[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 30845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 9, 2007

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, on Thursday, November 8, 2007, I was 
unable to be present in the Capitol due to the death of a family member 
and thus missed rollcall votes Nos. 1060 through 1067. Had I been 
present, I would have voted in the following manner:
  On rollcall vote No. 1060, on H.R. 3688, the United States-Peru Trade 
Promotion Agreement Implementation Act, I would have voted ``nay.'' I 
believe the Peru Free Trade Agreement, FTA, is another fundamentally 
flawed trade agreement. I oppose this FTA because it includes many of 
the same provisions from the original NAFTA that left workers terribly 
unprotected, led to the outsourcing of millions of U.S. jobs, and 
allowed companies to ignore environmental protections here and abroad 
that are vital to people's health and safety. It's going to hurt 
workers here and in Peru. I regret that I was unable to be here, due to 
the devastating loss of a beloved family member, to cast a vote against 
it.
  On rollcall votes Nos. 1061, 1062, 1063, and 1064, the procedural 
votes on the Rule for Consideration of the Conference Report on H.R. 
3222, the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations bill, 
as well as the Conference Report itself, I would have voted ``aye.'' As 
a member of the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on 
Defense and therefore, a Conferee on this bill, I voted for it in 
Conference and strongly support this critical bill that enhances 
America's security by providing our service men and women with the 
tools they need to protect our Nation today and giving them the 
resources and weapons systems they need to fight the threats of 
tomorrow. This measure also invests in our military personnel by 
affording them comprehensive health care and ensuring that our wounded 
warriors are treated with the dignity that they deserve. Had I been 
present during the consideration of this bill, I would have voted 
``aye'' on both of these measures with great pleasure and pride.
  On rollcall votes Nos. 1065 and 1066, which were procedural votes on 
the Rule for H.R. 3355, the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2007, I would 
have voted ``aye.'' This bill will improve New Jersey citizens' ability 
to secure homeowners' insurance, as well as recover from flood or 
hurricane damage.
  On rollcall vote No. 1067, the Motion to instruct Conferees for the 
Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2008, I would have voted ``aye.''

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