Dennis Moore

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, the week of September 17-23 has been officially designated as Constitution Week. This marks the 221st anniversary of the signing of our Constitution. The guardian of our liberties, our Constitution established our republic as a self-governing Nation dedicated to rule by law. This document is the cornerstone of our freedom. It was written to protect every American from the abuse of power by government. Without that restraint, our founders believed the republic would perish. The ideals upon which our Constitution is based are reinforced each day by the success of our political system to which it gave birth. The success of our way of government requires an enlightened citizenry. Constitution week provides an opportunity for all Americans to recall the achievements of our founders, the nature of limited government, and the rights, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. It provides us the opportunity to be better informed about our rights, freedoms and duties as citizens. Madam Speaker, at this time I particularly want to take note of the outstanding work of the Prairie Rose Chapter of the Kansas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which is actively involved in the Third Congressional District in events this week commemorating Constitution Week. The Prairie Rose Chapter has been involved with this effort in our communities for a number of years and I commend them for doing so. Our Constitution has served us well for over 200 years, but it will continue as a strong, vibrant, and vital foundation for freedom only so long as the American people remain dedicated to the basic principles on which it rests. Thus, as the United States continues into its third century of constitutional democracy, let us renew our commitment to, in the words of our Constitution's preamble: ``form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. . . .'' I know that the Prairie Rose Chapter of the Kansas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution joins with me in urging all Americans to renew their commitment to, and understanding of, our Constitution, particularly during our current time of crisis, when Americans are fighting overseas to defend our liberties here at home.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Katherine and Elizabeth Gant, residents of Kansas' Third Congressional District, who are retiring after 46 years as music educators in Leawood, Kansas. In anticipation of a celebration honoring the Gant sisters that will take place on August 10, the Sun newspapers of Johnson County recently published an article detailing their accomplishments and plans for the future, which I am including with this Congressional Record statement. Having spent a lifetime composing children's music and teaching music to children, they will now focus on composing and promoting their own compositions. Madam Speaker, I know that all House members join with us in paying tribute to Katherine and Elizabeth Gant, who are beloved by several generations of Johnson Countians for their dedicated and selfless work to bring music into the lives of our children. Gant Sisters Stop Teaching To Focus on Recording (By Kelli Bamforth) After 46 years as music educators to countless children across the metro area, Elizabeth and Katherine Gant are hanging up their hats after the sale of their Leawood music school, 3658 W. 95th St. But do not expect the sisters to retire. In many ways, their work is just beginning. Elizabeth and Katherine will now focus on composing and promoting their original children's music beyond Kansas City. ``Schools and churches use our music but we knew we had to start aggressively marketing our music to get it out of Kansas City,'' Elizabeth said. ``We want to get it all over America, but knew we couldn't teach and market simultaneously.'' The sisters sold their school two months ago to Cindy See, a pianist with two daughters who are former students of the Gants. ``With the See family, (the school) will continue to be a family affair,'' Elizabeth said. ``They just finished their summer session and will start back up in the fall.'' A celebration honoring the Gant sisters will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, at Hallbrook Country Club, 11150 Overbrook Road. Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn will present a proclamation declaring ``Gant Sisters Day'' in the city and a children's choir will perform with school alumni. ``It all fell into place,'' Katherine said. ``I thought (declaring Gant Sisters Day) was so sweet. Politicians and big important people get things named after them all the time, but for two sister educators. . .they keep telling us there are other things planned, but it's a surprise.'' The sisters began what they call a ``lifelong love affair with music'' when their mother inspired them as children. ``She taught us to sing with harmony,'' Elizabeth said. ``She was a working mother but we never felt neglected.'' Elizabeth and Katherine attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where they majored in opera and education. When Katherine graduated a year ahead of Elizabeth, Archie Jones, dean of the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, asked Katherine to create a new and different children's music education program. Elizabeth and Katherine began writing their own children's music and lyrics when they could not find anything suitable for children age 3 to 6 in their program. ``We started writing music to fit the needs of our classes,'' Elizabeth said. ``We saw the need and we always loved children. We like to think we have our finger on the pulse of today's children, the dreams they dream. Our mom always told us the most important people in the world are children. ``We decided to write music for the child in all of us.'' The program eventually moved to the Avila University campus for 10 years before being relocated to Leawood's Ranch Mart shopping center. The sisters have recorded CDs and cassette tapes of their music, and eventually began writing children's books, adaptations of classic fairy tales such as ``Pinocchio'' and ``Little Red Riding Hood.'' ``We write our own original music for each character,'' Elizabeth said. One recording that already has reached audiences across the country is ``America, I Love You!'' Katherine and Elizabeth re-recorded the children's national anthem after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ``That Sunday after 9/11, Katherine and I were at home watching television and Itzhak Perlman, a very talented violinist, was performing in New York near the site,'' Elizabeth said. ``After he was done, he didn't know the camera was still on him, and he just started weeping. And it touched us. . .we knew we had to do something for the children.'' Eleven years prior to Sept. 11, the sisters wrote and released the patriotic song, but re-recorded the tune with more than 400 children on the Pembroke Hill School campus. All proceeds from the recording go to two charities in New York for children whose parents lost their lives. The video and CD have been distributed to all five branches of the military and every public television station in America. But the music school remained their passion, the sisters said. Business mostly came from word of mouth, Elizabeth said, and the sisters routinely taught children and grandchildren of former students. ``We've had a beautiful response to our music from children and parents alike,'' Elizabeth said. ``When you put music and children together, beautiful things can happen. We've always had the feeling in our hearts that children and music should come together to bring about peace in the world.'' Elizabeth and Katherine, both widowers, live together. Katherine said the past 46 years have been ``a dream world of a perfect job.'' ``It's our passion,'' Katherine said. ``This wasn't just a whim or a passing fancy,'' Elizabeth said. ``Music is like food, an ongoing necessity the world will always need. We're not trying to launch a rocket from a canoe but from the flagship of everything we've built for 46 years.''

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Johnson County, Kansas, for being recognized by Forbes Magazine and CNN/Money as one of the best places to live and raise a family in the United States of America. On June 30, 2008, Forbes ranked Johnson County as the third best place in the country to raise a family. Similarly, CNN/Money.com has called Overland Park, Kansas, a city of nearly 170,000 people located in Johnson County, the ninth best place to live in the U.S. As a resident of Johnson County myself, I am particularly pleased that the county has earned such high praise. These media outlets have highlighted what my fellow Johnson County residents and I have known for years: great schools, affordable homes, and a growing economy have made Johnson County a great place to live. Located in Northeast Kansas, in suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri, Johnson County is home to more than 500,000 people spread across 21 different municipalities. Six school districts enroll nearly 80,000 K- 12 students each year. Major businesses, including Yellow Freight, Applebees Restaurants, and Sprint Nextel have been headquartered in the county. The strong schools and impressive job growth, along with affordable homes, short commutes, and the low cost of living led Forbes to rank Johnson County third out of more than 90 counties from across the U.S. that the magazine surveyed. I'm proud to say that I have lived and worked in Johnson County for more than 30 years. I'm even more proud to have served the citizens of Johnson County, first as District Attorney for 12 years, on the Board of Trustees for Johnson County Community College for 7 years, and as their U.S. Representative for the past 9 years. I want to commend the many city and county officials, public service workers, business leaders, investors, and above all, the numerous parents and grandparents who have worked so hard to help make Johnson County the wonderful place that it is today.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of Community Service 2008 (CS08), an initiative being spearheaded by Financial Services Roundtable and its member companies to harness volunteerism in the financial services sector and improve the communities in which we all live and work. CS08 companies will complete 1,000 community service projects between July 1 and September 30, in all 50 states with over 28,000 volunteers. In Overland Park, which I represent, a CS08 event was just completed with AXA Equitable in which employees teamed up with KVC Behavioral HealthCare to sponsor a historical tour to youth being treated there. This expansive effort would not be possible without the strong leadership of CS08 co-chairs Richard K. Davis, Chairman, President, and CEO of U.S. Bancorp, and Don J. McGrath, Chairman and CEO of Banc West Corporation. Now in its seventh year, the timely focus of CS08 is on financial education, and increasing visibility of financial education programs in communities. This is in addition to member companies' community service projects via blood drives, building homes, neighborhood cleanups, or even outreach to children, like in Overland Park. Roundtable member companies know that the possibilities for community improvement are vast. I am also proud to recognize our CS08 Honorary Congressional Host Committee. 141 Members of Congress have volunteered to sponsor CS08 and I know I speak for all of the participants in thanking my colleagues in the House and Senate for their leadership. Congratulations to all who are working to make CS08 a huge success.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. My thanks to Chairwoman Lofgren for yielding me time. I would like to acknowledge the many hours and hard work my friend from California and her staff have put into the many hearings they have had on our country's history of immigration and the need for reforming our immigration laws. I would like to thank my fellow Blue Dog, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, for drafting the bipartisan Employee Verification Amendment Act, and her leadership on addressing illegal immigration. I would also like to thank Social Security Subcommittee Chair Mike McNulty and Ranking Member Sam Johnson and their staffs for their work in ensuring we protect Social Security as we extend and improve E-Verify. Due to their work, Social Security trust funds will not be raided, in contravention of current law, to fund the costs of the E-Verify program. Our seniors and persons with disabilities should not and will not be burdened with these costs under our bill. This year, House committees have held hearings examining how E-Verify works and how it might be improved. I am pleased we have reached the bipartisan compromise the House is now considering. We must crack down on employers who knowingly hire and take advantage of undocumented workers, and this bill will help do that. This bill will continue E-Verify without interruption for 5 more years, which is very important, and will protect Social Security. The bill also requires the evaluation of the E-Verify databases and the need to improve them, as well as the impact E-Verify may have on small businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities. We need to address these and other legitimate concerns, like identity theft, so we can implement a far more effective and efficient mandatory employment verification system in the near future with other immigration reforms. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, on July 14, 2008, due to a delayed flight, I was unable to cast one recorded vote on Rollcall vote 486, concerning H. Res. 1067, recognizing the 50th anniversary of the crossing of the North Pole by the U.S.S. Nautilus. Had I cast my vote, I would have voted ``aye''. I was present and able to vote on the next two measures.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, last month I was honored to participate in a ceremony honoring four local Kansas residents for their contributions to local communities and commitment to personal development. Honorees received the 2008 Congressional Award Gold Medal during a reception on Capitol Hill. I was proud to help celebrate the achievements of these outstanding young men and women and honor them with this distinguished award. Their dedication to helping others and self-improvement is not only inspiring, but it reminds us that changing the world starts with each of us. Sydney Ayers, one of today's recipients and a resident of Leawood, spoke during the June 19th ceremony, providing reflections on her achievement and the importance of community service. Earning the Congressional Award Gold Medal requires a significant commitment, in both time and energy. Each participant must spend two years or more completing at least 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of both personal development and physical fitness activities and a 4-night Expedition or Exploration. The Congressional Award Gold Medal is the pinnacle of these achievements. The 2008 Kansas 3rd District recipients are: Sydney Ayers, Leawood, worked with children and the elderly, volunteering at several locations across the United States and Mexico. She performed in plays, worked as the backstage manager for several productions and took ballroom dance lessons, in addition to playing high school tennis, USTA tennis and managing the boys' high school team. She also planned and completed a 5-day adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. Benjamin Connell, Lenexa, volunteered at Lakeview Village Nursing Home and the Boys and Girls Club, mentoring young children, facilitating anti-drug/alcohol lessons and tutoring. He also worked in the career development office at Kansas State University, learning how to teach and counsel students. Ben focused on exercising and participating in intramural sports and backpacked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Christopher Connell, Lenexa, raised funds for charitable causes, mentored young children and helped the elderly with a variety of tasks in addition to working as a waiter at an assisted living facility. Cross Country running and lifting weights improved his 5K running time. Chris also spent six nights in the wilderness at Double H Ranch, which is associated with Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Nicholas Connell, Lenexa, shared his musical talent by preparing a repertoire of music, including Peter and the Wolf, on the oboe and holding public performances in several different venues. Nick's creative talents also include writing, for which he won a 1st place prize for a piece of short fiction. He pushed himself physically by running on a treadmill and consistently exercising on an elliptical machine, in addition to hiking over 60 miles at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. I am pleased to include in the Congressional Record two articles from the Kansas City Star highlighting this award and the outstanding young Kansans who received it. [From the Kansas City Star, June 28, 2008] Lenexa Brothers Win Congressional Award Gold Medal (By Alexia Lang) Hard work and dedication earned three Lenexa brothers the 2008 Congressional Award Gold Medal. Benjamin, Christopher and Nicholas Connell traveled to Capitol Hill for the award ceremony recently; they were representing three out of four Kansas residents to receive the award. Sydney Ayers, 17, of Leawood, was the fourth recipient. Congressman Dennis Moore participated in the ceremony, citing their achievements as inspiring. ``Their dedication to helping others and to self- improvement is not only inspiring, but it reminds us that changing the world starts with each of us,'' Moore said. In order to qualify for the medal, applicants must spend two or more years completing at least 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness activities and a four-night expedition or exploration. Nicholas Connell, 22, said his mother found out about the award and he decided to pursue it in 1999. ``It so happened that a lot of the requirements for the Congressional Award coincided with things I was already doing for Scouting, or with school activities, etc.,'' he said. Nicholas prepared and performed music on the oboe for several public performances, including charity concerts at local schools and assisted living centers. He also was able to gather and send school supplies to children in need in Mexico. To satisfy his four-night expedition or exploration requirement, Nicholas hiked over 60 miles at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Benjamin Connell, 24, also began the program in 1999. He said he was attracted to the structure and direction for setting goals the program would bring to his life. ``It also provided accountability in attaining my goals because my advisors tracked my progress,'' he added. Benjamin spent most of his community service time at Lakeview Village Retirement Center in Lenexa and the Boy's and Girl's Club in Manhattan, Kan. At Lakeview Village, he assisted the elderly in daily activities and ran bingo games in Lakeview's Health Center. The Boy's and Girl's Club provided opportunities for Benjamin to tutor elementary-age students, facilitate anti- drug and anti-alcohol programs and provide structured after- school activities. Benjamin said he would encourage others to work for this award because it challenges participants to get out into the community outside of their comfort zone. ``I think this award helps youth build a strong, goal driven foundation that is focused on service,'' he said. The youngest brother to receive the award, Christopher Connell, 19, said he has enjoyed serving others since beginning the program in 2002. His service hours include volunteering at Lakeview Village Retirement Community, fundraising for charity causes at Shawnee Mission West High School and planting and mulching trees at Shawnee Mission Park. For his expedition, Christopher spent six nights in the wilderness at Double H Ranch, associated with Philmont Scout Ranch. Christopher said this honor is awarded based on a person's willingness to improve. ``Anyone can earn this award because it isn't a competition except with yourself,'' he said. Nicholas said he encourages others to pursue the award because many are already doing what is needed to receive it. ``You have to do the necessary paper work and enroll in the program to make sure you get the award,'' he said. ``The Congressional Award won't seek you out--you have to let them know you are working on it and provide the proper documentation.''

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today I ask for the House support in passing H.R. 4461, the Community Building Codes and Administration Grant Act. This legislation, which was approved by voice vote in the Financial Services Committee and enjoys bipartisan support in the House, will provide Federal assistance to the development of local building codes. Responsible building is essential to reduce vulnerability to future hazards. According to a study conducted in 2005 by the National Institute of Building Sciences, for every dollar spent on mitigation at the Federal level, the American taxpayer saves approximately $4 in disaster assistance. State and local building codes assure that new homes comply with safety standards. Acquiring the skills and knowledge to become a code inspector is a time-consuming process, though. And paying for personnel to conduct inspections and enforce codes that are on the books consumes scarce financial resources at the local level. While there are no dedicated Federal funds for building code administration, Community Development Block Grant funds have been used for this purpose in the past along with administrative allowances from FEMA's three mitigation programs: Hazard Mitigation, Pre-Disaster Mitigation, and Flood Mitigation. But competition for these funds is intense, and infrastructure projects typically receive preference over building code enforcement. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, States must fund these activities without Federal assistance, relying often on building permit fees and sometimes general funding to operate offices that are overworked and understaffed. This means that codes on the books cannot be enforced, leaving communities more vulnerable and driving up insurance premiums in those areas. To address this issue, H.R. 4461 establishes a competitive national program that provides awards to local governments for building code administration and enforcement. The Community Building Code Administration Grant Program will not infringe upon local and State authority to enact and enforce building codes. It simply provides sorely-needed funding for them to do so. Specifically, the bill includes a 5-year sunset on the program, authorizes $100 million over that period to execute it, caps awards at $1 million per recipient, requires recipients to match a portion of funds received, and outlines eligible uses of funds and selection criteria with preference offered to governments in financial distress. Additionally, each grant proposal must contain a plan for local governmental actions to be taken to establish and sustain local building code enforcement administration functions, without continuing Federal support, at a level at least equivalent to that proposed in the grant application. This legislation will help ensure the safety of buildings across the country and ultimately will reduce the cost to the American taxpayers after a disaster. I look forward to passage of this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time and I want to thank also my colleague from West Virginia.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4461) to promote and enhance the operation of local building code enforcement administration across the country by establishing a competitive Federal matching grant program, as amended.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah, thank you for presiding here. I want to talk for just a few moments about this energy crisis that our country faces. Madam Speaker, I am the policy cochair for a group called the Blue Dog Coalition, which is using some of the time tonight, and I appreciate my colleagues being here to discuss the energy situation in our country. Shortly after the last election when in fact there was a change in the majority in the House and the Democrats took control, the cochairs of the Blue Dog group and a group called the New Democratic Coalition, which I also belong to; I am not in the leadership there, but I have belonged to that since I have been in Congress for my tenth year now, we were invited over to speak to the President about policy. And this was the first time that we had been invited over to speak about policy. We had been invited for several other ceremonial things, but not about policy. So I really appreciated the opportunity to talk with the President. In fact, the four leaders of the Blue Dog group met up in my office to talk about some ground rules since we only had a 45-minute meeting with the President. So we talked about how long we would take each if we had a chance to talk at all, and we decided we would each take about 2 minutes. And we talked and went through our items there. But when we were leaving after this 45-minute meeting, the President was walking beside me. We were walking out the front door of the White House, and I said, ``Mr. President, you have an opportunity to be a hero to people in this country and maybe a few people around the world.'' And he said, ``Well, how is that?'' I said, ``Mr. President, do you remember, a little more than 30 years ago there was a man on television one night talking to the American people about the long lines at the gas pumps. He had a cardigan sweater on sitting in front of the fireplace. His name was Jimmy Carter.'' And the President said, ``I remember that.'' I said, ``Mr. President, President Carter said what we need is a comprehensive energy policy.'' And, you know, President Carter was right then, and I have faulted every Democratic and Republican President since President Carter for not doing what he said we needed to do back then, because that was the right thing. And what happened was President Carter made a few recommendations to Congress, and Congress passed a couple little things like the solar panels tax credit and a few other things. But a few months after President Carter talked to the American people, the long lines at the gas pumps went down, and I have said that every American adult in this country got attention deficit disorder and forgot about what he said. And I wish we had done that back then, and I wish we had done that and had concentrated on that every year since then because we'd be in a whole different position as a Nation on the energy issue right now in this world. I said, Mr. President, if you would do what President Carter said and appoint, I suggested to him, a commission, a bipartisan group of House Members, a bipartisan group of Senators and some experts on energy production and challenge them, Mr. President, to submit to you within 6 to 8 months a written recommendation of a comprehensive policy for developing energy to make us maybe not totally energy independent but to reduce by 60 percent, say, within 8 to 10 years our dependence on foreign oil, Mr. President, that would improve our national security. Right now, we are so dependent on nations in the Middle East to provide our security, our energy interests to us, that that is a security issue. I said, Mr. President, I think drilling is an important part of this, but we cannot drill our way out of this problem. We have got to come at this from 40 different directions. I said, Mr. President, Kansas is in the top five States in the Nation in terms of potential for wind energy. We're not going to solve our energy problem by wind energy alone, but it can be a small part of a big solution to this problem. If we come at this from 40 different directions, including conservation, including just all kinds of different productions of energy, we could address this for the American people, and you would be a hero to people in this country. He said that's a good idea. I'll think about that. Well, unfortunately, he has got about 4, 5, 6 months left in his administration. I doubt seriously that anything is going to happen there now. He and the Vice President have been good friends, frankly, to oil companies, so I doubt anything is going to happen there now, but after this next Presidential election, whoever is elected, whether it's Obama or McCain, we need to ask him to do what President Carter talked about 34, 35 years ago. That is to appoint a commission. Come back with a national plan for reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We can drill, but that's not going to solve the problem in itself. If we do what I'm talking about here, what President Carter talked about, I think that would be the right thing for our Nation and the right thing for our world.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Thank you for this clarification, Mr. Kanjorski. I agree with your assessments.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. I thank my friend, Mr. Kanjorski, for yielding me time. I also want to congratulate Mr. Kanjorski and Mr. Royce on their hard work in crafting a bipartisan bill to provide reg relief to credit unions. As you know, the legislation before us today combines important provisions from credit union regulatory relief legislation previously introduced by Mr. Kanjorski and Mr. Royce with provisions from my legislation H.R. 5841, the Bank and Thrift Regulatory Relief Act of 2008. At a time when many businesses are having difficulty obtaining access to credit, H.R. 5841 will provide important credit opportunities for small- and medium-sized businesses. Among other provisions, this legislation would remove the existing limits on small business lending for thrifts, thereby enhancing the role of savings associations as community leaders. The Homeowners Loan Act currently caps the aggregate amount of commercial loans other than small business loans at 10 percent of a savings association's assets, and it permits commercial lending, including small business lending, of up to 20 percent of assets. According to the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, smaller businesses have experienced difficulty in obtaining relatively small loans from large commercial banks that set minimum loan amounts relatively high. Savings associations are increasingly important providers of small business credit and communities throughout the country. This change, Mr. Chairman, will allow savings associations to continue to serve their small business customers and to further diversify their assets while also providing businesses with greater choice and flexibility to meet their credit needs. Additionally, this proposal will significantly reduce the amount of time financial institutions spend filling out paperwork, and it will free up resources for the thousands of institutions on the front lines of community lending. For example, the legislation would provide relief to community banks and financial institutions from requirements under the Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act to provide annual privacy notices to their customers, detailing their privacy policies and the way they share information. While I have consistently advocated for increased protection of sensitive financial information, there should be targeted exemptions from this requirement to relieve the burden from small banks that do not share information with their affiliates and that have not otherwise changed their privacy policies. This change, Mr. Speaker, will save small businesses millions of dollars in compliance costs while also protecting consumers from unnecessary and duplicative notices. The legislation also contains important provisions that would repeal the prohibition against the payment of interest on business checking. This prohibition was enacted during the Depression as part of the Banking Act of 1933, to protect banks in the heat of competition from offering interest levels on deposit balances that might be sustained through risky investments. In their 1996 report ``Streamlining of Regulatory Requirements,'' the Federal banking regulators concluded, however, that the statutory prohibition against paying interest on business accounts no longer serves a valid public purposes. For example, large financial services companies have devised products, such as ``sweep accounts'' that, in effect, provide interest on deposit accounts, giving them a competitive advantage over small community banks that may not have the capability to offer such accounts. In addition, most small business owners don't have the minimum balances necessary to maintain a sweep account so they are forced to keep vital cash in zero-interest checking accounts. Making this small change would make a huge difference for small businesses. Furthermore, every provision in this bill providing regulatory relief for banks and thrifts has been approved previously by Congress in one form or another. The bipartisan support for this bill shows just how important it is for both businesses and consumers that Congress pass this meaningful legislation. America's financial services industry is the most effective and competitive in the world and my proposal will help us stay out in front. Reducing regulatory burdens on businesses and consumers is simply the right thing to. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Kanjorski and the staff, and I look forward to passage of this legislation today.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. As one of the cosponsors of this legislation, I would like to engage its primary sponsor, you, Mr. Kanjorski, in a colloquy on two questions related to section 111. This section concerns the encouragement of small business development in underserved urban and rural communities. First, I have a question about the meaning of the provision that exempts business loans made by credit unions in underserved areas from the existing cap on member business lending. Is it the intent of this provision that the proceeds from exempt loans will be used to support business operations inside underserved areas?

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Thank you, Mr. Kanjorski, for that clarification. Section 111 of the bill also includes language that member business loans in an underserved area underwritten by a credit union for a business, or a local outlet of a business, operating on a nationwide basis, shall not be eligible from exemption from the business lending cap. It is the phrase ``operating on a nationwide basis'' where I have a question. For the purpose of this section, it would seem that a business located in an underserved area that meets the other criteria, like a small family-owned business but which has a Web site that sells their goods to anyone who visits it, would not be treated as a business operated on a nationwide basis for the purpose of this section, as the economic benefit from those sales is going to that business in the underserved area. Have I correctly characterized the intent of this section?

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 40 veterans from the Kansas City area who participated in the Greater Kansas City Honor Flight to Washington, DC, on June 11, 2008. Honor Flight is a non-profit organization that was created to honor America's veterans by organizing free trips to Washington, DC, to visit and reflect at the memorials dedicated to their service. Priority is currently given to veterans who served during World War II or those veterans who are facing terminal illness. Sadly, each day we lose more than 1,200 World War II veterans. It is imperative that these individuals have the opportunity to visit the memorial that was designed to honor their service and I am pleased that Honor Flight has made this a reality for so many of our WWII veterans. I had to opportunity to visit with many of them as they toured the World War II memorial last week and was struck by how many repeatedly expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, when, in reality, we should be the one thanking them. Madam Speaker, today I rise to humbly express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the veterans who participated in the Greater Kansas City Honor Flight, as well as their fellow service men and women from other parts of the United States, for their service to our country. No other group of Americans has stood stronger or more bravely for our democracy than our troops and veterans. We must celebrate, honor and remember these courageous and faithful men and women. I would like to thank the organizers of the Greater Kansas City Honor Flight, Gary Swanson and David Jackson, as well as the many dedicated chaperones and volunteers who worked behind the scenes on June 11 and for many months beforehand to ensure the Honor Flight participants had a memorable experience. Additionally, I would like to recognize the generous financial contribution my constituents, Norman and Elaine Polsky, made to Honor Flight in order to make the trip to Washington, DC, possible for these worthy service men and women from the Kansas City area. I thank Mr. Polsky for his incredible generosity and appreciate his tireless work in the community on behalf of his fellow veterans. The T-shirts worn by chaperones assisting Honor Flight participants feature a stirring quote from notable American entertainer Will rogers, which states, ``We can't all be heroes. Some of us have to stand at the curb and clap as they go by.'' Thank you to all of our veterans, especially those men and women who served proudly and courageously during World War II, and serve as an inspiration to our current armed forces. I am standing and clapping as loudly as I can.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, the Air Force's recent decision to award a contract to Airbus to replace our current fleet of aerial refueling tankers is a reckless one. Americans are experiencing job cuts, a credit crisis, foreclosures on their homes, and rising foods and energy prices. Just weeks after this Congress passed a $168 billion economic stimulus package to address these issues, the Air Force assumes it will simply appropriate $40 billion for an Airbus fleet of tankers, creating high-paying jobs in Europe. American workers have built and provided our tanker fleet for more than 40 years. Their experience makes them second to none when it comes to meeting this need. It is beyond belief that the Air Force will reward American know-how and hard work by offshoring defense-related jobs and shrinking the U.S. industrial base even further. This decision is not in the interests of the United States. I urge my colleagues to see the larger picture here. Congress has a responsibility to look out for all of the issues pertaining to this contract and the threat it poses to American workers.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 634) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of veterans who became disabled for life while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, if I could just add one thing. I want to thank Mr. Neugebauer and Mr. Kirk, who really drafted this bill and got me involved with this, for their generous work on this legislation.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I just want to again thank Mr. Kirk and Mr. Neugebauer for their very, very hard work and important work on this legislation and colleagues on both sides of the aisle who came together in a bipartisan spirit to pass this. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Thank you, Mr. Boyd. I appreciate the opportunity to speak here tonight about something that should be very important and that, I believe, is very important to every one of us whether we acknowledge and understand the importance or not. After the change in the last election when we got the majority after 8 years--and this is my 10th year in Congress, and as Mr. Boyd said, I am the policy cochair for the Blue Dog Coalition--the Blue Dog Coalition leadership was invited, along with the leadership of a group called the New Democratic Coalition, over to the White House to meet with the President. Frankly, I think all of us appreciated the opportunity to go over and to meet with the President because we wanted to discuss items of interest to people in our Nation, not on a partisan basis but simply to find some common ground where we could work together. There were, I believe, nine of us all together--four from the Blue Dog Coalition and five from the New Democratic Coalition. We met in my office before going over. We only had a 45-minute meeting, and I think all of us had a little concern that somebody, if we didn't have any ground rules, might spend more time and take virtually all of the time. So we agreed, if we had a chance to speak at all--and the President was running the meeting--that we would each take 2 minutes. When it was my turn, I said, ``Mr. President, I'm a year older than you are. I have seven-and-a-half grandchildren, and we have mortgaged their future.'' I said, ``I'm not pointing at you and your administration. This goes back 25 years to Democratic and Republican Presidents.'' Although, because I was trying to find common ground, what I did not say was our debt in this country has gone up over $3.4 trillion in the last 7 years. Fully a third of our debt has been added in the last 7 years of this Presidency. I tell folks back home all the time that 80 percent of what we do in Congress should not be about Democrats and Republicans. It ought to be about taking care of our people and our country, and I think people out there really believe that and want that to happen. Put aside this partisanship, and let's work together. Working together for fiscal responsibility should not be a partisan matter at all. We should all be concerned about that because, as Mr. Scott, the previous speaker, pointed out, we have a large portion of our debt right now held by foreign nations that might have control over some of our actions in the future by virtue of the fact that they hold our debt. We should be very concerned about that, and we should try to do something positive about that. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity, I think, at this time with the reinstitution of a rule called PAYGO that expired in 2002. Some of the previous speakers, I think, have told you ``PAYGO'' simply means ``pay as you go.'' If you have a new spending proposal, a new program proposal or a new tax cut, section 1 is here is my proposal, and section 2 is here is how it's paid for so it's revenue neutral and doesn't increase our deficit and our debt. To me, that is a very simple, understandable rule that we all should follow. If we do that, we can stop this increase which is going to be detrimental to future generations in our country. The Blue Dogs passed out a chart that's not manufactured or made by our group. I think it's U.S. Budget ``something,'' and you can get it on the Web site. It shows a bar graph of expenditures in our country, different categories of expenditures. The big three bars on the bottom are, as most people would imagine, defense. We all want an adequate defense for our Nation; the Department of Health and Human Services, which basically is Medicare; and the third is interest on our national debt. Interest on our national debt is the third largest category of expenditure in our Federal budget at this time. That's money that could be used for education, for health care, for anything worthwhile besides paying interest on a debt. Folks, we have got to get back to living like most American families do, within a budget. We have got to do this, not just for us. It's not about us. It's about our children and our grandchildren and about future generations in this country. I believe we owe them the very best, and we owe them to do that. I encourage and I ask that our compatriots across the aisle, our Republican friends, join with us and support this concept of PAYGO because we need to do this for future generations in our country.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, last Friday the Labor Department in our country reported that in May the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent from 5 percent and reported that unemployment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, retail trade and temporary health services, while health care continued to add jobs. The half percentage point increase is the largest single increase in the unemployment rate in 22 years, with more than 861,000 jobs lost in May. The unemployment insurance program provides benefits to those who become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet certain conditions. Our economy has also lost jobs for five consecutive months, and it's likely that more than 1.4 million workers have exhausted their unemployment benefits in the first 6 months of this year alone. The Congressional Budget Office estimate that had this legislation would provide additional benefits to 3.8 million unemployed workers, many of whom are at extreme financial risk. Extending these benefits is one of the most cost-effective and fast- acting ways to stimulate our faltering economy because the money is spent quickly, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.64 in new economic demand. Congress has extended unemployment benefits over several occasions over the last 50 years in response to economic weakness. This is another one of those times in which Congress must take immediate action to address this emergency on behalf of the people in our country. I urge my colleagues to support this temporary, I repeat, temporary extension of unemployment benefits so we can provide much-needed relief to 3.8 million unemployed workers to assist them with rapidly rising food costs while they continue to struggle to find work in this rapidly slowing economy.

Mr. MOORE of Kansas

Mr. MOORE of Kansas. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, with the consideration of this budget resolution conference report, we're taking another important step towards restoring fiscal discipline as a priority of our Congress, and that's why I rise today to express my support. We all know it's going to be a great challenge to get our fiscal house in order after 7 years of mismanagement and an increase in our national debt of $3.4 trillion. We must recognize the serious fiscal situation our country is in and begin to take practical steps to address it. This budget does it. I am policy cochair for a group in Congress called the Blue Dog Coalition. We believe in fiscal responsibility and being within a budget, like most American families do, and this budget puts us on a path to reach a balanced budget by 2012. Responsible budgeting is about enforcing strong budgetary principles, which is why I'm very pleased this budge adheres to what we call PAYGO, pay-as-you-go, and that it contains a commitment to the extension of statutory PAYGO requirements. This budget directs House committees to conduct regular performance reviews of programs, recommend legislative and administrative measures to improve them, and to identify waste and to eliminate waste and unnecessary spending. These efforts, in combination with the House PAYGO rule, will provide House committees with incentives to seek out and eliminate inefficient programs. Finally, you will continue to hear talk about this budget raising taxes on middle class and working families. It does nothing of the sort. It specifically calls for a responsible fix of the alternative minimum tax and the extension of middle-income tax relief in a manner that is fiscally responsible and does not pass on trillions of dollars of debt to our children and grandchildren. This budget resolution is not perfect, but it's another important step towards restoring fiscal discipline as a guiding value of our government. The Blue Dog group in Congress is dedicated to seeing that commitments made in this budget are adhered to so we can put our country back on a sustainable fiscal path, and we're not mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren. As a member of the House Budget Committee, I would like to thank Chairman Spratt and his great staff for all the work they do. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this resolution.