Paul Tonko

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, this evening, we are going to be speaking about those advancements in public policy terms that allow us to go forward with a very meaningful agenda to continually respond as an American public to the dynamics of Earth Day. It is hard to imagine that it takes us back to 1970 when we first ushered in Earth Day, a time when Americans were working to focus on the stewardship that is our responsibility to grow a stronger environment and a better environmental response to enable us to improve outcomes out there, outcomes such as the air that we breathe. Obviously, as stewards of the environment, we have the responsibility, yes, to enhance the outcome in the present, but it also much more relevantly speaks to what we will do for future generations to make certain that our actions today will begin the process of a stronger outcome for generations to come. So efforts on improving the quality of air that we breathe and the efforts to improve the water that we drink are two of those driving forces that have ushered in this celebration annually of Earth Day where we recommit with each and every year to continue the efforts to grow the progressive agenda. Now, four decades later plus, we know that the climate crises that gripped this Nation and this globe are real. We know that the efforts to address our planet in peril are absolutely critical and that we have experienced now the challenges that behoove us to move forward as a nation and as a world to respond not only to those challenges but to see them also as opportunities that are waiting out there for all of us because, as we'll discuss in the ensuing hour, there are those benefits that come with embracing this clean-energy economy, this clean-energy thinking, the green-energy thinking, that will allow us to shape the job market of the future, and that requires us to prepare the skill sets that will be required in our workforce. It will enable us to establish jobs not yet appearing on the radar. It will enable us to move forward with this innovation economy, which will, I think, speak to energy security for us, as Americans, to energy independence and therefore to national security, which is a looming, looming dynamic out there that oftentimes is not discussed. So, Mr. Speaker, with your permission here this evening, we are going to talk about some of those things, those items, that really were embraced by the Democratic leadership, by the Democratic leadership in this House, on this Hill in Washington, and certainly now in the White House with this new administration's speaking to the empowerment that can come to this Nation, yes, with the results that can be achieved but, yes, also with the corresponding opportunities that will be packaged into the outcomes that we will enjoy. Our country has been moving in a new direction, I believe, in the last couple of years, understanding that there are a number of benefits that can come to all of us, to all sectors of this country, and certainly there are ways to speak to middle-income American families from coast to coast in a way that provides positive change for them at home. There are issues that will allow us to launch this clean-energy economy that will create millions of jobs associated with that sort of thinking. These are jobs, I will posit, which will not be outsourced. These will be jobs that will be stationed here in the United States which will enable us to again be the masters of our destiny, which will allow us to be the architects of new programmatic efforts of inducing all sorts of beneficial sorts of concepts and programs which will enable us to showcase the American pioneer spirit. You know, I represent a district in upstate New York that was the birthplace to the westward movement. My district houses the confluence of two historic water channels--the Mohawk River and the Hudson River-- and the confluence of those two rivers is the edge of that westward movement that created a port out of a town called New York City, which then gave birth to a necklace of communities which became the epicenters of invention and innovation, which then created the pathway to a westward movement that developed not only New York as a State but the entire country as a nation, which then impacted with its discoveries the quality of life of people around the world. That same pioneer spirit that drove the Industrial Revolution and that drove the first energy revolution can also now be that inspiration that allows us to move forward in a way that creates this green energy revolution that will respond to the absolute symbolism and spirit of Earth Day, which, as I said, started some four decades ago, over 40 years ago, when the first celebration occurred. In embracing this sort of agenda, it also will enable us to lower energy costs for American businesses and certainly for American households. It is such an important factor as people have learned through these very difficult economic times that we need to be able to control those costs. We will talk a bit tonight, I imagine, about a smart grid, about smart meters, about smart thermostats, all of which put control and responsibility, but then also provide opportunities for America's energy consumers--large and small, businesses and households--with all of us prospering from that sort of activity. So, in lowering those energy costs, which sometimes can be a very significant price to pay, it can be a significant wedge of a business pie chart for costs of that particular business or for that particular industry. It also can be a very painful and growing wedge of the household pie chart for its finances, especially for some of our lower income strata families, working families, who, when impacted by these growing energy costs, are paying more and more of a percentage of their household incomes, disproportionately represented for their households, compared to other households that may be living in better energy environments and that may be living in situations which don't extract as much pain, require as much pain, due to those energy costs as they do for other families. Also, with this agenda of progress, with this progressive nature of policy reforms, I think it will allow us to reduce that growing gluttonous dependence on foreign imports, on fossil-based fuels that are still our heavy reliance. That dependence on foreign oil is oftentimes associated with unstable countries, yes, but more critically with unfriendly nations to America as a country. Certainly, leaders of our country have had difficult times with those unfriendly nations, and we continue to move forward with this gluttonous dependency on that foreign import of oil. Then, finally, there is the opportunity for us to speak in meaningful measure about reducing our carbon pollution that is now causing climate change, global warming. This increasing carbon footprint threatens not only the Nation's environment but the world's environment, the global environment. These efforts, these benefits, that can be realized simply through the investment of resources, through the development of public policy, through the resolve of taking on an agenda that can really grow a positive outcome and that can provide a more optimistic flavor for all of us here in this Nation are doable items, and they should be committed to with a strong sense of resolve as we celebrate Earth Day tomorrow on April 22 across this country. Americans cannot afford, Mr. Speaker, to return to some of the failed policies of the past where people have associated a partnership as a tradition with Big Oil. Big Oil has been demanding of us to continually send those billions of dollars, which I made mention of, overseas for foreign oil. It is putting dictators who, perhaps, tolerate terrorism or who, more dreadfully, engineer that terrorism in ways that put them in charge of our energy supplies. That should be a no-brainer. That should be a challenge to all of us to escape the woes of that sort of dependency to enable us again to be in charge of our energy decisions and in charge of our energy resources and supplies. Also, we are lavishing those subsidies on oil companies which have been earning continually--and especially in recent history--record profits, record profits that should behoove us to reformulate our thinking, enabling us to move forward in a way that doesn't have us furthering our dependence on foreign imports of oil but rather has us escaping the crippling impact that this expensive, dirty, and dangerous 19th century thinking, as it relates to fuel sources, continues to bear on the outcomes for so many Americans. So I believe, on Earth Day, we should step back and recommit, as we move forward, to go forward with this green thinking, with this green Earth thinking of outcomes that can be very real in our lives here as Americans, a thinking that enables us to commit with a high degree of passion to R&D, to research and development, to basic research through our universities and through our private sector to enable us to continue to build upon those active qualities of growing shelf opportunities that can be reached in terms of energy efficiency issues and in terms of retrofits for homes and businesses, which will enable us to look at not just the supply side of the equation but will enable us to reach over to the other side of that equation, the demand outcome. That demand side of the equation is one that can find us prospering simply by addressing a reduction in the amount of energy supplies that we utilize, in energy supplies that are meaningful and in energy supplies that should be seen, accompanied by a strong commitment, a resolve, to address energy efficiencies as a fuel of choice. That energy efficiency outcome should be a very high priority of fuels to which we reach. It should be seen as that quantity out there, as that commodity that is mined and drilled, just as we actively mine for coal or drill for oil, and we should again do the mining and drilling operation with energy efficiency, our fuel of choice, to reduce that mountain of electrons that is required, that is depended upon. We can deal with that in very meaningful measure by moving forward with opportunities in research and development and certainly in the practical outlay of resources where we measure up by retrofitting our businesses, our communities, and our households with energy efficiency. Let me just speak to some practical measures that are very much akin to the 21st Congressional District, which I represent in upstate New York. While I served in the State legislature for many years, just shy of 25 years in the New York State Assembly, I served as energy chair for the last 15 years. We had put together some novel opportunities, experiments, that would provide for a greener thinking of energy policy. What we had done in our efforts was to, for example, work with threatened economies, with the ag economy. I happen to represent a number of agriculture-related industries and businesses within upstate New York. Chief amongst them was the dairy sector, a sector that, until this day, has always been threatened by an inappropriate response for the pricing mechanism that is required to enable our dairy farmers to be justly responded to for the hard work, 24/7, that they do at their businesses, oftentimes family business-related, that brings food to the table. In order to respond to that agenda where their costs of production were oftentimes not covered and were not met by the price of milk that was delivered to them for the produce, for the product they delivered to the market, we set upon a course, an agenda, to respond in favorable and in sensitive measure to our dairy farmers. Well, we put together a commitment with a partnership--with ESCOs, Energy Services Companies; with NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; with farm organizations; with local utilities; and with the State of New York, the assembly--working with some legislative resources that it would apply towards this experiment. We were able to reach out to the farming community. We got two volunteer farms to enter into a demonstration project. And here they are dealing with milk as a commodity. That is a very perishable product that is highly regulated, that deals with the pumping and cooling process, that deals with many energy issues that are unique. They can't go off peak. Mother Nature calls. Their milking process is one that is governed by nature, not by human decision to go off peak or on peak. So with the uniqueness, we addressed their concerns. We came forward with an energy efficiency retrofit for these dairy farms that introduced double-digit percentage reduction in the amount of energy supplies that were required at that farm, without even addressing the tariff rate that they were charged. Simply by reducing the mountains of electrons required at those two dairy farm operations, we were able to reduce their cost of production significantly simply through energy terms. Now, that is one small example in one sector of one important industry in upstate New York, throughout New York State, and a very meaningful, meaningful industry because they are dealing with nutritional needs. They are placing those nutrition needs onto the table, the dinner tables of families across this country. That is one example of how we are able to relate energy efficiency to a struggling industry, to one that needed greater respect in public policy measure. That is inspiration to all of us. And certainly for just the dairy sector, it was inspiration to then reach out and do a much larger program with time where we dealt with about 70 farms that were equally surprised with their outcomes, that came with energy efficiency operations, that enabled us to have a much stronger outcome. The response of that, the result of all of that was that people are now looking and expanding through the Public Service Commission some greater opportunities that would perhaps allow for statewide programs to take hold. The point of mentioning this, Mr. Speaker, is that we have it within our grasp--we certainly have it within our intellect--to make these sorts of success stories more and more relevant, more and more visible, and more and more numerous across the industry types and business types of our State and our country. I think it's important for us to see that as an investment that is very sound, no matter what the supply mix, no matter where the power and how the power is generated, and hopefully we move toward an American self-sufficiency, growing self-sufficiency. No matter what that mix, we need to be less gluttonous in the usage. And I think we can. I think we will. And it takes that resolve to move forward and provide the incentives, provide the focus, provide the terms of legislation that will take us to that new era of innovation within the energy cycle. In 2009, this very House was a leader as it passed clean energy jobs legislation that reduced at the same time carbon emissions in this country, the carbon emissions that would be reduced by some 17 percent by the year 2020. A significant amount of improvement there, keeping America number one in terms of making our country a world leader in new energy technologies, a new leader in making certain that we preserve our American manufacturing base, while protecting consumers. And I think some of the multi-faceted qualities of the outcomes of the driving forces to do a number of these formats for reform sometimes are underestimated and not clearly communicated to the consuming public, to those around this country who are looking for job creation. Especially as we recover from this very long and deep and painful recession, it is important for us to be the masters of this comeback of the American economy. The way we do it and do it best is to make certain that we advance the notions of progressive reforms that will enable us to create jobs not yet, as I made mention, on the radar and put together a responsiveness to the energy needs of people of this country. Through the Recovery Act of 2009, much talked about, oftentimes much focused on and perhaps misinforming what really happened, our Nation made in that Recovery Act an historic investment in job creation, investments that would lead to a clean, more vibrant energy future. And it's estimated that we can create with those dollars more than 700,000 jobs, nearly doubling our renewable efforts here in this country for electricity and saving consumers on an ongoing annual basis; making certain that operating costs at home, operating costs at businesses and industries are reduced simply by putting together a solid mix of energy opportunities within that Recovery Act of 2009. Again, if we are moving with smart grids, smart meters, smart thermostats, a better controlled destiny, and more architected opportunity to be creative in our usage, to look off peak and to move to issues like advanced battery manufacturing, which is the linchpin to taking us to a new era in energy, we can do it. It takes leadership. It takes focus. It takes incentives that take us down this new pathway that is greener than the past and in a way that looks in a new direction, that really embraces what still happens in this country. We are robust in our patent development. We are strong in our higher ed investments. We are strong in our incubator programs, in our R&D opportunities. We need simply to then deploy those success stories that have been prototyped and tested and then advance somehow an agenda that partners with the Angel Network and with the venture capital community the success stories that can then be translated through deployment into the commercialization networks, the business creation that is essential that then translates to the outpouring of jobs that are then available to Americans as we securitize that effort, as we grow our energy independence and grow our security as not only consumers but generators of the energy supplies that we require. In 2009, this House also passed the clean energy jobs legislation that reduced those carbon emissions, as I said, by some 17 percent. But also in 2007, before my time here because I entered in this past term as a freshman, Congress enacted a landmark energy law that would increase vehicle fuel efficiency for the first time in more than three decades so that the outcome would be 35 miles per gallon, a much more efficient outcome for the industry in this country, and that threshold year of 2020 would be the benchmark, so that by 2020 we would be achieving 35 miles per gallon, a very much increased and improved-upon measurement for fuel efficiency in our auto fleets in this country. These are actions that respond to and underscore the historic commitment to a clean homegrown American agenda. And I think that those biofuels that we've embraced through renewables, with wind and solar, the efforts for geothermal as energy supplies and advanced vehicle technology are just the beginning of progress, the exploration of new frontiers, new pioneer efforts to take us to this new realm of energy creation and energy responsiveness. I think that with this ACES legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, it was a landmark opportunity for us to now debate in this House the merits of moving forward with an investment in greener thinking. The historic legislation to launch a new and clean energy economy holds great potential. These, again, are jobs that will not be offshored. They will not be outsourced. We will be working to create 1.7 million American jobs with this measure and would help to reduce, again, the dangerous dependence on foreign supplies, so much so that we reduce that dangerous dependence on foreign oil by some 5 million barrels per day, keeping energy costs low for Americans and protecting American consumers from the ravages of costs and price controls that have gone beyond their pocketbook. The impact of all of this is done without any increase to the deficit, which I believe is a very strong outcome for all of us. We talk about the advancements. We talk about scientists. We talk about technology and engineering. It is important for all of us to understand that there is great potential here in growing the jobs as we address the progressive agenda, and there are those who have led the discussion, led the debate because of their experience as scientists, those who have been there. They understand the value added of these technical-related fields and professions. They know the potential. They know the commitment. They know the passion that these professionals embrace to change our thinking, to bring us to a newer, higher realm of outcome that is within our grasp. We have seen it through the decades. We have seen it in a way that has inspired progress for the entire world well beyond the boundaries of this country. We need to bring back that sort of commitment, that sort of encouragement that enables all of us to work together as a society. One of those outspoken voices, the informed voices speaking with a fullness, with a depth, comes from scientists like Rush Holt. Representative Holt represents a congressional district in New Jersey, and it has been his passion, it has been his advocacy, as we dealt with policy like ACES, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, issues like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which, again, historically made large down payments to take us to this new thinking-- it has been people like Representative Rush Holt that have delivered and have brought us to this discussion and have forged a positive outcome. Tonight we are pleased to be joined by Representative Holt as he adds his voice to tonight's discussion, celebrating Earth Day tomorrow in a way that takes us to this green energy economy, this innovation economy. Representative Holt, it's great to have you join us.

Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Chairman Inslee, and thank you for your leadership with SEEC, the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coalition. I think as we reference our comments this evening to Earth Day as a celebration tomorrow, we think back to 1970. And it was about the commitment to a better outcome, to addressing business that needed to be accomplished. Tonight we resolved that it's about unfinished business, but yet about untold opportunity. And we can accomplish both by continuing our commitments to a much stronger development and responsiveness to our environment which comes through all sorts of policy, including energy. So, Mr. Speaker, we thank you this evening for the opportunity to share the thoughts of the majority here. And it is onward with progressive policy to be sensitive to those next generations that will inherit from us the outstanding work we can do if we commit.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my deepest sympathy to the people of Poland in the wake of last week's tragic plane crash and to express my support for the resolution by the gentlelady from Pennsylvania that we passed this afternoon. Polish President Lech Kaczynski, along with his wife Maria, the First Lady, military chiefs, civil leaders from across the political spectrum, and senior religious clergy perished in Saturday's crash on their way to Katyn, Russia, to commemorate another great tragedy in Poland's history. At a time when global and domestic strife dominate our consciousness, these leaders were traveling in a historic effort to heal the deep wounds of the Katyn massacre in Polish and Russian history. These were men and women who stood up to tyranny and helped shape their nation's democratic transformation, but this loss was not Poland's alone. From the outpouring of support by our Nation's 9 million Americans of Polish descent, including those in New York's 21st Congressional District, and my very own family, to the President and First Lady's attendance at President Kaczynski's funeral this Sunday, America stands next to Poland in mourning. The solidarity of the Polish people in their grief and their quiet resolve to carry on is an inspiration to us all. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were lost and all those that they have led.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize March 2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, or LGBT Health Month in the state of New York. The health and happiness of all LGBT individuals in New York and across the country is of tremendous importance. I applaud the efforts of the Healthcare Committee in organizing LGBT month for March 2010, and I look forward to seeing this tradition grow and thrive in the years to come. The Healthcare Committee of the NYS LGBT Health and Human Services Network, in conjunction with the Empire State Pride Agenda, declared the theme of this year's inaugural event ``31 Ways for 31 Days.'' The Committee has gathered 31 simple and useful health tips, one for each day in March, to serve as a resource for the LGTB community. LGTB Health Month is an opportunity for the LGTB community, and all New Yorkers, to unite around the common goal of good health. In following the 31 Ways for 31 Days, we are all reminded that a healthy community is also a happy community. Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me in recognizing March 2010 as New York LGTB Health Month.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Furnaces.

Mr. TONKO. Exactly. And then with the earned income tax credit we stretch the eligibility, and we further reduce the marriage penalty. And so there is an awful lot here that speaks to many, many people who have benefited. That's why it is historic in nature. It's the largest such tax cut for working families in America. And this is a major plus. This is an empowerment to these families that when given this opportunity were able to make these purchases out there from American businesses that then called in more people, were beginning to see the job count rise. We have to remember the last 4 or 5 months of the previous administration was recording somewhere between a 700,000 and 800,000 job loss per month, per month. Now we saw in January, was it 22,000, climbed a little with the tough weather and climate and impacts out there across the country to some 36,000 in February, and now in March we see this 126,000-plus job count. We are seeing the swing go upward. Representative Kagen and I talked earlier this evening about that graph, that linear graph that was just plummeting downward for several months and hit its lowest point in December of 2008 and then began to swing up so that we dropped, was it 17? The American families' wealth dropped by some $16 trillion. Now it's swinging up beyond $5 trillion, $6 trillion as we climb upward. Is it going to happen overnight? Not necessarily. It most likely won't. But this was coming for a long time. It was failed economic policies that were driving down this country's economy that impacted the world economy. And the question here is, do we want to go back to those failed policies or do we advance the agenda of progressive policies that will now make us join together in that climb upward where we're seeing the wealth of American families beginning to crawl back, climb back? We're on a good course, and we need to stay the course. And the four of us here this evening are on that message of looking at what's happening here, tax credits that will benefit, investment in job creation, and a turning around of the economy. And Representative Garamendi, for bringing us together I say thank you again because this message needs to be heard.

Mr. TONKO. Well, I think in New York, obviously, the benefit that comes via the child tax credit or the earned income tax credit is something that needs to be paid strict attention to. We are helping, we are empowering some of the--well, in this case, the poorest three- fifths of taxpayers out. The tax credit for children is stretched to at least $1,000--up to $1,000. The earned income tax credit----

Mr. TONKO. Yes. I was just going to indicate that when we look at the impact of the Recovery Act, the stimulus package on our State economies, Dr. Kagen, Representative Kagen, is very correct that the whole effort here was to provide that job growth, it was to provide stability, it was to really boost the buying power of the American public. That largest tax cut in American history for working families is something that has obviously worked. When we look at the record now in New York State, 98 percent of working families in New York were benefited in 2009. They were getting, on average, a benefit of $1,340--nearly $1,340. That's a tremendous boost to the economy of our State. And there are public efforts that were made for education and relief to government so that we would not see additional cuts; we could retain jobs along with create jobs. We are also benefited by the fact that just about all income levels receive some sort of tax relief. There are those from the administration of Ronald Reagan, very conservative thinkers, who are saying this is a very good outcome that we're looking at now with the Obama administration. This was a great bit of leadership that saved us from this ever-deep, ever-long recession. It was pointed out by my colleague, Representative Sutton, that this stimulus package enabled the growth of jobs that came via factory manufacturing. Well, in my district in Schenectady, which is the birthplace of electricity with GE's headquarters, we are now transitioning into something different than a lithium ion battery. And the diversity that we're encouraging here is important. They're looking at a sodium-based battery that will enable us not only to utilize that innovation for the generation of energy and for heavy vehicle fleets, heavy-weighted vehicle fleets, but also for the storage of intermittent power. Now, there is the lynchpin; the battery is that lynchpin that takes us to a new realm, a new plateau in job creation with an innovation economy. And, again, what I like about the focus here is that we look at the big picture. We don't thrust throw a tax cut for the sake of a tax cut, but we incorporate the thinking of how it ripples into the economy with the policy impact that it makes. And if we can invest in a way that finds us growing jobs with technology with the innovation economy, we are then creating that smart outcome that will allow our industries here that are American based and our businesses to compete effectively and to win those contracts in a global marketplace. It doesn't have to be cheaper; it needs to be smarter. And while I have the mic here, I just have to mention to Representative Sutton that repeatedly, as Representative Kagen indicated, I will have people ask me if I was part of that effort promoted by Representative Sutton. And I said, look, she's not only a colleague, she's a friend. And I appreciate the fact that as we strengthen the American auto industry we are able to, again, see all the subcontracting that is part of that. It has a way of spreading the concentric circles out; it is the pebble-and-the-pond outcome. And we have all been made stronger because of that investment through the auto industry that came through Cash for Clunkers that again triggered a lot of reaction.

Mr. TONKO. I would also mention, if I might, the jobs associated with the production tax credit, be it wind or solar or geothermal, waste energy projects. All of these efforts are critically important to providing that capacity that we need as a Nation and providing for that capacity with American jobs. As we transition to these renewables, I think that this is a great way to grow jobs and to strengthen our energy security in the process.

Mr. TONKO. Yes. Well, one of my favorite topics is energy. No matter where we live, whether it's California, Ohio, Wisconsin, those representatives hear what I hear, that we need to understand that we can control our destiny when it comes to energy as consumers. We are the most gluttonous in the world. And whether that resource is developed here in a domestic fashion, which I believe ought to be our thrust, or whether it's done through imports that are just not, I think, the choice for Americans as we move forward. But, regardless, whatever that base of supply is, we need to strive for energy efficiency and conservation. And what I like about a number of the tax situations that we are doing in the Recovery Act or in general policy format is that we are looking at the big picture. We are putting it into a context that promotes sound policy. So as we expand or continue tax credits for renewables, we make certain that we are providing that production tax credit that really ignites the efforts to build our supply here domestically. I think that is so critically important to not only our energy independence and our energy security but our national security. Just recently I hosted, during our recess for Passover and Easter, the only stop in the State of New York made by the bus tour with Veterans for American Power. And three veterans just recently doing a tour in Iraq and Afghanistan spoke at that event. They call it Operation FREE, and they talk about the wisdom of transitioning our energy needs to domestic produced, American power. They call this Veterans for American Power. They talked about the ravaging on our troops done by dollars sent to the treasuries of those unfriendly nations that are supplying our fossil-based needs. So this production tax credit will take us along the message that the veterans are sharing. Veterans who have served us in uniform, in Iraq and Afghanistan, have said we are not doing the right energy policy. This will encourage it with these production tax credits. Then we provide households--American residents will be benefited by these tax credits that will enable them to get as much as 30 percent of a tax credit up to $1,500 based on the work that they have done on their homes with energy efficient furnaces, with the replacement of windows or doors, with insulation. This will be a smart move that will enable them through the years to reduce the cost of operating that home. I think this is wise policy and a great tax benefit for our American taxpayers.

Mr. TONKO. Absolutely. And Representative Garamendi, I would commend you for bringing us together tonight so as to alert people to these benefits. They are part of the Recovery Act. The Recovery Act has been, you know, driving a very strong outcome for so many American families out there, and we just want them to know of the benefits associated with the act.

Mr. TONKO. I think the important thing here with the tax situation is that, you know, Representative Kagen is exactly right. What we were targeting, what we were focusing, is the bulk of American workers out there, middle-income Americans who were requiring some kind of relief. And as we made it our task in a laser-sharp, focused way to stop the bleeding of this recession, we wanted to make certain that there was some more purchase power for America's working families. And one of the very first measures was the Making Work Pay tax credit, which we will speak to, at least a $400 benefit for an individual or, for those filing jointly as a couple, $800. Now, this an incremental benefit that began in 2009 and continues through 2010. And I think it's important for us so as to get that buying power out there to encourage people to perhaps pick up some of the purchasing that they wanted to do that they were not able to do. It's important for us to make certain that if you've done your taxes, if you missed this opportunity in 2009, make certain you're asking those who may prepare these taxes for you to check out these benefits. You should file under Schedule M of the 1090 form to make certain that this particular credit is taken advantage of. It is putting a great benefit out there for some 110 million working families. And I believe that the working Americans who are going to be benefiting from this, the dollars that are saved, the benefit that is provided here, was nearly a hundred billion dollars into the pockets of our Americans that are of that category. So I think this is an important benefit that comes at a time when we needed to strengthen that purchase power. And I think that you're absolutely right that we need to share this message with Americans out there, especially as they come to the close of their tax prep work. Be mindful also that you can further amend if you miss some of these benefits, because they were geared specifically for those categories of individuals we address here this evening.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Today we answer the clarion call from the American people to fix our Nation's broken health care system. Today is the day we deliver on that promise with a vote as historic as the creation of Social Security and Medicare. Today I will cast my vote in favor of putting the control back into the hands of American families and small businesses and their doctors. No longer will insurance companies be able to hold people hostage by raising rates and abuse sick people by dropping and denying coverage. Small businesses will no longer see their premiums skyrocket and will not have to make the painful decision to stop offering health insurance to their employees because the costs have climbed too high. Indeed, this bill is about freedom. Every American will now have the freedom from control of insurance companies and their record profits and will have the freedom to access the care they need, when they need it. Our seniors will have the freedom to enjoy Medicare for years to come, and they will have the freedom from worrying about the cost of their prescription drugs. The bottom line for me, Mr. Speaker, is whether the people in the capital region of New York will be better off with these reforms, and my answer is yes. Absolutely, yes.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Representative Garamendi. It is important, I believe, for us to recognize, as you're suggesting, the benefits that we're bringing because of this reform for Americans across this great country. Now, the chants that we heard today were concerned about taking away freedoms. I would suggest that as we look at the dynamics of this legislation, we're going to see great improvements--great improvements to access, to affordability, and to the quality of care, all of which are, indeed, important to our families, our individuals, and certainly to our businesses, as they continue to struggle with the cost of health care insurance. As we think of these dynamics, it's important to know--and I look at the benefits personalized to my congressional district in upstate New York, in the capital region, and amongst those benefits is an improvement where 1,100 to 1,200 families will be spared the pain of bankruptcy. When you think of the growing dynamic that health care costs have as they relate to bankruptcy, it's staggering. It's staggering. Eleven hundred to 1,200 families will be saved from the ravages of bankruptcy driven by medical costs, health care costs. I'm reminded with recent data that 62 percent of bankruptcies in this country are caused by exorbitant medical fees, health care that is not covered even though in some cases people are insured. In fact, I'm reminded that of that 62 percent, 78 percent had insurance when they were impacted by this illness, by the catastrophic situation. That tells us something. So we want to talk about freedoms. Yes, I want to provide for the freedom from bankruptcy, the freedom from claims being denied by insurance companies when you are insured. And as you indicated, Representative, in your home State of California, the number is staggering. I want to promote freedom--freedom from the greed of insurance executives who say the sky is the limit for compensation and the profit column rules the day. These are the freedoms that we believe are important to the American public: freedom from bankruptcy; freedom from denied claims; freedom from ever-rising costs, premiums that are escalating beyond belief; freedom from grief. That's what we're talking about here. And tomorrow will be an historic day as we look to change that situation and to strengthen the fabric of our American families and our business community as we continue with this employer-based health care delivery system that will allow us to go forward with a sense of access, affordability, and quality of care. Thank you for bringing us together this evening, Representative Garamendi.

Mr. TONKO. Thank you very much for bringing us together. There is so much to talk about with this bill, but you know, as what has been mentioned with Representative Ryan, a family living on an annual income of $50,000 gets the $5,800 tax credit. Well, you know, it doesn't end there. It goes all the way up to the threshold of $88,000 for annual household incomes whereby families are going to receive some sort of benefit. This is an extraordinary opportunity to provide for middle-income America, to provide income for them so that they can promote wellness within their individual families. Absolutely tremendously strong idea. It empowers the middle class, the working families of this country. It empowers our small businesses. Representative Watson talked about the benefits in her district to small businesses. In my district, between 14,000 and 15,000 businesses will be given the opportunity for tax credits to help purchase the employer-based plans for their given employees. And don't they prosper from a sound and well workforce? I think that is important. They also will have the benefits of shopping within an exchange if they so choose. So there is all of this effort made to make certain that we advantage people in a way that will promote wellness, provide health care in an affordable and accessible fashion. We also do know that the benefits to our senior community, with all of the strengthening of Medicare without reducing those benefits, promoting their pharmaceutical needs being addressed fully in the near future so that they are not avoiding those pharmaceuticals simply because they cannot afford them; that is bad policy. So what we have here is freedom galore, freedom galore to be able to stay well, to stay strong, to grow and prosper, to be hopeful. This is a golden moment. This is a wonderful moment that we will share tomorrow as we come out to this floor and address this health care reform measure. And thank you Representative Garamendi for bringing us to together. Thank you for the opportunity.

Mr. TONKO. Nine years.

Mr. TONKO. I will add to your list. And I am glad, Representative, that you made mention that no benefit cuts are included in the language of the bill. So these are another bit of freedoms that we are talking about in this measure.

Mr. TONKO. I would have to add to your list of benefits in this measure is the stabilization of the Medicare trust fund, providing that trust fund as we go forward being a stronger element out there, enabling us to again provide the Medicare benefits and services that are required. It is an important aspect. It is important to 113,000 beneficiaries in my district. So we want to make certain it's there.

Mr. TONKO. Representative Garamendi, again thank you for bringing us together. I think in addition to that, and you are very right, to have oversubsidized the Medicare Advantage programs some 12 to 14 percent, people say where are the costs coming? Not from you, from the profit column. And actually, we want that to be transformed to something that is Medicare-related in terms of balancing the scales there and allowing our seniors to still have an advantage by having that program continue, but making certain that the oversubsidization is denied. And you are very right about the fraud and the abuse that may be part of that programming. But it is also important to note, I believe, that situations like medical home models and accountable care organizations will provide for the collaboratives that we need to coordinate the resources, to improve access, and to bring together the confluence of services in a way that streamlines without really hurting--actually helping the outcome for our seniors. Then of course free annual wellness visits. Making certain that those copayments, those deductibles are not going to saddle individuals, again having to be forced to dig into your own pocket. We will now have those free annual opportunities, screenings of essential types, the annual checkups. These are items that will not require--actually, copayments and deductibles will be denied and they will be disallowed. So you go forward and you encourage the preventative and wellness approaches to health care delivery, which is an important aspect, I think, to the benefits of this program. We have to remember that the $1.2 trillion that is saved in the second 10 years out and the $138 billion that is saved in the first 10 years are just those budget-related scorings that were done by the Congressional Budget Office. But there are those who are suggesting that well beyond any kind of budget impact are the ripple effects of a good kind that will come simply by instituting wellness and prevention and access and putting clinics into the system, relieving our health care delivery system of uncompensated care burdens. A number of these things can't be scored by the Congressional Budget Office. So it goes well beyond the $1.34 trillion that has been projected by a very conservative, nonpolitical CBO group. So I think there is reason for great hope here. And if we could instill hope, if we could insert hope into the lives of people, into the fabric of our health care opportunities we are achieving a great deal. And again, because this is so critical in the lives of people and in the profit columns of businesses that provide jobs, this is an important discussion.

Mr. TONKO. I think what is important to note is the nomenclature on this one is rather offensive. We talk about the doughnut hole as being Medicare part D, but who is paying that? Is Medicare paying that? No, our senior community. Our senior citizens are asked to contribute. It is not Medicare paying for that portion. So this one was cleverly devised. Cleverly devised. You can almost see the game of footsie going on because somewhere people sat down and thought, We can come up with this great, clever name, sounds attractive, sounds tempting, a doughnut hole. I can tell you many seniors come to me and tell me within a matter of months in any calendar year, I am at that threshold. For those who are not familiar with it, think of the simple doughnut with the hole in the middle. You get covered for a while, then you don't, and then you do. It is that threshold. Actuarial measures could have told them right when you have to peak there to get people into their own pocket paying for this device that is hurting our senior community. So when we talk again about freedom, this is freedom from the doughnut of the worst kind. This is freedom from digging into your pocket and paying for your pharmaceutical needs to stay well or to stay alive. So this measure is great about freeing us from that doughnut hole; but this is not Medicare funded, this is out of the individual's pocket, and it is hurting our senior community. And by the year 2018, we will close that doughnut hole completely. It is an expensive proposition; but, again, as you pointed out, no one worried about paying for it when they came up with the plan.

Mr. TONKO. Representative Garamendi, I couldn't agree more. I think Representative Watson says it well. There is all the call for civil discussion, exchange of information to do things analytically and substantively when it comes to a huge industry that represents $1 of $6 in this country, and we need to do it in a way that brings together the facts, not to deal with fiction. Emotion, obviously, is a part of this discussion. We heard it from our friend, Representative Ryan. We are emotionalized by this, but let's have the sort of dialogue that builds soundness into the reforms that we desperately need as a Nation. When we get back onto this message of freedom, the freedom to shop, many of us understand there is a capitalist model out there. People understand that it is good to have business be successful. And where we can control cost and contain cost, and allow for growth of that business so more jobs are part of that picture, all the better. So we have the opportunity with these exchanges, developed by this reform legislation, to allow for the freedom to shop, to find a better bargain for health care, and as previous speakers have said, add more people into the mix, more providers into the mix that want to fight for the right to serve you. That is a strengthener. And then we establish these exchanges where we require those exchanges to have certain rules to be met, to have regulatory aspects. We saw what happened when no regulation was part of the financial world and the banking community; it brought us to our knees in a recession. We need that sort of regulatory aspect, and it is part of the picture. The medical-loss ratio, the amount of money going back directly to consumers, to those insured, rather than into the profit column, will be a litmus test in order to offer your services in that exchange. And to live with the standards' minimum benefits package. These are the improvements that we bring. So again to Mr. Ryan's emotion, and I attach myself to that sentiment, we are promoting freedom to shop and we are promoting freedom from bankruptcy. These are essentials of this bill; and the exchanges will allow for much more competition that sharpens the pencil and drives the bottom line benefits for consumers. And the freedom to escape restriction and bias if you have acne or are overweight, or for women who are of child-bearing years, or those who have been violated through domestic violence, to use that as a standard, to deny you insurance coverage, that is the freedom you need, to escape those biases and that prejudice and that tool that allows the industry to grow more prosperous because it won't insure you--these are the freedoms we are encouraging. These were the freedoms we are guaranteeing. So I am proud to be here tonight to work with you, Representative Garamendi, to make certain that we share with the American public what is really happening with this measure, and we are going to make history by approving this package.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. I thank the gentlewoman from California for the opportunity. You know, when I listen to the discussion on this floor, when I hear my friends from the other side of the aisle talk about the great plan that they have put forth, I think I need to share with the American public that their plan means 50 million Americans will go without health care coverage. I think that's an important distinction here. And also when we talk about their plan, to me it translates to higher costs, it translates to reduced consumer protections, and it also speaks to no regulations on an industry that has had record profit columns over the last couple of years. So I think our bill states very emphatically that we're about changing the course of direction. We're about putting individuals, families, doctors, in control of the health care outcome--not government, not insurance companies. So this effort to empower the insurance companies is not the solution America is looking for. It is not the solution. They are looking for a thoughtful, academic approach. The Democrats in this House have put forward a sound plan. The Speaker, to her credit, has taken the input from the Members of this majority and advanced them to the United States Senate and to the White House, and we have been able to achieve, on behalf of the people of this great country, situations that allow us to control those skyrocketing costs to make certain that, again, our families, our individuals, our doctors, are making those decisions and not the greed of insurance companies. We want to make certain that as we go through this effort that we provide assistance to those who are struggling in this economy. In fact, in my district, I can look at a family with an average annual income of $50,000 and state to them that with this measure, they will realize a $5,800 benefit, a tax credit, to help them afford their health care costs. That is monumentally important to that family. It also speaks to the ``whose side we're on.'' When a person comes to a situation, a catastrophic situation in their life, they need to know that they have access and affordability and quality care that is their option. So when someone with acne is asking to be insured, our House, our majority, says yes, you should be insured. The other side says ``no.'' When someone says that our health care costs are driving bankruptcy for American families, when we say there should be a cap on out-of-pocket expenditures, our side says ``yes,'' their side says ``no.'' When we speak to gender discrimination on the rating of premiums for women, especially in childbearing years, our side with a very sensitive concern says ``yes'' to giving them more fairness in the equation. The other side says ``no.'' So it continues to go on and on, and the American public needs to know that what this debate is about is providing control to the American families, the working families of this country, enabling them not to be put into bankruptcy because of catastrophic illness, enabling them to have access to health care coverage, enabling them to be strengthened by Medicare improvements where their pharmaceutical needs will be met if they're Medicare eligible, where the Medicare trust fund is stabilized. That's what this measure does. And let me finally close with the impact on small business. We ask our small business to be that response team to drive us out of the economic woes. This President, this Congress inherited devastating deficits from the previous administration. And so it's important for us to rebuild the economy. Many, myself included, profess that small business is the backbone of our economy, is the springboard to economic recovery. Well, we're dulling the competitive edge simply with health care costs that are crippling to our small business community. So we need improvements with the exchanges that are developed with this proposal. They are then enabled, as individuals or small businesses, to enter into an exchange. Think of it. A small business of 5 or 10 employees can be crippled by catastrophic situations. Their premiums could rise exponentially simply because of 1 of 5 or 1 of 10 employees being impacted severely by a health situation. By entering into a pool, into an exchange, that is diluted a great deal. The ebbs and flows are neutralized. And so the impact is a favorable one for our small business community. They realize the benefits of a sounder, more modest premium because they're into an exchange. So there are many improvements. But it's about greed. We say ``no'' to greed. Others say ``yes.'' It's about fairness. We say ``yes'' to fairness. Others say ``no.'' It's about strengthening that Medicare. We say ``yes.'' Others say ``no.'' I am proud to stand here this afternoon on this House floor to say that by working with my colleagues, with the leadership, verbalizing the strength of our ideas and our passion to make a difference. We have a very sound bill before us. Let's deal with fact, not fiction. Let's insert ourselves with a sense of compassion for all people in this country. This is a historic moment waiting to happen here on this Hill in Washington, and I am proud to serve in this House and to have had the response that we have had. Thank you, Representative Speier, for the opportunity to join you this afternoon.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I think it is so important for us to move forward and not be derailed in our efforts to reform what is important policy in this country. Health care, obviously, is something that needs to be provided in terms of insurance to our working families out there. We know the impact of delay and the impact of no reforms. Status quo simply does not cut it. We cannot afford to allow our families to continue with such gross injustice. Obviously, the increase projected, $1,800 per year for family plans, is a train wreck waiting to happen. Today the average of some $13,000 for family plans would grow in the next decade to some $31,000. Which small business out there could afford to pay that or even a fraction of that for its employees? We know that what we're trying to maintain here is an employee-based health care insurance system. Well, the employer-based system needs some sort of relief. We need to know that there are assurances for containing those costs, for making certain that into the future we'll have a safety net for our working families and for our business community. In the measure we're advancing there is assistance for small businesses. It's providing them the opportunity to make this sharing affordable. We know that the benefits that come with reducing the deficit with our bill, having been scored by CBO, is looking at $130 billion for the first 10 years and some $1.2 trillion into the next 10 years. This is progress. This is a step in the right direction. We also know of the reforms where those who are denied, for whatever bias--for gender, for preexisting conditions, for acne, almost a laughable concept, but used to deny people. Toddlers who are denied because of overweight, individuals who have perhaps been violated, sexually violated, or domestic violence, have been denied. These reforms are essential, and let's do them now.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, this week we are closer than we have ever been to passing real, comprehensive health insurance reform for the American people. Reform is simple. It gives consumers, working families, and small businesses more control and forces insurance companies to do what is right. With respect to Medicare, it extends the life of the Medicare trust fund and improves benefits for our seniors, including improving the prescription drug benefit. My friends on the other side of the aisle are not interested in passing real reform for the American people. They want to maintain the status quo in which we see health care spending growing exponentially, more and more families losing coverage, and health insurance companies continuing to raise rates free of any restrictions. And they are okay with allowing tens of millions of taxpaying, hardworking Americans to go on without needed health insurance, the same coverage they enjoy as Members of Congress. They also want to eliminate Medicare as we know it today. They want to privatize Medicare and give seniors a coupon to go out and shop for private insurance plans from the same companies that have been raising rates and dropping customers. Health insurance reform is not just about insuring the uninsured. It's about also protecting and improving Medicare. Mr. Speaker, I encourage these reforms.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Representative Dahlkemper, I know that you've brought students to town. They've come from Pennsylvania from your district to visit. Today, I greeted students from Brown School in Schenectady, and as luck would have it, they came across the Speaker. The Speaker had seen them in Statuary Hall, where all of these great figures remind us of leaders of this great country in our formative years, in our beginning years, where they spoke to a vision for the future. They are now those heroes that developed a strong sense of our past. As she shared her thoughts with the students, she said to these eighth-graders, These are the giants that led us to today, but you're talking to Representatives here that are going to do the same thing. They're going to take us into the future. And the students understood. They understood that what we're doing here today is developing opportunity for them in a career path, in an education curve that will take them to higher ground and in job creation that will be there for them. That is the challenge to each and every one of us as legislators--not to walk away from the crisis. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. We have an opportunity here to take an economy that crumbled because of the lack of regulatory aspects, the lack of stewardship, the lack of watchdogs that could have kept it into working order. As that collapsed, this President offered a Recovery Act, and it stopped the bleeding. Now the awesome task is to build the economy we believe is strongest, that will be most responsive to the needs of this Nation. And when we look at it the investment in technology from health care, with all sorts of record-keeping done with technology, to education, wiring--hardwiring our communities with broadband and communications, creating opportunities, and energy generation and energy transmission, smart grids, smart metering--all of these opportunities that were denied are now front and center. And so it's been a pleasure to join with you this evening to talk about not only growing out of this recession with soundness, but developing small business. Jobs, jobs, and hope for America's people. Thank you so much for your leadership. It's a great freshman class and I'm proud to be a part of it.