Chris Van Hollen

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, today we commemorate the 34th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Today we also honor the memory and sacrifice of the nearly 200,000 Greek Cypriots who were forcibly removed from their homes, the 5,000 Cypriots who were killed during the invasion and the nearly 1,500 Greek Cypriots who remain missing to this day. Cyprus and the U.S. share a deep and abiding commitment to upholding the ideals of freedom, human rights, and the international rule of law. As that commitment is tested, we must draw on our common values and mutual democratic vision to promote stability, prosperity and peace. The United States has a moral and ethical obligation to stand with Cypriots to reunify their island and end the military occupation. We will continue to work together with the people of Cyprus toward their goal to reunify the island as a bicommunal and bi-zonal federation with a single sovereignty, single international personality and single citizenship with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Cypriots. By working together and building on our common values and interests, the people of Cyprus and the United States can achieve a united island that fulfills the promise of peace and democracy for which a generation of Cypriots have paid so dearly.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, President Bush has called upon the country for more domestic drilling. This bill says yes, Mr. President, let's drill. Let's drill in those areas that are already leased and already ready to go because what the President has not told the American people is that there are over 68 million acres of Federal lands already leased to the big oil and gas companies. They are not moving forward on those leases. They are sitting tight. They like the status quo. They're making record profits. Gas is over $4 a gallon. They like it that way. What the President said is don't push forward on those already existing leases. Let's go up in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. But what he hasn't said is the Department of Energy, his own Department of Energy, has found that we won't see one drop of gas on the market for another 10 years as a result of that drilling, and even then the price will be insignificant. If we really want to get going now, two things we've got to do: One, we need to begin to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That's 10 days until it hits market. Not 10 years. Two, we've got to crack down on the speculators, and this Congress is going to move forward on that measure. We hope we have the President's support because he has said no to releasing oil from the SPR. In the longer term, we have to do two other things: responsible drilling, and that's what this bill calls for, and we need to make that investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. If we're going to truly reduce and crack our addiction to oil, especially foreign oil, we need to move forward on those fronts. This is a responsible bill that says to the President, yeah, let's start drilling on all of those areas where the oil companies have the ability to do that. They're sitting on it. They like it that way. Let's send them a message.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievement of the Maryland Mathcounts team at the National Mathcounts Competition held in Denver on May 9, 2008. Represented by Jason Hyun, Ben Lowenstein, and Sam Zbarsky of Takoma Park Middle School, and Linus Hamilton of Hyattsville Middle School, the participants performed exceptionally well in the country's largest middle school math competition, earning a third place overall group finish. Two members of this young team also performed well individually, finishing in the top of the quarterfinal round. Sarah Manchester, who teaches math at Takoma Park Middle School and coached the Maryland team in this impressive performance, deserves special recognition. Maryland was the only state to be represented by more than one finalist in the individual playoff round, and Sarah's efforts to ensure that the students were prepared for this competition are reflected in the team's success. Sarah has taught Mathcounts students for a decade and continues to donate her time and energy to help her students excel. More than 6,000 schools participate annually in the Mathcounts competition. Since it began in 1983, Mathcounts has had over seven million gifted young math students study in the program and participate in its competitions. Funded by the donations of generous individuals and corporations, the scholarships awarded to the participants provide a strong incentive for young people to commit themselves to an extracurricular program that builds math skills, improves critical thinking, and fosters teamwork. The 17,000 volunteers, like Sarah Manchester, who coach the 500,000 middle school students who participate each year pass on an enthusiasm for mathematics that is rewarding for all those involved. Madam Speaker, I am honored to commend the students and educators who make Mathcounts such a remarkable and successful program. I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the efforts of all the Mathcounts participants, and I look forward to watching the program continue to showcase the extraordinary talents of our students and their dedicated teachers in the years to come.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.. Con. Res. 299, which supports the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is located in my congressional district in Bethesda, Maryland, more than 30,000 Americans suffer from cystic fibrosis. Approximately 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year. It is an inherited chronic disease that causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs and other organs, causing life-threatening lung infections and serious digestive complications. We have made significant progress in fighting cystic fibrosis, but there is still much more to do. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis were expected to live to attend elementary school. Today, thanks to past funding of cystic fibrosis research, people with cystic fibrosis can expect to live into their thirties and forties. While that figure is still unacceptably low, it is cause for hope for those living with the disease and their families. We must continue to fund cystic fibrosis research at the National Institutes of Health so that new treatments and, hopefully, a cure, can be developed in which people with cystic fibrosis can live a normal life expectancy. And we must continue to raise public awareness and education about cystic fibrosis, and to increase support for those affected by the disease. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of overriding the President's veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. It is very unfortunate that the President has sided with the interests of certain big insurance companies against the health care needs of seniors. There are a number of important provisions in this legislation that will benefit more than forty-four million Medicare beneficiaries by preserving patient access to physicians, enhancing preventive and mental health benefits in the Medicare program, extending expiring provisions for rural and other providers, and improving assistance for low-income seniors. Unlike the President, Congress has put aside party politics and is protecting and preserving the health care that seniors depend on. Madam Speaker, this is an issue that affects all Americans. I strongly urge my House colleagues to override the President's veto on this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute today to Mattie Stepanek, an extraordinary young man who touched thousands of people with his messages of hope and peace. Mattie was afflicted with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a form of muscular dystrophy, which took his life at age 13 in 2004. Despite his illness, Mattie dedicated his life to promoting hope, peace and tolerance through his role as a national goodwill ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and through his advocacy for people with disabilities through his inspiring words of poetry. Mattie is remembered for his kindness, grace and vitality. He saw his disease not as a hindrance but as a vehicle to reach out to the hearts of many. He shared his message of peace and tolerance with school children, business leaders, medical personnel, religious groups and so many others throughout the world. Indeed, his message touched people of all ages, races, nationalities, faiths, abilities and aspirations. He lived by the words of his timeless philosophy, ``Remember to play after every storm.'' Mattie is being remembered in my congressional district this week, which has been proclaimed ``Mattie Stepanek Week'' by the city of Rockville, Maryland. The week's primary event is the second annual Heartsongs Swim, hosted by the Rockville Municipal Swim Center, which will raise money to expand the handicapped accessibility of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in Rockville and for the completion of statues of Mattie and his service dog Micah, which will be installed and dedicated this fall in the park. Madam Speaker, I am honored to remember with fondness and humility Mattie Stepanek, an ambassador of peace for all humanity, and to join my constituents in commemorating Mattie Stepanek Week in Rockville, Maryland.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I thank my colleague and the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Mr. Peterson, for his leadership on this, along with our colleagues Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Larson, and many others who have moved quickly to address the problems of rampant speculation in the energy futures market. The title of this legislation is the Energy Markets Emergency Act, and what it does is direct the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the CFTC, to invoke its emergency powers to crack down on extreme speculation in the futures market. We all know that families across this country are facing emergencies in their family budgets, and it's time that the CFTC stepped forward and treated this like the emergency that it is. Part of the rise in prices is of course due to supply and demand and the fact that China and India are boosting a demand. That's part of it. But the other part of it is in fact an increase in speculation, extreme speculation. There's been testimony before this Congress in front of the committee, subcommittee of Mr. Stupak, and on the Senate side and the House side by Professor Greenberger from the University of Maryland School of Law and many others that make it absolutely clear that a component of the increase in price does not have to do solely with supply and demand. And the CFTC has the authority under the statute to invoke its emergency powers if market prices do not adequately reflect the forces of supply and demand. And I must say, Mr. Goodlatte, that it has not done that. This legislation does not say to the CFTC, Just keep doing what you're doing. The fact of the matter is, they haven't made that finding, they have not invoked their emergency powers, and there's some permanent issues we have to come back and fix. We have to finally close the Enron loophole. We need to deal with what's called the London loophole. We need to do some things on an emergency basis. But if they invoke their emergency powers, they will have the authority to deal with those issues and close those loopholes on an emergency basis, and they have not done that. If they access and invoke these powers, they can put new position limits on, they can require greater margin requirements, they can even suspend tradings in certain funds. So what this does is say to them, use the powers that you have; do not sit on your hands and do not stand by and refuse to enact your emergency powers because while they have taken certain steps, they have not made the finding that this bill essentially says which is that speculation is part of the problem. No one says it's all of the problem. But it is a part of the problem, and they therefore have the authority under existing law to invoke the emergency powers, and it opens up a whole set of new tools that they are not using. So on this immediate basis, they can do everything necessary to address the problems of the Enron loophole, and they can do everything necessary to deal with the London loophole. They are not doing it today. We are directing them to treat this as the emergency it is.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Afghanistan-Pakistan Security and Prosperity Enhancement Act. The legislation is a national security bill aimed at protecting our homeland and those of our allies in the fight against AI-Qa'ida and the Taliban. This bill authorizes the President of the United States to designate Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in Afghanistan and in certain regions of Pakistan. These ROZs will allow qualified businesses duty-free access into U.S. markets for designated products, thereby providing significant employment opportunities where none currently exist. A ROZ program could go a long way to bolster economic development in this critical region of the world where extremists have tried to exploit the lack of economic opportunities to gain recruits for their radical agenda. The countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan are key to the fight against AI-Qa'ida and its Taliban allies. Al-Qa'ida is the group that masterminded and carried out the deadly terrorist attacks of 9/11 that took the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. It would have had difficultly doing so if were not given safe-haven by the Taliban, then in control of the Afghan government and much of the country. The U.S.-led effort to topple the Taliban regime and pursue AI-Qa'ida terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11 initially weakened both of these groups but there are disturbing signs that they are regrouping and strengthening, particularly along the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The declassified National Intelligence Estimate on ``The Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Homeland,'' published in July 2007, stated: ``AI-Qa'ida is and will remain the most serious threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safe haven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership.'' More recently, the State Department's ``Country Reports on Terrorism 2007,'' published in April 2008, noted that ``Afghanistan remained threatened by Taliban and other insurgent groups and criminal gangs, some of whom were linked to [AI-Qa'ida] and terrorist sponsors outside the country.'' The same report also noted that ``Despite the efforts of both Afghan and Pakistani security forces, instability, coupled with the Islamabad brokered ceasefire agreement in effect for the first half of 2007 along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, appear to have provided [AI-Qa'ida] leadership greater mobility and ability to conduct training and operational planning, particularly targeting Western Europe and the United States.'' Enhanced security efforts by the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan are needed to disrupt and weaken AI-Qa'ida and the Taliban, but security measures alone will not rid them of these menacing groups--terrorists who continue to want to do us harm and are a threat to democracy and the rule of law. These extremist groups exploit the poor socioeconomic conditions, such as high unemployment, in the border areas, to gain adherents to their nefarious causes. With no meaningful alternatives, young men in particular are vulnerable to their entreaties. Creative ways must be found to give young Pakistanis and Afghans a positive vision of the future. One such way is to create sustainable jobs in these vulnerable areas so that the promise of a decent living makes more sense than following the warped ideology of the terrorists. The Reconstruction and Opportunity Zone legislation for Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan does just that. This legislation creates, in essence, special economic zones in these regions, enabling domestic and foreign firms to establish manufacturing enterprises that will bring thousands of good-paying jobs to the people of these areas. As these troubled regions develop economically, they will diminish the recruiting pool of the terrorists. And as the terrorists find it more difficult to find support and protection among the local populations, they will become more vulnerable to the security forces.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3195, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which would restore the original intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. The ADA has transformed this country since its enactment in 1990, helping millions of Americans with disabilities succeed in the workplace, and making essential services such as transportation, housing, buildings, and other daily needs more accessible to individuals with disabilities. It has been one of the most defining and effective civil rights laws passed by Congress. Unfortunately, the Federal courts in recent years have slowly chipped away at the broad protections of the ADA which has created a new set of barriers for many Americans with disabilities. The court rulings have narrowed the interpretation of disability by excluding people with serious conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and cerebral palsy from the protections of the ADA. The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 will reestablish these protections and make it absolutely clear that the ADA is intended to provide broad coverage to protect anyone who faces discrimination on the basis of disability. Madam Speaker, this bill is an important step towards restoring the original intent of the ADA and helps ensure that all Americans with disabilities live as independent, self-sufficient members of our society. I urge my colleagues to support this much-needed legislation.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. Most importantly, this legislation prevents the impending 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians for the remainder of 2008 and provides a 1.1 percent update in physician payments for 2009. The uncertainty of Medicare payments makes it difficult for physicians and their practices to plan for the expenses that they will incur as they serve Medicare beneficiaries. And in turn, beneficiaries will face increasing difficulties accessing physicians who accept Medicare. What we need to do is address this issue in the long term by reforming the flawed reimbursement formulas. By addressing this issue in the short term through 2009, we will provide Congress with the needed time to study and develop a long term solution to this problem. Not only would we prevent cuts in Medicare physician reimbursements, the bill will make important and necessary improvements to the Medicare program by enhancing Medicare preventative and mental health benefits, improving assistance for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and extending expiring provisions for rural and other providers. And this legislation is fully paid for. It reduces Medicare Advantage Indirect Medical Education IME, overpayments, which are being paid twice: once to the teaching facility itself, and again to Medicare Advantage plans, with no requirement that plans pass the IME payment along to the teaching facility. H.R. 6331 will eliminate the needless double payment by still reimbursing the teaching facility directly for the higher cost of care, but ceasing IME payments to Medicare Advantage plans. I am pleased that this legislation contains a provision that makes a technical correction to ensure that all physicians, including podiatrists, are permitted to perform required face-to-face examinations so that they are able to prescribe Medicare-covered durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies, DMEPOS. This provision corrects a drafting error in the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act that pointed to the wrong definition of physician in the Social Security Act when requiring face-to-face examination in order to prescribe DMEPOS items. I am also pleased that the bill includes a two-year reauthorization of the Special Diabetes Programs for Type 1 Diabetes and the Special Diabetes Programs for Native Americans at current funding levels. It is vital that this successful program be reauthorized on a multi-year basis so that the National Institutes of Health, NIH, can invest in new research. Without this reauthorization, NIH would have to begin to shut down research projects that are currently underway. Mr. Speaker, we owe it to provide and beneficiaries to make these modest improvements to the Medicare program now. This bill will protect our seniors. The clock is ticking. I urge my colleagues to support this much-needed legislation.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Allan S. Cohen on his thirty-seven years of outstanding service to our nation. Mr. Cohen, who is retiring on June 30, 2008, has served as a senior Human Resources Specialist with the Department of Defense. His dedication and contributions have left a legacy for all federal civil servants. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate Mr. Cohen and to extend our country's gratitude to him for his honorable and productive service.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I thank my colleague. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, which supports further research and also activities to increase public awareness, professional education, diagnosis, and treatment of Dandy- Walker syndrome and hydrocephalus. I, too, want to thank our colleague from New Mexico, Heather Wilson, for her leadership on this issue, her persistence on this issue. She has met with families from around the country who are struggling with Dandy-Walker syndrome, and I thank her for all the good work that she has done on this matter. As we've heard, this is a very rare birth defect that's commonly associated with hydrocephalus. It can cause neurological damage that will delay development and cause severe developmental problems and sometimes lead to death. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reports that the Dandy-Walker syndrome may affect one in 5,000 infants, of which approximately 70 to 90 percent will go on to develop hydrocephalus. The causes of this disease are largely unknown, and current treatment for Dandy-Walker consists primarily of treating the associated problems, the symptoms, rather than the syndrome itself. And as we heard, hydrocephalus is treated today much in the same way it was back in 1952, when this syndrome was first identified, by inserting a special tube called a ``shunt'' into the brain to drain off excess fluid. We're here today because we think we need to focus more efforts and research in this area, that we shouldn't allow 1950s medical treatment to dictate how Dandy-Walker syndrome and hydrocephalus are treated. That is why we need to learn more about this syndrome and continue to raise public awareness about this condition. And that's why the National Institutes of Health should continue the current collaboration and research that they are doing and increase that effort. I've had the privilege of getting to know a family with a child who has Dandy-Walker syndrome and hydrocephalus. While waiting for the birth of their child in 2005, Andrea and Eric Cole of Kensington, Maryland, learned that their son would be born with Dandy-Walker syndrome. Their son, Ryan, was born 3 months prematurely. He weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces. On learning that there was no national organization or support network already organized to advocate on behalf of individuals with Dandy-Walker syndrome, Eric and Andrea took the necessary steps to found the only national nonprofit organization for Dandy-Walker syndrome, the Dandy-Walker Alliance. We're very proud that they are with us today. The Dandy-Walker Alliance is an organization that's launched a variety of educational programs, publications, activities, and other efforts to raise public awareness and understanding of the Dandy-Walker syndrome. Mr. Speaker, what we're trying to do today is send a message to families across the country who have members of their family who have Dandy-Walker syndrome, to let them know that they are not alone in this fight, that Congress is listening to their concerns, and that Congress is taking action to encourage all the resources that we can bring to bear through the NIH and other organizations to help fight this syndrome, and to make sure that those around the country who have not been heard until recently really have a voice, not just here on the floor of the Congress, but through the resources that we can focus on this very important issue. So I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this resolution. Again, I congratulate our colleague from New Mexico, Heather Wilson, for her leadership.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, it is with a sense of urgency and purpose that I am introducing the Energy Markets Anti-Manipulation and Integrity Restoration Act today. With high fuel prices squeezing our constituents and burdening our economy, we in Congress have a responsibility to act. While individual Members of Congress clearly disagree over whether we will ever really be able to drill our way out of this challenge--or whether next generation alternatives and improved energy efficiency offer the most promising way forward, there is one principle on which we should all agree: Our energy markets should serve the legitimate needs of energy consumers and producers--not enrich a narrow group of ``hot money'' speculators at the public's expense. With hedge fund and institutional interest in commodities exploding nearly twenty-fold over the past 5 years, and the price of oil recently spiking over $11 in a single day, it is clear that today's energy prices reflect something more than the fundamental laws of supply and demand. The Energy Markets Anti-Manipulation and Integrity Restoration Act would once and for all close the so-called Enron loophole by adding energy to the list of commodities that cannot be traded on deregulated, exempt commercial markets. Additionally, this focused legislation would close the Foreign Board of Trade (FBOT) loophole currently enabling unregulated energy futures trading on American soil by forbidding an exchange from being deemed an unregulated foreign entity if its trading affiliate or trading infrastructure is in the U.S., and it trades a U.S.-delivered energy contract that significantly affects price discovery in the markets. If enacted into law, these two common-sense steps would go a long way towards eliminating market manipulation and excessive speculation currently distorting today's energy marketplace. I am especially pleased to be offering this timely legislation today with my colleagues Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Betty Sutton, Robert Wexler, Adam Schiff, Xavier Becerra, Peter Welch, Brian Higgins, Bill Delahunt and Raul Grijalva--and I look forward to working with them and the rest of the House to address this important issue on behalf our constituents in very short order.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, on March 14th I voted in favor of H.R. 3773 which modernized the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This bill successfully updated the law to accommodate the current day communications technology while at the same time providing the much- needed protection of the court in sanctioning the surveillance of Americans. Moreover, the bill was also remarkable for what it did not contain; it did not provide retroactive immunity for telephone companies who are defendants in pending lawsuits. These suits have been brought to uncover the full extent of the Administration's program to conduct unauthorized surveillance on Americans. I am deeply troubled that the Senate does not have the votes to pass the House bill. The Senate instead passed its own bill, S. 2248, which was unacceptable to me from the outset because it reduced the role of the FISA Court to merely review the procedures for targeting surveillance subjects and minimizing the information collected. Moreover, the Senate bill established retroactive immunity for the phone companies that have been used to carry out the Administration's illicit surveillance program. To be sure, the Senate bill is completely unacceptable. Majority Leader Hoyer worked tirelessly to improve upon the Senate bill to forge an acceptable compromise. The bill before us today, however, does not go far enough to include sufficient safeguards of court involvement in the surveillance of Americans. Moreover, it continues to provide retroactive immunity for those companies that carried out the Administration's unauthorized surveillance. Finally, it fails to hold the Administration accountable for its past illicit surveillance activities and its disregard of the Fourth Amendment protections of Americans. As a result, I must vote against this bill.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I thank my colleague, the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Davis, for all he has done to support Federal employees and workers around this country. Congratulations to Congresswoman Maloney for her leadership on this issue over many years. And congratulations on bringing this bill to the floor today. And to the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Waxman, thank you for all your efforts as well. I want to join my colleague, the majority leader, Steny Hoyer, in also commending our colleagues from the Virginia side of the river, Mr. Tom Davis, who's on the floor, as well as Congressman Frank Wolf. We've all worked very well together on issues supporting Federal employees and trying to make the Federal Government a model employer, an employer we can be proud of, and someone that tries to set the standard, rather than bring up the rear when it comes to policies for employees and the workforce. As I think people understand, we are going to face a severe shortage of Federal workers going into the future. Indeed, over the next 5 years, nearly a third of the 1.6 million boomer age members of the Federal workforce are expected to retire. We're going to need hundreds of thousands of new workers to replace those departing Federal employees, and it's going to be essential that we attract new, young workers into the Federal workforce in order to continue the job that they need to do for the American people. And that's one of the reasons why this is an important measure that we need to follow up on. This is a benefit that is currently enjoyed by employees of most of the Fortune 100 companies today, so we are playing catch-up here at the Federal Government level. We are trying to compete with those in the private sector that are saying to young people, come work for us because we're going to provide you a benefit that doesn't require you to choose between taking a little bit of time to care for your newborn child, and getting a paycheck to help pay for your mortgage or for your rent or putting food on your table. And we think that it's important that people not have to make that choice. So yes, this is a very family-oriented, family-friendly measure. Don't let anybody kid you, because we don't want people applying to the Federal Government to have to say, well, I'm not going to join because I'm going to be losing money to stay home for a short period of time to take care of a newborn child. I can go work at one of those other companies. This is a time when we need more folks working in the Federal Government on critical issues like homeland security, like defense, like medical research. We need to replace those individuals who are leaving so that we can make sure that we have a vibrant Federal Government that can address the needs that we've asked of our Federal employees. I congratulate, again, Congresswoman Maloney, the chairman of the subcommittee, chairman of the full committee. And I urge my colleagues to adopt what is a very family-friendly measure. We should be leading by example at the Federal level.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, this Emergency Supplemental bill presents the House with two very distinct amendments--and two very separate decisions. The first amendment we are being asked to consider would provide $165.4 billion for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. My position on the war in Iraq is clear. I believe the decision to invade Iraq was a mistake. And I simply cannot support giving this President a blank check to further mishandle our involvement in Iraq. Because this amendment does not include the conditions that were contained in the bill that the House passed, I will be voting no on this portion of the Supplemental today. While I oppose this war, I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for our fellow citizens who choose to serve this Nation in uniform. It is in large measure because of my respect for their honorable service that I will be proud to support the second amendment before us today. A centerpiece of this second amendment is a GI Bill for the 21st century. Just as a grateful Nation expanded opportunities for GIs returning home from World War II over 60 years ago, so now must our generation invest in our soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan so that they can get a 4-year college education. We have an obligation to invest in their future. With the Nation's economy slowing, and our unemployment rate on the rise, this second amendment also appropriately includes a 13-week extension in unemployment benefits to sustain our fellow citizens and their families as they continue to look for work. I am particularly pleased that this amendment places a moratorium on six Medicaid regulations that had threatened to cut needed services to those who rely on them--and that we have moved quickly to provide over $2.65 billion in disaster relief to assist in the recovery efforts after the tornadoes and flooding in the Midwest. Finally, we can be proud that this amendment invests $550 million in critical scientific research to expand our medical knowledge, improve our energy efficiency and enhance our global competitiveness--including a $150 million investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $150 million for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), $62.5 million for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, $62.5 million for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and $62.5 million for the National Science Foundation (NSF). For these reasons, this second amendment is exceptionally worthy of our support,

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008. The bill supports NASA's missions and goals in space with a $20 billion authorization that, in addition to funding such important programs as the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station, will also enable NASA to inspire a new generation of Americans through its plans for additional manned space exploration. The bill continues other important NASA programs including its climate research programs which help us understand how solar radiation and human activities are affecting the Earth's climate; the Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (an instrument that measures cosmic rays and particulate matter in space); NASA's Science Directorate, which studies Earth and the solar system; and NASA's many inspirational educational programs. The educational programs are of particular importance as current science and engineering workers across the country begin to retire. To help ensure that the U.S. continues to meet the growing demand for scientists, mathematicians and engineers, it is important that Congress supports programs that encourage more young people to pursue careers in the sciences. I want to especially acknowledge one such program--the NASA Goddard High School Internship Program which has educated and inspired students across this country--including some from my district. The NASA Goddard High School Internship Program is a research intensive program allowing interns to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines to ``real time'' research. The program enables students to work on projects relevant to NASA's goals and then share the results of their research with NASA management, personnel and fellow interns. I commend NASA for the role it continues to play in helping maintain and strengthen the vitality of science and engineering in the United States and for its ongoing efforts to inspire, educate and engage our young people.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Let me begin by congratulating Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica and the Transportation Committee for all the work they have done in bringing this very important legislation to the floor, and to my colleague, Mr. Davis from Virginia, for his leadership on this issue of the WMATA system, the Washington Metro system. I am pleased to join with him and others in a bipartisan basis from the Washington region to offer this amendment. I think we all know that the Federal Government relies very heavily on the Metro system to bring thousands and thousands of Federal employees to work each day at our national security agencies, at the Department of Health and Human Services, and other Federal agencies throughout this region that help provide essential services to the American people. It's also a critical part of any evacuation plan in the event of a national emergency that would require the evacuation of the Capitol. That's one of the reasons the Federal Government has made large investments in the WMATA construction in the past and its maintenance, and that is why it's important that we continue to have a Federal role. What the purpose of this amendment is to protect that Federal amendment, because right now the Federal Government is at the whim of local jurisdictions as to whether or not they are going to make their payments into this system as part of a partnership. What this does is it says, yes, the Federal Government will provide, authorizes up to $150 million a year in matching funds. Those funds may only be released when WMATA certifies and notifies the Department of Transportation that local jurisdictions have established a reliable and dedicated source of funding to do their share of the funds in partnership here. It also increases accountability to protect that Federal investment by creating an inspector general to oversee WMATA's finances and adds four new federally appointed directors to WMATA. This is to protect the Federal investment that has been made and make sure the interests of the people in this area, consumers as well as the Federal interest, is protected. This has passed the House. I want to stress this. This Davis provision has passed the House in the past in 2006. We passed it. It's been sitting over in the Senate. I just urge all our colleagues to come together in 2008 to do what we did in 2006 and adopt this important provision.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of final passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act and to commend Chairman Oberstar, Ranking Member Mica, and Subcommittee Chairwoman Brown and Ranking Member Shuster for their leadership in constructing this bi-partisan bill. Mr. Chairman, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008--authorizes appropriations for Amtrak for FY2009-FY2013 and makes long overdue improvements and enhancements to the system. Millions of Americans rely on Amtrak and its local lines for everything from commuting to work to going on holiday. In 2007 alone, 28 million passengers rode Amtrak. Amtrak has become a critical part of the Nation's transportation infrastructure and every effort must be made to sustain the system as a safe and reliable source of transportation. This bill authorizes $14.5 billion for commuter rail transit enhancements, a high-speed rail service route between New York and Washington, DC, and contains important reforms and operational enhancement. The bill also contains needed accountability measures and capital improvement funding. To increase accountability, the bill requires Amtrak to implement a modern financial accounting and reporting system. Amtrak must also submit an annual budget and business plan. With the passage of the Davis/Van Hollen/Hoyer amendment regarding WMATA, the bill also provides a more reliable source of funding for maintenance and improvement projects in the Washington, DC Metro area. We all know that the Federal Government relies heavily on the Metro system to bring thousands of its employees to work each day: employees of our national security agencies, employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, and all the other Federal agencies that help provide services to the American people. But, the Metro system is also a critical link in any evacuation plan of the Nation's capital. These are just a couple of the reasons the Federal government has invested billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in WMATA construction and maintenance projects over the years. Since WMATA's creation, keeping the Metro up and running has become a national priority. The Davis/Van Hollen/Hoyer amendment helps ensure the Metro remains a reliable source of transportation for Federal employees by authorizing $150 million a year in matching funds for ten years to help WMATA pay for critical improvement and maintenance. But, importantly, these matching funds can only be accessed when the local jurisdictions of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia contribute their own funds from a dedicated source. Currently, the Federal Government is at the whim of local jurisdictions on a year-to-year basis, as to whether they will uphold their part of this long-term Federal-local funding partnership regarding WMATA. Our amendment specifically states that funds authorized in the legislation cannot be available until WMATA notifies the Department of Transportation that local jurisdictions have established a reliable source of funds to pay their share of Metro operating and maintenance costs. Over the years, Amtrak has proven it is a critical and growing part of the country's transportation infrastructure. Last May, Amtrak ridership rose 12.3 percent from a year earlier, and ticket sales climbed 15.6 percent. Despite continued growth, Amtrak has not been reauthorized since 1997. With the passage of this bill, we have an opportunity to end 8 years of starvation budgets that have strained Amtrak resources, frozen salaries and delayed capital improvements. I encourage my colleagues to support final passage of this bill.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation to temporarily extend unemployment insurance benefits. Whether we are in a recession or not, the point is clear: current economic growth has been so sluggish that the job market is weak and job prospects are poor. The recent May 2008 jobs report confirms this as the unemployment rate increased by one-half point to 5.5 percent, which was the biggest one-month increase in over 20 years. Since the first of the year, our economy has lost more than 300,000 jobs. By providing an extra 13 weeks of jobless benefits to workers in every State who exhaust their unemployment benefits and another 13 weeks of benefits to those in States with high unemployment rates, we can help approximately 4 million unemployed workers meet basic needs such as food and rent while they continue to look for work at a time when the economy is languishing. And we can give our economy a much- needed boost. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, extending unemployment benefits would be one of the most cost-effective and fastest-acting forms of economic stimulus. Madam Speaker, many Americans are struggling to make ends meet. With rising gas and food prices and a weakened labor market, we can help those hardest hit by this sluggish economy by providing them relief in passing this much-needed bill.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I thank my colleague. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008, and I want to first and foremost thank my colleague, Deborah Pryce, for her leadership and commitment on this very important issue that affects so many children and families around our Nation. We're all very grateful to her for working to prevent other people and other families from facing the same tragic loss that she and her family experienced with the loss of a child, and I'm honored to have worked with her on this bipartisan piece of legislation. I also want to thank Chairman Dingell, Chairman Pallone, Ranking Members Barton and Deal and their staffs for working to bring this legislation to the floor today and for their commitment on this very important issue. I think that the title of this bill is a fitting tribute not only to Deborah Pryce's daughter, Caroline Pryce Walker, but also to the other millions of children who have courageously fought pediatric cancer and those who are bravely fighting pediatric cancer today as we speak on this floor. I have had the opportunity to meet with many of those children and their families who are struggling with childhood cancer. One of them, Matthew Grossman, was diagnosed at the age of 13 with a very rare brain tumor. Before his diagnosis, he was a soccer player, a swimmer, a talented young musician from Bethesda, Maryland. Matthew underwent 7 months of chemotherapy, brain surgery, 6 weeks of daily radiation to the brain and spine, and two bone marrow transplants. This brave young man has been in full remission since January 2006. He went back to school and rejoined his class, despite having been out of school for a year and a half. He recently celebrated his 17th birthday and continues to play guitar, perform in a band, and sing in his school's choir. Matthew is one story out of thousands. Unfortunately, there are many children who are not as fortunate as Matthew. Cancer remains the number one killer of children under the age of 15 who die from disease in this country. Pediatric cancer, including brain tumors, comes in many variations. Each year there are about 12,000 new cases of pediatric cancer. And while the incidents of pediatric cancer has increased, the causes are largely unknown. Thanks to past funding in childhood cancer research, we know that 78 percent of childhood cancer patients overall are now able to survive the disease. Forty years ago, it was a much different story. Cure rates for children with cancer was lower than 10 percent. This shows that biomedical research and funding that we've been able to do has saved lives, and it's also why we're here today to say we need to finish the job and continue the commitment because currently, the NIH has not received the funds it needs. We know that the President's proposed budget this year has once again, unfortunately, been flat funded for NIH. Since the doubling of the NIH budget in the year 2003, that funding has not kept pace with biomedical inflation, and that has impeded our ability to delay and do the research we need into the onset of many diseases. If we fail to invest in innovative research at NIH, we will forfeit the opportunities to make ground-breaking, life-saving work to save lives. The NCI currently spends approximately $170 million a year on pediatric cancer research. Much of this now goes to laboratory and pre- clinical testing. We also need to do the important work to invest in clinical trials. An NCI peer review group of scientists in 2002 recognized this and recommended $54 million in funding for pediatric cancer clinical trials. That level was never funded.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman. That level was never fully funded, and since then, this funding has been cut. Because Federal funding for pediatric research continues to drop, many critical trials have been put at risk. As many as 20 studies has been put on hold and enrollment in new clinical trials has decreased by more than 400 children. This is taking us in the wrong direction. This act will enhance and expand pediatric cancer research activities at the NIH, establish a pediatric cancer registry, and increase educational informational and support services to patients and families affected by childhood cancer. Madam Speaker, we can do better in our fight against pediatric cancer. Let's help give our children and their families the future they so deserve by passing this bill. I urge my colleagues, and once again, thank our colleague, Deborah Pryce, for leading by example in this very important area.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by commending my colleague from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) for taking the initiative on this important piece of legislation and for all his leadership in our effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and to Mr. Wittman for joining him in this bipartisan effort. Before I say a few words about this bill, I do think it's important to point out that this body has now passed numerous pieces of legislation to try to address the energy crisis and the rise in gas prices around this country, including legislation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by diversifying our energy portfolio. One of the things we passed out of this body to do that was to say we shouldn't be giving taxpayer subsidies, giveaways, to the oil and gas industry at a time when they're already making record profits and Americans are facing record prices at the pump. We should instead be using those resources to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency. That's the direction this country needs to go. The President was in Saudi Arabia recently having tea with the leaders of the Saudi Royal Family asking them to reduce prices. They said no. We need a long-term strategy. We passed that out of this House, and, unfortunately, the President said he's going to veto it because he wants to keep giving those subsidies to the oil and gas industry rather than taking a new and different approach to our energy crisis. That's what this House did. Unfortunately, the President continues to block those efforts. Now, we do need, as a country, to protect our beautiful and vital natural resources like the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay, as my colleague Mr. Sarbanes has pointed out, is the Nation's largest estuary. It is a national treasure; it's a natural treasure. And that's what this bill is about because the Chesapeake Bay is currently under assault from a whole host of sources of pollution. Point sources of pollution like the kind of pollution that comes out of a sewage pipe when it's not being adequately treated before it gets into the tributaries, like the Potomac River, the Anacostia River, the Susquehanna River; and nonpoint sources of pollution, the kind of pollution that washes off our driveways from oil dripping from cars or the pollution that comes off of fields that are under agricultural production. Now, not long ago we passed in this legislature, in this Congress, the farm bill, and that farm bill provided vital additional help to our farmers, who are good stewards of our land. It provided them with vital new tools to help prevent that kind of nonpoint source pollution. And that will give them a vital boost in the years ahead in our effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and meet the goals that have been set. But the other key element to sustain that support is to engage the public. And we mean not just the Department of Agriculture but the other departments and agencies of the United States Government like the Department of Interior and the National Park Service, who has played such an important role in raising the understanding of the public that we all need to be part of this effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. In our State of Maryland, when you go down your roads and you see the systems where the water dumps into the pipes to take it out to rivers, it says this drains into the Chesapeake Bay. We have done a good job of trying to raise that public support. But this system, this whole effort, the Gateways effort that we are talking about in this bill, has also been a vital component of that to let people know what the Chesapeake Bay means to our region and to our country. And it would be very shortsighted to end this program. What we need to do instead is to say, as has been said by others, that this program has worked in raising that public awareness, enlisting the support of students and adults, young children and senior citizens in this big effort to protect this vital estuary. And this Gateways program has been a very important component in that effort. We need to keep it going, and we need to make it permanent. I salute my colleague from Maryland, John Sarbanes, for his tremendous effort in this region and for reaching out and making this a bipartisan effort along with Mr. Wittman, and I urge adoption of this legislation.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairman, I rise today as a member of the Green Schools Caucus to strongly support the 21st Century Green High- Performing Public School Facilities Act. Our Nation needs new schools. The average American school is 50 years old and almost two-thirds need extensive repair. According the GAO, 14 million students attend schools considered below standard or dangerous. But in a time of state budget deficits, fewer dollars are going to school construction projects. Today's bill will assist local school districts with the initial costs of construction and modernization and, by investing in energy efficient technology, will result in significant long term savings. Building green costs about 2 percent more than conventional construction, but can save 20 times that amount over the life of the school. Moreover, green school construction yields substantial environmental benefits. Green schools use on average 33 percent less energy and produce less carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and coarse particulate matter emissions. With its investment in infrastructure, this bill provides an important economic stimulus. School districts have many projects ready to go. When this bill is passed, we will see additional jobs in the construction industry, including suppliers, architects, contractors, and engineers. Madam Chairman, this legislation is a good, long-term investment that will improve education, reduce our energy consumption, and create jobs in local communities. I urge my colleagues to join me and support this important bill.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Montgomery County Humane Society as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Our household is fortunate to count Chessie, a golden retriever/yellow labrador mix, as part of our family, and our entire community is grateful to the Montgomery County Humane Society for providing compassionate animal welfare services in our region for half a century. Each year, the Montgomery County Humane Society takes in over 10,000 animals and provides assistance to more than 100,000 local citizens. It offers many critically important services in the county such as its nationally renowned Adoption/Foster, Spay-Neuter Programs, as well as the Rescue Partners Program, Lost & Found, 24-Emergency Hotline Services, Safe Haven Program, and Humane Education for both children and adults. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to offer my congratulations and warmest wishes to the Montgomery County Humane Society as it celebrates this important milestone. May it continue to thrive, shelter all needy animals, and find good homes for abandoned animals.