Bill Pascrell

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished gentlewoman from Wisconsin. I would like to also thank Chairman Dingell and Chairman Pallone for their thoughtful consideration and support for millions of TBI survivors and their families. But I personally want to thank my friend from Pennsylvania, Congressman Todd Platts, for his leadership on this important issue. He has shown true sensitivity, and as cochair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, families all through America could not have a better friend than Todd Platts. I have witnessed firsthand, Madam Speaker, how these programs make a difference in people's lives. Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability in young Americans, as well as being the signature injury of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every 21 seconds, one person in the United States sustains a traumatic brain injury. That adds up to 1.4 million TBIs each year. About half of these cases result in at least short-term disability, and about 50,000 people die as a result of these injuries. Eighty thousand people sustain severe brain injuries leading to long-term disability. The Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 5.3 million Americans who are living with long-term severe disability as a result of brain injury. The national cost is estimated at $60 billion annually. The statistics involving brain injury are increasing even more now that reports show that traumatic brain injuries account for 14 to 20 percent of the casualties for those who survive combat in Iraq. As of 3 months ago, Madam Speaker, 30,327 servicemembers have been wounded in Iraq. Two-thirds of those, approximately 20,000, have had injuries during this war affecting the brain. We are in truly a very important time in history. The brain is the last frontier of science. Many returning servicemembers suffering from TBI will receive excellent care and rehabilitation services within the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. But others suffering TBI that are initially undiagnosed or misdiagnosed will later look to the civilian community and local resources for information and services, especially those who serve in the National Guard and Reserves. That is why it is essential that we continue to foster collaboration between the civilian and the military, like the Department of Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. My good friend Colonel Sutton has done a fantastic job there to build a system that ensures returning troops receive what they need to put their lives back together again. Unfortunately, TBI remains a silent epidemic in the United States of America. That is why the legislation today, Madam Speaker, is so important. The TBI Act is the only legislation that specifically allocates Federal funds for programs supporting individuals with brain injury. Originally passed in 1996 and reauthorized in 2000, the TBI Act represents a foundation for coordinated and balanced public policy in prevention, education and research and community living for people living with TBI and their circles of support, many times forgotten as well. It has produced results. For 10 years, the Traumatic Brain Injury Act was successfully providing direction and legal authority for the vast brain injury community in the United States. The act was not designed to provide direct care to persons with TBI, but rather to inform. The Health Resources and Services Administration grants within the TBI Act have helped States to improve access to health and other services for persons with TBI. Prior to the 1996 law, they did not have the tools to even access their own needs. Thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we now have a record of incidence, including details and prevalence, plans for prevention, and, finally, access to treatment. We have also begun to educate the public and provide much-needed scientific data for our scientists, our health care providers and policymakers. Madam Speaker, I cannot tell you how crucial this is to those who have TBI folks within their family. This is serious business. They have to live with it as well.

Mr. PASCRELL. I thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin. Funds would be authorized for the fiscal years 2009 to 2012. It authorizes several new studies, including a study from the CBC and NIH to not only determine the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury, but to identify common therapeutic interventions and develop rehabilitation guidelines. It establishes a study in collaboration with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to identify the best methods of coordinating prevalence data in order to ensure that national research takes into account the incidence of brain injuries among our Nation's veterans and that current information about diagnostic tools and treatments are shared. Madam Speaker, only a strong commitment from the folks here and on the other side of this building is going to continue the incredible advances we have made in the area of basic brain research with prevention, with detection and with early treatment, physical and mental rehabilitation, long-term care and patient advocacy. I urge my colleagues to join with many of us on both sides of the aisle. I again thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Todd Platt, for his great work.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my friend from Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Mitchell).

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, it now gives me a tremendous sense of honor to introduce also the gentleman from Mississippi, my good friend, who is also the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. No one, no one has worked harder to bring all of the agencies together in this effort to protect our country and to protect our families and our neighborhoods. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield the balance of my time to Chairman Thompson.

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, to all of those on both sides of the aisle who made it possible for the reauthorization bill to come to the floor today, I say thank you, and all the services. The U.S. Fire Administration, through FEMA, provides the leadership, the coordination, and support services for fire prevention and control, which is critical. I mean, we still lose 100 firefighters, on average, every year. That certainly is unacceptable to any of us on this floor. And we need to work even harder to make sure that our firefighters have the resources and the wherewithal to do the job we ask them to do. If you remember the Fire Act we passed before 9/11, this was a response to the very basic needs of the 32,000 fire departments throughout the United States and the one million firefighters. That legislation broke ground because it was a response to needs that we've neglected. We can't expect that every local community in this country has the resources to supply and provide the training and the state-of- the-art equipment to the fire departments throughout America, and so that Fire Act has been so successful. There is literally $3.5 billion in applications in the Fire Act, and a tremendous amount of applications for SAFER every year. And we have devised, both of us, on both sides of the aisle, probably the best format of how to judge the competitive applications. We've asked the firefighters to step up to the plate, judged by their peers. But the Fire Administration is partner with all of these peer firefighters who review the applications. In the Fire Act and SAFER bill, this is very unusual, the money goes directly to the departments so that the States cannot skim and the local government cannot skim. So, this is a real competition, and I believe that's how all Federal funds should be used. That's my own personal opinion. The Fire Administration has been a true partner for 34 years. The roles and responsibilities of the fire service have evolved for the 1.1 million men and women in fire and emergency services, over 316,000 career firefighters, almost 317,000, and the 824,000 volunteers. What I am so thankful for, in terms of the U.S. Fire Administration, Mr. Chairman, is that the U.S. Fire Administration has brought the volunteers and the career firefighters together. This is invaluable.

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Mr. Langevin for all of his critical work on this too often neglected issue of fire sprinklers. I applaud this amendment for encouraging the installation of fire sprinklers in all commercial buildings and supporting educational programs about installing them in residential buildings. A very critical issue here. We must take every opportunity to promote the use of fire sprinklers, as the gentleman from Georgia just pointed out, which is why we introduced the Campus Fire Safety Legislation to require mandatory responses. Every university now, every college, every community college, whether it is a college building or a dormitory, any building connected to that university or institution has an obligation to tell the parents and the students what is their record on fire safety. No students should be sent to any university, any university or any college, unless their parents and they themselves know what the record is, if there are sprinklers installed, if there are smoke detectors installed. We lost three who were killed in the Seton Hall fire in New Jersey, 58 were injured. Since 2000, 108 people have died in campus fires. There are 20 campus-related fire deaths in the last 2 years. Mr. Chairman, I want to bring the attention to everyone on this as part of the educational process. I want to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for introducing this amendment. It makes sense, and I hope everybody will support it.

Mr. PASCRELL. I cannot express how important this is. All the competition that existed before 2000, we've gotten out of it, and thanks to the Fire Administration. They are working together, the career firefighters and the volunteer firefighters. This is a very important legislation that is going to save lives. And isn't this what we're here for, to do what we can on a Federal level, realizing it's always going to be the local efforts that are going to be most important. But we have a responsibility, and it seems to me today, Mr. Chairman, that we're stepping up to the plate. I want to commend Members on both sides, the good doctor and my good friend from the Southwest part of the country. This has brought us together, this legislation, and it is good legislation.

Mr. PASCRELL. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in the reauthorization act of 2008, this amendment provides that the National Fire Academy training program could train fire service personnel in response tactics and strategies for dealing with natural catastrophes, including terrorist-caused national catastrophes and incidents that involve weapons of mass destruction. I want to thank the cosponsor of the underlying bill, Representative Harry Mitchell from Arizona, for presenting a very strong piece of legislation that will reauthorize the United States Fire Administration for another 5 years. I also want to thank the chairman of the Science Committee, Congressman Gordon, for his leadership in considering all of the necessary elements of this legislation with the end result being a strong, comprehensive bill. The underlying bill would authorize $293 million through fiscal year 2012 for the U.S. Fire Administration, which is a vital agency charged with reducing debt and economic losses because of fire emergencies. I want to make clear that this is a small price to pay when considering the thousands of lives we lose each year to fire emergencies and the billions of dollars we spend to fight them. Throughout my years in Congress, I have always been passionate for funding our Nation's fire departments and firefighters, the Fire and Safety grants that this Congress has provided in the funds supplied through this reauthorization. I feel especially strong about this reauthorization because it also includes provisions that help guide the fire academy on how to best train our Nation's firefighters for the added and the increased challenges they face every day. My amendment addresses this issue by simply updating the training program at the National Fire Academy to include national catastrophes related to terrorism. We saw on 9/11 our Nation's heroic firefighters were among the first responders on the scene trying desperately to rescue as many people as possible in that horrific act of terror. Clearly, we all understand that the responsibilities of our Nation's firefighters became greater on that day as they now have to train for emergency response to catastrophic terrorist attacks, including the foreboding threats of incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. Many of these types of courses already exist at the fire academy, but the future of these critical courses for these firefighters should never be put in doubt and need to be codified. My amendment simply puts these practices into law and sends a message to the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Fire Administration that this issue continues to be important to the Congress and the protection of our constituents. I thank the sponsor, Mr. Mitchell, the chairman, Mr. Gordon, once again for all of their work. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure today to introduce a bipartisan resolution expressing the strong support of the House of Representatives for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, to extend invitations for membership to Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia at this week's Heads of State and Government summit in Bucharest, Romania. Representatives Mark Souder, Eliot Engel, Earl Pomeroy, and Candice Miller have joined me in this effort. Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia have been preparing for NATO membership for more than 8 years, and are undergoing a historic process of democratic and free market transformation after emerging from decades of occupation. They have made important improvements in the areas of ethnic diversity, human rights, free market economic principles, and the promotion of good neighborly relations. They can also play important roles in NATO activities in southeastern Europe, through their unique geostrategic position. Lasting stability and security in southeastern Europe requires the military, economic, and political integration of emerging democracies into existing European structures. In addition, Macedonia, Albania, and Croatia have been steadfast partners in the war on terror and the war in Iraq, sending troops to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also important to note that Macedonia was the only former Yugoslav republic to win independence from Yugoslavia in the 1990s without bloodshed. Madam Speaker, I proudly support the efforts of Macedonia, Croatia, and Albania to join NATO, and urge my colleagues in the House to support their efforts as well.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Congressman Cantor (R-VA) to introduce budget neutral legislation that will strengthen and enhance the Medicare program by allowing dentists and the surgical arm of dentistry to refer their patients directly to physical therapy, PT, services. This necessary legislation will save significant time and Medicare resources by allowing qualified dental professionals to directly refer and establish their patient's rehabilitative process. This simple yet necessary legislative fix will permit physical therapy services to be furnished under the Medicare program to individuals under the care of a dentist. Current Medicare statute prohibits the direct referral of patients for PT under the care of dentists as well as oral and maxillofacial surgeons, OMS. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, the surgical arm of dentistry, regularly treat patients with medical conditions that require physical therapy. These conditions include, but are not limited to, facial trauma such as jaw fractures, temporomandibular joint disorder, TMJ, and reconstruction procedures subsequent to pathological and/or congenital anomalies. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons undergo rigorous hospital-based education and training that allows them to perform complex surgical procedures of the head and neck. Nationally, they treat thousands of patients each year. Unfortunately, current Medicare law prohibits an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from directly referring their patients for physical therapy services. Instead, a dentist or OMS must first refer their patients back to an allopathic or osteopathic physician and work with such a physician to establish a therapy plan when an OMS believes physical therapy should be part of their patient's treatment. Such consultation has proven to be inefficient, unnecessary and cumbersome, and it ultimately delays patient treatment and the continuum of care. Congressman Cantor and I are proud to have crafted a budget neutral bill that will allow patients to access necessary PT services, restore their oral health and quality of life, and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and cost that currently slow the rehabilitative process. My colleague and I would like to thank our local New Jersey and Virginia oral and maxillofacial surgical communities as well as the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, AAOMS, for supporting this legislation and working closely with us to improve patient access to oral health physical therapy services.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, in case anyone was still under the impression that the President was serious about changing the dynamics on the ground in Iraq, they should put all those hopes aside. If the administration gets its way, this President will leave 8,000 more troops in Iraq when he leaves office than were there before the surge last year. In 2006, before the President's troop escalation plan, there were 132,000 American troops in Iraq. This summer after five combat brigades come home, there still will be 140,000 troops on the ground. There is not going to be a change. Last year the President moved ahead with this troop escalation plan, promising that it would give the Iraq Government the stability to make some of the tough political decisions. As the troop escalation comes to an end, the Iraq Government has failed to bring about any real political progress, and repeated deployments are severely straining our military readiness. Madam Speaker, the status quo is not working. We will continue to fight to end this war and head our country in a new direction.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, this day has been many years in the making. This mental health parity will be a signature jewel in the crown of the 110th Congress. This legislation reflects our deepest values as Americans. I want to thank Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Ramstad for your long labors in making real mental health parity a reality. Families all over America will be forever indebted to you. I have long been a supporter of affordable, accessible, quality health care for every American for both physical and mental illnesses. As a member of the Jersey legislature, I worked for parity legislation that finally came to fruition in 1999. Like the 1996 Federal parity law, the coverage was not complete. Advocates in Jersey continue the fight to ensure real and complete coverage parity. Today, at long last, this House will take one step closer to making that a reality by passing H.R. 1424, the Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. Thank you, both of you. For the first time, this legislation will eliminate inequitable treatment limits and end the imposition of financial requirements on mental health benefits which are not similarly imposed on comparable physical ailments. These two policies are considered to be essential steps toward ending coverage discrimination against individuals with mental illness. To be clear, this legislation does not mandate insurers or group health plans to provide any mental health coverage at all. This legislation will ensure coverage of the same mental illnesses and addiction disorders available to Members of Congress and 8.5 million other Federal employees. Isn't that a breakthrough. While opponents of this insist that parity will bankrupt the health care system, research has shown that there's no significant cost increase whatsoever. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated a minuscule impact on premiums for the mental health parity bill, just two-tenths of 1 percent. This must be passed, both sides of the aisle, and America will benefit.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5351, and now we are trying to shift from fear to new policy. That's what this is all about. Chairman Rangel deserves ample commendation for crafting this wise bill. I can't totally disagree with the gentleman from Pennsylvania that just spoke. So we should want to turn to the next chapter. We should all feel proud that this Congress is, again, showing that we understand the urgency of the situation. New Jersey gas prices have risen 119 percent since 2001. You cannot tell me that now is not the time to get serious about investing in clean energy, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. You cannot tell me that ending unnecessary subsidies to big oil companies who make record profits is an unfair course of action. No one suggested on this floor that we are going to move from fossil fuel to alternative, and nobody suggested that here. You would think that, though. And when I listen to those arguments, indeed it is long past time we wean ourselves off of foreign energy addiction. This is a homeland security issue, pure and simple. This bill will help provide for alternative measures for the American consumer at a time when families across our land are hurting. Put simply, H.R. 5351 reinvests taxpayer subsidies to oil companies already earning record profits into clean renewable energy, creating jobs, making America less dependent on foreign oil, strengthening our national security, and helping to lower energy prices in the long term. This bill contains incentives to expand production of homegrown fuels including the creation of a new production tax credit for cellulosic ethanol produced in America. It extends tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel. Likewise, it provides tax incentives to help homeowners and businesses reduce their energy costs by investing in energy-efficient property. I know businesses throughout my State in New Jersey are eager to lower their energy bills, but the costs at the front end are sometimes too much of a burden. These tax incentives ease that burden. And I have to make a choice, Mr. Speaker, between the incentives that are provided to the oil companies and the incentives that are provided to those companies who want to produce alternative energy sources.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3521, the Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2007. I commend Chairman Frank and commend Chairwoman Waters and my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman Albio Sires, for bringing to the floor this very important legislation. This is the most significant administrative transformation, Mr. Chairman, in 30 years dealing with all of the public housing authorities throughout the United States. This bill, developed with the input of public housing agencies, administrators and tenants, is a commonsense measure that provides flexibility to the Nation's public housing authorities as they transition to asset management. I must say to my friend from Illinois, the points that you bring up are salient, but it doesn't work here, and I will tell you why. H.R. 3521 was included as part of H.R. 2764, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, which the President signed on December 26, 2007. It's already law. Specifically, the Consolidated Appropriations Act included the provision to allow flexible funding between the capital and operating funds. It also expanded the exemption from implementing asset management from public housing authorities with less than 250 units to public housing authorities with less than 400 units. This legislation that is before us today increases that threshold to 500 units. So what we are taking is something already in the law and expanding it. H.R. 3521 would also be permanent whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act would only put provisions in place for the year 2008. I ask that that be considered, and I think it is a very important part of what we are debating today. Asset management is an efficient administrative style that allows public housing authorities to manage each individual housing development on a project-level basis as opposed to managing developments on an agency-wide basis. While most stakeholders support the idea of asset management, they believe that HUD has implemented its inflexibility. For example, HUD has mandated that public housing authorities demonstrate compliance. So this is not a willy-nilly situation here. This is something you have to comply to the law. New rules will be established by 2011, which the PHAs believe is too soon. You have to get these public housing authorities that have been operating, many of them for 30 years, the flexibility for compliance. And HUD is overseeing them. You act as if there is no one who is auditing the books. We need time to issue timely and complete guidance on these new regulations causing some PHAs to lose funding and staff. I don't think any of us want that. During this time of declining resources for public housing, when is the last time we built public housing? When is the last time we built public housing for seniors at a time when we know what is going on out there with people losing homes? When is the last time we have provided public housing? So during this time of declining resources for public housing, it is imperative that we provide them with the flexibility they need to use their funds as they see fit. This legislation requires new negotiated rulemaking to begin in 2009 to ensure that housing authorities are funded according to an accurate funding formula and allows the public housing authorities the flexibility to move small amounts of funding from capital to operating funds. Also, this legislation exempts small public housing authorities from asset management, as they generally will see no economic or efficiency improvements from its implementation and ensure that the PHAs involve tenants in every decision. Mr. Chairman, this bill makes real practical changes that will truly benefit our public housing agencies as they implement asset management. I urge my colleagues to support its passage, and I commend the sponsors of this legislation.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation, with my friend and colleague Congressman Ron Lewis, which will bring equity to an unjust Medicare compensation formula currently used to reimburse teaching hospitals. Under current law, Medicare uses an antiquated formula to determine payments for hospitals with Direct Graduate Medical Education, DGME, programs designed to educate and train physicians. The formula, which was created in the 1980s no longer serves as an accurate reflection of the actual costs of operating training programs in the 21st century. Currently, more than 600 hospitals that train physicians are paid less than the national average, meaning that Medicare pays less than its fair share for the costs of educating doctors in these hospitals. In my home State of New Jersey alone, teaching hospitals have lost about $6.9 million. The current system stymies these hospitals' ability to train a workforce sufficient to care for the growing Medicare population. Despite congressional efforts in 1999 and 2001 to make incremental improvements in DGME payments, hospitals still receive only 85 percent of the cost of the national average that teaching hospitals incur today for operating costs. Bringing the effort to fruition, this legislation requires Medicare to at least pay the average cost of operating a training program. It would increase the DGME payment--for hospitals whose historical costs are less than the national average--to 100 percent of the national average per resident amount. The floor should be increased to the national average so no hospitals receive less than Medicare's fair share of the costs of operating a medical education program. This bill does not affect hospitals whose historical costs are above the national average. I have introduced this measure in the interest of America's hospitals, medical students, and the Medicare patients who will one day depend on their doctors to have the highest level of training and expertise. As it stands now, hundreds of teaching hospitals are being reimbursed by Medicare at an inadequate level for their work in training America's doctors of tomorrow. Too many hospitals, students, and patients are depending on us to equip teaching hospitals with the financing they need to produce a corps of well trained, experienced physicians. Without it, I am concerned that these unsustainable losses are a real threat to the future of this nation's healthcare infrastructure. I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this legislation to provide a DGME level that accurately reflects of the actual costs of operating physician training programs in the 21st century.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the football Giants on their improbable and inspirational Super Bowl victory. House Resolution 960, I'm sure, will get tremendous support here. On any list of the most memorable moments in sports history, the word ``underdog'' often makes an appearance. We always seem to remember the team that overcame adversity, and we always remember the team that overcame doubt to steal victory from the grasp of a supposedly superior opponent in the last second, against all odds, and against all predictions. In some ways, we can all see ourselves as underdogs. Sometimes, no matter what you do, how hard you try, it can feel like the whole world is rooting for the other team and the other guy. There are lessons here of perseverance. Whether you are a candidate, whether you are a Congressman, whether you are a truck driver is immaterial. Maybe this is why the Giants' upset over the heavily favored New England Patriots resonates so strongly with the American people and is sure to be remembered as one of the greatest victories in the history of the National Football League. At the start of the playoffs, no one believed the Giants would defeat the Dallas Cowboys, their flashy division rivals who had beaten them twice during the regular season, but they did. No one believed that the Giants would defeat the great Green Bay Packers; but on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, and against a living legend, they prevailed. And no one believed the Giants could compete with New England. The Patriots were the team of destiny. Man, we've heard that on this floor about a lot of things. They had the perfect team, the perfect season to complete. Only God is perfect, Mr. Speaker. Only God. No one but the Big Blue faithful believed the Giants had a chance to win that night. But history is known to repeat itself, and the history of sports is full of great upsets, victorious underdogs, from the miracle on the ice, to Buster Douglas, to Joe Namath. And now, in the same breath, we can say the 2007 football Giants. Who will ever be able to forget the almost supernatural catch made by Wayne, New Jersey, resident David Tyree? Born in Montclair, went to schools there. Indeed, it was this graduate from New Jersey's Montclair High who caught a not-to-be-believed 32-yard pass from Eli Manning that kept the winning drive alive with only 59 seconds left. As the final seconds ticked off the game clock, the emotions and excitement were immeasurable. But it was a bittersweet moment for me. I wished my friend and fellow Fordham alumnus, Wellington Mara, the Giants late owner, was alive to witness it. I congratulate the owners, the coaches and players of the Giants on an incredible season and a historic championship. I wish them the best of luck defending their title next year.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I support H.R. 4137. It is a great piece of legislation. I commend Chairman Miller and Ranking Member McKeon and all the members of the committee. I think that this is truly visionary with regard to the cost, restoring integrity and accountability, and expanding college access. I am the first member of my family to have the opportunity to go to college. I deeply appreciate what the committee has done. There is one part of the bill I want to provide emphasis to and that is the fire safety part. I have worked on this issue for over 7 years. I was deeply involved in the issue after the horrific fire at Seton Hall University in South Orange in 2000. We lost three students. Fifty-eight other students were injured severely. This horrible tragedy made it clear that something needed to be done to educate students, their families, the faculty and the staff about the dangers of fires on campuses; and that is why I introduced the Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act. Parents and students have a right to know about the school's campus fire safety policies and records. I ask full support of this legislation, and I thank the committee members again for the great work they did. I rise today in strong support for the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, H.R. 4137, and I commend Chairman Miller and Ranking Member McKeon for bringing this worthy measure to the floor. This comprehensive, bipartisan bill will reauthorize the Higher Education Act through FY 2012 while addressing concerns about the cost of education, restoring integrity and accountability to student loan programs, expanding college access and support for low income and minority students, and strengthening our workforce and competitiveness. In addition, H.R. 4137 addresses an issue that I have made a priority for over 8 years, which is vital to the safety and security of American college students--fire safety on our college campuses. The statistics relating to fire safety on college campuses are startling. Each year, thousands of fires rage through the campuses and off-campus housing of our colleges and universities. I became deeply involved in the issue of campus fire safety after experiencing the terrible aftermath of a catastrophic fire at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, in 2000. That fire killed three young freshmen and wounded 58 other students in a dorm on campus. This horrible tragedy made it clear that something needed to be done to educate students, their families, faculty, and staff about the danger of fires on the campuses of our colleges and universities. As such, I introduced the ``Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act,'' a version of which is included in the bill we are considering today. The campus fire safety reporting requirement in H.R. 4137 mandates that colleges and universities provide prospective and current students and parents with a report of the school's campus fire safety policies and records. Educating students about fire safety during their time in school will have a strong impact on the choices they make in the future. If we can influence what they learn, we can create a more fire-safe generation for tomorrow and potentially save thousands of lives. I want to once again state my strong support for this legislation. As the first member of my family to attend college, I applaud the Chairman and Ranking Member for their dedication to making the dream of a college education a reality for so many Americans who otherwise would not have had that chance.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3524. I can provide testimony here. I was a mayor. In fact, in the final years before I came to the Congress of the United States, we built HOPE VI housing. It was successful. And the community decided what that housing would be like and the community decided what the standards would be of living. In the same area, in the same area that I've just heard we should move people out of, you want to lift up. That's what hope is all about. That's what HOPE VI is all about. So I can testify to the success. Come to Paterson, New Jersey, and see how HOPE VI operates. And we want to provide other areas of buildings that are falling down. Why should tenants have to live in those other buildings in that same situation? We want to give hope to those people as well, to provide better housing. HOPE VI grants are used by public housing authorities to fund major rehab and demolition. I urge everyone to vote for this legislation.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate the words of the gentleman from New York. This bill is a significant reminder of why we are here. Beyond the acrimony of the last few weeks, this bill goes to the center of what we should be all about. I commend the gentleman from New York. With this bill, we take up a tax measure that is not geared towards increasing the fortunes of the already fortunate, but instead we provide a measure of relief for those brave men and women serving in the military and as first responders. I am glad to see that this bill excludes from income certain reimbursable expenses incurred in the line of duty by volunteer firefighters. And I commend my friend, John Larson, who has worked on this issue for some time now. I am truly heartened that we are permanently extending combat pay in the calculations of the earned income tax credit. Recent law allowed members of the Armed Forces to include combat pay, which is generally nontaxable for purposes of computing their earned income credit. But this will only last through the 2006 tax year. Many of us have worked for some time to make this proposal permanent. I am tremendously pleased that this provision has been made. There is no reason a member of the Armed Forces should lose their earned income tax credit when they are mobilized to serve this country. This is unacceptable. I want to thank Chairman Rangel for all his work and diligence on this critical issue. And I want to say, Mr. Speaker, I hope we have many more bills like this between now and the time we take off, because it is important to indicate to the American people that we can cross party lines.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad we had that last exchange because that's the heart of the issue. It's disingenuous. It's almost bordering on hypocritical because from 2008 to 2017 the administration, the same administration that got us into this mess, assumes the revenue that we will be accepting from AMT every year. This is disingenuous. Tell the American people what the whole story is, not just half the story. What we want to do, Democrats, we want to prevent millions of working families, 100,000 in my own district, from seeing their taxes increase substantially. We're talking $3,000, $4,000. We're not talking chicken feed here. It pays for the lost revenue by stopping hedge fund managers and corporate CEOs from escaping income taxes by using offshore tax havens. I can only conclude from what I have heard this evening that the minority wants to protect tax evaders. That's what you want to do. Tell the American people straight up what you want to do. You don't want to protect the fireman, the police officer, the doctor, the lawyer. You want to protect that small group of people, you heard the Speaker talk about it, 5,000 to 10,000 people. That's what this protection scheme of yours is all about. Most Americans think what we're trying to do is fair and decent and reasonable because it is. But in the warped reality of Washington, there are Members of Congress who believe otherwise. There are actually Members who would rather see working families bear the burden of tax hikes than even a minor adjustment in the Tax Code to ensure that the richest among us pay their fair share. This is what this is all about. Fairness. You kicked the can down the street further. It's our children and our grandchildren that will have the burden. Speak up tonight in one voice. You have an opportunity. The barometer is not Wall Street; it's Main Street. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. I would like for us to pause from votes for just a few moments in order to recognize one of our congressional brothers who passed away last week. As many of you know, last Wednesday, former Representative Joseph Minish died at the age of 91. We have lost a great man, a great New Jerseyan and true champion of the working class. A native of Throop, Pennsylvania, Joe was the son of a coal miner. Joe never went to college, but he served in the Army during World War II and subsequently settled in Newark, New Jersey, where he worked as a machine operator and joined the staff of the Electrical Workers Union. He was first elected in 1962. Joe represented Essex County in the House for 22 years. Throughout his tenure, he displayed talent, intelligence and capability. More important than anything, Madam Speaker, he showed kindness to everyone. Joe was always looking out for the little guy. And after all, isn't that why we are all here? He was unassuming. He was a humble man. But he fought with intensity on behalf of the underdog, and he is an example of the very best of what public service is all about. He believed in what Tip O'Neill believed, and that is that all politics is local. He was legendary back home for the constituent services he provided. He did it with little flair, asked nothing in return, and just got the job done. In Washington, Joe pushed for truth-in-lending laws and rallied against the price gouging of consumers. He was an advocate for food safety reforms, including tougher Food and Drug Administration regulation, as well as for greater access to health care for all. I represent part of Joe's old district, and as a long-time resident of West Orange, New Jersey, Joe was a constituent of mine. I can only hope that I represent the good people of my district with the same decency in character that Joe Minish displayed throughout his tenure. He reached across the aisle. He was a giant among men. We will miss you, my friend. I now ask that the House take a moment of silence in his honor.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the deeds of an outstanding American, Mr. Tom Cohen, who was recognized October 30, 2007, for his great humanitarian efforts and tremendous support of the worthwhile work of Orphans International. Mr. Cohen's work with Orphans International began after his family was struck with terrible tragedy. In 2004, he lost his beloved son-in- law, Cresenta Fernando, Ph.D., in the December tsunami, which devastated his native country of Sri Lanka. Out of this awful loss, Tom saw an opportunity to keep Cresenta's memory alive by helping to improve the lives of disadvantaged children throughout Sri Lanka. Mr. Cohen began working with Jim Luce, the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization Orphans International, which had established projects that were helping to meet the needs of children in other parts of the world. Together, they created a branch of the organization that would serve the most vulnerable children of Sri Lanka in honor of Cresenta. Orphans International Sri Lanka, or OI Sri Lanka, is a part of Orphans International Worldwide's network. This organization works to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and social needs of children who are victims of natural disasters, armed conflicts, and other crises that have taken away their parents, homes, and their chances for a better life. Mr. Cohen is not only a compassionate philanthropist, but also an accomplished professional. As the head of compliance at Bear Steams, he has helped contribute to that company's great success. Mr. Cohen's work for Orphans International has been a family effort. Tom's wife Donna Cohen has worked tirelessly with him to raise funds for this worthwhile goal, and to support their daughter Ariele Cohen in her role as the president of the OI Sri Lanka Board of Directors and a member of the OI America Advisory Board. The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to working with and recognizing the efforts of dedicated humanitarians like Tom Cohen. I am proud to represent such a fine man in Congress. Madam Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, everyone involved in Orphans International, Tom's family and friends, and me in recognizing Tom Cohen's outstanding service to the global community.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I want to associate my words with the gentleman, my good friend from Wisconsin, also. You say ``tomato,'' he says ``tomato.'' You call it tax relief; you call it tax cut. You make the choice. You think that the Bush administration and their congressional allies would be in support of this measure. Instead, Republicans are hysterically crying because this bill asks private equity managers to pay the same rate in taxes as most folks in this room. Why should the richest of all Americans pay only 15 percent in taxes when a doctor or lawyer pays 35 percent? Why should the kings of Wall Street only pay 15 percent on their contingency fees when most teachers and police officers pay 25 and 30 percent? I have heard repeatedly in this debate that private equity managers are involved in a risky business so they should be rewarded with the lowest tax rates around. But the risk they carry is on other peoples' money, not their own. When you want to talk about risk, how about the firefighter that rushes into a burning building? Are Republican priorities so skewed that they will spend all their time and effort ensuring that financiers pay less in taxes than first responders? No way. It is another day, and another example of prudent, sound, fiscally responsible legislation from the Democratic majority. Unfortunately, it's also another day of cheap rhetoric and skewed facts from the Republican side of the aisle. Indeed, the debate today says a great deal about the misplaced priorities and values of the other side. Democrats are bringing to the floor a bill that will prevent the Alternative Minimum Tax from hitting 23 million taxpayers this year while also upholding our commitment to fiscal responsibility by complying with Pay-Go rules. You'd think that the Bush Administration and their congressional allies would be in support of such a measure. But no. Instead, Republicans are hysterically crying because this bill asks private equity managers to pay the same rate in taxes as everyone else. Why should the richest of all Americans pay only 15 percent in taxes when a doctor or lawyer pays 35 percent? Why should the Kings of Wall Street only pay 15 percent on their contingency fees when most teachers and police officers pay 25 to 30 percent? I've heard repeatedly in this debate that private equity managers are involved in a risky business, so they should be rewarded with the lowest tax rates around. But the risk they carry is on other people's money--not their own. And you want to talk about risk? How about the firefighter that rushes into a burning building? Are Republican priorities so skewed that they'll spend all their time and effort ensuring that financiers pay less in taxes than first responders? This legislation is wise and it is fair. It will give tax relief to 23 million hard working Americans while ensuring fairness in the tax code. And if it wasn't for the campaign contributions from Wall Street this bill would pass unanimously.

Mr. PASCRELL

Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, this is a great day. Tomorrow will be a great day, also. I have finally found a trade agreement I could agree with. And the reason why, for the first time, Members from both sides of the aisle have had a say in what that is. Article I, section 8 is alive and well. I want to tell my friend from Texas, I'm sorry he left the floor, this is the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. This is not the United States-Peru free trade. See, that got us into trouble. I want to just correct him that we have the right title because free trade is what got us into trouble. We need fair trade. That's what this legislation is all about. So I rise in strong support of H.R. 3688. This is a bipartisan bill. This is a carefully crafted measure that deserves broad support. There is not a single group that I have dealt with recently who hasn't said, and I have sat with all of them, at the very least that real progress has been made in the Peru deal. Even the most vociferous opponents, who may be in this room right now, of this trade deal state clearly that noticeable achievements have, indeed, occurred. The new provisions on workers rights and the environment represents significant accomplishments in crucial areas. And for that, Mr. Rangel and Mr. Levin, Democratic leadership should be commended, and I salute you both. You don't protect good-paying American jobs by freezing trade. You don't do it that way. You don't correct the imbalances in trade by stopping trade. For the first time in a trade agreement, we finally have fully enforceable obligations that require both FTA parties to adopt and effectively enforce core labor rights as stated in the 1998 ILO declaration. By the way, my friends who oppose this legislation, take a look and put this in context. Since 1934, both parties have gone back and forth as to who believes in free trade more. Both parties. Neither party is privy to virtue on this issue of trade. Let's get that straight. If you look back into the 1960s and 1970s, the same situation. Democrats were on this floor pointing fingers at the opposition saying: We need free trade. We need trade that is unbridled. Check the record. Check the record. And then we had just the opposite happen after Jimmy Carter became President. I believe that trade can yield broad benefits to many if done right. My belief is that trade agreements have been ill-conceived and crafted clearly not with the best interests of working families. I have voted against all of them. But this is a good one. This trade agreement marks a significant step forward. The enemy of the good is the perfect. And while this trade agreement may not be perfect, and by the way no one on this floor is, no bill is. This is a good piece of legislation. Mr. Chairman, I salute you. Mr. Ranking Member, I salute you. You've done a great job.