George Miller

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. At this time I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 3940) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend grants and other assistance to facilitate a political status public education program for the people of Guam.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 3940 into the Record.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 3940. This amendment addresses two issues: The political status and education in Guam; and adjustment of the minimum wage schedules for two other Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Current law requires the minimum wage to increase in both of these territories by 50 cents per year until they reach the mainland's Federal minimum wage. Current law also requires the GAO to submit annual reports to the Congress on economic conditions for the minimum wage in both of these territories. These GAO reports are intended to give Congress information so that, if necessary, Congress can adjust the minimum wage schedules in these territories. The adjustments proposed in this bill are as a result of the GAO's latest report. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the adjustment proposed by this bill is the result of the GAO's recent report. The recent GAO report lays out in great detail the serious economic difficulties confronting each territory to varying degrees. These difficulties arise from a variety of factors, including recent global economic conditions, ongoing economic diversification issues within the territories. The GAO report justifies an adjustment to the minimum wage scale. Accordingly, the bill adjusts the schedule over the next 2 years by foregoing the 2010 increase in American Samoa and foregoing to 2011 increase in both American Samoa and the CNMI, and then in 2012 the normal schedule will be resumed. Last year we took similar action, and I would hope that everybody would support this bill. I have to say, however, we have to correct some history here. First of all, the gentleman from Washington--I thank him for his support of this legislation--indicated that the hardship has fallen mostly on American Samoa. As the gentleman from American Samoa pointed out, some of that was due to the tsunami, but I would also suggest that American Samoa was covered at the insistence of Mr. Kirk from Illinois in the Appropriations Committee who insisted that the original legislation apply to American Samoa. That was not the original intent of the bill when we introduced it. Secondly, the jobs in the CNMI, of course, have been in decline for some years because of the changes in the Multi-Fiber Agreement, and those jobs started migrating to China. Most of those plants were Chinese-owned, and they started pulling the machinery out of those plants and moving the machinery to China. That was hastened because of the Jack Abramoff scandals, and many of the labels, the big international American labels that were having clothing made in those plants, did not want that association and they left those plants in haste. And now the CNMI has no further garment industry at all, but that's been migrating over the last couple of years. The problem was that, in fact, as we know, they were using the CNMI to sew into the label of these shirts ``Made in the USA'' when, in fact, they were not and they were made with what turned out to be, in many instances, slave labor from some of the poorest countries around the world. Many labels pulled out because they didn't want to be associated with those labor practices. They went off and had their clothes made in Indonesia or Mexico or the Caribbean or wherever. Others stayed and then things started getting worse. The final tier of the Multi-Fiber Agreement came along, and like so many other places in the Pacific, that's how that industry migrated to China, to Vietnam and elsewhere and left the CNMI.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of USS POSCO Industries of Pittsburg, California. In 1910, Columbia Steel Company was established at the current site of the plant in Pittsburg--a single open hearth furnace making steel castings for dredging, lumber and shipping industries with 60 employees. In the 1920s, the plant expanded to include the West's first nail mill, and later, the first hot dip tin mill west of the Mississippi to serve the food processing industry. In the 1930s, United States Steel purchased Columbia and expanded the facilities to serve big public works projects like construction of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, which consumed 200,000 tons of steel. Post World War II expansion included modern continuous sheet and tin mills, the West's first continuous rod mill, cold rolling mills, electrolytic tinning, cleaning, continuous coating and annealing lines. United States Steel became the first manufacturer in the West of galvanized sheet and thin-gauge tinplate in the 1950s, when plant employment peaked at about 5,200 men and women. In the 1960s and 1970s, competing materials such as aluminum and plastics, as well as the advent of mini-mills and foreign imports, led the company to focus on its most efficient and competitive product lines. When a pipe mill was added, the Pittsburg facility gained the distinction of having the most diverse product line of any steel plant in the United States. In 1986, USS POSCO Industries was formed as a 50/50 joint venture between United States Steel and POSCO of the Republic of Korea and the new company invested $450 million in modernizing facilities. Shortly afterwards, the company opened a Learning Center to promote continuing education. This Center continues to this day and now offers over 90 courses to employees and members of the community. Meanwhile, a new era of world-class operations began with a consistent supply of continuously cast, high-quality hot bands arriving by ship and rail from the joint venture partners. USS POSCO was recognized in 1994 for outstanding corporate environmental achievement by the National Environmental Development Association. In 1996, the facility attained ISO 9002 certification, acknowledging compliance with the highest international standards for quality and manufacturing processes. In 2002, a $115 million project to rebuild the Pickle Line Tandem Cold Mill was completed after a May 2001 fire destroyed the mill. In 2005, USS POSCO was awarded the coveted ISO 14001:2004 certification, the premier international standard for environmental excellence. Certification recognizes the company's strict environmental standards for documenting, training, auditing, and managing all aspects of the manufacturing process. The newly-merged company's 20th anniversary was celebrated in 2006 with sales exceeding $1 billion and 2009 saw its best safety year ever. Currently, USS POSCO employees about 750 workers and its annual production is over one million tons. The steel the company produces is used to manufacture sanitary food cans, a variety of construction products including culverts, studs, roofing, and HVAC applications, electrical conduit, ornamental tubing, filters, computer cabinets and office furniture. USS POSCO is the largest employer in the City of Pittsburg and annually contributes about $400 million to the local economy. The company is the largest corporate fundraiser in the East Bay for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), to which it has contributed for fifteen years, and in 2008 the company raised $173,000. The company's employees participate in a variety of local civic activities including Junior Achievement and the Los Medanos Community College Foundation, while the company worked with the college to establish a new apprenticeship program for vocational training. I know I speak for all Members of Congress when I congratulate USS POSCO on its 100th anniversary of continuous steel making in Pittsburg, California, and wish them continued success.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to offer my condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of Jamie Grodsky, former counsel for the Natural Resources Committee at the time that I served as committee chair. Her funeral took place in San Francisco in May of this year, and she will also be remembered in a Memorial Service to be held on September 20 in Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University. Jamie passed away on May 22, 2010. She was an extraordinary individual, who was both respected and cherished by her numerous friends and family members, as well as by her colleagues and students. Jamie played many valuable roles in her various jobs in all three branches of the Federal Government and in academia. For five years in the 1980's she was an Analyst with the Office of Technology Assessment. In that capacity she helped write reports and analyses that helped us to understand and benefit from changes in information technology and economic competition. From 1993 to 1995, Jamie returned to the Hill to serve as a counsel to the Natural Resources Committee. During that time, Jamie worked with me on a wide range of issues, including developing new policies for the conservation and use of the natural resources in the Western United States, and other environmental issues. A native of California, Jamie went to work for Senator Dianne Feinstein from California, as a counsel on the Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 1997. Among other issues she worked on were privacy, civil rights, judicial nominations, antitrust, intellectual property, and constitutional law. Jamie was well educated and loved learning. She received a BA with distinction from Stanford University, where she was elected president of her class. She subsequently received an MA from U.C. Berkeley in Economic Geography, and returned to Stanford to receive her law degree where she was Articles Editor of the Stanford Law Review and received the Murie Award in Environmental Law and the Ochlmann Prize for Legal Writing. Jamie left Capitol Hill to clerk for the Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit, the Hon. Proctor Hug, who described her as ``the most multi- talented person I have ever met.'' From there, Jamie served as Senior Advisor to the general counsel of the U.S. EPA from 1999 to 2001. Jamie went on to become a well respected law professor, first at the University of Minnesota, and, beginning in 2006, as a Professor of Environmental Law at George Washington University where she received tenure. She was a proficient writer and was one of the Nation's preeminent experts in environmental law. Two of her recent articles were chosen as being among the top five law review articles in the Nation. At various times, Jamie also found time to backpack around Appalachia, play guitar with the great Doc Watson; walk with Native Americans from California to Utah; serve as Educational Director of the San Francisco Oceanic Society (where she founded Sea Camp, a children's maritime educational camp); and conduct research in marine biology at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. There is no question that the Congress and our country are a better place because of Jamie's contributions. Jamie displayed not only tremendous knowledge, expertise and judgment, but also incredible enthusiasm and friendship to all who knew her. I know I speak for all of my colleagues on both sides of Capitol Hill, as well as Jamie's co- workers in the Executive Branch and Judicial Branch, and for her students and friends in Washington, D.C., California, Minnesota and around the Nation, when I offer my condolences and respect for a life well lived and fully enjoyed.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleagues Congressman Jerry McNerney and Congressman John Garamendi to recognize Contra Costa County Sheriff Warren E. Rupf and congratulate him as he approaches his well earned retirement after serving for 45 years in law enforcement. Sheriff Rupf has had an outstanding career in public service and his tenure demonstrates his lifelong commitment to the citizens and communities of Contra Costa County. Warren graduated from the FBI National Academy and National Executive Institute in 1965 following 4 years of honorable service to our country in the United States Marine Corps. Upon his graduation, he began working as a deputy sheriff in the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. Since that time, Warren has served in virtually every rank within the department and is currently the longest serving member of the agency. In 1979, Warren was appointed to assistant sheriff and served in that position until he was appointed Sheriff in 1992. Over the span of his career, the Sheriffs Department has grown to an agency of over 1,200 employees and a budget of $170 million. As an active resident of Contra Costa County, Warren has held leadership positions in several law enforcement and community service organizations. He has served as chairman of both the California Commission on Boating and Waterways and the Contra Costa Police Chiefs' Association. In addition to these distinguished posts he also served on the board of directors for the Suicide and Crisis Intervention, Contra Costa County District Fair, and the California State Sheriff's Association. Currently Warren serves as president of the Micki Rainey Scholarship fund and is active with the Bay Counties Peace Officers' Association. Over the span of his 45-year career, Warren has received numerous awards of distinction including the 1995 Peace Officer of the Year Award from the Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California, the 1998 Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America, and the ``Making a Difference'' Community Award in May of 2000 from the Assistance League of Diablo Valley. Madam Speaker, we invite our colleagues to join us in honoring Sheriff Warren Rupf for his dedicated service to the people of California, the Bay Area, and especially to the residents of Contra Costa County. We are pleased to join with his family, colleagues, and friends in congratulating Warren for a long and highly successful career and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, in fulfillment of House Committee chair responsibilities per H. Res. 1493 (111th Congress), below are ``findings that identify changes in law that help achieve deficit reduction by reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, promoting efficiency and reform of government, and controlling spending within Government programs'' the Committee on Education and Labor authorizes. The measures discussed below are pending before Congress. If enacted, the legislation would promote efficient government and allow the agencies and departments within the jurisdiction of the Committee to more effectively serve the public.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of one of my constituents, Mrs. Fannie Mae Lawson of Pittsburg, California. Born to James and Onnie Manning in Arkansas on May 27, 1925, Fannie Mae attended the C.S. Woodland School. In 1946 she married George Van ``G.V.'' Lawson in her hometown of Magnolia, Arkansas. Together they had four children: George, Willie, Sharon, and Audrey. In 1946, Fannie Mae and her family moved to Pittsburg, CA where she began her outstanding service to the community. She began volunteering at her local church, first as a member of the choir, then serving in the Ministries of Convalescent, as well as a Deaconess, and as a Mother of the church. She served the church for 64 years! Fannie was also actively involved in the Pittsburg branch of the N.A.A.C.P. where she served as President for 28 years, and she was also a foster parent for over 30 years and served on the Advisory Board for the Pittsburg Unified School District. At the age of 85, surrounded by her loved ones on July 27, 2010, Fannie Mae Lawson passed away. Sadly, she was preceded in death by her husband, G.V., her son George Earl, and two grandchildren. She will be missed not only by her three children, six grandchildren and many friends, but also by the people of the Pittsburg community whom she helped so much in life. Pittsburg Activist Left a Legacy, Longtime Residents Say [From the Contra Costa Times, Aug. 4, 2010] (By Rick Radin) Pittsburg--The city's residents lost a powerful voice for schools and for social justice with the death of longtime community activist Fannie Lawson last week. Lawson, 87, served as chairwoman of the Pittsburg NAACP for 15 years. She was a leader in promoting equal rights in hiring in Pittsburg businesses and advocating for after-school programs, said Darnell Turner, the chairman of the legal redress committee of the NAACP of East Contra Costa, the Pittsburg chapter's successor. Funeral services were held Saturday at First Baptist Church in Pittsburg, where Lawson was a member for more than 60 years. ``She'll be missed,'' said Curlie Jackson, a former NAACP branch chairwoman. ``If you had a problem, she was the one you went to.'' Lawson and her husband, George Lawson, moved to Pittsburg from Magnolia, Ark., in 1946, and Fannie Lawson took a job in a cannery in Pittburg, Turner said. The Lawsons were the first black residents of Pittsburg's Bayside Knolls neighborhood in 1951, and Fannie Lawson felt some bitterness about the experience of being a pioneer. ``Can you imagine being looked at as too low to live in this place or that place? It was hard,'' Lawson said in a 2006 interview. ``A lot of things were said that hurt my feelings, but you couldn't give up if you wanted a place to live.'' Lawson took the experience and momentum from fighting for housing rights into a series of other campaigns for low-income residents in Pittsburg and East County. When a release from the Pittsburg PG&E power plant coated homes and cars in Lawson's neighborhood with dust, she worked with the company to make sure the material was tested for toxics, Turner said. ``The police blocked off the neighborhood, and a hazardous materials team came in,'' Turner said. The utility agreed to repaint cars and homes that had been damaged by the release, he said. ``(Lawson) continued to work with PG&E after the incident,'' Turner said. ``They created a scholarship program to help underprivileged students get an opportunity to pursue a two- or four-year education.'' Lawson was the driving force in the campaign to change the name of Montezuma Street in Pittsburg to Herb White Way, after the city's first black mayor. She also kicked into gear when Pittsburg teachers threatened a strike a few days before the end of the school year in the late 1990s. ``She wanted to make sure the students weren't used as bargaining tools, that the graduation wasn't (tainted by a work stoppage),'' Turner said. She responded to a cross burning in Brentwood, working with the city to improve communications and promote tolerance, he said. Lawson pushed for tutorial programs for children who were having difficulty in school, said former Contra Costa supervisor, state senator and Pittsburg school board member Joe Canciamilla. ``She wasn't shy,'' Canciamilla said. ``She was tenacious when it came to advocating for people.''

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today and invite my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Lt. Col. William ``Bill'' C. Bryan, longtime resident of Vacaville, California, and to recognize his many accomplishments and contributions to our country and the community. Sadly, Bill passed away at home with his wife at his side on August 1, 2010 at the age of 90. I was honored to have recently visited with Bill, his wife Betty and daughters Geri and Karen, as well as two of his grandchildren at their family home. Bill and Betty shared stories about their lives together and proudly showed off a mini time-line of photographs from their wedding day, their growing family and Bill's 90th birthday party. Bill also recalled his service in WWII and shared with me photographs of his early years in the service and throughout his distinguished career. Bill took great pride in serving our country and his love of flying was evident and everlasting. William ``Bill'' Charles Bryan was born on April 27, 1920, in Big Timber, Montana, to William Franklin Bryan and Lena Bryan. Bill's outstanding character was no doubt evident to all who knew him, and his commitment to the United States Army was a true indication of his sense of duty and love of country. Bill's long career with the military started when he was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served in the Army Coastal Artillery Unit. In 1943, he cross-trained and started pilot training in the Army Air Corps. In 1944, on his 17th mission over Germany, his B-24 was shot down over Austria. Bill courageously spent 14 months as a Prisoner Of War (POW) in Northern Germany at Stalag Luft #1. Despite often frightening and harrowing conditions as a POW, Bill returned to flying upon his release in 1946 and piloted the Douglas C-124 Globemaster and the Douglas C-130 Hercules. In 1947 Bill became a member of the newly designated United States Air Force where he continued to serve until retiring in 1966 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Bill would not remain idle after retiring from the Air Force for long. Following his distinguished time in the military, he embarked on a second fulfilling career and started his own business, ``Bill's Refrigeration''. Bill not only ran the business, but he also worked as a repairman on refrigeration systems through the neighboring communities until his retirement in 2004. For many years he volunteered his services and repaired the Vacaville Veterans Hall refrigeration system to continue showing his support to the veterans community. Over the years, Bill donated his time and talent to the Veterans Community and was often called upon as quest speaker at various veterans' services such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Remembrances and Prisoner of War and Missing in Action ceremonies. Bill served as an advisor to his local veterans groups on POW/MIA issues and was a member of the Quiet Birdman, Order of the Daedalians, American Legion Post 165, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7244 and Sacramento POW Club. Bill's patriotism in the community was frequently recognized by his peers. Bill was seen standing proudly along the front row of veterans holding the POW/MIA flag for two hours at one event. He refused several attempts during the event to use a chair and he proudly proclaimed he was standing up, ``in support of our troops''. Bill is survived by his wife, Betty C. Bryan; son, Wesley William and wife Jerri; his daughter, Geri Bryan Hann; stepdaughter, Karen Novak and husband Joe; stepson, Steve Croft and wife Oolah. He was also the proud grandfather of eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Madam Speaker, once again, I would like to pay tribute to the life of a true American hero, Lt. Col. William ``Bill'' C. Bryan and further recognize his unwavering devotion to his family, his community, and his country.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank him for his persistence in pushing this legislation, and finally to have this legislation back from the Senate today so that we can help school districts. The scandals that were permitted under the Bush administration cost middle class families trillions of dollars in the loss of their wealth in their pension plans, in their jobs, in the value of their homes. Now the question is whether or not school children in this Nation should be further victims of these financial scandals that were tolerated, and whether or not these school districts that have had the revenues that they rely on to fund the schools that have been ripped away because of the loss of property values, because of the loss of sales tax, because of the loss of income tax, because of the results of those scandals. The answer in this bill is no, that in fact we should help school districts make sure that children can get a first class education, that they don't lose a year of education because of those financial scandals that happened on the watch of the past administration as the banks and Wall Street ran amok. So we should pass this bill and make sure that those 160,000 teachers can return to the classroom. I would like to ask the gentleman a question. It's my understanding, Mr. Chairman, under this legislation, that when the governor makes application for these funds, under the bill the Secretary can require the governor to choose one of two formulas, the State allocation formula or the title I formula, and to post that formula so school districts would then be able to know their allocation as soon as possible so they could start to rehire people and start to reduce class sizes or other decisions that school boards hope to make to provide for that education. Is that your understanding that that's permitted under this legislation?

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. So the Governor would put that in the application, declare the formula, and post that, so that school districts would be on the earliest possible notice,

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Again I want to thank you. You have sent the bill to the Senate, the House sent it last year, and you sent it three times this year. Thank you again for your persistence and your work on this issue.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I rise in opposition to the motion.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, I would strongly urge you to reject the Republican motion to recommit. What we have before us today in the legislation that I am offering along with Mr. Markey, is an effort to provide the level of protection that these offshore oil workers on the rigs on the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States of America are entitled to. What the Republicans are suggesting is that a law that was written in 1970 is good enough for these workers. Let's understand the environment in which these workers are working. They're working on the most expensive oil rigs in the history of the world. They're making the most complex drills in the history of the world. They're using the most complex technology in the history of the world, and they're doing it in constant motion on top of the seas as they drill for these resources. Now, why shouldn't they have the same protection that railroad workers have? that transport workers have? that nuclear workers have? that pipeline workers have? Because they all have a modern whistleblower statute. But those men and women who go out on those rigs today do not have any protection, much less a modern protection, but the Republicans are telling you they should take second-class protection. Now, as we saw the case of a whistleblower, Mr. Abbott, who called BP, an engineer, and said the designs are wrong, the drawings are flawed, he would not be covered under this statute. The court found his claim to be valid that he passed on serious information to BP that they rejected. Now, let's understand this is about one worker with knowledge and understanding of the drilling processes and procedures making a decision that something's about to go very wrong. So that worker has the courage to say, ``I think we better stop and check it out'' in a very complex process, in this case, of withdrawing from the well and capping that well. They're telling that worker, ``This rig is a half a million dollars a day. We're going to get it off our books. We're going to get it out of here. Just keep going,'' and then the tragedy happens. Let's talk about who that worker's talking to. They're talking to a company that's drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, British Petroleum, on American soil, under American laws, who violates willfully and egregiously those laws 807 times; who, in 2005, violated those laws hundreds of times and blew up a refinery in Texas, killed 15 workers and injured another 180; promised to fix those violations, and 4 years later, they hadn't fixed 700 of those violations and were fined $87 million. Apparently, they think it's cheaper to pay fines than it is to protect the workers of this country. I don't know if you've been around oil rigs. I don't know if you've watched people in this business, but this is a choreography that takes place among those workers on those rigs that is unbelievable, and it can be lethal. I've seen it because I know what you have to do on those rigs. This is how workers put themselves in jeopardy every day. It's whether a pipe falls on you, whether a chain snaps, whether a pipe breaks, whether the fluids blow out, whether you get hit from the overhead. This is a very dangerous profession. Companies work hard, some companies, but are we going to really tell a worker that they're going to go up against BP when BP is so fully prepared to violate the laws, the health and safety laws of this Nation? I think we ought to understand we owe American workers a much better deal on the American Outer Continental Shelf, and that's why this motion to recommit should be rejected. It should be rejected because that's our obligation. They're entitled to a modern whistleblower law just like the other workers that I named to you. We can do no less for these workers. We can do no less for those workers who tried to come forward and stop the dangers on this rig and lost their lives because they weren't listened to. The workers who told their wives, ``Get my papers and my wills and my business in order.'' Imagine a worker going to work and saying, ``Get my affairs in order. Let's check my will.'' That's what people do when they go to war. They shouldn't have to do it when they go to work on an American rig in the American Outer Continental Shelf. Give these workers what they're entitled to. Give them a decent, honest, modern whistleblower law with real protections.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 5851, to include corrections in spelling, punctuation, page and line numbering, section numbering and cross- referencing, and insertion of the appropriate headings.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 3534, to include corrections in spelling, punctuation, section numbering, cross-referencing, and the insertion of appropriate headings.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1574, I call up the bill (H.R. 5851) to provide whistleblower protections to certain workers in the offshore oil and gas industry, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material for the Record.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before the House today closes a loophole in current law regarding the rights of workers to blow the whistle over unsafe conditions on offshore oil rigs. As the Obama administration told Congress, individuals working on the Outer Continental Shelf, like on the Deepwater Horizon, shockingly have zero whistleblower protections. This is unconscionable. There is no good policy reason for treating onshore and offshore workers differently. This is because the whistleblower may be the only thing that's standing between a safe workplace and a catastrophe. H.R. 5851, the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act, will fix this glaring omission. Whether it is refineries, underground coal mines, or oil drilling rigs, our enforcement agencies cannot be at all workplaces at all times. That's why it's up to workers to be the eyes and the ears when these agencies can't. While the precise cause of the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon tragedy is still under investigation, two things are clear from the media reports and from the congressional hearings. First, workers on the rig had safety concerns prior to the tragedy. And second, workers believed that they would lose their job if they raised these safety concerns with management. Not long before the Deepwater Horizon explosion, rig worker Jason Anderson told his wife that working conditions on the rig were not safe. He talked to her about getting his will and getting his affairs in order. But he wouldn't talk about his safety concerns when he was on the rig. He once told his wife he couldn't talk about the safety concerns because ``the walls are too thin.'' Jason did not survive the explosion. He perished, along with 10 others. He left behind a wife and two young children. No worker should ever have to choose between his or her life and their livelihood, but that's a decision these workers face. As Deepwater Horizon worker Daniel Barron said, safety is only convenient for employers when they needed it. There was a lot of rhetoric that everybody had the right to call a timeout for safety, but when push comes to shove, if you called that timeout, Daniel Barron said, you're going to get fired. Mr. Speaker, this bill is narrowly tailored and will protect offshore workers who call for a timeout for safety. It simply extends the whistleblower protections to workers engaged in oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, and oil spill cleanup on the Outer Continental Shelf. It mirrors other recently enacted whistleblower laws contained in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and the Federal Railroad Safety Act. Specifically, H.R. 5851 will prohibit discrimination against employees who report violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. It protects workers who report injuries or unsafe conditions to an employer or the government, and protects workers who refuse to perform on the assigned task when there is a reasonable belief of injury or spill. The bill will also require employers to post notice and provide training that explains these rights. Finally, like other modern whistleblowing statutes, the bill provides for a fair process for resolving whistleblower complaints at the Department of Labor or through the courts if necessary. The Education and Labor Committee recently approved strong mine safety and OSHA reform bills that include nearly identical whistleblower protections. I want to thank my colleague, Congressman Markey, and his staff for their work on this legislation, and Mr. Conyers and the Judiciary Committee for their constructive advice and suggestions. I again want to thank Mr. Markey. He offered very similar whistleblower language in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and they reported that language out as part of a larger oil spill response bill 48-0. I urge my colleagues to support the closing of this dangerous loophole and provide the protections for these workers. Workers in the oil and gas industry deserve a voice on safety issues regardless of whether or not they work onshore or offshore. Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, July 29, 2010. Hon. George Miller, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Miller: This is to advise you that, as a result of your having consulted with us on provisions in H.R. 5851, the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act of 2010, that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, we are able to agree to waive seeking a formal referral of the bill, in order that it may proceed without delay to the House floor for consideration. The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 5851 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward, so that we may address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation, and requests your support for any such request. I would appreciate your including this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration of the bill on the House floor. Thank you for your attention to this request, and for the cooperative relationship between our two committees. Sincerely, John Conyers, Jr. Chairman.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Will the gentleman yield?