certainly the museum will not be achieved without like-minded men who support it. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include for the Record an op- ed that Marsha Blackburn and I wrote called ``The Women You Don't Know Yet,'' and a beautiful, beautiful op-ed written by Renee Ellmers representing the great State of North Carolina called ``A National Museum For Women's History.''

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Kaptur, for your leadership and for organizing a briefing earlier today for Members of Congress with head leaders from the State Department on the actions that are happening, and for your leadership in passing H. Res. 499 today, which condemned the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity by military forces of the Russian Federation. We appreciate very much your making that happen and helping us to pass that resolution. Once again, the Russians have rattled their sabers and tightened their grip on the Ukraine. In the past 24 hours they have seized a Ukrainian naval base. Even though the Constitution declares Crimea to be an integral part of Ukraine, the pro-Russian regional authorities in Crimea continue to sever links to Ukraine's capital today, canceling incoming flights from Kiev. They have also run out of town any of the monitors that have come from the United Nations or the independent free world. Flights to and from Turkey also have been suspended. The Russians have threatened to confiscate Western assets and refuse to even speak to the Ukraine's interim prime minister on the phone. The interim prime minister has found $80 billion missing--even loan guarantee money. This Congress needs to work together to find that money and return it rightfully to the Ukrainian people. Yanukovych, the disgraced former President, did the Russians' bidding and appealed to Ukrainian military units to refuse to follow the orders of the new interim authorities. Once again, today, the Russians ignored international norms, calls for restraint, and all the cries for justice for all those who were gunned down in Independence Square. Congresswoman, are you aware that there has been no action to punish the people who killed community leaders and others in Independence Square? Eighty-two people were murdered. My constituents have held vigils. They have memorials that they have constructed. In their churches they have pictures of every single martyred hero and heroine, with their stories. Yet no one has been held accountable for that crime against decency and humanity of killing innocent people. They have ignored Ukrainian sovereignty, treaties, and the rule of law, all in an effort to reestablish a disgraced petty tyrant whose secret life of obscene opulence included--this is hard to say--gold- plated toilets--that is what they are saying on the Internet--along with pictures of all of his zoos and his house and all kinds of things where he wasted the money of the Ukrainian people on wasteful things. On the other hand, the Ukrainians have already done the right thing for the world around them. In 1994, they signed the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and willingly gave up the third-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. They are a peace-loving people. With the peaceful stroke of a pen this eliminated a far greater threat to world peace than North Korea and Iran combined. The key thing the Ukrainians were promised in return was security assurances against threats or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine. The U.S. and Russia, Congresswoman, were signatories to that statement. President Obama has made it clear that America will stand with the Ukrainian people. We are all watching everyday on television what is happening, and what has struck me the most was the scene where the Russians were shooting in the air and shouting at the Ukrainians, and they marched peacefully towards them. One general called out: America stands with us. That is true. America stands with peace-loving people around the world and for democracy. We so often take for granted the freedoms, the liberties, the democracy that we have that others are struggling for around the world. Tomorrow, the Ukraine's interim prime minister is scheduled to meet President Obama at the White House here in our country. The White House has announced visa restrictions on Russians and Crimeans who are threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The President is working with America's allies to craft economic sanctions that will punish and isolate the architects of this aggression. Secretary of State John Kerry has traveled to Kiev to mourn for the fallen in Independence Square and to bring $1 billion in American loan guarantees and pledges of technical assistance. We overwhelmingly passed the $1 billion loan guarantee without a cap here in our Congress. It was an important vote. We all stood with the Ukrainians. Now it is time for Congress to make it clear that we stand with the Ukrainian people. The resolution we passed today is a good start-- condemning the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity by military forces of the Russian Federation. To paraphrase the Ukrainian anthem: Their persistence and toils should be rewarded. Let freedom's song resound. We should be asking our friends in Russia, What is their word worth? What is their signature worth on any document, on any treaty, or on any contract? What is their word worth? I would like to invite the distinguished Congresswoman to join me this Saturday with the Ukrainian community on Roosevelt Island, named after FDR, who went to Crimea for Yalta and spoke of the four freedoms: freedom of want, freedom of religion, freedom of democracy, freedom of speech. These freedoms are what the people in the Ukraine are fighting for, longing for, working for. We are going to gather at the Four Freedoms Park in Manhattan to pray with, to be with, and to stand with the Ukrainian people who are bravely fighting as we speak for their freedoms, for their independence, for American values that they want as their values. America stands with them. The American people are standing with the Ukrainians. I thank the gentlelady for having found the Ukrainian Caucus here in Congress, of which I am a member, and also for having crafted resolutions and so many statements in their support and helping to organize in a bipartisan way. Because this country is united. We are speaking with one voice, Republicans and Democrats, in support of the Ukrainian people. I thank the gentlelady for her magnificent leadership.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentlelady for her leadership and for authoring the Grimm-Waters bill, which I support. Mr. Speaker, this bill will protect homeowners from drastic premium increases, provide relief to housing markets, and put the flood insurance program on a path to long-term solvency. The bill will also put a stop to FEMA's reckless implementation of Biggert-Waters. The GAO found that FEMA doesn't even have the information that the GAO said was key to determining a property's actual flood risk; and yet, FEMA has gone ahead with massive premium increases anyway, based on back-of-the-envelope calculations and a shocking indifference to the impact on the middle class families that are suffering across this country because of Hurricane Sandy, many of whom are in my district. This bill will require FEMA to actually complete the affordability study that was mandated in the prior legislation, so that independent experts can determine the best way to successfully balance the two main goals, consumer affordability and long-term solvency. This bill would set a hard cap on rate increases at 18 percent a year and will protect families and businesses from the kinds of 500 percent rate increases that they are suffering from now. I congratulate the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) on her leadership and Congressman Grimm. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the Grimm- Waters bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlelady for yielding and for her hard work on the Financial Services Committee. I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3193, which is a blatantly partisan assault on the CFPB and on American consumers. I think it is telling that just 4 months after the first government shutdown in 17 years, the Republicans want to remove the CFPB's independent source of funding and subject it to Congress' deeply dysfunctional appropriations process. It is telling because it exposes the true purpose of this bill. It is not to make the CFPB more accountable, but rather to undermine, defund, and hinder its ability to act to protect consumers in every possible way. The dysfunction that led to last year's 16-day shutdown is exactly why we gave the CFPB an independent source of funding in Dodd-Frank. We wanted to insulate the CFPB from the political games and partisan brinksmanship that, unfortunately, became a staple of the appropriations process. Another key reason for creating the CFPB was to make sure that we have at least one regulator whose sole purpose is protecting consumers. Prior to the financial crisis, consumer protection had, unfortunately, become an afterthought of the banking regulators whose primary mission was protecting the safety and soundness of the banks, but not consumers. When Congress created the CFPB, the whole point was to create a regulator whose sole focus would be to protect consumers. The reason Congress did this was that, prior to the financial crisis, consumers were an afterthought, a secondary thought, a third thought, or usually not even thought about at all. So it was a huge step forward to have a department that was focused on protecting consumers from new products that were harmful and from innovations that were not tested that were harmful to the consumers and the economy as a whole, which led to the financial crisis. This was a huge step forward for consumers when it was created. Unfortunately, this bill before us today is a huge step backwards because it would give the safety and soundness regulators more authority to veto the CFPB's consumer protections in the name of bank profits--just like in the old days. Let's remember that, in just its first 2\1/2\ years, the CFPB has already made huge strides on a number of important consumer protections--from new mortgage protections to credit cards to payday lending. An independent source said the credit card bill of rights that was supported by the CFPB saves consumers $20 billion a year. That is a huge step forward for consumers, and the Bureau has been willing to make sensible changes when it has needed to. Last year, the Bureau adopted amendments to the CARD Act that would allow stay-at-home spouses to take out credit cards in their own names. This was a commonsense fix for an unintended problem for stay-at-home spouses who were creditworthy, and they made the decision so that they were able to get these credit cards. That is a huge step forward, and I worked with Mrs. Capito on it from across the aisle. The Bureau continues to work hard to develop consumer safeguards in rapidly growing areas, such as prepaid cards and overdraft protection, both of which many Members on both sides have a keen interest in seeing going forward. In short, the CFPB's work has already made the lives of American consumers and our constituents better on a day-to-day basis. This bill would undermine these results, and it would weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, so I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose the bill. I would like to place in the Record independent organizations-- literally well over 100--that are in support of the CFPB and that are in opposition to this bill. They are good government groups, credit groups, individual legislators, and local and State partners, all of whom are in opposition to the bill that undermines the work of the CFPB, which is there to protect consumers. Following Are the Partners of Americans for Financial Reform. All the organizations support the overall principles of AFR and are working for an accountable, fair and secure financial system. Not all of these organizations work on all of the issues covered by the coalition or have signed on to every statement. AARP; A New Way Forward; AFL-CIO; AFSCME; Alliance For Justice; American Income Life Insurance; American Sustainable Business Council; Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.; Americans United for Change; Campaign for America's Future; Campaign Money; Center for Digital Democracy; Center for Economic and Policy Research; Center for Economic Progress; Center for Media and Democracy; Center for Responsible Lending; Center for Justice and Democracy; Center of Concern; Center for Effective Government; Change to Win; Clean Yield Asset Management. Coastal Enterprises Inc.; Color of Change; Common Cause; Communications Workers of America; Community Development Transportation Lending Services; Consumer Action; Consumer Association Council; Consumers for Auto Safety and Reliability; Consumer Federation of America; Consumer Watchdog; Consumers Union; Corporation for Enterprise Development; CREDO Mobile; CTW Investment Group; Demos; Economic Policy Institute; Essential Action; Green America; Greenlining Institute; Good Business International; HNMA Funding Company. Home Actions; Housing Counseling Services; Home Defender's League; Information Press; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy; Institute for Global Communications; Institute for Policy Studies: Global Economy Project; International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Institute of Women's Policy Research; Krull & Company; Laborers' International Union of North America; Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Main Street Alliance; Move On; NAACP; NASCAT; National Association of Consumer Advocates; National Association of Neighborhoods; National Community Reinvestment Coalition; National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients); National Consumers League. National Council of La Raza; National Council of Women's Organizations; National Fair Housing Alliance; National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions; National Housing Resource Center; National Housing Trust; National Housing Trust Community Development Fund; National NeighborWorks Association; National Nurses United; National People's Action; National Urban League; Next Step; OpenTheGovernment.org; Opportunity Finance Network; Partners for the Common Good; PICO National Network; Progress Now Action; Progressive States Network; Poverty and Race Research Action Council; Public Citizen; Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law. SEIU; State Voices; Taxpayer's for Common Sense; The Association for Housing and Neighborhood Development; The Fuel Savers Club; The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; The Seminal; TICAS; U.S. Public Interest Research Group; UNITE HERE; United Food and Commercial Workers; United States Student Association; USAction; Veris Wealth Partners; Western States Center; We the People Now; Woodstock Institute; World Privacy Forum; UNET; Union Plus; Unitarian Universalist for a Just Economic Community. List of State and Local Partners Alaska PIRG; Arizona PIRG; Arizona Advocacy Network; Arizonans For Responsible Lending; Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development NY; Audubon Partnership for Economic Development LDC, New York NY; BAC Funding Consortium Inc., Miami FL; Beech Capital Venture Corporation, Philadelphia PA; California PIRG; California Reinvestment Coalition; Century Housing Corporation, Culver City CA; CHANGER NY; Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation (NY); Chicago Community Loan Fund, Chicago IL; Chicago Community Ventures, Chicago IL; Chicago Consumer Coalition; Citizen Potawatomi CDC, Shawnee OK; Colorado PIRG; Coalition on Homeless Housing in Ohio; Community Capital Fund, Bridgeport CT; Community Capital of Maryland, Baltimore MD; Community Development Financial Institution of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Sells AZ. Community Redevelopment Loan and Investment Fund, Atlanta GA; Community Reinvestment Association of North Carolina; Community Resource Group, Fayetteville A; Connecticut PIRG; Consumer Assistance Council; Cooper Square Committee (NYC); Cooperative Fund of New England, Wilmington NC; Corporacion de Desarrollo Economico de Ceiba, Ceiba PR; Delta Foundation, Inc., Greenville MS; Economic Opportunity Fund (EOF), Philadelphia PA; Empire Justice Center NY; Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP), Cleveland OH; Enterprises, Inc., Berea KY; Fair Housing Contact Service OH; Federation of Appalachian Housing; Fitness and Praise Youth Development, Inc., Baton Rouge LA; Florida Consumer Action Network; Florida PIRG; Funding Partners for Housing Solutions, Ft. Collins CO; Georgia PIRG; Grow Iowa Foundation, Greenfield IA; Homewise, Inc., Santa Fe NM. Idaho Nevada CDFI, Pocatello ID; Idaho Chapter, National Association of Social Workers; Illinois PIRG; Impact Capital, Seattle WA; Indiana PIRG; Iowa PIRG; Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement; JobStart Chautauqua, Inc., Mayville NY; La Casa Federal Credit Union, Newark NJ; Low Income Investment Fund, San Francisco CA; Long Island Housing Services NY; MaineStream Finance, Bangor ME; Maryland PIRG; Massachusetts Consumers' Coalition; MASSPIRG; Massachusetts Fair Housing Center; Michigan PIRG; Midland Community Development Corporation, Midland TX; Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation, Detroit Lakes MN; Mile High Community Loan Fund, Denver CO; Missouri PIRG; Mortgage Recovery Service Center of L.A. Montana Community Development Corporation, Missoula MT; Montana PIRG; New Economy Project; New Hampshire PIRG; New Jersey Community Capital, Trenton NJ; New Jersey Citizen Action; New Jersey PIRG; New Mexico PIRG; New York PIRG; New York City Aids Housing Network; New Yorkers for Responsible Lending; NOAH Community Development Fund, Inc., Boston MA; Nonprofit Finance Fund, New York NY; Nonprofits Assistance Fund, Minneapolis M; North Carolina PIRG; Northside Community Development Fund, Pittsburgh PA; Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Columbus OH; Ohio PIRG; OligarchyUSA; Oregon State PIRG; Our Oregon; PennPIRG; Piedmont Housing Alliance, Charlottesville VA; Michigan PIRG; Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, CO; Rhode Island PIRG. Rural Community Assistance Corporation, West Sacramento CA; Rural Organizing Project OR; San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority; Seattle Economic Development Fund; Community Capital Development; TexPIRG; The Fair Housing Council of Central New York; The Loan Fund, Albuquerque NM; Third Reconstruction Institute NC; Vermont PIRG; Village Capital Corporation, Cleveland OH; Virginia Citizens Consumer Council; Virginia Poverty Law Center; War on Poverty--Florida; WashPIRG; Westchester Residential Opportunities Inc.; Wigamig Owners Loan Fund, Inc., Lac du Flambeau WI; WISPIRG. Small Businesses Blu; Bowden-Gill Environmental; Community MedPAC; Diversified Environmental Planning; Hayden & Craig, PLLC; Mid City Animal Hospital, Phoenix AZ; UNET.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to reintroduce legislation to address the long-standing name dispute between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece. This House Resolution urges the FYROM to work within the framework of the United Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals of resolving the name dispute and encourages the United States to work with its NATO allies to uphold previous NATO Summits decisions, with regard to the enlargement issue. As founder and co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, this is of tremendous importance to me. I believe the United States must send a strong message, supporting a solution to the name issue and to encourage the FYROM and Greece to reach a mutually acceptable solution as soon as possible. Historical and archaeological evidence shows that the ancient Macedonians were Greek. Macedonia is a Greek name that has designated the northern area of Greece for 2,500 years. In 1944, the name of the Skopje region was changed to Macedonia as part of Tito's imperialist campaign to gain control of the Greek province of Macedonia. Both NATO and the White House have repeatedly emphasized their support for the unanimous decision made at the NATO Bucharest Summit in 2008 (and reiterated at NATO Summits in Strasbourg/Kehl in 2009 and Lisbon in 2010) that an invitation would be extended once a mutually acceptable solution to the name dispute has been reached. As the United States and its NATO allies consider the future of NATO and possible changes in membership, the United States must abide by this decision. Otherwise, any move by the United States that shows support for extending NATO membership to the FYROM, before a resolution is reached in the name dispute, might be misinterpreted by the government in Skopje as a sign for further intransigence. This would eventually derail the ongoing negotiations, thus undermining U.S. interests in the Western Balkan region. This resolution urges the FYROM to work within the framework of the United Nations process and in good faith with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals of resolving the name dispute. The resolution also encourages the United States to work with its NATO allies to uphold previous NATO Summits decisions, with regard to the enlargement issue and extend an invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, far too often, families feel constant competing pressure between home and work life. Since being signed into law in 1993 by President Clinton, the Family and Medical Leave Act has been used 100 million times by men and women across the United States to meet these dual demands. These individuals and their families have benefited from up to 12 weeks of job protected unpaid work leave to care for new children or to help a loved one or the individual recover from a serious health condition. Today, 21 years later, federal workplace policies have not kept pace with work and family life needs. As a result, many families must unfairly prioritize work and family duties. It is time to enhance this legislation so that more families can access leave to help loved ones who need their assistance. That is why I am introducing the Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act. This legislation will expand the Family and Medical Leave Act so that it covers businesses with 25 or more employees, from the current threshold of 50 or more employees. It also provides up to 24 hours each year of unpaid Parental Involvement and Family Wellness. This new addition allows parents and grandparents to attend to parent-teacher conferences and to take their children, grandchildren, or other family members to the doctor for regular medical or dental appointments. We as a country must show we truly value families by investing in our workforce and implementing new policies that support working parents and grandparents. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, for years, the other side of the aisle has been trying to get between a woman and her doctor. Now they are trying to come between a woman and her health insurance company. They want to open a new front in the war on women, and this one cruelly focuses on poor women. The law of the land is already clear: no Federal funding for abortions. But with H.R. 7, which will be on the floor today, even private insurance plans could be restricted from covering abortion if you get a government subsidy. So if you are a low-income woman who needs help affording health care insurance, this bill is aimed squarely at you. Rather than tackling the real the problems of economic growth and job creation, the other side of the aisle seems obsessed with curbing a woman's reproductive rights. They may not want to call this a war on women, but I would point out to my colleagues that women--and only women--are the casualties of this multifaceted assault on a woman's right to choose and reproductive rights.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, extending Federal unemployment insurance will create between 200,000 and 250,000 jobs this year alone and boost GDP by 0.2 percentage points, according to a new report just issued by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats. For every dollar we invest in unemployment insurance, we get back almost $2 in economic activity. That is a great return everyone from Main Street to Wall Street should be able to agree on. The JEC Democrats' report also found that unemployment insurance is one of the most effective tools that we have to keep families out of poverty. Last year alone, the program kept nearly 2.5 million people, including 600,000 children, out of poverty. Allowing Federal unemployment insurance to expire is not only wrong on a moral level because it pulls the rug out from under some of our neediest people, it is also an absolutely terrible investment decision for our country's economy. I urge my fellow Democrats and Republicans to extend unemployment insurance.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3824 to end the majority's refusal to extend unemployment benefits to some of our Nation's neediest families, including 137,315 workers in the great State of New York.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I commend Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey for their tremendous leadership in putting together this compromise budget. The bill is a step forward. It increases funding for many important priorities like housing authority operations and section 8. We have got an affordable-housing crisis in New York City, and these additional resources will help. The bill also makes important infrastructure investments. It fully funds the President's request of $14.6 million for the Second Avenue Subway in the district I represent and $215 million for the East Side access that will help create thousands of jobs in our Nation's largest city and is in the district of Mr. King and my district. I am also pleased to see that there isn't a single anti-woman rider that would threaten women's access to comprehensive health care. This bill isn't perfect, but it is a step forward. I had hoped it would include an extension of unemployment insurance and refund the cuts for the National Institutes of Health, but it is a vast improvement over the current budget, and I will be supporting it.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today is the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson's historic war on poverty, but lately it seems more like a war on the poor. Earlier today, at a meeting organized by Congresswoman Lee, President Johnson's daughter, Lynda Johnson Robb, said that she accompanied her father on his historic tour of Appalachia. She said: When Daddy came to this town and was sworn in as President, the poverty level of our country was at 20 percent. When Daddy left this town, it was at 12 percent of the population. He made a big difference working with this body in a bipartisan way-- and we can do it again. Mr. Speaker, let's pass a jobs plan, raise the minimum wage, restore nutrition assistance and affordable housing assistance, and extend unemployment benefits to help those families get by while they are looking for work. As Lyndon Johnson did five decades ago, let us again declare an ``all-out war on human poverty and unemployment in these United States.''

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 1, I was at a Steering and Policy Committee meeting with Leader Pelosi. Had I been present, I would have voted ``present.''

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that more than 60 million Americans are at risk of serious vision loss--a number expected to increase as the baby boomer generation ages. Along with my colleague Rep. Gus Bilirakis, I am proud to introduce legislation to support Americans with limited or impaired vision. For someone with a visual impairment, reading a book or crossing the street could be blurred or distorted even with the help of glasses or contact lenses. In many cases a physician can prescribe magnifiers or special optical devices to help an individual remain independent. While there are a wide variety of options to help people with low vision, currently, there is an exclusion from Medicare coverage for devices that include a lens to aid vision or provide magnification of images for impaired vision. Ultimately, not having these assistance devices could shift more individuals from independent living to care facilities or nursing homes. To understand the impact of covering these devices for America's seniors, we are introducing the Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act of 2013. This legislation would create a five- year national demonstration project administered by the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the economic impact of allowing reimbursement for certain low vision devices under the Social Security Act. Coverage of such devices could help Medicare beneficiaries with low vision lead healthy, safe, and independent lives.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, last month we recognized Breast Cancer Awareness Month--acknowledging the toll the disease takes on individuals and families, and the importance of continued research and awareness efforts. Since 1989, thanks to earlier detection, increased understanding, and improved treatment, the death rates for breast cancer have continued to decrease. Yet breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in women, with one in 36 women dying from the disease. While breast cancer used to be considered a disease of aging, recent trends show that more aggressive forms of the disease have been increasingly diagnosed in younger women. Just this year, it is estimated that 232,340 women will be diagnosed with and 39,620 women will die of cancer of the breast in the United States. We need to do more to tackle this disease. Each year roughly $16.5 billion is spent in the United States on breast cancer treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute estimates. While the federal government remains the largest funder of breast cancer research in the United States, in 2012, the National Cancer Institute reduced funding by almost $30 million and the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program grants decreased more than 22 percent from 2010 funding levels. Additional private sector support will help us find a cure for breast cancer even faster. That is why my colleague Representative Aaron Schock and I are introducing the Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act. Additional private sector support will help us find a cure for breast cancer even faster. Proceeds from the sale of the coin will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. These two organizations have spent more than $450 million and $790 million, respectively, on research funding. But more needs to be done to find better treatments and a cure. Our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, cannot afford to wait. I encourage you to support this new legislation.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I rise today to honor my dear friend Susan Scanlan upon her retirement as the president of the Women's Research and Education Institute (WREI) and chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO) at the end of this year. For four decades, Susan's leadership has brought together women's advocacy groups, helped expand women's roles in military combat, and shed light on gender disparities in the media, education, and the workforce. A third generation Washingtonian, Susan has been advancing women's standing in government since joining the office of U.S. Representative Charlie Wilson (1972-1977), where she coauthored legislation to designate March as National Women's History Month and to admit women to the U.S. military service academies. In 1977, she helped found and direct the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, as well as the Caucus' research arm, the Women's Research and Education Institute. Following a seven year adventure in China with her husband Jared Cameron, Susan took over as president of WREI in 2000. A few years later Susan took on the additional role of chair of NCWO, a coalition of 240 progressive women's groups representing 12 million American women. Susan's most enduring legacy will continue long after her retirement through the women she has placed throughout the halls of Congress with WREI's congressional fellowship program. Over more than 30 years, this program has positioned more than 350 women on Capitol Hill, and Susan takes great pride in each one of them. Through meetings with women leaders in all fields, Susan has exposed these fellows to the important work already done and yet to be done on behalf of women in America and around the world. Her contributions to women's advancement and empowerment are felt throughout the sectors these fellows occupy, including state legislators and legislative staff, the business and nonprofit communities, and academia and think tanks. My office and I have benefitted from her efforts to help women enter the legislative pipeline, including hosting fellows for 14 years. These women have brought their expertise and enthusiasm to my office in countless ways, such as advocating for women's rights in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, advancing legislation that would stop human trafficking and end obstetric fistula, and creating reports to make the public aware of how votes in Congress affect women. Like their classmates, the ``Maloney Fellows'' have gone on to work as women's advocates, academics, and architects of change both here in the nation's capital and around the country. In fact, two of my current staff came to me through Susan. Through the Women's Research and Education Institute and the National Council of Women's Organizations, we have worked together on so many issues important to women, such as the Equal Rights Amendment, the National Women's History Museum, and women's economic equality. We both know from our years working together that nothing happens with action, perseverance, and a little outrage. I know Susan will continue to use these attributes in her next endeavor. I treasure her friendship and her council. Congratulations to Susan on her retirement. She has inspired those who have worked with her and been mentored by her. I wish Susan and Jared all the best.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues that we are still recovering from a massive financial crisis that cost this country $16 trillion, and I would venture to say that we should be more focused on protecting investors, not removing investor protections. And I would say that all investors deserve to be protected--sophisticated investors, retail investors, pension investors. All investors should be protected, which is why the Obama administration has come out so strongly in opposition to the underlying bill and why the Securities and Exchange Commission, whose mission is to protect investors, is so adamantly, strongly opposed to this bill. Now, I am sympathetic to the point that my colleagues have raised on the other side of the aisle and on this side of the aisle that some of the reporting and registration requirements are onerous. So let's address that. Let's direct the SEC to come forward with simplified forms, to do it quickly, within 6 months. Let's save money. Let's simplify the process. But let's not remove important investors' protections, such as the fiduciary duty to act in the client's best interest. What is wrong with that? I think that is a moral responsibility, such as the obligation to disclose conflicts of interest. Now, that is not onerous. How difficult is it to say, yes or no, I have not had any conflict of interest? Or if you are advising your client to invest in your business, then disclose your conflict of interest. What is so onerous about that? That is not onerous. That is easy. And what is wrong with the obligation to disclose fees? Everyone talks about transparency. That is why we are opposing this bill. We want it to be transparent, and we want to protect investors.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I feel that there are many ways that we could address this that would come forward with a strong piece of legislation that President Obama could sign into law. Instead, he has got a lot of ink in his veto pen, and he has said right out front that he would veto this bill. Now, if they want to simplify disclosure and registration requirements, then let's do that. Let's require the SEC to come forward with it. Let's simplify the process and save the cost for small businesses. We want to save that cost. Honest private equity firms have grown jobs in this country, and it is important to grow jobs. It is important to support them in every single way. But removing all investor protections, according to the Obama administration, would literally assault the safety and soundness and the strong financial security that we are trying to build in this country. What is wrong with protecting investors? That is what we are saying. I have an amendment which would do just that, protect the investors but simplify the forms and maintain the cost. If their goal is to save money for the small firms, then let's do that, but let's not erase very important investor protections in the process.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I first want to commend the chairman and the ranking member for their hard and dedicated work on the Financial Services Committee. I would also like to commend the vice-chairman, Congressman Hurt, for his work on this bill. I agree with him that private equity funds did not cause the financial crisis. I also agree that many private equity funds--and especially the small private equity funds that invest in middle-market businesses--support jobs across our country. I also agree that for many small equity funds, the cost of complying with every single requirement in the Investment Advisers Act can be burdensome and costly. However, while I share the goal of reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on small private equity funds with under $1 billion in assets, I believe that there are better ways to accomplish this goal to reduce the burden, to reduce costs without eliminating important investor protections. I would say that we should have equality in this country--and equality of treatment for everyone, including investors. If you are a small investor, a large investor, a teacher, an unemployed worker, and you have invested, whoever you are, you should have protections. Aren't we a country of laws and equality of treatment? So my amendment would direct the SEC to create a simplified disclosure form for fund advisers between $150 million and $1 billion, while also retaining important investor protections. We would reduce the burden, reduce the reporting, reduce the disclosure, simplify the forms, make it easier, but protect the fiduciary duty to act in a client's best interest. Isn't that the moral, right thing to do? There is the obligation to disclose conflicts of interest and the obligation to disclose fees. I thought we all supported transparency. Well, let's have transparency in these investment funds, too. I would ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who are objecting to this amendment how much of a burden is it to disclose whether or not you have a conflict of interest. You just have to check yes or no, I have a conflict of interest. Then maybe you have to disclose what that conflict is. But that is the fair and right thing to do. How burdensome is it to disclose fees? Tell people what you are charging them. And how burdensome is it to have the necessary fiduciary duty to act in the client's best interest? Most people think that you are acting in their best interest. I think they would be horrified to know that some Members of this body want to roll back that protection for them. I would also like to note that in August the SEC did provide relief for smaller private equity funds from what the industry tells me is one of the most burdensome aspects of registration--the so-called custody rule--which requires that the funds use independent custodians for stocks that don't even trade. So private equity funds have already gotten relief, and I applaud the SEC for this commonsense decision. The reforms in my amendment would build on this relief and would direct the SEC to act quickly on simplified forms--within 6 months--and save these small businesses money so that money can go out into the community. The underlying bill grants a complete exemption to private equity fund advisers with under 2 to 1 leverage, which is pretty much the entire industry, because the funds themselves are not leveraged. It is the companies the funds invest in that are leveraged. The underlying bill is opposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, whose prime mission is to protect investors, and by President Obama's administration. He has even threatened a veto. If the problem is the high cost of registry at the SEC and preparing the required disclosures, then the solution is to simplify the registration and disclosures for small equity funds. That is what my bill does. But it also protects investors. It does not exempt the entire industry from investor protection, which is what the underlying bill does, and I do not believe that that is the intent of my colleagues on either side of the aisle. So my amendment accomplishes the express goal of saving money and simplifying, but protects the integrity of our financial system and investors. I urge everyone to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this legislation and so many other important areas before our country. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, H.R. 1846, the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site Amendments Act, which was authored and introduced by my good friend and colleague, Nydia Velazquez from New York. This legislation will expand the boundaries of the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site to include 103 Orchard Street, which is located just two doors down from the original museum location. Because of this, it will be able to expand its educational programs and allow more people to learn about our Nation's immigrant history. I had the privilege of representing the Tenement Museum in Congress prior to this year, when new congressional boundaries were implemented, and I still serve as an honorary trustee of this important institution. I can say without hesitation that the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is one of our Nation's most important historic and cultural institutions. In recognition of the important work that they do, the National Endowment for the Humanities just recently awarded them a $500,000 matching grant. Founded 25 years ago, the museum brings to life the experiences of those immigrant families who settled in one of our Nation's most iconic and important neighborhoods--the Lower East Side. Through these stories, the museum tells the story of our great country, a nation of immigrants, and how our national identity is constantly evolving and changing thanks to immigration. Over 200,000 people visit the museum each year to learn about these stories--and that's not by accident. The Tenement Museum has found a unique way to personalize and bring to life history through the stories of individual families who actually lived in these buildings. They take rooms, and they make one for the Irish, one for the Greek, one for the Jews. They have all these stories, and you learn not only the history, but the stories of the particular families who lived there. The original museum building at 97 Orchard Street tells the progression of our country through the stories of immigrant families from Italy, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Austria, Russia, Germany, and Lithuania through 1935. The bill before us will allow the museum to expand to a new site so it can tell the stories of Jewish Holocaust survivors, post-1965 Chinese families, and Puerto Rican families in the 1950s--bringing immigrant history to the present day. I commend the Natural Resources Committee for reporting out this legislation, the House leadership for bringing it to the floor, and my colleague and friend Nydia for authoring it, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1846.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, we all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but I am proud to support Giving Tuesday, a national day dedicated to charitable giving and volunteerism. On December 3, Giving Tuesday will harness the collective power of charities, families, businesses, and individuals to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. Launched by the 92nd Street Y in New York City last year, in the district that I am privileged to represent, Giving Tuesday inspires Americans to take action to improve their local communities and strengthen our country. Thousands of partners in all 50 States are joining in this national movement of individuals and organizations that believe that everyone, whether you are a large donor or an individual volunteer, has a role in helping to solve the challenges our communities face every day. Americans are the most charitable people in the world, and Giving Tuesday is a day for us as a Nation to celebrate our spirit of generosity. I urge everyone to spread the word about Giving Tuesday to your constituents so together we can celebrate the giving season and aid the important work of charities and organizations.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in providing health care for over 40 million Americans who did not have it. Mr. Speaker, this is the 46th time that our Republican colleagues have tried to repeal or to undermine the Affordable Care Act. I rise in opposition to this closed rule, and I urge a ``no'' vote on the Upton bill. We are here today supposedly to help those people who unexpectedly had their insurance policies canceled. This is a real issue as the President, himself, clearly acknowledged last night. That is why he is taking steps to help these people in the private health care market keep their plans. However, the bill before us now not only fails to solve the problem, it makes things worse by fundamentally undermining the Affordable Care Act in a way that is calculated to doom it to eventual failure. You would be changing the rules in the middle of a game and virtually guaranteeing that premiums would eventually skyrocket for people who did the right thing--who went to the exchange and got a plan. This would price the program out of existence. Doing that would take us all back to a time when over 40 million Americans did not have access to affordable health insurance, including 2.6 million New Yorkers. We must not turn our backs on those people now. We absolutely have problems we need to fix, and we have issues we need to solve, but we are on the verge of finally covering millions of Americans who lack the fundamental security of affordable health coverage for their families. We are finally close to achieving a goal for millions that has been pursued for nearly a century under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. This is a problem we must solve without turning our backs on those families forced into bankruptcy simply because someone in the household got sick. This is a problem we must solve for the sake of all of those women who were denied insurance or who had to pay up to 40 percent more for insurance simply because they were women. This is a problem we must solve for the sake of all of those people with preexisting conditions and for all of those young adults who can stay on their parents' plans until they turn 27. We did not embark on this effort because we thought it would be easy. We embarked on this effort to provide health care to millions because we thought it was a moral imperative, an economic necessity, and a fundamental human right. Yes, it is hard to get it right, but ultimately this is an effort that history will judge not by the number of computer errors but by the number of lives saved. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill and ``yes'' for health care for millions of Americans.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that each year in the United States 1.6 million children and youth run away or are thrown out of their homes. Every child reported to have run away is required by law to be listed in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database as a missing person. This cooperative effort of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies aids in information- sharing and promotes cooperation in investigating and resolving multi- jurisdictional cases. The NCIC database is an important part of the puzzle because it can be accessed by virtually every law enforcement officer in the United States. Without an NCIC entry, officers in one part of the country have no way to know that a child is missing at all. Sadly, an estimated 16 percent of reported runaways are never entered in the NCIC database as missing persons. Without an NCIC entry, law enforcement officers will not share information or resources, and are far less able to discover or protect a missing child because law enforcement doesn't know to look for him or her. To help address this problem, my colleague Rep. Ted Poe and I are introducing the Runaway Reporting Improvement Act. This legislation would require law enforcement agencies to certify that they are complying with the law and entering all runaway children into the NCIC database. Additionally, agencies would be required to give parents or guardians of missing children information about the help available through the 24-hour, toll-free phone numbers for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Safeline. These two organizations provide referral services and counseling to the parents or guardians of missing children. The necessary resources are already in place. We simply must do better by our children. The Runaway Reporting Improvement Act will help ensure that existing processes are used to find and protect those most vulnerable.