Carolyn McCarthy

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on roll call vote 393, I was told we would have a 5-minute warning bell before the last vote, which we did not have. I was at a Members-only briefing. I missed vote 393. Had I been present, I would have voted yea.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for offering this resolution. I rise in strong support of this resolution because it acknowledges the important role our schools play in times of crisis. The tragic events of September 11 have left a lifelong scar on our children. Many have asked why would someone do such a thing. Many are worried for their parents that may be fighting to end terrorism. There are so many questions that need to be answered, and fears to be addressed, but our teachers and our schools have risen to the occasion. As a Representative from New York whose district was impacted by the terrorist acts of September 11, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable job our teachers and school officials have exhibited to calm the fears of our children. In fact, you can find these exceptional acts of professionalism in schools throughout this great country. Children of all ages, as well as many adults, still find it difficult to comprehend the full magnitude of so much destruction and loss of life. Many of these children lost a parent. Many lost a brother or a sister or a cousin. However, all of them want to know why. Our schools have risen to this challenge by allowing children to ask the difficult questions and answering them in a way that makes them feel safe and proud. Schools across the country have become more than educational institutions. They have become a healing ground that answers our children's questions, comforts them during this time of need, and instills a sense of unity. I am proud to say our schools have answered this challenge with open arms. Not only have our teachers answered the tough questions with compassion and understanding, they have instilled a new sense of patriotism in the minds of our children. The Pledge of Allegiance to this country as well as the Star-Spangled Banner that is sung before events outside of the classroom will continue to unite us as Americans. The words of these national themes are just as important now as they were 200 years ago. I applaud our schools for their ability to help the children of this country understand there is no place for terrorism in this world and that the United States will do everything in its power to eliminate it. I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will only say that I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution. In this time of crisis in this Nation, we have seen so many of our neighbors and friends come together. Again, we have to work together. Let us not lose the main focus here. We are Americans. We have to stand together. I support this resolution and ask my colleagues to as well. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, the tragic events of last week have left the airline industry in complete disarray. The significant reductions in service, caused by poor consumer confidence, has led to significant job loss within the airline industry. The ripple effect is already seen throughout our economy with substantial declines in the stock market, significant reductions in restaurant patronage, and an overall decline in consumer spending. Because of these factors, this stabilization package is needed to prevent further job loss, not only within the airline community, but also businesses dependent upon the prosperity of this industry. Although I believe this bailout package is needed, the bill is not without its shortcomings. The absence of a provision to protect workers is extremely troublesome. Thousands of displaced workers are forced to rely upon substantially reduced unemployment benefits without health benefits. This is not the way a dedicated and reliable workforce should be treated. I understand the fact that labor is the airline industry's largest expense, and is contingent upon the number of airplanes and customers in the air. However, I believe the federal government should have adequately addressed the numerous layoffs within this legislation. My disappointment over the lack of worker protections is countered by a need to preserve the jobs we still have within the airline industry. Allowing the complete decimation of this industry benefits no one. It is my hope this bailout package assists the airline industry in a manner that allows it to, someday, rehire the workers it was forced to lay off. Nonetheless, my support for this legislation has not deterred my desire to assist workers that are displaced because of this terrible tragedy. The need to preserve the airline industry should not drown out the need to preserve its workforce. I urge leadership in both parties to address their needs in the same expedient fashion.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Roemer, Mr. Holt, and Mr. Scott for their hard work and willingness to work together to find a common ground on the Juvenile Justice Bill which includes an important crime study provision. The crime study provision, which I offered during subcommittee mark- up, directs the National Institute of Justice to conduct a crime study on gun violence-related injuries and deaths by youth in schools and communities. This study focuses on the relationship between victims and violent youth; the criminal act and location; and details about the firearm used in the crime. The purpose of this provision is to examine this data and develop new ways to prevent violence in our schools. Today school violence is reported simply as an act of violence. There is not a focus on what kind of firearm was used; or if there was a relationship between the victim and the culprit. Let's be honest here, when kids are killing kids--we should be doing everything we can to prevent it. We should be figuring out the links between violent acts so we can put measures in place to stop them. A very real and easy way to prevent these tragedies is to see what is happening where and when. If we continue to turn a blind eye to violence in our schools we will never be able to put an end to their violence. Our children need and deserve to feel safe in their schools. Let's work together and give then back their schools. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have this important provision as part of the Juvenile Justice bill and I urge all my colleagues to support the overall bill.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my strongest support possible for H.J. Res 64, a resolution authorizing the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks against our country. I want to thank the leadership of both parties for acting as quickly as they did to bring this legislation forth. Mr. Speaker, only a few hours ago, I stood at Ground Zero, in lower Manhattan, with President Bush and many of my colleagues and viewed first hand the devastating destruction that occurred in New York City on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001. We saw the mountains of rubble that once was the World Trade Center. We saw the neighboring buildings that surround this area that are also damaged. We talked to city and state officials and learned about the tremendous economic impact this event will have. But most importantly, what we did not see was the thousands of people, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends all, who were indiscriminately killed by cowards. This attack on our innocent citizens, this attack on our nation's financial center and on the heart of our national defense, the Pentagon, and the hundreds of people who died there, must not go unpunished. I know I stand united with my colleagues tonight, shoulder to shoulder, in supporting the President of the United States to give him the authority and tools necessary to seek justice to this most horrific act of violence. This nation has never wanted war. We are a peaceful nation. And, I do not take these actions that we are authorizing tonight lightly, but I believe the American people understand that there are those times when the actions by others must be answered. This is one of those times. We must respond, in kind and with a united voice, to the actions of these ruthless forces. I know the American people are willing to endure even a protracted campaign, if necessary, in order to secure the future of our country. I urge my colleagues to vote unanimously in support of this resolution. God bless the United States.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, due to the tragic acts of terrorism that occurred in New York, today I joined President Bush, along with the majority of the New York delegation, to view the scene of destruction and witness firsthand the incredible recovery effort. Unfortunately, I was unable to return to Washington to cast my vote for H.R. 2888. Had I been present, I would have supported this important emergency appropriation measure that helps set New York City on the path to restoration.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution offered by the gentleman of New York, Mr. Nadler. As this week's horrific events unfolded, I watched brave firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel risking their lives to save others. I watched hospitals prepare for the wounded and our armed forces go on high alert. I watched a stricken nation respond by rushing to donate blood and volunteer their time to help the injured. These are acts of honor and bravery that no barbaric act of violence can penetrate. Unfortunately, many of our brave rescue personnel perished in the line of duty. My condolences and prayers go out to the families for the loss of their loved ones. To those people, let me say I've witnessed firsthand how individuals come together in a moment of crisis, and I can assure you the country will be there for you in your time of need. That is why I urge members to support this important resolution and help families cope with their tragic loss, and take advantage of the Federal Public Safety Officer Benefit program without delay. These families deserve no less in their time of grief.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, yesterday morning I woke up thinking of my granddaughter. Yesterday was her first birthday. Two hours later, this Nation was in a crisis. I know the American people. I know the people of New York. I know how we all respond in times of crisis, that we all come together, and we will be there for each other. But this Congress, this Congress will respond. Many of us are considered gentle people, and we are. But let me say, I, for one, will make sure that this President has all the tools and the financial means that he needs to bring justice to so many of my constituents that were killed yesterday. This Congress, this government, will not rest until every single person responsible for these deaths are brought to justice.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's horrific and cowardly display of terrorism against the United States has left the country in a state of mourning for the loss of loved ones. This unprovoked and barbaric attack against democratic beliefs must not go unpunished. To test the resolve of the United States, one must be prepared to encounter a proud and unified citizenry whose love for this country will never be diminished by acts of terrorism. The cowardly acts of violence against the World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington, D.C. unite the country in sorrow. My condolences and prayers go out to the families, many of which reside in my district, for the loss of their loved ones. To those people, let me say I've witnessed firsthand how individuals come together in a moment of crisis, and I can assure you the country will be there for you in your time of need. As yesterday's horrific events unfolded, I watched brave firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel risking their lives to save others. I watched hospitals prepare for the wounded and our armed forces go on high alert. I watched a stricken nation respond by rushing to donate blood and volunteer their time to help the injured. These are acts of honor and bravery that no barbaric act of violence can penetrate. Make no mistake, there is no honor in terrorism. It is the ultimate form of cowardice that may shake a nation, but never tear down the resolve of a proud country dedicated to the pursuit of freedom. This Congress is unified behind our President who will guide our country through this tragedy and hunt down those responsible for these inconceivable acts of violence against the United States. Let this resolution not only signify the beginning our healing, but also our resolve to capture those responsible. We will find you, and justice will be administered. God bless America.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 338, H. Con. Res. 61--Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the terrorist attacks launched against the United States on September 11, 2001, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Richard H. Walker of New York State. Today, we bid him farewell as Director of Enforcement of the Securities & Exchange Commission and commend him for his ten year SEC tenure. More importantly, today, we offer our deep gratitude for his service to the American people. An attorney by profession, Mr. Walker shared many years of his life as a public servant. He began his service to the SEC as the Director of Northeast Regional Office in 1991. He later moved to Washington, DC to become General Counsel and then, in 1998, he took the reigns as Director of Enforcement, the Commission's largest division. Mr. Walker has worked tirelessly for reform in securities litigation and earned his reputation as a brilliant, dedicated, and creative leader. As he returns to work in the private sector, Mr. Walker humbly calls his service to the SEC the ``highlight of his legal career''. We call his commitment an extraordinary contribution. America's investors benefited greatly while Mr. Walker headed the SEC's nationwide enforcement effort. He led the division's fight against earnings management and other financial reporting abuses. He was the key force behind some of the most significant financial fraud cases ever brought forward in the history of the Commission, including those cases against: W.R. Grace, Cendant, McKesson HBOC, Microstrategy, Sunbeam, Arthur Andersen, and the 1999 landmark auditor independence case against PricewaterhouseCoopers. A well-respected leader, Mr. Walker also stood out as a team player. He forged working relationships with state and local prosecutors and the FBI, resulting in a record numbers of criminal prosecutions for violations of federal securities law. He passion for justice was evident as he attacked organized crime in securities activities by coordinating civil and criminal prosecutions. He led several major, successful undercover sting operations, revealing the largest number of people ever charged with securities fraud. The Commission also established the Internet Enforcement Program to combat internet securities fraud under Mr. Walker's direction. Because of Mr. Walker's efforts, an estimated 250 violators were held accountable. He rose to the challenge of advancing technology with characteristic determination. Mr. Walker received many awards for his outstanding contributions during his ten years at the SEC, including: two-time receipt of the Chairman's Award for Excellence, the Commission's Distinguished Service Award, the Commission's Law and Policy Award for his key role in the government's successful appeal in U.S. vs. O'Hagan, a landmark case which upheld the misappropriation theory of insider trading. Today we award him with our deep gratitude and recognize him as an exemplary model of all that is good and right with our government. I applaud him for his achievements while serving in three demanding positions at the SEC and thank him on behalf of all those whose lives he affected for the better. As he returns home, he leaves an important part of our government in better condition than when he arrived. He laid the valuable groundwork for our continued efforts to carry out the SEC's mission of investor protection. But most importantly, Mr. Walker reaffirms our confidence in caring, effective public service. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, I wish Mr. Walker the best of luck in his future endeavors and well-deserved success!

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) of the Committee on Government Reform for allowing this resolution to come to the floor so rapidly. I want to certainly thank my good friend from Long Island, New York (Mr. King) for helping me on this issue. I want to associate myself with the kind words that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) mentioned. We talk about giving blood. I know as a nurse over so many years, people are afraid to give blood. There is nothing to be afraid of. If you do not like needles, just turn your eye. You can give it in 15 minutes. But taking that 15 minutes out of your life has an opportunity to save so many lives. We always think about giving blood in times of our community when there are accidents or a tragedy happens and people do go to the hospitals to give blood. This is happening every single day. No one talks about the children across this Nation that have leukemia and they have to have transfusions. No one talks about how much blood is needed for our patients that have hemophilic blood problems. No one talks about cancer, how it affects women and how they need their transfusion so they can go through their chemotherapy. I am hoping that by us being here on the floor and talking about it, those in the Nation who are watching this will say to themselves, ``You know, I can make a difference.'' I think that is what we are trying to ask. This resolution certainly is for the summer but it is blood every single day that we need throughout the year. The other thing that unfortunately is happening, we see especially in New York that only 2 percent of the people of New York give blood. This is happening across our larger cities. We do not talk about those in the minority communities that come down with sickle-cell anemia and how they need blood transfusions. We have to start educating people more and more on why they should give blood. You can give blood almost every 53 days. It is certainly a habit that I am into. I want to remind all my colleagues that the end of this month we will be having another blood drive here in the Capitol. I am hoping that all my colleagues will donate this time so we can set an example certainly for all of our constituents back home. Also I would like to see all our colleagues go home and do a blood drive. One of our jobs is to teach our constituents on what we do. So I think it is extremely important. Unfortunately, one of the other problems that we are seeing is because we are seeing less and less blood coming over from Europe, people do not realize how much blood we count on, especially in our major cities for the transfusions that we get from overseas. That is going to be cut off at the end of this month and unless we can certainly sustain that, our cities are going to be in more of a crisis than ever before. So I certainly urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution but more than support it, do something about it. The easiest thing that we can do for the American people is to give blood. I happen to think that people in this country are tremendous during emergencies. Well, we are in an emergency. A pint of blood can save three lives or even more. I urge that this resolution be passed. I thank again the gentleman from New York (Mr. King). I thank the committee for passing this so fast.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, the last 24 hours of game- playing with people's lives by the leadership has left a huge mark on the House of Representatives. Let us look at the score card in the last 24 hours. This week, special interest groups have two wins and the American people have zero. Yesterday, with the energy people, the oil companies won; today, with the so-called patients' bill of rights, insurance companies, unfortunately, are going to win again. Under the House leadership bill and the so-called patients' bill of rights, many of our constituents are going to have to have their health care needs compromised. However, there are a few good things in this package. We have been working very hard to make sure our hospitals get prompt pay. In other words, the HMOs and the insurance companies have been holding back the monies to our hospitals. That is pure wrong. Our nurses and our health care people need the whistle-blower protection act, and that will be in there. But all in all, despite these good provisions, it is clear that special interests are the real winners in this deal. And I am sure of one thing: we need campaign finance reform to get the special interests out of this Congress. Oppose the Norwood amendment and support the Ganske-Dingell bill. It puts patients' interests first, not special interests.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, the last 24-hours of gameplaying with people's lives by the leadership has left a huge mark on the House of Representatives. I don't think our forefathers would be proud of the political games that have been played up here. Let's look at the score of the game. This week, special interest groups have two wins, and the American people have zero. Yesterday, with the Energy Bill, oil companies won. Today, with the so-called Patient's Bill of Rights, insurance companies will win. Under the House leadership deal on the so-called Patient's Bill of Rights, many of our constituents are going to have their health care needs compromised. However, there are a few good things about the bill. Language that I've been working on to protect health care workers is included. I spent 30 years as a nurse, and I speak from experience. When a health care worker blows the whistle on workplace abuses, they shouldn't have to fear retaliation, For example, a nurse might be tempted to remain silent when they see a patient's quality of care being compromised. Nurses should feel 100 percent confident that they can come forward without facing retaliation from their employer. No one should feel that their job is in jeopardy because they speak up for patient safety. Also, my language ensuring hospitals get paid on time by HMOs is included. Not only have HMOs been neglecting patient care, but they are also well-practiced in their denial and delay of payments to hospitals, medical group practices, doctors and other health care professionals. Health care providers shouldn't be stuck in the middle for a bitter struggle between quality patient care and insurance company regulations. But despite these good provisions, it's clear that special interests are the real winners in this deal. How many more examples of special interest control must this esteemed body suffer through before doing something to change it? I'm sure of one thing--we need campaign finance reform to get the special interests out of Congress. Oppose the Norwood amendment. Support the Ganske-Dingell bill. It puts patients' interests before special interests.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Mr. Gary Krupp of Long Beach, New York. On July 29, 2000, Pope John Paul II named Gary a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, in recognition of his work with Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a health care facility in Italy. Through Mr. Krupp's generosity and commitment, the hospital acquired highly advanced medical equipment, benefitting countless men, women and children. The Order of Saint Gregory was founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1831, who named it after his predecessor, Pope Saint Gregory the Great. The Order frequently honors those who have distinguished themselves through service to the Catholic Church and accomplishments benefitting society. Gary is the seventh Jewish person since 1831 to be awarded this honor. It is not every day that an honor such as this is given to one of our neighbors. I congratulate Gary for receiving this outstanding and unique honor. I believe he is an exemplary Long Islander and American, and I have no doubt Gary will continue his work on behalf of Long Island, the Catholic Church, and Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Bill Emmel, lifelong blood donor and community advocate for blood donations, who I have named as Citizen of the Month in the Fourth Congressional District for July 2001. The significance of Bill's commitment is profound. Particularly now, when Long Island is faced with a blood shortage crisis, his example is so important. He has helped to inspire a whole new generation of blood donors. Bill has regularly donated blood since 1981. In his lifetime, he has donated 68 pints of whole blood and has made 91 platelet apheresis donations, for an incredible total of 159 donations as of July 12, 2001. His extraordinary dedication is only one part of Bill's commitment to ensuring an adequate blood supply in the New York area. Understanding that his own enormous contribution is only a part of keeping Long Island adequately supplied, Bill advocates for blood donations both at work and at home. Upon learning that the Sewhanaka Union Free School District was not sponsoring blood drives due to liability concerns, Bill decided to pursue this great opportunity to recruit young donors. A resident of the school district, one of the largest in Nassau County, he met with insurance representatives, lawyers, Long Island Blood Service personnel, the superintendent and school board members, orchestrating a resolution in which the Sewhanaka School District would endorse blood drives. The effort paid off, and blood drives at the five Sewhanaka high schools have resulted in 775 donations since December 1999. Not content to leave any stone unturned, Bill is working to get other districts which do not currently hold blood drives, such as the West Hempstead School District, to do so. He also serves as the blood drive chairperson for the Information Technology Department at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, where he has worked for fourteen years. Long Island is lucky to have a person like Bill Emmel working so hard for such a noble cause. With any luck, the students in the Sewhanaka district that he inspired will become lifelong blood donors, helping to avoid another crisis in the future. A 26 year resident of Floral Park, Bill hopes to make his 100th platelet donation this year. He is a single parent with two sons, Chris, 20, a student at St. John's University and Floral Park EMT, and David, 24, a St. John's graduate and web designer. I congratulate Bill and his sons on this achievement.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Banu Sinar of New Hyde Park. I have named her Citizen of the Month in the Fourth Congressional District for August 2001 in recognition of her outstanding abilities and growth as a student in the Literacy Volunteers of America--Nassau County (LVA-NC). LVA-NC is a non-profit organization that recruits and trains volunteers to work one-on-one or in small groups of students to improve their English language skills. I hope Banu's example and her desire to improve her English and literacy skills will encourage people to volunteer their time to the Literacy Volunteers. With over 400 students waiting for help, I encourage the residents of the Fourth District to become involved. Banu was selected as 2001 Literacy Volunteers Student of the Year. Today, there are more than 1,000 students currently studying with the organization, free of charge. A Turkish immigrant who arrived in the United States two and a half years ago, Banu's fluency in Turkish enabled her to perform well at the international trade company where she works as a purchasing and sales agent. However, in order to feel more at home in the United states and to help her young daughter with homework, she wanted to learn to speak English. Banu enrolled with LVA-NC, and was assigned to tutor Marion Legler, also of New Hyde Park. Banu's accomplishments are truly remarkable, and is an example of how tutors can make a difference in people's lives. I applaud her motivation and extraordinary commitment to her studies. Wanting to contribute something to the organization that had assisted her so greatly, Banu helped to found LVA-NC's new Student Advisory Council. The group was established as a forum for students to help develop programs to aid new adult learners. Banu lives with her husband Hankan and daughter Asli in New Hyde Park. I congratulate Banu and her family on this achievement, and on the impending birth of their second child in October.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and distinguished ranking member for including language in this bill for a child safety lock measure that also recognizes that we need standards on these locks. I think it is extremely important that Congress start to listen to the American people. However, while this body takes a positive step in reducing senseless acts of gun violence, the Department of Justice takes two steps back by proposing regulations that tie the hands of law enforcement officials. That is why I express my strong support for this amendment. While the Brady Act passed, its intent was to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. It has done an outstanding job with that. Congress relied on the Department of Justice and the FBI to operate a national instant check system which screens buyers for criminal activity before they are allowed to obtain a firearm. As part of this system, the Department of Justice has retained the gun purchase records for 120 days in order to perform audits and identify potential violations of the national gun laws. This retention period has recently been reduced to 90 days. Eventually, it should be reduced to 40 days. Eventually, we will see the day when we can get rid of all of these checks but not until the States have the full records that they need to get the information out there. Mr. Chairman, we know that short-term retention of gun purchase records enables law enforcement to identify multiple cases of unauthorized or illegal use of the NICS system. We also know that 1 percent of bad dealers are the source of 50 percent of the Nation's gun traces. When ATF conducted a specific audit of the NICS system by dealers in New Orleans, it found 12 of 17 of those dealers either abused or misused the NICS system. Some guns were sold to felons, while another dealer permitted a background check to be run on a family member not involved in the gun purchase. Yes, the Justice Department has recently proposed to reduce the current period allowed to retain gun purchase records for 24 hours. I find this completely illogical. In January of this year, the FBI advisory board actually recommended increasing the temporary retention of these records from 6 months to 1 year. Yet 6 months later the Department of Justice is proposing to reduce the time period to 24 hours. What is equally disturbing is that the courts have sided with the Department of Justice's need to retain these records. The NRA sued the Federal Government in a case that was recently denied by the Supreme Court, arguing that Federal law enforcement officers had no right to detain purchase records in the NICS system. The Justice Department argued against the NRA in this lawsuit and they won. In their legal briefs, they actually argued that keeping records for a reasonable time after purchase helps in numerous ways. This is not a gun debate. This is a safety debate again, so felons and criminals cannot get their guns.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, in response to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, number one, there are no names on the retentions. Only where the person buys the gun are the records maintained. When it goes into the NICS system, that is the backup for making sure that people are not using the system wrongly. So, again, we come up to this debate, and this is not what the debate should be about. The debate should be that we have to make sure that criminals, which certainly we know can use an instant and positive check, can use false identification and buy guns throughout this country.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time; and I want to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the ranking minority member, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller). I give credit to both sides of the aisle on working really hard to get this bill through. Both sides gave up a lot, but we came out with an excellent bill; and I appreciate all the work everybody did on it. When we talk about flexibility, when we talk about teacher preparation, when we talk about mentoring programs for our children, these are all going to be wonderful things for the future of education; but again I have to add my voice to those talking about IDEA. I know reauthorization is coming up, and I am looking forward to working with my chairman on reauthorization of IDEA next year. As someone who grew up with learning disabilities, and as someone who has a child with learning disabilities, I know how important it is. I go into schools every single Monday and see that our schools, unfortunately, have to take funds away from important programs because the Government mandated these children be mainstreamed in our schools, yet have not followed through with the promised 40 percent to help them do this. We will fight to make sure that the monies are there. It is not fair to our school systems, as it is today, to be paying out these monies when we made these mandatory deals with the schools to educate these children. I am looking forward to seeing what the conferees come out with. I know it will be a good bill. The House and the Senate bills are a little different, but in the end I think the people of America and the children of America are going to be proud of the work done here in Congress. Decisions should be made on the local level, and I do believe in that; but the flexibility is probably going to be the most important thing. So I again thank the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and am looking forward to working with him again.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Gloria Wallick, a highly respected and influential child care advocate who recently announced her retirement from the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc. In her 23 years as Chief Executive Officer, Gloria was the voice of child care in Nassau County. She made the Council the leading agency for child care by sponsoring the first USDA Child & Adult Care Food Program in New York State by a not-for-profit agency and establishing the Child Care Switchboard, an early child care referral service. Gloria received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and an M.A. in Policy Analysis from the New School of Social Research, now New School University. She began her work in Child Care when she chaired the Policy Advisory Committee of Head Start in her home town of Rockville Centre. She then helped to establish the Rosa Lee Young Child Care Center where she served as Board President for six years. While serving as CEO of the Child Care Council of Nassau, Gloria worked diligently on various committees to improve the quality of child care in New York. In 1984, she was appointed by Governor Cuomo to the New York State Commission on Child Care. Later, in 1988, as a member of the Nassau County Task Force on Day Care, Gloria helped to create the first salary enhancement program in America for teachers in the child care field. In 1997, she was appointed to the Nassau County Legislature's Commission on Child Care, which was created as an out- growth of her advocacy. Throughout her career, Gloria has received numerous awards from elected officials, outreach organizations such as the Health & Welfare Council and the United Way, and child care providers for her commendable leadership and advocacy on behalf of parents and their children. Gloria Wallick is responsible for the current strength and upward trend of Child Care in Nassau County. She leaves behind a strong legacy and is a good example of the difference that one person can make. I applaud Gloria for her dedication to our community, and thank her on behalf of the parents and children of Nassau County who have benefitted from her hard work and commitment.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Mira Rosenfeld Sennett, a noted educator in the Jewish community of Nassau County, and a resident of Atlantic Beach, Long Island. Since she began her career three decades ago at the Brandeis Day School, Mira has been teaching and supervising special education in the New York school system while simultaneously pursuing her love of Jewish education. Over the past 30 years, she has taught at the Hebrew High School and the State University at Stony Brook and directed the Five Towns School of Special Education for the Special Child, Temple Beth El Religious School and the Hebrew School at the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach. Mira is known for her love of community and Jewish learning, and she has shared these qualities with countless others. For years, Mira has organized adult education classes and book reviews for members of our community. Not only has she participated in community events, but she has brought unique ideas to life by teaching others about Judaism while sharing her own experiences. She has led youth groups to Israel and Europe. She is a former executive board member of Hadassah, UJA, and USY and served as president of the Five Towns Jewish Council and Vice President of Jewish Women International for the greater New York region. On the occasion of Israel's 50th anniversary, Mira was recognized by the Conference of Jewish Organizations of Nassau County as one of 50 residents who make a difference. Additionally, she received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching from SUNY. Mira emigrated from Israel in 1958. She received her undergraduate degree in Supervision and Administration from C.W. Post and a postgraduate degree in Special Education and an MS in History and Jewish Education from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Mira feels that her greatest accomplishment and dearest reward is her family: her husband Hershel, her children Avery and Robyn Rosenfeld, Drs. Tierry and Melissa Abitbol, Rosalie Sennett and Jonathan and Marianne Sennet, and her grandchildren David, Lauren, Dani, Sophie, Emma and Shaenna. Mira Rosenfeld Sennett's commitment to our community and our children's education, Judaic and otherwise, is commendable. As a friend, I applaud Mira and her loving family for Mira's accomplishments over the years, and I thank her for all she has done for the Jewish community of Nassau County.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of John J. Downing, Brian Fahon, and Harry Ford. Each of them will be sorely missed. We are forever in your debt and can never repay your loss. More than just firefighters, these men were husbands, fathers, and upstanding members of their communities. They paid the ultimate sacrifice and taught us a powerful lesson about honor, bravery, and sacrifice. These are traits that all firefighters possess. It is a shame that only through such tragedies we recognize this fact. They were great firefighters, husbands, and fathers. Since the tragic June 17 event, America learned of the vibrant and rich lives of these three men. In the process, we developed a love for them and cried with their families as they mourned their losses. John J. Downing, an 11- year veteran, husband and father of two; Brian Fahey, a 14-year veteran, husband and father of three; Harry Ford, a 27-year veteran, husband and father of three will not be forgotten. Mr. Downing became famous for his bravery in the 1992 USAir plane crash into Flushing Bay. Mr. Fahey was considered one of the fire department's elite, he worked in the rescue department. Mr. Ford was cited for bravery ten times during the course of his career, including rescuing a baby from a burning building. It is clear to everyone they were exceptional at their job. These men did not die in vain. Today, as we recognize their bravery, let us pledge our support to work on behalf of all of the nation's firefighters who risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of all Americans.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I thank my colleague from California and my fellow nursing partner and certainly our friends that are physicians. You have heard stories tonight from us. You have heard us tell stories about our constituents. But I think if you hear and have listened to us, why are we so passionate about this? Why are we backing the patients' bill of rights? I am going to tell you a story, also, but this story is very personal. Even before I ever came to Congress, I had spent over 32 years, my life, as a nurse. All of us, we went into health care because we care about taking care of people. And we see our doctors today, they still care about their patients. They are fighting for their patients on a daily basis. But I want to tell you a personal story on why this bill is personal to me. Going back several years ago, something happened in our family. My son ended up being in the hospital. I have to say when he was in the hospital and he was in the intensive care unit, he got the best care you could possibly ever see. Because he was in the hospital, everything was approved. Then Kevin had to spend a long time in rehab. They told me he was actually going to spend a year in rehab. My son was only 26 years old at that time. He went through the sessions in the morning. I would be there with him 18 hours a day. By lunchtime, I am saying to myself, ``Well, he's not tired, let's do rehab again.'' Of course, I went to the head of the unit and I said, ``Let's do the whole session all over again.'' ``Well, we can't.'' I said, ``What do you mean you can't?'' ``Well, the insurance companies will never pay for a double session.'' I kind of sat down and I thought about it for a while and I said, well, I can do a lot of this stuff on my own with him, I had the training for it, I knew what I was doing. But then I went pack to the director and I said, Wait a minute. My son is 26 years old. He can do more. And if we actually look at it, if he has double sessions, that means he is going to get his therapy, twice as much in one day and he is going to be out of here twice as fast. As I said to you, they had told me he would be in rehab for a full year. Well, we won that battle. I got him the double sessions because the hospital decided even if the HMO at that time would not pick up the cost, they would. So Kevin started with double sessions. We were out of rehab in 3 months. Obviously he had to go to rehab for a good several more months as an outpatient but that was only the beginning of our battle. Because every single thing that we had to have done for Kevin as far as rehab and everything else, we had to fight for those services. But here is where the kicker came in as far as I am concerned. Kevin had to have a procedure done. He had to go back in the hospital. Five doctors, five of their doctors, their doctors, said Kevin had to go in the hospital for a surgery. We were turned down. Each doctor went to bat, said, wait a minute, he has to go in the hospital and he has to have this surgery done. And he was turned down, he was turned down, turned down. All the way up to the point where I finally talked to the medical director of the HMO and I said, ``Why are you denying him this operation?'' ``We do not feel he needs it.'' I said, ``Who are you to make that decision when five of your doctors, a neurosurgeon, a neurologist, the surgeon himself, the cardiologist and the vascular man said he had to be in the hospital for this operation?'' I said, ``Do you know what my son's medical history is?'' He said, ``Well, actually I have it.'' By the way, his medical history was a little bit larger than the Manhattan telephone book. He did not understand it. He could not understand it. Now, we were kind of lucky. The company that Kevin worked for happened to own the HMO that Kevin was covered under. Well, I found out who the CEO was of that company and I called him up. I said, this is ridiculous. And he agreed with me and he called and Kevin was in the hospital in a couple of days. My point is, why did we have to go through this? Why did I have to spend that time trying to get the care for my son that he needed? If anyone even thinks that Kevin wanted to go back in the hospital or I wanted him back in a hospital, believe me, that is not the place we wanted to be. We would have been happy if we had never seen another hospital the rest of our lives. Now I am in Congress and on a daily basis we have to fight for my constituents to get the care, number one, that they deserve. They deserve. Because the decisions are made by our doctors. And unfortunately when we talk about the patients' bill of rights, people out there do not even realize the consequences that are going on in the health care system today because of the rights that doctors do not have anymore. Doctors are not encouraging their children to become doctors and we are seeing that falling over to where nursing is falling off short because nurses are not going to go into the health care system because they see what is going on. There has been a trickle-down effect for the last several years. We have all worked with our health care providers. We have all worked with everyone that comes in to see us because they know we are in a health care position. By the way, we might be in Congress, but our first job still is to provide the health care system to all of our constituents across this Nation. That will always be my first priority, because that is an oath that we have all taken, to provide care for those. Now our jobs are just bigger. You took care of all your patients back on the island. You certainly took care of all the children in the schools. I certainly took care of my floor full of patients. Now all of us have hundreds and thousands of more patients to take care of. That is why we are backing the real patients' bill of rights. That is why we are involved in this so passionately. We want our doctors to be able to make the decisions. We want our nurses to be able to give the care that they need without ramifications, that if they report something, they are not going to be fired or they are not going to be, what we call rotated around to floors that we did not want to be on. These are important protections. All you are unfortunately hearing about in the newspapers is the suing thing. Again, let us go back to our President and his State of Texas. They have a patients' bill of rights, and they have not been sued. The amount of lawsuits in Texas since it was implemented is so tiny it is not even worth talking about. I will be very honest with you, if the correct care is given to all of our patients, no one is going to sue. If you have the time and certainly my colleague from California, I would love to have a colloquy, because I happen to think we, is it not amazing it is three women, but we really have firsthand experience on how this real patients' bill of rights is going to help the American people. Let me say one other thing. Many people think their HMOs are terrific, and there are some good ones out there. We are not slamming all of them. What we are saying is, though, until you come up with a situation where it might be chronic health care or maybe a life and death situation, or maybe it is a bone marrow transplant which they still consider experimental, but if you fight it long enough, you are going to get it, it is just that they want you to fight for it, and that is wrong. All of us have seen families going through so much. They should not have to worry, can I do this, can I raise the money to have it done. America is better than that. We know America is better than that.