Republican Freshmen Third Quarterly Report to the 110th Congress

REPUBLICAN FRESHMEN THIRD QUARTERLY REPORT TO THE 110TH CONGRESS -- (House of Representatives - September 19, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, some of you may have noticed that I have a different haircut. This past August, I kept a promise to my local American Cancer Society chapter that I would shave my head if they met their fundraising goal.

My promise was grounded in an effort to bring greater awareness to the American Cancer Society's work on finding a cure for a disease that some estimates show will claim more than 559,000 lives in 2007.

The statistics on cancer are mind numbing. Cancer strikes one out of two men and one out of three women, killing 1,500 people every day.

Having been at the front lines of cancer research and services for more than half a century, the American Cancer Society remains a pillar of hope for millions of Americans facing this dreadful disease.

I encourage my colleagues to get out there and support the work of organizations like the American Cancer Society. The war against cancer is a war we must, and can win--but only together.

Well, it has been more than 9 months since the 110th Congress convened under the leadership of Democrats who promised the American people many things, but have since failed to deliver on many of their commitments. This is most evident in recent approval ratings of this Democrat-run Congress, which have reached historic lows.

These numbers say everything about the failed promises of this majority. During the 2006 campaign, the Democrats pledged to rein in spending, yet their budget proposal contains more than $217 billion in tax increases, representing the second largest tax increase in American history, and proposes spending $23 billion above the amount proposed in the President's budget blueprint.

This is not the kind of reform promised by the new Democrat majority; rather, it is very reminiscent of the old Democrat majority that took more money out of the American taxpayers' wallets, while creating new wasteful spending and sprawling government programs.

Now, if the numbers are too much to bear, perhaps we can look at a particular issue of great concern to my constituents, my fellow Floridians, and residents of disaster-prone regions throughout the United States. That is the outrageous cost of homeowners' insurance.

Our national economy, and the quality of life for many Americans is severely burdened by the fact that disaster-prone areas, like Florida, continue to suffer from an insurance market that has overblown its rates and refused to take the necessary risk to ensure that every homeowner has access to affordable, quality homeowners' insurance.

Earlier this week, my Democrat colleagues took to the House floor to proclaim their outrage over the troubles homeowners are currently facing throughout the United States as a result of the tanking subprime mortgage market.

I want you to know that the concern of this body should focus on these same homeowners, in addition to the millions of homeowners who can pay their mortgage, yet are not adequately insured. This disparity is a tragedy of equal or greater measure.

You see, faced with increasingly expensive and limited insurance options, Florida embodies the kinds of problems plaguing homeowners in high-risk areas across the country.

Owning a home is fundamental to the ``American Dream.'' It should not be an insurmountable burden. Sadly though, such a possibility is slowly eroding under unbelievably high homeowners' insurance.

As we speak this week about improving the opportunities for existing and future homeowners, we must not forget the next catastrophe is just around the corner for millions of American homeowners. This catastrophe is not limited to the prospect of home foreclosures, but also hurricanes, flooding and other disasters both man-made and natural.

If the American homeowner cannot adequately protect themselves from these dangers, then they are just as vulnerable to losing their homes as those who are facing the sub-prime credit debacle.

I recently introduced legislation that would allow Gulf Coast States to pool their resources and jointly coordinate responses and preparation for major disasters. The Gulf Coast All-Hazard Readiness Act would allow the Gulf Coast States to form an interstate compact to mitigate, respond to and recover from major natural disasters.

Additionally, I have cosigned important legislation that would remedy the skyrocketing cost of homeowners' insurance in disaster-prone regions of the country. These bills, H.R. 91 and H.R. 330, will go a long way to addressing a problem that is only getting worse.

I implore this body to act, and for this Democrat-led majority to make good on their promise to protect American families. They can start by allowing a vote on legislation that will help families adequately protect their homes from future and almost certain disasters.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source