John Boozman

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of one of the Third District's greatest leaders and greatest servants, John Lewis of Fayetteville. He was known as ``Mr. Fayetteville'' by those who knew him. The list of what he didn't do would be easier to read. John Lewis was a Marine, a banker and a member of numerous boards, including the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. He was a visionary who helped develop Interstate 540 and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, both of which serve literally thousands of people on a daily basis. Many feel the downtown of Fayetteville, the home of his alma mater, the University of Arkansas, exists in its present form today because of the tireless work of John Lewis. The condolences of many in northwest Arkansas, including myself and my family, are with the Lewis family. Thank you, John, for our service to our community, our State, and to our country.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2239, the Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits Act, implements a commonsense involvement in the speed with which we provide vocational rehabilitation to injured servicemembers. This bill makes it clear that active duty servicemembers are entitled to begin using vocational rehabilitation benefits prior to discharge. The bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with the military services to determine the likelihood that a servicemember undergoing hospitalization or outpatient treatment will be discharged or returned to active duty. If the member is likely to be discharged and will likely have a disability rating of at least 10 percent, VA is authorized to evaluate and award the full range of vocational rehabilitation benefits prior to the servicemember's discharge. Such a decision would be made using the current statutory and regulatory processes to determine eligibility. Mr. Speaker, it makes no sense to delay access to benefits that will speed an injured servicemember's return to productive civilian life. For severely injured servicemembers, these benefits often make the difference between whether or not they are able to live independently. Many of those wounded in the global war on terror spend 2 or 3 years recovering from their injuries and often find themselves with significant free time outside of their therapy sessions. That free time offers an ideal opportunity to make use of their vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits to prepare them for the civilian job market. I am happy to let my colleagues know that CBO has said that this bill ``would have no direct impact on direct spending.'' The bill simply affects the timing of when our servicemembers receive the benefits. All of us have gone over to Bethesda and Walter Reed to visit injured troops. And, again, this is an effort to give them the best of both worlds, the best that we can offer them being on active duty, but to go ahead and start those vocational rehab services so that we can get vocational counselors in there and then, again, as they pursue their getting stronger and heal physically, to go ahead and direct them in such a way that we can provide a new occupation for them in the future. So I appreciate Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer, Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin, and especially the chairwoman in the sense that she was instrumental in helping us amend the bill to improve it. So, again, I would urge that my colleagues support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to urge the passage of H.R. 2239. I appreciate the work of my chairman and ranking member and especially the work of the staff on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer). (Mr. BUYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. The only thing I would say is that, again, I am very much in support of the bill and I appreciate the leadership that was shown, as Mr. Buyer just said, in getting the bill forward. I think it is a great example of everybody working together which, again, our committee very often does demonstrate. So I am very much in support, and urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me so much time. In the interest of trying to curry favor with the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentleman from Texas, I'll be very, very brief. My amendment is a very common-sense amendment that ensures that any homeowner applying for or receiving assistance through the affordable housing funds are in the United States legally. Not passing this amendment will only make it possible and probable, highly probable, that people residing in this country illegally will receive these benefits at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartfelt congratulations and thanks to a fellow optometrist, a leader in our profession, Dr. William Cochran. For 24 years, he has led my alma mater, the Southern College of Optometry, and under his guidance the institution has flourished, turning out highly-trained optometrists and serving 60,000 patients a year. His commitment to his faculty, his patients and students are examples we can all follow here in the Nation's capital. I congratulate Dr. Cochran on his retirement from the Southern College of Optometry and thank him for the example he has left for optometrists now and in the future. He has made a lasting, positive impact on hundreds of young students and continued to enhance and build a wonderful institution that I am very proud of, the Southern College of Optometry.

Mr. BOOZMAN

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

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, we do not have any more speakers. Can I ask the gentleman if he has any more?

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a fallen Arkansas hero, in fact, a true American hero, SGT William W. Bushnell of Jasper, Arkansas. Sergeant Bushnell was a member of the 1st Cavalry at Fort Bliss. Sadly, he died from his wounds this past Saturday after his vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Sergeant Bushnell's father, Wesley, told the Associated Press, ``Billy served proudly in the airborne infantry. That's what he wanted to do when he joined and proud to do it. His shoulder was hurt a while back, and he went to a hospital in Kuwait. All he could think about was getting back in with his comrades in Baghdad.'' This is the type of commitment towards others we can be so very proud of, to his fellow soldiers and commitment to his country. My prayers, the prayers of my family, and the prayers of Arkansas are with the Bushnell family. I humbly offer my thanks to Sergeant Bushnell for his selfless service to the security and well-being of all Americans.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, we don't have any other speakers. I also, though, would like to thank the staffs of the Foreign Affairs Committee for their hard work, not only on this bill, but the other bills that have been presented today. I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois, Congressman Kirk, as much time as he desires.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Res. 240 dealing with the Holocaust archives. I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Hastings of Florida, for introducing this bill which urges member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service to ratify, if they haven't yet done so already, the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords Treaty to expedite the ratification process to allow for open access to the Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany. The Holocaust stands as one of history's darkest moments. It is critical that we understand and educate future generations about what happened under the Nazi oppression and ensure that these atrocities are never repeated. The ITS archives at Bad Arolsen are the largest closed Holocaust-era archives in the world, containing millions of records about the fate of over 17 million victims of Nazi Germany. Allowing open access to these records will provide researchers and scholars with materials necessary to enhance the public knowledge about the Holocaust as well as provide Holocaust survivors and their families with the information about their loved ones and help bring them closure. Furthermore, creating open access to these documents will provide the information necessary to address issues of Holocaust compensation. In particular, many insurance companies have refused to honor Holocaust- era insurance policies brought about by Holocaust victims and survivors prior to and during World War II. These insurance companies have for over 60 years now refused to provide compensation under the insurance policies to Holocaust survivors or families of the Holocaust victims, arguing that Holocaust survivors and their families don't have the documentation, such as death certificates and insurance records. The concentration camps in which many of the Holocaust victims perished didn't issue death certificates and all assets and documents were confiscated from the Jews during that time by the Nazis. Many of these documents now remain closed in archives like Bad Arolsen. Unfortunately, today, we cannot bring back those who have perished in the Holocaust at the hands of Nazi Germany, nor can we erase the pain and suffering from the memories of those who survived these atrocities. However, what we can do, and what H. Res. 240 aims to accomplish, is to make sure that the Holocaust-era archives are opened in an effort to bring long awaited justice and closure to Holocaust survivors and their families, as well as help ensure, through education, that atrocities committed during the Holocaust are never repeated. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

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

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa). (Mr. ISSA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. During last summer's war between Israel and Lebanon, which was initiated by Hezbollah jihadist militants breaching Israel's border and killing and kidnapping Israeli soldiers, Hezbollah extremists used Lebanese civilians as human shields to protect themselves from counterattacks by Israeli forces. Hezbollah jihadists embedded their forces among innocent civilians in violation of international law. According to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ``Hezbollah and its sponsors have brought devastation upon the people of Lebanon, dragging them into a war that they did not choose, and exploiting them as human shields.'' To express deep concern over the use of civilians by Hezbollah and to condemn these actions, my distinguished colleagues, Congressman Ron Klein and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, introduced this bill. Among other things in the bill, it strongly condemns the use of innocent civilians as human shields, including Hezbollah's use of this savage and illegal tactic during last summer's war between Israel and Lebanon; calls on the international community to recognize and condemn these violations of international law; and calls on responsible nations and experts in the area of international humanitarian law to pay special attention on the use of human shields in violation of international humanitarian law and make further recommendations on the prevention of such violation in the future. I urge my colleagues to support this very important legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my heartfelt congratulations and pride in a young man who makes a difference daily in the lives of Arkansas' children, Justin Minkel. Justin is a second grade teacher at Harvey Jones Elementary School in Springdale, Arkansas. His school is 85 percent minority, 93 percent on free or reduced lunch. Seventeen of his 25 students were below grade level in reading. By the end of the year though, 14 of them had reached or surpassed expectation. I am proud that Justin decided to return to his home district and teach, and do the hard work which truly leaves no child behind. I congratulate him on being named the Arkansas Teacher of the Year of 2007, and a National Teacher of the Year finalist. Again, we appreciate the hard work of Justin Minkel and all that he represents in the teaching profession.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, due to a funeral, I was unable to return in time to vote on Monday, April 23, 2007. Please find below a listing of my missed votes and a record of my votes, had I been present. Rollcall #245 on H. Res. 179, I am not recorded because I was absent due to a funeral. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Rollcall #246 on H.R. 1434, I am not recorded because I was absent due to a funeral. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Rollcall #247 on H.R. 1402, I am not recorded because I was absent due to a funeral. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may desire to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young). (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman for leading the charge on this important technical corrections bill. I want to voice my support for H.R. 1195, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. In the time that has passed since SAFETEA-LU was signed into law, we have heard from the Department of Transportation and several States regarding fixes to different programs and high-priority projects. H.R. 1195 addresses most of the areas that need correction. It is important to note that this bill does not make substantial policy changes to SAFETEA-LU. Rather, this bill corrects provisions that were not workable in SAFETEA-LU. After we pass this bill, SAFETEA- LU will finally be able to accomplish what Congress voted to do 2 years ago. The bulk of this bill is section 105, which makes changes to over 200 of the high-priority projects in section 1702 of SAFETEA-LU. These changes address surface transportation projects in the bill that were unable to be executed, clarifying recipients, and increasing certain project funding levels, and decreasing others to achieve budget neutrality. The bill also makes a critical correction in the Transportation Research Program authorized in SAFETEA-LU. Errors were made in the research section of SAFETEA-LU that weakened the legacy research programs carried out by the Department of Transportation. This bill addresses that problem. The bill also extends the reporting deadline for the National Surface Transportation Policy and Review Study Commission established in SAFETEA-LU. This important commission is tasked with recommending a new direction in funding and policy for our surface transportation programs, and we look forward to seeing their final report. Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for revitalizing this technical corrections bill. I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Oberstar, and Mr. Mica, and certainly their staffs, for working so hard together to rectify the technical corrections that we are addressing in SAFETEA-LU. And I also want to thank our former chairman, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), for his hard work in providing the leadership that we had in the last Congress to get the SAFETEA-LU bill done.