John Olver

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1 of rule XXII and by direction of the Committee on Appropriations, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3288) making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, the motion that we have before us is essentially the same motion that we had earlier back in September, September 23, when the Legislative branch appropriations bill was brought to the floor and we were considering doing a continuing resolution for a period of time, which ended up leading to a second continuing resolution at the point that the first one had run out. The only difference from that motion is that this one now calls for 72 hours rather than 48 hours, thereby making the time constraint a more difficult one given the circumstances that we are in and given the time at which we are supposed to have another continuing resolution run out. So that's a very small point, because at 48 hours, it would be easier to deal with. Madam Speaker, in a perfect world, we would have 72 hours to further review this bill. However, we cannot guarantee that for the reason that the current CR expires on the 18th and the bills that have been mentioned by the gentleman from Iowa fund critical programs. The Departments that are funded in these bills cannot wait much longer for the funds, and we want to get the bills enacted for the entire year. It's already December 8. And we need to get these bills done. Plus, we all know that we need to have plenty of time for our colleagues on the Senate side to act. Now, Madam Speaker, I would just like to point out that in recent years, in 2005--and all of these, of course, were while the present minority was in the majority, and so they were in control of the procedures that were being followed--in 2005, the omnibus at that time included Agriculture, Commerce, Energy-Water, Foreign Operations, Interior, Labor-HHS-Education, the Leg Branch, Transportation, Treasury, VA-HUD and Foreign Operations and that year happened to be the vehicle being used to bring that process to a conclusion. So the number of bills that were involved in that process were nine plus the vehicle, 10 of the 12 bills. In that instance, the Agriculture bill had never been considered in the Senate; the Commerce, Justice and State bills had never been considered in the Senate. In fact, that was before--that was Justice and Judiciary at that point, it was a more complicated bill. Energy-Water never were considered in the Senate, Interior had never been considered in the Senate, Labor-HHS had never been considered in the Senate, Leg Branch had never appointed conferees, Transportation and Treasury had never been considered in the Senate, and the VA-HUD bill was never considered in either body. Yet all of those bills were in that continuing resolution. And so this has been done in the past. That was the omnibus bill that finished up our work for the fiscal year 2005 budget. Going back a year, we considered an appropriations bill to finish up the fiscal year 2004 sequence that included Agriculture, Commerce, State, Justice, District of Columbia, Foreign Operations, Labor-Health- Education, Transportation, Treasury and VA-HUD; and Agriculture was the vehicle. And CJS was never considered in the Senate. D.C. had not appointed conferees. The Foreign Operations bill had appointed conferees, but never reported a conference report. A report had never been agreed to. Labor-HHS, the conferees had been appointed, but then the conference, the conferees discharged from their appointment and brought it back to the full committee. And so VA-HUD never had appointed conferees. And so it goes. The conferees in these instances included a series of Members from the majority side, from the variety of the committees in each case. At that time, Mr. Young of Florida was the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. And I could go on here. In 2003, the consolidated appropriations resolution that completed the 2003 budgetary events included Agriculture, Commerce, District of Columbia, those were still part of it, except it was still a separate subcommittee, Energy-Water Development, Foreign Operations, Interior, Labor-HHS, Legislative Branch, Transportation, Treasury and Postal Service were now getting back at least two different reorganizations of the jurisdictions of the Appropriations Committee, all during the period that the present minority making the motion was in control and moved very quickly on the actions. In that year, 2003, every one of the bills that I have mentioned had never been considered in one or the other branch. Several of them had not been considered in the House, and several of them had not been considered in the Senate. Well, I'm wrong actually. In the House, Leg Branch had never appointed conferees, but it had been considered and the bill had been passed. But in the others, the others had never been considered in either House, in one of the two branches at least. So it is a time-honored process. When one gets here, we have known we've had now for 3 months since the end of the fiscal year, almost 3 months since the end of the fiscal year, and all of these bills have been put forward in conference in continuing resolutions, and the final continuing resolution ends on the 18 of December, 10 days away. The bill that we have before us is the Transportation, Treasury bill. My ranking member, Mr. Latham, I want to express my strong appreciation for all the work that he has done on the legislation thus far that is the carrying legislation here. And he has mentioned that there are several bills that are being added, and I'm not going to exactly repeat those because they are already now a part of the Record, and they do not complete our--there is one left. There is a Defense bill that is left. So we are in a time constraint. We need to move. We have a situation that we understand quite well if I were to go through and list the dates on which the Senate acted finally on several of these bills, they have been passed in the Senate in the case of Commerce at least and Veterans Affairs and Military Construction, but they weren't passed in the Senate until well after the end of the fiscal year 2009. All of our bills have been passed through the House by the end of fiscal year 2009. So we were ready to move forward with individual bills at a much earlier stage. As I have already stated, we cannot guarantee 72 hours. It would be nice in a perfect world to be able to do that. But we must get this legislation done, or we are putting enormous pressures on the executive Departments of this government and on our own procedures as we move forward toward the appropriations process for fiscal year 2011, which comes quickly on the tail of getting finished with the needs that we have for finishing fiscal year 2010. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, I would just like to reiterate that the bill that we are considering bringing to conference this morning is the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies bill. I want to thank, again, my ranking member. This is his first year that Mr. Latham has been the ranking member, and I have enjoyed greatly the communications that we have had, sporadic as they have been. We work kind of in fits and starts because there has been a lot of waiting in the process to get to where we are today. But I want to thank him in particular for the cooperation and the work that he and his staff have done. And I would name the minority clerk, Dena Baron, and on the minority side David Gibbons and Allison Peters and Janine Scianna. And on our side, I want to give the strongest praise to our staff and to our clerk and that staff with Kate Hallahan, who has given me a list that doesn't even have her name on it. She is so modest here. David Napoliello, Kate Hallahan, Laura Hogshead, Alex Gillen, Sylvia Garcia who is, in this lengthened process, a replacement in the middle of the process of bringing out this legislation for a previous staff member who has now gone on to greener pastures. And with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, amidst one of the worst recessions in our Nation's history, as Americans are tightening their budgets, our friendly drugmakers are flying high. While promising to support the health care overhaul by cutting $8 billion per year from our Nation's prescription drug costs, they're busy raising the prices of brand-name drugs by 9 percent. That will add more than $10 billion per year to prescription drug costs. While the Consumer Price Index has fallen, the drugmakers are creating the highest annual rate of inflation for drug prices since 1992. It was only 3 years ago, in 2006, as the new Medicare part D program was going into effect, our prescription drugmakers raised their prices by four times the general inflation rate for the first quarter of that year. America, we have foxes in our hen house. Drugmakers are up to the same old tricks again, gouging America's senior citizens while pretending to work cooperatively with us on the health reform effort. Their profit margins are their only concern. How could we have expected anything else?

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H.R. 3962. Mr. Speaker, we often hear that America has the best health care system in the world. But, our health care system largely takes care of those who are lucky enough to be able to afford it. In the past decade, the premiums charged by private health insurance companies have risen more than 75 percent while workers' wages have risen less than 25 percent. To add insult to injury, the profits of the 10 largest health insurers have risen by 400 percent, and the salaries of their CEO's have tripled. America now has 50 percent higher health care costs than the highest of the next 20 most industrialized nations. Yet, Americans suffer the highest infant mortality rate among the G-7 countries. Our infant mortality rate is 50 percent above the average for the other 6 countries. American life expectancies are more than 2 years lower than the average for the other 6 countries. Clearly, we have the most expensive health care system in the world, but, equally clearly we don't have the best. We can and must do better. We must reverse these trends. This is our chance to fix a broken system. I am proud to vote in favor of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Care for America Act. For the 50 million Americans who still do not have health insurance, this historic legislation guarantees you will have good insurance-- insurance that you can afford--which provides a sliding scale of credits available to families that earn up to 400 percent of the federal poverty standard, or $88,200 for a family of 4. For those of us that are lucky enough to have health insurance, this legislation LL provides added stability by immediately banning lifetime caps and by 2013 eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions and annual caps on insurance coverage. You cannot be denied coverage. For those who are concerned about losing or having to switch jobs-- especially important in our current economy--this bill brings you added stability. You will always have access to affordable, quality health insurance. For senior citizens on Medicare, H.R. 3962 protects your benefits. We know that seniors live on largely fixed incomes. As such, this bill puts money back into your pockets by reducing the donut hole immediately by $500 and immediately cuts the cost of brand name drugs in half for those who still find themselves in the hole. Furthermore, the donut hole is completely closed by 2019. The bill provides free Prevention and Wellness care and saves seniors money by reducing copayments and cost-sharing. Finally, H.R. 3962 makes major investments in primary care so that we will have the critical infrastructure in place to efficiently combat the steady rise of deaths from preventable illness in this country. Between 1997 and 2002, when researchers compared preventable deaths-- from diabetes, cancer, and heart disease amongst others--in 19 industrialized countries, the United States placed last. During those years alone, at least 75,000 men, women and children died because they lacked access to quality preventive care. Furthermore, H.R. 3962 makes new critical investments in training primary care providers, helping them with overwhelming student loan debt and paying them well for their service. This is a historic time in our country's history. This bill makes the critical investments that are needed to turn our health care system around and provide the health care that our citizens deserve. I am proud to cast my vote in favor of this monumental legislation.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. We often hear that America has the best health care system in the world; but the cold, hard facts don't agree. Between 1997 and 2002, when researchers compared preventable deaths from diabetes, cancer and heart disease, among others, in 19 industrialized countries, the United States placed last, dead last. 75,000 lives could have been saved had the United States achieved just the average preventable death rate of its counterparts. Since 2002, another 75,000 deaths could have been prevented. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will reduce preventable deaths. H.R. 3962 completely bans preexisting condition exclusions by 2013 and ends copays and deductibles for preventive care under Medicare and Medicaid. And H.R. 3962 will train many more primary care providers and pay them better for their service. Our current health care system is failing us. We need health reform now.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank the chairman, Mr. Obey, for the very good allocation that has been afforded the Interior Subcommittee, which has allowed Chairman Dicks and Ranking Member Simpson and their excellent staffs to craft a very good bill. Madam Speaker, I want to talk about just the funding levels in three particular areas within the bill. Firstly, this bill provides more than a 12 percent increase in funding for the Indian Health Service, which will greatly improve the quality and the availability of critical health care services to address the many health deficiencies that our Indian people suffer. Secondly, it provides $500 million for national wildlife refuges, which is an increase of $40 million over the last year. This increase will provide critically needed staff, will improve funding for conservation efforts, and will implement strategies to mitigate climate change. Lastly, the bill provides an increase in funding above $2.7 billion to restore and help protect the quality of our Nation's air and water. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the conference report.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the founding of Westminster, Massachusetts 250 years ago on October 20, 1759. The following history provided by the Town's 250th Anniversary Committee vividly details a community with a rich cultural heritage and great natural beauty. Nestled at the foot of Mount Wachusett, the highest mountain in central Massachusetts, Westminster was unsettled territory at the beginning of the 18th century. The land had been designated as payment for soldiers who had fought in King Phillip's War, but for many years no one was interested in leaving the comforts of home to settle in the wilderness. In 1737, however, the descendants of those veterans and others were drawn to the region's bounty and began to settle the region. As the population grew it became a district in 1759 and was given the name of Westminster, a name rooted in traditions of England. Full incorporation of the town came in 1770. On June 10, 1776 Westminster residents voted to ``stand by and support the (Continental Congress) with their lives and fortunes if they should declare independence on the Crown of Great Britain.'' During the American Revolution, three hundred fifty six Westminster men served either as Minutemen or enlisted soldiers in the American Continental Army. Water was essential to the early industrial growth of Westminster in the 19th century, beginning with sawmills, gristmills, fulling mills, and tanneries. These industries were followed by the manufacturing of chairs, other furniture, and paper. But when the railroad bypassed the center of town in mid-century, the factories lost their ability to cheaply bring raw materials into town and transport their finished products to the world. Today there is little evidence of these early industries. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, residents of Westminster found jobs in neighboring cities. Indeed, it became clear that Westminster now had the strategic advantage of being located on and near major highways that pass through the Commonwealth. Today, Westminster's cultural heritage and rural, scenic beauty are appreciated by residents and visitors alike. The Westminster Cracker Factory, the longest running cracker bakery in the country, closed in the 1970s but the red clapboard building is a landmark which anchors the east end of Main Street. The town common on top of Academy Hill and the town center are remarkably preserved and greatly contribute to the Town's distinction of having one of the largest National Register Historic Districts in Massachusetts. Visitors of all ages enjoy Westminster--whether by skiing, hiking or viewing the autumn foliage on Mount Wachusett, dining at the Old Mill while watching ducks swimming on the nearby pond, or taking a tour of Wachusett Brewery. I am very proud to represent this community, which is rich in history, in natural beauty, and in the public spirit of its citizenry. Please join me in congratulating the Town of Westminster as it celebrates its 250th Anniversary.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to stand today in support of the fiscal year 2010 Energy and Water appropriations conference report. I'd like to thank Chairman Pastor and Ranking Member Frelinghuysen for their great work on this legislation, and I praise them for their cooperation and bipartisanship. Because of their work and the excellent work of our subcommittee staff, we have before us a comprehensive, fair, and targeted bill that makes significant investments in our country's future and in the goal of achieving energy independence. They have been able to do this with only a slight increase of $200 million over last year's funding level; yet these investments will build on the success of the American Recovery and Investment and Recovery Act in developing a clean-energy economy and creating more American jobs. I'm particularly grateful that this bill increases by more than 10 percent the funding for the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program. This program, funded at $2.2 billion, invests in producing cleaner and more efficient energy technologies to produce inexpensive energy from domestic sources. Included are $225 million for research to harness the vast amount of solar energy reaching the Earth every day, $311 million to improve vehicle and battery technology, and $200 million for research into improving energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings, which currently consume about 40 percent of our Nation's total energy usage. As a scientist, I'm pleased to see $4.9 billion for the Office of Science's basic and applied science research program. Such investments are critical to maintaining America's place as a leader in the world economy. Additionally, this legislation supports President Obama's historic commitment to nuclear nonproliferation by providing $2.1 billion for securing vulnerable nuclear material. This will protect Americans from the risk of nuclear material falling into terrorist hands by securing stockpiles in the former Soviet Union. The money will also improve our ability to stop nuclear and radiological materials from being smuggled into the U.S. Again, I strongly support this bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on final passage.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I was still making changes in what I was intending to say, and usually I do that all the time. I rise tonight to remember and honor the life and the life's work of a dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. There are few Americans alive today whose lives are not affected in some way by Senator Kennedy's vast body of legislative achievements. He's credited with hundreds of laws enacted over his 47-year Senate career, and many of those laws make up fundamental tenets of the social contract that is our modern society. One of the best examples of Senator Kennedy's impact on society can be seen in his groundbreaking Americans with Disabilities Act, which opened the door to jobs, housing, transportation, communications, and a better life for millions of citizens. It also fundamentally changed the way people viewed others who live with disabilities. Providing opportunity was a great theme of Senator Kennedy's work, as evidenced by his contributions to strengthening public education. Throughout his career, he fought for better teachers, better schools, more funding, and better methods to enhance learning for America's children. For wage-earning Americans, Ted Kennedy will perhaps be best remembered for his refusal to accept minimum wage levels as they fell further and further behind in their purchasing power. When others balked or faltered on the issue, Senator Kennedy had a knack for pushing through a deal to get everything he could for workers as soon as it could be achieved. On the international front, when the great debate over America's waging a preemptive war arose at the outset of this decade, Senator Kennedy used his stature and status as a national newsmaker to oppose the President and the Congress' transgressions, as he saw them, with the use of America's military power. There are many other important accomplishments one could list, but the issue Senator Kennedy himself labeled as the cause of his life, health care, probably stands out as his greatest area of achievement. Senator Kennedy extended COBRA coverage for workers in between jobs and eliminated preexisting condition restrictions for workers in group insurance plans. He fought for and won uncommon allies in his crusade to provide health coverage for all children, which he considered a moral obligation. He created the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Ryan White CARE Act for Americans living with HIV and AIDS. Though his ultimate cause of universal health care was one he did not live to see enacted, we are where we are today because of Kennedy's lifelong commitment to that cause. In a sense, the effort is still his effort. The gains that Congress will eventually pass will also be a part of his legacy. Back in my part of Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy was always a good friend to the First Congressional District. In recent years he championed the development of the University of Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute and helped to support Holyoke Hospital, a critical health services provider in the Connecticut Valley. He was ever willing to exercise his seniority in the Senate when Massachusetts companies needed it, and when campaign season came around, no one could bring out and motivate as many workers as Senator Kennedy. His stump speeches in remote corners of Massachusetts, for State or local candidates, were always an oratorical treat for those lucky enough to hear them. To me personally, Senator Kennedy was an inspiring and thoughtful friend. I could always count on an immediate and passionate response to whatever was on his mind and on my mind, and his attentive friendship came with a warm smile, a sense of humor and a caring heart. Senator Kennedy's breadth and depth of leadership was unmatched in the Congress. He was a tireless worker for his constituents and all humanity, and I am honored to have known him and served with him.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, economic recovery requires not only solving the employment and housing crises but the health care crisis as well. In this decade, the premiums charged by private health insurance companies have risen more than 75 percent while workers' wages have risen less than 25 percent. Meanwhile, the profits of the 10 largest health insurers have risen by 400 percent, and the salaries of their CEOs have tripled. America now has 50 percent higher health care costs than the highest of the next 20 most industrialized nations. Yet Americans suffer shorter life expectancies and higher infant mortalities than any of those nations. Fifty million American citizens who cannot afford basic health insurance receive crisis care in the most expensive way possible: in emergency rooms for which the rest of Americans pay. The uninsured fail to receive the preventative care they need, and the insured shoulder the enormous long-term costs in both lives and dollars of preventable diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. There is something morally and fiscally wrong with this picture. Wake up, America. We need health care reform now.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the continuing importance of family farming in America, well exemplified in my district by J & J Farm of Amherst, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, the same year of the 250th anniversary of the Town of Amherst. Family farming is a long and proud tradition in Massachusetts, and the positive community impact of these farms is as vital as ever. Family farms help maintain economically and socially vibrant rural communities. They serve to conserve and enhance our invaluable soil, water and wildlife habitat for future generations. Most important of all, they provide healthy, high-quality food for American families. Because of the tremendous importance of family farms and rural communities to our nation and to western Massachusetts in particular, it is fitting that we should recognize the many years of hard work of farm proprietors, like the Waskiewicz family of J & J Farm. Dimetro and Victoria Waskiewicz immigrated from southern Poland in 1895. Dimetro worked as a farm laborer in the North Amherst area for several years. By 1909 he had saved enough money to purchase a farm on Meadow Street in North Amherst from the Spear family. The original farm consisted of 40 acres with the Mill River running through the east side of the farm. Ten years later another 40 acres were added. Milk, tobacco and onions were the farm's main products. Dimetro died at the early age of 43. His two eldest sons bought the farm from Victoria in 1930. Joseph and John Waskiewicz began the farm as it is now known, J & J Farm. Joe's son Joseph took over operations following John's retirement in 1970. Cucumbers, potatoes and milk became their main crops. Joseph Sr. retired in 1995 at the age of 86. The farm is now in its fourth generation: Joseph III and Michael now operate the farm with their father. The past century has brought floods, hurricanes and droughts, but despite hardships and market changes the farm has continued to provide area residents with fresh produce and dairy products. J & J Farm is the last remaining dairy farm in Amherst. The farm operates a seasonal roadside stand that supplements the dairy products with sweet corn, another specialty. We must sustain our rural communities so that future generations of family farmers, like the Waskiewicz family, will enjoy the dignity of a good day's work and the reward of seeing the tangible yield of their labors with the land and with livestock. It is my hope that future generations will maintain the tradition of family farming that the Waskiewicz family built at J & J Farm, and that America will sustain its family farms through the 21st century and beyond.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, there are those in America who claim that we can't fix our broken health care system during an economic crisis. The truth is that we can't afford not to fix it. Health care premiums have risen every year for more than a decade, at least three times as fast as family incomes have risen. If we doing nothing, those rising health insurance premiums will eat up an ever larger slice of family incomes. Businesses that provide health insurance as a benefit for workers and their families will be ever more competitively disadvantaged. That is a loss of jobs that America cannot afford to lose. Others in America claim that reform will mean a government takeover of health care decisions. The opposite is true. Every American will be able to choose their insurance plan and their doctor, but dropping a person's coverage because of a preexisting condition will be prohibited from all insurance plans. Reform will ensure that the doctor and the family make the critical decisions on needed care. Now the insurance company executives make those decisions, and they only care about their profits. Wake up, America; this is the time for health care reform.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, this is our year for health insurance reform. The private health insurance industry has reaped enormous profits over the last 9 years while Americans' wages have barely increased at all. On average, 30 percent of the $1.8 trillion in premiums that Americans pay to health insurance companies pays for overhead costs--salaries, administrative, lobbying, and profits--rather than for health care. Americans cannot afford that waste of scarce dollars. Our health reform legislation will limit such overhead spending to no more than 15 percent. We have to focus our priorities on the quality of health care itself. For example, the diabetes epidemic demonstrates dramatically how critical preventative medicine is to America's children. One-third of all children born this decade are expected to develop diabetes in their lifetimes. The prevention of diabetes will make America healthier, and we will avoid the enormous future costs of diabetes treatment. Now is the time to act on health care reform.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As I think we all know, with the collapse of the subprime market and the steep drop in private mortgages available, 25 percent of mortgages written today are backed by FHA. That's up from just 3 percent 2 years ago; and because Ginnie Mae securitizes FHA loans, their volume has increased threefold. With that increased demand, both FHA and Ginnie Mae will reach their loan ceilings in the next few weeks and will be forced to stop operating unless we act today. With the housing market just starting to show some signs of growth and home sales rising for 3 straight months, a first since the year 2004, cutting out 25 percent of available mortgages would be a disaster, decimating the market and hurting million of prospective homeowners out shopping today. This bill ensures that FHA and Ginnie Mae can continue to play their important roles in the mortgage market. The bill also transfers funds to the Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent through the end of the fiscal year. Without that transfer, the Department of Transportation will not be able to continue reimbursing States for their highway projects; and States would likely have to scale back on the work they are now doing and would be doing in August and September. There is no question that we will have to eventually do something to guarantee the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund; but we made infrastructure development an important part of the Economic Recovery Act; and it would be foolish and unwise for us to leave town without ensuring that States can continue with their highway projects as we are on recess in this next month. This needs to be done as quickly as possible. I would urge my colleagues to support this bill by voting ``yes.''

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include tabular and extraneous material on H.R. 3288.

Mr. OLVER

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and hopefully that will be less than 5 minutes. Mr. Chairman, it is my privilege and pleasure to present the fiscal year 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill to the House. This bill is the product of many hours of hearings and briefings, always with bipartisan input and excellent subcommittee member participation. I especially would like to recognize the important contributions of my ranking member, Tom Latham, in putting this bill together. And as with any healthy relationship, we do not always agree, but I greatly appreciate his partnership, and his input has made the bill better. I also want to take a moment to recognize the hard work of staff, specifically on the minority side, Dena Baron, David Gibbons, Allison Fox and Doug Bobbitt; and on the majority side, Kate Hallahan, Laura Hogshead, Dave Napoliello, Lisa Pena, Alex Gillen, Janine Scianna, Andrew Burton and Blair Anderson. They have spent many late nights putting this bill together, and we would not be here today without their dedication. There has been close communication and coordination between the minority and the majority staffs throughout this process, and the bill is better for that input. Recognizing that today may be long, my remarks will be brief. This is a nonpartisan bill, as bills related to transportation and housing should be. It invests in our Nation's infrastructure during a transformational period for both the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill provides $123.1 billion in total budgetary resources, $48 million below the President's budget request. Within Housing and Urban Development, this bill recognizes that foreclosure rates remain high and the current economic climate and weak job market have increased demand for affordable housing. To that extent, this bill provides $47.1 billion for HUD and targets most of the $1.6 billion increase over the President's budget to programs that the previous administration repeatedly attempted to reduce or zero out and thus have not kept up with the need. In contrast, Transportation is a budget in flux, largely covering programs that are in transition with major surface and aviation authorizations pending. The authorizing committees of jurisdiction in both the House and Senate have either passed or begun marking up multi- year legislation to reform and extend these important infrastructure programs. In that regard, the bill includes $75.8 billion in transportation infrastructure investments. That is $1.66 billion below the President's request. Last, I want to note that in supporting the transformations taking place at each Department, this bill has emphasized investments in five key areas: one, building healthy communities with environmentally sustainable solutions; two, maintaining services in rural communities; three, supporting vulnerable populations; four, investing in the national infrastructure; and, five, ensuring transportation safety. In conclusion, we worked hard to balance many competing needs to produce a bill that reflects the bipartisan needs of transportation and housing. I'm pleased with the product, and I urge Members to support it. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.101 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.102 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.103 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.104 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.105 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.106 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.107 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.108 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23JY09.109 I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) for a colloquy.

Mr. OLVER. I thank the Congresswoman from California, and I share her concern about the terrible accident in Los Angeles, as well as her resolve to help prevent further accidents. It is, in fact, my intention that the funding provided for railroad research and development be available for positive train control research and demonstration projects. I believe PTC is a necessary addition to our national railroad system, and I thank the Congresswoman for her leadership on this issue and keeping it in our attention.

Mr. OLVER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) for a colloquy.

Mr. OLVER. The gentleman is correct. Section 412 will help to ensure compliance with the Buy American Act. Because the intention is not to apply the Buy American Act to new entities, it is consistent with our international obligations.

Mr. OLVER. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. OLVER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. To finish this and to allow him to respond in some kind of way, I would give the gentleman additional time, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to say that I can remember--and probably, if you think about it a little bit, you can remember, too, because my memory is probably a lot poorer than yours--times when this bill was brought to the floor, and point of order after point of order to the level of practically stripping half the bill away were made by your committee. Well, maybe you weren't the chairman at that particular time, but a few years ago, that sort of thing did happen.

Mr. OLVER. Furthermore, I would just simply say, of the $47 billion, more than $21 billion has been obligated. Those expenditures are going on. That's more than the amount that was intended to be obligated by the end of the 2009 fiscal year. We're already obligating the money into 2010, so it's getting out there pretty quickly. Though, I do have great sympathy for the position that you're taking in that it takes far too long, and I hope the authorizing will take care of that in a new event.