Gwen Moore

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. You've heard the commercial: Don't support government health care. So the question that you need to ask yourself then is, Do I feel lucky? Do I feel lucky that I won't be one of the 14,000 people a day who lose their jobs and can't afford health insurance, that I won't have such a high deductible that I avoid preventive care and end up with end-stage cancer because I didn't go to the doctor. Well, am I lucky? Do I feel lucky that Junior won't break a bone and I end up in the emergency room with a $5,000 bill? Do I feel lucky that I won't go bankrupt from my health care problems? Do I feel lucky that I won't have some preexisting condition that prevents me from getting a new job? Do I feel lucky that my health care premium won't grow three times faster than my salary? The American economy is in the intensive care unit. The disease is the high cost of health care, and the medicine is health care reform.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment which would prohibit the use of funds in this bill for the processing of enhanced use leases at the original National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers or Soldiers' Homes established before 1868. My amendment would protect these soldiers' homes established before 1868, these historic Civil War-era buildings or the campuses on which they reside, from diversion from veteran activities to commercial purposes and it would retain these national treasures for future generations of veterans, their families, and an interested public. The concept of a National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was first established by congressional legislation and approved by President Abraham Lincoln on March 3, 1865. The National Asylum was established for officers and men of the volunteer forces of the United States who had been totally disabled by wounds received or sickness contracted while in the line of duty during the Civil War. In all, 11 national soldiers' homes across the country were opened and eventually integrated into the newly established Veterans Administration in 1930. These old homes reflect how the Forefathers chose to care for and honor the soldiers who fought to keep the country united as one Nation. Their creation changed the Nation's attitude toward the care of soldiers after battle. Built in 1867, the Milwaukee Soldiers' Home, located in my district in the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin, was one of the three original soldiers' homes; the other two are located in Maine and Ohio. In late 2005, I learned that the VA and the city of Milwaukee were aggressively pursuing an enhanced use lease proposal that included the possible commercial development of several 19th century soldiers' homes buildings located on the Milwaukee VA grounds, much to the dismay and against the wishes of the Milwaukee veterans community, who wanted to protect these historic buildings for veterans purposes. The Allied Council of Veterans and their membership approached my office with their concerns and they alerted me to the potential outcomes of the proposal and reported that they had had no input in the ongoing lease discussions. Currently, the Milwaukee Soldiers' Home is on the National Park Service list to be designated for a place on its National Register of Historic Places. This will give the veterans an even stronger voice against any attempts to lease out for commercial purposes these historic buildings. I urge my colleagues, on a bipartisan basis, to join me in standing with veterans to protect these historic soldiers' homes grounds for veterans' uses by voting ``yes'' on my amendment. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today in strong support of the rule for the Fiscal Year 2010 State Department and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, H.R. 3081. I sincerely want to thank the chairwoman, Nita Lowey, and her staff for their diligent work on this appropriations bill and for their efforts and their help in securing an additional $10 million for maternal health in the manager's amendment. I sincerely thank the gentlelady for her support and for her work and for addressing one of the most serious issues facing women on this planet. The need to act to address the global maternal mortality rate and to save mothers' lives is very clear, and the time to act is now. The recent words of the First Lady of Sierra Leone are haunting, but all too true for too many women in the world and their families and their communities. She stated, ``We know too well that a pregnant woman in Kigali or Freetown has one foot in the grave,'' which is why many ``say goodbye to our mothers and sisters as they go into labor.'' Mr. Speaker, pregnancy is a time when we should be welcoming life into the world, not saying goodbye. For every woman's death we fail to prevent by boosting investments in critical maternal health programs, we fail newborns who now face an increased risk of dying themselves. We fail the family, including children pulled from schools to support their families and pick up the duties of the now deceased mother, and we fail those communities by undermining economic development and poverty reduction efforts in the wider community. This investment into maternal health will save lives. We can and must continue to do what we can to reduce the needless suffering of millions of women around the world from childbirth and pregnancy-related complications. Too much is at stake if we fail to deliver for these woman.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I thank the gentlewoman. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to engage in a colloquy with the chairwoman of the subcommittee. I commend her efforts to expand the Child and Adult Care Food Program in this bill by increasing the total number of States authorized to serve supper through the At-Risk Afterschool Care program. According to the Food Research Action Center, the average daily participation of children in Wisconsin in the Child and Adult Care Food Program is over 63,000 kids. There is a great deal of need in my State and across the Nation to ensure that young people have the opportunity to have three nutritious meals a day. I would love to work with the gentlewoman and my colleague, Senator Kohl in the Senate, to authorize Wisconsin to serve suppers in Wisconsin through the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. With the increasing price of food and overall food insecurity among families and communities in today's economy, I welcome the opportunity to work to improve and expand the program.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Kevin Shafer, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), on being named the new President of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, NACWA. MMSD provides sewage treatment services and maintains watercourses for 28 municipalities, including nearly all of Milwaukee County and portions of four surrounding counties, serving a population of about 1 million. Mr. Shafer joined MMSD in 1988, as the Director of Technical Services and four years later became MMSD's Executive Director. Before joining MMSD, Mr. Shafer spent six years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and nine years with a private engineering firm serving as area manager of the Milwaukee office. Mr. Shafer has formulated numerous innovative MMSD programs including the Sweetwater Trust, a broad stakeholder group to enlist regional cooperation to protect the watersheds of the five-county Milwaukee metropolitan area through both structural and non-structural means. Further, under his direction, MMSD has invested in permanently protecting waterways from flooding and stormwater pollution runoff, by providing conservation easements to nearly 2,000 acres of undeveloped land. This program, called Greenseams, is a national model for green infrastructure in water pollution control. Mr. Shafer's innovation for both the environment and the economy is exhibited through a project to construct a landfill gas pipeline allowing MMSD to use a renewable source of methane gas in its treatment plant operations, while saving customers an estimated $148 million over 20 years. Mr. Shafer is an active leader on behalf of municipal wastewater agencies at the national level, helping to formulate sound federal water resource policies and legislation. He has served on the Board of Directors of NACWA since 2003, participating on numerous committees including the Clean Water Funding Workgroup and the Executive Committee of the Board. He has appeared before Congress on behalf of NACWA. Mr. Shafer is an exceptional leader and a public steward of water resources. He has devoted his engineering career to the protection of these environmental resources for current and future water users. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues of the 111th Congress to join me in congratulating Kevin Shafer on becoming the President of NACWA. Under his leadership, I have no doubt that NACWA will continue to lead the advocacy effort for national policies to protect and preserve the Nation's water resources for future generations.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, my amendment increases funding for a critical program, the Violence Against Women Act Legal Assistance Program by $4 million. I would like to thank Representative Poe for his diligent work on this amendment. And I also want to thank Representative Mollohan for his commitment on this issue as well. You know, we all make lawyer jokes, but to the women who face domestic violence and need legal representation to successfully flee their abusers, obtain orders of protection, and retain custody of their children, the lack of legal representation is definitely not a laughing matter. Nearly 70 percent of the women who bravely take their abusers to court do so without legal representation. And too often, having an attorney present is the deciding factor in obtaining that lifesaving personal protection order or getting custody of your kids or receiving transitional housing. It's a sad day when a family is forced to stay with their abuser because they don't know how to navigate through the court system. Earlier this week, Mr. Chairman, I heard from Chris in Wisconsin, whose husband sent her to the emergency room a dozen times, broke her foot, held a gun to her head, and threatened to poison her four children before she was able to escape with the help of legal assistance after 5 long years of torture. I also heard from Danielle of Madison, Wisconsin, who obtained a divorce from her wealthy attorney husband who repeatedly beat and stabbed her, but was left battling her husband's expensive attorney for custody 2 years after the divorce. Her effort to study the Wisconsin statutes and defend herself in court drew ridicule and rebuke from the judge. These are just a couple of examples. I would like to yield to Mr. Mollohan.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Well, thank you so much. I just want to mention again what an amazing partner Mr. Poe has been with this initiative. Indeed, this is not a partisan issue. Mr. Poe mentioned that these funds will be drawn from the Department of Commerce's salaries and expenses, of which they're provided $60 million. That's $7 million over last year's funding. Of course, legal assistance programs have steadily declined since 2003, and only about a third of women who appear in court, the applicants who actually apply for this legal funding, actually receive funding. So this is really critical funding and support to help these women leave their abusers. For every Danielle and Chris who are able to free themselves of their abusers, there are four other women out there who are still being silenced because they don't have access to adequate legal representation. This $4 million is very appreciated. It's not enough, but it's a great start. The legal assistance program is one of the most effective tools to ensure that battered women and children have a voice in our justice system. I urge support for this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Berman for working with me so closely to include provisions in H.R. 1886 to ensure that the empowerment, protection and human rights of women are an important purpose for our aid to Pakistan and to help address the high rate of maternal mortality in Pakistan. As Secretary of State Clinton noted earlier this year, the status of women and girls is a key indicator of whether or not progress is even possible in a society. We simply can't solve the global problems confronting us--from the worldwide financial crisis to the risk of climate change, chronic hunger, disease, poverty--when the energies and talents of hundreds of millions of people, half the world's population is left behind. According to the World Health Organization, maternal mortality is an indicator of disparity and inequity between men and women and reflects a woman's so-called place in society and their ultimate access to social health, nutritional services and to economic opportunities. In this case, Pakistan's maternal mortality rate speaks of the great challenges facing Pakistani women. Over 400 women die per 100,000 live births in Pakistan, and, for comparison, that is compared to 11 per 100,000 in the United States. It is the aim of my amendment to make clear that the U.S. aid authorized in this bill addresses this challenge. We need to make it unmistakably clear, Mr. Speaker, that addressing that nation's high child and maternal mortality rates is a key part of our assistance to Pakistan. We know that these interventions will save these women's lives and ultimately save the nation. Again, I thank the chairman for his support.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk and I request its immediate consideration.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, I would now like to yield the balance of our time to the gentlelady from Illinois, who is the co- Chair of the Women's Caucus, Ms. Schakowsky.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I yield myself 30 more seconds. But I also understand what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks of when she says that a woman's rights are human rights. And I understand that these actions prevent a nation from moving beyond an era still wounded by the scars and the fears of years of repressive Taliban rule. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. This is a time of unprecedented change in our outreach efforts to our global neighbors, and this authorization will help guide that path for the upcoming year and, therefore, I would like to really thank the committee for their hard work. And I would also like to thank my very good friend, Congresswoman Maloney of New York, for being a leader and steadfast advocate for the women of Afghanistan. It is just so difficult to express the hurdles that face Afghan women and girls. There are just few words to describe the abhorrent conditions that assault these women and girls on a daily basis, and there are few experiences in our own lives that compare to their constant struggle for survival and freedom. Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. One in eight Afghan women die due to pregnancy-related complications every year. That's one woman every 30 minutes. After years of brutal Taliban rule that allowed few rights for women, approximately 90 percent of their female population is illiterate. There are over 50,000 widows in the country, many of whom lack substantive means to support themselves or their female children, who lack access to health care, to education, to employment, to shelter, and on and on and on. The United States and international aid organizations have provided billions of dollars to rebuild the country and to promote the basic and fundamental human rights of the Afghan people. More importantly, though, we have asked our own people to sacrifice our sons and daughters, our citizens, for this cause. Our brave men and women serving in Afghanistan are there to protect the American people, but they are also there to reach out to the people in this war-torn country. And that is why, Mr. Chairman, I have offered this particular amendment. Earlier this year the Afghan Government moved a measure that would severely suppress the rights of this country's Shiite women and girls. This measure would further restrict their free mobility and actually legalizes marital rape. It does not condemn the marrying of minors and, instead, it appears to promote it. This legislation ties a woman's legal financial stability and well- being to a man, and demands that a woman submit sexually to her husband in order to be privy to any sort of protection. I see proposals like this in-depth reporting on multiple news media outlets highlighting the struggles that single women, girls, widows, married women face in Afghanistan. Now, I understand that there are cultural differences, and I understand that culture and society in the Middle East will never look like that in the United States.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased that Senate bill S. 896 included the first major reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento homelessness bill. I have worked diligently on this bill with Representative Waters for over a year, particularly on provisions that would expand the definition of homelessness and give agencies more flexibility so that they could assist folks who are at risk of becoming homeless within 14 days. I want to thank Congresswoman Waters, Congressman Frank for their leadership, also to thank Representative Biggert, Representative Jeff Davis and Representative Andre Carson. Too many families in today's recession are just one paycheck away from making their rent, and we have seen hundreds of thousands of foreclosures, many more expected this year. These families are also at grave risk of becoming homeless. This provision also will serve victims of domestic violence trying to flee their abusers. It will allow families to seek emergency shelter due to the imminent loss of their housing. It gives local homeless agencies greater resources and flexibility.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a compassionate spiritual and community leader from the Fourth Congressional District, Bishop Sedgwick Daniels. Bishop Daniels is the pastor and spiritual leader of Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ. His involvement in the well-being of this community, whether it is his church ministry or providing critical services, has been a lifelong pursuit. Bishop Daniels is a recognized leader at the national, regional and local level for his work. Bishop Daniels has been recently honored with his election and elevation to the General Board for the International Church of God in Christ. The General Board oversees both the temporal and spiritual affairs of the church in the United States and in more than 50 countries. The 12-member General Board of Bishops is elected to this board from the Church of God in Christ's International Board of Bishops. Bishop Daniels is the jurisdictional Bishop for the historic Wisconsin 1st Jurisdiction, where he oversees more than 90 congregations and includes all of Wisconsin and northern Illinois. In addition to his duties as jurisdictional Bishop, he oversees an array of resources and services to assist the community as leader of the Holy Redeemer Institutional Church including: a credit union, youth programs through the Daniels-Mardak Boys and Girls Club, educational programs and plans for the development of Bishop Creek Initiative. Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to Bishop Sedgwick Daniels' contributions to the Fourth Congressional District.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I regret missing rollcall vote No. 260 today on the dilatory motion offered by the Minority to change the title of H.R. 2187. I was necessarily detained in important meetings and receiving briefings on the FY 2009 supplemental to prepare for the very serious vote on that legislation scheduled for later today. Simply looking at the motion offered by the Minority, it is clear at face value that it was not a serious legislative effort to improve the Green Schools bill's focus on helping rebuild our nation's schools but was instead a dilatory tactic and a childish effort meant simply to embarrass and delay. We are not children and this is not a game. If I had been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns raised by many about whether this bill reflects the ``perfect'' strategy for Afghanistan and Iraq. The stakes are high in Afghanistan and the challenges are complex. As then-Senator Barrack Obama noted in July 2007, ``the Afghan-Pakistan border region is where the 9/11 attack was plotted. It is where most attacks in Europe since 9/11 originated. It is where Osama bin Laden lives and his top confederates still enjoy safe haven, planning new attacks. And it is where we must urgently shift our focus . . . using the totality of America's strength, not merely our military, incredible as it is.'' For the first time since I have been here in Washington, discussion about a supplemental has focused on where most of our efforts since 9/ 11 should be: Afghanistan. I am encouraged that we finally have a President who is committed to a redeployment of our troops from Iraq so that we can focus on where the threats from Al-Qaeda originated on September 11 and which unfortunately we have seen the threat to our country, to Afghanistan, and to Pakistan grow in the past few years. The Supplemental is consistent with the President's plan to begin winding down the number of combat troops in Iraq over the next several months. While I wish we did not need to have military forces in Afghanistan, the deteriorating security situation will necessitate more U.S. troops--at least for a time--to help ``disrupt, dismantle, and destroy'' safe havens for Al-Qaeda. Creating a situation in Afghanistan that prevents the return of the Taliban and al Qaeda is clearly a priority for our national security. It's a decision I take with a heavy heart and after much deliberation. I err on the side of peace. I never look forward to sending more of our brave young soldiers to the battlefield or for war. Yet, it is unfortunately clear to me that military forces must continue to be a part of our effort in Afghanistan to help protect innocent Afghan civilians. This increase in forces must be accompanied by clear guidelines to minimize civilian casualties that have only inflamed public opinion in Afghanistan against the U.S. and its coalition partners. We cannot win any war where we lose the support of the local populace. The use of airstrikes that may have killed some terrorist leaders but also killed or injured more innocent civilians--such as the attack from earlier this week--and fanned anti-American sentiment must be reexamined at the highest levels of our defense establishment. But if we have learned anything from the situation in Iraq, it is that military force alone is not sufficient in and by itself to achieve our nation's foreign policy objectives in combating terrorism. I remain concerned that a strategy that relies on our military alone--who have served and continue to serve with valor, honor, and dedication and done all that their country has asked of them--to address the vast range of challenges facing the Afghanistan government and people is not a viable way forward in Afghanistan. Yet, without security, the Taliban will continue to disrupt and destroy U.S. and international efforts to boost health care, governance, and economic growth in the country, as evidenced by the continuing attacks against innocent girls who have now been empowered to go to school and get an education. I am also concerned about the growing influence of the Taliban on Afghanistan's government and what that would mean for the respect for human rights, including the rights of women and the future of women and girls if we allow Afghanistan to become a failed state. Development in Afghanistan cannot occur if we do not protect and empower the 50 percent of the population that are women. However, the prospects for women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban or a government heavily influenced by the Taliban are chilling. We saw this growing influence I believe with the March 2009 approval by Afghan's parliament of a law that would, according to news reports, legalize marital rape, strip mothers of custodial rights in the event of a divorce, and prohibit a woman from leaving her home unless her husband gives his approval. This law violates the basic human rights of women under several international treaties and convention and appears to contravene Afghanistan's own constitution. This law has been rightly condemned by President Obama and others around the world and I urge President Karzai to officially reject it as well. Its passage is a troubling omen of what the future holds for many of the committed women and girls who have courageously stepped out of the shadows since the fall of Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2001. I have advocated for a comprehensive strategy in Afghanistan and a comprehensive strategy will include the appropriate and judicious use of our military forces--otherwise it would not be comprehensive. It is clear that the Afghan security forces are overwhelmed and under- resourced to combat Al-Qaeda. In Afghanistan--a country that has both a larger population and a larger geography than Iraq--current U.S. forces are one-fifth the size of the forces in Iraq. We must support efforts by the Afghanistan government to improve security for the millions of innocent Afghans whose future is threatened by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. An important piece of a comprehensive strategy is an exit plan. That is an unfortunate gap in the bill before us, but nothing prevents the House or Congress from addressing that issue in the days or weeks ahead. I am an original cosponsor of legislation by Congressman James McGovern that asks the Secretary of Defense to provide Congress with a plan for an exit strategy for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan by the end of the year. I look forward to helping move it through the House as soon as possible. Additionally, the increase in fighting forces in Afghanistan undertaken by this Administration must be matched by concomitant increases in diplomatic, development, and other nonmilitary aid. The FY 2009 supplemental remains the most immediate avenue available at this point to secure the $7 billion in foreign aid requested by the President to support his boost for such efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere. In fact, this bill would add $3 billion to the President's request. The $5.1 billion in the bill for Afghanistan is a significant step in the right direction. The $3.6 billion for training Afghan security forces and police; $980 million for economic development and expanding the rule of law and combating corruption; and $536 million for increased U.S. civilian and diplomatic staff are key parts of the Administration's new strategy for the region and will hopefully pave the way for the Afghan government to take the lead in securing its territory and meeting the needs of its people. On that point, today, 17 members of the Wisconsin National Guard--most of them based in Milwaukee--will return home after 10 months in Afghanistan training and advising the Afghan National Police. I don't need to mention the critical need for the Pakistan assistance as troubling media reports surface by the hour that graphically illustrate the challenge facing that country and its government in its battle against Al-Qaeda and insurgent groups. The House bill would provide over $2 billion for Pakistan, almost $600 million more than requested by the President to boost State Department and civilian staffing, to strengthen governance and economic development efforts. While I wish the mix between military aid and development and other aid in the bill were different, I also realize that this bill is taking an important step to better balance that mix while acknowledging a difficult reality for there are hundreds of thousands of troops still in war zones and at the same time, there is a lack of staffing at USAID and State that will need to be addressed to properly support a more forceful role for those agencies going forward. The bill also addresses a number of other priorities including compensating all members of our military who were subject to the DoD's stop loss policy after September 11, boosting funding for MRAP's to protect our troops from IED's, and providing over $1 billion for medical care to servicemembers and their family members, including research and treatment of PTSD and TBI. The supplemental would also provide millions in funding for new wounded warrior facilities to help soldiers wounded in combat to recover and to support their families through that process. It would speed up the construction of new military hospitals in Bethesda and at Fort Belvoir and provide over $1 billion for family support programs including improving access for families to child psychologists, child care, child development centers, financial counseling and other support. Important funding is also included to facilitate the Middle East Peace process including economic aid and security assistance for Israel, Egypt, West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and Lebanon. The bill also makes investments in efforts to combat pandemic flu, to aid developing countries negatively affected by the global financial crisis, and to extend the compassion and aid of the American people though the provision of food aid, refugee assistance, and support of peacekeeping operations. While I am disappointed by the fact that there are no deadlines or timelines in the bill before the end of Fiscal Year 2009 which is covered by the funding in this bill, Congress will certainly have the opportunity to examine whether or not these new policies are working and how to make effective changes both for the sake of our national security and for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This bill is not ``perfect'' and can be improved. I hope it will get better and stronger when it goes to conference including the addition of more funding for the State Department to conduct diplomacy, build schools, hospitals and roads, and promote economic growth. Any efforts to reduce funding for these goals and funding for some of the important programs I have outlined below the levels in this bill will be of concern to me.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Well, actually, data is conclusive that our national economy would experience a net savings of $8.1 billion a year with just providing employees with these 7 days of sick time. Because as you pointed out, gentleman, productivity is extremely important. I can remember at the time when my mother died, I was showing up at work and just staring at the wall. I was not well because of the extreme grief I was experiencing, and I was at work. And my bosses told me to get up and go home, please. And so when I came back, I was much more focused on my job. You know, that loss of productivity is not good. The other thing is that we are human beings. And employers experience a lot of turnover because they don't have employee loyalty because they don't have a basic sense of empathy in humanity. There is no way in the world that I would want to work for an employer who couldn't empathize with my grief over having lost my mother and wouldn't give me a day or two to pull myself together. So productivity is what is lost when we don't provide sick days. I yield back to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I will yield.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Presentee-ism is the opposite of absenteeism: when you show up to work sick, knowing you're sick--because of your own self-interests of not losing a day's pay--infecting everyone at work. This costs our national economy $180 billion annually. Showing up sick costs $180 billion annually. And so for employers, this cost averages $255 per employee per year and exceeds the cost of absenteeism and medical and disability benefits. I yield back.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Yes.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the upcoming celebration of Mother's Day this weekend, Sunday, May 10. Mother's Day is a joyous occasion. And one of the reasons that Mother's Day is just such a celebration is that we all recognize the important role that mothers play not only in the lives of their biological children, but in the life of the entire community. It has been astutely observed that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. However, for too many women in our world, the journey to motherhood, pregnancy and childbirth is a death sentence rather than a reason for celebration. For every woman who dies, another 20 survive but must suffer from the illnesses or injuries incurred during pregnancy or childbirth. Maternal mortality is the highest health inequity on the planet Earth, with more than 99 percent of deaths in pregnancy and childbirth occurring in the developing world. And we don't really have to look that far to find those inequities right here in our own hemisphere. Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere. Women in the world's least developed countries are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in the developed world. And this is a tragedy that is compounded by the fact that these maternal deaths are preventable. When a woman dies after giving birth, the mortality rate for the now motherless newborns can be as high as 90 percent in poor countries. Fortunately, there are known interventions, proven interventions that can be implemented to reduce maternal mortality. However, we need to invest more in the programs to fund these interventions. By one estimate, the U.S. would need to increase its investment in global maternal health efforts up to $1.3 billion a year in order to help achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing global maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. And out of eight Millennium Development Goals--eight--the goal to reduce maternal deaths has had the least progress being made on it. Additional funds would help increase access to prenatal care, neonatal care and postpartum periods. It would provide up to 4 million health professionals who are needed in developing countries. Six of the seven countries with the highest levels of maternal mortality have less than one doctor for every 10,000 people. The severe shortage of health care workers and the poor quality of care must be addressed to achieve reductions in maternal mortality. This week, President Obama unveiled a new global health initiative that will call for increased U.S. investment in global health programs. And I am thrilled that one of the identified goals for this new initiative is to reduce the mortality of mothers and children under 5 to save millions of lives. As a mother, I know that being a mother is one of the greatest joys and blessings ever enjoyed on this planet. Again, I wish all of you, all my colleagues and their constituents, a happy Mother's Day. And I would hope that we would spend a moment thinking about all the mothers-to-be, a half-million women a year in the world, who never, ever, ever enjoy motherhood because they die in pregnancy needlessly.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Danny Gokey, who over the past several months has captured the hearts and minds of the entire country--especially the people of the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin. Danny's quest to be the next ``American Idol'' is a love story. In a sense, it is even magical. His wife, Sophia, encouraged him to audition for Idol. Ironically, shortly after his audition he suffered the tragic loss of his beautiful wife, Sophia, at the age of 27. In memory of his wife, he established Sophia's Heart Foundation, whose mission is to make a positive impact on students' lives through a Music and Arts Program. Musical instruments will be donated to students that otherwise would be unable to afford them. The Sophia L. Gokey Scholarship Fund will donate $1,000 scholarships to high school students who face challenges in pursuing their dreams. In spite of Danny's loss, he has continued to perform courageously and professionally each week while confronting both physical and mental challenges presented by this competition. Danny has been singing since childhood. Prior to ``American Idol'', he served as Praise and Worship Director for Faith Builders International Ministries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have been told that Danny's favorite quote is ``unshakeable faith is faith that has been shaken''. He has overcome obstacles, personal tragedies and still continues to work toward his dream. His love for the church, family, music and life are an inspiration to all of us. His musical gifts along with his desire to find new hope, after experiencing such loss, is inspiring. Madam Speaker, in Milwaukee, there is an enormous amount of enthusiasm and support for our 28-year-old ``hometown hero''. I am honored to pay tribute to this very impressive young man who Milwaukee views as their very own ``idol''. Go, Danny go!