for veterans, for supportive housing and services for low income veterans. it expands the very popular and very successful h.u.d. veterans afaurs supported housing program, authorizing 20,000 vouchers annually, when funded. it authorizes $1 million in h.u.d. grants to assist housing providers, to help them provide the supportiver ises -- services and the planning necessary to fulfill the needs of our veterans. this bill would require h.u.d. to submit an annual comprehensive report to congress on homelessness among the veteran population. and this bill will do what is necessary as a great first step to ending homelessness among our veterans population. this bill is supported by 12 anti-homelessness and veterans organizations. mr. speaker, if america is to continue to be the land of the free he, america must provide homes for the brave. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may co

it freezes 58 million low-income americans into a medicaid program that offers sporadic, substandard care. it's so expensive it will literally bankrupt states, and our government accountability office has told us it wastes $1 for every $10 it spends. that's $32 billion a year, three-fourths as much as we spend on all the prescription drugs for senior americans. and, according to unbiased government officials, its addition to the national debt are astronomical. the congressional budget office told us yesterday that the kennedy bill so far as it's written will add $1 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years, and that doesn't include medicaid expansion or the expansion of reimbursements for doctors seeing medicaid patients. it doesn't include the government health insurance option. it doesn't include the employer mandate. the baucus bill, we are told -- according to press results -- in the finance committee may cost $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. an independent study released yesterday says the kennedy bill may mean $4 trillion. the national government association says that m

but quite frankly the low income americans more than any other group suffer from chronic diseases. they don't you write, they smoke, they go too fast food places all the time. maybe the grocery stores in the neighborhood don't have fresh fruits and vegetables and things like that that senator brown of for the last farm bill and the setting up private programs to see if we can't restructure that so people that live in low-income areas have opportunities to offer health care foods so it has to be pervasive. for things on the meal, part of our bill is the meal act that i worked on with senator burkowski and others were longtime, the national restaurant association signed off and we had an agreement so that every chain restaurant will have total amount of calories for every single item have. and if you're someone who is watching their sodium intake are fat intake you can ask that the counter i would like to know what the total new tranquillity is of this item number the they have to present you in written form. doesn't have to be on the menu board but they have to have it available in

and the contact of reform, but we also provide subsidies for low-income families who need to buy into the plan. host: dr. jared bernstein received his phd in columbia university in social welfare, formerly the economic policy institute and also offer a "crunch: why do i feel so squeezed?" if you want to watch him talk about his book, you can go to booktv.org. cecilia, independent. caller: the morning, dr. bernstein. -- good morning. i am a health-care professional who does not have health insurance. the reason i don't is because my mother got sick and i work part time to take care of her, and fourth ran a half years i was taking care of my baby knees whose parents had abandoned her. -- . niece. i lost one job in the employer i have now does not offer health insurance. i tried to buy a my own, i can't get it because i have a genetic disorder that make me -- makes me have blood clots and a lot of different diseases. i worked for the campaign. i am very well aware of the promises candidate obama made for affordable health care insurance for all, and yet i hear now that a single payer pla

the people who are earning in the bottom quintile, the low income folks of this country, we have assured them -- and i can assure you they will not pay a penny for this in the long run because we are recycling money back to those low income folks. i may also want to add that this money, up to 15% of this essentially is not going into the general treasury. 15% of this is going into the treasury and going right back out to the low income people we are talking about. the rest of the value of this program is going to york utility, going to your utility, and that utility by law would be required to recycle the value of that back to you in ways to keep your rates low, in ways to insulate your home and to help you get an energy efficient washer or dryer. that is going to be recycled back to you. we could go through the list of where else that goes. but this money basically is required to go back to the u.s. economy. it is not going to be subject to appropriations of congress. one other thing frankly that i think a very good in this bill -- this money is not subject to congress appropriating it.

the total allowances go to low-income people. local -- targeted hiring for middle class careers in construction. low-income community energy efficiency programs. this low energy income efficient program will provide loans, assistance and grants to community organizations to provide financing to minority entrepreneurs. can i have an additional 30 seconds? mr. waxman: i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rush: the program which i worked with the gentlelady from california, ms. waters, as well as my colleague from vermont, mr. welch, is a program that provides grants to public housing agencies for energy retrofits and green energy. this is a great bill. this is a good bill. this bill should pass. i urge all of my colleagues to vote and support of this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: madam speaker, i'd like to yield two minutes to a member of the committee, mr

not only do they provide health care, but they are economic wounds to most of the low income communities where they are located. when we see many of the minority health care pressures in the country, they got their training, they got their beginning. some of them actually started as community health workers, as health aides, as pharmacy assistance, and technicians. now they are full-fledged physicians, full-fledged pharmacists, many of them have earned master's degree in public health and we think that there is no better way of nicking sure that low income minorities have opportunities for the highest level of health care than to expand the community health center program. now we will have congressman mike who will speak about the importance of comprehensive and coordinated data collection. thank you very much. >> thank you, madam chair. house reform without adjusting and solving disparities is not really reform. insurance alone does not guarantee access either. particularly for the limited english efficiency of patients which is why we need a strong public option to create expanded acce

i think we want low income individuals to have opportunities that are a lot like with the rest of us have and we want people to have choices. those companies close to what we can agree on so we agree on all these things and we reform the insurance market that much so why do we need to create a so-called government run insurance plan? that is the big difference of opinion here. i think. people say, well, what's the problem with government-run option? it sounds pretty sensible to me. many of us think that inevitably leads to a washington takeover of health care. why is that? is like putting an elephant in the room with some -- and saying all right feliz competes and after a few days what is left. the elephant is all that's left, the miser crashed and you have an elephant. that is your only option or to take another example, some taken along and said i don't like what is left of the u.s. auto industry is doing. to give them on us let's have a government run a car company. less by the press at general motors, all 100% and let's have a government car and will make it the right size and th

. >> next, a discussion on summer learning and low-income students. this is about a half an hour. learning. tell us how much information do children lose over the summer by not being in school, not going to the library and not keeping up with their studies? >> they lose quite a bit. guest: in fact research shows young people experience serious setbacks in academic performance during the summer when they take a long break. for lo-income kids they lose big in summer reading. they accumulate and contribute significantly to the achievement gap. it's not just an issue for low-income kids in fact for all kids they experience setbacks in skills like math come putation and spelling. so what the research shows very clearly and on this particular issue is that young people face significant setbacks and risks during summer months. host: tell us a little more about the national center for summer learning and what your grouch is trying to do to close this gap. guest: sure, we work with summer providers to make sure youngsters have enriching and memorable summers. a lot of us have this outlook

then we have a grant program to increase the sustainability of low-income community development capacity. we are going to provide loans, grants, or predevelopment assistance to eligible

versus lower income americans and certainly the gap we see persisting in ethnic minorities and low income and the damage populations and that is the continued priority with the department. we have included over a billion dollars in hers the in the health resources and services administration to support a wide range of programs dealing with workforce issues. clearly a critical component of health reform is having enough providers to deliver that care to all americans, so the funding will enhance the number of nurses and doctors, the number of dentists and mental health professionals and particularly, also targets minority and low-income students to encourage more access to the medical pression and an increased emphasis that make sure seniors get the care and treatment that they need. finally, the budget will support our work at the department to protect public health and safety of our citizens, as the chairman has recognized. we are not only dealing with an on going presentation of the h1 and won the flu virus but also the ongoing preparedness and operations to respond to whatever outbreak

we'll be dumping low-income americans into government programs that exist, and new programs we create for which they might not be able to gain admission -- or to which they might not gain admission. so we have better ideas, we think. they're in the wyden-bennett bill which is bipartisan. they're in the burr-coburn bill. they're in the legislation introduced by senator gregg of tphafplt they're in the legislation that senators hatch and cornyn are working on. we would like to give dollars to low-income americans so they can choose to buy an insurance policy and have the same kind of coverage that most of the rest of us can buy. we would rather give them choices in the private market which by far is what most americans have and choose today. we can do that at -- without adding debt to the -- to the national debt, the wyden-bennett bill is scored at no extra debt. and we can do that in a way that reduces the uninsured more than the kennedy bill does. so, madam president, with respect, i suggest we start over. we do it in a bipartisan way. that we take some suggestions, actually from the

it provides health care in a variety of ways to low-income americans who are not eligible for medicare. the federal government pays 60% of the cost, the states pay the rest. 58 million americans are trapped in medicaid. it's the only place of any significant size where we don't have competition in our health care system. think of the elephant in the room. it was my experience as governor -- i believe it is for most governors -- that it is not only an administrative mess with substandard care -- the medicaid program -- but its costs have spiraled out of control, threatening the viability of public universities and community colleges because there's no money left for the states to support them. here's what would happen in tennessee to the ken -- if the kennedy bill passed according to state of tennessee's medicaid director. our state costs would go up $572 million if we increased coverage to 150% of federal poverty. if the fed pays for this, the fed's costs would be $106 billion. i mean the federal budget paying for it. because the federal budget pays two-thirds, the state one-third. if

i know a physician who was running a clinic in a low income area, finding exactly the same problem. >> that is why i go back to understanding and respecting those differences. >> that is a class difference. >> it might be a social class difference, but it is much more broad if you look at it. my point was it is an education that needs to be given to the whole issue of one's culture and cultural confidence and good care. recent reports show less than half of all health-care institutions have mandatory courses on cultural competence. there has been a push in a couple states, new jersey being one of them, a couple states have similar statutes to require as part of your license to have some continuing education on cultural competence so you can understand that a little bit better in terms of providing the best possible care with your patient. >> let me interrupt. if i could switch back to education, i think education courses and cultural competence, they are rife with great big -- racial and ethnic stereotypesing, they are a disaster by and large. those courses worry me as a consequence.

low income households would be hit harder in average. of course, part of this is to give back some revenue to low- income households, but in my view, it will only restore part of what was taken off from household in the first place. it also disproportionately hits those states in the midwest and south that have a substantial number of manufacturing jobs to lose, as well as those that rely on coal for electric generation. it hurts a rural america more than role -- more than urban america. farmers will spend an average of 58% more on energy than their urban counterparts, and this cost would go up. in conclusion, it is not a surprise that support for it this is heaviest in those parts of the country better least harmed by it. even there, the economic damage would be bad enough. the citizens in the rest of the country should be asking tough questions about the economic impact of cat in trade. thank you. >> thank you very much. mr. rockwell? >> i am and engineer. i do not know about taxes or economics or those fields. the things i am going to

the the concerns of this bill arises in the minds of many of us is whether or not we are treating low income citizens as second-class citizens by automatically enrolling them in medicaid. my question would be this, why do you believe that a family making $29,000 a year is not as able to make choices as a family making $30,000 a year and why would it be better to simply automatically enroll them with no choice and medicaid as opposed to giving them a subsidy to allow them to go into the private insurance market? >> congressmen, some of those families, a limited number, are in jobs right now where they have employer provided coverage. they certainly would not ship that coverage. a large number, particularly single adults who are at the 100% or below the poverty line, who are making off in a very small amount of money, have no coverage at all. they are uninsured and find themselves and not in an ownership capacity. i think the committee looks at expanding medicaid to 100% -- 133%, i am sorry. many states of party done that and found it the most effective strategy to expand coverage. it is a lar

we do have a tax credits, a reimbursable tax credit, for low-income americans. the big difference between the republican bill and the democratic bill is that on the republican side, we still believe in the marketplace. we do not have all the mandate. we do not force americans into a government plan that we think is not very good for america. with that, i'll submit the rest of my statement for the record i look forward to these hearings. >> thank you. i am sincere in saying that i want to work with the. i will sherri brown bag lunch with you. >> thank you. >> this bill is a draft. i want to recognize the chairman of this committee. he is the champion of health care reform. he is the man that shall be the first time on the legislation. mr. dingell's? >> first, thank you for holding this important hearing. thank you for your remarkable leadership on moving forward toward resolution of the health care problems we have. i am grateful and proud. i am appreciative of the words he said about my dad. on behalf of my dad, i want to thank you for your kind words and for yo

. >> isn't that true of low-income whites as well? i know a position that was running a clinic in a very low income white area and found exactly the same problem. >> that is why i go back to at least understanding those differences. >> that is a social class difference. >> i am not sure if it is social class difference. it is much more broadly to look at it. my point was that it needs to be given the whole issue of one's culture and cultural competency. unfortunately, recent reports show that less than half of health care academic institutions have mandatory courses on cultural competency. in fact, there has been a push in a couple of states to require some continuing education on cultural competency it so that you can understand that a little bit better. i would like to >> can i interrupt just one second. if i could switch back to education, they are wife with ethnic and racial stereotyping. they are really a disaster, by and large. those courses were amy at. maybe it is not true in medicine. i know it is true in education. >> let me

i have a different preference for how we deliver services to low income individuals, as expressed by senator coburn's legislation, the widen-bennett legislation, by the gregg legislation and the legislation senator hatch is working on. i would like to see us give cash directly or vouchers directly to low income americans and allow them to buy their own insurance or let them devise their own program by choice. but we need to make sure it doesn't impose an unfunded mandate from other states. okay, the federal government has paid for these higher reimbursement rates and we'll now, quote, begin to shift these gradually back to the states. the states can't afford this. they'll be bankrupt and our federalism will be destroyed if we take that approach. my amendment is can we -- nothing in this title should require states to use state revenues to fund the right choices programs. only limited to that. the words are written a little differently in the amendment as i've circulated it. i understand from the staff, there could be an improvement in the words, but my point is, i want to make sure t

earned master's degree in public health, and we think that there's no better way of making sure that low income minorities have opportunities for the highest level of health care than to expand the community health center program. class last . . >> the approximately 21 puerto of asian-american and prask islanders without health care are our parents, our children and brothers, and our sisters. although all aspects of health reform are important, it is critical for us to topple language and culture barriers. capac is a voice in congress, and i'm very proud of the long work and long hours that our task force chair that represents capac, congresswoman -- madeleine who represents the territory of guam, and also a new member for capac, the congressman, we're just very glad for him to join us today. we want to make sure that we stand firmly with our partners in chc, cbc to insure that we move in the right direction in health reform. that is why we need to strengthen existing work force, create new programs and invest in community-based approaches to health care. reforms must be integrated into the who

the bill has provisions to give back the revenue to low-income households but in my view it is likely these rebates will amount to only some portion of each dollar that was taken away from households in the first place in the form of higher energy costs and higher costs of other goods snd services. waxman-markey disproportionately burdens those states especially at the midwest and south and cturl have a substantial number of manufacturing jobs as well as those that rely more heavily than others on coal for electric generation. in addition, because the bill raises energy costs, it hurts rural america more than urban america, farmers spend 50% more on energy than the percentage of income than their urban counterparts and the cost would go up. in conclusion, it is not surprising that waxman-markey is heaviest in those parts of the country, urban centers on the west coast and or fees that are least harmed by it. even there, the economic damage would be bad enough that citizens and the rest of the country and their representatives should be asking many tough questions about the economic im

i read about the cancer program we have in delaware for people who were low income. the employer based clinics. we have hospital clinics. if we go to a universal system, what is going to happen to those programs? my concern is that people will say that everyone is insured now and we do not have to do these and we are going to lose a lot from an economic point of view -- a lot of men relatively free medical health care. it had been factored into what is being done at the white house or in this legislation or anywhere else? >> we do know there is a lot of uncompensated care in the country. a lot of the end of being paid for by the government. i would think as we move from government to run programs that are providing uncompensated care, we just would be changing how they are paid for, by making these now -- by making workers now having insurance. so many these wonderful programs, i would assume they would continue. >> i wish somebody will look at that. and not the a lot of these would necessarily shift to the government. these are mostly volunteer activities by corpora

it's not just an issue for low-income kids in fact for all kids they experience setbacks in skills like math come putation and spelling. so what the research shows very clearly and on this particular issue is that young people face significant setbacks and risks during summer months. host: tell us a little more about the national center for summer learning and what your grouch is trying to do to close this gap. guest: sure, we work with summer providers to make sure youngsters have enriching and memorable summers. a lot of us have this outlook that summer is a time for kids to be kids but for millions it's a time for setbacks and risks so we make sure schools and communitys have places where kids can learn over the summer and make sure all young people really have the promise and opportunity to attend a well-structured quality program. host: we're talking about improving summer learning with ron fairchild with the national center for summer learning and if you want to get involved in the conversation, by all means, give us a call. the numbers are believe. are below. you can send us an e

low-income folks. and i just want to tell him i'm very much looking forward to working with him and our colleagues on a bipartisan basis over the next five months to get this job ton right. mr. hatch: if the senator would yield. mr. wyden: i would be happy to yield. mr. hatch: i'm so appreciative of the senator's kind remarks. i've been here 33 years working on virtually every health care bill that's come up and we've done it in a bipartisan way. and i've certainly enjoyed working with the distinguished senator from oregon. he is one of the more thoughtful people on the finance committee and in this whole body and i'm grateful for him wanting to work together and work in a bipartisan manner. we have to do that. you can't take one-sixth of the american economy and work on a partisan basis. now, there are those at the white house who want to do that. there are some on the democrat side who want to do that. and, frankly, i'm just grateful that the distinguished senator from oregon is not one of them. i pe

the funding in hanses nursing schools, increases access to healthcare, works with minority and low-income students, and places an increased emphasis on ensuring that america's senior population gets the care and treatment that it needs. finally, the 2010 budget will support our department as it were to protect the health and safety of our citizens. as the recent outbreak of the new h1n1 flu virus reminded us, h h s has a significant and critical role to play in preparing for an responding to the outbreak that threaten the health of the american people. -- the outbreaks that threaten the health of the american people. it allowed them to do their work when it first presented itself. and the americans when the resources they need in the outbreak they need. -- in the outbreak. we still do not know what is coming this fall and winter. or what will happen this summer in the southern hemisphere and the h1n1 virus mixes with seasonal flu virus. putting safety of the american people first, this administration's supplemental request would have support thinks. these funds, in addition to the funds r

indians discovered cornflakes. >> these centers currently service more than 18 million, mostly low incomepeople, throughout america. they are linked and connected with secondary hospitals, with a tertiary care centers, and provide enormous training opportunities for individuals to work, especially in primary care. it is our position that any health legislation passed, any health reform legislation, and certainly in our view, that we must see serious expansion of these centers. not only do they provide health care, but they are economic booms to most of the low iom

low-incomed, segregated areas of communities have a lower tax base, less ability to support education as a result racial and ethnic minorities have fewer educational opportunities, fewer role models. they tend to limit their goals to low-paying and some cases hazardous occupation. for many minority children other expectations of them are set so low they never really reach their full potential. a recent report showed half of african-american children and 40% of hispanic children attended a high school where the dropout rate was close to 50%. this compared to only 11% of white attending those schools with those dismal statistics. >> dr. pamies, thank you very much. and we will continue during the q & a. dr. chandra. >> members of the commission, i'm a professor at harvard university's kennedy school of government and a fellow with the dartmouth institute for health policy. thank you for inviting me for the information on how to improve healthcare for minority patients. we are all aware of the stubborn persistence of racial disparities in treatment over time even when patients are fully

we've had members on the floor today say, we're going to fix this because low income people are going to get exemptions and there's going to be this class that gets an exemption. there's about 80% to 90% of that bill that are government preferences to try to fix the problem they're creating. in fact, one of our colleagues, a democrat from oregon, mr. defazio, in his one minute this morning made two terrific points. one was, the alternative jobs in alternative energy are being created faster now than they will be under this bill. because we're moving that direction already with incentives in the market and with some supplemental funding out of congress, some tax incentives out of congress. we're going to get major breakthroughs. i have a car company in my district that may be able to get 60 miles a gallon out of e-85. they got 100 in the first test and it's a new motor. but if we mandate electric cars, it will never come to market. the government doesn't make efficient decisions. if they protect this class, protect this company, protect the t.v.a. power system but not this power system

you a metro pass and there's no subway because 40% of the doctors won't serve medicaid patients, low-income americans, because of the low reimbursement rates. so what do would have with our great government program called medicaid? twice as many medicaid patients going to the emergency room to get their care as do uninsured americans going to the emergency room. that's what we have with that government program. yet the kennedy bill, which we're considering in the senate "help" committee -- that's the only bill we're considering, even though there are other alternatives on the table -- would expand that government-run program to 150%, increase its costs, both to the federal government and to states, all in the name of keeping insurance companies honest. madam president, there's a better way. that is, to give subsidies or grants to low-income americans so that they may buy their own health insurance. and there's a better way with autos as well. instead of having a government car for the next four or five years, with politicians meddling in how gm and chrysler operate their business, let's jus

president, real reform must end the health care caste system in which low-income americans are treated as second-class citizens. no longer should low-income americans have less access to doctors than their member of congress or other americans. today 37 million adults and 10 million children effectively lack access to primary care physicians. those are americans who have health insurance but who cannot find a doctor to care for them. real reform means ending the caste system in america that, in my view, discriminates against the most vulnerable and most impoverished among us, and it means with reform they will be able to get a doctor when they need to see one. real reform rewards americans for making smart choices. americans ought to be rewarded for choosing the right insurer for their family and they ought to be rewarded for choosing a healthy lifestyle. this means a new health system that no longer focuses primarily on sick care but puts the priority on prevention as well. real reform would change the incentives that drive behavior of the american health system. it would reduce the d

my constituents are low-income families and they need the assurance that their goods and services will not dramatically increase. i am pleased at the report from the congressional budget office that estimates that low-income household will actually see a net gain, not a loss, of $40 per year as a result of the legislation in 2020. the c.b.o. also says that it is estimated that the average cost per household as a result of this legislation will be as the gentleman from the state of washington said 48 cents a day. i ask my colleagues to join with me in voting yes on this important legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: i yield one minute to a gentlelady of the committee from nashville, tennessee, congresswoman blackburn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized for one minute. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam chairman. this is not an energy bill, it's a tax bill. they're going to tax the air you breathe. it's a transfer of wealth bill. the american people are figuring this out. our friends

the elderly, low-income families, minorities, families whose first language is not english they are the hardest to reach and what we have been concentrating on outreach efforts on those groups and i think with each of those groups we've made substantial progress since the during. >> so the call centers would be bilingual? >> yes, we have bilingual agents and are able to refer calls to a translator service where they can handle 100 languages so if we get calls in hungary and we can handle them. >> the congressman said half the nation has gone digital and hasn't been problems. >> we think that is a good thing because the tidal wave on june 12th will be that much smaller but they tend to be small workstations and smaller communities. by our estimate 15% of the population has been substantially affected by the transition so far so there is no question what remains for june 12th will be the bigger waves and we are trying to prepare so people who haven't already prepared will know what to do. >> we went to one of the stations that is a public station here in washington, d.c., weta. >> kevin h

the federal government recognizes if we allow people of low income to pool together, the v.a. does this all the time, they combine the purchasing power of the v.a. to purchase for veterans across the nation. yet we don't let individual do that we don't let a small business with only 20 employees do this. that wall placed by insurance companies and by the government leads to higher costs. we ought to allow business to do the same thing the federal government does and use that as a mechanism to drive down costs substantially. mr. kent: -- mr. kirk: one thing you mentioned is the need for public health. that puts forward a critical point missing in the debate. we know of the uninsured, 44.7 million, of the uninsured, 14.7 million are already eligible for public coverage. as we have found -- mr. dent: that's medicaid and schip. mr. kirk: that's right. as we found in the state of massachusetts, when a mandate that everyone has to buy health insurance is put forward, what they have generally found is that a technical and legal solution is not adequate. they thought by putting a heal

we want to make sure it's a plan that gives low-income americans the same kind of health plan that most americans already have usually to their employer. we would like to make sure that it doesn't make it harder for american businesses to compete in the world marketplace by adding a tax to their operating costs in the and we want to make sure that the plan we have is something that your government can afford it so that your children and grandchildren are saddled with such a massive debt that it devalue the dollar is that they earn in their jobs and it limits the quality of their lives. as the president has said repeatedly, we genuinely believe the best way to do this is in a bipartisan way. with the bill that we're asked to markup today is not ready to be considered, we don't have the details in some of the most important provisions of the bell. the medicaid expansion, the employer mandate, the government-run insurance option, and we don't know the cost even though the president within the last two days has urged us to remember to pay as we go in his words. you got to make sure that if

the chairman of the ways and means committee worked with us to make sure that the interests of low-income families are fully protected. and the chairman of the agriculture committee made sure the legislation addresses the concerns of farmers and makes them part of our energy future. the need to act is clear and urgent. there is a national security imperative to act. this legislation at long last begins to break our addiction to imported foreign oil and put us on a path to true energy security. there is a scientific imperative to act. the evidence on global warming, on the consequences of carbon emission is overwhelming, and we have based our bill on the science. and there is a moral imperative to act. we have obligations to protect and preserve the environment for our children and the generations that follow. and there is an economic imperative to act. this legislation is an enormous jobs bill for america. it will promote investment and growth for decades ahead creating jobs for the new energy economy of the 21st century. people in industry have told us that as soon as this legislation be

water state revolving fund grant, state energy programs, putting people to work, weatherizing for low-income, working with the youth -- it goes on and on -- safe drinking water grants and law enforcement grants, educational technology grants, adoption assistance grants, foster care grants. why is my colleague not coming down here and saying, you know, i did find less than 1% of a problem but these other things are good? and these other things are putting people to work and these other things are saving our children, saving our environment, saving energy? you know, it's the party of "no." no, no, 1,000 times no. and the american people understand that we on the one oe of the aisle and our president preaching across the aisle are going to continue to work -- reaching across the aisle are going to continue to work for change. and change means getting out of this mess that we are in right now. this deep, deep recession. and we're going to continuing to do t and they're going to say "no," "no," 1,000 times "no." and we'll work with them when thement to work with us. if they don't, we're going to

have this immigration community who can serve in many of the roles that we will need, some of the low income rose that the economy will need to move on and get stronger. host: pennsylvania on our republican line. caller: you opened the show with --. i think they should abolish it. it simply does not work. the gay community itself does not do itself justice when giving cause for getting equal ross -- rights. the gay community, especially during world war ii tens of thousands were used for target practice, medical experiments, and the rest were basically gas. it was illegal for two people of the same sex to be basically dancing together, walking together down the street holding hands, going into the aids crisis, their mates didn't even have the ability to be involved in their mates medical care. guest: the roll call this morning and, by gay-rights activists have protested the president failure to act on don't ask, don't tell. guest: the poll numbers are on a very different side than where the administration and congress are. the poll numbers on this issue, peeper are supporting it out -- suppo

we do not want to hit a low and some employers -- low income employers. reform of mandates must help businesses and individuals. we must build a safety net so that individuals and small businesses that did not have access now can have access to affordable insurance. we believe your draft bill is a good step forward, and we support it. >> thank you. >> we are privileged to be here today. president obama and many congressional leaders and many people we have heard from today have all said that health care reform should ensure -- if people are not helping -- if people are happy with their healthcare coverage, they should be allowed to keep it. over 160 million americans receive their coverage from employer sponsored plans. it cost employers over five under $30 billion per year. two-thirds of americans -- $530 billion per year. two-thirds of americans want to keep the coverage they have. to give meaning to president obama's pledge, it is essential to retain one's coverage. the employer sponsored system must continue. this system that employers want to continu

the clerk: h.r. 403, a bill to provide housing assistance for very low income veterans. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed -- mr. weiner: mr. speaker, on that i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 213, t are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motio

rural america, low-income families, farmers will suffer the most under this new tax. we all want to protect our environment. we can accomplish that through innovation and investment, not by government micromanagement that undercuts americans' ability to compete globally. i urge all members to protect the american economy and livelihoods of many of american families and say no to this gigantic national energy tax. i yield back. >> the gentleman from new york. >> i like to yield two minutes to this gentleman. >> i want to commend mr. rangel and others who have attempted to forge a consensus on this legislation. the bottom line to this legislation is that it will make america less dependent on foreign oil. despite the criticism from the other side, some project the concept of climate change in global warming from that side. it is very difficult to find middle gaunt -- ground. we must make difficult decisions and tough choices. this climate change bill before us today makes those tough choices for our future and our children's future. it is in the interest of america and

we've been effective in providing subsidized care for low-income families, which do not have a model of how to intervene in the private market. we could pull the costs for small employers and individual people in the market. it could save 40% for individuals who have to buy insurance on their own. there is unfair competition concerns. the public plan needs to pay rates according to medicare or higher. medicare does not pay is low for primary care. you'll have to look at that. that would level the playing field. people would be paying a certain amount and it would limit the amount shifting onto the private insurance premiums. the benefits standards also need to be looked at. our standards have been critical to keeping the poor from dropping out of our insurance market and protect consumers from predatory insurance companies. we support the affordability scale. 60,000 of the people waved out of our individual mandate or wait out because they cannot afford it. your bill fixes that. we support shared responsibility. employers, individuals, and the government must all do their part to mak

it's mostly for nonviolent offenses, mostly low-income people and also people of color. why?ecause the same value system and we have a disposable plant also disposable people. i think that value system is to change and when it changes our relationship to our sisters and brothers we do come here to work and add to our economy will be respected. >> i am very pessimistic that the nuclear industry industry is going to rise up out of a the seven conditions and i want you to reassuring. [laughter] iraq's my brother said he is very pessimistic because he is arraigned that the nuclear power industry is going to rise about of this situation and he was some reassurance. well let me say two things. number one, we want green jobs but if you come home from your job and you are glowing green that is not the green job we're talking about. [laughter] we are not talking about those kind of jobs in nuclear power. i think that that's got to be a fight, that's going to be a struggle and i think we're one to have to work very hard to convince the american people there is a better way to go. .. fr

important to have this immigration community who conserve in many of the roles that we will need, the low- income labor rolls that the economy will need to move on and get stronger in the next year or so. host: let's go to redding, pa., on the democrat line. caller: you opened the show with "don't ask don't tell." it simply does not work. the gay community does not do itself justice when it comes to getting equal rights. the gay community, especially during world war two, tens of thousands were marched to concentration camps and used for target practice and medical experiments. the breast were gassed. -- the rest were gassed. it was illegal in the '60s for two people the same sex to dance together in clubs or walking together down the street holding hands. going into the aids crisis, their mates could not have the ability to be involved in their mates'' medical care. guesthost: gay-rights activistse stepped up their protest for the president's failure to act on " don't ask, don't tell yo cupl." guest: paul numbers are in a different spot than where congress and the a ministration are. the poll nu

the whole issue of community health centers, the issue of the childless adults low income population, the health plans are not used to covering that population, saying you do medicaid under contract with certain populations, that is your population. the childless adults could need health care. huge populations of mentally ill people who need special care, special fop process about how if this infusion of folks are coming in to get care, how do we do that? i just want to say there are some early year issues and visions, that affect the policy, in your broader vision of where your going, you need to be active, as well as, in particular, follow up on the implementation. the last issue, is this going to be a vision weather is a state or local significant role in these exchanges and how that works and inter relates to your relationships to state and local level are very important. before i stopped talking, i wanted to plant those seeds. >> i am sorry. >> i have a question. when you mentioned anything we are working on right now would not happen for the next 2 years, why is it that the ment

but especially for a child who happens to be in a poor family, a low-income family or a child with special needs. here's what the rule ought to be. this is what should happen throughout this process of enacting health care reform but certainly at the end of the road, so to speak. ideally, this fall, when we pass a bill that the president can sign. the rule ought to be no child worse off and especially "no child who is poor or has special needs is worse off." a great line from the scriptures that talks about a faithful friend. we have her this over many years in the context of friendship and the context of sometimes a reading at weddings. but i like it for today to think of it in the context of our children. this is what the scriptures say: a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, a great image about what friendship means. there are a lot of us, day in and day out, year in and year out who talk about how important children are to us; that we are advocates for children. and we should be. that we have solidarity with our children. we're going to do everything we can to protect them. we are sayi

it hits low-income people the hardest. but, in fact, it is just the opposite.if poor people are less likely to buy sugary drinks they stand to benefit the most. omaha, neb. on our democrats' line. caller: and a person goes to see a doctor the doctor is very compassionate and tell the client what is needed. my sister who is a doctor in joyce it. there are always tests which caused thousands. my sister was a doctor always enjoys it. when it comes to the billing department of the hospital is an entirely different entity. they have a credit company call and make threats to my sister. i am tired of this. my sister is trying. she tries to pay this bill. but when i hear my doctor or her doctor giving her nitroglycerin and telling her that she is a walking time bomb and then i hear these credit companies -- i call them personally to ask them who they think they are making threats to muster. they say that she owes money. they have no consideration. the hospital is the same way. does the hospital really care? or is this really two different entities in the hospital? the