Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, Americans are growing more and more cynical of politics and politicians with good reason. Citizens United opened the floodgates to unrestricted special-interest campaign spending in elections, and we need to put an end to the influence of secret money in our elections. I advocate the DISCLOSE Act. It would shine the light on secret money in political campaigns. The DISCLOSE Act requires public reporting by super-PACs, corporations, unions, and outside groups within 24 hours of making a campaign expenditure or transferring funds of $10,000 or more to other groups for campaign-related activities. Mr. Speaker, I tell you, when I'm on the trail and I talk to my constituents, everyone is outraged by the millions, and possibly billions, of dollars that are going to be spent on the Presidential, congressional, and Senate campaigns. It makes sense to have some transparency. We should pass the DISCLOSE Act so that at least those who make these contributions have to say who they are. It's only fair.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to our chairman emeritus, Mr. Dingell, who has worked so hard and who has been so much a part of this legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say in closing that I think it's a great example with this bill of what we can do, not only in the Energy and Commerce Committee but in general in this House, on a bipartisan basis when everyone works together for a common goal. This is actually a very important piece of legislation. It's important for the pharmaceutical industry. It's important in terms of job creation. It's important in terms of innovation and also bringing low-cost drugs to the American people. Without the type of bipartisan cooperation we had, we would not have been able to get here with this time schedule, which is truly amazing. So I want to thank everyone. I would like to say that I hope that we can do similar good work in the remainder of this Congress, and I would urge my colleagues to vote ``aye.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am not expecting any more speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to make a special thanks to another staff person for the committee, Rachel Sher, who is on my right here, as well. Thank you, Rachel. I would now like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. PALLONE. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today marks a very exceptional day in this body, one that deserves great praise. The bill before us, H.R. 5651, the FDA Reform Act of 2012, is the product of bipartisanship, collaboration, and compromise that I'm very proud of. The bill is a result of more than a year of negotiations between industry, FDA, and Congress. In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we held a number of hearings on the critical issues within the bill, and earlier this month it passed unanimously in both subcommittee and full committee. The bill is slightly modified from the bill reported by committee, as it now includes a bipartisan provision which results in the bill reducing the deficit by $370 million over the next 10 years. The FDA Reform Act will ensure that Americans have access to safe and effective new medicines and medical devices by reauthorizing the user- fee programs for prescription drugs and medical devices. It will reduce drug costs for consumers by speeding the approval of lower-cost generic drugs with the establishment of new user-fee programs for generic drugs and for lower-cost versions of biotech drugs. The bill will also reform and revitalize many FDA programs to improve its regulatory scheme to facilitate a more efficient and predictable review process. Mr. Speaker, the bill also makes permanent two complementary programs, the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act and the Pediatric Research Equity Act, which both help to foster the development and safe use of prescription drugs for children. In addition, a significant improvement was made to the FDA's ability to police an ever-growing global drug supply chain to improve patient safety, and these provisions will give the FDA critical tools it needs to keep our medicine safer. It also includes important provisions to help prevent and mitigate drug shortages by requiring that drugmakers notify the FDA in advance of any expected disruption in the supply of certain critical drugs, and for the FDA to inform health care providers of the potential drug shortage. I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Waxman, Mr. Dingell, and my other colleagues on the committee for their leadership and dedication to this important piece of legislation, a special thanks to the staffs, in particular my staff person, Tiffany Guarascio, who's to my right. But on both sides of the aisle, the staff worked hard, and they should be very proud of what we've accomplished. Reauthorizing and revitalizing the FDA user-fee system is a critical investment to our Nation's public health. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members of the House to vote ``aye.'' I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Michael Salvatore, Superintendant of Long Branch Public Schools. Mr. Salvatore is a gifted and passionate educator who has dedicated his life's work to serving the students of the Long Branch community. His dedication and positive transformation of the Long Branch Public School system have earned him the prestigious recognition bestowed upon him by the Long Branch Concordance. His efforts are truly worthy of this body's recognition. Michael Salvatore has been employed with the Long Branch Public School System for 14 years and is dedicated to serving the students and families of Long Branch, New Jersey. He began as a preschool teacher and was later promoted to Principal at the Gregory School. Mr. Salvatore quickly won the hearts of many Long Branch children and families. His contagious enthusiasm and positive attitude led to the appointment as a core member of the State Department of Education's Leadership Advisory Council, where he trained hundreds of administrators throughout New Jersey. He has also held the title of District Administrator and Assistant Superintendent. In 2011, Mr. Salvatore was appointed Superintendent of the Long Branch Public School System. Mr. Salvatore's work is surrounded by a motto ``Where Children Matter Most'' and continues to successfully execute this ideal throughout his schools. He remains a firm believer that the quality of any organization cannot exceed the quality of its leaders and continues to craft a principal leadership network to improve essential practices directly correlated to student achievement. Superintendent Salvatore is also a proponent of technologically advanced approached to education. The use of tablet technology, podcast messaging, green energy and cloud computing have been utilized to enhance the classroom experience. Mr. Salvatore is also working diligently to encourage greater community involvement through parent forums and school festivals. A community brunch, inspired and executed by Superintendent Salvatore, fed more than five hundred people during the holidays. Mr. Salvatore's outstanding leadership abilities and dedication to his craft continue to further enhance a student's educational experience. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Mr. Michael Salvatore, Superintendant of Lon Branch Public Schools for receiving the honor bestowed by the Long Branch Concordance. His dedication and innovative foresight continues to affect the lives of students throughout Long Branch, New Jersey.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the efforts of Dr. Webster Trammell. Dr. Trammell has served in numerous positions in the education field and currently holds the position of Vice President of Development, Community and Government Relations at Brookdale Community College. His efforts to serve and educate students will be recognized during the Long Branch Concordance celebration. His actions are truly worthy of this body's recognition. Dr. Webster Trammell has demonstrated through his work and actions his willingness and dedication to serve others. Dr. Trammell has been actively involved in educational administration since 1969. He served as Assistant Director and Director of Student Activities and Director of Housing before being named Assistant Dean of Students. In 1974, Dr. Trammell accepted the position of Director of the Educational Opportunity Fund, EOF, at Monmouth College, where he succeeded in restructuring the program to become an exemplary model for other colleges to emulate. Four years later, he accepted the position of EOF Director at Brookdale Community College successfully raised the quality of service and level of expectation produced by the department. Dr. Trammell was appointed Research and Development Officer for Brookdale Community College in 1984, serving as a member of the President's staff. He was subsequently appointed to the position of Vice President for Development, Community and Governmental Relations, the position which he holds today. In his current capacity, Dr. Trammell is responsible for the institution's governmental relations, resource development, the Brookdale Foundation and Alumni Association as well as external affairs. Dr. Trammell is a proud Alumnus of Monmouth College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with a minor in Education and a Master of Science in Student Personnel Services. He received his doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.) from Rutgers University. Dr. Trammell is a member of several professional and community organizations. He serves as a member of the Legislative Affairs and Governance Committees of the New Jersey Hospital Association and was elected in 2010 to the Regional Policy Board of the American Hospital Association. Dr. Trammell is also the Immediate Past Chairman of the Monmouth Family Health Center Corporation Board of Directors and the Immediate Chairman of the Board of Trustees to Monmouth Medical Center. His impressive involvement in community activities resulted in the presentation of the 1993 Private Industry Council Partnership Award for Education, the 2004 Red Bank Men's Club Excellence in Education Award and the 2008 SCAN John Wanat Leadership Award, among others notable accolades. Most impressively, he currently holds an 8th degree black belt and has trained in the martial arts for 43 years. Dr. Trammell currently resides in Middletown, New Jersey with his wife, Kathleen. He is the proud father of three children, Ian, Heather and Emily and grandfather to Llewelyn and Evan. Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in congratulating Dr. Webster Trammell for receiving the honor bestowed by the Long Branch Concordance. His outstanding service to students and community continue to touch the lives of many throughout Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate New Jersey Citizen Action on the occasion of their 30th anniversary. New Jersey Citizen Action, NJCA, has worked on behalf of the constituents of New Jersey to protect and expand the rights of individuals and families. Their faithful dedication to protecting and serving the constituents of New Jersey is worthy of this body's recognition. New Jersey Citizen Action is the state's largest citizen watchdog coalition that has diligently worked to secure economic and social justice for its constituents. NJCA is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) that currently touts an impressive 60,000 individual membership and is affiliated with 100 organizations. Most recently, NJCA has maintained seven active campaigns centered around progressive social and economic justice goals. Among many notable accomplishments, in 2010, NJCA launched a Consumer Health Helpline to assist consumers in securing affordable, quality health services. They have played a prominent role in the battle for Family leave insurance and are applauded for their grassroots campaign in support of national health reform. NJCA continues to educate thousands of minority and women small business owners and entrepreneurs about through various small business forums and consumer education workshops. They continue to field hundreds of volunteers for their annual ``Get Out the Vote'' campaigns and are commended for their aggressive nonpartisan campaign to turn out voters in underrepresented areas of New Jersey. In addition to their issue campaigns, NJCA has also provided free comprehensive outreach and education programs in the areas of housing and foreclosure counseling, tax preparation, benefits counseling and financial education. Throughout their thirty year history, New Jersey Citizen Action has continued to work independently as well as partner with various progressive organizations throughout New Jersey to insure that government continues to have a positive impact on its constituents. Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in leading this body in congratulating New Jersey Citizen Action for their thirty years of service to the New Jersey community. Their efforts continue to enhance and protect the lives of constituents throughout New Jersey.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, if we don't act within the next 53 days, what we are going to see is the student loan interest rate double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for more than 7.5 million students. I understand that basically that means a student would rack up an additional $1,000 in debt each year that the student interest rate stayed at 7 percent instead of 3 percent. The fact of the matter is, we have to do something about this. Last week during our district office week, I went to Rutgers University, Mr. Speaker, and I met with students. They were in the middle of their final exams. They reject outright this Republican idea that we should take money from women's or children's health care, from the prevention fund, to pay for this. There has got to be a better way of doing it that we must approach on a bipartisan basis. But I heard the stories at Rutgers about the students and how much debt, crushing debt, they had. Not only those who had debt from their undergraduate days, but also many students who have to go on to graduate school or law school or medical school and accumulate even more debt. We need to address this problem immediately with regard to the student interest rate. We have got to keep it low. But we also have to address the larger issue of college affordability over the long term. There has to be more money for student loans and for grants. College affordability is something that we need to address in a major way, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate The Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch and New Brunswick's 25th Anniversary. The Ronald McDonald House organization and its charities have provided warm and hospitable living environments and support to families whose children are being treated at area hospitals at little or no cost. Their outpouring of support and charitable efforts to serve the members of their community is worthy of this body's recognition. The Ronald McDonald House was established in 1974 through a collaborative effort by Philadelphia Eagles football player, Fred Hill and Dr. Audrey Evans at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Mr. Hill's three-year-old daughter Kim Hill and her childhood battle with leukemia inspired the model for the first Ronald McDonald House. Facing the rigors of multiple hospital visits, the Hill family sought to find a comfortable and supportive place of refuge for other parents facings similar situations. Through the support of Eagles owners, managers, teammates and various fundraising endeavors, the first Ronald McDonald House was opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ronald McDonald House provided the amenities of home while offering families a comfortable and supportive environment with easy access to area hospitals. The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House would later act as the model for what would become an international network of temporary housing for families of ill children. By 1985, more than 88 Ronald McDonald Houses were established worldwide. The popular and unique fundraising strategies, including the ``Pop Tab Collection Recycling Program'', were raised millions for participating Houses and furthered the success of the organization. In 1984, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) was established in memory of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc. Since its inception, RMHC and its network of Chapters have awarded more than $16 million in grants to more than 1,300 U.S. Children's organizations. As a result of their commendable efforts, for two consecutive years, Worth magazine named RMHC one of ``America's 100 Best charities of 2002''. The Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch and New Brunswick, New Jersey was established in 1987 and services community members throughout the State. Through the support of area businesses, organizations, civic groups, schools and individuals, as well as various fundraising and special events, the two Houses have served more than 4,000 families. Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in thanking the Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch and New Brunswick for their 25 years of service. The Ronald McDonald House continues to provide outstanding services to the Middlesex, Monmouth and NJ community.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Monmouth University's Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing & Health Studies' 30th Anniversary. The School of Nursing continues to provide its students, from the Baccalaureate through the Doctoral level, with an exceptional education. Throughout its tenure, the School of Nursing has demonstrated tremendous growth and is worthy of this body's recognition. Monmouth University's Department of Nursing and Health Studies began in April 1981 with the expansion of the Upper-Division of the Bachelor of Science Nursing program by Dr. Marilyn Lauria. The inaugural class began with 72 students. The successes of this program lead to the launch of the Masters of Science in Nursing program. The curriculum met the demands for students seeking advanced degrees in specializations including Adult Nurse and Family Nurse Practitioners, Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Education as well as School Nursing and Forensic Nursing. In 1998, Monmouth University and the Department of Nursing and Health Studies were proud to recognize its first class of graduates from the Masters of Science in Nursing. Later that year, the Department of Nursing and Health Studies was renamed the Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies. Marjorie K. Unterberg was a long-time advocate for the field of nursing and was active in the nursing scholarship program at the University. She also served as former President of the School of Nursing and Vice President of the Board of Governors at Monmouth Medical Center, where she established the Center for Nursing Excellence. The Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing proudly received its accreditation by the New Jersey State Board of Nursing and the Commission of College Nursing Education in February 2000 and in the Spring of 2000, respectively. Monmouth University is the first institution in New Jersey to offer the forensic nursing concentration. The success of the Nursing school lead to the expansion of various programs, including the addition of the forensic nursing at the Masters level and the health studies major for students pursuing their Bachelors degree. Most recently, the University was proud to announce the addition of their Doctor of Nursing Practice and began holding classes for matriculating students in June 2011. Today, over 600 students are enrolled in various nursing and health studies programs at the Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies. They also proudly boasts over 900 alumni. Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in recognizing Monmouth University's Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing & Health Studies for their thirty years of service. Their continued efforts to provide a well-rounded education remain a valued and important entity to the students and the Monmouth University community.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 and its provision to deem the reconciliation of the Republican budget. In fact, it was the Republican leadership that stood right here on the House floor and emphatically claimed that they were committed to not using deeming resolutions when they were in the majority. But here we are today, and that's exactly what they're doing. I guess it's not terribly surprising that they would break their commitments, especially when we consider the budget that they've presented. The GOP budget breaks many of the basic commitments that Congress has to all Americans. The Republican budget is an all-out assault on Medicare and the middle class. Instead of a budget that protects the middle class, the Republican budget creates tax cuts and giveaways to millionaires and the super-rich, providing income tax cuts for millionaires averaging at least $187,000 in 2014. How do the Republicans propose that they'll pay for these savings to the wealthiest Americans and the big corporations? Well, they end Medicare as we know it, and they balance their budget on the backs of seniors and the middle class. It's really outrageous what they're doing, Mr. Speaker. I just want to call them to task for saying they were committed to not doing the deeming, and now doing it.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I don't plan to use the entire time, but I come to the floor this evening basically to talk about the Affordable Care Act. Some call it the health care reform. This Friday will be the second anniversary of the President's signing of the Affordable Care Act, or health care reform, and I'd like to talk a little bit about how it's helping so many people with patient protections and added benefits, whether you're talking about seniors or young people or women or just the general public. The main thing that is heralded, if you will, by the Affordable Care Act is the opportunity over the next few years to expand health insurance to so many Americans who do not have health insurance now. We estimate there are variously between 40, maybe 45 million Americans that simply have no health insurance; and what that means is they either don't go to a doctor or they don't get any kind of health care unless they get very sick and end up going to the emergency room. The consequences of that is that they take no preventative care. They end up in the emergency room. Oftentimes, they can't afford to pay the cost of the emergency room, and that cost simply gets passed on to the hospital or, ultimately, to everyone else who is paying for health insurance. So basically, what the Affordable Care Act does over the next few years is try to expand insurance coverage to something like 98, 99 percent of all Americans, taking up those 45 million people and, for the most part, making sure that they have health insurance. It does that in two basic ways: First of all, it expands Medicaid, which is the health insurance program for people below a certain income. About 15 million Americans who have no health insurance now would be eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act over the next few years when it kicks in. In addition to that, for the rest of the Americans who have no health insurance, most of them are people that either don't get it on their job, they're not eligible, or they're not offered health insurance by their employer, or they may be individuals who are employed on their own or at home or not employed in some capacity. They have a very hard time buying a health insurance policy on what we call the individual market. So what the Affordable Care Act does, it sets up exchanges in every State, or throughout the country, where you can get a very good package for a reasonable price, a very low-cost price, and, at the same time, it provides a subsidy through tax credits to many Americans, depending upon their income. We estimate for a family of four making up to $70,000 or $80,000 a year would be eligible for some sort of subsidy or tax credit that would make their health insurance policy more affordable. So essentially, what we do is, between expansion of Medicaid and the subsidies, if you will, and the low-cost insurances offered now on these exchanges around the country, most people would end up with health insurance. Now, what I wanted to talk about today are some of the benefits, if you will, that have already kicked in for various groups of people, particularly seniors. I wanted to start with seniors because many seniors, as you know, because they're on a fixed income, have a hard time making ends meet. Oftentimes, they can't afford their rent, they can't afford food, and for them to take extra money out of pocket to pay for health care costs is oftentimes very difficult, and they have to make choices between heat or food as opposed to health care. One of the things that I really want to stress today, because I listened in the last few nights, because of the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act coming up on Friday, I've heard some of my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle actually suggest that somehow the Affordable Care Act was going to negatively impact Medicare. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Affordable Care Act expands benefits for seniors under Medicare in many significant ways. But it's particularly interesting that I hear that from the other side of the aisle, from the Republican side of the aisle this week because, on Tuesday, the Republicans unveiled their budget for the next fiscal year. Once again as they did last year in last year's budget, the Republican budget this year essentially gets rid of Medicare, or what I would say ends traditional Medicare. So it's kind of strange to hear the Republicans talk about Medicare and the Affordable Care Act since the Affordable Care Act actually expands benefits for seniors under Medicare, whereas they unveiled their budget this week that actually abolishes, for all practical purposes, Medicare as we know it. What the Republican budget does, once again, is say to seniors, Well, we're going to give you a voucher. We're going to give you a certain amount of money through a voucher, if you will, and you can take that and go out and buy private insurance instead of getting the guaranteed benefit under Medicare that seniors now have. The problem with a voucher is that it's a fixed amount of money, and it's not all clear that seniors can buy health insurance with a voucher. But even if they could, because it's a fixed amount of money and it doesn't increase significantly over the years, what you'll find with that voucher is that more and more seniors would have to pay out of pocket either to purchase the insurance because the voucher is not enough or because they probably can't get a decent package equivalent to the Medicare guarantee, and therefore would have to pay out of pocket for certain costs that are not covered by the health care plan that they purchased with the voucher. So it's sort of ironic to hear the Republicans talk about the Affordable Care Act and suggest that the Affordable Care Act should be repealed because of its impact on Medicare when in fact they're doing their best under the budget to basically end Medicare as we know it. Let me talk a little bit about some of the benefits. I want to talk about how the Affordable Care Act helps seniors, and then a little bit about how it helps women, and then a little bit about how it helps young people. Of course, it helps everybody by simply expanding health care coverage for those who don't have health insurance. But the benefits, in particular, I want to talk about and start with seniors. I mentioned before that no group has been hit harder by soaring health care costs than seniors. With the economy struggling over the last several years, seniors have suffered even more as they've watched many of their pensions and investments dwindle, making the cost of addressing their health care needs even more challenging. Now, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, some of the financial burdens plaguing seniors trying to manage their health care needs have been alleviated. For example, all Medicare beneficiaries now have access to preventative care and services without any copay, coinsurance, or deductible. Many times you will find that seniors won't even access health care because of the copay, which is about 20 percent in most cases. So now services like annual wellness visits, cholesterol and other cardiovascular screenings, mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, prostate cancer screenings are completely free of charge to seniors. No copay. The fact of the matter is that the Affordable Care Act expands benefits for seniors, makes it so seniors pay less. More than 32.5 million seniors nationwide have received one or more free preventative services, and 2.3 million seniors have already received a free annual wellness visit to their doctor, which again is a critical step in preventing a more serious illness because if the senior citizen goes for the annual checkup or has some of these preventative services free of charge, then that avoids them having to get sicker, ending up in a nursing home or ending up in a hospital. The most important thing, though, in terms of expansion of benefits under the Affordable Care Act for seniors is the closing of the Medicare part D doughnut hole. Seniors before the Affordable Care Act would run out of their part D benefits on the average by September of the year. In other words, if they spent more than $2,500 approximately on drugs, they wouldn't get any help under Medicare part D until they got to a higher catastrophic level of $5,000. So that was the doughnut hole, that gap when they weren't getting any money to help pay for their prescription drugs. What the Affordable Care Act does is it closes the Medicare part D doughnut hole and provides a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. 3.6 million seniors have already received the discount, saving a total of $2.1 billion, with each senior saving an average of $604. Now, by 2020 that doughnut hole is closed completely. Now it's a 50 percent discount, but gradually that will close by 2020 when all their drugs are covered and the doughnut hole ceases to exist. I also want to stress that the Affordable Care Act has cracked down on fraud in Medicare. In fiscal year 2011, a joint anti-Medicare fraud task force of the Health and Human Services Department, Department of Justice, recovered more than $4.1 billion in fraudulent Medicare payments on behalf of taxpayers. A lot of times, my senior citizens will say to me well, there's a lot of fraud in Medicare. There is. But the Affordable Care Act has significantly cracked down on a lot of that fraud, $4.1 billion in fiscal year 2011. Now, I mention this again by way of contrast. Here we are in the Affordable Care Act expanding benefits, making it so seniors don't have to pay more, and what are the Republicans doing with their budget? They have a budget that basically says we'll give you a voucher. You go out and buy your health insurance. If you can't afford it, you have to pay the difference. The basic guarantee of Medicare and a good benefit package simply won't be there, and seniors will just end up paying more out of pocket. Now, I wanted to talk a little bit about how the Affordable Care Act levels the field for women's health care because we know that traditionally in health care there has been a huge gender gap. A report issued this week from the National Women's Law Center shows that more than 90 percent of the best selling health plans still charge women more than men for the same coverage just because women use more health services. The health care law, the Affordable Care Act, will prohibit this discriminatory practice, which we call gender rating, beginning in 2014. So that when the Affordable Care Act fully kicks in, this gender gap will simply disappear. Now, you might say to yourself, well, how is that possible? It's mainly because insurers have considered millions of women as having what we call preexisting conditions. In other words, they were denied coverage or they were charged more for having had breast cancers, Cesarean-section childbirth, having even been pregnant. Some policies would charge women more because they were pregnant or consider that a preexisting condition. Or for being victims of domestic abuse, for example. So denying women insurance on these grounds is unconscionable, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014, women will no longer be denied coverage by any insurers based on these preexisting conditions, and they can't be charged more because of the preexisting conditions. Now, we've seen again by contrast, what have the Republicans been doing? They say repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would let these preexisting conditions and this gender gap continue. But beyond that, over the last year or so, we've seen the Republicans essentially declare war on women, and I just want to give you an example. One of the ones that has received the most attention lately are these attempts by the Republicans to block access to contraception. I don't know how far they're going to go in terms of denying women coverage, but that's one of the things that we've seen in the headlines for the last few months or so. Let me give you some other examples under the Affordable Care Act. Insurance companies are now prohibited from requiring women to obtain a pre-authorization or referral for access to OB GYN care. Health care reform also requires insurance plans to cover important preventative services, including critical immunizations, numerous health screenings, and counseling services, with no cash cost-sharing by women. Women in new private plans under the Affordable Care Act, they provide free coverage of important lifesaving preventative services. But the other thing that would often happen is that many health insurance plans have what they call lifetime dollar limits on health benefits so that if a woman--this would be true for anyone if they have that lifetime dollar limit in it--but oftentimes it was applied to women in particular; that if you spent a certain amount of money on your health care over your lifetime, that was it. You didn't get any more coverage under your plan. So that is also prohibited under the Affordable Care Act. Now, I just mentioned those few things that apply to women because there really continues to exist a gender gap but that will be closed and eliminated under the Affordable Care Act when it completely kicks in. Now, the last group I wanted to mention just because I always felt that many times in Congress we don't pay a lot of attention to kids, and I felt that it's very important for us to recognize the fact that policies and the practices and the laws don't necessarily help children, and children are very vulnerable. It's like, the seniors are vulnerable, the children are vulnerable. One of the things that's significant about the Affordable Care Act, it really makes a difference for children in terms of keeping them healthy and also keeping them insured. And a lot of times Americans have to make choices with regard to their kids about whether they can afford health care services because of the prohibitive cost of insuring children. Under the old system, before the Affordable Care Act, sick children were often denied health coverage if their parents were forced to change insurance because they either switched or lost their jobs. Insurance companies declined or dropped coverage for children when young adults got sick or had an accident. That's no longer the case. Under the Affordable Care Act, basically there is a prohibition on insurers denying coverage of children under age 19 for having a preexisting children. Up to 17 million children with preexisting conditions are now protected from that type of discrimination. Currently, there are 7.3 million American children without any health insurance. Beginning in 2014, the law will provide access to quality coverage. That's accomplished again by expanding Medicaid coverage and also by providing affordable insurance on these exchanges with a tax credit or some kind of help from the Federal Government to pay for the insurance. The other thing I wanted to point out, though--and this is really significant because, again, it has kicked in and I've had many of my constituents come up to me and mention it--is that the Affordable Care Act requires health plans to allow parents to keep children under age 26 without job-based coverage on their family's coverage and give millions of parents and young adults the peace of mind that they can start their lives and careers without being crippled by health care expenses. What happens is that because of the economy and the difficulties we've had with the economy over the last few years, a lot of kids or young adults, when they graduate high school, when they graduate college, are not able to find a job, or while they are in college they can't afford health insurance on their own because they have to go out and buy it on the individual market. What the Affordable Care Act says is you can be kept on your parents' policy and the insurance company has to provide that option up to the age of 26. That's very significant. Millions of young people that did not have coverage are now covered by that under their parents' policy. I just wanted to take a couple more minutes. I wanted to give some examples of the numbers of people in my district, the Sixth Congressional District in New Jersey, that have been impacted in a positive way by the Affordable Care Act. These statistics come from my committee that I serve on, the Committee on Energy and Commerce. And just to give you some idea, in my district, in the Sixth District of New Jersey: 6,800 young adults in the district now have health insurance that didn't have it before; 9,100 seniors in the district received prescription drug discounts worth $6.9 million, an average discount of $760 per senior. This is for their prescription drug coverage; There were 63,000 seniors in the Sixth District in New Jersey that received Medicare preventive services without paying any copays, coinsurance, or deductibles; 31,000 children and 130,000 adults now have health insurance that covers preventive services without paying any copays, coinsurance, or deductibles; There are 620 small businesses in the Sixth District that received tax credits to help maintain or expand health insurance coverage for their employees; There have been $1.8 million in public health grants that have been given to community health centers, hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers to improve the community's health. Community health centers have really expanded in the district because of the Affordable Care Act; and There are 8,000 to 35,000 children with preexisting health conditions who can no longer be denied coverage by health insurers. I can give you more statistics, but I just want to point out that these benefits under the Affordable Care Act are impacting constituents in every district in the country, not just mine. Not only the thousands of people in my district, but all over the country, millions of people. I just wanted to talk a little bit about the cost issue, because I always hear the Republicans say, Oh, your costs are going to go up because of the Affordable Care Act. In fact, costs for health insurance now without the Affordable Care Act have gone up, but the Affordable Care Act actually is reducing costs for health insurance. Whatever cost increases that are being exhibited now are because the Affordable Care Act hasn't gone into effect completely. It kicks in gradually over the next few years. I also hear some of my Republican colleagues say, Oh, your health insurance went up. That's because it hasn't kicked in yet. Once it kicks in, there are a lot of positive impacts on costs that will make a difference. Let me just talk about some of the statistics in terms of costs that I think are significant. Since enactment of the health care law, the reform, the ACA, premiums are generally lower or stable. Average premiums for Medicare Advantage enrollees are 7 percent lower in 2012 than they were in 2011. Since the health care law was enacted, these premiums have fallen by 16 percent. Average premiums for Medicare part D, the prescription drug program, in 2012, have seen no increase from the 2011 level. The Medicare part B deductible has fallen by $22 to $144 in 2012, the first time in Medicare history that the deductible has actually fallen. For most Medicare part B enrollees, the standard part B premium in 2012 is quite stable. It's 3.6 percent higher than the premium they paid in 2011, matching the 3.6 percent COLA increase seniors are receiving in their Social Security checks. The growth in private plan premiums has also slowed. In September 2011, Mercer, an independent benefits consulting firm, released a survey of employers showing that health insurance premium increases will average 5.4 percent in 2012, the smallest increase measured since 1997. Despite Republican claims, the health care law has played essentially no role in recent private plan premium increases. In fact, the premium increases have taken effect only because the ACA has not fully kicked in at this point. There are two provisions that I wanted to mention that deal with cost and that address cost in the Affordable Care Act that I think are significant and that put downward pressure on premiums. One is the rate review, and that is, under the health care law, there is a new transparency and accountability for insurers, with insurers being required to publicly justify on the Internet any premium increases they are seeking that are over 10 percent. And the Department of Health and Human Services has rate review authority to publicly deem these increases to be unreasonable, and they've done that in a number of States. The health care law also provides $250 million in health care insurance rate review grants to the States to make them enforce and keep premiums down. Finally, under the health care law, insurers must spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care and quality improvement rather than CEO pay, profits, and administrative costs. If insurers don't meet these standards, they have to pay rebates to their consumers starting this summer. These are significant ways of cutting back on costs. What do we see from the other side of the aisle? Again, repeal the Affordable Care Act. If the Affordable Care Act were repealed, all the things that I talked about would disappear. Costs would climb. More and more people would have no insurance. All the benefits for seniors--the fact that you can have your children on the policy until 26, the gender gap for women, all these things, all the benefits would disappear and only the bad impacts from insurance companies being able to do whatever they want would remain. The Republicans talk about repealing the Affordable Care Act. They don't say what they would substitute for it. What we do know--and I'm going to close with this, Mr. Speaker--this week we heard from the Republicans in terms of what they want to do with their budget. Again, what does their budget do? It essentially privatizes Medicare. It makes it into a voucher program, causing seniors to spend more money out of pocket for the type of guaranteed benefits they receive now under Medicare. It even goes and impacts Medicaid. A lot of people are not aware of the fact that Medicaid, which most people see as a program for poor people, actually pays most of the costs for nursing home care in this country. What happens is that if you have to go to a nursing home, you have to spend all your assets essentially--with few exceptions--on paying for that nursing home care; and then after you have no assets left, the Medicaid kicks in and pays for your nursing home care. What do the Republicans do in their budget? They basically slash Medicaid. They block-grant it to the States. They slash it from 20 percent to 30 percent based on different accounts. That's a 20 percent to 30 percent slash, and that money goes back to the States because the States have to match Medicaid. They also abolish the expansion of Medicaid, that I mentioned before, under the Affordable Care Act because they assume under the budget that the Affordable Care Act is going to be repealed. So not only is there a negative impact on Medicare because it becomes a voucher and essentially traditional Medicare disappears and seniors pay more out of pocket, but with regard to Medicaid, which pays for nursing home care, the States are going to get so much less money that the quality of nursing home care will seriously diminish. I remember back in the seventies when you would go to many nursing homes, and they were terrible places. Because we upgraded them and we provided money to the States to pay for Medicaid, which they matched, the quality of nursing homes improved significantly. Well, what happened--and I'm not just telling this. The nursing home industry has said this--with these types of cuts that are being proposed in the Republican budget, a lot of nursing homes will close, and their quality of care will diminish. They won't have as many nurses on staff. They won't be able to do a lot of the things they do now to make people's lives in nursing homes more comfortable. And the budget assumes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which means that the expansion of Medicaid, the subsidy to pay for health insurance, all the things that I have talked about before would simply disappear. So I know I make a stark contrast between what the Republicans are proposing and what we're doing with the Affordable Care Act and trying, on the Democratic side, to shore up and expand Medicare benefits. But the fact of the matter is that it is a stark contrast, a very stark contrast in terms of a world view of what we are going to do in terms of health insurance coverage and what we're going to do to protect seniors in Medicare. And I think it's very important for my colleagues to understand these differences as we proceed over the next few weeks. So I am very proud of the fact that on Friday, we will be celebrating the second anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act. And I am also proud of the fact that, as a Democrat, we are going to oppose the Republican budget. When the Republican budget was proposed last year, it passed the House, but it didn't pass the Senate; and we heard nothing more about it. And that's exactly what we plan on doing this year because we can't allow Medicare to be destroyed. We can't allow the Medicare guarantee to disappear. We can't allow Medicare to basically wither on the vine, as former Speaker Gingrich said, as it's vouchered and as it's privatized, as the Republicans suggest in their budget. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I thank the gentleman from California. I have a great deal of respect for my former chairman and colleague from Texas, but as I listen to him, the problem is that it's always the same: It's my way or the highway. And it's just very unfortunate, because there have been many opportunities in the committee where we could have worked together to come up with legislation on things like malpractice reform and IPAB, but that's not what we get from the Republican side of the aisle. They just constantly want to do their own thing. And as he said, the President may be for malpractice reform, but if he's not for this malpractice reform, then he's a bad guy. And that's the point: We need to get together. If we're ever going to accomplish anything, we need to work together; and I don't see that happening on the Republican side of the aisle today. I am very disappointed in the process of considering H.R. 5. I am disappointed and frustrated that my Republican colleagues had an opportunity to bring to the floor a bill that I and some of my Democratic colleagues supported, but what they decided to do instead is to simply play political games, political games over and over again. All sectors of the health care industry agree that the Independent Payment Advisory Board, IPAB, should be repealed. I am the first one to tell you how much I am opposed to IPAB. In fact, during the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health markup, I voted in favor of its repeal. But, unfortunately, my Republican colleagues have no interest in truly repealing IPAB. They only care about defacing the Affordable Care Act and continuing their political game of repealing the law piece by piece. How do I know that? Because they've decided to pay for the IPAB repeal with H.R. 5, one of the most controversial and historically partisan bills of the past decade. We've been through this same debate. Every time, every year, H.R. 5, on the floor again. Each year the Republicans have been in charge, we're forced to consider identical legislation that contains the exact same areas over which we remain divided. In fact, the Republicans weren't even able to enact this bill into law when they had the majorities in the House and Senate and the Presidency, and the reason is because they have zero desire to solve the problems of this country. All they are interested in accomplishing is a political message to take home to their districts. I have said again and again that I would work with my colleagues on truly addressing malpractice reform, but those calls have gone unanswered. Over the years, there has been little effort on the part of Republicans to reach across the aisle and to work with Democrats on a satisfactory solution to medical liability reform. I do understand that medical malpractice and liability is a very real problem for doctors in my home State and in the country, but H.R. 5 is not the answer. Any true reform must take a balanced approach and include protections for the legal rights of patients and be limited to medical malpractice. Today my vote on this package is a ``no'' vote on H.R. 5 alone. As I have stated, it's too controversial and extreme in its current form. Although it's described as a medical malpractice measure, H.R. 5 extends far beyond the field of malpractice liability. I am just extremely disappointed. I am being honest in saying this. I am very disappointed that the Republican leadership has robbed many Democrats of their ability to vote cleanly on IPAB repeal and have, instead, yet again, politicized this body. When will you learn?

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I thank my friend. Mr. Speaker, I can't believe that Don Payne is not with us today. I'm looking over there where he would often sit, and I would come down on the floor and ask him to do a 1 minute or a Special Order. He was very proud of his African American roots, and it was one of the reasons that he would often go to Africa and champion so many causes for those in Africa. Don cared so deeply about his hometown of Newark and the other towns that he represented. He was always looking out for those in need--the disadvantaged and the poor. Those were the people that he cared about, and he spent so much time trying to deal with their problems and making their lives better. I think more than anything else I remember Don's smile. Don always felt that things could get better and that we could work together. I think a lot of people don't know that his district was very diverse. There were many African Americans, but there were many people of other nationalities. We would often talk about the Italian Americans that he had lived with, grew up with, and worked with in his district. Don always felt that we could have a better world, that Democrats and Republicans could work together and that people could work across ethnic and racial barriers. And he always made me feel, no matter how down I was on a particular day, that this place was important and that we can make a difference in people's lives. So I will sorely miss him. I would ask that this afternoon, at the end of the day, at approximately 4 o'clock, we have unlimited 1 minutes, and we're going to have a bipartisan hour Special Order where Members can come down and pay tribute. Moment of Silence

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I have a lot of Don Payne stories. I wanted to tell one which I think says a lot about the man. I listened to what Sheila Jackson Lee said before about how he was always humorous and telling jokes, but also about New Jersey politics and how he was so well respected and had the ability to basically tell other Members or indicate to other Members what they should do. I also listened to Hansen Clarke when he mentioned Don being a gentleman. Don was a gentleman, and people respected him as such in the city of Newark and throughout his district. There was an occasion after the redistricting when I gained an area-- I won't mention the name necessarily--in my new district that was mostly African American, and Don Payne was very well-known there, and I wasn't known at all. I actually lived at the Jersey shore. Some of you may know that the people that are down at the Jersey shore, the people from north Jersey and Newark often refer to us with names like ``clam digger'' and other things to indicate that we're not as sophisticated as the people from Essex County. I was at a meeting with African American ministers in this new area of my district. And of course the purpose of Don being there was to tell them it was okay; in other words, it was okay that this guy from the shore, the clam digger, so to speak, was now going to represent you because he was okay. As you know, Don couldn't take an occasion like that without making it into a joke and still getting the point across, but in a very humorous way. So he said to the African American ministers as we assembled: Well, you know, this guy Frank Pallone is now coming up here and he is going to represent you. But he is down at the shore, and most of the time he spends his time talking about crabs and fish and the things at the shore. You know, I don't know if he can relate to this urban area now that he is going to represent where you all know me, but I'm going to tell you a story. You'll often see Congressman Pallone in pictures at the shore picking up the crabs, and he picks up the crabs and he talks about how the crab had been injured, and it was important to help the crab, and the crab needed some help and needed to be fixed, needed some health care so it can become a whole crab again and lead a good life. Of course everybody was laughing at this point, figuring out what this is all about. But it was his way of getting across in a humorous way that it was okay to have Frank Pallone represent you, that he was going to relate to you. He could relate to a crab, so he could obviously relate to you. I don't know if I'm saying this properly, but this is how Don was. He was just able to use humor to get a point across, a very serious point in a very effective way. I will miss him so much because he made me laugh so many times when situations were serious, and there didn't seem to be much humor, but he always did it in a way that made me understand how important it was to be here as a Member of Congress. He really understood how important our jobs were and how they could make a difference in people's lives. Thank you.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I yield to the gentlewoman.

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I would like to speak about my dear friend and colleague, Donald Payne, who passed away this morning. I saw him on Saturday for the last time, and I can't think of anybody who in this House has been closer to me and someone who made it so much better for us to be in Congress, not only for all of us as colleagues but also for the rest of the world. Donald always made me smile. Donald was a very serious person who cared so much about his constituents in Norwich and the rest of the towns that he represented in New Jersey and really reached out to the rest of the world. He was always looking out for the concerns of the poor and the disadvantaged and the people in need, whether it was their health care or whether they had adequate food or housing. But I think more than anything else, I remember his smile. He would always be happy. He would always have a joke to say; and, frankly, in dealing with all the serious issues that he dealt with and he cared so much about, both here at home, as well as overseas, it was always nice to have someone that you could call a friend, that you could confide in, that you could talk to about your own problems as well, but always with that smile, always with that joke, always with the ability to say, Frank, you know, let's not take ourselves too seriously, even though we have a lot of serious work to do. I will sorely miss him. I don't think there will be anybody who can replace him, and I just want to reach out to his family and his friends back at home today and express my sympathy to all of them for such a wonderful person that you were able to share some time with here.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Roberto Ferragina of Long Branch, New Jersey. Mr. Ferragina is the recipient of the 2012 Amerigo Vespucci Society's ``Man of the Year'' Award and will be recognized for his unyielding community service. Mr. Ferragina is a valuable member of my Congressional district and is deserving of this body's recognition. Roberto Ferragina was born in Long Branch, New Jersey to Salvatore and Barbara Maria Ferragina. Mr. Ferragina attended Red Bank Catholic High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a Minor in Political Science from Kean State College. He also completed a Master of Arts and Master of Administrative Science from Monmouth University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, respectively. Mr. Ferragina is an accomplished athlete and was a member of the Cross Country and Track teams in High School and College. As a result of his superior performance, he was named Captain of the Red Bank Catholic High School's Men's Cross Country Team and Indoor and Outdoor Track Team. He remains an active runner in the local community. Mr. Ferragina is currently employed as the Northeast Regional Sales Manager for Mohawk, North America's largest privately held premium substrate manufacturer. He is happily married to his wife Marianne. Mr. Ferragina developed a strong connection to his Italian heritage and culture at an early age. As an active member of the Amerigo Vespucci Society, Mr. Ferragina was elected to serve as the organization's President. He also served as the Secretary of Archives. Mr. Ferragina is dedicated to assisting with the organization of numerous events hosted by the Amerigo Vespucci Society, including the Wine Tasting Gala, in which he served as Chairman. In addition to his involvement with the Amerigo Vespucci Society, Mr. Ferragina is a National Council Member of the National Italian American Foundation and member of the National Order Sons of Italy in America, William Marconi Italian Society, and the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Mr. Ferragina also volunteers his time each summer with the Ray Licata Memorial Swim hosted annually in Long Branch. He is also involved with the organization of the Long Branch Columbus Day Parade. Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in congratulating Mr. Roberto Ferragina upon receiving the Amerigo Vespucci Society's ``Man of the Year'' award and thanking him for his service to the Italian American community.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life and legacy of Maria D. Fernandes of Sea Bright, New Jersey. Mayor Fernandes served the constituents of Sea Bright for 16 years and retired in January 2012. She passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at the age of 59. Throughout her illustrious career, the Mayor continued to preserve and enhance the quality of life for Sea Bright residents. Her service is truly worthy of this body's recognition. Maria Fernandes served as Sea Bright Borough Mayor from 2008 until 2011. She was proud to be the first Portuguese-American female Mayor in the state of New Jersey and the third in the United States. Before becoming Mayor, Ms. Fernandes was elected to the Sea Bright Borough Council in 1997 and served in this capacity through 2007. She was appointed Sea Bright Council President from 2003 through 2005 and was an active participant and member of the Sea Bright Planning and Zoning Board from 1996 through 2011. As a member of the Borough Council, she implemented a program to add the North and South Beach areas to the monthly street cleaning schedule. Sea Bright now has regularly scheduled street cleaning services once a month as a result of Mayor Fernandes' initiatives. Her leadership abilities also led to her appointment as Chair of the Sea Bright Public Works Committee in which she assisted in consolidating services and improving the accessibility and cleanliness of the local beaches. As Public Works Committee Chair, she also managed the Sea Bright Downtown Infrastructure Improvement Project (DIIP), addressing the flooding in downtown Sea Bright. Other projects during Mayor Fernandes' tenure on the Borough Council have included the implementation of the free parking system and the negotiation of multiple shared services contracts with neighboring towns. Mayor Fernandes is predeceased by her Father Ernest Fernandes and her Maternal Grandmother, Jesuina Diaz. Surviving is her Mother, Adelina Fernandes of Sea Bright. Mr. Speaker, Mayor Maria Fernandes dedicated her life to serving the people and the town of Sea Bright New Jersey. Her actions touched the hearts and minds of countless men, women and children throughout Sea Bright and Monmouth County. Her legacy has served as an inspiration to us all and she will truly be missed.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, once again this year I rise to mark an important date that remains strong in the memories of the Armenian and American people. It is always with great emotion that I commemorate the Sumgait pogroms where the murder of hundreds of Armenians stood out as a particularly atrocious event in a long history of hostility against the Armenian people. This anniversary above all reminds us of our duty to act. Year after year, it strengthens our determination to obtain justice and peace. Beginning on the evening of February 27th, 1988, hundreds of Armenians were brutally murdered, some of them burned alive and thrown from windows. Women and children were raped and maimed by Azerbaijani rioters. Apartments were robbed, shops demolished, and thousands of people became refugees. Despite Sumgait's proximity to Baku, police turned a blind eye to this dire situation, allowing the pogroms to go on for three days. The truth is that for over two decades, authorities in Azerbaijan have made relentless efforts to erase all traces of these crimes. This state-sponsored denial is an insult to the memory of all men, women and children who perished on those fateful days; it is a daily affront to their descendants. The Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus is resolutely committed to ensure that those Armenians who lost their lives are not forgotten. The need for the government of Azerbaijan to fully recognize the Sumgait pogroms is not only in the interest of historical accuracy but also necessary to ensure a peaceful future. The just recognition of these crimes is the first step towards an enduring and peaceful resolution of the regional conflict. Stability in the region is needed now more than ever. The specter of violence indeed still looms and many Armenian lives continue to be subject to threats by the Azerbaijani government. Ceasefire violations by Azerbaijani armed forces at the contact line with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic have shown this to be true. President Aliyev recently announced that Azerbaijan is buying up modern weaponry to occupy the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. I stand here today to solemnly condemn all intimidations and acts of aggression against the Armenian people. The Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus will do its very best to ensure that basic rights to life, liberty and security are not violated. May the Armenian people never have to fear again such attacks. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues stand with me in recognizing the Sumgait pogroms and the needless deaths of so many.