Betty Sutton

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of over 2,000 men and women who work in the Ohio assembly plant in my district and approximately 50,000 Ohioans whose jobs are associated with that plant. I rise for the 159,000 Ohioans with auto-related jobs and the 3 to 5 million Americans who rely on the auto industry to provide for their families. I rise today on behalf of the environment, as we turn the corner to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel economy, and to help reduce our reliance on foreign oil. I rise today on behalf of the consumers throughout our great country who continue to struggle during this global recession. And I rise today as the proud sponsor of the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act, also known as the CARS Act. And I want to thank President Obama for his support of this legislation. And I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for supporting this effort and thank Majority Leader Hoyer for all of the help that he has provided as we worked to deliver the benefits of this bill to the American people. And I want to thank Chairman Waxman, Chairman Markey, Chairman Emeritus Dingell, and Representatives Israel, Inslee, Stupak and Upton for their collaboration and support on this bill. And thank you to my colleagues, Representative Candice Miller and Representative Bruce Braley, who started this process with me back in March. Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan CARS Act will shore up millions of jobs and stimulate local economies. It will improve our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It will provide much-needed financial assistance to consumers to trade in less fuel-efficient vehicles for vehicles which achieve a measured increased fuel- efficient. What the CARS Act will not do is allow someone to trade in a vehicle and receive a voucher to purchase a vehicle that is less fuel efficient. We have ensured environmental integrity in this bill, and this bill demonstrates that we do not have to bind ourselves to the arguments of the past. We no longer have to give in to the temptation of either/or thinking. The CARS Act demonstrates that we can free ourselves from the false argument of either you are for the environment or you are for jobs. We can do both. We must do both, and that's exactly what the CARS Act does. 2009 auto sales are down nearly 42 percent below the 2005 peak. We have not seen such a decline since 1955, and this decline jeopardizes our country's largest manufacturing industry. These are not ordinary times. These times call for bold action. Three to 5 million jobs are at risk. Auto-related jobs number in the thousands in every State in our Nation, and though it's called the CARS Act, this bill is far more than about just cars. It's about people. It's about the millions of families in this great Nation who depend on the strength of our auto and related industries for their livelihood. It's about our friends and our neighbors, and it's about our communities that depend on auto-related jobs for their tax base to support their schools, their police, fire and other city services. By passing the CARS Act, we can shore up these jobs, get customers back into the showrooms, help our dealers move cars, and improve the environment. Nations across the world have instituted incentive programs. In May, while our auto sales in this country fell 34 percent, sales in Germany increased 40 percent after they instituted a program. On May 19, the Committee on Energy and Commerce passed an amendment of the CARS Act to the American Clean Energy and Security Act by a bipartisan vote of 50-4. Under the CARS Act, consumers will trade in less fuel-efficient vehicles and receive an electronic voucher for $3,500 to $4,500 at the point of sale toward the lease or purchase of a vehicle with increased fuel efficiency. Light-duty trucks, both small and large, also qualify under the program, and work trucks, often used by small businesses, will be eligible for replacement as well. And though our fleet modernization program is open to vehicles, regardless of where they are made, I encourage everyone who participates in this program to think about the families who depend upon cars made in the United States and ask you to purchase a fuel- efficient vehicle assembled right here at home to help shore up jobs and help our environment. Some refer to this bill as the ``Cash for Clunkers'' bill. Others use a gentler term, ``fleet modernization.'' But by any name, by any title, the CARS Act offers significant multiple benefits. This bill has earned broad-based support. It has the support of Ford and GM and Chrysler, the United Auto Workers, the Business Round Table, the Automotive Trade Policy Council, the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, PPG Industries, National Paint and Coatings Association, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, Specialty Equipment Market Association, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the American Iron and Steel Institute, Automotive Recyclers Association, the United Steel Workers, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the American International Automobile Dealers, the National Association of Manufacturers, the AFL- CIO, and the United States Chamber of Commerce. These groups have provided letters of support for this bill, and Mr. Speaker, I would like to include them in the Record. Washington, DC, June 9, 2009. Hon. Betty Sutton, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Sutton: Ford Motor Company strongly supports the adoption of the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 (CARS Act) introduced by Rep. Betty Sutton. This ``cash-for-clunkers'' proposal would provide an incentive to consumers to trade-in an older, less-efficient vehicle for a new, higher fuel-economy one. During the recession, foreign and domestic automakers have experienced a steep decline in auto sales not seen in over fifty years. Last week, in fact, automakers reported that U.S. auto sales for May 2009 were down 33 percent from the same month a year ago. Action by Congress is urgently needed to jumpstart vehicle sales and the automotive sector of the U.S. economy. The CARS Act would help consumers, support jobs and also improve the environment. Consumers will benefit from a robust incentive to purchase a new, more efficient vehicle and the cost savings from buying less fuel. While the vouchers provide direct help to consumers, it also helps support jobs across the industry. Automakers, autoworkers, suppliers and dealers all benefit from increased sales and that's why the proposal has been endorsed by both labor and business, including the UAW and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For the environment, the plan would help reduce fuel consumption and decrease emissions by taking old vehicles off the road and replacing them with new, cleaner ones. Plus, the program would have the added benefit of generating as much as S2 billion in needed sales tax revenue for the states. Thirteen governors have written Congressional leaders in support of rapid action on a cash-for-clunkers program. The CARS Act is timely, temporary, and targeted and is urgently needed. We request that Members of Congress work to quickly enact this important legislation by voting ``'yes'' on the CARS Act. Thank you for consideration of our views. Sincerely, Peter Lawson, Vice President, Government Relations.

Ms. SUTTON. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SUTTON. At this time, it's my honor to yield 1 minute to the gentleman, my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri).

Ms. SUTTON. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have.

Ms. SUTTON. It's my honor, Madam Speaker, to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Chairman Waxman.

Ms. SUTTON. Madam Speaker, at this time it's my honor to yield to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) 2 minutes.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentleman from New York for his great leadership on this issue and for all of the work that he does in Education and Labor on many issues that are so important to the people of America. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the proud sponsor of H.R. 1380, the Josh Miller Helping Everyone Access Responsiveness Treatment in Schools Act, also known as the Josh Miller HEARTS Act. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the United States and is the leading cause of death on school property and for student athletes. This bill establishes a grant program to help elementary and secondary schools across the country purchase automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. I introduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act in memory of a young man from my hometown of Barberton, Ohio. To know Josh Miller was to know a kindhearted and generous young man with limitless potential. Josh was a Barberton High School sophomore with a 4.0 grade point average, the son of proud parents Ken and Geri Miller. He was a linebacker who dreamed of playing football for Ohio State someday. He was the kind of kid who could walk into a room and light it up. But one day, without warning, his dreams were cut short. Josh never showed any signs of heart trouble; but while playing football for his school in 2000, he collapsed after leaving the field. And by the time his heart was shocked with an automated external defibrillator, it was too late to save him. Josh suffered a sudden cardiac arrest which, according to the American Heart Association, claims the lives of nearly 300,000 Americans every year. Josh's death was devastating not only to his family but to our entire community. Like Josh, the vast majority of these individuals who suffer sudden cardiac arrest do not display any prior signs of heart trouble. Yet there is an easy-to-use, relatively inexpensive piece of medical equipment that more than doubles the odds of survival for someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. An AED is the single most effective treatment for starting the heart after a sudden cardiac arrest; and because the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent for every minute that passes, every second is critical. In March, I reintroduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act to increase the availability of AEDs in our communities. Because schools are central gathering places in our communities, placing AEDs in our schools will save the lives of students enrolled there; but they will also be available for teachers and staff, parents and volunteers, and the many other members of the community who pass through their halls every single day. This legislation is modeled on a similar program for the State of Ohio. Dr. Terry Gordon, a cardiologist at Akron General Medical Center, has dedicated his life to this lifesaving mission. His tireless efforts in Ohio led to the adoption of a statewide initiative to put an AED into every school in our State. I hope that we in Congress can build on Dr. Gordon's good work and carry out this program at the national level. This bill is endorsed by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, the International Association of Firefighters, the American College of Cardiology, the National Education Association, the Parent Heart Watch, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Safety Council. I want to thank these organizations for their support on this issue, and I look forward to working with them to continue to raise awareness on AEDs. Losing a young life like Josh's can bring a sense of helplessness. In just the last year in the short time from August 2008 to December 2008, 63 children lost their lives to sudden cardiac arrest. But today we have an opportunity to act. This bill passed the House in the last Congress, but it did not emerge from the Senate. This time I am pleased to report that Ohio Senator George Voinovich will be leading the charge in the Senate and that Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown will be working alongside him to make sure that it gets done. It is appropriate that this bill comes to the floor this week. This week is National CPR and AED Awareness Week, and this week serves to raise awareness of the importance of CPR training and AED accessibility. In fact, the American Heart Association has embarked on a campaign to train 1 million people in CPR and the use of AEDs this week. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this effort to bring AEDs into every single school across this country. I thank the gentleman from across the aisle for his support of this measure. AEDs in schools will save lives. I want to thank the Miller family and the Acompora family and others who have turned their personal tragedies into a lifesaving mission.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time and for his leadership. Today we consider the last war supplemental providing funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, I am deeply concerned that this bill does not have an exit strategy for military operations in Afghanistan. Out of fairness to our brave soldiers, we cannot have an open-ended strategy. And I support the bill introduced by Representative Jim McGovern to require one. This bill does have some provisions in it that I support. Since October of 2001, approximately 160,000 soldiers have been subject to stop-loss orders, serving on involuntary extended tours of duty. Last June, I introduced the Stop-Loss Compensation Act to ensure that all our soldiers affected by the policy would be properly compensated. And last fall we took the first step toward fulfilling our duty to these brave soldiers by including stop-loss compensation for fiscal year 2009 in the continuing resolution. But today I am proud that we will extend the $500-a-month payments to all 160,000 soldiers that have been affected by stop-loss since 2001. And, Mr. Speaker, on the home front, our firefighters who answer the call of duty in communities throughout this country are often the first on the scene and the last to leave. Because of the current recession, a lot of communities, including the community of Elyria in my district, are being forced to lay off firefighters, resulting in staffing levels that are too low. I am proud to say that we have worked on language to include in this bill that will allow SAFER grants to be used to rehire and retain much- needed firefighters. The Elyria Fire Department has already informed me that with this change, they plan to apply for a SAFER grant to reinstate the 10 firefighters who were laid off last month. This bill will help us ensure that stop-loss payments for those who protect us overseas will be properly given and to ensure the adequate staffing for those who protect us at home.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time and for the clarification about the nature of this rule. I rise today in support of the underlying legislation, H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, a bill that was considered, discussed, and passed already once by this House in the last Congress. This bill will improve the foundations of our education system and modernize our buildings to reflect the environmental realities before us. We know all too well that our treasured school districts are struggling to make essential improvements during these challenging economic times. It is critical that we improve our schools to ensure that students have a healthy and safe environment in which to learn and develop the skills necessary to compete in today's workforce. By facilitating development of sustainable schools, our students will have a healthy learning environment that will naturally promote environmental literacy. It is also essential that our schools are structurally sound and updated with the needed safety measures that will protect our youth from today's threats. And, Mr. Speaker, I am particularly supportive of a measure that was included in this Congress when this bill passed the House. That measure included an initiative which I championed that will allow schools to use funding from this bill to improve their building infrastructure with the necessary security measures and security doors. I am pleased that my provision remains in the current bill. And let me tell you why it is important. Brunswick High School, in my district, is the largest single-level high school building in Ohio, stretching one-quarter of a mile from end to end with 60 entrances. As you can imagine, this presents a difficult security challenge for teachers and administrators. But with this provision, the district can use the funding to update the high school's entrances to meet today's security needs. I am also proud that this legislation includes a ``Buy American'' provision. This provision will require that steel, iron and other manufactured goods used for the construction of these improvement projects are produced right here in the United States. The economic downturn has taken a toll on U.S. manufacturing, including the steel plants in my congressional district, and we need to put Americans back to work doing the work that America needs to have done. This bill also contains Davis-Bacon protections requiring that contractors who build these projects pay their workers the local prevailing wage which is so important to ensuring that workers are able to provide for their families. This is about families. Mr. Speaker, in these challenging economic times, important, innovative legislation such as this will go a long way to creating new opportunities for America's students and workforce. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the underlying bill.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Well, I thank my friend. And I too want to just extend our appreciation for your vision in organizing, not only this evening and all that we're here to do by way of introducing the Populist Caucus, but for forming the caucus in the first instance, because it is so critical that the people across this country know that their voices matter. And we are going to be a part of expressing those voices within the halls of this Congress, putting a face on the statistics that we so often rely on here. And sometimes it kind of gets away from some that those statistics actually refer to people and to families and what is happening to them. So I am very, very proud to be a member of the Populist Caucus and to be a part of bringing Members together who believe in investing in the middle class as well as in those who aspire to being middle class, because we know that that is what is vital for the strength of America. As a caucus, we are committed to restoring, as my friend from New York has said and as you have said, Mr. Chairman, the core middle class values that made this country great, and we are committed to ensuring that our government's policies are in line with those values. A vibrant, growing middle class has been the hallmark of the strength of this country. It was the middle class that built this great Nation. A strong America depends on a strong middle class. Without a strong middle class, our country does not achieve as much as we all know it is worthy of. The middle class is the heart of this Nation. It is the engine that drives productivity. Reflecting back on my youth, I grew up in a blue-collar community in Ohio, a community by the name of Barberton. I was the youngest of six kids--the proud daughter of a man who worked in a boilermaker factory. My mom worked at the city library. Because of their hard work, our family of eight had a good chance; we had food on the table, and we had the promise of the middle class before us and of all the opportunity that it delivered, and we took advantage of it, but that was a time when people could depend upon a good job. Oftentimes, those good jobs were manufacturing jobs, and you could rely upon them and sometimes work, as my dad did, in the same place for many years. Now it is much more difficult. With health care costs rising, with insurance not available to all, with pensions a little shaky out there, to say the least, and with many things that we, as young people, had the benefit of that are now at risk in this country, the promise of the middle class is slipping away from far too many. After 8 years of failed Bush policies, the middle class, frankly, and the country have been sorely hit. They pushed through economic policies that benefited the wealthy and the well-connected. It is not just that. They did so at the expense of the rest of us. They allowed the banks and Wall Street to have seats at the table, often leaving working families left outside. They watched as millions lost their jobs, lost their health care, lost their homes, and sadly, lost their dreams. The national unemployment rate has risen to a staggering 8.1 percent. In Ohio, it is at 9.4 percent. These are statistics that I'm talking about, but attached to those statistics are families, families who are going without even though all they want is a chance to make a living. They don't want things handed to them. They just want to have the opportunity in this great country to have a job where they can go to work, and they want to provide the things that we all had the great benefit of having as young people. The economic recession continues to challenge the resolve of the middle class as they strive to pay for life's basic necessities. Now, here with this caucus and with our colleagues in this Congress, we are called on to chart a new path, one that is in line with the needs of the middle class, one that is in line with the hopes and the dreams of those who aspire to get there. That is the reason I was proud to join this caucus--to help find the road back to middle class values and to ensure that that dream becomes a reality again. The needs of the middle class have been ignored for far too long, and it just has to end. We, the members of the Populist Caucus, will focus on the policies, as you have laid out here, that strengthen and improve the lives of American families, not policies that leave them behind. We must make the promise of the middle class in the 21st century what it once was--the moral and economic backbone of our Nation. I think that the comments that you and Representative Arcuri have made, Representative Braley, are so on point, because, when we talk about the moral and economic backbone of our Nation, frankly, nothing reflects that any more than the budget. So your points about the budget, about what is contained in the budget and about the honesty of the budget are all critical to our government operating in a way that is worthy of the people whom we represent. With that, I will yield back.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of a boy from my hometown of Barberton, Ohio. To know Josh Miller was to know a kind-hearted and generous young man with limitless potential. Josh was a Barberton High School sophomore with a 4.0 grade point average. He was a linebacker who dreamed of playing football for Ohio State. He was the kind of a kid who could walk into a room and light it up. But one day, without warning, his dreams were cut short. Josh never showed any signs of heart trouble. But right after the final game of the 2000 football season, he collapsed after leaving the field. By the time his heart was shocked with an automated external defibrillator, it was too late to save him. Josh suffered a sudden cardiac arrest which, according to the American Heart Association, claims the lives of 330,000 Americans every year. Like Josh, the vast majority of these individuals do not display any prior signs of heart trouble. Yet there is an easy-to-use, relatively inexpensive piece of medical equipment that more than doubles the odds of survival for someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. An automated external defibrillator, or AED, is the single most effective treatment for starting the heart after a sudden cardiac arrest. And because the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent for every minute that passes, every second is critical. Last week, I reintroduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act to increase the availability of AEDs in our communities. This bill, H.R. 1380, will establish a grant program to help schools across the country purchase these lifesaving devices. Schools are central gathering places in our communities. Placing AEDs in our schools will not only save the lives of the students enrolled there, but they will be available for teachers and staff, parents and volunteers and the many other members of the community who pass through their halls every single day. This legislation is modeled on a similar program for the State of Ohio. Dr. Terry Gordon, a cardiologist at Akron General Hospital, has dedicated his life to this campaign. His tireless efforts in Ohio led to the adoption of a statewide initiative to put an AED into every school in our State. I hope we in Congress can build on Dr. Gordon's good work and carry out this program at the national level. Last year, this bill had 100 cosponsors and passed the House unanimously. To all of my colleagues who cosponsored and supported this legislation, thank you, and I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 1380. And to all of my colleagues who did not cosponsor the bill, I ask for your support in this Congress. This bill is endorsed by the Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, the International Association of Firefighters, the American College of Cardiology, the National Education Association, Parent Heart Watch, American Federation of Teachers and the National Safety Council. I thank these organizations for their support on this issue, and I look forward to working with them on AED awareness. Losing a young life like Josh's can bring about a sense of helplessness. But today we have an opportunity to act. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this effort to bring AEDs into every single school across this country because AEDs in schools will save lives.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentlewoman from California for the time and for her leadership on this bill. I also want to thank my good friend from across the aisle, Mr. Diaz-Balart, for his thoughtful words about this bill and about the amazing character of the American people to serve and reach out to others in their communities through volunteerism. This bill, Mr. Speaker, will unite Americans during these challenging economic times through service and volunteerism in our communities. And I am pleased that this Congress is moving swiftly to reauthorize and expand national service programs managed by the Corporation for National and Community Service. I am particularly supportive of two initiatives that are included in this bill that I sponsored in the last Congress. The first proposal requires the Corporation to conduct a study to identify specific areas of need for displaced workers, and to identify how existing programs and activities carried out under our national service laws can better serve displaced workers and the communities affected by plant closings and job losses. Communities in Ohio and across our Nation are being devastated by the economic downturn, and it's essential that we support new opportunities for Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Our workers who have toiled for so long in manufacturing plants have unique skill sets and leadership capabilities that can be of great value when utilized through service projects. In Ohio, we face an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent. I eagerly look forward to seeing how new service programs like this will help us help our displaced workforce. The second proposal requires the Corporation to consider whether an area has a mortgage foreclosure rate greater than the national average when considering grant applications from States and other eligible entities. Ohio has been particularly devastated by the mortgage crisis and ranks 10th in the Nation in home foreclosures. According to recent statistics, my congressional district is projected to have over 5,000 foreclosures in the coming year. In a time when so many of our communities are struggling, we need to pursue every avenue available to make sure that the cities and towns with the greatest needs have access to the assistance that we can provide. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will go a long way to energize and create new opportunities for Americans to build confidence and assist in our country's recovery. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the underlying bill.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership on this issue and for the time that he has yielded to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying legislation, H.R. 1262, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009. This bill provides a total investment of $18.7 billion over 5 years for much-needed water and environmental infrastructure. Not only will this bill help provide communities with improved water quality, but it must be remembered that it will create over 480 million jobs. H.R. 1262 provides $13.8 billion in Federal grants to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund over the next 5 years. This fund provides low- interest loans to our communities so that they can repair wastewater infrastructure, and that is desperately needed. Like much of the Nation's infrastructure, the wastewater systems in my district are aging, and they are in dire need of repair, or, in some cases, replacement. Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased that this legislation includes a ``buy American'' provision. This provision will require that steel, iron, and other manufactured goods used for the construction of these water projects are produced here in the United States. The economic downturn has taken a toll on U.S. manufacturing, including the steel plants in my district in Ohio. And with this legislation, and with this ``buy American'' provision, we will be putting Americans back to work doing work that America needs to have done. The bill also contains Davis-Bacon protections requiring that the workers who will do this work will be paid a local prevailing wage, a wage that will ensure that they are able to provide for their families, which is all that they really are looking to do. Now, last year, Congress passed the Great Lakes Legacy Act to clean up contaminated toxic sediments that are endangering families and communities throughout the Great Lakes Basin, which is an area that is home to approximately 40 million people in eight States, including Ohio. As you may recall, Mr. Speaker, the House-passed version of that bill provided $150 million each year through fiscal year 2013 for cleaning up the Great Lakes. However, our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol in the Senate operate under different floor rules, and one Senator was able to block action on the bill until funding levels for this program were cut by two-thirds. This bill also restores the funding level for the Great Lakes Legacy Act projects to the level initially--and overwhelmingly--passed by the House last September. The residents of the Great Lakes Basin have been waiting far too long for these toxic sites to be cleaned up. The funding in this bill will allow for the cleanup of all contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes region by 2020. For these reasons, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, on October 3, 2008, Addie Polk, a 90-year- old woman from Akron, Ohio, in my district, shot herself because her home was in foreclosure. Ms. Polk fell behind on her mortgage payments, and could not bear to lose the home that she had lived in for nearly 40 years. Fortunately, Ms. Polk survived and her home was saved, but Ms. Polk is not alone. Millions of homeowners across the country are finding it more difficult to keep up with their payments. Homeowners are struggling for many reasons. Many, in fact, have lost their jobs. You're right when you say Americans don't want welfare--they want jobs--which is why we passed the recovery act just a couple of weeks ago. Some have lost their homes because of health care costs, another issue that our President and this Congress are set to take action on. Some have lost their homes because they were deceived into signing predatory loans, another issue that we're acting on, and some did get in over their heads when they shouldn't have. Regardless of the cause, the crisis is real. It is real not only for homeowners like Addie Polk who are losing their homes; it is real for our communities, and it is real for our country. We have an interest and a responsibility to do better in dealing with the challenge. Today, the House will vote on the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. The bill provides homeowners with options to refinance into mortgages that they can afford, and it will help countless families stay in their homes. Now, this is not the end. It is just one step in tackling the housing challenge that we face as a nation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this crucial legislation because Americans like Addie Polk and so many others out there deserve more than feeling so desperate as to shoot themselves, after living in a home for almost 40 years, for fear of losing it.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, President Obama inherited a fiscal mess created by 8 years of Republican economic and fiscal policies. Tonight, our new President will begin the slow process of restoring fiscal discipline to Washington. He will do that first by leveling with the American people about the true costs of the budget he'll release on Thursday. Second, he will re-institute the pay-as-you-go guidelines similar to those that have been in place here in the Democratic House now for the last 2 years. The principle of pay-as-you-go played an instrumental role in creating the budget surpluses of the 1990s. Unfortunately, those commonsense principles were rejected by the Bush administration, and helped lead to the record deficit that our country must now address. And, third, President Obama is expected to propose mandatory, across- the-board spending cuts to offset any new initiative that expands the government's red ink. Mr. Speaker, these reforms will help us cut the budget deficit in half over the next 5 years, which is not bad, considering what we inherited from our Republican friends.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Well, I thank the gentleman, and I thank you for organizing this today on the floor. It is just so critical--and you have heard it here from every speaker thus far--that we get this bill passed. The reason for that is we need to get the American recovery going. I come from Ohio. I arrived in these halls, and it was shortly thereafter that, as I walked down the halls, people started saying to me when they saw me coming, ``Jobs, jobs, jobs.'' The reason they said that is, from the day I arrived in Congress, I have been fighting for economic opportunities for the people whom I am so honored to represent, and I know that that need extends beyond Ohio. As you have heard, this bill--but it bears repeating--will create and will save up to 4 million jobs. We will be doing things like rebuilding America. It will make us more globally competitive. We are going to give 95 percent of American workers an immediate tax cut that they desperately need. We will invest in roads, bridges and mass transit, flood control, clean water projects, and other infrastructure projects that all need to be done. This is work that has to be accomplished for many, many reasons, not just because it will, in effect, also stimulate our economy. But if you're going to make massive infusions and investments in America, doesn't it make sense to invest in doing the work that needs to be done that will benefit the good of our whole and that will also strengthen our Nation's going forward? That is what this bill does. It also contains unprecedented accountability measures. So important. So important. We've all seen the news, and those in Congress have watched with amazement as we've seen irresponsible behavior in the expenditure of funds that are taxpayer funds. We're all very disgusted by some of what has happened with the first tranche of the TARP funding. So these accountability measures under this new administration are critically important to restoring the trust of this Nation and of the people whom we are so, so fortunate to represent. We have heard also about this bill and its scope. The truth of the matter is this is not about being a Democrat, and this is not about being a Republican. We just need a bill that will work for the American people. There is room for everybody who wants to help. Now, it is true that we won't all get everything we want into this bill, and I won't go into the things for which I am dismayed may or may not ultimately end up in this bill. The fact of the matter is it creates those jobs, jobs, jobs that the people in Ohio and across this country so need. As for the support of this bill, as I said, it's not about being a Democrat, and it's not about being a Republican. It has broad support across this country. Sometimes we get wrapped up with what goes on here, but you know, it's from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, from the National Association of Manufacturers, from the Associated General Contractors of America to Representatives like Mike Castle, who is a Republican from Delaware, who said, ``I am always concerned when the Republican party takes a negative position on something that should be moving forward.'' Now, I'm not sure that's a statement of support, but I do know that that is something that he said about some who may not be willing to act yet even though we need so much done. Governor Charlie Crist appeared with President Obama to talk about the plan and about the hope that it offers for this great country. Charlie Crist said, ``This is a time when our country needs all of us to pull together.'' We have all heard before that we come here on different ships, perhaps, but we are all in the same boat now on this thing. It's about jobs, jobs, jobs for Americans and Floridians. The list goes on. There are people of both parties who are working diligently to try and get us to a place that will allow us to pass this bill because action delayed is very, very costly as you have already heard here today. Even if you have not heard it today, you have seen it because you've seen it in your neighborhoods; you've seen it on the streets where you live; you've seen it in your neighbors who are losing their homes; you've seen it in your friends who are losing their jobs. This is a great country. What this bill is really about is our making a massive investment in this country and in the people who live here. So let us get this bill passed. I am looking forward to it. I invite all to join us in that effort who have that opportunity. Let us put Americans back to work, doing things that America needs to have done.

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentleman from Connecticut and all of my colleagues who have risen here today to talk about what is so important for this country. It's been said so well, but it bears again, as I've mentioned, repeating. Time is of the essence, and so here we are 3 weeks and 1 day from President Obama's inauguration, and we're on track to reach agreement on an historic Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We know it's going to create millions of jobs. We know that it is going to help 95 percent of American workers with tax cuts. It will begin the process of transforming our economy, and it contains that necessary unprecedented accountability and transparency. But in its simplest form, in its simplest summary, this bill is all about restoring the promise of the middle class, restoring the promise that this country is founded on and has grown to greatness because of. You know, this is about our workers, and this is about our businesses. This is about our States and our communities and all the families and the people who live there. It has components about health care. It has components about putting people to work, building things, our infrastructure that we all know is crumbling and has resulted in tragedy. And my good friend from Minnesota knows that all too well, as we watched that bridge crumble and lives were lost. This is a great, challenging time for this country. But we do have opportunity in this moment, and this bill is the beginning of it because this is our beginning on the path back to restoring the promise of the middle class.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentleman for the time and for his leadership on this critical issue. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act. This legislation is long overdue for our Nation's children. I want to share a story about a girl from my district that puts this issue all into perspective. I met Rose and her mother at an event one weekend back in my district in Ohio, and I will never forget the moment her mom introduced her to me. She looked up at me full of hope and she, in a moment, reached out and she hugged me. After Rose walked away, her mom explained to me that her daughter had cancer and was preparing for a bone marrow transplant. Before I could even digest what her mom was saying that their family was going through, Dawn, her mother, said, when are you guys going to pass SCHIP, because Rose has insurance, but there are a lot of kids in this country who don't, and they deserve the same opportunity for a future. Dawn was right, nearly 9 million children in this country do not have health insurance. Those kids need the same opportunity to have the health care that they need. In the midst of fighting cancer with her daughter, Dawn found the courage and compassion to look beyond her struggle to stand up for kids across this Nation without health insurance. I share this story with my colleagues because today we have the opportunity to look beyond all differences to finally pass this legislation. This bill will allow an additional 4 million children across this country, which includes 200,000 children in Ohio, to obtain health insurance. The urgency could not be more clear. With an ailing economy the population of uninsured is growing, and we know that a 1-percent increase in employment is projected to increase the number of uninsured by 1.1 million kids. In these difficult economic times, the least we can do is make sure that our children have access to the health care they need and deserve. I am pleased to report that Rose has received her bone marrow transplant and her eyes and her future are bright. Let's do the same for the rest of America's kids.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentleman for the time and for his leadership on this issue. I thank the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Mr. Miller, for his tremendous leadership, as well as Representative Rosa DeLauro for her commitment. And I rise today in strong support of this bill. Madam Speaker, I wish this legislation were not necessary. But, sadly, nearly 45 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, pay discrimination still exists; and in one fell swoop, in the Ledbetter case, the Supreme Court made it immensely easier for discrimination to prevail at the expense of women and their families across this country, and that is unacceptable. The Court held that Lilly Ledbetter would have had to file a complaint within 180 days of when her employer began years of discrimination against her even though there was no way that she could have known that she was being discriminated against. The Court, in effect, eliminated any real opportunity for victims of long-term gender-based pay discrimination to be made whole and provided employers who engage in pay discrimination for years to do so without consequence. Let's pass this bill.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time and for his leadership, and I thank the distinguished Chair of the Education and Labor Committee, Mr. Miller, for his leadership, and, of course, the gentlewoman from Connecticut, Ms. DeLauro, for her unyielding advocacy on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. Last November, people across this country voted for change, and with passage of this legislation we will finally change the wage gap that has persisted between men and women. We know the statistics: 77 cents on the dollar that women earn as opposed to men. But this is about more than statistics. It is about people. It is about women and it is about their families, and it is about fairness. With every paycheck of these affected women, they are cheated and their families are cheated. It robs families of earned income, it robs their pensions, it robs their Social Security benefits, and it robs them of fairness and justice. We are a country that values fairness and justice for all of our citizens, not just those of a certain gender. Let's pass this bill.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this very important matter. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, which we must pass here today. After 8 years of failed policies and economic pain, the families in my district and across Ohio are trying to hang on. Since 2001, 1,087 Ohio factories, companies and operations have shut down or had massive layoffs. That is one company shutting down or laying off workers every 2\1/2\ days for 8 straight years. That is an average of 61 jobs lost each day due to shutdowns or layoffs. In fact, since 2001, Ohio has lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs alone, and now our State's unemployment rate is 7.4 percent, nearly double the 2001 level. In order to keep our families strong and workers competitive, we must extend these unemployment benefits. Madam Speaker, 22,478 unemployed workers in my home State of Ohio will lose their benefits in October, and a total of 34,389 will lose their benefits between October and December, right before the holidays. Madam Speaker, we must act here to pass this bill with the same sense of urgency to help our families as we did to pass the economic recovery package just voted on to free up the credit markets. Extending these unemployment benefits is critical. We must extend them to help our workers who are struggling to find jobs.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mission Specialist Michael T. Good on his upcoming trip into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Mission Specialist Good is one of seven astronauts who will fly on the shuttle's fifth and final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to make repairs to the telescope, extending its life into the next decade. Mission Specialist Good is a native of Broadview Heights, Ohio, in the 13th Congressional District. He attended Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, located in Brecksville, Ohio, Which is also located in my congressional district. His wife Joan is also from Broadview Heights. The couple has three children, Bryan, Jason, and Shannon. Mission Specialist Good is a distinguished graduate of the University of Notre Dame with both a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering. As a colonel in the United States Air Force, he has logged over 2,100 hours in more than 30 different aircraft. Good was selected as a mission specialist by NASA in July 2000. Following 2 years of training and evaluation he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and the Space Shuttle Branch. On October 14, 2008, at approximately 10:19 p.m., Mission Specialist Michael Good and the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once again, I rise to express my congratulations and best wishes for Brecksville, Ohio's Mission Specialist Michael Good. Best wishes for a safe and productive journey.

Ms. SUTTON

Ms. SUTTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to suspend the rules relating to the following measures be considered as adopted in the form considered by the House on Monday, September 22, 2008, or Tuesday, September 23, 2008, as applicable: H.R. 160, H.R. 2933, H.R. 4828, H.R. 6323, H.R. 2994, and H.R. 1532.