Lee Terry

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town 90 years ago today in Omaha, NE. Father Flanagan came to Omaha as a frail Catholic priest determined to make a difference and he found his calling in caring for, educating and housing orphaned boys. Father Flanagan's attitude can best be summed up by his famous aphorism ``there are no bad children.'' He firmly believed this and it became the basis of the work of Boys Town. Another aphorism attributed to the children of Boys Town is: ``He ain't heavy Father, he's m'brother.'' This simple statement encompasses what we all know--that with help from our peers and our Creator we can bear any burden to help those in need. The difference Father Flanagan made in the lives of young people resonates to this day. Because of Father Flanagan's commitment to improving the lives of children, Boys Town now assists homeless or at- risk children in 14 States as well as the District of Columbia. In fact, last year approximately 450,000 children and families found help through Boys Town National Hotline. This number includes 34,000 calls from youth where hotline staff intervened to save a life or provide counseling. These numbers are truly impressive for one organization. Father Flanagan's work even lead to the production of the movie Boys Town starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, for which Spencer Tracy earned the Academy Award. Using the fame generated by the Academy Award winning movie, Father Flanagan expanded his work on the welfare of children beyond the United States and traveled to Japan and Korea in 1947 to study child welfare problems. He made a similar trip to Austria and Germany, and while in Germany he died on May 15, 1948 of a heart attack. He was buried in the Dowd Chapel at Boys Town. Madam Speaker, without Father Flanagan and his dedicated work, which continues through Boys Town, our Nation would be a poorer place spiritually. I believe that Father Flanagan's Boys Town is an excellent example of the positive impact faith-based institutions can have on our society. Father Flanagan's Boys Town is now Father Flanagan's Girls & Boys Town to reflect the fact that it serves all children. I commend their continued commitment to the children of this Nation and believe they deserve the recognition of Congress on the celebration of the 90th Anniversary of Boys Town's founding.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4299, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. This legislation revises and extends the Terrorism Risk Insurance program established under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA). TRIA has been a cornerstone of our Nation's comprehensive response to the events of September 11, 2001, providing a vital and necessary backstop for our insurance industry and its policyholders. I am pleased that H.R. 4299 does not reduce TRIA's complete coverage for nuclear, chemical, biological, and radiological events. It should be noted that workers' compensation insurers are uniquely obligated by state law to provide coverage for these events to their policyholders; for them, especially, it is critical that TRIA provide a backstop for these events as well as for conventional acts of terrorism. It is important that TRIA serve the industry and its policyholders equally. Over the course of TRIA's life, the ``trigger level,'' or threshold of losses insurers must suffer from an act of terrorism before TRIA can kick in, has been raised from $5 million to $100 million. For small- and medium-sized insurers--the majority of the industry--a trigger level of $100 million is too high. As a result, I support the provision which has survived in the House version in H.R. 4299 which returns the trigger level to the 2006 level of $50 million. While I support H.R. 4299, it is important to note a significant omission which also affects our small- and medium-sized insurers and their policyholders. The deductible insurers' must pay under TRIA is potentially cost-prohibitive for these companies. Additionally, this deductible is calculated based on the amount of an insurer's direct earned premium over the previous year. Insurers' deductibles under TRIA should be tied to their capital, not the amount of their liabilities. As a result, I encourage the House to reexamine TRIA in the future to address this issue.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness, for yesterday, at about 2 p.m., a tragedy occurred in my hometown, where eight people were killed, gunned down, some of them employees at Von Maur, others just shopping for the Christmas holidays. To those families, those eight families who lost a loved one so senselessly, my thoughts and my prayers go out to you. I can't imagine what you're going through today. Our whole community across Nebraska, eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, not just Omaha, is scarred by this tragedy. A very disturbed 19-year- old man walks into this mall and this store and begins randomly shooting at people. The victims of this terrible tragedy, this massacre: Gary Scharf, who was shopping, a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska; John McDonald, a customer, resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa. By the way, his daughter was an associate attorney for me. I have been communicating with her. To her, Suzanne Sheehan, and your family, my deepest condolences. Also killed were six Von Maur employees: Angie Schuster, Maggie Webb, Janet Jorgenson, Diane Trent, Gary Joy, and Beverly Flynn, all of Omaha. Some of these were only 10 minutes from their shift being over and would be out of this store. Some of them are young mothers, leaving small children. There were others who were seriously injured, like Fred Wilson and Michelle Oldham. Others were also injured, like Jeff Schaffer and Brad Stafford. Now just to put this in context, the first 911 call went out, and within 6 minutes our emergency response, our EMS, and our Omaha Police were in that store. But it was all done and over with by the time they could get there. The damage was already done. But they immediately began working on those that were injured and securing the mall for the other thousands of shoppers that were there. I want to thank publicly our first responders from not only the city, but Douglas County, Sarpy County, the State Patrol, for their heroic efforts given in this tragedy. Now a tragedy of this scope and scale is just unthinkable. It's hard to get my mind around this. There's no way for us to understand this senseless act of violence, and I ask the entire country to pray for peace and healing during this difficult time for these families in our community. God bless.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize November 4-10 as ``Long-Term Care Awareness Week.'' As the baby boomer generation begins to reach retirement age, understanding the realities and benefits of long-term care has never been more important. Preparing for future costs of health care is something that every American should be doing. Long-term care insurance is one way for Americans to plan for periods of extended disability without burdening their families, going bankrupt, or relying on government assistance. At least 60 percent of people over age 65 will require some long-term care services at some point in their lives--the personal assistance that enables impaired people to perform daily routines such as eating, bathing, and dressing. This care is expensive, averaging almost $200 per day for nursing home care, nearly $80 per day for assisted living and about $20 per day for home care. While these costs are astronomical, it is even more stunning how few people realize the true financial impact of requiring long-term care. A 2006 AARP study found that 59 percent of adults who are over 45 overestimate Medicare coverage for long-term care. It is important for people to understand that Medicare does not generally pay for most long-term care services. Therefore, it is important for individuals to start early and plan ahead for long-term care costs as a critical component of their retirement plans. Various pieces of legislation have been introduced in Congress to encourage the purchase of long-term care insurance, including my own legislation, The Long-Term Care Act (H.R. 3088), which allows individuals to use funds from their IRAs or 401(k) plans tax-free and without penalty to purchase long-term care insurance. The government does have an important role to play in encouraging higher utilization of long-term care insurance. During Long-Term Care Awareness Week, I would encourage all citizens interested in retirement planning to visit www.longtermcare.gov, where the government hosts a national clearinghouse for long-term care information.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of my colleagues here and the constituents of the Second Congressional District, our prayers go out to Barbara, his wife, and their five children. Peter passed away yesterday. He was a mere 66 years old. Many of you know that served with him that he developed Parkinson's the last few years, and it slowly had worsened. But as is typical with Pete, instead of feeling sorry, he went out and became an advocate for those with Parkinson's disease, frequently coming to our office to talk about his advocacy and also about local politics back home. Pete first ran for the State legislature in Nebraska in 1978, where he became known as this idealistic, principled, yet liberal Member from midtown Omaha, which was surprising because he grew up in a family of pretty hard-core, conservative Republicans. But I got to know Pete. In fact, Pete even offered me a clerkship in his law office in 1986, and we became fast and good friends. He then ran for Congress in 1988 where, with the utmost dedication, he represented the people of the Second District of Nebraska, carrying on that principled, idealistic nature that he brought to the Nebraska State legislature. So on behalf of people of the State of Nebraska and the Second Congressional District, I'll say that we will miss our friend, Pete Hoagland. At this time, I'd like to yield to my friend from New York.

Mr. TERRY. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of The ALS Registry Act of 2007, originally introduced in May by my colleague Representative Eliot Engel of New York and myself. As the bill comes to the floor, we have been joined by 275 bipartisan cosponsors in support of this important legislation. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, progressive, neurodegenerative disease affecting motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, each year. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease. The average life expectancy for a person with ALS is two to five years from the time of diagnosis. There is no known cure for ALS. The most important provision in our bill establishes a national ALS registry. There is currently no single national registry which collects and stores information on the prevalence and incidence of ALS in existence in the United States. The establishment of a national registry will help identify the occurrence and frequency of ALS and other motor neuron disorders and collect data which is badly needed for ALS research, disease management and the development of standards of care in order to significantly enhance the nation's efforts to find a treatment and cure for ALS. A recent article from the New England Journal of Medicine stated that ``approximately 90 percent of the persons with ALS have the sporadic form, which may be caused by the interaction of multiple environmental factors and previously unknown genes.'' The purpose of creating a registry is to identify if there are any geographic, genetic or environmental groups of people that have been diagnosed with this terrible disease. This would then allow scientists a better opportunity to identify any relevant factors. This registry may sound simple on the surface, but it is actually a significant tool in determining the root causes of ALS, which would hopefully lead to diagnostic tests and screenings to see who is susceptible to the disease. Although we know the debilitating effects of ALS, I am moved every year when I am visited by patients and their families in my Washington office. Despite the extremely challenging medical conditions faced by these patients, they make an extraordinary effort to travel to the Capitol and share their stories in the hope that we will soon find effective treatments and a potential cure so that no one like them will have to suffer in the future. The courage shown by ALS patients, as well as their families, is inspiring to me. All diseases bring hardships on those afflicted, but ALS is particularly cruel in the quickness of the onset, the severity of the symptoms and the fatal nature of the condition. The provisions in our bill creating a nationwide registry for persons afflicted with ALS are important steps forward in strengthening the efforts to understand, treat and one day eradicate this terrible disease. I urge my colleagues to support the ALS Registry Act and I am proud to have worked on this very important effort with my friend Mr. Engel. I am also grateful that our committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, took up this legislation and advanced the bill to the floor.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, on October 2, I inadvertently voted ``no'' on rollcall 931, Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. I intended to enter an ``aye'' vote on this rollcall.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this legislation and urge my colleagues to oppose it. I am a strong supporter of economic development in rural America. That is why I have been pressing for reform of the Universal Service Fund to bring the benefits of broadband telecommunications to the rural areas of the country. I also strongly support the programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and our State Department of Agriculture that promote economic growth in Nebraska. But, Mr. Speaker, I cannot support this bill. The State of Nebraska already participates in the existing Northern Great Plains Commission and the North Central BioEconomic Consortium. I am told by Nebraska's Deputy Director of Agriculture that there are even more of these organizations in the Midwest dedicated to the same goals. H.R. 3246 would just add one more entity to this existing number of economic development groups now in place. Even more troubling is the $1.25 billion price tag authorized by the bill and the creation of permanent regional commissions that will require millions of dollars in tax dollars for administrative expenses. We need to cut federal spending, not increase it. Finally, the legislation also includes a provision requiring prevailing wages under the Davis-Bacon Act. For all of these reasons, I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, from September 4th through September 6th I was in Omaha recovering from a medical condition and was unable to travel back to the Capitol. I therefore missed 13 recorded votes. The votes I missed were rollcall vote 847 through rollcall vote 859.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I stand here today in support of this resolution, as does the full committee Chair, Joe Barton, and Ranking Member Nathan Deal, supporting efforts of this resolution, House Resolution 470, supporting the efforts to increase childhood cancer awareness, treatment and research. The sponsor of this bill, Representative Deborah Pryce, is a true champion for childhood cancers. Cancer is a brutal disease and so pervasive we are all closely touched by it. It is that much more devastating to see a young child suffer from cancer. This resolution serves to increase knowledge and awareness of cancer among children and how we can encourage research and education into the disease. Deborah Pryce is a committed mother and a dedicated and tireless advocate. Through this resolution, she is honoring not only the memory of her daughter, but also those of all children who have suffered from cancer. Childhood cancers affect the whole family: mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. I think it can be said that we all will greatly miss Representative Pryce after her retirement from the House at the end of this Congress. She's leaving a legacy both for her work for her constituents in Ohio, as well as for the leadership of the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Pryce).

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3580, which passed the House last week, was highly technical and addressed a number of very complicated FDA policy and regulatory matters. I commend the bipartisan Members and the staff who worked so hard on the language that passed with such broad support in the House. Inevitably, when these complicated matters are addressed, some drafting and technical issues need to be revisited in a technical corrections bill. In the case of the FDA Amendments of 2007, we were especially mindful that the funding had to be secured to prevent the layoff of FDA reviewers prior to September 30. Given the importance of that deadline to protecting the public health, it is inevitable drafting and workability issues may need to be revisited. The resolution simply corrects two omissions from the text that was approved last week. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 661, to which I was mistakenly added.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for this resolution recognizing the 60th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force as an independent military service. Offutt Air Force Base is home to the 55th Wing, the Fightin' Fifty- Fifth. Offutt's diverse missions and global responsibilities put it on the cutting edge of the new U.S. Air Force. There are approximately 12,000 military and Federal employees representing all branches of the military that serve on or near Offutt AFB, which is located near the Missouri River just south of Omaha and is a major presence in my congressional district. Offut is also the home of STRATCOM, the global integrated force that is charged with the missions of space operations; information operations; integrated missile defense; global command and control; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; global strike; and strategic deterrence. Mr. Speaker, the Fifty-Fifth Wing operates a variety of aircraft to conduct operations from Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Kadena AB, Japan; RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom; Souda Bay Naval Support Activity, Crete; and other locations around the world. It is the largest wing in Air Combat Command and the second largest in the Air Force. Air Combat Command is the principal provider of combat airpower that supports America's global national security strategy. It operates fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, battle-management and electronic- combat aircraft. It also provides command, control, communications, intelligence systems, and information operations in support of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, as the U.S. Air Force celebrates its 60th Anniversary, I want to join my colleagues in recognizing the many contributions it has made to the defense of our Nation.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I reluctantly rise in opposition to this conference report. I do so in spite of my past support for increases in Federal student loan programs and expanded access to college for all young people regardless of their economic status. As a young student at the University of Nebraska and Creighton Law School, I had to rely on student loans and part-time jobs to cover my tuition, books, and living expenses. And I know that for many families that is also the only way their children can afford to meet the rising costs of a college education. That is what I have consistently voted for, increases in Pell grants and the reduction of interest rates from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 722, a bill to increase the maximum Pell grant award to $4,810 for academic years 2008-2014. There are three reasons why I have decided to vote against this bill. First, this Conference Report provides $22.3 billion in cuts to federal spending, over five years, but then at the same time spends roughly $21.57 billion in that same period time period which amounts to $752 million in deficit reduction. When H.R. 2669 passed in the House, it was estimated to cut spending by $20.38 billion, and spend $17.58 billion, leaving a remainder of $2.79 billion in deficit reduction. Unfortunately, much of the spending in the Conference Report goes towards five new entitlement programs and graduates of college rather than current students. The second reason that I cannot support this legislation is that many of its provisions will drive private sector lending companies out of the market place, reducing the choices for student borrowers and eventually making the U.S. Department of Education the lending option of last resort. That is probably the intended purpose. A government agency replacing the free market. In addition to reducing loan rates, it reduces the level of insurance that private lenders can use to off-set student loan defaults, and makes other cuts that will reduce incentives to remain in the student loan business. It also eliminates the exceptional performer incentive program for good lenders who help students restructure their loan agreements if they are having trouble meeting their loan payments. Also, loan origination fees for lenders would be increased. All of these punitive provisions will reduce the number of private sector student loan firms thus reducing student loan choices for students. I also believe private capital working with the secondary markets creates more dollars to offer students than does the U.S. Department of Education. Finally, Mr. Speaker, even though the conference report contains savings that pay for the many new entitlement programs created by the legislation, at the end of 5 years, the American taxpayers will be asked to pay the entire cost of these new programs. History tells us that once a Federal entitlement program is created, it will not die. We cannot afford to create another unchecked Federal entitlement spending program that will only contribute to the future inflation of college costs. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this conference report.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I do appreciate the gentleman's acceptance of this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. I can keep talking. Reclaiming my time from the gentleman from Virginia, while the technology to implement geothermal, for example, a smaller building may increase the building cost by a mere $3,000 or $4,000, studies have shown that for commercial or residential buildings that they will recoup those costs within a matter of 3 years because of the energy savings by using the Earth's own energy to heat and cool. Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, this is a noncontroversial amendment that encourages government buildings to use geothermal technology. Geothermal technology is simple; when you dig down and use the energy within and beneath the Earth, you save energy. For example, in Nebraska, and all over, you can dig down 100 feet where the temperature is a consistent 60 degrees. So therefore, for example, at this time of year when it's in the 90s and high humidity, instead of cooling the air from 100 degrees to 72, you're bringing it up from 60 degrees to 72. You save anywhere from 60 percent and as high as up to 80 percent, depending on the time of year, on energy costs to heat and cool and also to create hot water. This is the major use of energy within buildings, whether commercial or residential, and I think government should be the leader in this. Simple amendment. I appreciate the help and encouragement I have received on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to state that I believe that we should cover our low-income uninsured children, and I do believe we should make efforts to get them all in. If it was just that, we would be all in agreement. But that is not before us today. And I do believe that part of this attacks health insurance as we know it today. Number one, they defund Medicare Advantage, which is where people can opt out of Medicare and actually go into a managed program by a health insurance company. So they defund that, attacking that. Next is, for the first time, they are going to place a tax on health insurance policies, driving up the costs, so making it more unaffordable so more people drop out. Then probably just as egregious as the other, an amendment that was denied, a Republican amendment, that says if there is a child that is eligible by the requirements but already insured can't drop that insurance or their insurer can't drop them, forcing them to go into the State-run free health insurance. That was denied. So what we see here is a step-by-step process of making health insurance companies less effective and nationalizing health care.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I think most of us as Republicans want to be able to provide health care access to low-income uninsured children, but that is not the issue or the bill that comes to the floor today. As we have heard from many of the speakers, it is to cover all children despite income levels and despite whether or not they are currently enrolled in a health insurance plan. In fact, one of the Republican amendments that was denied in the Rules Committee and we cannot bring to the floor today is a measure that would say if you are currently enrolled in health insurance, you are not eligible to participate in SCHIP. That is denied, and that is just one piece of evidence that we are going to bring out today showing that this is an attack on private health insurance coverage and the attempt to nationalize health care.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, I am actually going to speak on the amendment that was offered almost 10 minutes ago. I just want to express my appreciation to you, Chairman Peterson, for agreeing to this and working with us to make a good amendment even better by including switch grass and expanding it. Certainly there is no doubt that ethanol is going to be a key ingredient in our recipe for energy independence. We have to do more research and development into cellulosic ethanol, of which sweet sorghum, which is pictured here in this graph, and switch grass, are going to be a key component. We can't do it all with ethanol from corn, so we need other products to develop the cellulosic, to add on top of that to be able to become less dependent on foreign oil. So we need to do the research. This offers grants to universities that will compete. They have to show that they are competitive in this type of research to earn a $1 million grant to do this. Our energy needs require us to speed up this process. Ethanol made from cellulosic materials, like sweet sorghum or switch grass, has nine times the amount of energy as regular ethanol. So that is another reason why we have to add this. I want to compliment the ranking member and the chairman in putting together really a pretty good bill. Forty-eight hours ago I was telling all of our farm groups that I was very proud to support this type of legislation, especially because of the bioenergy issues in here. But, unfortunately, those of us that have said we will vote against tax increases have been put in a very tough position.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise to applaud today's passage of H. Res. 541 by unanimous consent to recognize the Marines of Company ``M,'' or ``Mike Company,'' on the occasion of their 25th annual reunion. I am proud that men in my home State of Nebraska served in this distinguished unit. In fact, former Marine Commandant General Chuck Krulak and General Tom Draude served together in Vietnam in this unit. The U.S. Marine Corps told me that during General Krulak's tenure as CMC, he often took the opportunity in speeches to extol the heroism of fellow Marines from Mike Company--in particular Tom Draude, a former Commander of M/3/7 who was awarded the Silver Star for heroism in a 1966 action. The Marines of Mike Company served honorably and heroically in the Vietnam war from July 1965 to October 1970. Their service in defense of freedom, liberty and political self determination for the South Vietnamese people earned the unit numerous citations and commendations for valor, including: The Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with 2 Bronze Stars; Navy Unit Commendation Streamer; Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer with 2 Bronze Stars; National Defense Service Streamer; Vietnam Service Streamer with 2 Silver Stars and 3 Bronze Stars; Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Streamer; and The Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer. The Men of Mike Company were the subject of a 1968 documentary entitled ``A Face of War,'' which accurately portrayed the sights and sounds of Marines performing their duties in a combat zone. My constituent, retired Captain James Sackett, appeared in the film as part of the Mike Company ``Band of Brothers'' who displayed their courage under fire on behalf of all U.S. Marines. The Marines of Mike Company, along with their loved ones, have held a reunion every year since 1983. They have formed the Mike 3/7 Vietnam Association to honor the memories of their fallen comrades; celebrate the lives of their surviving comrades; express profound appreciation to their families and loved ones; recognize the monumental sacrifices and achievements necessary for freedom; and to hold forth their contribution to the Marine Corps legacy of courage, patriotism and military excellence as an example to future generations. Americans everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to the Marines of Mike Company for their selfless dedication to duty and their admirable display of courage under fire. The U.S. House of Representatives is proud to honor their sacrifices on the occasion of their 25th annual reunion.