[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3106-3112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           ECONOMIC RECOVERY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 6, 2009, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri) is recognized for the remainder of 
the hour.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry for the confusion this 
evening.
  Tonight I am joined by several of my colleagues from around the 
country who want to talk to you about the economy and how we are 
working hard here in Congress to set the record straight, but also, 
more importantly, to put our people back to work.
  If you remember when we took office, Mr. Speaker, we were suffering 
from one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. In fact, 
many have called this the Great Recession. And ironically, of all 
commercials, there is a contemporary insurance commercial out on the 
airwaves today that says, ``How will we remember the time and our 
experience? Will we remember this time as the great recession or the 
recession that made us great?'' I think tonight you are going to hear 
from my colleagues who say that we are going to be remembered for the 
recession that will once again make this country as great as it has 
been in the past by focusing on real things, real challenges, and 
offering up real solutions.
  When we took office, Mr. Speaker, the economy was in freefall. We 
didn't know where we were going to land. Record job losses were across 
the airwaves, people were standing in lines waiting for unemployment 
checks, and we found out that it was the most significant job loss 
since the Great Depression.
  Record job losses. We didn't know where the economy was going to 
fall. Two undeclared, unfunded wars. A

[[Page 3107]]

banking system in chaos. Greed on Wall Street. It was a perfect 
prescription for a perfect storm, and one that has led us to where we 
now have enormous challenges in front of us. The job market was losing 
750,000 jobs a month, and unemployment was climbing just as fast. The 
economy was contracting at a rate of over 6 percent, the worst in 
decades. Foreclosures were at record levels. Home prices had plummeted 
by 30 percent. The decline of home prices, stock values, pensions and 
other retirement plans had cost American households over $10 trillion 
in wealth.
  In fact, since the Great Recession had started, Mr. Speaker, since 
2007, Americans' wealth had plummeted by $17.5 trillion according to 
the Federal Reserve. Seventeen and a half trillion dollars of loss of 
wealth since the recession started in June of 2007. It didn't start to 
pick up until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
  Now, we have heard a lot of hype about the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act. We heard a lot about the fact that this was the 
largest investment of capital in our Nation's history. We have heard a 
lot about the fact that this was the largest tax reduction in our 
country's history. Faced with this economic meltdown that we were 
handed when we walked into the door here in the 111th Congress, it 
required swift action.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that Members of Congress will be judged by two 
measures: by action or inaction. And the Congress took swift action to 
act as a backstop against further job loss, to create some jobs along 
the way. That is what the stimulus was about. And every economic expert 
you speak to today says that this brought us back from the brink of a 
great depression.
  So I want to tell those detractors today that it wasn't until we 
enacted the stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 
that Americans' wealth started to grow again. And in fact we see 
pensions are starting to climb, we see the fact that Americans' IRAs 
and 401(k)s are back on the path towards prosperity, and in fact we 
have recognized a $5 trillion recovery since the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act, the stimulus.
  We are starting to create jobs, albeit not at the pace that I would 
like to see. But we have to understand the ditch that we are trying to 
climb out of. And I want to say to you that while we see manufacturing 
increasing, while we see home sales increasing, we need to see more and 
more people get back to work. And that is what my colleagues are 
focusing on here today.
  Around the world over the last century the typical financial crisis 
caused jobless rates to rise almost 5 years, according to the economist 
Carmen Reinhart. Over the timeline our rate would still be rising by 
early 2012. And as Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson, who were both 
Republicans, said, that many others warned in 2008 if dramatic action 
was not taken to break back the recession, the United States could 
spiral into another Great Depression. These are experts. These are 
economists. These are people who have distinction and recognition all 
around the world. It is important that we recognize that we had to take 
swift action here.
  In the fourth quarter of 2009, the economy grew by almost 6 percent. 
Six percent. Job losses for the fourth quarter in 2009 were one-seventh 
of what they were when we took office, Mr. Speaker. The nonpartisan 
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities said that the American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act kept more than 6 million Americans out of poverty 
and reduced the severity of poverty for more than 33 million more.
  Can you imagine what it would be like if we didn't enact a robust 
policy to extend unemployment benefits, to extend coverage for health 
care so folks could keep their health care during this time of great 
need? Could you imagine if we didn't help our people what kind of 
condition we would find the people that we represent?
  Well, it is disappointing because the challenges that confront us, 
Mr. Speaker, aren't Democrat or Republican challenges. They are not 
conservative or liberal challenges. They are not even moderate 
challenges. They are American challenges. And it is so frustrating to 
me that we have got to find the courage to stand up and confront these 
together. That is why I am so disappointed in my colleagues who didn't 
lend their support to help America recover in her greatest time of 
need.

                              {time}  2030

  A few more facts before I ask some of my colleagues to be recognized 
here.
  According to economists polled in a recent USA Today survey, 
unemployment would have hit 10.8 percent higher than December's 10 
percent rate without the Recovery Act. The difference would have 
translated into another 1.2 million jobs lost. These problems were 
years in the making, and they are not going to be fixed overnight. In 
fact, I can argue it is a decade of failed economic policies that have 
led us here.
  A lot of our colleagues on the other side like to talk about the 
national debt. You know, when President Clinton left office, our 
country was facing a $5.6 trillion surplus, a $5.6 trillion surplus, 
and when President Bush left office, we were facing almost a $13 
trillion deficit. So it is very clear that after two tax cuts to the 
wealthiest among us, after two undeclared, unfunded wars and a 
prescription drug plan that left a huge doughnut hole for average 
working families and seniors, we have a deficit now that has put us on 
the brink. And that's why we had a quick reaction and that is why we 
passed the American Recovery Act.
  Now I want to call on my colleague from California, because she is 
going to talk about how this has impacted one of the largest States in 
the country, and I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a member of the Democratic 
Congressional Jobs Working Group. Together, we are proposing solutions 
to our job crisis. In fact, one of those proposals is H.R. 4564, the 
Emergency Jobs Program and Assistance for Families Act. This bill 
extends an extremely successful employment program that we call Jobs 
NOW. It has created over 156,000 jobs over 29 States and is still 
developing more.
  In Palmdale, California, Jobs NOW helped Jody, a single mother of 
two, find a job at a local coffeehouse working as a barista. The 
regular paycheck puts food on the table and is helping her get through 
a rough patch. Her boss is impressed with her work and plans to 
permanently hire her and the other three subsidized employees they 
brought in. It is this kind of success story that makes Jobs NOW such a 
model for job creation. Without it, the coffeehouse would not have been 
able to grow its business or take on new employees. Jody would not have 
had a chance to learn new skills and support her family.
  I first learned of this innovative program in Los Angeles County. One 
of the supervisors, Don Knabe, created 11,000 jobs over the last year, 
using stimulus funds to create subsidized jobs.
  How does it work? Eligible participants are placed into subsidized 
jobs in all sectors of the economy, from nonprofits to government 
agencies to private businesses, and are matched with jobs that 
complement their employment goals. The employer must provide 
supervision equal to 20 percent of the wage cost and ensure that the 
job does not displace an existing employee or replace someone who was 
to be promoted. This means the county is paying for 80 percent or more 
of payroll costs in Recovery Act funds.
  Some examples of these jobs include park rangers, receptionists, 
teacher assistants, dental assistant trainees, customer service clerks, 
and child care workers. Workers get paid $10 per hour for up to 40 
hours per week. Jobs NOW allows businesses to succeed and the employee 
to succeed.
  I have spoken to countless people in my district about this program, 
and I keep hearing about how this program is a win/win. It works for 
both workers and businesses. Workers benefit beyond the paycheck by 
getting hands-on experience in a setting where they earn wages, develop 
new skills, and enhance existing skills. Businesses benefit by

[[Page 3108]]

getting the help they need to grow or expand while temporarily reducing 
payroll costs. Companies may ultimately decide to hire these subsidized 
workers permanently as the economy improves. The jobs generated by this 
program can help businesses expand in these difficult times by reducing 
their economic risk and need for expensive loans.
  California is leading the Nation in creating these subsidized jobs. 
For instance, V-Cube, a high-tech firm in Torrance, California, hired 
two subsidized employees with very little experience. Very quickly, 
these two employees showed they were motivated and quick to learn. Now 
one of the employees runs Web seminars and the other is a project 
coordinator. It is only through Jobs NOW that V-Cube and other 
businesses feel secure in taking on new workers in this economic 
environment.
  You can see that across California, in this map here, many, many jobs 
were created. In Fresno, 1,000 jobs were created. In San Francisco, 
over 1,500 jobs were created. In Los Angeles, an astonishing 11,000 
jobs were created by the country's Jobs NOW program in less than a 
year. The State predicts that 25,000 jobs will be created through the 
Jobs NOW program by the end of present funding.
  However, we must act quickly or the job placements will stop when the 
program expires on September 30. Because subsidized employment programs 
often run for at least 6 months, many localities are planning to 
discontinue their jobs program between March and June of this year in 
anticipation of the emergency funds expiration date. Almost 60,000 jobs 
will disappear if the fund expires.
  In California, L.A. County will stop placing participants in new jobs 
in June. San Bernardino County has to stop creating new jobs in April. 
Sacramento County will stop putting people in 6-month-long jobs in 
March. It will pay people for shorter periods until June 2010, and then 
stop the program altogether.
  But the full amount of funding has yet to be claimed by the States. 
The Recovery Act authorized $5 billion for Jobs NOW employment 
subsidization programs, but actually less than $1.5 billion has been 
accessed by the States. And the program is still in the process of 
expanding. That's why I am proposing, along with the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott), a bill that will allow more States to help 
residents get back on their feet and into a job.
  In fact, all across the country there have been programs such as 
this. We can see that all across the country in the dark green spots 
there have been successful programs.
  In Tennessee, the State focused on rural Perry County, which was hard 
hit by a plant closure. The unemployment rate had risen to 27 percent. 
Tennessee brought local workforce development and human service 
agencies and the business community together and developed a subsidized 
employment program for over 500 individuals.
  In Mississippi, the State has developed the Steps Program, which uses 
Jobs NOW money to create private sector jobs that transition into 
permanent employment. The State begins by funding all of the wages of a 
new employee and steadily reduces its commitment until the business can 
support the employee on its own.
  As you can see, 29 States across the country have implemented 
programs that created subsidized jobs, and even more want to jump on 
the bandwagon. That's why people on each side of the aisle are in 
strong support of this proposal. President Obama is a strong supporter. 
Besides its funding in the Recovery Act, he has proposed a $2.5 billion 
increase and a year-long extension for this upcoming year's budget.
  But it is not just the President who thinks this is a good idea; 
there is deep bipartisan support. The American Enterprise Institute's 
Kevin Hassett recently wrote in Business Week that this program should 
be renewed and said, ``Given the state of the labor market, it is hard 
to imagine how any sensible person could oppose such a move.''
  Jobs NOW allows States to be in the driver's seat for this program, 
and that is why the National Governors Association also supports this, 
urging Congress to pass an extension because of the outsized benefits 
to the States.
  The human cost of the recession has been high. It is easy to think of 
unemployment in terms of numbers and statistics, but numbers cannot 
describe the anxiety and fear a person feels when they are unemployed. 
Numbers can't show the hope and pride a person feels when they find a 
job.
  I was moved by the words of Ms. Taylor in Los Angeles about the Jobs 
NOW program and its effect on her life. Ms. Taylor is a mother of two 
children, one with autism. She has been living on her aunt's couch 
because she couldn't find work. Because of a job through Jobs NOW, she 
was able to get back on her feet and into her own apartment. She told 
California Social Services, ``You guys gave me a chance when the whole 
world seemed like they were saying `No, not this time.' Without this 
program, I could not have paid my rent, and my babies and I would be on 
the streets.''
  She is not the only one. There are millions of economically 
disadvantaged people on the front lines of this economy. They are 
struggling every day. The Jobs NOW emergency fund gives them a chance 
to find work and start moving towards a future. It helps businesses 
expand in these tough times.
  I strongly urge the House leadership and my colleagues not to forget 
the thousands of people who need this help. We must pass H.R. 4564 for 
Jobs NOW.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. I thank the gentlelady from California who made some 
very compelling arguments about why California needs to have this 
investment.
  While we are joined by several of my colleagues tonight, let me just 
say a little bit about what we are doing to create jobs in Ohio.
  In Ohio's 16th Congressional District, we have had some good news 
recently. Rolls Royce, an international company, has announced that 
they are going to move their fuel cell research from Singapore to Stark 
County, Ohio. They are going to expand their fuel cell research and 
development activities, investing $3 million in equipment, creating up 
to 60 jobs and retaining 32, while offering apprenticeship and training 
programs with the local college.
  Barbasol Shaving Cream invested $7.2 million to buy land and a new 
plant in Ashland, Ohio; a 78,000-square-foot plant to start, 30 new 
employees, and grow up to about 75.
  Scotts Miracle-Gro is opening a manufacturing plant in Orrville, 
where they are expected to create nearly a hundred jobs in the next 
several months.
  Shearer's Foods, they make potato chips, and they are mighty good, I 
might add. They broke ground earlier this summer to build a new 
production facility in Massillon's Northeast Commercial Park. They will 
hire as many as a hundred employees in the first phase of development. 
These are the type of success stories that have been helped, if not 
augmented, by the efforts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act.
  With that, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from Ohio for his leadership in bringing us together to make sure that 
we can discuss the importance of creating jobs. As we discuss jobs, I 
think it is important that we put our job efforts in perspective, 
because a little over a year ago when this administration came into 
office, we were losing jobs at the rate of over 700,000 per month, 
every month; 700,000 jobs a month. And we reacted to it by passing the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and we have slowly made 
progress, losing fewer and fewer jobs every month. But that is 
obviously not sufficient. We have to do better than that. But we have 
to put this in perspective. We were losing all of those jobs, and we 
found ourselves not only in the ditch with the economy, but also in the 
ditch with the Federal budget. We had a huge deficit which limited our 
ability to respond to this challenge.

[[Page 3109]]

  We are also shooting at a moving target. Just this week, the Virginia 
Legislature, my home State of Virginia, will pass a budget that will 
cut approximately $4 billion out of the budget. Virginia is about 2 
percent of the population, $4 billion. California is cutting $20 
billion out of their budget, a little over 10 percent of the 
population. If you extrapolate that nationally, that is about $200 
billion that the States will be cutting out of their budgets this year 
on top of about $300 billion to $350 billion that they cut last year. 
So that is $500 billion that would have been cut out of budgets in the 
last 2 years. So the first $500 billion of job creation that we do will 
do nothing but just hire the people who have been laid off on the State 
level.
  So as much we are doing on the Federal level, it is obvious that we 
are shooting at a moving target. States are laying off people as fast 
as they can, and our job is to make sure that we try to create jobs.
  Part of the Federal investment will help States retain some of their 
critical employees, particularly the public safety first responders and 
teachers. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act made significant 
reinvestments in funding States and helping with their health care and 
other critical needs so that they would not have to lay off as many as 
they were doing.

                              {time}  2045

  But obviously some of the major investments I think that are doing 
the most good are those that were made in infrastructure and 
transportation. We still have a 10 percent unemployment rate, so 
obviously a lot has to be done. And it's those investments in 
infrastructure and transportation that can be the most effective in 
creating jobs.
  When responding to a recession, we use the shorthand of three Ts: We 
want the response to be timely, targeted, and temporary. Timely because 
sooner or later the recession is going to be over even if we don't do 
anything, so we want to make sure we take timely action. Targeted--you 
want to put the money where it's most needed, people that are out of 
work and people that will actually spend the money to help stimulate 
the economy. So it has to be targeted. And it is temporary. When we 
recover from the recession, we don't want to be stuck with ongoing 
programs and expenses that we will have to continue to fund.
  Transportation and infrastructure projects fulfill the three Ts for a 
successful stimulus plan; they are timely, targeted and temporary. 
They're timely. We are aiming at programs that are shovel ready, ready 
to go, no environmental needed, nothing else needed, no architectural 
anything, ready to go. We are targeted at industries that are most in 
need. The construction industry in many States has unemployment rates 
of 25 percent or more. And it's temporary. When you fund a project, 
when the project is completed, you stop spending the money. When you 
finish building the school, you don't have to spend any more money. 
It's not like you would set up a program where you would have to 
continue paying salaries on and on and on.
  The Recovery Act, for example, put money into transit systems. 
Throughout the Nation, transit systems are cutting back on employment. 
St. Louis, for example, eliminated 25 percent of its workforce and cut 
services by 17 percent. Chicago laid off 1,000 workers. And so 
investments in the transit systems are areas where we can make timely 
and targeted investments.
  Across the Nation these are necessary projects. Across the Nation, 78 
metropolitan areas have identified over $240 billion in needed transit 
investments that need to be done. These jobs not only put people back 
to work, they complete needed projects. Now, these investments are also 
very effective in creating jobs. For every $1 billion the Federal 
Government puts in infrastructure the economic activity is about $6 
billion and about 35,000 jobs are created.
  Now, we need these projects, and we found that a lot of them are 
ready to go now. The Public Transportation Association identified $15 
billion worth of projects that are ready to go. As soon as we fund them 
they are ready to go. Highway associations across the country 
identified 7,000 ready-to-go highway projects and bridge projects, 
almost $50 billion ready to go. As soon as we come up with the money, 
they can go. And so not only are these projects needed, they can be 
timely and they can put people to work. We have found that when we fund 
a construction project, when it's ready to go, the contractors can hire 
the employees within a couple of weeks, and they're on the job right 
then. So we have timely projects that are ready to go. We have put 
money into it. Two-thirds of the projects that have been funded, the 
construction has already started.
  We have more work to do. We still have a 10 percent unemployment rate 
because the States are still laying people off, so we still have to 
keep creating jobs. I am happy to report that today the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Miller), the chairman of the Education and Labor 
Committee, has introduced a bill with significant new investments in 
infrastructure and transportation. These will make sure that we will 
have these workers on the job in very short order.
  The Miller jobs bill will create jobs quickly and efficiently. As 
States continue to lay people off, we need to make sure that we are 
creating as many jobs as we possibly can on the Federal level. We 
should give the Miller jobs bill quick consideration so that jobs can 
be created when they are needed, and that's right now.
  So I thank you. I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio for 
bringing us together, for talking about jobs and encouraging us to 
continue doing what we need to do to create jobs and end the 
unemployment problems that we're having today.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, I thank the senior gentleman from Virginia.
  I just want to be clear about your chart. It looks as if we 
stabilized the job losses in this country and started to grow them 
again after the Recovery Act was passed.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. The Recovery Act was passed right down here, 
and since then we have been making progress. But losing fewer jobs is 
not good enough. We need to continue this chart. In short order, we 
will be creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, putting people back to 
work. Those who have lost their jobs need to be rehired. We need to 
create about 100,000 jobs a month just to keep up with the population 
growth. So this chart is just the beginning. By the middle of this year 
we hope to be well into the plus, creating jobs, hiring people, and 
bringing people back from the unemployment lines.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, these are exciting numbers. We have got to get 
people back to work. And I concur with the gentleman from Virginia.
  Let me revisit for just a moment exactly what the Recovery Act and 
the stimulus bill included.
  Thirty-seven percent of the package was tax cuts. $288 billion was 
given to small businesses so that they could help grow and invest in 
our new economy. In my opinion, that is going to be our investment in 
energy. $288 billion was invested back so small businesses could start 
growing again and investing back.
  Largest tax cut in America's history, largest tax cut for working 
middle class families. In fact, 95 percent of middle class families in 
our country got some tax relief through their employer. $144 billion, 
or 18 percent of the Recovery Act, was allocated to State and local 
fiscal relief. More than 90 percent of the State aid is going to help 
folks who are finding themselves on Medicaid rolls. Fighting to make 
sure that we didn't have double-digit increases in tuition across State 
universities and so that our local school districts could keep teachers 
hired and we could keep custodians in the building. This is very 
important, Mr. Speaker, that we understand that we help bring our 
economy back from the brink of a great recession.
  As that contemporary commercial says today, How will we remember this 
time? How will we remember it? Will we remember it as the great 
recession or the recession that made us great? I think with these key 
investments into

[[Page 3110]]

our people, into our workforce, and into our country, we are definitely 
making our country stronger.
  I want to take a moment to recognize a distinguished gentleman that I 
have a lot of respect for. Not only do we share a common heritage, but 
we share a common belief that we should invest in our people, in our 
country, and in our way of life. Congressman Pascrell from New Jersey 
is a man who I have a lot of respect for, and I would like to yield him 
some time so that he can talk about exactly what we're doing to help 
put America back to work. Congressman Pascrell, my friend, you have the 
floor.
  Mr. PASCRELL. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, if you look at the data, it is clear that since the 
start of the Obama administration and the passage of the Recovery Act--
which you've heard depicted by the three former speakers--we are 
stemming the number of job losses per month; there is no doubt about 
that. But we need to do everything we can to actually start gaining 
jobs instead of just losing fewer. It would seem like the charts, it 
would seem by the facts that in the next several months we will see, 
finally, for the first time in several years a plus in terms of the 
creation of jobs.
  The U.S. jobs deficit has reached millions. Our unemployment rate is 
9.7 percent. That is an intolerable rate. The problem we are facing is 
how to address the shortfall in employment opportunities and articulate 
a new strategy that targets and engages our small businesses and 
American workers. Mr. Speaker, we simply need jobs.
  Which brings me to what I think is the most obvious answer. It was 
obvious many years ago, it's obvious now: Our infrastructure. Our 
infrastructure is in disrepair. And it's not just our roads, and it's 
not just our bridges that are falling down. Earlier this year, the 
American Society of Civil Engineers gave the Nation's wastewater 
systems and water systems the lowest grade of any infrastructure 
category, a D-minus. I want to have our viewers in the House see this. 
This is a rotted water main pipe, much like the pipes in many of our 
districts and many of our communities. I like to call these the out-of-
sight, out-of-mind pipes; you don't see them until you have a problem 
with your water main. But as we have learned over the last couple of 
years, just because our infrastructure needs are not visible doesn't 
mean that they are not deteriorating.
  A quick look at the recent news headlines across the country 
illustrates the state of our water infrastructure, and I can only list 
a few because time does not permit: ``Franklin Water Main Break Closes 
Roads and Schools''; ``Boil your water,'' says Franklin, New Jersey''; 
``Lancaster Water Main Breaks''; ``Sinkhole Swallows Car in 
California''; ``Water Main Break in Manhattan Causes Evacuations in 
Traffic, Subway Disruptions in New York City''; ``Water Main Break Cuts 
Off Water Service to the Medical Center in West Virginia.''
  Here we have an illustration of the water main break on River Road in 
Bethesda, Maryland, watching people airlifted out of their cars. We're 
not making this stuff up; this is real. In metropolitan D.C. on 
Christmas Eve, 2008, it was quite a spectacle. One headline actually 
read, ``Water main break forces dramatic rescue of nine.'' The road 
literally exploded.
  We cannot turn a blind eye to two realities: America needs jobs, and 
our infrastructure cannot put people to work fast enough. As a former 
mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, I understand the significance of local 
water and wastewater systems. A strong water infrastructure is 
essential to the community's public health and economic vitality.
  The Environmental Protection Agency and the General Accounting Office 
estimate that community water systems will require $500 billion above 
their expected rate of investment in order to meet safe drinking water 
standards and sanitation needs just over the next 20 years.
  As Congress struggles with historic deficits, I strongly believe that 
we must leverage private capital investment and look at options for 
public-private partnerships. That is what we are talking about this 
evening.
  In order to encourage this possibility, I introduced the Sustainable 
Water Infrastructure Investment Act, H.R. 537, which will generate 
significant investment through the use of tax-exempt bonds for water 
infrastructure, and that is water and wastewater projects.
  Congress already exempts airports, intercity rail, and solid waste 
disposal sites from those bond caps. My bill would remove water 
infrastructure projects from the cap as well.
  By exempting water projects from the bond cap, we can get people 
working on the very projects to my right in 90 to 120 days. This isn't 
hot air; this is real relief. This is real jobs. Standard & Poor's 
estimates that $180 billion in new money infrastructure is available 
for investment. This capital cannot be deployed until a private 
activity bond cap exemption is crested.

                              {time}  2100

  This legislation aims to repair our crumbling water infrastructure 
while leveraging private capital to create jobs. Every dollar invested 
in public water and sewer infrastructure will add $8.97 to the national 
economy. This is a win-win situation. Economists estimate a $1 billion 
investment in water infrastructure will create 28,500 local jobs. You 
cannot in any manner, shape or form produce any other job plan that is 
going to do what this can do, because these are our needs. These need 
to be done because things are only going to get worse.
  That pipe, which I showed you before, is not going to cleanse itself. 
It has led that pipe and many other pipes like it to this particular 
situation of people being airlifted, to rescue workers having to go to 
a particular community and, of course, to vehicles that have been 
raised in the air because of the explosion of our water mains.
  This would be 28,500 jobs in 1 year. This is bipartisan legislation. 
Both sides of the aisle have signed onto this. It could put Americans 
in every State to work within 120 days of its enactment. It is time to 
focus on creating jobs and on building a strong infrastructure for 
future generations. Let's stop talking about what needs to get done, 
and let's actually get this done.
  There are huge economic benefits that come with water and wastewater 
infrastructure projects. In fact, a recent study found that every $1 
billion invested in water and wastewater infrastructure creates 27,000 
new jobs with average annual earnings of more than $50,000. Each $1 
billion invested generates approximately $82.4 million in State and 
local tax revenue at a time when States and localities need it most.
  This chart shows how construction dollars ripple through local 
communities. Right here, an estimated 20,000 to 26,669 jobs can result 
from a national investment of $1 billion in water and wastewater 
infrastructure--everything from construction, to real estate, to 
retail, to legal services, to the management of companies and 
enterprises, to private households, and to maintenance and repair. This 
chart shows how these construction dollars ripple through our entire 
communities.
  Let's face it: as of this unemployment situation that we are in 
today, 40 percent of those jobs will never return, and 40 percent of 
those jobs that have been lost--get this--are by people who have been 
out of work for more than 6 to 8 months. They will not return to those 
jobs. We need to invest with the private community in order to do 
things that must be done that communities cannot afford. We have found 
that every $1 billion invested in these projects creates jobs in 325 
other industries, and they are listed.
  I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take action 
to support this legislation and to push its passage for measures that 
will empower American workers and that will provide them with 
opportunities.
  Eligible and essential public health and environmental projects 
approved for 2010 are waiting for funding. They are waiting for private 
and public investment, which we can leverage with

[[Page 3111]]

a very small amount of money. The resulting jobs are important. In 
California, 285,000 jobs can be created and, in Illinois, 133,950 jobs. 
In New Jersey, $1.8 billion will mean 51,300 jobs on projects that are 
needed. In every State we go over, this is the case.
  There are 60 different organizations which support this legislation--
from engineers to waterworks associations, to equipment manufacturers--
Caterpillar, Coca Cola, Design-Build Institute of America. There are 60 
different organizations which support this bipartisan legislation that 
will create jobs and not hot air. We have had a lot of hot air in 
Washington. I think this legislation is what we need.
  My good friend, Mr. Boccieri, I thank you for bringing us together 
tonight.
  America needs jobs. This is our priority. I have presented an idea 
which, I hope, will be accepted. I hope that America can get back to 
work again. Our people need jobs--jobs that will be needed and that are 
needed so that we don't have to make work. Remember school? Make work. 
Keep the kids busy. These are things we need. We understand this, but 
we don't look at it because these waterworks, whether they are sewers, 
whether they are water or whether they are watersheds, are all mostly 
under the ground. It's not a romantic or a sexy thing to talk about, 
but I have presented to the House a way to put people to work. These 
jobs need to be done, and the private and public sectors must be 
brought together.
  With that, I yield back. I thank you for allowing me to share in this 
important evening.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. The gentleman from New Jersey has some very good ideas, 
which we have got to look at very seriously, about putting our country 
back to work and about long-term investments.
  You know, I have often said that we have got to be the producers of 
wealth, not just the movers of wealth, and that we have got to build 
things here.
  In 1950, over half the jobs in our country were in manufacturing. 
Today, one out of 10 of our jobs is in manufacturing. We are actually 
building. Some of that has been because of the fact that we have gained 
in productivity and because we have gained in efficiency. Yet we have 
still outsourced too many of our jobs. In States like New Jersey, Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois, we have seen some of those 
manufacturing jobs go overseas.
  Our great trade imbalance that we have, the trade deficit that we 
have every year, is very troubling to me. We have a trade imbalance 
with China--$280 billion every year. We have a trade imbalance with 
oil-producing countries because they send $330 billion of oil over to 
the United States. Those two account for some of the largest imbalances 
our country has ever known in terms of our trade policy.
  We know that 95 percent of the marketplace is outside the United 
States, and Ohio is leading the Nation. Some of our local 
municipalities have begun to start exporting some of their goods 
overseas, creating their own trade relationships. We need more help 
here from the American Government, from the Federal Government, so that 
States like Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania can help make 
those needed investments into our local communities.
  We have to be the producers of wealth. We have to build things again 
in this country. It's not only a matter of our economic security. It's 
a matter of our national security. That's why it is so key and 
strategic that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests in 
our people, in our country and in our future, and that we also lay the 
groundwork for future prosperity by investing in energy.
  Energy is a key component of our Nation's economy, but it is very 
troubling when we import 66 percent of our oil from overseas and 40 
percent from the Middle East. We see that the largest user of energy in 
our country is our Nation's military. The Department of Defense is the 
largest user of energy in our country. So it is very key, not only to 
our economic interests but to our national security interests, that we 
move away from our dependence on foreign oil, that we invest and create 
jobs here that cannot be outsourced, and that we make sure that we put 
our people back to work. That's why it is so important that we make 
these needed investments.
  According to Andrew Stettner, I have to say--he is a deputy director 
of the National Employment Law Center--14.9 million jobless Americans 
have been out of work for an average of 30 weeks, which is the highest 
level since the government began keeping those records in the 1950s. It 
is the highest record.
  We have some on the other side who are suggesting that we shouldn't 
have extended unemployment benefits. I've even heard some who have had 
the audacity to say that we shouldn't be giving them government/
taxpayer money because they don't want to work. Are you kidding me? We 
have millions of people out of work in this country who are now just 
being called back to work. In fact, some of my friends on the other 
side voted against an extension of unemployment benefits which would 
have helped 11,600 Ohioans who have found themselves struggling just to 
put bread on their tables for their families.
  To me, we have got to invest in our people. If we can spend $1 
trillion on war, we can spend money to invest in our people, in our 
country, and we can put Americans back to work.
  I want to yield some time before we close today, Mr. Speaker, to a 
good friend of mine from Virginia, a gentleman who has the passion and 
vigor to take on the challenges of our great country, Tom Perriello.
  Congressman Perriello, enlighten us for a few moments, sir.
  Mr. PERRIELLO. Grazie to my paisan from Ohio. I appreciate that, and 
I appreciate your remarks on where we are with this economy, both with 
where we have come and with where we have to go.
  I think both the present statistics in the history books will make 
clear that we have prevented a depression, which is no small feat; but 
I am not satisfied until we see robust economic growth that reemploys 
America. We should be willing to look back and say, Here is an 
opportunity, when we were going off a cliff into a depression, where we 
said, No, we will not allow that, not on our watch. We will make sure 
that that depression is prevented. Yet I'm not satisfied until we see 
the kind of job creation we need to see back on Main Street. We need to 
shift our focus from that speculation on Wall Street to that job 
creation on Main Street. These ideas are not Republican ideas or 
Democrat ideas. These are ideas about putting people back to work.
  You know, in Ohio and I know in Virginia that we are right on the 
cusp of the summer construction season. We have an opportunity to start 
building again. Americans are ready to do it. Small businesses are 
ready to do it. Unfortunately, we are not going to see the housing 
starts pick up which many would like to see, but we know we can still 
build things. We can build our infrastructure, and we can retrofit our 
existing building stock. We have had a tool belt recession, and it is 
time to see growth in the tool belt sector.
  These may not be the sexiest jobs to talk about in Washington or on 
Wall Street, but the fact is we must rebuild America's competitive 
advantage, and we must rebuild it one community at a time, one 
commonwealth at a time, one country, together, rebuilding our 
competitive advantage and putting people back to work. We have a chance 
to do that.
  Now, most of the gentlemen on the other side of this building, down 
in the Senate, may be through this recession. The media elites may be 
through this recession, but working class America and middle class 
America are not through it. We have prevented the worst from happening, 
but we will not be satisfied until we see the kind of robust economic 
growth that will bring us back together. We will rebuild that 
competitive advantage, and we will need to do it in time for the summer 
construction season.
  I appreciate all that you have done to keep that focus on jobs, jobs, 
jobs in Ohio, in Virginia, and around this country. We must be deadly 
focused on

[[Page 3112]]

jobs, and we must do it with the urgency that does not miss the 
construction season ahead.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. I agree with the gentleman from Virginia. We have seen 
almost a flip from a 6 percent job loss, when we began the 111th 
Congress in January of 2009, to nearly a 6 percent job growth in our 
gross domestic product. Yet we know that this is not about the GDP. 
This is about the j-o-b-s. We have got to put people back to work. 
That's why we are focusing on doing that.
  There are some things that we have done for our small businesses, to 
help struggling small businesses stay open:
  There is the net operating loss carry-back. We have also extended tax 
credits for renewable energy production because, as my colleague and I 
know, the cheapest energy is the energy we never use. Small businesses 
can save a lot by writing that off. They can save by weathering their 
businesses and by weathering their homes. That's what is going to save 
money in the long term.
  We are also going to give bonus appreciation, which extends to 
businesses that are buying equipment, such as computers. It speeds up 
the appreciation through 2009. That is helping our small businesses 
write off those losses so that they can get folks back to work.
  Mr. PERRIELLO. This is an opportunity. What we have made is the down 
payment on America's future. We know that jobs of the future are going 
to come in the energy sector and that they are going to come in 
research and development. We need the strong universities, and we need 
the strong infrastructure.
  A year ago, we made a down payment, which is starting to pay off now 
in the kind of rebound that we are starting to see; but we cannot be 
satisfied, and we cannot take that foot off the gas. This is the time. 
Americans are ready to build.
  Again, this should not be a partisan idea. We all have construction 
companies in our districts. We all have roads and bridges and water and 
sewer systems in our districts. We all have small businesses that help 
supply that construction sector. We must see that this can be a chance 
to come together and to understand the urgency of this moment.
  We have made that down payment. Now it is time to start seeing that 
growth. We are going to do that, not by saying ``no'' to everything but 
by saying ``yes'' to America's future, by saying ``yes'' to America's 
competitive advantage. There are many in the top echelon of this 
country who have stopped believing that America can manufacture, that 
it can grow things, that it can be strong again.

                              {time}  2115

  Those include elites on the left and elites on the right. Well, they 
are wrong. America's working and middle class is still strong. If we 
invest in them, they will outcompete every country on Earth.
  We can outcompete the rest the world, but only if we invest in 
education and workforce development, if we get a 21st century 
infrastructure, and we understand that two out of three new jobs in 
this country come from small businesses. Instead of bailing out the 
biggest businesses, it is time to reward and support the small 
businesses. They are the engine of innovation and growth. They are the 
civic leaders in our community.
  That is what our agenda needs to be about. It is what we started on. 
It is what we must push forward, regardless of party line, and get 
America growing again.
  Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, Mr. Speaker, he is exactly right. The gentleman 
from Virginia is exactly right that we have got to invest in our 
people, in our country, in our way of life. As that contemporary 
commercial says on the airwaves, Is this going to be remembered as the 
great recession or the recession that makes us great?
  I believe that we can do this if we work together, if we invest in 
our people. Again, if we can spend $1 trillion on war, we can certainly 
spend money to make sure that we invest in our people and do the things 
that are going to set us on the track towards prosperity.
  We are starting to begin to see the glimmers of light. We are 
starting to see the glimmers of hope that people once again are going 
to be on to a path of prosperity.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia, because he believes that 
our greatest days are still yet to come. We will be stronger, we will 
be more robust, and we will be smarter on how we handle these future 
downturns. This is the time that we cannot let go away from us. We have 
got to invest in our people, in our country, and that is why I am so 
proud of the gentleman from Virginia, who stands with me saying that we 
will again be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth.

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