Statements For the Record

Mr. Speaker, I want to clearly state my opposition to H.R. 2681, the so-called Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act. This legislation is a special interest giveaway that will fail to create jobs and will expose American families to unnecessary and unacceptable health risks.

Mr. Speaker, today, the Natural Resources Committee is marking up H.R. 850 which grants an exemption from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in order to allow construction of a $700 million mega-bridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin across the St. Croix River. This bridge would be located less than six miles from the eight lane Interstate 94 crossing of the St. Croix.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the life and memory of Ms. Judy McLaughlin, a civic and political leader in St. Paul, Minnesota who passed away on September 5, 2011 at the age of 66. Throughout her adult life Judy was an active and influential leader in the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL) and a force in the civic life of St. Paul. She and her late husband, Mike McLaughlin, were the owners of Summit Manor on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Their commitment to St.

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Thank you to the Clean Air Act Coalition for bringing us together today and to Children's Hospital for hosting us. We are here to call attention to a gathering threat to the quality of the air Americans breathe.

Clean air is something we all care about: legislators, doctors, teachers, parents and grandparents. In Minnesota, we've always worked together on a bipartisan basis to protect our air quality.

Good evening! Thank you John for that introduction and the North Central States Council of Carpenters for hosting this discussion. It is so good to be with you tonight to talk about the number one challenge facing America: creating good jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong opposition to H.R. 2608, the short-term continuing appropriations measure on the floor today to fund government operations through November 18, 2011.

Mr. Speaker, once again this Tea Party Republican majority is determined to ignore the jobs crisis in this country and instead focus the energy and efforts of Congress on busting unions and attacking the federally protected rights of workers to organize. This legislation is a direct assault on workers' rights in order to protect the profits of one corporation -- Boeing. This legislation essentially tells 14 millions unemployed Americans that their needs are irrelevant as long as there is a CEO in America who wants to crush a union.

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Thank you Mothers2Mothers International and Management Sciences for Health for organizing this briefing. Mothers and children around the world need access to quality health care. As a global community, we must do more to ensure all children and their mothers have access to the support, information, and health care they need to grow-up healthy and strong.