Louise Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts, who knows health care, the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Natural Resources, Mr. Markey.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, Mr. Doggett, who also served on the Subcommittee on Health during the health care debate.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield an additional 10 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. May I inquire of my colleague if he has further speakers?

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, Presidents from both sides of the aisle have tried to do health care in the United States for a hundred years. Finally, 2 years ago, we were able to achieve the goal. Today, we vote on a bill that would dismantle that achievement for political points only, because the 31st time is not going to be the charm here. We have heard, again, the dire straits of this country. Please ask your Member of Congress why it is that we're voting on this for the 31st time instead of doing something about jobs, for heaven's sake. I've not heard anything in that bill or anyplace else that 17,000 IRS agents are going to be hired. I think that's, again, something that we really don't know about. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment Mr. Pascrell talked about, along with the extraneous material, in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and defeat the previous question. I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Theresa Lou Bowick, BSN, RN upon the realization of her vision and to recognize her for her dedication to the Rochester, New York community. July 7, 2012 will mark the official kick off of the Conkey Cruisers, a free neighborhood ``biking to better health'' program that will journey throughout the northeast crescent of Rochester, otherwise known as the Conkey-Clifford Neighborhood. The Conkey Cruisers is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has singlehandedly unified an inner city neighborhood by addressing two important factors: crime and health. Just one year ago, Ms. Bowick was out running in her neighborhood when she had two disturbing encounters. First, a young boy called out to her, ``Hey, lady! Are you on probation?'' He assumed that Ms. Bowick was running from the police, as he apparently had little understanding of any other reason for running in that particular neighborhood. Soon after, an older man accused Ms. Bowick of being an undercover cop, boldly stating, ``She is the police, because nobody exercises in this neighborhood!'' These encounters inspired Ms. Bowick to start an exercise program in the ConkeyClifford Neighborhood. The program advocates ``Getting fit, one street, one person, one bike at a time.'' As a registered nurse, Ms. Bowick understands the health benefits of regular exercise, particularly at a time when our nation is experiencing an epidemic of obesity. Her efforts are getting an entire neighborhood up and moving, all the while restoring safety and a sense of home back to the residents. The signature black, yellow and white Conkey Cruiser t-shirts can now be seen daily on the streets of Conkey Avenue, as neighbors both young and old exercise on their bikes. Beginning July 7th, youth from the Conkey-Clifford neighborhood will participate in the six-week, five days a week free Conkey Cruisers program, which provides an introduction to safe bicycling and healthy eating, as well as an opportunity to earn President Obama's Active Lifestyle Award. I am proud that such dedicated individuals call my district home, and that they have committed themselves to improving their neighborhoods, increasing safety, and pursuing health for all of our residents. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Theresa Lou Bowick and the Conkey Cruisers.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution recognizing the 40th anniversary of the momentous Title IX legislation. Forty years ago, on June 23, 1972, it was established that educational institutions receiving federal funding were barred from discriminating against anyone on the basis of sex. That decision applied to student admissions, recruitment, scholarship awards and tuition assistance, housing, access to courses and other academic offerings, counseling, financial assistance, employment assistance to students, health and insurance benefits and services, athletics, and all aspects of education-related employment. This landmark legislation led to gains for women in all fields, from academics to business to science and technology. The law is probably most well known for its impact on women in athletics. Since Title IX was enacted, the number of women competing in college sports has soared by more than 600 percent, and the number of high school girls competing in sports has increased by over 1,000 percent. This is important because we know from scientific research that student athletes graduate at higher rates, perform better in school and are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, smoke, or develop mental illness or obesity later in life. Furthermore, I have heard from countless female athletes, like Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes, that without athletic scholarships made possible by Title IX, they simply would not have been able to attend college. Imagine the vast intellectual, cultural and athletic opportunities that would have been lost to these young women had they not been able to pursue their goals of furthering their education. In the years since the law was passed, we have had to fight for improvements to the legislation and fight against other attempts to weaken it. In 2003, I led a hearing in the basement of this very Capitol building when Title IX was being threatened by Commission for Opportunity in Athletic recommendations that ignored the continuing lack of participation opportunities and funding that women's and girls' athletics were facing. I clearly recall watching a line of little girls in their soccer uniforms enter the room accompanied by their fathers. These dads spoke eloquently about the importance of coaching their daughters in sports, and how it meant just as much to them as coaching their sons. Although bad policy was enacted that limited the effectiveness of Title IX, I am proud to say we were able to reverse significant parts of that in 2010. The fight for fairness continues. Today we still face disparities in opportunities for girls in sports, particularly at the high school level. Girls make up half of the high school population, yet receive only 41 percent of all athletic participation opportunities. This translates to 1.3 million fewer opportunities for young women to play high school sports than young men. Worse yet, this gap is actually increasing. How is it that one law can have such a dramatic impact at one age level and yet be less successful for our young women who are just four years younger? The answer can be found in public transparency and accountability. As is true elsewhere in life, sunshine can be the best of disinfectants. At the collegiate level, colleges and universities are required to publicly account for how their athletic opportunities, resources, and dollars are allocated among male and female athletes. No such transparency requirements are found at the high school level. Not surprisingly, where there is no public accountability, there is a growing gap in athletic opportunities for young student-athletes. Currently, high schools are required to submit annual reports of their athletic participation numbers by sport and gender to their state high school athletic associations. Additionally, school bookkeepers already keep records of all school expenditures--including those made within the athletic department. Despite doing all the work of collecting this data, none of it is required to be made public. To make a simple, but profound, change to high school reporting requirements, I have authored H.R. 458, the High School Athletics and Accountability Act. This bill would require high schools to make public vital data on the participation of girls in high school sports. Schools already collect this data. Making the information public would be a small change for school administrators--estimates are that it would take just three to six hours of time once a year to produce a report-- and would have a huge impact on the opportunities available to our young girls. As we celebrate the anniversary of the passage of this landmark legislation, we must recommit ourselves to continuing the fight for equity for women and girls. I ask my colleagues to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IX with me, and pledge to keep pressing forward until opportunities are equal for all.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I am in its present form.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, with every decade that passes, the middle class has faced higher and higher prices at the pump. Meanwhile, the world's five biggest oil companies have reported record profits year after year. Between 2001 and 2011, the five biggest oil companies made more than $1 trillion in profits. Despite these record profits, the majority continues to put the wishes of Big Oil before the needs of the middle class. Instead of balancing our Nation's budget by closing tax loopholes on Big Oil, they have repeatedly told the middle class that they should sacrifice the programs on which they rely to live. Twice, the majority has passed the Ryan budget, which would end Medicare as America knows it. And picture this for your mother or your most elderly relatives. In its place, they would be given a health care voucher and sent into the marketplace on their own to find health care on their own. Meanwhile, they work hard and we call all the time for votes, not to protect the billion-dollar Big Oil subsidies from any cuts, but, again, to protect our vanishing middle class. I think this approach is not only wrongheaded and will hurt us all, but it's morally wrong. A year ago, Speaker Boehner told ``60 Minutes'' that ending subsidies for Big Oil companies is ``certainly something we should be looking at.'' I couldn't agree more. He continued, ``We're in a time when the Federal Government is short on revenues. We need to control spending, but we need to have revenues to keep the government moving, and they ought to be paying their fair share.'' Speaker Boehner was absolutely right, and this is the time to do it. By voting in support of my amendment, the whole House will finally have the opportunity to demand that Big Oil pay its fair share. Last year, the five biggest oil companies in the world made a combined record profit of $137 billion. During that same time, thousands of middle class Americans slid out of the middle class and into poverty. While ExxonMobil was busy using at least 20 tax shelters to lower their tax rate to a mere 13 percent, over 20 million people were living on less than $9,000 a year. That's not America. I think we need to balance our budget by asking those who have benefited the most simply to pay a fair share, not by taking from those who have the least. Our country was never based on that. With my amendment, the world's biggest oil companies would begin to pay their fair share. They would be barred from receiving new drilling leases until they gave up their oil and gas subsidies. In addition, my amendment would require each Big Oil company that obtains an oil and gas lease to use American-made products and hire American workers who are more than ready and willing to do the job. This amendment will do much of what we've been striving to do this whole term. The amendment will not kill the bill nor send it back to committee. If we approve this amendment, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage. It's up to us, ladies and gentlemen. We can return home this weekend and tell our constituents that finally we voted for the middle class, which is what they want us to do, or we can turn our backs on this opportunity before us and go home and explain why this Congress would vote to gut Medicare but won't ask Big Oil to pay their fair share. I urge my colleagues to support the motion to recommit and stand up for the middle class and the suffering Americans. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, it is my esteemed honor to congratulate Martha Brown Middle School for being designated as a New York State and National ``School to Watch.'' It is a pleasure to acknowledge Martha Brown's Principal David Dunn, the Fairport School Board, the administration, teachers, faculty and students upon receiving this award as one of only seven newly designated schools in New York State to be honored with this distinction. The recognition as a national School to Watch means that Martha Brown excels in each of the seven Essential Elements of Standards--Focused Middle Level Schools and Programs. Those seven Essential Elements are: a philosophy and mission that reflect the intellectual and developmental needs and characteristics of young adolescents; an educational program that is comprehensive, challenging, purposeful, integrated, relevant, and standards-based; an organization and structure that support both academic excellence and personal development; classroom instruction appropriate to the needs and characteristics of young adolescents provided by skilled and knowledgeable teachers; strong educational leadership and administration that encourage, facilitate, and sustain involvement, participation, and leadership; a network of academic and personal support available for all students; and professional learning and staff development for all staff that are ongoing, planned, purposeful, and collaboratively developed. It is especially meaningful for me to know that a school within New York State's 28th Congressional District and my hometown of Fairport has achieved this prestigious honor. It is a true testament to the hard work of the teachers, administrators, and students. The fact that Martha Brown Middle School has been selected from among many qualified middle schools speaks volumes about the school's character and dedication to academic excellence. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Martha Brown Middle School of Fairport Central School District on this well- earned honor. As a ``School to Watch,'' Martha Brown serves as a shining example for other middle schools throughout our entire nation.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. James Farr of Rochester, New York for his three-year appointment to the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission. The Commission was established by P.L. 106 554 to assist in the preservation, maintenance and interpretation of the historical, natural, cultural, scenic and recreational resources of the Erie Canalway in ways that reflect its national significance. I nominated Jim for the Corridor's Commission on August 25, 2011, and am delighted to have a dedicated member of the Rochester community represented on the Commission. As an employee of the City of Rochester for over 34 years, Jim's passion for improving this great area of New York will serve as an integral asset to the Commission. He has represented the city as a committee member on both of the World Canal Conferences held in Rochester and has also assisted with and attended a number of the Canal Society of New York Conferences and events. Currently serving as Assistant Director for Recreation, Jim is responsible for the City's environmental and horticultural education programs and parks stewardship, as well as the oversight of the Rochester Public Market. Jim truly embodies the spirit of this region. An example of Jim's creativity and dedication to the area is his close work with Parks and Trails New York to coordinate the annual ``Cycle the Erie'' bike tour, which showcases the Canalway's heritage. In addition, Jim is currently a Board member of the Genesee WaterWays Center. He is the former President and a current Foundation member of Monroe County Cooperative Extension. Jim serves as a member of many other related boards and organizations, including the Monroe County Parks Advisory Committee, the Ontario Beach Park Program Committee, the Farmers Market Federation of New York, and the National Association of Produce Market Managers. He is also the secretary and one of the founding board members of the Tony Jordan Youth Sports Foundation, which provides supplemental funding to enhance the quality and integrity of youth sports in the City of Rochester. The Erie Canalway Corridor is a symbol of American ingenuity and perseverance, and I am grateful for Jim Farr's continued commitment to promoting its national significance by serving on the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission. I ask my colleagues to join with me in commending Jim Farr for his long record of public service.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I'm going to offer an amendment to the rule that will allow the House to consider the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act. Call centers have been outsourced more than pretty much any other type of job from the United States. This bill will help keep call center jobs in America. And to discuss his call center proposal, I'm pleased to yield 5 minutes to my colleague from New York (Mr. Bishop).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, first I want to say how happy I am to be back. I appreciate the welcome I've gotten from all my colleagues, and I've missed you terribly. I missed you, like we used to say in Kentucky, like a front tooth. The bill before us today, Madam Speaker, is another wasted opportunity, I'm afraid. Today's legislation is composed of 14 separate bills, several of which are even bipartisan. But regrettably, these worthy proposals will not be signed into law because the majority has packaged them with other proposals that endanger our environment and public health. Several of the controversial provisions before us are based on Democratic proposals. Unfortunately, the Democratic bills were taken and rewritten in such a way--extremely--that they can no longer receive bipartisan support. Two provisions in particular illustrate the extremely partisan approach. First, title 3 would unnecessarily change a long-standing agreement and endanger the biologically sensitive Alaskan wilderness. This provision would open up our Nation's largest national forests to logging and allow rare old-growth forests to be clear-cut and sold for private gain. Second, in the most extreme proposal before us, title 14 would impose a so-called ``operational control zone'' over almost 100 million square miles of American land. On Federal land within this zone, the Department of Homeland Security would then be allowed to ignore 36 environmental laws, and Federal border agents would be able to operate with few limits on their power. My good friend from Utah has put forward an amendment to pare the 36 laws down to 16, but that is still 16 too many. Title 14 proposes a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Proponents claim that environmental protections prevent the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol from stopping illegal immigration. However, sworn testimony by both Border Patrol officials and the Federal land agency officials contradict this claim. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security opposes this legislation. My entire district, all of it, would fall under the newly created operational control zone. As a result, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol could take control over all the historic landmarks, such as the Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Site, build anything on it that they needed. And I know my constituents pretty well after this number of years. They would not take to that at all. Meanwhile, the sacred, historic, and sovereign lands of the Tuscarora Indian Nation would also be open to Federal agents. Such an extreme Federal overreach would violate the sovereignty of the Tuscarora Indian Nation. Many other tribes around the country whose land falls within this zone would face the same problem. In a letter to the leaders of the House, the United South and Eastern Tribes wrote of the danger of this provision. They wrote: Many Indian tribes have lands and sacred places located near U.S. international borders, and we believe that the sovereignty and cultural integrity of our member tribes and others is unnecessarily put in jeopardy by the sweeping approach in this bill. Federal cooperation, not Federal overreach, is a proven and prudent way to protect our borders. A recent GAO reported confirmed what we learned in sworn testimony: every time Federal cooperation between the Border Patrol officials and our land management officials was requested, it was given--every time. The only time conflicts remained between environmental laws and border enforcement was when Border Patrol officials didn't bother to ask the Department of the Interior nor the USDA for cooperation. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the majority violated the rules of the House when they combined 14 unrelated bills into the one bill before us today. However, the Rules Committee gave itself a waiver despite repeatedly denying such waivers for Democratic proposals throughout the year. Once again, when the majority wants to break the rules, they find a way. But when Democrats ask for a waiver for one of our proposals, all of a sudden the rules of the House have been written in stone. I urge my colleagues to oppose today's extreme and partisan legislation and to stand up against the Federal overreach contained within this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield an additional minute to the gentleman.