Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 155 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009 No. 157 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. and was junior and senior class and a champion Because of the atrocious acts of this called to order by the Speaker pro tem- orator who was captain of the debate horrible man, a bright young life was pore (Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland). team for 3 years. She was also in the extinguished and the world is forever f National Honor Society and graduated poorer because of it. Chillingly, cum laude in the top 3 percent of her though, this murderer is up for parole DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO class. in 2011. With the confessed perpetrator TEMPORE As a member of the Legal Eagles behind bars, we have the comfort of The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- club, Shannon was an aspiring attor- knowing that no other person can fall fore the House the following commu- ney whose ultimate goal was to sit on victim to him, and that is why we nication from the Speaker: the Supreme Court. During her senior should fight to keep him there in pris- on. Unfortunately, many perpetrators WASHINGTON, DC, year, Shannon even spoke before the October 27, 2009. United Nations and Congress. are roaming the streets today still I hereby appoint the Honorable DONNA F. With grand dreams and a promising preying on the most innocent of vic- EDWARDS to act as Speaker pro tempore on future ahead of her, nothing could have tims. Let us make sure that Calvin this day. turned out to be more tragic than her Hinton is not one of them. NANCY PELOSI, disappearance. The news was dev- Shannon’s parents, Luis and Yvonne, Speaker of the House of Representatives. astating to her home community as it as well as her sister, Monique, are still f was to the Atlanta area where she had active today in efforts to protect chil- dren by strengthening our laws and MORNING-HOUR DEBATE already established herself as a bright individual with an even brighter fu- protecting and educating youth and The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- ture. their families about violence and per- ant to the order of the House of Janu- She disappeared without a trace on petrators. They honor their daughter ary 6, 2009, the Chair will now recog- March 26, 1994 while working at a part- and their sister, Shannon, and the nize Members from lists submitted by time job at a softball country club. countless other children like Shannon through their work. Shannon’s story the majority and minority leaders for Shortly after, the first 10,000 posters must serve as a reminder to students morning-hour debate. and 60 billboards went up in Atlanta that they must always be aware of The Chair will alternate recognition with Shannon’s picture declaring her between the parties, with each party their surroundings and stay safe. missing. Not long after that, her fa- As a mother and grandmother, I can- limited to 30 minutes and each Mem- ther, Luis Melendi, had the signs ber, other than the majority and mi- not imagine the heartache the changed to ‘‘kidnapped.’’ Melendis have gone through. Luis nority leaders and the minority whip, Calvin ‘‘Butch’’ Hinton was named as Melendi still speaks to high school sen- limited to 5 minutes. a suspect. He was a coworker and an iors about the dangers posed by per- f umpire she knew through her part-time petrators and reminds them that this job. Many pieces of evidence linked SHANNON MELENDI AWARENESS could happen to anyone. Last week, on him to the disappearance of Shannon, what should have been their daughter’s The SPEAKER pro tempore. The but unfortunately not enough for a 35th birthday, the Melendi family Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from solid case. In a strange twist of fate, spoke to the students at Coral Shores Florida (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) for 5 min- this demented man burned down his High School in Tavernier to keep Shan- utes. own home to keep the authorities from non’s memory alive and to drive home Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speak- investigating him further, but he was the idea of being aware and being safe. er, October 20, 2009 should have marked sentenced to 9 years in prison for fraud With these efforts and the laws that we the 35th birthday of Shannon Denise when he tried to collect insurance on pass, we can help protect our Nation’s Melendi; instead, she will be forever that house fire. youth. the 19-year-old victim of kidnapping Then, more than 11 years after Shan- It is in honor and remembrance of and rape whose life was tragically non had disappeared, Hinton had just Shannon Melendi that I urge my col- ended at the hands of a ruthless killer. been released from prison when he was leagues to remain champions and pro- Shannon was a gifted young college rearrested and placed on trial for Shan- tectors of our youth. Through the life sophomore from Miami attending non’s murder. After many heart- of Shannon Melendi we know that even Emory University in Atlanta. In wrenching moments in the trial, the though it was short, we can make sure Miami, at Southwest High School, my verdict came back guilty and Hinton that the lessons learned from her mur- alma mater, she was president of the was sentenced to life in prison. der last eternally. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H11793 . VerDate Nov 24 2008 03:49 Oct 28, 2009 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A27OC7.000 H27OCPT1 smartinez on DSKB9S0YB1PROD with HOUSE H11794 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE October 27, 2009 I thank the Speaker for the time, and tration and this Congress to unite on a Health Care—more than AARP re- we will always remember Shannon. vision to rebuild and renew America is ceived in membership dues, grant rev- f now, to enact it into law and provide enue, and private contributions com- appropriate funding. This action will bined. REVITALIZING OUR ECONOMY pay dividends to Americans for decades But for Chairman BAUCUS’ exemp- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The to come, making our communities tion, AARP salaries would in fact be Chair recognizes the gentleman from more livable and our families safer, subject to the penalties in the Finance Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- healthier, and more economically se- bill. In 2008, then CEO William Novelli utes. cure. received total compensation of Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, f $1,005,830, more than 78 times the aver- the challenge for all America, not just age annual Social Security benefit of AARP GETS FREE PASS IN the new administration and Congress, $12,738. HEALTH CARE DEBATE but our communities, our businesses, According to a story published today especially American families, is how to The SPEAKER pro tempore. The in the Washington Post, AARP col- revitalize our economy. There is a Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from lected $650 million in royalties and great deal of contention occasionally North Carolina (Ms. FOXX) for 5 min- other fees last year from the sale of in- here in Washington, D.C. about the utes. surance policies, credit cards, and best approach, but this problem takes Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, does other products that carry the AARP on a new urgency as the experts now America’s biggest senior citizens orga- name. One of the main products that tell us that while the economy appears nization, AARP, get a free pass in the AARP pushes are so-called Medigap in- to be recovering, the jobs aren’t: A job- ongoing health care reform debate? surance policies for senior citizens. less recovery, posing special problems Speaker PELOSI recently called insur- These policies supplement existing for Americans from coast to coast. ance companies ‘‘immoral villains,’’ Medicare policies that seniors already But beyond the problems with the and Senator JAY ROCKEFELLER derided have. economy, there are serious issues deal- their tactics as ‘‘rapacious,’’ yet the So what’s the big deal? Well, in case ing with the state of repair of America; majority has simultaneously relied on you missed it, AARP is helping push our electrical grid is inadequate and an organization that has received bil- the Democrats’ big government version unreliable, too many roads and bridges lions of dollars in windfall profits from of health care reform. They’ve been a are in serious disrepair, and there are those same insurers as an ‘‘inde- vocal proponent of the government-run problems with inadequate or non- pendent’’ source to support their gov- health care proposal before Congress. existent sewage collection and leaking ernment takeover of health care— Interestingly, the proposal before Con- water mains. And there is environ- AARP. gress slashed funding for a Medicare mental damage in sites from coast to The Democrat majority has even re- program called Medicare Advantage. coast with Superfund, brownfields, lied on AARP’s support for legislation, This program is especially popular even unexploded ordnance and military S. 1776, that would increase the Federal with seniors in my district. About toxics on military defense locations. debt by nearly $250 billion to fund phy- 40,000 seniors in my district enjoy the The opportunity and the challenge is sician reimbursements, even though benefits of a Medicare Advantage plan, to combine the problems with the econ- the bill would raise seniors’ Medicare but these plans will be killed off under omy with what we need to do to rebuild premiums by over $60 billion.