Phil Roe

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a great leader, minister, and educator, Dr. Donald Jeanes, who is retiring this year as president of Milligan College in my hometown of Johnson City, Tennessee. President Jeanes is a 1968 magna cum laude graduate of Milligan College and has lived in Johnson City most of his life, first as a minister, and then as part of Milligan College. President Jeanes was inaugurated as the 14th president of Milligan College in October of 1997. Under Dr. Jeanes' leadership, Milligan College has consistently been named one of America's Best Colleges, and has experienced phenomenal growth both in terms of the physical campus as well as the courses offered. I would like to personally thank and acknowledge Dr. Jeanes for his commitment to faith, education, and community development. I wish he and his wife, Clarinda, the very best as he prepares for his retirement from the presidency of Milligan College. I would like to say to my friend, a job well done.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the gentleman for yielding. When I came, as we all did, doctors, physicians tend to look at a problem. When a patient comes in, the first thing we ask them, Dr. Gingrey: Why are you here today? It is a fairly obvious question. It is called the chief complaint. When I came to Washington, D.C., I asked the same thing about the American health care system. I said: What is the problem with the American health care system? I thought there were probably three. Number one, it was too expensive. The cost of health care had skyrocketed way above inflation so it is way too expensive to come see a doctor or go to the hospital. The second issue I saw you just brought up was that there was a segment of our population that didn't have access to affordable health insurance coverage. These are not the very poor who had access in my State to TennCare or in other States to Medicaid, but these are folks who are out working. Maybe they are a carpenter and their wife stays at home. Or maybe they have a job, a small business, where they can't afford it. So there was that segment that didn't have it. Lastly, there is a liability crisis in America. Our friends on the other side, our trial lawyer friends can tend to say that is not the case, but let me give you a personal example. When I started my medical practice, probably about the same time you did, Dr. Gingrey, it cost $360. That was the first baby I delivered in 1977 that I got paid for. I was out of the Army and out of my training, $360. My first year's salary was $32,000. That is what I made my first year in practice. I delivered 260 babies that year; a lot of babies. The next year I was up to $60,000 a year. My malpractice was $4,000 a year. When I came to Congress 2 years ago, the malpractice in Tennessee for an obstetrician was $74,000. And there is no value that we get, that patients get from that. We will go into that when we have another hour. But the thing about the ObamaCare plan that bothered me was it did nothing to bend the cost curve. If you looked at this and if you look at plans that have been out there in the past, Medicare, for instance, came on board in 1965 as a $3 billion program; $3 billion in 1965. The estimators, there was no Congressional Budget Office then or folks who make these estimates, but the government estimators at that time said in 25 years this will be a $15 billion program. The actual number was over $100 billion. And today it is over $500 billion. In Tennessee, we noticed we had the same problem 20 years ago. We have been through all of this before. Unfortunately, no one here chose to listen to us in our Doctors Caucus. We said we had lack of access and we had prices rising back in the 1990s, the early 1990s, exactly the same debate that we are having today except today it is more severe than it was. We spent $2.6 billion on TennCare in 1993. In 2004, 2005, just 10 budget years later, it was up to $8.5 billion. The cost had tripled. So when you see these cost estimates--and remember that the same CBO, and these are good folks. I'm not pointing the finger at them. It is very hard to do what they do. They are given a set of data. They crunch the numbers and they hand them to us. They only missed this year's budget deficit by $400 billion in 1 year. So I am to stand here and believe, looking at these other examples I have just given you, that this is going to be budget neutral in 10 years? There is no way it will be. I know we have a lot to discuss. I'm sorry I was a little late. I had some folks from the great University of Tennessee in my office to see. I look forward to continuing this discussion.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. Over the past year, a number of us have met with Education Secretary Duncan to express our serious concerns with any proposal that evaluates education programs based on the level of debt students are accumulating. Despite improvements that have been made to the rule, I remain concerned about the direction this rule is taking our education system. I understand and agree with those who are concerned about the high cost of education, but shouldn't we let students and their family evaluate for themselves whether the risk of carrying a high debt load is one they want to take on? It seems to me to be a far better use of our resources to be encouraging informed decisions by putting out accurate information to students about graduation rates, placement rates, and even average student debt burdens. The fact is career colleges are meeting a community need by educating and training people in specific professions like nursing. In six short years, we are a million nurses short in this country. If there are problems with a specific program, and there are many--in fact, there may be bad programs in this country. Let's come up with a criteria that actually evaluates the programs' effectiveness. Either way, I think it makes sense to put a halt to this rule and use the additional time to urge the Department to go back and put out a rule that will ensure students continue to have access to educational choice. I urge adoption of the rule. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as an obstetrician-gynecologist, I have delivered close to 5,000 babies and strongly support the sanctity of life. Using technology like the 3-D ultrasound has given us windows to the womb that show the unborn child as living, breathing, a feeling human being. I have looked through that window with my own eyes numerous times, and I have seen human development occur from the earliest stages of the tiniest embryo all of the way through birth, which strengthens my conviction in the right to life. Life is a precious miracle from God which begins at conception. It is our responsibility and privilege as legislators to protect those who do not have a voice. I will always fight for the right to life because it is my conviction that we are all unique creations of a God who knows us and loves us before we are even conceived. Tonight we mark one of the most tragic, misguided Supreme Court cases in our Nation's history, Roe v. Wade. Since 1973, more than 50 million babies have been denied the right to life. We must make our laws consistent with our science and restore fully legal protections to all of those who are waiting to be born. If government has any legitimate function at all, it is to protect the most innocent among us. For over 30 years, Congress has prevented taxpayer-funded abortions. Unfortunately, this door has been reopened with the passage of ObamaCare, the largest expansion since the pivotal Roe v. Wade decision. In response, House Republicans in the Pledge to America vowed to repeal and replace this legislation. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to ensure this promise is kept. It is only by making good on this oath that we can expect to restore the trust that the American people have in their own government and, in doing so, ensure that the door to taxpayer-funded abortions remains closed. I want to congratulate the Hope Center in Greenville, Tennessee, which is sponsored by the First Free Will Baptist Ministries who support life. These people do a wonderful job in ministering young mothers who may be single or married to preserve life. I am glad to be here on the House floor tonight with my friend and other legislators fighting for the rights of the unborn. And I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey who literally is one of the leaders and heroes in the pro-life movement. I can't say enough about Congressman Smith and what he has done to promote this right to life across the country. As I was walking over here toward the House floor tonight, I had some thoughts about children I have delivered. I have seen those children grow up in my hometown, Johnson City, Tennessee. The beauty of it is that you get to coach these young kids in Little League ball and you get to watch them grow up and come to your home and graduate. The people I have seen have been young doctors and nurses and teachers and college athletes and newspaper writers and news directors. All of these young people I have delivered and seen grow up, and the world would not be a better place if they were not here. The world would be a much worse place. Think about how many thousands and tens of thousands and millions of the same people I just delivered that I watched grow up in my community that are not here today because of this terrible law. I do want to mention one thing medically that was brought up a moment ago about a third trimester abortion to save a mother's life. Let me make this as clear as any doctor can make anything: There is no medical indication whatsoever for a third trimester abortion, period. Let me say that one more time, and I will debate this anywhere with any doctor in the world: There is no medical indication on this Earth for a third trimester abortion. I thank the gentleman. I am encouraged about the degree that the American people are changing their minds, and I think if we keep working and talking and explaining and changing hearts, we will change this terrible law.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, just to address my colleague from California, I would argue that Tennessee has thought this plan well out; and the problem with this plan is, when you have more services chasing fewer dollars, you are going to create waits in a situation where you shifted the cost. You talked about the private health insurance costs going up. That is true. There is innovation, liability. There are a lot of reasons for that, Congressman, but one of the main reasons is an overpromise by government programs that shifts costs. We saw that in our State. We can do better.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 2, the repeal of ObamaCare. For the past 30 years, I haven't been a politician but a physician treating patients and delivering babies in rural east Tennessee. And I can say without hesitation that we have the finest health care system in the world. Health care should not be a partisan issue, and I personally have never operated on a Democrat or Republican cancer in my life. You can't spend $1 trillion and have a bill that's over 2,500 pages long and not have something good come out of it. This bill is not, however, good medicine for our country. The repeal of ObamaCare doesn't mean that we aren't for health care reform. Quite the contrary. What I discovered in my own practice of 30 years was health care was becoming more and more unaffordable for our citizens. And we had a group of patients, a group of citizens, who didn't have affordable health insurance coverage. This we need to address. This bill does increase the number of people having insurance, but does nothing to control the costs. The other side says that if we repeal ObamaCare, it will increase the costs and decrease access. Let's take a look at three government-run plans. One is TennCare, my State's Medicaid program; the Massachusetts Care; and Medicare. In TennCare, we had a plan that had competing interests. It would compete for your business. It was supposed to hold costs down. We saw our costs in Tennessee from 1993 until 2004 and 2005 go from $2.6 billion to $8 billion. It tripled. And what we found was that half the people who went on the government plan had private health insurance and dropped it and got on the government plan. This plan took up almost every new dollar our State took in. We balanced this on the backs of college students. We have less highway patrolmen in our State than we had 30 years ago, and we have 2 million more people. What our Democratic Governor did was rationed care by cutting the rolls of TennCare patients and also limiting the access to physicians to eight visits per year. Let's look at Massachusetts Care where there is a mandate right now. You are required to buy a good or service and the government decides what the right good or service is, not you as the consumer. So what happens is it hasn't held the costs down there either. They have the highest private insurance premiums in America in Massachusetts. Emergency room visits are not down. And why is that? The same as TennCare. These plans don't pay for the cost of the care, shifting more cost over to the private sector, making it more and more expensive. The second thing this mandate does is it empowers lobbyists. How it does that is you will see the lobbyists come to us, the politicians, and say, Hey, we want this medicine or this device on our plan. And these are the people that write the checks to the politicians, so you are empowering them. Let's finally look at Medicare, a program that started in 1965 as a $3 billion program. The government estimators at that time said in 25 years this will be a $15 billion program. It was over a $100 billion program. Today, it is over $400 billion. So we have three examples where costs are out of control in the government-run plans. The senior citizens understand this. When you take $500 billion out of a plan, and in the next 10 years we are going to add 36 million seniors, three things are going to happen when you have got more patients chasing fewer dollars: You will have decreased access, you will have decreased quality, and you will have increased costs. That is a given. We had the President say last year, I will go over this bill line by line. I have read this bill. I wanted to go over it. I wanted to have meaningful health care reform but was denied that privilege. Without exception, our States are almost broke, every one of them. And we are adding another unfunded Federal mandate to require them to pay and implement a plan that is already breaking them, the expansion of Medicaid, which is an entitlement. Businesses get it also. If this is such a great plan, why have, to date, 222 businesses opted out, including McDonald's and, of all people, the SEIU, the government's employee union who fought for this and then opted themselves out? I find that ridiculous when you see that. The doctors get it. The doctor fix, the SGR fix is not in this bill. It is a cost that was hidden. As doctors are squeezed, they cannot see patients that cannot pay the cost of the care. Malpractice is not in this bill. I can tell you as an OB-GYN doctor, it is over the top. It is almost unaffordable for us. So the American people get it. The people of Tennessee get it. And we as elected representatives get it. We got that in the election of November 2. I want to encourage my colleagues to vote to repeal ObamaCare.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I join my colleagues in denouncing the horrific attack that occurred against one of our own this past weekend, and took the lives of six innocent people, including a staff member, Gabe Zimmerman, and a beautiful 9-year-old child. We continue to pray for Congresswoman Giffords and all those injured, and the families of the deceased. As Members of Congress we have two responsibilities after such an attack. First, we must vow that we will never let the work of a madman stop us from doing our work on behalf of the American people. Secondly, we will make it clear to all that while we have disagreements, we are all still Americans, and we respect each other. Words matter. When we show Americans that we can disagree substantively and respectfully, we bring our entire country closer together and show the world why America is the greatest force for good. There is a song Sarah McLachlan sings, ``Angel''--we place them in the arms of angels. And may God bless this family and these people who endured this horrific event.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, but I would like to congratulate the Wisconsin football team. It's difficult for me to be here because they destroyed my small school this year, Austin Peay, but we do appreciate the large check you sent us. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of House Resolution 1767, a resolution commending the Wisconsin Badger football team for an outstanding season in the 2011 Rose Bowl bid. The 2010 Wisconsin Badgers finished the regular season with a sterling 11-1 record, were co-champions of the Big Ten conference, and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl. The path to the Rose Bowl started early, with a victory over the number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a nationally televised game, and the season just got better from there. The Badgers were a prolific offensive machine, averaging 45.2 points per conference game. It was the second highest per game total in conference history. Numerous players earned spots on the All-American teams for their performances on the field this year, including Gabe Carimi, John Moffitt, Lance Kendricks, J.J. Watt, and Johen Clay. Carimi was named winner of the prestigious Outland Trophy, an award given every year to the Nation's best interior lineman. Of course, all these accomplishments would not have been possible without their head coach, Bret Bielema. Bielema's achievements have also been recognized, as he was recently named a finalist for the Bear Bryant Award, the award given the top college football team in the country. We wish the Badgers the best of luck on January 1, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I rise in support of this resolution, of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor. I want to thank my good friend from New York, Representative Lowey, for her timely work in authoring this tribute. The sudden and unexpected passing of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke earlier this week was a shock to all of us. The depth of sadness that we felt at the news was a testament to his exemplary life of service to our country, in so many different capacities. Ambassador Holbrooke was one of the most consequential world diplomats of the last half-century, and his tireless work in pursuit of United States national interests and international peace have put us all in his debt. His advocacy for peace was of course most clearly shown during the conflict in Bosnia. His tenacity and force of will brought the warring parties to the negotiation table in Dayton, Ohio, where he skillfully brokered the accord that ended the over 3 years of atrocities and bloody conflict. Over 100,000 perished in the Bosnian war, and it is impossible to say how many thousands were saved by Ambassador Holbrooke's actions at Dayton. And while that accomplishment would have been enough to mark any diplomatic career with high distinction, it was only one of the many facets of his service, which continued to the end of his life. As Assistant Secretary of State for two regions of the world--East Asia and Europe, as United States ambassador to the United Nations, and as U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, he made his mark on many issues that remain urgent concerns today. In New York at the U.N., he did much of the heavy lifting on Congressionally led efforts to rein in U.N. spending, to rationalize the dues paid by the United States, and to improve the standing of Israel in that multinational body. Sadly, those concerns have returned with a renewed urgency--with the need for fundamental reform of U.N. budgets and the virulently anti- Israel U.N. Human Rights Council (so called)--and the Congress can only hope to have such a tenacious, principled partner in the future. Ambassador Holbrooke made his final appearance before our Committee on Foreign Affairs in the spring of last year, as U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. We lament the loss of his matchless skills in those critical regions. But while we grieve at his passing, let us renew our own commitment to success in Afghanistan as a fitting way to honor his service toward that end. At this time we extend our condolences, our thoughts, and our prayers to his wife Kati, and to his children. While we mourn the loss of a dedicated public servant, they mourn the loss of a husband and a father. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in this expression of gratitude for the service of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to commend Congressman Israel for introducing this much needed resolution and also as a veteran myself and as a physician, we need to be looking for public-private partnerships. I couldn't be happier with this because the VA is not meeting the entire need that we have of our veterans right now in treating PTSD. We need to look at innovative ways to put these young men and women back into the workforce and to help them. And certainly not just with the Iraq and Afghanistan war but through the Vietnam War and World War II. Many of our troops out there are dealing with this very, very serious problem. I want to thank these organizations privately for stepping up.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1746, as amended, a bill to recognize and support the efforts of the Welcome Back Veterans organization to augment the services provided by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs in providing timely and world-class care for veterans and members of the Armed Forces suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and related psychiatric disorders. Many of our veterans return from combat in need of assistance due to the symptoms related to PTSD. Welcome Back Veterans is engaged in a public-private partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, Major League Baseball, the McCormick Foundation and university hospitals of Weill Cornell, the University of Michigan, and Stanford University to help veterans by addressing the ongoing issue of PTSD. Nearly 5,000 veterans and members of the Armed Forces are already receiving help through the Welcome Back Veterans program. To date, the program has raised over $10 million in funding to help improve the lives of our veterans and their families. Their Center of Excellence initiative looks to continue their commitment to veterans by creating a network of university hospitals that specialize in assisting veterans who suffer from PTSD. House Resolution 1746 would resolve that the House of Representatives recognizes and supports the efforts of Welcome Back Veterans and encourages the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish innovative public-private partnerships for the treatment and research of posttraumatic stress disorder in teaching hospitals across this country. Again, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1746. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this legislation. You will be hard pressed to find many Members on either side of the aisle who oppose childhood nutrition programs. No child, no child, should have to go hungry. That's something all of us agree on. This bill, however, represents everything that's wrong with Congress right now. First, we've done virtually no committee consideration of this legislation. Of other legislation, yes, but not this legislation we are going to vote on today. The Education and Labor Committee marked up an entirely different bill. Many Republicans offered amendments in committee; and like so many other bills in Nancy Pelosi's Congress, no amendments were permitted on the floor today, none. Second, this bill spends even more. What the American people have been saying all year to us is to stop spending money we don't have. They want us to look for savings within existing programs. If there are worthy improvements to be made, we can use those savings to make these programs better, but you can't get out of a ditch if you keep digging yourself deeper into it, and our fiscal situation is the Grand Canyon of all ditches. Now, I'm sure we're going to hear all about how this spending is ``paid for'' with spending cuts. While that's an improvement over paying for bills with tax increases, the fact is many on the other side of the aisle and a host of groups are already insisting that the cuts be made here today to the food stamp program, or SNAP, as it's now called, will be restored. How dishonest is it to say a bill is paid for with spending cuts that we have no intention of keeping in place? If we defeat this legislation today, we can come back and start considering each new program today on its own merits. There may be some improvements to the program which I would vote for--and I'm sure there are--and I would be happy to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on this program after we have had a chance to carefully review it; but until then, let's keep the existing program in place.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I want to associate my last remarks with the gentleman from New York and the remarks that have been made. I think one of the greatest blights in world history is the history of the Holocaust. The world stood by and watched the murder of millions of innocent men, women and children. We just a moment ago spoke about child advocacy, and look at the families that were dislodged, displaced. It's one of the most horrific events in world history, I believe, and should never, ever, be allowed to be repeated on this Earth. So I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution. It's a privilege to be here and be on the House floor to speak on behalf of that. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I would just close by saying that in 30-plus years of practicing medicine and delivering many thousands of babies--many of those special needs children--in a smaller community where I am from, I have seen the stresses personally that this has put on families and have so much respect for these families and what the children offer the parents and the community. I have had my own daughter work in high school in a special needs classroom. I have attended many special needs classrooms while I have been in Congress. So I would urge support for this. This is a terrific resolution, and I appreciate very much the support of this House.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1576, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Day of Recognition for Parents of Special Needs Children should be established. Parents of special needs children must give their children extra time, attention, care, and love. For this reason, they deserve recognition for their selfless dedication, compassion, and sacrifice. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 14 percent of children between age 1 and 17 years of age in the United States are diagnosed as having special health care needs. Children with special needs are defined as those who have a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition that requires special health-related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally. Those of us who have children understand the time, effort, and sacrifice being a parent requires. However, having a child with a disability or chronic illness requires additional time and effort. These parents must find and manage treatment, attend doctor appointments, handle conflicts at daycare or school, and most importantly, seek the right educational choices for their children. In addition, they advocate for their child and must be proactive and take necessary steps to make sure their child receives appropriate services. Active and supportive parents of children with special needs play an integral role in their children's development and in preparing them for school and for life. Parents of children with special needs often work tirelessly on behalf of their children in the face of financial hardship and maintaining a work-life balance. Although these parents often have additional stress, it is indeed a labor of love in which the rewards are many. In recognition of the day-to-day love and sacrifice by the parents of children with special needs, and for the exemplary example of courage and devotion these parents provide--in many instances a lifetime of care for their children--I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1313, recognizing the month of May as Child Advocacy Center Month and commending the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on its 25th anniversary. Recognizing Child Advocacy Center Month allows us not only to raise awareness around the abuse and neglect that many of our children face every day, but also recognize the important work that child advocacy centers do in providing training, prevention, intervention, and treatment services to combat child abuse and neglect so that our Nation's children can live without fear. Child abuse may include physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse; and often children are victims of multiple forms of abuse. Statistics show that one in four girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused before age 18. This saddening number highlights the need for child advocacy centers and will provide a place for various members from the community to provide the abused child with appropriate treatment and prevent further victimization while also deciding the best ways to investigate and prosecute child abuse cases. In May of 1985, the National Child Advocacy Center opened in Huntsville, Alabama. It was the first center to utilize the resources of not only law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, but also child protective services and medical and mental health professionals in one comprehensive group. In the 25 years since the creation of the Child Advocacy Center model, more than 900 centers have followed in those important first footsteps. Research has shown that education and support for communities has been successful in preventing child abuse. Therefore, it is imperative that, as members of the community, we know how we can help prevent and stop ongoing child abuse. Child advocacy centers provide an important element in these prevention activities. This is why I stand in support of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I think one of the greatest tragedies in America today is child abuse. The stories that you read, the horrific stories that you read in the newspapers, to me, are beyond comprehension when you see children die or children are abused. And this abuse will affect them--I have seen this as a physician--30, 40, 50 years after the abuse. I find it incomprehensible that an adult or anyone would abuse a child. You're only a child for a very short time in your life. I was blessed with a loving mother and father to be raised with, so I can't comprehend the situation that many children find themselves. I want to encourage our colleagues, I want to thank all of the people in this country who get up every day and deal with these tragedies. This is very hard for the caregivers and people who deal with this--law enforcement personnel, the nurses, the doctors, the social workers who deal with this on a daily basis. It's difficult for them, too. From the bottom of my heart, I absolutely support this, and I want to encourage everyone in this House to wholeheartedly support this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. 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.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I will simply say that one of the great challenges in my life was to balance a professional practice with my family. And I will say also that you will never regret 1 minute that you spend with your children or your grandchildren. So I would encourage support of this. I thank the gentlelady from California and New York for speaking about this. I think one of the most important issues we have today is time with our families. As our families break down, our children are left alone so much. I would encourage everyone, especially at this time of year, to spend as much time with their families as they can. It will be the best investment you have ever made. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1598, expressing support for the designation of the month of October as National Work and Family Month. Establishing a healthy balance between work and family obligations is something that most workers--women and men both--struggle with at some point in their careers. Studies have shown that employees who are able to effectively balance family and work responsibilities are less likely to report making mistakes or to feel resentment toward employers or coworkers. Eighty-five percent of United States wage and salaried workers have immediate, day-to-day family responsibilities outside of their jobs. Workplace flexibility often allows parents to be more involved in their children's lives. Parental involvement is associated with children's higher achievement in language and mathematics, improved behavior, greater academic persistence, and lower dropout rates. Today, with this resolution, we support the designation of the month of October as National Work and Family Month. Through this designation, we recognize the importance of balancing work and family, and we urge public officials, employers, employees, and the general public to work together to achieve more balance between work and family. With that, I stand in support of this resolution, and I ask my colleagues for their support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. 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.