Ralph Hall

Mr. HALL

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the chairman for that, and I yield back to the author to make an answer.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I would say to the gentleman that I have assured the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) that we will give her representation at conference, and I have the greatest belief that the chairman will give us his ear during that time and as much support as he feels is justified at the time and under the circumstances. I am happy to do that for the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. HALL. I yield to the gentleman from New York. And I think the gentleman is being cooperative in trying to help. I recognize that.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) was correct when he pointed out that the amendment directs NSF to provide assistance to the National Nanotechnology Initiative in setting up and running the citizens panels, and I think that has to be in there because otherwise how would they know how to run the citizens panels if they do not hear from the citizens?

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, we yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, we have a great bill. We think that this amendment would help it. I support the bill whether we put the amendment on or not; but it seems to me that this just adds toxicological studies, which simply means in plain American language is we want to add health effects to it. In subsection 5, page 4, line 23, they point and ensure that societal and ethical concerns, including environmental concerns and potential implications of human performance enhancement and the possible development of nonhuman intelligence will be addressed. This simply adds health to it. I think it aids the bill substantially. It brings some common sense to it, and I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I think it makes sense, and the gentleman who offers the amendment is from Houston, Texas, which is a salient part of the energy thrust. And Texas being one of the 10 States that produces energy for the other 40 States thinks this is important. I think it is important to add it. It is simple. It simply adds including research on the potential of nanotechnology to produce or facilitate the production of clean, inexpensive energy. I think it helps, and I think it is consistent with the rest of the bill.

Mr. HALL. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, Texans cannot only think big, we can think little, too; and that is what we are doing.

Mr. HALL

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), a very valuable member of our committee.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to support this legislation. It is the product of a lot of months of work, not only this year, but also in the last Congress we worked hard and worked on into the conference committee. We were able to preserve a lot of the language that was agreed to last year, but never formally adopted by the conferees. I was disappointed in that. The members of the Committee on Science have worked well together on both sides of the docket to produce provisions that make the Federal Government an enabling partner in energy research and development to enable us to develop the technologies necessary to conserve energy and use it more efficiently. Provisions in this bill also jumpstart the transition to a hydrogen economy and take the next step of exploring the possibility of fusion energy. These, of course, are all high-risk, high-payoff, and long-lead time, and in my view an appropriate role for the Federal Government to play in energy. However, in order to survive to the long term, we have to ensure that supplies of domestic oil and natural gas continue to flow. The transition from an oil and gas economy to one based on fusion and renewable energy will be extremely long. The fact is that it is easy to find and produce oil and gas. That amount has already been consumed. The challenge is getting it, I think, at the more difficult producing horizons. This legislation, I think, does that. I have always said that the energy policy we need is an incentive to look for it and a reward for finding it. This program actually comes as close to that as any I have seen in the 20 years I have been here. I am pleased that the Committee on Science has included my ultradeep and unconventional onshore exploration and production R&D provisions in division B. Mr. Chairman, in reality this is actually an important production provision masquerading as an R&D provision. The estimated volumes of natural gas that can be produced from the middle and western Gulf of Mexico are truly astonishing, 69 trillion cubic feet by one estimate. Under these provisions, an industry-led consortium will lead a crash program to develop the technologies necessary to drill and produce these hydrocarbons at extreme depths. A companion program will develop the technologies necessary to drill and produce the hard-to-reach oil and gas on shore. I think a crash R&D program will go a long way to meeting the increased demands for natural gas that are expected to occur in the next 15 years. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson).

Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).

Mr. HALL of Texas

Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a special student from Gladewater, TX, Brittany Linder, who was a grand prize winner in the Red Ribbon Week ``I am drug-free because...'' essay contest sponsored by the city of Longview Partners in Prevention. Brittany represents Weldon Intermediate school in the Gladewater independent school district and is a fourth-grade student of Mrs. Cathy Bedair. She is the daughter of John and Blane Linder and the granddaughter of my longtime friend Carolyn Linder. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, although recent trends in youth drug use have stabilized, the rates of use remain at high levels. Youth substance abuse, as we know, can lead to many other problems, including the development of delinquent behavior, anti-social attitudes and numerous health risks. These problems not only impact the child but also the child's family, friends, community and ultimately society as a whole. Brittany speaks to this issue in her essay: ``I am drug free because if I take drugs, I would not be able to realize my dreams. I would not be able to be a good teacher, or mother. If I take drugs, I would hurt valuable brain cells and when I found my dreams, I would not be able to do it.'' The essay entries from area fourth-graders were judged by LeTouneau University students. Throughout our Nation, dedicated teachers, parents, clergy, law enforcement officers, healthcare providers, local government officials and community volunteers are involved in various drug-prevention programs that raise awareness among our young people of the dangers of drug use and help those already suffering the consequences of such use. Beginning these programs at a young age is one key to their success, and I commend programs such as the Drug Free Week essay contest that seek to instruct and involve our young people in this issue. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Brittany on her winning essay and commend her for taking a strong stand against the use of drugs.

Mr. HALL of Texas

Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for myself and for Chairman Boehlert of the House Committee on Science to recognize Oliver R. Smoot, vice-president for external voluntary standards relations at the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), as he begins his term as the President of the International Standards Organization (ISO). It is a high honor and a major achievement to be asked to be the leader of the World's standards community but it is not surprising that Ollie Smoot is the one chosen. Mr. Smoot has long been a pillar of the standards community, most recently as President-elect of ISO and as Chairman of the American National Standards Institute, the organization which represents the United States in international standards matters and oversees the establishment of U.S. national standards. The ISO, which was established in 1947, serves as the world's primary entity for the adoption of uniform international standards that are relied by all of us every day. Without international agreement on how we measure, determine quality, and provide for health and safety life as we know it today would not be possible. ISO quietly, but effectively, has spent over 50 years helping over 140 nations reach agreement on the standards that underlie world trade, manufacturing, scientific research, and many other aspects of our lives. Since its founding only three other Americans have held the office of President of this worldwide federation. We are fortunate that Oliver Smoot is ready, willing, and able to undertake major challenges since his service comes at a pivotal time when the importance of international standards is rapidly increasing. There may never have been a time when ISO faced bigger challenges. As tariffs and other trade barriers wane and world trade increases, the pressures to harmonize standards in many fields increases. As the world becomes more interdependent, the importance of international standards grows. As challenges to ISO's one-country, one vote system of representation mount, having a strong leader at the head of ISO becomes more and more essential. Fortunately, Mr. Smoot has an extensive background in standardization and conformity assessment policies both at the national and international level; he has been a strong leader in numerous ANSI Board-level committees and task forces and has served as chairman of the Institute's Finance Committee and Patent Group. As chairman of the ANSI Organization Member Council, he facilitated ANSI's policy-setting activities affecting more than 250 standard developers, professional societies, trade associations and academic institutions interested in standards, certification and conformity assessment. Balancing the needs of 140 nations can't be that much harder than presiding over the conflicting needs of everyone in the United States who has an interest in standards. If anyone is prepared for the challenge of running the ISO, we assume Oliver Smoot is. He has come a long way from the establishment of the standard ``Smoot'' as an undergraduate at MIT. Mr. Smoot will be the guest of honor, on Wednesday the 26th of February at a House of Representatives reception to celebrate his new tenure as President of the ISO. I hope that many of you will take the opportunity at that point to congratulate Mr. Smoot personally. Oliver R. Smoot is a great American who has labored long for the betterment of Science and the global economy and I am pleased that this week he is getting long-deserved recognition of this service.

Mr. HALL

Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I certainly want to recognize the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). He is a friend of mine. He is a neighbor of mine. Our boundaries are contiguous. They talk about redistricting and I have always said, If they ever put me in Sam's district, he will have the best campaign manager in the world. It would be me because no one would want to run against this great man with his history, his background, the gifts he has given to this country, the suffering that he has suffered for this country. I rise in support of this resolution and call for a full accounting of the 1,902 members of our Armed Forces who still remain unaccounted for in unmarked graves or uncharted jails somewhere out there. Among those we honor today are Sam Johnson and a number of others that together they put together a series of codes of communication with one another. This resolution marks the 30th anniversary of his return home from being held captive for 7 years. Can you imagine that? Seven years. I think almost half of that in solitary. If you have ever shaken hands with him you will feel the hands of a man who has had every bone in both of his hands broken, probably from holding the bars and being hit with bamboo, being beaten and treated unmercifully at the hands of an enemy. In April 1966 during his 25th combat mission over North Vietnam, Major Johnson was shot down. He was taken prisoner. He was taken near Hanoi where he and his fellow POWs were subjected day and night to physical and mental abuse but refused to give up sensitive information on the American military campaign, using tap codes at the camp where they were able to keep in contact with one another. Mr. Johnson began his career in the United States Air Force after graduating from my alma mater, Southern Methodist University. He served his country with distinction in the Vietnam War as well as the Korean War. Listen to this: he earned two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star of Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals and two Outstanding Unit Awards. He also served as a director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, popularly known as Top Gun and co-authored the first Air Force tactics manual for fighter pilots. I am honored to count the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) as my good friend and his wife as our good friend. I hold him in high regard and respect very much the work he has done in strong support of our men and women in the military. As one of the few men and women in Congress who has fought in combat, he is a valued and respected advisor on military readiness for all of us here on this floor. I also appreciate his tireless work on retirement, health and labor issues. Since being elected to Congress he has risen to the post of the highest-ranking Texas member on the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he serves as chairman on the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. Madam Speaker, I proudly support this resolution and join my colleagues today in honoring this man and the men and women who served in Vietnam. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) is a true American. I am also proud to record our thoughts today on behalf of those on all wars and remember Sam Johnson, who school children, 200 years from now, will read about this great man. God bless him.

Mr. HALL of Texas

Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a special student from Gladewater, TX, Brittany Linder, who was a grand prize winner in the Red Ribbon Week ``I am drug-free because . . .'' essay contest sponsored last fall by the city of Longview Partners in Prevention. Brittany represents Weldon Intermediate school in the Gladewater independent school district and is a fourth-grade student of Mrs. Cathy Bedair. She is the daughter of John and Blane Linder and the granddaughter of my longtime friend, Carolyn Linder. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, although recent trends in youth drug use have stabilized, the rates of use remain at high levels. Youth substance abuse, as we know, can lead to many other problems, including the development of delinquent behavior, anti-social attitudes and numerous health risks. These problems not only impact the child but also the child's family, friends, community and ultimately society as a whole. Brittany speaks to this issue in her essay: ``I am drug free because if I take drugs, I would not be able to realize my dreams. I would not be able to be a good teacher, or mother. If I take drugs, I would hurt valuable brain cells and when I found my dreams, I would not be able to do it.'' The essay entries from area fourth-graders were judged by LeTourneau University students. Throughout our Nation, dedicated teachers, parents, clergy, law enforcement officers, healthcare providers, local government officials and community volunteers are involved in various drug-prevention programs that raise awareness among our young people of the dangers of drug use. Beginning these programs at a young age is one key to their success, and I commend programs such as the Red Ribbon Week that seek to instruct and involve our young people in this issue. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Brittany on her winning essay and commend her for taking a strong stand against the use of drugs.

Mr. HALL

Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am here, of course, to add my strong support for the resolution that is before us here today. I was at the Johnson Space Center yesterday in Houston for the memorial service, and I listened as the President offered a tribute to the crew of the space shuttle Columbia. I think he did a wonderful job of expressing the sentiments of all Americans, and it gave me a good feeling to be there. I felt good to be a part of the condolences to the families that were in attendance. Today I am really pleased that the House of Representatives is pausing to recognize our debt as a Nation to the brave men and women who perished in the space shuttle. It is also fitting that this body offer our collective condolences to the families, which we did, and to the friends; and the President did a very good job of that. The astronaut in charge of the astronauts had something personal to say about each one of them. It was very fitting, and I know that I speak for all Members when I say that our thoughts and our prayers are with the families of these great American heroes. Their loss is a great loss to them. It is a personal loss to them as it is a great and tragic loss to our country. We all watched with horror the tragic events of last Saturday unfolding. There will be time I think in the coming days to turn our attention to examining the evidence of the circumstances that led to this tragedy as well as the implications for America's space program. We have to do that. We have to look ahead. We have to go forward. That is necessary and important work, and the Congress will have to do it. Today, however, I think should be a day for us to celebrate the lives of these heroes and to mourn their deaths. In that regard we must never forget that the shuttle astronauts were doing the important work of our space program. They were extending the frontiers of knowledge and working to benefit the lives of all of us through the important scientific research they were conducting on their flight. Our Nation's achievements in space have been so impressive. We have taken it for granted. Their excellence almost put us to sleep as to the dangers that awaited the crews that we sent. We forget that their work was filled with risk. They often made it look easy and made it routine, but space exploration is still a dangerous mission, astronauts or explorers who are willing to risk their lives to improve life back here on earth, and those are the Columbuses and the Magellans of space. Mr. Speaker, at a time of tragedy words are usually inadequate to express the depths of our sorrow. The crew members of the space shuttle Columbia were very special men and women. They set a shining example for all of us in the way we ought to live our lives. We solute them, and we mourn their passing. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the chairman of the Democratic Caucus; and pending that, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell) be permitted to control the balance of the time.

Mr. HALL of Texas

Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act, H.R. 3394. The bill is substantially the same as the version which was developed in a bipartisan manner by the Science Committee and passed by the House early in the current session. H.R. 3394 fills an important gap in current information technology research programs--namely, the need for improved security for our computers and digital communication networks. I want to congratulate Science Committee Chairman Boehlert for his leadership and thank him for working with me in developing the bill. I also want to acknowledge my colleague, Mr. Baird, for his important contribution to this legislation. The provisions pertaining to the National Institute of Standards and Technology originated in his bill, H.R. 3316. Many systems that are vital to the Nation, such as transportation, the electric power grid, and financial services, rely on the transfer of information through computer networks. The trend in recent years of interconnecting computer networks has had the unintended consequence of making access to these critical systems easier for criminals, and potentially for terrorists. As a result, there have been an increased number of assaults on network systems. Computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, and electronic identification theft have become commonplace. The tragic events of last year have made us realize just how vulnerable we are to attack. We are beginning to understand the critical need to protect the Nation's physical and electronic infrastructure. Testimony before the Science Committee has highlighted a serious obstacle to achieving this goal: there are too few scientists and engineers engaged in research on information security and too little funding for security research. And as federal agencies and private industry have found, there are few people with specialized computer security skills. H.R. 3394 establishes substantial new research programs at the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The goal of both these multi-year programs is not only to advance computer security research, but also to expand the community of computer security researchers. These programs will support graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and senior researchers, while encouraging stronger ties between universities and industry. This industry linkage will provide a reality check for research priorities and will facilitate transfer of research results into new products and services. The research and education programs at the two agencies will be reinforcing rather than duplicative. Each agency will use a different approach for the competitive review of research applications and for managing its research program. NSF and NIST have complementary linkages to the academic and industrial research communities, which will ensure a broad and varied research portfolio between the two programs. Finally, the bill tasks the two agencies to formally coordinate their activities, and directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure that all the research activities supported under the bill are coordinated with any government-wide cyber security research effort. Before I close, I would like to make a few comments about Sections 16 and 17, which were added to this legislation by the Senate. While I don't disagree with the objectives of these provisions, I am concerned about the procedures and the haste with which they were added to this bill. There was little consultation about the inclusion of Sec. 16 and Sec. 17 among the Members involved in drafting this legislation. In addition, there was no consultation with the university research community or the National Science Foundation, which will be affected by these provisions. The haste with which these provisions were drafted has resulted in language that is vague and unclear. Section 16 could be interpreted as forbidding the National Science Foundation from awarding grants or fellowships to institutions of higher education or non-profit institutions that materially fail to comply with the record-keeping requirements under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act. However, the record-keeping requirements for these laws have not yet been promulgated. Therefore, the effective date for this section cannot be the date of enactment. If the research performed under these grants is crucial to enhanced information security, the grants program should commence immediately; the compliance requirements should take effect only after the date of promulgation of the reporting and record- keeping requirements and after appropriate notice has been given to the affected institutions. Section 17 requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to submit a report to Congress ensuring that awards made under this Act are given to individuals and institutions that are in compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act. The National Science Foundation has neither the expertise nor responsibilities related to compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act. I assume that the Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service will ultimately certify compliance with the Act. Therefore, section 17 should only require the NSF report to Congress on information it obtains from State and INS. This section should not require the NSF Director to commission a duplicative study to secure information already held by State and INS. I have discussed these issues with Chairman Boehlert and we are in agreement in our interpretation of these provisions and the process. Mr. Speaker, the key to ensuring information security for the long- term is to establish a vigorous, creative and sustained basic research effort focused on the security of networked information systems. H.R. 3394 will make a major contribution toward accomplishing this goal. I commend this measure to my colleagues and ask for their support for its final passage by the House.

Mr. HALL of Texas

Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a great friend and great American, Jameel Joseph ``Snooky'' Saleh, of Tyler, Texas, who leaves behind a powerful legacy of hard work, generosity, and dedication to his family, community and country. He was a friend to so many--and a special friend of mine. Snooky passed away in August at the age of 78. The son of Lebanese immigrants, he attended Tyler Junior College and spent two years at Texas A&M before being called to service in World War II. After the war he began a business venture with his brother, George--George Wholesale Company. He married his wife of 51 years, Angel Kotsiones of Dallas, in 1951, and they had three children. In 1964 Snooky purchased his brother's interest in the company. His son Danny joined the business in 1977 and later became a partner. In 1998 the father and son team sold the business to free themselves to pursue charitable works. Snooky was very generous to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the diocese of Tyler. He supported the United Way, American Heart Association, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Catholic Charities, B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League, and Alexis de Tocqueville Society. He also supported the East Texas Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, East Texas Crisis Center, Hospice of East Texas, Literacy Council of East Texas and many other agencies. Snooky won many awards, including the Southwest Candy Merchandiser of the Year in 1984, the National Association of Tobacco Distributors' award in 1991, Southwest Tobacco Man of the Year Award in 1992, America Wholesale Marketers Annual Citizenship award in 1994, National Catholic Charities award in 1995, and the Career Achievement Award of the Southern Association of Wholesale Distributors in 1998. He was also a recipient of a Texas House of Representatives resolution noting the contributions to all the lives he has touched, and he was named an honorary Admiral of the Texas Navy. He is survived by his wife, Angel; son and daughter-in-law Gerald and Barbara Saleh; daughter and son-in-law Beverly Saleh Mamey and husband Nelson; son and daughter-in-law Danny and Denise Saleh; sisters Evelyn Saleh and Rose Marie Saleh Pilcher; six grandchildren and other family members. Mr. Speaker, Snooky will be missed by all those who knew him and loved him and by all those he helped and who sought his advice--and his influence will be felt in Tyler for years to come. As we adjourn today, let us do so in tribute to this great American--Jameel Joseph ``Snooky'' Saleh.