Charles Boustany

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, President John F. Kennedy once said that the greatness of poets ``depends upon the courage with which they face the challenges of life.'' Today, I rise to recognize one such poet and American hero. Lloyd A. King, a native of New York State, was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1967. As a non-commissioned officer with the 101st Airborne Division in 1968 and 1969, he began writing about his emotions and experiences through poetry. In his poems Mr. King described the sights and sounds that he couldn't tell his family back home. Mr. King eventually was awarded the Silver Star, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, two Air Medals, and nearly a dozen other awards including the highest individual medal awarded by the Republic of South Vietnam, the RVN Gallantry Cross with Gold Star. Thirty years later, on July 28, 1998, Mr. King began writing again about his experiences in Vietnam, in hopes that he could express his personal feelings and the events that he had not previously been able to share. Currently a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, Mr. King has been honored with the Military Writers Society of America 2006 Gold Medal Award for ``Best Book of Poetry'' for his ``From 'Nam with Love.'' Mr. King now serves as the commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, William McKenzie Chapter #504, Lafayette, Louisiana, he is also a lifetime member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Acadiana Chapter #141. As an artist, author, poet and soldier, I ask my colleagues to honor Mr. Lloyd A. King, American hero, for his accomplishments.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the South Lake Charles All Stars, who recently competed in the 60th Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. After winning the Louisiana State tournament the team defeated Mississippi by a score of 1-0 in the U.S. South West regional tournament in Waco, TX, giving them a berth in the Little League World Series. This is the second year in a row that a team from Southwest Louisiana has represented the U.S. South West region as one of the top 8 teams in the Nation, and top 16 in the world. These 14 young men, along with their coaches and parents, served as ambassadors of Louisiana as well as the United States. Through competition and daily interactions with teams from all over the United States and the world, the South Lake Charles All Stars represented Southwest Louisiana with dignity and sportsmanship both on and off the field. Bill Castle, a volunteer host who served as a chaperone for the team said, ``It took 30 minutes for me to suspect this was a special group of kids. They spent the rest of the week confirming that suspicion.'' This team embodies the ideals of Little League Baseball--Character, Courage, and Loyalty. For this reason, and their athletic accomplishment, I congratulate the South Lake Charles All Stars, led by coaches Randall Von Rosenburg and Ben Corman, and Manager Josh Corman. I ask my colleagues that this team's full roster be included in the Congressional Record. They are Ben Drouilhet, Matt Gallier, Tanner Hebert, Zack Cart, Taylor Butler, Gavin Cecchini, Timothy Cutrera, Hunter Ford, Paul Beglis, Nick Zaunbrecher, Tre Goodly, Jordan Karam, Gabe Von Rosenberg, and Zack Lacombe.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, during my career as a cardiovascular surgeon, I saw far too many nurses, physicians and patients waste valuable time on paperwork. And I saw situations where available critical information was not available during a crisis. Immediately following Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the need for portable electronic medical records became undeniable when thousands of patients' records were destroyed or inaccessible. But we did see some hope in that the New Orleans VA Hospital, despite being flooded, had records for 50,000 patients that survived because of the electronic nature of the records and the backup system that was available. We also saw a secure Web site, Katrinahealth.org, established through a private/public partnership that was another promising example. When it comes to the use of information technology, America's health care sector has lagged far behind other economic sectors for decades. Our inefficiencies also squander billions of health care dollars that could otherwise go to helping patients. This legislation pending before the House today is critical. It will help overcome one of the most significant barriers to the adoption of health IT. Small physician practices find it financially difficult to invest in health IT equipment. The investment can run as high as $120,000 per physician. Federal statutes currently make it illegal for these providers to accept this equipment from a hospital or an insurance partner. To address this problem, this bill would provide the adequate safe harbor so that organizations could donate equipment to physicians without violating law. H.R. 4157 will help empower patients. It does preserve State privacy laws. It limits skyrocketing costs. And it will improve quality. Failure to modernize our health system is simply unacceptable, particularly given the aging population, the rising health care costs, and the prospects of future natural disasters. So I urge passage of this very important legislation.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I commend the gentlewoman again for bringing this resolution to the floor. Let me just say that as we recover on the gulf coast, and I mentioned the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in my home State of Louisiana, they played a vital role in the leadership in helping us recover. So, again, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for bringing this valuable resolution to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the passion he brings to this debate and for the hard work he has done to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the hard work that they are doing to ensure that all Americans have access to education. I urge my colleagues to recognize the important contributions made by Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their graduates and to vote ``yes'' on this worthy resolution.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 928, recognizing the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), my colleague, for introducing this resolution. Ms. Johnson certainly recognizes the important role that Historically Black Colleges and Universities play in the postsecondary education environment. The HBCU community is extremely diverse. The community of Historically Black Colleges and Universities includes 2- and 4-year institutions, public and private institutions, as well as single sex and co-ed institutions. Even with this diversity of student body, geographical location and population served, the principal mission of all these institutions is unified, and that is to provide a quality education for African Americans. It is also important to remember that these institutions, in many instances, serve some of our most disadvantaged students. The contributions made by Historically Black Colleges and Universities deserve recognition. While comprising less than 3 percent of the Nation's 2- and 4-year institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities are responsible for producing a significant number of all bachelor's, master's and professional degrees earned by African Americans. In many instances, Historically Black Colleges and Universities do not have access to the resources or endowment income that other institutions can draw upon. Yet they are still able to provide quality education to an underserved population. Since 1995, we have worked to improve the Nation's support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 made improvements to the programs designed to aid Historically Black Colleges and Universities in strengthening their institutions and graduate and professional programs. These changes included allowing institutions to use Federal money to build their endowments and to provide scholarships and fellowships for needy graduate and professional students. Between 1995 and 2006, congressional funding for the strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities program rose from $109 million to $238 million, a 118 percent increase. And what is more, funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities graduate programs increased from $19.6 million to $57.9 million, an increase of 195 percent. It is important that we pause to recognize the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their graduates by celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week. My State of Louisiana is home to five of such institutions: Grambling State University, Southern University A&M College, Southern University at New Orleans, Dillard University, and Xavier University. These institutions have dramatically improved the quality of life and economic opportunities on the gulf coast. These institutions provide valuable leadership and excellence in education, and they certainly should be commended. I was pleased to see that the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities is coordinating a 3-day national conference in September where they will continue to discuss the progress of gulf coast recovery efforts. I urge my colleagues to recognize the important contributions made by Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their graduates and to vote ``yes'' on this worthy resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 928.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 928) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week should be established, as amended.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5682 and the rule for this legislation, the U.S. and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006. I want to also compliment the distinguished chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Mr. Hyde, and ranking member, Mr. Lantos, for their leadership in bringing forward this important implementing legislation. I also want to commend the administration for recognizing that we can learn from our mistakes, a mistake whereby we have failed in the past to link our foreign policy with our energy policy, and this is a very good first step to correcting such mistakes. This is a very far-reaching agreement whereby the world's oldest democracy will join with the world's largest democracy to work together on foreign policy and energy policy. This is a model for the future where we can work on energy, cooperative agreements, and also fit within our strategic framework. India for the past 32 years has been a nonproliferator, and we should reward India for that historic effort. In recent years, India has certainly been a critically important ally in the global war on terror. It has proven to be a reliable and secure state when it comes to nonproliferation. We need to build on this relationship and this new- found trust, and this implementing legislation that will allow us to do this is a critical first step in deepening this cooperation. India, in working with the IAEA to increase inspections of existing and future reactors and maintaining India's moratorium on weapons testing, and given their assurances to work with us to prevent proliferation throughout the region, will prove to be a great example for other countries in the region to follow. This is not only just a good bill for India. It is also good for American business. It allows us to increase energy trade, which really has not happened in the past three decades with India. This is great for the environment. It helps us reduce carbon emissions by some 300 million tons, more than half the total Kyoto protocols; and it is going to reduce India's dependence on foreign sources of energy such as natural gas, which it is heavily dependent upon. This is a very important piece of foreign policy and energy policy. I urge its passage. I urge passage of the rule so that we can move forward.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, let me start by commending the esteemed chairman of the International Relations Committee and the distinguished gentleman, the ranking member, for bringing this very powerful resolution to the floor. I agree with this resolution. I vehemently, vehemently condemn the violence and terrorist activity of Hamas and Hezbollah. I also vigorously support the right of Israel to defend itself against these terrorist acts and to do what is necessary under these dire circumstances. But let me also say that this resolution is incomplete, and I don't think it is fully reflective of what U.S. policy should be. Much has been said about Resolution 1559. Much has been said about Lebanon, that poor small country that has been victimized time and time again. What of Lebanon? There is a nascent democracy there, despite the challenges, despite the years of conflict, a nascent democracy that is budding. I think this resolution should give lip service to those Lebanese patriots who are trying to build this democracy. The Siniora government, we should not do anything that would undermine this nascent democracy and Prime Minister Siniora's attempt to build an economic country, a country that is going to have opportunity. Security Council Resolution 1559, whose fault is it? We know that this nascent democracy in Lebanon doesn't have the capability to defend itself. It doesn't have a very well-formed armed services. We know that Israel could not drive Hezbollah out. How can the small force that Lebanon has do such? Whose fault is it? The international community, the U.S.? This has been a failure of policy. One thing that is clear is that this Security Council Resolution 1559 has to be enforced unequivocally, and Hezbollah must be disarmed in any way that is possible. This is going to take an international effort. Once there is international consensus that this resolution will be enforced, then we need to put together the coalition to enforce it. I am going to conclude. I am not going to take the full time, but I am going to say that America should not turn its back on any of its allies, and that certainly includes Israel. But it should also include that vulnerable State of Lebanon.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to commend our friends, the Iraqi people, for their success in forming a unity government and, most importantly, to send a message that the United States does not back down from its commitments. Six months ago I visited Iraq following their national elections which set up a truly representative and united government. Since then, the Iraqi Government has made significant advances. Just last week we saw the completion of the prime minister's cabinet, most notably the key positions of the ministers of defense and interior. It is important for the new Iraqi Government to fully understand our level of commitment to them during this time of transition. Let it never be said that the United States backed away from its commitment to peace, security, and stability of this region. A half century ago, Winston Churchill addressed this body to urge the United States to not lose patience and not lose hope in our commitment to rebuild a stronger, united Europe following World War II facing the specter of communism. Mr. Speaker, Churchill's words still ring true today. From the Berlin Airlift to the rebuilding of Japan, from the DMZ in Korea to the mountains of Afghanistan, and now to the streets of Baghdad, the world has come to learn that America does not back down from its commitments. Today we affirm our commitment not only to the Iraqi people but to the cause of liberty throughout the world.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Louisiana State University at Eunice Bengal baseball team on their recent victory in the National Junior College Athletic Association, NJCAA, championship. The championship tournament culminated June 2, 2006, in Millington, Tennessee. The Bengals' 3-0 win over defending champion Grand Rapids Community College garnered the NJCAA Division II trophy. This is the first national championship for LSU at Eunice. The Bengal baseball program should be lauded for the success it has seen in the five years since its establishment. The team's appearance in the 2006 tournament marks the second time in the program's brief history that the Bengal baseball team has placed in the national championship. In 2004, the Bengals placed third in the NJCAA Championship in their division. In addition to the championship title, the Bengals were proud to bring home an individual honor bestowed upon one of the team's high- achieving members. During the series, sophomore Brett Durand pitched 26 straight innings without allowing a single earned run. His performance earned him the Most Valuable Player award. The baseball team's achievements on the field parallel the accomplishments of the school's educators and administrators, who are realizing their goal of positioning Louisiana State University at Eunice as the premier two-year college in the state, I would like to thank the head coach Jeff Willis and his players for their hard work and dedication. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the Louisiana State University at Eunice baseball team and wishing the Bengals the best of luck in their future endeavors on and off the field.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5254. This bill recognizes the need for increased supplies of refined petroleum products, and takes the necessary steps to increase our refining capacity. No new refinery has been constructed in the United States since 1976. Yet the demand for gasoline exceeds domestic production by an average of 4 million barrels per day. This was made worse in the aftermath of the most recent hurricanes. This growing gap must be met by importing refined petroleum products from foreign sources. Refining capacity is not being increased due to, in part, a permitting process that is overly cumbersome and capital intensive. This bill makes the necessary commitments to expand and diversify the refining industry in this country. By reforming and expediting a permitting process that is excessively slow and nearly impossible to navigate, we will enable refiners to meet the energy needs of America's citizens. These facilities must still meet the strictest environmental standards under current law. It does not allow any agency or facility to short-circuit environmental compliance. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons I support this bill and urge its passage.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order against section 102.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, this provision violates clause 2 of rule XXI. It changes existing law and therefore constitutes legislating on an appropriation bill in violation of House rules.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close at this time. We have no further speakers. Again, I thank my colleague from New York for her support and the support of all Members across the aisle for this resolution. Let me just close by saying that in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, I personally visited some of these one-stop shops in my district and was really impressed with the work that they were doing. They were very successful in matching up those in need of jobs with available jobs. And so this is a worthy resolution. I urge all Members to support it.

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

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 5354.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5354, the Hurricane Relief Extension Act of 2006, amends the Hurricane Education Recovery Act to allow the Secretary of Education to extend, beyond the 2006 school year, the period during which a State educational agency or local educational agency may obligate temporary emergency impact aid for elementary and secondary schools that enroll students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. In addition, the bill includes a sense of the Congress that urges State educational agencies to distribute expeditiously any education relief funds received under such act to impacted schools and institutions. I want to thank Chairman McKeon and the Education and the Workforce Committee staff for working with me on this legislation. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita created real and pressing educational needs in the gulf coast region. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 370,000 students were unable to attend school in the weeks following the hurricanes. About 158,000 students were still displaced as of October 1, 2005, and are eligible for impact aid. More than 1,100 schools, public, private, and parochial, were still closed 2 weeks after the storms. In the immediate days after the hurricanes hit, I worked closely with my colleagues on the Education and the Workforce Committee to assess the damage caused by the storms and to move forward and send Federal aid to the highest need areas in the shortest amount of time possible. We supported an innovative electronic reimbursement proposal that would have enabled parents and schools to bypass government bureaucracy and receive Federal aid more quickly. Unfortunately, many of our colleagues opposed these efforts as a backdoor attempt to implement a voucher system. Let me be emphatic: That was not the case. This proposal would have prevented the delays we are now seeing in Federal support reaching our teachers and students who most need it. As an alternative, when Congress passed the Hurricane Education Recovery Act in December, we included stringent timelines to ensure the money would quickly be sent to local educational agencies to help schools in need. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education accelerated the application process for these funds in order to quickly release education-related relief. Yet, Federal education aid is still not reaching the ground in many Gulf States, including my home State of Louisiana. I recently visited Johnson Bayou High School in my congressional district in Cameron Parish hit directly by Hurricane Rita, and school officials had yet to receive one penny in Federal assistance. This was only 3 to 4 weeks ago. A headline last month in the Baton Rouge Advocate read, ``East Baton Rouge Schools Await Hurricane Funds.'' At an April 26 Education and Workforce Committee hearing, education leaders from throughout the gulf coast testified that Federal aid had yet to make its way to the local level. This bill allows the Secretary to set a date to obligate the funds for displaced students that is beyond the end of the school year because several districts have indicated the difficulty in meeting the current statutory July 31 date. The extension of this date will give the districts the extra time needed to ensure the funds are obligated toward the allowable expenditures from the 2005-2006 school year. The bill makes certain that the funds can only be used for expenses from the 2005-2006 school year and that the funds will not be extended into the 2006-2007 school year. These funds are desperately needed by the districts to help with the costs associated with educating the displaced students. Districts should not have to return the funds because they were not able to obligate them by the July 31 deadline. Mr. Speaker, schools should not be penalized because bureaucratic red tape has delayed the process on the State level, which, to me, is very unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5354, the Hurricane Relief Extension Act of 2006. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close at this time. I want to thank my colleague, the gentlelady from New York, for her support, and for all the support of my colleagues across the aisle. I think this is an important piece of legislation, because much of the money that we have obligated has not reached where it needs to go, to those students and schools in need. When I was back home just about 2 months ago, I was at a school in Erath, a small town that was devastated by flooding, and they were rebuilding the school. In fact, they had just reopened some of the classrooms there. One of the teachers showed me her bright new shining classroom, freshly painted with a new bookshelf, and she had actually spent $1,600 of her own money to do that, because the Federal money that we had obligated had not reached the ground level. So I am urging the States to release the money that we have sent down so that we can get the money where it needs to be to take care of those students in need and get those schools up and running. With that, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5354.