H5210 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 25, 2012 

their injuries. However, the cutoff at 

1952 is arbitrary because no serious 

mitigation was undertaken until 1976. 

Madam Speaker, those workers 

should also be eligible for just compensation. I am working with our Senators to urge the Centers for Disease 

Control and the National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health to 

meet with these workers, hear their 

stories, and finally grant them eligibility for just compensation. 

f 

LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF 

THE WAY 

(Mr. PALAZZO asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, 

President Obama’s failed economic 

policies have brought us more than 41 

months of consecutive record unemployment. My State of Mississippi and 

the Nation are starving for jobs. In 

Mississippi, we like jobs and we want 

more jobs, not less. 

However, this President has been 

AWOL, absent without leadership, 

when it comes to protecting and providing for our economic and national 

security, both of which are under assault by this President and the ‘‘do 

nothing’’ Democrats in the Senate. 

What keeps me up at night is the fear 

of sequestration. Sequestration, if allowed to go into effect, is irreversible, 

irresponsible, and will cost America 1 

to 2 million jobs. Sequestration will affect every community in every State in 

the Nation for the worst. 

Our economic and national security 

are symbiotic of one another. We must 

have a strong economy to provide for 

our national defense, and a strong military to protect our economy. The 

American people do not want this administration to harm our economic and 

national security any more than it already has. Stop sequestration now. 

I say to the President, it is time to 

lead, follow, or get out of the way. 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the Chair. 

f 

HONORING THE SERVICE OF 

DONNA OTTAVIANO 

(Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I 

rise today to honor a superb public 

servant, Dr. Donna Ottaviano, who has 

served as the Superintendent of 

Schools for the Town of North Providence since 1981. 

Families in North Providence have 

benefited greatly from Dr. Ottaviano’s 

experience, dedication and, leadership. 

The entire school district, including 

faculty, staff, students, and parents, 

are sad to see her leave. 

Access to a quality public education 

is a cornerstone of ensuring that our 

country and my home State of Rhode 

Island will succeed in the years ahead. 

Making sure our young people have access to the best education possible is 

critical. 

I know that Dr. Ottaviano’s vast experience, extraordinary dedication, and 

professionalism will serve her well in 

her new position with the East Bay 

Educational Collaborative and benefit 

Rhode Island schools from Newport to 

Woonsocket. 

I congratulate Dr. Ottaviano on her 

new appointment, wish her well, and 

thank her for her dedicated service. 

f 

SOUNDING THE ALARM ON 

SEQUESTRATION 

(Mr. RIGELL asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. RIGELL. Madam Speaker, I join 

my colleagues this morning to sound 

the alarm of a serious threat facing our 

country, one that has been addressed 

by this body and now awaits action by 

the Senate and the President. It is not 

an external threat, but one that is totally within our control. Known as sequestration, this sharp severe cut to 

our defense budget can and must be 

stopped. 

The warnings from the Secretary of 

Defense and each of our service chiefs 

must be heeded. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Greenert, described 

it this way. He said the cuts would do 

‘‘severe and irreversible damage’’ to 

our Navy. 

Madam Speaker, where is the President’s outrage at this prospect? Where 

is his leadership in his role as Commander in Chief? 

The House passed legislation which 

would stop the cuts. My amendment to 

the National Defense Authorization 

Act requires the Senate to address it 

head-on. 

Madam Speaker, we’ve led. I truly 

believe that we’ve taken action to stop 

the cuts. The irrefutable truth is that 

the same is not true of the Senate and 

the administration. 

Now, we have time to do what is 

right, but that time is short. I call on 

the President and the Senate to do 

what is right: to lead, to lead by example, to bring us together as a nation to 

stop the cuts. We must look to the future and shape the future, not look behind us. 

f 

b 1220 

JOBS AND TAXES 

(Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, the 

American people need a tax plan that 

will help grow the middle class and create jobs right here in the United 

States. 

The American people want jobs to 

take care of their families. Sadly, the 

Republicans are holding the tax breaks 

for 98 percent of Americans hostage so 

that they can prevent millionaires and 

billionaires from paying their fair 

share of taxes. The Bush tax cuts for 

the ultra rich have failed to create any 

new jobs. They must be allowed to expire. Instead of working together on a 

bipartisan tax plan to strengthen our 

economy, Republicans are pushing for 

a plan to balance the budget on the 

backs of seniors and the middle class 

and to end Medicare as we know it by 

turning it into a private voucher system. 

Congress must stop protecting billionaires at the expense of Medicare 

and the middle class. Let’s work together. Let’s work together on a bipartisan plan that will cut taxes for 98 

percent of Americans, that will protect 

Medicare and that will create jobs 

right here in the United States. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF CARSON 

BAIRD 

(Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania 

asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) 

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. 

Madam Speaker, as cochair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, I 

rise to recognize Mr. Carson Baird on 

his retirement from Penn State University’s Learning Factory. 

Carson Baird’s background in motorsports started in racing while he proudly served in the United States Army. 

Following his service, he went on to 

hold the International Motor Sports 

Association Championship, three manufacturer championships, and three 

driver championships, having raced in 

classics such as the 24 hours of Daytona and the 24 hours at LeMans. 

Since 1994, Carson Baird has served 

as supervisor of the Learning Factory, 

supporting the mission to bring the 

real world into the classroom by providing engineering students with 

hands-on experience through industrysponsored projects. Carson Baird 

helped oversee an expansion of the 

Learning Factory that doubled its size, 

and in 2006, he was part of a team honored with the National Academy of 

Engineering’s Gordon Prize for ‘‘Innovations in Engineering Education.’’ 

Carson Baird has applied his motorsports background to assist nearly 700 

students on 150 projects that span 13 

majors and engage students in five colleges. 

I commend Mr. Carson Baird on his 

vision and dedication to tomorrow’s 

engineers, and I wish him the best in 

his retirement. 

f 

NATIONAL YOUTH SPORTS WEEK 

(Mr. MCINTYRE asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) 

Mr. MCINTYRE. Madam Speaker, as 

founder of the Congressional Caucus on 

Youth Sports, I rise to commemorate 


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