John Carter

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Green).

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time to pay tribute to Jack Fields today. While Jack and I never served together in this distinguished body, I am well aware of the distinguished career that he had here in Congress for 16 years and the contributions he made to our great State of Texas. Whether he was playing a major role in passing the landmark Communications Act of 1996 or his reputation for excellent constituent service to the people back home that took care of him and he took care of constantly, Jack set the pace and standard for each of us who have followed him to Congress. Jack was the epitome of a Congressman who worked in a bipartisan manner, except when he was playing third base for the GOP in the annual congressional baseball game or was the ``short but slow'' power forward in the congressional basketball game. I thank Jack for his service to Texas and to the United States Congress. This recognition today is well deserved.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5011, the Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act. The military has a major presence in central Texas, and I have a great interest in protecting the financial well-being of our soldiers and their families. I find it absolutely deplorable that our men and women in uniform are being actively coerced into spending any part of their already modest incomes on unnecessary, overpriced insurance policies and predatory investment plans. Companies that solicit these plans knowingly exploit the financial naivety of our newest soldiers through unscrupulous practices, which have been described here today and recently detailed in a New York Times series. At a time when soldiers should be focusing their efforts and limited resources on providing for their families, it is unconscionable we allow our soldiers to be swindled into contractual plans that have not been offered to civilian markets since the 1980s, or to be sold expensive insurance policies that provide inadequate coverage. Therefore, I ask my colleagues to protect those who so selflessly stand on the wall and protect us and to vote in favor of H.R. 5011.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, today, we gather in this honorable chamber, and as we gather, there is an attack taking place on the basic building blocks of our society, the traditional family. Since the dawn of civilization, a family has consisted of a union between a man and a woman. In a civilized society, that union has historically been joined through a legal process we call marriage. Mr. Speaker, you can go anywhere on this earth or here in the United States and wake somebody up from a dead sleep and ask them to define marriage, and they will tell you that it is a union between a man and a woman. Yet, today, we are dealing with living with a court ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts which tosses aside the history of traditional marriage. This judicial activism, better called social engineering, flies in the face of legal precedent, and as The Washington Post shockingly stated, ``is done by judicial fiat.'' Not a single State of the 50 States in this union have any legislation or a constitutional amendment which changes the definition of marriage. This assault on traditional marriage continues as legal challenges are joined in most all the States of this Nation. Mr. Speaker, I have had the dubious distinction of having presided over the dissolution of 20,000 marriages in my career of public service. I would venture to say that is more than anyone else in this House. I have listened to thousands of hours of testimony about the damage that can be done by the breakup of marriage to the children of our Nation. It is a shame that we have to go through this attack on marriage, but to add a further attack on marriage by redefining the definition of marriage would be an abomination to our children. For those who say, let the States choose, I would point out that the amendment will be required to pass three-fourths of the States, so it is up for debate in the States of this union. The Bill of Rights amendments were ratified precisely to make sure that fundamental principles were explicitly laid out in our constitution. The marriage protection amendment would explicitly protect the institution of marriage before the courts so that we will not be socially engineered out of our rights as American citizens and to destroy traditional marriage.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield.

Mr. CARTER. If I have the floor, and I might speak, my point was the damage that the dissolution of marriage causes to the children of this marriage. I said nothing about gay marriages in my speech whatsoever.

Mr. CARTER. About a half a dozen. But that was not the issue I was talking about.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. I want to tell some stories. For 20 years, I tried cases. I tried felony criminal cases, drive-by shootings and other things which are the kind of stuff we read in the newspapers in D.C. every day, and I can say that the weapons that were used were acquired illegally and illegitimately, and the bad guys always had the chance to get their hands on guns. But the good guys that have guns deter crime. We passed a right-to-carry permit in Texas after a deranged person walked into a Luby's Cafeteria in Texas and just began randomly shooting the diners in a crowded Luby's Cafeteria. As a result of that right-to-carry permit, which enhanced our laws in Texas, the amount of violent crime has fallen off about 40 percent with the use of handguns. And what is interesting, if that same person were to walk into a Luby's Cafeteria today, he would not know whether or not there might be anywhere from two to 15 armed persons in that place who could return fire, and it would deter him from doing so. And that is a proven fact. The weapon that was shown today as an assault weapon, a semi- automatic rifle, I hunt with a semi-automatic rifle, and with the right cartridge, it will shoot through anything. But that is a perfectly legal and legitimate weapon. An automatic weapon that fires fully automatic is probably, as we speak, in the hands of someone who likes to do drive-by shootings in this town because the criminals will get their hands on fully automatic weapons, which are assault weapons and have been against the law in this country since the 1930s. So the reality is, if we have a ban on guns, we ban those guns from the people who need to protect themselves.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall votes No. 441, H. Con. Res. 363, the Human rights/civil liberties violations by Syria, 442, H. Res. 667, the Expressing support for freedom in Hong Kong, and 443, H. Res. 760, the Condemning the terrorist attacks in Russia, I was unavoidably detained. If I had been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of S. 2507, Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, which includes language that I offered to stop infant formula theft. Stolen infant formula is a major problem throughout the country, including the State of Texas. In 2003, international crime rings stole as much as $2.5 million worth of baby formula a month in Texas, and testimony before Congress revealed that some of the proceeds may go to fund terrorism. After being stolen, the formula was stored and sometimes repackaged with phony expiration dates, then it was sold to small convenience stores in the United States. This legislation requires State agencies to license and maintain a list of infant formula manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers approved to provide infant formula to vendors. This section closes a loophole that would allow crime rings to steal infant formula and resell this formula to retailers, who often are unaware that the formula was stolen. This list would include food manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers licensed in the State to distribute infant formula and food manufacturers registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that provide infant formula, with vendors required to purchase infant formula from the list. The stolen formula is often resold to customers using vouchers from the federally funded Women, Infants, and Children program. I want to thank Education and the Workforce Chairman John Boehner and the Subcommittee on Education Reform Chairman Michael Castle, along with this staff, Kate Howston and Stephanie Milburn for their important work on this legislation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I urge that my colleagues support this important legislation.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be the author and sponsor of H.R. 1731, the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, and appreciate the support of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the fact that he advanced this important legislation. I would also like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) for his support as the lead co-sponsor on this bill. This legislation addresses the growing occurrences of identity theft. It will facilitate the prosecution of criminals who steal identities in order to commit felonies. Felonies arising from identity theft are a very serious problem. Four years in a row, the Federal Trade Commission has reported identity theft as the number one consumer-reported complaint filed with the Commission. More than 200,000 identity theft complaints were reported in 2003. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the mentions of ID theft are becoming all too commonplace. Just recently, last month, I believe, two brothers were convicted in Dallas of running an ID theft ring to buy luxury cars and obtain bank loans worth over $1 million, sometimes using the names of dead people. In Collin County, Texas, a former Texas driver's license bureau clerk pleaded guilty to selling ID cards to illegal immigrants using stolen information from immigration papers. Just as concerning, the trafficking of identities aids terrorist crimes. Terrorists can move more freely in the United States with illicit IDs, credit cards, and other documentation. Insufficient legislation and prosecution has allowed a situation to arise where identities are easy to steal without fear of reprisal. Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that would-be terrorists may try to use stolen IDs, uniforms, and vehicles to enter sensitive facilities in order to carry out an attack. The Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act gives prosecutors greater power in convicting and sentencing identity theft. First, it creates a new separate crime of aggravated identity theft for any person who uses the identity of another person to commit certain felonies. It provides a separate sentence of 2 years for most felonies and 5 years for terror-related felonies is mandatory. It would run consecutively to any other sentences. Second, the bill lessens the burden prosecutors face when seeking convictions of aggravated identity theft. Under this bill, if a thief uses the stolen identity in connection with another Federal crime and the intent of the underlying Federal crime is proven, the prosecutor may not need to prove the intent to use the false identity in a crime. H.R. 1731 addresses the improper receipt that Social Security, Medicare, disability, veterans and other benefits by misuse of illegally obtained Social Security numbers. We have a responsibility to protect the benefit programs of the Social Security Administration from these identity thieves. This legislation also addresses a prevalent mode of identity theft which is committed by insiders of organizations who illegally use or transfer individuals' identifying information which has been entrusted to them. This is an increasing problem which we must protect all our consumers from. Last year Texas witnessed an example of this when a University of Texas student who was trusted with access to the University's database stole 55,000 Social Security numbers, including one of my staffers. A recent report by researchers at Michigan State University estimates about half of all identity crimes were the result of personal information being stolen from corporate databases. This legislation directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend its guidelines to appropriately punish ID theft offenses involving the abuse of a position. I urge my fellow colleagues to favorably support H.R. 1731. And, again, I thank the chairman for his support and the hard work of his staff on behalf of this legislation.

Mr. CARTER

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

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

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) wanted to be here very badly for consideration of H. Res. 653 today, but his flight was delayed, which I had a bad experience with that last week so I know exactly what he is going through, and he is unable to be present. But I want to highly commend him for putting forth this resolution and doing all the work on this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 653.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, last week was a somber one for America. The Nation mourned the loss of its beloved 40th President, Ronald Wilson Reagan. All heard numerous revealing accounts of President Reagan's leadership, compassion, and humor. One of the most touching stories told during the past week was one by the one-time political rival of President Reagan, who ultimately became a close associate and friend. The story took place when President Reagan was recuperating at George Washington University Hospital following the assassination attempt on his life on March 30, 1981, just over 2 months after he took office. The story went like this: ``Days after being shot, weak from wounds, (President Reagan) spilled water from a sink, and entering the hospital room, aides saw him on his hands and knees wiping water from the floor. (The President) worried that his nurse would get in trouble.'' Mr. Speaker, the eloquent speaker of these words was George H.W. Bush at President Reagan's funeral last Friday at the National Cathedral. Many people may not have heard that President George Bush, Bush ``41,'' turned 80 years of age on Saturday because of the Nation's week-long celebration of President Reagan's life, which overshadowed President Bush's birthday. But today the House returns to its normal legislative business as we consider House Resolution 653 that honors President George H.W. Bush on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Mr. Speaker, few Presidents have ever moved into the White House as qualified to lead this Nation as one of Texas's most distinguished citizens, George Herbert Walker Bush. As the youngest pilot in the Navy, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after flying 58 combat missions during World War II before returning home to graduate as a member of Phi Beta Kappa at Yale University, where he also captained the baseball team. After college, he became a successful businessman in west Texas, earned two terms as a Member of this House, and served such high- profile positions as ambassador to the United Nations, ambassador to China, chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1980 George H.W. Bush was elected as part of the national Republican ticket with Ronald Reagan and served as Vice President for 8 years. Vice President Bush became President Bush 41 when he was elected in 1988. In the White House, President Bush was perhaps best known for working to inspire a ``kinder, gentler America'' at home and leading the Nation to free Kuwait overseas. Following the August 1990 invasion of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces, President Bush rallied the world community, the U.S. Armed Forces, and the American people to dislodge Saddam Hussein's army from its control of neighboring Kuwait. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), my good friend, for introducing this meaningful resolution that wishes our 41st President, George Herbert Walker Bush, a happy 80th birthday, and that birthday was on Saturday, June 12. And on Sunday, June 13, I watched him jump out of an airplane at College Station, and he still has got plenty of spark. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 653) honoring former President George Herbert Walker Bush on the occasion of his 80th birthday, as amended.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, on June 8, 2004, during Rollcall votes 229 and 230 I was unavoidably detained. If I had been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on Rollcall votes 229 and 230.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, today our Nation weeps in a very sad week when we recognize that we have lost a President who changed the Nation and acted upon a policy that created positive change not only for this Nation, but for the entire world. Those of us who went into politics in the 1980s, as I did, many of us went in because we were inspired by Ronald Reagan. I actually ran for office the first time in 1980, and something that I will never forget is that Ronald Reagan took the time for a young, just-getting-started fellow who is running for the State representative in Texas, to drop me a personal note of encouragement. Here was a man who was going to lead the Nation, and yet he took the time for one small elected official. I will never forget that. Ronald Reagan believed in America. He knew America to be the most noble Nation on the face of the Earth, and he absolutely trusted the American people, that they would do the right thing, because he knew them to be the noble people who created this Nation. That message, as he inspired our country with that message, brought us out of malaise and started us on the path of glory to know that we are doing the right thing. We have missed Ronald Reagan. We will miss him tremendously because he inspired us to the greatness that we have, and for that reason, he has been a blessing upon this Nation. We will not forget. Back in Williamson County, where I come from, we celebrate Ronald Reagan's birthday every year, and that is our big birthday celebration because we know Ronald Reagan is the modern founder of the Republican Party today, and that inspiration causes us to celebrate his birthday. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and we hope that they get through this with not too much crisis for all the blessings they have bestowed upon our Nation.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, as we approach Memorial Day, we should take a moment to remember the young men and women who are fighting bravely for the freedom and democracy of this nation and others. At the same time we must remember the families of those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. All Texans fighting for a just cause will forever be ingrained in my mind, especially those who have become our fallen heroes: Spc. Zeferino E. Colunga, Belville, Texas. Pfc. James D. Parker, Bryan, Texas. 2nd Lt. Jonathan D. Rozier, Katy, Texas.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, lifelong learning is very important to the competitiveness of this country. I would like to highlight what IBM, a company with a very strong presence in my district, is doing for lifelong learning. When I visited IBM's Austin site recently, I learned about several programs that IBM has which promote science and math for children. The company's Young Explorer is an interactive apparatus that young children have to access many of the schools in districts around the country. It targets kids up to age 8. By making science and math fun, IBM hopes that these children will decide to go into areas of science and math. IBM also runs the Excite Science Camp For Girls at 38 U.S. sites during the summer months. Such camps give seventh and eighth grade girls the opportunity to meet with IBM female engineers, design and build their own Web sites, and hopefully come to realize that engineering is a viable career option for them. IBM has collaborative relationships with many colleges and universities. The company and students share resources and work together on research and development endeavors. The company also goes into the community and offers computer training. IBM has the right idea. We need to create initiatives for U.S. employees to build new skills in today's global economy. If we do not, U.S. workers will get left behind.