Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, as I said before, I am very proud of the fact that this bill is bipartisan, continuing a tradition of dealing with these FDA user fee and authorization bills on a bipartisan basis. We worked long and hard to get this accomplished in a timely fashion, in particular, so that the personnel at the FDA are not threatened in any way. I am very hopeful that this will pass today, go over to the Senate and also pass there quickly, and be signed by the President soon. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize James W. Hughes, Ph.D. as he prepares to step down as Dean of the Edward J. Blaustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey on July 1, 2017. Although he is stepping down as Dean after over 20 years of leadership, Dr. Hughes will continue as a professor at the University. His long-standing dedication and remarkable achievements throughout his distinguished career are to be celebrated. Dr. Hughes' tenure as Dean of the Edward J. Blaustein School of Planning and Public Policy began in 1995 and since that time, he has overseen the awarding of over 5,300 degrees to the school's graduates. Under his leadership, the Edward J. Blaustein School of Planning and Public Policy continues to be a preeminent institution for understanding and advancing the interconnectivity of urban planning and public health. Dr. Hughes has been a leading voice on sustainable development, demographics, housing and economics, advising lawmakers on policies that would improve the well-being of our communities. Dr. Hughes holds a master's degree in city and regional planning and a doctorate in urban planning and policy development. He began his professional career as an engineer and joined the Rutgers University faculty in 1971. His experience and expertise has earned him several appointments to various state boards and commissions including the Governor's Commission on Jobs, Growth and Economic Development and the Governor's World Class Economy Task Force, among others. Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in thanking James Hughes for his ongoing service to Rutgers University and the state of New Jersey. Dr. Hughes' commitment to the betterment of our communities is truly deserving of this body's recognition.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Christopher J. Quinn on his selection as President-Elect of the American Optometric Association (AOA). Dr. Quinn will be installed as the AOA's 96th President during the 120th Congress of the House of Delegates this year. Dr. Quinn's long-standing involvement with the AOA exemplifies his dedication to the association and the greater medical community. He has served on the Board of Trustees since 2008 and is a liaison trustee to the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and the American Academy of Optometry. Throughout his career, Dr. Quinn has also been a member of the AOA Federal Relations Committee, the AOA State Government Relations Committee, and has also served as an AOA representative to the American Medical Association's Resource Based Relative Value Upstate Committee--Health Care Professionals Advisory Committee. In addition to his experience with the AOA, Dr. Quinn is past president of the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and is an adjunct professor at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, State University of New York, New England College of Optometry, University of California at Berkeley and The Ohio State University. He is also the owner and president of Omni Eye Services in New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in congratulating Dr. Quinn as President-Elect of the American Optometric Association and thanking him for his commitment to his patients and the field of optometry.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with the officers, staff and members of United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 014- 02-02 as they celebrate 75 years of continuous service to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) at USCG Station Sandy Hook in Highlands, New Jersey. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 014-02-02, ``The Sandy Hook Flotilla,'' is a unit of the Division 2, First Coast Guard District, Southern Region, serving Sandy Hook as well as the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. Authorized to assist and support USCG non- military and non-law enforcement missions, the volunteers of the flotilla provide valuable reinforcement to the USCG. In addition to participating in marine patrols and search and rescue missions, the auxiliary offers boating safety educational programs, performs vessel inspections, provides emergency medical services and assists with special events in the New York Harbor and surrounding areas. The members of the Sandy Hook Flotilla are trained on USCG standards and live by the motto Semper Paratus (Always Ready). Its rapid response and proficient assistance has been recognized over the years with several awards, including Best Flotilla in the USA, Admiral's Operational Award, President's Unit Citation and Secretary's Outstanding Unit Award. Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 014-02- 02 on its 75 years of continuous service and thanking its members for their service to the United States Coast Guard and the community.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from New York that his vote for this bill will take away protections for 3,031,000 people in New York with preexisting conditions. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Georgia that his vote for the healthcare bill will take away protections for 1,791,000 people with preexisting conditions in Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), who is the vice ranking member our committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Michigan that his vote for this bill could increase premiums for those who are pregnant in Michigan by $13,790 per year. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Ohio that his vote for this bill will take away protections for 1,919,000 people in Ohio with preexisting conditions. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Florida that his vote for the healthcare bill will take away protections for 3,116,000 people with preexisting conditions in Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Michael F. Doyle).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Texas that his vote for this bill could increase premiums for people with diabetes in Texas by $5,100. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Kentucky that his vote for the healthcare bill will take away protections for 881,000 people with preexisting conditions in Kentucky. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), the ranking member of the Health Subcommittee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Arizona that her vote for this bill could increase premiums for people with breast cancer in Arizona by $42,250. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. I remind my colleague from Texas that his vote for the healthcare bill will take away protections for 4,536,000 people with preexisting conditions in Texas. Mr. Speaker, I heard my colleague from Texas talk about repeal and replace. This is the myth, the hoax, that the Republicans and the President are trying to play on the American people. I assure you this is repeal. There is no replacement. The people are going to lose their insurance. They are going to pay more. They are going to have lousy insurance because they are not going to have any kind of protections. We passed the Affordable Care Act because the States were not doing the right thing. People couldn't afford insurance. They couldn't pay for a premium. They were too high. So what did we do? We expanded Medicaid, and we provided generous subsidies for those people who needed it. We also knew, under the old system where the States were in charge, that people got lousy insurance if they could even find it. Sometimes they didn't have hospitalization, so we insisted there had to be a package that included preexisting conditions. We also said that, you know, if you were paying a lot for your copays or your deductibles, we are going to put limits on those things as well. And we put limits also on how much you can charge, what we call ``community rating.'' Now, what are the Republicans doing here today? They are getting rid of all that. They want to go back to the old days. And when they tell you that somehow they are going to be able to do this, the reason they can't do anything is because they repeal most of the pay-fors that pay for the subsidies that pay for the Affordable Care Act. So when they tell you: Oh, we are going to give extra money for this, for high-risk pools or to help the States if they decide to have waivers, the bottom line is there is no money left here. There is no money to pay for those subsidies; there is no money to pay for Medicaid expansion; there is not enough money to pay for high-risk pools because they have repealed the underlying pay-fors that we use to pay for the Affordable Care Act. What they are doing now is going back to the old system, the Wild West of the States. They are allowing States to waiver the essential benefits package. They are saying to States that they can charge whatever they want for the insurance because they got rid of community ratings.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from South Carolina that his vote for the healthcare bill will take away protections for 822,000 people with preexisting conditions in South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time that remains on both sides?

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind my chairman that he represents more people on Medicaid expansion than any Republican in the country, and this bill ends Medicaid expansion. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).