Ed Perlmutter

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I thank my friend. I think the language is about as clear as it could be when it says ``none of the Federal funds appropriated.'' I will now yield 4 minutes to my friend from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire as to the amount of time on each side.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. If I could, I would ask my friend from Texas how many more speakers he has. We don't have any others. And I will close.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Then I would reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Yes. I don't have any other speakers. Somebody may come wandering in, and I may ask for your indulgence. But at this point, we don't have any speakers.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I will let the gentleman do a soliloquy. I am not going to enter into a colloquy.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume to close. First, to my friend from Oregon and his concern about the fairness doctrine, there is nothing in the bill that allows for the fairness doctrine. He was concerned about a smile that I had on my face because I remember when the gentleman brought the amendment last year and I supported his amendment. But there is nothing in the bill that provides for the fairness doctrine. And in effect, what he's trying to do is restrain something that doesn't exist. So that's point number one. Point number two: to my friend from New Jersey, I respect his passion about abortion and his feelings about abortion. It is a very emotional and difficult discussion. But section 812 of the bill, at page 143, couldn't be more clear: None of the Federal funds appropriated under this Act shall be expended for any abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered, or where the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest. So to those two specific points, I wanted to make my comments. As to my friend from Texas and his closing argument, it simply doesn't hold water. The administration that preceded the Obama administration, the administration of George Bush, drove this country into a fiscal ditch. And it's going to take everything that we have to get out of that ditch. The banking system almost collapsed. Jobs were lost. Plants were closed. Businesses were shuttered. Homes were foreclosed. And it is with great effort, great energy that we are trying to reverse what occurred because of the reckless actions of that administration. Under this bill, there is more money invested in the Small Business Administration to encourage and build and strengthen our small businesses which have been hurt by this recession. But that is the engine that will ultimately drive this economy. We need to get small businesses back on their feet. That happens, in part, through this bill. Secondly, we restore reasonable regulation to the marketplace, regulation that was denied and excluded under the prior administration. The Securities and Exchange Commission was, in effect, rendered neutral and neutered under the prior administration, exposing the country to gigantic Ponzi schemes like that conducted by Bernard Madoff. We need to make sure that our Federal Trade Commission is fully funded so that it can protect consumers and businesses alike against unfair and deceptive trade practices. The Judiciary has to be staffed to handle all the bankruptcies that have occurred. The bill that is pending that we propose will assist the Federal Government in managing these affairs. Finally, Mr. LaTourette's amendment concerning the auto dealers is an important portion of this bill, to give those who had franchises and were terminated improperly the right to get their franchise back and their dealerships open and going again, thereby saving jobs. This is an important piece of legislation. This bill helps keep the government running, so providing the funds that exist in the bill is something that we must move forward on. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, on roll call 571 on the passage of H.R. 3170, the Financial Services Appropriation, I was unavoidably detained. I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, today, much of the conversation is about the health care system. It's a very personal matter to me, as it is to every man, woman and child in American. I have a daughter with epilepsy. She is not insurable. We have a system in place today that denies her coverage, that excludes her from coverage. That's wrong, and it's probably unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. There should not be discrimination in health care. There shouldn't be denial of coverage because of a preexisting condition. We need to change the system that exists so that there is coverage for all Americans with chronic illness and the like. The bill that we have in Congress will change that coverage, ladies and gentlemen, and I urge its passage.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I would also like to thank my friends for their assistance in creating what will be a state-of-the-art health care facility in Colorado. The veterans in Colorado have been promised for years and years and years that they would get a facility that was equal to the service they gave to this country. And with the hard work of the committee, the hard work of the Colorado delegation, assistance from both sides of the aisle, we are going to get that facility built in Colorado.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I thank Ms. Pingree for the opportunity to speak on this rule, and I just want to thank my friends Chet Edwards and Zach Wamp for their leadership and hard work in crafting this bill and their unfailing support of American servicemembers and veterans. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ongoing and an increasingly high volume of men and women servicemembers returning home, funding their needs remains a top priority. As much now as ever, Congress needs to be making critical investments in construction projects which support servicemembers, safety and quality of life at home and on the battlefield. We must also make good our promise to our soldiers returning home from war, by improving their health care facilities and services and by providing them with the best care possible. We also need to aid them in their transition to civilian life by fully funding the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our veterans deserve a bill which honors their remarkable service in the protection of our country. That's what this bill does that we are going to hear here today. The bill increases funding for the Veterans Health Administration by $4.4 billion over last year. This improves access to medical services for veterans for key programs in treating mental health issues, assistance for homeless veterans, and measures to improve access to health care for many veterans who live in rural areas such as those in Colorado. The bill also expands funding for essential investments in information technology which speed processing of benefits, claims, and makes needed improvements in the accuracy and efficiency with the expanded use of electronic health records. I especially want to thank the Veterans' Committee, the Appropriations Committee in taking a good look and a hard look at processing claims, which for a long time were lagging and people were not getting their claims heard. There has been a tremendous effort and focus over the last couple of years to make the claims process much quicker, much faster, much more accurate.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Thank you, Chairman Waxman. I rise in support of the Clean Energy Act here. And I want to read the first sentence of a letter we received today from the National Association of Realtors. The National Association of Realtors supports H.R. 2998 (2454) the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which addresses a broad and global array of issues. In closing, the National Association of Realtors ask for the favorable passage of this, as do Duke Energy, American Electric Power, BP Amoco, GE, and the American Institute of Architects. This bill is designed to help us with national security, the climate, and jobs. My friend, Mr. Poe, from Texas says, Just vote no. Well, that's the party of the status quo. Just vote no, we like the status quo. It is time for a change, ladies and gentlemen. We can't afford the status quo, and this bill brings us in that change and a new direction.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I still reserve my time. I would ask my friend how many speakers he has.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I continue to reserve.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. To that point by my friend, on page 10, I have read the report since last night; so I thank you for pointing it out to me. And what page 10 says, and really what has led to this moment, I'd say to my friend, is the fact that at the close of the legislative day of Thursday, August 2, the House had been in session for 51 hours that week and 65 hours the week before. There really is no causal relation, I'd say to my friend, to where it talks about 2-minute votes.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Will my friend yield?

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Reclaiming my time, I thank my friend from California for commending me. But what I want to talk about, and I will be brief and then reserve the balance of my time, is I appreciate some of the comments that the gentleman has made about the need for debate and speech and the opportunity for each of us to have a say as to the legislation that proceeds from this Chamber. But on the other hand, this country, the people of this country are demanding that we act, that we not completely just shut down and sit on our hands, twiddle our thumbs and say, woe is me, but it is time to act both on appropriations bills as well as other bills. And I'd say to my friend, and I know that it was a way to protest what was happening on the floor, but the delay that was exhibited last week simply frustrates the will of the electorate to change the direction of this Nation. And I would also remind my friend that, Madam Speaker, the pressure that is placed on our staff at the rostrum by changing votes time and time again simply really is the problem and really redoubles the effort that they have to put forward. So I appreciate his comments about the pressure that's placed on the staff by 2-minute voting. I would remind my friend the same kind of pressure, if not a lot more, is placed on the staff by changing votes for, in my opinion, only reasons of delay. With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I do not.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Certainly.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire of my friend how many speakers he has on his side.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, today the House will debate and vote on the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010. My friend Chairman David Price and Ranking Member Harold Rogers have crafted a strong bill which invests in robust border security, attentive and agile emergency management capabilities, helpful to State and local partners, and secures our transportation system. This bill reflects Congress' commitment to protect our Nation from the threats it faces with a bottom line $2.6 billion increase in Department of Homeland Security funding over last year. In the area of border security and immigration enforcement, this bill increases funding for Customs and Border Protection by more than $146 million. This increase will allow the Border Patrol to better address violence and drug smuggling along our southern border, which has become a very serious concern in recent years. For emergency preparedness and response, this bill fully funds the versatile State Homeland Security Grant program, a program for which I have long advocated. This critical program allows for States to address the security threats most pressing to them. After all, the biggest threats to Colorado may not be the same as the biggest threats to New York or California. This bill also restores funding to the Assistance for Firefighters Grant program to $800 million. I have presented dozens of Federal grant checks to fire departments across my district during my tenure in Congress; and I can say from experience, FIRE and SAFER Grants mean better training for our firefighters, better equipment and more firefighters on our streets, and safety for our citizens. On another topic, I have said for years now that our computer networks are essential parts of our Nation's infrastructure; and as such, they need more focus for security. So I am pleased to see this bill increases funding for DHS's National Cybersecurity Division by $68 million over last year. In the field of transportation security, this bill takes a large step forward. We increased funding for aviation security by $511 million over last year, investing a great deal in screening and detection technology for explosives. More important, in my opinion, we more than doubled funding for surface transportation security. This commitment is an essential step to preventing attacks on our rail and mass transit systems which have been the target of attacks in places such as London, Madrid and Mumbai. Although we increase funding for many activities under DHS, this bill also tightens the belt. The bill terminates 16 programs, many of which have been unsuccessful in meeting their mission. In addition, the bill cuts nearly $800 million from various programs. In short, this bill puts the taxpayer dollars in the components of DHS which provide real results and real security. Looking beyond the funding levels of this bill, we must also recognize that DHS is a department which relies heavily on a well- trained workforce. This bill provides the resources the Department of Homeland Security personnel, as well as our State and local partners, need to meet their objectives. I urge my colleagues to support this rule. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Thank you, Madam Speaker. For purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend from California (Mr. Dreier). All time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. General Leave