Leonard Boswell

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to say a few words about this bill. Mr. Speaker, I support it without reservation, in contrast to my colleague from Iowa, another person who spoke a moment or two ago. I really support this. Farmers across Iowa, across the Midwest, across the country, realize that this is an opportunity for us to be more self-sufficient. I, some 30 years ago, was stationed as a soldier in Portugal when we had the first oil crisis, and I realized that the chaos that took place, that we are in bondage to OPEC. It was really bad then, but now it is even worse. We are up to 65 percent import. Here is something we can grow out of ground this year. It is the thing to do. It is environmentally sound. We grow it out of the ground this year. We can turn around and grow it next year and have a great step forward and be independent in our energy production. I hope that everybody will support this bill. It is a good thing all the way around, not just the farmers, it is good for everybody. Support H.R. 6.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Colorado for yielding me the time. I would also like to thank Mrs. DeGette for her leadership on this very important issue. And I rise in support of H.R. 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Today, I want to talk about a young girl who I have the honor of knowing, Karle Borcherding from Ankeny Iowa. In 2005, at the age of 10, Karle was diagnosed with juvenile or Type I diabetes. Over the course of the past year she has had to give herself 4 to 5 shots a day. A burden no 10 year old should have to deal with. Karle and her mother, Darcy, have been leaders on the finding a cure for Type I diabetes across Iowa, the Midwest, and all the way to Washington, DC, with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Karle is a vibrant young girl who does not let her disease control her life. When asked why Karle wants to find a cure she responds ``Not just so I will be cured and can be a normal kid, but because other kids will be cured too.'' I am hopeful that, for Karle's sake and every child affected by debilitating diseases, we will pass this vital legislation today. Opponents of this legislation will argue that we should focus our attention to adult stem cell research. And while adult stem cell research can be useful, embryonic stem cell research offers hope to cure diseases. Some of the leading scientists in the country have stated that adult stem cells would not be able to find a cure for disease such as ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or Type I diabetes. I ask my colleagues to join me today and vote on the side of hope and science, and support H.R. 3.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, thank you very much. I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for yielding me this time. I would also like to thank my colleague and friend Congressman Latham for working on this and leading out on this very, very worthwhile tribute to Dr. Borlaug. He is from Iowa. We have known him for some time. As you might reflect, some of you, some years ago he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It was for his work in agriculture. He started the Green Revolution. It was he that led out with the education, the expertise, the research to feed the world. He is credited with a billion people, saved their lives, fed the world--it has been quite a thing. I happened to be serving in the Iowa legislature at the time. I was appropriations chair, and it looked like the World Food Prize was going to disappear. We saw the opportunity to bring it to Iowa. A great benefactor, which Mr. Latham knows, too, Mr. John Ruan II, saw the need to keep this alive, and so put forth the effort in a hard time in our country, and we called it the agricultural crisis of those days, and was willing to put forth. We started out with a little public-private partnership working together with the understanding that the Ruan family, which they have done, would take it over and run with it. Well, they have. Dr. Borlaug was the first awardee of the World Food Prize 20 years ago in Iowa, and wow, what an appropriate person to receive this honor. It has been ongoing. Ambassador Quinn, a former ambassador at the State Department for years, serves with distinction as the administrator and CEO of the World Food Prize. It is something we are very proud of in the United States of America. We are very proud of it in our State of Iowa. It is a worthy thing. We think of our State of Iowa and the surrounding States as the food basket of our country, and so we have a World Food Prize. This is something that we ought to do to identify Dr. Borlaug. He is in his nineties. He is still very vital and vibrant and eloquent in his presentations, and the things he has done to reach out around the world with young people is most impressive. We have a great program and he is right in the middle of it and still providing a wonderful service, a wonderful example of what we would like to see coming from our country. Of course, we are very proud, Tom and I and all of us in the delegation, of our State. I might add that our new Members, Mr. Braley and Mr. Lobsack, very much if they were able to would be signed on to this resolution as well, and I wanted to make note of that. So I rise in support of Senate 2250, a tribute to Dr. Norman Borlaug. I would hope that every one of us would make this a unanimous thing, a great American, a great cause, and this is the highest recognition we can give, and we ought to do it. I am very proud of my fellow Iowan Dr. Borlaug. He is a great humanitarian who has been credited with saving one billion lives. His research and work changed production agriculture, as we know it today. Dr. Borlaug's life has been marked with many accomplishments; one such accomplishment was founding the World Food Prize, which is located in Des Moines, Iowa. The World Food Prize recognizes contributions by individuals who have worked to improve the quality, quantity and availability of the world food supply. I am proud to say the Prize celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. I would also like to recognize the Ruan family. When the World Food Prize was in trouble the Ruan family created a trust that would support the World Food Prize, patterned after the Nobel Peace Prize. This happened and I am pleased to report that the Ruan family, now under the leadership of John III, has fulfilled their pledge and the World Food Prize is a vital entity that we are very proud of.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Southeast Polk High School's football team, which made a run for the Class 4-A Iowa State Football Championship. With an 11-2 record for the season, this football team placed second in the State championship. This was the first time the Rams had ever advanced to the State championship. All of central Iowa is very proud of the team's achievement. In addition to this achievement, four young men on the team received the First Team All State Honors while the head coach, Denny Muller, was named Coach of the Year in the Central Conference. As Vince Lombardi once said about teamwork: ``The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.'' This great season was undoubtedly the result of tireless dedication by the coaches and the players. Congratulations go to each member of the team, the coaches, the managers and the cheerleaders for an outstanding football season: Players: Zach Ballard, Ethan Bass, Drew Behrens, Josh Bell, Jacob Bergeson, Kenny Berry, Jon Bianchi, Travis Bos, Jake Boston, Drew Bower, Taylor Bowie, Sam Bricker, Tony Burrows, Ben Burzacott, Seth Churchill, Adam Davis, Tanner Farley, Andy Fisher, Chris Foster, Avery Gaston, Dustin Hickman, Mike Hoburg, Andrew Host, Brett Hughes, Kody Ingle, Brian Johnson, Kyle Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Andrew Khounchanh, Ty Knowler, Brad Lamberti. Brian Lathrop, Kevin Leffler, Scott Lusk, Jordan Mallicoat, C.J. Massey, Kyle McClain, Nick McGinn, Ryan Medina, Mike Medina, Chris Medina, Seth Negrete, Andrew Rojas, Stephen Saunders, Cody Shepherd, Jacob Slings, Stephen Smith, Nate Snead, Jeremy Snead, Billy Sowder, Jake Stewart, Tyler Underwood, Jared Vandewall, Jake Viggers, Tyler Walsh, Jordan Wells, Brett Wilkin, Harrison Williams, Tyler Wilson, Shane Wong, Jeff Woody, and Zoran Zailac. Managers: Lexi Armantrout, Amanda Backous, Beth Denning, Amanda Johnson, Jen Larson, and Tommi Music. Coaches: Nate Ballagh, Jake Bartels, Adam Booth, Eric Hendricksen, Bob Knipp, Kelly Knowler, Mark Martin, Randy Mehrl, Lou Mooney, Denny Muller, Troy Schwemm, Don Starcevich, Craig Wilkin, Pat Wilson, and Brad Zelenovich. Cheerleaders: Caitlin Bair, Marissa Brehm, Callie Buck, Cassey Guldner, Kris Kaufman, Macie Kingery, Chelsea Kisner, Samantha Lynn, Mindy Roney, Marissa Rouse, Chelsea Sigmund, Ashley Sowder, Kim Sparks, Whitney Stewart, and Abby Vance.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, as a proud Graceland University alumnus, I rise today to honor the Graceland University Students in Free Enterprise, or SIFE, Team, who recently took home the second place trophy in the SIFE World Cup Competition in Paris, France. SIFE is a global non-profit organization, with activities in more than 40 countries. SIFE strives to teach market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and business ethics to students. SIFE teams use their knowledge to work to create economic opportunities for their communities. The SIFE World Cup Competition brings together SIFE teams from all over the world, and I am proud that the Graceland team represented not only its university honorably, but represented our great Nation with distinction. Mr. Speaker, the following students comprised the team that beat out 44 other national championship teams from around the world: Richa Acharya, Francis Ambrosia, Pooja Ananthanarayanan, Brittany Atwood, James Bailey, Andi Barber, Misha Barbour, Shara Barbour, Ben Berning, Karin Blythe, Tyler Bridge, Emily Brock, Kris Brown, Calee Bullard, Landon Burke, Ariana Bytyci, Curtis Calloway, Ashley Campbell, Sabina Curovac, Leatha Daily, Leonard Dalipi, Joe John De La Cerda, Stephen Donahoe, Cassie Eskridge, Allison Forth, Lindsay Garret, Tyler Garrett, Nicholas Gay, Shaw Geldreich, Shannan Graybill, Heather Gunn, Alexis Haines, Brieanna Hattey, Clayton Hines, Allan Hughes, Travis Hunt, Doug Hunter, Mercedes Jenkins, Kasey Johnson, Cooper Jones, Tyler Jones, Olga Khrentsova, Erik King, Kendra King, Colin Kohler, Andy Lavender, Hava Maloku, Garet Manuel, Jacqui Everett, Flora Ferati, Abe Forth, Lauren McClain, Michaela McCoy, Amanda McLead, Ethan Mechling, Barett Miller, Amy Morgan, Aaron Nugent, Toks Olushola, Terra Paialii, Maria Prieto, Ryan Richards, Charlie Rogers, Regan Russell, Guillermo Sanchez, Katherine Say, Michael Say, Reed Manuel, Sarah Marolf, Colin McClain, Jennifer Shumacher, Lauren Seaman, Jessica Serig, Andrea Stuck, Gelila Taddesse, Lora Toncheva, Lora Topourova, Eric Van Kuiken, Leah Webb, Cara Wildermuth, Briana Williams, Shelby Williams, Stuart Williams, Sarah Wouters, James Young, and Zana Zeqiri. As a proud alumnus, I join Graceland University, and all of Iowa, in congratulating them and commend them for their great achievement.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, before I begin, I too would like to thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Mollohan for their hard work and leadership in these very challenging times and these issues. Once again, we find ourselves faced with a budget that is less than favorable, and they both have done a tremendous job in funding priorities when faced with this reality, and I thank them for that. Mr. Chairman, I rise to amend something similar to what I did a year ago. I offered this amendment and it was accepted by the chairman and ranking member when the House considered fiscal year 2006 Science, State, Commerce, Justice appropriations bill. Last year I requested an increase in funding for the Criminal Records Upgrade Program by $2.5 million. This year, considering the budget we are dealing with, I am asking for even less. Mr. Chairman, my amendment proposed to increase the Criminal Records Upgrade Program by $1.5 million, offsetting this increase with a reduction in the Department of Justice General Administration Salaries and Expense Account by the same amount. Mr. Chairman, the goal of this program is to ensure that accurate records are available for use in law enforcement and to permit States to identify, among other things, persons ineligible to hold positions involving children. This program helps States build their infrastructure to connect to the national record check systems, both to supply information and to conduct requisite checks. I firmly believe that having accurate criminal records are essential in a State's ability to protect children from those who wish to do them harm and those who have histories of causing such harm. We must continue to provide law enforcement agencies across the Nation with as much information as they need to stop sex offenders and others who have a history of violence and exploitation of our children. Mr. Chairman, there will be other amendments offered during the course of debate on this bill asking for tens of millions of dollars. But my amendment is not one of them. Times are tight when it comes to spending, and I am not asking to move the mountain. But anything we can spare to ensure that our States and our communities can have access to information that can be used to protect the children of our Nation must be spared. With that, I urge the adoption of the amendment.

Mr. BOSWELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, first off, I want to say to Mr. Murtha, I salute you, sir. We both served in Vietnam. I had two tours. I never told you this. I don't go around talking about it much. You don't either. But Charlie Beckwith, you remember that name, don't you? In the Iron Triangle? Sometimes we had those assaults and sometimes we had to go bring them out. When we had to bring them out, there were lots and lots of casualties. We did not like to do that. So this exercise we went through a few months ago, saying that you wanted to make an immediate withdrawal, that is not what you said. I know that, and we all know it because that would be chaos. It needs a plan. So I come today to share that little bit with you. I finished up my tours in the military as an instructor at the Command Staff College, Department of Tactics. We rewrote 101-5. We might want to talk about that sometime. You might find it interesting. And I would say without reservation, Leonard Boswell, Jack Murtha, and probably everybody in this Chamber support our troops, absolutely, 100 percent. That is not on the table, as far as I am concerned. They are in a difficult mission. They are performing superbly. And we are very, very proud of them. That is not the question. Last December Ike Skelton and, I do not know, 12 or 15 of us, and I do not know how I got invited, but we got invited to the White House to meet with the President, the Vice President, Mr. Rumsfeld, Ms. Rice, General Pace. And the whole conversation was everything is going really, really good in Iraq. And I got a chance to engage in conversation with the President, and I said it seems to me what I am hearing here is we have got 90-plus battalions, at that time, and now it is over 100, 20-something brigades, several divisions, armed, equipped, and in the field. And I have been to Iraq. A lot of us have. I am not sure about that, but if that is true, then why don't we start a withdrawal program carefully? Do you know when we do best? We do best when we are under a little bit of pressure, when we know we have got to perform, we got to get the job done. And I think that applies to everybody in my life experience, Iraqis included. Under pressure, we went through the liberation from Saddam, regardless of how we decided to make the decision. We can debate that if you want to, but I do not want to do that. I supported the resolution based on what information I had. But regardless of that, if we would look at it in this sense: we have liberated the people from Saddam. He is in jail. He is on trial. Now we are occupiers. We want to help them get settled. They had a great election. We all understand that. They have established a government. And it is pretty tough. They got it done, I am told. You know, it is kind of like putting the team on the field. You haven't seen them play yet together. Maybe they will do well, or maybe they won't. I don't know. We don't know. But we wish them well. We want them to succeed absolutely. My point is this: they need to take some responsibility and the pressure is on to do it. They have got 254,000 troops trained, equipped, and in the field. We have a right to start, orderly, with a plan, bringing our troops home. We ought to do that. Not run, but an orderly withdrawal. And I salute you for that, Mr. Murtha.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding results achieved by Iowa students at the Iowa High School State Track Meet held at Drake stadium in Des Moines this past weekend. I congratulate the Des Moines Valley High School 4 by 400-meter relay team for topping a 36-year-old State record on Friday, May 19. The team of Bryan Collins, Zac Sandvig, Ryan Keairnes, and Brandon McSkimming set the new record finish in 3 minutes 13.8 seconds, crushing the old record of 3 minutes 16.6 seconds. I am proud to say this time is the fifth best high school mark in the Nation for 2006. Special recognition. also needs to go to Brooke Dinsdale from North Tama High School. Brooke, a sophomore from Traer, broke the State's 25- year-old 800 meter record in 2 minutes 9.6 seconds. Only one high school girl in the United States has run a faster 800 meter race this season. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud of the athletic and academic excellence of these young people from my district. Perhaps Paul ``Bear'' Bryant, the late, great coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team said it best: ``If you believe in yourself, have dedication and pride, and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.'' These students have felt victory on the track, and I am confident they will continue to feel victory as they go through life.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, today we will authorize the largest intelligence budget in our history. I am pleased to be part of this authorization, because I believe we have no higher purpose than to support the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and the civilian intelligence officers of the front lines of our national security. However, I am sad to say this. There is a lingering threat, spoken to by Ms. Harman, that we have not addressed, which we should have. Last night the Rules Committee dealt a blow to our ability to gather intelligence on Iran's nuclear and missile capability by denying an amendment that I had offered. Now, if somebody else would like to offer that amendment, it is okay with me. We have got to do what is right. I would ask you, Mr. Chairman, if you are listening, that you might even think about doing that. But it would require the Director of National Intelligence to provide us quarterly written reports. You know, people do best what we check. And if we were checking this, and they were coming to us in our committee, and it is a classified environment, it is safe, they could come there and we would have a chance to see if they are actually doing the job. We should have done that. So it appears to me, and I am very disappointed to say this, that it appears to me that it was pure politics that my amendment was denied. And I am disappointed. When I joined this committee 5 years ago, I was under the impression that politics would not interfere with our intelligence work. But, apparently, not so. If I might quote from the President's bipartisan, if you will, WMC Commission, cochaired by Judge Lawrence Silverman and former Senator Charles Robb: ``Across the board, the Intelligence Community knows disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the world's most dangerous actors. In some cases it knows less now than 5 or 10 years ago.'' I just came across this thing from the Washington Times that our chairman was quoted as: We really do not know. We really do not know the status of Iran's nukes. We are getting lots of different messages from their leadership. Well, maybe I should just rest my case there, but we may have lost the chance to offer this amendment. But I cannot overstate the seriousness of this threat to global security, which could come from a nuclear armed Iran. I wish we would have been able to address this issue in the bill, and I hope my colleagues will support my efforts to do so in the future. Maybe somebody over there would like to offer the amendment. I do not care. It needs to be done. It should. We in Congress must be a better consumer of intelligence. It is a lesson we learned the hard way with regard to Iraq. It is a sham that this amendment was denied. It is a good bill, but it could have been better. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding me the time. I appreciate it very much, and I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for his willingness to work with the cochairs of the Meth Caucus. It has been exhilarating that we can get something done; and the Meth Caucus, with your help, is making strides. I appreciate it very much. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) for his strong leadership on this issue. Mr. Chairman, I represent Iowa. Sometimes we have referred to it as the Belt Buckle of the Heartland. Iowa is a small State, one that prides itself on a shared sense of community and responsibility, one that values a solid education and a hard day's work. When one thinks of Iowa, they might imagine vast fields of corn or soybeans, or they might imagine a small-town Main Street. Unfortunately, they might also imagine meth. A couple of years ago, the meth epidemic in Iowa was highlighted in a documentary by HBO called ``Crank.'' This detailed the meth problem of three Iowa families and showed the complete destruction this drug causes. This documentary shows how meth had taken hold in Iowa, but it just as easily could have been filmed in Missouri, Illinois, California, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Nebraska, or any other State in the Union that has seen meth steadily infiltrate our communities. I am sure everyone in this great House has heard the stories from their districts about meth. Meth does not care how much money you have, what kind of education you have, where you live, what color your skin is, how old you are, how young you are. Meth is quite simply an equal- opportunity destroyer. I am sure all of my colleagues here have seen all the pictures repeatedly shown by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) which have shown the life of this young woman and how she deteriorated so fast. I rise today in strong support of the Chabot-Boswell-Calvert-Cannon- Larsen amendment. This amendment will strengthen the ONDCP reauthorization bill by highlighting the continued commitment of this House in our national fight against methamphetamine. Meth presents unique challenges to law enforcement, social services, and public health agencies. As such, the Congress must have extensive information on this epidemic from across the Nation. I believe this amendment will move us in that direction. By commissioning the reports outlined in this amendment, the Congress will be able to increase the information available to it on a wide range of issues, from the differing State precursor control laws to the Drug Endangered Children programs that have become all too valuable to the people we represent. Furthermore, we must have the ability to quickly share information with Federal, State, and local governments. The National Methamphetamine Information Clearinghouse created by this amendment will provide us with the one-stop shop we need to share information on best practices in areas such as law enforcement, treatment, prevention, and social services. The proposals in this amendment before you were crafted with close bipartisan cooperation and consultation. When dealing with the issue of meth, I have found this is the only approach to take. This drug does not care what side of the aisle you are on. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to support this important amendment.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Jerry Bradley, who has been named the Ivan D. Livi Aviation Educator of the Year by the Aviation Technician Education Council. The Aviation Technician Education Council is an organization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) founded to further the standing of FAA approved schools. This award recognizes outstanding achievement of an aviation maintenance technology instructor. As a general aviation pilot and member of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation, I am greatly impressed by the work Mr. Bradley, his colleagues and his students perform on a daily basis. The Aviation Technologies Program, which Mr. Bradley chairs, provides students in the Des Moines area with a unique opportunity to gain valuable skills and lessons, which they can carry forward throughout their careers. I commend Mr. Bradley for leading a program, which continues to be a model of success for schools in Iowa and throughout the United States. Again, congratulations to Mr. Jerry Bradley for earning the Ivan D. Livi Aviation Educator of the Year Award. This honors his work, the Des Moines Public Schools Aviation Technologies Program, and his students.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time to discuss this very important issue. The PATRIOT Act has sparked important discussion about protecting ourselves from terrorists and protecting our civil liberties. It is clear we can make reforms to better ensure we are giving law enforcement all of the tools they need while maintaining the appropriate safeguards to protect the very freedoms we cherish. Last week as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Human Intelligence with the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) as the chairman, I was able to include a reform so the PATRIOT Act ensures greater judicial oversight of government wiretaps. The so-called John Doe roving wiretaps are a critical tool in our efforts to fight terrorism because they allow surveillance when neither the target's identity nor location of the interception is known. This amendment allows these wiretaps to continue, but requires the government to report back to the courts with an explanation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the rationale of the wiretap. This will allow greater oversight of the wiretaps without impeding the government's need to obtain information on potential terrorist plots quickly. If we focus on commonsense reforms, we can protect our communities from terrorists, and we can protect our civil liberties.

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I also thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for this amendment. This section of the PATRIOT Act authorizes expansive authority for John Doe roving wiretaps, taps of phones and computers when neither the location nor the identity of the target are known. The Issa amendment further improves the amendment that I offered during the Intelligence Committee markup of the PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill. My amendment, I am pleased to say, was unanimously accepted by the entire committee and is included in the base bill before the House today. The Issa amendment appropriately defines the term ``reasonable period for filing return'' as not more than 15 days. It assures the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, we often call it the FISA court, will receive information related to John Doe roving wiretaps in a timely manner by removing any ambiguity associated with the term ``reasonable.'' It makes it clear to every FBI agent, DOJ lawyer and judge from the start, this is a 15-day limit on providing the court with information related to John Doe roving wiretaps. This is a good fix to a good provision that further strengthens the amendment to the PATRIOT Act. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I thank the gentleman from California for offering it.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate sharing with the committee I used to serve on. As you know, Mr. Chairman, we just came from talking to Iowa corn growers a few minutes ago, and this is a terribly important thing to Iowa and many States which I will mention as we discuss this very important matter. Today we have the opportunity to support and extend the vitality of the Nation's economy by supporting the upper Mississippi River locks and dams projects included in this bill. The upper Mississippi River waterway system is in severe need of update and repair. Until these projects are completed, many of our farmer owners who ship out of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri will continue to experience costly delays and inefficient transportation. This legislation is crucial to preserving U.S. agricultural competitiveness in markets worldwide. Last year we saw an emergency closure of Lock & Dam 27 in Granite City, Illinois. The effect of a 2-week closure at a single site can be felt in the pocketbooks of many of my constituents. If we do not act now to repair these locks and dams, we continue to risk shut-down at any number of sites, the effect of which would be disastrous. Barge traffic on the Mississippi River represents the most efficient, most cost-effective, most environmentally sound means of transporting commodity goods from this region of the country to market. If we move away from the barge traffic, the expense we would have of creating new roads and rail to accommodate this traffic would be daunting. Each year hundreds of millions of tons of commerce move through the upper Mississippi River system; this is equivalent to roughly 67,000 barges. To replace barge traffic with truck and rail traffic would require 1 million rail cars or 4 million trucks. This is the most cost-efficient way to support and maintain the agriculture economy in our Nation. The 2005 Water Resources Development Act is important in many ways; but at its heart it is about job creation, reducing the burden of transportation costs of American producers, promoting U.S. agriculture exports, and supporting the most environmental friendly mode of transportation. For the good of our environment, the good of the economy, and the good of the Nation, I strongly urge support of the upper Mississippi locks and dams project.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, this is a very special day. I congratulate and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) and my dear friend from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis). Perhaps this is one of those times where everything has been said but maybe all of us have not said it yet, but I think it needs repetition. We have been at this for a while. It should have happened some time ago. Efforts were actually made. Can you imagine the feeling that went on there in the Southwest when the general rode in and said, ``I've got a message. Well, it's 2 years old, but you're free.'' I cannot imagine how they must have felt. It celebrates ideals that all Americans share. The desire for freedom and self-determination are at the very soul of the American dream. I think we all understand that. Throughout the history of the United States, we have grown as a Nation and a people. Learning from our past, as has been said, learning that freedom and liberty are ideals we must to work for and there is yet work to do. Since the first Juneteenth celebration in Galveston, this remembrance has grown into a regional, national and global celebration of freedom. In my own State of Iowa, the seventh State to recognize this independence day, Juneteenth is met with multiple days of education, history, camaraderie, celebration and community spirit. Last Saturday in Evelyn Davis Park, one of the favorite places in Des Moines, Iowa, the African-American community and many others, the mayor, myself, others, we came together to celebrate and to share together and to enjoy this really national remembrance. A week prior at the Fort Des Moines Hotel, Dr. Myers, Reverend Myers, if you will, came to key-note speak to us and give us the background and history of the other efforts that have been made. I am very, very proud of the efforts that he made to come all the way from Alabama, a man who has given his life work to try to make life better for those that are wanting to climb the ladder of success. I am very proud of my African American constituency in my home State of Iowa. Gary Lawson, chairman of the Iowa Juneteenth committee, has stayed focused and stayed on this, and so when we talked about this over time and we came to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), we were really in concert that this needed to be done. If I may, I would like to share a couple of names here: Minnie Mallard, Reverend Keith Ratliff, Reverend Elder Day, Linda Carter- Lewis, Ako Abdul-Samad who is on our school board, Kim Baxter, Jonathan Narcisse, Mary Ann Spicer who is very active in many activities with the African American community, Odell McGhee, Willie Glanton, France Hawthorne, Cheryl Bolden, State Representative Wayne Ford, Amelia Morris, Rudy Simms, Floyd Jones, Dr. Mary Chapman, Odell Jenkins, Barbara Oliver-Hall. Of course, I have mentioned Reverend Ronald Myers. I am sure I have left some out and I probably should not have gone there, but I am very proud to have worked with the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) on House Concurrent Resolution 160 recognizing Juneteenth. History must be regarded as a means of understanding the past and solving the future. It is my hope that we will pass this resolution today. Each one of us should speak to our two Senators and press them to have quick action in the Senate and get this over to the President for his signature. This is the right thing to do, long overdue.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of H.R. 2475. It may not be a perfect bill, but there are many, many good things in it. I am very pleased that the bill before us today no longer includes a provision that would have undermined the authorities of Ambassador Negroponte, the newly appointed director of National Intelligence. My colleagues and I put a lot of effort into passing an intelligence reform bill last year as was just discussed. We worked hard on giving the director of National Intelligence all the authorities he needed to make the intelligence community function as a community, including the authority to transfer people to new intelligence centers if and as needed. To tie Ambassador Negroponte's hands before his organization has been stood up, it did not seem like a smart thing to do. I would not have supported this bill had the provision limiting the DNI's personnel transfer authorities not been taken out of the bill. I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman) for their efforts to remove this provision and I thank 9/11 Commission chairmen, Governor Tom Kean and Congressman Lee Hamilton, for clearly stating their opposition to it. I look forward to us addressing the other recommendations by the Commission. It is also my belief that the DNI has to control the money to be able to fulfill his charge of responsibility. I am pleased that this year's authorization bill also fixes the number one issue my colleagues and I raised last year, full funding for counterterrorism operations. H.R. 2475 authorizes full funding for the intelligence community's counterterrorism operations this year. That should remove impediments to the intelligence community's ability to plan their operations. Maybe this will be the year we are able to hunt down Osama bin Laden. I certainly hope so, and I know we all feel that way. The world will be better off once he is taken care of. Again, I thank the gentleman from Michigan and the gentlewoman from California for leading the Intelligence Committee in a bipartisan fashion. National security must be a bipartisan issue and that is the direction the committee is returning to.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I first want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan) for their great work on this important piece of legislation. They both have done a fine job faced with very, very difficult budget realities. We recognize that. However, we hope that this might be considered. Mr. Chairman, during the Memorial Day district work period, I traveled my district to announce the introduction of H.R. 2659, the Safe Children Safe Communities Act which we introduced on May 26. This legislation seeks to provide $300 million in grants to States based on their population to implement better and more comprehensive sex offender registries and tracking systems. Now, the amendment I have offered today does not seek $300 million, but I believe it will help provide the States with needed resources to update their records. Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to increase funding for the Criminal Records Update Program by $2.5 million. My amendment offsets this increase in funding by reducing the Department of Justice general administration salaries and expense account by $2.5 million. The subcommittee has funded the Criminal Records Update Program at $25 million for FY 2006, which is an increase of $334,000 over the previous year. However, this falls drastically short of the administration's request by some $33 million. Mr. Chairman, the goal of this program is to ensure accurate records are available for use in law enforcement, including sex offender registry requirements. The program helps States build their infrastructure to connect to a national record check system both to supply information and to conduct checks. Mr. Chairman, during my time traveling my district, I have spoken to countless law enforcement officials; and during our conversations we have agreed on many issues. This is not a Republican issue; this is not a Democratic issue, national, State or local. It is all of it together. It is all of it together to protect our children. We are in 100 percent agreement: we must work together at the Federal, State, and local levels to ensure the safety of our children. I realize times are tight when it comes to spending, but if we can spare any additional dollars to ensure communities and our children are safe, then we absolutely must do it.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Chairman, I, too, would like to say I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) with our committee, the fresh leadership, and his working together with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), who is doing a great job for us as ranking member. It is good to see my neighbor and friend, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) participating as he is standing in for Mr. Boehlert. Mr. Chairman, the 9/11 Commission examined ways that terrorists are trying to attack us and pointed out problems with how our intelligence agencies tackle this threat. Our intelligence community was set up more than 50 years ago to deal with threats from the Soviet Union in the Cold War. I personally participated in rewriting FM 101-5 when I was instructor at Command General Staff. We knew we had to change, we had a new threat, the Cold War. Today we face new threats and our intelligence agencies need to adapt. The 9/11 Commission showed us a way to do that. I believe H.R. 10 is too weak. It does not do enough to address the threat from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction our country faces. I offered an amendment in committee last week to improve the bill's provisions on the budget authority of the National Intelligence Director. It was voted down on a party-line vote, even though the same provision is part of the bipartisan Senate bill that passed 96 to 2 yesterday. I think the issue of budget authority is actually a simple one. The National Intelligence Director needs the authority to do the job we are asking him to do. That means power over the intelligence budget. And to be effective, to be allowed to do his or her job, they must have authority over the budget. With weak authority, the National Intelligence Director will inevitably be weak, exactly as the Director of Central Intelligence has been weak for half a century. There have been many, many studies of intelligence reform over the decades, and most of them have urged stronger budgetary authority for the Director of Central Intelligence. The 9/11 Commission strongly recommends that the National Intelligence Director be fully in control of the budget, from developing it to implementing it, to ensuring that the National Intelligence Director has the clout to make decisions. Over in the Senate, the Collins-Lieberman bill keeps faith with those recommendations. H.R. 10 does not. I hope that we will be able to improve the bill, amending the budget provisions and other provisions that are far too weak.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 4569, a bill to provide for the development of a national plan for control of sudden oak death, a disease that has threatened oak stands in California but is now potentially a threat to trees in other parts of the country. While we work to contain this disease, it is important that the necessary commerce in oak nursery stock be permitted to continue within reasonable bounds. This bill should help advance both of these important goals. Our success in this matter is important to all Americans. Whether you are in the forest land business or just enjoy the shade of a majestic oak gracing your lawn, we all have an interest in this important issue. I want to commend my colleagues from Georgia (Mr. Burns) and (Mr. Scott) in particular, for their work in bringing this legislation before us today. I encourage all Members to vote for the passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOSWELL

Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy today to represent those in my district, an extension of the Sac and Fox Tribe, Meskwakis, great Americans, Native Americans, and a number of those that live in that settlement, as they refer to it there, in Tama County, Iowa, that I know that served as I did in Vietnam and other places. And I associate myself with the comments that have been made already by my colleagues. They have provided and will continue to provide a great service to our Nation. They always have. They are willing to step up and be counted and do their part and many times do more than their part. I found them to be very self-giving, to be sure; that the freedoms they enjoy at this time, regardless of the historical circumstances, they love our Nation, and they serve it with honor and distinction, and I am satisfied that they will continue to always do that. So I appreciate the effort that has gone in to presenting this to us today, and I think that this is the right thing to do, and we probably ought to do this more often. So I am proud to share in these compliments to Native Americans. I urge adoption of the concurrent resolution.