Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), for the time; and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Who would have thought, back in 1903, at Kitty Hawk, that an experiment could have had such an incredible series of effects on our daily lives. Today, air travel helps make the world a smaller place, allowing for an ease of travel and commerce that incentivates extraordinary economic growth and job creation. But if U.S. air travel is to continue its fundamental role in the global economy, we have to make certain that we have the safest, most modern and efficient transportation system in the world. By reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration funding and safety oversight programs, the underlying bill takes an important step towards addressing those needs. Too many Americans have faced too many flight delays recently, Madam Speaker. According to the FAA, those delays are, unfortunately, on the rise, up almost 20 percent from last summer. Part of that, obviously, is due to increased passenger traffic at airports. That issue is particularly prevalent at airports such as the one that I'm honored to represent. The district that I'm honored to represent includes within it Miami International Airport. And so airports that are experiencing growth, such as Miami International and Ft. Lauderdale International, are facing this issue of how to deal with increased traffic. For example, in 2006, almost 33 million passengers passed through Miami International Airport; 45 percent of those passengers were international passengers, going to destinations beyond south Florida. But MIA is not only a hub for international travel; but it also plays an integral role in trade, in global trade. The airport leads the Nation in international cargo, with almost 2 million tons, a record 2 million tons of cargo processed in 2006. Also, MIA handled 80 percent of all air imports and almost 80 percent of all air exports between U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean. Because it is both an international hub for passengers and cargo, it provides the community that I'm honored to represent with an economic contribution of over $25 billion annually, generating almost 300,000 jobs, $638 million in Federal aviation tax revenue, and $956 million in State, county, and municipal tax revenue. These are all attributable to MIA. If MIA is going to continue to play such an important role as a trade gateway, it obviously must continue to grow. The airport is currently in the midst of a $6.22 billion capital improvement program that has seen delays and large cost increases due to construction material and labor in south Florida. This capital program has expanded the terminal and concourses by 2.7 million square feet and added cargo facilities which now measure 2.7 million square feet of space in 17 new buildings. I'd like to thank the authorizing committee for authorizing $15.8 billion for the airport improvement program. These much-needed funds will go a long way in helping, for example, MIA complete its capital improvement program. H.R. 2881, the underlying legislation, would also authorize appropriations of $51 billion, mainly over the 2008-2011 period for activities of the FAA. The bill authorizes funding for FAA operations, facilities and equipment, and for the FAA to hire additional staff to inspect various aspects of the aviation system. Currently there is a contract dispute between the air traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation Administration. Air traffic controllers are highly trained and hardworking people. I am honored to know those in South Florida and I am very proud of them for their extraordinary work. Under great pressure with no room for error, they manage our skies and keep the traveling public safe. I am pleased that the Transportation Committee has acknowledged the dispute and taken steps to resolve the issue. Madam Speaker, I have some concerns with the rule that brings the underlying legislation to the floor. The bill does not include any financing provisions to comply with the majority's PAYGO rule. So in order to get around PAYGO, the Rules Committee self-executed a provision to pay for the bill. A self-executing amendment is a way of circumventing the democratic process by automatically making an amendment part of a bill without a vote on the amendment on the floor. And that is not, in my view, an appropriate way to include provisions into bills, especially tax-increasing provisions. This rule also only makes in order, Madam Speaker, less than half, eight out of 22 amendments, that were submitted to the Rules Committee. This is an important bill that is being brought to the floor today, and in my view, the Rules Committee should have permitted a full and open debate allowing discussion by the membership of this House on all of the amendments submitted to the committee. Madam Speaker, at this time it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Lazaro Alejandro Garcia Farah, a prisoner of conscience in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Garcia Farah is a pro-democracy activist currently imprisoned in the tyrant's gulag because of his belief in freedom, democracy, and human rights. Unfortunately, because Mr. Garcia Farah has been a supporter of the cause of bringing liberty to an island shackled by a tyrant's brutal machinery of repression, and has attempted to shed light on the vicious crimes committed against the Cuban people, he has been persecuted by the totalitarian regime. Mr. Garcia Farah's aspirations for freedom and a better future were cut short when he and others attempted to divert a boat, the ``Baragua'', in an attempt to escape the suffocating grasp of the maniacal regime that maintains Cuba enchained. On August 4, 1994, Mr. Garcia Farah was arrested and in a sham trial ``sentenced'' to 25 years confinement in the infernal totalitarian dungeons on charges of ``piracy'' and attempting to exit the country without ``proper permission''. In 1998, Pope John Paul II visited Cuba and brought with him a list of political prisoners for which he asked clemency. The petition was ignored. Mr. Garcia Farah, whose name was on the list, denounced and protested the manner in which the totalitarian regime ignored the Pope's petition. The regime's thugs immediately placed Mr. Garcia Farah into solitary confinement in an attempt to silence his calls for justice. Mr. Garcia Farah is in constant danger of being placed in solitary confinement while in the gulag, yet he rejects allowing himself to be silenced. In 2000 he refused to participate in political ``indoctrination'' classes and was consequently denied visitation rights from November 2000 until February 2001. More recently, in a communication with the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights, Mr. Garcia Farah denounced the horrific conditions to which political prisoners are subjected and explained that prisoners are given drinking water infested with parasites and filthy residues and are incessantly denied their rights to correspondence and religious assistance. Madam Speaker, Lazaro Alejandro Garcia Farah languishes within the confines of hellish squalor and the injustice of the dictatorship's gulag, although he has done nothing other than desire that the long- suffering people of Cuba live in freedom with fundamental human rights and dignity. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Lazaro Alejandro Garcia Farah and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Arturo Suarez Ramos, a long suffering and heroic prisoner of conscience in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Suarez Ramos is a member of the Cuban Pro-Human Rights Committee and a leader of the pro-democracy movement in totalitarian Cuba. Because he believes that freedom is the birthright of every person, he has steadfastly demanded freedom, democracy and human rights for the Cuban people. He has bravely denounced the cruel policies of the dictatorship, its apartheid-style discrimination against Cubans, and its constant indoctrination campaign, and demanded that the Cuban people be allowed to exercise their inalienable rights. Unfortunately, because the dictatorship forcefully represses those who bravely support freedom, he has repeatedly been a target of the regime's henchmen. Mr. Suarez Ramos rejected the regime's mandated lies and propaganda early in his life and was therefore denied by the dictatorship the opportunity to pursue a higher education. Knowing full well that in a totalitarian Cuba there was no future, only dire consequences, for those who voiced dissent, he refused to allow his cries for freedom to be silenced. In 1985 Mr. Suarez Ramos was arrested by state security thugs and in a sham trial ``sentenced'' to 18 months in the totalitarian gulag for being a ``menace to society'' by attempting to leave the country without ``proper permission''. Although Mr. Suarez Ramos was eventually released, his time outside the infernal totalitarian gulag was brief. On October 3, 1987, Mr. Suarez Ramos was again arrested, this time on charges of ``piracy'' and ``illegal exit'' from the country. Although he was initially sentenced to death by firing squad for attempting to divert a plane to the United States, the dictator decided to ``commute'' his sentence to thirty years in his dungeons. Mr. Suarez Ramos has participated in several hunger strikes demanding his release and to draw attention to the abhorrent conditions in which political prisoners are kept. Currently, Mr. Suarez Ramos, among Cuba's longest serving political prisoners, suffers from migraines, loss of vision, severe back pains, chronic stomach pains, diarrhea and various other ailments. These maladies are brought on and compounded by the depraved, subhuman conditions to which he is subjected. Mr. Suarez Ramos has never relinquished his dream of freedom for the Cuban people. He continues to advocate for freedom and justice while locked in the hellish squalor of the dictatorship's dungeons and courageously endures countless attacks at the hands of his brutal jailers. No matter how intense the repression, no matter how horrifically brutal the consequences of a dignified struggle for liberty, the totalitarian gulags are full of men and women who represent the best of the Cuban nation. Madam Speaker, it is as inconceivable as it is unacceptable that Mr. Suarez Ramos continues to be systematically tortured because of his belief in freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Arturo Suarez Ramos and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from California, the ranking member of the committee, Mr. McKeon.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Ohio, for the time; and I yield myself such time as I may consume. This rule that the majority brings forth today, Mr. Speaker, is a standard rule for a conference report. But yesterday the minority on the Rules Committee voted against this rule because of the unsatisfactory manner in which the conference report was put together. In his submitted testimony to the Rules Committee yesterday, Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Buck McKeon expressed concern with the process the majority used of the conference committee. The minority was informed at 9:30 p.m. that the conference committee would meet at 11:30 a.m. the following morning. However, the majority did not provide the minority with the text of the conference report at the time the meeting was announced and even kept the text away from Republicans at the meeting itself. Republican conferees were, in effect, left in the dark. They had no way to know what was in the report. As such, it was impossible for members of the minority to propose amendments to the report and thus play any meaningful part in the conference. Democrats did not even allow Republicans to see the conference report at the end of the meeting. Instead, Republicans had to wait until later in the evening hours after the conference committee had ended. Mr. Speaker, our friends on the other side of the aisle campaigned, and they did so repeatedly, on an open, fair, and bipartisan process, including a promise to provide members of conference committees with texts of conference reports. They also said that they will allow members of the conference committee to vote on all amendments. During consideration of the rules package for this new Congress, the distinguished chairwoman of the Rules Committee said, ``Never again will any Member of the Congress have to fight to find out where the conference to which he or she has been appointed is meeting.'' Well, in this instance, Members did not have to fight to find the conference committee location, but they certainly did have to fight to get the text of the conference report; and even after fighting, they did not get to see it. By keeping the text of the conference report away from the minority, Democrats were essentially locking out Republican Members from the conference committee, which is exactly what the Democrats said they would not do. So, Mr. Speaker, because of the manner, the way the majority kept the text of the conference report from Republicans and thus committed, if you will, a process foul, we oppose this rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we reiterate that the process by which this conference report was composed was not fair. And it, in effect, violated the promises made by the other side of the aisle very recently, very recently made and reiterated. The process was profoundly unfair. I stressed that in my previous remarks, and I reiterate it now. In addition, we've heard from the distinguished ranking member with regard to grave concerns by many of those who have been working on this issue, such as Mr. McKeon, for many years. So for those reasons, Mr. Speaker, we oppose this rule and would urge a ``no'' vote on the rule. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Reclaiming my time. A number of important amendments have not been made in order. And on legislation this important, we think that it should have been brought forth with an open rule. And so that's why we oppose the rule, and would urge that the majority of the Rules Committee bring forth this legislation again with the opportunity of all Members of the House to offer all amendments based on their work product for consideration by all of our colleagues. And so with that, I urge the defeat of this unfair rule. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. When the Founders of this great Republic drafted our Constitution, they had the revolutionary vision that brought us this great and vibrant representative democracy that has lasted over 200 years. Included in the landmark Constitution that has served our Nation so marvelously is a provision that gives us, the Congress, the power ``to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.'' This provision receives little attention; but over the last two centuries it has played a critical part in the growth of the economy and the power, the wealth of the United States. Today, American intellectual property is worth over $5 trillion, more than that of any other country in the world. It also comprises more than half of all U.S. exports, driving almost half of the Nation's economic growth. As Mr. Welch so eloquently stated, the last time Congress overhauled the patent system was over 50 years ago. Since then the fundamental underpinnings of our economy have undergone dramatic changes. But the patent system has remained generally static and now faces some difficulty in meeting the needs of our dynamic economy. So we must reform our patent system in order to meet the needs of our economy here and in the global marketplace, but we must do so in a way that protects, that continues to protect the intellectual property rights of all inventors and industries. Today we are debating changing the system that President Abraham Lincoln called one of the three most important developments in world history. Yet on such a truly significant piece of legislation, legislation that will affect our economy for decades, the Rules Committee majority has severely restricted the input of Members of this House, the input that they can have on this extraordinarily important piece of legislation. The rule brought forth by the majority allows only five amendments, five of the 14 amendments submitted. I submitted to you, Mr. Speaker, that is no way for the House to debate this important legislation. The majority should bring this bill to the floor with the opportunity for all Members to present their ideas, their proposals, their amendments, for the consideration of all of our colleagues. The majority should bring this legislation to the floor under an open rule. I remind our friends of one of the central tenets of their campaign last fall. They said they would run the Congress in a more open and bipartisan manner. In fact, on December 6, 2006, the distinguished Speaker, Congresswoman Pelosi, reiterated her campaign promise. She said: ``We promised to the American people that we would have the most honest and open government, and we will.'' Here we are again with a restrictive rule, even on such a significant piece of legislation as the reform of our patent system. The majority, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately is not living up to its promises, and it is the duty of the minority to remind the majority of when the majority falls short of the majority's promises. It was quite clear from the testimony at the Rules Committee yesterday, very interesting testimony, very enlightening. It's been years in the making this legislation. There are Members of our Congress that have put a tremendous amount of effort and study and time into this critically important issue. It was evident at the Rules Committee that this bill was drafted in an open manner, in a bipartisan manner. Why not thus continue the bipartisanship that has forged this important piece of legislation, why not continue that bipartisanship here on the floor today with an open rule? Notwithstanding how Members may feel about the underlying bill, Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of our colleagues to vote against this rule, vote against this rule so that we can have a full and open debate on this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I have very little time. I will yield.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the distinguished ranking member of the Rules Committee. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of our colleagues who have participated in this debate; thank Chairman Conyers for his kind words. This obviously is very important legislation. And even though my very good friend, Mr. Issa, just stated that most of the amendments had been made in order by the Rules Committee, that's not the case. Five amendments were made in order, and nine, nine were denied.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize a man who has been a leader in the media and a strong visionary for the future. With four decades of experience as a journalist and executive, Don Browne is currently the president of the Telemundo Network. He oversees all functions of the Telemundo television network and its 16 owned-and- operated stations. In a very short time, Mr. Browne led Telemundo from zero original programming to more than 1,000 hours of original prime-time productions a year produced out of Telemundo Studios' production center based in South Florida. During his tenure, Mr. Browne has set in motion numerous initiatives that have further solidified and defined the network's position within the Spanish-language television landscape, and has helped make it the world's second largest producer of Spanish-language content. Thanks to Mr. Browne's commitment to original programming, Telemundo has carved a unique competitive position in the market, syndicating its programming properties to over 60 countries in more than 20 different languages and distributing its content in a variety of emerging digital media platforms. Furthermore, Mr. Browne has earned for himself a national reputation for being particularly active in the recruitment and career development of women and minorities. For example, Mr. Browne is the visionary behind the creation and expansion of the bicoastal ``Taller Telemundo,'' an innovative educational program designed to discover, recruit and train the next generation of ``telenovela'' writers and actors. He is also cofounder and board member of the ``Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program'' for at risk high school girls. He was a charter member of the NBC News Taskforce on Women and Minorities and currently serves as a member of NBC's Taskforce on Diversity. For these efforts, he has been correctly recognized with numerous awards for community service such as the prestigious Ida B. Wells Award for his commitment to promote diversity in the workplace and Governor of Florida's Points of Light Award for exemplary service to his community. I am proud to call Don Browne, his beautiful and brilliant Cuban-born wife, Maria, and their sons Chris and Ryan, my friends, and I am honored to celebrate his 40 years in broadcasting. On behalf of a grateful community, I rise to thank this giant of the television industry for his service, his vision and his leadership.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished ranking member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.