Louise Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1403 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 1403 provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 4213. Mr. Speaker, the legislation is like many of the bills that we do. It's the product of many hours of hard work. It's also an effort to strike a balance between extending important life- saving assistance to laid-off workers and investing in smart spending that will help our economy. A significant portion of the bill would go directly to helping our citizens. We extend unemployment insurance, we invest in summer jobs, fund loans for small businesses, and make bonds available to States. But I am pleased that the bill also cracks down on corporations, closing tax loopholes that have encouraged companies to ship jobs overseas, a thing I have devoutly desired for a number of years. Unlike the previous administration, we use PAYGO rules here to make sure that new spending, other than emergency spending, is fully paid for. In fact, it's worthy to remind my colleagues that the deficit facing the country was created by the last administration, which financed two wars, a prescription drug plan, and a huge tax cut, all of which was unpaid for, and consequently is responsible for two-thirds of the deficit. In the recent frenzied back and forth over this bill, it is easy to lose sight of the important steps that Congress has taken up to this point to help right the economy. We passed small business tax relief, expanded the first-time home buyer tax credit, changed the way students apply for loans, funded a Cash for Clunkers program, injected money into the economy, and helped to protect domestic jobs at a critical juncture. With this vote, we can help families across the country continue the path we set out on last year to help dig the country out of a terrible recession. For small businesses, the backbone of the Nation's economy, and the place where most American workers are employed, we use this bill to ensure them an easier time getting loans. The bill also continues the very successful research and development tax credit, a powerful incentive to creating well-paying jobs. The measure extends the ongoing recovery by investing in Build America Bonds and Recovery Zone Bonds, making it less expensive for cash-strapped State and local governments to finance the rebuilding of schools and sewers and hospitals and transit projects. The legislation helps American families with sales tax relief, property tax relief, disaster area tax relief, and college tuition deductions. The bill wisely invests in important energy provisions such as the biodiesel tax credit, while making good on our obligations to black and Native American farmers. Finally, the measure also strengthens the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund by increasing the amount the oil industry must pay to clean up its disasters. I also want to pause for a moment to talk about two pieces of legislation that I personally am happy to see in the bill, because I think they'll pay enormous benefits. This bill closes a loophole in the Tax Code that has been used by huge corporations, including publicly regulated utilities. Companies use this loophole to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes when they spin off a subsidiary. These deals cost taxpayers and they hurt consumers, especially when the company using the loophole is a phone company that wants to get rid of the older telephone lines in small towns and rural areas. With this bill we close that loophole, and we will save taxpayers $260 million over the next 10 years. On another front, the bill also extends funding for the wool trust fund, which helps to keep thousands of textile and apparel workers around the country employed. I was proud to work on this issue because of the relevance it has to Hickey Freeman, a 100-year- old company and maker of fine men's suits located in Rochester, New York. The fund provides funds to makers of wool fabric and yarn producers, as well as sheep growers, to help maintain the domestic production of wool fabric. Too many of our industries in the United States have closed up and moved overseas. I frequently say that we can't be a great power if our entire manufacturing sector moves to other countries and we are obligated to buy from other countries for our very livelihood. Mr. Speaker, Congress can rightly take great pride in some very historic work on behalf of our constituents this year; but we must remind ourselves that many people are still struggling, and we must do everything in our power to fund the necessary programs that protect the unemployed Americans, help small business, enhance job creation efforts, and keep America on the road to economic recovery. I urge my colleagues to join me today in voting ``yes'' on the rule and ``yes'' on this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I've heard the phrase all my life, as you have, of ``taken out of context.'' Let me assure anybody who wants to know about that, no reporter has ever said to me, Do you think your backroom deals are going to hold up? And if anyone were to ever say that to me--and I hope to keep that record intact--believe you me, I would not laugh and say, We're Democrats. I do recall saying to somebody yesterday with pride that we are Democrats, and I am proud that we are Democrats. We are the people who are trying to take care of the people without jobs in this country and to make the climate right to create more. Now, before I yield to my next speaker, I want to let Members know that I will be offering an amendment to the rule at the end of the debate. The amendment makes three changes to the text that has been posted on the Rules Committee Web site since Thursday, May 20. It strikes two sections from the House amendment--section 511, section 516--and it changes the effective date and the carried interest provision making it effective on December 31, 2010, instead of the date of enactment. The amendment provides for a separate vote on section 523, which is the SGR, the so-called doc fix, and a vote on the remainder of the modified House amendment. This does not add money, Mr. Speaker. It subtracts it. I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds to quote from the Dallas Morning News for my colleague, Mr. Sessions: ``Texas employers expanded nonfarm payrolls by 32,500 jobs in April, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday. That's the State's fourth straight month of job gains. ``The State has now gained 91,600 jobs in the first 4 months of the year.'' Houston Business Journal this morning: ``As the U.S. economy expanded for a third consecutive quarter, Texas posted some of the strongest numbers in the country.''

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself another 10 seconds. ``Unemployment remained at 8.2 percent, giving Texas the lowest rate amongst large States, while existing home sales in the State grew in the first quarter by 16 percent compared to the same time a year ago.'' And I would like to put these into the Record. [From the Houston Business Journal, May 28, 2010] SigmaBleyzer: Texas Leading Economic Recovery (By Casey Wooten) As the U.S. economy expanded for a third consecutive quarter, Texas posted some of the strongest numbers in the country, according to Houston-based private equity firm SigmaBleyzer LLC. The Texas Business Cycle Index, which tracks movements in employment and GDP, increased for the third straight month. Texas non-durable manufacturing also grew by 2.1 percent and 1.7 percent in 2008 and 2009, versus negative 3 percent and negative 5.6 percent nationwide. ``Strong foreign demand for U.S. goods is also driving improvements in industrial production,'' the report said. Moreover, higher oil prices supported a nearly 10 percent growth in the Texas mining industry in March 2010 compared to the same month a year before. Unemployment remained at 8.2 percent, giving Texas the lowest rate among large states, while existing home sales in the state grew in the first quarter by 16 percent compared to the same time a year ago. U.S. GDP grew at an annualized rate of 3.2 percent for the quarter while Texas GDP grew at about 2 percent, but didn't drop as much compared to the rest of the nation during the lows of the recession.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Ms. Jackson Lee, who is also from Texas and I hope will give us good news.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield the gentleman 2 additional minutes.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield the gentleman from Michigan an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) to refute the notion that all new hires in the United States are census takers.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, in a moment I will be offering an amendment to this rule. I want to briefly explain the amendment. It is very simple. It strikes two sections from the House amendment printed in the Rules Committee report. No. 1: It strikes section 511, the COBRA extension. No. 2: It strikes section 516, the State Medicaid Assistance, or FMAP. It also makes a change in the carried interest provision, making it effective on December 31, 2010, instead of the date of enactment. Finally, the amendment divides the question of adoption of the House amendment into two votes: One vote will be on section 523, which is the SGR--the doc fix. The other vote will be on the remaining portions of the House amendment. That package contains provisions to extend American Recovery and Reinvestment Act job programs. It provides tax relief to working families; extends business tax credits; provides pension relief; extends unemployment insurance, TANF, and flood insurance; provides relief for disaster areas, including relief for agriculture disaster areas; provides domestic energy tax provisions, closes tax loopholes, and hopefully prevents outsourcing. I hope Members will vote in favor of this amendment as well as in favor of the rule and the previous question. Amendment Offered by Ms. Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the rule at the desk.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the amendment and on the resolution.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Pingree for yielding. I want to take just a second to respond to my good friend Mr. Diaz- Balart, and he is. We had many, many fewer Republican amendments even offered. I think there were less than a quarter. The number of Democratic amendments was overwhelming. Almost every Republican amendment that was germane was made in order. We do believe in a spirit of bipartisanism. But today I want to rise in support of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011. After spending nearly a decade working to combat sexual assault in the military services, with my colleagues Susan Davis and Jane Harman, I am thrilled with the most comprehensive overhaul of the Department of Defense sexual assault policy ever. Last week, we introduced legislation to ensure better training for JAG officers and victim advocates who handle sexual assault cases, create confidentiality protocols, to protect the victims' rights and raise the likelihood of victim reporting, and to ensure that victims are afforded expeditious state-based transfers to spare them from their alleged offenders. I am pleased to see that this year's Authorization Act includes 28 new sections to amend the sexual assault policy within DOD, and that 5 of the 6 provisions that Representative Harman and I introduced are included. While I believe the National Defense Authorization Act is critical to our efforts to overcome the problem of sexual assault in the Armed Forces, the task force's recommendation to ensure the ease of base or organization transfer for victims is absent from the bill that came from the Rules Committee. See, I didn't get what I wanted either, Mr. Diaz-Balart. I worked in conjunction with Representative Harman to draft an amendment to NDAA, and I am proud to ask for this Congress to support it. The Harman-Slaughter amendment calls for an expedited priority consideration of an application for permanent change of base or unit transfer for victims of sexual assault to reduce the possibility of retaliation against the victim. DOD reports that an estimated 90 percent of the cases of sexual assault go unreported in the military, and half of the women who do not report rape or sexual assault do so because of fear of retaliation. We too often hear that the reporting process is more traumatic for the victim than the attack itself, and this provision is critical to help address the fear of retaliation that victims face. The report estimates that 90 percent of sexual assault cases in the military go unreported. That is an extraordinarily high number. According to the DOD, half the women who don't report rape or sexual assault are scared, as I said before. Furthermore, in half of all sexual assault cases in 2008, the commander took no action, and only 13 percent of reported cases were prosecuted and referred to courts marshal. These figures are far below the civilian prosecution rate. In fact, some women have told us that when they reported sexual assault or rape, they were told by the commander, ``You don't want to ruin that young man's career, do you?''

Ms. SLAUGHTER. These disturbing findings indicate the need for policies to protect the rights and the welfare of the accuser. I want to share a story by a young woman, a lieutenant in the Air Force, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a fellow officer. According to her testimony, military criminal investigators and JAG officers told her, If I were a defense attorney, I would tell you that you gave the offender mixed signals and that ``no'' was not enough. She recalls she did not just say ``no''; she physically held onto her underwear. But even after she reported the rape, she was forced to salute her rapist every day. She trained for over a year for a highly classified mission, but since then has lost her security clearance. She concluded her testimony with, I feel like I am being punished for a rape that happened to me. It is a very serious problem, and getting more serious. I thank the military for the work it is doing to try to control this, but surely when our young women and young men go off to protect the United States of America, they should be free from assaults from their fellow soldiers.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of seniors, Social Security and Medicare. Social Security and Medicare are among the most important programs ever created by our Government. Older Americans have worked hard and sacrificed themselves to ensure a better, stronger country for future generations. They deserve a secure, healthy retirement. Together, Social Security and Medicare have helped tens of millions of seniors avoid poverty, enjoy better health, and maintain a respectable standard of living. For countless seniors, Medicare has literally saved their lives, giving access to medical treatment they would otherwise have been unable to afford. These programs are a measure of what we truly value, and who we are as a Nation. It was not always this way. Prior to the establishment of Medicare in 1965, a serious illness or hospitalization could easily bankrupt not only a senior, but his or her entire family. A single serious illness-- a round of pneumonia, or a broken hip--could render an elderly man or woman destitute. Too often, our elders simply went without needed medical care, suffering and even dying because decent health care was out of reach. I bring this up today to underscore the need for vigilance in protecting Medicare and Social Security from those that seek to privatize these vital programs. Indeed, the retirement and health security of today's retirees, today's workers, and future generations rests on the decisions that Congress makes on these programs. During the year-long debate over health care reform, we heard a great deal of rhetoric from our Republican colleagues about the need to protect Medicare. Yet when given the chance to strengthen Medicare by providing better benefits, lowering costs, and preserving Medicare's solvency for years to come, my Republican colleagues unanimously voted no. In opposing Health Care Reform, my colleagues said no to free preventive care for seniors, no to ending the `donut hole' for prescription drug coverage and lowering prescription drug costs, and no to more time with and better access to primary care physicians. Further, while erroneously assailing health reform legislation as detrimental to seniors and Medicare, the ranking Republican member on the House Committee on the Budget introduced H.R. 4529, the Roadmap for America's Future, which purports to rescue and strengthen Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, allowing them to fulfill their missions and making them permanently solvent--all while putting the federal budget on a sustainable path. If this were true, I would be the first in line to cosponsor the legislation. However, analysis of the ``Roadmap for America's Future'' by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities revealed the plan ``would raise taxes for most middle-income families, privatize a substantial portion of Social Security, eliminate the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance, end traditional Medicare and most of Medicaid, and terminate the Children's Health Insurance Program. The plan would replace these health programs with a system of vouchers whose value would erode over time and thus would purchase health insurance that would cover fewer health care services as the years went by.'' What I find most disturbing about this proposal is the failure to acknowledge a connection between the recent volatility of the stock market and the effect that would have on privatized Social Security accounts. When a trillion dollars of wealth can disappear in 30 minutes, as it did on May 6, 2010, we know that the stock market is not the place for seniors' life savings. Privatization, or partial privatization, of the Social Security system would have been disastrous for millions of senior citizens that depend on their Social Security checks every month. Likewise, replacing Medicare with a voucher system and letting seniors fend for themselves on the private market would leave our seniors with less and less care every year. America's seniors have worked long and hard to build a prosperous Nation, yet too many seniors in this country saw their retirement savings get decimated by President Bush's economic crisis. I rise today to assure seniors that I and the Democrats in Congress will continue to stand firmly opposed to any and all efforts to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher program. Moreover, we will continue to take a leading role to improve--rather than undermine-- Social Security and Medicare.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1363 and ask for its immediate consideration.