Henry Cuellar

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I want to thank Chairman Jose Serrano and Ranking Member Ralph Regula for their leadership in bringing this appropriation bill forward. My amendment is simple. Working with my colleague Mr. Ted Poe, it strives to alleviate the strain that we have on the Federal district courts along the U.S.-Mexico border. In recent years, the rising number of criminal immigration cases has created considerable strain to those Federal district courts. For those courts, the percentage of criminal cases have gone to upward of 70 percent of the criminal casework that they have. The average Federal judge in a border district court sees 306.5 criminal cases per year compared with the national average of 83 cases a year. The subsequent backlog has impeded the ability of the district courts to process cases in a timely manner. This backlog will only be increased with the additional funding and emphasis put into the border enforcement by Congress. The backlog has hindered the due process for U.S. citizens and immigrants. Many defendants have fallen through the cracks, as it can take up to a year to receive judicial action. It is important that our Nation's court system not be overextended by the lack of judges. This bipartisan amendment is a companion to the legislation I introduced, H.R. 1909, the Federal Criminal Immigration Courts Act of 2007. That legislation utilizes the recommendations of the 2007 judicial conference to increase the number of Federal judgeships in those district courts most impacted by immigration cases. The additional judges will help ease the burden on the system and will ensure these cases will be handled in a timely manner. With your help, we can move forward in making sure our judiciary keeps up with the increased demand that we have along the border. I believe an agreement with the chairman that I will withdraw this amendment and work with the chairman to work with them to try to get this funded in the conference committee.

Mr. CUELLAR. Yes.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Chairman, I commend Chairman Norm Dicks and Ranking Member Todd Tiahrt for putting forward a good piece of legislation. I want to especially thank Chairman Dicks for offering his amendment to increase funds for Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF). Since 1997, this important program has provided essential funding support for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in the U.S.- Mexico border region. Every project receiving BEIF, whether located in the U.S. or Mexico, has provided an environmental and human health benefit for American citizens. $491 million of BEIF, 54.2 percent to U.S. projects and 45.7 percent to projects in Mexico, for the implementation of 54 certified projects valued at $1.4 billion, many of which are located in rural communities and designated colonias. The need in these communities is great. The projects resulting from the BEIF allocations have provided a direct benefit to around 7.5 million people. Even with such significant accomplishments, the need for water and wastewater infrastructure continues to exist along the U.S.-Mexico border. Nearly $1 billion of existing water infrastructure needs have been documented. Even with the leveraging strength of BEIF, which has historically brought $1.85 to each BEIF $1.00, we anticipate that less than 5 percent of these eligible needs will have an opportunity for funding without this amendment. Without the opportunity to access these sources of funding, the health and environment of our communities will continue to suffer. I want to once again thank Chairman Dicks for offering this amendment, and urge my colleagues to support his action.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Again, Madam Chair, I thank you for the time and I also appreciate the work that you have done in making sure that we help the Mexican Government fight the drug cartel problems that they have. We have a perfect opportunity at this time, and I think Mr. McCaul understands this since we have been working on this for a while, that they have a President now, President Calderon, that is willing to go ahead and take on the powerful drug cartels. Being from Laredo, Texas, I see what's been happening across the river. We had, talking about one of the Congressmen, my counterpart right across Laredo in Nuevo Laredo, there was an attempt to assassinate him, he ended up in the hospital, his chauffeur got killed, because again he wanted to go ahead and fight the drug cartels. It is extremely important that we provide this extra funding because if we don't, what you're going to have, you're going to have a bigger problem than what we're seeing right now across the river. It has permeated not only the law enforcement, it has not only permeated also the judiciary, but it has also affected other parts of the society. The Mexican Government wants to work with us, and I want to make sure that we work on increasing the dollars. My understanding is, and I am hoping that my colleague will be willing to do that, that if we can withdraw this amendment, I believe we have a commitment from the chairwoman that in conference committee she will go ahead and increase the dollars, because we need more than what's been appropriated so far, what's currently in the bill itself. I believe we have a commitment that, Mr. McCaul, if you are willing to withdraw, together, both of us, we do have a commitment from the chairwoman. She has been very good at keeping her word on this.

Mr. CUELLAR. Thank you for yielding. I would like to associate myself with the gentleman's remarks and his concerns that the language could, in fact, be interpreted to have a broader application, not only allowing for the provision of contraceptives. Would the chairwoman explain her provision and clarify her legislative intent?

Mr. CUELLAR. I yield to the chairwoman.

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Chairwoman, does your amendment do anything to alter or weaken the 15 provisions currently in the underlying bill that bans U.S. funding for abortions abroad or places restrictions on the use of family-planning funds?

Mr. CUELLAR. I thank the chairwoman for clarification and her legislative intent that her amendment would only allow donated contraceptives to be provided to international NGOs and that no funds, no funds in this bill, will be used to provide or advocate for abortions overseas. I also would like to be clear that I support your decision to retain the long-standing provisions in the bill to prohibit U.S. funds from being used to provide or advocate for abortions overseas and place reasonable restrictions on the use of family planning funds.

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, again I also want to echo what the other Members have said on your leadership on this particular bill, very important bill. But what I want to do, Madam Chair, is point out two things that you have selected that are very important to my district, south Texas, the border area. The first one has to do with the funding that has been increased for the International Boundary Water Commission that provides funding for the levees that we have along the U.S. and Mexico border. The current budget right now is at $2 million. You have brought that up now to an amount of almost $16 million. This, again, is appreciated again by my office, my constituents, but also by Congressmen Ruben Hinojosa and Solomon Ortiz that have levees down there. This is an issue that has to be addressed because, again, we don't want to see what happened in another part of the United States. This levee work is very important. It's important to the areas of mission, McAllen and the other areas in south Texas. This will go a long way and, again, Madam Chair, I want to thank you for that. I also want to thank you for some report language that you added, something that, again, Michael McCaul and myself have been very interested in, and that is the issue of the trafficking of human, what we call human cargo, also drugs, cash and of course the missing Americans. As you know, there are people that live in the United States that have gone over across the river into Nuevo Laredo and have been kidnapped and have not been found. We've been asking the Mexican Government for years to provide us information so we can bring some sort of closure to this particular situation. And again, we have not gotten this, and we're hoping that the Mexican government will provide us this information as soon as possible. But this report language, Madam Chair, that you have added will provide us this incentive and hopefully an incentive to the Mexican Government to work with us to provide us information on the missing Americans. Again, Madam Chair, I want to thank you very, very much for adding, increasing the amount of the levees from $2 million to almost $16 million. On behalf of Congressmen Ruben Hinojosa and Solomon Ortiz, we thank you very much for your leadership.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. I want to thank, Mr. Chairman, Chairman David Price and Ranking Member Harold Rogers for the leadership and bipartisan work that they have done in this bill. I rise in support of this Homeland Security appropriations bill because I am a Member who represents part of the U.S.-Mexico border and this is strong on homeland security. One of the things I would like to emphasize is that it allows input from the local communities. I think before a fence is put, that I think it's very, very important that we get the input of the local county officials, city officials, the business sector before any sort of fence is put in there. The second part of it is we're doing a lot to help Border Patrol, but I think it's also important to provide incentives for customs officers; and by giving them law enforcement officer status, that will improve the Department of Homeland Security to recruit and retain those officers. The last point is the criminal alien program. By providing extra funding, the $50 million to make sure that we contact the local jails, this is important to make sure that we deport anybody who is in one of the local jails and move them out. Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the leadership you have provided.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Let me just follow up on the points that they make. First of all, for the people, like the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania said, if people are interested in labor standards, the environment, raising up the wages of certain countries, the only way we can do this is by having some sort of dialogue. If we retreat back, then there's no vehicle to use to raise those standards, and this is why those trade agreements are very, very important. The second point is, and Mr. Crowley mentioned this, if you're interested in the rule of law, if you're interested in the principles of democracy, if you're interested in the economics, like the gentleman from New York said, we have to have some sort of vehicle to engage those countries, because if we don't engage them like you said, other countries will do it. So either we get engaged, or somebody else is going to do it. Let me just give you a brief history about what happened to us in Central America a few years ago. We decided to turn our back to a lot of those countries. What happened? In the 1980s, you'll recall the Communists, Nicaragua, the sandanistas all came in, and all of a sudden the United States said, oh, you know what, we better get engaged. So, instead of having trade agreements, we started sending arms to those countries. The response to that was the Caribbean-based initiative, and, of course, we saw what happened with the other trade agreement we did. This is why history should teach us that if we don't get engaged with countries, then somebody else is going to fill the vacuum, whether it's Chavez, like you mentioned a while ago, or it's going to be Castro or somebody else. But if we don't stay engaged, we're going to lose this. So this is why it's so important that we stay engaged in these trade agreements.

Mr. CUELLAR. Let me just make two points to conclude. First one, let's talk about the Constitution. Why are these trade agreements different? Why are they going to be different; whether it's Peru, Colombia, Panama or Korea, why are they going to be different? First of all, in the past, the President pretty much negotiated the agreement, and it was an up-or-down deal. This time, the Congress, through our leadership, through the New Democrats, we're asserting ourselves through the commerce clause. That is, we have the right to assert ourselves to make sure that we're part of the process so we can set up the framework. And this is why these trade agreements from now are going to have a different type of framework, because Congress is getting involved in the development of that trade policy, number one. Number two, I will conclude with this. In 2005, the U.S. exports to the rest of the world totaled $1.2 trillion. Think about that, $1.2 trillion. Jobs have been created all across the country not only by big companies, but also by the medium and small companies. Second of all, jobs that are directly linked to the export of goods pay 13 to 18 percent more than the other U.S. jobs. I have seen this personally in my hometown where we have this trading community. It works, and we have to stay engaged, and this is why this new framework that the New Democrats have developed along with our leadership will provide the pathway for new agreements in the future. And thank you again for all the work that y'all have done.

Mr. CUELLAR. Thank you, Mr. Crowley. I certainly appreciate the hard work of Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Rangel and the ranking member, Mr. McCrery, as well as Sandy Levin, working with the administration to come up with an agreement. This is very important. Let me give you some of my personal experience. I am from Laredo, Texas, which is the largest inland port in the U.S. If you want to see trade, go to a place like Laredo, Texas. I have seen not only the primary jobs that are created, but also the secondary jobs it creates when we talk about international trade. When you look at the U.S. economy, the $12 trillion economy is bolstered by trade, which is a pillar of our American economic power. In 2005, U.S. exports to the rest of the world totaled $1.2 trillion and supported one in five of the U.S. manufacturing jobs we have. Jobs directly linked to the export of goods pay 13 percent to 18 percent more than the U.S. jobs that we have. Agriculture exports hit a record high in 2005 and now account for 926 jobs that we have. So trade creates jobs, and I think the balanced approach of the new Democrats plays a role in developing this and is something that is so important to us. I believe in trade for several reasons. It is not only the economics, but the other thing is, we have to stay engaged in the dialogue. If, for whatever reason, the United States would turn against trade, that is not going to stop the world. Other countries are going to continue entering into their own trade agreements. That is why it is important that the United States continues trade negotiations and stays in the dialogue. If I can say one thing, and then I will leave it open, one of the things that I have seen is ever since President John F. Kennedy talked about the Alliance for Progress, he looked at countries like Peru and Colombia, to make sure that we have that dialogue with them because if we are able to do that, then we can bolster those economies. And again, talking about immigration just briefly, but the more jobs you create in those countries, hopefully the fewer people will come to the United States. Being on the border, we see those people trying to get better jobs in the United States.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Mike Allen, the former President and CEO of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) for his exemplary leadership in fostering the economic growth of the City of McAllen in South Texas. Mr. Allen was responsible for the management of the McAllen Foreign Trade Zone, one of the largest inland ports in the United States responsible for over one billion dollars worth in commerce annually. He is currently on the Board of Regents for South Texas College and chairman of the Texas Border Infrastructure Coalition (TBIC), which was formed to develop and advocate for solutions to economic development needs along the Texas-Mexico border. Mr. Allen is an active member of the community. He is a member of numerous organizations such as the American Economic Development Council, Texas Border Infrastructure Coalition, Mexican Chamber of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce, Reynosa Maquila Association, Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association, McAllen Citizens League, and Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he has served as a member of the Texas Governor's Task Force on Management and Labor Relations for five years. Recently, he attended Presidential and Vice-Presidential briefings on the North American Free Trade Agreement and was actively involved in the Empowerment Zone designation process for the Rio Grande Valley. His vast knowledge of the economic development issues along the U.S.-Mexico border region has led to the continuous economic growth of my district. Mr. Allen has spent his life working to help better the lives of those in his community, and I commend him for his commitment to the economic development of South Texas and to improving our economic relations with Mexico. Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the dedication and commitment of Mike Allen to furthering economic development of the City of McAllen and to the South Texas border community In general.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr., an American hero--a soldier, a father, a husband, and a great leader in the city of Laredo, who recently passed away on March 27, 2007, after a courageous battle with cancer. Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr., was born on August 1, 1925, as the seventh of his parents' twelve children in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. His family moved to Laredo, Texas, when he was a small child, and thus began his great love for the city and its people. His father passed away when he was only 14 and Hugo started working to provide for his family. Two years later, when his eldest brother, Adolfo, passed away from complications from appendicitis, Hugo began work as an electrician with the Koenig Electric Company so that he could earn more money to feed and clothe his family. At 18, Hugo served for 2\1/2\ years in World War II. He helped detect land mines to protect his fellow soldiers. After the war, he returned to Laredo and soon met his late wife, Ofelia Alvarado. Together they started a family. In 1959, he started his own electrical company, Hugo's Electric Company, in 1959. Mr. Gutierrez's four sons, Hugo A. Gutierrez, Jr., Ricardo, Aldolfo, and Roberto learned the value of entrepreneurship by working with their father. In 1995, Mr. Gutierrez and his sons purchased a majority interest in what was then Falcon National Bank. At this point he became chairman of the board, and his son, Adolfo, took on the role of president and CEO of Falcon International Bank. Under their leadership, the bank became one of the premier financial institutions in south Texas. Mr. Gutierrez was loved and respected by hundreds in the city of Laredo. He is survived by his four sons, sisters Mela Serna, Esperanza Pena, Rosa Smith, brothers Arnoldo, Hector and Feliciano and his 15 grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. J.C. ``Pepe'' Trevino for his induction as the 2007 Laredoan of the Year by the Laredo Morning Times newspaper. The award demonstrates his incredible dedication to the City of Laredo, Texas. Mr. Trevino was born on May 31st, 1930, as one of the three children of Jose C. Trevino and Victoria Salinas Trevino. He graduated from Martin High School and then attended Laredo Junior College. At just 17 years of age, he married his sweetheart, the late Rose Ella Tarvar, and had six children: J.C. III, Diana, Roberto, Anna Laura, Guillermo, and Carlos. Mr. Trevino worked hard to build a financial empire from scratch that encompasses drayage and long-haul trucking; beer and soda distribution; maquila, warehouse and residential development; and commercial waste disposal. Mr. Trevino is truly the self-made man. He rose far above his humble beginnings yet never forgot where he came from. Those groups that benefited from his charity include the Sacred Heart Children's Home, the Laredo Boys and Girls Club, and the Laredo Community College. He served for nearly 31 years on the Laredo Community College Board. For his dedication and hard work in making the Laredo business community stronger as well as his passion for philanthropy, he will be honored by the Laredo Morning Times Newspaper as the 2007 Laredoan of the Year. Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the hard work and dedication of Mr. J.C. ``Pepe'' Trevino.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1684, the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act. As a cosponsor, I certainly want to thank Chairman Thompson for the leadership and the strong support that he has shown in moving this bill along, and I also want to thank my friend, Ranking Member King, for his bipartisan work and for the hard work that he has provided. This particular bill has three provisions that I have added with the help of the chairman, the ranking member, my colleagues and the committee staff. And I want to thank them for their work. The first provision creates a direct line of communications between border local elected officials and the private sector and the policymakers at the Department through a Border Communities Liaison at the DHS Office of Policy. This is important to make sure that we get the local input. The second provision calls for the evaluation of and emphasis on training of Border Patrol agents along the southwest border where many of them are going to serve. And the third and last provision mandates for the first time a comprehensive assessment of the staffing, infrastructure and technology resources that are needed to reduce the wait times for pedestrian, commercial and noncommercial traffic at the border. We want to have border security, but at the same time, we do not want to impede trade and tourism. I thank Chairman Thompson for his support and ask my colleagues to support H.R. 1684.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support my amendment to the Improving Head Start Act of 2007. First of all, I would like to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, Chairman Kildee and Ranking Member Castle for bringing this legislation to the floor. Ensuring that Head Start continues to serve our communities is important to all of us. This straightforward amendment builds upon the strong foundation of this year's reauthorization. The reauthorization requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of Head Start students with limited English proficiency. Studies have proven that the easiest time to learn a new language is when a child is young. With this in mind, early childhood is an important time for students with limited English proficiency to improve their grasp of the English language. Students who are fluent in multiple languages are better positioned to perform well in school. The legislation requires studies of the progress limited English proficiency students make towards proficiency. The amendment that I offer simply asks that the assessment used to determine progress in the English language skill development be described. The explanation of what is used is important for a couple of reasons. First, Head Start service providers will become more uniform in their instruction. If a description of assessment is not required, however, there may be a higher likelihood that it will become arbitrary. Second, educators learn from the practices of their colleagues. By having all Head Start providers describe the assessments they use, meaningful information will be gathered to help educators get ideas and make better informed decisions about their own practices. Enhancing consistency and sharing methods are meaningful ways we can help students with limited English proficiency make the progress that they need to make. My amendment is supported by the National Council of La Raza, the National Education Association, the Texas Migrant Council and the Texas Head Start Association. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to Chairman Miller, the gentleman from California.

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, again, I want to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, Chairman Kildee and Ranking Member Castle for their support. And again, I ask for their support on this amendment and on the reauthorization of the Head Start Act of 2007. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Natalie Hiatt for having served in my office as a congressional intern in the winter of 2006 and the spring of 2007. She has performed her duties with utmost distinction, and I am proud to have this opportunity to recognize the tremendous work she has done on my behalf. Ms. Hiatt is currently studying at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, as a transfer student from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. She will graduate in May 2007 with a bachelor of arts in public affairs and administration. Due to her exemplary academic record, Ms. Hiatt has received scholarships such as the Academic Scholarship Award through her participation in the honors program at the University of the Incarnate Word. Ms. Hiatt has consistently gone above the call of duty in ensuring the efficient operation of my office and maintaining ties with constituents in my district as a part of the press team. She also provided valuable insight on various legislative bills, and her ability to work with others, as shown by her extensive involvement in the college community at the University of Oklahoma, was of great benefit to my legislative team. She has a bright future ahead of her, and I am proud to support her as she moves on to the next phase of her life. Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had the opportunity to recognize the benefit Ms. Natalie Hiatt brought to my congressional office and ask you to join me in honoring her. I thank you for your time.

Mr. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank again Chairwoman Velazquez and the ranking member for their support and leadership, their bipartisan support. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support my amendment and help rural small businesses receive the access to capital they need to grow. I would like to thank my good friend, Chairwoman Velazquez, for reporting out this critical bill, and to Congresswoman Bean for taking the lead on this issue. I also want to thank the ranking member, Mr. Chabot, for the leadership and bipartisan support that he has shown in this bill and in the committee. My amendment would strengthen the underlying bill and ensure that we solve one of the most critical problems facing rural small businesses. Like many parts of the United States, my congressional district is the home to many rural companies. It is well known that small businesses found in rural communities have a more difficult time accessing affordable capital than their counterparts in the large metropolitan areas. Considering that there are probably about 1.2 million rural businesses, it is important to reach out to this vital part of our economy. The Rural Indian Outreach Program proposed in this bill will be a tremendous tool for lenders located in rural communities. The provisions outlined will take a major step toward expanding the financial options for the rural economy. Unfortunately, this bill in the current form, the rural small businesses owner needs access to the rural lenders that use this particular program. In my rural areas, many small businesses do not live close to a bank and therefore they are forced to do banking many miles away from the closest city. We must make sure that we help both the rural lender and the rural business owner. The amendment that I have, Mr. Chairman, states that a rural small business who is not within 30 miles of a rural lender can take advantage of the rural lending outreach program through any lender in the SBA 7(a) loan program. It is my hope that this amendment will further increase opportunities for small businesses and expand the rural economies throughout our Nation. Mr. Chairman, I yield to Chairwoman Velazquez at this time. And I believe there is support for this amendment.

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