Louise Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 10 seconds.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1517 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the purposes 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. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1514.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1514 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to introduce the Fairness and Accountability in Defense Contracting Act. This bill will provide much needed transparency to the growing defense contracting industry, and help shine light on any conflict of interest between Pentagon contracting officials, as well as any perceived ``revolving door'' between the Pentagon procurement offices and private defense contractors. As our military conflict and commitments have increased overseas since 2003, the Department of Defense has increasingly relied on private contractors to supply goods and services to support our armed forces. In January, 2007, the Acquisition Advisory Panel issued a report to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the United States Congress on the procurement policies of the Federal Government. In this report, the advisory panel devoted an entire chapter to evaluating the appropriate role of contractors in supporting the Government, and found that the potential for conflicts of interest ``has increased significantly in recent years'' as the traditional lines between public and private functions are continually blurred. In July of this year, the Project on Government Oversight sent a letter to the General Services Administration and stated that a revolving door now exists between public and private sectors that has ``become such an accepted part of Federal contracting in recent years that it is frequently difficult to determine where the Government stops and the private sector begins.'' The conflict of interest that results from this ``revolving door'' between private contractors and Government contracting offices can create serious conflicts of interest that may result in an environment of favoritism and profiteering that will only serve to misuse Federal tax dollars and betray the public's trust. While a revolving door culture would be disturbing in any instance where public funds are used, it is particularly heinous during a time when our country is at war and the lives of our men and women in the armed services depend on the equipment that is supplied to them by our procurement offices. Unfortunately, and to my complete dismay, there have been far too many instances over the past decade where the Pentagon's procurement policies have sold our soldiers short. In January of 2006 it was revealed by the New York Times that an internal Pentagon memo reported that 80 percent of the Marines killed in Iraq due to upper body wounds could have survived if they had extra body armor. This troubling news followed earlier revelations that our troops went into Iraq without enough bulletproof vests and armored vehicles necessary to safeguard their lives. In light of these reports I requested that the Department of Defense Inspector General conduct an investigation into the Pentagon's body armor procurement policies. The Inspector General's initial findings, while incomplete, uncovered a troubling trend: 13 of the Army's 28 body armor contracts between January, 2004, and December, 2006, did not either require, perform, or have documentation to support proper first article testing as required by Federal Acquisition Requirements. While I am waiting for the Inspector General to complete a more thorough audit of the overall body armor procurement policy, these initial results should spark the desire for greater contracting oversight in any civic minded person. In addition to the DoD IG's findings on body armor, there have been numerous recent public cases where the Pentagon's procurement policies have failed our troops. Earlier this year it was revealed that in 2007, the Army awarded a contract worth over $200 million to two 22 year old boys to supply ammunition to Afghan troops. Appallingly, this ammunition was found to be from the Cold War era and completely inadequate for the Army's needs. Additionally, the botched contract award by the Air Force for KC-135 tankers, which was, challenged, reviewed by GAO, and ultimately reopened, received even greater public scrutiny. And perhaps most damning is the recent GAO report that the Pentagon has wasted about $300 billion in defense spending. These public examples show a disturbing trend of the failure of Pentagon procurement policy. They also suggest that an increasingly blurred line between the public and private sectors as identified by the Advisory Panel, as well as the perceived ``revolving door'' between contracting offices and private contractors, have consistently undermined the public's best interest. This legislation will fight the revolving door between Pentagon contracting offices and private defense contractors by strengthening the transparency and reporting requirements for private contractors bidding on and receiving defense contracts. The Fairness and Accountability in Defense Contracting Act will require contractors who are bidding on contracts to disclose any Defense Department employment history of its employees. This legislation will also require that contractors submit a yearly report, for each year that a contract is in effect, which discloses this Defense Department employment history. The Department of Defense will also be required to submit a report to congressional defense committees that details the employment information reported by the contractor as required by this Act. And finally, this legislation will direct the GAO to submit a report to Congress on the implementation and enforcement of rules governing future employment negotiations of contracting officials. These measures will provide the transparency necessary to ensure that conflicts of interest with the Defense contracting offices, and a perceived revolving door to the private sector, are not undermining the public trust and selling the American taxpayers short. Most importantly, this legislation is necessary to ensure that defense contracting policies serve to provide the best possible equipment for our men and women in uniform at the best possible value to the taxpayer.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to support HR 6669, a bill that will waive and relinquish claims by the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This legislation would allow the transfer of the Tully/Suckley papers from the Sun Times Media to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library. These papers shed a great deal of light on the FDR era and are the largest collection of FDR documents and memorabilia in private hands. Franklin Delano Roosevelt started his political career in New York State by working vigorously for reform movements that would redefine the role of government, and he never stopped. The programs that epitomized the New Deal had their genesis in Albany. As governor, Roosevelt implemented many of the innovative, progressive policies he would later introduce to the Nation as President. He expanded state assistance to social services and state agencies and eased the hardships on New York's agricultural industry by encouraging tax cuts for small farmers. Upon the onset of the Great Depression, he authorized the New York State Unemployment Relief Act and the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration. In 1928, Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination for Governor at the Naval Armory in my home city of Rochester, New York. While serving as Governor, his successes elevated him to national prominence, and in 1932, he was elected President of the United States for the first of an unprecedented--and never to be repeated--four terms in office. Franklin Roosevelt embraced the unique capabilities of every individual and worked tirelessly to ensure that all Americans would be able to earn a living and build this great Nation. As a result of initiatives like the PWA, the WPA, and the CCC, the unemployed got jobs, people were able to support their families, and this Nation was able to grow and prosper. I hope that, as public servants, my colleagues will join me in following in his example by supporting honest policies that work to better the lives of American people. Franklin Roosevelt had great regard for public service, and served with a sense of responsibility and honor. His respect for the American people and the value he placed on their well-being and security drove everything he did. President Roosevelt came to embody strength, hope and resolve during some of the most difficult days in our Nation's history. From the economic distress of the Great Depression to the horrifying attack on Pearl Harbor that caused the Nation to enter World War II, Roosevelt's steadfast leadership ignited an economic engine and calmed a frightened nation. The legacy of his policies will certainly outlast my lifetime and will continue to benefit my children and grandchildren for years to come. We owe him an unpayable debt of gratitude. And while only those closest to him realized that he couldn't walk unaided, as former Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo said, ``Franklin Roosevelt lifted himself from his wheelchair to lift this nation from its knees.'' Today more than ever, we can learn from Franklin Roosevelt's leadership. There is no better way to do this than to study his past. By allowing the transfer of these documents, it will open up the life of Franklin Roosevelt for everyone to enjoy. With the economic distress that our nation is facing today, we would do well to follow President Roosevelt's example. There is little doubt this nation could use some lifting up right about now. This bill makes sense, is non-controversial, and is for the good of the United States. Please support this legislation that would allow this transfer to the FDR Library. It would shed light on one of the most important Presidents of the 20th Century and greatly consolidate the legacy of the Roosevelt era. I am honored to rise today and support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act and urge its passage. Breast cancer is so pervasive it touches every American family. One in eight women can expect to be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, and it remains the number one cause of death in women between the ages of 30 and 54. In my congressional district there are almost 1,500 incidences of breast cancer and nearly 300 women die ftom this disease every year. Breast cancer surgery is not easy, physically or emotionally--but all too often women find themselves forced by their insurance companies to leave the hospital before they are ready--sometimes just hours after surgery. One woman ftom New York said: ``I was one of those women that was forced out of the hospital after having a double bilateral mastectomy with four drainage tubes still attached. It was the most barbaric thing ever done to me.'' Rushing a woman through a hospital stay and pressuring her to return to her normal life almost immediately, hampers her recovery at the least and may put her in grave danger. That is why it is imperative that we pass the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act. This bill would help ensure that patients have adequate support after breast cancer surgery by: Guaranteeing a minimum hospital stay of 48 hours for a woman having a mastectomy or lumpectomy, and 24 hours for a woman undergoing a lymph node removal; requiring health plans to include notice of these benefits in their monthly mailing and yearly information packet sent to plan participants; and requiring plans to cover a second opinion should the patient seek one. We must also support research into better breast cancer detection methods. Mammographies miss too many women and cannot suffice as our gold standard. Women diagnosed with breast cancer across this country deserve the best care possible--their lives depend on it.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 1448 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of the resolution just adopted.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Mr. Green.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I continue to reserve.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), a member of the Committees on Natural Resources and Energy and Commerce. (Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

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

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I have one further speaker, and then I will close.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Let me give the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 598, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Stated against: