[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 685-686]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1245
                   BREAKING THE UNEMPLOYMENT BARRIER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask how we can break 
the national 10 percent unemployment barrier which has now hit my home 
State of Florida hard with a totally unacceptable 11.8 percent 
unemployment rate.
  The congressional leadership has created a cloud of uncertainty over 
the economy, with support for more oppressive regulations, skyrocketing 
deficits, tax increases, and trade barriers. The administration's 
spending policies, including the nearly $1 trillion stimulus bill, have 
drastically increased the national debt by 23 percent, while 
unemployment has increased by more than 3 million. And today the CBO 
announced that the U.S. deficit for the current fiscal year will come 
in at $1.3 trillion, which means that in the 1 year in which the party 
controlling the White House and Congress has been entrenched, the 
annual deficit has increased by over 300 percent.
  We need to do everything we can to encourage entrepreneurs and small 
businesses to once again create jobs through sensible regulation, 
through reduced government spending, lower taxes and greater investment 
in education.
  I am looking forward to the President's State of the Union message to 
see what course he has set for this year and will look forward to 
working with Members in a bipartisan manner to help bring our economy 
to full employment as soon as possible.


                    National School Counseling Week

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Later on, Mr. Speaker, we will be discussing an 
important resolution which designates the week of February 1 as 
National School Counseling Week on behalf of each and every child that 
these counselors have helped. As a mother, as a grandmother, and as a 
former Florida certified teacher, I recognize just how important it is 
to fully support our children at every turn. School counselors across 
the Nation share the same commendable goal to meet the needs of every 
child. They work each and every day to offer our children their expert 
guidance and compassionate care. Whether at home or in school, every 
child will face new and sometimes difficult situations as they develop 
into young adults. Through a strong family, many children are able to 
navigate potentially difficult situations, emotions and decisions from 
a positive base. But even with the most cohesive and supportive of 
families, there are times when a growing child needs outside counsel.
  Our school counselors can offer children this vital resource: trusted 
and impartial guides in times of uncertainty as well as thoughtful 
friends for uncomfortable questions. And they willingly work with all 
children, regardless of their background or history, and are often the 
last lifeline for our troubled children.
  We all recognize that children go through tremendous social, personal 
and emotional development, all while being tasked with achieving 
academic success. Ensuring that our children are prepared to be 
tomorrow's adults requires that each of these components come together 
seamlessly. Our children are being forced to grow up faster than any 
generation before them. Today's children live in an interconnected 
world that is vastly different from the one that our parents, or even 
we, knew. In this sea of rapid and radical change, it is reassuring to 
know that our school counselors will be there to support those children 
that need it most. They offer each child an indispensable link between 
the classroom and the real world. School counselors are without a doubt 
a vital link in our children's emotional and academic educations.
  Always willing to lend their sympathetic ear and advice, school 
counselors are never far at hand when a child needs to express his or 
her fears, hopes and aspirations. School counselors are helping our 
children to develop into wonderful young adults each

[[Page 686]]

and every day. We should all welcome the opportunity to say 
congratulations to these unsung protectors of our children.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues later on today as we 
take up this bill to honor school counselors across the United States 
to vote in favor of this resolution, for it is a fine tribute to people 
whose life's mission is to turn today's children into tomorrow's 
leaders.
  Thank you very much for the time, Mr. Speaker.

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