Elton Gallegly

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Claude ``Robey'' Robillard, who retired from the Ventura County (California) Sheriff's Department on January 5, 2002, after 14 years with the department and 36 years in law enforcement. I first met Robey when I made my first run for public office, the Simi Valley City Council. At that time, he was an investigator for the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, where he served for 7\1/2\ years. Robey also worked for the Fillmore Police Department for 13 months and for 13 years with the Oxnard Police Department. Over the years we became good friends. I know him to be a professional in every sense of the word, a dedicated family man, and a man whose trust can never be questioned. During his 14 years with the Sheriff's Department, Robey received numerous letters of commendation and appreciation from Ventura County's citizens and the Sheriff's Department. He has served as a patrol field sergeant, shift sergeant, watch commander, Standards and Training for Corrections divisional training sergeant and division traffic sergeant. Robey was involved in the development of the 12-hour shift schedule at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility, which has been credited with maintaining security, reducing overtime and maximizing revenue. He researched and wrote the policy and procedures for contagious disease control and testing with the Detention services Division and was involved in introducing the Incident Command System to Detention Services supervisors. In addition, Robey and another sergeant were involved in the research, development, policy, training and implementation of Emergency Response Teams for all custody facilities. Her has served as treasurer, vice president and president of the Peace Officer Association of Ventura County and, since 1996, as the department's public information officer. Robey is a 41-year resident of Ventura County. He and Gail have been married for 27 years and have two sons, Kristopher, 21, and John- Michael, 17. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in thanking Sergeant Claude Robillard for his dedication to protecting the people of Ventura County, CA, for nearly four decades, and in wishing him and his family all our best in the years to come.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to a young man whose name I predict we will hear for many years to come: Lorenzo Booker, a high school running back from my district who has been named the 2001 Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year. Mr. Booker was chosen for this national honor from more than I million male high school football players by the Gatorade Company and Coach and Athletic Director magazine. He joins a prestigious list of previous winners, including Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. During Mr. Booker's three seasons at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California, he broke four California state records and helped his team achieve an impressive 42-0 record and three CIF-Southern Section Division XI championships. His records are: 8,501 rushing yards, 882 points, 137 touchdowns, and 131 touchdown runs. He averaged 11.23 yards per carry. In his final high school game, he ran for 232 yards and scored five touchdowns. His speed, strength and elusiveness have led to comparisons with the likes of Barry Sanders, O.J. Simpson, Marshall Faulk and Gale Sayers. Mr. Booker and fellow teammate James Bonelli have been named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on January 5, 2002, at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. On the day before the game, the Ken Hall Player of the Year trophy will be awarded. Mr. Booker is a finalist. He also is a finalist for the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and the High School Heisman. Obviously a leader on the field, Mr. Booker also has been described as a leader off the field, and as a gentleman who is proud and confident but who treats everyone as his equal. Not surprisingly, Mr. Booker is considered by many to be the top college recruit in the country. Ironically, Mr. Booker is in no rush: He says he'll make a decision when he wakes up on National Signing Day, February 5. Wherever he goes, college football fans will quickly learn what California high school fans already know: Lorenzo Booker is a winner. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating Lorenzo Booker for a very successful and impressive high school football career and in wishing him the best as he dodges and weaves into the next chapter.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 21st Century Montgomery GI Bill Enhancement Act, a measure that will improve veterans' educational benefits, as well as improve the benefits of our veterans who became ill as a result of their service in the Gulf War. I am pleased to say that this legislation contains many important provisions from another important bill, the Persian Gulf War Illness Compensation Act, that Congressmen Don Manzullo (R-IL), Ronnie Shows (D-MS), and I introduced. Since the end of the Gulf War, the Veterans Administration has denied nearly 80 percent of all sick Gulf War veterans' claims for compensation. In the view of many, including the National Gulf War Resource Center, the VA has employed too strict a standard for diagnosing Gulf War Illness. Just yesterday--more than 10 years after we defeated Iraq--the VA reluctantly recognized Lou Gehrig's disease as Gulf War service related. The GI Bill Enhancement Act will extend coverage to other sufferers by including a comprehensive list of symptoms that constitute Gulf War Illness. The measure also expands the definition of undiagnosed illness to include fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome as compensable diseases. I want to personally thank Chairman Smith and members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for working with Congressmen Manzullo, Shows and me in getting this critical language included in this bill. I also want to thank them for allowing the recent VA regulation allowing for a critical five-year extension for Gulf War veterans to report and be compensated for Gulf War Illness to stand. This extension was a key provision of the Manzullo-Gallegly-Shows bill. As one of the original cosponsors of the 1991 resolution to authorize then-President Bush to use force in the Persian Gulf, I believe we must go the extra mile to take care of the men and women who went to war against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and are now suffering from these unexplained and devastating ailments. Many of those suffering from Gulf War Illness were Reservists and National Guardsmen uprooted from their families and jobs. They answered the call and helped our country, and now we have a duty to help them. I urge my colleagues to vote for this important measure.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Special Forces Staff Sgt. Brian Cody Prosser, a young man who grew up in my Congressional District and who died Monday in Afghanistan fighting terrorism on behalf of all Americans. Sgt. Prosser hails from Frazier Park, California, a small, tight-knit community in the Los Padres National Forest's high country. He was captain of his high school football team and enlisted in the Army after graduation in 1991. Friends and family have described him as ``dedicated,'' ``brave,'' ``tough,'' and ``down-to-earth.'' His father, Brian D. Prosser, who is also an Army veteran, called his son a ``warrior'' and said Sgt. Prosser died doing what he wanted to do. Sgt. Prosser was proud to be an American, trained hard to become one of America's elite soldiers, and died a hero at age 28 doing his job to rid the world of terrorists and those who harbor them. Our country is saddened by his death and those of his comrades who died with him, Master Sgt. Jefferson Donald Davis, 39, of Watauga, Tennessee, and Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Henry Petithory, 32, of Cheshire, Massachusetts. At the same time we are honored and thankful for their commitment to America and the sacrifice they were willing to risk on our behalf. Sgt. Prosser is survived by his wife, Shawna; his parents, Brian and Ingrid Prosser; and three brothers, Jarudd, Michael, and Reed. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in honoring Sgt. Prosser's sacrifice on behalf of his country and in offering our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends, as well as to the family and friends of Sgt. Davis and Sgt. Petithory.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Rob Roy, who has worked tirelessly over several decades to make agriculture a safer, stronger and more viable industry in my congressional district, throughout the State of California, and across the United States of America. I have had the pleasure of working with Rob for the past 25 years, both professionally and personally. He is a man of great talents and great integrity. Rob Roy graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and from the California Western School of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree. Rob is admitted to legal practice before the California Supreme Court, the Ninth District Court of Appeals, all four U.S. District Courts of California, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has used his legal expertise to strengthen the agricultural industry, first as an attorney for the Western Growers Association and, for the past 25 years, as General Counsel for the Ventura County Agricultural Association. Rob has participated in more than 25 published Agricultural Labor Relations Board decisions during his career, five of which were ultimately decided by the California Supreme Court. Cases Rob argued included one that led to the first Board pronouncement on the issue of secondary boycotts and another that was the catalyst for a complete transition to farm labor contractors and the end of the United Farm Workers in the local citrus industry. In 1987, Rob pioneered the creation of VCAA Insurance Services to assist members in controlling workers' compensation costs. In 1993, he and former VCAA Chairman Ken Creason spearheaded an effort to create the District Attorney's Fraud Investigation Task Force, which Rob ultimately chaired. Today, the Task Force is fully funded by the State Department of Insurance. For the past 14 years, Rob has also chaired the American Bar Association Subcommittee on State Agricultural Labor Law Development. Mr. Speaker, Rob Roy also is no stranger to our nation's capital. For the past five years he has spent considerable time here working with other agricultural organizations and legislators in an effort to enact a guest worker program for U.S. agriculture. He has served as an Alternate Director and Director of the National Council for Agricultural Employers. He is also on the NCAE's Executive Committee. I could go on for several more minutes about Rob's accomplishments and dedication to our agricultural committee. Let me just state that I have only provided a partial list. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tremendous love and support Rob receives from his wife of 14 years, Marianne, and his children, Michael and Jenna. Mr. Speaker, our agricultural industry is stronger and more viable today because of Rob Roy's passion and commitment. I know my colleagues will join me in recognizing Rob for his dedication to an industry that is vital to our nation's economy.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, on September 25 I missed rollcall vote No. 359. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on the vote.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Chairman, I rise today to thank both subcommittee Chairman McHugh and Chairman Stump for their help in including my legislation within the Defense Authorization Act to create a Korea Defense Service Medal for those members of the Armed Forces who served, and still serve, in Korea. Madam Chairman, more than 40,000 members of the United States Armed Forces have served on the Korean Peninsula each year since the armistice was signed in July 1953. Since then, an estimated 1,200 service men and women have died as a direct result of their service in Korea. Service medals are given the veterans who serve in particular regions during times of hostility or the threat of hostility. For example, those who served in Berlin during the cold war were awarded a service medal. Since the Korean armistice was signed, there have been more than 40,000 breaches of the cease-fire, making it among the more dangerous places to serve. However, no campaign medal has been awarded for Korean service. In light of the current crisis, it is appropriate that we honor the thousands of dedicated and brave men and women we have sent, and continue to send, to Korea. This recognition is long overdue. On another note, I again want to thank Chairman Stump for supporting several projects that will upgrade the Navy facilities at Pt. Mugu and Port Hueneme, CA. The chairman and his staff have been most helpful and his interest in these facilities and the welfare of our service men and women is greatly appreciated.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Charles M. Hair, M.D., cofounder and President of the Livingston Memorial Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association. Dr. Hair was raised in my district, in the farming community of Santa Paula, California. He joined the U.S. Army after earning his M.D. at the USC School of Medicine, and served two years in an Army field hospital in post-World War II Salzburg, Austria. He returned to his home in Ventura County, California, in 1948, and for the next 38 years led a fulfilling life as a family doctor. He and his wife, Gerry, whom he met when he was a student at Ventura College and she a student at Ventura High School, raised five children here. During that time, Dr. Hair made his home a better home for all his neighbors. Dr. Hair's leadership in the field of nonprofit healthcare philanthropy began in 1950 when he became an active member of the Ventura County Medical Society, of which he became president in 1958. He soon joined the Governing Council of the California Medical Council and served as CMA president from 1981 to 1983. Other boards he served on through the years are the California State Board of Consumer Affairs, the California State Chamber of Commerce, Western Conference of Prepaid Service Plan and Blue Shield of California. Perhaps his most enduring legacy is cofounding Livingston Memorial Foundation in 1974 with Oxnard attorney Ben Nordman. The Foundation provides grants to enhance local patient care and make it available to people in financial need. In 1981, the then-Ventura Visiting Nurses Association, founded in 1947, affiliated with Livingston Memorial Foundation and changed its name to Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association (LMVNA). Together, the nonprofit organizations have greatly enhanced health care for those who otherwise would not be able to afford it. LMVNA was founded to provide home care services as an alternative to institutionalizing the frail, elderly, sick and disabled, an idea dear to the heart of a family physician. In 1965, Medicare certified LMVNA as a home health agency. In 1987--now affiliated with Livingston Memorial Foundation--it developed a Medicare-certified Hospice program. The LMVNA Hospice program incorporates skilled nursing care with a multidisciplinary team approach to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the terminally ill and their families. Needed services are provided at reduced or no charge to those who cannot afford to pay for them. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Hair ``retired'' in the mid-1980s, but his dedication to his profession and the ill continues undaunted. He is the epitome of the family doctor, one who knows that diagnosing an illness is just one part of the healing process. I know my colleagues will join me in recognizing his vast contributions to medicine, to his community, and to the ill, and thank him for a lifetime of healing.

Mr. GALLEGLY

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the chairman emeritus. (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci). (Mr. GRUCCI asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella). (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security of the Committee on Government Reform. (Mr. SHAYS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis). (Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), a member of the Committee on International Relations.

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Graham).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), a member of the Committee on Appropriations. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), the chairman of the Committee on Science. (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)