Rubén Hinojosa

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mention a very exciting project that is occurring in the 15th Congressional District of Texas, which I am privileged to represent. This Spring, negotiations were completed for the sale of the former Naval Air Station, Chase Field land by the Department of the Navy to the City of Beeville. Subsequently, the City conveyed title to a portion of the land to the Bee Development Authority (BDA) in Beeville, Texas, thereby paving the way for the BDA to move forward with plans for the development of an industrial complex. This is a significant revitalization effort that has been in the works for years--one that is going to be a terrific boon to the community in terms of both jobs and economic benefits. The Chase Field Industrial Complex would not be a reality today were it not for the foresight and perseverance of all the members of the Bee Development Authority. They are the individuals I want to take this occasion to congratulate. Quite simply put, they're an exceptional group. Accomplishing this goal was by no means an easy feat. What it required was commitment, teamwork and, above all, a creative strategy. The Bee Development Authority combined energy--talent--and vision--and in so doing once again proved the age old adage that where there's a will, there's a way. It's a perfect example of what can be accomplished when ingenuity is mixed with perseverance. Time has a way of passing very quickly. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and the next thing one knows, years have gone by. One day, and I predict it won't be all that far in the future, Chase Field Industrial Park will seem like it's always been a part of the Beeville landscape. I'm also certain that Chase Field Industrial Park will always be regarded as a milestone in the development of Beeville and Bee County. What a fitting tribute to the members of the Bee Development Authority. What a wonderful legacy. Again, congratulations!

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, due to business in my Congressional District, I today was forced to missed the following rollcall votes: 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273 and 274. Had I been present I would have voted as follows: Nos. 267-270, nay; Nos. 271-274, yea.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chairman, I was born and raised on the border, and I stand and I speak in favor of the Reyes substitute amendment and against the Traficant proposal. I find it incredibly ironic that exactly one year ago today a Marine assisting the INS on our border shot and killed Ezequiel Hernandez, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen from Redford, Texas. Zeke, as he was called, had the misfortune of living on our southern border in an area known for drug trafficking, and he paid the price with his life. I have to ask all of my colleagues here if they believe that that is fair. Ezequiel became a casualty of America's drug wars, the victim of an upsurge of violence along the 2,000-mile United States and Mexican border that has put residents and law enforcement officials on edge. Zeke is dead and there is nothing we can do to bring him back. It is unfair to our fighting men and women, and it does harm to our national security. The military can provide assistance in numerous ways without this unwarranted diversion of troops. All of our budgets are tight. Putting troops on our borders is extremely costly, and it is a bad use of resources. These funds could be better used training our Armed Forces for better war-fighting missions or ensuring Border Patrol agents are properly trained and have the resources needed to enforce our Nation's laws and to protect themselves. Mr. Chairman, I urge each and every colleague to vote against the Traficant amendment and to support the Reyes amendment.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I will make my remarks very brief. The Doggett language, as agreed to by the House and which is also included in the Senate bill, must be kept as part of the conference language. Why? Because the Doggett language guarantees that we do what is right and that is to ensure no low-level radioactive waste is brought into Texas from any State other than Maine or Vermont. Sierra Blanca is an inappropriate site for intensely radioactive materials. The consequence of placing this waste in an area that is earthquake-prone is reason enough to support the Doggett language. Add to that the potential threat that would be posed to the Rio Grande River, and I believe it is quite obvious why we would want to preserve this language in conference. With nuclear power waste, I think it is pretty safe to say we do not get a second chance. Would we want this in our community without appropriate safeguards? I do not think so. And that is all my colleague is seeking to do, make certain safeguards are in place. I urge my colleagues to vote to preserve this language in conference.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the motion to instruct conferees offered by my colleague Charles Rangel to the Private School Expense Act, H.R. 2646. I do so for the very simple reason that to support his motion makes good sense. By supporting his motion we are saying we support funding for school modernization and construction. Quite honestly, I do not see how anyone in good conscience could oppose this. I am someone who believes that the quality of our public school facilities reflects the value that we place on our children and their education. In my state, Texas, high school enrollment alone is projected to experience a 19% increase over the next decade. Given this significant increase in the student population, we, in Congress, must jump-start efforts at the local level to repair and modernize school structures. A February 1995 General Accounting Office (GAO) report entitled School Facilities: Condition of America's Schools estimated that it would cost about $112 billion in capital improvements to restore America's multi-billion dollar investment in schools to good overall condition. This same report expresses continuing concerns about the ability of schools to provide adequate instructional programs with inadequate buildings and equipment. Building and renovating public schools must be a national priority. We can't expect young minds to develop into great minds unless we provide them with good school infrastructure. Leaky roofs, busted pipes, non-functioning restroom facilities, lack of cafeteria access, etc., leave our children with a sense of hopelessness. We need to lift our children up in mind and body, and encourage them to be the best that they can be. We can do so by ensuring that the school buildings they enter every weekday of the year meet the same exacting standards as our own workplace environments. Mr. Speaker, I support the Rangel motion to instruct and I encourage my colleagues do likewise.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chairman, I serve on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. I strongly oppose the Riggs amendment. The elimination of affirmative action programs in California had a devastating effect on new minority student enrollment in the University of California's graduate and professional school programs in 1997. Equally devastating was the effect on the enrollment of the two flagship universities in my own State of Texas. Affirmative action policies have enabled colleges and universities to champion access and equal opportunity for a postsecondary experience for a generation of students. Achieving diversity on college campuses does not require quotas, nor does diversity warrant admission of unqualified applicants. However, the diversity colleges seek does require that colleges and universities continue to be able to reach out and make a conscious effort to build healthy and diverse learning environments appropriate for their missions and communities. The Nation cannot afford a citizenry unequipped to participate in the educational, social, political, cultural and economical processes of society. Until equity for all students is reached, these opportunities created through affirmative action must continue. It is vital that the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act ensure access to postsecondary education for qualified applicants. The Riggs amendment would effectively shut the doors of higher education to large numbers of minority students. In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to vote no on the Riggs amendment.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, April 23, a personal matter resulted in my missing two roll call votes. These were #107 and #108. Had I been present I would have cast a yea vote in support of the Conyers amendment, and a no vote in opposition to the Aderholt amendment.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of House bill H.R. 6. This is a strong bill giving students opportunities to access higher education for the next 5 years. First, I want to acknowledge the excellent work accomplished by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling). I applaud the leadership shown by the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), chair of the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning; likewise, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning, have contributed greatly towards the education bill before us today. It is amazing that we forged an excellent bipartisan consensus agreement. Secondly, I want to express my appreciation to Secretary Riley and President Clinton for supporting our legislative and resource allocation concerns in regard to expanding opportunities for Hispanic students. I also want to acknowledge the personal contributions offered to us by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the minority leader, and his staff. Thirdly, a special mention is directed to all of the presidents of HSIs who rallied on our behalf. And last, but not least, thanks to the Hispanic Education Coalition, which provided us with very valuable insights and consistent support during this Congress. In September of last year, on behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I introduced H.R. 2495. This bill contained a number of provisions intended to amend what is now H.R. 6. With the help and cooperation of our committee leadership, a number of these provisions have been incorporated. For example, in regards to Hispanic-serving institutions, we have reduced eligibility barriers, legislatively strengthened these institutions, increased the authorization levels, and provided for graduate and professional opportunity. Other provisions incorporated in H.R. 6 include support within title III for tribally-controlled colleges and universities, support for high school equivalency programs and college assistance migrant programs, Frank Tejeda Scholarship program, funding priorities in the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, which emphasizes community colleges. All of the foregoing provisions are especially important to us on the Education Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. They are of much greater importance to all the students impacted. The students are the winners with H.R. 6. This includes 1.2 million students and the 166 Hispanic-serving institutions across nine States and Puerto Rico. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 6.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, March 12, I missed Roll call Vote #50 due to an address I was giving before the National Association of State Boards of Education. Had I been present to vote on final passage of H.R. 2883, the Government Performance and Results Act, I would have cast a no vote.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, On roll call votes 40 and 41 had I been present, I would have voted yes.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, last fall in preparation for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and I, along with several of our colleagues, introduced H.R. 2495, the Higher Education For the 21st Century Act. Not only do our colleagues want to express our concern and our support for this bill, but nationally, from West Coast to East Coast, I am happy to say that Latina Style Magazine, a national periodical, we have leaders like Edward James Olmos and Rita Moreno, who are expressing their support for access to higher education for all students to reach their full potential. Each mind is a world, they say, and this bill helps us in moving towards that end. Our bill would expand access to higher education for minority and disadvantaged students. I am pleased that the bill has over 55 cosponsors. Our intention in introducing the bill was for its provisions to be incorporated into the ATA reauthorization when the Committee on Education and the Workforce takes up the legislation next week in March. In crafting H.R. 2495, we did not seek to create any huge new programs or promote untested models for increasing access. Rather, we looked at the existing programs and determined how they could be modified to reach more students, especially those who are most disadvantaged or who are totally lacking in services. In some cases that meant asking for increased dollars. In others it resulted in program modifications to focus on the most needy students. H.R. 2495 amends several titles in the Higher Education Act. We included proposals that will strengthen the outreach components of Title IV higher education programs and will enable disadvantaged students greater opportunities while they are attending college as well as when they graduate. Our bill also amends Title III of the Higher Education Act to expand opportunities for financially needy students and the institutions they serve. Title III institutions play such an essential role in providing education for minority students. They allow students to attend colleges in environments that are sensitive to their needs and dedicated to making them academically successful. We therefore expanded Title III to include a separate part for both hispanic-serving institutions and tribally controlled Indian colleges and universities because of the preponderance of low-income students these institutions serve. Many of them are desperately in need of resources such as laboratories, libraries and administrative improvements. The unqualified success of part 3 of the Title III in enhancing the capacities of historically black colleges and universities indicates that a separate part is a powerful tool in helping such institutions and in ultimately helping the students they serve. Currently, Hispanics have the highest drop-out rate in the Nation, nearly three times that of Caucasians and African-American students. They also have the lowest rates for attending college. This is a national tragedy. It must be changed, and I believe our bill facilitates that change. Our bill also addresses the Trio programs. Trio has been instrumental in recruiting talented disadvantaged students to go to college and in providing them with assistance in meeting obstacles along the way. However, over the past decade the Nation's demographics have changed, while the majority of the Trio providers have remained the same. Therefore, many areas of the country with high numbers of disadvantaged students who desperately need Trio services are unable to receive them because there are no local programs. H.R. 2495 seeks to remedy that problem by rewarding applicants for Trio projects that will serve areas where those programs are currently lacking, and at the same time we are working to insure that funding for the programs are significantly increased. We want Trio to continue to serve the same areas as it has historically served as well as reach tens of thousands of new capable and deserving young people. H.R. 2495 would also help young people with their loan indebtedness. Many students today are forced to take on huge loan burdens to pay for their college education. They then must turn their backs on professions such as teaching, nursing, and social work because such jobs simply do not pay enough to allow them to make their loan payments. In the end, we all lose. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that we are very interested in making sure that we change the way in which HSIs can get their funding. HEP provides programs to help migrants students who have dropped out of high school, obtain their GED while CAMP recruits migrant students to go on to college and provides them with counseling and other services during their first year. These are the only exemplary programs dedicated to enabling migrant students to pursue postsecondary education. They have achieved phenomenal success rates with 17 percent of the market students in the HEP program receiving their GED, and 96 percent of the CAMP participants going on to college. Mr. Speaker, we urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important legislation.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say thank you to Acting VA Secretary Hershel Gober, who has worked closely with me these past 10 months to make the dream of easier access to health care for veterans in south Texas become a reality. When I took office back in January, one anxiety I heard voiced time and time again was that veterans in the south Texas/Rio Grande Valley area felt the services they received were less than adequate, and also the distances they had to travel to receive quality care were far too great. At that time I pledged to ensure that the level of care afforded veterans in our communities is second to none. To see what could be done I met with the Acting Secretary. He heard my concerns. He looked at our needs. He took action. The result: In 1998 the veterans of the 15th District of Texas can expect to begin receiving significantly improved and expanded health care services. The counties of Bee (Beeville), Jim Wells (Alice), and Kleberg (Kingsville), have all been approved as future sites for primary care community-based outpatient clinics. Equally as important, a plan has also been developed, which will lead to expanded inpatient services. This pilot program will establish a process for the contracting of routine, nonurgent, nonspecialty inpatient care for stays for 3 days or less. This is, indeed, a satisfying resolution. To say the least, I am elated. It is because of the assistance and guidance of Secretary Gober that we will be able to implement innovative programs that provide much needed assistance to countless men and women who have protected our freedoms and who have made our Nation the great country it is. What the Secretary's efforts mean is that there will be real, effective changes for the veterans of south Texas. This is an example of what can be accomplished when everyone joins together and channels their energy toward a common goal. Mr. Secretary, I could certainly never have done this alone. I want to sincerely thank you for sharing my vision.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2 of rule IX, I hereby give notice of my intention to offer a resolution which raises a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: Whereas, Loretta Sanchez was issued a certificate of election as the duly elected Member of Congress from the 46 District of California by the Secretary of the State of California and was seated by the U.S. House of Representatives on January 7, 1997; and Whereas A Notice of Contest of Election was filed with the Clerk of the House by Mr. Robert Dornan on December 26, 1996; and Whereas the Task Force on the Contested Election in the 46th District of California met on February 26, 1997 in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 1997 in Orange County, California and October 24, 1997 in Washington, D.C.; and Whereas Mr. Dornan's unproven allegations and the actions of the Committee on House Oversight have resulted in an unprecedented attack against Latino voters and created a chilling effect with a message to Latinos that their votes do not count; and Whereas the allegations made by Mr. Robert Dornan have been largely found to be without merit: charges of improper voting from a business, rather than a resident address; underage voting; double voting; and charges of unusually large number of individuals voting from the same address. It was found that voting from the same address included a Marines barracks and the domicile of nuns, that business addresses were legal residences for the individuals, including the zoo keeper of the Santa Ana zoo, that duplicate voting was by different individuals and those accused of underage voting were of age; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight has issued unprecedented subpoenas to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to compare their records with Orange County voter registration records, the first time in any election in the history of the United States that the INS has been asked by the Congress to verify the citizenship of voters; and Whereas the INS has complied with the Committee's request and, at the Committee's request, has been doing a manual check of its paper files and providing worksheets containing supplemental information on that manual check to the Committee on House Oversight for over five months; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight, subpoenaed the records seized by the District Attorney of Orange County on February 13, 1997 and has received and reviewed all records pertaining to registration efforts of that group; and Whereas the House Oversight Committee is now pursuing a duplicate and dilatory review of materials already in the Committees possession by the Secretary of State of California; and Whereas the Task Force on the Contested Election in the 46th District of California and the Committee have been reviewing these materials and has all the information it needs regarding who voted in the 46th District and all the information it needs to make judgments concerning those votes; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight has after nine months of review and investigation failed to present credible evidence to change the outcome of the election of Congresswoman Sanchez and is pursuing never ending and unsubstantiated areas of review; and Whereas, Contestant Robert Dornan has not shown or provided credible evidence that the outcome of the election is other than Congresswoman Sanchez' election to the Congress; and Whereas, the continued probe of the Sanchez election unfairly targets Latino voters and discourages their full participation in the democratic process; and Whereas, the Committee on House Oversight should complete its review of this matter and bring this contest to an end: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That unless the Committee on House Oversight has sooner reported a recommendation for its final disposition, the contest in the 46th District of California is dismissed upon the expiration of November 7, 1997.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, that is fine.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, to say I am disappointed with the outcome of the Interior Appropriations Conference Report as it pertains to the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Corridor would be an understatement. The level of funding agreed to by the conferees does not in any way reflect the priority this is to the administration, to the House, and most importantly to the Nation. The administration requested $2.8 million for the wildlife corridor, which is truly a national treasure. I wholeheartedly supported this $2.8 million request, and was successful here in the House in securing this amount. To see this amount reduced by $1.9 million in conference reflects a true lack of vision not to mention a lack of commitment to preserving one of America's most priceless legacies. By providing only $900,000 for land acquisition, the conferees have ignored the importance of acting now to purchase lands from individuals willing to sell valuable wildlife habitat to the refuge. And let me point out that this is not a parochial issue. For years the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR has ranked first among the Nation's wildlife refuges. It is famous for its wealth of birds. Half of all bird species in the United States are found here. The unparalleled wildlife richness is in danger. Twenty-one species in the Valley are federally listed as endangered or threatened, and another 3 species are considered imperilled in Texas. More than 100 of the 465 bird species found in the Valley are considered by the Texas Partners in Flight program to be ``species of special interest.'' Funding for the conservation land acquisitions through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has fallen short of the existing need for years. This year, the President and the Congress agreed in the Balanced Budget Agreement to provide an additional $700 million for the LWCF. This was to be in addition to the $166 million included in the President's request for fiscal year 1998. While the conferees have retained the total request, restrictions have been imposed that directly undercut funding for high-priority land acquisitions such as the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Diverting these already scarce funds to other uses, including construction of a road and maintenance of buildings and other structures in refuges and parks, undercuts the entire purpose of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and reduces America's ability to conserve its vulnerable wildlife. This initiative ranks among my highest priorities here in Congress. As I have this year, I will in the next session continue to do all I can to see that this refuge receives the attention and the funding it deserves. I hope my House colleagues will join with me in this deserving effort.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 474, final passage of the Treasury, Postal Appropriations Conference Report, H.R. 2378, I was unavoidably delayed. Had I been present to vote, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, on the Goodling amendment I was delayed on official business and unable to get here in time to cast my vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``aye.'' So the amendment was agreed to. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this time to share my personal concerns with regard to the administration's proposed national test in reading. First, I want to say that I am wholeheartedly supportive of measures to achieve higher standards for America's schools and students and that I applaud the administration's laudable efforts to improve public education. I do not, however, feel that testing is the route to pursue. Quite simply, I have reservations about the inability of the proposed national tests to improve educational opportunities for all children. These tests may leave out several million limited English- proficient students from taking the test and assessing their skills in reading. I grew up in an agricultural community in south Texas, and I attended a segregated elementary school where the Mexican American children were separated from children of Anglo-Saxon heritage. Spanish was my first language. I learned a little bit of English, only after my parents enrolled me in the public school system. It took years of practice and the interest and support of my caring parents and teachers along the way before I became fully conversant in the English language. Even so, in my early years in my reading comprehension skills were not what they could have been if I had started the first grade English-ready. In 1972, I was elected to the local school board in Mercedes, Texas, and in 1974, I was elected to the Texas State Board of Education where I served for four terms. Of that period, 8 years I served as chairman of the Special Populations Committee, which covered bilingual education, migrant education, special education and gifted and talented education programs. For 25 years I have been a very strong advocate of education. It is in that capacity that I became aware as a policymaker of the difficulties limited English-proficient students, LEP students as they are called, have. Also in that capacity I learned about the art of learning in any language and the importance of learning in the native language. The whole testing issue raises a red flag for LEP students. It stigmatizes them by both peers and teachers. It sets up the LEP students to fail. When that kicks in, young people begin to drop out of school. America's elementary and secondary schools will become more diverse in the next 10 years. Between 1995 and 2005, for example, Hispanic Americans between the ages of 5 and 17 will increase by 2.4 million. African American students in this same age group will increase by another 1.1 million. Asian Americans and other minorities will number an additional 1.1 million. The word ``diverse'' will best describe the Nation's public schools where the formal education and socialization of the young occurs. For the last decade, reports on the state of education for Hispanics and other minority populations have been poor. A recently released report by the U.S. Department of Education found that the Nation's dropout rate for persons between ages 16 and 24 in 1995 was 12 percent, while the dropout rate for Hispanic students was over 30 percent. The Hispanic high school dropout situation was described by the President in meetings that the Hispanic Caucus and I had with him as a national crisis of economic importance. We can ill afford to allow another generation of Hispanic Americans and other populations whose primary language is other than English to fall by the wayside. This has far-ranging economic consequences for the population at large. While it is with a heavy heart that I oppose the President on this issue, I must do so. My reasons are as follows: Standardized testing has a negative, disparate impact on poor and minority students. Equal opportunity in testing cannot be achieved given unequal educational opportunity. Even if testing procedures could be devised to eliminate bias, enormous inequalities in school financing systems and teacher quality and disparities in access to educational technology, combined with discriminatory practices such as tracking and uneven access to high-quality counseling severely restrict the educational opportunities available to poor and minority students. Until issues of resource disparity, discrimination and reliability have been resolved, the national test should not be used as a basis for making high-stakes educational decisions. It is inappropriate. Mr. Chairman, again I oppose the national testing as proposed.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, today we will be considering under suspension of the rules a measure to name the U.S. border station located in Pharr, TX, after my esteemed predecessor, the Honorable Kika de la Garza. This is indeed a fitting tribute for an individual whom many of us here in this Chamber have had the pleasure and privilege of working with. He is a man who has dedicated his life to public service, who has been an international ambassador for American agriculture, and who is known throughout all of Texas and the Nation simply as ``Kika.'' This is a man who has made an illustrious institution all the more distinguished by his countenance, his acumen, and his devotion to doing what it takes to get the job done. No one deserves this honor more, and I want to take this opportunity to say from my heart, ``Congratulations, Kika, for your decades of outstanding work on behalf of the citizens of the 15th District in Texas.''

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I stand here tonight to say to my colleagues that the Traficant motion is one I simply cannot support. I proudly represent the Texas border from Hidalgo/McAllen to San Antonio, born and raised there. Plain and simply, authorizing the Defense Department to deploy up to 10,000 U.S. troops to our international borders is a bad idea. Why? An article in the August 25 issue of Time magazine, which I have in my hand, clearly answers this question. Allow me to quote: The danger of such military patrols is that they operate according to rules different from those of other law enforcement agencies. Moving stealthily in camouflage gear, soldiers are under general orders not to identify themselves, not to fire warning shots, and to respond to any perceived lethal threat under the military's rules of engagement, which simply means, roughly, shoot to kill. Back on May 20 an 18-year-old goatherder named Ezequiel Hernandez, Jr., was in fact shot to death in the tiny west Texas border town of Redford when he was mistaken by a Marine corporal for one of the armed scouts who typically act as advance guards for drug smugglers. I am certain most of the Members in this Chamber have heard of this tragic incident. One such death is one too many. Just say no to the Traficant motion.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I come before Members today to tell them about the drastic effects of the welfare reform law passed by the 104th Congress. Specifically, I want to share with Members an example of someone who has been tragically affected by the welfare reform law. Mr. Rosendo Tijerina is a legal immigrant who has worked in Texas for 11 years. Last November he was involved in a serious auto accident. His legs and pelvis were crushed and his heart was injured as well. He is now totally disabled. Yet under the welfare reform law, Mr. Tijerina is not eligible for supplemental security income. He has worked hard, paid his taxes, integrated himself and his family into his community and has been a contributor to our country's economy. He deserves better treatment than this. Mr. Tijerina and the other 125,000 legal immigrants who will be denied benefits under the law need to have these benefits restored. In my own State of Texas more than 34,000 legal immigrants are expected to be denied benefits. Mr. Speaker, I ask that these people be given some consideration.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I do not wish to speak to the present amendment, Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of H.R. 1385 and the manager's amendment. Had I been here earlier, I would have spoken to this, and this is what I wanted to get into the record. I am particularly gratified by the willingness of the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] and the gentleman from California [Mr. McKeon] to work with Members from our side in producing a bipartisan bill that includes accountability. My thanks also go to the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay] and the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee], the ranking members, for their leadership. The addition of the provision that work force boards should make available to the public upon request the minutes of their meetings encourages me in the belief that the work force board process will be fair and open.

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chairman, earlier I was in the Chamber and cast my vote. I inserted my card and thought my vote had been recorded. I have been informed that it did not take. Had it been taken on rollcall vote 134, it would have been ``no.''

Mr. HINOJOSA

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the Women, Infants, and Children [WIC] Nutrition Program. First, I want to say this is a program I wholeheartedly support. Second, I want to say I support it because it is very important to the health of this Nation, and specifically to the health of the 15th Congressional District, which I represent. I mean this literally. You see, the WIC Nutrition Program is probably the single most successful of all Federal social programs. It has a proven track record of helping women deliver more healthy babies. Women in WIC are more likely to receive prenatal care. It has proven to lower the medical expenses of pregnant women. In fact, the Government Accounting Office estimates that every dollar spent on WIC saves $3.50 in Social Security and Medicaid benefits. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, WIC has been linked to improved cognitive development among children. In my district alone, a total of 60,115 women, infants, and children benefit from this nutrition program each month. This includes 12,641 infants, 34,293 children under the age of five, 6,231 pregnant women, and 6,850 postpartum/breast-feeding women. These numbers speak for themselves and tell why it is WIC is so important to so many in south Texas. There are those who believe that the WIC Program is adequately funded. I, however, am not one of those and must take issue. WIC needs to be better funded, and should receive full supplemental funding at the administration's $78 million request. Our Nation cannot afford to ignore the health and well being of our women, children and infants. Reducing nutrition programs geared toward the most vulnerable of our citizens is not the answer to reducing the budget deficit. While I am new to these halls, one subject I hear discussed regularly is health care. WIC, in my eyes, is one of the best health care programs in place today, and as such, it is an outstanding investment in our Nation's future. By supporting this we are supporting better health for our Nation's children. This must always be among our foremost priorities here in Congress.