Thank you very, very much. I appreciate that.

I urge this Congress to continue your role as a great partner for our American cities.

All I am suggesting is that is why we need this bill.

It seems to me that in order--we ought to incentivize this kind of idea you are talking about...

You do not have to be a Ph.D. in political science. When you get 80 cents on the dollar from the Federal Government to build a highway and you get 20 cents to build a transit system, which of the two are you going to take?

Creating livable communities is about giving our cities and towns the tools to plan their own futures.

I should point out, by the way--and, Julia, you will appreciate this. I will not bore the Committee with the history of this, but Connecticut is one of the few States in the country that does not have any county government.

I think marketing, too. We know it is how people perceive life to be...

NACo has long advocated for flexibility, regionalism, and direct funding to local governments and regions as proven methods for enhancing communities.

I think there is some optimism there, as well.

Census Bureau 2008 data show that a typical American household made less money that year than they did a decade ago.

Today, I ask that you challenge Congress to work with us to build a strong and sustained movement.

I mean, they begin with the notion--it's just unnatural for a parent not to care about their children.

We're a long way from achieving it, but we do have some success to point to.

today I have a heavy heart to mark the passing and commemorate the life of SSgt Edwin Rivera, a native of Waterford, CT, who lost his life in Afghanistan last week at the age of 28. Staff Sergeant Rivera, the only son of middle-class…

My hope is we can get this idea going on a way--at least we've got a place now to really think about results-oriented--not just what-you-ought-to-be-doing recommendations, but actually how to do things.

We need to have some consistent, year-in/year-out efforts in this regard, so we're not waiting for the next headline to provoke a congressional hearing on it.

I tip my hat to the First Lady of our country, Michelle Obama, for making this a priority issue.

And how do we turn this around? How do we actually make a difference?

But, I'm just a parent.

We've shifted the attitude toward parents, and parents have come forward, the poorest of parents.

I think, actually, welfare reform played some positive role in getting more parents work, but it was welfare reform, accompanied by a range of supports for low-income workers, like extensions of childcare, your income tax credit, etc.

I've been trying to--that paid leave bill--took me 7 years to just get the one unpaid-leave bill through, back some 20 years ago.

There's a direct correlation. When we made investments, we actually had an impact on all of this.

I wish to recognize VSA, the International Organization on Arts and Disability. VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and was founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith--a pioneering leader in the…