Kathy Castor

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to my friend and colleague from Texas, a true champion for Texas and a staunch supporter of our Armed Forces, Mr. Lampson, the sponsor of this resolution.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 691 commending the Wings Over Houston Airshow for its great contribution to the appreciation, understanding, and future of the United States Armed Forces, the City of Houston, Texas, and Ellington Field. I would like to thank my colleague from Texas, Mr. Nick Lampson, for bringing this measure to the floor of the House. The Wings Over Houston Airshow is one of the highest rated events of its kind. This coming Saturday and Sunday, folks from Congressman Lampson's district and, in fact, from all over America, will come to see these mighty military machines maneuver through the skies with seeming ease. These classic and contemporary airframes break their bounds to Earth and share the heavens with the sun and clouds. It's a rare experience to see with your own eyes the awe-inspiring airborne arsenal of our Armed Forces. It's difficult to explain the seemingly impossible coordination our pilots execute in midair. No one can truly understand the peril, skill, and thrill involved except for the pilots themselves; yet our extraordinarily talented men and women fly in conditions that require nothing less than perfection. And visitors will have that rare glimpse of airborne art. Spectators will be visited by the Texas Air National Guard 147th Fighter Squadron. Their TANG F-16s will tear rifts through the sky as they buzz by. The Texas Air National Guard F-16s are at a state of constant readiness, prepared to defend the great State of Texas and our Nation at a moment's call. Attendees will also have the chance to see Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the P-38, the B-24A, a heritage flight consisting of the F-4 Phantom, the P-51 Mustang, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the F-15E Strike Eagle, and a number of Navy fighters among them. Mr. Speaker, the Wings Over Houston Airshow provides an important experience for folks to understand and to see the many machines that help our brave men and women in uniform protect us. I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 691. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Washington (Mr. Reichert) and salute my colleague from Texas (Mr. Lampson) for bringing this resolution. I know, as a member of the Tampa Bay area and the Armed Services Committee, we value our air show every year at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. So I thank my colleague again from Houston for his resolution commending the Wings Over Houston Airshow. I ask my colleagues to support the resolution.

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

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 691) commending the Wings Over Houston Airshow for its great contribution to the appreciation, understanding, and future of the United States Armed Forces, the City of Houston, Texas, and Ellington Field.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 640) honoring the sacrifices and commitments of the men, women, and families of the United States Transportation Command, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues from Minnesota, Mr. Kline and Mr. Walz, the sponsor of this thoughtful concurrent resolution, and urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 185.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I intend to recognize the sponsor of this thoughtful resolution, but I think it is important for our colleagues to recognize his service as well. Mr. Walz from Minnesota spent 24 years himself in the Army National Guard, so he has had a full life of service to this country. I don't think he knew when he enlisted at the young age of 17 that he would end up so many years in the Army National Guard. He also became a teacher. But he achieved the rank of command sergeant major. I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to Command Sergeant Major Walz, my friend and colleague from Minnesota, the sponsor of this thoughtful resolution.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 185, commending the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I would like to thank my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) for bringing this measure before the House. The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division was deployed for 22 months, nearly 2 years. That's how long they were continuously deployed. This is longer than any other ground combat unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many Americans count down the hours until the end of the workday, until Friday night, until the end of the work week. Often our commitment to our jobs comes in bundles of 40 hours. Yet the soldiers of the Red Bull Division had no such luxury. Counting down the time until redeployment was computed in entire weeks, if not months. Just when they and their families thought they were to come home, their deployment was extended by an additional 125 days. In 22 months some of our brave men and women in uniform missed their infants and their young children taking their first steps, saying their first words. Some of the roughly 5,000-member BCT missed their kids' high school graduations, and they didn't get a chance to move their sons and daughters into a dorm for college. So much can change in 2 years. So many precious moments that we hold dear pass by during this time. Yet we go about our daily lives and forget that these precious moments that we enjoy are being protected by America's tremendous servicemembers. Even more amazing is the fact that the members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division are members of the National Guard. These are everyday folks, our neighbors and friends who signed up to be citizen soldiers. Their single deployment lasted as long as some active duty servicemembers' entire time in our Armed Forces. This was an extraordinary commitment and sacrifice on the part of the Red Bull Division. Mr. Speaker, I know Mr. Walz and Mr. Kline, our colleagues from Minnesota, will have much to say about these fine Minnesotans as representatives of that great State. But I would just like to say how proud I am as a Member of the United States House of Representatives and as an American, Mr. Speaker, of the 5,200 combat logistics patrols, the 2.4 million convoy miles, the 400 captured terrorists and the 22- month deployment that the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division accomplished. We can never repay these servicemembers for their time and their tremendous sacrifice. But what we can do is enshrine our appreciation and thanks by passing this resolution into law. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 185. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

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

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the comments of my colleague from Illinois, and there certainly is a prospective, forward-looking request of the GAO, and it builds upon the very thoughtful initiative by my colleague from Florida, Ms. Brown-Waite, and the chairman of the committee, Mr. Frank. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This amendment will help protect homeowners in coastal areas from windstorms by ensuring that natural wind barriers remain intact. It instructs the Director of FEMA to consider natural protective sand dunes and wetlands when developing criteria for the multi-peril insurance. No matter how you feel about the multi-peril option in this bill, I think everyone will agree that it is in our country's best interest to discourage any investment of public dollars in those areas. One of the most sensible features of the National Flood Insurance Program is the requirement that in order to remain eligible, communities must enact strong growth management laws, flood mitigation strategies that will help prevent catastrophic losses rather than just responding to them when they occur. The bill we are considering today expands the national flood insurance with an optional wind component. Just like flood policies, wind policies will be contingent on prevention and mitigation activities developed by FEMA. While it's absolutely imperative that homeowners themselves take the initiative to prepare their properties for windstorms, some of the best mitigation and prevention measures naturally exist along the coast. So no matter what your opinion is of the multi-peril option, if government is going to offer a multi-peril option for windstorm damage, our interest should be in doing all we can do to reduce the risk side of the equation. In the event of a hurricane, wetlands and coastal dunes act as shock absorbers, and these natural environmental features bear the brunt of the monumental pounding of wind so that homes, businesses, and schools don't have to. I am also going to recognize another colleague, but at this time I urge approval of the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the chairman.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, the Federal multi-peril option must not be an invitation to develop on our sensitive natural coasts, and we must protect the natural windbreaks like the coastal dune areas. That is why it is important to instruct FEMA, as they develop the eligibility criteria for the multi-peril program, that they must take into account the natural protective features. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment and protect the natural wind barriers that will make damage mitigation efforts more manageable. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I might consume. This amendment commissions a GAO study to examine the effect of the new multi-peril coverage option which is established as an option in this bill on State insurers and catastrophe funds like those in my State of Florida. This amendment works very well with the initiative of Chairman Frank and my colleague from Florida, Ms. Brown-Waite, and their very thoughtful initiatives. But it builds upon it. And the particular problem in my State of Florida is that the State insurance company, Citizens, now holds 1.3 million policies. Citizens is supposed to be an insurer of last resort; but because private insurance companies have left the State, they've withdrawn from the market, Citizens has ballooned to over 40 percent of the property wind insurance market. Citizens, however, does not have the reserves, the sufficient financial reserves, we believe, to pay the level of claims that would result from a catastrophic hurricane. In the event of a serious storm, Citizens may be forced to turn to public funds again. The new multi-peril option, I know it's in dispute now, but however you feel about it, we need to get to the bottom of the effect it will have on our State insurers and catastrophic funds. It could offer new fiscally sound choices for those in high-risk areas. It has the potential to help address wind insurance availability so that the public is not on the hook for claims when the next storm hits. If the new option is successful in making insurance available to areas where private insurers refuse to go, multi-peril and this wind storm option could relieve the pressure on State insurers like Citizens in Florida. But serious questions remain to be answered about how these State and Federal programs will interact. Will State insurers leave room in the market for an actuarially based Federal program to achieve high enough enrollment to make a difference? Will State policies change to help their citizens take advantage of the Federal multi-peril program? How will enrollment rates of State plans change to reflect the new Federal entrant into the market? These are important questions for both Congress and States to ask. There will also undoubtedly be interaction between State and Federal programs that will affect enrollment in ways that we cannot anticipate. So, Mr. Chairman, the study commissioned in this bill will provide vital information to help officials at all levels of government work together to better understand and administer the new multi-peril and wind storm option. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, just to close, rather than any attention placed on Mars, I am glad that here in the Congress we are able to place some attention on our coastal areas in this country that are at risk from catastrophic loss. I urge approval of my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the chairman of the committee.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, I will reserve the balance of my time until it is time to close.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a wonderful man and my constituent, the Reverend James T. Golden of the Ward Temple A.M.E. Church in Bradenton, Florida. He is the guest chaplain of the House of Representatives. Reverend Golden is a pillar of the Tampa Bay community, with a long record of public service and dedication. In the year 2000, he was elected to the Bradenton City Council, which he continues to represent with distinction. Reverend Golden is a veteran of the United States Army. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Stetson University in Deland, Florida, and went on to become a master of divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He returned to Florida to attend the University of Florida and received his juris doctorate. Reverend Golden has shared his great knowledge and insight with students throughout Florida, and he ministers to the congregation of the Ward Temple A.M.E. Church in Bradenton and serves his community through many nonprofit organizations. He is joined today by his wife Mildred, nephew Kahreem, and niece Lyleigha. I am proud to stand in recognition of his accomplishments and leadership today.