Henry Bonilla

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about the use of ultrasound imaging by emergency physicians. October 2006 marks the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the American College of Emergency Physicians', ACEP, Section of Emergency Ultrasound, which actively encourages research and training of emergency physicians in the use of emergency ultrasound. October 15, 2006, celebrates Emergency Ultrasound Day. Emergency ultrasound, defined as the use of ultrasound imaging at the patient's bedside, is a critical component of quality emergency medical care. Ultrasound imaging enhances the physician's ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients in the emergency department. It provides immediate information and can answer specific questions about the patient's physical condition, such as determining whether a presenting patient has thoracic and abdominal traumas, ectopic pregnancy, pericardial effusion, and many other conditions. High quality emergency care is dependent on rapid diagnostic tools, enhanced safety of emergency procedures, and reduced treatment time. Imaging technology has greatly improved quality of care and made invasive medical procedures safer. Emergency physicians are trained in the use of imaging equipment during their residency, as well as continuing medical education courses. Hospital privileges further validate this training. Emergency ultrasound has moved outside the hospital due to its compact nature. In fact, emergency ultrasound technology is helpful on- site during military and disaster medical care. It has served in the care of America's brave military troops during both the Gulf and Iraq Wars. Also, emergency ultrasound was used to care for patients last year after Hurricane Katrina, and will be helpful in responding to other disasters and mass casualty events. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the work of the ACEP Section of Emergency Ultrasound. It has increased awareness of the contribution and value of emergency ultrasound by emergency physicians in the medical care of emergency patients, survivors of disasters, and our military forces serving at home and abroad. Research in this field should continue to be encouraged to allow the adaptation of critical technologies to continually improve the quality of emergency care.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that today Congress will pass vital legislation based upon legislation I drafted, the Fairness in Immigration Litigation Act of 2006, to close an egregious loophole that allows thousands of illegal aliens to remain in our country every week. Passage of this legislation will result in safer communities across our nation. Currently, the Orantes injunction mandates that the U.S. Government afford all Salvadoran immigrants the benefit of full deportation proceedings and undermines the authority of the Department of Homeland Security to apply expedited removal procedures. The court order was issued in 1988 when EI Salvador was in the midst of a bloody civil war and was designed to protect those seeking refuge in the United States. However, on January 16, 1992, a peace accord was signed ending 11 years of civil war and implementing strict human rights restrictions. Today EI Salvador enjoys a democratically elected government and a developing economy. Illegal aliens stream across our border by the hundreds on a daily basis. They present an immediate danger to the lives of people in every Texas community and across the United States of America. For over 14 years I have worked to raise awareness on Capitol Hill about the crisis facing our border communities. I have met with law enforcement officials along the border and discussed this critical issue with my colleagues in Congress, providing those in Washington with a first-hand perspective on how to increase our border security. However, gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha, otherwise known as MS-13, and members of drug cartels now exploit this loophole in our legal system to thwart our immigration laws and obtain release into our communities. This legislation removes obstacles that prevent our government from effectively enforcing the immigration laws that Congress intended. The threat of terrorism is real. Each day our border communities witness violence and fear created by ruthless members of drug cartels. We must not allow terrorists and criminals from around the world to abuse loopholes in our legal system, turning our southwest border into a revolving door. The efforts of our law enforcement officials to catch, detain, and deport those who enter illegally must not be obstructed by those looking to abuse the system. I am proud that today Congress will overturn the outdated and obsolete Orantes injunction to protect the integrity of our legal immigration process.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American soon scheduled to end his lifelong career of service to our Nation--U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Marfa Sector Chief Patrol Agent Simon Garza, Jr. Born in Laredo, Texas, Chief Garza has spent his entire career fighting to secure our borders and ensure our freedoms. Chief Garza began his career, after studying engineering at the University of Houston, by serving in the United States Army, including service in the Republic of Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. In 1975 he joined the United States Border Patrol as a member of the 10th Session at Port Isabel, Texas. After graduation from the Border Patrol Academy, he received his first assignment in his home State in the Del Rio Sector. After much hard work and determination, Chief Garza was promoted in 1985 to Supervisory Border Patrol Agent. By 1990 he was again promoted to Patrol Agent in Charge, and by 1994 he was part of the senior staff at the Del Rio Sector Headquarters, serving as Assistant Chief Patrol Agent. One year later Chief Garza's leadership role dramatically expanded when he was named Deputy Chief of the United States Border Patrol in Washington, D.C. There he represented the Border Patrol across the world, including in the Middle East, where he shared his valuable insight and experience with foreign leaders and governments. After serving in Washington, DC, Chief Garza returned back to the field to lead the Marfa Sector as Chief Patrol Agent. During his tenure as Chief Patrol Agent, Chief Garza has modernized his sector to respond to the growing threats to our national security by utilizing mission- oriented technology and transitioning the Sector Intelligence Unit to a pro-active organization. Day in and day out, Chief Garza and his well- trained staff put their lives on the line to tirelessly work to protect our country. I am proud to commend my good friend--and a hero to our Nation--Chief Simon Garza, Jr., for his distinguished and honorable career. His straightforward and unwavering leadership will be greatly missed. Congratulations on a job well done, Chief.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my solidarity with the State of Israel in its ongoing struggle against terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. Despite U.N. Resolution 1559 which demands the disarming of Hezbollah, the organization still operates as an armed force in Lebanon threatening the stability of the region and freedom throughout the world. In fact, prior to September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was responsible for more American deaths due to terrorism than any other organization. This organization continuously fires rockets into Israel, and on July 12 conducted an unprovoked attack into Israel, killing at least three soldiers and kidnapping two. It is without question that Israel is exercising its inherent right of self-defense by taking action against Hezbollah. Israel's military actions appear appropriate to prevent the further removal of the two kidnapped soldiers into Syria or Iran. It is clear that Hezbollah is supported by direct financial, military, and political aid from Syria and Iran, and Hezbollah also receives important support from sources within Lebanon. In fact, Iranian Revolutionary Guards continue to operate in southern Lebanon, providing support to Hezbollah and reportedly controlling its operational activities. Congress has already enacted several laws, including the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, and the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 which call for the imposition of sanctions on Syria and Iran for, among other things, their support for terrorism and terrorist organizations. Israel is and will continue to be one of our greatest allies. Some examples of their cooperation include Israeli produced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV, that have been used by the United States military to identify targets, survey damage caused by bombs, and provide air support for United States soldiers. The United States military is also currently using Bradley Reactive Armor Tiles, BRAT, originally designed by the Israeli military. One hundred United States Bradley vehicles, which were installed with BRAT, overcame direct anti-armor fire and repelled each attack successfully in Iraq. Most importantly, however, Israel is among our strongest allies in the global war on terror. No free nation can allow this scourge to continue to grow and spread unchecked. The brave and proud people of Israel are standing up to terror and we must stand with them.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his support on this issue of great importance to my constituents and the people of the State of Texas.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise to ask the gentleman from Virginia to engage in a colloquy. I would ask the gentleman from Virginia to do that. This would involve the provision in the bill's committee report that relates to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I am thankful that the committee has included language in the fiscal year 2007 bill with the intent to direct the Bureau of Prisons to renew the intergovernmental agreements with four West Texas communities, including Reeves County, which are set to expire in 2007, if these local governments offer the Bureau of Prisons fair and reasonable prices and their facilities meet the Bureau of Prisons' standards. Further, I am pleased that it is the intent of the committee that this language be binding upon the Bureau of Prisons under application of this appropriations bill. It is also my understanding that there is a misprint in the committee report accompanying the 2007 Science, State, Justice, Commerce Appropriations Bill. The language in the report should read, as passed by my amendment during full committee markup, that the Bureau of Prisons is directed to renew agreements with local governments housing Federal criminal aliens, if these facilities meet Bureau of Prisons' standards and a fair and reasonable price is offered. I am hopeful that the chairman will acknowledge that this is the language that was intended.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding. It was once said that one of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and somehow expecting a different result. That is what we are seeing here with these amendments that are being presented, and I would say to any Member who would attempt such tactics that there is a demonstration of a lack of consideration for all of the hard work that has gone into putting these bills together. Questions have been raised by the author of this amendment about the specificity of where some of the money is going on some of these line items that are being discussed, and therein lies an illustration of the problem that exists here. The grunt work in the trenches that is done day in and day out by Members of the subcommittee, by the good professional staff goes back sometimes many weeks and months. And when these kinds of amendments are brought up, without any knowledge that is even acknowledged by the author of the amendment, it is a frivolous waste of time for Members on both sides of the aisle. So I would ask any Member who would operate using this tactic to take that into consideration. It is like a football team that takes the field every week with the same team and winds up losing 50-0. And some might say that the team that takes the kick in the tail every week, well, they have good heart because they want to come back again and fight another day. But at some point you have to measure what that person's brain is all about as well and what kind of consideration is shown to those who work hard in the trenches every day for the teams and to those ``fans'' or constituents that are also looking at what we are doing. So I would ask again that any Member who is using these tactics that it is a great thing to come and present an amendment. Some Members offer amendments on a regular basis that have a true conviction about what they are trying to accomplish, and then they realize that they are not going to accomplish much and they turn around and work on something else. Wise up, I would say to anyone proposing these kinds of amendments. Again, it is an attempt to do something over and over again and somehow expecting a different result. I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, we have reviewed the amendment and would be happy to accept the amendment. If the gentleman would take ``yes'' for an answer and submit his remarks for the Record, we could move on.

Mr. BONILLA. I withdraw my reservation of the point of order.

Mr. BONILLA. I would say to the gentleman that we would be happy to accept the gentleman's amendment, and if he could submit his remarks for the Record and he can take ``yes'' for an answer, we can move on.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), the distinguished chairman of the full committee.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to bring before the House today the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. Before I do so, I would like to say how proud I am to be serving in my final year as chairman of the subcommittee. It has been a great privilege and a great experience. I want to compliment my ranking member, Ms. DeLauro, for helping us get to this point today to produce a good bill for the American people. My goal every year has been to produce a bipartisan bill. We began our hearings on the budget on February 15, and we added an additional hearing at the request of Ms. DeLauro on bird flu, which is a very important issue to people not just in this country, but around the world; and I have tried very hard to accommodate every Member who had a request for this bill. But it has been difficult. We received this year over 1,600 individual requests for specific spending from most Members of the House. I would say that all Members can support this bill and tell their constituents that they voted to improve their lives while maintaining fiscal responsibility. I would also like to thank all of my subcommittee members on both sides of the aisle for helping to produce this bill, and I would like to thank people who oftentimes don't get recognized for all of the hard work, sometimes on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, that goes into putting a bill together. It is not just the Members that are elected to serve on this subcommittee and full committee, but we have the committee staff: Martha Foley of the minority staff; Martin Delgado, the great, distinguished leader, the clerk of the subcommittee; Maureen Holohan, Leslie Barrack and Jamie Swafford of the majority staff. In addition, I would like to thank our detailee, Mike Arnold, and Walt Smith from Texas A&M back in Texas at College Station from my personal staff for working hard on this. I also want to mention some people that I would say have never had their names mentioned before on the floor of the House, but without them we could not be here today. They are the ones that helped put this whole product together: Larry Boarman, Theo Powell, Cathy Edwards, Linda Muir and the staff of the Government Printing Office. Mr. Chairman, we refer to this bill as the agriculture bill, but it goes so much more than assisting basic agriculture. It also supports rural and economic development, human nutrition, ag exports and land conservation, as well as the food, drug, and medical safety in this country. This bill will cover benefits to of every one of your constituents everyday, no matter what district you represent. There are some key increases over the fiscal year 2006 spending level in the bill that include the following: $80 million for bird flu; $24 million for food safety; $11 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, the budget request proposed to zero out this program; $34 million for the Farm Service Agency, salaries and expenses; $12 million for farm operating loans; $91 million for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and $20 million for the FDA user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, and animal drugs. Mr. Chairman, I will include at this point in the Record tabular material relating to the bill. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.001 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.002 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.003 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.004 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.005 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.006 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.007 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.008 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.009 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH23MY06.010

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlemen from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of entering into a colloquy with the gentlemen from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett). I now yield to Mr. Garrett.

Mr. BONILLA. If the gentleman would yield, I thank the gentlemen for his comments and pledge to work closely with him and the Department of Agriculture moving forward to see that any eligible environmentally sensitive farmland is given full and adequate consideration as this bill continues through the legislative process and as the Department establishes its priorities for the Farm and Ranchland Preservation Program for fiscal year 2007.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. BONILLA. I will be very brief. The gentleman is sincere in his effort in bringing this amendment forward year after year after year, and the majority of House opposes it year after year after year; and once again we oppose it today. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BONILLA

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, it is my understanding that this amendment that the gentleman from New Jersey has worked very hard on tells the Department to comply with existing law, and at this point we have no objection to the amendment and would move the vote.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, before the gentleman begins, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be read, and the reason I am doing this is because we are not sure which amendment we are addressing and in what order.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) be considered to have been adopted in the Committee of the Whole with the modifications I have placed at the desk.