Diane Watson

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 74) supporting the goals and ideals of a decade of action for road safety with a global target to reduce by 50 percent the predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 and 2020, as amended.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. WATSON. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Road crashes are a worldwide epidemic that annually take the lives of 1.2 million people and that injure 50 million others. While the Congress has admirably focused on the fight against infectious disease, such as HIV and AIDS and malaria, while it has improved access to clean drinking water and while it has focused on other critical global health issues, not enough attention has been paid to those whose lives have been lost in road accidents. A road accident is the leading cause of death among young people around the world, 85 percent of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. Yet all too often, these road accidents could have been prevented by better driver and pedestrian education and by improved engineering. In many countries, safety precautions that we take for granted, such as sidewalks, guardrails and crosswalks, simply don't exist. Pedestrians cross streets at their peril, and drivers use roads without lane markings or traffic lights. With more drivers taking to the roads in developing countries, global road deaths are likely to increase in the decade to come. The U.S. and the international community can prevent many of these accidents by promoting improved data collection techniques, by supporting collaborative efforts to reduce the risks of road crash deaths and by fostering partnerships and cooperation between governments, the private and public sectors and within civil society. We have no excuse for not taking a more aggressive approach to preventing millions of deaths and injuries along the world's roads and highways. I urge my colleagues to join me in raising awareness of the importance of reducing global road deaths and injuries by supporting this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler).

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2004) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4282 Beach Street in Akron, Michigan, as the ``Akron Veterans Memorial Post Office''.

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

Ms. WATSON. I now yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to present H.R. 2004 for consideration. This legislation will designate the United States postal facility located as 4282 Beach Street in Akron, Michigan, as the Akron Veterans Memorial Post Office. Introduced by my colleague, Representative Dale Kildee of Michigan, on April 21, 2009, and favorably reported out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee by unanimous consent on June 18, 2009, H.R. 2004 enjoys the support of the entire House Michigan delegation. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us pays tribute to the brave men and women from Akron Village, the State of Michigan, and across the United States who have served our Nation in the United States military, both at home and abroad. Over 23 million American military veterans are currently living in the United States, including approximately 742,000 living in the State of Michigan alone. They, as well as those that are no longer with us, have devoted their lives to the defense and security of our Nation, and always at a great personal risk and sacrifice. We are eternally in their debt and forever grateful for their noble and selfless dedication to our Nation and the preservation of its founding principles. Mr. Speaker, let us pay tribute to the distinguished service of our veterans from the village of Akron, the State of Michigan, and across the country by designating the Akron post office in their honor. I urge my colleagues to me in supporting H.R. 2004. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I again urge my colleagues to join me in honoring America's military veterans through the passage of H.R. 2004.

Ms. WATSON. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1345) to amend title 5, United States Code, to eliminate the discriminatory treatment of the District of Columbia under the provisions of law commonly referred to as the ``Hatch Act''.

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

Ms. WATSON. I now yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise for the consideration of H.R. 1345, which is designed to ensure that employees of the District of Columbia are subject to the same rules of political activity under the Hatch Act that apply to all other State and local government employees, thereby ending the discriminatory treatment they have received since 1993. In October of 1993, Congress passed the Hatch Act Reform Amendments, allowing Federal employees to take part in political campaigns on their off-duty, personal time. The legislation of 1993 did continue to prohibit Federal employees from seeking public office in partisan elections. However, it also retained a measure which subjected D.C. employees to Federal Hatch Act provisions. This ignored the District's authority to self-govern and enact its own local laws; not to mention that employees in all other State and local jurisdictions are subjected to laws written by their own State and local governments and are not subject to the Federal Hatch Act like D.C. government employees. H.R. 1345 ends this disparate treatment by placing D.C. employees under the same Federal Hatch Act restrictions that apply to all other States and localities. This bill was offered by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) on March 5, 2009. Having been considered by the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, chaired by Representative Stephen Lynch, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under Chairman Towns ordered the bill reported to the full House by voice vote on June 4, 2009. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1345 is a commonsense measure, treating employees of the District of Columbia the same way that other State and local government employees are treated. The difference in treatment under the Hatch Act has persisted for far too long. I urge my colleagues to help end the disparate treatment by supporting this measure. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have the distinguished Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton from the great District of Columbia recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to urge my colleagues to support this much-needed measure. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2760) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1615 North Wilcox Avenue in Los Angeles, California, as the ``Johnny Grant Hollywood Post Office Building''.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2760, a bill which I introduced to designate a post office in my district as the ``Johnny Grant Hollywood Post Office Building''. Johnny Grant and Hollywood are synonymous. As Tinseltown's honorary mayor, he was one of the community's most enthusiastic supporters for more than 50 years. He served as chairman of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee and the Hollywood Historic Trust. He not only created what was to become part of Hollywood's history but had been a longtime supporter for preserving Cinema City's past. Johnny Grant was also a big supporter of public diplomacy. Over the Memorial Day recess period, I took 30 films donated by Johnny Grant before he passed away to South Africa and donated them to the Rosa Parks Library and Information Center at the U.S. Embassy. The films will be accessible to the public and will be used to promote the United States' moral values, principles, and culture. Grant was a retired major general in the California State Military Reserve. He was sought out to advise the Guard in his areas of expertise: morale, public affairs, recruiting, and special events. Though retired, he continued to be recalled by California's Adjutant General for special duties. In 1982, the State of California showed their appreciation for Johnny Grant's 30 years of service by awarding him the Order of California, the State's highest honor. Governor George Deukmejian, in an unprecedented act, awarded Johnny Grant a second Order of California at the State Capitol in 1990. General Grant was also the recipient of the National Guard's Medal of Merit. In June of 1999, retired Major General Johnny Grant was recalled to temporary active duty to promote and produce events saluting the California National Guard on its 150th birthday. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the time, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill to honor Johnny Grant for a lifetime of public service. And I just want you to know, before his sudden death, he had completed 60 trips to entertain our troops, more than any other celebrity who has gone overseas and around the country, so we honor him also for that. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Darrell Issa, my colleague, for his words about Johnny Grant. And I want you to know, Johnny knew he would live forever, and now that we're going to have a building named after him in the new remodeled and revitalized Hollywood, he, indeed, his image, will live forever. So I thank my colleague. And in closing, I again urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Johnny Grant through the passage of H.R. 2760.

Ms. WATSON. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I'm so excited because now is the time for America's health insurance reform, and we got a report on Friday from the CBO that affirmed that the insurance reforms in our bill are deficit-neutral over the next 10 years and will even create a $6 billion surplus. More than 80 major groups have already expressed support for America's Affordable Health Choice Act, including the American Medical Association, AARP, Main Street Alliance--and it's a small business group--and numerous medical specialty groups. I just spoke to 3,000 members of the National Medical Association. I went through the outline of our bill and there was no question that I could not answer for them and they are 100 percent supportive of it. We need a uniquely American solution.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to be here to join my colleagues with the Black Caucus. We spent a day in a seminar so that we would understand every single provision in the bill that will be in front of us at the end of the week. It is so important that we come together because we have a golden opportunity to plant the sapling of health care reform. And I want to remind all my colleagues that America's Affordable Health Choices Act is just the beginning of a better national health care structure. Together we can work to make it grow. We must plant this sapling now before it is killed by the wayside as it has so many times been done before. Our efforts to tackle health care began under the leadership of President Harry S Truman, who attempted to include universal health insurance under the Fair Deal reforms. Hillary Clinton in 1993 spearheaded this effort. Now, thankfully, President Barack Obama has made it one of his top priorities. We have known our options for years. Just because our Republican colleagues began to listen only recently does not mean that we have not carefully considered what is at stake. We are not rushing through deciding the fate of millions of Americans. Rather, we have taken too long to deliver what is necessary. The naysayers have rallied around the cost of this health care reform. Please recall that we have spent tens of billions of dollars in Iraq, $15 billion a month factually. And if we would take that money, we could have the most thorough and the most beneficial health care system in the world. My city, the City of Los Angeles, alone has spent $9 billion and the Nation has spent $890 billion since the start of this unauthorized war. I agree that the $1 trillion price tag of health care is hefty, but it is a better use of our taxpayers' money than a war in Iraq. I would rather reform the system now and reduce the costs that my constituents must bear directly. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have more than doubled in the last decade. This is four times faster than the average wage increase. Middle class Americans have seen the average annual family contribution for employer-sponsored coverage rise to $3,354 in 2008 from $1,619 in the year 2000. For a family earning $50,000, health premium costs now consume 7 percent of their pretax income. Incomes are not rising to keep up with these costs especially in an economy where so many people are losing their jobs. If this reform fails, we will have little hope of reining in the skyrocketing costs of health care for the middle class. To reduce the cost of health care for the average middle class working family, we have to reform the system and introduce a public option. Mr. Speaker, the public option is a necessary and pivotal part of health care reform. With it in place, Congress introduces competition into the health care system. With fair price competition, we introduce efficiency and quality, not bureaucracy. Your government is not going to stand in between you and your doctor. Your government is providing an opportunity for you to choose your insurance. I want to make this crystal clear: We have close to 390 million people in the United States. We are focusing now on the 48 million without health insurance. The rest of Americans who have their insurance and like it are not affected. They can keep whatever they have. We are focusing on those who don't have it, so that we will see to the health care of all Americans. With the basic benefits guaranteed in the exchange, I hope that insurance companies and the government will be left outside of the examining room. It is a fallacy to believe that we are going to get in between a doctor and a patient. With the public plan, we offer Americans personal patient choice. Let me repeat that: We offer personal patient choice, and the freedom to stay healthy. I want to say that once more. This reform is about the freedom of choice. Our plan offers Americans the choice to keep their health insurance, if they choose to keep it. In the public plan, we are only offering the public in the exchange the option to choose the plan that is created by the government-- created by the government. The public plan may not be perfect, but it establishes a strong framework that we can build upon. Bringing health care to the floor means that Congress is ready to ensure that Americans have health insurance. We are making small businesses more attractive by providing them with a means with which to offer their employees health insurance. We are reducing the crushing cost on our large employers, and we are providing the people with more choices. I truly hope that with the understanding of what is being presented and with the multitude of hours put in by many committees, many Members and staff, this will be the historic first step on the road to making health care for all Americans possible. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to voting with my colleagues on this issue, and I would like to see it done at the end of the week so there is not a meltdown and the naysayers take the day. So let's do the right thing for the American people, and let's ensure that this country remains a strong, healthy country in perpetuity.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, the House will be taking up statutory PAYGO legislation which will restore the policy that led from deficits to surpluses under the Clinton administration. Statutory PAYGO is a necessary step to restore fiscal discipline and begin bringing down the deep deficits that face our Nation. Without reducing the deficit, we won't be able to invest in vital priorities, including health care, education and clean energy. The bill on the floor this week requires all new policies that either reduce revenues or expand entitlement spending be offset over 5 and 10 years. Discretionary spending is not subject to PAYGO and exceptions can be made for emergencies. We also take into account the political reality that several policies will continue, as in past Congresses, and allow them to be extended without offsets. Medicare physician payments, alternative minimum tax, middle class tax cuts and the current estate tax rates. I hope that all Members will support our PAYGO bill.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and Education and Labor Committees for working diligently on America's Affordable Health Choices Act. This bill is a historic first step to moving towards providing affordable health care options for all Americans. Comprehensive health care coverage will cost taxpayers initially. The current CBO estimate projects a government investment of $1 trillion over the next 10 years, but we must not forget that this investment in the health of Americans is not about the cost but about the savings for American families. According to CBO estimates, streamlining administrative costs may save Medicare $500 billion. Providing the public plan with the ability to negotiate for Medicare rates will increase those savings. Advocates for laissez-faire economics have continually noted that competition drives down costs and spurs innovation. With the public plan, we are finally giving the government a tool to reduce the costs of health care for Americans. For years, insurance companies have monopolized the market and have driven up costs for consumers. In many communities, the only available health option can impose astounding rates that consumers are forced to pay. The public plan will introduce fair price competition, forcing private insurers to keep apace with efficiency and with innovation. With the public plan, we offer Americans personal patient choice and the freedom to stay healthy. The America's Affordable Health Choices Act provides 97 percent of Americans with health care options. However, border States, such as my own, California, will continue to experience many of the same problems in their busy hospitals. The State of California is home to 22 percent of the Nation's undocumented immigrants. It is true that many of these immigrants will continue to travel to Mexico for care, but they will also continue to clog emergency rooms, which will result in exorbitant costs due to emergency care. We cannot run down costs in States like California without addressing this issue. We must provide hospitals with a mechanism for recovering these costs. In addition to the public plan, the House's Affordable Health Choices Act introduces improvements to both Medicare and Medicaid. Individuals and families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the Federal poverty level will be eligible for an expanded and improved Medicare. This will ensure that more children remain healthy. Improving rebates to seniors will help close the Medicare part D doughnut hole and will ensure that they do not have to decide between purchasing food or their medications. This bill has taken many steps to improve Medicare and the care we provide to seniors. However, we must remember that improving care for seniors is not the same as long-term care. If California does not fix its budget crisis by August, residents will lose many Medicare and Medicaid benefits, such as home care for seniors and for the disabled. The House health care bill does not address this problem. Providing the option for home care is another way to reduce costs and to allow seniors to keep their freedom, and it is something we should strongly consider. Again, America's Affordable Health Choices Act is certainly an impressive first step. We must be careful not to weaken a national public plan, and we must equally encourage our Senate colleagues to support a robust national public plan. Though local co-ops or State-level systems may seem to offer savings and freedoms for the American people, they raise a host of problems. Duplicating public plans in various locales raises administrative costs. It creates too many levels of bureaucracy that are simply not necessary. Therefore, I support the House version of America's Affordable Health Choices Act. I truly hope this is the historic first step on the road to making health care for all Americans possible. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues on this issue.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, we urgently need to fix the health care system for American families. Every day, Americans worry not simply about getting well, but whether they can afford to get the kind of health care they need. For American businesses, soaring health care costs put American companies at a competitive disadvantage in a global economy. For our fiscal future we have the most expensive health care system in the world. We're emphasizing cost, choice, security, and quality. We want a policy that costs less, covers more, and is quality. Your choice. You have it. If you like it, you keep it. For security and peace of mind, for quality patient-centered care, we want American solutions for American health.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 476) celebrating the 30th anniversary of June as ``Black Music Month,'' as amended.