[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4931-4932]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1050
                      ISSUES FACING THIS CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I join my colleague that just spoke on the 
vitality and the importance of STEM education. As a 12-year member of 
the Science Committee, I also had a sense of emotion as Discovery flew 
many times over this great democratic institution. That emotion compels 
me to continue to fight for a place for one of the shuttles in the 
hometown where it was born, the place where John F. Kennedy spoke at 
the Rice Hotel and inspired us to go into space, and that is Houston, 
Texas, NASA-Johnson. I look forward to that continued bipartisan effort 
to have an appropriate representation of the four shuttles back in 
Houston, where they belong.
  I rise today as well to speak about a number of things. I believe 
it's important for my colleagues to sort of look at a series of issues. 
I support the Buffett Rule, not because I believe in any kind of class 
warfare. I celebrate capitalism and applaud Mr. Buffett and others. But 
it is a good way to raise revenue and bring down the deficit.
  We, of course, will be dealing with a bill proposed by my Republican 
friends on the other side of the aisle. The only thing that they will 
do is enhance the pocket money of people who don't need it. There is an 
unfairness in the Tax Code. I would join in a bipartisan way to look at 
it. In making the Tax Code fair, I would hope that we would be able to 
bring down the deficit. But the bill that we will see, as I said, will 
increase the pocket change of millionaires. It will be a job killer. 
And, of course, it will cut the Medicare guarantees of those who have 
worked hard for their children and grandchildren. I cannot support 
legislation that isn't fair and balanced. I would plead to my 
colleagues to find the middle ground--a fair Tax Code, bringing down 
the deficit.
  I would encourage them to look at H.R. 3710, an energy bill. I have 
practiced oil and gas law for 15 years. It addresses the question of 
the wetlands, it uses exploration dollars to bring down the deficit, 
and it allows expanded exploration in the gulf region, a process that 
has been vetted by many energy organizations, energy companies, and 
they believe that is a bipartisan approach. H.R. 3710 is ready for the 
combined work of all of us.
  I also believe it's important to speak about the value of education 
in several ways. And I'm here today to join in H.R. 3826, proudly so, 
that stands with students who now carry the bulk of the debt in 
America--credit debt. These are students who are simply trying to, as 
my colleague just said, study science, technology, engineering, and 
math. In about 74 days, the interest rates on Stafford loans will 
triple to 6.8 percent. You may have borrowed at 2 percent, and here we 
are talking about it going up to 6.8 percent. I, with every fiber in my 
body, stand against that. I'm going to stand with the students and 
parents who have children in school. We can win this thing. We must 
have a legislative action to stop that stealing of money from our 
children, who are simply trying to be in the best colleges, the State 
colleges, and to be educated.
  Parents, wake up. In 74 days, the interest rate on your children's 
loans is going up to 6.8 percent. Call our offices, get on our Web 
sites, and beg us to pass H.R. 3826 by my good friend Mr. Courtney from 
Connecticut. Please, I beg of you. And I will be there with you. From 
Texas Southern University to the University of Houston to Houston 
Baptist to the Houston Community College, we're going to work on this.

[[Page 4932]]

  Let me also move very quickly, Mr. Speaker, to the fact that this is 
the fifth-year commemoration of the terrible killings at Texas Tech. 
This Congress has been charged with being fearful of dealing with gun 
legislation. Over the years, I have introduced the Child Gun Safety and 
Gun Access Prevention bill. I have, in fact, supported bills dealing 
with gun checks and to close gun loopholes at gun shows. I have 
supported bills to stop the proliferation of assault weapons. Not bills 
against the Second Amendment, but bills that would have stopped Mr. 
Zimmerman from recklessly walking around with a 9 millimeter, and he 
was only supposed to be the eyes and ears of his neighborhood.
  Mr. Speaker, I join in a bipartisan manner, even to the extent of 
saying we must clean up the Secret Service--I support Mr. Sullivan--and 
even clean up the GSA, because Gilbane, which has received stimulus 
dollars from the GSA, has refused to be diverse. To the CEO of Gilbane, 
this Congressperson you need to call. You are an unfair company, and 
you're using Federal dollars from the GSA in an inappropriate way. No 
diverse workforce, and no small businesses.

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