George Miller

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Peters).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of the time remaining?

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, we have two remaining speakers.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I want to thank all of our colleagues who participated in this debate today. I think it has shown some fundamental disagreements and some fundamental differences. First of all, there is the strong suggestion here from an NFIB study that was done before this law was ever written, that has nothing to do with this law, saying you might lose jobs. But what do we see since the law has passed? We see that for employers of under 10 employees, health care coverage has risen by 10 percent because we've made it less expensive for small businesses to offer that health insurance. That is not a self-interested study. What you see from United Health Care, the largest health insurer in the country, 75,000 new customers to their health plans from employees of small businesses because the small businesses find it affordable to extend health insurance as a benefit of working for that small business. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City says the number of small businesses buying insurance since April, the first month after the legislation was signed, has jumped 58 percent. Small business employers are for the first time able to extend affordable insurance to their employees, and that is why the job creation that Mr. Andrews referred to of a million jobs since the passage of this bill has continued and expected to continue. That is why it is different than the history prior to the Obama administration where over 8 years almost 800,000 jobs were lost during those years of the Bush administration. But there is something more important in this legislation, and that is whether or not families will have the control of their health insurance destiny, whether they will have the freedom to make these choices. Many on the other side of the aisle said this is a bureaucratic system. Has anybody, any family in America, any single mother, any spouse, any child, any grandparent, met a more bureaucratic system than the American health insurance system? There is no more bureaucratic system. When you send in your premium, they tell you you sent it to the wrong place. When you send in your bill, you sent it to the wrong person. When you send it to the right person, they say that person has left their job. When you say, I went to the doctor, they say you should've called us first. When you say, I had emergency surgery, they say, you should've called us first; we're not covering it. You want to talk about bureaucracy, ladies and gentlemen, and that is why this legislation is growing in popularity, because small businesses see, senior citizens see, parents with children under 26, they see a chance to liberate themselves from the most arbitrary, the most capricious system in our entire free economy, and that is the insurance companies. Everybody has been run around the block by their insurance company. It is something that they all share. It is almost the same problems they share with their cable company, not quite. That is not as dramatic as here because this is life and death. This is the security of your family. This is whether or not you can change jobs. This is whether or not your children will be protected. This is whether or not your parents will be able to afford their prescription drugs, because that is what this legislation enables and gives the freedom to American families to have. Repeal, we go back into the clutches, the clutches of these bureaucrats spread across the world. In the insurance company, you call for help and you reach somebody in another country, in another time zone with no understanding of the emergency that your family, your child, your parent, your grandparent faces. Nobody wants to go back there, ladies and gentlemen. Nobody. They have been there for 50 years, and health care costs have gone up faster than any other segment in our economy. Faster than anything you can imagine. Faster than a speeding rocket, faster than a speeding airplane. Faster than Superman, health care costs have gone up because of insurance bureaucracies.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues to honor those who died and were wounded in Tucson, Arizona this past Saturday. The senseless rampage took the lives of six remarkable people and forever altered the lives of their families, 13 other people who were wounded, and each of their families. This tragedy has touched the soul of our Nation and we will not forget it. Like my colleagues and Americans throughout our country, I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the events that took place as our colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, conducted her outdoor constituent town meeting in Tucson. To the families of those who died I offer my heartfelt condolences. And for my colleague, Gabby, as we call her, and her family, and to the other victims and their families, I offer my prayers as they receive urgent medical treatment and begin their recovery. I share in the comments that so many of my colleagues have already made about Gabby. She has worked hard and contributed much. She is a highly respected colleague and a courageous representative for Arizona and our country. The attack on Congresswoman Giffords and her staff and constituents is deplorable and represents an attack on all Americans. I also join my colleagues in saluting the heroism of four men and women who subdued the shooter and attended to Gabby immediately after she was shot. These men and women truly made a difference on that Saturday. They deserve our praise and admiration. Madam Speaker, the responsibility for this tragedy lies with the shooter, someone who had earlier been identified as needing mental health care and who should never have been able to obtain a gun. Thankfully, he is in custody and his fate is now in the hands of our law enforcement and judicial system. But while he will be tried for his act, this attack has raised in all of us a deep and gnawing question that must be unanswered. How can we improve ourselves after this tragedy? Everyone who meets Congresswoman Giffords knows she is not an angry woman. She has sought to balance the diverse interests of her district while doing what she believes to be in the best interest of our country. Yet she was attacked, vilified and denounced by extreme political factions who sought to demonize her for what she believed as a member of Congress. We cannot undo the events of Saturday, January 8, but we can and should commit ourselves to a more responsible level of political discourse in America. I hope we can all learn from the events in Tucson, that in the name of Gabby and all of the victims of this deadly shooting, we can commit ourselves to strengthen our Nation, not fight each other, to be able to disagree with each other without hating or demonizing one another for it. Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to pay tribute to Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, her constituents, and everyone touched by the tragedy that unfolded on Saturday in Tucson.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. ``But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.''

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 6547 into the Record.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of all children in our country. I rise for all parents who send their children to school with the understanding that their children will be safe. Last week, the Committee on Education and Labor released a disturbing, outrageous report from the Government Accountability Office highlighting cases where convicted sexual offenders were working at schools. In 11 of the 15 cases, sexual offenders who were hired or retained by schools had previously targeted children, and in six of those cases, the sex offenders used their job to target and abuse more children, and this is unacceptable. This report is frightening insight into what happens when rules aren't followed or simply aren't in place. It showed that in many cases comprehensive background checks could have easily prevented these crimes from occurring. It also showed that some school districts knowingly passed on a potential predator to another school district, allowing the offender to resign instead of reporting him or her. It is outrageous that a sexual or violent predator of children can be passed from school to school. The Government Accountability Office found that school systems either did not have complete information or, perhaps worse, chose to ignore the problem or to make it worse by providing positive recommendations about the employee, knowing that they had abused children in their care. In many places, the current system of ensuring our students' safety is broken. It has huge gaps that are allowing our children to be vulnerable to sexual predators. Madam Speaker, this Congress can do more to protect our children. The Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act will help keep our children safe in school by requiring States to take commonsense steps. First, schools will be required to comprehensively conduct background checks for any employees using State criminal and child abuse registries and the FBI's fingerprint database. Second, schools will be prohibited from hiring or retaining anyone who has been convicted of certain violent crimes, including crimes against children, crimes involving rape or sexual assault, and child pornography. This bill will prevent more children from being put in unsafe environments because the adults who are responsible for their well- being failed to do their jobs. A 2004 Department of Education report estimated that millions of students are subjected to sexual misconduct by school employees at some time between kindergarten and the 12th grade. Coupled with the findings of last week's GAO report, it is very clear that this legislation is absolutely critical. Parents have a right to believe that their children are safe in schools, and schools have an obligation to fulfill that promise. This bill is only part of the solution, but it is an important step forward. The GAO report sent shock waves through households across the country. We owe it to parents and to the children and to the honorable school officials who follow the rules to pass this legislation. We also owe it to them to send a strong message that people who abuse children or do not do their jobs to keep children safe will face serious consequences. I hope that the next Congress will be able to take an even more comprehensive approach to protect children in our schools, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6547) to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require criminal background checks for school employees.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I would quickly say that I would like to thank the gentlelady from Illinois for her cooperation on this. I know this isn't the best process, but at the end of the session, having the Government Accountability Office report land on our desk on our watch, I felt it was important that we pass this legislation today to clearly send a very strong message to school districts across the country that they have to meet their responsibility to keep our children safe during school hours. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the DREAM Act. This is common sense, bipartisan legislation that is a win for our economy. First, in this economy, we need the best, the brightest, the most capable and the most qualified to be a part of the American workforce. This legislation will allow a limited group of very capable, high achieving young people to help contribute to the economic well-being of this country. These are young people who didn't come to this country through their own free choice. But, they are young people who have worked hard to graduate high school or obtain a GED. These are young people who have contributed to their communities and to this country. If we turn our backs on these students, then we're turning our backs on a qualified and competitive workforce. Second, Madam Speaker, simply put, this legislation is the right thing to do. Critics who argue that the DREAM Act would diminish opportunities for students in this country with full citizenship must not know anything about our colleges and universities. Our Nation's higher education institutions have the capacity to welcome these students, as many already do, without closing the door for other students. This Congress has passed historic legislation to increase college access and opportunity for all students. The bill before us today continues to provide that access to a higher education not only by providing these students a path to citizenship, but allowing them access to critical student aid through loans and work-study. The financial cost of a higher education is too often a barrier to attending higher education. It is critical that this bill ensures access to student aid, and gives students a chance at affording a higher education. It is important to note that this bill allows students to enter into a conditional nonimmigrant status for an initial period of 5 years, which shall be extended for an additional five years as long as they have fulfilled all requirements for extension. After 10 years in this conditional status, eligible students may apply for lawful permanent residence. Once applicants receive conditional non-immigrant status, DREAM Act participants, like lawful permanent residents and unlike many nonimmigrants, are considered to be residing in the United States lawfully without being required to maintain a residence outside the U.S. or have an intent to leave the U.S. As such, conditional nonimmigrants under the DREAM Act should be considered as' residents of the states that they reside in when considering tuition rates at public institutions of higher education, as long as they meet all other residency requirements for in-state tuition. By passing this legislation, we can reward smart, civic-minded, goal- oriented students and provide access to the American dream. Let's not punish students and the future of this country. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the chairman for yielding, and I thank him for all of his work on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. This legislation makes strategic and smart investments in students pursuing degrees in the science, technology, engineering or math fields. It continues the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which encourages students studying in STEM fields to earn a teaching credential and enter the classroom. It makes changes to encourage more colleges and universities to participate in these programs. This will ensure we have prepared teachers in our nation's science and mathematics classrooms to educate and inspire the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs. The COMPETES Act also continues funding for the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs--programs that set high standards and give students the advanced skills they need for the workforce of tomorrow. This legislation couldn't come at a more important time. It invests in our future competitiveness at a time when our global reputation is not where it should be. Over just the past few years we have begun to reinvigorate and awaken the American drive to innovate, but we have much further to go. Earlier this month, the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment showed that the United States ranks average, or 17th out of the 33 other industrialized nations. The difference between the countries at the top of these rankings and the U.S. is that the countries that are outperforming us have made developing the best education system in the world a national goal. They've recognized that the strength of their economy will be inextricably tied to the strength of their education system in the 21st century. It is time we decide as a nation that we can no longer afford to stay just average. By passing this legislation, we will continue our efforts to strengthen the STEM fields. We will improve our global competitiveness and our economic stability. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleague Congressman Mike Thompson today to recognize the great accomplishments of our friend Byron Leydecker, who recently announced that he will conclude operation of Friends of the Trinity River, the organization he founded eighteen years ago and has led ever since. The Trinity River flows through mountains in coastal northern California and is the largest tributary of the Klamath River. These rivers supported huge bountiful populations of both Chinook and Coho salmon, steelhead and other fish that sustained native Americans for millennia and visitors from other continents for the past two centuries. The impacts of ill-advised and poorly managed development had devastated both the Trinity and the Klamath. Thanks in large part to Byron, the Trinity is on its way to recovery. He pushed the Department of the Interior to develop and then implement the historic 2000 Trinity Record of Decision, he has worked tirelessly ever since to ensure that the Trinity restoration program goes forward as intended, and he has pushed the agencies to follow the science. Byron has led an active and vigorous organization over the years, devoting his time, energy, and financial resources to make a real difference in the direction of the Trinity River restoration program, which is today one of the leading efforts of its kind. Byron and FOTR have worked with the usual alphabet soup of government agencies, as well as tribes, fishermen, and water and power interests, to develop and implement the restoration plan. Byron has always been consistent and persistent, cooperative when possible and tough when needed. Thanks to Byron and the work of FOTR, the Trinity River is now in better shape than at any time since the 1960s--we have seen increased flows, a healthier fishery, and a stronger scientific foundation for its management. While there will always be snags and eddies in these undertakings, the successful restoration of the Trinity River will serve as a national model of a restored river below a federal dam. The Trinity River could have no better friend than Byron Leydecker. We are grateful to Byron for his leadership, and thank him for all his work on behalf of healthy rivers and sustainable fisheries.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding this time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule, as amended, that will give an opportunity to both sides to address what, I think, is an egregious provision in this bill. It, unfortunately, I think, also mirrors another provision in this bill, which is the tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of the people in this country and to a handful of estates, to some 6,000 estates. It gives them a $25 billion tax cut at a time when working families are struggling to keep their families together. Also is the fact that it does nothing in terms of stimulus, in terms of job creation. These tax cuts to the wealthy, so many economists have said, is the least stimulative thing you can do. They simply don't spend the money in a timely fashion because they don't need to spend that money. The second one, of course, is that the estate tax provides no stimulative impact either to the economy. In talking about doing this for the sake of the economy, what we are really doing is cutting taxes to people and to estates that will not contribute to economic growth, so we are creating debt that is unnecessary to create. You know, we are a couple of weeks away from the debt commission. We are a couple of months away from when people were concerned whether the United States was going to look like Greece or Spain or Portugal. Along we come now, and we're not even prepared to make the distinction as to whether or not we would create debt for, hopefully, stimulative purposes and/or just hand out tax breaks to people who don't need them and who won't contribute to the improvement of the economy. Yet it will clearly be put on the debt of this Nation, and it will clearly have to be dealt with in the ensuing Congresses where it will drive a series of decisions that aren't necessary, but neither was the debt necessary. I do think this rule is an improvement because it will give the opportunity for those individuals who want to vote against this tax cut for this limited number of estates to do so. Then whether they vote for that or against that or whether that prevails or doesn't prevail, the individuals will still have the ability to vote against this legislation as this is not to suggest that the amendment addresses all that is wrong with this legislation. It doesn't address the tax cuts for the high income. It doesn't address the complications of the payroll holiday and what that means to the financing of Social Security over the long term, the ability of this Congress to change that a year from now, the fact that that can lead to tax increases for individuals, and that it's less progressive than the higher provision that was in the original Recovery Act to provide assistance to middle-income families. There are a number of good provisions in this legislation. There are tax provisions in here to help educate their children, to take care of their children, and the extension of unemployment for a year, but I would hope that we would support the rule. As inadequate as this legislation is, I would hope that we would support the rule.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleagues Congressman John Garamendi, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Jerry McNerney, and Congressman Pete Stark to recognize East Bay Municipal Utility District General Manager Dennis M. Diemer and congratulate him as he approaches his well-earned retirement. Mr. Diemer's career in public service demonstrates his lifelong commitment to the citizens and communities of the East Bay. We are grateful to him for his service to our constituents. He began his career with EBMUD in 1981 as a senior environmental engineer, and over the ensuing years he was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility at the agency. In 1995, the board of directors selected him to serve as acting general manager, and he was appointed as general manager on February 13, 1996. In California, where our water fights are legendary, Dennis' collaborative approach helped EBMUD make strides toward a secure water future. Working with the district's board of directors, Dennis and his team focused on identifying and working with partners for water supply projects. He played a significant role in ending years of water wars between the East Bay, the Sacramento area, and the environmental community, an effort which evolved into the Freeport Regional Water Project. Dennis' work has made a long-term difference in the environmental quality of the Bay Area. He has long promoted protection of San Francisco Bay, from his work in the 1980s managing a collaborative effort with local communities to abate uncontrolled sewage discharges into San Francisco to more recent efforts to forge agreements that put EBMUD and local communities on a long term path toward controlling wet weather discharges to the Bay. In addition, under his watch, the district's new long range plan included a pioneering analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on future water supply. These actions will result in better protection of public health and the environment. Dennis has demonstrated exceptional leadership for EBMUD, making the organizational and process improvements necessary to anticipate and adapt to changes in regulations, technology, the environment, and the world around us. Madam Speaker, I invite our colleagues to join us in honoring General Manager Dennis Diemer for his dedicated service to the people of California and the Bay Area. We are pleased to join with his family, colleagues, and friends in congratulating Dennis on a long and highly successful career and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time to speak on this legislation. It is very clear, because of the fragile state of our economy, that there are many important provisions in this tax bill before us. For middle income families, it means their tax rates will not go up. For people in need of unemployment insurance, it extends those benefits another 13 months. And for families struggling to make ends meet, this bill extends tax credits for them so that they can pay for their children's education and they can take care of their children. These are lifelines for hardworking families that are struggling in this economy. I have fought my entire public career for these tax breaks to support middle income families to make college more affordable. These provisions help some 155 million Americans in this economy. But that's not all that's in this tax bill. Tragically, these 155 million Americans were held hostage to a ransom that the Republicans would only help these families, help these individuals, help these students struggling in school if we gave tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country. It is as if the wealthy don't have enough money and struggling middle class families have too much. But that was the price that was extracted for this legislation to help these 155 million Americans struggle through this economic downturn. So we see that some $25 billion will be lavished on 6,600 of the wealthiest estates in this country. These are estates in excess of $10 million for a husband and wife. These are estates that have used all of the tax laws to minimize the size of that estate to their advantage before they pay the estate tax. But the Republicans were not prepared to give unemployment insurance to millions of Americans who are struggling to find work unless they could provide this money to the wealthiest people in the country. This is not fair, it will unnecessarily increase the deficit, and it has no stimulative value. Economist after economist has told us what happens with this money when you give it to the wealthiest people in the country. They put it in the bank, and some day they may use it or they won't use it. It's not like middle income families that have to pay the rent, pay the lights, send their kids to school. It's a completely different operation. So no stimulative value to giving billions and billions of dollars to the richest 2 percent of the people in the country; it's not fair in terms of the resources of this country being used for those individuals while other families struggle; and it creates deficit unnecessarily. If you're going to create the deficit, at least it ought to be stimulative, at least it ought to grow the economy; that's not what this does. It should be rejected for this reason because this deficit, beginning the first of the year, will start immediately coming out of the hides of programs that support these very same middle income families and the education of their children.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for a negotiated solution to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I will be voting in favor of the resolution introduced by my friend from my home state of California, Congressman Berman, as I believe that only a negotiated solution to which all parties agree will achieve lasting peace. However, I would like to note that I believe that this resolution unwisely addresses only one issue standing in the way of Israeli- Palestinian peace, even while numerous other issues continue to plague the peace process. I believe that the resolution is fully correct that the Palestinian Authority should not seek statehood unilaterally. Yet, I do not believe that unilateral actions by either side that undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated solution are helpful in achieving our shared goal of peace in the region. In fact, I believe that they are extremely counterproductive. Moreover, I believe that it is critical that this Congress support the Obama Administration's continued efforts to negotiate with each of the parties over substantive issues to make progress toward a settlement so that an eventual return to direct negotiations can be successful. Indeed, Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell is in the region now working to make substantive progress. Once again, I support this resolution, but I believe that it unfairly only addresses one of a number of complex issues standing in the way of achieving a negotiated peace settlement in the Middle East.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 3817, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Reauthorization Act of 2010. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Reauthorization Act is the only Federal legislation exclusively dedicated to preventing, assessing, identifying, and treating the effects of child abuse and neglect. This reauthorization includes a number of important reforms for more use of the best practices in the child welfare system. First, the bill focuses on the vulnerable populations, unaccompanied homeless children, as well as children with disabilities. Second, the bill improves and strengthens data collection and analysis to improve the State coordination of overall services to help prevent child abuse. Third, we improve the training of people who work with abused or neglected children to ensure that best practices are followed, that families remain whole, when possible, and that children are removed from dangerous situations when needed. This Democratic Congress has taken swift action in the past to address issues of the safety of our children in school, in child care and in treatment facilities. It is clear we need to do more to help our children in their homes. This bill will also address domestic violence by reauthorizing the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. I want to thank the gentlewoman who just preceded me in the well, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, for her leadership and efforts to highlight this important issue. It is a sad reality that, during economic downturns, domestic violence occurrences happen more frequently. We know that nearly one in four women is abused by a partner in her adult life, that three women are killed by their partners every day in this country, and that 15.5 million children are exposed to domestic violence each year. We know that women between the ages of 16 and 24 are at the greatest risk of being victims of domestic violence. That is why this legislation is so important and why we allow dating violence victims to be recognized as recipients of services under this legislation. It is very important in this legislation to protect women from this violence. It was over 30 years ago when I visited the first Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was started by women in order to help protect women and to try to get them services. Later, there came to this Congress a first appropriation for services to shelters--protecting women from domestic violence situations and trying to show them how, if necessary, they would be able to live independently or that shelters would be able to provide counseling for their abusers and would see whether or not children could be protected. That was a long time ago. We have come a long way in this country. This legislation is incredibly important, and we must continue this effort of protecting these most vulnerable partners who are abused in their relationships on an everyday basis in this country--still in numbers far too great for us to consider that this problem has been solved. I want to thank Congressmen Kline, Guthrie, Platts, and others for their help on this legislation; and I want to thank Carolyn McCarthy, the subcommittee chair, for all of her work and all of her concern that she has expressed and devoted her time to with respect to both the issues of child abuse and of domestic violence, issues that resulted in this legislation. I hope, with these quick few changes, we will be able to send this back to the Senate and that they will support it. I want to thank the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands for managing this very important piece of legislation on behalf of the committee.