Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3998 was introduced by our colleague from Arizona, the chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Land Subcommittee, Representative Raul Grijalva. This bill, America's Historical and National Legacy Study Act, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to study nine sites to determine the best way to preserve and interpret them, including an evaluation of whether they merit inclusion in the National Park System or the National Trails System. Special resource studies are an important tool in preserving and interpreting the Nation's natural and cultural history. Even if a study concludes that involvement of the Federal Government is not recommended, these studies provide important information and options for the local, the State, or the private landowners charged with managing these resources. Mr. Speaker, hearings have been held on eight of the measures included in this legislation over the course of this year. The ninth study passed the House in the last Congress. These study proposals have been sponsored or cosponsored by more than 50 of our colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans. The studies range geographically from California to Puerto Rico and from President Truman's birthplace to Lewis and Clark's expedition of discovery. Mr. Speaker, special resource studies are some of the most common and popular types of legislation that our colleagues ask the Natural Resources Committee to consider. So we are happy to recommend these worthy study proposals to the House. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3998. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Carolina, the Honorable John Spratt.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2246) to validate certain conveyances made by the Union Pacific Railroad Company of lands located in Reno, Nevada, that were originally conveyed by the United States to facilitate construction of transcontinental railroads, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2627) to establish the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) for such time as he may consume.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, Thomas Edison is a towering figure in American history, a man whose genius continues to impact our world more than 75 years after his death. Thanks to Mr. Edison's generosity, both his laboratory and his home in West Orange, New Jersey, are included within the National Park System and open to the public. H.R. 2627 simply changes the name of this unit from the Edison National Historic Site to the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. The new name is more appropriate for a unit that includes multiple properties. Nearly identical legislation passed the House by a vote of 399-1 in February 2006, but, Mr. Speaker, it was never considered by the Senate. The sponsor of H.R. 2627, the Representative from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), is to be commended for his outstanding work on this legislation, along with other cosponsors from the New Jersey delegation. I urge all our colleagues to support H.R. 2627. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. House Concurrent Resolution 229 sends a message encouraging the 42 member nations attending the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to take actions to stop the overfishing of bluefin tuna. Since 1981, fishermen in the United States and other nations in the Western Atlantic have curtailed fishing to help the bluefin recover. At the same time, other nations in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean have continued to fish at levels exceeding limits recommended by the scientists. If serious conservation actions are not taken, we will lose the bluefin tuna. House Concurrent Resolution 229 demonstrates our support for the U.S. delegation and other nations attending the meeting in Turkey to act decisively to conserve bluefin tuna. I commend Congressman Frank Pallone for introducing this resolution, and I urge all Members to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 229) expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should seek a review of compliance by all nations with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas' conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna and other species, and should pursue strengthened conservation and management measures to facilitate the recovery of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, again, I request that my colleagues support this House Concurrent Resolution 229, as amended. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge our colleagues to support this very important piece of legislation, and I yield back.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2614, as introduced by our colleague, Representative Ken Calvert, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial and technical assistance for new water recycling projects in Southern California. Funding these and other water recycling projects may be the only way that Southern California can protect itself from future droughts. Similar legislation passed the House in the two previous Congresses. Mr. Speaker, we fully support this noncontroversial bill, and I ask that my colleagues join me in support of H.R. 2614. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2614) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in certain water projects in California.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, in honor of Veterans Day I rise to recognize a special group of veterans whose story and service this Congress must honor. During World War II, thousands of Filipino soldiers were inducted into the United States Armed Forces by President Roosevelt following the invasion of their country by Imperial Japanese Forces. These Filipino soldiers fought valiantly with us in the name of freedom. They were to be entitled to full veterans benefits, but such promises were reneged by Congress with the passage of the 1946 Rescission Act. Ironically, the very democracy that these veterans fought to defend was used to take away the recognition of their service. We have a duty to fulfill what President Truman called a ``moral obligation'' to take care of these veterans. There are 18,000 still with us today. Let us make this right. Support the Filipino Veterans Equity Act.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the life of Ms. Eloise R. Baza, the first woman to serve as the president of the Guam Chamber of Commerce and whose service to the community extended beyond her duties and responsibilities to the private sector. Eloise started her Chamber career as the assistant to the president in 1981. When then-president James McDonald stepped down in 1985, Ms. Baza was named to the position to fill the unexpired term. She was then elected in her own right and held it successfully until her untimely death on October 29, 2007. Eloise will be missed not only by the members of the Chamber of Commerce and Guam's business community, but also by our island community. She contributed significantly to the improvement of our island, both in her capacity as Chamber president and as a devoted daughter of Guam. Eloise believed in our youth and supported programs to keep Guam's children drug free and to help them as future prospects in education, athletics and business careers in Guam. She promoted and advocated entrepreneurship among Guam's young people through regular participation and support for Guam's Junior Achievement Program; scholarships for business students attending the University of Guam, and as a speaker at many public and private Career Day activities. She was an active member of the Islandwide Beautification Task Force, the Summer Youth Swimming and Water Safety Program, and was especially proud of the Guam Juvenile Drug Court Program, which she started with former high school classmate and lifelong friend, Judge Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson. Eloise was a member of the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce, APCAC, and its committees on Trade & Investment/Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, Tax & Finance, and Intellectual Property Rights Protection; and the American Council of Chamber of Commerce Executives and its Small Business Council. She was also a member of Andersen Air Force Bases' Civilian Advisory Council, the Guam Territorial Aquarium Council, and the Guam Police Department's Community Assisted Policing Effort, CAPE, Program, in which she was named Honorary Deputy Chief of Police and proudly displayed the badge she had been given. Eloise was a strong advocate of women in business and, by example, proved the value and insight of women's business acumen. She managed her family-owned apartment building, and handled the financial reporting, securing tenants and overseeing the maintenance of the units. Her unassailable integrity, her leadership, and her commitment to the field of commerce and free enterprise in general and to the Guam business community in particular made her truly a driving force behind the Guam Chamber of Commerce. She gave the Chamber an important and respected voice in our community. She also served as the Chamber's chief operating officer in charge of administration and management of all of the Chamber's operations and direction of all its projects, programs and activities. She played a central role in the Chamber's advocacy of sound economic policy, government reform, and community service. Eloise R. Baza graduated from the Academy of Our Lady of Guam, AOLG, in 1971. She maintained close relationships with her classmates over the years and spearheaded the committee that created AOLG's Hall of Fame to inspire young ladies and promote ``values, vision, and voice'' in measuring success of family, civic and professional life. In 1974, Eloise earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California. She then came home and worked for the Guam Department of Commerce from 1975 until 1981. In 1979, she became an associate economist in the Commerce Department's Economic Research Center, where she prepared an action plan to centralize all economic development planning functions of the Government of Guam within the Department of Commerce. She also initiated Guam's participation in various federal economic development financing programs which funded infrastructure improvements island- wide. Her action plan was implemented as Commerce Department's Economic Development & Planning Division. Having initiated the establishment of the division, Eloise was named its chief in 1981. During her tenure, Eloise oversaw the preparation of the ``Overall Economic Development Plan for Guam,'' the ``Tumon Bay Master Plan,'' the ``Ten Year Tourism Master Plan,'' and the ``Aquaculture Development Plan for Guam.'' Additionally, she supervised all economic development federal program funds and directed their use to finance infrastructure to support industry expansion. Also in 1981, Eloise undertook graduate coursework toward an MBA in International Business Management from Babson College in Wellesley, MA. My sympathies and prayers go out to Eloise's family: her parents, Rosa Rivera Baza and the late Jose Camacho Baza and Luis Camacho Baza; her loved one, Joseph Barrtoe; her siblings and their spouses, Evelyn Baza and Joseph F. Soriano, Leonard Rivera and Margaret Salas Baza, Rosa Duenas and Fred Manglona, Lucille Baza and Geronimo Castro, Luis Rivera and Marcia Woolley Baza, Barbara Baza and Daniel Ninete, Felisa Rivera Baza and Carisa San Agustin, Carmen Rivera Baza and Mark Timcoe, and her many relatives and friends.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding service to our community provided by Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Camacho, his wife Erika and their children to wounded United States servicemen and women receiving medical care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. The Camacho family resides on Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany and has assumed the task of welcoming the servicemen and women from Guam who are receiving medical care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. They extend their care to the families of the injured servicemembers and have become a focal point for our Guam community's efforts to provide assistance to our men and women who have been wounded. The Camachos are volunteers at Landstuhl and at Fisher House. They also open their home to the servicemembers and their families. Many times, the families of injured soldiers need a place to feel normal, to share dinner, and to enjoy Chamorro hospitality. Sometimes it is the simplest gestures, such as making kadu or sharing a disc of the latest Chamorro songs that make recuperation easier for the soldiers and their families. The Camacho family, through their gracious hospitality, has touched the lives of so many people from Guam and we want them to know that we appreciate their efforts. I met with Jeffrey and Erika Camacho last month during a Congressional Delegation visit to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Germany. I was honored to visit with them and to hear their story of their care and compassion for injured servicemembers and their families. Jeffrey and Erika are performing a great service for our country. Recently, they opened their home and provided comfort to the parents of a soldier who was evacuated from Iraq to Germany. I commend them for their care and concern for their fellow Guamanians. Jeffrey Camacho was born in Agana Heights, Guam and is a 1999 graduate of George Washington High School in Mangilao. He is assigned to the Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Division of the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. His wife, Erika Arceo Camacho was born in Tamuning, Guam and graduated from George Washington High School in Mangilao in 1995. The Camachos have two children, Kalena Arceo Camacho, age 9, and Kaleb Camacho, age 3. Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Camacho and his wife Erika are great Americans whose concern for their fellow citizens and their home island of Guam has led them to open their hearts and their home to the families of our wounded soldiers. The families who have been touched by their graciousness are grateful for their warm hospitality. For our families from Guam, they have provided a home away from home. I commend them for all that they have done and for the sacrifices that they make to help others. They are an inspiration to us all.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3867, the Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act. Enjoying broad based and bi-partisan support, this bill will help modernize the contacting programs run by the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA, raise the profile of veteran, minority and women entrepreneurs, and help combat fraud, waste and abuse in government contracting. Of particular note, Section 402 of H.R. 3867 strengthens the Historically Underutilized Business Zone, HUBZone, program and promotes community economic development. That is, HUBZone registered small businesses cannot obtain a construction contract by means of a HUBZone set-aside unless the construction project is located in or near the HUBZone in which the small business concern maintains its principal place of business. Guam, my district, will be home to a significant amount of federally funded construction and other work associated with the planned increase in the presence of U.S. Armed Forces on our military bases. The provisions of H.R. 3867 will help ensure small businesses on Guam can successfully compete for the contracts associated with the military build-up. I support H.R. 3867.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the life of Antonio Reyes Unpingco, a Guam leader whose service as a fourteen term Senator of the Guam Legislature will live in the Hearts of the people of Guam and the people of the Western Pacific region who knew him well. Sadly, Senator Unpingco passed away unexpectedly on October 18, 2007 at the age of 65 years. He leaves behind his wife, Emily Cruz Borja, his children Lisa, Christine, Raymond, Nicole, Noel, Meriza, Carlo, Aaron, Jerome, Daniel, and Paul. He also leaves behind several foster children and 16 grandchildren. Tony Unpingco was born on April 22, 1942, five months after Guam was invaded by enemy forces on December 8, 1941. He grew up aware of the atrocities endured by his people during the occupation of Guam in World War II and he fought for justice for the suffering of the Chamorro people. As a founding member and Co-Chairman of the Mannengon Memorial Foundation and Chairman of the Fena Massacre Memorial Committee, Tony's record of public service reflects his strong commitment to the pursuit of justice for the Chamorro people. In 2003, he was appointed by Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to the Guam War Claims Review Commission, a federal commission which examined the historical record of the occupation and reported to Congress on whether the people of Guam were treated with parity for purposes of war claims. His input and advocacy was vital in the formulation of the Commission's Final Report and its recommendations to Congress. Tony graduated from Father Duenas Memorial School and attended the University of Guam and the University of Portland before graduating from Portland State University. He began his public service career in 1969 as the head of a Special Task Force charged by the Governor of Guam to automate the Government of Guam payroll system. In 1970, he served as Deputy Director of the Department of Administration of the Government of Guam. Then, in 1971, Tony served as the first Administrator of the Government of Guam Liaison Office in San Francisco. Tony ran for the office of senator in 1976 and was elected. He served as Chairman of the Committee on General Governmental Operations and Military and Veterans Affairs of the 14th Guam Legislature. His election to the Guam Legislature in 1976 commenced an impressive record of winning election to every subsequent Legislature until his passing. His continuous service in the Legislature was interrupted only by his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in 1986 and for Governor in 2002. As a distinguished legislator, Senator Unpingco was selected by his colleagues to serve as Speaker for the 24th, 25th, and 26th Guam Legislatures. During his lengthy career he served as chairman and as a member of numerous committees. Most recently, during the 29th Guam Legislature, he served as the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Maritime, Military and Veterans' Affairs. Senator Unpingco also served in the leadership positions of Republican Co-Leader, Minority Leader, Assistant Minority Leader, and the Minority Whip for the Legislature. Antonio Reyes Unpingco epitomized the noblest meaning of public service. He was a true public servant whose sense of duty and commitment to his people and his community transcended his loyalty to his political party. Among his legislative colleagues and contemporaries, Tony was a respected conciliator, constantly working to bridge contentious issues and to find common ground. Among all who have had the honor to serve with him, he will be remembered as a peacemaker. On the floor of the Guam Legislature, Tony maintained a demeanor of dignity and his statesmanship served as an example to his colleagues when controversial legislation was being considered. He reminded his colleagues that their noblest purpose as elected leaders was to serve the people. For this, he was appreciated and respected in all political circles. For his ability to bring peace and harmony to the halls of the Legislature, Tony Unpingco will be greatly missed by all the people of Guam. Understanding the extraordinary commitment to public service of our veterans, Tony Unpingco wholeheartedly supported the needs of those who served our nation in defense of freedom. He worked with the many veterans' service organizations on Guam to ensure that those who served in our Armed Forces received the benefits they deserved. Working directly with these organizations, Tony Unpingco fought to ensure that their voices were heard. Even above his political zeal, Tony Unpingco was dedicated to his community. A devout Catholic, he was an active member of the Santa Rita Parish Council, its ``Mom and Pop'' Choir, and the Knights of Columbus. He eagerly supported and participated in church activities and was instrumental in the rebuilding of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. As a devoted family man, Tony dedicated much of his time to his children's school activities. Even after his children had grown and graduated, Tony and Emily continued to commit time and resources to the children of Guam. A loving husband of 42 years, Tony's devotion to his wife, Emily, and her devotion to Tony, made them inseparable. They represented the finest traditions of Chamorro graciousness and hospitality. I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend. As my colleague during my years as a Senator in the Guam Legislature, I learned to respect Tony and I valued his opinion and advice on many issues. I found him to be a man of integrity and honesty and, most of all, he was always sincere and always ready with an understanding, warm and friendly smile. Tony will be greatly missed by his family and friends, but his legacy of service and his devotion to public service will live on in our people and community forever.