Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this resolution honors police officers and law enforcement professionals during Police Week. In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed the week in which May 15 occurs to be Police Week. For over 40 years, the week of May 15 has continued to be the time to honor men and women in our Nation's law enforcement agencies, who protect our neighborhoods, our homes, and our loved ones. The men and women who dedicate their careers to our safety do so at the expense of spending long hours away from their own families, putting themselves at great risk--and, in too many instances, making the ultimate sacrifice. In fact, we have lost over 20,000 officers in the line of duty over the course of our history. Since January 1 of this year, we've lost 48 officers--five since the beginning of this month alone. Yet regardless of the continuing danger, day after day, and year after year, these dedicated professionals continue to make the sacrifices for their communities, without asking for thanks or praise. And so the law enforcement professionals and police officers who toil in our communities across the Nation deserve our unwavering support and our thankful recognition. I commend the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) for introducing this resolution and for giving the House of Representatives the opportunity to show respect and admiration for our law enforcement professionals. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I thank the gentlelady from Ohio for organizing this opportunity for us to discuss health care. Access to quality, affordable health care is critical to the well- being of all Americans today and in the future. We are seeing millions of Americans suffering from illnesses that could have easily been prevented with basic preventive health care, but people did not seek that care because they didn't have health insurance. In fact, 46 million Americans lack health insurance, and tens of millions more lack health coverage during some part of the year. In these tough economic times, we must seek to provide universal health care and must seek to reduce the cost of health care insurance, especially for children and pregnant women. We also must address other health concerns, such as the health disparity that exists between racial and ethnic minorities and the need to fund cutting-edge research to find cures for diseases. We also need to strengthen the Medicaid and Medicare systems and give patients the tools needed to challenge the decisions of all health insurers. Only through action in these critical issues can we meet the pressing health care needs of our Nation. Providing health care for all and reducing the costs of health care will relieve the financial strain on all families and businesses. It will also go a long way to addressing the racial disparities in health indicators in this country because minorities, as it's already been said, are less likely to be covered by health insurance than others. On child health, one of the first actions of this Congress was the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program, the SCHIP, where we were able to provide coverage for 7 million children already covered by SCHIP, plus an additional 4 million more. While this was a good step in the right direction, it is not enough, because 5 million children are still left without health insurance. That's why I introduced legislation that would provide health insurance for all children, the All Healthy Children Act, which was endorsed by the Children's Defense Fund as a logical, achievable, and incremental next step to closing the child health coverage gap. This proposal would ensure that all children and pregnant women are covered by expanding the coverage of both Medicaid and the SCHIP programs by eliminating the procedural red tape that currently prevents them from being covered by either program. This comprehensive program will include all basic health care coverage, as well as coverage for mental health, prenatal, and well-child care. Mr. Speaker, our health care system is unfortunately riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care and waste. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of the financial security of our families. We all know that reforming health care is not going to be easy, but we have a good opportunity now to finally reform the health care system by cutting costs, protecting families from bankruptcy or debt because of medical costs, investing in prevention and wellness, and improving patient safety and quality of care. We have taken the first step in reforming our health care system by passing a Federal budget for fiscal year 2010 that includes more than $630 billion to establish a reserve fund to finance fundamental health care reform that will first bring down health care costs and then expand coverage. The budget does a number of things. It accelerates the adoption of health care information technology and expansion of electronic health records. The budget expands research comparing the effectiveness of medical treatments to give patients and physicians better information on what works best. It invests over $6 billion for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health as part of the administration's multiyear commitment to double cancer research funding. It strengthens the Indian health system, which sustained investments in health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives to address persistent health disparities and foster healthy Indian communities. It invests $330 million to increase the number of physicians, nurses, and dentists practicing in areas of the country experiencing shortages of health professionals. It supports families by providing additional funding for affordable, high-quality child care, expanding Early Head Start and Head Start, and creating the Nurse Home Visitation program to support first-time mothers. It strengthens the Medicare program by encouraging high quality and efficient care and improving program integrity. And finally, it invests over $1 billion for Food and Drug Administration food safety efforts to increase and improve inspections, domestic surveillance, laboratory capacity, and initiatives to prevent and control food-borne illnesses. Mr. Speaker, for years we've been at a stalemate in Congress and haven't been able to enact real health care reform. As a Nation, we are already spending more on health care than any other Nation. We spend a higher percentage of our GDP. We spend a higher amount per capita, and yet by any measure, by any of the health indicators, we are still in poor health, and we still suffer from significant disparities in different parts of our population. So we're already paying for health care. What we need to do under the present administration and Congress is to finally do more than talk about health care reform and actually do something about it. Mr. Speaker, I'm delighted to have this opportunity and, again, want to thank the gentlelady from Ohio for organizing this Special Order.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, the bill as it's before us passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I urge my colleagues to concur in the Senate amendment, thereby passing the bill so it can go to the President so that resources can be made available to law enforcement and those who are guilty of fraudulent schemes can be held accountable. I would urge us to pass the bill.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the bill, S. 386, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, is a bill crafted to combat the financial fraud that contributed to causing, and worsening, our Nation's mortgage crisis, as well as other financial schemes such as securities fraud, ID theft, and organized retail theft. Not only does the bill clarify certain Criminal Code sections, but more importantly, it provides resources to law enforcement agencies to enforce present antifraud statutes. This is essentially the same bill the House passed 2 weeks ago, with a minor amendment that the Senate added before it approved the House- amended bill last week, by unanimous consent. It also keeps the independent bipartisan commission proposed by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) to examine more broadly the circumstances giving rise to the current financial crisis. The Senate has clarified the subpoena power of the commission to specify that at least one Republican-appointed commissioner must approve the issuance of any subpoena. I would like to thank, once again, the chairman of the full Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers); the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith); the ranking member of the Crime Subcommittee, Mr. Gohmert; and other Members of the committee, such as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) as well as the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), and our colleagues in the other body for their help in making this such a strong bipartisan bill. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and to send it to the President. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the House amendments to the Senate bill (S. 386) to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut, the chairman of the majority caucus, Mr. Larson.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 is crafted to combat financial fraud that contributed to causing and worsening our Nation's current economic crisis. We are bringing to the floor a bill that represents a consensus of efforts for the House and Senate, each acting on a bipartisan basis, blending the Senate-passed bill with H.R. 1748, the Fight Fraud Act of 2009, which the House Judiciary Committee reported last week. This bill amends the Federal criminal fraud statutes to reach the full range of fraud and other financial crimes that have come to light as the financial crisis has unfolded. The bill amends the definition of ``financial institution'' and fraud statutes to make it clear that financial institutions include mortgage lending businesses. It amends the securities fraud statute to make it clear that securities fraud includes commodities fraud. It makes it clear that it is a felony for a mortgage broker to knowingly make a materially false statement on a loan application or fraudulently overvalue property in order to influence any action by a mortgage lending business. Of course, that is already a crime, and the bill clearly states this fact just in case anybody thought it was okay to cheat and defraud a mortgage lending business during the mortgage process. It amends Federal money laundering statutes to make them more effective in the context of fraud prosecutions and to ensure their appropriate use. It also seeks to deter fraud from undermining the TARP and economic stimulus package efforts recently passed by explicitly making fraud in those cases a felony. In addition to amending criminal statutes, S-386 clarifies key provisions of the False Claims Act in order to more effectively enlist private citizens in helping root out fraud against the government and bring its perpetrators to justice. Now, Mr. Speaker, I think the most important part of the bill, in my judgment, is not the clarification of various fraud sections in the criminal code, but its authorization of resources to investigate and prosecute fraudulent activities. Additional authorization for the FBI, for example, would enable it to nearly double the size of its mortgage and financial fraud program. The U.S. Attorneys offices and other components of the Justice Department and other Federal agencies involved in investigating fraud would also receive increased authorizations. Additional funds provided pursuant to the new authorizations can be used not only for Federal investigations and enforcement, but also to support State and local law enforcement efforts in this area, including training, technical assistance, expertise and other support provided through programs such as the National White Collar Crime Center. Mr. Speaker, many financial crimes today go unpunished because law enforcement agencies simply lack the resources to investigate and prosecute financial crimes such as ID theft, mortgage fraud or organized retail theft. This bill will empower Federal law enforcement officials to hold criminals accountable for their crimes. And finally, Mr. Speaker, the bill incorporates legislation by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) which will create an independent, bipartisan commission with subpoena power to examine more broadly the circumstances giving rise to the current financial crisis. I would like to commend the Judiciary Committee's chairman, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) and others on the committee, as well as the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and our colleagues from the other body for their help in making this such a strong bipartisan bill. I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 386) to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, finally, in closing, I would remind the body that this is a bipartisan, bicameral consensus. We have worked together on a bipartisan basis in the House and the Senate. The bill will prevent fraud by clarifying the fraud statutes and strengthen the False Claims Act. It will, I think very importantly, provide significant resources for fighting the fraud. Finally, the value of the commission will be judged by its product, and we would all assume that the appointments would be people whose reputation is beyond reproach and we will get a good product from the commission. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield 4 minutes to a member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Maffei). (Mr. MAFFEI asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as she may consume to a member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, bias crimes are disturbingly prevalent and pose a significant threat to the full participation of all Americans in our democratic society. Despite the deep impact of hate violence on communities, current law limits Federal jurisdiction over hate crimes to incidents directed against individuals only on the basis of race, religion, color or national origin and only when the victim is targeted because he or she is engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting. Further, the statutes do not permit Federal involvement in a range of cases where crimes are motivated by bias against the victim's perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability. We need to change the law so that the Federal Government will have the authority to be involved in investigating and in prosecuting these cases when the State authorities cannot or will not do so. Mr. Speaker, the bill is narrowly drawn. It only applies to bias- motivated, violent crime, and it has specific protections to ensure that it does not impinge on public speech, religious expression or on writing in any way. In fact, the only way that expressions could involve the defendant in this crime is if the language were such that it would already qualify as something like inciting a riot or other violent crimes. Mr. Speaker, law enforcement authorities and civic leaders have learned that a failure to address the problem of bias crime can cause a seemingly isolated incident to fester into widespread tension that can cause damage to the social fabric of a community. This problem cuts across party lines, and so I hope we will pass the bill on a bipartisan basis just as we did last year. Washington, DC, April 27, 2009. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of thousands of clergy members, pastors, and African American community leaders within our African American Ministers In Action (AAMIA) network of People For The American Way, I urge you to support the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (LLEHCPA)--H.R. 1913. As people of color, we are well aware of the hideous nature of race-based violence, and understand the importance of legislation that protects Americans who are victims of hate crimes. We also are not blind to the fact that violent hate crimes are motivated not just by racism. Knowing this, as clergy members and pastors who affirm the humanity of every person, we fully understand and embrace the call to advocate for an inclusive federal law that will extend protection to victims of hate crimes based on disability, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. H.R. 1913 is the bill that will make equal protection under the law for victims of hate crimes a reality and not just an American dream. Unfortunately, propaganda and lies have prevented the protections that H.R. 1913 proposes from becoming law. One such falsehood is that this bill will eliminate churches' first amendment rights; that this legislation will ``muzzle our pulpits'' or dictate what we as clergy or religious communities can or cannot say. This is not true. In fact, H.R. 1913 protects freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It only punishes violent acts like assault and murder, not religious beliefs. The law makes clear that it cannot be used to prohibit any ``expressive conduct'' or ``activities protected by the Constitution.'' The AAMIA is passionate about protecting the civil rights of all Americans, especially those that protect people who are discriminated against because of who they are. Victims of violent hate crimes often come to our churches in search of a safe haven from enduring assaults, and they are in need of federal protections. Thus from our houses of worship to your house of policy, we trust that we can count on your support for the protection of American citizens from violent hate crimes. Please vote in favor of H.R. 1913. Sincerely, Timothy McDonald, Founder and Chair, African American Ministers In Action.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 104) supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 109) supporting the mission and goals of 2009 National Crime Victims' Rights week to increase public awareness of the rights, needs, and concerns of victims and survivors of crime in the United States, and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Thank you. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Is it not a fact that the job performance during the 8 years of the Bush administration was the worst since the Great Depression?

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Massachusetts mentioned the fact that, over the last few years, we'd gotten ourselves into the ditch. This shows the ditch that we're actually in. In 1993, we passed a budget that dug ourselves out of a ditch and created surpluses, as far as I could see. In fact, in 2001, when we came into session, we had a surplus sufficient to put us on track to paying off the entire national debt held by the public by last year. Instead, we had a complete collapse of the budget beginning in 2001, and there is no telling where this line is going to end up. It took 8 years to get into this ditch. During the good years when we had fiscal responsibility, not only were we on the way to paying off the national debt, but we created record numbers of jobs. We had a median income increase of about $7,000 per family, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than tripled. Now we have a situation where we have had the worst job performance since the Great Depression, where the median income is actually down when adjusted for inflation and where the Dow Jones Industrial Average is worse than it was when it started. It took us 8 years to get into this ditch. We have an urgent situation. This budget will cut the deficit in half in 4 years. Now, that is not the end of it. That's not enough. Cutting the deficit in half is not enough, but for one year's work, that is certainly a good step toward getting us out of a ditch that took 8 years to get us into. Now we have a situation where the new budget will restore PAYGO, that is, that any new program will have to be paid for. The reason we could get it in this kind of ditch was we passed tax cuts that we hadn't paid for, and we had spending that wasn't paid for. But under this budget, any new initiative will have to be paid for, and that's going to be hard. We're talking about energy initiatives. We're talking about health care initiatives and education initiatives that will be very expensive, but none of them can go into effect unless they're paid for with other spending cuts or with tax increases. Everything will be paid for. This is in stark contrast to what happened in 2001 when we didn't pay for anything. We went right into a ditch, and we didn't create any jobs. It is urgent that we pass this budget to get back on the track that we were on in 1993 when the budget created jobs, when the median income was up, when the economy was good, and when we were on the way to paying off the national debt, instead of the ditch we're in today where we have had, in the last 8 years, the worst job performance since the Great Depression and huge deficits as far as the eye can see. We're taking a major step in the right direction. So, Madam Speaker, I would hope that we would adopt the budget so we could get on to the job of restoring the economy and of balancing this budget.