Chellie Pingree

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. I yield myself such time as I may consume. General Leave

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 909.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 909 provides a structured rule for consideration of H.R. 3791, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009. The rules waive all points of order against consideration of the bill except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Committee on Science and Technology. The rule provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Science and Technology Committee modified by the amendment printed in part A of the Rules Committee report shall be considered as adopted and shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against the substitute amendment, except those arising under clause 10 of rule XXI. The rule makes in order the amendments printed in part B of the Rules Committee report and waives all points of order against such amendments except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The rule makes in order all five of the amendments submitted for consideration. The Chair may not entertain a motion to rise unless offered by the Chair of the Committee on Science and Technology or his designee, and may not entertain a motion to strike the enacting clause. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3791 reauthorizes funding for two vital programs that support our local firefighters and our communities: the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. These two programs go hand in hand by providing assistance that keeps local fire departments prepared and able to respond, while assuring that each department is adequately staffed to meet the needs of the community. The AFG program provides funding for local fire departments to purchase equipment, vehicles and training, and the SAFER grants program helps local departments maintain and hire firefighters. The success of both programs has been indisputable and their impacts have been felt in each of our districts. Since 2001, the AFG program has provided over $4.8 billion in funding to local fire departments to purchase emergency response training and equipment. Since 2004, the SAFER program has competitively awarded $700 million to local departments for hiring, recruitment and retention of fire fighters. The effect of both programs can be simply stated. Each dollar saves lives and jobs. While this funding has been essential, the unmet needs of our local departments remain staggering. In fiscal year 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency received over 20,000 applications from fire departments requesting over $3 billion. In the same fiscal year, FEMA also received over 1,000 applications for SAFER grants, requesting over $500 million. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that 65 percent of fire departments in the United States do not have enough portable radios to equip all firefighters, and that 36 percent of all fire departments involved in emergency medical responses do not have enough adequately trained personnel to respond to these emergencies. The numbers speak for themselves. During these tough economic times, the needs of our local fire departments have been exacerbated and local resources have been stretched to the breaking point. Communities in rural areas, which have always been strapped for resources and struggled to compete for Federal funds, have been hit exceptionally hard by this economic downturn. In Portland, Maine, one of the more urban areas that I represent, nine firefighters in the Portland region were recently laid off due to significant budget cuts. But the local unions stepped up and unanimously stood up to support their laid-off colleagues out of their own pay checks. While this is a great example of people pulling together during tough times, and it may exemplify part of what we admire about first responders, this is simply an unacceptable solution. The Federal Government has no higher charge than to provide for the common protection and the common good of its citizens and to support this work at the local level. It is time to reinvest in our emergency responders and renew our commitment to these critical programs. This funding is also critical in rural towns across the country. Raymond, Maine, in my district, for example, is a town of less than 5,000 residents and a fire department that is mostly made up of volunteers. In 2008 when they realized that their SCBAs, self-contained breathing apparatus, on all of their trucks were outdated and didn't meet the current requirements, they turned to this program. And thanks to a $150,000 grant, Raymond, Maine, was able to purchase the equipment they so desperately needed. Stories like this are now more common because of the SAFER program. The safety of our homes and our neighborhoods has never been a partisan issue, and the bravery and service of our local fire departments has never been in question. This is clearly demonstrated by the broad bipartisan support for this bill and the strong endorsements from the International Association of Firefighters and the National Volunteer Fire Council. I look forward to the passage of this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for all of the many topics he brought up this morning. I'm sure he and I will have another time when we get to discuss the trade issues in this country. And I also appreciate that there will be time in our committee to talk about the issues around amendments and open rules. I will say that there are job components, particularly in this bill when I brought up the firefighters in Portland, Maine, who had recently lost their jobs and are now helping some of their brethren with their own paychecks. I know that funding through this helps many of our firefighters to maintain their service. I do want to also say, I know we all extended our sympathy at the time, but I appreciated that you spoke to us about the extreme fire issues in your district. And I also want to send my sympathies to those firefighters who are lost and their families. And I know that was a perilous time. I appreciate the fact that while I represent a very rural district, even in your urban district, we have very many similarities of issues that we have to deal with. I would now like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I just want to say to my good friend from California, I apologize for not yielding earlier, and I appreciate your comments.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. At this moment I have no other speakers. I would inquire whether the gentleman is ready to yield back his time.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I thank my colleague for co-managing this rule. I appreciate his concerns about jobs. I know it's a top priority for our caucus and one we will be talking about in the coming weeks and days. I want to finish my remarks by focusing on the important contribution of firefighters. Mr. Speaker, the fire service in this country is being asked to do more than ever before--from hazmat response and safety planning for schools to EMT duties and homeland security responsibilities. These days, fire departments do much more than spray water on burning buildings. Or, as one of my firefighter friends says, much more than ``putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.'' These increased responsibilities are why these programs are so vitally important. My home State of Maine has used these programs to great success. During fiscal year 2008, Maine received almost $5 million in AFG funding and close to $1 million in SAFER grants. But these numbers alone do not tell the whole story. The real success of these programs is told through the stories of those whose lives have been saved and those whose jobs have been preserved. In 2005, a Maine fire department received an AFG grant to purchase smoke alarms and install those in homes that did not meet the level of protection recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. Just 2 months after the local fire department began installing the smoke alarms, firefighters were called to a house where smoke had been detected in the basement. The family of six living in the home was awakened by a smoke alarm and they were able to escape before any of them suffered a serious injury. The smoke alarm had been bought and installed with funding from the AFG program. The town of Saco, Maine, recently used these programs to install an exhaust system for the fire station so the building doesn't fill up with diesel exhaust every time the fire trucks start up. And the town of Brunswick, a community facing the challenges of a Navy base closure, the department was able to hire critically needed firefighters thanks to a SAFER grant. But, Mr. Speaker, I think some of the real success stories lie in our rural communities, communities often staffed by volunteer fire departments. Just like bigger communities, those small-town fire departments are being asked to do more, but acquiring the equipment they need is often beyond the scope of small-town municipal budgets. Through these programs, small-town volunteer fire departments in my State have been able to acquire the turnout coats, the breathing apparatus, and the hazmat suits to do the job effectively and safely. Mr. Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of this bill and I will continue to be a strong supporter of the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our businesses, our homes, and our communities safe. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 909 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here in your presence today and to be here with my colleagues. I thank the gentlewoman from New York for allowing me this time. I am so proud to be here casting the vote that so many of my constituents have waited way too long for. There has been a lot of hard work, a lot of facts and figures that have gone into the discussion of this important piece of legislation before us, and certainly over the last 10 months that I've been here. I want to spend my time talking about the story that is always on my mind when I'm talking about health care and is certainly on my mind today. As a young father, my brother was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a disease that I hope no one else ever has to face or face in a loved one. He had recently left his job to stay home to take care of his 2- year-old son. His wife had better pay. His insurance, of course, was temporary and soon withdrawn, and he had no public option to choose. He did what so many young families did. They spent down their savings. They sold everything they had. They became poor so that they could qualify for Medicaid because no doctor would see him without insurance. The fact is, he passed away 14 months later, and I have often wondered would he have survived had he had the medical care that he needed. That would be a very sad story if it had been 2 years ago, but in fact, my brother's death was 20 years ago, and back then we talked about the importance of making sure that no one was ever denied insurance because they had a preexisting condition. We talked about the fact that no one should have to go into personal bankruptcy or be poor because they don't have health care insurance. I am here today, looking forward to casting my ``yes'' vote on this rule, on this health care bill, in the memory of my brother and of so many of my constituents and their families who have suffered through exactly the same thing, because I believe that this bill moves us much closer to a time when no one can be denied health care coverage because of a preexisting condition; no one can be told you can't have health care coverage; no one will have to go into personal bankruptcy. I am here in the memory of my brother. There can be no more delay.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 875 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous remarks on H. Res. 875.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H. Res. 875 provides for consideration of H.R. 3854, the Small Business Financing and Investment Act of 2009, under a structured rule. The rule self-executes an amendment that removes direct spending from the bill, thereby making the underlying bill PAYGO compliant. The bill makes in order 16 amendments printed in the Rules Committee report. The amendments are debatable for 10 minutes each, except for the manager's amendment which is debatable for 20 minutes. Additionally, the rule provides authority for the Speaker to entertain motions to suspend the rules through Friday of this week for a measure addressing unemployment compensation. Madam Speaker, today we will pass a very important piece of legislation that will directly help small businesses from around our country. H.R. 3854, the Small Business Financing and Investment Act of 2009, increases the loan limits available for small businesses through the SBA; it promotes increased private investment in small businesses; it provides increased resources for businesses working in the field of renewable energy; and it supports our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking the capital they need to start or to grow their businesses. What this bill does beyond anything else is provide much-needed support for Main Street to help small entrepreneurs grow, save, and create jobs. As President Obama said last week, supporting small businesses needs to be our highest priority because when small businesses are succeeding, America succeeds. When I return to my home State of Maine, I hear from small businesses week after week that access to capital is one of the most difficult challenges that they face. The credit market has been drying up, and small businesses have been hit hard. Earlier this year, my office hosted an event focused specifically on connecting small businesses with capital, including SBA programs. The response was overwhelming. We had hundreds of small businesses RSVP to attend, so many that we needed to reserve an overflow room to accommodate the demand. These were businesses of all types and sizes, and many of them had driven hours to come to the workshop. They came to this meeting because they felt they had nowhere else to turn. SBA programs have been an important resource for businesses during this economic downturn, and this bill will take important steps to increase access to and the success of these programs. I want to take a minute to give you a couple of examples from my State of how SBA loans are working to support small businesses. A company named ALCOM was established by Tom Sturtevant and his stepson, Trapper Clark, in 2006 and is one of the largest manufacturers of aluminum trailers in the northeast. With an SBA loan under the 504 program, this business was able to construct a new, 70,000-square foot manufacturing facility with much-needed space for expansion while enhancing the flow of inventory, and they were able to hire 15 new workers. This is a family-owned business with good-paying manufacturing jobs that has been able not only to survive in the current economic climate, but grow thanks to an SBA loan. Julia McClure opened Sweets & Meats, a market in Rockland, Maine, earlier this year, thanks to financing she received through the SBA's 7(a) program. Women-owned enterprises is the fastest growing business group, and this grocery store, specializing in local meats and produce, is a great example of how the SBA has worked to support these entrepreneurs. Casco Bay Molding in Sanford, Maine, is an injection molding company founded by Andy Powell. After working to develop a customer relationship with Flotation Technologies, another Maine-based company and a world leader in buoyance systems, these two companies worked to design and implement a new line of proprietary, deepwater oil and gas exploration and harvesting equipment. This new demand meant that Casco Bay Molding needed to upgrade to compete with much larger molding shops in the region. With a loan under the SBA 504 program, this small business was able to upgrade their equipment, meet the demand, and employ five additional people in their community in good-paying manufacturing jobs. Furthermore, by helping Casco Bay Molding to succeed and grow, this loan supported other local businesses, like Fiber Materials, providing them the benefits of an expert injection molding operation within close proximity to their manufacturing facility. This is a great example of the exponential impact that investment in small businesses has in all of our communities, one that expands small businesses, creates new, good-paying jobs, rewards ingenuity, and supports Main Street through this economic downturn. The problem is there are not enough of these success stories. Small businesses are desperate for credit to expand and grow, and SBA programs, as they currently stand, simply cannot meet this demand. That is why this bill is so important. It will expand and develop these vital programs, including the 7(a) and 504 programs, to better meet the needs of all small businesses. Mr. Speaker, all across this country, small businesses have struggled during these difficult times through no fault of their own. They didn't cause this economic crisis, but they can help to lead us out of it, and we have to help them access the funding they need to survive, grow and to expand their businesses. The jobs they create today will bring economic growth and prosperity to our communities tomorrow if we just give them the chance. I urge my colleagues to support this bill today and the underlying bill. As Rumery's Boatyard, another SBA loan recipient from Maine told me, it is imperative that we support our small businesses and ensure that they are ready to go once the economy fully recovers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to one of my colleagues, I do want to point out that while my good colleague from Texas (Mr. Sessions) has indeed stated many issues of concern to small businesses, that the amendment he proposed in the Rules Committee was nongermane and also violated the PAYGO rule. I suspect that's why my colleagues on the Democratic side voted against that particular amendment. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that the gentleman who just spoke does have one amendment in order under the rule. I yield 2 minutes to a member of the Small Business Committee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I want to again highlight what we are considering here today. This is a bill that will support small businesses when they need it most--access to the financing they need to survive, to grow, to expand, and to create the jobs that will drive our economy. I know this is essential as I have heard from businesses throughout the 125 towns in my congressional district. In fact, I have owned small businesses for most of my adult life. For many years, I owned a business that sold our products around the country and grew to employ 10 people in a town with just 350 residents. I currently own an inn and a restaurant that uses produce grown in my community and seafood caught locally. I know what it is to be the last person to lock the doors at the end of the day, to meet a payroll, and to argue with the bank about borrowing money to expand. Mr. Speaker, I have been lucky to own a small business which has been an important part of my community and which has provided jobs, but I never would have been able to survive without access to the investment the business has needed to grow. When facing the economic climate that we currently do, it is vital that we do everything in our power to support the small businesses that create 64 percent of the new jobs in this country, that comprise more than 99 percent of all employer companies, and that are the backbone of the communities that we live in. This bill is an important step in supporting those small businesses-- with $44 billion in lending that will help save or create 1.3 million jobs each year and by ensuring that small businesses have the necessary capital to stay in business and to expand as the economy recovers. This bill is more than simply an investment in small business; it is an investment in American job growth. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, this beautiful picture is of the Kibby Mountain Wind Project, which went online last week and became the largest wind power development in Maine's growing wind energy industry. This is just one example of how Maine is becoming a leader in wind energy. Also last week, the Obama administration selected Maine to become the home for a national deepwater offshore wind research center. Our State has committed to building 3 gigawatts of land-based wind power and 5 gigawatts of offshore wind power in the Gulf of Maine, developing new technology and creating new jobs in the process. All across Maine, small and large wind power developments are popping up. This summer, I watched along with my friends and neighbors as three turbines have gone up in our island community, a project that will make my town energy independent and save us money over the long run. Maine is showing the Nation what clean energy is all about. We can create homegrown solutions to our energy problems, freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil, making us self-sufficient, and creating good-paying jobs that can't be exported.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. I just want to bring up one tidbit, and then I know that my colleague from Ohio has a couple of things to say. But when I first came to the floor tonight, I was talking a little bit about Anthem in our State which is actually owned by WellPoint. And I don't want to make any particular insurance company the villain, but often we're told, you know, why don't you just leave the system alone, yet day after day we hear about insurance companies that cancel your insurance and a variety of other things. And I had just been mentioning a case that's going on in the State of Maine. Maine was asked by Anthem for an 18.5 percent rate increase, and the State said no, something about 11 percent might be more moderate, just trying to hold down the cost for small business and individuals. Well, Anthem immediately sued the State and said they needed that full amount to earn a reasonable profit. Of course, WellPoint last year earned $2 billion and paid $1 million in bonuses to many of their executives in our State. So you've got the people in our State, 38th in per capita income, many of whom have recently lost their jobs, saying, Wait a minute. I can't afford this increase, yet I can't afford to be without health care coverage. And here's a company that earned $2 billion last year telling me they can't live without making more in profit. Well, this system just doesn't seem to make any sense to me. I mean, it's one thing when you're talking about making Rolls-Royces or fancy diamond rings. Maybe you deserve to make exorbitant profits, and we don't need to meddle in the economic system there. But this is about basic health care coverage for individuals, and that's really what we're charged here to do--make sure that everybody, whatever their condition, whatever their age, has that kind of health care coverage. And I have to really hand it to our Attorney General, Janet Mills. She was on CNN the other day talking about how we're going to fight this. We're not going to take this, and, you know, that's not a position our State should have to be in. That's not a position individuals should have to be in, you know, just to get their basic health care coverage.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Well, thank you to all my colleagues for being here tonight. You're absolutely right. We've talked about a variety of issues, and I want to just end on the same note that you did. This is what is right about being an American and what we're all proud to be working on, even if it takes a few long hours and a lot of tussling back and forth, but we're all grateful to be here and actually to have this opportunity.

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Representative Tonko, any last words?

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Absolutely. Representative Kilroy, were you hoping to squeeze in a few last words?