Diane Watson

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, Hollywood has lost another star with the passing of Paul Burke at the age of 83. Paul Burke was best known for the role he played of Colonel Joe Gallagher in the TV series ``Twelve O'Clock High.'' He was also known for winning two Emmy nominations for his role as Detective Adam Flint on the critically acclaimed New York cop drama ``The Naked City.'' Paul was born on July 21st, 1926, in New Orleans, son of prizefighter Martin Burke, who became a promoter and nightclub owner. While growing up, Burke's family owned the popular French Quarter nightclub and restaurant Marty Burke's. After moving to Hollywood as a young man in the late 1940s, Burke studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse for 2 years. Movie director Lloyd Bacon, a friend of Burke's father, got him his first role, an unaccredited bit part in the 1951 Betty Grable musical ``Call Me Mister.'' In addition to his wife of 30 years, Burke is survived by his three children from his first marriage, Paula Burke-Lopez, Paul Brian Burke, and Dina Burke-Shawkat; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The Hollywood community, his family, friends and colleagues will miss him and his contributions to the entertainment industry.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. I thank you very much, Congressman Ellison, for yielding to me. You are doing a marvelous job. I watch you every evening as you take the mic on the floor of the House to explain to the general public what a benefit health care reform is to all Americans. And I want to say that we speak to all Americans and we say to them, we are presenting to you a reform of health care as you have known it in the past. Because in my own State of California, if you have insurance, your fees are going to go up somewhere around $1,800 for a family of four annually. People are going without coverage because they cannot afford it. We had an assembly outside of Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood several weeks ago, and there was a man who came up with a heavy Spanish accent. And he said, I am an American, I work four jobs. My 2-year-old daughter got sick. I could not even afford health insurance and she eventually died. I do hope that our House bill, H.R. 3200, will be recognized as a way to help reform health care because what we want to do is bring to you in your own community accessible health care. We want it to be affordable; we want it to cover preexisting conditions; and we want to say to you, if you get sick and you can't work--and that's happening very frequently with H1N1, people are getting sick, they have no sick leave, and it could really bankrupt most families. And so we say to you, even if you don't have a job, you will be covered. We are now just dickering around the edges of a reform. We are going to get one now because it's the right thing to do, Mr. Ellison. And I am so glad that you are bringing information to the people every evening. I want to say that I know in my own district there are a lot of people who cannot afford health care, but this one family could. And if we don't reform health care, a lot of people will have to endure weeks of illness and eventually death. I'd like to bring to your attention the death of Marybell Bakewell, who was born on April 10, 1925 and died October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. Her son is Danny Bakewell, who is now Chair of the Black Publishers Association. Mr. Bakewell, who lives in the southern California area, could pay for health care, but he could not save his own mother, Mrs. Bakewell; and she suffered a massive stroke from which she never recovered. Marbee, as she was affectionately known by her entire family, was always the life of the family. She preached ``family first,'' and anyone who knew her immediately fell in love with her glowing personality. She was full of life, love and laughter, and was also an activist. Marybell Bakewell was a native of New Orleans and lived there 79 years of her 84 years of life. She finally left her beloved city after it was completely devastated by Hurricane Katrina. While living in New Orleans, she was a life member of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church as well as a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family. Mrs. Bakewell belonged to one of four generations of women and family who attended St. Mary's Catholic School. Her grandmother, Mary Winier; her mother, Camille Brazile; Marybell Bakewell and her daughter, Pamela Bakewell, all were graduates of this esteemed institution of higher learning dating back to the turn of the century. Mrs. Bakewell was a diehard New Orleans Saints fan. She loved to play cards and board games, especially with her main road warrior, Brenda Marsh-Mitchell. Marybell Bakewell is survived by her two children, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. and Pamela Bakewell, both prominent in Los Angeles civic affairs; her daughter-in-law, Aline Bakewell; eight grandchildren--Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., Brandi Bakewell, Sabrina Bakewell, deceased, Donny Brooks, Jamie Brooks, Brandon Brooks, Fatima Elswify, Amira Elswify; six great grandchildren--Taelor Bakewell, Danny J. Bakewell, III, Devyn Bakewell, Bryce Bakewell, Donny Brooks, Jr., Adrian ``AJ'' Brooks; sister-in-law, Delores Brazile; her nephew, Eric Brazile; as well as a host of cousins, family and friends. This courageous matriarch will be missed by the Los Angeles community, her family and friends, and especially by me, Mr. Speaker. I had a grandmother who was born in New Orleans, grew up in a convent for 13 years, obviously left, but her sister became Sister Philomena. And so I have a great affection for the city and for her. My point in bringing her obituary here is that, yes, this family could afford health care; but I'm telling you there are thousands of others, not only in my district in the State of California but across this country, something like 38 million, who need the government to help them survive when they have a condition or when they are declared terminal. So I am hoping that in this Congress we will do the right thing and we will see that before the year ends, we have Medicare reform as a program for all Americans. I want to thank you, Mr. Ellison, for your insight, your intelligence, your knowledge. And I want you on this floor every evening. You are bringing to the American people the important facts about what our reform will do. So thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Thank you very much for the time. Continue to educate Americans.

Ms. WATSON. Would you yield just a few seconds?

Ms. WATSON. About 3 weeks ago, I was up in the Hollywood Hills at a reception, and there was a young man who was taking pictures of all of us. When I finished making a presentation about our health care reform, he came up to me and he said, thank you. He said, I am on a medication--now get this--that costs $74,000 a month. I said repeat that figure. He said $74,000 a month. He told me that he had a very unique condition, that when he was born, his muscular system, his skeletal system as well as his vital organs started to deteriorate. Each one of the medications he takes monthly costs over $6,000. He does a copayment of about $696 a month. He said, I could not afford that without the insurance that I have, and I pay a high price for that insurance. I told you what the copayment was. So here is a person who makes a good income and pays a great amount of his income on a monthly basis just to stay alive. Why can't we have a program that will keep others alive regardless of their income? And thank you, Congresswoman, for coming forth with your factual statements. I listen to you also very intently. And as an attorney, you bring the truth and you speak it to power. And I thank you very much. I yield back.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, there have been many myths about our health reform, and I want to give just a few facts. Decisions about your health will be made by you, your doctor, and your family and not by anyone else. They're saying that health care reform will lead to rationed care. Mr. Speaker, the fact is nothing will stand between you and your doctor or prevent you from making the best health care decisions yourself. And, Mr. Speaker, there's a myth saying we can't afford to fix health care during an economic crisis. Well, rising health care costs are hurting our families and businesses now and driving up the budget deficit. If we do nothing, the cost of health care premiums will eat us up more and more. It will eat up your monthly paycheck, and the prescription drug doughnut hole won't get fixed.

Ms. WATSON

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 733) expressing condolences to the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the aftermath of the devastating typhoon that struck the central and southern regions of the island on August 8, 2009, as amended.

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

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. This resolution expresses condolences to the victims of the devastating typhoon that struck Taiwan on August 8, 2009. I would like to thank my good friend, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for sponsoring this important resolution that allows the House to voice its support for Taiwan and its people. Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan on August 8 and deluged the island with over 8 feet of rain. The loss of life and destruction of property in the wake of the typhoon has been devastating and is the worst that Taiwan has seen in 50 years. The central and southeastern parts of Taiwan were hardest hit by the storm, with floods and mudslides damaging almost 200,000 homes. The official death toll is over 600, and there are still 81 people missing. The United States assisted recovery efforts in Taiwan by providing humanitarian relief supplies and heavy-lift helicopters to the disaster areas. I want to extend my deepest condolences to all of the families that lost loved ones caused by the typhoon and to those who have lost their homes. The people of the United States stand in solidarity with the Taiwanese people as they undertake the painstaking process of recovery, and we stand ready to advocate further assistance for the recovery process if needed. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) for sponsoring this resolution, and I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Las Vegas, Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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. 3593) to amend the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 to extend by one year the operation of Radio Free Asia, and for other purposes.

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

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, Radio Free Asia provides timely, accurate and useful news and information to countries whose leadership prohibits access to truly free media. Listeners in China, Tibet, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea and Burma can learn about what is happening in their own countries and in their own languages and dialects through professional and objective reporting and discussion programs on RFA. RFA's performance is impressive in parts of the world where governments make independent broadcasting difficult or even impossible. It is one of our most dynamic surrogate broadcasters. RFA uses well-established means of information dissemination, such as shortwave transmissions and hand-cranked radios, that are spirited to listeners who are otherwise entirely cut off from the world. It also makes use of modern media technologies such as live streaming over the Internet in regions where access to computers is relatively common but where governments place controls on news reporting. The listener feedback to these programs by e-mail and during call-in talk shows is very impressive. It provides a credible window on the pervasiveness of corruption and autocracy. I think most of us agree that it is useful to continue operating RFA, as it serves to help maintain freedom of information overseas as well as promoting better understanding of United States values such as democracy. The legislation before us, offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) would reauthorize RFA to continue its operations for the next fiscal year. I strongly urge all of our colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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 agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 178) expressing the sense of the Congress that we honor, commemorate and celebrate the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands by recognizing the Quadricentennial celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River and the settlement and enduring values of New Netherland which permeate American society up until today, 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 include extraneous material on the concurrent resolution under consideration.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) for introducing this resolution marking the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that now bears his name. Hudson and his crew of 20 Dutch and English sailors got as far as present day Albany before concluding that the river was unlikely to take him to India. Though his voyage may not have led to the discovery of the Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson and the Dutch East India Company planted the seeds for the establishment of the New Netherland settlement and four centuries of American-Dutch relations. The legacy of New Netherland is plainly evident in the values such as tolerance, entrepreneurship and freedom of speech and religion which we hold so dear. This was echoed by Benjamin Franklin when he wrote, ``In love of liberty and in the defense of it, Holland has been our example.'' From our partnership in NATO to our immense trade and investment links, the bonds of friendship between our two countries today remain just as strong as when the Netherlands became the first European country to grant diplomatic recognition to the United States. So I urge my colleagues to join me on this important anniversary by supporting this resolution and recognizing the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I proudly yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

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. 2131) to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 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 include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. WATSON. This legislation would extend by 1 year the mandate of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a bipartisan panel created by Congress and appointed by the President that reports on the public diplomacy work of the State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and other United States Government agencies. The commission reports its findings and recommendations to the President, Congress and the Secretary of State. Its products provide a window into what works and what does not work in our public diplomacy efforts. For example, the commission's 2008 report on the human resource dimension of public diplomacy has been used as a guide by both Congress and the new administration on ways that the recruitment and training of public diplomacy staff at the State Department can and should be improved. Mr. Speaker, the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy serves a very useful purpose. We should reauthorize it for another year of operation, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation to do just that. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I certainly thank the young lady.

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