Russ Carnahan

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 363, the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act. I first want to thank Chairman Gordon for his leadership on the important issue of innovation, and commend our Committee's work towards investing in our research communities. This past August, I invited Chairman Gordon to join me in a panel to discuss the subject of Innovation back in St. Louis. The Event was a tremendous success and sparked a conversation about competitiveness, STEM education and innovation that still continues with enthusiasm in St. Louis. While this is an issue that warrants much discussion, the time has come for bold action. Unfortunately, our nation's standing as the global leader in science and technology has slipped in recent years. H.R. 363 will counteract this worrying trend by investing in long- term scientific research and encouraging young scientists and researchers to pursue high-risk and high-reward research. Specifically, the bill administers awards to outstanding early-career researchers in academia and in nonprofit research organizations, provides graduate research assistantships in areas of national need and establishes a national coordination office to prioritize university and national research infrastructure needs. By investing in our young researchers, we invest in the ideas that will shape our country's future. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to advance our nation's status as a leader in the global economy.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, due to being unavoidably delayed, I missed votes on H.R. 1677 (rollcall No. 214) and H. Res. 196 (rollcall No. 215). I would have voted in favor of both H.R. 1677 and H. Res. 196, had I been present to record my vote.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, with record temperatures set in the first half of 2006, the need for Congress in this country to address global warming is more pressing than ever, especially in light of the mounting scientific reports from around the world. There is no longer any real debate within the scientific community. There is broad scientific consensus that global warming exists, and we must act. We still have the opportunity to reverse the negative effects of global climate change. However, this must be done both here at home and in cooperation around the world. That is why, just before Earth Day this past weekend, my colleague and I, Mark Kirk, introduced H. Con. Res 104, a bipartisan resolution expressing the need for the U.S. to participate in international agreements that address global climate change and to put this Congress on record acknowledging climate change. I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this bill. There is a companion in the Senate. Please join me in taking this early step to begin addressing climate change in this country and around the world.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise as a strong supporter and cosponsor of this Water Resources Development Act of 2007. This new Democratic Congress has made reauthorizing WRDA a top priority. I thank Chairman Oberstar and Subcommittee Chairwoman Johnson for their work in quickly moving this bill of national significance to help protect America's waterways. These projects are vital to my home State of Missouri. Our local economy is driven by use of such important routes as the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois Rivers. Commerce on these rivers will be greatly benefited by this bill's strong commitment to repair current locks and reconstruct new locks on the Mississippi River. As a member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, I have fought on behalf of my constituents to secure new levels of funding to help throughout our region. In particular, the bill authorizes $35 million for combined sewer overflow elimination in St. Louis. Some of our wastewater infrastructure dates back to the Lincoln administration. The great flood of 1993 exposed serious flaws in the St. Louis flood wall. This bill addresses that. Lastly, this bill continues the exciting progress of the Great Rivers Greenway in St. Louis City and County. By creating an aquatic ecosystem restoration, constructing bike paths, and increasing access to the Mississippi River, my constituents will gain more use of one of our national treasures. These projects are important to the strength of our community and the health of our waterways. I stand in strong support of H.R. 1495.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, the Iraq supplemental will be coming to the floor this week, and it brings together many of the recommendations that we have heard from the nonpartisan Iraq Study Group, from the Pentagon and the President himself, but it provides more resources for our troops in the field and when they come home, and finally provides accountability for this administration. First, the legislation demands that the Iraqi Government meet benchmarks the President himself outlined earlier this year. Second, the legislation calls for responsible redeployment out of Iraq at the beginning of next year. The Democratic Congress did not come up with this date out of the blue. This was in the recommendations from the Iraq Study Group. Third, the supplemental includes important funding for our military that was requested by the Pentagon. This week marks an important milestone to begin a new direction in Iraq and begin to phase our troops home, and to bring about a regional solution for what is going on in the Middle East.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act. In my home of St. Louis, we have one of the oldest wastewater infrastructure systems in the Nation, some dating back to the Civil War. Our crumbling and overused sewer systems are an environmental and economic burden and they frequently threaten the health of the Mississippi River, one of our national treasures. During heavy rain storms, as many as 200 sewers can overflow. H.R. 720 reaffirms our commitment to continue the progress of the 1972 Clean Water Act and ensures that generations to come will enjoy clean and safe water supplies. By including Davis-Bacon protections in this bill, our communities will be further assisted by ensuring that our constituents who build these projects will be paid no less than prevailing wage. At a time when thousands of jobs are outsourced from our communities, these Davis-Bacon protections serve as a strong example of homesourcing. Instead of allowing outsiders to undercut the wages of our constituents, Davis-Bacon keeps these fair wages in our communities. I commend Chair Oberstar and Chairwoman Johnson for their leadership and look forward to passing this bill in a bipartisan way.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I stand today for our veterans. The American public has heard the revelations of poor conditions at Walter Reed and other military medical centers around the country. The fact that we are not providing adequate support and resources for the brave men and women who fought for our country is a national disgrace. We must ensure soldiers have the training, resources and care while in combat and when they return home. Next week, I will be visiting Walter Reed to talk to administrators and patients about the care our veterans are receiving. I will also visit Jefferson Barracks and the John Cochran Hospital in Missouri. By evaluating our current facilities, we can determine the strengths to build upon and weaknesses to address. I remain determined to ensure our veterans are receiving the care and support they have earned and been promised, and I call upon every Member of this House to join in fighting for those who have fought for us.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to advise and remind the Members of the passing of former U.S. Senator Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri over this past weekend, and I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in his memory.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, this evening I would like to speak about a true statesman that we have lost in our country and in my home State of Missouri. We lost, over the weekend, former U.S. Senator Thomas F. Eagleton. Not only was he a true statesman, but he had a giant heart, a powerful intellect, and a keen wit. He leaves behind his wife, Barbara, whom he married in 1956, two children, son Terence and daughter Christie, three grandchildren and a brother. Not long ago, friends gathered in St. Louis and celebrated 50 years since Senator Eagleton had entered public service. And he had many chapters in an amazing life. He served his country honorably in the United States Navy, stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center from 1948 to 1949, continued on to graduate with honors from Amherst College in 1951 and Harvard Law School in 1953. He was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1953; proceeded in a series of offices, beginning, he was elected as the youngest circuit attorney in the city of St. Louis in its history at the age of 27. He followed that by being elected the youngest Missouri State attorney general at the age of 31, and the youngest Lieutenant Governor of the State of Missouri by age 35. He went on and in 1968 was elected to the United States Senate representing Missouri. In his first term in the United States Senate, at the age of 42, he was selected by George McGovern to be his Vice Presidential candidate. And while he was only that nominee for a few days, and he will be known as such in history, he went on to serve three terms in the United States Senate, sponsoring legislation, varied, but of great importance to our country, the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, an amendment which halted the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, and as the chief author of the Federal War Powers Act that limits the authority of the President to conduct war without congressional approval. After an amazing career in public service, he came home to St. Louis, and there he gave back to his community, to new generations of people to encourage them in public service, to new generations of students. He was a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University where he shared his vast knowledge and experience with young people who will be our leaders of tomorrow. To others in public service, myself, I am fortunate to say, included, he was a great mentor, example and friend. He never failed to promote the people and the notions that he felt strongly about. In his private life in St. Louis, he was well known for acting with regard to the civic good and giving back to his community. He worked to bring the St. Louis Rams to St. Louis, and recently, in the 2006 elections, was a chief advocate for Missouri's amendment to the Stem Cell Initiative which passed by a vote of the people. In downtown St. Louis, our new Federal courthouse is named after Senator Eagleton. It towers in our downtown just west of the famous St. Louis Arch. Thomas Eagleton's career and life towers in our country as a great example for all of us, whether we are involved in public service or not. He was legendary for writing lengthy notes to people. I will treasure those notes that he has sent to me; those notes, that advice, that wise counsel that he shared with so many. The impact that he has had on young people, their leadership for the future and what he has given to our great State and our country, he will be sorely missed but very well remembered.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Chairman Oberstar, thank you and Ranking Member Mica and the gentleman from Wisconsin here today for working with me to move this important legislation along. Also, special thanks to your staff and committee staff on both sides that have been helpful in moving this legislation. On behalf of myself and the citizens the Third District in Missouri, I want to thank them all. This bill, H.R. 1129, means a great deal to the congressional district I represent in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri. It will allow the construction, maintenance and operation of a road to a community in South St. Louis County hard hit by the great flood of 1993. This Lemay Connector Road, as it is called, is vital to the long- term recovery of that community. It will bring badly needed jobs and tax revenues to the area, support the cleanup of brownfields sites, and create new parks and recreational opportunities. The transformation taking place in this area is the type communities dream about, turning environmentally contaminated idle property into hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development, thousands of new jobs, and wonderful recreational opportunities alongside a national treasure, the Mississippi River. In 1993, Lemay, Missouri, just south of St. Louis, was hard hit by the flood of 1993. In the aftermath, Community Development Block Grant funds were used to acquire certain parcels of land which carried with them FEMA deed restrictions. St. Louis County has since acquired the land, but deed restrictions still apply. Years ago, this area was home to businesses providing thousands of jobs for this community. Unfortunately, by-products heavily polluted the area, and since the closure of businesses, four specific sites, including the former National Lead Site, which closed in 1978, the Carondolet Coke site, which closed in 1992, the Stupp Brothers site, which closed in 1998, and the National Imaging and Mapping Agency site, closed in 1994, have since been designated as brownfields. Thankfully, clean up and redevelopment of the land will come to fruition as the Lemay connector road is built. Since 1993, the Federal Government has invested more than $33 million in South St. Louis City and County region for the purpose of revitalizing these communities. In addition, the State and local community have come together to plan the redevelopment of this area. Plans include new businesses, which will generate thousands of new jobs, a bandshell, ice skating rink, bowling alley, multi-screen movie complex, a new county park with soccer and baseball fields. The proposed Lemay connector road will provide access to all this, the four abandoned brownfield sites, and complete the link to the Great Rivers Greenway regional ring of trails. In 2003, the Missouri Department of Transportation conducted a federally funded survey with regard to the area and decided it was one of the top priorities for the region. The planned road is authorized by this legislation and has been identified by means of an environmental assessment as the environmentally preferred route. The road is considered safe by the Missouri Department of Transportation, has been endorsed by its officials, and also the local police and fire departments, because it will enable city and county to reduce first responder times. Most importantly, the planned road has the unwavering support of community leaders. In addition to the public access benefits already stated, the road will include dedicated bicycle paths and sidewalks, and provide improved access to schools, community institutions and parks, and I want to name a few in the area: Hancock Place School District, Notre Dame High School, Metropolitan Sewer District, St. Louis Enterprise Center in South County, Lemay Child and Family Center, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, and a park and planned military history complex. In addition, park areas include the Black Forest Park, Lemay Park, and the Great Rivers regional system of interconnected parks and trails. The bill costs the Federal Government nothing. The cost of the road will be incurred by the county in cooperation with local developers. This legislation has broad bipartisan support in Missouri and here in the Congress among our congressional delegation, including my Missouri colleague on the Transportation Committee, Mr. Graves. The legislation specifically authorizes the Lemay connective road to be built over deed-restricted parcels of land. In an attempt to avoid the same disastrous consequences of the flood of 1993, the bill requires the county to take appropriate flood mitigation efforts upon constructing the road. It is the intent of Congress that prior to constructing the road, adjacent or nearby land of approximately equal size and value of the easement necessary to build the road, about 0.3 acres, will be designated for open space, recreational use, or wetlands management. Finally, consistent with existing law, the Federal Government will not be liable for any flooding caused by the construction, maintenance and operation of the road. My colleagues, this is a good bill that will have remarkably positive impacts on the Lemay community in Missouri. I urge your support and passage of H.R. 1129. I want to conclude by giving special thanks to our St. Louis County executive, Charlie Dooley, and his staff in St. Louis County, and all those working with the county for their impressive work on this project. I can't wait to travel on the new Lemay connector road, to take a tour of the newly opened businesses, community center, and take a bike ride along the Great Rivers Greenway.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here and to be part of this debate. I wanted to congratulate the bipartisan way in which this resolution was brought before this House with two Members of the Armed Services Committee, the chairman, Ike Skelton from Missouri, and Republican Member Jones from North Carolina, and also Chairman Lantos of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I congratulate them in their leadership. At a recent send-off of troops being redeployed from my home district in Missouri, I told the families that I would work in Congress to bring their loved ones home safe, sound and soon. However, this proposed military escalation flies in the face of that intention. As we enter the fifth year of this mismanaged war in Iraq, with an ill-defined plan, it is irresponsible to think that an escalation is in the best interests of our troops. The Bush escalation plan is yet another indication that the President has failed to listen to the American public, military experts, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, and Democrat and Republican Members in this Congress. Even General Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, said, I am not persuaded that any surge of troops in Baghdad for the purposes of suppressing this communitarian violence, this civil war will work. It is my solemn responsibility to act on behalf of Missouri constituents and their overwhelming desire for change. I am proud to see the new Congress has begun to systematically analyze the President's proposal regarding the war in Iraq. Since the beginning of the year, we have already held 52 hearings in this Congress about the war in Iraq. Evidence this new Democratic-led Congress is exercising real oversight and demanding accountability on the Iraq war. We will continue to ask the tough questions about the President's plan, continue to insist on a new direction while always putting our troops first. We have the best military in the world, and we owe our troops a clear mission. Our men and women in uniform have done their job two and three times over, and our civilian leadership must provide a clear, achievable objective so they can come home soon. This Congress has a grave duty to listen and take action. Recently, the mother of a young soldier being deployed back to Iraq told me, Congressman Carnahan, I am one of those mothers who is against the war in Iraq, but my son volunteered to serve his country. Please be sure they get the support and equipment they need to come home quickly and safely. That mother's heartfelt request is a powerful example of our national unity and resolve to support our troops and oppose this escalation policy that is not making the Iraq Government more self-reliant. In fact, it is using us further as a crutch. It is not making the Middle East region more stable. In fact, many of our military leaders say our very presence there is fueling the insurgency, and it is not making our country safer. Today, the House begins a detailed deliberation on House Concurrent Resolution 63, which is only the beginning of this Congress's oversight of the President's strategy in Iraq. This straight-forward resolution plainly expresses our support for the brave men and women who are currently serving or who have served in the Armed Forces. In my home State of Missouri, over 27,000 men and women have been deployed to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraq Freedom since September 2001. It is our duty as Members of Congress to ensure they have the necessary training, equipment, resources and support while in harm's way and when they return home. When debate concludes this week, it is my firm hope that the result will be a bipartisan vote reflecting both our unwavering support of our troops and the reality that a fourth U.S. escalation is the wrong direction for our country. As the new majority, we have the opportunity to develop a comprehensive and commonsense solution to enable us to protect our troops, maintain our obligation, and end this conflict as quickly as possible. We stand ready to provide real peace of mind for the American people by securing our homeland and changing course in Iraq. Great change is possible when this Congress acts in unison with the American public. In the weeks and months ahead, this Congress will act in a bipartisan way to carefully and thoroughly examine the President's proposals and pass decisions through hearings, debate and oversight using all tools available to change the direction of this war. Most importantly, we will continue to support our troops in hopes of de-escalation of the war and escalation of the political solution for Iraq. Working together, Mr. Speaker, great change is possible.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the Higher Education Committee.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the Representative from California, Diane Watson, senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Hilda Solis, member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Vice Chair of the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Maxine Waters, Chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus.

Mr. CARNAHAN. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York, Jose Serrano, member of the House Appropriations Committee. (Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentleman from Georgia on his legislation, and I look forward to working with him on those efforts with many others here in the House. When the American people and this Congress stand in unity, great change is possible. Last fall from every corner of our Nation, we spoke loud and clear to demand an end to the Bush administration's open-ended stay-the-course policy in Iraq and start a new direction. That unity has changed control of this very Congress, led to the departure of Secretary Rumsfeld, helped drive the bipartisan consensus behind the Iraq Study Group recommendations. Yet the Bush administration, in response, proposes another escalation, a so-called surge. As I said last month on this floor, the escalation plan flies in the face of military experts, of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, Democratic and Republican leaders in this Congress, and the American public. This Congress has a solemn duty to listen and take action. Recently, the mother of a young soldier being deployed back to Iraq told me, Congressman Carnahan, I am one of those mothers who is against the war in Iraq. But my son volunteered to serve his country. Please be sure they get the support and equipment they need to come home quickly and safely. That mother's heartfelt request is a powerful example of our national unity and resolve to support our troops and oppose the escalation policy that is not making the Iraqi Government more self-reliant, not making the Middle East region more stable, and not making our country safer. Next week, after this Iraq war has extended longer even than World War II, this Congress will have an historic, long, and thorough debate about the escalation plan. I believe the result will be a bipartisan vote reflecting the reality that a fourth U.S. escalation is the wrong direction for our country. When this Congress acts in unison with the American people, great change is possible. In the weeks and months ahead, I believe this Congress will undertake its constitutional responsibilities with all seriousness and dispatch to continue this solemn debate, to exercise detailed oversight, and to use the tools available to us to change the direction of the war, to support our troops, to de-escalate the war, and to escalate the political solution in Iraq. Working together, great change is possible.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007. This bill will be an important tool in the methamphetamine epidemic that is sweeping across our country. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Gordon for moving these bills so quickly through the Science Committee so that we may continue the antimeth initiatives in this new Congress. The bill charges the EPA with the development of health-based guidelines to assist State and local authorities in cleaning up former meth lab sites. According to the 2006 National Drug Threat Survey of State and Local Law Enforcement, meth was named most often the greatest drug threat. Well, I am proud to say that my home State of Missouri has been a leader nationwide on issues such as expansion of stem cell research and creation and implementation of the historic preservation tax credit. My State, unfortunately, has the most prevalent meth problem. Based on data from 2005, Missouri had a reported staggering 2,252 meth lab incidents, the highest in the Nation. Jefferson County, in the heart of my district, has the highest number of meth lab incidents in Missouri, reporting 259 incidents in 2005 alone. I have seen firsthand the negative and harmful impact of this in my district. I have met with law enforcement throughout my district and compliment them on their aggressive and innovative programs. But the large amount of meth lab incidents in Missouri means that police, firefighters and other first-line responders are exposed to meth labs in the line of duty. While some States have already passed laws to require cleanup of meth labs, Missouri and many others have not. This bill is vital, because we need the EPA to create these voluntary guidelines for first responders nationwide. This bill would be beneficial in determining the effects of meth exposure. In addition to creating guidelines for cleanup, the bill would also require the National Academy of Sciences to study the long-term impacts on first responders, children and property owners.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements and contributions of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the largest car-rental company in North America and an integral part of the local Saint Louis community. Enterprise has annual revenues of more than 9 billion and is currently number 21 on the Forbes ``500 Largest Private Companies in America'' list. Operating on the principle that good business derives from a well- trained and well-treated staff, the company has been cited by Business Week as one of the Best Places to Launch a Career. In 2005, Enterprise received the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for efforts on behalf of its employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Enterprise is as dedicated to the public, as they are to their own employees. In 1982, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation was created, and has, over the past 25 years, given more than $87 million to non-profit entities, has donated $30 million to schools and scholarships to support minorities and economically-challenged students, and has contributed $1 million each to both the Red Cross relief effort for the Gulf Coast, as well as the victims of 9-11. With its charitable works, avid support of its employees, and economic success, Economic Rent-A-Car is a truly dynamic corporation. Madam Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to this organization, who has made great contributions to the local Saint Louis community and the larger national community, and is a model for effective and charismatic business.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce the introduction of H.R. 610, the Preserve Historic America Act. This bill would expand and facilitate the use of Federal historic preservation tax credit and create a new historic preservation tax credit for our homeowners. The economic incentives created by the bill will produce historic preservation, economic growth, and spawn jobs. A study of the Missouri Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, a widely respected program that expands upon the current Federal program, showed State assistance of $74 million in tax credits contributed to $267 million in Missouri income, $381 million in gross State product and 10,278 Missouri jobs. The State of Missouri has led the way in creating the most utilized historic preservation tax credit in the country, and I am proud to bring my home State's successes to the Federal level. H.R. 610 will provide the economic incentive necessary to save our historic treasures, while simultaneously creating a far-reaching monetary benefit. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation.