Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday on World AIDS Day, the administration announced its proposed 5-year strategy for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, otherwise known as PEPFAR. The strategy is required by the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. That is a mighty long name, but it does so much good. And it begins to shift PEPFAR from an emergency program to one focused on sustainability. Mr. Speaker, the challenges in fighting HIV/AIDS are daunting, but not insurmountable. Over 33 million people worldwide are infected, an estimated 67 percent of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly 2.7 million people, including 430,000 children, were newly diagnosed with HIV last year. Over 14 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. AIDS is decimating an entire generation of the most productive members of society in developing countries, which will cause GDP to drop by more than 20 percent in the hardest-hit countries over the next decade. Without effective prevention, treatment, and care efforts, the AIDS pandemic will continue to spread its mix of death, poverty, and despondency that is destabilizing governments and societies and undermining the security of entire regions. But one need not travel to Africa or the Caribbean or Eastern Europe to witness the devastation of HIV/AIDS; we need only to look out the front door. In my home State of Florida, Mr. Speaker, an estimated 90,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS, making us third in the Nation in the number of AIDS cases. My home county of Miami-Dade ranks second among large metropolitan areas for people living with AIDS with over 32,000 currently diagnosed. These individuals need our assistance. They are fighting this disease. On October 21 of this year, with a bipartisan majority, we voted in Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act. The Ryan White program has been the largest supplier of services for those living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. In the United States, over 500,000 people a year benefit from the Ryan White program. Florida alone received over $209 million in funding with Ryan White funds in 2009, and has been able to assist countless low-income Americans living with HIV/AIDS. Fully appreciative of the challenges here at home, I am proud to have supported PEPFAR since its inception. To date, it has proven to be a highly effective and results-oriented program. For example, more than half of the 4 million people receiving lifesaving drugs in low- and middle-income countries around the world are directly supported through PEPFAR. PEPFAR has supported care for more than 10 million people affected by HIV/AIDS, including more than 10 million orphans and vulnerable children. At least 240,000 babies have been born free of HIV/AIDS thanks to PEPFAR prevention of mother-to-child transmissions. The achievements of our bilateral programs are truly remarkable. However, the record of our multilateral organizations is problematic. While we need more robust burden sharing--particularly as the World Health Organization has revised its guidelines and vastly expanded the pool of people who require access to treatment--significant revelations of corruption in the global fund programs are cause for great concern. Mr. Speaker, we must work together to ensure accountability, transparency, and maximum effectiveness of multilateral programs that are receiving United States support. We must work to ensure that every dime that is dedicated to PEPFAR, including our contributions to the global fund, is used for its intended purposes and delivered in the most effective, transparent, and sustainable manner possible. We must ensure that those precious resources actually reach those who are in need, without being diverted to line the pockets of unaccountable international bureaucrats or corrupt regimes. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, we must also preserve the conscience clause and promote behavior modification, particularly abstinence and fidelity, under the new strategy. In closing, let us recommit ourselves to saving the future by helping to save lives inflicted with HIV/AIDS.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, December 1 marks World AIDS Day. Thirty-three million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide. This terrible disease is one of the most destructive epidemics of our time. The fight against HIV/AIDS is ultimately about individual lives in our communities. In south Florida I'm pleased to have strong allies such as UNITY COALITION and its president, Herb Sosa; Men Initiating Action & Mobilization for Impactful Change, otherwise known as MIAMI; Ambiente Magazine; South Beach AIDS Project; Union Positiva; the University of Miami; Care Resource; Pridelines; Jackson Hospital; and all who are in the fight against this global menace. United, and through greater awareness, research, prevention, and treatment, we will save and improve countless lives and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Miami-Dade County Public Schools for its Superintendent's Benefit Concert Series. This groundbreaking event will bring together singers, dancers and performers from throughout our public school system. Entitled ``Listen to the Music,'' their first event will be tomorrow, Friday, November 20, at Miami Beach Senior High School, located in my congressional district. This uplifting event supports the ``cultural passport program,'' which provides kindergarten through 12th-grade students with a different cultural experience each school year. This unique program will ensure that our students get to visit local museums and art galleries, as well as experience live musical theatrical and dance performances before they graduate. As a former educator and Florida certified teacher, I am proud to see our teachers, our students, and our community working together to make this great series a success. I encourage all in south Florida to attend this historic event tomorrow and enjoy a great performance for a great cause. I congratulate Superintendent Alberto Carvalho for doing such professional work in a challenging economic environment.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 890, a measure welcoming the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, to the United States. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this timely resolution which recognizes the forthcoming visit by India's distinguished and universally accepted and respected Prime Minister to the United States. This will be the first official visit by a foreign head of government during this administration. And, Mr. Speaker, that makes it wholly appropriate that Prime Minister Singh and India be accorded this wonderful honor. Without doubt, the high status accorded to his visit reflects India's growing global role and its increasingly comprehensive relationship with our country, the United States. Implicitly, however, the pomp and the circumstance associated with his visit also reflect the extraordinary contribution of Indian Americans to solidify our people- to-people relationship and all of the dynamism that they have brought to our diverse and vibrant society. In any regard, the Congress fully shares with the executive branch a deep commitment to strengthening our partnership with India and to expand our cooperation on a wide range of bilateral and global issues. These opportunities for mutual cooperation range from global security to economic growth, trade promotion, human development, and the expansion of our two-knowledge societies, and also nuclear nonproliferation, and protection of the environment. Mr. Speaker, it is altogether fitting that we should honor the Indian-American relations as strong as they are and ever closer every day and the visit of Prime Minister Singh by adopting this thoughtful resolution. I urge its support, and I reserve the balance of our time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I would like to reserve, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the sponsor of this measure, Mr. McDermott, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) for providing us with an opportunity to recognize this ever- growing tie in the relationship between our democratic nations and to welcome, in an official way, Prime Minister Singh.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I urge unanimous support for this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 212, which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the historic events that took place in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and also reaffirms the bonds of friendship, the bonds of cooperation between the United States and the Slovak and Czech Republics. I would like to thank my friend and Florida colleague, and my fellow ranking member, Mr. Mica, for introducing this important and timely resolution. Mr. Speaker, in 1989, the world witnessed momentous events in which the people of Eastern and Central Europe broke the chains of their communist oppressors. Among the many important events which took place, the trade union Solidarity won its historic victory in Poland; 2 million people living in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia linked hands to form a human chain almost 400 miles long in a peaceful protest against Soviet rule; and the Berlin Wall fell. A prominent place among the events of 1989 is held by the so-called Velvet Revolution, which rose spontaneously from protests in Czechoslovakia that led directly to free and democratic elections in that country. That revolution, in what was then Czechoslovakia, began on November 17, 1989, as a peaceful student demonstration to commemorate the murder of Czech students by the occupying Nazi forces 50 years earlier. But riot police severely beat many of these peaceful protesters. Yet the demonstrations grew, and they continued, eventually leading to the abolishment of the communist hold on power and the election of Vaclav Havel, a dissident critic of the communist regime, to the presidency of Czechoslovakia. After their subsequent peaceful decision to become independent states, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic have flourished, establishing free and democratic societies, and becoming members of the NATO alliance and the European Union. As a political refugee from Cuba's communist regime, Mr. Speaker, I view the events that took place in Europe in 1989 as a source of tremendous inspiration. They truly provided me with the hope that the freedoms now enjoyed in Central and Eastern Europe will soon reach the oppressed people of Cuba, where a brutal communist dictatorship still rules. As its fellow Communists did in Eastern Europe, until they were overthrown by their oppressed people, the Cuban communist regime engages in gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms; detains, tortures and disappears anyone who disagrees or dares to challenge the regime; engages in corrupt activities that enrich its leaders; conducts espionage against the United States and its citizens; and engages in activities that threaten U.S. security interests and global peace and stability. Still, we can and we must hope that the events of 1989 show us what the future could hold for Cuba, and hopefully soon. I would like to again thank my good friend and colleague, Congressman Mica, for introducing this important and so timely resolution. I strongly support its passage. I urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the author of this important resolution.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I congratulate you for this resolution. It speaks to the heart of every freedom-loving American in this Chamber, which is each and every one of us. So, Mr. ``Meecha,'' I believe that we should have a roll call vote because a legislative virgin no more.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the America's Life Line Foundation, a local nonprofit committed to serving our south Florida community. As part of its many activities, this caring group provides assistance to the many members of our Armed Forces and their families. Their upcoming event, Tribute to Our Troops, will be on December 12 at the Kendall Hotel to honor the men and women who continue to preserve our freedom with service to this great Nation. This event will help make the holidays a little bit brighter for our military families. I applaud everyone who is a volunteer at America's Life Line Foundation for their continuing efforts, especially for the members of this worthy organization who motivate and inspire our community to patriotism and action during this season of giving. I encourage everyone in south Florida to join America's Life Line Foundation at their tribute to our troops event in December.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have been to the floor of this Chamber on several occasions to discuss the tremendous economic hardships being shouldered by the residents of my congressional district of south Florida. This evening I would like to highlight the men and women of Florida's commercial and recreational fishing industries, and their efforts to weather this economic storm. Mr. Speaker, Florida's recreational fishing industry is the largest in the Nation. Its economic impact to our State is to the tune of $5.3 billion, and more than 5,400 jobs are generated by this industry. Similarly, Florida's commercial fishing industry is nearly 13,000 strong and contributes a staggering $1.2 billion to our economy. The strength of Florida's fishing industries is due largely to the diversity and the abundance of species within the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic area. There are grouper and snapper, wahoo and yellowfin tuna, not to mention Keys lobster and stone crab. Thanks to this diversity, Florida's fishing industry is particularly resilient in the face of increased zoning regulations, bag limits, and even fishery closures. Our fishermen understand that maintaining a robust, healthy fishery through appropriate regulation is the key to their economic success. However, present Federal action to implement multiple fishing regulations will have a chilling effect on this historic and important industry. In particular, Mr. Speaker, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is considering regulations which include but are not limited to: a complete ban on deepwater grouper fishing; annual catch limits on black grouper and red grouper; and catch limits on red snapper fishing. The comprehensive nature of these prohibitions will leave our fishermen with little or no alternative for their economic livelihood. These prohibitions, compounded by a reduction in tourism throughout south Florida, and that includes the Florida Keys, will force generations of Florida fishermen to walk away from their boats in search of other types of employment. This is unacceptable. That is why I have called on Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to reconsider these ill-timed proposals. Additionally, I have asked Secretary Locke to refrain from implementing any emergency rules which impose short-term restrictions on Florida's fisheries. These emergency rulings completely circumvent the public comment process, which is an essential element to any fishery management plan. Sound science is also a critical component to sound management. My congressional colleagues and I have called on the House Natural Resources Committee to conduct a hearing on the legislation introduced by Congressman John Mica and Congressman Henry Brown which would require the Department of Commerce to conduct a non-biased, science- based study on the health of the red snapper population in the South Atlantic. My colleagues from Florida understand that scientific data collection processes need to be improved, and economic impacts must be taken into account when considering a fishery closure. I have also asked the Department of Commerce to provide economic assistance to those fishermen and businesses that cannot survive the restrictions that are being implemented. For Keys recreational angler Andy Griffith, the upcoming 4-month grouper closure has resulted in a 90 percent loss of business for the 2010 fishing season. His season for 2010 will only be 2 months long. For the rest of the year his boats will sit by the dock racking up insurance costs. Fishermen like Andy need economic relief. They need our help. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, last amended by Congress in the year 2007, directs how the Federal Government will manage saltwater fisheries. But the lack of flexibility provided to local managers in this law is of serious concern to many of us. That is why I support legislation which would amend the Magnuson- Stevens Act to provide flexibility to State regulators and regional fishery management councils in their work to rebuild healthy fisheries. Mr. Speaker, the livelihood of Florida's fishing industry demands that we act.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Angel Torres, distinguished journalist and member of my South Florida community, for receiving the 2009 National Award for Journalism given by the National Journalists Association of Cuba in Exile. It is with great pride that I recognize his exemplary work and dedication to sports and journalism throughout the years. Angel, born in La Havana, Cuba, always shared a great passion and interest for baseball. He started playing in the Free Amateur Tournaments of the Stadium with San Pedro and later became manager-player in the Winter Amateur Championships of Octavio Divino at Arroyo Naranjo supervising Nebraska, where he received a medal for his distinguished handwork of the immortal Martin Dihigo. Torres graduated from the Cuban-American Institute and the English Special Center at Jesus del Monte in 1947. By 1952 he graduated of Broadcasting and Journalism sponsored by the National Broadcasting School of Cuba in Radio Progreso. Throughout his sterling service to journalism, he wrote commentaries on sports and jazz for numerous programs like ``Pequenos Conjuntos de Grandes Musicos'' and ``Bandas Innovadoras de Jazz'', among many others. After arriving to the United States this inspiring journalist became the only Latin-American and Cuban author with five books in the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York. His sports literature served as a renewed hope for Cubans in exile to remember and restart Cuban baseball in the veteran games in New Jersey and Miami. At the same time his work created awareness about Cuban baseball players and about the extinct Professional Cuban Baseball League. As a journalist and member of the Cuban community, Angel Torres was presented in January 28, 2007 by the Patronato Jose Marti in California, with the most prestige recognition to a Cuban in exile, the White Rose of the commemoration to Apostle Jose Marti. Once again, I would like to express how proud I am of Angel for his dedication to journalism, baseball and the Cuban community. His legacy in sports and journalism will serve as an example for our community and as inspiration for everyone to pursue their goals and dreams with commitment and passion.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I rise today to commend some of our country's finest heroes--our firefighters. These caring individuals at our local fire departments in the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade are first-rate examples of the selflessness and commitment required to be a firefighter. Every day, these brave folks work to better protect and care for our communities. Their outstanding work allows all of us to live with a greater peace of mind for the safety of our families. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue motto is: ``Always Ready, Proud to Serve.'' Recently, they were named Florida's 2009 EMS Provider of the Year. My heartfelt congratulations go out to each of these remarkable heroes who made this distinction possible. A bit further south in my district, in the Florida Keys, the Monroe County firefighters just opened up their new facility in Big Pine Key. This newly renovated fire station will help them better serve the needs of our community. I truly appreciate the hard work and dedication of all of our firefighters. Their professional and humanitarian services are essential to the public health, safety, and well-being of all south Florida. Congratulations to all.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, Diabetes Awareness Month is our effort to raise awareness of the disease, its prevention, and ways to manage its impact. There are 24 million Americans living with diabetes. That's about 8 percent of our population. There are 1.6 million cases diagnosed every year, and 57 million Americans are at risk with prediabetes. As encouraged by the American Diabetes Association, we must promote the four-step method of sharing, acting, learning, and giving: sharing our personal stories of diabetes; acting to help end the rise of new cases; learning about the risks and ways to manage and control the disease; giving of our time and resources to advance diabetes research. Let's all make an effort to learn about the dangers of diabetes and best prevention practices, let's celebrate, and indeed, let's bring a greater awareness to this terrible disease.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this job- killing bill because it piles on debt on my brand-new 3-month-old grandbaby. We agree that real healthcare reform is a necessity. We must provide uninsured Americans with meaningful healthcare reform. But the trillion dollar Pelosi bill is not the answer. The Pelosi bill will drive already hurting hardworking families and seniors further into debt. My home state of Florida is suffering with 11.2% unemployment. This is not the right time to burden families with increased taxes. Also, with over 162 billion dollars in harmful cuts to Medicare Advantage, the Pelosi plan will force millions of seniors to lose their current health coverage. And Medicare prescription drug premiums will likely rise by 20 percent. The trillion dollar Pelosi bill makes it tougher on seniors to get the coverage and treatment they deserve after a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice. There is a disconnect between Congress and reality when we think creating bureaucracies is the same as creating solutions.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am blessed that even though my elderly mother has Alzheimer's, we are able to provide her with high quality health care, but I am worried. I am worried about the families who, like mine, have an elderly parent who needs care and assistance. It's not easy for any family to support a loved one through hard times, and there is no doubt that these are hard times. Unemployment in my area of south Florida is over 11 percent. In the midst of this, the Pelosi bill takes away from seniors. Yes, it does. The Pelosi bill makes $170 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage, causing 3 million seniors to lose their current coverage. The Pelosi bill will increase Medicare prescription drug premiums by over 20 percent, a rate unaffordable to most seniors. When I see my mother, I know that health care reform should not occur at the expense of America's seniors. Reject the Pelosi sock-it-to-the- seniors plan.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of this resolution, which addresses the unjust incarceration of two Chinese human rights advocates whose only crime was to seek answers and justice for the parents of children killed in the collapse of a schoolhouse during a major earthquake last year. Any parent would understand this resolution. This is about dead school children. This is about accountability. These courageous individuals sought such accountability from a government which allowed the construction of substandard buildings for school children, buildings which could not withstand the aftershocks of a major quake. It has been widely assumed in China that the building materials used for these schools were substandard due to the corruption involving those officials who authorized the construction. Grieving parents have a right to know why their children died after being buried in rubble, but their efforts for legal redress were summarily dismissed. These two brave men sought answers for the grieving parents, but their efforts led to their own imprisonment on trumped-up charges followed by trials in kangaroo courts. How can anyone call the Chinese regime a responsible stakeholder when it uses its massive police force and its court system to engage in a major cover-up of corruption which led to the deaths of innocent children? And how can America be silent to such blatant defiance of not only the rule of law but also what is considered decent and moral? This resolution is more than just about two human rights activists, heroic victims of injustice though they are. This is about a totalitarian system which is so afraid of its own population that it resorts to harsh and brutal measures to conceal the truth about the deaths of innocent school children. This is about the massive human rights abuses such as the continued persecutions of tens of thousands of Falun Gong petitioners, an issue addressed in a resolution which I introduced with wide bipartisan support months ago but which has yet to reach the floor of this Chamber. This is about the continued repression of the Tibetan and Uyghur people and the need to engage in truth-telling with their leaders, the Dalai Lama and Ms. Kadeer, not only in Beijing, but in the White House here in Washington, D.C. This is about speaking truth to power. It is about President Obama during his upcoming summit in China putting human rights and religious freedom issues squarely on the table, instead of just agreeing to disagree. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California, my good friend, Mr. Lewis, the ranking member on the Committee on Appropriations. (Mr. LEWIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the ranking member on Appropriations, on Commerce, Justice, and Science, and a longtime advocate of human rights for the people of China and elsewhere.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller), an esteemed member of the Financial Services and Transportation Committees.