John Boozman

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Pete Joenks for the honor and recognition of being named Assistant Principal of the Year for the State of Arkansas. Mr. Joenks earned his masters in education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and went on to teach physics and chemistry for 15 years prior to becoming assistant principal at Springdale High School. The innovative programs he created like The Sophomore Center at Springdale High School which led to higher achievement and less absenteeism among students is a testament to his character and passion to educate. This program truly helped those at-risk students at Springdale High School to perform better in school and to make more of their education. Mr. Joenks also created Adopt-A-Pup, which assigns every at-risk student with a mentor to help them achieve better in school. I am proud of Mr. Pete Joenks for his commitment to education and his efforts to improve the lives of students in Arkansas, and this is a well-deserved honor.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mitch McCorkle, who has devoted his life to protecting the citizens of West Fork, Arkansas and is now retiring after 50 years of serving as the only fire chief in West Fork. During his time as fire chief, Mitch has demonstrated his ability to innovate time and time again by building fire trucks that are uniquely suited to the landscape of northwest Arkansas. The longest serving fire chief in all of Arkansas, Mitch was a visionary in terms of what can be done with a volunteer department. Mitch's pride in doing his job and serving his community is an example to be followed and has made West Fork a better place. West Fork will undoubtedly be losing an amazing fire chief. I commend Mitch for his service as the fire chief of West Fork, his passion for protecting our citizens, and his continued commitment to our safety. I wish him continued success in his endeavors and today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mitch McCorkle, a fire chief whose continued devotion to the Third District of Arkansas has not gone unnoticed and will never be forgotten.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he might desire to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo).

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, again, we do not oppose the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, we do not oppose this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. BOOZMAN. We just want to go on the record as supporting this amendment and urge its adoption. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again having great respect for our chairman, the point that I am trying to make is that I understand the problems that we face in the Great Lakes. And this is a body of such significance. And yet, again, my feeling is that we should take care of that problem within the structure that we have within the Great Lakes program. I see no need to expand the estuary program to take care of the Great Lakes. If we need additional moneys, if we need additional infrastructure in fighting the battles with the invasive species and things that were mentioned, then I feel like the place to do that is within the Great Lakes programs rather than diluting the moneys, a relatively small amount of money, diluting the money from the estuary program. With that, I reserve my balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, this amendment will pull money out of the National Estuary Program and send it to address the needs of the Great Lakes. The National Estuary Program is meant to assist those in important ecological areas in our country where the freshwater of rivers meets and mixes with seawater. By any scientific definition, there are no estuaries in the Great Lakes. Over the years, Congress has created and funded a number of programs to address the needs of the Great Lakes. We have established an entire office in the EPA to work on the Great Lakes issue. While there are many worthy projects that could be done in the Great Lakes, I believe we should use existing Great Lakes programs to address those needs and not dilute the National Estuary Program. If the gentleman believes that more should be done for the Great Lakes, then we should have the debate on whether or not to modify the existing Great Lakes program. Members who have true estuaries in their States which are very coastal in nature should be concerned about this amendment diluting the intent and the dollars associated with this important program. To my colleagues in the Great Lakes States who understandably might be tempted to a support this amendment, I would say this amendment makes about as much sense as suggesting that the Great Lakes Legacy Act dollars should be used to address the needs of the Chesapeake Bay. The Great Lakes and the Nation's estuaries are both important areas. Let's address them in the context of their own separate legislation and not make one complete with the other. With that, I urge Members to oppose the Schauer amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BOOZMAN. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I rise to support the amendment.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Again, I just rise to say that we are very much in support of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, though I am not opposed to the bill.

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

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds. I do want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop) for the very positive changes in the bill of accountability and transparency. Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve. We don't have anymore speakers.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4715 reauthorizes the National Estuary Program found in section 320 of the Clean Water Act and adds some important accountability provisions. These improvements require performance measures and goals in order to track implementation of management plans for estuaries. The EPA will evaluate every 4 years and report on the implementation of each management plan. In addition, after the EPA evaluates and reports on a plan, each management conference will be required to update their plans. I note that H.R. 4715 increases the authorized level of funding by 43 percent from $35 million per year to $50 million a year. The average appropriation over the past 5 years for this program has been only $26.8 million. The President's recent budget requests $27.2 million. While I support the National Estuary Program and improvements made here in H.R. 4715, I know many of my colleagues, as well as myself, are concerned about increasing authorized levels of spending for programs when Congress has not been able to fund the program close to its current authorization. Certainly in our current economic crisis we should carefully weigh any proposed increase in authorization levels. We must also consider the importance to estuaries. They are the nursery grounds for much of the planet's sea life and the source of the seafood that we enjoy. They are a unique habitat for a unique group of fish and wildlife. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Res. 1215, a measure expressing the support of the American people for Bangladesh's return to democracy. Mr. Speaker, the United States and Bangladesh have been friends for more than a half a century. We have worked together to build a strong and lasting democracy. The United States welcomed the free, fair, and transparent elections that occurred in December 2008. The United States is proud to have supported that effort, and we will continue to support efforts to improve and promote development, democracy, social harmony, and mutual tolerance. The United States attaches a great importance to South Asia. In this context, the good news coming out of Bangladesh related to democratic development, economic progress, and rejection of violent extremism. All of this is being strongly welcomed in Washington. In this regard, we are all pleased that ties between our two countries continue to deepen. Our two governments are working closely to address global challenges, including climate change, food security, terrorism, and pandemic disease. I would particularly like to highlight longstanding U.S. efforts to empower women at the grassroots level, including through helping local governments be more transparent and accountable to the Bangladeshi people. Meanwhile, the growing voice of the Bangladeshi American community in Arkansas and elsewhere around the country is helping to strengthen and extend people-to-people ties between our two vibrant societies. In conclusion, I support the adoption of the resolution. Having no further speakers, I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, America is a democracy, not a monarchy; but you wouldn't know it by the way the American people's voices have been ignored by President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senator Reid. The American people are angry. They are not adequately represented in Washington. As representatives of the people, it is necessary that we fix this bill and give Americans what they want: quality and affordable health care reform, not increased taxes and sweetheart deals. We must fight to repeal and replace this bill. We must fight to uphold the Constitution of the United States. I am here today to speak for the people of Arkansas and the people of America who are overwhelmingly in opposition to the flawed health care bill. We see how the government is infringing on our rights. The American people have had enough and want to see legal action. I too am concerned that this bill is unconstitutional, and I am supportive of States challenging this flawed health care bill. We must abide by States' rights. This bill is just another violation of those rights and it is something we must undo.