Ed Markey

Mr. MARKEY

Mr. MARKEY. I yield further.

Mr. MARKEY. I would object, but ask the gentleman to yield to me if he would.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I would have to object at this time because the actual document is sitting there right now, and has been sitting there, as it has been on the Web site for the entirety of this debate.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. It is not missing the 300 pages. They are all up there. Everything you are looking for is up there next to the Speaker, and it is available on the Rules Committee Web site for anyone and everyone to have access to. But it is sitting right up there. The 300 pages are right up there.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I continue to reserve. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With our bill, we will take back America's position as the technological leader, give back money to consumers by lowering energy bills, send back the millions of barrels of oil we import from foreign dictators every day, and we will export wind turbines and solar panels that say ``Made in America'' instead of continuing to import millions of barrels of oil a day that say ``Made by OPEC.'' This bill has the ambition of the Moon landing, the moral imperative of the Civil Rights Act, and the scope of the Clean Air Act all wrapped up in one. All we are hearing here this evening are the same discredited policies from the past that have gotten us into this economic national security and environmental situation that we live with today. Vote ``no'' on this substitute and vote ``aye'' for the bill that we are considering. The gentleman from California has done an excellent job in bringing us to this point. Vote ``no'' on this substitute.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I continue to reserve.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I do object, yes. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I continue to reserve.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, the resolution that I am introducing today with the gentlewoman from Massachusetts, Ms. Tsongas, honors the Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts on its upcoming 50th anniversary. Since being established in September 1959, the Minute Man National Historical Park has played a vital role in protecting and preserving the historic sites in the towns of Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord, where the American Revolution began. As the July 4th holiday approaches, it is fitting that we also have the opportunity to recognize Minute Man for its critical role in educating millions of Americans about the ideals of freedom and democracy that were embodied in the American Revolution and are the cornerstones of our Nation. The Minute Man National Historical Park recognizes the people, places and events that have become enduring symbols of our shared American values. The park includes many important sites and landscapes along the historic 22-mile route from Boston to Concord, known as the ``Battle Road'' where British soldiers and American militia first clashed on April 19, 1775. The park includes the famed North Bridge in Concord, MA, where American militia were first ordered to return British fire. This heroic action was commemorated by the great American laureate Ralph Waldo Emerson in ``The Concord Hymn'' as ``the shot heard round the world.'' The park commemorates Paul Revere's ``midnight ride'' on the night of April 18, 1775, to raise the alarm for the residents of Concord, Massachusetts, that the British were marching to destroy military stockpiles. The Minute Man National Historical Park continues to serve as a vital and enduring educational resource not only to the American people, but also to people all around the globe. The Minute Man National Historical Park plays a vital role in protecting these special places in Massachusetts where the fight for our democracy began and providing a true benefit to our Nation.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I would like to thank Joel Beauvais, Michael Goo, Danielle Baussan, Ana Unruh-Cohen. I would also like to thank Michal Freedhoff, Morgan Gray, Jonathan Phillips, Eban Burnham- Snyder, Jackie Chenault, Jeff Sharp, Ali Brodsky, Camilla Bausch, and especially Gerry Waldron and Jeff Duncan, along with Shannon Kenny, who is still sitting over there as well. All of you were fantastic, and it's just a historic achievement. We thank you all so much for everything that you do.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I thank everyone who worked on this legislation, all of the Members on both sides of the aisle. But as Chairman Waxman just said, this took an enormous amount of work by a lot of staffers over a sustained, intense period of time. And I want to thank all of you for everything that you have done to make today possible. I think you really do deserve a round of applause for the tremendous work that you have done. It is your victory as much as any Member, and we thank you for it.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Perkins School for the Blind on being recognized by the Library of Congress as the 2008 Talking Book Library of the Year. The Perkins School for the Blind, the first school for the blind in the United States, began with its founding over 175 years ago. Within a few short years, Perkins became known for its effective instructional techniques, including teaching Laura Bridgman, the first known deaf blind person to be educated. Perkins School is also responsible for nurturing the talents of Helen Keller, who came to Perkins on her way to breaking down barriers and perceptions about what people who are blind or deaf blind can accomplish. Since first joining Congress, I've held the deep belief that there is no reason why anyone living in our country should not have equal opportunity to the literary genius of our nation and world. This belief, has led me to support efforts like that of the Perkins School, which always innovate with accessibility in mind. The Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, for over 174 years, has distinguished itself as a leader in providing innovative literary accessibility to those amongst us with visual and other disabilities. In 2008, the Perkins School Braille and Talking Book Library circulated over 442,935 book and magazines, served 22,814 borrowers, and loaned over 5,000 play machines and accessories. The great staff of the Perkins School researched 13,164 title inquiries and found over 89 percent of those titles in an accessible format. The Perkins School for the Blind should be commended for their tremendous effort to educate not only those with visual and other disabilities, but all of us. Because of the work of institutions like the Perkins School for the Blind, millions of individuals actively learned that with training and opportunity, those with visual and/or other disabilities can attain self-sufficiency and independently thrive throughout their lives. Madam Speaker, I'm proud to congratulate the Perkins School for the Blind.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing legislation with the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Van Hollen, and the gentleman from Vermont, Mr. Welch, in order to provide relief for American consumers at the pump in the short term and save taxpayer dollars. Last summer, gas prices soared to record highs above $4 per gallon. This year, American consumers are beginning to experience a bad case of deja vu. Incredibly, today marks the 50th straight day that gas prices have risen. As a result, prices at the pump have already increased by more than one dollar a gallon since the beginning of the year. For American families who are already struggling through a down economy, these rising prices are hitting especially hard. The Enhanced Supply and Price Reduction Act of 2009, or Enhanced SPR Act, directs the Secretary of Energy to sell 70 million barrels of light sweet crude--less than 10 percent of the total oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)--and replace it with heavy crude oil over a period of five years. Swapping oil from the SPR has a proven record of lowering oil prices in the short term. In 1991, when President Bush's father deployed oil from the reserve, oil prices fell 33.4 percent in two days. In 2000, President Clinton conducted a time exchange of oil from the SPR and prices again immediately dropped by 18.7 percent. And in 2005, when President Bush himself released oil following Hurricane Katrina, prices fell 9.1 percent. That's an average drop in the price of oil of 19.2 percent. In addition, this legislation would implement a number of recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to better use taxpayer funds. First, swapping a small percentage of light oil in the reserve for heavier crude has been recommended by the GAO to save taxpayers money. Replacing a small percentage of light oil currently in the reserve with heavy oil would also better match up with the needs of our nation's refineries and protect us against supply disruptions from unstable countries such as Venezuela. The legislation would also implement GAO's recommendation to purchase a constant dollar value rather than constant volume of oil to fill the SPR in the future. In testimony before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming last year, GAO testified that if the Department of Energy had taken this approach between 2001 and 2005, it would have saved American taxpayers nearly $600 million or roughly 10 percent cost to fill the SPR during that period. Finally, the bill would authorize the Secretary to purchase and store refined petroleum product in the SPR in order to further enhance our national security. The House has already voted in support of similar legislation in the last Congress in an overwhelming, bipartisan fashion. The SPR is currently filled to roughly 99.5 percent of its capacity--its highest level ever. As we work to enact comprehensive energy and climate change legislation, Congress should take action to provide relief at the gas pump in the short term. The Enhanced SPR Act represents a common sense approach to reducing pressure on consumers while saving taxpayers dollars.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act. I would like to thank my colleague and fellow co-chair of the bipartisan Cystic Fibrosis Caucus, Mr. Cliff Stearns of Florida, for working with me on this important legislation. Approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States have cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic lung disease for which there is no cure. In my home state of Massachusetts, nearly 800 families are affected by this horrible disease. In the three years since we founded the bipartisan Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus, I am proud to say that we have steadily increased the Caucus' membership and currently have 138 members, many of whom are joining us today as original cosponsors of this important bill. Cystic fibrosis affects parents, who awaken in the middle of the night so they can pound on their child's chest to clear the abnormally thick, sticky mucus that makes breathing difficult. It affects their children, who cough and wheeze and are at constant risk for life- threatening lung infections. And it affects their loved ones, who want the child to have a healthy life but have to worry about the unpleasant alternative of a shortened life expectancy marked by frequent visits to the hospital. But there is hope for these families. We are in a time of tremendous opportunity and hope in medical research. In the 1950s, children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis usually did not live long enough to enter kindergarten. Back then, there were no drugs for people with cystic fibrosis. Today, through advances in medical research, four respiratory drugs have been brought to market and the median age of survival is about 37 years. These advances would not have been made without the important clinical research conducted by dedicated doctors and scientists from all around the world. In fact, there are more than 30 cystic fibrosis therapies currently in some stage of clinical trial research. Unfortunately, because cystic fibrosis affects a small population, many of these trials are having difficulties recruiting patients. The Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act is designed to increase access to clinical trials for patients of rare diseases, like cystic fibrosis, by modifying Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility rules. In accordance with established ethical standards, many clinical trials offer compensation for patient participation. Current eligibility rules for SSI count such compensation as income, making some individuals suffering from rare diseases ineligible for SSI benefits because compensation for participation in the trial would put their income over the SSI eligibility threshold. This forces patients to choose between participating in important clinical trials and keeping their SSI benefits--a cruel choice no one should ever have to make. Our bill will encourage patients suffering from rare diseases to participate in promising clinical research that may lead to cures, better treatments, and ultimately, saved lives, without having to worry that they could lose the SSI benefits they depend on. You know, they say that the most powerful four-letter word in the English language is HOPE. Hope . . . that we can raise awareness of the families struggling with cystic fibrosis and other rare diseases. Hope . . . that, through research, we will find better treatments and ultimately a cure. Hope . . . that our children will have to turn to the history books to learn what cystic fibrosis was. This bill will give hope to more patients who suffer from CF that they can access innovative therapies that could some day cure them of this dreadful disease. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor and support this legislation.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness to address the horrible attack which took place yesterday afternoon at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum here in Washington. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, who was killed yesterday in the line of duty while heroically performing the job to which he had dedicated himself-- protecting innocent people. The Museum is appropriately closed today in his honor, with flags flown at half mast in memory of this brave and selfless man. We sometimes have a tendency to slip into a false sense of security and denial when we hear about violence and internecine strife around the world. ``That won't happen here'', we assure ourselves, ``We have moved beyond that.'' But every so often we are painfully reminded that even in this country of freedom and opportunity there are those who would seek to do harm to their neighbors, deny the Holocaust and spew hateful and racist speech designed to divide us. Of course, our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors were stunned by yesterday's shooting, as it took place in the very hallowed space that our country has dedicated in memoriam to one of the greatest crimes in history, the Holocaust. It is especially saddening that this sacred place, a monument devoted to peace and the prevention of bigotry and crimes against humanity, was defiled in such a tragic manner. For many Jewish Americans, yesterday's attacks surely summoned up thoughts about other crimes against Jews throughout history, both here in the United States and elsewhere. Of course, we can never forget that Israel itself has faced intense and continuing security threats since its inception over 60 years ago. American Jews are an integral part of the fabric of American society, and irrational actions such as yesterday's attack should serve as an opportunity to bring the American family closer together. The man who opened fire yesterday at the Holocaust Museum reportedly has been a longtime adherent to a twisted white supremacist ideology. The perverse logic that says the human race is divided and segmented between superior and inferior genetic groups not only runs contrary to our founding concept--''all men are created equal''--it is in fact a cancer upon our society. Ideologies that would place one group of us above others are an affront to the core values that our society was created to defend. At this moment in our history, when we are confronted by incredible difficulties, we are also filled with hope. We recently witnessed the election to our highest office a man whom at the time of our nation's founding would not even have been permitted to cast a vote. We have seen increasing numbers of women and minorities serving at the highest levels of our government. These developments give us hope, even in the dark moments such as yesterday's murderous attack. I also would like to note that students from my home state of Massachusetts were in the Holocaust Museum yesterday when the gunman opened fire. I commend the Museum staff and the school chaperones for quickly shepherding the students to safety, ensuring that none was injured in the attack. The fact that millions of schoolchildren visit the Museum and learn the truth about the Holocaust is a rebuke to those, like the deranged killer, who seek to deny that the Holocaust occurred. As Reverend Martin Luther King taught us, ``the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.'' We will continue to work to move our nation inexorably in the direction of justice and equality, because those are the values which tie us together. Yesterday, an immoral and evil act took the life of a brave officer. As we express our sadness and respect for Officer Johns, we also remain undeterred in our efforts to achieve and put into practice our nation's highest ideals--that all men and women are created equal, with inalienable rights that no person can abridge.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the Larsen-Kirk amendment, which will ensure that the intellectual property rights of American firms working to defeat the scourge of climate change will be protected. We are now engaged in what could become the most difficult international negotiation in history: the painful and difficult construction of a binding, universal international agreement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in order to save the planet from a disastrous alteration of the climate. And here at home, we are racing to break our dependence on foreign oil and to create millions of new jobs all across the new energy economy. These two necessities, negotiating an international treaty to halt global warming and developing the new energy economy for the twenty-first century, are deeply interconnected. The technological breakthroughs being created in American laboratories will not only lead our country into the renewable energy future, they will lead the whole world. And it is absolutely necessary that we do everything we can to encourage and enable our high-tech entrepreneurs to innovate. To do this, we must ensure that the intellectual property rights of these innovators are protected. The Larsen-Kirk amendment is a common-sense approach to this problem, and I commend both Members for their thoughtful amendment. The Larsen-Kirk amendment will ensure that in the negotiation of an international climate change treaty, it will be the policy of the United States to prevent any weakening of, and ensure robust compliance with and enforcement of, existing legal protections of intellectual property rights as they relate to energy and environmental technologies. This amendment will help ensure that even as we work diligently to reduce global emissions, we are protecting the ability of American innovators to step up to the plate and deliver the technological breakthroughs which will lead this country in a new direction. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and to support the underlying bill, the State Department Authorization Act.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I thank the gentlelady, and I congratulate the gentlelady for her excellent work on this legislation. To Mr. Dingell, to Mr. Inslee, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Israel, to Mr. Braley, to Mr. Waxman, this is truly the work of a lot of people coming together. And ultimately, the approach has produced a win-win-win situation: a win for our consumers who get a new, more efficient vehicle; a win for reducing our dependence on imported oil; and a win for an industry struggling to regain its footing. And I will add one more win because it is always a win when Members from the Rust Belt and the two coasts can join together and come up with a compromise that all sides can support. The price of a gallon of gasoline is rising inexorably, back up to $4 a gallon. It has gone up $1 at the pump on a national average since December. The price of a barrel of oil has gone from $30 to $69 since December. This is the kind of bill we need to put in place. My congratulations to the gentlelady.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate World Environment Day, which is recognized every year on June 5th. World Environment Day was established by the United Nations in 1972 during the commencement of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. For the last 37 years, World Environment Day has been one of the ways that the United Nations has increased awareness in every country about our environment through its goals of giving a human face to environmental issues, empowering people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, promoting an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues, and advocating partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. This year, the theme for World Environment Day appropriately focuses on taking action to combat global warming. This year's anniversary comes as people from nations all around the globe are calling for action to move towards a clean energy future that will not only drive economic growth but also protect our planet. As the world readies for the United Nations Climate Change Conference this December in Copenhagen, this anniversary also serves as an important reminder of the need for global action as the international community prepares to come together to discuss the path forward. The scientific debate about whether humans are causing global warming is over. The reports issued in 2007 by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underscored the clear need for all countries to take action to reduce global warming pollution. In Copenhagen, the United States and the international community must now turn to how to take action to address it. Last month, the United States took a major step forward when the House Energy and Commerce Committee reported out the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act. This comprehensive energy legislation will unleash a clean energy revolution here in America that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, strengthen our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and stop global warming. This legislation will build upon the progress we have already made with the passage of the 2007 energy bill and the clean energy provisions included in the recovery package. With the leadership of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi, the United States is finally poised to head to Copenhagen as a leader rather than a laggard in taking action to transition to a clean energy future and reduce heat-trapping emissions. This U.N. event is an important reminder of our global needs and I want to bring it to the attention of all the Members.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Independence at Home Act. I would like to thank my colleague and fellow co-chair of the bipartisan Alzheimer's Task Force, Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey, for working with me on this important legislation. As health care reform efforts move forward, we have a golden opportunity to provide high-quality care for our most vulnerable seniors right in their own homes at dramatically lower costs. The bi- partisan Independence at Home legislation we are reintroducing today aims to better coordinate care for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple, debilitating chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's, congestive heart failure, diabetes and other chronic conditions. In many cases, our frail elders prefer to remain in their own homes, in the comfort of familiar surroundings, rather than enter a nursing home or hospital. Our current health care system does a poor job caring for seriously ill Americans, who often are ``lost in transition'', struggling to manage multiple illnesses as they transition between emergency room, hospital, nursing facility and home. The Independence at Home Act holds great promise for reducing hospitalizations, preventing medication errors, and lifting the spirits of those who, after a lifetime of contributions to our society, deserve the dignity and peace of mind that comes with living independently. This legislation builds on successful house calls programs operating around the country and at the Department of Veterans Affairs by establishing a 3-year pilot program in Medicare that would enable beneficiaries with chronic, complex conditions to receive the care they need in their own homes. These patients see roughly 14 physicians and fill about 50 prescriptions each year. Due to a lack of coordination between their many doctors, these patients often receive disjointed care, conflicting information, and multiple diagnoses for the same symptoms. At the same time, Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions account for a highly disproportionate share of Medicare spending. The Independence at Home Act creates a three year pilot program that utilizes a patient-centered health delivery model to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions can remain independent, in their homes, for as long as possible. Our model is a better, more coordinated way of getting these patients the care they need by physicians who know them and are experienced in managing their unique needs. The Independence at Home care teams tasked with coordinating the care of these patients will be comprised of qualified and experienced physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Participating organizations will be required to produce improved health outcomes, demonstrate patient and caregiver satisfaction, and show that their methods result in savings to Medicare. In order to realize these savings, our bill holds participating providers accountable for demonstrating a minimum savings of 5 percent to Medicare. As an incentive, providers are able to keep a portion of savings they achieve beyond the initial 5 percent. Whereas our current health care system runs up costs by reimbursing for the volume of care, the Independence at Home model incentivizes the value of care. This proposal also encourages the adoption of electronic medical records and other technologies that will result in more efficient and cost-effective care. And, to help address the existing shortage of primary care physicians, this bill develops a new, promising career path for primary care physicians who can own and operate Independence at Home organizations and receive reimbursements for house calls. The Independence at Home Act addresses the needs of patients with multiple chronic diseases and holds providers accountable for producing savings. As such, I believe this bill to be a critical part of our efforts to reform health care because it will produce better, coordinated care and reduce costs. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to turn our ``sick-care'' system into a true health care system, and I look forward to working on this bill with my colleagues as efforts proceed to pass comprehensive health care reform this year.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, Memorial Day is the beginning of the season when many American families take their children to our amusement parks for a day of fun and sun. Most Americans, when they enter an amusement park, believe that the rides at these parks are subject to oversight by the nation's top consumer safety watchdog--the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC. However, this is, unbelievably, not the case. Since 1981, a ``Roller Coaster Loophole'' has been carved out of the Consumer Product Safety Act. This loophole is a dangerous gap in child safety and injury prevention, and it is having serious consequences. Between 1987 and 2004, the CPSC reports that there were 3,400 amusement park ride- related accidents and deaths. This estimate is likely lower than the actual number of injuries, due to the CPSC's lack of authority over fixed-site rides. It is time to act on the words of President Obama when he called for us to, ``do more to protect the American public--especially our nation's children--from being harmed by unsafe products.'' It is time to put the safety of our children first--it is time to close the Roller Coaster Loophole. Today, I am re-introducing the National Amusement Park Safety Act, to restore safety oversight to a largely unregulated industry and protect our nation's children.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Mrs. Corinne Louise Conte, wife of our former colleague, the late Congressman Silvio Conte, who died on April 28, 2009. Corinne was born on January 24, 1922, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Charles and Kathleen Clemente Duval. As a teenager, she was a champion swimmer, winning the New England Championship for Breast Stroke Swimming at age 13. Following graduation from Pittsfield High School and St. Luke's School of Nursing in Pittsfield, Corinne served as a nurse in the Navy during World War II where she met her future husband, the late Congressman Silvio O. Conte when he was in the Seabees and recovering from an illness. Corinne and Silvio were married in Pittsfield on November 8, 1947. After Silvio was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1958, Corinne moved to Bethesda, Maryland, where she raised their four children. While in the Washington, D.C. area, she worked as a real estate agent and was an active partner in her husband's political campaigns. Corinne met every U.S. President from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George H.W. Bush, and many of the world's leaders from the 1950s through the early 1990s. She also danced with Lyndon B. Johnson at his Inaugural Ball and served on President George H.W. Bush's special Committee on Mental Health in the late 1980s. Corinne was an avid Red Sox fan and was very thankful that she lived to see the ``Curse of the Bambino'' broken. She was committed to her Catholic faith and was a daily communicant for years at Little Flower Roman Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church and St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, both in Pittsfield. In her younger years, she had a private pilot's license. But, most of all, Corinne loved to play cards on a daily basis while living with her daughter in Mill Valley. She enjoyed a last game with her children a few days before her death, which she won, decisively. Corinne was a friendly and cheerful person who was loved by everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable and full life, and I extend my condolences to the family on her passing.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 111 recognizing the 61st anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. This resolution enjoys bipartisan support, because Americans from across the political spectrum agree that the State of Israel is a great friend of the United States, and we all celebrate the anniversary of its founding today. As we mark this anniversary, it is fitting that we also note a new American tradition. May 1st of this year marked the beginning of the 4th annual Jewish American Heritage Month, during which we celebrate the many contributions that American Jews have made to the society in which we live and thrive. When the first Jewish settlers came to this land, they sought a place of promise where they could practice their faith in freedom and live in liberty. The history of Jews in the United States includes the earliest days of the Republic, when in 1790, a member of the oldest synagogue still standing in the United States--the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island--wrote to George Washington, expressing his support for Washington's administration and good wishes for the first President. President Washington sent a letter in response, which read in part: . . . the Government of the United States . . . gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance . . . May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy. These many years later, I encourage all Americans to stop and think about the great gains in medicine, literature, journalism, law, entertainment, and fine arts that have been made due in no small part to the role of our Jewish friends and neighbors have played in American society. I will also note that as a nation of immigrants, our culture has been enriched by the traditions that settlers from across the globe have been able to incorporate into their daily lives as Americans. In the Jewish culture, the phrase ``tikkum olam'' directs believers to live their lives to heal the world. There is no better guiding principle in these challenging times, and our shared American culture is stronger because of it. On the occasion of Israel's 61st anniversary, and as we celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans in our daily lives, I look forward to the future of our friend and ally, the State of Israel, and to the prospects for peace in the Middle East. I will remain steadfast in my support of an independent Jewish state, and I am hopeful that we will soon reach the day when children will have to turn to the history books to learn that there ever was conflict in the Middle East. President Obama has begun the vital work of reengaging the United States in the quest for peace in the Middle East by appointing George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. As we commemorate the 61 historic years since the founding of the State of Israel, we must also look to the future, and I believe the future for Israel is bright. I congratulate the State of Israel on its 61st anniversary, and I urge adoption of this Resolution.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and to call, once again, for the immediate passage of the Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Between 1915 and 1923, a campaign conceived and executed by the Ottoman Empire forcibly deported nearly 2 million Armenians from their homes, resulting in the deaths of perhaps one and a half million innocents. While the target of this genocide was the Armenian people, it was indeed a crime against all of humanity. Today, I would like to ask this House to remember this great crime, and to commit ourselves once again to the absolute abolishment of genocide wherever it is committed. The history surrounding this issue is clear. Genocide did occur, and ushered in what was to become possibly the most war-torn century of human history. This House has had before it, for many years now, a resolution which properly affirms the United States record on the Armenian Genocide. I have been a strong supporter and cosponsor of this resolution every Congress, and I remain so today. It is long past time for this Congress to pass this resolution, which in the 111th Congress has been introduced as H. Res. 252. The term ``genocide'' had not yet been coined in 1915, when the first Armenians were driven from their homes. The definition of this most profound crime against humanity came in 1944 from Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust by fleeing to America after the fall of Warsaw to the Nazis. In the wake of World War Two, in which most of his family was lost in Hitler's genocide against the Jews, Lemkin led the international community to establish the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. Lemkin's definitive example of genocide? The crimes against the Armenians. April is Genocide Prevention Month, and it is only right that we have set aside a period of time every year to reflect upon the horrors of the crime of genocide and to rededicate ourselves to ridding the earth of this scourge. And even as we commemorate the Armenian Genocide, we must also recognize the other crimes being committed today, and redouble our efforts to stop them. Genocide is occurring today in the scorched towns of Darfur, in western Sudan. The genocide in Darfur is not new, the crimes of the Sudanese government and its militia allies are well known to all of us here. As with the Armenian Genocide, there is no factual debate about what is happening in Darfur. It is genocide. It is a crime against humanity. And it must stop immediately. While much of this debate has been repeated year after year, this year we find ourselves in a particularly hopeful moment in regards to this decades-old conflict about what happened to the Armenians in the early 20th century. Just yesterday, the governments of Armenia and Turkey announced that, after a year of intensive talks mediated by the government of Switzerland and encouraged by the Obama administration, they have ``agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations.'' This joint statement is an extremely important step for Armenia and Turkey, and I commend both countries and their political leadership for the courage they are showing today. The people of Armenia and Turkey have lived far too long with their bilateral relations in a state of suspended animation. It is time for these two proud countries to stand together, in acknowledgement of the difficulties of the past, with confidence that old wounds can be healed, and with a profound commitment to a better future. Madam Speaker, I call upon this House once again to pass H. Res. 252, the Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. I thank all of my colleagues for commemorating the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and joining together to reaffirm our commitment to end the crime of genocide wherever it is found. And on this spring day, at a time of rebirth and renewal, I commend Armenia and Turkey on the steps they are taking to fully normalize their bilateral relations, and I urge them to complete this process as soon as possible.

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts

Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, today, on Earth Day, I am re-introducing the Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2009, which would create a national beverage container recycling program. This national Bottle Bill would build on the success of existing state bottle laws and promote recycling by offering a 5 cent deposit on beverage containers, including plastic water bottles that have become more prevalent in recent years. Recycling these products saves energy and money, cuts global warming pollution, and reduces landfill waste. Twenty-seven years ago, my state of Massachusetts became one of the first states to adopt a state bottle law in order to encourage the recycling of cans and bottles. Since its inception, Massachusetts' bottle law has been a tremendous success. In 2006, over 2 billion beverage containers were sold in Massachusetts and nearly 70 percent of them were recycled rather than littered or incinerated. Recycling and reusing these bottles not only reduces the amount of trash that ends up in our landfills, it also dramatically reduces the amount of global warming pollution that ends up in our atmosphere. American consumers purchase nearly 600 million beverage bottles and cans, on average, every day. Roughly 385 million of them are landfilled, incinerated or littered. Nine of ten plastic water bottles end up as garbage or litter where they take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. A national bottle bill will help us turn this trend around. A national bottle recycling program would have profound economic benefits from energy savings for American businesses. The energy use associated with manufacturing these containers from virgin materials is far greater than the cost of using recycled materials. In fact, making an aluminum can from recycled materials requires 95 percent less energy than to make it from scratch. I am proud to introduce this important bill today on Earth Day. Passing this bill would send a clean energy message in a bottle to American consumers and businesses. A national Bottle Bill can help America quench its thirst for imported oil and will allow us to have carbon dioxide in our fizzy drinks, while cutting down on heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.