Tom Cole

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I submit the following: Requesting Member: Tom Cole (OK-4). Bill Number: H.R. 6599. Account: Military Construction, Air Force. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Tom Cole (OK-4). Address of Entity: Tinker AFB, 7751 1st St, Tinker AFB, OK 73145. Description of Request: This $5,400,000 addition to the Air Force MilCon Account will accelerate from within the FYDP the realignment of Air Depot Street at Tinker Gate. This project is fully executable in the next fiscal year, is within the FYDP, supported by the base commander, is a base priority, and has a parametric cost estimate associated with it. The existing roadway alignment poses a safety issue and does not satisfy the Anti-Force/force protection requirements. It is not in compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices--extreme congestion during morning and afternoon peak traffic flows presents significant driver safety issues as exits are made from a major Interstate onto the entrance to Tinker AFB. The project also provides for a new Pass and Identification building consolidating all operations at the 24-hour gate.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the resolution honoring The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program. I would also like to thank Mr. Fattah for introducing this bill. He has been a wonderful advocate for the GEAR UP program. Madam Speaker, The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) is designed to increase the number of low income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Over the last ten years, this program has met with unprecedented success. As we all know, postsecondary education contributes to the well-being of individuals and their communities and helps to build a more vibrant, open-minded and stronger society. The GEAR UP staff members work with students to help them create personal accounts that allow them to explore colleges and careers, discover ways to plan and pay for college, and apply for colleges online. Even more significantly, students participating in GEAR UP programs have a high school graduation rate almost ten points above other low-income students who are not in the program. While the GEAR UP program across the nation has met with tremendous achievement, I would like to draw attention to my home state of Oklahoma which has been one of the front runners in GEAR UP programs. Oklahoma began this program in 1999, making it one of the oldest GEAR UP Programs in the nation. Since Oklahoma has one of the strongest GEAR UP programs in the country, other educators from other states regularly visit Oklahoma to learn about new and innovative ways to implement the program. So far, the efforts have served over 31,000 students throughout the state. Madam Speaker, as a result of GEAR UP, participation in Postsecondary Education has increased 10 percent over the last 10 years overall in the state, and there has been a dramatic increase in participation by minority students. The number of African American students going to college in Oklahoma is up 41 percent, Native Americans attending college has increased 55 percent, and the number of Hispanic students attending college is up 80 percent! These figures are just amazing. Also, fewer students in Oklahoma are taking remedial courses during their first year of college. In fact, Oklahoma has one of the lowest remediation rates in the nation. The GEAR UP Program has also significantly increased the number of students enrolled in Oklahoma's Promise scholarship program which targeted at low income students. Participation in the scholarship program is up 50 percent since 2005. In addition to the overall state grant, Oklahoma's universities and local school districts have 8 GEAR UP partnership grants. These partnership grants serve local school districts and have over $10 million in funding annually from a combination of state and federal dollars that will go towards Oklahoma's educational system. Madam Speaker, one of these partnership schools, Eastern Oklahoma State College, hosted a summer camp for students enrolled in the program. The camp is designed to establish a positive direction for the students' future and encourage them to make positive decisions. Recently, our office received literally hundreds of letters from Middle and early High School students detailing their experiences with the GEAR UP summer camp. These low-income youth all detailed that they fully enjoyed the programs that GEAR UP guided and that some are now considering college a an option. The vast majority of these letters said that the students would participate again and hope to continue GEAR UP through high school. The results of GEAR UP are clear. This program has helped thousands of students reach college over the last ten years, and I urge my colleagues to vote for this resolution commending its marked success.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the remarks of my colleague from Massachusetts, as the only Native American currently serving in this Congress, I would like to clarify a few of his assertions. As you know, the Federal Government's relationship with Indian tribes over the first couple hundred years of our history was tragic. Continually, it was the policy of the Federal Government to not only exclude Indians from American society through broken treaties, but also to completely eradicate their culture. It would be nothing short of a tragedy for this Congress to carry on that policy. During the early 19th century, the Cherokee did hold slaves, like thousands of other individuals throughout America at the time. Of course, there is no justification for such a barbaric practice. When the U.S. Government forced the tribe to relocate on the Trail of Tears, to Oklahoma in the 1830s, many slaves accompanied the Cherokees on this journey. After the Civil War, though the Government did not sign any official treaties with the Confederacy, the Federal Government did sign a Treaty with the Cherokee Nation. The Treaty of 1866 states that all the Freedmen and their descendants should retain the rights of Native Cherokees. At no point did this treaty use ``citizenship'' as the fulfillment of that provision. However, the important point is that the Cherokees honored this treaty and even exceeded the terms by amending their Constitution of 1866 to grant Freedmen, members of other tribes and inter-married whites tribal citizenship. The Cherokee have not failed to keep their part of the bargain. Even so, Mr. Speaker, this 1866 treaty, which my colleague from Massachusetts insists the Cherokee have broken, was actually broken by the United States several times. For example, the Curtis Act of 1898, The Five Tribes Act, The Dawes Act, and the Enabling Act of the State of Oklahoma all violated the Federal Government's side of the Treaty of 1866. More significantly, however, this Treaty was once again rendered moot, in 1902 when Congress passed a law that fully changed the nature of tribal citizenship in its entirety and eliminated tribal citizenship across the board. Furthermore, the Dawes Commission, which was assigned to change tribal land into Indian allotment land removed the Freedmen from the Cherokee, but still gave them separate allotment land. When the Cherokee Nation decided to reconstitute itself in 1975, it did so with a new Constitution and a new vision to return to its roots--a family of descendants of Indians. The Cherokee could make this decision because they were unconstrained by the Article IX obligation of the past. It was now up to the Cherokees to begin an era of Federal policy that promoted self-determination under the leadership of President Richard Nixon. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, the courts have continually recognized that one of an Indian tribe's most basic powers is the authority to determine its own citizenship, for they are independent political authorities. That being said, the Cherokee have one of the smallest blood quantum requirements in Indian Country. To be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, an individual has to simply prove that they have only one Indian ancestor on the Dawes Rolls of 1906. To that end, the Cherokees are one of the most racially diverse tribes in the Nation, with thousands of African-American members. Because of the pending court litigation, the Cherokee have allowed the Freedmen to retain the benefits of tribal membership and have even hired genealogists to assist this group in finding an ancestor on the Dawes Rolls. Mr. Speaker, it disturbs me that some in this Congress would accuse this tribe of breaking a treaty that was made long before the Federal Government eliminated the Cherokees as a tribe altogether. Their story, like most tribes throughout the Nation, is one of astonishing perseverance and determination. To limit Federal funding on the grounds that the Cherokees have supposedly broken a treaty that was in fact abrogated by official Government policy is absolute ridiculous. Congress should allow this issue to be settled in tribal and Federal court. It should not impose opinions on the Cherokee Nation. To do so violates tribal sovereignty, ignores history, and misuses and abuses legislative authority. The Cherokees have not broken their treaties with the United States. It is the United States that has consistently violated its treaties with the Cherokee Nation.

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, July 24, 2008, I missed rollcall votes 525 and 526. I request that the Congressional Record reflect that had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 525: ``Nay'' (On the Rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 6578); Rollcall vote 526: ``Nay'' (On Calling the Previous Question on the Rule providing for H.R. 5501). personal explanation

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, I missed the rollcall vote No. 507, had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote No. 507: ``nay'' (On Passage of H.R. 415 to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System).

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege today to rise in recognition of an organization that has done tremendous work in helping bring jobs and prosperity to central Oklahoma. The Ada Jobs Foundation is celebrating ten years of fostering economic and career development in the Ada area. Working closely with local and state and tribal government, the Ada Jobs Foundation has helped make Ada's unemployment rate among the state's lowest. Focusing on three main goals, the Ada Jobs Foundation strives to assist businesses in retaining their existing jobs, recruiting new firms to relocate to Ada, and encouraging and supporting new start-up firms. It has a very impressive and successful track record of working closely with the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ada Industrial Development Corporation, the city of Ada, the Ponotoc County Commissioners, East Central University, the Science and Natural Resources Foundation, and the Chickasaw Nation. Madam Speaker, this non-profit organization seeks to reach out and build lasting connections between hard-working Oklahomans and the communities in which they live. This mutually beneficial relationship is a testament to the positive changes that can occur when business and government work together for the economic wellbeing of their community. With over 19,000 people currently employed in the Ada area, it currently has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state of Oklahoma. I am proud to represent the city of Ada, and I am especially proud of the initiative taken by Ada's civic leaders to create and continue a program as successful as the Ada Jobs Foundation. Creating a diverse pool of jobs, focusing on developing local infrastructure, and strategic planning sessions to create long-term, sustainable progress in the Ada community is something that generations of citizens will surely benefit from for years to come. It is my honor to stand here before you and celebrate an organization which has been the source of great pride and progress in central Oklahoma. I congratulate the Ada Jobs Foundation on ten years of bringing economic development to their community, and wish them many more years of success.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. I thank my good friend from Michigan for yielding. And I thank him even more for conducting what is an important and enlightening educational experience for the people of our country about the reality of high fuel prices and what is behind it. You do take a little ribbing occasionally if you're from Oklahoma. But we think that is generally jealousy, except from our friends from Texas, who have a very similar view of the world to us. But let me talk a little if I can about what the current state of play is in energy prices. Today as you have had up on your sign, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.04. That is something I never thought I would live to see, and frankly, no American should have ever lived to see. You can now buy a barrel of light sweet crude for July delivery at $131.31, a nice round number, nice even alliterative number. Currently in my State, Oklahoma's price at the pump, and we are producers, in some ways we will we feel it even worse because we have been producing for over 100 years much more than we consume and exporting it to the rest of the country. And we are delighted to do that. But it is pretty tough when people in Oklahoma, a producing State that sacrificed, that frankly are delighted to have exploration and production, but they are paying $3.83 a gallon. In January of 2007 when this majority, this Democrat majority took office, the price per gallon was $2.08 a gallon. That is a rise of $1.75, an increase of over 80 percent. The country as a whole has experienced very much the same thing. The average price since the Democratic majority has come into power has gone up $1.67, an increase of 71 percent. Now, that is not what our friends on the other side of the aisle expected to happen at all. As a matter of fact, let me read you a few quotes of what they told America as they came into the majority our energy future would be. Our distinguished Speaker, Speaker Pelosi, said on April 18, 2006, ``Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down the skyrocketing gas prices.'' She said a few days later, ``The Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices.'' Our distinguished Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on the 4th of April, 2005, ``Democrats believe that we can do more for the American people who are struggling to deal with high gas prices.'' I would love to ``struggle'' to pay $2.08 a gallon. It would be a nice fight to have. Our good friend and distinguished whip of the majority party, Jim Clyburn, said, ``House Democrats have a plan to help curb rising prices.'' That is on the 26th of July, 2006. If this is the plan, we want them to go back to the drawing board and reconsider where they are at. Four times since they have taken the majority they have voted to increase energy taxes; to increase energy taxes. Now, even people that don't like the energy industry can usually say, well, gosh, if you increase the tax, won't they pass that along to us in the price? It is an incredible record. Now, every single energy bill the majority wants to reach the floor has reached the floor. Most of them have passed this body. Some of them have gone all the way to the President and been signed. As I recall, I don't remember anybody who actually vetoed any energy legislation that has actually reached the President's desk. So what we are seeing really is the product of the majority's legislative agenda. What haven't they let come to the floor? What commonsense solutions that most Americans support haven't come to the floor? I am just going to list a few of them, because, as my colleague knows, there are many of them. Our colleague from Texas, Mac Thornberry, has a wonderful bill, the No More Excuses Energy Act, H.R. 3089, that literally covers the gambit of things we ought to be doing. Not just oil and gas, but nuclear, solar and wind. It incentivizes production. That is the lesson that our friends on the other side have forgotten, that supply is really important to cost. They simply seem to have no conception of that. There is a wonderful bill by Mr. Pitts of Pennsylvania, H.R. 2279, that will expedite the construction of new refining capacity on closed military installations in the United States. These are installations that have been set aside. They are safe. They are secure. Why in the world wouldn't we want to refine the product? If we have to import it, we at least ought to get the value-added portion of refining it. It is a crime that we should ever import a refined product. Our good friend Mr. Blunt, H.R. 2493, has legislation that removes the fuel blend requirements and government mandates that contribute to unaffordable gas prices. We shouldn't have dozens and dozens of blends of gasoline. A few is enough. Our good friend Mrs. Myrick has H.R. 6108, Outer Continental Shelf Exploration, which grants coastal states the authority to grant exploration up to 100 miles from their coastlines and allows States to share in that revenue. A commonsense solution. None of this legislation, and dozens more, have been allowed to come to the floor. My friends on the other side love to blame Republicans, President Bush and the energy industry for these kinds of problems. I just want to conclude quickly with a story. I do represent a district that is one of the top 20 energy producers in the United States, so we are more than doing our part. I convened about a year ago, actually before this extraordinary rise in prices, a group of independent energy people that have spent a lifetime trying to provide energy to this country. I asked them, ``Give me your suggestions. What can we do to increase the supply and stabilize and hopefully lower the price of a gallon of gasoline or heating fuel or electricity?'' They thought, and they had a lot of great solutions. They said, ``Let's go drill in ANWR, in Alaska. That would be a wonderful thing.'' By the way, my good friend Mr. Young has a superb piece of legislation on that, H.R. 6107, that would actually allow us to drill there and invest some of the severance revenue in alternative energy supplies so we could both meet an immediate need and start looking for alternatives. But they suggested that. I said, ``Well, you know, I am for that. I voted for that. The Republican majority passed it four times in the House and couldn't get it through the Senate because of Democratic obstruction, so we probably can't get it done.'' Then they said, ``Let's do more exploration and production offshore. We have seen Katrina. That has worked well in terms of no spillage. We know we had 25 percent of our supply in the Gulf of Mexico. We could do more.'' I said, ``Well, I am for that, but we can't do that either.'' Then they asked about additional refining capacity, and they asked about expedited permitting on non-park Federal lands. They just went through a litany of things. Alternative energy. Each one I would say yes, I am for that, but we can't get that through, particularly a Democratic Congress. Finally at the end of this in frustration, one of my good friends said, ``Well, why don't you go back and ask those other Members of Congress who are opposing these measures just how rich they want foreign countries to be? Just how much they want to pay the people overseas that we are importing this petroleum from, or this gas, when we could actually do the production here? Because they are exporting thousands of jobs, billions of dollars, and they are jeopardizing our security.'' Then the guy added in fairness, he said, ``By the way, we are all here giving you suggestions about how to lower the price of the product that we produce.'' We have had a shameful exercise, in my opinion, in the last several days, particularly on the Senate side, where people that work to solve America's energy problems are brought in and interrogated as if they are the source of the problems, and the only frankly justification for that is the high prices. But when those people respond, they say, ``If you would just do the things we have asked you to do year after year after year, we could solve this problem.'' So I am sorry I went on. You have been very generous with your time, and I appreciate that very much. But it is a frustrating problem when the solutions are sitting here waiting to be acted upon by this House and none of them are being dealt with at all.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me say to the gentleman that coming back to the Armed Services Committee from Rules is as close to a resurrection experience that I expect to have on this side of the veil. I am particularly pleased to rise in support of this legislation, H.R. 5658, the National Defense Authorization Act, and I am particularly pleased that it is named for my good friend and our distinguished colleague, Mr. Hunter, who served our country in so many ways, in uniform, in Congress, and certainly with great distinction and great fairness on both sides with both sides of the aisle as former chairman of our committee. I particularly want to thank our current chairman, Mr. Skelton, who presides so professionally with such personal integrity and so thoughtfully over this important committee, and our staff, which does great work on a bipartisan basis. This committee really does work the way that I think most Americans wish Congress worked, and I think it sets an outstanding example that I wish others would follow. There is very much in this bill, Mr. Chairman, that is excellent. I am particularly pleased with the increase in family support, the focus on additional barracks, the additional money in the research, development, testing, evaluation and procurement accounts, the $70 billion set aside for continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a commitment to address the rest of the needs that our men and women in the field have. When we have forces deployed, whether we agree with the purpose or not, they should never, ever doubt our commitment to seeing that they have everything they need, fully and in a timely fashion, and this committee does its best to do that. But there are some disappointments in this bill as well, Mr. Chairman. I am particularly disappointed, like my friend Mr. Akin, in the cut in the Future Combat System funding of $233 billion from the request that the President sent forward. We are going to regret that on some battlefield in some dangerous place at some point in the future. I am particularly disappointed that we did not in a serious fashion deal with Mr. Saxton's amendment that was offered.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, I am particularly disappointed that we did not deal in a serious fashion in my opinion with Mr. Saxton's amendment, which would have set a baseline of 4 percent of our GNP for future military funding. That is something we know we need to do. We know in this committee on a bipartisan basis that we spend too little. That is a mistake we have made on both sides of the aisle. It is a bipartisan mistake. We cut far too much during the 1990s. History teaches us and our chairman often appropriately lectures us that contingencies will come that we do not understand and do not anticipate, and we know from the bitter lessons of history that if we have not prepared through sustained investment in our military, we can never make up lost ground with hasty and ill-thought out appropriations in the short-term. I wish we had done that. I hope we will do that in the amendment process. But, Mr. Chairman, the perfect cannot be the enemy of the good, and this bill is very, very good and is a product of genuine bipartisan cooperation. So I am very proud to support it and very proud to urge other Members of the Congress to vote for it.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, under Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I submit for publication in the Congressional Record a list of earmarks which I have obtained in H.R. 5658, the Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. (1) Project Name: UML UAV/UAS Test Facility. Requesting Member: Congressman Tom Cole. Bill Number: H.R. 5658. Account: RDT&E, Defensewide, Line 193. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Oklahoma State University-- University Multispectral Laboratories (OSU-UML). Address of Requesting Entity: 1000 South Pine (Research East), P.O. Box 1902, Ponca City, OK 74602. Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $8,000,000 to establish a National Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/System (UAV/S) Test Facility adjacent to restricted Fort Sill, Oklahoma airspace on behalf of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Approximately $4,400,000 (or 55%) is for material, engineering support, range equipment and renovations, along with $3,600,000 (or 45%) is for the creation of new, high-technology jobs consisting of technicians, engineers and scientists. The USSOCOM Program Manager, Special Applications For Contingencies (SAFC), requires greater access to test ranges where less restrictive UAV/S test flights may occur. Established by the OSU University Multispectral Laboratories (UML), this facility provides unique opportunity to conduct UAV/S flight testing while remaining within restricted airspace where UAV flights are exempt from FAA regulations. A wide variety of UAV/S testing, fully coordinated with Army authorities, becomes possible for all government entities This facility also supports the Army Fires Center of Excellence and fosters a positive economic impact on the surrounding areas. (2) Project Name: Joint Fires & Effects Training System (JFETS). Requesting Member: Congressman Tom Cole. Bill Number: H.R. 5658. Account: Army, RDT&E, Line 38. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: The Institute for Creative Technologies. Address of Requesting Entity: 13274 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA. Description of Request: Provides $6.5 million for the Joint Fires and Effects Training System (JFETS). JFETS at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a collaborative effort between the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies and the United States Army Field Artillery School, has grown from a concept demonstration to three fully functional prototype training installations since its inception in 2003. Short of combat, JFETS creates a realistic, stressful, and demanding experience for soldiers undergoing training in the synchronization of fires and effects. To date, more 5,000 soldiers have been trained in the JFETS Urban Terrain Module, the Open Terrain Module, and the Close Air Support Module. Joint Fires Observation skills are perishable. The capability to refresh these skills frequently, in a time and cost effective manner, and across the U.S. Army, USAF, and U.S. Navy, will make the U.S. military a more integrated and effective fighting force. The enhancement of the Joint Fires Effects Trainer System (JFETS) will provide this. Budget and timeline for FY 09 JFETS request.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege today to rise in recognition of an outstanding young naval aviator from my district, Lt. Evan Scaggs of Sulphur, Oklahoma. As a dedicated member of the U.S. Navy, Lt. Scaggs was an integral part of one of the highest elevation rescue missions ever to occur in Iraq. Honored by his hometown newspaper, the Sulphur Times-Democrat, I felt that his story was so compelling and his commitment so sincere, that telling his story before you today would be but one small way of honoring such an outstanding young man. Madam Speaker, when a group of American schoolteachers with Teachers Without Borders disappeared from a hiking trip, Lt. Scaggs, a 64th ERQS pilot, was called in as the flight lead for the rescue. He and the rest of the crew prepared themselves in just 2 hours to go in search of the hikers. Traveling to the assumed location of the hikers, approximately 120 miles north of Balad Air Base, the rescue crew was able to locate the hikers on the side of a mountain sitting at an 80 degree angle. The teachers were stranded at an altitude of 4,700 feet where they were surrounded by treacherous terrain. Using careful maneuvering, the helicopter was able to fly close enough to allow the rescuers to retrieve the hikers safely. Their health was immediately checked and they were found to be in good condition despite being dehydrated and cold. If it were not for the actions of Lt. Scaggs and the rest of the rescue team, the two lost teachers would not have likely survived another night in the harsh conditions. Lt. Scaggs and all members of America's Armed Forces deserve appreciation and respect from those they defend. That's why I am proud to stand before you today to honor Lt. Evan Scaggs from Sulphur, Oklahoma and thank him for his bravery and his servIce.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, I missed the first vote in a series of two votes. I missed rollcall votes Nos. 230, 231, 232, and 233. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote No. 230: ``aye'' (on agreeing to the Miller, George amendment to H.R. 5522); rollcall vote No. 231: ``aye'' (on agreeing to the Wilson (SC) amendment to H.R. 5522); rollcall vote No. 232: ``aye'' (on motion to recommit H.R. 5522 with instructions); rollcall vote No. 233: ``no'' (on final passage of H.R. 5522).

Mr. COLE

Mr. COLE. Madam Chairman, on Thursday, April 17, 2008, I missed the first vote in a series of two votes. I missed rollcall vote No. 203. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote No. 203: ``aye'' (On agreeing to the Miller, George amendment to H.R. 5715).

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, I missed the first two votes in a series of four votes. I missed rollcall vote Nos. 95 and 96. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote No. 95: ``nay'' (On Calling the Previous Question on the Rule providing for H.R. 1424); rollcall vote No. 96: ``nay'' (On the Rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 1424).

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote No. 94. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote No. 94: ``nay'' (On Question of consideration on the Rule to provide for consideration of H.R. 1424--Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007).

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, February 14, 2008, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote No. 61. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 966, honoring African American inventors, past and present, for their leadership, courage, and significant contributions to our national competitiveness).

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote No. 46. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the motion to adjourn.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, I missed a vote. I would have voted as follows: rollcall vote No. 3: ``yea,'' passage of H. Res. 912 under suspension of the rules, condemning the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and reaffirming the commitment of the United States to assist the people of Pakistan in combating terrorist activity and promoting a free and democratic Pakistan.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Professor Samuel Arthur Friedman for his devotion and extensive contributions to the science and literature of geology. As a leading authority on coal geology and resources, Professor Friedman developed his passion early on earning his undergraduate degree from Brooklyn College, a master's in geology from Ohio State University along with completing graduate work in geology at Indiana University and the University of Tennessee. For 15 years, Professor Friedman served as an expert on coal formations at the Geological Survey at Indiana University after which he became the coal project leader for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Tennessee and Pennsylvania. In 1971, he joined the Oklahoma Geological Survey where he established a coal research program and taught coal geology seminars as a member of the graduate faculty of the School of Geology and Geophysics. Professor Friedman also chaired master's students' thesis committees and organized continuing education classes in the fundamentals of coal geology. He has held numerous leadership positions in professional geological societies such as serving as chairman of the Coal Geology Division of the Geological Society of America and receiving the division's Distinguished Service Award in 1992. Professor Friedman was also awarded the Past Presidents Award, the Distinguished Founders Award, and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Energy Minerals Division. In recognition of his extensive contributions to the science of geology and of his generous commitment to the advancement of his profession, Brooklyn College awarded him the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1995. Professor Friedman's work as a research and resources coal geologist with the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Oklahoma Geological Survey, his excellent relationship with Federal and State agencies, and his role as a principal investor in geology projects have all contributed to his being recognized as a leading expert in the field of coal geology and resources. His biography has been listed in American Men and Women of Science, Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and Who's Who in the World. Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Professor Samuel Arthur Friedman on his many accomplishments in the field of coal geology.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday December 5, 2007 and Thursday, December 6, 2007, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation. That prior obligation was to join hundreds of Oklahomans for the dedication of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attack led to the death of 429 sailors and Marines stationed on the USS Oklahoma on that Sunday morning. I was proud to gather with survivors and the loved ones of the deceased servicemen to dedicate a memorial in their honor. I am proud to have worked towards the authorization of the creation of this memorial in the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act. Because of my presence at the ceremony, I would like to make it clear how I would have voted if I had been present in the House. Madam Speaker, had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: (1) Rollcall vote No. 1131: ``yea'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R. 3791, the Securing Adolescents From Exploitation-Online Act.) (2) Rollcall vote No. 1132: ``yea'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R. 2517, the Protecting Our Children Comes First Act.) (3) Rollcall vote No. 1133: ``yea'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended H. Res. 822, Recognizing the 100th anniversary year of the founding of the Port of Los Angeles.) (4) Rollcall vote No. 1134: ``nay'' (Consideration of H. Res. 846, Providing for the consideration of the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 6), Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act.) (5) Rollcall vote No. 1135: ``yea'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3505, the Securities Law Technical Corrections Act.) (6) Rollcall vote No. 1136: ``nay'' (On Ordering the Previous Question H. Res. 846, Providing for the consideration of the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 6), Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act.) (7) Rollcall vote No. 1137: ``nay'' (On Agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 846, Providing for the consideration of the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 6), Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act.) (8) Rollcall vote No. 1138: ``yea'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 4253, the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act.) (9) Rollcall vote No. 1140: ``nay'' (On Agreeing to the Senate Amendments with Amendments to H.R. 6, the Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act.) (10) Rollcall vote No. 1141: ``yea'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2085, the McGee Creek Project Pipeline and Associated Facilities Conveyance Act.)

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, though I would have voted ``yea'' on the Internet Tax Freedom Act, it is not the vote I wished to have had. I along with 242 bi-partisan co-sponsors wanted to see the Internet Tax Moratorium made permanent instead of an extension for 7 years. Through negotiations in the House, members were told that the Senate would never agree to anything longer than 4 years. Then, we were forced to vote on a 4-year extension October 16, without the opportunity to add amendments to lengthen the ban--or even make it permanent. Madam Speaker, today we are now voting on a Senate amendment to H.R. 3678, extending the ban for 7 years--3 more years than what we were told the Senate would agree to. Imagine what we could have accomplished had the democrat leadership had listened to the will of 242 members from both sides of the aisle asking to make this ban permanent.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: (1) Rollcall vote No. 1013: ``nay'' (Previous Question on the Rule providing for H.R. 3867); (2) rollcall vote No. 1014: ``yea'' (On agreeing to the Senate Amendment on H.R. 3678 under suspension of the rules, the Internet Tax Freedom Act); (3) rollcall vote No. 1015: ``yea'' (Passage of H.J. Res. 58 under suspension of the rules, Expressing support for designation of the month of October 2007 as ``Country Music Month'' and to honor country music for its long history of supporting America's armed forces and its tremendous impact on national patriotism).

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, our decision on Native Hawaiian recognition ought to be governed by two very basic principles: First, the concerns of the people of Hawaii, and second, the established principles of sovereignty of indigenous people under which this Republic has operated for over 200 years. This bipartisan bill is supported by the Hawaii delegations in both the House and the Senate, which are Democratic, by a Republican Governor for the State of Hawaii, and by the Hawaii State Legislature, which has adopted bipartisan resolutions overwhelmingly in 2000, 2001 and 2005, by the National Congress of American Indians, and by the Alaska Federation of Natives. Some are concerned that the establishment of a Native Hawaiian governing body is only a Federal issue. I would submit, as has been suggested, it's as much a State question as a national one, and we ought to respect, as conservatives, the wishes of people at the State level. Despite what some believe or say, this is not about race; this is about the sovereignty of an indigenous people. The Native Hawaiian governing body, having the same characteristics as Native American governments, deserves Federal recognition. Some sometimes say that Native Hawaiians should not be set apart as a separate category, yet our Congress has passed over 160 statutes addressing the conditions of Native Hawaiians and repeatedly recognizing the United States' political and legal relationship and trust relationship with Native Hawaiians. Again, despite what some say, this bill will not allow the Native Hawaiian governing body to establish gaming facilities in the State of Hawaii. It will not limit Federal control of Federal military facilities in Hawaii, and the Native Hawaiian governing body will not drain resources currently allocated to Native American tribes, Alaskan Natives, or threaten their interests in any way. Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, the NCAI actually supports this legislation. I think fundamentally, as conservatives, we ought to allow the people of Hawaii to manage their own affairs as they see fit. We ought to respect the Constitution that we have, which recognizes the sovereignty of indigenous people. And we ought to support the passage of this very important and long-overdue legislation, H.R. 505. And in closing, let me just add my congratulations to Mr. Abercrombie, who has labored long and hard for this legislation and has garnered significant bipartisan support, and I look forward to your success today.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege today to rise in recognition of a good friend of mine, the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Governor Bill Anoatubby. On October 26, 2007, East Central University will induct Governor Anoatubby into its Hall of Governors; he is only the fourth individual to receive such a prestigious recognition. He joins former U.S. Senator and former Governor Robert S. Kerr; former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, former U.S. Senator, and former Governor Ernest McFarland; and former Governor George Nigh. Reflecting upon the caliber of these individuals who have contributed so much to the State of Oklahoma, I know Governor Anoatubby truly appreciates the honor he is being given and that he so richly deserves. Madam Speaker, graduating from East Central University in 1972 was merely the beginning, because from that day forward Governor Anoatubby has worked tirelessly to make Oklahoma a better State and the Chickasaws of Oklahoma a more prosperous people. His passion to this end is reflected in the litany of civic and community activities, affiliations, leadership roles, awards and honors contained in his biography. But Madam Speaker, the Governor's impressive resume aside, I am honored today to recognize this award on the floor of the United States House of Representatives because I am a member of the Chickasaw Nation and I have witnessed the Governor achieve amazing things for our tribe, for the State of Oklahoma, and for tribes across the country. The Governor has presided over the Renaissance of the Chickasaw Nation by focusing on increasing economic development, expanding health coverage, improving education, and preserving and reviving the tribe's cultural and historical heritage so important for our future vitality and self- identity. But Governor Anoatubby's accomplishments do not stop there, Madam Speaker. He not only fulfills his duties as the leader of the Chickasaw Nation, but has become one of the most respected Native American leaders in the country. He understands the unique status of tribes, and as such, he recognizes the unique opportunities available not only at a state level, but nationally and internationally for tribal development and prosperity. He has an unequaled willingness to reach out and make partnerships between tribes and businesses, institutions, organizations, and other governments. Madam Speaker, Governor Anoatubby profoundly understands that neither the Chickasaw Nation nor the State of Oklahoma can thrive independently of one another. He has demonstrated time and time again that working together, the two can bring remarkable benefits to all Oklahomans, native and non-native alike. Simply put, Madam Speaker, Governor Anoatubby has changed the way people live in the State of Oklahoma for the better, and I congratulate him on being inducted into East Central University's Hall of Governors.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 885.