Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I will be asking for a ``no'' vote on the previous question so that I can amend this restrictive rule to make in order the amendment offered by Representative Hayes of North Carolina which would strike section 407 of the bill, the section requiring DHS to buy American textiles and apparel, protective gear, badges and ID cards. The amendment would instead require that DHS buy items specified in the amendment only when those items are connected to national security functions within the Department. This amendment also includes language to ensure that these provisions comply with the World Trade Organization rules. Mr. Speaker, this thoughtful amendment submitted by Mr. Hayes was unfortunately denied yesterday at the Rules Committee. If the previous question is defeated, the Hayes amendment would be made in order and the House would be able to have a full discussion on its merits. I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment and extraneous materials immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to yield 4\1/2\ minutes to a distinguished colleague from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

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

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price). (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I rise today in support of Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Organization (WHO). Taiwan has one of the most developed health care systems in the world and has a strong, proven record on controlling infectious diseases. It was the first Asian State to eliminate polio and has successfully eradicated smallpox, rabies and malaria. Because our world is increasingly interconnected, exclusion of Taiwan from the international community is neither logical nor appropriate. Every year, travelers make over forty million international trips through Taiwan. With the rapid spread of diseases, one vulnerable site constitutes a vulnerability for us all; one weak link in the international health front puts at risk all our efforts. Madam Speaker, the WHO has excluded Taiwan because Communist China claims that its health care system will protect Taiwan. Past experience has convinced me that this is not the case. When an earthquake struck Taiwan in 1999, Communist China refused to allow assistance teams to fly through its airspace. This unreasonable restriction cost these assistance teams hours of flying time and may have cost lives. During the SARS outbreak in 2003, Communist China took days to report the Taiwan cases, which also cost lives. For these and other reasons I rise in full support of Taiwan's application to be included in the World Health Organization.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my distinguished colleague and friend from Florida (Mr. Weldon).

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

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Again, I thank my friend, Ms. Castor, for the time and her courtesy, and all those who have participated in this debate. Mr. Speaker, I will be asking for a ``no'' vote on the previous question so that I can amend this restrictive rule to make in order the amendment offered by Congressman Price of Georgia, which seeks to make regulations for emergency rear door exits and safety belts on vehicles used to transport children effective upon enactment of H.R. 1429. This extremely important amendment was denied by the Democrats in the majority last night in the Rules Committee. In 1992, Congress required the issuance of regulations related to rear door emergency exits and safety restraints on Head Start transportation. Since the final rule for these new regulations was published in 2001, the effective date has been delayed three times. Mr. Speaker, Congress required these regulations in order to ensure the safe operation of vehicles by Head Start agencies. Currently, the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 7 is motor vehicle traffic crashes. Further delaying these requirements means allowing Head Start grantees to transport children using vehicles that are not designed specifically for the safe transport of children. If the previous question is defeated, the Price amendment would be made in order and this delay would be put to an end. This issue, Mr. Speaker, needs to be resolved, and it needs to be resolved now and this authorization bill is clearly the most appropriate forum in which to do so. Any further delays in the implementation of these crucial safety regulations for children may endanger the lives of children. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment and extraneous materials immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder). (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. We have two speakers remaining.

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

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), the distinguished ranking member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor) for the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is very important for the future of our children that they develop the skills and receive the education necessary to make them a success later in life. Unfortunately, many children begin their education without the proper foundation, putting them at a disadvantage that has long-term effects on their education. We must do all we can so that low-income children do not begin their education at a disadvantage. That is why the Head Start program was created. In order to give children the proper foundation they need to begin their education, the Head Start program provides comprehensive early childhood education development services. These services include child development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other activities. These services prepare children to enter kindergarten and for their continued educational success. In fiscal year 2005, the Head Start program provided developmental services to over 900,000 children, 35,000 of them in my State of Florida. Most of the children that receive the critical developmental skills offered by the Head Start program come from low-income families, and at Head Start they receive the early educational foundation to do well in their later education and hopefully break the chain of poverty. The underlying legislation being brought to the floor today builds on the success of the program and improves its weaknesses. It authorizes over $7 billion for fiscal year 2008, strengthens Head Start's academic standards by emphasizing cognitive development and topics critical to school readiness. It is important that the children in Head Start receive the best education possible. There are, Mr. Speaker, several provisions in the underlying legislation that I believe will help with this goal. First, the bill seeks to ensure that a greater number of Head Start teachers are better trained and educated in early childhood development, particularly in fundamental skills such as language, pre-reading and pre-mathematics, within 2 years. Competition encourages better quality. As recommended by a 2005 GAO study, the bill seeks to increase competition among Head Start grantees to help weed out poor performers and offer stronger programs. The bill also seeks greater transparency and disclosure regarding how Head Start funds are spent. This will help to fight financial abuse and further ensure that Federal Head Start funds reach the disadvantaged children that they are meant to serve. Yesterday, in the Rules Committee, Mr. Speaker, Resident Commissioner Fortuno offered an amendment to this legislation to allow religious organizations to not ignore religion in their hiring practices. The provision was included in previous Head Start reauthorization bills. However, the majority on the Rules Committee blocked that amendment from consideration today by the full House. Head Start has a proud history of inclusion of faith-based organizations. Approximately 80 grantees have religious affiliations. Without the Fortuno amendment, faith-based Head Start grantees may decide to stop offering Head Start programs. That would hurt the children in those programs. In 2004, the Department of Health and Human Services issued regulations requiring any organization that receives direct financial assistance from the Department, such as Head Start, to not engage in inherently religious activities such as worship, religious instruction or proselytizing as part of the program or services funded by HHS. So objections to the Fortuno amendment, in my opinion, are unfounded. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Pembroke Pines Charter School as we consider H. Res. 344, a bill congratulating Charter Schools. Forty states and the District of Columbia have charter schools, totaling nearly 4,000 schools nationally. Enrollment is approximately one million students or about 2 percent of the Nation's elementary, middle and high school enrollment. Over one-half of all charter schools are in Florida, Arizona, California, Ohio and Texas. The City of Pembroke Pines Charter School is the only city-sponsored charter school in Florida. Madam Speaker, the Pembroke Pines Charter School, located in my district, is comprised of seven schools ranging from K-12 grades with a total enrollment of nearly 5,400 students. The school is so successful that there is a waiting list of 9,000 students desiring to attend the Pembroke Pines Charter Schools. The Pembroke Pines Charter High School has recently been rated as one of the top two high schools in Broward County, with 93 percent of all Pembroke Pines charter school high school graduates attending college. The Pembroke Pines Charter Schools were among those nominated to the Center for Education Reform to compete for the honor of being named one of the top charter schools in the Nation. Out of 4,000 charter schools nationwide, 52 charter schools received this acknowledgement of distinction. Madam Speaker, two of these top charter schools are part of the Pembroke Pines Charter School System. Ms. Devarn Flowers, Principal of the West Campuses, and other city and school officials will attend a special recognition program at The Center for Education Reform in Washington, DC on May 15, 2007 to receive the ``top schools'' recognition for The Pembroke Pines Charter Schools. I commend Ms. Devarn Flowers, the teachers, the administrators and especially the students of Pembroke Pines Charter Schools for their hard work. On the occasion of National Charter Schools week, I am enthusiastically supporting this resolution. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 344.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New Jersey for the time. I rise in support of Mr. Smith's resolution. I was listening to another dear friend whom I greatly admire, Mr. Wolf, and I want to thank once again Mr. Smith of New Jersey and Mr. Wolf of Virginia for consistently being the voices for the oppressed throughout the world. Martin Luther King said, ``An injustice anywhere is an affront to justice everywhere.'' And that is what this resolution is about. The men and women who are languishing in the prisons in Vietnam, those being tortured, the people being tortured because of their religious beliefs, because of their views on issues, because of their political aspirations for democracy, they are being tortured systematically; and that regime needs to be condemned not only by history but by the Congress of the United States. And that is why I support so strongly this resolution by Mr. Smith. And it is appropriate, as Mr. Wolf did, to bring out the torture also being committed by the regime in China, mainland China. That is also a fascist communist regime. These regimes continue to be communist, but by opening the economy, they manage to get massive investments from Big Business throughout the world. And I heard Mr. Wolf talk about how now Mr. Spielberg apparently is lobbying for the Chinese communist regime. It doesn't surprise me, after having met for hours with Fidel Castro and having said that that was one of the greatest experiences of his life, comparable to the birth of his child. So it doesn't surprise me. It doesn't surprise me about Big Business going into Vietnam and China and getting profits from the exploitation of the workers by the communist regimes. So I want to simply thank the gentleman for the time, and I am in strong support of this resolution. It is consistent with the best traditions of the Congress of the United States. Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with our colleagues a letter I recently sent to Secretary Rice regarding the recent crackdown on advocates of human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam. Even now, Vietnamese authorities are continuing to harrass these activists, including by blocking our ambassador's meetings with the wives of detained dissidents. We must speak out against this repression. Dear Secretary Rice: I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the worsening human rights situation in Vietnam in recent months. After joining the World Trade Organization in January 2007, the politburo of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) has carried out a large-scale brutal campaign of arrest against the nascent movement for democracy in Vietnam. Ignoring all international criticism and strenuous protests of the Vietnamese people, inside Vietnam and abroad, the communist regime in Hanoi has shamefully pushed ahead with its crackdown. The following events were particularly disconcerting to me. On February 18, 2007, the second day of the Lunar New Year, which is the most sacred time in Vietnamese culture, the communist security forces raided Father Nguyen Van Ly's office within the Communal Residence of the Hue Archdiocese. Father Ly was later banished to a remote, secluded area in Hue. On March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui Ngoc Yen that they had an order to arrest her husband, Professor Nguyen Chinh Kiet, who is a leading member of the Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam. Professor Kiet was in Europe at the time campaigning for democracy and human rights in Vietnam. On March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch and his wife were brutally assaulted by security forces of Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands, who then arrested Reverend Chinch on undisclosed charges. Also on March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists and lawyers, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan, were arrested in Hanoi and were told that they would be detained for four months as part of an undisclosed investigation. On March 9, 2007, Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the People's Democracy Party in Quang Ninh Province, and Mr. Pham Van Troi, a member of the Committee for Human Rights in Ha Tay, were summoned by security forces and threatened with ``immeasurable consequences'' if they do not stop their advocacy for human rights in Vietnam. On March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under the pen name Phuong Nam and one of the leading members of the Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam, was told by security forces that he could be indicted at any time for activity against the State. Also on March 10, 2007, state security forces also raided the home of Ms. Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, a writer, on the grounds that she advocated for ``people with grievances'' against the government. They took away two computers, two cell phones, and hundreds of appeals that she had prepared for victims of the government's abuses. March 12, 2007, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local governance for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP, and Swedish International Development Agency, was arrested in his hometown, Nghe An, less than a week after he returned from a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, D.C. His whereabouts are unknown at this time. On April 5, 2007, the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi rudely prevented Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) from meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering organized at the U.S. Ambassador's home. The police reportedly used very hostile and undignified manners to intervene in the meeting. Furthermore, the Hanoi communist regime is still imprisoning many political dissidents and labor advocates such as Nguyen Vu Binh, Huynh Nguyen Dao, Truong Quoc Huy, Nguyen Hoang Long, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Doan Huy Chuong, the religious leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and more than 350 lay people of the Protestant churches in the Central Highland. The Vietnamese-Americans in my district, as well as all across the country, are very angered and distressed by what they perceive as a new and aggressive plan of the Hanoi government to reverse the progress of human rights in Vietnam. They believe that Ambassador Marine and his staff are not doing enough to stop these blatant violations of human rights. It seems to me that the Vietnamese government is conducting this crackdown on advocates of human rights and religious freedom because it believes that the U.S. has no further leverage in the region. Now that Vietnam has been admitted to the WTO, and met with the Holy See, they believe they can respond in this brutal fashion to supporters of democracy and freedom and we will not respond. I hope that you will make clear to the Vietnamese authorities that we will not stand by while this violence and intimidation continues. I believe the State Department should consider putting Vietnam back on the list of Countries of Particular Concern, and perhaps also consider canceling the planned visit of the Vietnamese president and prime minister later this year if the human rights situation in Vietnam has not improved. I appreciate the recent comments by Sean McCormack at Voice of America expressing deep concern about the March 30 trial and sentencing of Father Ly. I ask that you continue pressing these issues with the Vietnamese government, including the need to respect the basic human rights of all Vietnamese citizens, especially the freedom of information, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. The Vietnamese people should be able to choose their own leaders through free and fair elections and to use the Internet freely without any censures or restrictions. I also ask that you encourage the Vietnamese authorities to release all political prisoners and religious leaders who are currently imprisoned because of their peaceful expression of their ideas or to fight for their religious beliefs. Among these prisoners are Father Nguyen Van Ly, Pastors Nguyen Cong Chinh and Hong Trung, lawyers Nguyen Van Dai, Le thi Cong Nhan, Le Quoc Quan, Messiers Truong Quoc Huy, and Nguyen Hoang Lon. Lastly, I believe the Vietnamese-American community, a young but energetic group comprised of more than one million citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S. government officials. They know the history, culture and values of Vietnam. They also have scrutinized the history and tactics of communism and the communist government's habits at the negotiating table. I sincerely believe that the history of Vietnam must inform our approach to this and all other aspects of foreign policy, and the Vietnamese-American community is a tremendous asset in this regard. I respectfully request that you invite a small representation of the Vietnamese-American community to join the U.S. delegation in next month's human rights dialogue. Best wishes. Sincerely, Frank R. Wolf, Member of Congress.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) for the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in 1971 Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act. That law established as national policy that wild free- roaming horses shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment and death; and to accomplish this, they are considered in the area where presently found as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands. The law also directed that no wild free-roaming horse or its remains may be sold or transferred for consideration for processing into commercial products. However, the fiscal year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act directed that wild horses over 10 years old or that were not adopted after three attempts must be sold unconditionally. While ``excess'' wild horses have been cited as the reason for the recent changes in law, there are fewer wild horses on the public lands today than there were a quarter of a century ago. In 1980, there were approximately 62,000 wild horses on public lands. Today, there are approximately 28,000. The underlying bill, H.R. 249, would undo the current practice and would prohibit the commercial sale of wild horses by the Bureau of Land Management. With regard to process, again the majority likes to proclaim that they have offered another bill under what they are describing as an open rule. But it really is not an open rule. According to a survey of activities of the House Committee on Rules from the 104th Congress, an open rule is defined as ``one under which any Member may offer an amendment that complies with the standing rules of the House and the Budget Act.'' A modified open rule requiring preprinting in the Congressional Record is defined as a type of rule that permits the offering only of those amendments printed in the Congressional Record. Because Members under this rule that bring the underlying legislation to the floor today must submit their amendments prior to floor consideration, they are prohibited from offering amendments on the floor as the debate progresses. So if a Member, for example, Mr. Speaker, is watching the debate and has an idea to improve the bill pursuant to the debate, he or she has an idea, this rule prevents that Member from offering their amendment. So by its very nature, the rule is restrictive. It is not an open rule. So for the sake of clarity and specificity, we would point that out for the record, and we think the majority should stop calling it an open rule. I also want to point out that once again the majority offers this modified open rule on noncontroversial, bipartisan bills such as the one that we bring to the floor today, bills that really should be considered under suspension of the rules or under a genuinely open rule. If the majority really wants to live up to their campaign promise of a more open and bipartisan Congress, they should offer open rules, for example on this bill, and on bills where there is some controversy. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Oscar Sanchez Madan, a 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 Dr. Alfredo Manuel Pulido Lopez, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Dr. Pulido Lopez is an independent journalist and a member of the Christian Liberation Movement. Before he became a human rights activist and a leader in the pro-democracy movement in a country oppressed by a totalitarian tyrant, he worked as a dentist. In 1998 he was forced from his job because of his support for democracy and the rule of law. In 2001, Dr. Pulido Lopez joined the ``El Mayor'' news agency in Camaguey, Cuba to expose the despotism and corruption of the tyranny as an independent journalist. He wrote on all aspects of totalitarian Cuban society and contributed to numerous foreign press agencies because he wished to make known the true nature of the regime that enslaves Cuba. On March 18, 2003, as part of the regime's deplorable island wide crackdown on peaceful prodemocracy activists, Dr. Pulido Lopez was arrested because he wrote the truth about a ruthless and repressive tyranny. After a sham trial, where he was accused of ``endangering independence and the state's territorial integrity'' and of ``writing tendentious articles on various aspects of national and provincial life,'' Dr. Pulido Lopez was sentenced to 14 years in a totalitarian dungeon. On April 18, 2006, Rebecca Rodriguez Souto, Dr. Pulido Lopez's wife, visited her husband and was immediately alarmed by his condition and the severity his deterioration. According to a report she filed with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP), Dr. Pulido Lopez is dangerously malnourished, deeply depressed, and having great difficulty breathing. Since his incarceration he has lost over 40 lbs and he finds it difficult to consume the grotesque food fed to the political prisoners. Despite his seriously declining health, Dr. Pulido Lopez continues to be caged in a totalitarian dungeon, sharing its squalor with at least 100 hardened common criminals. He has witnessed innumerable acts of violence and he must continually fear for his life. Also fearing for her husband's life, Rebecca Rodriguez Souto has repeatedly requested that the tyranny release her husband on medical parole. She has yet to hear a response from the brutal tyrant's machinery. Dr. Pulido Lopez himself has stated that he has no real reason to ask for medical parole since he is an innocent man to begin with, and that what the dictatorship's officials really have to give him is his freedom. To his wife he has explained that with every day he is firmer in his convictions, that he will not renounce them, and that ``they (the tyranny) can do what they want.'' Dr. Pulido Lopez was arrested because of his belief in liberty. His commitment to freedom, in the face of his declining health and the regime's complete and utter disregard for human rights and dignity, is a testament to the heroism of the Cuban people. It is abominable that just 90 miles from our shores Castro's subhuman gulags are full of men and women, like Dr. Pulido Lopez, who represent the very best of the Cuban nation. Madam Speaker, we must speak out against this unconscionable crime against humanity. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate release of Alfredo Manuel Pulido Lopez and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers and yield back.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 4 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I have no more speakers.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), the co-chairman of the Florida congressional delegation, for the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Small business, Mr. Speaker, is the engine that drives our economic strength. Small businesses employ over half of all private sector workers and pay approximately 45 percent of U.S. private payroll. Over the last decade, small businesses have generated 60 to 80 percent of new jobs. We must not take the amazing performance of small businesses for granted, however, Mr. Speaker. They often don't have the financial structure and support to help them quickly recover from major natural disasters. If small businesses fail in the aftermath of a natural disaster, it only slows the recovery of the area. Storms have often punished the community that I am honored to represent. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew, a category 5 storm, devastated much of South Florida. Until 2005, Hurricane Andrew was the costliest natural disaster in our history, causing over $26 billion of damage to South Florida. Entire communities were totally destroyed. Especially hard hit were many of the small businesses that make up a major part of the South Florida economy. Fifteen years later, the effects of that storm can still be felt. The SBA was one of the many Federal agencies that suffered a breakdown in operations during the rebuilding efforts after the 2005 hurricane season. The disaster loan program of the SBA is the Federal Government's main source of natural disaster rebuilding assistance and has come under fire for problems and delays in granting loans to homeowners, renters and businesses affected by the hurricanes. I think we need to do all that we can to ensure that the backbone of our country, small businesses, are not crippled in a storm's aftermath and that those small businesses can play a leading role in the recovery of affected areas. This underlying legislation better prepares the SBA to handle future disasters by requiring, among other reforms, that the agency develop a comprehensive disaster response plan, improve training, streamline information tracking systems, follow-up processes and more efficiently distribute disaster loans by partnering with private lenders. There is at least one point of contention in the underlying legislation. Section 211 modifies the subsidy rate assigned to SBA disaster loans by providing for double compensation under the provision that a disaster victim could receive both a grant and a loan for the same damage. This provision requires a direct appropriation. As such, it violates PAYGO rules. The manager's amendment by the distinguished chairman, Ms. Velazquez, does correct the PAYGO problem by making the section subject to available appropriations. It still does not address the underlying issue in contention, however, Mr. Speaker, which is, why should someone be compensated twice for the same injury? It is a legitimate point of contention which obviously merits debate. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.