Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my colleague from Arizona and the delegation from Arizona for their support of this bill, a very critical adjustment, as my friend from Arizona just said. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 327, and I urge its passage today. I am very pleased we are considering this bill in the House, and I would like to thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for making this bill a priority. As I stated earlier, my appreciation goes to the entire Arizona delegation for their support. I greatly appreciate that the Resources Committee leadership recognizes the importance of encouraging the self-reliance of the Native people in their district so they can move closer to full economic development for their areas.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John B. Gabusi, an Arizona native known nationally and internationally, who retired September 30 as Vice Chancellor of Pima Community College. Mr. Gabusi was an accomplished administrator who brought excitement, enthusiasm and excellence to his endeavors and his relationships. He possesses a superior intellect, is extremely well informed, and has an amazing ability to analyze information quickly and accurately. He is a compassionate human being with a particular affection for the less fortunate. He extends his help quietly, hoping only that others will overcome obstacles and achieve success. Mr. Gabusi joined Pima College in 1991. He established the economic development office, then moved on to create a government relations program. From there, he undertook a myriad of successful activities for the College. Among his other remarkable achievements was a marketing campaign that increased the school's enrollment by 30 percent over a five-year period and a counseling-mentor program that increased the number of area high school graduates who enrolled at Pima by more than 60 percent over a three-year period. Mr. Gabusi grew up in the mining town of Clifton. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1964, and was studying for a Ph.D. in political science when, in 1966, he and classmate Earl deBerge created a Tucson polling firm known as Survey Research Associates. He departed the partnership in 1968 to join the staff of U.S. Representative Morris K. Udall, whose congressional district then encompassed the entire State outside of Phoenix and Maricopa County. His friend deBerge continued the firm, which now is based in Phoenix and known as the Behavior Research Center Inc. He spent 23 years away from Arizona, most of the time in Washington, DC. Mr. Gabusi walked the halls of Congress as a Udall aide, and served as Udall's principal staffer for the Postal Reorganization Act of 1971, the first step toward today's independent postal system. Mr. Gabusi managed four of Udall's congressional campaigns and directed the congressman's attempted bid for the 1976 Democratic Presidential nomination. President Jimmy Carter reached out for his help in 1977, appointing Mr. Gabusi as Assistant Director for Management and Budget of the Community Services Administration. He oversaw a $2 billion annual budget at an agency with 1,800 employees between Washington and 10 regional offices. Two years later, President Carter chose Mr. Gabusi for another major position: Assistant Secretary for Management in the fledgling Department of Education. Among other things, he managed the inter- agency task force that designed and implemented all of the required systems to create the Cabinet-level department. Both jobs required Senate confirmation and Mr. Gabusi was one of a handful of appointees to undergo that process on two occasions. With the 1981 change in administrations, Mr. Gabusi departed government service for private enterprise. He spent 2 years as General Manager of Rural Ventures Inc., the economic development arm of Control Data Corporation of Minneapolis. He returned to Washington in 1983, and spent the next 8 years as an economic development consultant on a national and international basis. His emphasis was on providing technical assistance to foreign ministries, and special contracts, primarily from the U.S. Agency for International Development, sent him to EI Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. He also consulted with the governments of Egypt and Poland, and played a major role in establishing Poland's first retail banking system. Back home, Mr. Gabusi provided economic development and government expertise to small businesses, Indian tribal councils, small cities and towns and one federal agency, the Economic Development Administration. Mr. Gabusi has been struggling with renal cell cancer for nearly 3 years and it was with regret that he retired from Pima College. He was a positive and progressive force at the college and in every other venture he undertook.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to day to honor Jessie, George, and Kyle Hetherington. Jessie and George Hetherington, two grandparents, have faced many obstacles in the process of adopting their grandson, Kyle. This family is to be commended for they have persisted through personal and legal struggles to ensure Kyle's adoption. Kyle entered Jessie and George's home in October of 2000. This family joins the growing trend of 6 million children being raised by ``Grand Families'' keeping children in loving homes. The Hetherington family is exemplary proof that often the best chance a child has at leading a normal life filled with affection is with a family of their own. It is Grand Families such as the Hetherington's that provide a safe and stable home for children who would otherwise fall into foster care systems. But the commitment to a happy family has many obstacles and requires perseverance. The determination of this family defines unconditional love. When Jessie and George first brought Kyle home, they lived in an age- restricted community. To keep Kyle, the family moved. Finding a new home was the first obstacle. Then, 15 months later, Kyle's mother regained custody. Kyle later returned to the Hetherington home, but his health, physically and emotionally, was worse than before. Since then, the family has been through several legal battles to keep Kyle from being returned to his mother, an absent father fighting Jessie and George's adoption rights, and accessing services for Kyle's health needs. The family has undergone an intense legal pursuit but has been guided with love, patience, and support from Kinship, Adoption, Resource, Education (K.A.R.E.) program. The K.A.R.E. program works with Grandparents raising Grandchildren, and helped the Hetherington family navigate a system that does not understand the strength and needs of Grand Families. The Hetherington family will soon celebrate a legal victory and adopt Kyle on December 6 of this year. Their emotional and legal struggle represents the battle of will over circumstance. This day is an early birthday gift for Kyle and a life long family gift. Kyle is a second grader at Miller Elementary School in Tucson, AZ and turns 8 on November 23. Jessie ad George Hetherington's love, hard work, and dedication, and that of all Grand Families, should be acknowledged today. As Jessie states ``Love can work wonders done in the right way''.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice of homage and respect that we all have for Congressman Ed Roybal. Our entire Nation, and Latinos in particular, owe Congressman Roybal a huge debt of gratitude. We can manifest our gratitude by holding true to the integrity, the values, the fairness that Congressman Roybal represented in this Chamber. We can also repay Congressman Roybal by insisting that all Americans have an equal voice and demanding truth as a guiding principle in our government. I would not be here to celebrate the life of Ed Roybal if he had not blazed a path to which all of us aspire to follow in our political lives. Indeed, Congressman Roybal's shoes cannot be filled, but we can all stay on the path. My sincere respect and pesame to the Roybal family and my thanks to Congressman Roybal for sharing the possibilities and raising our expectations. Congressman Roybal established our Hispanic Caucus as a founder; NALEO, an organization that represents Latino elected officials; but more importantly he broke the stereotypes about Latinos' place in our Nation and in our political life, that we no longer are just observers in this process but empowered participants. And for that all Americans should be grateful. We should honor and celebrate a life well-served, a life well-dedicated and a life well-spent.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Herbert K. Abrams, a life-long Champion of health care for all. Dr. Abrams has been a particular example to me. He arrived in Tucson in 1968, about the time I was marching in the streets with other Chicanos asking for better health-care and recreation facilities. Within a few years, he had shown those of us in the protest movement that a big heart, intelligence, patience and persistence could convince a government to respond to the needs of the people. I will forever be grateful to him for that quiet leadership. Dr. Abrams was hired by Dr. Monte DuVal, founding dean of the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, to create what became the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He also acquired federal funding for the El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center. In each case, he prepared a foundation for growth. In the early 1970s, he organized family practice clinics in what were then the small towns of Marana, Benson and Casa Grande. Today, his philosophy of taking medical care to those outside metropolitan areas is vested in the department's Rural Health Program, which supports rural clinics and family practice by young doctors. Back in Tucson, the clinic Dr. Abrams helped create has shortened its name to El Rio Health Clinic, but expanded its service to 11 locations. El Rio was designed to serve the poor; it continues with that emphasis today, but is open to all with a sliding fee schedule. Through the years, he also has been a significant supporter during difficult times for E1 Pueblo Clinic and the Pima County-owned Kino Community Hospital, now known as University Physicians Healthcare (UPH) Hospital at Kino Campus. His impact on medical care has been recognized with the naming of two buildings in his honor. One is the College of Medicine building that houses the department he founded. The other will be visible next fall when construction is completed on the $28 million Herbert K. Abrams Public Health Center on the Kino Campus. Dr. Abrams came to Tucson already a recognized health-service pioneer. He had spent the preceding 16 years in Chicago, where he established the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Health Center and the 40,000-member Union Health Service, an early-day health maintenance organization that last year celebrated its 50th anniversary. More than 60 of his scientific papers have been published. Many of them examined occupational medicine, and he has performed specific research on farm workers and pesticides and on the use of the short- handled hoe. Dr. Abrams is known internationally, having worked, consulted or performed research in China, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel and Papua New Guinea. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service from 1942 to 1946 and served two years of that time training medical officers and working on a cholera control team and as area medical rehabilitation officer in China. He returned to China on at least six other occasions, including earlier this year when he again met with medical colleagues he had first known 60 years ago. He has studied occupational and environmental health along the U.S.-Mexico border, and has consulted for the World Health Organization. Dr. Abrams received degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science from the University of Illinois in 1940 and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 1947. He received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1936. Through the years, Dr. Abrams, 92, has pursued his goals with a soft voice and a smile. He knows that this nation still does not provide health care for all, and last year wrote an op-ed article reminding Tucson newspaper readers that 45 million Americans remain without health insurance. A poster on a wall in his office asks: ``Whatever happened to health care for the poor?'' Dr. Abrams answered the question for Arizona Daily Star reporter Jane Erikson earlier this year, saying: ``Not much . . . we still have a long ways to go . . .''

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Republican budget reconciliation. I believe this process has nothing to do with reconciliation. Instead, we have an ideological devastation of the future of families, children, students, the poor, and the elderly in this country. It would look at these cuts: education, $14 billion; nutrition, $844 million in food stamp cuts; Medicaid, $10 billion; veterans, not addressing the real needs of veterans in this country; foster care, $577 million; SSI and TANF, $8 billion; child support, $5 billion. These cuts that are being asked for by the Republicans in the reconciliation are a direct result of their policies, policies that are giving tax breaks to corporations, tax cuts to the very wealthy, a $1- billion-a-day war, and a borrow-and-spend fiscal policy that the Republican Party has instituted. The backbone of this Nation is its families. The door of opportunity has to remain open for all families. There is always room at the inn. I urge a ``no'' vote on the reconciliation.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Mr. John Gabusi, former Pima Community College Vice Chancellor. Mr. John Gabusi retired from his position as Vice Chancellor for governmental and external relations at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. He dedicated 14 years of service to the college, where he tirelessly worked to create Pima Community College's first economic development office. Mr. Gabusi has been credited with elevating the College's national prestige by developing strategies to convince the Governor and State elected officials that the citizens of Arizona are deserving of a strong community college system. His work helped to limit district wide budget reductions and to revive the marketing and advertising of Pima Community College. His help also played a vital role in a thirty percent increase in student enrollment from 1996-2002. John Gabusi consistently strived to improve educational opportunities for the people of Tucson. Thanks to Mr. Gabusi's ability to rally community support, Pima Community College was granted a $140 million dollar bond. He focused on providing students with an environment conducive to learning, and believed that the community is deserving of an excellent community college system. Even before his work at Pima Community College, John Gabusi was committed to serving his community. Mr. Gabusi served as an assistant to former U.S. Congressman Morris K. Udall. He led four of Mr. Udall's congressional campaigns as well as Mr. Udall's 1976 presidential campaign. After serving under Congressman Udall, Mr. Gabusi went on to start his own marketing firm called DAC international and later presided over the Washington, DC based Procurement Assistant Corporation. Mr. John Gabusi is an outstanding member of our community. His life- long commitment to serving his community is commendable. It is the drive of Mr. Gabusi that has kept him hard at work for others and although Mr. Gabusi has been battling cancer, he wishes he could continue his work at Pima Community College. Mr. Gabusi has served his community well, and his efforts have not gone unnoticed. I would like to personally commend Mr. John Gabusi for his tireless commitment to our community. His life and work is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, due to a previous commitment, I was absent from legislative business on Monday, October 17, 2005 and Tuesday, October 18, 2005. Had I been present, I would have voted accordingly: On rollcall No. 521, approving the Journal, I would have voted ``nay''. On rollcall No. 522, passage of H. Res. 457, I would have voted ``yea''. On rollcall No. 523, passage of H. Res. 491, I would have voted ``yea''. On rollcall No. 524, passage of H. Res. 494, I would have voted ``nay''. On rollcall No. 525, passage of H.R. 1409, I would have voted ``yea''. On rollcall No. 526, passage of H. Res. 492, I would have voted ``yea''. On rollcall No. 527, passage of H.R. 3549, I would have voted ``yea''. On rollcall No. 528, passage of H.R. 3853, I would have voted ``yea''.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, it is with regret and deep sadness that I rise to honor Howard Beaver, a resident of Tucson, AZ, who passed away on October 3, 2005. For over 27 years he sold or rented thousands of musical instruments to Tucson children. I myself bought my first harmonica at his store. He was a pillar of Tucson society, an impassioned musician, beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Howard Beaver was born in Beaver, AR, and raised in Odessa, TX. He moved to Tucson in 1949 for his freshman year at the University of Arizona, where he received his bachelor's degree in music. He later went on to earn a master's degree from Northern Arizona University. Howard opened Beaver's Band Box in 1964, a music store where he rented and sold instruments as well as provided music lessons. In 1991 he sold the store to his son, Dan, who then proceeded to open a second Beaver's Band Box. He was a very dynamic member of the Tucson music community; in 1966 he founded Beaver's Tucson Concert Band, was influential in the beginning of the UA alumni band and was active in many community bands. Howard's life was filled with music and family, two things that were very important to him. His love of music began early in life, with his first Trombone in seventh or eighth grade, though he would later know how to play them all. The other love of his life was family. He is survived by his wife Liz, five children (Dan, Heidi, Carl, Krista, and Erica) and 15 grandchildren.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2123, as this bill is a remarkable improvement on last Congress's version and includes important provisions which will benefit all Head Start participants. I will, however, vote against this legislation if Leadership succeeds in inserting a ``poison pill'' that, if adopted, would mark the first time Congress would permit organizations that run Head Start programs to discriminate against job applicants solely on the basis of their religion. While by no means a perfect bill, this legislation stands as a testament to the progress that can be made through bipartisan cooperation. This bill contains none of the controversial provisions from last Congress, such as block granting or universal competitions. Instead, H.R. 2123 contains several provisions which will benefit all Head Start participants, and I am proud of this fact and have worked hard with my Colleagues towards achieving these goals. In particular, H.R. 2123 provides additional resources for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) program expansion, which will allow for thousands of farm-worker children to exit the fields and enter the classroom. This expansion includes a 5% funding floor for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start. In step with this funding floor, the Secretary is required to compose a report determining how well we are serving children eligible for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start. The bill also requires a study on the status of limited-English-proficient children and their families in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. These provisions and many others included in the bill before us today will benefit all Head Start students and families and set kids on the right foot for competing with their peers throughout their school years. Mr. Chairman, it is evident that the provisions in this year's bill will help millions of Head Start students and their families' educational, personal, and economic well-being. I ask, why, then, are we considering inserting a poison pill into this remarkable piece of legislation? The amendment offered by Mr. Boustany would severely block the program's participants, children and parents, from climbing out of poverty to self-sufficiency. This is simply unacceptable in light of what Katrina has unearthed as a systemic problem in our country: widespread and unresolved poverty. This amendment would prevent volunteer Head Start parents from moving off the welfare rolls into self-sufficiency as Head Start certified teachers, simply because they are the wrong religion. This outcome is not needed, not wanted, and definitely not helpful to the millions living in poverty today. Additionally, this amendment also sets a dangerous precedent: such a change would allow faith-based organizations to discriminate not just on the basis of a person's religious affiliation, but also on how closely they follow the tenets of that religion. This could include religious beliefs on medical treatments, marriage, pregnancy, gender, and even race. Don't let Head Start fail by excluding qualified teachers and engaged parents from Head Start programs run by faith-based organizations. I urge my colleagues to vote no on final passage if this dangerous amendment passes.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in opposition to H.R. 3824. In the 1960s, Rachel Carson's book ``Silent Spring'' documented the harmful effects of DDT and other pesticides on songbirds. This prompted a ban on DDT and the passage of the original Endangered Species Act. The ban on DDT, which the EPA said posed unacceptable risks to the environment and human health, saved the bald eagle and countless other species from going extinct. Today we are considering a bill that would usher in another silent spring by eliminating the oversight for the registration of pesticides which harm wildlife and people. H.R. 3824 contains a provision allowing EPA to consult with itself in determining the potential impacts of pesticide registration on endangered wildlife and fish, instead of consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service, which are the expert agencies whose mission is either in whole or in part to conserve species. H.R. 3824 would take away the ability to stop pesticide use even when necessary to prevent extinction. Without existing checks and balances on pesticide use, the effect on wildlife could be devastating. Humans could be hurt too, because toxic pesticides are applied by farm workers that make their way into our Nation's streams, rivers, and food supply. Pesticides poison 10,000 to 20,000 agricultural workers each year and are estimated to kill more than 67 million birds annually. But the EPA currently only requires balancing the profits from using a pesticide against the dollar value of harm caused by that pesticide. The Endangered Species Act, on the other hand, recognizes what almost all Americans believe, that no dollar amount can be placed on the extension of our Nation's treasured wildlife or on the human health of people who work in those fields. The substitute to H.R. 3824 would leave existing law unchanged. It would leave in place current safeguards by requiring an analysis based on the health of wildlife, not the company's bottom line. For this reason and many others, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this controversial bill and voting ``yes'' on the Miller substitute.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast rollcall votes 494, 495, and 496 on September 27, 2005, because I was unavoidably detained on official business. Had I been present I would have cast the following votes: on rollcall vote No. 494, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 495, I would have voted ``yea''; and on rollcall vote No. 496, I would have voted ``yea''.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the winners of the national 2005 Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement Competition held in Anaheim, California. Johnnie Gasper, Rosie Mankel, Esther Blue, and Darryl Davis-Rosas, from Tucson, Arizona's Pueblo High Magnet School took first place at the national competition. The Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Competition, otherwise known as MESA, is a college preparation program founded in 1970 and launched in Arizona in 1983. Students from middle and high schools throughout southern Arizona participate in hands-on activities related to math, engineering, and science and college preparation workshops. Over 60 schools in Arizona participate in MESA. A total of eight States competed in the competition--California, Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. These Pueblo High students were challenged to build a vehicle out of a mousetrap that could drive 10 meters, up a 30 degree incline, and stop accurately after traveling another five meters. The students had trouble with the original vehicle design, which tested their commitment and determination. Johnnie, Rosie, Esther and Darryl redesigned and built a new vehicle that led them to success. The competition also required them to write a 15-page essay and complete an academic presentation on their work. The students received high marks on all parts of the competition. I would like to commend these young men and women for their incredible accomplishments in math and science; and to recognize the faculty of Pueblo High School for their guidance of these fine students. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring them today.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the winners of the 2005 Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's most prestigious prize honoring grassroots environmentalists. Now in its 16th year, the Goldman Prize is annually awarded to environmental leaders from six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands & Island Nations, North America, and South & Central America. The recipients are engaged in important efforts to preserve the natural environment, including protecting endangered ecosystems and species, combating destructive development projects, promoting sustainability, influencing environmental policies and striving for environmental justice. Goldman Prize winners often are figurative men and women from isolated villages and inner cities who are willing to endure great personal risks to safeguard the environment. To be given the award is a great honor. It is a recognition of the outstanding work that the activists do to ensure social and environmental justice in their communities and around the world. This year the recipient from Mexico is Isidro Baldenegro Lopez. Mr. Baldenegro is a subsistence farmer and community leader of Mexico's indigenous Tarahumara people in the country's Sierra Madre mountain region. He has spent much of his life defending old growth forests from devastating logging in a region torn by violence, corruption and drug- trafficking. Tragically, Baldenegro is acutely aware of the grave risks involved in defending the forest. As a boy, he witnessed firsthand the assassination of his father who was killed for his opposition to logging. In the face of these serious risks and repeated threats against his life, Baldenegro has chosen to remain and defend the forest and ancestral lands his community has inhabited for hundreds of years. In 1993, Baldenegro developed a non-violent grassroots movement to fight the logging industry in the Sierra Madres. He later mobilized a massive human blockade which resulted in a special court order outlawing logging in the area. Following the blockade, Baldenegro was suddenly jailed on what later proved to be false charges of arms and drug possession. After 15 months of imprisonment, he emerged to establish an environmental justice organization, which currently has cases pending in the federal courts in Mexico. He has brought world attention to the beautiful, ecologically crucial old-growth forests of the Sierra Madre as well as the survival of the Tarahumara people. Father Jose Andres Tamayo Cortez, another Goldman Prize recipient, is a Catholic priest leading the struggle for environmental justice in the Olancho region of Honduras. He directs the Environmental Movement of Olancho, MAO, a coalition of subsistence farmers and community and religious leaders who are defending their lands against uncontrolled logging in the region. Logging has already taken more than half of the region's 12 million acres of forest in one of the most biologically diverse forest ecosystems. Father Tamayo has worked to exert pressure on the Honduran government to reform its national forest policy. He has been harassed and violently assaulted, and has had a bounty put on his life for his work in his community. Father Tamayo is selflessly committed to the peaceful protection of the forests and the people of Honduras. He has said, ``Natural resources and life itself are human rights; therefore, to destroy God's creation is to attack human life; our last remaining option is to defend life with our own life.'' These are just two of the six leaders awarded the Goldman Prize this year, but I would like to commend all the winners for their incredible commitment to a better world for their communities. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring them today.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that shifts funding within the EPA environmental program and management account. Although the rules of the House prevent me from specifying in the amendment where the funding will go, it is my intention to restore funding for EPA's environmental justice program.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, It is with great honor that I recognize Jim Brodie. Jim was a respected member of the community, providing tireless hours to the youth, community and Habitat for Humanity. Jim was a lifelong union ironworker, working in industrial and commercial construction. Upon retirement, he continued his service to our community by assisting Habitat for Humanity of Tucson in the construction and later supervision of projects throughout the Old Pueblo. The energy and expertise he provided for Habitat for Humanity, its volunteers and its clients was unprecedented. He was a gifted leader, working on multiple projects and at various stages of the products. Among his many talents was the ability to work with young and old alike. This is especially noted with his success in working on the High School Build Program, proving to be a mentor, role model, and friend to the students he supervised. For the last 8 years of his life, Jim's work with the Habitat High School Build programs inspired the youth, their parents, and their teachers. Although initially hesitant to work the students, his ability to motivate and provide guidance came to him second nature. He was a natural teacher, impacting multiple lives and instilling pride in the lives that he impacted. Jim's role in supervising the Habitat High School Build programs, which included five schools and the State Prison programs, was unique. Furthermore, it was a true gift to our community and youth. He worked closely with the high school teachers to develop important mentoring relationships with students. His dedication went well beyond the building projects and will influence students for years to come. His legacy includes the 40 families that now live in Habitat homes built by students participating in the High School Build program. Jim was admired by all who met or heard of him. His life and work is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize an amazing woman from my district, Emma Torres from Yuma, Arizona. She is a role model and inspiration for all; her work and dedication was recently recognized, internationally, when she was honored by Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Ohtli Award. This award acknowledges her contributions to the development of Hispanic communities and for her support in social causes. The Ohtli award is given to distinguished Hispanic leaders who devote their lives promoting and fostering the prosperity of communities in the United States. The word Ohtli means ``righteous path'' in Nahuatl. Emma has been a strong border community leader and health advocate for migrant and seasonal farm workers in Western Arizona for more than 20 years. After losing her husband to leukemia in 1982, she turned a personal and painful life experience into a mission to enhance the quality of life of farm workers. She co-founded and is the current Executive Director of Campesinos Sin Fronteras, a grassroots, community-based organization that uses education and advocacy to improve the standard of living for farm workers. Prior to her current position, she was the Field Office Director for Puentes de Amistad/ Bridges in Friendship under the leadership of the Arizona Border Health Foundation. In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Emma to the US/ Mexico Border Health Binational Commission. She has pioneered the Lay Health Worker/Promotora Model in Arizona since 1987, and as a certified Inter-Cultural Affairs (ICA) facilitator has led efforts to bring adequate healthcare coverage to our most vulnerable populations. Most recently Emma accomplished one of her personal dreams--she received her degree in social work from Northern Arizona University. This is the latest of recognitions for Emma's commitment, persistence, and belief in improving one's personal life and that of one's community. Emma's life is an example to others; pursue one's dreams, believe in making change, be strong, and progress will prevail.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. Alice S. Paul, an exceptional citizen of my community, our country, and the Tohono O'odham Nation. Dr. Paul's life, which unfortunately ended too soon on May 3, 2005, exemplifies the impact of public education at a time when we need to speak about its power. Dr. Alice Paul is a product of public education and leaves a legacy of its worth. As a life-time educator, she extended the power of public education far beyond her own experience. Her focus was early childhood education, and she traveled widely helping communities improve their early childhood educational systems. Her work had direct impact on the lives of young children and their families throughout the United States, from rural Alaska to urban New Jersey. After her retirement she even served as a consultant to the Taiwanese educational system. Alice Paul accomplished many firsts. She was the first Tohono O'odham to receive a doctorate degree and the first to teach in Tucson Unified School District. She was rooted in her tribal identity, but her openness reached far beyond. Whether meeting Native or non-Native people, Americans or Chinese, Christians or Muslims, her strong and gentle wisdom left a positive mark--because of who she was. Combining her exceptional personal qualities, life experiences, and academic expertise, Dr. Paul touched individuals, organizations, and institutions. She was a classroom teacher. She was a Field Representative of Tucson's Early Education Model and later Director of its Follow Through Program which worked with former Head Start children and their families through the third grade. She was a University of Arizona Associate Professor of Education, and she served as head of its Department of Teaching and Teacher Education. In later years, she was a member of the Arizona State Museum Board of Directors. She was Chair of the T'ohono O'odham Community College Board of Trustees and realized its accreditation. The honors she received over the years would fill a page. Initially, she postponed finishing college when the family could not afford to send both her and her younger brother to college. She joined the United States Navy where she met Richard Paul. When they married in 1952, it was illegal for a Native American and a non-Native American to marry in Arizona, so they traveled to New Mexico for a civil ceremony before returning to Tucson for a church wedding at Southside Presbyterian Church. Dr. Paul grew up as a member of that faith community and served as an Elder for over 50 years. Her leadership abilities were recognized by the wider church, and she was elected Moderator of Presbytery de Cristo, was a consultant to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) regarding its Christian education curriculum for children, and served on the national church's Task Force on Reparations and its Commission on Preparation for Ministry. Dr. Paul had a wide world view which allowed her to rise above conflict. She saw real problems and shared her opinions, but in a way which did not demean or incapacitate those with whom she disagreed. She credited her parents, Jones and Marianna Narcho, with teaching her the value of generosity and service. Once when asked how she happened to get a doctorate degree, Dr. Paul laughed and said, ``My mother told me to learn all I could.'' As a Native American, Dr. Paul observed and experienced serious inequities and violations of civil rights. She recalled that her father was arrested when he had a stroke on the sidewalk in front of their home. Because he was an Indian, the police presumed him to be drunk, and he died in jail of wounds that could never be explained. Even though the pain of that recollection stayed fresh, she used all her life experiences to become the outstanding woman she was. As a Congressional District, as Nations, we could not be more privileged than to have had Dr. Alice Paul live and work among us.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, Luisa Trujillo Vasquez was born in Nogales, Territory of Arizona on May 22, 1906. In the fall of that same year, Luisa's parents, Salome Vasquez and Reyes Trujillo, loaded their six sons and baby daughter into a horse-drawn wagon and made the journey to Tucson. Tucson has been Luisa's home since her arrival as an infant; earning her the title of a ``Native Tucsonan.'' The Trujillo family lived on the corner of Simpson Street and Main Avenue, across from the famous ``Elysian Groves,'' where Luisa and her siblings often played as children and adolescents. Luisa attended Drachman and Safford Elementary schools until 6th grade when she left school in order to help her mother look after her brothers and help with household chores. The end of her formal education did not mark the end of Luisa's learning; indeed, Luisa's character was strengthened and her practical education supplemented when she joined the workforce at the young age of 13 in order to help support her family. Never one to complain, Luisa accepted this challenge willingly and with dignity and resolve. Luisa has held many job titles throughout her lifetime, but she considers herself first and foremost to be a seamstress. She sewed for Levy's Department Store, Kaufman's Department Store (later known as Saccani's), the Lyric Outfitters, and she worked at Davis Monthan Air Force Base sewing and mending thousands of military uniforms for soldiers stationed there during World War II. Luisa is also known for designing and fitting many of the Hispanic brides and their bridesmaid dresses during the 1930's, 1940's and early 1950's. Luisa has many fond memories of the Tucson of her youth where she used to ride the mule-drawn trolley named ``El Urbano,'' danced at the old Armory Park Dance Hall, took in films at the Old ``Opera House,'' and attended shows at the Teatro Carmen. She also vividly remembers family outings to Sabino Canyon, trips to Old Fort Lowell and Vail Communities, and Sunday outings to the old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot to listen to the military bands from Fort Lowell and the SPRR Civic Band. Luisa raised her four children as well as her beloved niece and nephew in Tucson. Throughout the years and particularly during the Great Depression, Luisa struggled with quiet resolve to provide for her immediate and extended family and even her neighbors from time to time. Though Luisa is proud of her Mexican-American heritage, her loyalty has always been to her American homeland. Since World War I, Luisa has also had a deep love for America's servicemen and women. Following the death of her much-loved nephew during World War II (whom Luisa raised), Luisa was recognized as a ``Gold Star Mother.'' In honor of her nephew and the sacrifice he made for his country, Luisa has requested that her Gold Star be pinned to her dress and buried with her upon her death. Luisa has been the recipient of many well-deserved awards throughout the course of her lifetime. Most recently, the ``Los Descendientes del Presidio de Tucson'' recognized Luisa's achievements and her commitment to her native city. Luisa has led a life full of love and friendship and distinguished by uncommon hospitality and service to her loved ones as well as her community. She is an exceptional woman, mother, grandmother, great- grandmother, and citizen. Her life has left an indelible mark on Tucson and the lives of its citizens.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to honor the millions who lost their lives during the Holocaust as we observe Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day. Each year, I am confronted with so many emotions as we commemorate this day. It brings great pain to my heart as we remember the victims of one of history's darkest and most murderous eras. To try and grasp the significance of the death toll that resulted from the Holocaust is both a saddening and frustrating exercise. Six million Jews not only lost their lives, but were murdered on the basis of nonsensical, inhumane reasoning--reasoning that dictated action through hate on the basis of religious discrimination. The end result, sadly though, was much worse than what is our conventional idea of religious discrimination. The end result in this tragic situation was genocide. And though my heart weighs heavily as I reflect on the injustices suffered and the lives lost, there is a part of me that sees an opportunity to celebrate human resilience as we commemorate this somber day. In the face of some of the most intense hatred and inhumanity that this world has ever seen, it gives me great hope to think of the many who seized upon the greatest power that any individual human-being can posses, and in fact, a power that each and everyone of us posses. That power is the power to choose. And in the face of oppression, persecution and destruction, there were so many who chose to resist, whether it was through physical action, words written and spoken, or in spirit. Some of these people were heroes whose names we celebrate, some were heroes only to those who knew them and some were simply heroes in and of themselves. To these people we owe a debt of gratitude and respect. Now, more than ever, as the world continues to wrestle with violence spawned by religious and cultural intolerance, we cannot forget or underestimate our own power to choose to act out against this type of hatred and oppression. Let us never forget that silence and inaction provide fertile breeding ground for grave injustices. We all have a moral obligation to choose to act.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. The resolution we are talking about today is supposed to express the sense of Congress that we are committed to meeting the needs of small businesses. But, frankly, as we fiddle away, we ignore that small businesses need action now. We have been speaking of the most glaring example, where Congress and the administration have been long on promises and very short on action. A comprehensive health care reform for small business needs to be a priority. The number one challenge facing our Nation's businesses today is inability to access affordable health care. The problem has deepened in the past 5 years, an increase in cost of over 60 percent over the past 5 years. While it seems that everybody recognizes there is a problem, there has been no major reforms in the last 5 years. Since 2001, the President has repeatedly talked about bringing down health care costs for small businesses, but he has done little in the way of making any real changes. In the meantime, we have passed a bankruptcy bill, four tax cuts, a Medicare bill, a class-action bill; but the number one problem facing small businesses continues to see no action. Meaningful support means a comprehensive approach to health care reform for small business and not merely an unworkable gesture. Bringing down health care costs for small business and the self-employed is and should be a top priority. Unfortunately, Congress and the President have failed to do so. That means health care costs are going to continue to skyrocket. We need to end the back and forth. We need comprehensive health care reform and to start taking steps forward to implement a solution that is workable and actually helps small business owners. As the economic engines of this great Nation, small businesses deserve to be confident in their ability to provide health care for themselves, their families, and their employees. I urge a ``no'' vote on this resolution.