March 9, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 155, Pt. 5 6661 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES—Monday, March 9, 2009 The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was shovel-ready that actually put more in annual Federal and State tax rev- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- people to work per million dollars than enue and producing over $53 billion in pore (Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland). highway construction. annual retail sales and services. These f Bike partisanship is alive and well on are activities that help revitalize the Capitol Hill, with over 200 members in economy exactly at the time we need DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO the Bike Caucus. There is a reason why them. Even those ever-present bicycle TEMPORE people are focusing on cycling activi- rides that are mushrooming around the The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- ties. Since 1980, the number of miles country support in excess of $100 mil- fore the House the following commu- Americans drive has increased three lion a year in critical medical research. nication from the Speaker: times faster than the population, and It is time for us to focus on what we WASHINGTON, DC, almost twice as fast as vehicle reg- in Congress can do to be more bike par- March 9, 2009. istrations. We have reached a point tisan. We urge you to join in wel- I hereby appoint the Honorable DONNA F. where our roadways simply demand re- coming the cyclists to Capitol Hill and EDWARDS to act as Speaker pro tempore on lief. become a member of the Congressional this day. We have an obesity epidemic. Sixty- Bike Caucus. NANCY PELOSI, five percent of American adults are ei- f Speaker of the House of Representatives. ther overweight or obese. Thirteen per- RECESS f cent of our children and adolescents are overweight, due in large part to The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- MORNING-HOUR DEBATE lack of regular activity. There is an op- ant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- portunity to burn calories instead of declares the House in recess until 2 ant to the order of the House of Janu- fossil fuel. The Centers for Disease p.m. today. ary 6, 2009, the Chair will now recog- Control estimates that if all these Accordingly (at 12 o’clock and 36 nize Members from lists submitted by physically inactive Americans become minutes p.m.), the House stood in re- the majority and minority leaders for active, we have the opportunity to save cess until 2 p.m. morning-hour debate. over $75 billion a year in health care f The Chair will alternate recognition costs. b 1400 between the parties, with each party The transportation sector contrib- limited to 30 minutes and each Mem- utes one-third of our greenhouse gas AFTER RECESS ber, other than the majority and mi- emissions that are contributing to The recess having expired, the House nority leaders and the minority whip, cooking the planet. was called to order at 2 p.m. limited to 5 minutes. There are opportunities for individ- f f uals to make a difference in their lives. A bike commuter saves almost $2,000 a PRAYER WELCOMING NINTH ANNUAL year in auto-related costs, avoids 50 The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT hours of being stuck in traffic and Coughlin, offered the following prayer: The SPEAKER pro tempore. The saves almost 150 gallons of gasoline. Lord God, ever attentive to our deep- Chair recognizes the gentleman from And you don’t have to be a regular est needs, answer the prayers of the Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- long-distance bike commuter. Forty Members of Congress and bring them utes. percent of American trips are two closer and closer to You. Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, miles or less. Over a quarter are less Lord, once You draw souls close to occasionally there is some controversy than one mile. You, people desire to hold on to Your and conflict here in our Nation’s Cap- We all have an opportunity to make presence, and so they pray. Then to ital, but this week we have an oppor- a difference. We can start by working give flesh and blood to prayerful senti- tunity for celebrating events that with our children. Only 15 percent of ments and words, they enter into the bring people together. We have the students were walking or bicycling to realm of self-denial. ninth annual National Bicycle Sum- school as we began our new century, Finally, personal sacrifice, Lord, mit, which will be welcoming people yet in an earlier generation more than never seems worthwhile until it bene- from 47 States and four foreign coun- half the children were able to get to fits another. So there are these three tries who will be fanning out across the school on their own. practices: prayer, fasting, and acts of Capitol to talk about the opportunities We watch as bicycles have been inte- charity. The three are really one, giv- for this country in promoting bicycle grated into day-to-day activities. Right ing life to each other as they bring us activities. here on Capitol Hill, you will watch bi- closer to You, O Lord. This has been an exciting period for cycle patrols with Capitol police. In Let living faith and faith-filled prac- people who believe in cycling. Under fact, more than 96 percent of the large tice lead us to You both now and for- the leadership of now Chairman OBER- cities in this country have routine bi- ever. STAR, the House Transportation and In- cycle patrols, and they are spreading Amen. frastructure Committee in the last re- across the country. f authorization celebrated the most sig- It is also big business. I am not just nificant biking, hiking, and walking talking about a bicycle-friendly com- THE JOURNAL bill in history. Now, as Mr. OBERSTAR munity like mine in Portland, Oregon, The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- is chairman, we anticipate that there where it is about $100 million dollars of ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- will be even more initiatives that will economic activity and employs about ceedings and announces to the House be undertaken. In the economic recov- 1,000 people. Nationally we are talking her approval thereof. ery package, there were $825 million of about $133 billion, supporting over 1 Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- projects all across the country that are million jobs, producing over $17 billion nal stands approved. 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. VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:35 Jun 29, 2011 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR09\H09MR9.000 H09MR9 wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with BOUND RECORD 6662 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 155, Pt. 5 March 9, 2009 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE takingly irresponsible dismissal of a taxes someone or something, it stifles The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman vital project on which billions have al- growth, production, and the incentive from Iowa (Mr. BOSWELL) come forward ready been spent. It extends a security to work. and lead the House in the Pledge of Al- risk at dozens of temporary waste dis- The number one producer of jobs in legiance. posal sites around the Nation and America is not the government, not Mr. BOSWELL led the Pledge of Alle- threatens to cripple the future nuclear large corporations, but small business. giance as follows: development needed to advance na- Most are owned by individuals, real I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the tional energy independence.’’ people who hire other real people. United States of America, and to the Repub- The editorial continues to say, ‘‘For The new income tax hike is aimed lic for which it stands, one nation under God, South Carolina, it raises the likelihood right at these individuals, and the ef- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. that vast quantities of nuclear waste fect will be bad for jobs and the econ- f at the Savannah River site will simply omy. It’s the administration’s way of remain there indefinitely. Congress punishing success. Small business own- COMMENDING PRESIDENT OBAMA should repudiate the administration’s ers have told me they aren’t going to FOR EXECUTIVE ORDER TO decision.’’ expand because they do not want to get OVERTURN BAN ON FEDERAL That is sound advice. Nuclear energy in the higher tax bracket. Some have FUNDING FOR EMBRYONIC STEM is clean energy. It has provided my told me they’re going to downsize to CELL RESEARCH home State over 50 percent of our elec- pay the new tax increase. That means, (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given trical power for over 30 years and will in simple terms, lay people off. permission to address the House for 1 continue to be an important part of our Why work hard and expand? The minute and to revise and extend his re- Nation’s energy infrastructure. more you work, the higher percent of marks.) In conclusion, God bless our troops, taxes taken from you by the hungry Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, I and we will never forget September the beast of government. No one should rise today to commend President 11th. have their taxes raised during a reces- Obama for overturning former Presi- f sion, but the new economic recovery dent Bush’s ban on Federal funding for plan is: If it moves, regulate it; if it CONFIRMATION OF JOHN HOLDREN embryonic stem cell research.