ms. pingree: thank you. just to answer your point, i, too, think it's essential we continue our research and development here in this country. frankly much of it is done around the world on research and development. but i don't think that negotiating for a better price, that lowering the prices to our senior citizens, would cost us research and development. mr. dreier: reclaiming my time. just to say to my friend, she's right. she's right, madam speaker. there are other parts of the world where research and innovation is taking place. but it all pails, it pales in comparison to the kind of research and development that takes place here in the united states. i would like to ask my colleague, madam speaker, if she would support making permanent the research and development tax credit so that we could have the kind of incentive for our pharmaceutical industry and others out there who are creating these innovative new ideas to deal with alzheimer's and cancer and diabetes and other ailments that exist. madam spe

ms. pingree. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. pingree: thank you, mr. speaker, and thank you very much, my good friend from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for yielding me the time, for his excellent opening statement and for his response to our colleague from the rules committee as well. and i thank him for being here today. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this rule and the underlying concurrent resolution. it is a rare occurrence that members of this body have the opportunity to devote three hours of debate to such an important issue and it is even more unusual that members are given a chance forp or down vote on ending the war in afghanistan. each time an emergency war supplemental or defense appropriations bill or a defense authorization bill has come to the floor continued funding for the war in afghanistan is hidden behind spending to create jobs, to provide humanitarian relief or to increase medical benefits to our troops, all of which i support. and privileged resolutions like this which exercise a constitutional righ

ms. pingree: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. pingree: thank you very much, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. the house will come to order. the gentlelady deserves to be heard. the gentlelady may continue. ms. pingree: i couldn't be more pleased to have spent the last year and a few months working on this issue and to be here this month where we may get the opportunity to vote on this bill because i want to tell you, madam speaker, what i hear from my constituents is, get this bill done, when are you going to move forward on this? it's not a perfect bill. in fact, 50% of the doctors in my state wish we were passing a single payer health care bill, but this is going to go a long way. we heard a lot of talk about process. when are we going to talk about the process of insurance companies? the process that denies my constituents coverage because of a pre-existing condition? the times i hear from people who say

ms. pingree. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maine is recognized for two minutes. ms. pingree: thank you to the hardworking rules committee chair, ms. slaughter, for yielding me the time. as we get ready to cast a vote to finally reform our health care system. i want to tell you what i hear from my home state of maine where people are frustrated and struggling. a woman named margaret told me about her business. i employ a small business that employs 10 residents. anthem announce add 23% increase in my rates. in four years the rate has almost doubled. i cannot afford to supply health insurance to my employees. my wife has been paying more than 1/3 of our entire income for her health insurance costs, and that doesn't cover the high co-pays and prescription drug costs. she just received a notice from her insurance company that they are raising her rates another 30%. it's impossible. we can't do it. and one told me about living on the edge. he said i was out of work and lost my insurance for 18 months. i'm a cardiac patient and other chronic illnesses that require constant

ms. pingree: thank you very much. i thank my colleague from california. we have had a lively debate this morning on a whole variety of issues that i had no idea i was going to have the pleasure of coming to the floor and talking about the bus trip to senior citizens. about the prescription drug debate in the middle of the night and many of the things that have been part of our process for years before i was ever here. i thank you for that opportunity to go back and forth on these issues. and appreciate your thoughts and our differences of opinion on this issue of health care reform. i want to reiterate we are here today on the issue of algae bloom and red tide and a variety of things that are important to my constituents here in maine. and the reason this bill is on the floor today is because many of those on the other side of the aisle, including my republican colleague who we have been going back and forth with today, mr. dreier, voted no on the bill when it first hit the floor. we are taking it up again. i would like to close and stick to the topic for