Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, Iran's quest for nuclear weapons puts the entire globe at risk. Iran has proven itself to be less than truthful in its discussions about its nuclear weapons program. It hid its nuclear enrichment facility in Qom from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It told the world it was enriching uranium for non-military purposes, but the enrichment site at Qom and elsewhere appear to have no civilian application. And while sanctions have had some impact, Iran has persisted in its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Iran has also succeeded in evading the impact of existing sanctions by creating one front company after another to shield its activities. What's particularly troubling, is that at the same time as it is building its nuclear program, Iran has continued to threaten its neighbors. It has armed and funded Hezbollah and Hamas, which are dedicated to eradicating the state of Israel. In 2005, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map. In 2008, he said: ``The people of the region would not miss the narrowest opportunity to annihilate this false regime.'' But Israel is not Iran's only target. In November a senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to bomb NATO bases in Turkey. Iran is currently threatening to close the straits of Hormuz, which will affect shipping, with particular impact on the crude oil exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq and liquid natural gas from Qatar. Given Iran's success in developing a nuclear program, a number of its neighbors have suggested that they may follow suit, creating further instability in the region. Earlier this month, Turki al-Faisal, who has served as the Saudi intelligence chief and as ambassador to the United States, suggested that Saudi Arabia may seek nuclear weapons. Wikileaks revealed that Egypt's leaders told U.S. officials that Egypt would acquire nuclear weapons if Iran did. This lends greater urgency to the need to persuade Iran to end its nuclear ambitions. Nuclear weapons are particularly threatening when held by a nation whose leaders have no apparent respect for human life. Iran has an unrivaled record of human rights abuses, from the imprisonment of people of the Ba'hai faith, to the use of the death penalty against minors, to the use of torture and amputation against prisoners, to discrimination against women, to the suppression and murder of members of the democracy movement. With thousands of its citizens murdered, tortured or imprisoned, Iran's record of human rights abuses is among the worst in the world. History shows that when dictators threaten their neighbors, there's good reason to fear. And given Iran's history of threats, its dedicated progress in enriching uranium, its evident determination to hide its nuclear program from the world and its abysmal human rights record, the world should do everything possible to hinder it from obtaining nuclear weapons. That's why I strongly support H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act, which would implement a commonsense enhancement of existing sanctions--by providing greater options to sanction entities doing business with the Central Bank of Iran; by expanding the types petroleum-related activities that could trigger sanctions to include certain petroleum resource agreements with Iran, purchasing Iranian debt and supporting port facility construction and management; by imposing sanctions on individuals involved in human rights abuses or terrorism; by imposing sanctions on those who do business with Iran's Revolutionary Guard; by allowing states or other organizations to divest from Iran; by identifying those entities that are helping Iran evade sanctions, among other things. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in support of H.R. 1905.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, the House Republican Majority has done nothing to create jobs during the first session of the 112th Congress and now they're adding further injustice by hurting the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The Republican unemployment insurance proposal would cut in half the total number of weeks of benefits provided, harm those States with the highest rates of prolonged unemployment, and allow unemployment funds to be used for other purposes. If Congress does not act on an extension of unemployment benefits, more than one million Americans could lose their unemployment benefits next year. This is compounded by the Economic Policy Institute's findings that the drop in consumer demand resulting from expired unemployment benefits would cost the U.S. economy more than half a million jobs. This is unacceptable. According to the Congressional Budget Office providing federal unemployment benefits is one of the most effective ways to help boost the economy--in fact, for every dollar of benefits, nearly $2 in economic growth goes into the surrounding community. We should be working to support American families instead of causing more damage. This bill should be about extending tax incentives and not pushing through the Majority's anti-environment agenda. This legislation includes a provision that bypasses the Keystone XL pipeline environmental review process by requiring the President to make a decision whether to approve the project within 60 days, even though a final route has not yet been proposed. It is responsible and critical that the Administration complete a proper assessment of the health risks and potential toxic contamination to the surrounding communities posed by the pipeline. Any effort to rush this process and compel a decision before a thorough review should not stand. The Majority also is attempting to block air quality standards that have been thoroughly reviewed. The EPA is more than a decade late on issuing emissions standards requiring incinerators and boilers to reduce toxic air pollutants. While this would impact less than 1 percent of all boilers in the U.S., the Republican Majority is again attempting to nullify and delay the discharge limits. The pollutants from these emissions are linked to asthma, cancer, and heart disease, with the EPA estimating that the pollution reductions required by the rules would prevent up to 8,100 premature deaths, 52,000 asthma attacks, and 5,100 heart attacks each year and yield $12 to $30 in health benefits for every dollar spent to meet the standards. Such controversial provisions as the pipeline and the emissions standards have no place in tax legislation. The issue of spectrum allocation should not be pushed through at the end of this session. While H.R. 3630 grants the Federal Communications Commission the authority to conduct incentive auctions, it does not ensure proper oversight of the process. This is especially concerning as it relates to the public safety network. In the immediate aftermath of September 11th the importance of a strong and consistent public safety network was clear--first responders and emergency workers must be able to communicate in emergency and disaster situations. There is an insufficient amount of funds to research, build, and develop the public safety communications network as well as no requirement that the network providing for effective governance and national operability. Finally, while I wholeheartedly believe that we must fix the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Physician payment formula (or ``doc fix''), we cannot do it on the backs of the hospitals. This bill would cut Medicare hospital outpatient reimbursement rates to equalize them with rates for services provided in physician offices. The proposal is misguided because it ignores the significant differences in cost structures between hospitals and physician offices, including the added costs hospitals incur for caring for the uninsured. All of these cuts are on top of $155 billion in hospitals cuts from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and more than $40 billion in cuts just created by sequestration. Hospitals simply cannot sustain these cuts and patient care will suffer if they are forced to do so.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The President has announced that we cannot leave Congress without passing an extension of the middle class tax cut and an extension of unemployment benefits. Now, originally, the ``no new taxes'' folks in the GOP Republican Senate said that they couldn't do that, that they were going to let the middle class tax increase expire, they were going to let the taxes increase on the middle class, but they were going to refuse to raise taxes on the superrich. Now, if you were not superrich, this was bad news for 99 percent of all Americans; and they spoke out, and they said they would like this tax cut. Now the Republicans have come back with all types of riders that the President does not support. We need a clean bill. The payroll tax cut that the Democrats are supporting would mean that a typical middle class family would have 1,000 extra dollars to spend.

Mrs. MALONEY. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the payroll tax cut is one of the most powerful tools that we could use to increase the number of full-time jobs. The other policy option that they supported for stimulating the economy was extending the unemployment benefits. So it's time for our colleagues across the aisle to get with the spirit of this season. Pass the tax cut without the harmful riders; pass the extension of unemployment benefits; and--excuse my Dickens-- stop with all the humbug and let's get forward with helping the economy and helping the American people.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3421, the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act. After 9/11, I have never seen this body so united and determined; and this same determination and united spirit is behind the bill that we are passing today, with well over 300 cosponsors. This year marked the 10th anniversary of that tragic day where we had innocent Americans murdered on our soil, invaded; the first act of terrorism that we are confronting and combating today in this Congress. The bill will symbolize in the gold coin the 9/11 site in New York, the site at the Pentagon, the heroic flight over Pennsylvania, and will have the gold coin put on display in the museums in these three locations. On 9/11, we lost thousands and thousands of Americans, innocent Americans, who did what we did today, went up and went to work and were murdered because they were Americans. It was outrageous. We will never forget. This is another way that we can memorialize the heroic actions, the heroes and heroines that worked hard to try to protect them, and really recognize how outrageous it was that an American citizen was murdered just for being an American. Since 9/11, thousands and thousands more have lost their health. And I thank this body for acting in the last Congress to provide health care and compensation and monitoring for those who risked their lives to save the lives of others. No other act has changed this country as much as 9/11. We totally reorganized our priorities, created a Homeland Security Department, totally reorganized our intelligence gathering, and implemented 43 of the 53 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. It was this Congress at its best. The 9/11 Commission report, which was a bipartisan product, came forward with concrete recommendations. Their report sold more copies than ``Harry Potter.'' It was an important report, and this Congress took that report and enacted those recommendations into law. With that same bipartisan spirit, we should be attacking the economic challenges that we confront today. I compliment my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for sponsoring and working on this legislation. It will mean a great deal to the men and women that I have the honor of representing to have a bronze coin that they can purchase to remember, to have their input into the artistic framing of the message for these three tragedies in our country. It is thoughtful, it is purposeful, and it is historic. I thank my colleagues.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Investing in America's Small Businesses Act of 2011, or the ``Micro Biz'' Bill. This bill fills an important need in this country to advance the practice of microlending to small start ups, and because it allows Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to do more of the great work that they already do. This bill will expand a vital source of seed money for entrepreneurs who don't have access to bank loans. The billion-dollar corporation that began in a dorm room or a garage is no urban myth, as the employees of Facebook and Hewlett-Packard can tell you, but the Great Recession has made it harder than ever for entrepreneurs to access credit. It's my hope that this ``micro biz'' bill will be a bridge not only to vital financing for entrepreneurs, but also to a brighter economic future for our country. Indeed, we in Congress talk quite often about the need to create jobs. And even with the unemployment rate falling to 8.6% from a high of 9.2%, our economic recovery is slower than all of us would like. So the goal of my bill is to get to the heart of job creation, the small business--and more specifically, the small startup. And because I think this is a goal that even big business should share, a critical component of the bill is to foster public private partnerships. I have focused on CDFIs because they are on the ground every day financing projects, lending to small businesses, and engaging in economic development in underserved areas. My bill will provide grants to CDFIs to create or enhance their loan- loss reserves so they can either begin to do micro lending or so they can do more of it. Loan-loss reserves are critical for institutions to be able to extend loans and for corporations to partner with them. Loan-loss reserves cover the institution in the case of a loan default but also allow the institution to be in the ``first loss'' position. So, if a larger institution or corporation wants to partner with them, the loan-loss reserve ensures that the CDFI, not the larger institution or corporation, will be on the hook should the loan default. I should note, though, that historically, loans in this category through the CDFI's have a very low loan default rate--just 3% in the first quarter of 2011. But the loan-loss reserve provides critical protections for CDFIs and their partners. The bill also provides grants for technical assistance so that CDFIs can engage with small businesses and help them get off the ground. Loans made through this program must be under $25,000 and the CDFI must be able to match the grant by 50%. Most importantly, for every dollar of public money, the CDFIs can leverage six dollars of private money. I believe this bill is essential to helping CDFIs create new financial products and services that are appropriate and accessible for millions of American small businesses that do not have access to the financial mainstream. Often we are talking about a young Steve Jobs who invents the first computer in his basement but needs startup capital to get it out there. Unfortunately most entrepreneurs aren't Steve Jobs and need loans to get their ideas off the ground. But if they do, they grow, they take on a partner and business takes off from there. Job creation flows from that first loan. That is exactly what this bill is about and why I think it is so important. It is not a comprehensive solution, but it is a way to get money out there to small business and support job creation from the ground up. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to oppose H.R. 10, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. This bill is another instance of the Republican Majority playing politics, rather than focusing on passing legislation that creates jobs, grows our economy, and protects the American people. Requiring that Congress approve all agency rules and regulations with an annual economic cost of $100 million or more would not only handicap our government's ability to regulate health and safety laws, it would also distract Congress from addressing pressing issues like job creation, national security and reducing our deficit. After an entire year in which the Republican Majority has demonstrated an inability to take up a productive legislative schedule--forcing last-minute votes on critical issues and not even introducing any kind of serious jobs agenda--it seems ludicrous to suggest that Congress should be spending its time nitpicking federal agencies about enacting regulations that Congress has authorized or ordered be done. Additionally, this bill would actually harm job creation and hurt businesses. By creating a scenario in which regulations are proposed, and then potentially overridden, and then potentially proposed yet again in a new form, businesses will be forced to spend significant time and resources just keeping track of all the changes--decreasing their productivity and bottom line. This will create uncertainty for businesses and harm job creation--the very thing that the Republican Majority asserts that this bill will prevent. This is nothing more than blatant political posturing, as evidenced by the fact that Congress already has the authority to review and override federal rules under the Congressional Review Act. The fact is that federal agencies need to be able to issue rules in a timely and efficient manner to protect the health and welfare of the American people and help grow our economy. Industries and individuals in areas from finance to farming rely on rulemaking and regulations to facilitate their businesses, and this bill would undermine that. I urge a no vote.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Time Warner Cable, which is headquartered in my district, for its investment in local television news coverage, specifically for opening a Washington, D.C., news bureau that will cover stories and events here in Washington that are important to the communities served by its 14 local news channels throughout the country. Mr. Speaker, Time Warner Cable is dedicating significant resources to high quality local news channels that provide critical local news, weather, traffic and sports coverage in the local communities that they serve. These stations are good for the public, and for our republic, at a time when many local television news budgets are being cut and local newspapers are cutting back, too. Thus it is important to note the rare times when we see new investment in local news coverage. I applaud Time Warner Cable for recognizing the importance of local news, for investing in it, and creating jobs while providing this critical service to its customers--many of whom are my constituents. With more local news coverage, it's a certainty that we will have a better informed citizenry, which can only improve our nation.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation with my colleagues, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, Rep. Mike Honda, and Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, which would simply allow Christian Indonesian citizens fleeing persecution, many of whom arrived during a five-year timeframe (January 1, 1997-November 30, 2002) and were denied asylum solely for missing the one-year filing deadline, the opportunity to reopen their claims during the two-year period following enactment. Beginning in 1997, many Indonesian Christians fled religious persecution in Indonesia, where extreme violence and destruction of churches drove them from their homes. These individuals came to this country, seeking relief from extreme violence and persecution for their religious beliefs, but were unable to make the one-year filing deadline. They deserve the opportunity to have their claims heard. The United States has long sought to protect refugees fleeing persecution and provide a process to fairly consider their claims. This bill does not, in itself, grant asylum, but merely removes a procedural barrier to their claims being considered. These individuals seeking asylum deserve a second chance to avoid the persecution they have fled and remain united with their families.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 3463, legislation that terminates taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions and the Election Assistance Commission. Once again, the Republican Congress is bringing legislation to the floor that puts more control of our elections in the hands of big business. H.R. 3463 combines two bills that have previously been brought before this House that I opposed and that were roundly rejected by Democrats. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, Congress established the current system of public financing of our presidential elections, enabling taxpayers to voluntarily contribute a small donation to the fund. While there has been bipartisan agreement that this system should be fixed, not eliminated, one of the Republican House majority's top priorities is, not to focus on creating jobs and building our economy but, to give corporate secret donors more control of our presidential elections. The American people are rightly concerned that only big money and special interests get a hearing in Washington. The Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case opened the floodgates to greater influence by powerful special interests--effectively drowning out the voices of average Americans. Last year, House Democrats worked on bringing fairness and transparency to campaigns with passage of the bipartisan DISCLOSE Act, legislation that would ensure Americans' voices are not drowned out by corporate dollars. Unfortunately, before us today is legislation that did not receive an opportunity for debate or amendment, which would make presidential candidates more dependent on big corporate money that corrupts our political system. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 3010 and H.R. 527, bills that would create unnecessary requirements and hurdles to federal rulemaking. These bills seriously hinder the ability of federal agencies to protect our public health, including the safety of our food, our drinking water, the toys our children play with, and the quality of the air we breathe. These bills would create excessive delays for important rules that help provide workplace safety, consumer protection, support for small businesses, and veterans' assistance. Both these bills would add a cost to the taxpayers--H.R. 3010 would impose enormous costs by requiring a cost-benefit analysis of even the most minor of rules and CB0 estimates H.R. 527 would cost $80 million just in the next few years. By expanding judicial review H.R. 3010 will favor well funded special interests, a blatant attempt to impede an agency's factfinding process. Such processes will create greater and extended amounts of uncertainty, making it harder for businesses small and large to plan for the future. I urge my colleagues to vote No on these overreaching and onerous bills.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to oppose yet another attempt at rolling back workers' rights, H.R. 3094, the Election Prevention Act. This assault on union employees is anti-democratic and harmful to the American middle class. Instead of legislation to create jobs and to grow the American workforce, the House Majority is attempting to undermine worker protections and put workers at risk. It is a strength of our democracy that employees have the freedom and the federal statutory right to choose whether or not to be represented by a union. However, this legislation would effectively end collective bargaining rights by putting power exclusively in the hands of employers. It gives employers the ability to delay indefinitely a union election, allowing for intimidation and harassment of employees. It does nothing to protect workers who are fired, threatened, or interrogated for exercising their right to form a union. It also prevents individuals to choose the coworkers with whom they wish to seek representation. Furthermore, this legislation incentivizes wasteful litigation prior to union elections and would increase taxpayer costs by creating a backlog of required findings on superfluous issues. Unions have helped to improve the wages and working conditions of all Americans and to grow the American middle class. This war on union employees that is being waged in states across the country and here on Capitol Hill must not continue. It is time for us to turn our efforts to strengthening protections for American working men and women as well as to helping those outside the workforce to find good jobs. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, last year, when I was chair of the Joint Economic Committee, we held a hearing on the pivotal role of government investment in basic research. We found that basic research spurs exactly the kind of innovations that business leaders, academics and policymakers have all identified as critical for our Nation's economic growth. But we also found that the private sector tends to underfund basic research because it is undertaken with no specific commercial applications in mind. Businesses, understandably, concentrate their research and development spending on the development of products and processes that may have direct commercial value. A report produced by the Joint Economic Committee showed that the Federal Government funds almost 60 percent of basic research in the U.S. and highlighted one study that estimated that actual R&D expenditures in the United States may be less than half of what the optimal levels would be. We are now engaged in an important national debate about how much and where to cut Federal spending. And I wish to make the case for how reckless and shortsighted it would be to cut into the budget lines that fund the kind of vital, basic research that led to discovery, innovation, and economic growth, because doing so would be, as that bit of old folk wisdom goes, like cutting off our nose to spite our face. Take the budget for the National Institutes of Health, for example. The NIH strongly supports the kind of basic scientific research that may not be directly useful in creating practical products yet, but it's precisely this kind of research that can lead to the future development of new and undreamed of biotech and pharmaceutical advances. It is work that can lead to the kind of advances that will allow the establishment of new products, grow new businesses, and produce private sector jobs. Studies have shown that the money we spend supporting such scientific research is one of the best investments our country can make. For instance, out in Los Angeles, UCLA generates almost $15 in economic activity for every taxpayer dollar that it invests, resulting in a $9.33 billion, with a B, impact on the Los Angeles region. In Houston, Texas, the estimated economic impact of Baylor is more than $358 million, generating more than 3,000 jobs. In my own district in New York, Dr. Samie Jaffrey, a pharmacologist and faculty member at Weill Cornell Medical College, has just recently developed a promising new technology for studying RNA in cells and has just started a biotech company, all with NIH support. Time and time again, basic research has been a game changer and an economic incubator. Take the biotechnology company Genentech as an example. It was founded on discoveries that were made within our universities, and those discoveries were made with financial support of grants from the National Institutes of Health. And those Federal funds proved to be a very good investment. Genentech has created over 11,000 jobs, and the company created products that have had major effects on the health and economic well- being of our Nation. Genentech developed drugs that treat certain leukemias and arthritis and breast cancer. NIH-funded research has also had a major impact on the lives of those suffering from multiple sclerosis. MS is a painful, painful disease that often strikes young women with children. Thanks to NIH research, drugs have been developed that are now in the marketplace that mean MS patients now live longer and have higher quality lives. Since 1970, over 150 new FDA-approved drugs and vaccines or new indications for existing drugs have been discovered in university laboratories, most funded by NIH. And millions of Americans are hoping that somewhere, just over the horizon, there will be new discoveries and new breakthroughs leading to more effective treatments for cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, AIDS, autism, bacteria, ADHA, schizophrenia, depression and much more. But treating these and other diseases will depend on discoveries yet to be made. Discoveries of basic science. Discoveries that can only be made with Federal funding and the work of agencies like the NIH. I suspect that to some this might just sound like pie in the sky. But just think back into our not too distant past. Think back to the polio of the 1950s, to the children who were crippled and to the patients in iron lungs. Think about 30 years ago, when almost all the children who were diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma were not expected to live more than 5 years. Think back to the time when AIDS was the equivalent of a death sentence. Polio is now eradicated. The 5- year survival rate for NHL is over 84 percent, and AIDS is treatable, survivable. This is all because of basic research, much of which was funded by the NIH. Because of the basic research we have funded and made possible. Because of our past investments in our Nation's future. The Founding Fathers had the wisdom and the foresight to write into the Constitution a role for the Federal Government in promoting the progress of science and useful arts. If we are to remain competitive in the global economy, if we hope to remain a leader in biotechnology, if we hope to continue to advance the world's understanding and treatment of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, we must continue to invest in the basic research and in the dedicated young scientists who make it all possible. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MALONEY. I would like to thank you for that very kind statement, and I look forward to finding common ground on things we can agree on and work to help the economy and growth of this great Nation, and I hope you can help and support the funding of NIH and basic research which has been so helpful to your great State and your great universities and scientists.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 145th anniversary of the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which has been headquartered for the last 60 years on the East Side of Manhattan in my congressional district. Founded by Henry Bergh in 1866, the ASPCA provides effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals in New York City and throughout the United States. The ASPCA was the first humane society in North America. Throughout its 145-year history, the ASPCA has operated under the belief that animals are entitled to be treated kindly and respectfully by humans and to be protected by the law. Last year, thousands of pets were adopted from its Onyx and Breezy Shefts Adoption Center and over 37,000 free or low-cost spay and neuter surgeries were provided to needy pet parents across the five boroughs. The ASPCA's Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital has been providing affordable, quality veterinary care in the New York metropolitan area since 1912. Although the ASPCA was founded to help protect working horses and other animals in New York City, its services and outreach now stretch to animals and communities throughout the United States. From shelter and rescue grants, to veterinarian care and training, to cruelty response and humane law enforcement, the ASPCA is a national leader in animal cruelty prevention. In 2010, its Animal Poison Control Center handled over 167,000 cases. The ASPCA's disaster response team has cared for animals during emergencies nationwide, including after animal fighting raids, and recently in Joplin, Missouri, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Henry Bergh stated, ``mercy to animals means mercy to mankind.'' He knew compassion for animals leads to a better human heart and society. I am proud to congratulate the ASPCA and its over one million supporters on its 145th anniversary. They continue to be the voice of those unable to speak for themselves.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act. The bill would require the states to obtain information about the true ownership of the corporation, when incorporation papers are filed with the state. As some have put it, this bill is a ``no-brainer.'' And it is fairly straightforward: it would require that the person creating the corporation state the ``beneficial owner'' of the corporation and provide some form of identification. Although this is as straightforward as it sounds, the implications for law enforcement are broad reaching. Criminal organizations are infamous for using shell corporations, both foreign and domestic to open bank accounts, launder money, perpetrate fraud, and finance terrorism. And it isn't difficult for them to do. Virtually no states require people applying to create corporations to provide the identity of the corporate owner. In fact, 48 of 50 states, except for Alabama and Alaska, allow for the unfettered creation of an anonymous corporate entity. As a result, just about anyone can easily manipulate the system to fund criminal activity. Here is an example from an investigation in New York by the Manhattan District Attorney. The office announced investigations involving the movement of funds through banks in New York by entities controlled by the Iranian Military. In at least two cases, domestic shell companies were opened in two different states to further secret Iranian interests. Through a New York shell company, individuals working on behalf of the government of Iran were able to move funds to secret accounts held in offshore jurisdictions. Shockingly, the offshore government was able to give the Manhattan DA more information about the ownership of the New York entity than the state of New York could. Although the DA does not contend that requiring a declaration of beneficial ownership would have stopped this activity, it would have at least been a piece of evidence to go on. And if the declaration of beneficial ownership had been required but falsified, it would have been an extra tool for law enforcement to shut down the entity and prosecute the perpetrators. The bill I am introducing today will provide the kind of transparency that law enforcement needs to investigate financial crimes. However, it is narrowly drafted so that it is not overly burdensome on either states or incorporating entities. In fact, most corporations would be exempt from the bill's requirements including companies that are already regulated by federal banking regulators and companies that are over 20 employees and $10 million in revenue. This bill is meant to capture beneficial ownership information from companies that are able to escape regulation and oversight through other federal entities. Senator Levin has already introduced a similar bill in the Senate, and President Obama was the lead sponsor when he was a U.S. Senator. In a recent CNN editorial, Global Witness stated, ``Setting a standard for collecting information about the true owner of a company would level the playing field between the states while preventing terrorists, drug traffickers and kleptocrats from hiding behind corporate secrecy.'' The bill is supported by numerous law enforcement associations, including the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, the National Narcotic Officers' Associations Coalition, the United States Marshals Service Association, and the Association of Former ATF Agents. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Renee and Robert Belfer for their foresight and generosity in advancing medical research and countless other worthwhile charitable and non-profit causes. Partners in marriage and philanthropy for more than half a century, Renee and Robert Belfer are being honored this month by the internationally renowned Weill Cornell Medical College for more than two decades of leadership at the Medical College and at an affiliated institution, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. This month, a groundbreaking ceremony is being held for the new Belfer Research Building of the internationally renowned Weill Cornell College of Medicine. Its construction was made possible by an extraordinarily generous $100 million donation by Renee and Robert Belfer. The Belfer Research Building will be a state-of-the-art 18- story facility on Manhattan's East Side that will more than double the Weill Cornell College of Medicine's existing research space and enhance its position at the cutting edge of new medical research and discoveries. The remarkable record of support provided by Renee and Robert Belfer and their family has helped medical researchers and doctors develop enduring solutions to some of today's most pressing and prevalent health problems. In 1980, Arthur Belfer, the father of Robert Belfer, established the R.A. Rees Pritchett Professorship of Microbiology at Weill Cornell Medical College with a gift of $1 million. In 1991, Robert and Renee Belfer and his two sisters and their husbands, Selma and Lawrence Ruben and Anita and Jack Saltz, donated $1.5 million to endow the Rochelle Belfer Professorship in Medicine at the College, and seven years later, the families contributed $4 million to endow the College's Arthur B. Belfer Professorship in Genetic Medicine and provide funding for its Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Gene Therapy Core Facility. With an $8 million gift to the College of Medicine in 2005, Robert and Renee Belfer established The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Hematology and Medical Oncology, named in honor of his parents. The Institute is advancing critical research in fields such as solid tumor biology, cancer genomics and proteomics. Renee and Robert Belfer have also devoted financial support to programs in women's health, and in 2003 donated $1 million to create the Anti-Bioterrorism Project. Renee and Robert Belfer have truly distinguished themselves on a multitude of fronts. A graduate of Vassar College, Mrs. Belfer is devoted to education and the arts, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; as a Director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; as an Overseer of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; an Executive Board Member of the American Friends of the Israel Museum; and a Member of the Chairman's Circle of the Central Park Conservancy, among the numerous illustrious non-profit institutions she and her husband have supported vigorously over the years. A graduate of Columbia College and Harvard Law School, Robert Belfer is a titan in the world of business, enjoying a long career at the Belco Petroleum Corporation, where he rose to become Chairman, and currently serving as Chairman of Belfer Management LLC, a private firm specializing in the energy, real estate and financial services sectors. He has been an extraordinary supporter of a wide variety of renowned educational and non-profit institutions, serving as a Member of the Board of Overseers and the Executive Committee of the Weill Cornell Medical College; on the Visiting Committee of Harvard University's Kennedy School; a Trustee of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute; a Member of the Board of Governors of the American Jewish Committee and the Weizmann Institute of Science; and former Chair and current Member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Together, he and his wife established the Robert and Renee Belfer Family Foundation, which has unstintingly bestowed generous support on worthwhile institutions like the Weill Cornell College of Medicine. They raised children, Rachelle (Malkin), Laurence, and Elizabeth, and have five grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I request that my esteemed colleagues join me in paying tribute to Renee and Robert Belfer for their significant and enduring contributions to the civic life of our nation.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. I thank the gentleman for his leadership, not only on the committee but in so many ways in this Congress, and for yielding me time. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 674 and of the President's veterans jobs bill. The 3 percent withholding repeal is very important on its own. This was an important bill that will help small business contractors who would have experienced significant cash flow problems for day-to-day operations had the withholding tax gone into effect. It also provides important tax credits to encourage more employers to hire our veterans who are out of work. Well over 12 percent of our returning veterans are out of work. This bill provides additional education and job training for veterans to gain additional skills and to be successful in an increasingly competitive job market, and it takes important steps to help ease the transition between military service and the civilian workforce. I am pleased that we are working together to repeal this tax burden and help our veterans in a comprehensive way during these tough economic times. I am pleased that this portion of the President's jobs bill is being enacted today. I thank all who are supporting it.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today, along with my friends Raul Grijalva, Edward Markey and 25 other Members, I am reintroducing the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA), legislation that will protect one of our nation's greatest natural resources, the Wild Rockies. With Americans vacationing closer to home, our national parks have seen an increase in visitors in the last few years--a clear indication of America's love for our wild national treasures. We must do everything possible to preserve our pristine wilderness areas so they can be enjoyed by future generations. In addition, a healthy habitat helps to create jobs including those related to restoration, construction, engineering, recreation, tourism, and retail. NREPA uses sound science to protect the health of whole ecosystems, including the animals that graze, the native plants and forests that grow, and the watersheds that run through the Northern Rockies. With that goal in mind, this legislation will protect 23 million acres by designating all of the inventoried roadless areas in the Northern Rockies as wilderness, including wild and scenic rivers and streams. The bill also includes a process for States and tribal governments to negotiate a management plan for migratory and biological corridors. NREPA will safeguard only federal public lands--lands owned by all Americans--in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington, and does not affect private landowners. It also allows for historic uses such as hunting, fishing and firewood gathering. NREPA designations are based on ecological and watershed features-- not political boundaries. As we all know, rivers don't stay within one Congressional District, animals don't know when they've crossed a political boundary, and forests span millions of miles with no regard for state-lines. I urge my colleagues to take this essential step toward preserving precious wildlife habitat and whole functioning ecosystems in the Wild Rockies.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. I thank my good friend and the ranking member on the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from California, for her leadership on this bill and her amendment and her efforts to make a good product an even better one. And I thank our ranking member, Mr. Frank, for all of his leadership on Dodd-Frank and in the committee now, and also Chairman Bachus, Chairman Garrett, and Representative McCarthy. This was a bipartisan effort. So in a Congress that everyone says we're not working together, this is one example where we work together in the best sense of the word to bring this bill to the floor. I rise in strong support of the Access to Capital for Job Creators Act because I believe that it will help businesses in our country raise money they need to create jobs and help our economy recover. This was an important bill for businesses across our country, but it is particularly important to New York City. New York City is the home of many innovators, innovation. Entrepreneurs come there from across the country, and this bill will help them raise money and grow the American Dream and help them go up that ladder of success in providing jobs and helping our economy. Under our current system, companies seeking to raise capital by selling shares are barred from many types of advertising and solicitations. In effect, our current system tells businesses: Go out and create jobs, but don't tell people who might want to invest in your company or invest in your idea or invest in America, don't tell them anything. So this message is contradictory at best and patently unfair at worst, and it is bad for businesses at a time when we are asking businesses across this country to lead our economic recovery and to create jobs. This bill before us today would end this contradiction by removing the restrictions on general solicitation and advertising for certain private securities offerings. It will help companies attract potential investors and raise the capital that they need to be successful. This bill accomplishes this task in a balanced way. During the committee markup and work on this bill, we incorporated numerous ideas from both sides of the aisle, including a provision requiring that issuers verify that an investor is actually eligible to purchase the offered securities. The Waters amendment made sure that the investors were credible and accredited. Today, as it stands, investors only self-certify that they have a million in assets or make $200,000 a year to qualify to purchase the private security. Now, with this bill, we will have additional safeguards in place to make sure that investors are qualified and that these financial transactions are safer. I support this bill today. I urge my colleagues to join in supporting it. And I feel that this is really an investment in the American Dream. I hope that we can likewise work together to pass the American Jobs Act in a bipartisan way. We are not going to cut our way to prosperity. We need to invest and grow our economy. This bill helps us to do that. The American Jobs Act does, too. I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting that important job-creator initiative also. So this is a vote for the American Dream. I'm proud to support it.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his outstanding work on this bill and so many others. I, first of all, want to thank Ranking Member Waters and Ranking Member Frank for their hard work on this bill, and to commend Ranking Member Frank for his outstanding leadership on the Dodd-Frank regulatory reform bill. I also applaud the leadership of Chairman Bachus and Chairman Garrett and my colleague Mr. McHenry from the great State of North Carolina for his work on this really new idea in capital formation, and for working so well and being so open to Democratic ideas and working in a very professional way with the Democratic staff and Members' staffs and Members and literally, in some form or another, accepting every Democratic amendment, which I think is a first. So we are grateful for that. Crowdfunding is a way for small startups to raise capital through the Internet. Investors use these Web sites to come together, and on the Internet they are able to raise lower dollar amounts to help enterprises get off the ground. Crowdfunding is a new way of raising capital. It's a new idea, and it helps small businesses. In this time of economic hardship, we have repeatedly heard from our constituents about the need to help small businesses. We have heard from small businesses about the need to have more liquidity and more loans. We really need to make sure that America's innovators and entrepreneurs and researchers have the resources necessary to drive economic recovery and to turn their ideas into the reality of a company that will create jobs and grow our economy. By passing this bill, we will make it easier to provide different avenues for startups and smaller businesses to access the capital they need to move our economy forward, and it will not only help small businesses raise capital, but thanks to the changes and amendments we agreed upon in committee, it contains much stronger investor protections as well. During the committee markup, I offered an amendment that was accepted which will require the issuers to provide notice to the SEC that they intend to engage in crowdfunding. The SEC must then make that notice available to the State's securities regulators. And with that knowledge, the States can ensure and better protect investors, and it's strengthening, really, investor protection and, really, enforcement.

Mrs. MALONEY. The manager's amendment agreed to in the committee will empower the SEC with additional safeguards to make crowdfunding safer for investors. It was literally a joint Democratic and Republican amendment, and I am very glad we were able to work together to make this a better bill. I'm really happy about this bill because New York is a center for innovators, and many people come from all around the world to build their ideas. And this bill will help them do it. It was done in a joint effort. And I hope that my friends on the other side of the aisle will join us in passing the American Jobs Act, which will also put Americans to work and help grow our economy. We are not going to cut our way to prosperity. We need to invest in growth. The American Jobs Act invests in our infrastructure, in our workers, in innovation. It helps build the American Dream. So I hope my colleagues will join with us in passing that important bill, too. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 674, a bill that repeals the Internal Revenue Code provision requiring federal, state, and local governments to withhold 3 percent on payments made to government contractors. This is an onerous requirement that I have been working with my bipartisan colleagues to repeal. I have heard from a number of government contractors who have told me that the problem for them include: Most construction contracts average less than 3 percent profit. Tightened cash flow will restrict bonding capacity. Enforcement of current laws would ensure tax obligations are met. The law places an undue burden on S Corps and joint ventures. It is widely believed that this is misguided public policy. I am pleased that we are working together to repeal this burden and help American businesses during tough economic times.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Rodney P. Hunt, the President and Chief Executive Officer of RPH Enterprise International and the founder of RS Information Systems, Inc. (RSIS), an extraordinarily successful business that became a leader in the fields of data technology, systems engineering, and telecommunications. Mr. Hunt has distinguished himself in the world of business and in his dedication to serving others. In recognition of his leadership and his commitment to supporting numerous worthwhile causes, I am pleased to join with members of the Euro-American Women's Council in honoring Mr. Hunt with its prestigious ``Artemis Award'' this month. Rodney P. Hunt launched his career as an entrepreneur while still a teenager, and according to the periodical Minority Business Entrepreneur, he had earned his first million dollars at age 16. He co- founded RSIS almost two decades ago, and then successfully guided the firm through a period of uninterrupted expansion, realizing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenues as it became a preeminent leader in information technology and government contracting. A majority owner of the company, by the time he sold it in 2008, its professional staff numbered around 2,000 persons and it held approximately 100 prime contracts with civilian and defense agencies of the federal government. Under his leadership, and in all his business endeavors, Mr. Hunt has fostered a culture of civic responsibility, encouraging his enterprises and employees to donate financial support and volunteer activity around the country to the communities in which they were based. It was his dedication to serving others that inspired him to establish the Rodney P. Hunt Family Foundation. A strong believer in education, Mr. Hunt earned dual bachelor of science degrees in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell and George Washington universities. He credits his beloved mother for inspiring his dedication to excelling in his studies, an inspiration that led him to establish a Rodney P. Hunt Family Foundation fellowship at his alma mater, Cornell University, and to support other worthwhile educational causes. Mr. Hunt has distinguished himself as an accomplished leader in the world of business, a respected civic activist, and a dedicated and generous philanthropist who is unstinting in his efforts to serve others. I am proud to join in the EAWC ceremony honoring him this month. Mr. Speaker, I request that my esteemed colleagues join me in paying tribute to Mr. Rodney P. Hunt for his significant and enduring contributions to the civic life of our nation.