Shelley Berkley

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for yielding, and a special thank you to Mr. Waxman. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to be here today in support of a resolution that I have reintroduced that would promote the goals and ideals of creating a day in honor of the women of America's suffragist movement. The goal of this resolution is to recognize the anniversary of the inaugural women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. The suffragists are role models who inspired an entire generation and continue to inspire generations of young American women, just as they have two young women from the State of Nevada, Hannah Low and Destiny Carroll, who started their own petition drive to pay tribute to the efforts of these great suffragists. Hannah Low and Destiny Carroll presented a petition to me with hundreds of signatures from their fourth grade class in support of creating a day to recognize the achievements of our brave suffragists. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Hannah and Destiny, and I thank them for serving as an inspiration for this resolution. While it may seem unbelievable to us now, it was not that long ago that women did not have the right to vote in our great Nation. On July 19, 1848, the first public appeal for women's suffrage was made, and a new movement was born for equality. We owe these suffragists a debt of gratitude for their efforts in their fight to give women the right to vote and to be full participating members in our Nation's political process. I hope that recognizing the anniversary of the inaugural women's rights convention in 1848 will keep alive the memory of the struggle to win the fundamental right, the right to vote, for women. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 278, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Inaugural Vegas Grand Prix Race that will take place April 6-8, 2007, in Las Vegas, and as such is scheduled to be the first of the 2007 Champ Car World Series. The inaugural Champ Car race in downtown Las Vegas marks the rebirth of world-class open-course auto racing within the city, in the great tradition of the legendary Mint 400 and the Caesars Palace Grand Prix. The internationally televised Vegas Grand Prix will cap an action- packed, three-day festival of concerts and public events and a free street party downtown at Fremont Street. It is expected to be one of the largest events in the history of downtown Las Vegas and will be held on a 2.44-mile temporary street circuit through the heart of ``Glitter Gulch'' in downtown. The course includes 12 turns winding through Main Street, Carson Avenue, Casino Center Boulevard, Ogden Avenue and Grand Central Parkway. Besides attracting racing fans and visitors from around the world to Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix joins the distinguished list of 2007 Champ Car World Series events currently scheduled throughout North America including: Long Beach, California, Portland, Oregon, Cleveland, Ohio, San Jose, California, Denver, Colorado, Houston, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Mexico City, Mexico, and the Canadian cities of Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. A race will even take place on the Gold Coast of Australia. Madam Speaker, may my colleagues join me in recognizing this momentous occasion for Las Vegas, my constituents and race fans around the world.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, the Junior League of Las Vegas (JLLV), in commumty partnership with the Las Vegas Chapter of the Architects Institute of America (AIA Las Vegas), will debut the Junior League's Morelli House Preservation Project on Monday, April 9, 2007. After years of hard work and fundraising, the Junior League's Morelli House Preservation Project will open for public viewing as a pristine, accurate and beautiful example of Las Vegas mid-century residential architecture. The Morelli House was built in 1959 by Antonio Morelli, longtime orchestra leader at the Sands Hotel, and was originally located on the Desert Inn Golf Course Estates, now the Wynn Resort. In 2001, the League saved the house from demolition and relocated it to the comer of 9th and Bridger Streets on the outskirts of the historical district in downtown Las Vegas. Because the Morelli House is an excellent example of Las Vegas Mid Century modern architecture and displays a high degree of integrity of design, materials, workmanship and even association, it was placed on the Nevada State Register of Historic Places in 2002 and on the City of Las Vegas Historical Register March 7, 2007. The opening of the Morelli House to the public and the lecture will be the premier event of Architecture Week, a nationwide celebration that marks the 150th anniversary of the National American Institute of Architects. In addition, the 2007 edition ``Architecture: Las Vegas'', the official publication of the AIA Las Vegas Chapter, will also premier at the event and will feature an article on the Junior League's restoration of the Morelli House. The Morelli House restoration was made possible by funding from the Nevada Commission on Cultural Affairs and by generous donations by Junior League members and the community. The debut will be highlighted by a lecture on Mid Century architecture by foremost architectural historian, Alan Hess. The Junior League will be completing restoration and rehabilitation efforts to meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation for Historical Structures by the end of 2008. With the help of the Las Vegas Design Center at the World Market Center, JLLV secured participation by Vladimir Kagan, world famous Mid Century furniture designer, to serve as the Morelli House's lead interior designer. Mr. Kagan's historical furniture will be permanently showcased at the Morelli House with donations which he personally solicited from his manufacturers including American Leather and Weiman Preview and from pieces he donated from his personal furniture collection. Because of the project's prominence, the AIA will be presenting the Junior League one of its esteemed ``Livable Community Awards''. These awards, established in 2006, were designed to recognize organizations and individuals outside the architectural profession, whose dedication, commitment, hard work and contributions to the security, arts, culture, beauty and livability of our communities have made Nevada a better place to live. The Las Vegas Junior League deserves recognition for its Morelli House project and for sharing this beautiful example of Las Vegas Mid Century architecture with the local community and our visitors for many years to come. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this outstanding collaborative effort to preserve historical architecture for future generations to enjoy.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Filner and Mr. Miller for their steadfast support for this legislation, and Ms. Baldwin for bringing this to our attention for quite awhile now, waiting for us to act, and act we should. As Mr. Filner is well aware, having been to my congressional district, southern Nevada has one of the fastest growing veterans populations in the country, with nearly 218,000 veterans living in Clark County. And when I first started serving in Congress, I only had 160,000 veterans, so our veterans population has increased quite dramatically. It is even more important that former service men and women have the health care and benefits that they have earned. I am a cosponsor of this legislation which would allow veterans who have complete loss of sight in one eye due to a service-connected injury to receive increased disability compensation if they lose sight in the other eye, regardless of whether that loss of sight is service connected. For some reason, and I don't understand why, the VA has a higher threshold for determining blindness than any of the States and for the Social Security Administration. Because of this, veterans like my constituent, retired Army Major General Roy Kekahuna, are not covered for deteriorating vision in both eyes, even though they are considered legally blind. Let us through this legislation demonstrate our true appreciation to our veterans for their sacrifice on behalf of this Nation by meeting our promise to provide them with proper health care and by passing this important piece of legislation.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to thank Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer, and subcommittee chairman, John Hall, and ranking subcommittee chairman, Mr. Miller, for their continued efforts to ensure the value of veterans benefits does not erode as the cost living increases. H.R. 1284, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, will help our service-disabled veterans and their survivors maintain the purchasing power of their benefits in 2008. Now, everyone that has spoken before me has been quite eloquent, and you don't need for me to reinforce all of the statements that they have already made. But I would like to let you know how this affects the people that I represent. Last year, over 31,000 veterans and survivors received disability compensation or pension payments from the VA in the State of Nevada. The action we are taking here today will help the Nevada veterans and families who depend on these VA benefits. No amount of money can adequately compensate our veterans for the loss of their health, or families for the loss of a loved one. It is important, though, that these benefits do not lose their value over time, and that we demonstrate our genuine appreciation for the sacrifices they have made on behalf of our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I ask that everybody vote in favor this measure

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. It gives me great pleasure to introduce a spiritual leader in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rabbi Shea Harlig was ordained in March of 1988 from the Central Chabad Yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York, and since December of 1990 serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Chabad in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the founder and regional director of Chabad of Southern Nevada, a major Jewish outreach organization in Las Vegas with five locations. Its programs include daily services, nightly adult education classes, Hebrew school and day camps, chaplain at the State and county prisons, bimonthly column for the Las Vegas Israelite, crisis counseling and financial assistance to members of the community. Rabbi Harlig is the kosher supervisor of five local kosher restaurants, markets and catering facilities. He is also the founder and dean of the Desert Torah Academy Day School, which has an enrollment of 175 children, preschool through eighth grade. On a personal note, I have known the Rabbi since he came to Las Vegas. He has made an extraordinary contribution to the spiritual life of Las Vegas, Nevada. His impact is felt throughout the community. I am absolutely delighted to welcome him to our Nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn in the strongest possible terms President Bush's latest attempt to resurrect the fatally flawed Yucca Mountain Project in my home State of Nevada. This past Tuesday, the White House ordered the Energy Department to seek reintroduction of the so-called Fix Yucca Bill. In a nutshell, this special interest legislation guts key safety and environmental rules, makes it harder for Nevadans to challenge Yucca Mountain, gives the green light to a water grant in the middle of the Nevada desert where there is no water, and increases the amount of deadly nuclear waste that can be buried outside of Las Vegas, a major metropolitan area in the western United States where 1.7 million people reside. In calling for passage of this bill, the Bush administration has renewed its attack on Nevada, and their goal is simple: open Yucca Mountain at any cost. Mr. Speaker, this proposal isn't about safety and it isn't about science. It is not about protecting our communities from shipments of nuclear waste. This legislation is all about using political muscle to ram through changes to the rules of the game in order to ensure that nuclear waste comes to Nevada. The reason they need the bill is clear: Yucca Mountain is all but dead as a result of scientific uncertainties, of bloated budget, and total mismanagement. The proposed dump is decades behind schedule and has already cost upwards of $12 billion according to the figures published this January by the General Accounting Office. Outgoing Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Ed McGaffigan, not exactly a great friend of the State of Nevada, recently said that it will take until 2025 or beyond before Yucca Mountain is completed. But more importantly, he said it is time to ``stop digging'' at Yucca Mountain and look at alternatives because the system that created this abomination is so flawed that nuclear waste will never be stored in Nevada. Clearly, this legislation, which was introduced last year and went absolutely nowhere, is a last ditch effort to try and bring Yucca Mountain back from the brink of total collapse. Make no mistake about it, Yucca Mountain's days are numbered. Working with my colleagues in the House and with my Nevada counterpart, majority leader Harry Reid, we will ensure that this dangerous and misguided bill never reaches the President's desk. Despite claims to the contrary, Yucca Mountain has never been proven safe, and there will be no way to keep thousands of shipments of nuclear waste secure as it travels across our roads and railways. Among the changes included in the White House bill is a provision that seeks to eliminate the current restriction on the amount of waste that can be stored inside Yucca Mountain. Right now, it is 77,000 tons. They want to double that. Lifting this cap would enable more nuclear waste to be dumped in Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and would increase the number of waste shipments that would have to travel along America's roads and railways. I am also concerned that this bill is designed to try and pave the way for President Bush's plan to allow nuclear waste from other nations. It is bad enough they want to stick nuclear waste from across the country in Nevada; now they want to take other nations' nuclear waste, ship it to Nevada for burial at Yucca Mountain. Right now there is a limit on the nuclear waste that can be stored at Yucca Mountain. If the President has his way, Nevada will become the world's nuclear garbage dump. Another provision in the bill will make it easier for Congress to spend billions on dumping nuclear waste in Nevada, with little or no oversight to protect taxpayers. Billions of dollars have already been wasted on this hole in the middle of the Nevada desert, and the truth remains that Yucca Mountain is no closer to opening today than it was 20 years ago when Nevada was unfairly singled out as the only State to be considered as a location to bury nuclear waste. That is known affectionately in the State of Nevada as the Screw Nevada Bill. Funding for this disaster waiting to happen does not deserve special treatment. Yucca Mountain should have to compete with our Nation's needs to fund homeland security, education, clean energy, health care, Social Security, and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There should be no special budget treatment for Yucca Mountain, and Congress should exercise its full oversight authority, something we haven't seen for a while, on runaway spending on this failed project. This brings me to the fact that we have not seen an updated cost estimate for Yucca Mountain for years, despite the rising cost of fuel and construction projects and labor. I suspect that Yucca Mountain could ultimately cost hundreds of billions of dollars before we are through. Is this where you want to stick our taxpayers' dollars? I don't. The answer to this Nation's nuclear waste problem is not Yucca Mountain. The answer is to keep waste on-site where it is now produced in so-called ``dry cask storage.'' I urge all of my colleagues to take a good look at this and make the right decision for our country and for our taxpayers. This system is already in use in nuclear power plants, has the blessing of nuclear regulators and will keep waste safe for the next 100 years in hardened emplacements guarded by the same security precautions in place to keep nuclear power plants safe. I say to my colleagues: Do not fall for false claims that Yucca Mountain can be ``fixed'' by sweeping aside important health and safety protections or through a water grab that turns Nevada's water law on its head. Or by lifting the cap on the amount of waste that can be stored at Yucca Mountain so that Nevada can become a global nuclear garbage dump. Keep nuclear waste on-site, preserve the rules now in place to protect families and the environment, protect your right to scrutinize the billions being squandered on a hole in the Nevada desert and reject calls to support the reintroduction of the so-called ``Fix Yucca'' legislative package.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. I think it is very important for people listening to know that this piece of legislation does not take away the right for a secret ballot. It adds an additional right and a protection of a card check. In addition to that, even though that is what the other side is focused on, it adds other protections that are necessary to protect a worker's right to organize in this country. This country is filled with wonderful employers, and certainly my district has about the best employers that you could find anywhere. But there are abuses and there are problems that this piece of legislation addresses. I have a woman from my district, Anishya Sanders, who is here in Washington this week to tell her story, and let me very briefly tell you about her. She has worked as a traffic control flagger for 3 years, helping to make sure that everyone gets around construction sites safely. In Las Vegas, that is a big deal, because every road is a construction site. This is a woman who has fought for the right to unionize and we should pass this on her behalf. Anishya, a single mother of five, has fought to form a union because she needs health insurance so she can take her children to a doctor when they are sick, because she wants to be paid enough to provide for her children's basic needs, and because she wants to be safe at work. Anishya coordinated the effort that led to a majority of employees at her company choosing to form a union. Instead of respecting the employees' decision, the company fired two workers and has harassed and intimidated Anishya and others. Under the current system, these workers are treated like second-class citizens. It is up to us to protect workers against the injustice that has been done to Anishya and her coworkers. I urge my colleagues to support the Employee Free Choice Act so that all Americans can freely decide whether they want to organize in order to negotiate for better working conditions.

Mr. BERKLEY

Mr. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Small Business Tax Relief Act. Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy, and I am pleased that today we are considering a few common-sense provisions that will lessen the tax burden our small businesses face. I am especially supportive of the language that will have a direct impact on the restaurants in my district. The bill will allow restaurants in Las Vegas and across the country to continue claiming the full tip credit despite any increase in the federal minimum wage. I strongly support increasing the minimum wage and was proud to vote in favor of legislation this House passed as part of the Democratic majority's first 100 hours. I am hopeful that passing this bill will help move the process along in order to achieve this important goal.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, almost 4 years ago our brave men and women in uniform defeated the armed forces of a brutal tyrant, and he has been brought to justice. In the years since Saddam's fall, our troops have won thousands of battles, taken numerable objectives, built schools and utility systems, and provided all types of humanitarian relief in countless villages, towns, and cities ravaged by sectarian violence. But now our fighting men and women are thrust into a civil war that pits religious and ethnic factions against each other. Lurking amid Iraq's civilian population, they mercilessly kill their fellow Iraqis. These fanatical killers plant thousands of explosive devices and crouch in thousands of ambush positions to attack our troops, who seek to replace senseless sectarian violence with a measure of stability so that the dysfunctional and deceitful Maliki government can survive. To fight and die in the middle of an Iraqi civil war fueled by centuries- old religious hatred is not why we sent our troops into harm's way. Our troops have stepped up for 4 years. They have paid the price in blood. Now is the time for Iraqi authorities to step up. If they are ever to do so, it will be only after they understand that it will be their blood, not the blood of young Americans, that will be shed to stop the horrific sectarian violence that is tearing Iraq apart. Throwing 20,000 additional Americans into the carnage of a Sunni- Shiite civil war can only allow the Iraqi Government to continue to shirk its responsibility for the security of its own people, as they continue to use our troops to eliminate their adversaries rather than sitting down and negotiating with them to share power and oil revenue. After the election, the President said he heard the concerns of the American people and he promised a new plan for victory, but what he has proposed is merely a continuation of the same failed policy. Sending 20,000 more American troops to Iraq will do nothing to further the cause of victory. It will only prolong the agony. Our mission in Iraq remains dependent on a viable Iraqi Government with both the ability and the will to confront the extremists that are tearing that country apart. The Maliki government has demonstrated neither the ability nor the will to take the action necessary to bring an end to this sectarian bloodshed. The Members of his government at the highest levels and Maliki's strongest supporters are using their office to aid the insurgents and are directly involved in the sectarian violence gripping and destroying Iraq and killing our troops. At a time when we should be doing everything we can to promote diplomacy in the Middle East, our attention to resources have instead been focused on a civil war in Iraq which threatens to envelop the surrounding nations and further inflame the region. The effect of this open-ended conflict on our military preparedness cannot be overstated. We have zero active duty or Reserve brigades in the United States that are combat-ready. One quarter of our troops deployed in Iraq are National Guard and Reserves. Our Guard units are stretched so thin, only 30 percent of their essential equipment remains. These units are the ones we depend on in case of domestic emergency. By further extending our commitment in Iraq, we are compromising our safety here at home. In my home State of Nevada, one-third of our Guardsmen have served in Iraq, and with this surge they will face the possibility of further tours and extended time away from their families. I commend our troops for their bravery in carrying out their mission. They have not let us down; we have let them down. We cannot ask them to continue their sacrifice while we wait for the Iraqi Government to step up. I remain opposed to a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and I realize the grave consequences we face if our mission fails. But that does not mean that I will give a blank check to the President for a surge when he has not given us a clear understanding of why such an increase is needed or how it will help us succeed. President Bush has yet to put forth a strategy that outlines where we are going, how we are going to get there, how long is it going to take, how much is it going to cost, and at what sacrifice to the American people. He must define the meaning of victory before it is too late. ``Mission accomplished.'' ``Bring them on.'' ``Stay the course.'' And ``we will stand down when the Iraqis stand up.'' Our campaign slogan is not ``thoughtful strategies for victory.'' The President has failed to make the case for sending 20,000 more U.S. troops into a civil war with an open-ended mission and a bull's- eye on their back. I say yes and thank you to our troops, and I say no to the surge. I ask my colleagues to join me in doing the same for the good of our families, our military and our Nation.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I had prepared remarks, but I am going to set them aside and submit them for the Record, because as I was listening to the debate, I couldn't believe my ears as speaker after speaker on the other side of the aisle came up and attacked this relatively simple piece of legislation, talking about how it doesn't go far enough and it doesn't do this and it doesn't do that, when they have had at least 6 years to actually do something about the energy crisis in this country. When they had the opportunity to do something, they came up with that god-awful 2005 energy bill, where 93 percent of the tax subsidies went to oil, gas and nuclear, and only 7 percent went to alternative energy sources, so that we could develop these alternative energy sources, harness the Sun, wind, Moon, not the Moon, although maybe if we had enough money, we could try that too, geothermal, all of these possible alternative energy sources. And what did they do? Seven measly percent of the tax subsidies went to that. I would suggest that we have a golden opportunity to do something, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. It is a good first step. Mr. Speaker, in 2005, Congress passed energy legislation intended to promote secure, affordable and reliable energy. This was an important goal, because many of us realized that to keep our Nation safe, we must break our dependence on foreign oil. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the promotion of clean, renewable energy sources, the 2005 energy bill gave substantial subsidies to the oil and gas industry. I voted against this bill because it made no sense to give incentives to an industry that was enjoying record profits. Today, oil and gas companies continue to rake in high profits while Congress fails to offer substantial incentives to alternative energy investors. In the absence of effective federal policy to promote investment in renewables, many states have passed their own incentives. In my home state of Nevada, the legislature has required that by 2015, 20 percent of power sold to Nevadans come from renewables. Nevadans are already seeing results from this mandate--last June, construction began in Las Vegas on the largest solar power installation in the country built by a public agency, and five other solar projects are planned for southern Nevada. I am supporting H.R. 6 today because it is a great first step toward securing energy independence. In the last Congress, I introduced a bill to promote renewable energy production, and I reintroduce this bill in the 110th Congress. We are far from being energy independent, but today's bill is a good place to start, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for introducing this legislation. I am a granddaughter of immigrants to this country that couldn't speak English. They had no education when they came to the United States. The only thing they had was a dream, and that dream was that their children and their children's children would lead a better life here in the United States. My father has a 9th grade education because he had to quit school in order to support his widowed mother and five brothers and sisters during the Depression. So my father had no education and my mother graduated high school, but the one thing they stressed in our home was that their children would get a good education. Now, my dad was a waiter all the years I was growing up. And if it hadn't been for Federal loans to help me get through college and law school, I guarantee I wouldn't be sitting here as a Member of the United States House of Representatives. For the people I represent, most of the students that attend college in Nevada are first-generation college-goers, just like I was. Their parents work in the casinos, they work in the service industry, and they didn't get an education, but they want their kids to. So these are the people that we are talking about. There are almost 11,000 students that are similarly situated to what I was when I was a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. There are 11,000 of them that are depending on these Federal subsidized loans. Of those 11,000, they are going to benefit if we pass this legislation to the tune of $2,300 over the life of that loan. That is a substantial amount of money when you are a first-generation college- goer and your family works as a waiter or waitress or a keno runner in a Nevada casino. I cannot understand how anybody would think cutting an interest rate in half would not be a benefit to these students. I wholeheartedly endorse this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I represent the fastest growing senior population in the United States. Many of the seniors that I represent have no other income than their Social Security check. Many need multiple medications. Many cannot afford the medications that they need. It never made any sense to me that we had a Medicare system that enabled seniors to go to a doctor but, when the doctor prescribed the medication that they needed, many seniors were unable to afford the medication that the doctor prescribed. So I was a great advocate for a prescription medication benefit for older Americans. The Republicans' prescription medication so-called benefit that was passed at 6 o'clock in the morning as we sat here or stood here watching in horror as arms were twisted and threats were made on the other side of the aisle in order to garner enough votes to pass this dog of a piece of legislation, it has never benefited enough seniors that were in desperate need of affordable medication. So if it didn't benefit our seniors, whom did this legislation benefit? It benefited the pharmaceutical industry. The bill that was passed was so bad that it is hard to point out the worst part of it. But if I were a betting woman, and coming from Vegas I am a betting woman, I would say that the worst, the absolute worst, section was the one that prohibits our government from negotiating with drug companies for lower drug prices for our seniors. It doesn't take a genius to know that allowing the government to negotiate drug prices will lower the cost. It is common sense. The VA has been negotiating for years, and it saves our veterans millions of dollars. We should be encouraging our government to negotiate lower prices instead of allowing our drug companies to increase the costs.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly thank the gentlelady for yielding. We have a bit of a time crunch, and I appreciate her graciousness. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Buyer, Ranking Member Evans and acting Ranking Member Filner for moving forward on this bill. This legislation will provide our veterans with a number of important benefits, and I am absolutely delighted to be able to be here and speak in favor of it. I want to particularly mention a provision in this legislation that will permit Native American tribal organizations to apply for VA State cemetery grants. This will allow tribes such as the Paiutes in Nevada to build or expand cemeteries on their reservations so that Native American veterans can be laid to rest near their families in veterans cemeteries. In addition, with this bill, veterans will have the choice as to whether to have attorney representation in the VA claims process. While some veterans may choose to hire a lawyer, veteran service organizations will continue to maintain their traditional role in the VA claims process. I am pleased that this legislation includes a number of safeguards. For example, veterans will only be able to hire an attorney after they actually disagree with the VA decision. This provision is from similar legislation that Lane Evans and I introduced earlier. This legislation is about giving veterans a choice. Now our Nation's heroes will simply have the option of hiring an attorney if they choose to. I am delighted that this bill includes four lease authorizations on leases that will soon expire in Las Vegas, and perhaps most important and most sought after is a $406 million authorization for a new VA medical center in Las Vegas on which we broke ground this past October. This complex will include a hospital, an outpatient clinic and a nursing home. My veterans desperately need this facility as Las Vegas has the fastest growing veterans population in the United States, but does not have a VA medical center or hospital or clinic. This authorization is crucial, crucial, to veterans in Southern Nevada. I am pleased that we have been able to reach an agreement on these provisions during a time of war and when we are seeing new veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. We must provide our veterans with the benefits and care they deserve, they have earned, and that they are entitled to. I fully support this legislation, and I urge its support.

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, while I don't want to turn Congress into a mutual admiration society, let me thank the chairman for helping make this compromise a reality. I know that he must have been working very late into the night last night. This is important stuff. We both know it. We all know it. I am very glad we were able to bring this to the floor. Thank you very much for your sensitivity to my veterans needs. I don't think Las Vegas will soon forget your visit to our fair city. Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank Congresswoman Brown.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask you and all of my colleagues to pause for a moment to listen to a story about an everyday American who died before we could thank him for his selfless service to others. Police homicide detective Greg Brashear, is like so many who walk among us each day. They quietly protect and defend us and are rarely noticed or thanked before they are gone. Detective Greg Brashear was such a man. Just months ago, he lost his life. But his legacy lives. His story continues to touch others as it is spread by those who only learned of it while he lay in a hospital fighting for his life. Baltimore, Maryland Police Department Homicide Detective Greg Brashear had a full life of his own. Last January, off-duty and en route to a celebration with a loved one, he stopped on the side of a highway to help a woman with a flat tire. He was struck by another car while aiding a woman he'd never met. Detective Brashear spent the next 7 months hospitalized in intensive care trying to recover and return to those he loved. He never left the hospital. But while he was there . . . his name, and the kind of selfless man he was, became known to hundreds and thousands more, as his struggle began to touch more lives each day, moving beyond the hospital walls--even beyond state lines. Greg had not followed his father and brother into their family's law practice in Texas. He chose the less compensated and lower profile path of fighting for those who could not defend themselves when he became a detective in the Violent Crime Child Abuse Section of Houston's Police Department. He moved to the Baltimore Police force saying he wanted to continue to ``do something that mattered; to help people by keeping the world safer'', which is what he did for the last 26 years until the day he noticed one more person in need of his help--someone stopped on the side of the highway hoping someone would notice her despair. And that's why we stop what we're doing right now and reflect on Detective Greg Brashear. Because he and thousands of other Americans like him, notice every day the people around them who are wounded or helpless. They do not turn their backs on them. And they do not ask for pats on their own backs. Today, may we give back to Detective Brashear what he did not ask for or get in life: his country's recognition of his service, of his humility, and his invaluable role in our society. We give him our deepest thanks. I ask you to join me in offering that same recognition to all the ``Greg Brashears'' who daily walk unheralded among us. We do not know your names, but we know you are there. If no one has thanked you, if no one has noticed the depth of your personal commitment or sacrifice--consider it noticed today. And consider that our thanks to you, and to Greg, will never be enough for all you have done.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to add my thanks to Chairman Buyer, Ranking Member Evans, and of course Acting Ranking Member Filner for moving forward on this bill. This legislation would extend a number of important provisions that would otherwise expire. I want to particularly mention a provision in this legislation which extends through December 31, 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs' authority to provide a grave marker or headstone when a veteran is buried in a marked grave. Veterans who served our Nation honorably should not lose their eligibility for recognition in death merely because the grave in which they are buried has a nonmilitary marker. I have a long record of interest in improving the burial benefits provided to our Nation's veterans, and this provision is certainly a step in the right direction. I join Chairman Miller in introducing legislation to extend this authorization. Although the VA and Members on both sides of the aisle support making the authorization permanent, the committee was not able to fund the cost of permanent authorization. I hope that we will be able to do so in the next Congress. I am pleased that the bill includes the provision championed by our retiring ranking member, Lane Evans, whom Mr. Filner spoke so glowingly of, which authorizes specialized VA facilities for research and treatment of Parkinson's disease. This issue is particularly important to all of us because it is of particular importance to Mr. Evans. Passage of these provisions will honor his long congressional service to our Nation's veterans. It is a lasting legacy to Mr. Evans and for those who suffer from the effects of Parkinson's disease. Veterans in my Las Vegas district benefit from the affiliation that Las Vegas VA facilities have with the Southwestern PADRECC, which provides treatment for Parkinson's disease and is located at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. This legislation also includes authorization for four clinics in Las Vegas which have leases that will soon expire. While I am pleased to see these leases renewed, and nobody knows better than Mr. Filner the needs of our veterans in the Las Vegas area that I represent, this bill was to contain a $406 million authorization for a new VA medical center in Las Vegas on which we broke ground in October. My veterans desperately need this facility. Las Vegas has the fastest growing veterans population in the United States but does not have a VA medical center or a hospital. At a time of war and when we are seeing new veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, there is simply no excuse for failing to reach an agreement on important veterans issues. I hope and I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to pass a VA construction bill before we adjourn later this week. With that, I would like to thank Chairman Buyer again and the acting ranking member, Mr. Filner, for their extraordinary work on behalf of our veterans and urge passage of this legislation.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, we have a problem. Without immediate congressional action, there are seniors in our country who will not receive medical care from their doctor next year. Payments to physicians who provide health care services to Medicare patients will be cut by over 5 percent as of January 1, 2007. If Congress fails to act before we adjourn this year, this cut will automatically go into effect. The result will be reduced access to care for Medicare patients across our Nation. Older Americans should not have to worry that their doctors will be forced to stop treating them because Congress did not act. At a time when physician costs are skyrocketing, we cannot expect our doctors to lose money when they treat Medicare patients. There is still time to act, but the clock is ticking, and seniors are looking to Congress for leadership on this important issue. The 109th Congress will soon end. It would be an outrage and a dereliction of duty if the Republican Congress, in its final days, does not fix this serious problem to avert a potential health care crisis for millions of our fellow Americans. I urge that we pass a Medicare reimbursement fix before we leave this week.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Well, I want to thank you, Chairman Buyer, thank you for coming to Las Vegas and feeling my pain by the end of the day and appreciating how seriously impacted my veterans are. I can assure you that I will do everything I can to urge the other body to move in an expeditious way, because you are quite right, we cannot let these leases expire. Thank you very much for your support.

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I also would like to thank Chairman Buyer, Ranking Member Evans, who we will miss very much, and Acting Ranking Member Filner for moving forward on this bill. I am supporting this legislation, but I feel that I need to make note of the fact that several of the provisions important to our veterans and their families have already expired. This should not have been allowed to happen. In addition, there are other provisions that will expire before the end of the year. I want to particularly mention a provision in this legislation which extends through December 31, 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs authority to provide a grave marker or headstone when a veteran is buried in a marked grave. Veterans who served our country honorably should not lose their eligibility for recognition in death merely because the grave in which they are buried has a nonmilitary marker. I have a long record of interest in providing the burial benefits provided to our Nation's veterans, and this provision is truly a step in the right direction. We ought to make it permanent. I joined Chairman Miller in introducing legislation to extend this authorization. Although the VA and Members on both sides of the aisle supported making the authorization permanent, the committee was not able to fund the cost of a permanent authorization. I hope that we will be able to do so in the next Congress. Eligibility for a headstone or a marker should not depend on whether a VA marker is provided before or after the placement of a private marker. As I stated, I am supporting this legislation, but I must make note that there are a number of other matters which should be acted on. I am especially disappointed that lease authorization for four clinics in Las Vegas on leases that will soon expire is not included, and it is going to have to be in order to provide health care to the veterans that live in southern Nevada. Las Vegas' veterans are forced to rely on a string of clinics as the community awaits a new VA medical complex to be completed. It is at least 3 years out from being completed, even though we did break ground in October, which is a step in the right direction. I have got 80-year-old veterans standing in 110-degree temperature going from clinic to clinic in order to get their health care needs met. That is why we are getting a full-service VA medical complex. But the fact is we need four leases approved by the end of the year. I hope we are going to do that before we recess for the year. As I stated, Madam Speaker, I do support this legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, could you please explain the nexus to me between port security to keep this country safer and a ban on Internet gaming? Give me a break.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Buyer, Ranking Member Evans, and our Subcommittee Chairman Miller, as well as Senator Craig and Senator Akaka on the Senate side, for moving forward on this bill. Passage of this legislation will assure most of the men and women currently receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) receive a well-deserved increase in benefits as of January 1, 2007. We should never allow the compensation received by veterans, disabled in service to the Nation to erode in value as the cost of living rises. S. 2562, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2006, will help our service-disabled veterans and their survivors maintain the purchasing power of their benefits in 2007 by providing for an increase in benefits. This bill will help most, but not all, VA beneficiaries maintain the value of their benefits. Once again, I am disappointed that the bill does not include funding to allow our widows, widowers and their children to receive a cost-of-living adjustment for their supplemental transitional benefits as provided in the House passed bill. As a result, the value of the $250 transitional benefit paid to surviving spouses with minor children for their first 2 years of eligibility will erode in value in 2006. Mr. Speaker, if we can find millions to maintain the tax cuts provided to our wealthiest citizens, surely we can find an additional five or ten dollars a month to maintain the transitional benefit paid to our surviving spouses with children at its current purchasing power. Our Gold Star Wives, husbands whose wives have perished in our current conflict and their children deserve better. No amount of money can adequately compensate our veterans for the loss of their health, or families for the loss of a loved one. It is important that the benefits, which our Nation provides to partially compensate for such losses, do not lose their value over time. In 2005, over 29,000 veterans in Nevada received disability compensation or pension payments from VA and thousands of Nevada family members and survivors receive VA cash benefits. The action we are taking here today will help the Nevada veterans and families who depend on these VA benefits. I understand the urgency of passing this COLA so that veterans and their dependents will receive a timely increase in VA benefits. I hope that before this Congress recesses for the year, the increase in DIC benefits and other provisions passed by the House and Senate can be enacted into law. Those who have served this Nation, deserve no less. S. 2562 will receive my full support and it deserves the support of all Members of this House. The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.