Bob Etheridge

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, as the only former State superintendent of schools serving in Congress, I have devoted my life to the well- being and development of children, and I strongly support Head Start. I rise in support of H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness Act. In the global economy of the 21st century, lifelong learning is the pathway to the American Dream, and for many of our Nation's children, learning begins with Head Start. Over 20,000 children in North Carolina get prepared for school in Head Start or Early Head Start. This act takes and builds on the success of Head Start, expanding and enhancing this fundamental initiative that has served over 20 million children and families nationwide since 1965. H.R. 1429 extends the benefits of Head Start to more of our Nation's low-income children, and raises the bar so that we can attract highly qualified Head Start providers through performance accountability, greater compensation, and higher standards. Research continues to show that the first few years of a child's life are critical to a child's mental development: their brains grow exponentially and learning patterns are set. We must invest in these youngsters so that they may take full advantage of one of the premier education systems in the world by ensuring their school-readiness by age 5. Head Start successfully provides the stepping stones to lifelong learning. This act provides the parents and children of our country an additional 4 years of this vital service, guaranteeing a 20 percent increase in funding by 2012. Education is the best investment we can make for our children, grandchildren, country, and world. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1429 updates, improves, and expands the successful services of Head Start. I commend Chairman Miller for his leadership on this bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to pass it.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Sheriff John Haywood Baker, Jr., who died October 31, 2007. In his passing I lost a good friend, and North Carolina lost one of its most outstanding citizens and a man who was instrumental in his community, county, and State. A native son of Raleigh, North Carolina, Sheriff Baker was known for his larger-than-life, 6-foot-7 stature and booming voice. John became the first black sheriff in North Carolina since Reconstruction and held the office from 1978 until 2002. During his 24 years as Sheriff he helped create the John H. Baker Jr. Charter School. This school allows young jailed offenders to get an education. John wasn't the only law enforcement officer in the family as the son of the late Lousie S. Baker and John H. Baker, Sr. John, Sr. was the first African American police officer in the city of Raleigh. At an early age John was taught to have compassion, gentleness, sensitivity for others. These were life skills that he carried with him throughout his life. John grew up in the Oberlin community of Raleigh and attended Ligon High School. He graduated from North Carolina Central University in 1958. That same year, he was drafted 56th overall by the Los Angeles Rams. Over the next 11 years, the defensive end/defensive tackle went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions. While playing in the NFL, John displayed his leadership abilities. He was named defensive captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers, MVP of the team, and selected as a NFL All-Star. He was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame, in 1972, for one of the most defining moments of his career. While a Pittsburgh Steeler John tackled football legend Y.A. Tittle, quarterback of the New York Giants, leaving him bloody and battered in the end zone. The tackle is the subject of a famous picture that became part of sports history. In the off season, John would work with the Raleigh Police Department as a youth counselor. When he retired from the NFL, he became the first black man appointed to the North Carolina State Parole Board, as the Associate Director for Training and Standards Council. He was also an Administrative Aide to U.S. Senator Robert Morgan. John was a member of several organizations; he was a life member of the NAACP, a member of the Board of Trustees of Shaw University, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, just to name a few. John leaves to cherish his memory a devoted wife of forty-eight years, Juanita H. Baker, his two children Jonnita B. Williams, John H. Baker, III, and his Goddaughter Ada H. Roach. Madam Speaker, Sheriff John H. Baker had a commitment to excellence in everything he did, and he had a way of bringing out excellence in everyone around him. He was a respected and a successful dedicated public servant, and a great North Carolinian. It is fitting that we honor him and his family today.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings had during the recess be printed in the Record.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, as a veteran of the United States, I rise in support of the House bill on veterans funding. Over the last 5 years, hundreds of thousands of Americans, military personnel, have bravely served this country in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am proud that North Carolina is home to many of these soldiers and also has one of the highest veteran populations in the country. Unfortunately, VA health care is still not adequately prepared to care for those who are returning from combat. Today, nearly 400,000 veterans are faced with unreasonable delays for their claims to be processed. Yesterday, this Democratic House once again fulfilled its commitment to our veterans by passing a conference report that is $3.7 billion over President Bush's request for veterans medical care, claims processing personnel and for facility improvements. The conference report includes the largest increase in funding in the 77-year history of the VA to fund these health care needs, as well as funds for 1,800 new processors to alleviate the claims backlog. Despite a veto threat from this President, who is spending millions of dollars on roads, schools and health care in Iraq and Afghanistan, this House passed the VA funding bill on a vote of 269-142. The Senate should follow our lead, and the President should reverse his course and sign this vital bill into law.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. Mr. Speaker, this legislation, better known as the U.S.-Peru TPA, has gone through an extensive and thorough legislative process that has been years in the making. For the first time, we have before us today a trade bill that contains legally binding worker rights and human rights provisions that have never before been a meaningful part of free trade legislation. This is a tremendous victory for American workers and a tremendous accomplishment of the Democratic Leadership of this Congress. The U.S.-Peru TPA will guarantee that legally binding and enforceable labor and environmental standards be incorporated into this trade policy. This is a landmark piece of legislation for this reason alone. Beyond the worker right provisions this bill is good for the people of Peru. In a region that for years has been plagued with the influence of the drug trade and political upheavals. A strong trade agreement with an economic ally such as the United States will help bring stability to this area through economic growth, increased job availability, and greater educational opportunities. This trade agreement will also be a boon for the American worker. Currently U.S. agricultural imports to Peru face an average tariff of 18 percent. The U.S.-Peru TPA will eliminate all tariffs on U.S. agricultural and food products entering the Peruvian market and significantly reduce tariffs on exported goods manufactured and exported from the U.S. Market. For my home state of North Carolina, this means significant increases in the exports from our $2 billion dollar pork industry, as well as our poultry industry, which ranks in the top five in the Nation. This legislation will also result in an increase in the exports of the goods produced in the technology and manufacturing industry in and around the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this trade agreement is a good and carefully crafted piece of legislation and I urge my colleagues to support this bill and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3688.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3495, ``Kids in Disasters Well-Being, Safety, and Health Act of 2007.'' My life's work has been to provide for a better future for the next generation, and H.R. 3495 is in keeping with this purpose. This bill ensures that children will be protected and prepared to respond to a disaster or other emergency by establishing a National Commission on Children and Disasters. This commission will provide a vital assessment of the needs of children before, during, and after all hazards, disasters, and emergencies. This bill addresses many--but not all--of the enhancements to preparedness for children that I have championed on the Committee on Homeland Security. Specifically, I have been exploring how to improve preparedness for children and schools since the committee's inception. I look forward to continuing the committee's work on school preparedness and working with my colleagues on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on this critical homeland security issue. Mr. Speaker, in August 2005, my colleagues and I on the Committee on Homeland Security requested that the Government Accountability Office, GAO, examine the programs at the Departments of Homeland Security, Education, and Health and Human Services that are designed to increase the emergency preparedness of primary and secondary public school officials, teachers, and students. In 2005, I released a report entitled ``Reading, Writing, and Readiness: A Survey of School Emergency Plans in the 2nd Congressional District of North Carolina.'' The report highlighted the following three assessments: first, Federal efforts in school preparedness are uncoordinated and create confusion in the school community; secondly, there is a desire among schools for the Department of Homeland Security to take a leadership role in school preparedness; and finally, school administrators are feeling the squeeze of Federal budget cuts in emergency preparedness. Although schools are among the safest places for our children, and school administrators do a great job of preparing for emergencies, we have evidence, both objective and anecdotal, suggesting that schools need more assistance to be fully prepared to respond to any serious crisis, including terrorism. As the only Member of Congress that served as a school superintendent, I understand the burdens faced by administrators when implementing emergency preparedness plans with limited resources. We need to continue to work to ensure that the Federal Government engages our communities in an effective and efficient manner to mitigate such burden. Earlier this year, I included language in H.R. 1684, the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act, that addresses this critical issue. Specifically, it tasks the DHS Under Secretary for Policy to ensure that all policies, programs and activities developed by the Department and its components appropriately take into consideration the needs of and impact on children. Additionally, the Assistant Secretary would then work with the Office of Grants and Training in FEMA to support emergency preparedness activities for schools. Like the current bill, my provision raises awareness in Congress and within Federal agencies to ensure that the needs of children, schools, and other child-centered facilities are sufficiently understood and incorporated into Federal, State, local, and tribal preparedness, response, and recovery plans and activities for natural disasters as well as acts of terrorism. I am particularly pleased that H.R. 3495 establishes a National Resource Center on Children and Disasters, similar to the ``one-stop'' shop clearinghouse that Homeland Security Chairman Thompson and I requested from DHS Secretary Chertoff and Education Secretary Spellings. This resource center will be invaluable to school administrators as a single source for Federal grants and training available to develop emergency management plans at their schools and throughout their districts. I commend my colleague, Corinne Brown, for introducing this bill and I am looking forward to working with her to ensure that the needs of children are properly assessed and addressed by the Federal Government. I urge my colleagues to join me in this cause, and in voting in favor of this legislation.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3920, the Trade and Globalization Act of 2007. Mr. Speaker, it has been over two decades since there has been any meaningful updating of this important legislation. Effective job training gives workers the tools they need to make the most of their employment and economic opportunities. When the first Trade Adjustment Assistance Act was passed in 1962 the job losses addressed by this law were mainly manufacturing jobs; today our economy faces the threat of job losses in the service industry as well. H.R. 3920 makes important updates to this initiative, including provisions that close outdated loopholes to make anyone who loses a job as a result of a factory moving overseas to be eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance. The bill doubles the training fund cap to re- train displaced workers from $220 to $440 million dollars, makes more service industry workers such as customer service workers eligible for assistance, and finally, increases the Health Care Tax Credit subsidy for displaced workers who have lost their healthcare coverage to 85 percent. Mr. Speaker, this is timely and needed legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and vote yes on H.R. 3920.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to begin this hour to put a great spotlight on what is occurring in the southeastern region of the United States. You know, when you look at the statistics and you look at the effects, there is only one word that can describe the drought that has gripped the southeastern United States, and that is ``tragic.'' If you look at this map to my right, you see that the Southeast is this large red area. And you also have some of the same effects in some parts of the west coast, and we've seen the effects of what's happening there with the terrible fires that are now taking place out in California. Mr. Speaker, this is a disaster, not like a tornado or a hurricane or even any major catastrophic event. When you have a big storm or you have an earthquake, it's over, you come in and put things back together, you're able to start sorting people's lives out. But a drought of the magnitude of the one that is now gripping the Southeast is sort of a continual process. It started well over a year ago. We had a dry winter, we had a dry fall, last year a dry winter, this past year, and now this year. And I will talk about it more as the evening goes on. We have places in my home State and in other places of the Southeast where we are 20 inches of rain below normal. And I will talk about that and will have more to say about it as the evening goes on. But this impact adds up over time. It impacts every person in the Southeast. It impacts animals, it impacts vegetation, and it certainly has an impact on the land. This drought, frankly, is the worst one that people who are now living can remember. And in some places in my State, people who are approaching 100 years of age say they have never seen anything this bad. We know that this entire region has had, in some places, 10 inches less rain, others plus-20. And I was on the phone just today with one of our small towns working with the Governor's office. They will be out of water in 60 days. We are struggling to get water lines to them just to help them out. But tonight I'm going to talk about a broader issue of it is impacting the people who live on the land, who provide our food and fiber in this country. This area has been the hardest hit. And it's a broad area, as you can see here. It's in the State of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and even parts of Maryland. In North Carolina, Governor Easley has issued a state-wide ban on burning, and he has asked citizens to halt all nonessential water use. Just this week he took another step, and he asked our citizens to reduce their water use by 50 percent by Halloween. And this drought has affected our farmers to an extent so great that it is now affecting rural communities across North Carolina. And I'm sure, as my colleagues come this evening, they will share with you what's happening in their State across the Southeast. I don't know if my colleagues can see here, but certainly North Carolina is predominantly red because now, and I will talk about it in a few minutes, almost every county, almost all 100 counties are in what's called the ``extreme drought,'' and I will talk about that; but my congressional district falls 100 percent in the extreme drought area. And it does have an effect on rural communities, but it also affects suburban and urban communities. Plants are having their production levels cut to save water. Several communities have only a few months of water supply remaining. And I just talked about one that has no more than 60 days. It has now cut production in one of the plants that employs roughly 2,000 people; it has cut their production back to 3 and 4 days. They're hauling water in water tankers just to keep operating. I know that this is the case in several of these other States as well, and I look forward to hearing from my colleagues. What we really need is a good rain. Members of Congress think they can do a lot of things, but they can't do a whole lot about rain. We can talk about it, we can pray for it, we can wish we were able to get it; but the truth is we can't do anything about it. And when we can't do that, what we can do is help in ways we can help. In my district, the Second District of North Carolina, as I've said, the entire district is virtually in the exceptional drought area. That is the most serious category of drought you can have. Farmers have had to struggle all year in this very difficult situation. The crisis that this drought is is underlined by the two critical variables that seem to be working against us. First is the self- sustaining cycle that a drought of this magnitude can trigger. For this region to recover any time soon, we will need at least an additional foot of precipitation. We're not likely to get that. This late in the year, we normally get the ocean tropical storms out of the Caribbean. There was a time when we worried about hurricanes. We have people in North Carolina now saying we wish we could get one because they would get rain. Mr. Speaker, I'm working in Congress to provide some relief. The House Agriculture Committee is holding a hearing on Thursday to help shine the spotlight on this growing disaster, and it really is a disaster of large proportion. I wrote a letter to the President asking for assistance. This letter was signed by 54 of my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican. I assume it takes a long time for a letter to get to Pennsylvania Avenue. I haven't heard anything from him. I assume that Pony Express will show up one day, maybe it went with Turtle Express, but I do hope to hear. We have asked that some money be included in the supplemental that the President requests. And I understand he sent a supplemental down, but there was no request in it. I hope he will reconsider because these farm families may not be able to make it another year. They pay taxes when they have money. They're God-fearing people. They help in their communities. And they deserve, when they have tough times, for their government to help them because they've helped others when they've had tough times. Farmers are some of the most resourceful, ingenious, productive people around; but there is not much you can do to grow crops or raise livestock or produce poultry and pork without some of the essential things you need, and rain is one of those things. And you need feed. Mr. Speaker, this is why we're here tonight, and this is why we all work together. And we're going to work to create an awareness to this problem. And we're going to put a fire under our colleagues, if necessary, and we're going to do the same at the White House if it takes that because our farmers and rural communities desperately need assistance. It is my hope that we can pass a relief package and that the President will sign it into law. These are good Americans. They don't live someplace around the world; they live here in the United States of America. As I said earlier, they're tax-paying citizens when they have money. Now, let me yield to my good friend from North Carolina, Mike McIntyre, who also understands this problem. His district is caught in the red area also. So I yield to him for whatever time he may consume.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gentleman. I have just changed the map here for my good friend, Mr. Spratt from South Carolina, to give a little bit better view of the South Carolina area that his district falls in. And it reaches, of course, into North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, as I said earlier, Tennessee, Kentucky, all the way down to Alabama. As my colleague, Mr. McIntyre, said, and I think my friend from South Carolina will confirm, you know, these are the things, it sort of starts to weigh on you as the drought gets worse and worse. You know, not being able to water our lawn, wash your car, take a long shower is an inconvenience; but if you're a farmer and you don't have the water for your crops, it's catastrophic. Because you not only have an opportunity to lose your livelihood; you could lose your means of future livelihood if you ultimately lose your land and the equipment that you till it with. So I would yield such time as he may consume to my good friend from South Carolina, the gentleman, Mr. Spratt.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I am. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I do. And it is one of those things where, as I said earlier, it didn't start this year. It really started last year, as you remember. We had a dry winter, then a late frost that hurt the spring crops, and then we had a dry summer that led into the fall, and now they can't plant the fall crops because there is no ground moisture. So there is a level of desperation that I can't remember having seen in my lifetime. Certainly we are hearing from farmers on a daily basis just saying, ``What can we do? What kind of help can we get to get through this?'' because they know they have no ability to make it rain.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. That's exactly right. If we don't get it done, it won't get done. I appreciate you being here tonight. Thank you for coming and joining us. According to the National Drought Monitor Center, North Carolina is still reporting, as I said, the largest drought impact in the United States at this time. The crop conditions are devastating. Let me just share with you an example of a farmer from Autryville, North Carolina. He grows watermelons. He said, We have suffered at least 25 percent for our early summer crop and an 80 percent loss of the later plantings in August and September. We had over 500 acres of watermelons. Now for the people who go to the grocery store, they are going to feel that impact because not having products produced close to home, that they don't have a lot of transportation in, that they know where it comes from, they get a good, fresh product at a reasonable price. That won't be there. He said, All of our ponds ran out of water in both the watermelon and the cantaloupe fields even though we only used drip irrigation. You say, Why would the water run out? Because we had the hottest summer on record. When you have a hot summer, you get a lot of evaporation. If you get no rain, you get no opportunity to replenish it. He said, Our cantaloupe crop wasn't hurt much more than 25 percent totally. However, a 25 percent loss starts to eat up our profit when you have over 300 acres of cantaloupes that were early. Pumpkins. We experienced 100 percent loss on our 100 acres of pumpkins. Even though we were able to irrigate some of them, we ran out of water. The excessive heat caused very poor pollination, which resulted in no fruit set. Now, for those who are listening this evening here in the Chamber and those who may be watching on C-SPAN, what they are really talking about is you have to pollinate those flowers, and if they don't get pollinated and don't set, you get no fruit. So all of a sudden, after all the work he put in, the expensive inputs, there's no money at the end of the year. He said his wheat crop was about a 65 percent loss due to the drought conditions as far back as February and March. Remember, I said earlier we had a dry fall last year, it went into the winter, and then we had the early frost that hit the wheat and the oats and a lot of our late grains. So he winds up with a 65 percent loss there. Then his other crops, and this is just one farmer, and I will share with you in a minute what these products mean in terms of dollars just in North Carolina. I could use other States, but since North Carolina is my home, I am going to use that State. It has an impact because roughly 25 percent of North Carolina's gross domestic product is really tied up in agriculture. Peanuts. Our loss ranged anywhere from 30 percent to 75 percent below normal yields due to drought. That was just a plain lack of rainfall. Now, some of you might say, Well, why would the rains be so great between 30 percent and 75 percent for a farmer who had peanuts. You have got to understand, the rain, what little rain we got this year, and, remember, I said earlier it rains, depending on where you were in the State, 10 inches below normal, to as much as 20. If you happened to be in one of those 20-plus inch areas, then your peanuts didn't do much of anything, or anything else. So that was part of the problem. It could happen within any given county. This is one of those unusual drought years. He said, I planted soybeans. Even though we haven't started harvesting soybeans yet, there is nothing there to harvest. We have 500 acres of soybeans. So those of you who don't have an idea how much 500 acres is, I will just share with you that if you had a good yield on 500 acres, and you yielded say 40 bushels an acre, you can figure it up right quick if soybeans are $7 a bushel. You can see how much prospective income you have just lost. You have already got all the expenses of getting your land ready, buying the seed, putting the chemicals on it if you had to spray it for pesticides or something. This year they probably wouldn't because it was so dry. Any time you have a dry year, you're more likely to have pests eat it. That is a real problem. Just this past Monday I was in the field with a gentleman who actually farms in Johnston in Wake County. Mr. Jordan carried us into one of his grain fields of soybeans, showed us his sweet potatoes. Let me just read to you what he said when I visited him. He is a hardworking guy. He has farmed all of his life. His dad farmed the land; his son is now with him. He said, I just had a third of a crop of sweet potatoes come in, and the ones we harvested, and for those of you who know what I'm talking about, number one potatoes are the ones you get your money for, and the others don't turn out too good. They're good potatoes, but people go to the grocery shelf and they may not buy them. Most of them were not number ones. Then we went to his soybean field, and in that field, and I grew up on a farm, my son still farms, I participate in it a little, and I would venture to say we opened some pods on some of the soybeans, and those of you who ever had a BB gun know how big a BB is, and a soybean is supposed to be a lot bigger, like a pea. And they were like BBs. Of course, when they go through and harvest, they will go right through the harvest and wind up back on the ground. They are great to help the birds a little bit, but it's going to be devastating for Mr. Jordan and farmers like him. He said, The heat has been as big a factor as the drought. Of course, all of you know the heat contributes to the drought, because it was the hottest summer on record in the State of North Carolina and in the Southeast. He went on to say he has cattle. He said there is not enough hay to cut to justify running the machinery, so we are to spend a lot of money for feed to help these cows get through the winter. We have farmers in North Carolina hauling hay great distances, others that cannot even buy it, hay that was $20 and $25 for a big bale has now gone from $40 to $50, and in some cases they can't even get it. This is why they are asking for help. This is why this Democratic Congress, and I hope my Republican colleagues, and I pray the President, will do the right thing and sign legislation to help. Mr. Jordan has estimated that his gross loss will be somewhere between $115,000 and $200,000 on his fall harvest. He is a large operator. He might weather it. But it will take him years to recover, because the machinery he uses has got a year's use on it and it is getting worn out and he has no money to make it happen. He said, I hope we can salvage some of it. We will try to save what we can. And I just say thank God for people like him and other farmers who are willing to continue to get up early in the morning, work in the hot sun, and take the huge risk that it takes to provide food and fiber for all of us in America. Let me share with you something about what is happening with what we call the ``green industry.'' The green industry, of course, is our nursery industry and a host of those things tied to it. These numbers are for North Carolina. The green industry contributes more than $8.6 billion to the economy of North Carolina. The green industry alone employs roughly 151,000 people. Due to the drought thus far this year, the green industry has laid off 30 percent of their labor force and revenues are down 40 percent. Let me repeat that again: 40 percent. Now, that will be felt not just this year. That is going to be felt for a number of years, because that means, number one, you can't expand. Number two, you can't buy new equipment, and all of those people that they buy trucks, tractors and equipment from, they are going to feel it. As you can see from the map here, as I said earlier, the situation in North Carolina and the entire region is dire. Fifteen more counties were just moved into the worst category of drought, exceptional, this week. We talked about 85 already. Fifteen more have been moved into it. We hope to get some rain this weekend. Every time we get promised rain, it tends to split and get away. We hope we do. But more is needed to make it. When you have as much area having drought as we do, it just seems that it gets tougher and tougher. Let me share with you one other thing. I think it was my good friend Mr. Butterfield was talking about how he saw streams that were cracking. I was up toward Siler City about a month ago in the Upper Piedmont, western part of my district. It was the first time in my lifetime I have seen trees along streams that were dead. Not the leaves falling off, trees were dead, because the streams had long since dried up. And anyone who knows anything about forestry, a tree near a stream tends to have its roots fairly shallow and in the water or close to it. These streams had been dry so long, the trees didn't have deep roots so whole trees were dying. You could see long strips of trees along streams that were dead. Farmers had been feeding hay since late July. I keep repeating this because this is a critical situation. You know, you can be in Washington and you can come into this nice building and you can have plenty of food every day, but one of these days, if we don't take care of the people who provide food and fiber, we might face that challenge too. So I hope my colleagues understand how serious this situation is, and I hope the people at the White House understand. I pray that the President will send a request to help not only our folks in the Southeast that are going to take a long time to recover, but also those on the west coast that we see on TV tonight, and it looks like it is going to be awhile, who have lost a great deal as well. These things, if they do not deserve an emergency appropriation, I pray ask, what does? If we can't help the people in this country, who can we help? When can we help them, if we can't help them when they are hurting? Mr. Speaker, almost 85 percent of the land area of my State is now designated as being either extreme or exceptional drought. To my knowledge, that has never happened in my lifetime. I have talked with people who are almost 100 years old, and they never remember it. Fifty-four percent of the land area is in the exceptional category. That is up from 38 percent just last week. And, as I said, all of the State is in at least severe drought, with the last three counties in the moderate category now moving into severe. On October 18, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council Web site listed the number of North Carolina counties in each category as follows: D-4, that is exceptional, 71; D-3, extreme, 18; and D-2, severe, 11. We talked earlier about the challenge we face with water. And water is important to sustain life. I mentioned earlier about Siler City. I want to talk about that again because that county has probably suffered as much or more as any county in the district, agriculturally as well as the city of Siler City. They are down to 60 days of water. Tonight I want to thank the Governor of our State, Mike Easley, and his staff and some of the folks from USDA who have worked together to try to make sure that the town has water. They have been hauling water with trucks to keep roughly 1,500 to 2,000 people working. As I said when I began to speak, they are now down to 3 or 4 days a week. It looks like they are going to break ground, because of the hard work of the Governor's staff, on a waterline that will hopefully get them over the hump. But we still need rain and we need help. These two plants, Pilgrim's Pride and Townsend, provide a lot of jobs, but they also provide an opportunity for our farmers to have income who produce a lot of poultry in our State. They provide a lot of food for the table of a lot of Americans who don't want to think about it, who don't want to know about it, who really aren't interested in it. They just want to go to the meat counter and have good, safe, plentiful, affordable food supply. Mr. Speaker, to do that it is incumbent upon every Member who took the oath of office in this Chamber and the other body across the hall and the President of the United States, if we can get together a bill, pass it, and we should, for him to sign it, to make sure that these folks continue to make it. I saw on Monday the sad commentary of what a major drought can do. I was on our farm with our son Saturday. We spent an hour or two and were going to put a cover crop in. We actually put some in last Saturday. He said to me I probably made a mistake; it might not come up. He is probably right. This Saturday we decided not to plant anything because the ground was so dry it wouldn't germinate. I happen to believe our food supply is part of our national defense. It is part of our homeland defense, and Members of Congress I think will rally. Farmers face some of the toughest perils that I can imagine when they invest their money in the spring and depend on weather to make it. Make no mistake about it, somewhere in America almost every year there is some catastrophic event tied to agriculture. Some of it is tied to our beaches with hurricanes. It is tied to tornadoes in the Midwest. It is tied to earthquakes. It is tied to a lot of things. We have always responded. We have always helped, and we should. Now is the time, Mr. Speaker, to help the people in the Southeast at a time when we have the toughest drought that we have ever faced. And I am pleased that we are now joined by my colleague from Wake County who understands this. He represents some of the agricultural area, but we are very fortunate to have him chairing the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and he certainly understands that our agricultural production is part of our national security as much as protecting our homeland. If we can't have cotton and corn and soybeans and those things we enjoy having on our table, then we are challenged. And I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price). He can see from the map as well how North Carolina is the worst of all of the southeastern States by the drought monitor.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Let me thank the gentleman and thank you for your leadership not just on this, but other issues as well. North Carolina is one of those States, I couldn't help but think as you were going through the list, as you talk about the drought, and over the years being here talking about floods and hurricanes because North Carolina, as folks can see on this map, we sort of stick out in the Atlantic and we get whacked by hurricanes and we have had floods. I thank the gentleman for his leadership over the years. He has taken the leadership on the Appropriations Committee, and we will lean on your broad shoulders again as we work through this because it is important. Let me share with my colleagues in the little time we have remaining what Brian Long, who is a spokesman for the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services had to say. He said, ``We cringe a little more each month because it is going from bad to worse.'' And I say that because every day that it doesn't rain it gets drier, and every day that it gets drier, it means that more and more farmers move closer to the edge. Don Nicholson, a State regional agronomist, said: ``It's the worst I've ever seen. My mother is 76. She talks about how bad it was in the early fifties. That is the only reference point that I have.'' And what he was saying was fifties were bad, but 2007 is worse. Mr. Speaker, as I close out tonight, I want to thank my colleagues for coming and joining me to talk about this issue, to call attention at the national level because truly this is a problem of national proportion. As the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) said, it may now only affect the Southeast, but it really is a national issue. It is national in that we are all in this together, and it is national in that this will ultimately affect the table of families across this country in one way or another, because if cotton production is down, it will have an impact. And for all of the fruits and vegetables, it will have an impact. And soybeans and corn over the long haul, because if you have to pay more for feed for pigs and poultry, it is reflected on the tables of American consumers and people around the world. Mr. Speaker, I trust we can get a bill through and I trust that ultimately the President will send us a request in one of the supplementals where he is asking for additional money from this Congress. And if not, that we will put it in and that he will sign it. That's the least that we can do for the people in this country who work hard every day, who play by the rules, who are good folks and deserve an opportunity to continue to do the things not only that they love, but provide food and fiber for our tables.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gentleman, and he is absolutely correct. Let me share some numbers, and I think the same could be said for South Carolina as in North Carolina. This is from the National Government, and this map here was actually from the U.S. Department of Drought Monitoring and it is dated October 16. It is worse today than it was on the 16th because we have had no rain. Let me just share some numbers, and it will be the same that is true in South Carolina, Georgia and all these regions that we see in red. For instance, as a State as a whole in North Carolina, just talking about topsoil moisture, 73 percent short, very short, 21 percent short. Translated, what that really means Statewide is you can't plant grain for the fall. The ground is so dry it will not germinate. In the mountains, 81 percent, very short, 16 short. In the piedmont, 87 percent short, 13 percent very, and even in the coastal plains 53, 34. From the mountains to the coast in North Carolina. South Carolina probably faces some of the same challenges in terms, and if you look at the crop conditions, and this was over a month ago, cotton, very poor and poor to fair, 80-some percent; pastures, 99 percent either fair, poor or very poor. I share that on pastures because there are a lot of cattle in South Carolina as there are in North Carolina. The price of cattle at the auction market has dropped $15 a pound since early summer. Now farmers are being forced to sell because of no hay, no grazing for the winter, and guess what is happening? They are getting hit twice. They are buying hay to feed the cattle that they have left, and the ones they are selling they get less money. Now, the people in the Midwest faced this several years ago. This is something we haven't faced before. I will go through the others later. But at this time, my colleague from eastern North Carolina, where he is facing some of the same drought areas, one of the heaviest agricultural areas in North Carolina, my good friend, G.K. Butterfield, I yield to you such time as you may consume.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gentleman, and I couldn't agree more that, you know, when you look at our State, really, all this whole region is suffering, but according to the numbers by the Drought Monitoring Council in the Department of Agriculture, if you look at North Carolina specifically, North Carolina is still reporting more drought impact than any other State from the mountains to the coast. Now, all these in the Southeast are hurting. But in North Carolina, as one farmer said to me the other day, and I mentioned this earlier, he said, ``You know, if you can't water your lawn, that is an inconvenience. If you can't wash your car, you can drive it a little dirty. You can cut back on the shower. But my ponds are empty, so I can't irrigate my fields. So I am facing the forces of nature, and I could lose everything I have got.'' That's a sad situation to be in. But it is a reality. When that happens, you know, farmers are the last ones to sort of stand up and say, ``We want the government to help us.'' They usually want to say, as you well know, ``If you just leave us alone, we can get our jobs done.'' But this is one of those times that many of them won't make it without help. And it is certainly true in your area as it is in mine.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. They are.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I remember when we went out to South Dakota and through Iowa and how tough it was when it was dry. I will always remember with my good friend, Jerry Moran, we flew into Kansas last year to do a hearing on the ag bill. Lo and behold, when we flew in, it was raining like the dickens. I said, ``Jerry, you have been talking about how dry it has been for so long.'' He said, ``Yes, and all of a sudden we got plenty of water.'' Hopefully we will get back there, but you do understand. Thank you for your help. I think this is an issue where we have to pull together and help. I thank you for your leadership and help on the Agriculture Committee, too. I appreciate that.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. That would be great. Thank you.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I will vote to override the President's veto of H.R. 976. As the only former State schools chief serving in Congress, my life's work has been to provide for a better future for the next generation, and health care is critically important to that effort. There is no doubt that the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, has served this Nation well and must be reauthorized and expanded. The Congressional Research Service reported this week that, at current funding levels, 21 states would run out of SCHIP money before the end of the current budget year, and funding for North Carolina would only provide coverage for needy children through May 2008. In North Carolina, over 250,000 children who would otherwise have gone without insurance have been served by North Carolina's Health Choice. The services they get through Health Choice--regular checkups and preventative care, doctor and hospital visits when they are sick, and ongoing dental and vision benefits--make sure that North Carolina's children are as healthy and productive as possible and grow up to fulfill their best potential. Untreated illnesses can have long-term consequences, and ensuring access to health care, as SCHIP does in North Carolina and across the country, allows children to remain healthy and strong and head off expensive treatments down the road. As a nation, we must follow through on the promise of SCHIP to protect our most vulnerable citizens. SCHIP is not government-run medical care as some have falsely claimed. SCHIP is an effective initiative to extend health insurance to working families who otherwise cannot afford to send their children to the doctor when they are sick. In North Carolina, this has meant providing a physician-directed managed care system modeled on health insurance for children of state employees and teachers. North Carolina has about the best child health programs of any state, providing seamless cost-effective care for thousands of at-risk children, each year reducing costs and becoming more effective at providing health care. The funding increase in H.R. 976 is necessary to address shortfalls in the current SCHIP funding plan, and to allow states to reach more eligible but uninsured children. The bill expands health care coverage to 10 million children in America over the next five years. In North Carolina the $35 billion in this legislation translates into 210,000 covered children, an increase of 90,000 children. Only kids aged 6-17 with families below 200 percent of the poverty level are covered by SCHIP in North Carolina. Even if some of these children have had private insurance for some of the time, their parents only were able to afford it by cutting back on other necessities. We owe it to these children to ensure that they are continuously covered and can get the health care they need when they need it. I wholeheartedly support the increased funding and the guidelines for states in this legislation. I have withheld my support for this bill in the past due to my concerns about the bill's funding mechanism, and I continue to be concerned about the impact of a tobacco tax increase on North Carolina's rural communities. I am working with the leadership of the House of Representatives to craft an effective disaster relief package that will assist North Carolina's farmers and help to counter any negative impact. As the Chairman of a key Agriculture Subcommittee, I will continue to work to address the needs of farm country, including finishing the Farm Bill with a real safety net for farm families and pursuing disaster relief for drought-stricken regions like North Carolina. Should the veto override fail, I will continue to urge the Congressional leadership to write a new bill that funds SCHIP without placing the burden of funding on the backs of North Carolinians. After careful consideration, I will vote to override the President's veto, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the children of America's working families.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the Centennial celebration of the town of Goldston, North Carolina in my congressional district. Goldston was settled in 1884 and became a charter town in Chatham County in 1907. When Goldston was settled in 1884 it was first named Corinth, the name of a local church. The town was developed soon after the railroad began operating through the area in 1884. The town is located on a spur of the Norfolk Southern Railway that runs between Greensboro and Sanford. The railroad has been historically important to the growth of the town. The area is also an interconnection point for the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway. Much of the rail traffic that comes through town is composed of grain hopper cars going to local poultry feed mills. Corinth was later renamed Goldston in honor of Joseph John Goldston who donated the land for the railway station and made other substantial contributions toward the development of the town. Some of the early business enterprises were Bynum & Paschal, A.J. Goldston's general store, W.E. Goldston & Co. Goldston has always been a predominately rural town and most of the business and industry over the years has been centered on the area's agricultural heritage, mainly the poultry industry. Goldston had its first post office by 1889 with N.F. Barber as postmaster. Goldston soon became a trading center for the surrounding region and has long had a substantial lumber business. The town became incorporated February 20, 1907, at which time Walter L. Goldston became interim mayor until elections were held later that year. Small towns like Goldston, NC are the heart and soul of America. Here, folks learn early values like hard work, faith in God and country and support of one another. These characteristics help make the Second District of NC such a special place to live, work, and raise a family. Madam Speaker, the Town of Goldston has a rich history with strong family ties. It is an honor to represent this great town and it is fitting that we take a moment today to honor the Centennial celebration of the Town of Goldston.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Ed Smith of Raleigh, North Carolina, who passed away on Sunday, September 19, 2007. In his passing I lost a good friend, and North Carolina lost one of its most outstanding citizens and a man who was instrumental in his community, county, and State. One of the area's most beloved men, my friend Ed, passed away peacefully with his family by his side following a brief bout with pneumonia. He was only 56. Ed was a happy political warrior who enjoyed being in the middle of the political arena, from voter registration to fighting for the rights of the disabled. At the age of 5, Ed contracted polio which left him confined to a wheelchair, but Ed didn't let his disability slow him down in life. He was among the first severely disabled students to get a driver's license using hand controls. He was one of the first disabled students to attend Ligon High School. Ed also graduated from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC. As a young child Ed learned about politics from his mother, the late Judy Hubbard, a seamstress, who won awards for registering voters. As a teenager Ed helped elect Clarence Lightner in 1967 who became Raleigh's first black mayor. Throughout the years, it is estimated that Ed worked on over 65 campaigns and political committees. The politicians Ed help put into office include Vernon Malone, Abe Jones, Bob Hensley, Dan Blue, Henry Frye, Reps. Brad Miller, David Price, and G.K. Butterfield, and he also worked on my campaign. The name Ed Smith went beyond the State of North Carolina. President Bill Clinton appointed him to the Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. He was a State co-chairman for the Gore-Lieberman campaign. During the 1992 and 1996 Democratic conventions, Ed was the State delegation whip for the Clinton-Gore campaign, making sure the Tar Heels were working hand-in-glove with the national campaign. Ed is survived by his lovely wife Debra Smith. Madam Speaker, Ed saw politics as an extension of his activism on behalf of civil rights for African Americans and the handicapped. He was a respected and a successful dedicated public servant, and a great North Carolinian. It is fitting that we honor him and his family today.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise reluctantly in opposition to H.R. 976. There is no doubt that the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, which expires at the end of this fiscal year, needs to be reauthorized. Millions of children across the country, including 120,000 in North Carolina's Health Choice, depend on SCHIP to provide cost-effective and high-quality health services. This health care makes a difference to the development of at-risk children and to their leading healthy adult lives. Unfortunately, in its current form, this legislation will excessively burden the Second Congressional District of North Carolina. By singling out tobacco for a huge tax increase, the provisions of this bill will cost North Carolina's citizens a great deal in direct cost increases. Researchers at North Carolina State University estimate that North Carolina's economy would lose at least $540 million a year through the tax's indirect impact as well. North Carolina's tobacco farmers grow a legal crop. These hard-working farm families have suffered greatly from transformations in the global economy. Because my district is the second largest tobacco producing district in the country, this bill disproportionately affects my constituents who work hard to be able to pay their bills and provide a better life for their children. This just doesn't pass the fairness test. I have been a long-time supporter of SCHIP. As a member of the House Budget Committee, I am proud that we provided for an increase of $50 billion for SCHIP, not just the $35 billion reflected in the compromise we are considering today. I support reauthorizing and strengthening SCHIP, but North Carolina's citizens pay more than their share for the benefits they receive in this bill. Mr. Speaker, I want children to receive the health care they need. However, as the bill stands, I must vote no today, and hope that we can come up with a better, more balanced plan in the future.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the centennial celebration of the town of Bailey, NC, in my Congressional District. Bailey was settled in the 18th century and became a charter town in Nash County in 1908. Bailey was named for the first settler in the township, Drewey Bailey. Bailey is predominately a farming community. A feed mill and lumber mill are located in the town to meet the needs of the agrarian surroundings. There are several established merchants orientated to supplying the farm community with all needed supplies for the agricultural industry. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the town's income can be accounted to farmers in the area. One of the first merchants in Bailey was Malachi Bissette. His store was one of the largest in the area. It was quite typical of the general store carrying ``everything needed from birth to death, farm supplies, groceries, clothes, and coffins.'' Several of the first buildings of the town are still occupied. Bailey has two garment factories--the Bailey Garment Plant and Quality Textiles--which employ 150 persons combined. The leading non- agricultural industry of the area in Neverson Quarry of the Superior Stone Company. The Quarry came into existence in 1913 by an act of Congress. In that year Congress authorized a harbor of refuge for ships in case of storms at Cape Lookout on the North Carolina coast. This necessitated the erection of two long sea walls behind which ships could seek protection. Furnishing stone for this breakwater lead to the opening of the Quarry. In 1948, the company changed its name to Bryan Rock and Sand Company. Under this and the Superior Stone Company leadership, the quarry has become one of the largest and most modem granite crushing plant, in the South. There is an average of two train loads of stone shipped from the quarry daily. This large shipment makes Bailey the fourth largest freight origination point on the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. Economically, the Bailey community benefits from this increased stone output. Approximately 100 workers are regularly employed, with local labor being used when possible. Civic life has always been an important part of the community. For many years there has been a masonic lodge in the town. In the early fifties, the masons constructed a building for their own use and for the recreational use of the town. Other established civic organizations include the American Legion and Ladies Auxiliary, the Lions Club, the Order of Eastern Star and Chamber of Commerce. Bailey has been host to several leaders on both the national and international level. President Harry S. Truman made a visit to the city when he was in office. In 1954, Bailey was host to President and Madame Bayar, President of the Republic of Turkey, and the staff of approximately 35 aides and press representatives. After Bayar's visit, officials of the high school and the staff of the school paper were entertained at the Turkish Embassy in exchange for the hospitality offered the president when he visited the town. Madam Speaker, Bailey has a rich history that makes it one of shining stars of Nash County and the State of North Carolina and I am proud to have the honor of representing this great town. It is fitting that we take a moment today to honor the centennial celebration of the town of Bailey.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, due to an unpreventable transportation problem while on official Congressional business, I was unable to vote on one measure on the House floor on September 24, 2007. Had I been present, I would have voted yes on House Concurrent Resolution 193--Recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my son Brian and his wife Meredith on the birth of their second child, Cameron Elizabeth Etheridge. Cameron was born on my birthday Tuesday, August 7, 2007 and weighed 8 pounds and 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. My wife Faye and I are excited about the birth of our third grandchild, and she joins me in wishing Brian and Meredith and their daughter, Virginia, great happiness upon this new addition to our family. Faye and I are truly blessed by the arrival of Cameron Elizabeth Etheridge. The birth of a new child is a joyous occasion that reminds us of the promise of a new life. And I know that Virginia is excited to have a sister with whom she can play. Children remind us of the incredible miracle of life, and they keep us young-at-heart. Every day they show us a new way to view the world. God has truly blessed my family with this new addition. My family and I are looking forward to spending a lot of time with our new bundle of joy and introducing her to all of our friends and neighbors in North Carolina's Second Congressional District.