Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Johns Hopkins University located in the Seventh Congressional District in the great State of Maryland for its continued commitment to excellence and its monumental contributions to the advancement of our society and to the health and wellbeing of people throughout the world. Johns Hopkins is a stalwart not only in my hometown of Baltimore City but the entire State of Maryland and this Nation. The university currently supports more than 85,000 Maryland jobs. More than 3 percent of the people receiving paychecks in Maryland either work for Johns Hopkins or have a job because of the money. Additionally, the institution adds at least $7 billion a year of income to the Maryland economy. However, the University's groundbreaking research and contributions that can be felt throughout the entire world. The advancements that have been made in research and technology since the University's establishment in 1876 have been critical in keeping our Nation on the cutting edge. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is one of the best in the world, receiving more research grants from the National Institutes of Health than any other medical school. The Bloomberg School of Public Health, renowned for contributions worldwide to preventative medicine and the health of large populations, ranks first among public health schools in Federal research support. Madam Speaker, the medical breakthroughs made possible through Johns Hopkins research are saving lives every single day, and the University continues to make great strides in helping men, women, and children who suffer from illness. Just the other day in the Baltimore Sun, for instance, there was an article reporting new, unprecedented success by Johns Hopkins researchers in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. MS is a chronic and often disabling, degenerative condition in which the body's immune system attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms of this disease range from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or blindness, and the programs and severity of this disease is unpredictable. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, approximately 40,000 Americans are currently suffering from MS and an additional 200 people are being diagnosed each week. Although there are apparently a variety of treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration that can lessen the frequency and severity of MS attacks, there is not yet a cure for this debilitating disease. However, this new research from Johns Hopkins offers a giant leap forward in the search for a cure. In a small college study, nine people were chosen to receive a single infusion of cyclophosphamide over 4 days and were followed for 4 years. Madam Speaker, these nine patients have experienced the most severe symptoms of MS, and most of them had failed to respond to other treatments. At the completion of the 2-year period, researchers found that the treatment not only slowed the progression of MS, but it also restored neurological function that had previously been lost to the disease. Seven of the nine patients showed a decrease in the number of brain lesions in MRIs, and some even began walking, controlling bladder function, and returning to work for the first time in many years. One of the patients in the treatment program, 30-year-old Richard Bauer, summed up succinctly what this research has the potential to offer those who are suffering from MS. And he said, ``I was falling apart . . . trapped in my own body,'' and he continued, ``I'm a regular person again. I've gotten my life back.'' Madam Speaker, there are countless other patients who have benefited tremendously from Johns Hopkins research and who credit this great university for giving them back their lives. I am proud to applaud the work of this great institution and to recognize its contributions to the State of Maryland, to our Nation, and indeed the world.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank the gentlelady for yielding, and I want to thank everyone for all the hard work that went into getting this bill to the floor today. I rise today to express my appreciation to all of my colleagues who are considering H. Res. 353 which I introduced expressing the need for enhanced support for advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer detection and treatment. This legislation will lead to the development of prostate cancer screening technologies that are on par with mammography, while improving blood tests and providing education to the general public. Mr. Speaker, the tragedy of prostate cancer has touched so many Americans, and I ask that you consider these issues: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. This cancer strikes one in every six men, making it even more prevalent than breast cancer, which strikes one in every seven women. In 2007, more than 218,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,000 men died from this disease. One new case occurs every 2.5 minutes, and a man dies from prostate cancer in this country every 19 minutes. To compact the matter even further, African-American men are 56 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men and nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease. Many of us in the Congress, and indeed throughout the country, have either personally been affected by the disease or had a loved one suffer from it. For me, it was my father. Tragically, our commitment to fighting the disease has not met its impact. To date, the Department of Health and Human Services has failed to invest substantial resources in promising advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer research. And while they have failed, people have died. As a result of that, there are currently no reliable accurate diagnostic tools for detection and treatment of prostate cancer. The implications of this reality have been grave. More than 1 million men have unnecessary prostate biopsies each year, resulting in needless suffering and an enormous waste of resources. At least 10 percent of men undergoing surgery and 44 percent of men undergoing radiation treatment would have benefited more from watchful waiting. Current treatment is costly and causes many complications, including impotence and incontinence, in up to 50 percent of men. I might note here that Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, which are located in my district, have done many pioneering things with regard to this disease; as a matter of fact, they have some of the leading experts on it. More than 70,000--or about one in two--men experience treatment failure each year. Mr. Speaker, in this country, with the greatest medical system in the world, we can simply do better. And we must do better. That is why I was so glad that I was joined by 101 of my colleagues in sponsoring H. Res. 353. This legislation is a first step in recognizing the critical need to address this very tragic disease. I urge my colleagues to similarly take up the Prostate Research Imaging and Men's Education Act, or PRIME Act, H.R. 3563, which I have also introduced. The bill provides $100 million per year for 5 years to expand research on prostate cancer and provides the resources to develop innovative and advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. The bill also allocates $10 million a year for 5 years for a national campaign to increase awareness about the need for prostate cancer screening and the development of better screening techniques. Finally, it will spend $20 million a year for 5 years to improve current, often unreliable, blood tests. Just the other day, Mr. Speaker, as I stood in the bank, I ran into four men, all of whom had recently gone through prostate cancer procedures. And it is so sad when you hear them tell their various stories about how it has affected their lives. And I do believe that this Congress can do better. I believe that this Nation can do better. So many men have said that they want to be treated, but they are simply afraid; they're afraid of the pain, they're afraid of the embarrassment. And I spend a lot of time in my district preaching, almost, to men to make sure they get the test. But if they don't have to have the test, if they can have a better method of discovering this disease, I want them to have that. Someone once said that in our time and in our space we can make a difference. And we can make a difference. And I realize that a resolution is one thing, something allocating money to do something is another. And that's why this is more or less a precursor, hopefully, for legislation which will bring about the resources so that we can properly address this issue.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, as chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and co-founder and chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Drug Policy, I rise today to commend the United States Coast Guard and the United States Navy for their ongoing efforts to combat the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. On Monday of this week a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft using long-range surveillance technology identified a self-propelled semi-submersible in the Eastern Pacific suspected of carrying illegal drugs. The U.S. frigate McInerney, which has been on a counternarcotics patrol effort since April and whose personnel include a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment--attempted to intercept the submersible. Unfortunately, before U.S. authorities could arrive at the submersible, its crew had sunk it. However, the Coast Guard reports that all four individuals who had been on board the submersible were rescued from the water, and one of them subsequently confessed that he and the other individuals were using the submersible in an effort to smuggle between five and seven tons of cocaine. In 2007, the Coast Guard removed 355,000 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $4.7 billion from circulation. This, Madam Speaker, was a stunning new record of drug seizures by the Coast Guard in a single year, and it included the seizure in August of last year of a semi-submersible vessel loaded with cocaine estimated to be worth some $350 million. I commemorated these achievements in December of 2007 with an event in my district in Baltimore, a city that knows all too well the scourge that illegal drug abuse creates in a community. Put simply, every ounce of cocaine seized at sea is an ounce that cannot reach our Nation's streets and that cannot destroy a life. It is estimated that in my own hometown of Baltimore, 60,000 of city's 650,000 residents are currently drug dependent, mostly abusing heroin and cocaine. In 1996, Baltimore had the highest rate of drug- related ER visits in the Nation, and AIDS became the leading cause of death among African-American men and the second leading cause of death among African-American women. However, in 2006 The Washington Post reported that the number of drug overdose deaths in Baltimore had fallen to the lowest level in some 10 years. These drops have been made possible by ongoing efforts at the Federal level, and all levels of government, to interdict drugs and to provide treatment to enable drug users to overcome their addictions. Unfortunately, the use of submersible vehicles to smuggle drugs is increasing and represents the ongoing efforts of drug runners to develop new smuggling techniques that can enable them to evade detection. On April 24, 2008, the House adopted the Coast Guard Authorization Act, H.R. 2830, by a vote of 395-7. This act includes a provision adopted as an amendment during floor consideration that would make it a crime to operate a submersible vehicle for the purposes of trafficking drugs. This act awaits consideration by the Senate which I hope will move quickly to pass this legislation to strengthen the Coast Guard and to respond to the emerging threats we face, including new methods of drug smuggling. I again commend the United States Coast Guard and the United States Navy, and especially the crew of the McInerney, for their tireless efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs into our Nation.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Hunting Hills Swim Club as they mark their 50th anniversary on June 14, 2008. Thanks to the generous donation by the Amos and Gundry families a patch of land that once was the home to pig farming, is now a local institution and home of the Hunting Hills Hammerheads. In 1958, the pool opened for business as members agreed to foot the cost of the club by purchasing a bond that made them co-owners of the pool. It was one of the first bond-financed pools in Maryland. Today, bond-membership pools are the norm. Hunting Hills Swim Club helped establish that trend. Recently the pool itself began showing its age. Undaunted by the time and cost needed to set things right, members agreed to take the plunge and rebuild the main pool and the baby pool. The perimeters of each were excavated. New pipes, skimmers and pumps were installed. The interiors were resurfaced and a new diving board was erected. Today, the pool looks better than ever. More than 300 families are now members of the pool. They come from near and far--from Baltimore City, from Catonsville, from Ellicott City and elsewhere--to cool off and meet their summer- and year-long friends. Many of the current bondholders first arrived at the pool in strollers, learned to walk, learned to swim, went off to school and now bring their own children there. Today, nearly 100 children take swim lessons and compete in the Central Maryland Swim League Division V as members of the Hunting Hills swim team. Madam Speaker, as the days get longer and warmer, it is nice to know that there are places where families and friends can gather to enjoy the summer as a community. I congratulate the Hunting Hills Swim Club on its 50th anniversary and wish all of its members the best in 2008.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Passenger Improvement Act, and I applaud Chairman Oberstar, Chairwoman Brown, Ranking Member Mica, and Ranking Member Shuster for their hard work on this critical and very, very important piece of legislation. Despite the many challenges it has faced in recent years, Amtrak's ridership has grown for 5 consecutive years and revenue from ticket sales has grown for 3 years. Year after year Amtrak has proven that it is an invaluable asset to the American public and a critical part of our transportation network. Recognizing the vital service that Amtrak provides, Congress has repeatedly provided a level of annual funding support that has exceeded the President's request. However, this funding has not been sufficient to maintain Amtrak's infrastructure in a state of good repair or to enable Amtrak to become a truly modern national rail service. By passing this legislation, Congress will finally take the necessary steps to enable Amtrak to modernize all aspects of the service, including revitalizing infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor. As part of that effort, H.R. 6003 supports the redevelopment of tunnel infrastructure in and around my City of Baltimore and the Potomac tunnel. Opened in 1873, the B&P tunnel's outdated design imposes a number of speed and height restrictions on trains and significantly slows travel time between Washington and New York. There are several studies underway to assess possible new rail alignments through Baltimore, and this bill authorizes $60 million to support the determination of the final alignment by 2023. Modernizing rail alignments in Baltimore is essential to improving service between our Nation's Capitol and all of the States in the Northeast Corridor. I thank Chairman Oberstar and I thank Chairwoman Brown for working with me to address this very critical issue of national importance. I also applaud them for ensuring that at the same time H.R. 6003 makes significant investments in Amtrak, the bill takes appropriate steps to demand accountability of Amtrak for these investments, including requiring Amtrak to implement a modern financial accounting and reporting system not later than 1 year after the date of H.R. 6003's enactment. I urge my colleagues to support this long-overdue legislation to provide the investments we need to ensure that America has a safe, effective, and efficient passenger rail system for years to come.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank my colleague from Maryland for yielding. I want to thank him for his tremendous leadership, outstanding leadership with regard to such a critical issue. As I listened to the last speaker from the other side, I could not help but think about how many people in our country simply want to have an opportunity to have a little life brought to their lives. This is not a major measure, but it is one that will bring spice to life. We are very blessed to have the Chesapeake Bay. We are very blessed to have this program. When you think about my favorite saying, and that is, That we did not inherit our environment from our parents but we borrowed it from our children, I think this program goes a long ways to making sure that we leave an earth better than the one we received when we came upon the earth. This Gateways program and its reauthorization are very important because through its partners it can continue to educate people about the natural, cultural, historic, and recreational sites throughout the bay region and about how their communities relate directly to the health of our largest estuary and national treasure, the Chesapeake Bay. And so what will happen as a result of this is that children will have an opportunity to learn about what part the bay plays in their lives and how important it is and, believe it or not, some of them even being exposed to the bay to really understand that it is indeed a very, very wonderful feature of their State and their backyard. So, again, I congratulate Mr. Sarbanes and all of those who have anything to do with making this happen. I think it's very important, as I said before, that we bring spice to the lives of our citizens, and this bill goes a very, very long way in doing that.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to thank my colleagues for just a few minutes ago passing unanimously H. Con. Res. 138, which I introduced recognizing June 9 through 15, 2008, as National Men's Health Week. The need for this legislation could not be more evident, as far too many of our friends, brothers, uncles, cousins, grandfathers and fathers die each day from illnesses and diseases that are treatable. Despite the advances in medical technology and research, men continue to live an average of almost 6 years less than women, and African American men have the lowest life expectancy of all groups. Further, all of the 10 leading causes of death, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affect men at a higher percentage rate than women. Men simply are not getting the care they need. Women are 100 percent more likely to visit the doctor for an annual examination and to get preventive care. This happens for a variety of reasons, including fear on the part of men, lack of health insurance, a macho attitude, thinking that they cannot be harmed, lack of information and cost factors. The disparity in men's health has led to increased risk of death from heart disease and cancer. But these problems do not only affect men. More than one-half of elderly widows now living in poverty were not poor before the deaths of their husbands, and by age 100, women outnumber men eight to one. We simply must get more men the early care and education they need to lead long, healthy lives. That is why I sponsored this resolution that recognizes June 9 through June 15 as National Men's Health Week. We need to educate both the public and health care providers about the importance of early detection of male health problems to reduce rates of mortality for common diseases. Appropriate use of tests such as prostate specific antigen, PSA, exams, blood pressure screening, cholesterol screening and in conjunction with clinical examination and self-testing for problems such as testicular cancer, can result in the detection of many of these problems in their early stages. This early detection can lead to increases in the survival rates to nearly 100 percent of men. National Men's Health Week was established by Congress in 1994. The week is designed to encourage men and their families to engage in appropriate health behaviors, and the resulting increased awareness has improved health-related education and helped prevent illnesses. Men who are educated about the value that preventive health can play in prolonging their life span and their roles as productive family members will be more likely to participate in preventive care. By recognizing National Men's Health Week, we bring this very important issue to the forefront, encouraging discussion and promoting this critical education in early detection. I thank Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Davis for their support, and I appreciate my colleagues voting in favor of this resolution.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5658, and I thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member Hunter for including a vital amendment introduced by myself and Congresswoman Watson concerning the United States Coast Guard as part of the en bloc. This amendment would ensure that the U.S. Coast Guard is represented on the Senior Military Leadership Diversity Commission, created in section 595 of H.R. 5658. As chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, I am committed to expanding diversity throughout the United States Coast Guard. With merely 22 minorities in a graduating class of 222 cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, including them in the commission is imperative. I am proud to say that this amendment brings us closer to achieving diversity in the senior leadership levels in all of the services, something that the Tuskegee Airmen only dreamed about nearly 67 years ago. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the en bloc and final passage of this great bill.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, on May 14, 2008, due to a family obligation, I missed the following recorded vote: Roll No. 309, on providing for the consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' On May 15, 2008, due to obligations in the district, I missed the following recorded votes: Roll No. 326, on H.R. 406--Alice Paul Women's Suffrage Congressional Gold Medal Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye;'' Roll No. 327, on H.R. 5872--Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and in strong support of H.R. 5818, as well as H.R. 5830 and H.R. 5720, which together constitute a comprehensive package of legislation that will help us address our Nation's housing crisis by providing assistance to those who are suffering the most. The numbers characterizing this crisis are truly staggering. The National Association of Realtors reports that median home prices fell in 2007 by nearly 2 percent. RealtyTrac reported last week that in the first quarter of 2008, 1 in every 194 homeowners faced a foreclosure notice. The loss of a home, or value in a home, is a loss of an asset which many Americans often work their entire lives to own, and it is a loss of a dream that many may never again have the chance to achieve for the rest of their lives. Further, the decline of the housing market has pulled our economy to the brink of recession. Our Nation has lost some 260,000 jobs since January of this year, and economic growth slowed in the first quarter of 2008 to less than 1 percent. The reality is that many Americans long ago entered their own personal recessions. And the legislation before us today finally begins to provide the aid that our Nation's families so urgently need to get back on their feet. Together, these pieces of legislation will do the following: Provide mortgage refinancing assistance to keep families from losing their homes and protect the values of neighboring homes; expand FHA assistance so that borrowers in danger of losing their homes can refinance into lower-cost, government-insured mortgages they can afford to repay; and provide States $10 billion in additional tax-exempt bond authority in 2008 to refinance subprime loans and refinance the building of affordable and rental housing. I applaud Chairman Frank and Chairwoman Waters for their determined leadership and for these great pieces of legislation, and I urge the adoption of each of these measures.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. I also rise in support of this very important amendment. This amendment would make it a crime to operate on an international voyage a submersible or semi-submersible vessel utilized to traffic drugs or support other illegal activities. The use of the submersible vehicles to attempt to smuggle drugs from foreign ports to the United States is on the rise, and such vehicles are capable of carrying vast quantities of drugs. I'm very familiar with this issue, having been former ranking member of the Drug Subcommittee of the Government Reform Committee, and now chairman of this subcommittee. The very drugs that these folks are trying to bring into this country, they're trying to bring them on these kind of boats. I've actually seen these boats. And someone said it a moment ago. It is so important that we keep up with the drug smugglers. They are constantly trying to find new methods to avoid capture and prosecution, and so this is a good thing. In August of last year, for instance, the Coast Guard and other Federal partners seized a semi-submersible vessel carrying cocaine estimated to be worth more than $350 million. And, by the way, Madam Chairman, I also note that this year the Coast Guard has taken in and seized more drugs than in any year in its history. As someone who represents the City of Baltimore, I know firsthand the destruction that drugs can cause. And I know that every gram that is kept off our streets is a victory over the forces that destroy lives and communities. I also know that the profit available from drug drives and smugglers, they continually try to come up with these new techniques, and this is our effort, Mr. Poe's effort to address this. With that, Madam Chairman, I wholeheartedly support this amendment. I want to thank Mr. Poe for sponsoring it.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I rise in support of the amendment offered by Mr. McNerney. This simple amendment clarifies that the provisions included in the Coast Guard authorization pertaining to the service's marine safety function will not in any way affect the Coast Guard's authority to carry out its Homeland Security missions. As the chairman has said, basically, what we're trying to do is make sure that, while we understand that this organization is being stretched, we want to make sure that it takes on its functions effectively and efficiently. I think this amendment simply strengthens the legislation and, therefore, I support it.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Chairman, this amendment merely, simply stated, makes sense. It amends section 708 to require the creation of a program that will enable the Coast Guard to test the use of biometrics technology to identify individuals intercepted by the service. I have actually seen this procedure and have seen this biometric equipment in operation. This allows us to use our resources, our limited resources that the Coast Guard has, in an efficient and effective manner; and it also will allow us to be able to learn exactly who these terrorists might be and get identification information on them immediately. And so I want to thank the gentleman for providing us with this amendment, which makes our bill better.

Mr. CUMMINGS. This issue, as the chairman of the subcommittee, I have to tell you that this has been a very, very difficult issue. We have done two hearings out of a total of 17. It has been extremely emotional. But on balance, I think that this is a good amendment. I want to congratulate Ms. Matsui and all of the cosponsors. I think we have to protect the public; but at the same time, we have to make sure that we are fair to the cruise industry. This is an ongoing thing. We have discussions on other matters regarding cruise ships and passengers. I think this is a good amendment, and I support it.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, the amendment offered by Mr. LaTourette and Mr. Boustany, the ranking member on the Coast Guard subcommittee, would amend section 720, a section that addresses waterside security around LNG terminals and tankers, and I fully support it. Subsection C of that section requires that, before the Coast Guard can approve a facility's security plan for a new LNG terminal, the service must determine that it has available to the sector in which the terminal is to be located the resources it needs to carry out the risk mitigation measures identified in the waterway suitability report for that terminal. This amendment would include State and local resources in the assessment, which is a good thing. With the adoption of this amendment and with the measures already included in subsection C, section 720, we will ensure that the Coast Guard's resources do not have to be diverted from other high-priority missions as determined by the commandant to secure LNG operations. The Coast Guard will be able to depend upon those State and local law enforcement resources that have the proven training, resources, personnel, equipment, and experience necessary to combat a terrorist attack, to conduct waterborne patrols around LNG facilities. I emphasize that the State and local law enforcement cannot and should not be seen as replacements for the Coast Guard resources, as the Coast Guard is our Nation's maritime time security agency. Further, having the Coast Guard, our trained maritime security agency, defend our communities from the risk of a terrorist attack on an LNG terminal in the neighborhood is not an unwarranted and unnecessary subsidy. As our Nation continues to approve new LNG terminals, we must commit to ensuring that all of the resources, particularly Coast Guard resources, necessary to secure these facilities are in place. I fully support the amendment.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment that you have offered, and I thank you again for your leadership on the Coast Guard authorization and all of the transportation issues that our Nation faces. The manager's amendment includes provisions offered by several of our colleagues that would make a number of important improvements to H.R. 2830. Among other provisions, the manager's amendment would implement recommendations recently made by the Government Accountability Office to require the Commandant of the Coast Guard to prescribe a policy to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment at the Coast Guard Academy. And I do commend my colleague, Ms. Sanchez, for her hard work on this issue. As a member of the Naval Academy Board of Visitors, this is an issue that I have worked on very hard, not only there, but with regard to our Coast Guard Academy. The amendment would also allow the Coast Guard to delegate some regulatory functions, including facility inspections regarding offshore facilities, to classifications societies. Further, the amendment would authorize the Coast Guard to issue regulations to require a pilot to carry on board the vessel he or she is operating a computer equipped with electronic charts of the navigation areas the vessel will transit. I would strongly support this amendment, and I thank the sponsors and thank the chairman for sponsoring it.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I support this amendment, also. Under section 7-105 of title 46, United States Code, the Department of Homeland Security is required to issue a biometric credential to individuals who are authorized to have unescorted access to secure areas, vessels and facilities. And some people are unable to accomplish that. I was just talking to my aid, who said that she went to see the rollout and they didn't pick up her fingerprints, which was a bad day for them. And so I think we have to address this. We will work to ensure that this amendment would not alter the standards in which a TWIC is issued in any way; however, we need to provide options for individuals whose fingerprints, like my aid's, cannot be used to authenticate the cards. I strongly support the amendment, and we will tweak the TWIC. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Chairman, I fully support this amendment by Mr. Bishop, the Vice Chair of our subcommittee. This amendment would require the Coast Guard to detail the extent to which State and local law enforcement entities are augmenting Coast Guard resources by conducting port security patrols and by aiding in the enforcement of Coast Guard-imposed security zones around vessels entering our ports. While I have the utmost respect for State and local law enforcement, the subcommittee is concerned that such entities may be undertaking maritime patrols to augment the Coast Guard's resources without having previously had experience performing law enforcement functions on the water and without fully understanding what it takes to respond to the unique threats that confront our Nation in the maritime environment. The study required by Mr. Bishop's amendment would provide the critical assessment that is needed both of whether the Coast Guard has established adequate training, resource, and equipment standards for State and local law enforcement units performing maritime patrols and the extent to which law enforcement can meet these standards. I fully support the amendment.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chairman, I want to join with Chairman Oberstar in strongly opposing this amendment. But we do plan to work with the gentleman on this. Title X grants mariners a ``change of venue'' when they appeal the suspension and revocation of their professional credentials from an Administrative Law Judge system controlled by the very same Coast Guard that is seeking to take their credentials to a system located in a neutral agency, the National Transportation Safety Board. I note that title X would move only Coast Guard suspension and revocation cases to NTSB. All other cases currently heard by the Coast Guard ALJ, including cases from TSA, would be unaffected by title X. I know that the concerns have been raised by the gentleman and that the changes proposed in title X would leave the Coast Guard ALJ program without the resources to handle the TSA, but we certainly question that. However, I note that the cases heard by the Coast Guard's ALJ for TSA and for other agencies, like NOAA, are heard on a cost reimbursement basis. Title X would continue to allow agencies to reimburse the Coast Guard ALJ for the costs associated with adjudication of those cases Further, I'd note that since TSA was established, that agency has filed 504 civil penalty cases with the Coast Guard ALJ, 60 cases remain pending, a total of 230 cases did not proceed to an adjudication. Orders granting motions for a decision were issued in 156 cases, and dismissal orders were granted in four cases. Finally, let me say this. No TWIC applicants have requested an ALJ hearing as of April 13, though there have been 230 enrollments, and they started enrolling back in October of 2007. Decisions and orders were issued in only 54 cases, which would be an average of about nine cases per year. So, again, we have the same concerns, and I hope you understand why this even came about, because we have some very painful testimony from mariners about how they felt that the system was already set up against them before they got into the hearing room. And we had testimony from Administrative Law Judges who were concerned that an atmosphere of unfairness was being pushed upon them by those who may have been above them. So I think that the ranking member and I and other members of our committee agreed that we needed to do something, and we thought this was the best vehicle. We have the same concerns that you have. With that, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Chairman, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I just wanted to say that we are very concerned, as you are, and please note that no TWIC applicants have requested an ALJ hearing as of April 13.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Chairman, I rise in full support of this amendment. It is another one of those makes-sense amendments that strengthens the legislation. We have a situation here where currently, under an existing memorandum of understanding between FERC and the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard already provides the results of its waterway suitability reports to FERC. This amendment would simply codify that practice. The amendment would then require FERC to inform the Secretary of the actions the commission has taken regarding the proposed terminal's application. It simply makes sense. We've got to have the Coast Guard and FERC working together. Of course the Coast Guard determines suitability of the waterway leading into the location where the LNG is going to be, and then of course FERC takes a look at other things. So the combination of them working together is so very, very, very important, and so we wholeheartedly support the amendment.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank the chairman for yielding. And as chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I rise today in strong support of the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2830, the Coast Guard Authorization Act. I want to thank Chairman Oberstar for his inspired leadership of the Transportation Committee. I also thank Chairman Thompson for his leadership on the Homeland Security Committee. Further, I thank my ranking member of the Transportation Committee, Mr. Mica. And I give special thanks to Congressman LaTourette for his service as the ranking member of the Coast Guard Subcommittee. And certainly I thank Congressman King. Throughout the 110th Congress, I've led the subcommittee in examining the many ways in which the Coast Guard, our thin blue line at sea, has been stretched since 9/11. The amendment in the nature of a substitute before us today responds directly to the issues we have examined by ensuring that the Coast Guard has the expertise and resources necessary to perform all of its missions effectively and efficiently. The legislation would authorize $8.4 billion for the Coast Guard and authorize an increase in the total number of military personnel to 47,000. Our subcommittee has become deeply concerned that the area where the Coast Guard is becoming thinnest is in marine safety, the function responsible for protecting lives, property and the environment at sea. The declines in this program have become shockingly evident when the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General found that the Coast Guard dispatched three individuals who were not qualified to conduct an investigation to respond to the ship that hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge and subsequently spilled 54,000 gallons of fuel into the Bay. Without taking away any of the resources or the flexibility that the Coast Guard needs to perform any other mission, including securing our ports, the amendment in the nature of a substitute requires that individuals who ensure the safety of the maritime industry prepare for these highly technical jobs by meeting requisite training standards. The bill also requires that as new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals are approved, all of the resources necessary to adequately secure these terminals are in place. I emphasize that these provisions will not impede the development of any new project. They will simply ensure that security requirements are met before new terminals become operational. Further, H.R. 2830 will set new and increasingly stringent standards for the treatment of ballast water through which invasive species have been introduced to some of our Nation's most fragile marine environments, such as the Chesapeake Bay. It will also give mariners the right to have cases involving the potential suspension or revocation of their professional credentials heard by the National Transportation Safety Board's administrative law judge system. These provisions respond to compelling testimony from former Coast Guard ALJs indicating that they did not work in an environment that supported their exercise of judicial independence. Mariners who are unsafe should not be on our Nation's waterways, but fair treatment must be assured to all individuals in any legal proceeding. And the transfer of the Coast Guard's ALJ function to the National Transportation Safety Board will avoid even the potential appearance of unfairness. Finally, the amendment takes significant new steps to ensure that our Nation's ``shield of freedom'' resembles the nation it is defending. The bill would require applicants to the Coast Guard Academy to be nominated by Members of Congress or other authorities. This, in conjunction with expanded minority recruiting efforts, would draw students from all of our Nation's communities to the academy, beginning the process that the Commandant himself has said is needed to expand minorities at all ranks of the more than 6,000-member officer corps from the current number of 827. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, it is my honor to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 2830, which will set standards that will ensure the Coast Guard performs at the level it expects of itself while also providing the resources necessary to enable the service to fulfill all of its missions.