Bob Filner

this evening we have heard many moving words about bringing America together, about justice for all. I want to speak about bringing justice to another group of people. Today, Congress, after waiting for 50 years, has an opportunity to…

for over 50 years veterans' programs and benefits have been viewed as matters far too important for partisan bickering. Democrats and Republicans worked together to create the most generous and successful array of veterans' programs in the…

this coming Saturday, June 1, thousands of families, schools, churches, synagogues, and other organizations will gather at the Lincoln Memorial for what is aptly being called the Stand for Children. Stand for Children is a national day of…

I just want to say when I first arrived in Congress, there was no one who was more gracious or more giving of his time and knowledge than the gentleman from Mississippi; and I appreciate his service, of course, to our Nation's veterans…

This bill mandates repeal of a 4.3-cent gasoline tax, but it does not mandate that we as consumers or the American people as consumers will get the benefit of that 4.3 cents. I have the bill right here. It says that it is the sense of…

My amendment could be called the mobile homeowners protection amendment, because it calls for fairness and equity for thousands of our citizens who live in mobile homes. Currently, as you know, housing assistance payments are made to…

I rise to call our attention to one of our Nation's most cost-effective and productive programs: Head Start. Head Start is a comprehensive program aimed at preschool age children of low-income families. In addition to providing education…

I rise today, and I know the Speaker is well knowledgeable about this, to speak about the sudden and outrageous increases in prices of gasoline that consumers in California and across the Nation have had to face. As you know, gasoline…

I could not have been more proud to dedicate my first address in this Chamber to the celebration of African-American freedom and accomplishment. As many of my colleagues know, I have a special link to the African-American struggle for…

my colleagues, I want to tell you very briefly the story of yet another Gingrich hostage. Mr. Gingrich and company are not only shutting down the Government and shutting out Federal employees, they are causing real hardship for real…

Mr. Chairman, I rise today as part of a strong bipartisan opposition to this amendment which would delete the funding for the GT-MHR Development Program. I have heard the opponents to this program argue that it is a pork project, that it…

The gentleman's constituents are from New York, my constituents from San Diego, have got to get that message again and again. They have the power to help change the equation on this political battle that is looming. The people must be…

Then those defense firms bill the Pentagon for savings that have come out and they get big grants for the savings that occurred in that consolidation, their corporate executives get major bonuses, and the people in San Diego or other…

The 10 largest mutual insurance companies in this Nation pay virtually zero taxes under a certain provision of the Tax Code, section 809. They do not pay zero taxes, but they pay zero on this provision, which was set up to realize, and let…

I would like to give if I may a specific example of this to try to bring really home what this corporate welfare means to this budget and what we could be doing as a Congress. Did you know that the 10 largest mutual insurance companies in…

I appreciate being here with the Congressman from my adjacent district, San Diego. Before I answer the question, I do want to point out that for many years we had adjacent districts in local government, Mr. Bilbray being a county…

the gentleman from Oregon knows that on almost every environmental issue, we are in total agreement. Are you familiar with the percentage of solid removal in the system that San Diego now uses?

I am certainly supporting it as the section in the bill that applies to San Diego.

It is not an attempt. We achieve 84 percent. ... I do not think that is the solution. I think we should be forcing Mexico to clean up so the people in California can go to the beach every day in the future.

Mr. Chairman, not to beat a dead horse or a dead sewage system, as the case may be, I do rise in strong opposition to the amendment offered by my friend the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone]. This amendment raises the possibility…

I rise today during this debate to urge my colleagues not to turn our back on the health and safety of Americans and to, once again, reassure my constituents in San Diego that they will not have to spend billions for an unnecessary sewage…

there is obviously a new game being played in Washington. It is called bait and switch. The rules are simple. Propose massive and irresponsible budget cuts and then 2 weeks later stand up in front of the TV cameras and claim you are…

Mr. Chairman and colleagues, I rise today in strong support of the Schumer-Conyers-Chapman amendment to maintain the Cops on the Beat Program. I have spoken several times now in support of the Cops Program, but it cannot be emphasized…

Today my colleagues and I from San Diego introduced a bill to amend the Clean Water Act to allow San Diego to treat its sewage in a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner. This has been a long fight for many of us. I have been…

2 years ago, a Democratic President and Congress passed a budget that cut the deficit by more than $600 billion over 5 years and produced real deficit reduction for 3 consecutive years--the first time this has happened since World War II…