Bill Pascrell

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. This is not a fraternity house. This is the House of Representatives. Yet what have we wrought? I heard someone, two people say on this floor, quoting the President of the United States--they should apologize to him immediately--that the President was urging us to vote a 1-year plan. He wasn't asking us to vote on your plan for a year. You know what he thinks about what you proposed. And it didn't even come up in the Senate. In fact, 39 Republicans--that's 82 percent of the entire delegation of a Republican Senate--and 89 percent of the total Senate voted for this compromise. I know you hate the word. ``Compromise'' does not mean that you surrender your values or your principles. Compromise is what was the basis of the Founding Fathers. That's how we got a Constitution. Nobody was happy with that Constitution. They didn't get everything they wanted, and you're not going to get everything you want. So you'd better get it out of your head right now. The majority leader--wonderful cliches--he forgets that only 2 years ago a Republican Member of the House sponsored a 2-month payroll tax holiday and had 59 cosponsors. We have amnesia, selective amnesia. He changed his tune this Saturday. He was against the idea of a short-term gimmick. This Saturday he said it's a good deal. ``It's a victory,'' he said. He claimed victory. That reminds me of another victory I heard a couple of years ago. Once the same Members of this party, in this caucus rebelled, the Speaker reversed his course. Keeping the payroll tax cut in place as we figure out a way to extend it for the year reduces uncertainty among employers, workers, and families in my district. And I ask that we reconsider what we're doing today. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, over 8 years since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are still not properly addressing traumatic brain injury, also known as the signature injury of both wars. I want to thank Chairman McKeon, Ranking Member Smith, all the chairmen of the subcommittees, as well as members of this committee who are moving forward on this issue. I wish we had the same compromise as we would have on other issues. I commend them for compromising. That's what our Forefathers talked about. I'm glad to see that the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Brain Injury will move oversight to the Army where there will be an increased efficiency and attention for our soldiers. But there are still problems with screening and treating our troops. Recently, NPR ran an expose on how the Department of Defense has tested over 500,000 soldiers with a predeployment cognitive test, but has performed fewer than 3,000 tests postdeployment to actually compare the results and see if our troops were injured in theater. The fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization bill, bipartisanly supported, Public Law 110-181, required predeployment and postdeployment screenings of a soldier's cognitive ability. Current policy is clearly violating the intent of the law. We must ensure that the same tool is used for pre- and postdeployment cognitive screenings. We can't gauge the cognitive health of our troops without comparing tests. Last year, my amendment to the NDAA for fiscal year 2011 to address this passed the House, but was not in the final bill. We need to correct this in the next year's Defense authorization before any more soldiers slip through the cracks. It has consequences within service; and when they get out of service, it has bigger consequences. The Defense Department has raised concerns with the currently administered test, but has stated that it will not be able to select an alternative until 2015. That is not acceptable. The longer we wait, the longer our troops suffering from undiagnosed TBIs go untreated. I am concerned that we are not providing proper oversight for those soldiers who could have been injured in theater before this policy took effect in 2010. Many of these soldiers remain on active duty, and we must ensure that they are tested and treated. I fear we are doing a disservice to them and our Armed Forces by not addressing this problem in this bill, and I ask everyone to consider this. This is a critical, critical issue given little attention except by Mr. McKeon and Mr. Smith. I ask that you do review that.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Mr. Camp and Mr. Levin for working hard on these issues. I think they do try to put the country before the party. But this bill is terrible. It is terrible. The holidays must have come early for the majority. What we have here is a serious proposal? It's a stocking stuffed to the brim with ideology. And I thought we could put that aside and put the country first, more important than parties, more important than ideology. I agree with you. Let's weed out those people who literally are crooks and try to steal from the public trough and take advantage of unemployment. I went to an unemployment office yesterday in my area, in my district, in a major city, Paterson. I went to the unemployment center. I looked through all of those folks that were waiting online and working and looking and seeking work and being trained for specific jobs, particularly in health care. I looked through those records. And if you think you're going to reduce the amount of money that Americans have to spend to help their brothers and sisters, you are dead wrong. Dead wrong. What we've done in the Bush tax cuts, they were for the least needy. Now we're talking about the most needy. The unemployment rate in New Jersey is 9.1 percent. The average in the United States is 8.6 percent. I'm asking you, I'm begging you, let's get beyond this. And why didn't we put employers in this? What if employers had their part shaved like the employee that we are suggesting here? How many jobs would be created if the employer had not to pay 6.2 and, instead, 4.2 percent? And I agree with the President. That should have been reduced to 3.1 percent. We could put a lot of people to work. A thousand dollars maybe in your pocket or my pocket or your pocket, Mr. Speaker, may not be the end all, but $1,000 in many people's who work every day for a living, who love this country, is an insult. And we're just making matters worse, Mr. Speaker. We're not making them better.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, as cochair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, one of my top priorities is to help our servicemembers with brain injuries. With posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury recognized as the signature injuries of the conflicts and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, you would think the Defense Department would have a good system to catch the injuries. They do not. Despite our vote, a bipartisan vote in 2008 to have pre- and postdeployment screenings, postdeployment screenings have not been required. Five hundred thousand soldiers with a predeployment cognitive test were given that test before they went to the battle. Coming out, only 3,000 tests were done postdeployment to actually compare results. We have nothing to compare. This is a disgrace and a disservice to our troops. Both sides have agreed that we want something done. It has not been done in violation of the law. The Pascrell-Platts-Andrews-Cole-Ortiz- Wilson-Coffman amendment passed in the House Defense authorization bill to address this, but it was not included in the final bill. That's what we're trying to do this year.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the life of a truly outstanding individual, Mr. Harold ``Hal'' Bruno, Jr., who passed away on November 8th, 2011 at the age of 83. A native of Chicago, Hal Bruno began his long career there as a reporter during the 1950s. From 1960 to 1978, Mr. Bruno worked for Newsweek magazine, and in 1978, he moved to ABC news where he remained until 1999. As Political Director and Director of Election Coverage at ABC News, Hal Bruno was widely known for his political savvy and his journalistic integrity. His career as a journalist spanned five decades and earned him many accolades. He was dedicated to politics and a pioneer in political journalism, so it is fitting that he passed away on an election night. However, Hal Bruno had another passion in addition to journalism: to the brave men and women of our country's fire service. He was called to serve his neighbors as a volunteer firefighter for much of his career, and through that work as a firefighter, Mr. Bruno gained a keen interest in fire safety policies. He became a leading expert in the politics and policy of fire safety and for years contributed a column on the subject to Firehouse magazine. He also composed numerous articles on the subject in other publications and on the internet, and helped bring attention to these important issues to Americans across the country. Hal's passion and tenaciousness made him a highly effective advocate for firefighters and fire safety. A charter member of the National Fallen Firefighter's Foundation, he served as the organization's Chairman from 1999 until his retirement in 2008. In this position, he helped to develop fire safety programs and to create a safer environment for firefighters. He was also the Director of the Chevy Chase Fire Department in Maryland. It was truly an honor for me to work closely with Hal as we sought ways that the federal government could assist our local fire departments even before the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. Together, we developed the Assistance To Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs to help these local departments buy the equipment and hire the personnel they needed to keep their communities safe and secure. Thanks in large part to Hal's insightful input and tireless advocacy, these programs have been wildly successful, and are crucial to ensuring that our communities have the resources they need. Homeland security starts at home, so no matter what our budget environment is like, we must continue to support firefighters and other first responders, who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. This will undoubtedly be one of Hal's great legacies, and I will continue to fight to preserve it in the future. With Hal Bruno's passing, our nation has lost a great hero. Mr. Bruno is survived by his wife Meg, his sister Barbara, his sons Harold and Dan, and his four grandchildren. The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to working with passionate individuals like Hal Bruno. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, Hal's family and friends, our first responders, and me in commemorating and celebrating the life of Mr. Hal Bruno.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, 1 would like to all to your attention the deeds of an outstanding American and citizen of New Jersey, Joseph M. Sanzari who will be recognized on Saturday, November 19, 2011, by D.A.R.E. NJ for his many years of service to his community and as a respected individual within the great state of New Jersey. Joe was born in Hackensack, NJ, on February 28, 1946. He was raised in Carlstadt and began learning the ins-and-outs of the construction industry at the early age of 12. He has brought innovation and expertise to this field, specializing in the construction of heavy highways, roads and bridges. Joe has been a guiding figure for his family as well as those around him. He has been a member of many distinguished counsels in our community. His philanthropic endeavors have benefitted countless people. Joseph Sanzari is a proud member of numerous civic and cultural organizations, sharing his unique brand of energy and talents on both a local and state level. Mr. Sanzari is currently Chairman of Hackensack University Medical Center, a member of the Board of Trustees for Hillcrest Health Service System, Inc., and a proud member of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation. Joe also serves as Vice Chairman on the board of the Foundation for Free Enterprises. He was a former Chairman of the Bergen County Economic Development Corporation and former commissioner of the Palisades Interstate Parkway. As the President of Joseph M. Sanzari Inc., Joe has been involved in major construction work on the New Jersey Turnpike and New Jersey Department of Transportation highways, roads and bridges in an ongoing joint venture with J. Fletcher Creamer & Sons also known as Creamer- Sanzari. Among many of their great accomplishments, Creamer-Sanzari was responsible for the reconstruction of the Route 4 and 17 overpasses, the largest highway project in the State of New Jersey. Under Joe's leadership, this project was completed eighteen months ahead of schedule. Creamer-Sanzari was recognized by Engineering News as one of the top 25 contractors in the country. One of the many organizations Joe is passionate about is Drugs Awareness Resistance and Education or D.A.R.E. The D.A.R.E. program works with local law enforcement and schools to bring fun and educational material about the personal and social consequences of substance abuse and violence. D.A.R.E. NJ has been a pillar in the community for raising awareness and educating our youth in the dangerous perils of drug abuse and violence. Joe is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. His family consists of his wife Donna, son Joseph Jr., daughters Theresa, JoAnn, and Tina, and six grandchildren. Joseph Sanzari exemplifies the sound fundamental characteristics of an extraordinary individual who is being honored by D.A.R.E. NJ for his enormous contributions to the great State of New Jersey. The job of a United States Congressman involves so much that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to working with and recognizing the efforts of dedicated individuals like Joseph M. Sanzari. I am lucky enough to be able to call a man like him my friend. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, Joe's wife Donna, their family and friends, the members of the D.A.R.E. NJ and me in recognizing Joseph M. Sanzari's outstanding character and service to his community.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I missed the last rollcall vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote No. 859, on H. Res. 470--Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3094-- Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. I thank the ranking member. Mr. Speaker, this attempt to change the Constitution of the United States is a real disaster. We all want to make sure we balance the budgets, but to compare our household budget to the national budget is preposterous because we have different responsibilities as a Federal Government. Alexander Hamilton, who wrote so many of the Federalist Papers--I thought we understand a great leader, a great American. I thought we understood what the responsibilities of government are. But talking about disasters, what about natural disasters? How would a balanced budget amendment affect how the Congress looks at when there is a tornado in Joplin, a wipe-out and flooding of New Jersey, a hurricane in Florida, wildfires in Texas? The amendment requires this balanced budget amendment--which is a joke to begin with, how you named it. It doesn't balance the budget. And if the amendment ever got through, it would take 7 years to implement. We have people out of work now. But anyway, the amendment requires a supermajority for every emergency spending case of natural disasters. Let's take my State of New Jersey. FEMA estimates that it will provide $400 million to help communities and individuals across the State recover and rebuild. Last September, we couldn't even get a majority, let alone a supermajority, to pass disaster aid unless it was offset with partisan budget cuts. Every State will have to go through that. I want every State to know--you talk about the States. You talk about their budgets. Isn't it interesting that on January of this year, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf wrote this: ``Amending the Constitution to require this sort of balance raises risks.'' Listen, my friends, brothers, and sisters: ``The fact that taxes fall when the economy weakens and spending and benefit programs increase''--by nature, they have to; people need help, unless we're no longer going to be a first- rate Republic--``when the economy weakens in an automatic way under existing law is an important stabilizing force for the aggregate economy.''

Mr. PASCRELL. I thank the gentleman. ``The fact that State governments need to work against these effects in their own budgets--need to take action to raise taxes or cut spending in recessions--undoes the automatic stabilizers, essentially, at the State level. Taking those away at the Federal level risks making the economy less stable, risks exacerbating the swings in business cycles.'' We did it together, Democrats and Republican, '98, '99, 2000. We did it without an amendment to the Constitution, which will undermine this institution that we so revere right here today.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Twelve thousand fewer police officers we have in this country; 12,000 fewer police officers in our streets. We should be worried about that as a priority rather than this as a priority. So I made the decision. The evidence is like this against doing this. We haven't had any legislation which took away one gun in the past 20 years from anybody in this country--not one. So we have made the perception being that we want to take guns away from people. How dare you even say it. Protect our police. Don't vote for this.

Mr. PASCRELL. I had to make a choice on this bill, whether I would support a disputable constitutional issue about whether you can by law carry a concealed weapon or move towards the other side to those who oppose this. Now, who opposes this legislation besides me? Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and the Police Foundation oppose this bill. Doesn't this mean anything to you at all? Doesn't it? Or does it? I prefer community policing than try to put more guns into the hands of those people who we don't even know are going to be trained to even use them. That's my preference, Mr. Chairman. This means my home State of New Jersey--this is not Idaho, this is not Montana--in fact, we have the most densely populated State in the Union. There is a different culture. When Clinton argued on behalf of gun possession when he was the President of the United States, he always made this point about the cultural differences in different parts of the country. And we respect that. I'm not against the Second Amendment. I support the Second Amendment. But I don't want those folks in the street who out-arm and out-gun our police officers.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago, Bernard Melekian, who is Director of the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, produced a job loss ratio and report on the police departments throughout the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, it was not a pretty picture. We pat our police officers on the back, say they do a good job, and watch 12,000 of them lose their jobs in the United States of America. There's one point I want to bring out here, Mr. Speaker, and it's this: If we place so much homeland security responsibilities on our first responders, then how in God's name can we turn our backs when cities and towns and rural areas are in tough financial shape? We will have an opportunity to rectify and right the ship this afternoon.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. We are out of excuses, Mr. Speaker. We really are. We've got support from both sides of the aisle on this. There are over 14 million people unemployed in America. The bill costs nothing to the taxpayer. This is amazing that we're putting something before the House that won't cost us any money. No taxes. The Senate has already passed the bill--bipartisan, huge numbers, margin. They're 235 bipartisan cosponsors in our institution here. This legislation passed with over 350 votes. No excuses, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PASCRELL. I rise in strong support of the motion so that we can amend the rule and provide for the consideration of a bill that will create over 1 million jobs, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. The floor schedule of the House has long been determined by the majority leader. Everybody knows that. I'd hope that the majority leader would therefore represent what is the majority of our Members, 230 Members who cosponsored the bill-- that's not so bad--and schedule it for a vote. We quite simply can't afford to wait any longer. China's currency manipulation has a devastating impact on manufacturing and other industries across this country. This results in Chinese exports being up to 30 percent cheaper in America. Now you know where the problem is. Now you know what's hurting American industries. Conversely, our exports are being more expensive in China. Estimates vary, but economists believe that this manipulation reduces unemployment by no more than 1 million to 1\1/2\ million.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding. I want to thank Mr. Dicks for his leadership on this issue. I want to thank Mr. Rogers for his open-mindedness, as usual, hopefully as we go into this discussion. As cochair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus, I want to call everyone's attention to one of the glaring differences between the bill the Senate passed earlier this week and the one reported by our own Appropriations Committee: Funding for our local police officers. The Senate bill contained $232 million for the COPS office, including $200 million for COPS hiring. This bill completely eliminated funding altogether. We're here today to try to rectify that situation. Mr. Speaker, we know that State and local governments are still slashing their budgets as a result of the recession. In fact, just last week the Department of Justice released a sobering report, ``The Impact of the Economic Downturn on American Police Agencies.'' I think all of our Members should read it. I want to place this as Exhibit A in my presentation today, Mr. Speaker, into the Record. The report revealed that nearly 12,000 law enforcement officers will lose their job this year alone. Another 30,000 positions remain unfilled, and 2011 would produce the first national decline in law enforcement officers in 25 years. Less cops on the beat means more crime on the streets, plain and simple. It is a very specific aspect of this particular problem. It's not going to get better. I work very closely with my counterpart, Representative Reichert, who was a sheriff's officer in Washington State, to cochair the Law Enforcement Caucus. Earlier this year, 115 Members of this body, Republicans and Democrats, supported these programs in a letter to appropriators. It is just not enough, Mr. Speaker, to pat our police officers on the back. We must support them. The Federal Government has a particular responsibility, specifically, to debate the issue and look at the issue of homeland security. They're the first there, our firefighters. If there's any manmade disaster or act of nature, they show up first before anybody from the Federal Government. To see the number of police officers being reduced in this country is unconscionable, particularly after 9/11. Our crime is rising specifically in the towns where these police officers have been laid off, furloughed, demoted--and certainly lack the promotions. The Federal Government has some responsibility here. I would also like to place into the Record a very strong statement on the issue of the matter of crime in our cities and in our towns. I will make that Exhibit B. I think the homeland security issue is a critical issue. But let's bring it back to our own towns. Police departments in the United States now have put on a list of priorities what they're going to respond to and what they cannot respond to. Listen to these. They've stopped responding to motor vehicle thefts in many towns. They've stopped responding to burglar alarms that go off. They've stopped responding to non-injury motor vehicle accidents. In many towns, the warrant squads--if you don't know what a warrant squad is, then you don't know what police departments do day in and day out. They've minimized, two or three people left to try to find the folks that have perpetuated crimes in our communities. They've reported decreases in investigations of property crimes. You talk about a response when you call the police department. Wait till you see the response in terms of investigating these particular crimes. This has all come out under the Justice Department. I'm not making these numbers up. That's why I submit for the Record the numbers. Let me just conclude, Mr. Speaker, in saying this has to be a priority. Protecting the public is our primary priority, and I ask consideration of what the gentleman from Washington is putting forth today. [From the New York Times, Oct. 21, 2011] In High-Crime Areas, Still Too Few Police (By Dan Mihalopoulos and Hunter Clauss) Despite Mayor Rahm Emanuel's highly promoted efforts at concentrating additional police patrols in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, many crime-ridden police districts still have fewer officers patrolling their streets than far safer areas of the city have, according to recent data obtained by The Chicago News Cooperative. The data included officer-assignment data for all 9,400 Chicago police officers, as well as almost 1,000 detectives-- information that the city has steadfastly declined to make public. The analysis found that the distribution of patrol officers among the city's 25 police districts does not correlate to the places where crime rates are highest. The 5th police district, which includes the Roseland and Pullman neighborhoods on the Far South Side, has 266 patrol officers, four fewer than the 270 officers in the 12th district on the gentrified Near West Side, the data showed. But the 5th district experienced 1,049 violent crimes in the first eight months of this year, while the 12th district recorded 341 violent incidents during the same period, according to police department records. Many predominantly black districts on the South and West Sides had more than three or four murders, rapes, armed robberies or assaults for every beat officer assigned to work within their boundaries during that period. That contrasted drastically with 10 districts, mostly in more affluent sections on the North Side, where there were one or two such crimes for every officer. Many City Council members and neighborhood activists have long campaigned for a police department reorganization that would put more officers in high-crime neighborhoods. Told of the deployment data analysis, they said the results vindicated their demands. ``It basically validates the need for redeployment and reallocation,'' said Alderman Anthony Beale, whose 9th Ward is largely in the 5th district. Mr. Beale said this week that he would call for Council hearings on staffing levels in police districts. He said he had unsuccessfully sought deployment statistics from the police for years. ``Putting the most police in the areas with the most crime--it's just that simple,'' said the Rev. Marshall Hatch, whose New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church is in a West Side police district with the second-lowest proportion of police officers to violent crimes. Lt. Maureen Biggane, a spokeswoman for the police department, said officials were in the process of ``right- sizing the department'' and had focused initial redeployment efforts on the highest-crime districts. The debate over how best to deploy police officers has raged for decades, with representatives of more tranquil corners of the city successfully blocking repeated attempts to shift greater resources away from their neighborhoods to the most violent districts. The topic has become especially heated as City Hall's budget problems have worsened in the past few years. Even after the planned closing of three district stations, the police department would remain by far the largest component of the budget. Police spending is slated to drop by 4.4 percent in 2012, to about $1.26 billion out of the total city budget of $6.28 billion. During economic boom times, former Mayor Richard M. Daley promised and delivered expansion of the police ranks. When the city's budget deficits grew, the Daley administration allowed the police force to dwindle. In 2008, officials reluctantly confirmed that they had been forced to renege on Mr. Daley's vow to hire new officers, and police academy classes ceased training cadets. Retirements and other attrition quickly drove down the count of sworn officers on the payroll. Since his inauguration in May, Mayor Emanuel and his new police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, have faced reality. In presenting his 2012 budget-proposal, Mr. Emanuel said he would delete more than 1,200 perennially unfilled officer positions from the books ``to end the charade of carrying hundreds of police officer vacancies without actually hiring them.'' While acknowledging that they will have a smaller force than the Daley administration once commanded, Mr. Emanuel and Mr. McCarthy are as leery as Mr. Daley was of moving officers from safe neighborhoods to higher-crime areas. Instead, City Hall's new leaders say they have shifted personnel from the specialized units that Mr. Daley built up and reassigned them as beat officers in districts across Chicago. Mr. Emanuel said he had transferred more than 1,000 officers ``to beat patrols in our neighborhoods,'' removing them from desk jobs and special units. ``Every police district across our city received additional officers,'' Mr. Emanuel told aldermen in his budget speech on Oct. 12. ``Those districts with the most crime got the biggest increases, as it should be.'' Ms. Biggane, the police spokeswoman, said eight high-crime districts had benefited from the first redeployment wave, involving 500 officers, and other parts of the city have since received additional patrols. But the Emanuel administration has declined to provide documentation of those moves. The new administration has adhered to longstanding policies of the Daley administration, whose officials denied Freedom of Information Act requests by contending that public disclosure of documents detailing officer deployment levels would compromise security. The Chicago News Cooperative recently obtained a list of the unit assignments for the 10,300 sworn Chicago police department employees from a police source who requested anonymity because the department leaders have declined to release it. The records described the unit assignments as of early October and appeared to reflect the vast majority of the recent personnel moves ordered by the Emanuel administration. Most of the detectives were assigned to one of the department's five area headquarters, while about 2,400 of the police officers were either assigned directly or detailed to specialized units, including the narcotics section and the internal affairs division. It was impossible to deduce from the data exactly where the officers in specialized units were working. The list also did not include supervisors. The other 7,000 police officers, representing a majority of the department's sworn members, were each assigned to patrol beats in one of the 25 districts. The number of officers in each district ranged from a low of 191 in the 23rd district to 386 in the 7th district. A comparison of the beat deployment figures with department statistics for property crimes and violent crimes in each district this year shows: Four districts--the 25th, 8th, 6th and 4th--had higher ratios of both property crimes and violent crimes per officer than the citywide average. The highest ratios of property crimes to beat officer counts were in the 14th, 8th and 25th districts, each of which reported at least 15 property crimes per patrol officer in the year's first eight months. The lowest proportion of violent crimes to officers was in the 1st district, which covers downtown Chicago, followed by the 19th district on the North Side. The 4th district, in the city's southeast corner, had the largest gap between staffing level and violence, with 4.05 violent crimes per officer. The 4th district covers most of the 7th Ward, whose alderman, Sandi Jackson, praised Mr. Emanuel for adding officers to areas of greater need, despite tight budget constraints. But asked about the Chicago News Cooperative findings, Ms. Jackson replied: ``There is absolutely a disparity. We are not where we would want to be ideally.'' Some experts say the reaction of aldermen in apparently underserved districts, though politically astute, would not lead to the wisest policies for fighting crime. ``It is reasonable and rational to expect that there should be more officers in areas with more crime,'' said Arthur Lurigio, a professor of psychology and criminology at Loyola University. ``But there is no evidence that would necessarily be the case.'' Mr. Lurigio said saturating areas with officers often merely pushed criminals to other places that then witnessed a spike in violence. Still, the city should deploy its police officers based on a formula that would account not only for crime rates but also for average response times to service calls, said Wesley Skogan, professor of political science at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research. ``This is Chicago, so everybody wants more and nobody wants to give up officers,'' Mr. Skogan said. ``Emanuel should use his crisis clout and allocate police resources based on workload.''

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize and honor the accomplishments and cultural contributions of George Inness and the Hudson River School of Painting, an important artistic movement of 19th century America. The Hudson River School has many connections to places all over the United States, including my district. Born in 1825 and raised in my home state of New Jersey, George Inness began studying painting as a teenager. Inness became very famous for his style, which combined aspects of the Hudson River School's attention to detail and realistic landscapes with techniques he learned from his time in Europe. In 1885, Inness settled permanently in the town of Montclair, New Jersey in the Eighth Congressional District. He spent almost a decade painting scenes of Montclair before his death in 1894. Today, I am proud to say that many of these outstanding paintings remain on display in my district in the Montclair Art Museum, which boasts the only gallery in the world dedicated to Inness' work. The Hudson River School of Painting was the first indigenous American school of painting. George Inness, his colleagues, and the landscapes they created, influenced American art, culture, and the environment. Inness, like other painters of the Hudson River School, was dedicated to accurate, yet powerful scenes that became very important as the environmental conservation movement took shape. Exciting scenes of the pristine American West captured by painters in the School's second generation brought the natural beauty of our nation to all Americans, and led to the creation of Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks by Congress as part of the new environmental conservation movement. Later, these paintings were used to support the formation of the National Park Service. The Hudson River School painters also helped found one of the most renowned museums in the world. Inspired by the culture of art they encountered on their trips throughout Europe, these painters joined with other business leaders and academics to create the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Many works by the Hudson River School's painters still hang there today, including several by George Inness. In light of these contributions, I would also like to commend the Architect of the Capitol for choosing two paintings by Albert Bierstadt, ``Discovery of the Hudson River'' and ``Entrance into Monterey,'' for public viewing in the Capitol Visitors Center. These works, representative of the Hudson River School, were found in the House Members' Staircase for many years, and will now be seen by thousands of visitors every day as they embark on their discovery of America's representational democracy. Mr. Speaker, I ask my fellow Representatives to join me in recognizing and honoring the achievements and legacy of the Hudson River School of Painting, and of one of its most accomplished artists, George Inness.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Good morning. I come to the floor today in support of H.R. 674, which will repeal a burden on government contractors, particularly small businesses. I opposed the enactment of the 3 percent withholding when a Republican Congress and a Republican administration enacted it because I knew that it would hurt the economic engines of our economy. The repeal of this requirement will free up small businesses' cash flow, increasing their ability to add jobs and bid on new projects. This is only a very small part of a jobs plan that could help to reduce unemployment and wage stagnation. The majority has not allowed a vote on known job-creating measures such as the infrastructure bank or funding for our first responders and teachers, so I would imagine that that's not very important, those items. Rather, the majority has decided to promote their ``False Fifteen'' bills that attack clean air, safe water, and consumer safety. Be prepared, America, to eat poison. Not only do independent economists state that these bills do not create jobs, a recent report found that the so-called ``economically stifling'' regulatory atmosphere is not as bad as they say. The report says this: ``Obama's White House has approved fewer regulations than George W. Bush at this same point in their tenures, and the costs of those rules haven't reached the annual peak set in fiscal 1992 under President Bush's father,'' President Bush I. You would never think that by listening to the propaganda on the other side of the aisle. We've overregulated--supposedly--and we've caused businesses to spend so much money on these regulations. But again, when we look at the facts, this is not true. Eat your words. Even former Reagan Treasury official Bruce Bartlett quoted the Wall Street Journal saying, ``The main reason U.S. companies are reluctant to step up hiring is scant demand, rather than uncertainty over government policies.'' So you can grow as many horns as you want onto the President. Once again, look at the facts and the statistics: more regulations at this point when former President Bush was the President, Bush II. It is ironic that the majority is adjusting health reform to pay for this legislation. You condemn the health act, and then you take the money from the health act to pay for this legislation. That is a Ponzi scheme if I've ever heard one. The majority already voted to repeal health reform, yet to pay for this legislation--which is a separate piece of legislation--health reform must be in place for 10 years. How do you do that? They get rid of the health care act--well, they're trying to anyway--and yet they use every dime for the first 10 years to pay for the bill. How do you do that? I'm anxious to see how you do this. Just as their 2012 budget was paid for by health reform savings, and we've discussed this in the budget committee, this bill is again paid for by the health reform which they want to annihilate. If the majority is against the health reform bill, perhaps they should stop making their agenda so dependent upon it. While I support H.R. 674, we cannot pat ourselves on the back and claim victory that this is a victory for jobs. Congress must do much more.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest condolences to the people of Turkey who are suffering in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck on Sunday, October 23, 2011. A deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern region of Turkey on Sunday, 12 miles from the city of Van and the town of Ercis. Aftershocks have continued to impact the region, making initial assessments and relief efforts difficult. Over 1000 buildings have sustained damage throughout the region, including homes, businesses, hospitals, cultural institutions, and schools. With a death toll in the hundreds and growing, and more than one thousand people injured, rescue workers continue to work diligently to find survivors. In the face of such destruction there has been tremendous bravery, and I applaud the rescue workers who are risking their own safety to ensure that every survivor is found. There are currently 2,400 rescue workers involved in the efforts along with 680 medics, 12 rescue dogs and 108 ambulances, according to reports. Aid workers have congregated in the region to provide much needed food, shelter, and medical attention. My thoughts and prayers are with those touched by Sunday's devastation, especially those who have lost family members and friends. Our hearts and minds must also be with Turkish Americans who are currently attempting to reach out to people in the region. Homes and churches can be rebuilt, but we can never replace loved ones. The strength and resilience of the Turkish people is evident, and I know that in the wake of this great tragedy they will recover and rebuild. Mr. Speaker, the United States must stand with Turkey during this challenging time, as we extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the earthquake.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I just want to pause--I know my good friend from California this morning did mention this--to say goodbye to Trish Madson. This was her last day as Chief Journal Clerk for the Congress of the United States. She has been here 44 years, 7 months, and 5 days. This is what you all have to look forward to. Trish, thank you so much for your service to this institution. You're a real humanitarian, and you're sensitive to the needs of us folks who call ourselves Congressmen. Thank you for your service to your country. God bless you.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the deeds of an outstanding American and public servant, Senator John A. Girgenti, who will be recognized on Monday, October 24, 2011 for his many years of service to his community and to New Jersey's Legislature. John A. Girgenti was born in Paterson on August 8, 1947. He attended Hawthorne High School then continued on to Seton Hall University. After receiving a B.A. degree in Political Science, cum laude, in 1969, he completed his M.A. in Government and Public Administration from St. John's University. Senator Girgenti was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1977, and re-elected six times. While in the Assembly he served as Chairman of the Municipal Government Committee and Deputy Majority Leader. As an Assemblyman, John sponsored legislation that created the Victims of Crime Compensation Board, successfully imposing the first ``tax on crime.'' In March of 1990, John Girgenti was chosen by district Democrats to fill the State Senate seat left vacant by the death of Frank X. Graves, Jr. He was sworn into the Senate on April 5th and was elected to his first full-term in the Senate on November 5, 1991. Since then he has been re-elected five times. During his time in the legislature Senator Girgenti has sponsored many important pieces of legislation that have become law. He was one of the first State Senators to call for enhanced fingerprinting requirements for state employees involved with domestic security following the attacks on 9/11. Senator Girgenti has also fought to update and modernize New Jersey's background check laws so municipalities can identify potential threats before it is too late. Following the Seton Hall University dormitory fire in 2000 Senator Girgenti was instrumental in putting forth legislation that mandates and provides funding for sprinkler installation in New Jersey college dormitories. He has also sponsored other landmark legislative measures that include Megan's Law, Amber Alert and the Paterson Urban Enterprise Zone Program. The Senator spearheaded the reinstatement of the Paterson Motor Vehicle Agency and was the momentum behind it's re-opening in 2008. In response to the growing gang problem in New Jersey, Senator Girgenti has helped formulate pragmatic legislative solutions to eliminate criminal street gangs. He formed a ``Gang Task Force'' in 2006 composed of experts from government, law enforcement, education, local clergy and recreation to review and evaluate legislative measures aimed at circumventing gang activity. The Senator has also fought to create the State Public Safety Interoperable Communications Coordinating Council, which would allow first responders (police, firefighters and emergency workers) to communicate between agencies on a single assigned radio frequency. Senator Girgenti also pushed for increased aid to the New Jersey National Guard. Senator Girgenti is currently the Chairman of the Law & Public Safety Committee and Vice Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee. On April 5, 2011 Senator Girgenti announced that he will not seek re-election to the Senate in 2011. His leadership in the state will be missed by his colleagues and his constituency. The job of a United States Congressman involves so much that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to working with and recognizing the efforts of dedicated public servants like John Girgenti. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, John's wife Rose, their family and friends, the members of the New Jersey State Legislature and me in recognizing John A. Girgenti's outstanding service to his community and the entire State of New Jersey.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention to the achievements of an outstanding small business, the Hot Grill in New Jersey upon reaching their 50th Anniversary. It is only fitting that they be honored in this, the permanent record of the greatest democracy ever known. Hot Grill has been a true asset and a part of the community in the City of Clifton for 50 years. Under the ownership of Domenick Sportelli, an Italian immigrant, and Carmen LaMendola, the Hot Grill has become a community favorite that has drastically grown since its inception in October of 1961. The Hot Grill started as a small establishment, with one long counter and roughly 20 seats. Thanks to the owners' dedication to quality and commitment to their community, the Hot Grill has undergone several expansions and has attained the ability to accommodate up to 160 customers on its premises. One of the Hot Grill's accomplishments is its pioneering of the Texas Weiner, which many believe had its beginnings in Paterson, New Jersey. Texas Weiners, hot dogs with chili, have been served for over 40 years at the Hot Grill. In 1996, Hot Grill celebrated their 35th anniversary and sold 60,000 hot dogs in just three days. Just five years earlier, it took four days to sell the same amount--proof of the business' growth and popularity. Though it gained fame for its hot dogs, the Hot Grill is also noted for its homemade soups and chilis. Their chili, in fact, travels the world to countries as far as England and Italy. The owners of this business consider the fact that they have now been serving three generations of the community's residents as one of their greatest achievements. The Hot Grill has been ranked as the ``Number 1'' Hot Dog in the Record Readers' Top 5 Survey, along with other enthusiastic reviews. Furthermore, it has been frequented by a number of celebrity personalities over the years, including the late President Richard Nixon. The entrepreneurial spirit present at the Hot Grill is an example of the American Dream. Through hard work, they have demonstrated that businesses in our communities can thrive for generations. Though the job of a United States Congressman involves much that is rewarding, few experiences compare to having the honor of recognizing the impressive accomplishments of local small businesses such as the Hot Grill in the City of Clifton. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, the City of Clifton, the Hot Grill, and its faithful customers in celebrating the great achievement of this outstanding small business upon reaching their 50th Anniversary.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, Panama will be the only trade deal that I will vote for because they import very little to the United States in the first place. More importantly, this allows for, as I see it, new opportunities for the U.S. gulf and east coast ports. Over 60 percent of the goods shipped through the canal sail to or from the United States. I think they've corrected what needed to be corrected. There is no indication of a loss of American jobs, and I think that's what we should be all about. As for Colombia, I don't know how anyone could stand in front of the American people and say that Colombia is making progress in terms of stopping the concerted, conspiratorial effort, proven time and time again, of the murder of trade unionists in that country. In fact, there have been no convictions in 94 percent of the cases from 1986 to 2010-- 6 percent of convictions. I don't know how anybody could stand on this floor, Mr. Speaker, and compare the system of justice there to the system of justice of the United States. Some have suggested, well, we have murders here in this country, too. Of course there are. This is an absolute disgrace. We've lost our soul on this deal, no question about it. Also, a number of multinational companies didn't want the China currency fixed because it doesn't help their big businesses and their purposes. So let's come to the crux of the issue: If we'd have put together all the promises that were made to the American workers for the past 25, 30 years on trade deals, we would be very, very disappointed. This deal has come a long way, perhaps, since the last administration, but neither party is privy to perfection here. This is not a one-party rap. I've read every one of these deals as much as I could, and there are good aspects of the deal, but let's take, for instance, that the United States International Trade Commission does not believe this bill will create jobs. Let me repeat that over and over again.

Mr. PASCRELL. In fact, the updated report they provided to Congress contains a very specific disclaimer that is not an official estimate. When are we going to stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs? It is part of what we've gone through, both parties, but more importantly, the entire Nation, over the last 4 or 5 years. Every trade deal does not mean that there are jobs created in this country. In fact, 90 percent of the trade deals have led to a lessening of jobs in the United States of America. So you can't have high hopes, and you don't have the evidence to show it. Let's bring jobs here to this country.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I want to challenge just about everything that my very good friend Mr. Camp laid before this House. First, let's talk about the numbers. The updated report that Mr. Camp referred to in terms of the number of jobs that would be created by this Colombian deal contains a very specific disclaimer that it is not an official estimate. Additionally, both--any reports estimate that the overall trade deficit will increase. An increasing trade deficit cannot lead to job creation. It's never happened. It will not happen. And you throw numbers in front of people and you know what? You better know what you're talking about. In fact, given the projected changes, the growth of the United States trade deficit with Colombia will displace 83,000 jobs in the United States of America by 2015, for a net loss of an additional 55,000 jobs. Those are the numbers. I didn't make them up. So when you think that anytime you're going to parade a trade deal in front of us--and I voted for Peru because I thought it was a great step forward--and think that we're just going to have to believe, anybody's going to have to believe on either side of the aisle that what you're saying is really what the truth is, you're done, you're over. The American people don't accept it. Four to one they don't accept these trade deals that have diminished us. But the worst part of the Colombia deal is this: since the new President, Mr. Santos, we've had 38 union people killed, family men, teachers, lawyers, shot in the back of the head, wired up on a tree. And one indictment. You want to bring the Colombian trade deal here--here we go--and make us believe that you're not only going to create jobs, but that these victims are going to be no more. Well, you had an opportunity. Here's the numbers, Madam Speaker. Here are the numbers, very clear, very succinct. From 2007 to 2010, 51 murders last year, no convictions. Of the 94 percent of the cases, 130 human rights defenders were detained in 2010. This is an aberration, this is wrong, and the American people aren't going to take it anymore.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. Con. Res. 29, which would authorize the use of the Capitol rotunda for an event on November 16, 2011 to present Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. ``Buzz'' Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, and John Herschel Glenn, Jr., with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that this nation can bestow on an individual. I would like to call to your attention in particular the deeds of one of those outstanding individuals, ``Buzz'' Aldrin. Buzz Aldrin was born at Mountainside Hospital in New Jersey in 1930. He graduated from Montclair High School in 1946, turning down a scholarship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in favor of the chance to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated third in his class in 1951. I am proud to represent Montclair, and I am sure that the citizens of my Eighth District would agree that Buzz Aldrin is one of our most distinguished natives. After graduating from West Point, Aldrin received his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He flew 66 combat missions during the Korean War, and shot down two enemy fighters during his distinguished service there. Following the war, Aldrin served as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and later earned his Doctor of Science Degree from MIT. In 1963, he was selected to become a NASA astronaut. On July 20th, 1969, Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon as a member of the crew of NASA's Apollo 11 mission. He was the second human being ever on the moon, following his crewmate Neil Armstrong. He is the first astronaut to both spacewalk and set foot on the moon. Since his retirement from active duty in 1972 after 21 years of service, Col. Aldrin continues to advocate for space travel, appearing repeatedly on television, in print, and in person around the country. He has helped NASA to develop new training techniques, and has proposed innovative new ideas for manned missions to the planet Mars and its moons. As an author, he has published two science-fiction novels, two autobiographies, and several children's books. Col. Aldrin has been honored with countless awards and distinctions for his service with the U.S. Air Force, with NASA, and to the country. These awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Buzz Aldrin also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2007. It is fitting that he now be bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to recognizing and commemorating the achievements of brave heroes such as Buzz Aldrin. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, the citizens of New Jersey's Eighth District, and me in recognizing Edwin E. ``Buzz'' Aldrin, Jr. and his colleagues for their outstanding service to this nation in the name of science, education, and discovery.