Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2830, the Pension Protection Act of 2005. I applaud the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the distinguished Bill Thomas, as well as the chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, John Boehner, for their hard work and leadership on this issue. Protecting the pensions of millions of Americans is a top priority for this 109th Congress and H.R. 2830 is strong legislation designed to that end. I rise today to also thank Chairman Thomas for his inclusion in the Pension Protection Act of legislation I introduced related to the waiver of a 10 percent federal tax penalty for public safety employees--our Nation's firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel. People who put their lives on the iine for us everyday deserve our full support and they are receiving that support here today thanks to Chairman Thomas. Many public safety personnel begin their careers at a young age. They will vest in their regular pension plans and, even if they participate in one of the new deferred plans and remain on the job longer, will be eligible for retirement before they reach age 55. For example, in Houston the average firefighter begins his career at age 23. After 20 years of service, now age 43, the average firefighter is fully vested in the regular pension fund and can retire and begin receiving benefits immediately. Today, the firefighter can participate in the deferred plan for up to an additional 10 years. If the firefighter participates for the full 10 years and then elects to retire, he or she will be age 53 and, in general, will not be able to take distributions prior to the age of 59\1/2\ without triggering the 10-percent penalty. For distributions to public safety employees that are subject to the 10-percent penalty, section 905 of H.R. 2830 would waive the penalty. This provision has received considerable attention and support during this and previous Congresses. The effort began in 2002, when my Texas colleague, Congressman Gene Green, introduced H.R. 4796. Later that year, Senator Jim Inhofe introduced companion language, S. 3072. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to applaud my House colleagues and, particular, Ways and Means Chairman Thomas, to whom I would like to express the deep gratitude of our Nation's firefighters, police and emergency medical service employees for including section 905 in the House bill and moving the issue forward. I strongly urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 2830, the Pension Protection Act.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, people leave footprints on the land, but as most private property owners in Texas know, land leaves bigger footprints on people. The brave families that ventured to Texas when Texas was just bare land left an imprint on the land and in the souls of all who live in or around the legacies they leave behind. This is perfectly embodied in the Historic Y.O. Ranch in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Five generations of the Schreiner family folks have left their indelible prints on the Y.O. I want to congratulate the Hill Country for taking care of this legend and the Schreiner family for continuing the legacy of the Y.O. Ranch as they join together in their 125th Anniversary Celebration on December 31, 2005. This legendary ranch sprang from a young man's dream and his family's determination to keep the dream alive. In 1852, 14-year-old Charles A. Schreiner arrived in Texas with his family--18 days later his father died and for the next 2 years Charles helped his family get by. When he turned 16, he enlisted in the Texas Rangers. When he ``retired'' from the Rangers 2\1/2\ years later, Charles took up ranching. Charles, who was known as Captain Schreiner, began buying up Hill Country property and cattle. During this period, more than 300,000 head of Texas Longhorns bearing his brand trailed up to Dodge City laying the foundation of the Captain's empire. Part of this empire included the present day Y.O. Ranch, which the Captain purchased in 1880. During his life, the Captain continued to gather land, launch successful enterprises and contribute to his community. In 1917, when he was 79 years old, the Captain divided his holdings, which included 566,000 acres of land, equally among his eight children. Walter R. Schreiner, the Captain's youngest son, was the owner of 69,000 acres located about 40 miles northwest of Kerrville now called the Y.O. Ranch. In 1922, Walter married Myrtle Barton a decision that not only gave the Y.O. a woman's touch, but another leader. In 1933, Walter died, leaving the Y.O. to his wife, Myrtle and his young son, Charlie III. When Walter died at the heighth of the Great Depression, Myrtle knew nothing about running the ranch, but circumstances forced her to learn quickly and to learn well. She stepped up to the vast challenge of keeping the legacy alive. Myrtle relied on her brother-in-laws, Gus and Louie Schreiner. By sticking to cattle, sheep and goats, Myrtle kept the ranch afloat and then some. Not bound by convention, in 1943, Myrtle leased the ranch to Petty Geophysical Engineering, not for oil and gas exploration, but for hunting. She pioneered a practice that has been adopted as an income generator on almost every ranch in Texas and has been a vital part of the Y.O.'s economic picture ever since. Charlie III grew up on the ranch and learned ranching from the ground up, preparing to take on his share of the responsibility. In the aftermath of the drought of the 50s, Charlie III began his relentless pursuit of Longhorns. He had strong feelings for the animals and the role they'd played in developing the West and the Y.O. but the drought drove home the importance of having a hardy, resilient breed of cattle for tough times in tough country. Charlie III not only built the largest quality Longhorn herd in the world, but recruited other cattlemen to the cause and eventually helped found the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association and is widely credited with single handedly saving the longhorn breed from extinction. Charlie III also undertook another notable conservation project providing a home to exotic wildlife a business that other ranchers later entered. The first animals released were blackbuck antelope and Aoudad sheep, which proved that higher fences were necessary. Today, the Y.O. is home to more than 60 exotic species, many of which are available for hunting. Charlie III didn't introduce exotics with the intention of establishing a hunting program, but as the animals thrived and reproduced the numbers had to be managed. Plus, hunting is another source of revenue and is a vital part of the ranch's newest undertaking the people business. Other wildlife includes white-tailed deer, wild hogs, wild turkey, axis deer, eland antelope, sika deer and fallow deer. Charlie III and his sons, Charlie IV, Walter, Gus and Louis, over the years, diversified into photography safaris, Y.O. Adventure Camp for children, corporate retreats and the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse in Dallas's West End. But perhaps the biggest foray into this area came in 1986, when the Schreiner family set aside 11,000 acres to be sold as home sites for people who weren't born on the Y.O., but wanted to get to the Hill Country as soon as possible. The Schreiner family has worked hard to make it easy to for people to call the ranch home. Inside the high fence that surrounds Y.O. Ranchlands, buyers can choose from tracts ranging from 50 acres to 125 acres, all of which showcase the Hill Country's rugged beauty. The ranch, then and now, survived strictly on the skills, creativity and determination of the owners. Fighting off Indians, outlaws, Wars, The Depression, Droughts, Estate Taxes, Divorces and Mother Nature, generations of Schreiners--and now landowners who've ``joined the family''--continue to care for the beautiful Hill Country of Texas and preserve Texas's proud ranching heritage. I wish Charlie IV and the rest of the Y.O. Schreiner family (all 17 of them) the best of luck in the future and am proud to congratulate the Y.O. Ranch on its 125th Anniversary.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I appreciate my colleague from Michigan, his leadership in helping boost our economy, extend this tax relief. I strongly support the original bill over the substitute. The substitute takes a step backward in how we treat our soldiers and how we treat our families, small businesses that are affected by the alternative minimum tax, compared to legislation that this House passed just yesterday, we treated soldiers better, by providing them immediate cash refunds on their tax treatment. I do not want to step back from that today in the substitute. We help 2\1/2\ million more families and small businesses with their alternative minimum tax yesterday, again, almost nearly unanimously. I do not want to step back from that with this substitute. And the original bill provides three provisions that are really helpful for a lot of families in this country. It extends for 1 year the sales tax deduction, which provides every family in the country a choice to deduct either their state and local income taxes or their State and local sales taxes. What it means is sales taxes, as you know, add up a great deal, add up fast for families. This tax relief just stretches the family paycheck a little farther and prevents hundreds of millions of dollars of tax increases on families that would start right after this Christmas holiday. That would be unfair. The original bill extends this. This also provides help to universities that receive dollars, higher education from the public higher education utility fund that extends a provision that helps provide more higher education dollars for certain universities. And then it also, for 10 states, allows more veterans to get low interest home loans in order when they come back from the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism to get an opportunity to get that first home. That is very important to a state like Texas. I strongly support the underlying bill as very important tax relief for this country.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is, I think, a terrible mistake to leave out tax relief for dividends. These are the usually small amounts of money that go to people, many seniors, who have invested in a company; and these are the dividends that help ease their retirement. Back a few years ago, we saw a number of Wall Street companies go under, the Enrons, the WorldComs, all those dot-com technology companies. They had big stock prices. They had great pieces of paper saying they were wonderful companies, but the fact of the matter is they were built on thin air. What we did under this legislation is we said to the companies, prove that you have a solid profit-and-loss statement, you have real assets, show us the money; pay it out in dividends, we will lower the cost, lower the taxes on those dividends. Since we created this tax legislation, now Fortune 500 companies, one out of four that did not provide dividends in the past, are now providing real money to real people who have invested in them. In other words, we have changed the culture from what is good this quarter and what is good for my stock price to what is the best long term, real growth, solid businesses in America. We have changed the culture of Wall Street because of this dividend tax relief. It is very important we not go back to the bad old days of high stock prices but built on thin air. We need businesses that are in it for the long term, that pay cash to real people, that when my mom or your mom or some other senior invests they know they are going to get a chance for a solid dividend that they can actually keep because they invested. This dividend relief, Mr. Speaker, is vitally important. I oppose the Democrat substitute. I support keeping in dividend relief, both for our seniors and our investors, and to keep Wall Street honest.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman McCrery and Mr. Jefferson for their leadership on this bill. I am proud to be from Texas, a State that when victims fled the wrath of Hurricane Katrina we had communities and churches and homes that opened their arms to take them in. Later, in Hurricane Rita, those same communities were devastated as well. And I just want to tell Chairman McCrery that the relief that we are providing today in this bill is critically important to the families of east and southeast Texas. We, like you, need this relief today. What this will do is help families cope financially, encourage companies to keep workers on their payrolls during these tough economic times, and help rebuild the important Texas timber industry which suffered devastating losses. In some communities today, almost half of the homes still do not have even the temporary blue tarp to keep the rain out. We need families to be able to dip into their savings without penalty, fully deduct all of the personal property losses. And for the working poor, we want to make sure that their child and earned income tax credits are not impacted by Hurricane Rita. This also permits unlimited cash donations by companies, which is very important to the communities, and provides up to $2,400 per worker for small businesses to keep employees on the payroll through the end of the year. And then finally, to address our devastating timber and economic losses, we help small property owners reforest their crop, and we help them spread their losses across the past 5 years. This is important relief to Texas. We are proud to join with the other Gulf Coast States in moving this forward and the sooner we get this on the President's desk, the better.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, in Washington everything looks perfect on paper and people hate to admit they made a mistake; but the truth of the matter is how it works in real life is completely different, and we have a responsibility to make those changes. I strongly support this recovery act and thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) for his leadership and the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza) for his hard work. My east Texas district, which was hit very hard by Hurricane Rita, is jam packed with trees. The piney woods are our heritage. They are our economy; and they provide habitat for the red cockheaded woodpecker, among other endangered species. But for decades, responsible landowners have been afraid that the Federal Government would swoop in and take their livelihood away for the sake of this bird due simply to the outdated and unsubstantiated burdens of the Endangered Species Act. America's farmers and ranchers and private property owners in east Texas have spent long enough fearing the Federal Government. Unfortunately, current law has created incentives for landowners to destroy species habitat to rid their properties of liability. I strongly support this measure.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the tenth anniversary of the opening of Montgomery College, part of the North Harris Montgomery County Community College District, NHMCCD. The beginnings of Montgomery College started long before August 14, 1995 when Governor George W. Bush presided over the grand opening of the 315,000-square-foot campus nestled in 100 acres of pine forest between The Woodlands and Conroe, TX. Residents of Montgomery County who dreamed of having an institution of higher education in their midst had sought unsuccessfully in the 1970s and 1980s to establish a branch campus of an existing institution. But it was not until 1991 that voters approved a plan to join the nearest community college district, North Harris County, and to build Montgomery College. Dr. Bill Law, the founding president of Montgomery College, led the college from its first days with a mere 1000 students meeting at local high schools. By the time the new campus opened in 1995, Dr. Law could say, ``The sun is always shining at Montgomery College. It shines because we have the tremendous opportunity to help people improve their lives.'' As Montgomery County experienced rapid population growth and business expansion during the 1990s, it found itself one of the fastest-growing community colleges in Texas, as well as the entire U.S. As the college grew, so did the number of programs and services that it offered. In spite of the rapid growth, the college maintained its focus on the hiring of excellent faculty members, ensuring that students' classroom experience would prepare them for the next level--whether it be a new career or transfer to a 4-year university. During the college's third year, a partnership between NHMCCD and six area universities, The University Center, debuted, offering bachelor's and master's degrees to area residents who desired to pursue higher education closer to home. The University Center, located on the Montgomery College campus, only served to strengthen the college's role in providing an avenue toward a higher degree for its students. The college enhanced its continuing education program during this time by kicking off an annual summer camp for youth and establishing the Academy for Lifelong Learning, which provides educational programs for the burgeoning senior population in the area. In 1999 and 2000, the college was the recipient of several large Federal and State grants designed to move welfare recipients into the working world through a variety of career-oriented programs. By the fall of 2001, the college's enrollment approached 6,000 students and showed no signs of slowing down. In early 2002, Dr. Tom Butler, a native Texan, took over the presidency of Montgomery College and put into place a strategic planning process to manage growth. This included a 72,000-square-foot library and classroom building. Program expansion included a tripling of the college's capacity for nursing students and other programs designed to meet the tremendous needs in the health care industry. Other new programs included teacher certification track as well as the opportunity for students to receive college credit for internships with elected officials, including my office in Conroe, TX. The college also found new ways to engage the community through the Lyceum speaker's series, a classic/independent film series, and diverse artistic performances and shows. The innovative style that characterized the early years of Montgomery College have continued to keep the college focused on providing students and the community with a world-class learning environment. By the fall of 2004, enrollment for credit stood at 7,400 students. According to Dr. Butler, ``a successful community college is always listening and responding--whether it be to its own students, the community, or the businesses in the area. That, more than anything else, provides us with unlimited potential for the future.'' Mr. Speaker, it is institutions of higher education such as Montgomery College that make American communities strong while making the American dream of a higher education available to all. It is an honor to represent the citizens of Montgomery County, including the students at Montgomery College, in the U.S. House of Representatives and I urge you to join me in honoring the tenth anniversary of the College's campus.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Corporal George Allen Alford, Jr., USMC, who was killed in action on July 31, 1968. Corporal Alford joined the Marine Corps at age 18 in 1966 and served on the U.S.S. Galveston as a Captain's Orderly. He left the Galveston in May of 1968 after volunteering for active duty in Vietnam. By the time he was 20 years old, Corporal Alford was a Squad Leader of the 3rd Platoon of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. He participated in numerous operations in Vietnam including Operation Houston III, Houston IV and Mameluke Thrust II. It was during Operation Mameluke Thrust II that Corporal Alford was killed in action on July 31, 1968. In the words of his Commanding Officer, ``George was a singularly fine Marine noncommissioned officer. His enthusiasm, courage and complete devotion to duty won for him the respect of all who knew him.'' Corporal Alford's sister, Brenda (now Brenda Alford Kaiser), wrote the following poem at the time of her brother's death: Late on a hot evening, In a rice field in Viet Nam, My brother gave his young life, For the cause of liberty. Marines like my brother are no cowards, From their foes they do not hide, For their courage always has been America's cause to live or die. They trudged the marshes of Viet Nam, In the mud thick and black, And never once did they complain, When Charlie was on their backs. America can be proud of those, Who are United States Marines, For they still die for us today, Just to keep our Nation free. Mr. Speaker, it is heroes like Corporal George Allen Alford, Jr., and the family members and colleagues keeping memories of him alive, who make America strong. It is an honor to represent his community in the U.S. House of Representatives and I urge you to join me in honoring his service and the ultimate sacrifice he made for the country he loved.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. In recent years, a bipartisan Congress, Republicans and Democrats together, has extended our trade hand to the Muslim people of Morocco, the sub-Saharan nations of South Africa, our Asian allies in Singapore, and Arab friends in Jordan. Why would we now refuse to extend the same hand of trade to our Hispanic neighbors in Central America? This ought to be larger than raw partisan politics. This is a test of American leadership in a changing world. We cannot claim to be fighting for American jobs yet turn our backs on 44 million new customers in Central America, already the tenth largest buyer of America's goods and services, when much of the world has firmly posted ``America need not apply'' signs on their markets. We cannot claim to be serious about winning the textile war against China if we turn our back on the partnership with Central America where our textile workers in America and Central America can compete and win against the surge of China's imports. And we cannot claim to be the world's beacon of freedom if we turn our back on Central America, a region which 20 years, amid civil war, chose the values of freedom and democracy, and, to their credit, have made absolutely remarkable progress in free and fair elections, rule of law, human rights, labor rights, and environmental protections. Central America has painfully pulled itself up the ladder of democracy. Rather than kick them back down as opponents suggest, we ought to continue to extend our hand of trade to help them pull themselves up even further. America must not retreat or disengage. We must not abandon our commitment to democracy and human rights in our hemisphere. We must continue to stand for economic opportunity at home and abroad. This Central American trade agreement is a test we cannot fail.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Well, I appreciate the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger) for coming tonight and being part of this key debate. Let me just conclude with a question. In recent years, a bipartisan Congress has extended its trade hand to the Muslim people of Morocco, the sub-Saharan nations of South Africa, our Asian allies in Singapore, and our Arab allies in Jordan. Why would Congress balk now at extending the same hand of trade to our Hispanic neighbors in Central America? This is good for America and our workers, this is good for Central America, and this will help us defeat China in the war in textiles; and later this week I look forward to the House of Representatives joining the Senate in engagement, in jobs, rather than isolationism and turning our back on a region so close to us.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to turn now to a gentleman from Colorado who has a wonderful background. He is a farmer. He is a rancher. He is a community banker. In recent years he has served as an outstanding member of the Ways and Means Committee. I yield to a good friend, a good colleague from the great State of Colorado, Bob Beauprez.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for the United States to remain the greatest economic power in the world, it is no longer enough to simply buy American, we have to sell American. We have to sell our American products throughout the world, our products and services created by the most productive workforce on this planet. But when our businesses and farmers try to compete, they discover that Europe and Asia have aggressively negotiated trade agreements with other countries that tilt much of the world in their direction, leaving the U.S. and our companies and businesses and farmers at a severe disadvantage. That is unfair to American farmers, it is unfair to American businesses, and it is especially unfair to American workers who can compete if given a level playing field and other countries are held accountable to the same trade rules. Rather than build economic rules around our Nation that only harm American jobs, restrict what we can buy, and raise prices on our families, we must use American muscle to secure favorable trade agreements that tear down the ``American need not apply'' signs that close off potential customers from our products. In the coming days, the House of Representatives will give final consideration to the Dominican Republic Central American Free Trade Agreement, the most significant trade agreement in a decade. It will open 44 million new customers to American products, help America win the textile war against China, and honor America's commitment to democracy, freedom and human rights in our hemisphere. With me tonight are a number of Members of Congress who have examined this trade agreement and feel strongly about it from the standpoint of national security and jobs and agriculture. Joining us tonight is the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Beauprez), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), who spent a decade with the Department of Justice, the last 4 years as the deputy attorney general in Texas, and understands the national security implications of this trade agreement.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I thank the gentleman from Texas for his commitment to law enforcement and homeland security in our hemisphere.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. My understanding, too, is we are seeing letters from legislators down in Central America who are being financed by our Socialists down there who say they are opposing it on the merits, but in fact they are getting a nudge from the enemies of freedom to do so.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I notice, too, the gentleman serving on Ways and Means, all we hear about is NAFTA; but what the critics do not tell you is that there is one huge difference between the two agreements, ignoring for a minute that during NAFTA years Texas grew by 1.7 million jobs. Our economy grew by 75 percent, we doubled our sales to Mexico, ignore all of that. But the big difference is, Central America already sells most of its products in the United States today; they have for 20 years. If a company wanted to move away, they had 2 decades to do it. Now it is our turn to sell into Central America. Those are the ag sales and manufacturing sales and financial and insurance and telecommunications and chemicals from the Gulf Coast and forest products from east Texas, and ag from west Texas, and a number of products that we are looking for the new jobs and the new customers that this agreement provides us.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger) speaking about this issue, because opponents to CAFTA say that does not matter. It would help our trade deficit if we just ignored selling all of our products to Central America. I do not understand how it helps our trade deficit to turn down 44 million new customers, in all of the ag, in technology and small business and manufacturing trade that we have and want to sell to. I would ask the gentleman, how does that help our trade deficit to turn down a growing country and all of those new customers?

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the leadership of the gentleman from Texas. Several of the points he made, such as the fact that Central America already sells in the United States, and now is the chance for us to sell our products to those 44 million new customers, and that is critical. Mr. Speaker, I see people who make fun of Central America and say they are too poor and too backward, not worthy, I guess, of trading with the United States, and they could not be more wrong. Economically, I think, those critics are pretty unwise. Central America is already our tenth largest trading partner, and growing. I do not know very many successful businesses that have made it very long by only selling to one or two customers. It does not happen very often. The fact of the matter is they have the potential to grow even larger. They are not large by American standards, but they are large by world standards, and those 44 million customers already buy more from the United States than Italy, which is a world power. They buy more from us than Australia. They buy more from us than Russia, India, and Indonesia combined. In fact, if you took the total economies of Central America together, it is larger than 33 sizes of the United States, those economies in total, and they have not even begun yet. It makes great economic sense, at a time when America needs more customers, to strengthen the ties with the customer in our backyard that is the tenth largest, and growing every day. My colleagues know how important it is. There is a reason why Europe and Asia and China are trying to get trade agreements with Central America, because they want to sell their products there. But it is time for us, it is our turn to sell there, and I appreciate the leadership of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) on this issue. Mr. Speaker, let me conclude myself, but before we do that, I want to turn to the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight in the House Committee on Ways and Means, the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger). He has been looking for ways to strengthen democracy around the world for many years. He is a big supporter of finding new customers for California's products. In fact, California is the largest agriculture State in America. And he has also here in America helped to rewrite our welfare laws, so he understands what it means to get people back to work. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have another gentleman from Texas, who, like the previous one, has experience that relates directly to creating jobs. He has been a small business person for more than 32 years, is an accountant and a small business owner in west Texas. He understands that America needs to be able to sell its products around the world, that Central America can sell them to the United States today and they have for 20 years. Now it is our turn to sell into that growing market. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I appreciate the leadership of the gentleman from Texas on national security and on our Armed Forces and today in support of our American Texas farmers and businesses as we partner up with Central America, and I appreciate the gentleman very much.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, the gentleman made excellent points tonight in that we need the customers in Central America for our American Texas ag and small business communities. And for national security, this is exactly the wrong time to turn our backs on Central America. One of the other points he made is deals with China, and the fact of the matter is he talked to that gentleman who said we can survive China. Since January 1 around the world, of course, all the quotas went off; so anyone can import any of the apparel, the clothes we wear, the towels we use, and China has just swamped the world, including the U.S. And some people say, well, let us just give up; China is just going to win. But that gentleman's point is exactly right. If America partners up with Central America, we grow the cotton in Texas, which is why the Texas Cotton Council supports this. How we can do the fabric and yarn in American textile plants with American workers, send it down to Central America. They cut it, sew it, put it together, and send it back. So today what is interesting is that if the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) and I go to a store down here and buy a shirt that says ``Made in Honduras,'' about 70 to 80 percent of that shirt is made right here in America. But if at the same store we pick up one that says ``Made in China,'' there may be, may be 1 percent of American content there. And the fact of the matter is if we partner up with American agriculture, with American workers in textiles, which is why so many of the textile industry is supporting this, partner up with Central America, we can survive. We can beat China in the textile areas. We can save jobs in America and save jobs in Central America. And my understanding is just since January 1, Central America has already lost 28,000 textile jobs to the Chinese. We know where some of those folks might be headed to find jobs. And the fact of the matter is, I think, from an immigration standpoint, Central America wants to keep its best and brightest and hard-working at home. If we partner up, not only do we save American jobs, we save Central American jobs and help preserve our immigration and borders in the process. I think the gentleman made a wonderful point to that extent.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Colorado's leadership. The key point, many of them that he made, was that America's agricultural community is so strongly behind this trade agreement. There are nearly 70 ag associations around America who are supporting this. In fact, the American Farm Bureau Federation believes that we will sell almost $1.5 billion more ag products each year to Central America. That is our beef, that is our chicken, that is our pork, our corn, our milk, our potatoes, you name it, at a time when a lot of the world is closed to America's ag products. We have got the most productive ag community in the world; but if we keep making things cheaper and faster and better but do not have anyone to sell it to, the price just goes down. We want those ``American need not apply'' signs to be torn up all throughout this world, give our ag community a chance to compete. Watch what we will sell around the world. And we ought to start with Central America, a neighbor, a proven neighbor, who cannot only buy our goods and services but is easy to ship to and in the process we are going to continue to help those six countries into stronger democracies, a stronger rule of law. It is truly a win-win situation. I appreciate the gentleman's leadership. As a business person, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Beauprez) knows what small businesses and small farmers and small communities have to go through to compete, and giving them a level playing field is good for Colorado and good for America as well. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), who served, before coming to Congress, as a district judge for more than 2 decades. And his background is just filled with decades of common sense. He did a great job on the bench in Texas. Here in Washington he has been intent not only on national security, supporting our troops, but also in serving on his committee, finding ways to help our American economy grow. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. If the gentleman would stay for just a moment. You have spent your whole life in law enforcement and a number of your recent years in protecting homeland security from threats. One of the key points you made is that while we are fighting a war against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan with our men and women, the fact is we fought a war, as well, 20 years ago in Central America, moving those countries away from communism and socialism toward democracy. They have made real progress, but we still have leaders like Castro and Chavez and Daniel Ortega and FMLM, some of the most Socialist anti-American groups in this hemisphere opposing us because their point is democracy does not work, human rights does not work, the rule of law does not work. Communist does. Come, step backward in time. One of my colleague's points was the worst thing we could do would be to give that region back to the Communists and Socialists at a time when they have made so much progress.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the world has changed. It is no longer enough to just buy American; we have to sell American. We have to tear down these ``America Need Not Apply'' signs that are throughout the world and give us a chance to sell our products and our goods from around this Nation that are as good as anybody's in the world. My frustration, Mr. Speaker, is that the whole world is able to sell into the United States. We can go down the street here into stores and buy anything we want, but too much of the world is cut off to America, to our goods and services, especially from Texas, where we produce good products, like other States. The Central American Free Trade Agreement reverses that. They have been able to sell into our country for 20 years, and for good reason, to help them move out of communism and socialism. But now it is our turn to sell our products to Central America. They are not large countries by our standards, but they are large by world standards. They are our tenth largest customer. They buy more from us than Italy does, which is a major economic power. They are a good customer. They can buy more and more of our goods and services. That is just one of a number of reasons, including national security and winning the textile war against China, that we ought to be supporting the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 22, 2005, I missed rollcall vote 296 regarding a proposed amendment to the Constitution authorizing Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States. I fully regret not being able to participate in the vote. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Deputy Frank ``Scott'' Claborn who was killed by a drunk driver while escorting a road construction truck in Harris County, Texas on February 19, 2004. Claborn and his family reside in Magnolia, Texas in the Eighth Congressional District. Deputy Claborn and 13 other Texas Law Enforcement Officers will be honored at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2005. Deputy Claborn's wife of 16 years, Paula Claborn and her 11-year-old son Tanner will remember a husband and father whose devotion and love of family was unsurpassed. Paula's father, David Hill, the highly respected and loved constable for Montgomery County Precinct 5, told a reporter in the days following the accident that, ``He (Scott) was one of the best fathers I have ever seen. I could not have handpicked a better son-in-law.'' Praise for Claborn also came from his fellow officers and colleagues, some of whom he had worked with for 14 years. One remarked that he was very kind, never complained, and always had a smile on his face. Like many law enforcement officers Claborn worked extra jobs to supplement his regular income. His son, Tanner has juvenile diabetes. The extra work, like escorting the construction vehicle the night he was killed, helped augment the cost of the $6,000 insulin pump Tanner needed. Tanner, bright and popular young man, was released from the hospital just 3 days before his father lost his life. The drunk driver had a blood alcohol level three times over the legal limit. Deputy Claborn's sacrifice touched many lives in the Houston region. The 100 Club of Houston pledged $10,000 as a college scholarship for Tanner. The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Victims Assistance Unit set up a memorial fund to help pay for medical bills and other expenses. The Magnolia Community has rallied to the family's side. The Claborn family and hundreds of others will gather in our Nation's Capital to honor the lives and memories of the men and women who devoted their careers and laid down their lives to make our communities safer. It is so fitting that a memorial to these officers, like Scott Claborn, who patrolled neighborhoods and safeguarded communities from across the country be located in Washington. It is because of their faithful duty that American citizens enjoy the liberties and freedoms others are left only to dream about. Mr. Speaker, I know this family. They are wonderful people who love their family, their God and their Country. I ask you to join me in saluting the thousands of law enforcement officers on patrol every day on our streets and consider the sacrifice they and their families routinely render.