Gene Green

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the 176th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. Last Saturday, the State of Texas celebrated April 21, 1836, when Texas forces led by General Sam Houston dealt a decisive blow to General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Several weeks after the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence in March 1836, roughly 900 members of the Texas Army overpowered a much larger Mexican Army in a surprise attack. Texas soldiers ran and shouted, ``Remember the Alamo'' and ``Remember Goliad.'' Some 700 Mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured, while only 9 Texans died. General Santa Anna was captured the following day. He signed the peace treaties that ordered the Mexican Army to leave Texas, paving the way for the Republic of Texas to become an independent country and later a State in our great country. The battle was memorialized along Buffalo Bayou and San Jacinto River with the San Jacinto Monument in east Harris County. It is in our congressional district. God bless Texas and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I support the Boustany amendment. I have been a long-time supporter of the RAMP Act. I represent the Port of Houston. We pay into the harbor maintenance trust fund, but we get far less out than we pay in. In fact, we get far less out than we need. We are facing a dredging crisis in upcoming years if we cannot get more harbor maintenance funding. I am proud to represent the Port of Houston. The work that happens here and the commerce that is moved through here support the economy of the entire region. The Port is the largest foreign tonnage port and the largest petrochemical port in the country. In fact, it moves the second largest amount of cargo in the country. 8.5% of our nation's cargo moves through the Port of Houston. The commerce that occurs at our port is critical to our nation's energy and chemical sectors and to our country's ability to trade and move goods. In 1998, the Federal Government invested $700 million in deepening and widening the Houston Ship Channel. An investment we have benefitted from tremendously. However, as the years have passed silt has settled and reduced the draft in the channel significantly. Today, only .4% of the channel is dredged to its proper depth across the entire width of the channel. That is astounding. Our nation's investment is rapidly deteriorating. It is time that our government renews its commitment to maintaining the Port. This is as important as ever as we face new business opportunities that are created by the expansion of the Panama Canal. The Texas Transportation Institute performed a study and determined that a direct economic impact of the loss of 1 foot of draft is $373 million. The majority of this impact is lost business opportunities due to light loading of non-containerized vessels. If the dredging crisis at the port continues to worsen, this cost will quickly accelerate. This amendment will help alleviate the crisis. The Port of Houston will get more desperately needed dredging funding. I strongly support this amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the University of Houston for being designated an Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education. The University is now one of only three Tier One public research universities in the nation with this designation and the only institution in Texas. UH has received the Tier One research university distinction from the Carnegie Foundation; making it one of only three Carnegie-designated Tier One public research universities in Texas. Designation as an Hispanic-Serving Institution requires enrollment of full-time undergraduates at a university to be at least 25-percent Hispanic. The designation will allow UH to compete for grants that support or expand educational opportunities of Hispanic students. UH is known as a 1st generation school, for many of the students are the first in their families to attend college. Undergraduates may choose from 120 majors and minors. The University also offers 139 master's degrees, 54 doctoral, and 3 professional degree programs. Many of the academic programs rank among the nation's best. As the second most ethnically diverse major research university in the US, students come from more than 137 nations and from across the nation. UH consistently ranks among the top colleges and universities in the nation for conferring bachelor degrees and doctorates to Hispanic students, further affirming UH's-commitment to prepare students for competition in the global marketplace. As a proud Alumnus of UH, I salute the successes of the past and present administration, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Houston for all of their hard work and dedication to education.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of small business and domestic manufacturing in our district and throughout our country and the need for Congress to support manufacturing and job creation. Last week, I visited DAN-LOC Bolt & Gasket, a bolt and metal gasket manufacturer located in our district in Houston. DAN-LOC's products are highly regarded for their quality and longevity. They produce for our energy industry the bolt like I'm holding right now. In recent years, DAN-LOC, like thousands of similar businesses throughout our country, has been under attack from cheap and low- quality competition from overseas that has actually forced businesses to either close their doors or make drastic cuts. These foreign imports are oftentimes cheaper than the raw materials to produce these bolts. They can only do this with illegal subsidies from their governments. We can no longer ignore this issue; otherwise, our Nation will no longer have a manufacturing sector and the millions of middle class jobs it supports. Congress needs to remember the hard workers who make these bolts and support their jobs.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 177, final passage of H.R. 9, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 176, the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 9, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 9, the legislation before this chamber today that would provide a one-time tax windfall in the tens of thousands of dollars to entertainers, sports franchises, smut peddlers, and other wealthy business owners, while doing little to create jobs for struggling middle-class America and adding $46 billion to the national deficit. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are bringing this legislation before the House in the name of tax relief for small businesses and job creation. I would happily vote in favor of legislation that provided targeted relief to small businesses and spurred much-needed job creation in my district and throughout the country. Unfortunately, H.R. 9 would do no such thing. In fact, the Joint Committee on Taxation stated, ``the effects of the bill on economic activity are so small as to be incalculable.'' Similarly, a report last year by the Congressional Budget Office rated the approach taken in H.R. 9 to be one of the least cost- effective ways to encourage growth or create jobs in a weak economy. CB0 estimated that this legislation's approach would create one job or fewer per $1 million of budgetary cost. However, H.R. 9, if enacted, would be a boon to wealthy taxpayers. Nearly half of the benefit would go to individuals with incomes of over $1 million. Seventy-six percent of small business employers have incomes below $200,000, but this group only received 16 percent of the benefit under H.R. 9. And 55 percent of small business employers have incomes below $100,000 but this group receives only six percent of the total benefit. At a time when our Nation must tackle its growing deficit, and push further job creation, the last thing this Congress ought to do is give expensive handouts to the richest individuals in our society. Instead, this Congress ought to be debating on how to deliver targeted job creation legislation and protect essential safety net programs, like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and Medicaid, which this House recently voted to cut in the hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade in the name of ``deficit reduction.'' I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle today to stand for commonsense fiscal principles and targeted job creation and vote against H.R. 9.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this bill. That is not to say that I am pleased with how this FCC has conducted its business. It has been slow and evasive when responding to inquiries from myself and my colleagues on important matters pending before the Commission. It has taken an activist approach to regulating, as we saw with their network neutrality proceeding. It wrongly squelched a merger that stopped an American company from acquiring a foreign owned competitor and then released proprietary and confidential information in what appeared to be an effort to salt the earth for any future attempts at a similar deal and influence the proceeding at the DOJ. This has set a troubling precedent. Not everything that this FCC has done is bad. While I opposed the Comcast/NBC merger, I am appreciative that the FCC had the latitude to impose conditions. For instance, my constituents will benefit from the conditions aimed to preserve localism and diversity. It included an additional 1,000 hours annually of locally produced news and information to be aired by NBC's and Telemundo's owned and operated stations, as well as quarterly reports from Comcast-NBCU detailing the number, nature, and duration of these additional local news and information programs. This condition would not be possible under H.R. 3309. I believe the FCC plays an important role; it is a necessary agency and can foster innovation and economic growth. But we have seen again and again a pattern of overreach, of regulatory strong arming, and aggressive actions aimed at achieving an agenda, rather than implementing the laws passed by Congress. The FCC process is in need of reform, but the Republican proposal before us today is not the answer.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of San Jacinto College, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and community college located in our district which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The mission of San Jacinto College is to deliver accessible, affordable, high-quality post-secondary education programs designed to meet the needs of the residents of Harris County. The primary focus of the College is helping students to achieve their personal and professional goals, create seamless transitions among educational levels, and to prepare students to enter the job market or transfer to senior institutions. Through its programs and services, and partnerships with industry, the College supports the economic growth of the community and the region. San Jacinto College recently received a grant that will fund collaborative programs with local secondary school districts focused on increasing college readiness and completion of community college developmental education courses. The grant, provided through the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, was made possible by The Houston Endowment. The $1.2 million, three year grant, known as the Gulf Coast Partners Achieving Students Success, or Gulf Coast PASS, will help San Jacinto College and its partners, Pasadena and Sheldon Independent School Districts, ISDs, expand existing projects and implement new partnerships. Special focus will aim to increase college readiness and completion of community college development education courses where necessary. With the help of these funds, San Jacinto College is partnering with local ISDs to start up two early college high schools, one with Pasadena ISD and another with Sheldon ISD. The Sheldon ISD Early College High School will open in Fall 2012. The Texas Education Administration states that early college high schools must provide access to under-represented populations, lower socio-economic students, and first-in-college students to provide a pathway for higher education attainment for these students who would be less likely to pursue higher education. Our nation must do more to close the gaps between secondary and post- secondary education in the areas of academic experiences, expectations, and curriculum. San Jacinto College is committed to bridging these gaps by facilitating communication and collaboration between high school and college faculty to identify these gaps locally. In order for our students to make the successful transition from high school to some kind of post-secondary experience, the College and our school districts must intentionally design programs that address those gaps. We must commit to creating multiple pathways to student success and completion of post-secondary credentials. I am proud to rise to commend the work of San Jacinto College, which provides a model of excellence in higher education for the people of Harris County and the nation.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I thank my colleague, the ranking member on our Energy and Commerce Committee. I rise in opposition to this bill. I am not opposed to all of it; in fact, I am a strong supporter of the repeal of the IPAB provisions. However, we can't undermine Americans' rights in court through placing arbitrary limits on malpractice cases. That's what this bill before us does. We shouldn't solve a bad policy problem by implementing more bad policy. We should be passing good legislation, not trying to pass something that has no chance of becoming law, and that's what this bill does. The Affordable Care Act, the underlying statute that this bill is amending, has had an enormous positive impact on the constituents I represent, and the law hasn't totally taken effect yet. But it's getting better. I was proud to support this landmark legislation as part of the Energy and Commerce Committee and on the Health Subcommittee. Before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, my congressional district had the largest percentage of uninsured of any district in our country. We still have a lot of work to do, but things are getting better. For the last 2 years, 53,000 children in my district can't lose the security offered by health insurance due to preexisting conditions; 3,400 seniors have saved an average of $540 on prescription drugs; 9,000 young people now have health insurance that they didn't have before the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but no bill is perfect. The bill before us today is far from perfect. I support the repeal of IPAB. I opposed IPAB in 2009 when it came up in our committee markup of the Affordable Care Act. I do not believe a panel of outsiders appointed by the President should take responsibility for what Congress needs to do in making decisions on Medicare payment rates. That's part of our job as Members of Congress. However, this bill has stepped too far; and I want to the opportunity to vote on a freestanding IPAB repeal, but I cannot support H.R. 5 because it's a bridge too far.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 120, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Lee College on receiving an Official Texas Historical Marker. Lee College is known as one of the fastest growing community colleges in the Nation. It currently ranks 6th in the Nation for degrees awarded in science and technologies; and offers more than 130 degrees and certificates. I am proud to honor Lee College, located in Baytown, Texas, for receiving this marker. On Friday, March 23, 2012, the Texas Historical Commission will dedicate the Historical Marker with the following text: In 1934, during the Great Depression and after several years of planning, the residents of the Goose Creek Independent School District voted to establish Lee Junior College, stressing the importance of higher education opportunities for area residents. One hundred seventy-seven students registered during the fall 1934 semester, and paid less than $15 per semester in fees. The junior college first shared facilities with Robert E. Lee high school, and classes met at night. In 1935 four women made up the first graduating class, and vocational education was inaugurated with a non- credit class in child psychology. The school's name was changed to Lee College in 1948, and a separate campus was first utilized in 1951. In 1965, the college separated from Goose Creek C.I.S.D. and obtained its own board of regents. Lee College instituted a college level program in Huntsville at the Texas Department of Corrections in 1966, becoming a pioneer in prison education. The program was designed to reduce recidivism of inmates by offering them educational opportunities, and remains a vital part of the college's programming. The Lee College Honors Program was established in 1974 to serve gifted and highly motivated students by preparing them for success in education and employment opportunities. Classes in the program are taught in a seminar format, and several scholarships are awarded through the program based on academic excellence. Lee College continues today to offer academic as well as vocational- technical and continuing education classes to the residents of Baytown and the surrounding area. I congratulate the past and present administration, faculty, staff, and students of Lee College for all of their hard work and dedication to education. And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize Lee College on receiving an Official Texas Historical Marker.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor Margarito Cano ``Gunny'' Vasquez. For many years, we have worked side by side to help improve the quality of life for many Veterans and their families around the Houston area. Mr. Vasquez passed away on February 24th and on March 1st, the Houston Chronicle printed his obituary written by Pedro Pinto. In honor of Mr. Vasquez, I would like to submit the text into the Congressional Record: Margarito Cano ``Gunny'' Vasquez, who worked with programs helping military veterans and their families, has died of liver cancer. He was 77. Vasquez was a member of countless organizations, including Veterans Incarcerated, which helped imprisoned veterans get their lives in order. ``He helped incarcerated, disabled, and homeless veterans,'' his son, Monte Vasquez, 33, said. In a 2005 interview with the Chronicle, Vasquez said he wanted his incarcerated brothers to come out and be productive. ``My hope is to die as an honorable Marine, that I tried to do what I could for veterans,'' he said then. He died on Feb. 24. Vasquez also worked for Kids with Disabilities First, an organization dedicated to helping veterans' children with Down syndrome. Vasquez also was instrumental with efforts to rename an East End street after Navy veteran Cesar Chavez and acquire the Houston Veterans Memorial Park, family and friends said. Vasquez was born on July 20, 1934, in Bastrop. After a couple of years in the Army, he found his niche with the Marines. ``Any Marine was his brother; his loyalty and love was with the Marine Corps,'' said his son, Monte. ``If he could have served his whole life there, he would have.'' He got his nickname for having retired as a gunnery sergeant. ``He instilled a lot of Marine in us,'' said his daughter Margie Vasquez Lopez, 44. ``When we were little, he taught us how to starch our clothes Marine style.'' The family was proud of his volunteering, she said, but didn't know he'd helped so many people. ``When he passed away, we learned how devoted and recognized he was,'' she said. ``We had people calling us who we didn't even know.'' A prayer service will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday in Compean Funeral Home, 2102 Broadway. Burial will follow at Houston National Cemetery. Survivors include his wife, Consuelo, and six children, Debra Ann, Margie, Michelle, Michael, Martin and Monte. With great sorrow, I honor Margarito Cano ``Gunny'' Vasquez for his efforts to improve not only the lives of Veterans, but their families as well. His efforts to help so many will be greatly missed.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Harry C. McPherson, Jr., a fellow Texan. For many years, he worked for President Lyndon B. Johnson while he was in the White House and previously on his Senate staff. Mr. McPherson passed away on February 15th and The New York Times printed his obituary, written by Robert D. McFadden. In honor of Mr. McPherson, I would like to submit the text into the Congressional Record: Harry C. McPherson, Jr., an influential White House counsel and speechwriter for President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1969 and the author of a classic insider's memoir on Washington-style politics, died on Thursday in Bethesda, MD. He was 82. His death was from complications of cancer, his wife, Mary Patricia McPherson, said. A liberal from Texas who read literature and history for pleasure, Mr. McPherson went to Washington in 1956 ``to do good,'' by his own account, a naive, idealistic young lawyer who, like many Americans, thought political integrity meant making decisions based on sound principles and standing up for your convictions. Then he went to work for Lyndon Johnson. Thirteen years later--after a realpolitik education as Johnson's aide in the Senate, as a Pentagon and State Department official and as a presidential confidant and wordsmith--he looked back on the battles for civil rights, the crises of American cities and the corrosive war in Vietnam with a keener appreciation for the arts of horse- trading and compromise, and for Johnson's Machiavellian ways of getting things done. Mr. McPherson helped draft bills that became the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Later, with Joseph A. Califano, the president's special assistant for domestic affairs, he helped shape Johnson's Great Society programs, the most sweeping social legislation since the Roosevelt era, including antipoverty and equal opportunity laws covering employment and housing, Medicare, Head Start and scores of other innovations. For years, he supported the military policies in Vietnam, but by 1968, Mr. McPherson had come to believe that the war was unwinnable. And as antiwar demonstrations swept the country, he and Defense Secretary Clark M. Clifford helped persuade the president to scale back the bombing of North Vietnam. It was Mr. McPherson who drafted Johnson's landmark address to the nation that spring, announcing the cutbacks of United States bombing, although the stunning conclusion of that speech--disclosing the president's.decision not to seek re- election that fall--was drafted by another Johnson aide, Horace Busby. After leaving the White House in early 1969, Mr. McPherson became a partner in Verner, Liipfert & Bernhard, a prominent Washington law firm and one of the capital's most successful at lobbying. His clients included businesses, foreign governments and nonprofit organizations. Among other cases, Mr. McPherson helped to negotiate the 1998 master settlement in which major tobacco companies and 46 states agreed on advertising limitations, partial immunity from lawsuits and payments of hundreds of billions of dollars to the states to cover the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses. Mr. McPherson also served on presidential commissions, including the 1979 panel named by Jimmy Carter to investigate the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, and another named by Bill Clinton to recommend the closing of military installations to streamline the Defense Department. Mr. McPherson wrote numerous articles on foreign and domestic policies for The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications. His memoir, ``A Political Education'' (1972), was well received and has become a perennial favorite of students of Washington's crafty, duplicitous political merry-go-round and of Johnson's years in the Senate and the White House. Reviewing it for The Times, Anatole Broyard called it ``a lesson not only for Harry McPherson, but also for most of us,'' adding: ``To put it bluntly, few Americans have a realistic idea of how our government works. We have instead a series of naive assumptions. If the message of this book were common knowledge, much of the sound and fury that currently caricatures our politics and our national image could be averted.'' Harry Cummings McPherson Jr. was born on Aug. 22, 1929, in Tyler, Tex., the son of Harry and Nan Hight McPherson. He attended Southern Methodist University and graduated from the University of the South in 1949. He intended to be a writer and poet and enrolled in a graduate program in literature at Columbia in 1949. But when the Korean War broke out in 1950, he enlisted in the Air Force and served as an intelligence officer in Germany, assessing Soviet troop deployments. His first marriage, to Clayton Read in 1952, ended in divorce. He married Mary Patricia DeGroot in 1981. Besides his wife, he is survived by two children from his first marriage, Coco and Peter, and a son from his second marriage, Samuel. He earned a law degree in 1956 at the University of Texas. At the urging of a cousin who worked for Johnson, who was then a senator, Mr. McPherson went to Washington and was hired by the Democratic Policy Committee, which fashioned the legislative agenda for Senate Democrats. Johnson, the majority leader, was its chairman. Over the next seven years, Mr. McPherson rose to general counsel of the committee, serving under Senator Mike Mansfield of Montana after Johnson became vice president in 1961. He was appointed deputy under secretary of the Army for international affairs in 1963 and assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs in 1964. Nearly two years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Mr. McPherson joined President Johnson's White House staff in 1965, and over the next four years, he became one of Johnson's most trusted advisers. In 1966 he helped organize a White House conference on civil rights, a gathering that included the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Thurgood Marshall, who was then the solicitor general but would become America's first black Supreme Court justice a year later; and representatives of almost every major civil rights group in the country. Mr. McPherson also became Johnson's chief speechwriter, shaping all of the president's major addresses from 1966 to 1969. In 2008, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award by American Lawyer magazine. It is with great respect, I honor Harry C. McPherson, Jr. for his service to the country under President Lyndon B. Johnson and his many wonderful accomplishments upon his death.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, last Friday, March 2, 2012, marked Texas Independence Day. It was 176 years ago that the Texas Declaration of Independence was ratified by the convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas. A military dictatorship took over Mexico, abolishing the Mexican Constitution. The dictatorship refused to provide trial by jury, freedom of religion, public education for its citizens, and allowed the confiscation of firearms. The last one being the most intolerable, particularly among Texans. Failure to provide these basic rights violated the sacred contract between a government and its people. Texas did what we still do today, stood up for our rights. In response, the Mexican Army marched to Texas, waging a war on the land and the people, enforcing the decrees of the military dictatorship through brute force and without any democratic legitimacy. As future Texas President and Governor Sam Houston, along with other delegates, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, General Santa Anna's army besieged the independence forces at the Alamo in San Antonio. Yesterday, March 6, 176 years ago, 4 days after the signing, the Alamo fell with Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis, former Tennessee Congressman David Crockett, and approximately 200 other Texas defenders. In a dramatic turnaround, Texans achieved their independence several weeks later on April 21, 1836. Roughly 900 members of the Texas Army overpowered a larger Mexican force. I'm proud to represent the San Jacinto Battlefield and State Park. God bless Texas and God bless America.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in support of domestic manufacturing, middle class jobs, and American in-sourcing by voting in favor of H.R. 4105. Last December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the Commerce Department could not apply countervailing duties (CVDs) on imports from non-market economies. If this ruling were allowed to stand, it would terminate 23 existing CVD orders on certain imports from China and one from Vietnam. H.R. 4105 would reverse the court's ruling and make clear the intent of Congress to allow CVDs to be applied to non-market economies. Several of the endangered CVD orders provide relief to steel and pipe manufacturers, many of which, including VAM Drilling, V&M Star, and TMK IPSCO, are located in or near the 29th District of Texas. These manufacturers, and the dozens like them throughout the country, have witnessed unfair competition on a mass scale in recent years due to the large subsidies provided by the Chinese government towards their domestic industries. Without these countervailing duties, tens of thousands of well- paying, middle class jobs would be threatened around the country, including several thousand in the 29th District alone. As our Nation's economy continues to recover from the Great Recession, and American industry rebounds from a decade of outsourcing and unfair competition, it is important that this Congress support domestic manufacturing and good paying jobs by voting in favor of H.R. 4105.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Friday, March 2, 2012, marks Texas Independence Day. 176 years ago, the Texas Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on- the-Brazos. This is an important day for Texas and patriotic Texans observe this occasion with great pride. In 1824, a military dictatorship took over in Mexico abolishing the Mexican constitution. The dictatorship refused to provide trial by jury, freedom of religion, public education for their citizens, and allowed the confiscation of firearms, this last one being the most intolerable, particularly among Texans. The Texas Declaration of Independence states that Texas' government had been ``forcibly changed, without their consent, from a restricted federative republic, composed of sovereign states, to a consolidated central military despotism.'' It stated that because of the injustice of Santa Anna's tyrannical government, Texans were severing their connection with the Mexican nation and declaring themselves ``a free, sovereign, and independent republic . . . fully invested with all the rights and attributes'' that belong to independent nations; and a declaration that they ``fearlessly and confidently'' committed their decision to ``the Supreme Arbiter of the destinies of nations.'' The Texas Declaration of Independence was fully justified because this military dictatorship had ceased to protect the lives, liberty, and property of the people of Texas. Failure to provide these basic rights violated the sacred contract between a government and the people, and Texans did what we still do today--stand up for our rights by declaring our independence to the world. In response, the Mexican army marched to Texas waging war on the land and the people, enforcing the decrees of a military dictatorship through brute force and without any democratic legitimacy. As future President Sam Houston and other delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, General Santa Anna's army besieged independence forces at the Alamo in San Antonio. Four days after the signing, the Alamo fell with her commander Lt. Colonel William Barrett Travis, Former Tennessee Congressman David Crockett, and approximately 200 other Texan defenders. All these men were killed in action, a heroic sacrifice for Texan freedom. If this tragedy were not enough, weeks later Santa Anna's army massacred over 300 unarmed Texans at Goliad on March 27. In a dramatic turnaround, Texans achieved their independence several weeks later on April 21, 1836. Roughly 900 members of the Texan army overpowered a much larger Mexican army in a surprise attack at the Battle of San Jacinto. I am proud to represent the San Jacinto Battlefield and State Park. That battle is memorialized along the San Jacinto River with the San Jacinto Monument. The monument is larger than the Washington Monument here in DC. Today we give thanks to the many Texans that sacrificed for the freedom we now enjoy. God bless Texas and God bless America.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for their commitment to education and to honor the volunteers that make it possible. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been known as the largest rodeo in the world. It attracts the best of the best in the rodeo and livestock industries but it also raises millions of dollars for Houston area children to go to college. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will award more 600 scholarships totaling over $9.53 million in 2012. Every year, the rodeo increases the number of awards given to local students. Since its beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has committed more than $283 million to scholarships, research, endowments, and other educational youth programs. Students have received more than $165 million in direct support, since the first scholarship was awarded in 1957. Currently, more than 2,000 students are on Show scholarships, attending more than 100 different Texas colleges and universities. The value of these scholarships is approximately $30 million. I'm sure many students from the 29th District, and from all over the Houston area, will enjoy benefiting from this great program as it continues to grow in the future. I am proud to be a life member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and thank the thousands of volunteers that dedicate well over a million hours of service each year to make the rodeo and its scholarship program operate as smoothly as they do. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo would not be the success that it is today without the hard work and dedication of its volunteers. The current 26,000+ volunteers serve on more than 100 different Rodeo committees. Their service to our community is greatly appreciated. And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for their success and dedication to education and to the Volunteers that make the show possible.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 716 for their 100 years of dedication to improving the life of not only its members but electricians across the Houston area. As one of the largest unions in America, IBEW represents approximately 750,000 workers of a variety of occupations including construction, utilities, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. The hard work of IBEW members does not benefit them alone but also enhances the quality of life for electricians across the United States by securing adequate wages, high- quality health insurance, retirement, pensions and creating safer working conditions. Since 1912, Local Union 716 has helped raise the standard of living for tens of thousands of electricians and their families. Local Union 716 has assisted its members during this difficult economic time by helping to ensure its members keep the jobs they have and help those without find employment. This union has continuously worked to not only uphold the goals of the national organization but also dedicate its services to improving the moral, intellectual and social conditions of their members and families. Through their apprenticeship program, the IBEW has trained and developed craftsmen into highly skilled professionals who know and understand the many facets of electrical work including the dangers and the safety precautions required to mitigate those dangers. The union has worked with the management staff of several companies to promote safe working conditions and improve company training programs. Local Union 716 is also known in the community for promoting citizens to get out and vote. They have participated, along with several other organizations, in neighborhood block walking events to hand out door hangers and motivate their neighbors to take part in government by going to the polls and voicing their opinions. And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize and congratulate the members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 716 for their success and dedication to improving life for its members and their community as a whole for 100 years.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 93, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my Colleagues to join me in recognizing the 20th year of diplomatic relations with our friend and key ally, Azerbaijan. On February 19, 1992, the United States and Azerbaijan initiated formal diplomatic relations and on March 6 of that year Azerbaijan opened their embassy in the United States. The United States opened our embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan on March 16. After the fall of the former Soviet Union and the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, we have seen a growing need for strong allies in the region. Azerbaijan, a predominantly secular Muslim country bordered by Russia to the north and Iran to the south, is a natural partner to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity in this important part of the world. Azerbaijan was among the first to join us in the War Against Terror, sending troops to Afghanistan that served alongside our servicemen and women, and later in Iraq. Today, Azerbaijan offers a crucial route to transport supplies to our troops in Afghanistan. Azerbaijan is also a key contributor in promoting energy security internationally. The opening of the BTC pipeline in 2005 allowed Caspian oil to reach the world market via Georgia and Turkey, bypassing Russia. With the recent arrival of Ambassador Elin Suleymanov to Washington, DC, I look forward to working with the Embassy to further strengthen this important relationship.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 53 and 54, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' personal explanation

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I support the Keystone pipeline, but I found out this last Monday, and I've asked, and I know the chair of our Energy Committee has heard me ask about a project labor agreement that's for the whole pipeline but it doesn't cover Texas. The largest State along the route does not have a project labor agreement with TransCanada. TransCanada maybe didn't deceive me, but they sure didn't answer the questions when I asked them in our committee. I've talked to them about that. I know our labor support nationwide, they have a project labor agreement from the Canadian border to the Oklahoma border, but not for the biggest part of it, in the State of Texas, and I'm going to work with them because it's important to see that the job be done safely.