Louise Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, less than two weeks ago we learned about a terrible accident in Clarence, New York, a few miles outside of Buffalo. Our worst fears were confirmed when it was reported that many lives were lost. I know that the pain of the families and friends who lost loved ones on Continental Connection Flight 3407 is immeasurable. My prayers are with them today and always. An accident like this is always a tragedy but when it happens so close to your home, it is particularly devastating. In Western New York we take care of each other. After the accident, first responders and ordinary citizens rushed to the scene to do their best to save lives. They are heroes to us for their tremendous efforts. As we grieve and pay tribute to those we have lost, I stand in unity with my colleagues, state, and local officials, to continue assisting our community during this difficult time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I appreciate very much your yielding to me. We have suffered a terrible blow in western New York. I got home last night about midnight to turn on the television to see the suffering of my people, and my heart breaks for Upstate New York. Our worst fears were confirmed when we learned that no one survived that crash, and that one person on the ground was lost. They were less than 5 minutes away from the runway at the airport that might have saved their lives. It is always a tragedy; and just this week we stood with our colleague Mr. Cole to worry and concern with him for the loss that he had in his district due to the tornado. We appreciate that in western New York we take care of each other, and in the House of Representatives we care very much for each other as well. The first responders and all the citizens of western New York who rushed to help and all the officials of New York and Washington and the local officials have our thanks and our good wishes. We will do everything that we can to try to ease the pain and to ease the suffering, and hope to God that this does not happen to us again. Moment of Silence

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 63, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I am proud to reintroduce the Military Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Act. This important piece of legislation will ensure greater protections for service members and their families if they become victims of violence. It also will strengthen programs to prevent violence against fellow soldiers and military families. Unfortunately, sexual assault and domestic violence are pervasive and serious problems throughout all branches of the military. In March 2008, the Department of Defense (DoD) released their fourth annual sexual assault report, which stated that there were 2,688 reports of sexual assault in 2007. Although this is down from the 2,947 allegations of sexual assaults reported in 2006, the DoD changed their reporting requirements from calendar year to fiscal year, so there is no way to tell if this reflects a decrease in sexual assaults or not. In 2006, there was a 24 percent increase in reported sexual assaults compared to 2005. In 2004, the DoD reported 9,000 incidents of spousal abuse. A 2005 Sexual Harassment and Assault Survey of the Service Academies found six percent of females and one percent of males said they were sexually assaulted in 2004-2005, and less than half the females who experienced sexual assault reported it. In this same survey, 60 percent of female cadets indicated sexual harassment was about the same as when they first enrolled at their academy. While the DoD has been making efforts to improve its prevention and response to domestic and sexual violence, victim services remain incomplete and inconsistent among the various branches. There have been reports that victims advocates, charged with protecting the victim's rights, have been denied resources to do their job, and in some instances been forced off the base all together. Furthermore, DoD policies are not codified in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and do not offer the same level of rights and protections afforded to civilian victims. Perhaps most importantly, victims are unable to seek confidential counseling and treatment without fear that their records might become public if they press charges against their assailant. My bill, the Military Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Act, seeks to bring military law up to par with civilian laws by establishing a comprehensive approach for the military to address domestic violence and sexual assault among our soldiers. Specifically, this bill will: Establish an Office of Victims Advocate (OVA) within DoD, bring the Family Advocacy Program under OVA, and create a Director of OVA to oversee and coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to cases of family violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking with the military and among military families Codify rights, restitution policies, treatment and other services for victims within the UCMJ, including creating comprehensive confidentiality protocols to protect the rights of victims within military law Strengthen policies for reporting, prosecuting and treating perpetrators of violence Create counseling and treatment programs through the Department of Veterans Affairs The military should be at the forefront of prosecuting assailants and setting the highest standards for treatment of service men and women, or military family members, victimized by sexual assault and domestic violence. Our Armed Forces must be able to guarantee the most basic protections to ensure these victims can receive necessary counseling, treatment, and justice. If a victim cannot access essential care for fear of stigma, threats to their career, or because they just do not know what resources are available, the military will continue to lose valuable female and male soldiers. These men and women who serve our country in uniform put themselves in harms way to protect our nation from threats at home and abroad. They deserve the same rights and protections as the civilians whose freedoms they protect. My bill ensures service members are adequately protected when dealing with the horrible tragedy of sexual assault or domestic violence. Do not allow our brave service members to be victimized twice, once by their perpetrator and then again by the military's lack of appropriate, compassionate, and confidential treatment and response. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to join me in cosponsoring the Military Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Act.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee (Mr. Obey).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, not anyone in the Rules Committee last night would ever have guessed that I was importuned more than once to make sure there weren't too many amendments out here today; that there were pending trips, things that people had to go to. The hypocrisy of it sometimes gets the better of me, and I must admit that even mentioning it is somewhat petty on my part. But, nonetheless, I think it needs to be said. I would be happy to stay here tomorrow and continue to debate this. Frankly, I don't know how anyone can go home this weekend and look in the faces of our constituents and look at the young people, as one of my neighbors said, who had to be pulled from college because he couldn't afford it; for people who don't know if they are going to be working next week; for people who absolutely don't know if they have any future, how do we continue this cold and bitter winter in upstate New York, where the heating prices go up every single day, and where absolutely too many people don't know where the next meal is coming from at the same time as the community kitchens are running out of food. We are in a very serious condition here, Madam Speaker. This is no time for politics. Everybody says it, but so few people mean it. I mean it. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule, and hope that we can do one today that will begin to rebuild the country we love, America.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, may I inquire from my colleague how many speakers he has remaining?

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I can yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds but no more.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman). (Mr. SHERMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado, a member of the Rules Committee, Mr. Polis.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, nothing is on the minds of Americans more than the sad state of our economy. At dinner tables and water coolers across this great Nation, Americans are concerned not only about our economy, but their own well-being. Will they have a job next week, will they be able to retire when they plan to, will they be able to afford the mortgage, the rent, and their child's education. Madam Speaker, the Bush administration left us with the worse economy we have faced since World War II. The economic downturn is no longer subject to debate. In the last 4 months, this country has lost 2 million jobs. And, unfortunately, is expected to lose another 3 to 5 million in the next year alone. In fact, 2008 was the worst year for job loss since 1945 while unemployment has skyrocketed to the highest level in 15 years. This week, major corporations from Caterpillar to Sprint, Nextel to Home Depot announced that they were cutting 62,000 jobs. Fortunately, it is not too late to turn things around, but the time is almost gone. We must act now. If nothing is done, our economy will continue this downward spiral, and we must take action to boost this economy and to start putting America back to work. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a critical and necessary investment that will create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, will jump start our economy and begin the process of transforming it for the 21st century with $550 billion in carefully targeted priority investments. Madam Speaker, this plan helps to strengthen Main Street and the middle class, not Wall Street. In order to improve the plight of hardworking Americans, we will provide immediate, direct tax relief to over 95 percent of Americans. Not only will the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan create jobs and grow the economy, it makes a significant investment in our future. By doubling clean, renewable energy production, we will put people to work in the short term while freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil in the long run. By renovating public buildings and homes to make them more energy efficient, we will create jobs that can't be exported while curbing global warming at the same time. By rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and improving our roads, bridges, and schools, we will strengthen our path forward. And by investing in our health care system, we will cut red tape, prevent mistakes, and save countless dollars and lives. I am particularly proud that this bill contains funding for AmeriCorps, which will provide recent college graduates with jobs, sending them into struggling communities to help turn them around, much like the Civilian Conservation Corps did after the Great Depression. Finally, we will assist those who have been impacted most by the crisis by increasing food stamp and unemployment benefits, and making it easier for those who have lost their jobs to keep their health insurance. And these are just a few highlights of this comprehensive bill. Madam Speaker, the American people are hurting. They are also justifiably concerned whether government spending in such difficult times is correct. I want them to know that this bill contains strict accountability measures to ensure the maximum return for every tax dollar invested. Americans will be able to go on the web to see how their tax dollars are being spent and to provide public comment. The bill contains no earmarks and ensures that funds to help small businesses will not go to entities that already receive money from the financial rescue package. Furthermore, the legislation doesn't waste any time. It will immediately help to put people to work and begin to stabilize our economy. According to the Office of Management and Budget, three-quarters of the overall package will be spent in the first 18 months. And in an independent analysis, economist and former McCain adviser Mark Zandi found that 41 percent of the funding in this bill will be spent this year alone to jump start our economy and result in 4 million new jobs by 2010. Madam Speaker, our economic woes will not be solved overnight, but we did not get into this mess overnight. This bill alone will not solve all of our economic challenges. We know that the road back to economic stability and prosperity will require hard work over time to truly turn things around. But America has faced great challenges before and turned crises into opportunity. This legislation is critical to build a foundation for long-term prosperity. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; and by doing so, to restore confidence, to strengthen our economy, and lift up our hardworking citizens from coast to coast. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials into the Record.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I will not. Certainly, by now, we know a red-herring when we see one. This is one of the reddest I have seen in such time that I have been here. And I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on a motion to consider so that we can get about the business of the United States, debate, and pass this important piece of legislation that over 80 percent of the people want us to do. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, let me correct what Mr. Dreier thinks I said. I said we had a thorough airing of this issue last night at Rules. Although it is not our job to explain why the Speaker's press office--

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, a member of the Committee on Rules, Ms. Matsui.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. We appreciate your thoughtfulness, Mr. Flake, and the good work that you do in the House. But we don't have the capacity to change the date for that report. Otherwise, we would have been happy to consider it.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. We had a thorough airing of this last night, Madam Speaker. Everybody knows what happened here. It had nothing at all to do with the Rules Committee.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Technically this point of order is about whether or not to consider this rule and ultimately the underlying bill. In reality, it's about trying to block this bill without any opportunity for debate and without any opportunity for an up-or-down vote on the legislation itself. I think that is wrong and hope my colleagues will vote ``yes'' so we consider this important legislation on its merits and not kill it on a procedural motion. We have a long day ahead. Let's not waste more time on dilatory measures. Those who oppose this bill can vote against it on final passage. We must consider this rule, and we must pass H.R. 1 today. I have the right to close, and, in the end, I will urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to consider the rule. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.