Jackie Speier

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute to Matteo Rizzo, a lifelong educator who is retiring as Superintendent of the Jefferson Elementary School District, serving the communities of Daly City and Colma, California. In his tenure as Superintendent, Mr. Rizzo has been known for his personal involvement with all the stakeholders in his district, from teachers, to parents, to administrators and, most importantly, the students themselves. He served as the District's representative in staff contract negotiations, oversaw budget decisions, coordinated the recruitment, selection and assignment of teachers, principals and other personnel and put his imprint on every aspect of life and learning in the Jefferson Elementary School District. As is the case in school districts across our country, Superintendent Rizzo was asked to do the impossible--educate a diverse student population in an environment of dwindling financial resources, all the while staying focused on preparing them to achieve to their utmost ability in an increasingly competitive world. To do this, Matteo relied heavily on the skills he gained as an Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Vice-Principal and teacher--all within the Jefferson Elementary School District. His unsurpassed institutional knowledge and commitment to bettering the lives of young people will be sorely missed and not easily replaced. Fortunately, he leaves his successor with a legacy of excellence and community involvement that can be built upon in future years. Mr. Speaker, Matteo Rizzo is a living example of the benefits of public education and the fruits of hard work. A product of local schools, he is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, his California Teaching Credential and two Masters of Arts--one in Education and another in Educational Administration. He has been honored at every step of his career, including earning a ``California Distinguished School'' award for Fernando Rivera Middle School in 2001, while serving as the school's principal. Mr. Speaker, Superintendent Rizzo has certainly earned his retirement. On behalf of the Congress of the United States of America, I wish to thank him for his exceptional service to our nation and wish him only the best as he now has time to travel with his amazing wife, Clydie, play a lot more golf, do a little more duck hunting and, as rumor has it, learn to play the guitar. Matteo Rizzo, simply put, is a good man who spent his entire professional career doing good for his community. There's no need to tell that to the thousands of children he educated, or his son, Matthew, and daughter-in-law, Jill, but the rest of America can benefit from knowing that extremely capable and committed professionals like Matteo Rizzo show up at school districts across this country every day with no other goal than to move our country forward, one student at a time. It is for these reasons and more that I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Superintendent Matteo Rizzo for his service.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the city of Brisbane, California. Nestled in the lower slopes of San Bruno Mountain, ``the City of Stars'' stands as a symbol of light in the Bay Area. Back in the sixth century the Ohlone Indians enjoyed the abundance of resources the land offered. They thrived as hunters and gatherers until the Spanish conquistadores claimed the land in the early 16th century. The deed to the land changed hands several times before any significant development occurred. The need for real estate triggered by the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake brought new focus to the valley. Developers immersed themselves in the area with new vigor, naming their new hope for future growth ``Visitacion City.'' It wasn't until the arrival of Arthur Annis that the town finally got off the ground. The ``Daddy of Brisbane'' came to the area in 1929, bringing hope to an area that desperately needed it. During the worst years of the Great Depression, Annis encouraged settlement and development through extremely cheap land prices. Between 1929 and 1933, over 400 homes were built. Annis' signature contribution was the rechristening of Visitacion City as Brisbane. There are two competing theories about how Annis chose the name Brisbane. His daughter insists he named it after the city in Australia, while others believe he named it after the American journalist Arthur Brisbane. Whatever its origins, the name Brisbane has come to mean a city that draws its strength from hope, even in the darkest times. This strong spirit can be seen in the tradition from which Brisbane draws its nickname, the ``City of Stars.'' In 1940, Brisbane prepared to employ its citizens in the ongoing war efforts and the future was once again uncertain. Resident Arthur Kennedy struck out against the doubt by placing a simple star above his house for the holiday season. Soon, this symbol of brightness could be found above many a house, and the tradition lives on today during every Christmas. The city was incorporated in 1961. Since incorporation, Brisbane has had twenty-five mayors, including John Turner, James Williams, Jess Salmon, Ed Schwenderlauf, John Bell, Robert McLennan, S.J. Guardino, Julius Stern, Anja Miller, Art Montenegro, Paul Goercke, Jeannine Hodge, Don Bradshaw, Fred Smith, Bill Lawrence, Ray Miller, Lou Graham, Steve Waldo, Brad Kerwin, Lee Panza, Clara Johnson, W. Clarke Conway, Cyril Bologoff, Michael Barnes, and Sepi Richardson. Brisbane also holds the distinction of being the first community in the United States in which a habitat conservation plan (HCP) was developed. This historic plan, developed in the 1980s, helped to save the Mission Blue butterfly and the Callippe Silverspot butterfly. The HCP served as a model for an amendment to the Endangered Species Act. In addition to legal protections related to land use, Brisbane's fog and ample rains succor the flora needed to create an environment in which these and other species of butterflies may roam largely unmolested over 3,000 acres of undeveloped land. Brisbane's reputation as a can-do community received national attention in 1990 when residents came together to rescue Humphrey, a disoriented humpback whale who regularly became stranded at various locations around San Francisco Bay. When Humphrey found himself stuck on an embayment very close to Brisbane's Sierra Point, hundreds of Brisbane citizens gathered to cheer the Coast Guard and Humphrey onward towards the whale's successful extraction. Brisbane hosts a thriving economy including a booming biotechnology sector, a popular harbor for private boats, and other more traditional businesses such as a 100-year-old manufacturer of fruit juices, A.C. Calderoni. Eventually, Brisbane will likely also be the site of a booming clean tech energy sector as the city redevelops vast parcels of unused lands near the bay. Brisbane's economy is so vibrant that the population of the city doubles during the workday. While not every step in its history has been easy, its residents have always pressed towards the future. Even as it has grown from its decidedly humble origins to its current population of 4,282 residents, the sense of family and community that spurred its development has never diminished. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body to join me in celebrating the history and future of the city of Brisbane as it celebrates its 50th anniversary on September 10, 2011.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ann Barlow who served as president and chairperson of the board for the Professional Businesswomen of California for the last four years. Ann has been an inspirational and effective leader of PBWC which I founded 23 years ago to help women advance professionally. The board of directors is very fortunate to retain her as a member, but will certainly miss her gracious leadership. Ann became involved with PBWC as soon as she moved from New York to the Bay Area in 2005. She happened to move in next door to the former president, Debra Boblitt, who immediately recognized Ann as a perfect candidate for the board. She was voted in as president two years later. Ann possesses all the qualities and qualifications it takes to be a successful business woman; she is smart, creative, professional, funny, warm, beautiful and generous. She has lent her talents to Peppercom for the last ten years. She is a partner and the president of its West Coast operations and led the founding of GreenPepper, Peppercom's environmental sustainability services. Before she joined Peppercom, Ann led the New York office of Interpublic Group-Owned Mindstorm Communications. Ann is a master communicator and has written numerous articles and given many speeches on environmental issues and digital communication. In 2009, Ann was named one of the Bay Area's most influential women by the San Francisco Business Times. This year she was chosen to participate in the prestigious Tedwoman conference. Ann was born in Davenport, Iowa on August 15, 1960. She went to Freeport High School in Freeport, Illinois and received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Illinois. She lives in San Ramon, California with her husband Bob, two children Chris and Vivian and her two spoiled beagles Kipper and Osgood. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, playing golf, talking politics and walking with Kipper and Osgood. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body to join me in honoring Ann Barlow for her extraordinary contributions to improve the lives and careers of thousands of women in California and all over the world.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, it is with immense appreciation and a tinge of regret that I rise today in honor of Karen K. Philip, who retires at the end of this month as Deputy Superintendent of the San Mateo County Office of Education. There is no doubt that she has earned her retirement, after thirty- eight years educating the children--and impressing the parents--of California's 12th Congressional District. Mr. Speaker, I doubt that anyone has ever met Karen Philip where they did not learn something. She is the consummate educator, beginning in 1973 in the South San Francisco Unified School District, where she served for seventeen years as a teacher, speech therapist, special education administrator and principal, Karen has dedicated her life to the children of San Mateo County. From there, she was recruited by the Millbrae School District to serve as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and, after just two years, was appointed Superintendent of the District, a post she held for fifteen years. During her tenure in Millbrae, the schools in her charge received many prestigious awards, including three California Distinguished School Awards and the National Blue Ribbon, awarded in Washington D.C. to Taylor Middle School. Throughout her career, Deputy Superintendent Philip has been tapped for numerous leadership positions, including serving as President of the San Mateo County Superintendents Association, the Special Education Local Plan Area Board, and Soroptomist International of Millbrae/San Bruno. She has also been named a ``Woman of Distinction'' by Soroptomist International, received the California ``Schoolmasters Award'' in 2011 and was inducted into the San Mateo County ``Women's Hall of Fame''. Mr. Speaker, as with all true educators, Karen's greatest achievement is in the many thousands of children--most who are now adults--who have benefitted from her passion and extraordinary talent for teaching. No doubt, our county's loss is Karen's grandchildren's gain. Now they get to spend even more time soaking in all the incredible lessons their brilliant grandmother has to offer. Karen was born and raised in Michigan and attended Detroit's Wayne State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and English and her Master Degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences. Mr. Speaker, I have been honored to work with this incredible woman on promoting sound education policy for more than two decades. I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in thanking Deputy Superintendent Karen Philip for her remarkable service to our nation's children and wish she and her husband, Lou, a phenomenal retirement filled with exciting travel, good health and the love of their amazing family: Kimberly and her husband Keith, Jeff, and his wife Jenn, and grandchildren Lydia, Mark, Caitlin, John, Emma and Amelia.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise this today to ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Richard Boitano as he retires as Associate Superintendent of Education for the Jefferson Union High School District. Rick Boitano has served his community for 38 years as a teacher, Vice-Principal, District Director of Pupil-Personnel Services and Associate Superintendent. In addition, he has been active in numerous organizations dedicated to helping young people and the community at large, including the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Planning Council, San Mateo County TANF Planning Council, San Mateo County Community Schools Task Force, Board of Directors of Youth Empowering Systems, Inc., San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, Pacifica Youth Service Bureau, Every 15 Minutes Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program and the Association of California School Administrators. In addition, Rick has been a presenter at the California State Juvenile Officers' Association Annual Training Conference, the San Mateo County Prevention Coordinators Meeting, and the National School Transportation Association Convention on Gang Awareness, School Safety and Gang Intervention. Rick has also served as Chairperson of the WASC School Accreditation Process and the San Mateo County Gang Task Force Schools Division. In addition, Rick is a member and past-president of St. Pius Catholic Church Mens' Club. Rick Boitano was born and raised in San Francisco, having received his Bachelor of Arts, Secondary Teaching Credential and Administrative Services Credential from the University of San Francisco. He and Beverly, his lovely wife of 35 years, have raised four boys--Tim, Jonathan, Matt and Andrew--and his retirement will provide extra time for his grandson, Jude. Mr. Speaker, I commend Rick for his decades of service to the young people of California's 12th Congressional District. He has earned his retirement and I wish him nothing but the best, which is exactly what he gave the students and parents of the Jefferson Union High School District every day for thirty-eight years.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco on the historic occasion of its 100th anniversary. BOMA San Francisco has been advocating for commercial real estate interests, training future leaders and promoting sustainable practices. I have partnered with BOMA since my days on the San Mateo Board of Supervisors and in the California Legislature and have witnessed its effective work that supports business growth which in turn creates tax dollars for important public services. Healthy commercial real estate provides homes for countless businesses that employ our workforce. BOMA always strives to create better work environments for our future generations. It has been honored for its progressive environmental policies to help promote energy conservation and sustainable practices in office buildings. BOMA is also a tireless advocate of emergency preparedness. For 20 years BOMA has partnered with the San Francisco Fire Department and put big smiles on children's faces. The San Francisco Firefighter Toy Program is the oldest program of its kind in the country and has donated over a million toys to disadvantaged children. Mr. Speaker, the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco has left its mark on San Francisco and made it a more beautiful, healthy and happier city for a century. I ask this body to honor BOMA on May 19, its 100th anniversary.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to recognize the tireless public service of Thomas Mohr, who is retiring as President of Canada College in Redwood City, California. I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Tom for many years. He is without peer and his calm demeanor and inspired leadership will be sorely missed. While serving as President, Tom revamped Canada College's planning process and turned it into a state leader in the accreditation process. He helped establish new four-year degrees in art, psychology, human services and business administration by forging new relationships with nearby Notre Dame de Namur University. Under Tom's watch, Canada started the Center for Teacher Efficacy to provide professional development opportunities for San Mateo County high school teachers. He also developed an Honors Transfer Program designed to support highly motivated students as they pursue their educational goals. Tom attracted more than $3 million in grants for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education at the college, established the Veterans Resource and Opportunity Center, and expanded the school's study abroad program. For these and other accomplishments, President Mohr received the 2010 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for two year colleges. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Louis University and a Master of Arts from the University of San Francisco. He has been an educator on the San Francisco Peninsula since working as a Chemistry teacher in the Jefferson Union High School District in 1961. Since then, Tom has served in nearly every capacity an educator can--teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent and most recently, college president. Ironically, Tom thought he had retired six years ago when he left the San Mateo Union High School District. But, ever the public servant, when his community came calling, Tom answered. He agreed to serve as Canada's President on an interim basis, not knowing that it would stretch into a six-year commitment. Mr. Speaker, everyone in this body knows that there are no easy solutions to improving education in America. Were it only possible to clone a thousand or so Tom Mohrs, our nation's students would, indeed, be in capable hands. Since we can't do that, we are best served to simply follow his example and learn from the many lessons this lifelong educator has taught us.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to state for the record that my vote against the Holt amendment to the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act was made in error. I strongly support this amendment that requires the Secretary of Education to give priority to schools that make investments in green building improvements. We must ensure that Federal investments in our schools set the highest standard for green school building practices. I remain a staunch supporter of green building innovation and I look forward to advancing this important cause in Congress.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as I have done virtually every week, to tell a story of a man or a woman in the military who has been raped. Nineteen thousand are raped every year in the military. Only 13 percent report the rapes because there has been such an ineffective addressing of this issue. So today, I rise again to tell another story. I hear from victims who have been sharing their stories with me by emailing me at stopmilitaryrape@mail.house.gov. It is time for us to act. We have known of this problem for over 16 years. We have had 18 hearings and reports on this issue, and yet nothing changes. So today I'm going to tell you about Darchelle Mitchell, an airman. And she writes: ``I never thought that I would be a victim of such a horrible and traumatic event, nor did I believe that it would occur under the blanket of freedom I swore to fight for. I decided to serve my country as an example for my two boys and to do my share to better my Nation. ``In my first year, I began to accept the unwanted comments of my shape, size and looks as though it was part of something to deal with when working and living with men on a ship. It escalated to the uncomfortable motions by a superior trying to pull me into a two-manned rack that was in the office. I reported the incident to my immediate supervisors requesting that they speak with him, and the responses were always that the superior meant no harm and that he was just being playful. This led to my superior grabbing me by the top of my head and pushing it into his genital area, stating, ``I bet I can make you say `oh, God.' '' ``After the reporting of this incident, I suffered the backlash of being blackballed. My job assignments became very difficult, and I bounced around from command to command until someone was willing to take the chance to allow me to perform as an airman trying to advance. ``I worked very hard to remove the negative light that was cast upon me. I went on to advance to a dual-qualified second class petty officer in less than 3 years. Despite my efforts of advancing and volunteer services, the stigma remained with me. ``I decided to take orders to Italy and move my family to another country in an attempt to step away from the negative light. Within the first 3 months of my tour in Italy, I was raped by another servicemember. I did everything in accordance to the training provided by the military. I reported the incident to NCIS and suffered through a rape kit. My children were present and had to experience something that no parent could ever dream of allowing their children to go through. ``With his DNA found in my rape kit, his fingerprints found throughout my room, and ripped clothing, the servicemember was found not guilty. The explanation given to me was, `It is no question that his genitals touched your genitals, but it is reasonable to believe that he thought he had your consent.' From that, I was expected to return to work as if tomorrow was just another day. My superiors continued to treat me as if I brought shame to their command. The trauma was so overwhelming that I attempted to take my life on two occasions. ``Despite the constant reminder that the military is a man military, I graduated with my master's in business administration, volunteered at numerous organizations, and regained some confidence in my safety around people. This was not supposed to be the intended meaning of the sacrifices that veterans go through to serve their country. ``I pray that my experiences are not completely in vain and that one day no one will ever have to suffer what my family and I are still suffering.'' For Darchelle and every other servicemember, we must take steps to prevent this crime from happening and punish the perpetrators when it does. We should not be a country in which it is more likely to be taken into someone's room to be violated, to have violence committed against you by another member of the service, more likely than by the enemy.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In some respects, I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. Can anyone explain, when we are 144 hours from crossing the brink, from going over the ledge, to have this country come to a screeching halt financially, tell me why we are debating the appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior? Why aren't we dealing with what the American people want us to be dealing with right now, and that is the debt limit, raising the ceiling on the debt limit? But, no, we're going to spend hundreds of hours here over the next couple of days talking about the Interior appropriations bill. Let me tell you what I'm hearing from my constituents, and maybe my colleagues on the other side of the aisle aren't getting phone calls from their constituents, but I am, and let me tell you what I'm hearing. One woman wrote me and said: ``My mom is 79 years old, worked all her life in a factory and retired. Her pension was handed to her on her very last day of work, $25,000. The plant closed, moved the work to Mexico, and her husband died 8 years later. That $25,000 didn't last long. Now her only source of income is Social Security. She lives in a senior retirement center that she loves. Last Thursday, she and my aunt, who is 83 and also widowed, called me to pick them up and take them to the bank. They were going to withdraw from their savings money to pay their rent, as they, along with all of the other seniors they live with in that retirement center, are convinced they will not get their Social Security checks come August 1. My mom has a doctor's appointment on August 5, and she wonders if the doctor will continue to see her if the government doesn't pay for Medicare. ``I care deeply about them. I know for a fact that my mom is losing sleep over this. Last week, I thought she was foolish. This week, I'm beginning to think that I'm the fool. How do you look your mom and your aunt in the eye and say with great certainty that the U.S. Government will send them their Social Security?'' That was just one letter I received, and I've gotten lots of phone calls. A 52-year-old woman who's self-employed as a court reporter paid $13,000 into the Social Security system last year and she's calling me saying, ``What are you all doing? The interest rate on my mortgage is going to go up. Interest rates on my credit cards are going to go up. Why aren't you fixing this problem?'' No, we're standing here talking about the Interior appropriation budget. A woman from Daly City, 68 years old, previously suffered a stroke, has had seizures and relies on Medicare to treat her rheumatoid arthritis. Her husband, a cab driver, will turn 70 in December, at which point he will go on Social Security and hopefully go from working 5 to 6 hours a day to maybe 4 hours. If he loses his Social Security, he will probably have to work longer hours again. They're all anguished. They all want us to do our job. They want us to lift this debt ceiling, protect Social Security and Medicare, and fix our attitude that we have here that somehow it's okay to just stall. It's okay to just try and make points, make political points while they're all wringing their hands and while they're taking money out of their savings accounts because they can't pay their rent if they don't get their Social Security check come August 1. Well, for my colleagues who maybe haven't heard from their constituents, I want the American people to call this telephone number. Call this telephone number and call your Member of Congress and tell them what you think we should be doing. Should we be debating the Interior appropriation bill right now, or should we be fixing this debt limit? A debt limit, I might add, which virtually every economist of every political stripe has said: You have to lift it. President Ronald Reagan said: It has to be lifted. Why should Congress always take us to the brink before they act? It's time for us to be responsible. I yield back the balance of my time. Announcement by the Acting Chair

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I was unfortunately unable to cast a vote on rollcall 621 on the evening of July 21, 2011. I strongly support the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its mandate to protect American consumers and I would have voted NO on passage of H.R. 1315. The CFPB will provide families a level playing field upon which to shop for the full range of financial products. The CFPB is the most accountable regulatory body in the world. And their work has already begun. Starting today, the CFPB credit card hotline is up and running, fielding complaints from American consumers and beginning to hold companies accountable. Consumers can reach them at 855-411-CFPB or online at consumerfinance.gov. Families will finally have a cop on the beat looking out for their interests. But American consumers should be forewarned, if you have a complaint, report it now. Because, as we speak, Republicans in Congress are doing all they can to take away your consumer protections.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. I thank my good friend from Ohio. This is getting old. The majority knows it can't kill an idea whose time has come. So now they're trying to slow down the process, just like their friends in the banking industry who use tricks and traps to separate American families from their hard-earned money. This bill is nothing more than an attempt to turn the CFPB into the Center For Profits and Big Business. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will provide families a level playing field upon which to shop for the full range of financial products. Nothing is getting banned. Consumers can still choose to make bad decisions if they wish, but now they'll have the tools to be better informed through the process. Instead of mountains of mortgage documents, they'll get a simple-to-read one-page document that they can then use to answer crucial questions like, Is this something that I can afford? Is this the best deal that I can get? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the most accountable regulatory body in the world. In fact, it has a whole slew of regulators watching and questioning everything it does. It is required to undergo an annual GAO report; have all enforcement actions subject to appeal; and be regulated, in turn, by every other agency on the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Simply put, the CFPB helps families hold on to the money they might otherwise give to the banks. And the banks hate that. That is precisely why the majority has thrown this ridiculous bill together. Among other things, this legislation would require those regulating predatory lenders to stop if their actions threatened the company's ``safety and soundness.'' In other words, their profits. We heard all about this issue when we banned unreasonable penalties on credit cards. At the time, the credit card companies said this would absolutely crush their model. Well, look what's happened. Are they still alive and well? You bet they are. But the truth is this legislation isn't really about any of that. No, this is about the only area where the majority has any kind of legislative record: legislative delay. The anti-consumer bloc in this Congress is engaged in a legislative Ponzi scheme. They're helping Wall Street suck a few more dollars out of American families before the inevitable happens and the CFPB stands up. Every day politicians can stall the opening of the bureau, well, that's more profits. Today, the CFPB is alive, and I want every American to look at this opportunity to call this number. This is a hotline available today for you to access if you've got problems with your credit cards; but you had better act now because the majority wants to shut it down.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, for the last few months I have come to this floor every week to talk about a moral black eye on this country--the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. I have mentioned the fact that the Pentagon has estimated that 19,000 servicemembers are raped or sexually assaulted each and every year. The victims typically are blamed and the assailants are promoted. I have shared the personal stories of several women who needed to have a bright light shined on this ongoing epidemic. But it is not only females in the military that are victims. Men are being victimized as well. In an April 2011 article entitled ``The Military's Secret Shame,'' Newsweek looked at the subject hardly anyone talks about: male on male rape and sexual assault. Mr. Speaker, it is time to break this silence. Last year, nearly 50,000 male veterans screened positive for ``military sexual trauma.'' Think about that, 50,000 men. That's nearly double what it was in 2003. Another 110 men made confidential reports of sexual assault by other men, nearly three times what it was in 2007. We know the number of actual victims is much higher. The latest Department of Defense report showed that only 13 percent of those who are raped in the military actually report them. Men keep quiet for the same reasons women do--a military system that gives them virtually no chance of justice. In 2010, the Pentagon anonymously asked active duty soldiers who had been sexually assaulted why they did not report their attacks. Half of them said they didn't want anyone to know. A third of them said they didn't think anything would be done. And 30 percent said they were afraid of retaliation or reprisal. I now want to share with you the story of Blake Stephens. I warn you that some of the material is graphic. Stephens joined the Army in 2001. The verbal and physical attacks started quickly and came from virtually every level of the chain of command. In one of the worst incidents, a group of men tackled him, shoved a soda bottle into his rectum, and threw him backward off an elevated platform onto the hood of a car. When he reported the incident, his platoon sergeant told him, ``You're the problem. You're the reason this is happening,'' and refused to take action. His assailants told him that once deployed to Iraq, they would shoot him in the head. I recently received an email from Heath Phillips, who joined the Navy at the young age of 17, in 1988. Phillips was attacked on multiple occasions beginning his first weekend on duty. When he reported the assault, he was called a liar, a baby, mama's boy, and a few other choice words. He would complain to the chain of command and be told to shut up, and asked for witnesses. In one particularly horrific incident, a group of men attacked Phillips in the shower and sodomized him with a toilet brush handle. They laughed and joked about it the whole time. After he went to the infirmary, bleeding and in pain, he was told he was fine and to take the day off. Phillips eventually went AWOL to protect himself. He still suffers to this day. Mr. Speaker, this is a moral black eye on the military, it's a moral black eye on this Congress, and it's a moral black eye on this Nation. It is time to stop talking and to take action.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, for a number of months now I have come to this floor to tell the stories of men and women in the military who have been raped by other soldiers. As heinous as those assaults are, the greatest injustice is suffered after the assault when victims are doubted, debased, disrespected, and discharged from the military that they have so proudly enlisted in. Last night, I had a long conversation with an Army and Navy veteran, Terri Odom, who told me she dreamed to serve in the military since she was a little girl. She was so determined that between her junior and senior summer she went to boot camp--not to some playground area somewhere in her community, but to boot camp. After high school, she went to Sicily with the Seabees. She told me that she had never been happier, serving her country, seeing the world, even swimming in the Mediterranean. It was like Terri was living a military recruiting commercial. While there, she was befriended by an NCO 25 years her senior. He was a father figure to Terri, and she trusted him explicitly. When he volunteered to walk her home one night, Terri accepted the offer without hesitation. She told me that when he first grabbed her, she was more confused than scared. This is a young woman who was very proud of her service and had the utmost respect for her colleagues, particularly one who had such a distinguished career. This couldn't possibly be happening. Terri's story is graphic. I only tell you the details so you can understand how horrific the response has been from our military. Terri was raped repeatedly. Her abuser used pipes and other objects he found in her bathroom that was being remodeled. He cut her arms and vagina, then poured paint thinner into her wounds. He punched her with the full force of his 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound frame. Terri, it should be noted, is 5 foot 3 inches. She fought back, even did some damage, but she was outmatched. She woke up in a bathtub covered in blood. She was missing teeth and fingernails, yet her first thought was that she couldn't be late for duty. She also knew that she could get medical attention and file a criminal complaint at the base. Surely, the Navy would take care of her. It turns out she was wrong about that, as she was about her rapist. Terri cleaned herself up, showered, showed up for duty, and reported the rape to her chain of command. She requested medical attention, but was told instead to take an aspirin and sleep it off. No one in Terri's chain of command allowed her to get medical attention. Instead, they told her to drop the rape story or her career would be over. Despite valiant efforts to stop it, Terri was eventually honorably discharged against her will, which is exactly what happens to 90 percent of military personnel who report rapes. The Navy lost a good soldier that day. The Navy also kept a rapist-- not officially, of course, because there was never an investigation. The reason? Because in the military, the authority to request one lies with the chain of command; but the chain of command is incentivized not to, because they are judged on how few instances of rape and other mishaps occur during their command. This is as true today as it was when Terri served. That is why Terri Odom has once again answered the call to service. She is here with me this morning to make sure her story is heard. This Nation must aggressively pursue rape charges in our military. Sexual assault cases must be taken out of the chain of command and must never be punished by nonjudicial remedies like a mere demotion in rank. Finally, a uniform is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Military sex offenders must be entered into the same national database as those in the civilian world. Two decades ago, a young woman served proudly in the United States Navy and knew she was making the world a better place; then, a criminal and a criminally negligent system conspired to take it all away from her. But that young woman is back and she is not alone. Women and men from every branch of the military are speaking up. This is a problem we can fix. We only have to want to.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present this amendment. This actually was adopted by a voice vote in the Financial Services Committee in 2010; and my good friend and colleague, Congresswoman Biggert, may recall it. It was something that came up in my district where an elderly woman, living on Social Security, had a mortgage balance on her home of $13,000; but because she was being included in a newly mapped flood zone, her bank required her to purchase the full $250,000 in flood insurance at a cost of more than $2,400 per year. I would venture to say that we don't see ourselves as being in the insurance business by choice. We are in the flood insurance business out of necessity, and it would seem to me that it doesn't make a lot of sense to impose an obligation on homeowners to purchase insurance that exceeds the actual cost of their mortgage, especially when we note that the average flood damage claims are anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000. So to require someone who has a $13,000 loan balance to purchase flood insurance for $250,000 and pay a fee, a yearly premium of $2,400, is just, I think, unacceptable; and I would think my colleagues on both sides of the aisle would like to do something for those people who have been responsible, pay down their mortgages, and have small balances. This particular amendment makes it a violation for a lender, whose only interest in the property is the amount of the outstanding mortgage indebtedness, to use the National Flood Insurance Program to require a homeowner to purchase more than the legally required amount of flood insurance, an amount equal to the outstanding principal balance. Nothing, however, would prohibit a homeowner who wished to purchase more coverage from doing so, and nothing would preclude a mortgage lender from including such a requirement in the mortgage contract up front, as long as it was fully disclosed. In both cases, the homeowner would be able to make a choice, and this would be full disclosure as well. In California, where we have mandatory auto insurance, once a car owner has discharged their debt on the car, they are no longer obligated to carry coverage for the damage to their own car, only the liability insurance if they crash into someone else's car. This amendment is very consistent with giving people a choice as well. Again, I offer this amendment and ask for its support. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, my amendment enhances the derivations proceedings provision in the first-inventor-to-file section of the bill. As we know, the U.S. Patent Office is a vital tool that facilitates universities and businesses of all sizes to turn ideas and discoveries into successful products. Having said that, we must ensure that our patent system provides strong and predictable intellectual property protections. This act creates a new process called ``derivation,'' by which a party can defeat an earlier filed patent application by showing that the invention in the earlier application was derived from the party's invention or concept. The bill requires a party to support a petition for derivation by ``substantial evidence'' in order to initiate a proceeding. The derivation proceedings in this legislation must be a process that is fair, reliable, and permits the Patent and Trademark Office to make a decision based on a solid record of relevant evidence. This amendment helps to accomplish this by requiring the PTO to provide rules for the exchange of relevant information by both parties. The substantial evidence threshold at the petition stage of the proceedings may not be reasonable in some circumstances. For example, consider a situation where an inventor discloses an invention to a venture capitalist who declines to invest in it. The venture capitalist has conversations with several other VCs about the invention, and eventually a company funded by one of those VCs files a patent application for something very much like the original invention. If a company funded by the original VC has filed the application, the inventor would be able to show substantial evidence of derivation through the disclosure to the VC and the link between the VC and the company filing the application. However, in the instance when an inventor did not personally make a disclosure to other VCs or the company that filed an application, it would be difficult for the inventor to show substantial evidence, particularly relevant to disclosures about which the inventor is unaware. The public's interest in fostering innovation requires that the derivation proceedings be equitable to both parties and that the PTO have a complete record of evidence on which to make its decision. Inventors must have a fair chance to prove their claim, and defending parties must be able to provide evidence to rebut claims. This amendment accomplishes these goals by requiring the PTO to provide rules for the exchange of relevant information and evidence by both parties. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment which strikes section 2 of the bill. Section 2 of this bill would amend the Clean Air Act to force emissions from any offshore source to be measured only at the corresponding onshore location. Yes, you heard me correctly, the bill demonstrates willful ignorance of the fact that pollution is also harmful over water, not just on land. This dirty air loophole is so big you can float a Deepwater Horizon-sized oil rig through it. I know our philosophies differ here, but the fact is that even if we produced every drop of recoverable oil offshore today, it would only last us for 3 years at our current consumption rate. Then we would be right back where we started from without having reduced our demand on oil, except we would be about billions of dollars poorer after subsidizing the oil companies to turn the rest of offshore USA into the Gulf of Mexico. That does not sound like a deficit-cutting, jobs- creating proposal to me. H.R. 2021 purports to simply reduce the amount of time it takes to get a permit to drill, but it also gives Big Oil a free pass on having to properly account for the toxic pollution it releases on the Outer Continental Shelf. It moves the geographic point where emissions are measured from offshore, near the drilling location, to an onshore point many miles away. This change would clearly weaken public health protection for oil workers--are we interested in them?--fishermen--are we interested in them?--recreational boaters, not to mention all those who do business or make a living in our coastal communities. Apparently, it's the old out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach; what you can't see won't hurt you. After the BP oil spill just last year, such an approach should be dismissed as reckless. One year ago today, oil was gushing into the gulf and toxic emissions were streaming into the air. But if this bill passes, the same level of Clean Air Act protections that gulf oil workers, fishermen, and coastal residents relied on to fight BP for damages would no longer apply in the gulf or anywhere else. Let's be clear. In this bill, the rules don't apply to Shell. Shell wants to drill in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska without monitoring at the source. I get it. We all get it. But that isn't prudent; that isn't fair; that isn't safe. Here are the facts this bill would cover up: Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic would dump as much particulate matter into the air as over 825,000 cars traveling 12,000 miles; as much CO2 as the annual household emissions of 21,000 people; and more than 1,000 times of NO2, a noxious pollutant that causes respiratory illness. This is according to Shell's own permit applications. The pollution may be emitted from rigs or vessels far offshore, but the effects are felt miles away by native populations with vibrant fishing communities by the coast. If Shell Oil or any other company wants to do business on the Outer Continental Shelf, they need to demonstrate that they can meet standards set forth in the Clean Air Act. I mean, that's just fundamental. Instead, they have succeeded in getting Republicans here in Congress to waste taxpayers' time by pushing bills granting them exemptions from the rules at the expense of public health and the environment. In fact, by creating this loophole, H.R. 2021 would actually further complicate the permitting process and increase expenses for all parties involved. The California Air Resources Board, which oversees oil and gas permitting in my State, testified on this very point in committee. This bill, they said, will require more time and expense to properly model onshore emission impacts. Districts may incur added cost and delay to deploy an adequate onshore monitoring network and obtain data sufficient to establish a baseline--costs that will be passed on to the permit applicants. As a ``jobs and energy permitting'' measure, therefore, this bill would fail on both counts while doing real harm to air quality in California and many of the 20 other coastal States. It will certainly achieve the goal of increasing oil company profits at the cost of everyone else. I respectfully urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment and oppose this dirty air loophole. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to once again draw our attention to the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in the military. But, first, I want to mention the disturbing Government Accountability Office report released last week which showed that patients and staff have been raped and sexually assaulted in the VA. There were 284 reports of sexual assault which occurred between January 2007 and July 2010. There were 67 classified as rape, 185 as inappropriate touching, 13 as forced oral sex, eight as forceful medical examinations, and 11 as ``other.'' While this is not as widespread as rape and sexual assault in the military, it is yet another example where government has lacked in protecting the men and women in uniform who serve our Nation. One assault is one too many. VA facilities should be a place for aid and comfort, not for abuse. The House Veterans Affairs' Committee held a hearing on this issue just Monday. Congress must make it a priority to hold the VA accountable and ensure that this does not happen again. As I said during my last speech on this issue, I have set up an email account so survivors of rape and sexual assault in the military can tell their stories. The address is: stopmilitaryrape@ mail.house.gov. Today, I want to share the story of Private Jessica Kenyon. Mr. Speaker, I must warn my colleagues that some of the language is raw. Private Kenyon served in the Army from August 2005 until August 2006. Her allegation is as follows: During training at Fort Eustis, Private Kenyon's teaching sergeant began to harass her. He constantly touched her, and made sexual jokes and comments to her. She did not believe it would be effective to report the teaching sergeant, because her unit commander was openly misogynistic. He was known to say, ``This unit never had any problems until females came into it.'' In December 2005, while Private Kenyon was home for the holidays, she was raped by a member of the Army National Guard. At that point, she reported both the sexual harassment by the drill instructor and the rape to an Army sexual assault response coordinator. The Army official advised her to put the rape ``on the back burner'' and focus on the sexual harassment. Private Kenyon then discussed the rape with Command, who advised that it would be used against her in promotional reviews if she chose to pursue prosecution. After she reported the harassment and rape, she was ostracized and retaliated against by her fellow soldiers. This retaliation followed her to her next assignment at Camp Humphreys in Korea. When she arrived, the sergeant advised that he had received calls warning him about her. He then made a unit-wide announcement, cautioning everyone that they ``should be careful who you talk to because they might report you.'' The sergeant and others engaged in the ongoing sexual harassment of Private Kenyon. In the spring of 2006, one soldier--a specialist and squad leader-- sexually assaulted Private Kenyon. He put his hand under her shirt and on her breasts, and tried to make her touch his penis. She fought him off. Private Kenyon reported the assault to Command. The assailant denied the sexual assault, and failed a lie detector test as a result. He then recanted his testimony and admitted to the harassment. He was charged with ``lying on a sworn statement,'' and was given only a nonjudicial punishment. He was demoted two ranks, but remained on active duty. The assailant got to keep his job. Private Kenyon got Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. For 16 years, Congress has been talking about this issue, and there have been 18 hearings and reports. Yet the Department of Defense still testifies that there are 19,000 rapes that occur in the military every year, and we have done nothing about it. I urge survivors to tell their stories by writing to stopmilitaryrape@ mail.house.gov.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, we have all witnessed an absolute employment disaster in this country. Last month, we found that the manufacturing sector slowed again. In fact, the number of Americans involved in producing goods is near its lowest point since World War II. Meanwhile, we have some things that we can do to change that, and I have a great example to share with you today. This is a TSA uniform. This uniform is manufactured in Mexico. Imagine that, manufactured in Mexico. A company in the United States, VF Imagewear, got a contract last February 2010 for $98 million. It promptly outsourced the sewing of this uniform to Mexico. So how many jobs were lost in this particular undertaking? It is estimated that 465 jobs for Americans was lost because this contract was outsourced to Mexico. This amendment is really quite simple. It basically will demand that the Transportation Security Administration purchase clothing manufactured here in the United States. It is, therefore, our economic security. It is also important for our national security. This, Mr. Chairman, is a nonpartisan issue. It's pretty darn simple, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order