Carolyn McCarthy

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Supporting efforts to terminate these housing assistance programs means turning your back on your own constituents. Mr. Chairman, we have our disagreements. There's no two ways about it. But with that being said, to judge a program from the beginning when we couldn't get servicers, now we are getting servicers, now we are getting people to be responsive on getting people to stay in their homes. And think about it: All these homes that are being lost to families, where are they supposed to go? In New York, you can't find an apartment, so what are we doing, making more people homeless? It was not the fault of the homeowners. I agree, there were many people that shouldn't have probably bought a house for $700,000 or $800,000. The majority of us here in Congress couldn't even afford something like that. They should have never been given a mortgage. All of us, when we bought our homes, had to go through the third degree. How much money do you earn? Can you pay the insurance? Can you pay your taxes? That's why we also put legislation in there to have the servicers help them.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr Speaker, Happy St. Patrick's Day! Originally a religious holiday, today St. Patrick's Day is largely an international celebration of Irish culture. I urge my colleagues and fellow Americans to embrace this day. Today, one in four Americans traces at least part of their ancestry to Ireland. Irish-Americans have provided the backbone of our workforce, enlivened our art and culture, defended our country, and served in this Congress and as President of the United States. Great Irish-Americans such as Eugene O'Neill and F. Scott Fitzgerald transformed American literature, innovators like Henry Ford helped revolutionize American transportation, and who can forget Presidents like Andrew Jackson, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, each Irish-American alike. Irish-Americans continue to contribute to our nation as they ably serve in their communities in numerous capacities. It is for all of these reasons that I support the designation of March as Irish-American Heritage Month and encourage Americans to celebrate Irish-American heritage. I'm proud to stand today with my colleagues, those lucky enough to be Irish-American, as well as those who aren't, and honor this group that has been so important to our nation on this St. Patrick's Day.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my constituent Jan Gong and congratulate her as she is named a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search 2011. The Intel Science Talent Search is America's most prestigious science competition for high school seniors. Jan is one of only 40 finalists nationwide. Jan's project, ``The Effect of High Glucose Levels On Morphine Signaling in Mytilus Edulis: Novel Implications for the Treatment of Obesity and Diabetes,'' studied the addictive nature of sugar by using blue mussel as an animal model and found that high levels of glucose can regulate morphine receptors and cause morphine release, suggesting that sugar can be addictive. She also found that high levels of glucose can greatly increase the release of nitric oxide (NO), whose metabolites can contribute to vascular damage, but that naloxone, which counteracts the effects of morphine, and L-NAME, a NO synthase inhibitor, can block the effect of glucose on NO release. As a student at Garden City High School, Jan has participated in numerous science research programs including, Columbia University Science Honors Program, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY), Research Science Institute and Intel Science Talent Search. In addition, Jan has perfect SAT score, is first in her class of 275 at Garden City High School where she is captain of both the math team and the varsity fencing team, president of the Latin Honors Society, and principal cellist in the chamber orchestra. She has been recognized by the National Honor Society, American Chemistry Society, and Latin Honors Society and is a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. As a senior member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I am truly impressed by Jan's accomplishments. I am pleased to see that Jan values not only her education, but also service and volunteerism within her community. In her spare time, Jan volunteers at the Winthrop University Hospital, arranges concerts at nursing homes and helps her fellow students as a peer tutor. Jan also expresses a deep affinity for the arts as an accomplished cellist. She has performed as the Principal Cellist with the Metropolitan Youth Concert Orchestra and has received perfect scores for five consecutive years during her participation with the New York State Scholastic Music Association. Mr. Speaker, it is with pride and admiration that I offer my congratulations to Jan Gong and commend her dedication to education and science.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on February 19, 2011. If I were present, I would have voted for the following: Flake (AZ) Amendment #377--Rollcall #125--No Guinta (NH) Amendment #166--Rollcall #126--No Hall (TX) Amendment #495--Rollcall #127--No Lee (CA) Amendment #141--Rollcall #128--No Griffith (VA) Amendment #109--Rollcall #129--No Jones (NC) Amendment #548--Rollcall #130--Yes Luetkemeyer (MO) Amendment #47--Rollcall #131--No Luetkemeyer (MO) Amendment #149--Rollcall #132--No Issa (CA) Amendment #569--Rollcall #133--No Sullivan (OK) Amendment #94--Rollcall #134--No McKinley (WV) Amendment #216--Rollcall #135--No McKinley (WV) Amendment #217--Rollcall #136--No Pompeo (KS) Amendment #545--Rollcall #137--No Burgess (TX) Amendment #200--Rollcall #138--No Heller (NV) Amendment #482--Rollcall #139--No Noem (SD) Amendment #563--Rollcall #140--No Pitts (PA) Amendment #430--Rollcall #141--No Carney (DE) Amendment #241--Rollcall #142--No Mulvaney (SC) Amendment #164--Rollcall #143--No

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. And I thank you again. I just want to remind the American people who might be listening tonight, I need your help. I can do the battles here. It's so easy to email your Member of Congress or your Senator to say it's time to get rid of the large magazines, because there is no place in America anymore that is safe. This can happen anytime, any place. So I thank you for listening to me tonight, and I thank my friend for standing here with me and talking about it. I will say, in closing, it's 17 years since the incident happened to my family. There is not a day that goes by that I don't remember what happened, and that's why I continue to fight for this issue. I don't want another family to go through the pain. I don't want to see another person die. I don't want to see someone injured for the rest of their life, and to fight those battles.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I want to talk tonight a little bit about, number one, why I even came to Congress and why I'm up here tonight talking about gun violence. I just want to give you a little history. On December 7, 1993, a deranged man named Colin Ferguson got on the Long Island Railroad train and changed my life and that of many others forever. As the train pulled into Merillon Avenue in Garden City, he took out a handgun and opened fire on those passengers in the train. He killed six people, including my husband. He injured 19, including my son, who was shot in the head at close range. Thankfully, my son did survive. And while it has been a difficult struggle for him, he has a rich life now with a wife and two children. I consider them my miracles. And I'm very grateful that he did survive. What I did after that incident was become an advocate for reducing gun violence in this country, to see if I could help others not have to go through the same pain that my family and the other families of the Long Island Railroad massacre went through. As often happens when you become an advocate for a cause, any cause, that led me to work with elected officials and the government to try to change policies that I thought were hurting the American people. And also as often happens when I discovered that there was only so much you could do outside the government, I ran for office myself. I was never a very political person, but I believed so strongly in this cause that people saw and gave me the chance to be their Congresswoman. The Members of this body embraced me also. That was in 1996. Even though I work hard on other issues like the economy and education, I'm still fighting that this struggle to reduce gun violence is the same battle I had back in 1993 and on. So let's go fast forward now. From 1993 to January 8 of 2011, on that fateful day in Arizona, six lives were stolen from us, and 13 of our fellow Americans were injured, including one of our own, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Certainly it hit home for all of us, and it sends a chill down all of our spines. I know I'll never forget that day. The shootings had eerie similarities to our own incident in 1993. Six people were killed and over a dozen injured. Like my son, Gabby was shot in the head at close range. Like my son, she's looking like she's making a wonderful recovery. And we're all rooting for her. There are a couple more similarities that bear mentioning. In both the shootings, the gunmen used high-capacity magazines that allowed them to maximize their carnage; and in both shootings, the gunman was tackled by unarmed witnesses while they stopped the shooting when he was trying to reload. I ran for office and entered government to make a difference. I came to Congress to make our lives safer. I have a legislative proposal that I think should reduce the casualties in that supermarket parking lot on January 8. H.R. 308 is a bill to ban high-capacity magazines like the ones used in Arizona and on the Long Island Railroad. These are devices designed to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and feed them into a gun. The State law in my State, New York, have already banned magazines holding more than 10 bullets, and that was also the Federal law between 1994 and 2004. So we know that there's precedent for this law on a State and a Federal level. There is no question about its constitutionality. Unfortunately, most States, like Arizona, don't have limit on high- capacity magazines. This is what allowed the shooter to just walk into a common store and buy the weapon he did right off the shelf. This is a reasonable, commonsense bill that makes accommodations for public safety and gun owners' rights. This includes exemptions for our law enforcements and our military as well for testing purposes or for security guards looking after nuclear facilities. As I noted, often shooters are tackled and stopped when they run out of bullets in a magazine and stop to reload. That was the case for my family in 1993, and that was the case of Arizona. Maybe if the shooter in Arizona had fewer bullets in the magazine, we wouldn't have had the carnage that we saw. Fewer people would have died. Fewer people would have been injured. We would be looking at one less funeral or a few less life-changing injuries. Immediately after the shooting in Arizona, there was a lot of talk just about by everyone about putting partisanship and politics aside and working together for the common good. I see this bill as an opportunity to do that. This is not a partisan bill. There is no Democrat or Republican way to become a victim of gun violence. And there is no Democratic or Republican way to reduce it. In the absence of a perfect, nonviolent society, we must make laws to protect the public. This is a very simple bill, a bill about our public health and our safety. We also have a moral imperative to protect innocent and law- abiding Americans from the threat of dangerous weapons in the wrong hands. In America, we believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To me, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness include being able to go grocery shopping on a Saturday or attend a public event on a Saturday afternoon without being gunned down. This bill does not take away anyone's right to own a gun. Let me make that very, very clear. This bill does nothing to take away anyone's right to own a gun. I believe in this Second Amendment, and I support law-abiding hunters and sportsmen. But common sense dictates there is no need for the kinds of devices that this bill is addressing other than for killing as many people as possible in the shortest possible time. Almost 100,000 people a year are shot in this country, suicides, homicides, accidental deaths and on and on. That's over 260 people a day. Every single one of those people have families and friends. Think of how many millions of Americans are affected by gun violence every single year. I want to remind us all that we can help lower these awful statistics. We can help save lives, and we can help prevent lives from being shattered. Now, this bill is getting more and more support every single day. We have over 90 cosponsors in the House and 10 in the Senate. And every day there's another newspaper editorial or a columnist supporting this bill. There are a lot of coalitions, organizations, and leaders out there working to support this bill to reduce gun violence in our country--the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence; the Violence Policy Center; the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence; New Yorkers Against Gun Violence; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; the United States Conference of Mayors; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; Richard Aborn, who was a former president of Brady; Mothers Against Guns; Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence; States United to Prevent Gun Violence; and many, many more. Even pro-gun conservatives like Vice President Dick Cheney say that it would be reasonable to discuss reinstating the restriction that was in the assault weapons bill and to do away with the large magazines. We are also hearing word that President Obama will publicly address the issue of gun violence soon. We don't know whether he will talk about this bill or other measures that I also support, like strengthening our background check system, or closing the gun show loophole, which allows you to buy guns at gun shows without a background check. But the good news is that people across the country are uniting in an effort to do something to reduce gun violence. I think one of the most important things I can do while I'm here with you is to ask for your help and ask the American people for their help. We all saw recently from the world events the kind of change that you can make happen when you have the power of the people behind you. And certainly we have done this before. We have come together as a Nation, Democrat and Republican, to pass sensible gun laws in order to save lives and reduce injuries. If you are not a cosponsor on this legislation yet, please become one. If you are still not sure if you want to support this legislation or not, please feel free to talk to me or anyone on staff. Go on my Web site and read the bill. Basically, this is a very narrow bill. Finally, no matter what we do, whether you support this bill or not, please let's look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves: After the shooting in Arizona, will we sit by helplessly and do absolutely nothing or will we do everything we can to save lives and protect innocent people for the future? I want to thank you again for listening to me tonight, and I want to say that even if we can save one life, one life, with all of our efforts, than to me it has been well worth it. My good friend and colleague from New Jersey, Bill Pascrell, who has been outspoken on this issue for many, many years, I appreciate him being with me tonight.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. And I thank my good friend. You know, a lot of times there is a lot of propaganda out there that gun owners don't want to go anywhere with this, but the support for this bill and gun restrictions in general, from organizations and members of the media, are also reflected in public polls. The Mayors Against Illegal Guns showed that almost 60 percent of all Americans and even 49 percent of gun owners support this bill. A public policy poll found that 55 percent of the people in Arizona, a State where gun rights are dearly cherished, support more restrictions on guns. A USA Today poll found that a majority of Americans do support stricter gun controls. Here is one of the issues that we face all of the time: That the American people support what we are trying to do, but we are not hearing their voices. And I think that is something that the American people can do to make a difference. I also want to note that Arizona and the Long Island Railroad are not the only recent incidents in which high capacity magazines were used. In Manchester, Connecticut, at a beer distributor, on August 3, 2010, a shooter with a large magazine killed eight and wounded two. Fort Hood, we all remember that day: November 5, 2009. The shooter killed 13 and wounded 34. Northern Illinois University on February 14, 2008: The shooter killed five and wounded 21. Virginia Tech, right here in our neighborhood, on April 16: The shooter killed 32 and wounded 17. We can go on and on and on, all the way back to Columbine High School, where the shooter killed 13--13 students and teachers--and wounded 23. Going back to California, a shooter killed eight and wounded six. At Luby's Cafeteria in Texas, the shooter killed 23 and wounded 20. These were all done by large capacity clips. My colleague, Congressman Pascrell, talked about health care. My son was shot 17 years ago. His medical bills within a couple of years were over $1 million, but there is the pain that he still has to go through every single day, which our friend Gabby is going to have to go through just to be able to do normal day things: tie your shoes, get dressed. My colleague mentioned $100 billion a year in health care costs. We know that we can't save every life. I know that. I spent over 30 years as a nurse. I couldn't save every life, but we sure did our best to do everything that we possibly could to make a difference. That's why I stand here tonight and talk about why I feel so passionately about this. Unless you're a victim, unless you're a family member or a friend who has lost a loved one or someone who was injured, it's very hard to describe the pain that goes on for many, many, many years. For those who survive, there is not only the mental trauma that they go through; there is also the physical trauma that they go through, which some will carry for the rest of their lives. Again, I say there are supporters, and I want to read off a few. They're mainly from newspapers across the country. Here in Congress, everybody talks about red States and blue States. Yet these are States that have people in them. We can disagree, certainly, on where we're going on certain issues, but there are newspapers around the country and editorial boards, which usually would not support any kind of gun legislation, that say it's time, that it's time to have a debate on how we reduce gun violence in this country. The New York Times reads: As lawmakers in Washington engage this week in moments of silence and tributes to Representative Giffords and the other casualties, they should realize that they have the power--we have the power--to reduce the number of these sorts of horrors and the pain and suffering. The Daily News noted that the shooter in Arizona squeezed the trigger again, again, again, and again--over 32 times--and that's just the half of it--as blood flowed and as people screamed and dropped to the ground. Where I live on Long Island, we have gun violence. It's a suburban area, but unfortunately so many guns and large magazine clips are coming into our communities, and they're bringing with them death and pain. I know gun control of any sort is a tough sell in Congress these days, but commonsense restrictions should be enacted as such large capacity clips play such an obvious role in turning angry outbreaks of violence into massacres. The Washington Post reads: Lawmakers should also endorse the sensible legislation introduced by myself to outlaw the sales of high-capacity ammunition clips that enabled Mr. Loughner to shoot some 30 bullets in a matter of seconds. A drug abuse history or not, no one, in my opinion, should be able to have the possession of a weapon that could so easily and senselessly be used to slaughter so many of our citizens, our neighbors, in such a short period of time. The Seattle Times, The Denver Post, The Salt Lake Tribune, the Charlotte Observer, the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal, and The Tennessean are all basically saying it's time to look at reducing the violence that is in our cities, our communities, our towns. One of the ways we can do that is by getting rid of the large capacity clips. The Arizona Daily Star noted that no one outside of law enforcement and the military needs to fire 30-plus rounds without interruption. Hunters do not. Neither do target shooters or those who carry guns for self-defense. Let me remind people that a gun that anyone uses that has a clip will still have 10 bullets and one in the chamber. That's 11 bullets that someone can use for self-defense. There is no question that fewer people would have been killed and injured on January 8 if the shooter had possessed a magazine with a capacity of just 10 rounds. Gail Collins said Congress should have an actual debate about Representative McCarthy's bill to reduce gun violence. Even traditional, conservative, pro-gun advocate Nick Kristof talks about the contrast of guns with automobiles. He turned it upside down to argue that, in reality--and this is true--for a long time, motor vehicles were dangerous, but slowly, slowly we made them quite safe. The trade-off is that we have modestly curbed individual freedom, but we can save tens of thousands of lives every year. That's a model for how we should approach guns and a public health concern. I talked about individual leaders who support H.R. 308. It is a long list, and many people have stood up: Mayor Bloomberg from New York City, my great city; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, another member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, also expressed support; I had mentioned Vice President Dick Cheney, of all people, who said it would be appropriate to reinstate a ban on high-capacity magazines like we had before. Other public officials and individuals around the country also support this bill: The New York Police Department said that a legislative solution to eliminating extended magazines would be best; the President of the Alabama Sheriffs' Association is a supporter; the Minneapolis police chief is a supporter; the Palm Beach County commissioner; the Montana Secretary of State; President Bob Brown, an NRA member and hunter who owns 18 guns, supports my legislation; the nurse who treated Ronald Reagan after he was shot supports this; the fiancee and family of Gabe Zimmerman, one of our own staffers who was killed in Arizona, support this bill. You mentioned our police officers, Bill. If anybody would be interested, we've had more police officers killed since January of this year until now than we've had in the last number of years. We say that we are there for our police officers. You were a mayor, and I know you stood by your police officers. I know that police officers around the country know when they're facing these large capacity clips and they're outgunned, as they were when we passed the assault weapons bill. So, Bill, I know you are where I am, and I thank you for the support that you have given me, because we did come in together, but it's people like yourself who are willing to speak out.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Please.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on February 16, 2011. If I were present, I would have voted for the following: Lummis (WY) amendment (No. 193)--rollcall No. 61: no; Moran (VA) amendment (No. 338)--rollcall No. 62: no; Flake (AZ) amendment (No. 376)--rollcall No. 63: no; Pompeo (KS) amendment (No. 376)-- rollcall No. 64: no; Reed (NY) amendment (No. 379)--rollcall No. 65: no.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chair, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Rep. Holt, for serving as my designee, and offering Amendment No. 12 during consideration of the Commerce Justice Science title of HR. 1. The amendment seeks to ensure that there is consistent funding included in the CR to implement the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, which became law in January 2008. In addition, I would like to thank Rep. Dingell for his unfailing support for NICS and support for this amendment. He has been a long time NRA member, and a long time supporter of responsible gun laws. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or ``NICS'', is a national database system that keeps track of individuals disqualified under current law from purchasing and possessing firearms. The NICS Improvement Amendments Act, signed into law in January 2008, requires all states to provide NICS with the relevant records needed to conduct effective background checks. The NICS Improvement Act provides grants to states and territories to update their records and transmit the records to the NICS database. Since the law was enacted, several states have benefitted from the grant program including Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, Wisconsin and my home state of New York. This law imposes no new restrictions on gun owners and does not infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. It simply makes improvements to a program that saves lives, and the bill was supported by the NRA. In FY11, the law was authorized at $375 million, and the appropriation level was $20 million in FY10 and carried into FY11 through the current CR. While I believe that this program is a vital component in our fight against crime and should receive the fully authorized funding, I understand that tough decisions have to be made in this economic environment. That is why I am not seeking the fully authorized funding level, but instead am simply asking that we remain consistent and continue to fund the program at the FY10 level. We need to give this program a chance to work and provide adequate funding to ensure that NICS has up to date records. Millions of criminal records are currently missing from the databases that make up NICS due to funding restrictions and technology issues at the state level. As a result, people who should not be obtaining guns, do. This point is underscored by the circumstances surrounding the shootings at Virginia Tech. Under current law, the shooter in the Virginia Tech massacre should not have been able to purchase a firearm, but tragically he did. His information never made it into the national NICS system. He slipped through the cracks and he was able to purchase two handguns, and used them to brutally murder 32 individuals. Sadly, this same scenario happens every day. The NICS Improvement Act has been effective. Since the NICS Improvement Act was signed into law, the number of state records of prohibited gun purchasers in the system has increased dramatically. According to Dept of Justice data, in Jan 2008 there were about 402,000 disqualifying mental illness records submitted from the states and territories to NICS. In August 2010, that number had more than doubled with 930,000 records submitted. The National Center for State Courts estimate that more than 2 million disqualifying mental illness records should be in the NICS, based on responses from only 42 of 56 U.S. states and territories. Based on this data we are missing more than half of the records that should be in the NICS system. Clearly there is more work to be done and by continuing to fund this program at FY10 levels, we will continue the effort to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and express that it is the intent of Congress that funding for the NICS Improvement Amendments Act be maintained at the FY10 level.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chair, I was unavoidably detained on January 26, 2011 and missed rollcall vote No. 23 on the amendment to H.R. 359 offered by Representative Peters. If I had been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 23.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I appreciate the gentleman's yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2, a bill that would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law in March of 2010, is an important first step in reforming our health insurance system, a system that everyone knows is broken. The Affordable Care Act provides access to the insurance market for millions of Americans, puts in place important consumer protections, and reduces our country's deficit. This new Congress was elected promising a transparent process with input from all Members. This repeal bill, however, has not even been considered by a single committee in the House. Members are also being shut out of the process. I cosponsored four amendments submitted to the Rules Committee; none were accepted. I cosponsored an amendment to ensure that women continue to receive the protections provided by the Affordable Care Act. The Republicans did not allow this amendment to come up to the floor. I cosponsored an amendment to ensure that all seniors will continue to receive the increased benefits in Medicare and that the doughnut hole will continue to be closed. The Republicans did not allow this amendment to come up for a vote. I cosponsored an amendment to ensure that small businesses continue to receive the tax cuts provided for in the Affordable Care Act. The Republicans didn't allow this amendment to come up for a vote. I cosponsored an amendment to ensure that we are responsible stewards of our Federal budget and to prevent this repeal bill from adding to the deficit. The Republicans did not allow the amendment to come up for a vote. This new Congress ran on a campaign of lower taxes on small businesses and reducing the Federal budget deficit. This bill, however, would raise taxes on small businesses and individuals and add a trillion dollars to the deficit. Just to be clear, a vote for this bill will be a vote for higher taxes and increases in the deficit. Although there is an effort to bring this repeal bill to the floor today, what is being proposed in place of affordable care? Nothing. My office has dealt with this for years. Please, vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. The great State of New York certainly sends their wishes and their prayers to the great State of Arizona. New York State went through a horror the same as Arizona is going through now. It's so parallel it's scary. Six killed, 20 injured, my husband dying, murdered, my son shot. But this is really a message of hope because my son did survive. Many of the victims survived. But I think the wonderful thing that needs to be out there are the prayers that came through from all parts of this country. Gabby's staff, you are suffering terribly. Those that have died, your families are suffering terribly. And those that have been wounded have to go through the pain to heal. What I will say to all of you, time will heal you. You will never forget, but time will make you smile again. Gabby would be so proud of this Chamber today. One of the things that Gabby is known for is how bipartisan she is. And she has brought this Chamber together. It's just a shame that a tragedy has to bring us all together. You know, Gabby's going to be fine, and she will be back here. And she'll be over there hugging people, talking to people. But that's what we as a Nation have to learn. We can disagree, but we need to work together. That is what Gabby wants, and that's what she'll push when she gets back here. So with that, the prayers of this Nation go to all. God bless our country, God bless the victims.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on December 21, 2010. If I were present, I would have voted on the following: H. Res. 1771, Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules, and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules--rollcall No. 657--``yea''. H.R. 6540, Defense Level Playing Field Act--rollcall No. 658-- ``yea''. H.R. 5116, America COMPETES Reauthorization Act--rollcall No. 659-- ``yea''. H.R. 2142, GPRA Modernization Act of 2010--rollcall No. 660--``yea''. H.R. 2751, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act--rollcall No. 661-- ``yea''. H.R. 3082, Making Appropriations for Military Construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010 and for other purposes--rollcall No. 662--``yea''. H.R. 6547, Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act--rollcall No. 663--``yea''.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, with the ninth anniversary of September 11th having passed, it is important to remember not only those who were lost that tragic day, but also the sense of purpose and togetherness that shined in the aftermath of, no doubt, one of the most difficult days in our nation's history. Heroic first responders deserve utmost recognition for selflessly digging through the ruins of Lower Manhattan in hope of finding survivors. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, a bill that I am proud to be an original cosponsor of, provides just that by extending and improving protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Since our inception, we, as a nation, have grown stronger by protecting and honoring the sacrifices of our citizenry. This legislation is the embodiment of that mantra. As a New Yorker, not a day passes without thought of the horrific attacks of September 11th, this legislation will no doubt go a long way to provide first- responders with peace of mind. During House floor consideration and passage of the James Zadroga 9/ 11 Health and Compensation Act on Wednesday, I was unavoidably absent from Washington due to a family health emergency. I have had the privilege of working closely with my New York colleagues in both the House and Senate on this legislation, and I am extraordinarily happy that the Congress was able to pass this bill before the adjournment of the 111th Congress.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on December 17, 2010. If I were present, I would have voted on the following: H. Res. 1377, Honoring the accomplishments of Norman Yoshio Mineta-- rollcall #648: ``yea.'' Senate Amdt to H.R. 1107, To enact certain laws relating to public contracts as title 41, United States Code, ``Public Contracts''-- rollcall #649: ``yea.'' H.R. 6523, Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011--rollcall #650: ``yea.'' Senate Arndt to H.R. 628, To establish a pilot program in certain U.S. district courts to encourage enhancement of expertise in patent cases among district judges--rollcall #651: ``yea.'' H. Con. Res. 336, Providing for the sine die adjournment of the second session of the One Hundred Eleventh Congress--rollcall #652: ``yea.'' H. Res. 1776, Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 105) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011 and for other purposes--rollcall #653: ``yea.'' H.R. 2142, GPRA Modernization Act of 2010--rollcall #654: ``yea.'' H.R. 5510, Aiding Those Facing Foreclosure Act of 2010--rollcall #655: ``yea.''

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, the Continuing Resolution that passed in the House of Representatives today will keep the government funded at the current level through March, 2011, allowing operations to continue for programs that would otherwise have expired. Nationwide, we are continuing to recover from difficult economic times. It is more important than ever that the federal agencies and the programs they administer, which so many states and individuals depend on, receive the federal funding they need to operate without interruption. During House floor consideration and passage of this legislation, I was unavoidably absent from Washington due to a family health emergency. However, I am pleased that my colleagues passed, this important legislation, which I strongly support.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on December 16, 2010. If I was present, I would have voted on the following: On Motion to Adjourn--rollcall No. 639--``nay''. S. 841, Pedestrian Enhancement Safety Act of 2010--rollcall No. 640-- ``yea''. S. 3860, To Require Reports on the Management of Arlington National Cemetery--rollcall No. 641--``yea''. S. 3447, Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010--rollcall No. 642--``yea''. H. Res. 1766, Agreeing to the Amendment--rollcall No. 643--``aye''. H. Res. 1766, Agreeing to the Resolution, as Amended--rollcall No. 644--``aye''. S. 987, International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010--rollcall No. 645--``yea''. H.R. 4853, Levin of Michigan Amendment--rollcall No. 646--``aye''. H.R. 4583, Motion to Concur in the Senate Amdt to the House Amdt to the Senate Amdt--rollcall No. 647--``aye''.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on December 15, 2011. If I was present, I would have voted on the following: H.R. 5446--rollcall No. 631--``yea''; H. Res. 1759--rollcall No. 632--``yea''; S. Con. Res. 72--rollcall No. 633--``yea''; H.R. 6205--rollcall No. 634--``yea''; H. Res. 1764--rollcall No. 635-- ``yea''; H. Res. 1761--rollcall No. 636--``yea''; H. Res. 1743-- rollcall No. 637--``yea''; H.R. 2965--rollcall No. 638--``yea.''

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on December 14, 2011. If I was present, I would have voted on the following: S. 1405--rollcall No. 628: ``yea''; S. 3167--rollcall No. 629: ``yea''; and H.R. 6510--rollcall No. 630: ``yea.''

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today we are going to be voting on H.R. 5987, the Seniors Protection Act. For the second year in a row, our seniors have not received a cost- of-living increase for Social Security recipients. The Consumer Price Index that is used to calculate the cost-of-living increase does not take into account what our seniors face on a daily basis. We do need to change how the cost-of-living adjustment is calculated and ensure accurately that the rising costs that seniors face are addressed. I hope that we have an opportunity to address that in the next Congress. Today, however, we do have a vote coming up for that, and I hope everybody will support it. H.R. 5987 will provide a one-time $250 payment to seniors in place of the annual cost-of-living adjustment. This will help our seniors offset the rising costs that they face. Many of us, myself included, introduced legislation in 2009; and today I am happy that we have come to a conclusion that we need to do this today. I know that the President had said that Congress should pass this. I am pleased that we are finally taking up this bill today, and I ask all of my colleagues for their support.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Sablan and Mr. Guthrie, for supporting this. I rise in support of S. 3817, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Reauthorization of 2010. First, I want to thank Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Kline for their hard work, and certainly the staff who have worked very hard on this issue also. I also want to thank Senators Harkin and Dodd for their leadership on getting this bill through the Senate. Abuse, neglect, and fatalities are significant concerns for all of us in this Nation, and I am proud that we are addressing this today. As a nurse for over 30 years, I have seen firsthand the risks and illnesses that can result due to abuse and neglect. A concern which surfaced during the hearing in my subcommittee when we held a hearing on this topic was that child abuse does not respect State lines. As a result of the hearing, I introduced a bill called Protecting Children Across State Lines Act. I am proud to have provisions of my bill included in the CAPTA legislation. My provisions do two things. One, they require data to be collected showing which reports are screened out on the basis of multiple State authorities being involved. Two, they clarify that the State task force recommendations for comprehensive protection of children should address issues in which multiple State authorities are involved. We know that children who experience or witness abuse or neglect have their sense of security, trust, and safety shaken to the core. Studies show that young children are more likely to be reported as victims. The maltreatment rate for infants is 21 percent compared to 13 percent for children of ages 1-3. Neglect is one of the most troublesome problems that we face in this area. In fact, more than 60 percent of children who come to the attention of child welfare authorities are victims of neglect. Sometimes these cases of neglect happen due to the simple fact that parents need assistance. These parents are not monsters, they just need to be connected with available services or need help with basic parenting skills. We know from studies that the impact of chronic, long-term neglect is devastating to the development of children.