Al Green

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I and a good many of my colleagues will speak tonight about circumstances that are occurring in Texas more often than we would care to see. In a sense, Mr. Speaker, this is a continuation of a mission of mercy that we embarked upon earlier this year when we were having flooding in Houston, Texas. These floods that we are having across the length and breadth of our State are causing great property damage, and that is worthy of a lot of consideration and it is worthy of being addressed on the floor of the House of Representatives. But we also have a good many lives that have been lost across the length and breadth of our State, and these, of course, are of paramount importance to us. So while we may make some references to the property damages and there will be some things said about possible solutions, I believe that we will say a good deal about the lives that have been lost. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas' 27th Congressional District (Mr. Farenthold) to give his comments. Mr. Farenthold has experienced some flooding, and I am honored to have him appear and tell us about what is happening to his constituents in the 27th Congressional District.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate the gentleman sharing time with us on the floor tonight. He has spoken very eloquently about some of the concerns that go beyond the visible property damages. Ostensibly things happen, but there are some other things that are happening that we don't always uncover. When these things happen to poor people, the damages can exceed far more than the eye can see. I am grateful that he has called some of these things to our attention. Thank you very much. At this time, I am going to call upon another colleague. All of these are dear friends. These are persons who have come to the floor tonight, quite frankly, not in a bipartisan effort, but more in a nonpartisan effort. There is no partisanship associated with what we do. We work together on these issues. I am honored to yield to the gentleman from the 14th Congressional District, the Honorable Randy Weber. He is one of my neighbors as well. I welcome you, and I yield to him, my dear friend.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for not only what he has said tonight, but for what he has been doing in his district to help persons in times of need. It is greatly appreciated by his constituents, and I greatly appreciate you coming to the floor tonight to let people know that we in Texas are standing together, and we are going to work together and we will get through this, but it won't hurt if we can get a little bit of help. I am honored to have another colleague, who has a district that is in Houston. Of course, he has been in Congress for many years, and I consider him a very dear friend, the Honorable Gene Green, from the 29th Congressional District in Houston, Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) for the unity that is engendered by his being here tonight. It is important for people to know that this is not a time for Democrats or a time for Republicans. This is a time for Texans to come together and to talk about some of the concerns that we have and to remember those who have lost their lives in these floods. At this time, I am honored to yield to a neighbor who is from the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. He is south of me. Of course, I speak of the Honorable Pete Olson. We are honored to have him with us tonight, and we welcome your commentary about some of the concerns in your district and, indeed, across the State. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson).

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honorable Randy Weber. I especially thank him for signing on early to the legislation that Congressman Gene Green called to our attention. I appreciate it greatly. We look forward to working with the gentleman. I thank him for the outstanding effort. Mr. Speaker, you heard one of our Members mention that we were having 100-year and 500-year floods. This is debatable, I suppose, whether they are 100-year floods or 500-year floods, but there is one fact that is beyond dispute. It is beyond reproach. The fact is this: We are having billion dollar floods. Billion dollar floods, Mr. Speaker, in Houston, Texas. Within the last year, a little more than a year now, but within a 12- month period of time, Houston, Texas, has been declared a disaster area twice. Twice. Over the last 20 years, billions of dollars spent, and we have had 4 to 5 days of flooding each year over the last 20 years. This flooding is causing great harm to property. There are people who have just moved back into their homes, Mr. Speaker, and they find themselves now being evicted by floodwaters again, waters that they cannot extricate themselves from. Their homes are stationary and fixed. They have to cope with these floods. They have to cope with their life after the floods. We are here tonight to let the country know that we in Houston, Texas, are tough. We are Texas tough. But there is something that we can do to help the people in Houston, Texas. I don't want to talk about that right now, to be quite candid with you. After losing the lives of our military persons in Fort Hood, Texas, I believe it is very important for us to make some special reference to them. These are people who have served this country, who were prepared to live and die for the country. They are persons who were in training, and they were among the finest that we have. I regret that we have lost them. All lives are precious. All lives are special. I came to the floor earlier, and I recited the names of persons who had lost their lives, some 16 persons in the Memorial Day flood and the tax day flood. At this time, I believe it necessary and appropriate to mention the persons who lost their lives in Fort Hood, nine soldiers. Mr. Speaker, we had a staff sergeant lose his life, Staff Sergeant Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, 38 years of age. Mr. Speaker, he served with honor. He received five Army Commendation Medals and Army Achievement Medals, three Army Good Conduct Medals, two Korea Defense Service Medals, the Army Service Ribbon, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, and other honors as well. Specialist Yingming Sun, age 25, from California. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon. Specialist Christine Faith Armstrong, age 27, from California. She received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. Private First Class Brandon Austin Banner, 22 years of age. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Marksmanship Qualification Badge. Private First Class Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, age 23, Floridian. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon. Private Isaac Lee Deleon, age 19. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon. Private Eddy Gates, age 20, North Carolina. She received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon. Private Tysheena James, age 21. She received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon. Finally, Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey, age 21. He was majoring in Engineering Management at West Point. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the time, and I would like to close with this, if you will allow. All of these people were meeting the measure of life that Ruth Smeltzer called to our attention: Some measure their lives by days and years, others by heartthrobs, passions and tears; but the surest measure under God's sun is what for others in your lifetime have you done. These were persons who were committed to doing for others in this great country; and they were committed to doing it to the extent that, unfortunately, with all of their honors, they lost their lives in circumstances from which they could not extricate themselves under adverse weather conditions. I believe that they are worthy of a moment of a silence. They are worthy of much more, to be quite candid with you, but I believe that tonight this House should recognize all of them and all of those who have lost their lives with a moment of silence. And I shall ask that we engage in such at this time. Mr. Speaker, I would have the families of all of them note that they may be gone physically, but they will never be forgotten. We want the record to show that they served their country with distinction and with honor. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ardently oppose H.R. 5233, wrongfully entitled the ``Clarifying Congressional Intent in Providing for DC Home Rule Act of 2016.'' H.R. 5233 seeks to repeal a District of Columbia referendum, approved by a super-majority of D.C. residents, 83 percent, to allow the local D.C. government to implement its own local budget. To be clear, implement its own local budget after a 30-day congressional review period. This legislation does not preserve the authority of Congress, the 30-day congressional review period already does that, rather it subjects the local D.C. government to the arduous appropriations process to use tax dollars from its own residents. Why, Mr. Speaker, would we choose to overturn the will of the local D.C. electorate to spend their tax dollars as they choose? Optically, it does not look right. Substantively, it is not right, and, legislatively, we are on the wrong track. In closing, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5233 is a move in the wrong direction away from granting the residents of D.C. increased self-determination and home-rule.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I would like to be heard, if I may.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Would Chairman Simpson allow me to give my closing comments before we receive the ruling from the Chair, which will be just a few seconds more, I believe? How much time do I have remaining?

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank Ranking Member Kaptur. Please allow me to continue with just a brief commentary. I have a colleague who is not here, the Honorable Gene Green. He has asked that his statement with reference to this amendment be placed in the Record. I would also add this. A good deal of my comments have emanated from, as I indicated, H.R. 5025. This bill has bipartisan support. I see in the Chamber my good friend and colleague, the Honorable Ted Poe, who is one of the cosponsors of the legislation. Some of my other colleagues who are cosponsoring from Texas would include the Honorable John Culberson, the Honorable Randy Weber, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, also the Honorable Gene Green whom I have mentioned. There are others as well. This is bipartisan. This is a recognition that we are going to have problems that we can solve that will create greater circumstances than we should have to endure. There is little reason for us to be back here a year or so from now indicating that we have had another flood, a billion-dollar flood-- maybe less, maybe more--and that we may have lost lives in that future event. My hope is that, while this amendment is not in order--and I accept the ruling of the Chair--my hope is that we will find a means by which we will do sooner that which we will do later, spend the $311 million after we have had additional billion-dollar floods. This amendment makes good sense. It is a commonsense solution. I thank the ranking member for her very kind words and the opportunity that she has accorded me. I thank you, Mr. Simpson, for being so generous as well.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman. As he knows, I believe his word is as good as gold.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Well, yes, on the point of order, if so, in so doing, I may speak to the flooding in Houston, Texas. I want to be appropriate as I do this, and I will yield to the wisdom of the Chair.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, as a preamble to my amendment, please allow me to thank the chairman, Mr. Simpson, for his courtesies. I would also like to thank the ranking member, Ms. Kaptur, for her courtesies. Mr. Chairman, if you live in Houston, Texas, you monitor the weather. You monitor the weather, Mr. Chairman, because, over the last year, Houston, Texas, has been declared a disaster area not once, but twice. If you live in Houston, Texas, you monitor the weather because, in the last year, we have spent billions in recovery damages. If you live in Houston, Texas, you monitor the weather because, in the last year, we have lost 17 lives to flooding. Houston has a problem. But there is a solution. This amendment--which is based upon H.R. 5025, an emergency supplemental bill--would accord $311 million that will eventually be spent. This is not money that will not be spent in Houston, Texas, but money that will be spent on projects that are already authorized. The projects are authorized. The money is going to be spent. However, we can take a piecemeal approach and do some now, some later, and spend billions more in recovery efforts, which is what we are doing. We are spending billions after floods when we could spend millions before and save money, save lives, and give Houston, Texas, and the citizens therein some degree of comfort. Mr. Chairman, I believe that my friends in this House have a great deal of sympathy and a good deal of empathy for Houston, Texas, as is evidenced by the fact that over 70 Members have signed onto the bill, H.R. 5025. And we have bipartisan support. We have Republicans at the committee level who are doing what they can within the committee. We also have Democrats who are working to try to help Houston, Texas. So I am honored tonight to stand in the well of the House to make this request, that Houston, Texas, be made a priority and that the Corps of Engineers, when they do assess the needs of the Nation, that Houston be given some degree of preference because money is being spent that need not be spent. But, more importantly, Mr. Chairman and Madam Ranking Member, lives are being lost. Houston, Texas, has what are captioned as flash floods. You can find yourself in a circumstance from which you cannot extricate yourself, and you may lose your life when we have one of these inclement, adverse weather conditions. They happen more often than prognosticated some years ago. It can be debated as to whether we are having 100-year floods or 500-year floods. That is debatable. But what is not debatable is the fact that we are having billion-dollar floods--billion-dollar floods--in Houston, Texas, a major American city declared a disaster area not once, but twice in the last year. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today, my colleague the Honorable Gene Green and I would like to honor the memory of a distinguished labor leader: Mr. E. Dale Wortham. Throughout Mr. Wortham's life, he held a variety of positions, including President of the Harris County Labor Assembly for over 20 years, Vice President/Organizer of IBEW Local 716, and as delegate at many national and state conventions. In these positions, he was on the frontlines in the fight for a living wage and fair working conditions. Mr. Wortham was not only a notable labor leader, but also served on the Harris County Board of Managers for the Harris Health System, earning the distinction of the body's longest-serving labor representative. Mr. Wortham will be especially remembered for his passion for helping people through the political process, especially working people. Mr. Speaker, we are blessed to say farewell to a dear friend who is gone but not forgotten. He will be missed dearly by a multitude of family and friends. This family includes Melinda Wortham; son, Stephen Dale Wortham; his sisters, Becky Rogers (George), Leslie Broussard (Jimmy), and Lisa Persky (Ronnie); as well as his brother, Jason Krieg.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following votes: 1. H.R. 4889, Kelsey Smith Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill. 2. H.R. 3998, Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to honor the memory of a distinguished labor leader: Mr. E. Dale Wortham. Throughout Mr. Wortham's life, he held a variety of positions, including President of the Harris County Labor Assembly for over 20 years, Vice President/ Organizer of Local 716, and as delegate at many national and state conventions. In these positions, he was on the front lines in the fight for a living wage and fair working conditions. Mr. Wortham was not only a notable labor leader, but also served on the Harris County Board of Managers for the Harris Health System, earning the distinction of the body's longest-serving labor representative. Mr. Wortham will be especially remembered for his passion for helping people through the political process, especially working people. Mr. Speaker, I am blessed to say farewell to a dear friend who is gone but not forgotten. He will be missed dearly by a multitude of family and friends. This family includes his children, Stephen Dale Wortham and Melinda Wortham; his sisters, Becky Rogers (George), Leslie Broussard (Jimmy), and Lisa Persky (Ronnie); as well as his brother, Jason Krieg.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned. I am concerned because, while the mosquito is not the unbeatable foe, it is the deadliest living organism on the Earth. The deadliest life form is the mosquito. Annually, the mosquito kills 1 million humans, mostly from malaria, I must tell you, but I must tell you that they also kill by way of the West Nile virus. In Houston, Texas, we have had people contract the West Nile virus. We have people die. I would also mention that they are the greatest survivors. They survived the dinosaurs. We are dealing with a deadly foe. Make no mistake, the size should not in any way cause us to believe that this is something we can take as less than a deadly enemy that we have to confront. The World Health Organization has indicated that there may be as many as 4 million cases of the Zika virus from Zika-carrying mosquitoes in the Americas. As of February 1, we had seven confirmed cases in Houston, Texas. It appears, from what I have read, that standing water activates them. It appears that rain can activate these mosquitos. If this is true, in Houston, Texas, given that we have just had the so-called tax day flood and because we are still being inundated with rain quite regularly--an 80 percent chance of rain today in Houston, an 80 percent chance tomorrow--it appears that we have the makings of a special problem in Houston, Texas. So, I am gravely concerned. I hope that we do all that we can to make sure that we get the necessary equipment and the necessary funding so that this enemy can be confronted properly.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following vote: H. Res 735--Rule Providing for consideration of H.R. 4909--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today for rollcall 204 on agreeing to the Nadler amendment, which failed 163 to 259: I voted ``no'' and would like the record to reflect that I would have voted ``yes.'' Amendment No. 14, as Modified, Offered by Mr. Poe of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this is a continuation of my mission of mercy, a mission that I gladly accept because a great American city has been declared a disaster area: a great American city with 2-plus million people, a great American city where we speak more than 100 different languages, a great American city where we appreciate diversity and we celebrate it. In fact, we have developed a symbiotic relationship, a symbiosis such that we can do together what we could never do apart. A great American city, Houston, Texas, within Harris County, has been declared a disaster area; and it has been declared a disaster area, Mr. Speaker, because of the flooding that takes place in Houston, Texas. I asked that my staff prepare some intelligence for me to share so as to paint a picture of what this flooding is like in Houston, Texas. In Houston, Texas, on the tax day flood--so-called because it was the last day to file for taxes this year--we had this tax day flood, and it has caused damages that will approximate $2 billion. The good news is that that is revised down because the estimate initially was that it would be more. In Houston, Texas, over 100 neighborhoods experienced some flooding. In Houston, Texas, a great American city, we had 240 billion--billion with a B--240 billion gallons of water. A billion is still 1,000 million. So we have had 2,000-million-plus gallons of water in Houston, Texas. And that was on one day. This is enough water to fill the Astrodome 750 times over. In Houston, Texas, we had more than 1,200 high water rescues, people stranded, lives at risk in Houston, Texas, a major American city, a great American city declared a disaster area. In Houston, Texas, there was 8.85 inches of rainfall--that broke the previous record from 1976--and, I might add, in some areas, 17 inches of water. That was all a part of the tax day floods. There were 121,000 people without power. Mr. Speaker, this is significant, but it is also significant to note that this is not the first time. Within the last year, 12 months, we had the Memorial Day flood, with similar circumstances and $2 billion in damages. Mr. Speaker, over the last 20 years, we have had at least one day of flooding in Houston, Texas, that has been called to the attention of the people in Washington, D.C., and I'm doing so now. Mr. Speaker, as bad as these things are, all of these damages that I have called to our attention, there is something more significant, something more meaningful that is happening in Houston, Texas, and that is lives are being lost. In the tax day flood, we lost nine lives, Mr. Speaker--nine lives--people who left home going to work, assuming that they would drive their cars and return home. Mr. Speaker, we have, in Houston, what are called flash floods. Even people who are judicious and prudent can sometimes find themselves in circumstances from which they cannot extricate themselves because of the way the water comes in so quickly--flash floods, nine lives lost, a great American city declared a disaster area. Houston needs a lifeline. When you are drowning in water, you need a lifeline. Well, there is a lifeline. The lifeline is H.R. 5025, the 2016 Tax Day Floods Supplemental Funding Act. This is a supplemental funding bill, which means it is not an earmark. It is the kind of thing we do when we have emergencies to contend with. We have done this before when we have had the storms on the East Coast. We have done this before, when we had New Orleans, Louisiana, and Katrina. We have done it when we have had fires. We have done it when we have had the tornadic activities. This is reasonable. It is prudent. It is judicious. It is something we ought to do to rescue, to throw a lifeline to a great American city that has been declared a disaster area. Well, the good news is, Mr. Speaker, we are recovering; but I hate to say, and I regret to say, I am reluctant to say, we are not out of the woods yet. We are not out of the woods yet, Mr. Speaker, because today there is an 80 percent chance of precipitation. Tomorrow, there is an 80 percent chance. I beg that we support H.R. 5025 and extend a lifeline to Houston, Texas, a great American city.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I stand today in the well of the House to pay tribute to a great and noble American, a person who gave a lot to his country. He was a loyal Democrat. He was a Democrat's Democrat, but he was more than that. He was a person who was a voice for the voiceless. He was one of those persons who had a publication that was widely circulated in Houston, Texas, and this publication was the means by which those of us who could read the front page, but not understand the rest of the story, we could acquire that intelligence by simply reading his words. He made things not only clear, but perspicuously clear. He was a person that went out of his way to get truth to those who would be confused, if not but for what he would do. So I am honored to say that Carl Whitmarsh was a great and noble American. But I am also honored to say that he was a person who made it very much possible for the Democratic Party to thrive in Houston, Texas. Lane Lewis, who is the current chair, benefited from his presence. He and Lane worked closely together. In fact, it is very difficult to think of him and not think of Lane Lewis. Carl Whitmarsh, Lane Lewis. Carl, may you rest in peace. I will now ask for a moment of silence in his honor.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to honor the memory of a great man and leader in Harris County: Carl Whitmarsh. Mr. Whitmarsh, originally from Brenham, Texas and a graduate of Texas Tech University where he studied political science, untimely passed at the age of 64. Throughout Mr. Whitmarsh's life, he held a variety of positions that allowed him to have significant influence, including president of the Oak Forest Area Democrats, executive director of the Harris County Democratic party, and as an aide to Senator Lloyd Bentsen during his vice presidential campaign in 1988. Mr. Whitmarsh was not only a community leader, but acted boldly to advocate for the better representation of his community. Mr. Whitmarsh will be specifically remembered for his commitment to democratic principles, impassioned advocacy for the underserved, as well as his many positive working relationships with public officials. Mr. Speaker, I am blessed to have the opportunity to honor the memory of a dear friend, a man of character who was also an extraordinary agent for change. May he rest in the peace he so richly deserves.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Absolutely. In Houston, Green is a good name if you want to become a member of the political order. Again, I thank my colleague. Let me elaborate for just a moment on the letter from the Greater Houston Partnership because a good many people are not aware that this is another way for us to say chamber of commerce in Texas. We have gone beyond a simple chamber of commerce. We call ours a partnership because it is an effort among the many to make sure that commerce excels, but also to make sure that people have great opportunities. Houston is a city of opportunity, and I want to thank the Greater Houston Partnership for the letter that has been sent to us supporting H.R. 5025. But now let's be a little bit more specific. I want to thank Mr. Jamey Rootes. He is the chairperson of the Greater Houston Partnership. He and I have been talking, and he has been working with me and with my colleagues to try to make sure that we have an opportunity to get our message out to the masses. He has done what he can to help us with this messaging, a message that includes the position of the Greater Houston Partnership, I must add. Also, Mr. Bob Harvey, who is the president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership. We made a call to them one morning, asking if they could get a letter to us indicating their support, and that afternoon we had the letter in hand, the letter that I hold in my hand currently. And that letter is, without question, a solid indication of support for this project. The last paragraph of it reads: ``We want to make sure that we do all that we can to help you and your staff as you consider every potential opportunity for Federal support. Please do not hesitate to call.'' And they give names and numbers. They are committed to doing what they can to not only help with this legislation, but to help people in their recoveries, and to prevent this from happening again. The Harris County Flood Control District, Mr. Michael Talbott, sent the letter, the executive director. And in his letter, he speaks of how this can benefit the Houston area to the amount of about $2.4 billion. He goes on to talk about the jobs that can be created--6,220 created if we can get this legislation done, if we can get this money into Houston. I must add this: this money is money that we will get eventually into Houston. This is not money that we won't ever get. These projects have been authorized. They are already in progress. It is just that we are getting the money in a piecemeal fashion, and we need a wholesale representation of this emolument for Houston, such that we can get on with these projects, such that we can prevent future damages, such that we can save lives. What we cannot eliminate, we can mitigate in terms of damages. So I am honored that the Corps of Engineers has these projects that they are working on, and I am especially honored that the Harris County Flood Control District has let us know that they are absolutely in support of what we are trying to accomplish with H.R. 5025. Now, having said all of these things and making it clear that this is money that has to be matched, that this is money that we will eventually acquire, I think it's appropriate for me to say this: This is about more than money. It is about more than things, inanimate objects. This is about more than homes and personal property, cars, and all of the things that we call creature comforts. It is about more than these things. It is about people. This legislation really is about human beings. It is about human beings who are in a recovery phase right now, many of them recovering from the tax day flood, some still recovering from the Memorial Day flood which took place last Memorial Day. Mr. Speaker, it is about these people, but not only these people, it is about people who lost their lives in this flood. My colleague mentioned that there were nine--nine persons, that we know of, lost their lives. And wouldn't it be a shame to remember the flood, remember the damages that were imposed upon the homes, and the cars, and the furniture, remember the damages, but not remember the people who lost their lives? So tonight I want to take just a moment on behalf of my colleague and many others in this House and just recognize, memorialize the lives that were lost in this horrific flood, a tragedy that, quite frankly, could have been mitigated if we had all of these projects to completion. Let's just remember these persons and not forget them. So with a degree of solemnity, I would like to just call their names and say a little bit about each of the nine. The first, German Antonio Franco. He was 66 years of age, Mr. Speaker. He was a retired HEB produce manager. HEB is one of our food stores. He also worked as a part-time contract limousine driver. This was a man who had children--three children and four grandchildren. The circumstances of his death are that he died after an encounter with high water, something we will see consistently as I go through this. But he lost his life in Houston, Texas, in a flood. I would like to mention Ms. Claudia, last name is Melgar. Claudia Melgar. She lost her life, 25 years of age. She was a college student. She died in an encounter with high water. Now, there are those who would say that you can avoid an encounter with high water. I believe that in many circumstances you can, but in Houston, Texas, we have what are known as flash floods, floods that occur in a flash, and there are many times when you can be caught in a circumstance such that you cannot extricate yourself. Because of this, the waters will envelop you and you will find yourself in a position such that you cannot even leave the car that you are in because of the way the electronics can malfunction. And if you don't have some device, some tool to break windows, to move yourself through some passageway other than that door, you will find yourself in harm's way and you can lose your life. This has happened to many people. It happened to Claudia. I would also like to mention Pedro Rascon Morales, 61 years of age. He was a big rig driver, a father, and a grandfather. He died in the cab of his 18-wheeler while trapped in a flooded roadway in Houston, Texas. All of these persons are in and around the Houston area. They all lost their lives in water due to flooding with the tax day floods as we call them. These are lives that we can never forget. I think that we should remember the damages that were caused to property and the destruction, but we shouldn't forget the lives that were lost because there are families that are grieving to this day because they lost people that they loved. These were the daughters and sons of somebody, and we should never forget that they lived and that they lost their lives, some, I might add, in a needless circumstance--this is my opinion--because of our not fulfilling our obligation to fund what has been authorized. Next, we have Charles Edward Odum, 56 years of age, seventh grade social studies teacher, married, with two children. Circumstances of his death: died after encountering high water. Then there was Teri White Rodriguez, 41 years of age, a wife and mother of three. Circumstances of death: died in her vehicle after an encounter with high water, an encounter with high water in Houston, Texas. It was an unfortunate circumstance, and we should not forget that lives were lost. I know it is going to be easy for many of us to go on with our lives. This will be put behind us. We have a moment when we focus on these things, but life is such that there are so many other things that we encounter that our focus is lost or that we focus on something else. That is important, so I don't begrudge anybody who has to focus on other things. I just believe that I have a duty, an obligation, and a responsibility to make sure that we don't forget these lives that were lost. There will be others, but we don't want to forget these. There have been others, but we won't forget these. We won't forget Sunita Singh, 49, an electrical engineer, a wife and a mother of two children, drowned in her car after an encounter with high water. Let's not forget Suresh Kumar Talluri, 49, a husband and father of two young children ages 6 and 8, drowned in his car after he was trapped by high water. We shouldn't forget and we should commemorate the life of Dharamendra Uppal. This is an unfortunate circumstance wherein we have the age of the person undisclosed, the circumstances of the death undisclosed in the sense that we don't know personal information about this person who lost his life, or her. I am assuming that from the name it was a female, but this person died and was found deceased in his car, a male, deceased in his car which appears to have been submerged. He was a male. The name is important. The identity is not known completely because we don't know the age and we don't have personal information. Then there is a woman with an undisclosed name, with no personal information available to us at this time who drowned after an encounter with high water. All of these unfortunate circumstances involved people. I want to make sure tonight that while we will talk about the billions of dollars in damages--and there were billions of dollars in damages, billions of dollars. It is estimated that it is as high as $8 billion in damages when you combine the Memorial Day flood with the tax day flood, as much as $8 billion. That $8 billion, by the way, is 25 times the $311 million that we might use to take preventive action. This money will not go to help people get new homes. This money won't go to help people get personal items that have been destroyed. All of this money will go to projects that have been authorized, projects that, if completed, can possibly prevent the loss of future lives and projects that, if they had been completed, may have prevented the loss of some of these lives. So I take it as my personal responsibility to call this to the attention of this House and to ask my colleagues to please consider H.R. 5025. The President has declared the area that I am speaking of as a disaster area. FEMA is there. This is an opportunity for us to act. We have done it before, and we should do it now. I want to assure my colleagues that, when there is a disaster of this magnitude, you can count on our good offices being with you to help you through your time of need. We understand that we should be there for people. This is what we have done in the past, whether it was Sandy, hurricanes, or whether it was tornadic activities. Whether it is fires or hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, we want to be there for our people. This is our country, and a country is more than bricks, buildings, skyscrapers, and military. It is people who live ordinary lives, who expect that they would have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams, to go to work and come home safely and not find themselves in harm's way by virtue of waters that are not expected, floodwaters that can come in a flash and take them away. So, Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have signed on to this piece of legislation. I want to again thank the President of the United States, the Honorable Barack Obama, for making his desires known by declaring certain areas in Texas a disaster area. I thank the Governor of the State, by the way, Mr. Speaker, because he acted quickly, swiftly, and promptly to make the request of the President. I have mentioned Mr. McCaul. I thank the gentleman again for his actions in circulating the letter so that all of the members of the Texas delegation could be on it requesting that certain areas in Texas receive this attention from the President. Finally, I know that these are difficult times for us across the Nation and across the world. There are many things that are happening that are challenging for us. But among these things, let us not forget that there were people who lost their lives in Houston, Texas, and let us not forget that these floods occur with a degree of regularity such that it is predictable that it will happen again. We can prognosticate now that this will happen again. If it does, I will find myself back here as a reminder that there are things that we could have done, should have done, and hopefully will do to eliminate much of the flooding and mitigate that which we cannot eliminate. I am grateful. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank the gentleman very much. I greatly appreciate all that he has done to help us, especially coming into my district, and being there with the mayor, if you recall, who was there. We had a county commissioner in attendance, County Commissioner Gene Locke, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and persons from that neighborhood. This was not your district, but the people were people that the gentleman cared about, and they are grateful, as am I, for the gentleman's coming in and visiting with us.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.