Bruce Braley

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Medical Device Safety Act of 2009. This legislation was introduced today, and I'm proud to be an original cosponsor. The Medical Device Safety Act of 2009 is needed to ensure that every American patient has the ability to hold manufacturers of defective medical devices accountable for injuries and deaths caused by unsafe products. It would also prevent these manufacturers from receiving total immunity from any claims simply by virtue of receiving a Food and Drug Administration device approval. This bill clarifies the intention of Congress to keep American patients safe by maintaining complementary systems to protect consumers through the FDA and American courts. The need for this legislation was made evident in the Supreme Court's flawed decision in Riegel v. Medtronic, which completely ignored Congressional intent regarding the ability of injured patients to hold medical device manufacturers accountable for their injuries. This bill will restore Congress's original intent to allow injured patients to recover from their injuries caused by manufacturers of defective and dangerous medical devices. It's important for Congress to promptly clarify its intent, because these types of issues continue to come up in courts around the country. Last Congress, I was proud to participate in a hearing in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform which looked deeper into these types of issues. The medical safety experts agree that patient safety is compromised when we allow the FDA to have the final say on device safety. Strong state laws are critical to maintaining accountability for device manufacturers, and allowing the FDA to pre-empt these state laws is a surefire way to place sales over safety and profits over people. The civil justice system and the federal regulatory system were always meant to complement each other. Both are necessary to adequately protect Americans. The FDA simply cannot do it alone, and we see examples of this all the time, from pacemakers to peanuts. The agency is understaffed and underfunded, and I support additional funding to help this critical agency. However, making the FDA the ``court of last resort'' on issues of life and death is a violation of the Bill of Rights and ignores over 200 years of Common Law precedents. This is just one more reason why Congress must pass the Medical Device Safety Act of 2009 to restore the balance between the civil justice system and the federal regulatory system that Congress intended when it passed the Medical Device Amendments of 1976.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and thank the students, faculty, administrators, staff, and parents of Pleasant Valley Community High School. Pleasant Valley students have now contributed over 100,000 hours of service as part of the innovative PVHS Service Learning Program. In 2003, the PVHS community decided it was essential to teach students the importance of community service and civic responsibility. The school district created a bold service-learning program that requires all students to complete seventy hours of service before they graduate. Since the inception of the program, PVHS students have contributed their passion, intelligence, and creativity to organizations across the United States and the world. They have served people in need and helped communities address some of our most difficult problems. Today we face challenges that threaten the world economy, our national security, and the environment that makes life on earth possible. To meet these challenges and ensure that future generations can realize their full potential, we must embrace what the President has called a ``new era of responsibility in America.'' PVHS students have answered this call and set an example for all citizens to follow. Congratulations to Pleasant Valley Community High School and thank you.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate New Hartford Fire Chief Brad Schipper on receiving the `Heroes Among Us Award.' Chief Schipper received this award for his dedication to his community during and after this summer's tornado and floods that ripped through Iowa. This award is presented to an individual or individuals who, through their unique commitment and humanitarian spirit, have made exceptional and lasting contributions to their community. This is an everyday task that Chief Schipper has been committed to for the past 19 years as a member of New Hartford's Fire Department. Our everyday public servants are individuals that keep our families and us safe and represent the very best of our communities. Chief Schipper has been dedicated to this objective and is truly a hero among us. I am proud to represent Brad and the town of New Hartford in Congress. I congratulate Brad on his extraordinary accomplishment and ask you to join me today to honor the service of one of our hometown heroes.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, last night President Obama issued a call to action to the American people, and the American people are responding with a resounding ``Yes, we can.'' The problems that we face are many and enormous, and yet this is our challenge, it is our responsibility, and there is no better place than the people's House to do the people's business. Whether it's restoring confidence in our faltering financial markets, propping up a credit market that is nonexistent, focusing on the incredible housing problems we face in this country, and at the same time committing investments in our educational system, investments in our health care reform and making sure that we have an energy policy that takes our dependence away from foreign oil and redirects it to renewable energy here in the United States. This is still the government of the people, by the people and for the people, and this is the people's challenge. The President cannot solve these problems on his own. We are all in this together. It's time for the American people to make a renewed commitment to this country, reinvest in the future of America and inspire us to the new level of responsibility in the world community.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Deputy Adjutant General of the Iowa Army National Guard, Brigadier General Mark Zirkelbach, and to express gratitude for his many years of extraordinary service and leadership. General Zirkelbach is retiring after almost four decades of service with the National Guard. He enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in 1970, and has served as the Deputy Adjutant General of the Iowa Army Guard since August 2001. As Deputy Adjutant General, he's helped lead the Iowa Guard through the transformation from a strategic reserve to an operational force, and has overseen the deployment of thousands of Iowa National Guard members to combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. General Zirkelbach has been a strong advocate for Iowa National Guard members, and has no doubt made an incredible difference in the lives of many Iowa Guard members and their families during this challenging time. He's also served as an incredible resource for me and my staff. It's been my privilege to work with General Zirkelbach on issues of importance to the Iowa National Guard, including ensuring that soldiers who served in Iraq received the education benefits they deserved, and working to ensure that they receive the respite leave benefits that they are owed from the Pentagon. I thank General Zirkelbach for his invaluable service to the National Guard, the state of Iowa, and the United States, and wish him the best of luck in retirement.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I am very delighted, as the floor manager for the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement bill of 2007, to be here to speak in strong support of the Van Hollen-Platts amendment. There is no greater deterrent to waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government than by providing strong remedies to Federal whistleblower, and this amendment does just that. I'm also very pleased that the amendments I introduced in committee that were incorporated into the overall bill are going to be a strong part of the overall deterrent impact, and I urge my colleagues in the House to vote for this measure and give the Federal Government more teeth in enforcing the bill.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Chair, as the Floor Manager of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 last Congress, I rise today in strong support of the Platts/Van Hollen amendment to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This amendment, which would insert the text of H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act from the 110th Congress, will strengthen protections for Federal employees who speak out against waste, fraud, and abuse. I'm glad that the amendment includes provisions I added last Congress to ensure that whistleblowers are protected by remedies that deter retaliation against them, and I believe the amendment is a critical addition to the strong oversight and accountability provisions already included in the underlying economic stimulus bill. H.R. 985 passed the House with strong, bipartisan support in early 2007. While a similar bill also passed the Senate, unfortunately these enhanced whistleblower protections were not enacted into law. The inclusion of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act in H.R. 1 gives us a chance to swiftly enact strong and urgently needed federal whistleblower protections. It will also help ensure that the taxpayer dollars allocated by this important economic stimulus bill are spent wisely and responsibly. Whistleblowers have long been instrumental in alerting the public and the Congress to wrongdoing in Federal agencies. In many cases, the brave actions of whistleblowers have led to positive changes that have resulted in more responsible, safe, and ethical practices. In some instances, the actions of whistleblowers have even saved lives. Unfortunately, despite the importance of whistleblowers in ensuring government accountability and integrity, court decisions by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have undermined whistleblower protections and have unreasonably limited the scope of disclosures protected under current law. Hearings held in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last Congress highlighted the need for expanded protections for workers who shed light on wrongdoing by government agencies and departments. Several hearings held by the Committee helped uncover waste and fraud in government contracting, both here in the United States, and in Iraq--waste and fraud which led to the loss of billions of taxpayer dollars, and jeopardized the safety of Americans here at home, and those serving abroad. At another hearing we learned that some officials in the Bush Administration sought to manipulate Federal climate science, compromising the health and safety of American families and the future of the planet, solely for political gain. Perhaps the starkest reminder of the need to protect those who refuse to remain silent in the face of government wrongdoing came at the Committee's March 2007 hearing at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, at which we learned about the terrible living conditions and bureaucratic hurdles that soldiers endured there. At the hearing, it became clear that nobody dared to complain about the squalid living conditions and inadequate care at what was supposed to be the best military medical facility in the world because of a fear of retribution. Because of this fear, it took an expose by a newspaper in order for action to be taken on these severe and systemic problems, and many of our nation's heroes had to suffer there for far too long. The inclusion of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act in H.R. 1 will make important changes to existing law to strengthen protections for government workers who speak out against illegal, wasteful, and dangerous practices. This bill protects all federal whistleblowers by clarifying that any disclosure pertaining to waste, fraud, or abuse, ``without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure,'' and including both formal and informal communication, is protected. The bill also gives whistleblowers access to timely action on their claims, allowing them access to federal district courts if the Merit Systems Protection Board does not take action on their claims within 180 days. In addition, the bill clarifies that national security workers, employees of government contractors, and those who blow the whistle on actions that compromise the integrity of federal science, are all entitled to whistleblower protection. I'm also very pleased that this amendment includes language which I added to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act in the 110th Congress to deter retaliation against federal whistleblowers. The provisions I added in the Oversight Committee mark-up of the bill will ensure that federal employees are protected by a right to a jury trial in whistleblower cases, and that federal employees are able to recover compensatory damages, including attorney's fees, interest, reasonable expert witness fees, and costs. These provisions are essential to ensuring that whistleblowers who face retaliation receive the fair hearings and justice that they deserve. The passage of these important whistleblower protections is very timely and appropriate, as we prepare to make a historic investment in the American economy and American workers. I'm proud to be voting for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act today to jumpstart the economy, create millions of jobs, and make critical investments in renewable energy, healthcare, education and technology, and infrastructure. An important component of this legislation is an unprecedented level of transparency, oversight, and accountability, including the creation of a Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board, increased resources for the Government Accountability Office and Inspectors General, and protections for state and local whistleblowers. The addition of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act through the Platts/Van Hollen amendment will augment these important oversight and accountability provisions, and will help ensure the effectiveness and integrity of the stimulus bill. This amendment will not only protect federal whistleblowers, but will also protect American taxpayers. In closing, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in support of the Platts/Van Hollen amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act today. This amendment will ensure the wise use of taxpayer funds, the integrity of federal agencies and programs, and essential protections for federal whistleblowers now and far into the future.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, MG Ron Dardis, and to express gratitude for his many years of extraordinary service and leadership. General Dardis is retiring after almost 43 years of service with the Iowa National Guard. He enlisted in the Iowa Air National Guard in 1966 as a jet mechanic, and has served as the top uniformed officer of the Iowa Guard for the past 9 years. As Adjutant General, he's led the Iowa Guard through the transformation from a strategic reserve to an operational force, and overseen the deployment of thousands of Iowa National Guard members to Iraq and Afghanistan. As chairman of the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission, General Dardis has also led the state's recovery efforts after this year's devastating storms. It's been my privilege to work with General Dardis on issues of importance to the Iowa Guard, including ensuring that soldiers who served in Iraq received the education benefits they deserved. It's also been an honor to work with him on our State's vital storm recovery efforts. I thank General Dardis for his invaluable service to the National Guard, the State of Iowa, and the United States, and wish him the best of luck in retirement.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Davenport One, the chamber of commerce and economic development consortium that represents businesses in Davenport, Iowa. Earlier this year Davenport One received the American Chamber of Commerce Executives ``Chamber of the Year'' award for their community leadership, organizational strength, and positive impact on key community priorities. Davenport One's leadership has been critical to job creation, small business development, and transportation and infrastructure planning in Davenport and the Quad City region. They have been strong supporters of projects that will benefit the entire community, including restoring passenger rail service to the Quad Cities and the innovative ``River Vision'' urban flood plain management project along the Mississippi River. Madam Speaker, it has been a pleasure to work with Davenport One over the past year. This group of leaders is making Davenport a more sustainable and economically vibrant community.

Mr. BRALEY

Mr. BRALEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding results achieved by Denver High School in Denver, Iowa by being named a 2008 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School. The program honors elementary, middle and high schools that are superior academically or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels. Students at Denver High School ranked in the top 10 percent on state tests. Denver High School is one of five Iowa Schools receiving the honor this year. This a true credit to the staff and teachers who continually challenge students to want more and be better. Denver students can earn more than 30 hours of college credit before graduating high school. Madam Speaker, I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of Denver High School, its former Principal Paul Gebel, and its current Principal Tom Oppelt. Earning this award shows strength and persistence and I am proud to serve this fine school and its students in Congress.

Mr. BRALEY

Mr. BRALEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding results achieved by Southeast Elementary School in Waverly, Iowa by being named a 2008 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School. The program honors elementary, middle and high schools that are superior academically or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels. Students at Southeast Elementary School ranked in the top 10 percent on state tests. From 1997-2007 fourth grade reading proficiency in the Waverly-Shell Rock School District increased from 73-93 percent. During the 2006-2007 school year, all fourth graders reached proficiency in reading and math for which they earned this high honor. Madam Speaker, I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of Southeast Elementary and its Principal, Christi Lines. Despite the struggles they have faced due to unprecedented flooding that affected the school, they continue to be a model for elementary schools across the nation.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend from Massachusetts for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the passage of $22.3 billion in domestic disaster relief. This is critical funding which will help my State of Iowa make a full recovery from the unprecedented natural disasters that hit our State this summer. I have been working hard to secure this funding for months now, ever since my district was ravaged by record floods and tornadoes which destroyed farms and businesses and displaced thousands of Iowans. I am especially pleased that this disaster relief package includes $6.5 billion in community development block grant funding which will provide devastated communities with the flexible grants they need to provide temporary housing, repair and replace damaged homes and public infrastructure, and fund critical economic development activities. I am also pleased that the package includes $7.9 billion for FEMA disaster relief funds which will help ensure that FEMA can continue its work helping communities recover from recent disasters, and provide the resources necessary to respond to future disasters. In addition to the damage to homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and cropland, Iowa also experienced serious infrastructure damages, including damage to numerous railroad bridges like the one here in downtown Waterloo that is pictured to my right. I fought very hard to repair and replace this damaged rail infrastructure, so I am glad that my efforts have paid off in this bill with funding that includes $20 million to fund the repair and replacement of damaged bridges, tracks and other rail infrastructure in Iowa. I pushed hard for funding for months, ever since the House put its initial deposit down of $2.65 billion in June. I am glad that the second disaster relief package is becoming a reality. I also encourage the Bush administration to ensure that this disaster relief gets to Iowans and other affected individuals around the country as soon as possible. Only yesterday, after these tragedies occurred in May and June, did the initial installment of $85 million of community development block grant funding get released from the $300 million we approved in June. Three months is too long to wait when Iowans are struggling to recover as we speak. There are hundreds of millions of dollars remaining from our initial $2.65 billion package, and the House is on the verge of passing billions more. The administration needs to get this money to the people who need it. The recovery process in Iowa has been very challenging. The infrastructure demands are great. Cities like Aplington-Parkersburg lost their high school, Waverly-Shell Rock lost elementary schools. Wastewater treatment facilities throughout my district and necessary improvements to infrastructure are not being met. This funding will provide critical assistance to people in need all over this country. I pledge to fight and continue these efforts to rebuild Iowa and other areas of the country until we finally achieve the victory of recovery.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Deere & Company on their 90th anniversary in Waterloo, Iowa. John Deere has been in Waterloo since March 14 of 1918, when it bought the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, maker of the ``Waterloo Boy'' two-cylinder tractor, for $2.35 million. That model is still located at the Smithsonian Institution. Today Deere's facilities in Waterloo include a foundry, the engine works, and the tractor assembly plant, making Deere & Company a multibillion-dollar corporation. Over the past 90 years, John Deere has been an integral part of the Waterloo economy. The company employs thousands of Iowans and is currently the largest manufacturing employer in Waterloo. John Deere is in the midst of a fifth consecutive year of record earnings. If that continues, it would match the previous 5-year record run in the nineties and would have produced record earnings 10 times in the past 15 years. That's quite a feat for a company that was down and out during the 1980s farm crisis, which saw mass layoffs at its facilities. A strong John Deere is fundamental to promoting a healthy and stable economy in the Cedar Valley. Due to its successes, Deere has been able to give back to the community in a big way, and I congratulate them on their successes.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 622, the motion to recommit H.R. 5244, the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act of 2008, I was not present. If I had been there, I would have voted ``nay.'' On rollcall 623, on passage of H.R. 5244, the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act of 2008, I was not present. If I had been there, I would have voted ``aye.'' On rollcall 624, H.R. 6897, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act 2008, I was not present. If I had been there, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to address a major tragedy that occurred earlier this year. In May and June, Iowans suffered unprecedented tornadoes and flooding, which has directly impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iowans. The magnitude of this disaster places it in the top dozen or so all-time natural disasters, and the amount of damage in this State is unparalleled. Along with my staff and other members of the Iowa delegation, I've worked tirelessly to provide assistance in every way possible to impacted Iowans, from helping to remove debris in Parkersburg, to filling sandbags in Waterloo, to working to pass a $2.65 billion supplemental disaster relief bill, to holding this administration accountable for its promises, to bringing Speaker Pelosi to the First District last week. I want to thank the Speaker for visiting Iowa's First District, and I appreciate her strong words of support as we struggle to recover from these disasters. While I'm proud of the efforts so far to pass the initial $2.65 billion in disaster relief, there is still much work to be done. Most notably, the Bush administration needs to release these congressionally passed funds as quickly as possible, and administration bureaucrats must stop dragging their feet while Iowans wait for needed assistance. Secondly, this Congress must pass another round of disaster relief as the first round of $2.65 billion will fall far short of meeting the needs of the Midwest following these multiple tragedies. On June 13, while I was at the Cedar Rapids Airport during the peak flooding, White House Budget Director Jim Nussle told me that FEMA had nearly $5 billion for Federal disaster programs that would be available to meet the needs of Iowans. Since that meeting, Congress has passed another $897 million more in FEMA funding. Yet FEMA has only recently passed the $500 million in assistance to Iowa while at the same time denying many claims in Iowa for assistance. It's time for our President to move Iowa's money out of the hands of bureaucrats and into the hands of needy Iowans. This is not the only piece of the $2.65 billion package that sits on the desks of Federal bureaucrats. There is $52 million in economic development administration funding of which Iowa is eligible that the administration is holding onto for another 2 months. In addition, I've been urging HUD to release $300 million in Community Development Block Grants for months now, and that money still sits in the hands of administration bureaucrats. In addition, I have personally invited President Bush to come to the First District, which, so far, he has refused to do. However, the President's physical absence from the First District is not his only neglect of the needs of Iowa citizens. We have yet to receive a budget request from the President to Congress outlining what he believes the funding legislation to meet these disaster needs in Iowa and in other Midwestern States should look like. I have made my funding priorities clear. My Iowa and Midwestern colleagues have done the same. Where is the President's request? Actually, I can tell you the President's current budget request for Iowa disaster relief. Zero dollars. While I feel the administration has acted poorly in responding to Iowa disasters, I also do not let Congress off the hook. The initial $2.65 billion package, while welcomed, is clearly not enough to meet the needs of Iowa residents and business owners. That's why I am committed to ensuring that Congress passes additional disaster relief for Iowa as soon as possible. I look forward to Congress passing additional disaster relief and to seeing this money reach Iowans in need. Only then can we achieve the victory of recovery. I would like to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi for spending last Monday in Iowa in the First District, in the Second District and in the Third District, witnessing firsthand the devastation that has occurred, meeting and talking to Iowans in need, and hearing their stories. I'm going to be sharing tonight some of those stories from residents and business owners in the First District of Iowa, showing the American public exactly what has been going on and why this need is so great and why it needs to be met. There is no better time to have this discussion than in the wake of what has been going on down in the Gulf Coast, in the aftermaths of Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike, where the needs are also great. I hope that my colleagues in the House and that people around the country who appreciate the needs of responding to emergency disasters like this will start to gain a deeper appreciation of why this funding is so necessary and why it's so urgent and will wake up Congress and the American people to the fact that more aid is needed to meet the needs of people in distress. Iowa's needs are vast: from helping displaced residents find quality temporary and permanent housing, to repairing critical infrastructure-- we'll see some examples of that--to things like roads, bridges and railroads, to helping small businesses, farmers and local economies get back on track, to rebuilding clinics, libraries and schools like the Aplington-Parkersburg High School and the Waverly-Shell Rock schools, to fixing wastewater treatment facilities in towns like Elkader, Evansdale, Anamosa, and Clermont, to helping towns like Buffalo, Davenport and Waterloo make sewer improvements and prepare for future flooding events. Along with the other members of the Iowa delegation, I pledge to continue fighting to help Iowa recover until every home is rebuilt, until every school is reopened and until every small business has its shelves stocked. To give you some idea of what type of double disaster we've been dealing with in the State of Iowa, I want to start by showing this wall cloud that contains an EF-5 tornado, the most powerful tornado that's classified under the system. This tornado started on the west edge of Parkersburg, Iowa on May 25, the day before Memorial Day, a day that I will never forget because it happened to be the day of my son's high school graduation-open house. When that day started, our biggest concern was what we were going to do if it rained that day. As everybody was leaving our home and as they were heading back to their own homes and as we were getting everything picked up and put away, the news on television caught my attention as that day this disaster started to unfold in the fields of Butler County in the northwest corner of the First District of Iowa. As this tornado gained momentum and started to enter the town of Parkersburg, it cut a path of devastation from Parkersburg to New Hartford to the town of Dunkerton and on to Hazleton before it went off and split into two separate tornadoes. The devastation in the wake of this tornado was almost impossible to comprehend if you didn't see it with your own eyes. This overhead shot shows the south half of Parkersburg that was literally obliterated and wiped off the face of the Earth. You can see the high school track and the high school next to it, which was completely destroyed. The people in Parkersburg are very proud of the fact that, along with their sister community of Aplington, their high school football team at Aplington-Parkersburg has four players who are starters in the National Football League from a town of less than 2,000 people. They're very proud of their community, and that pride was evident this year when they held their very first football game on this field with no high school while the students had been temporarily relocated to Aplington, to the middle school. This game and the significance of that game to this community was so great that the game with West Marshall and Aplington-Parkersburg was covered by ESPN, CBS, ABC, and it was the subject of intense national sports coverage. You can see that the entire business corridor along the highway south of Parkersburg was wiped out. One of my neighbors, Dan Summerhayes, was on his way through Parkersburg on that highway while on his way to another graduation-open house in the town of Ackley, which is west of Parkersburg. As he saw this tornado approaching, he turned his pickup around and drove back to Parkersburg, to the Pizza Ranch which is out on the southwest corner of Parkersburg. He parked his truck, and ran into the Pizza Ranch as other people were starting to seek shelter in the men's bathroom. As he pulled the door shut, he saw his pickup fly by outside in the tornado, and 13 people huddled inside that bathroom as another vehicle landed on the roof of the Pizza Ranch, and the whole structure collapsed on top of them. Miraculously, all 13 crawled through the rubble, and their lives were saved, but other residents in Parkersburg were not that fortunate. Six people died in this tornado, and two more died near New Hartford. There were many other stories of heroic acts that took place and of people whose lives were saved. At one of the homes of the people we visited the day after the tornado, the person was standing right on top of the foundation of what was left of his home. The owner of this house turned to me and to the Governor and to Senator Grassley and to Senator Harkin and said, ``I don't want to ever hear anybody complain about those warnings on TV, because they saved my life.'' There was a bank that was completely obliterated along this same highway, and all that was left after the tornado was the vault where the bank had its valuables stored, and everything else was destroyed. This shows you the extent of the devastation of so many of the homes near Parkersburg. The power of this tornado was so severe and the carriage of objects went so far that objects that were originally from homes in and around Parkersburg showed up in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, which is over 100 miles to the east of where Parkersburg is located. Many people came from all over the State and from all over the country to help out the citizens of Parkersburg. I took my chain saw up to help cut down some of the trees that had been destroyed in and around the homes. This photograph shows you the extent of the devastation all throughout the community. This was a couple who had lost everything that they owned. As we picked up the debris in their basement, I kept holding up items and saying, ``Do you want to save this?'' They would look at me and say, ``This isn't ours.'' That was going on all over the city of Parkersburg. In addition, the town of Lamont escaped the damage from the tornado, but it had 8 inches of rain in a short period of time on the front edge of these storms. You can see the terrible damage that occurred to bridges and to roads and to streets and to other public improvements in the town of Lamont, which also got 4 inches of rain that same week for a total of 12 inches, which had an enormous impact on the homes and businesses in the town of Lamont. And if things weren't bad enough from the tornado, less than 10 days later Iowa had the historic flooding that was greater than any other in modern history. In between the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers, which frame the east and west coasts of Iowa, are nine inland rivers, all of which were out of their banks at record levels during this peak flooding. The town of New Hartford, which was hit by the tornado, was completely submerged in the wake of this flooding event. This photograph shows you some of the businesses downtown. One of the tragedies of a disaster like this is the businesses that make a community a community, like the hardware store, the convenience store, have left the City of New Hartford and aren't planning to return, and those losses have an enormous impact on the quality of life in those communities and are one of the principal reasons why it is so important to get Federal disaster money released into these communities as soon as possible, to give them a chance to retain businesses and rebuild before they lose their population base and lose their tax base. One of the most beautiful communities in my district is Elkader, along the Turkey River in Clayton County, and this photograph illustrates the enormous damage from the flood that occurred in June in Elkader. One of the things you can see is the downtown area, the beautiful Catholic Church, the grain elevator. Elkader was devastated because the only grocery store that serves this town was completely wiped out in the flooding. One of the banks down here in the business community had water up over the top of the counters. And when you have your critical businesses lost in a community like this, there is no place else for residents to go to meet their basic needs. In addition, there was major damage to athletic facilities and high school facilities that provide all of the quality-of-life services to that community that will take years to recover. The town of Waverly, which is north of Waterloo, where I live, also had record flooding along the Cedar River. You can see the devastation to the downtown, to the businesses that are still struggling to come back. Many residents were displaced from their homes. One of the grade schools still isn't open yet because of the widespread flooding damage. And this is just one example of many, many communities in the First District of Iowa that had similar flooding events of historic proportion. This photograph in downtown Waverly is a good example of the impact on infrastructure that these flooding events had had. Here you see a collapsed asphalt road surface. The sidewalk is completely collapsed. There are damages to the businesses that will take many, many months, if not years, to restore. Downstream on the Cedar River is the City of Cedar Falls, which is home to the University of Northern Iowa. This is a utility plant, Cedar Falls Utility, that provides most of the power to the City of Cedar Falls and has sustained millions of dollars of damages to its power plant, which serves the basic needs of the community and will take months and months to bounce back. We were talking about infrastructure needs. This is a railroad bridge in downtown Waterloo. I spent one night back in Waterloo sandbagging in the downtown area to shore up levees that had been built in the mid- sixties during another record flood event. Waterloo is fortunate in that much of the downtown was protected from massive flooding because the levees held, but because of the immense pressure on the storm sewer system, there was back flooding in the downtown area that caused major devastation to businesses downtown, including the Dan Gable International Wrestling Museum in downtown Waterloo, the Happy Chef next to Young Arena where the hockey teams play, and many, many other downtown businesses. These type of infrastructure needs are critical to the local economy. One of the major employers in my district is Deere and Company, which has a number of factories in Waterloo and Cedar Falls and an industrial equipment factory in Dubuque and another operation in Davenport and its world headquarters in Moline on the opposite side of the Mississippi River from downtown Davenport. Many of the products manufactured at the Waterloo tractor facility are shipped out across this rail line, so there are enormous added shipping expenses, not just to John Deere, but to many, many other businesses and farmers who utilize this railroad to ship their commerce across this country and around the world. That is why the needs are so great. I want to share now some of the testimonials from citizens and constituents of mine who are going to put a human face on the extent of the devastation that I am talking about and hopefully give greater importance to the cause of coming to the floor next week and bringing a disaster bill that will address these acute needs. This is from Lorrie Martin in New Hartford, Iowa, which had the double whammy of both the largest tornado to hit the country this year and record flooding. ``We are the face of disaster. On May 25th, our home in new Hartford, Iowa, was damaged by an EF-5 tornado. I was in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester with my son, Zak, who is 21 and had just been diagnosed with cancer. We returned home on June 7th, and on the morning of June 8th the flood destroyed our home and all of our possessions. We walked out with a purse and cell phone for me and a hat and book for Zak. ``For three months we have been staying in a gutted-out two room house in Dike, Iowa, sleeping on mattresses on the floor, with no kitchen or bath facilities. 4,200 hundred families raced to grab a few cheap rentals, while over 300 FEMA officials lived high on the hog in all available hotel rooms. There are two families living in an abandoned hardware store in Dike. ``We thought our government would be our salvation, but in fact it has almost been the death of us. I have now been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease with precursors for cancer from stress. ``FEMA has been a roadblock, making empty promises, placing us in harm's way and causing us to lose hope. They lost my paperwork twice and I had to fax my documents to them repeatedly. I called over and over again, and they finally admitted their scanning system was 2 weeks backlogged. ``This is outrageous, and the system needs to be overhauled. We are suffering crushing depression, extreme anxiety and we can't sleep. If anyone tells you they don't contemplate suicide after a disaster like this, they are lying. ``We have lost our dignity and have begged at charities, churches and the Red Cross. The Red Cross spent tens of thousands of dollars flying in representatives from other States. This money should have come to disaster victims directly. Everyone we talked to has gotten amounts from $80 to $800, with no logic to the amount. ``There needs to be a central location for all the aid that stays in place until the last person is helped. Truckloads of supplies have come in earmarked for New Hartford, but were rerouted. Federal, State, county and city government officials should sleep in the trenches with us until resolution. They can use their Blackberries and laptops to correspond with their offices and families. ``I am but one person, living a life no longer worth living. I am bitter toward my elected officials. I hope they enjoyed their vacation while we fought to survive. I do not have faith that there will be change, but I have hope that you will listen.'' This is from the Mayor of Green, Iowa, another community that lost its grocery store, its post office, and many of its key downtown businesses in record flooding. ``The June 2008 flooding has had a huge impact on our small community. Luckily, we are in Butler County, the same county that had the devastating tornado that hit Parkersburg only 2 weeks earlier. This meant we could get immediate help from FEMA, as a disaster declaration was already in place. ``That being said, one of our biggest problems that we will have is a huge impact in our community that FEMA will deduct from our claims anything that should have carried flood insurance. We did not realize that we were required to carry flood insurance on our properties. We have never filed a FEMA claim on any buildings before. We have employees that have worked here for 30 years, and no one was aware of this requirement. Needless to say, this will greatly decrease any claims we have, making it almost impossible for some of the repairs that are necessary. ``We had equipment at a waste water lift station that was destroyed. If the equipment had been outside, it would have been uninsurable, making it eligible for a FEMA claim. But since we chose to put the equipment in a building, thinking we were making a reasonable choice, it was considered uninsurable and we are losing thousands of dollars on this claim just because we tried to take care of this equipment in the first place. We have never had a flood of this magnitude, and many situations are different than ever before. ``Another big concern of ours is the availability of help for our local small business owners. Some of our business owners lost their homes and their businesses. We are a small community that is very independent, yet very dependent on our local businesses. We are still without our one and only grocery store, our Post Office, which fortunately just reopened this week, and a convenience store. The added expense to residents to get their mail and groceries out of town is a hardship to many senior citizens and families. ``Some of our businesses just moved back into their original locations, but just as many are still operating out of other locations. How are these people supposed to recoup from such devastation without some sort of help from somewhere? If these were corporations, there would be funds available, tax breaks or some sort of assistance. More than likely, farmers would receive some sort of disaster payments. But our small businesses are ineligible for anything other than a loan. Most of these businesses are, for the most part, surviving day-to-day the way it is, without the added burdens of flood expenses and no relief of any kind from anywhere. ``On a personal note, being one of the first communities that experienced flooding in our State, we really felt like we were ignored by some of our local officials. We hadn't been through anything quite so serious, and we appreciate the help that we received.'' This is a letter from Tom Poe, who is the president of Crystal Distribution Services in Waterloo, Iowa, which had facilities in the old Rath Packing Company located right along the banks of the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo near the railroad bridge that collapsed that I showed you earlier. ``During the week of June 9th, 2008, I, along with all 55 of my employees, watched anxiously as the Cedar River level rose due to the extremely harsh winter, coupled with massive rains in the spring. Crystal Distribution is located adjacent to the Cedar River on the former Rath Packing plant site. ``When Rath closed, we made a substantial investment in renovating the former meat plant's buildings into our refrigerated warehouse operation in this Brownfield area of Waterloo. As the week began, it appeared that the flood levee would hold and we would be spared a colossal flooding disaster. Unfortunately, during the morning of June 11th and the morning of June 12th we received a major storm that dropped an additional 3 inches of rain onto an already swollen system and water table. ``At this time, water began to back up into our lower level of our refrigerated warehouse. As we did everything possible to minimize the effects of the backup, we couldn't keep up with the intake of water, and before long were unable to mitigate further damage to the 100,000 square feet of refrigerated warehouse space. The entire lower level was full of retail ham, bacon and other boxed meat products. As the water level rose to over 4 feet, it was obvious that the vast majority, if not all of the product, would be unsalvageable. ``We immediately contacted our USDA compliance agents and they were soon on the site. At that point, each affected customer, there were 10 in all, were contacted, and they all inspected their product and determined that, for food safety reasons, the meat needed to be taken to the landfill. The total loss amounted to over 3.5 million pounds of product. We immediately began the process of disposal and cleanup. Crystal paid up front for the landfill, trucking and building renovations to facilitate the disposal, along with many other costs, which were over $250,000 in direct expense to us. ``Crystal immediately applied with FEMA and received an SBA loan application number. I worked with my accountant, attorney and banker to complete the rather lengthy application. After several weeks, I was told that the SBA may be able to offer a $279,000 3-year loan at 8 percent. We were hoping for something more favorable that would be able to help us replace the lost space, not to mention the loss of revenue to date since this event and the lost product value for our customers, some of which held no insurance coverage. ``We are still in limbo between our customers, insurance company and local, State and Federal agencies, with no real input as to how this will all turn out. ``Our first choice would be to rebuild and grow on this site, but we do not dare to do anything until we have direction as to what will happen to the existing storm sewer, river gates and city pumps in this area. I, along with most Iowans, are not accustomed to having to ask for help, and we certainly don't like to be in a position of having to do so. ``However, due to this enormous, natural disaster, my livelihood and the livelihood of all my employees depends on our ability to bounce back quickly and to be able to put this event behind us. ``My frustration lies with the fact that after 3 months we have not heard anything positive that we can move towards in rebuilding our business and to reestablish our customers' confidence to safely restore their goods in this area of Waterloo. ``I realize there are many horror stories of people's houses being lost along with all of their belongings. Our situation at Crystal Distribution in Waterloo, Iowa is one of many. Unfortunately, I have yet to see or hear of much, if any, real help to those who have been devastated. It appears that the business community has fallen between the cracks of red tape and inaction. Hopefully I have given you a decent, general description of what happened to us back in Iowa. I can only pray that some form of help will become available to assist us in our recovery from this overwhelming disaster.'' Next I am going to read from Marvin and Darlene Young in Littleton, Iowa. ``I would like to say that I, like many others, went through a devastating flood in the summer of 2004. My wife and I would like to just ask our U.S. Government to please take another look at trying to give us the help that we so desperately need. Not just us from 2004, but also help in allocating more funds for the buyout program and more funds for disaster relief to help recent victims. ``It has been 4 long years of hell, and these people were devastated by flooding 4 years ago. ``We were forced from our home via condemnation, and we were promised help would be coming. Yet we still have to pay property taxes and lot rent and had to incur debt by purchasing a new home. We have to keep telling people that we owe to please be patient and wait a little longer to be paid. We just feel that we have fell through the cracks, and no one cares, because the people who are in charge in Iowa and Buchanan counties can move on because it didn't happen to them. ``We have been to every government agency that we were told about that could help us, and all we keep getting is there are no funds available to help. ``What we cannot understand is how our government can be so apt to help out other countries around the world with money that they tell us our government does not have. We would like our Congress to please tell us where they keep getting this money to help them, but not us American people. ``Our son can sign up to defend this country, and recently was and currently is deployed, to put his life on the line for a government that can't help his parents in a time of such devastation. We have nowhere left to go to ask for help. The disaster of 2004 has put us so far into debt, we don't know what to do. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if we weren't told to leave our home and told to leave our belongings because it wasn't safe. ``However, the government agency, FEMA, which is running the operation, informed us not to worry because they were there to help. How were we to have faith in the systems that are set up to help the American people, when here we are, 4 years later, and in a bigger mess than we were due to the government agency running the operation. I hope you can put our concerns into serious consideration. I am sure that we are not the only ones out there.'' The next letter is from Brenda Leonard, who is the emergency management coordinator in Jones County. When I was in Jones County during the peak of the flooding, I visited the communities of Stone City, Anamosa, the county seat, Monticello, Olin and Oxford Junction, all of which experienced record and overwhelming flooding. ``My name is Brenda Leonard, and I am the Jones County Emergency Management Coordinator in eastern Iowa. During the flooding in June, the cities of Anamosa, Monticello, Olin and Oxford Junction saw record levels of flooding on our two rivers, which cover over 90 miles. In fact, the Maquoketa River has risen out of its banks almost a dozen times this spring and summer. ``Our monitoring system for the river and creek levels involves one automated gauge and residents along the Wapsipinicon River. The Maquoketa River does not have a gauge in our county, so we have to rely on residents of the county to keep us updated as to the changing levels and rainfall amounts. We also rely on a network of volunteers and other counties upriver from us. Even with this information from the volunteers, there was no way we could have foreseen the amount of water we were inundated with. ``These record levels have caused great damages to three city wastewater plants, over 350 homes, 20 businesses, and ranked our secondary roads department as second in the State for damages. This is tremendous devastation in a county with a population of 20,221. I would also like to say that our residents have portrayed the great Midwest spirit by helping their neighbors for preparing for, fighting, and recovering from this monumental of event.'' To show you the kind of county Jones County is, approximately 15 percent of the residents of Jones County are veterans of our armed services who serve their country with great pride. The next letter is from Sarah Powell, a resident of New Hartford, Iowa, who had the double whammy of both the most powerful tornado in the United States this year, and a record flood in the span of 10 days, Sarah Powell. ``My biggest frustration with FEMA is that New Hartford was the first town to get hit by the flood and are now the last people to get taken care of. FEMA told me in the beginning, right after the disaster, that I would be put on an emergency housing list and asked if I was willing to travel. I told them `no,' that we needed to be placed in Butler, Grundy or Black Hawk counties. ``FEMA told us we would be put on a waiting list. They have called numerous times and have told us that we were still on the list, but had no trailer for us at this time. They called and asked if we wanted to move to Cedar Rapids, Marion or Linn County.'' Just parenthetically, Cedar Rapids has 400 square blocks of devastation from epic levels of flooding in that community, the second largest city in Iowa. ``I told them `no,' we weren't able to travel that far. Why are there trailers and places to live in Cedar Rapids, but not available places here for the people that were affected by flooding first? It is now September, and I still do not have a place to live. I know that New Hartford is a small town and does not have as big of a population, but we were still affected by the disaster, and we are people in need of help and assistance. I am also frustrated that FEMA has denied us for most of help that I applied for because I had flood insurance. I have always been under the impression that FEMA is there to help people with their personal property because flood insurance does not cover personal property. ``FEMA has told me that I have been denied for assistance because of insurance. I lost my house and everything that I owned. FEMA would only allow me $5,000 for all of my personal property. My insurance company assessed our damage to be almost $40,000, and FEMA assessed damages to be only $18,000. ``How can there be that large of a difference between the two assessments? The people that had no flood insurance have been helped out more than the people that do have flood insurance. If FEMA is not going to be fair and willing to help those affected by the disasters, what are they for? This letter is from Jackie Heins, who is a resident of Waverly and runs the Kinetic Energy School of Movement & Music, a small business, located in Waverly. Jackie's business, Kinetic Energy School of Movement & Music, was hit hard by the recent flooding in Waverly. Her location is right off Bremer Avenue, less than a block from the river. When the flooding hit, Jackie's storefront was inundated. Jackie sustained not only severe damage to her dance floor, but the heating, cooling system and her electricity were both taken out for almost a month. Since the flood, Jackie has been working hard to get her business back and running. The dance floor had to be replaced, and some of her summer classes had to be cancelled. On September 2, classes were restarted. However the back of her store is still torn up and, as she put it, we still have a ways to go yet. When asked what would have been more helpful to her, as a small business owner hit by this disaster, she replied that she would have liked to have been given much more clear information about what exactly her options were right after the flood hit. ``Everyone tells you call FEMA, but unless you have a very specific question in mind, or already know exactly what you are planning to do next, FEMA only gives you general guidance.'' The next letter is from Lorista Ambrose of Cedar Falls, Iowa. ``We lost two homes to the flood-nado (this is what we call it) in New Hartford, Iowa. First, the tornado, then the flood after we moved into town and rented a house. So we had two disasters. Not one. ``What we encountered with the FEMA process was inexcusable and way too complicated. I am going to walk you through our process, register for FEMA and get a number. I understand that. Let them know if we got insurance money and how much. ``Then they sent me to register for SBA. I don't know why we would want a loan to pay ourselves back with interest. This was our tax money we paid in for things like this to help. But we did it. ``Can't get help from FEMA unless you were turned down for a loan (can't understand why that should matter.) ``Wait for inspections of tornado house by both agencies. SBA inspection was done right away. Eligible for a loan. ``Turned down for FEMA before inspection. We have been told the denial is always sent out. Appeal. ``FEMA inspector never came until after we went back into the FEMA office many times, still being told by FEMA we were eligible for help. They knew we had insurance money and how much. ``June 8--we were flooded out of the house we rented. We moved to a hotel.'' This was after their house was destroyed in the tornado. ``Told by FEMA to register again for more damages because now we were in two disasters. ``Call FEMA to register again. The file is a complete mess now because FEMA process does not allow for two different addresses under one number, but we were made to do it that way anyway. Now every time we call, no one understands what we are talking about.'' Because they were moved out by the tornado and then by the flood. ``FEMA wants to inspect the tornado house now, even though they haven't already told us why we are not eligible. Why? ``Still no money. ``Not eligible. We have been in two disasters, lost everything twice, and can't get help. Now a month has gone by. ``Rented house gets inspected and our address gets changed in our file. ``Got a check for $13,000. We don't know what it is for, no address on the letter for what it's about. We were told we were not eligible. Go to a FEMA office, ask for help, and they don't know what this is for either. Sent e-mail for a confirmation of what this was for. No answer. ``Call a FEMA office, and a supervisor was able to tell us they made a mistake and to send the check back. It was for the rented house. We did. ``We give free help to other countries with no strings. Why aren't we doing this for our own people? Why can't we get a grant for the difference between what our insurance pays and the cost to rebuild the same house? Why a loan? We give grants for the mating habits of a bullfrog, but not for a disaster. Insurance does not cover the full cost on a 40 year-old house. Building costs went up so much in a year because of gas, and we could not have foreseen this. Now more disasters will make it go up even more as supplies are needed to rebuild. ``From the American standpoint, FEMA is worthless. What in this process with FEMA is urgent or addresses an emergency? It took us 2 months, countless letters and many hours at a FEMA office for no results. This needs to change.'' This letter is from Tony Mendez in Buffalo, Iowa, which is south of the City of Davenport, the southernmost town in the First District of Iowa. ``My name is Tony Mendez. I am the proud owner of a local small business in Buffalo, Iowa, that has been a core institution of our town for decades. Clark's Landing Restaurant is our name, and providing a local gathering place for our community is our privilege. ``Clark's Landing rests on a location of historical significance. In 1833, Captain Benjamin W. Clark, our restaurant's namesake, chose our site to erect a claim cabin to establish what is now known as Buffalo, Iowa. I have had the privilege of ownership since June 30, 1993. ``Since that time, we have battled the rising waters of the mighty Mississippi four times. With the extraordinary efforts of our community, we have survived these trials time and time again. I am often asked, after the water has receded, the cleanup and repairs have been made, and we welcome back our families and friends to our humble establishment: `Don't you ever get tired of it and just want to give up?' ``My answer is always an emphatic `no . . . ' I consider it a position of honor to be a guardian of what makes this country great. I will continue to protect one of our town's treasures and hope to pass on this time-honored position to my daughter, Mercedes, when she is ready.'' This letter is from business owners Darin Beck, Aaron Schurman and Dale Folkers with Phantom EFX corporation in Cedar Falls Iowa. ``We are writing this letter regarding the catastrophic flooding that occurred in Iowa this year. Before discussing the economic impact upon the community as a whole, and our firm in particular, allow me introduce us. ``Genesis Communications, Inc., which does business as Phantom EFX, is an advanced technology company that develops, manufactures and markets video games in the family entertainment category. ``We are located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, employing 40 people. We have been in business for over years. During those 10 years we have seen and weathered many changes in the national, State and local economies, as well as our particular industry. No single event has been as devastating as the flood of 2008. As the floodwaters rose, families and businesses scrambled to save what they could and get out of harm's way. In the city of Cedar Falls, volunteers flocked to sandbag around the clock. These efforts saved our vibrant downtown business district, but many families and businesses were not so fortunate. In the part of town we were located in, the waters was unrestrained, resulting in massive losses of homes and business. The loss to Phantom was over $1 million in inventory, furniture and fixtures. The real estate we occupied, valued at over $1.7 million was a total loss. The true loss due to business interruption is incalculable. The Federal Government's response has been too little, too late, and nearly nonexistent. It is time for our government to step in to help, protect and defend its citizens. Last Monday, as I mentioned earlier, I was pleased to have Speaker Pelosi visit Iowa to see firsthand the devastation caused by the floods and tornadoes. She visited Parkersburg, New Hartford, Sinclair, which had its grain elevator destroyed, Cedar Falls, and Waterloo in the 1st Congressional District. And you saw earlier the images of devastation in those communities. Speaker Pelosi stressed her commitment to passing additional disaster relief, and I will keep working to ensure this funding is passed. Speaker Pelosi also joined my calls for the President to decrease the Federal/State cost-share agreement for Iowa's disaster recovery efforts. And I am happy to report that after our collective urging last week, FEMA changed the Federal/State cost-sharing agreement to 90 percent Federal, 10 percent State funding. Last week, I also joined the entire Iowa congressional delegation to urge President Bush to file a formal disaster request for funding for Iowa. I am continuing to push the administration and the FEMA bureaucracy to quickly release all of the funding that we have already secured for the State of Iowa, and I am hopeful that FEMA will release the first $85 million in the next week, and I want to continue to push HUD to release the other $200 million as soon as possible. Hundreds of millions of dollar that Congress already passed for Iowa is being held up by the administration instead of being used to help rebuild Iowa. I am going to continue fighting to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and ensure that Iowa quickly receives the funding that Congress has already passed. Iowa needs more Federal help now, and I am going to continue working with Speaker Pelosi and the entire Iowa delegation to provide more disaster relief for Iowa. In addition to the $2.65 billion flood relief package that has already been passed, we need to pass a second emergency flood relief bill. We have been working on that and need to get it out on the floor next week. I have also worked with my colleague, Congressman Dave Loebsack from Iowa's 1st Congressional District, to help Iowa railroads repair and rebuild bridges that were destroyed, and that bill is called the Back on Track Act. You saw the photograph of the railroad bridge that collapsed in downtown Waterloo. And as I mentioned earlier, the economic impact of those collapsed bridges is enormous. We also need to continue pushing for FEMA to take a greater share of disaster relief with the delegation pushing the President to have the Federal Government assume 100 percent of the cost of the disaster relief to lessen the burden on Iowans. In the wake of the flooding disaster, I traveled to dozens of towns and inspected the flooding to check on the folks that I represent and see if they had their immediate needs met. In that time I visited the communities of Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Evansdale, Gilbertville, La Porte City, New Hartford, Waverly, Greene, Shell Rock, Clarksville, Independence, Elkador, Anamosa, Olin, Oxford Junction, Stone City, Clermont, Davenport, Buffalo and more. In addition, we met with the director of FEMA, the governor, both senators, the acting administrator of the Small Business Administration to address these needs, but acting in Congress will not get funds to the people who need it in Iowa unless administration officials do their jobs and start freeing up money that needs to get in the hands of the people who need it. To give you some idea of what I am talking about, in FEMA alone as part of that $2.65 billion package we passed in June, $897 million in FEMA disaster relief funding was allocated. On July 1, 2008, FEMA's disaster relief fund had a total of almost $4 billion in undistributed funds. That's the most recent disaster relief report available from FEMA. As of right now, FEMA has only given away a little over $500 million to Iowa and has in its possession billions of dollars of undistributed disaster relief funds which need to get to the people in need, in addition to the new people in crisis in the gulf coast. Now let's talk about the Community Development Block Grant. Of that $2.65 billion package in June, $300 million was allocated for CDBG funding, and the importance of that is it gets it into the hands of local officials who can target and set up criteria to make the most direct impact in their communities. None of that $300 million in CDBG funding that we passed more than 2 months ago is currently in the hands of Iowans in crisis. Then let's talk about the Economic Development Administration also known as the EDA. Of that $2.65 billion package, nearly $100 million was allocated for EDA funding, and none of that $100 million in funding passed 2 months ago is currently in the hands of Iowans in need. In addition there may be additional delays with the distribution of other funds in that $2.6 billion package, including $606 million for the Army Corps of Engineers, $267 million for the Small Business Administration disaster loans, and $480 million for agricultural assistance. And until the crop harvest is completed and we know the true extent of the impact on agriculture in Iowa and other midwestern States, the extent of those damages is unknown. But we do know this: the disaster season in the United States continues. And as we continue as a Federal Government to respond to the needs of U.S. citizens in crisis, it is incumbent upon every Member of Congress, no matter where they live, to recognize the fact that we are at our best when we respond to these needs with the heartfelt response that Americans expect in their time of crisis. That's why I call upon the Speaker, Minority Leader Boehner and every Member of this body to come together next week in the spirit of harmony and the spirit of goodwill to do what is necessary to address the needs of Iowans who have felt the brunt of this disaster in ways they have never felt before, the needs of other people in the midwest, the southeast, the southwest and the gulf coast, to respond to them and make sure that their needs are being addressed so they finally have faith that their Federal Government is there for them when they need it.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act. This legislation is vitally important to better prepare our students for the environmental, energy and natural resource challenges facing our country, and also for the career opportunities these challenges open up. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to represent Iowa's First Congressional District. Our district is noted for its rolling farmlands of corn, soybeans and other crops, our border on the Mississippi River, the largest river in North America, and for the businesses that have come to the Quad Cities, Dubuque, and the Cedar Valley. Our citizens have a deep appreciation and respect for our natural resources and recognize the important opportunities that are opening up in the fields of bio- energy and other agriculture-based, renewable energy resources. That's why I introduced the National Endowment for Workforce Education in Renewables and Agriculture Act to help our community colleges support the education and training of technicians in these areas. I was happy to see this bill included in the 2008 Farm Bill which was signed into Public Law. I also recently toured the University of Dubuque's Environmental Science Education center, a great example of college level environmental education. This center provides college students with State, regional, and national benefit through educating undergraduate- and graduate-level students in the environmental sciences, and helping to create the next generation of science professionals. The Environmental Science Center allows the University to expand on its proven record of educating national scientific leaders. The Center specializes in hands-on, applied learning for current science teachers, environmental agency personnel, undergraduate environmental science majors, and education majors to teach the next generation of American scientists. I'm proud to represent a University that has taken a leading role in educating the next generation of scientists and environmentalists, and I'm pleased to support this bill because schools like the University of Dubuque will benefit from the competitive grant program authorized in this legislation. These grants would be awarded to higher education institutions and would be used directly for the study of environmental education. The University of Dubuque could use this grant program to better improve their already succeeding Environmental Education Center. In addition to higher education, we also need to ensure that our next-generation of leaders have a basic understanding of the environment and our natural resources, before they graduate from high school. These are the students currently in our elementary and secondary schools and the students who will be coming to our community colleges and universities in the coming years. This legislation will also provide learning opportunities for these students. This bill authorizes much-needed resources to educate students at the K-12 levels about the environment, energy and natural resources and to help teachers, schools and school districts provide the best experiences and instruction for their students. It would begin to implement the recommendations of several reports by the National Science Foundation, the National Environmental Education Advisory Council, and the National Council for Science and the Environment to enhance environmental education in our schools. And it would help improve student achievement and enthusiasm for learning as several studies have demonstrated. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this legislation that will improve environmental education for both K-12 students, and students in our Nation's colleges and universities. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, the crisis on Wall Street impacts Americans across the country. In the coming days, House Democrats will continue our efforts to revive the economy and end the free for all on Wall Street and restore confidence on Main Street. Democrats have restored the kind of oversight that was missing under President Bush and the Republican Congress. The GOP decision to turn a blind eye to financial markets helped pave the way for the financial crisis that has brought down home values across the country and has significantly weakened our economy. Democrats have and will continue to do things differently. This month, Democrats will work to enact a second economic recovery package that will help Americans who have lost their jobs or who are barely making ends meet, and they will create good-paying jobs. That's what we need in our flood-ravaged communities in Iowa. Mr. Speaker, these Bush-McCain economic policies have put America in an economic hole. This month, Republicans will again have a clear choice. Stand with the Bush-McCain plan for more of the same or take action to aid families who are struggling.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to remember that, in a time of widespread national disasters, it is important to remember those disasters that have already occurred this year and not forget the impact that they have had on people back in the great State of Iowa, which I am proud to represent in this body. For most of us, May 25th was the day before Memorial Day. It was the day of my son's high school open house from his graduation, and our biggest concern that day was how much rain we were going to get. But shortly after all of our guests left, I started following a news story that would have profound implications for me and the people I represent back in Iowa's First District. This wall cloud that is visible on the easel to my right was a wall cloud that brought a devastating EF-5 tornado to the citizens of Parkersburg, New Hartford, Dunkerton and Hazleton, killing eight people, causing widespread destruction in those communities and serious flooding in other parts of my district. And that was what transformed the summer of 2008 for many Iowans. This wall cloud contained this powerful tornado and went right by one of my constituents' farms, that was Senator Charles Grassley, who lives near New Hartford, Iowa. The effects of this powerful tornado can be seen in this photograph, this overhead shot of Parkersburg, Iowa, where nearly one-third of homes and businesses in the south side of Parkersburg were destroyed. You can see here where the high school was destroyed. The folks in Parkersburg are very proud of the fact that four of the graduates of their high school, Aplington-Parkersburg, currently are starters in the National Football League, an extraordinary accomplishment for a town of less than 2,000 people. The widespread devastation as this EF-5 tornado went through Parkersburg will be felt for many years to come and illustrate the need for Federal emergency disaster assistance in times when people are at their most vulnerable. To give you a better view of how individuals were impacted, this photograph shows the widespread destruction that leveled, literally, every home, office, business and building in the swath of the tornado pass through. You can see that the trees are completely denuded of any vegetation. Here you see people that are working hard to clean up an area where one of the homes was destroyed near where two people were killed. I was very proud that when this disaster struck, my staff did a fantastic job of responding to the needs of every community wherever we could. This photograph shows me with my chain saw in front of one of the homes that was completely destroyed shortly after the tornado struck. This is the basement of the home that I was working on and a family whose entire home contents were completely destroyed by the tornado. I kept holding up things that I found in their basement and asking them if they wanted to save it, and they said, well, that's not ours. This is common. There were things that were found, that were taken out of Parkersburg during this tornado, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, over 100 miles away. On the front edge of the tornado, the town of Lamont had 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period that flooded the community and caused widespread destruction to their infrastructure, including this bridge, all within the week of Memorial Day. Then, as if that weren't enough, the week after Memorial Day, the town of New Hartford, which had been hit by this EF-5 tornado, was completely overwhelmed by flooding from Beaver Creek. The tragedy of these storms is that, as you can see in the background of downtown New Hartford, the hardware store has left town. The only convenience store, the Kwik Star, has left town and is no longer in business. The places where people went to get their basic necessities are being driven out by the implications of these storms. The town of Elkader, Iowa, up in Clayton County, which is one of the most scenic parts of my district, had a flood predicted at 20 feet for a 12-foot flood stage. The river crested at 31 feet and overwhelmed the community, destroyed the grocery store, flooded businesses and caused widespread destruction to homes in Elkader. Waverly, Iowa, in Bremer County, also suffered widespread damage due to the flooding. The same types of destruction can be seen in their downtown streets, which has enormous implications for infrastructure. Cedar Falls' utilities, completely overwhelmed by the flooding, and a railroad bridge in downtown Waterloo, where I live, will need to be replaced and has an enormous impact on the commerce at John Deere's Waterloo works. The disaster response that this Congress made was immediate and swift, $2.65 billion, but much more is needed to address the needs in the First District and the Second District and other parts of Iowa. It's time for Congress to act and pass a supplemental disaster assistance bill for all of the midwestern flooding and tornado victims and also addresses serious problems from Hurricane Ike and Gustav in our gulf coast. The response initially to this disaster from our Federal disaster agencies was very encouraging, but there has been a backlog in getting the funds that Congress has appropriated through the Federal agencies to the people in need in Iowa. The time to break that backlog is now. We need to start freeing up the Community Development Block Grant money so that it can have an impact in these communities that I have been showing you here tonight. We need to free up other small business loans and other funding that should be getting to the people in need in Iowa, including the people of Cedar Rapids, who were devastated with the highest flood that they have ever seen and has 400 square blocks of downtown Cedar Rapids where homes and businesses were destroyed and need to be rebuilt. That's why the crisis is now. The time to act is now. We need to take advantage of the widespread attention on people in need in this country and address their concerns.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank and congratulate Colonel Craig Cotter and the dedicated working men and women at the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center located at the Rock Island Arsenal federal campus. Since 1862 the Rock Island Arsenal has been providing the supplies and equipment American soldiers need to protect this country. Today the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC)--under the command of the Army Materiel Command--continues that proud tradition of meeting the needs of our Armed Forces. JMTC's technological and manufacturing expertise has been essential to protecting our nation in the 21st Century. At no time was this fact more evident than when insurgents in Iraq began using improvised explosive devices to attack Humvees and other military vehicles. The Army needed an immediate solution and JMTC was the only manufacturing center ready and able to provide it. JMTC used their rapid-response design and manufacturing capacity to produce dozens of ``up-armor kits'' before final engineering was even complete. In a matter of days the first armor kits were designed, produced, and on their way to Iraq. To date, JMTC has produced thousands of armor kits and is poised to expand their armaments development into new titanium and lightweight composite materials. JMTC is truly a center of industrial and technological excellence. In 2006 and 2007 they earned the Shingo Prize Public Sector Gold Medallion for the Forward Repair System, making JMTC the Army's only two time winner of this prestigious award. JMTC has also met high work standards with the M119 Towed Howitzer, gunner protection armor kit, shop equipment contact maintenance vehicle, and small arms parts program. Madam Speaker, the women and men at JMTC are indispensable to our long-term national security. This facility is poised to develop the materials and technologies we will need to protect the United States for decades to come.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Scott and the chairman of the committee, as well as Ranking Member Smith and my friend from California, for their support for this important bill. I rise today because preventing torture of U.S. prisoners of war and citizens should be our highest priority as a Nation. This bill, H.R. 5167, is a bipartisan compromise that will finally, after 17 long years, provide justice for American POWs and civilian hostages who were tortured and terrorized by Saddam Hussein's regime. And to put a human face on this, Mr. Speaker, these are some of the faces of tortured POWs that this bill is designed to address. My friend Cliff Acree, a colonel in the United States Marine Corps, aviation, and Commander Jeffrey Zaun from the United States Navy were visible faces of the Gulf War invasion and what was happening to our troops in Iraq. This photograph shows what happens when we put our young men and women in harm's way and subject them to brutal regimes like what we found when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and the country of Iraq was labeled as a State sponsor of terrorism which is a necessary predicate to this claim in first place. Immediately after these captured POWs started showing up on television, this Congress, including the House of Representatives which was under Republican control at that time, passed multiple resolutions condemning the brutal treatment of our prisoners of war, demanding that Iraq abide by the Third Geneva Convention concerning POWs and stated Congress' intention to hold Iraq accountable for tortured POWs. Why is that important? Because the United States, along with Iraq, are part of the signatory nations to the Third Geneva Convention, and one of the most important articles for the purpose of this bill was article 131, which says no country--and this would include Iraq--shall be allowed to absolve itself or any other country of any liability related to the prohibited treatment of prisoners of war. It wasn't just our POWs, though. There were civilian hostages taken by the Saddam Hussein regime, including famous CBS news reporter Bob Simon and his cameraman Roberto Alvarez who were kidnapped while on assignment in the Gulf War and were being held and tortured along with the POWs. There were also numerous civilians who were captured by Saddam Hussein in Kuwait, including children, and were kept and held as human shields and subject to abusive treatment and torture along with our U.S. military forces. That is one of the reasons why this bill came about in the first place. When these tortured POWs came home--and just so that we can put this into context, these POWs were subjected to cruel physical and mental torture. They were beaten, they were starved, they were hooked to electronic devices and shocked, and subjected to other horrendous acts. Cliff Acree, the person whose picture is on this chart, had his nose broken on multiple occasions and his skull fractured in addition to being subjected to multiple other forms of abuse. When these POWs came home, their Secretary of Defense, who was at that time Dick Cheney, said your country is opening its arms to greet you. And this body, Congress, acted promptly to address these crimes that were committed in violation of international law by passing amendments to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and, in 1996, provided that Americans tortured and terrorized in Iraq could seek compensation for their injuries from those terrorist countries, including Iraq. Now, these Gulf War POWs have been through hell, and they waited a long time for their opportunity to get justice. So in 2003, after the Government of Iraq repeatedly refused to negotiate these claims with them and refused to accept service, a judge awarded these 17 POWs a judgment for damages and stated in his ruling that deterring the torture of POWs should be of the highest priority of this government. But shortly after that award was entered, this administration, which at that time was engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom, decided that, even though one group of human shield plaintiffs had been compensated by the Government of Iraq, that they were going to seize the assets that were held in U.S. banks that could have been used to satisfy the payment to these tortured American POWs and instead applied them to the reconstruction of Iraq. And Scott McClellan, who was a White House spokesman, on November 6 said, ``The United States condemns, in the strongest terms, the brutal torture to which these Americans were subjected. However, no amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering they went through at the hands of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime, so that's why we're going to extinguish their claims.'' There is a problem, and this problem was mentioned by my friend Mr. Scott, and also by Mr. Issa; that is, that this argument is hollow when you look at what our government has done to help Iraq resolve $20 billion of commercial debt that are outstanding to companies like Mitsubishi of Japan and Hyundai of Korea. And if you look at the fact that in this fiscal year the Government of Iraq will probably generate somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 billion in oil revenues, this small liability to these tortured American citizens clearly should be a higher priority than settling the commercial debts of Japanese and Korean corporations. That's why the Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act requires the Government of Iraq to resolve the claims of American victims who are willing to give up all of their punitive damage award that they've already been awarded by the court and two-thirds of their compensatory damages to try to get this matter resolved and allow Iraq to move forward as a nation that belongs to the international community. And the waiver is only eliminated if Iraq does not pay the victims within the time period allotted. And this time period has been part of the Defense Authorization bill since the President's veto last December and since we came back with a new Defense Authorization bill that passed in early January. In closing, Mr. Speaker, why does this matter? It matters because preventing the torture of current U.S. citizens and troops should be one of our highest priorities in this body.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Upholding our international treaty obligations not to absolve sponsors of terrorism and deterring other countries from engaging in the same type of state-sponsored terrorism that Iraq engaged in should be the message that this legislation sends. This is a bipartisan agreement. We want to work with the administration to see that these deserving heroes finally get the justice they deserve after 17 years.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, on rollcall 567; S. 2403, I was not present. If I had been there, I would have voted ``yea.'' On rollcall 568, S. 2837, I was not present. If I had been there, I would have voted ``yea.'' On rollcall 569, S. 2135, I was not present. If I had been there, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend Linda Nelson on her retirement as President of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA). Linda was elected President of the ISEA by nearly all of the 500 delegates at their annual meeting in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006. During her 4 year tenure as President Linda proved to be a strong and effective leader for the 34,000 members of the ISEA. Linda has been active in the ISEA throughout her teaching career. At the local association level, Linda took on many leadership roles including president, executive board member, Governmental Affairs Committee chair, and building representative. Linda's passion for teaching and politics lead her to become involved in ISEA's Political Action Committee were she served in several different positions. In 1992, Linda was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives where she spent four years fighting for teachers all across Iowa. Most importantly, Linda has dedicated her life to being an educator and has been a good friend and mentor to her fellow ISEA members, teaching colleagues and her students. I'm happy to report that this fall Linda will be returning to her teaching duties at Carter Lake Elementary School in Council Bluffs. Linda taught 4th grade at Carter Lake for 31 years before being elected ISEA President. I congratulate her on all of her success and wish her the best in all of her future endeavors.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, last Friday, July 25, marked the 13th anniversary of the 1995 fall of Zepa, a United Nations-declared ``safe haven'' in eastern Bosnia, to the Army of Republika Srpska. I rise to commemorate the fall of Zepa today on behalf of the thousands of Bosnian Americans who live in my District, the First District of Iowa. - Zepa was a village in eastern Bosnia declared a ``safe haven'' in a May 1993 U.N. Security Council Resolution. This declaration was supposed to guarantee the safety of its population, but the siege of Zepa began in the summer of 1992 and lasted until the fall of the enclave in July 1995. Throughout this period, the population suffered from continuous shelling and starvation, and many Zepa residents and refugees from surrounding areas perished during the siege. After the fall of Zepa, an unknown number of Bosniak males were taken away never to be seen again, including the commander of the defense of Zepa, Avdo Palic. Thousands of others were victims of ``ethnic cleansing.'' This 13th anniversary took place during the same week as the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, indicted on charges of genocide and other crimes by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. I believe that at this time it's very important to remember the tragedy that befell Zepa, and the lives that were lost there. It's also important that we support the efforts of the families of the missing to learn the fate of their loved ones, and the families of those missing and killed in their search for justice. It is only with truth, justice, reconciliation, and democratic governance that a stable and prosperous Bosnia can be built.