Congressman Gerry Connolly addressed his colleagues on the floor Sunday as the U.S. House of Representatives debated the historic health insurance reform legislation in a rare weekend-long session.

In urging the House to support the bill, Connolly made it clear that the bill before the
Congress met the tests that residents of Northern Virginia's 11th Congressional District said were required.

View the video of Connolly's statement on the House floor here - http://gerryconnolly.house.gov/uploads/Health%20Care%20Support.wmv

Here is the full text of Connolly's statement:

Statement of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11th)
H.R. 4872 - Reconciliation Act of 2010
U.S. House of Representatives
March 20, 2010

We have reached a historic crossroads in our nation’s history.

We can choose to set our nation on the path to improving the access to and quality of health insurance for millions of Americans and finally containing the costs of that care, or we can continue the status quo, which threatens to leave more families without basic care and bankrupt the engine of our economy, our small businesses.

Make no mistake. This is not an easy vote. We are tackling an issue that Congresses before us have been struggling with for the better part of the past century.

But when I think about the difficulty of this vote, I am reminded what the Bible tells us about fear:
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
 
I have consistently heard from my constituents that they do want reform but only if it meets certain tests:

• Will it bring down premium costs for families and small businesses? Yes, it will.

• Will it reduce the deficit? Yes, it will.

• Will it protect their choice of plan and doctor? Yes, it will.

• Will it improve access to care? Yes, it will.

14,000 Americans lose their health care coverage each day because of the out-of-control costs. They cannot afford for us to wait any longer.
 
Forty-five years ago, when I was a young debater, the national debate topic was, “Would the adoption of Medicare lead to socialized medicine in America?” The same distortions used then are being used by the same opposition forces now.

When we look back, do we regret that the 89th Congress had the courage to do the right thing in providing for the safety and security of our seniors?  I don’t think so.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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