Jon L. Christensen: “I rise in support of the beleaguered workers of this country who have been doubly affected by both the recession that…”

“I rise in support of the beleaguered workers of this country who have been doubly affected by both the recession that the experts now say that we have been in since last spring and the ripple effects of September 11. According to the Department of Labor, 415,000 Americans lost their jobs in the month of October. Eight hundred people in my very small district of the U.S. Virgin Islands have lost their jobs in our tourism dependent district--an increase of over 150 percent over last year. Travel agents, airline workers, taxi drivers, chefs and hotel service employees will now face the holidays without jobs, without health and other benefits in an economy that will be slow to absorb them any where else. Mr. Speaker, we were right to provide relief for the airlines, but we will be remiss if we do not see the individual lives that are affected by the loss of jobs in the downturn of our once thriving economy. It is also right that we provide assistance to the insurance industry in the wake of the September 11th attack. I oppose the Republican Leadership terrorism insurance relief bill, though because it added unnecessary and unrelated provisions to advance their partisan agenda on tort reform. I support the LaFalce Democratic substitute, which avoids dramatic premium increases for businesses and consumers but also insures that industry assumes their appropriate financial responsibility. Mr. Speaker, let's do right by the working men and women of our country.”