Pete Stark

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize Elizabeth ``Jackie'' Noyes on her retirement from more than 36 years of service as the Associate Executive Director with American Academy of Pediatrics. Throughout her career, Ms. Noyes has played a significant role in shaping health policy in the United States--especially as it affects children. I've worked closely with the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure that each and every child in America has quality, affordable coverage. They are a rare provider organization in Washington, DC. Their mission is much more about advancing better health care for their patients than it is about advancing pay increases for their member physicians. Jackie has been a key player in that mission for nearly four decades. Ms. Noyes has a long, varied list of accomplishments, honors, and boards that she's participated in throughout her time with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Highlights include serving as Chair of the National Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines; on the board of the Children's Dental Project, Inc., Children's Hospice International, and the Coalition for Health Funding; and as a member of the Specialty Society Advisory Committee for the American Medical Association. She's also been published by well-respected organizations, including Advances in Pediatrics, California Pediatrician, and the American Journal of Psychology. Throughout Ms. Noyes' career, she has been recognized for her dedication to children's health with several awards, including a Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions to the Health and Welfare of America's Children and Adolescents by the U.S. Surgeon General. She has played a key role in creating and improving health care laws including vital programs like Vaccines for Children, Head Start, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. She also played key roles in the passage and renewal of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990, the Children and Pregnant Women Health Insurance Act of 1993, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Children's Health Insurance Accountability Act of 1996, and the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act of 2008. In honor of her retirement, the Friends of Children Advocacy Fund has been created to support the initiatives of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its advocacy for child health programs and public health. The Friends of Children Advocacy Fund will continue her work to improve the health of children. She has been a valuable asset to the American Academy of Pediatrics and their mission to improve the health of America's children. I thank her for her dedication, wish her well in retirement, and fully expect to continue to hear her name in connection with initiatives to improve children's health.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Defense Authorization bill. As we focus on slowing the rising cost of health care, we should be just as vigilant about ever higher levels of defense spending. No one on the international stage comes close to our military spending. The United States accounted for 41.5 percent of the entire world's military spending in 2008--the next closest country was China at 5.8 percent. To put this in perspective, if we spent only six times as much as the next closest country, instead of seven times as much, we would have more than enough money to completely pay for health care reform. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting against the Defense Authorization bill. That said, there is an important provision in the bill that I support, extending hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability. I have supported hate crimes legislation throughout my career in Congress, including as a co-sponsor of this legislation when it was approved by the House in April, and I am glad that the hate crimes provision in this bill will finally become law.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, we have a bill before us that will basically protect the Social Security checks from dropping in 2010 as a result of what could be called a ``quirk'' in the relationship between our Medicare part B premiums and the Social Security checks. Some seniors will still be feeling the effects of the recession in 2010, and this bill at least ensures that they will receive stable Social Security checks. If we fail to act, about 4 million seniors and people with disabilities will see an increase in their part B premiums, which would result in a decrease in their Social Security checks. I am quite sure that all of us understand that, even among the higher income beneficiaries under Social Security, a Social Security check becomes part of the financial fabric of most of our beneficiaries. They budget it. They know they're going to spend it on rent or on groceries or on presents for their grandkids. It will be difficult for all of us to explain why there was a $5, a $10 or even a $15 cut in their checks. Some people have suggested we send checks at the end of the year as, I guess, we did last year. I don't think they'd make that connection. I don't think they'd figure out why those checks came and from whom they came. This levels the playing field so that a small percentage of beneficiaries will not be paying to hold the other 75 percent harmless. There is a very small number of upper-income seniors who will basically receive a cut in their part B benefits. These seniors, this group, already has a higher premium because it's income related, and they pay taxes on their Social Security benefits, which some of the lower-income beneficiaries do not. Also, we hold harmless some very low-income beneficiaries whose payments are made by Medicaid. Therefore, if we didn't pass this, some of the States who are already having severe problems with their Medicaid would have an extra burden for that small group. The bill is paid for out of a Medicare fund which we set up some years ago for just this kind of a program. It's a fund where we set aside money each year in the event we needed dollars to solve a problem. This is a problem that we foresaw coming up for a diverse group of our beneficiaries, and it seemed to be a fair way to not disrupt their financial planning and to provide a level playing field so that all the beneficiaries receive the same treatment and some were not subsidizing others. It's a bill that I hope will have broad bipartisan support, and I think it will serve our Social Security beneficiaries well. Judge David L. Bazelon, Center for Mental Health Law, Washington, DC, September 24, 2009. Hon. Charles B. Rangel, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington DC. Dear Chairman Rangel and Chairman Waxman: The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law supports H.R. 3631, the ``Medicare Premium Fairness Act.'' This bill will protect the Social Security benefits of persons with disabilities by ensuring that their monthly payments are not reduced due to an increase in Medicare Part B premiums. It is expected that there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) in Social Security benefits paid in 2010, which will cause a hardship for individuals with disabilities and others who receive Social Security payments. However, Medicare Part B premiums are expected to increase. Fortunately, under current law, most of these beneficiaries will be ``held harmless'' and will not see an actual reduction in their monthly Social Security benefits. However, about 27% of beneficiaries are not covered by the ``hold harmless'' provision, including low-income individuals who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, new Medicare enrollees, and new enrollees whose Medicare premiums are not deducted from their Social Security checks. Their monthly Social Security benefits, which are the sole source of income for many, could be reduced by more than $20 per month to pay for the premium increase. A substantial number of people with mental illness are dually eligible for SSDI and Medicare benefits. However, as major mental illness typically has an age of onset in a person's early twenties, their work history is very short and their benefits are very low (benefit level depends upon quarters you have paid in as well as earnings) making increased Medicare costs even more difficult to bear. H.R. 3631 would extend the current ``hold harmless'' policy to all Medicare beneficiaries. As a result, no individual with disabilities who is a Social Security beneficiary will see a decrease in his or her monthly Social Security benefits due to Medicare Part B premiums. And former beneficiaries who buy-in to Medicare will be protected. We support your effort to pass H.R. 3631. Sincerely, Chris Koyanagi.

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins).

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland, the majority leader of the House, Mr. Hoyer.

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 300,000 workers who will lose unemployment benefits by the end of the month if we do not act. The economic crisis that President Obama and this Congress inherited has caused unemployment to spike throughout the country. Competition for jobs is intense, with six jobless workers for each new job. The result is that an estimated 50 percent of unemployed individuals have been jobless for more than 6 months. The Unemployment Insurance system has done a good job of helping families make ends meet during the recession, but we must protect those who still cannot find work and whose benefits are about to run out. The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (H.R. 3548) would provide immediate relief to millions of workers by extending unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks in states with high unemployment rates. In my state, California, the unemployment rate is at 12.2 percent--a 70 year high. If Congress does not act, nearly 70,000 Californians will run out of benefits by the end of this month and a total of 154,000 Californians will exhaust benefits by the end of the year. In total, 1 million workers around the country will exhaust benefits by the end of the year. We cannot allow that to happen. While the economy begins to recover and the economic stimulus starts to take hold, Congress has an obligation to ensure that families can put food on their tables and pay their bills. I am a co-sponsor of the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act and I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of creating education opportunity for millions of students. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221) is the single largest investment in college affordability in our nation's history. In addition, the legislation will provide much-needed resources for states to develop and improve early childhood education programs. The ideal behind this bill is simple: stop providing taxpayer subsidies to banks to act as the middlemen in student lending, save billions, and reinvest most of those savings into our beleaguered education system. By moving all student loans into the Department of Education's Direct Lending Program, this legislation saves $87 billion that would otherwise be siphoned off by private lenders. These savings allow for historic investments in the Pell Grant and Perkins Loan programs for low- and moderate-income students. Over 16,000 students in my Congressional District rely on Pell Grants each year. These students will see the maximum grant rise to $5,500 in 2010 and automatically increase each year thereafter to keep up with inflation. By 2019, the maximum grant is expected to be $6,900. Similarly, the Perkins Loan program will receive a $6 billion boost, providing assistance for thousands of new students. The bill also invests in another vital resource: Our community colleges. H.R. 3221 invests $10 billion in community colleges to modernize facilities, implement reforms, and work with local employers to create curricula to ensure that students are graduating able to fulfill local workforce needs. Finally, the legislation before us will help to make sure that every child enters school ready to learn and achieve by creating the ``Early Learning Challenge Fund.'' This fund will provide resources to states to expand and improve their ``Birth to Five'' early childhood education programs by improving licensing standards, developing high quality curricula aimed at cognitive, emotional, and social development, and building a highly qualified workforce. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act is an example of reform that this Congress can achieve when we are willing to put aside the narrow concerns of special interests and support common sense policies that will provide greater educational opportunity. I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the Defense Appropriations bill. As families and businesses struggle in this recession, this bill spends money on the wrong priorities for our Nation and the world. The legislation provides $128.3 billion to fund wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that never should have been waged, as well as $9.3 billion for missile defense funding that doesn't work. According to the Washington Post, over $6.9 billion in funding is for new ships, planes, helicopters and armored vehicles that the Pentagon doesn't want. We are wasting money on these projects as defense eats up a larger share of our budget--58 percent of all discretionary spending, up from 51 percent four years ago. This giveaway to defense contractors comes at the same time that Members of Congress are balking at health care reform that will cost a fraction of our defense spending over the same time period. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting no.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 75th Anniversary of the East Bay Regional Park District, headquartered in Oakland, California. The story of the EBRPD is an inspirational one in which citizens, during the toughest of economic times, had a mission. In the late 1920s, thousands of acres of surplus watershed land were available for development. Far-sighted civic leaders sought to preserve this land and retain a balance of recreational and wilderness features. With 65 parks, over 1,100 miles of trails, campgrounds, visitor centers, historic sites, lakes and shorelines, the mission of the East Bay Regional Park District is to provide recreational opportunities, ensure the natural beauty and cultural history of the land, and protect wildlife habitat. In 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression, members of a grassroots land preservation movement placed a measure on the ballot. It passed by a resounding 71% and the first regional park agency in the nation, the East Bay Regional Park District, was created. At the outset, the Park District included only seven Alameda County communities and no parks. By 1936, it was able to purchase enough land to create three parks. The first three parks were opened with great fanfare on October 18, 1936. The opening of Redwood Regional Park in 1939 soon followed. In the 1940s, Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II halted the District's growth. Much of Tilden Regional Park was turned over to the U.S. Army Defense Command. At the end of the war, the District began an era of prudent growth as people returned to the parks seeking family recreation. Concessions such as Tilden Regional Park's steam train, carousel, and pony ride were added. This growth continued into the 1950s with Roberts Regional Park's swimming pool, baseball field, and picnic areas. Between 1968 and 1987, the District added 32 new regional parks and preserved 43,000 acres of the East Bay's most scenic parkland. During the period 1988-2008, the District added 15 new regional parks and an additional 34,000 acres of open space. There were increased volunteer opportunities and expanded communication tools, such as the District's website. District staff also built and opened Camp Arroyo, a state-of- the art environmental education and youth camp. The Park District describes itself as a work in progress as it struggles to acquire and operate regional parks and trails to serve the Bay Area population. Regardless of future challenges and opportunities, the East Bay Regional Park District is committed to providing East Bay residents with recreational opportunities and open space reserves close to home. I join the community in celebrating the East Bay Regional Park's 75th Anniversary and send best wishes for many more successful years of service.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the 2010 Labor, Health & Education Appropriations (H.R. 3293). It will ease the recession by increasing job training, strengthening the social safety net, and investing in families. I am particularly supportive of the bill's education and health care provisions. The bill makes critical investments toward the goal of providing every student with a world-class education. Additional resources will go to Title I schools serving low-income students, as well as programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which serve 6.7 million students with disabilities. The bill also provides $545 million for assistance to thousands of schools with chronically poor performance. When coupled with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states will receive $4 billion to turn around these schools and create opportunities for children. This legislation will also make college affordable for many more students by continuing to increase the Pell Grant. Since Democrats took charge of Congress in January 2007, the maximum Pell Grant has increased 37 percent from $4,050 to $5,550. The legislation also invests in our health care system to make our nation healthier and more productive. The bill will help Community Health Centers provide care for 17 million Americans with a $2.2 billion investment. It will also help us to meet nursing and other workforce shortfalls by increasing support for training of medical professionals. Finally, the legislation provides a $992 million increase for the life saving research carried out by the NIH. This bill continues the commitment to reconstruct our public schools and address the health care crisis by building on the historic education and health investments made by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from California, the Honorable Judy Chu, be permitted to take the oath of office today. Her certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to her election.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, as the dean of the California delegation, it is my duty and a deep pleasure to introduce the newest addition to our delegation, Dr. Judy Chu. The election of Dr. Chu is groundbreaking--not only because she's a Renaissance woman--she taught psychology at East Los Angeles Community College--but also because she's the first Chinese American woman ever to serve in Congress. Dr. Chu's impressive record as an elected official goes back over a few years. She was elected to the Garvey School District's Board in 1985. She's held the title of mayor, city councilwoman, State assemblywoman and chair of the Assembly appropriations committee, vice chair of the California State Board of Equalization, and now a Member of Congress. The causes she has championed over the years are as varied and important as the offices she has served in. As chair of the Assembly appropriations committee, she ensured that programs benefiting students, people with disabilities, and the elderly were properly funded. Her effectiveness extended to the Assembly floor, building coalitions to pass legislation that enhanced protections for victims of domestic violence, strengthened hate crime laws, and brought much- needed improvements to public school facilities. Her experience as a professor, public servant, and advocate for families and the less fortunate will make her an important voice in this Congress. I know she's ready to hit the ground running. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Chu to the House of Representatives. I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, this past Sunday my colleague from Pennsylvania, Allyson Schwartz, addressed the issue of health reform in a guest editorial for the Philadelphia Inquirer. In her piece she laid out an indisputable case for why the current healthcare system has become unacceptable for Americans and what we must do to fix it. I encourage all of my colleagues to read the article and to work in the coming months to ensure that we enact affordable, quality health care for all. [From the Philadelphia Inquirer June 21, 2009] Op-Ed Headline: Fixing health care Health-care reform is the number-one issue my constituents raise with me, and a leading concern of business owners. For Democrats in Congress, health-care reform is a moral and an economic imperative. American families are facing inadequate health coverage, mounting bills, and lack of access to care. They like their doctors and appreciate the quality of care provided by their hospitals. But, they have deep worries that their current coverage may change suddenly and limit access to their doctor or to needed benefits. Business owners are struggling to pay for health benefits for their workers, forcing them to pass greater costs to employees or drop coverage. Increasing costs for the federal government are neither sustainable, nor producing the health outcomes they should. Taxpayers pay 46 percent of our nation's $2.5 trillion health-care costs. And, just as in the private market, costs are skyrocketing. The share of our GDP devoted to health-care spending has doubled in the last 20 years, threatening our budget stability. The status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable. We must do a better job to contain costs for families, businesses, and the government, and to ensure meaningful, affordable coverage for all Americans. Can we? I believe we can by keeping what works, fixing what doesn't, and demanding quality care and greater value for our dollar. In the first three months of this new administration, we did more to strengthen health care than in the prior decade. We expanded affordable health coverage to 11 million American children, took major steps to modernize medicine through health-information technology, invested significantly in lifesaving medical research, and ensured that U.S. workers and their families hurt hardest by this recession continue to have access to health coverage when they lose a job. Building on these achievements, we can find a uniquely American solution to cost, coverage, and quality. This is essential if our businesses are to be economically competitive, our people healthier, and our federal budget balanced. Here's what we should do: First and foremost, we start with the acknowledgment that health care is a shared responsibility. Every American will be expected to get health coverage and employers will have to provide coverage or help pay to cover the cost of the uninsured. As President Obama has said, if you have coverage, and you like it, you can keep it. This means work-based coverage for most Americans, Medicare for seniors, Medicaid for our poorest and sickest, and continued benefits for veterans. For the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans, many of whom are working families, we will help you buy either private or public coverage. While everyone will have to pay part of their premiums, partial subsidies on a sliding scale will be established and can be used to buy either private or public insurance. To ensure affordable, meaningful coverage, we will change the ground rules in the insurance market. Denying coverage or charging more for preexisting conditions, health status, or sex is going to stop. Insurers will have to simplify terms and procedures. And, we expect insurers to pass those savings along to their consumers. Next, we know that in order to control costs and improve health-care outcomes, delivery of health services must be more efficient, more accountable, and better coordinated. Changes in Medicare and the new public-insurance option will create choices for patients to find primary-care providers and will mean better continuity of care for those with chronic diseases. We will gather, analyze, and disseminate information on best practices to doctors, nurses, and health providers, and then expect them to use it. And, we must have a renewed focus on primary care, encouraging future health- care providers to enter the field and working to ensure their excellence. Third, we have to strengthen our commitment to innovation and technology. Americans have always been scientists and innovators, and we must keep investing in the next generation of medicines, technologies, devices, and cures. Finally, without increased personal responsibility, Americans will not be healthier. We must take greater responsibility in the way we get health care and the way we take care of ourselves. If we don't, we all pay the consequences--from lost productivity, to the cost of expensive care, to personal pain and suffering. Setting our nation toward a healthier, more economically competitive future will take fair and responsible financial investment. We are committed to covering the cost of health reform. To do so, we will consider means that are appropriate, fair, shared, and the least disruptive to economic growth and financial security for our families. The president has asked that those making under $250,000 not be burdened by higher taxes. These are the parameters; the decisions will be difficult, but ones that you have entrusted to us. Much of the cost of health-care reform will come from savings within the system. Reducing hospitalizations, duplicative testing, and medical errors, ending the current overpayments to private insurance companies that contract with Medicare, and insisting on better prices for prescription drugs for seniors will result in hundreds of billions of dollars of savings. Besides the significant dollars that will come from savings and new premiums paid by those currently uninsured, stakeholders in health care, including insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, have committed to reducing costs by $2 trillion over 10 years. These savings should be passed along to consumers. There will always be naysayers who say these decisions are too hard, that health-care reform cannot be done, but I believe that today even ``Harry and Louise,'' who helped stop reform before, would tell us reform is a necessity. If our businesses are to be economically competitive, our families healthier, and our government fiscally sound, we must find a uniquely American solution to our health-care challenges. The time to act is now.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454). Global warming is real. Man causes it and it threatens nearly every aspect of life. We are right to act with urgency to end our nation's addiction to fossil fuels and combat global warming. But we cannot waste this opportunity by moving a deeply flawed bill that provides too much to special interests and too little to the environment and consumers. I cannot support the American Clean Energy and Security Act in its current form. This legislation continues the ``clean coal'' myth by providing at least $60 billion for pie in the sky projects that will only continue the destruction of mountains and waterways at the hands of coal mining operations. More importantly, the bill takes away a vital weapon in the fight to defeat new coal burning plants by repealing the EPA's current authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, including the emissions of individual power plants. The result will be a rush to build new coal powered plants over the next decade and then an intense lobbying effort to ensure that these plants are grandfathered in by the time the rules are supposedly set to tighten in 2020. The creation of a massive, trillion-dollar new carbon market should scare all of us. The new, highly complex carbon market will be ripe with opportunities for Wall Street speculation and manipulation. The Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission estimates that the carbon market will consist of 180 million contracts within 5 years, making it the world's largest commodity and derivatives market. The subsequent market volatility will hurt consumers by ensuring that energy prices continue to fluctuate. Market volatility will also dissuade long-term investments in clean energy and efficiency. This is the scenario that has played out in the European Union, where prices have swung wildly and some power plants have actually switched back to coal due to the low cost of emissions permits. Many of these problems could have been dealt with through amendments that were brought before the Committee on Rules yesterday. One amendment that I cosponsored would have reigned in the carbon market by only allowing entities covered under the Cap and Trade program to trade allowances. This amendment would have greatly curtailed the ability of Wall Street to influence the carbon market and would have protected our economy from another financial meltdown. Unfortunately, this amendment was not allowed to come to the floor for a vote. I also cosponsored an amendment that would have continued EPA's current authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. This authority would provide a backstop should the new cap and trade regime prove ineffective. Sadly, this amendment was also not allowed to come to the floor. I commend the emission reduction targets laid out in the legislation. I am not convinced, however, that these targets will be met in the near future due to the many loopholes and dubious offset provisions contained in the bill. This bill unfortunately continues the Congressional tradition of subsidizing the fossil fuel industry. Only this time it is cloaked in the disguise of environmentalism and the subsidies come in the form of free allowances, institutionalization of the ``clean coal'' fiction, and the gutting of EPA authority. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to confront catastrophic global warming with bold action. Congress should seize that opportunity by passing legislation that would end our addiction to fossil fuels, prove our leadership to the world, and build a foundation for long-term prosperity. This legislation falls short of these goals. Many have said that this vote is a historic one that we will be judged by. In my view, history will judge this legislation as a missed opportunity. I urge my colleagues to oppose the bill in its current form and work to bring a truly progressive bill to the floor.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the War Supplemental Appropriations Bill, H.R. 2346. The illegitimate war in Iraq undermines our credibility on the world stage as we continue to occupy the country. Over 4,300 Americans and estimated hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed in a war fought over lies. The conflict in Afghanistan was ignored while the previous administration led the American people into war with Iraq. We need to withdraw our troops and direct our support to humanitarian aid and a stable civilian government. These wars have cost us the ability to properly address the biggest problems facing our country. Healthcare reform, our economy, and reforming energy policy are top priorities of Congress. We cannot justify hundreds of billions of dollars for these wars at the expense of the American taxpayer. I urge my colleagues to vote against the war.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement Act (H.R. 1886). I do commend the strong funding levels for development assistance, education, and health care contained in the legislation and if the bill consisted only of this type of humanitarian support I would gladly vote for it. I cannot, however, support authorizing over $1 billion per year in military aid to a nation that has already suffered under a military dictatorship and continues to experience daily violence. The people of Pakistan do need our help to strengthen their democratic institutions, educate their citizens, and provide social and economic opportunity. What they do not need is an influx of guns, tanks, and other weapons that will lead to further destabilization and violence. I urge all of my colleagues to stand for peace and vote against this legislation.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay to tribute to David J. Kears, Agency Director for the Alameda County Healthcare Services Agency. Mr. Kears is retiring from his position and a farewell party has been planned in his honor on June 10, 2009. Mr. Kears' scholastic endeavors brought him to the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated in 1968 with a major in Sociology. He continued his graduate work at Berkeley and received a Masters Degree in 1970 in Social Welfare with a Psychiatric Casework Specialty. He also holds a Clinical Social Work license. Mr. Kears performed his internship at the Sonoma State Hospital and Children's Guidance Clinic in Palo Alto. After graduation, he went to work as a Psychiatric Social Worker at Napa State Hospital. He thrived in that setting from 1970 to 1974 and advanced to Assistant Program Director. He began his career with Alameda County as a Psychiatric Social Worker in 1974 and held a number of major department head positions in the Health Care Services Agency. In March 1986, Mr. Kears was appointed to the Agency Director position, at which time he not only took over the weighty matters of the Agency but also became Acting Director of Highland General Hospital during a time of reorganization. Currently, as director of the Health Care Services Agency, Mr. Kears provides overall direction, consultation and troubleshooting to the four major departments comprising the agency which include Indigent Care; Public Health Department; Environmental Health Services and Behavioral Health Care Services. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Kears assumed the additional responsibility for developing a public/private Medi-Cal managed care program, the Alameda Alliance for Health, pursuant to the State of California Department of Health Services' directive. The Alliance is now a fully licensed HMO comprised of traditional Medi-Cal and safety net county and community providers. Mr. Kears' most recent major program responsibilities included coordinating the County's Indigent Medical Care System and monitoring contracts with the Alameda County Medical Center and a broad network of community-based primary care providers. A number of non-profit organizations, commissions, government agencies and health systems have benefited from Mr. Kears' leadership, vast knowledge and experience in the development and implementation of county and state health care policies. I join Dave Kears' colleagues in thanking him for his years of commitment and service in making a difference in the lives of others.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 626, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009. As a long-time advocate of paid family leave, I believe our nation's largest employer--the U.S. Government--must also be our nation's model employer and set a progressive example for healthy workplace policy. The legislation on the floor today will provide real security to those who serve our nation's government and their families. The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was landmark legislation that established job-protected leave and it has helped millions of workers care for their families without fear of losing their job. The FMLA, however, requires only unpaid leave, and many workers must chose between taking leave to care for their families or not paying their bills. Research has shown that nearly 75 percent of FMLA-eligible workers do not take leave because they cannot afford it. Even before the hardship caused by the current recession, millions of workers could not access family or medical leave because of financial constraints. Paid leave is a vital resource to help workers balance their family and work obligations. Paid parental leave provides benefits well beyond the purely monetary. It also benefits our society as a whole. A 1999 report by the President's Council of Economic Advisers found that since 1969, children have lost 22 hours per week with their parents. Studies have shown that increased parental involvement and care giving are linked to gains such as shorter hospital stays, improved behavior, and higher educational achievements for their children. Providing paid parental leave will make leave more accessible, allowing parents to spend more time with their children--clearly an investment worth making. Individual states have begun to successfully implement paid family and medical leave programs. Since 2004, my home state of California has led the country in the provision of paid leave and the law has been a boon to both the state's families and businesses. According to a Harvard study published four years after the enactment of California's paid leave policy, California had a lower rate of foreclosures than other states due to income loss arising from the need to care for a household member. We can and should replicate this success nationwide. It is the responsibility of the Federal government to take the lead in the promotion of workers' economic security and family-friendly policies, which is why I am pleased to lend my full support to the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. Providing parental leave to federal workers is an important first step toward what must be our ultimate policy goal of providing paid family and medical leave to all workers, and I look forward to the day when all workers have the chance to care for their families and still be able to pay the bills.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today with Representatives Mary Bono Mack and Dave Camp to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the unique needs of young people with serious mental illness. This legislation will provide comprehensive support for youth so that they can transition into healthy and successful adults. Young adults suffering from mental illness fall through the cracks far too often. Last year, former Senator Gordon Smith and I requested a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examining the challenges facing this population. The results were very troubling. As of 2006, approximately 2.4 million young adults age 18-26 in America had a serious mental illness and another 9.3 million suffered with a moderate or mild mental illness. This population has significantly higher rates of unemployment, incarceration, suicide, inadequate housing, as well as lower rates of continuing education. There is no coherent federal policy to address this issue and our system is fragmented. The GAO found that many youth lose mental health coverage or have their coverage disrupted when they turn 18, and are unable to find age-appropriate services in the adult mental health system. As a result, many young adults are adrift without services, support, or guidance. The dysfunctional mental health system described by GAO has had a particularly harsh impact on vulnerable youth, such as those aging out of foster care. A national survey found that foster youth were four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the preceding year when compared to those never placed in foster care. Another study found that these youth suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at rates similar to Iraq War veterans. We cannot let this cycle of neglect continue. We developed the Healthy Transitions Act in response to GAO's findings that exposed the critical gaps in age-appropriate mental health and supportive services for young adults. This legislation builds on the successful Partnership for Youth in Transition Demonstration Program and will allow the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand their efforts to assist states in serving young people with mental illness. It will provide grant funding to states to develop statewide coordination plans that will assist adolescents and young adults with serious mental health disorders in making a healthy transition into adulthood. The bill will also provide grant funding for states to successfully implement their plans and ensure that the care systems created are both comprehensive and sustainable. Finally, the legislation will create a Committee of Federal Partners. The Committee will include representatives from all agencies that serve young adults as well as representatives from consumer and family advocacy organizations. The Federal Partners will evaluate the states' programs, provide technical assistance, and report to Congress on the progress being made. It has become increasingly difficult for young adults to navigate our current fragmented mental health system. The Healthy Transitions Act aims to fill the cracks in the system by coordinating the work of federal, state, and local partners. It is our social responsibility to help these youth develop into successful, independent adults. I hope all of my colleagues can recognize the importance of investing in our young people and will support this legislation.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, the Bay Trail Project will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on July 6, 2009 at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center in Hayward, California. A commemorative event will highlight the adoption of the Bay Trail Plan by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board since July 1989 and will point to the accomplishments and importance of the Bay Trail over the past 20 years. California State Senator Bill Lockyer will be honored for his contributions of creating and preserving the Bay Trail. In 1987, then-California State Senator Bill Lockyer conceived the idea of a hiking and bicycling trail that would encircle San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. His plan was often called ``Ring Around the Bay.'' Lockyer authored Senate Bill 100 authorizing ABAG to, ``develop and adopt a plan for a continuous recreational corridor which will extend around the perimeter of San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.'' SB 100 required that the plan include: a specific trail route, connections to parks and other recreational facilities, links to existing and proposed public transportation facilities, an implementation and funding program for the trail, and provisions for implementing the trail without adversely affecting the natural environment of the Bay. SB 100 was passed into law with widespread support. A broad-ranging advisory committee to ABAG developed the Bay Trail Plan over a 2-year period and its policies continue today to guide the development of the Bay Trail. For oversight of the Hayward section of the Bay Trail, the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA) was formed in 1971. HASPA continues to preserve and advocate for the Hayward shoreline as part of the Bay Trail. To date, slightly more than half of the Bay Trail's ultimate alignment, approximately 293 miles out of the envisioned 500- mile trail, has been completed. I join the Bay Area community in honoring State Treasurer Bill Lockyer for his vision in authoring SB 100, ABAG for developing the plan for the recreational corridor, HASPA for its oversight and stewardship of the Hayward section of the Bay Trail and all the individuals who continue to contribute to the success of the Bay Trail. The Bay Trail is a treasured gift for all to enjoy.

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor Albin Gruhn of San Anselmo, California, who passed away March 18 at the age of 94. Mr. Gruhn was a respected and beloved labor leader and consumer rights activist whose calling was the welfare of the working people of California. His 36 years as president of the California Labor Federation and his role as a founder of the Association of California Consumers were at the heart of a remarkable career. Mr. Gruhn was born in Eureka, California, in 1915. At the age of 19 he began working for the Hammond Lumber Co. where he joined the Sawmill and Loggers Federal Union. A strike shortly afterwards resulted in the deaths of three union picketers and deeply affected him, resulting in a life-long commitment to the labor movement. He was also blacklisted as a result of his participation in the strike but soon found employment in construction, joining the Laborers Local where his membership continued for over 60 years. At the age of 22, he became secretary of the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and led that council for over 20 years. In 1940 Mr. Gruhn was first elected to what is now the California Labor Federation as district vice president and became its president in 1960. He led with skill, enthusiasm, and passion until his retirement in 1996. He helped build the organization into a strong and effective advocacy group for the rights of workers, inspiring several generations of political and labor leaders along the way. During the 1960s, Mr. Gruhn was also a founder of the Association of California Consumers, California's first consumer group, and later became a founding officer and then president emeritus of the Consumer Federation of California. He also devoted some of his considerable energies to the California Apprenticeship Council and the California Constitution Revision Commission as well as serving on various state commissions. These were appointments over the decades by five California governors and covered a variety of issues from fair housing to air pollution. One of the commissions dealt with children and youth, reflecting his deep involvement in the annual scholarship program established by the California Labor Federation. Mr. Gruhn was always politically active as a means of supporting the causes he believed in. From campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt at the age of 17 to serving as an Adlai Stevenson delegate in 1956, he stayed engaged in the process. In 1944, he founded the Northern California AFL Political League. Mr. Gruhn was married to the former Dorothy Coon for over 37 years. Dorothy predeceased him in 2005, and the couple are survived by a large family of eight children, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. Madam Speaker, Albin Gruhn was proud to fight for working people, and all those with whom he came in contact--from family and friends to political leaders and co-workers--drew inspiration from his commitment. It is fitting in honoring him today to remember the remarks he always used to conclude his labor speeches: ``In unity there is strength. United we stand, divided we fall. An injury to one is an injury to all.''

Mr. STARK

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 150th anniversary of the California School for the Deaf (CSD), located in Fremont, CA. CSD was founded in 1860 and was the first special education program established in California. Started in San Francisco, the first class had only three students. In 1869, the school moved to a new campus in Berkeley, with approximately 50 students. A vocational component was added to the curriculum in 1871. By 1915, the school's enrollment had grown to 215 students and the campus was enlarged for the second time. In 1930, a 32-year building program was initiated to restore and again expand the Berkeley campus. In 1934, a teacher-training program was established on the Berkeley campus in conjunction with San Francisco State College, as Superintendent Elwood Stevenson believed that only teachers with special training should be credentialed to teach deaf and hard of hearing children. Dr. Stevenson also emphasized that since language is the core of the deaf child's education, teaching of written language would begin in the child's first year of schooling. In 1969, the Computer-Assisted Instruction program began as a result of an invitation by Stanford University to participate in a nation-wide project. This same year, the first academic mainstreaming program began with five California School for the Deaf students taking world history and geometry at Albany High School. In 1970, CSD officially adopted the philosophy of total communication and an Instructional Television class was taught for the first time. CSD was given accreditation for its secondary program by the Western Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, and was granted accreditation for both the elementary and secondary programs by the Convention of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf (CEASD). Dr. Henry Klopping was appointed Superintendent of CSD in 1975 and a Special Unit program was established that year for deaf multi- handicapped students. In 1976, Dr. Klopping formed the Student Advisory Council and later the Community Advisory Council in 1978. Enrollment at the school rose to 518 when the annual new student/parent orientation program was established. On June 1, 1977 groundbreaking ceremonies launched the new 96-acre site for what would become the California School for the Deaf and the California School for the Blind in Fremont, CA. The school was officially opened on May 25, 1980. CSD's most recent history is filled with cultural and educational advances and student opportunities. The current population at the California School for the Deaf numbers at 496, and a parent education program has been firmly established to provide support, information, and education for parents of deaf students. The Volunteer Program has grown to 175 individuals who contribute immeasurable time and valuable skills in all facets of CSD students' education and campus life. I join the community in congratulating CSD for 150 years of exemplary service to deaf students and their families. The California School for the Deaf is a valuable resource beyond measure.