[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18502-18503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1515
                  THERE IS SERIOUS TROUBLE IN PARADISE

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, where are the jobs? I rise today to 
discuss the rising unemployment in my congressional district of south 
Florida. Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data 
indicating that unemployment in Miami-Dade County was at nearly 11 
percent. This represents a notable increase from 9.9 unemployment just 
last month.
  Mr. Speaker, south Floridians are hurting. In Miami, workers in the 
food service and hotel industries have had their hours cut in half 
because of a reduction in tourism. These workers are working two, three 
jobs in order to pay the bills.

[[Page 18503]]

  In the Florida Keys, recreational fishermen are docking their boats 
permanently as the industry grapples with one of its slowest seasons in 
history.
  There is serious trouble in paradise as hardworking small businesses 
and middle-class families remain uncertain about their economic future. 
That is why it's imperative that this Congress gets serious about 
providing real solutions for our constituents. They cannot afford to 
wait because they are looking for jobs.

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