Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas. Mr. Chairman, let me, first of all, thank the chairman of the full committee Mr. Frank, and the chairwoman of the subcommittee Ms. Waters, and then my colleague from Texas Mr. Green, who eloquently laid out for us the reason for this particular amendment. Might I say, having not listened to all of his statement, I know that one of the elements of his offering of this amendment is firsthand personal experience, because I walked with him through the cots of the Reliance Center on a regular basis, over and over again. I was on the telephone as the buses started leaving the convention center and leaving the Superdome coming into Houston in the middle of the night. We have seen the actual results of massive, long-term evacuation. It is well-known that FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security were not prepared for long-term evacuation. This is an amendment that extends the deadline to December 31, 2007, for several reasons. First of all, might I say that it might have been the executive branch that extended it, but it really was the Director of FEMA being pounded upon, and I must say Director Paulison, the newer Director of FEMA, is very sensitive and concerned about this issue. He is putting his nose to the grindstone, along with, of course, the White House that has said to him you can do that. But each time these deadlines come, they are disruptive. I went to a set of apartments, to my good friends on the other side of the aisle, in apartments where evacuees were holding eviction notices because they are coming up against each time a set of deadlines with nobody seeming to be able to respond. The reason why the thousands of people did not go out on the street is because the good citizens of Houston, Salt Lake City, Atlanta or Los Angeles, the nonprofits stood up to the case. In Houston today, we have people meeting every week, nonprofits, led by the United Way, trying to prepare for the inevitable, which is people out on the street. This amendment gives several things an opportunity to happen. One, first of all, let me celebrate this bill because it gives section 8 vouchers over and beyond the ones that should be assigned to the city of Houston for Houstonians. That has been a conflict. ``I need a section 8 voucher. I live in Houston. Why are you overlooking me?'' Now we have a pathway so that we recognize that we have failed in our long-term evacuation. My friends, accept it. You have done a horrible job. This is a long-term evacuation that we had no solutions to. Particularly I want to thank the author of this amendment and this bill, because now you also give an opportunity for us to go back into public housing. Just using Houston as an example, the predominant number of those who came to Houston were out of the city center there, the civic center, and, of course, the Superdome. They were the people displaced out of the housing projects. Isn't it ridiculous that they want to go back to their city and that we are blocking them from getting into their housing projects? So these section 8 vouchers that will come about in this bill will be helpful while they are trying to get home. This extension that Mr. Green is offering will help them while they are trying to get home. You go to these individuals. Some of them have made a commitment to live in Houston. I guess they made a commitment to live in Atlanta, maybe in New York. But many of them you talk to say, I just want to get home. But they are being blocked by this administration in not being able to get in their public housing, and they are coming up against one deadline after another. You can't get yourself together. We have the elderly and disabled. We don't know if they will ever be able to go back, but they certainly need these resources being offered by Mr. Green in this amendment. I enthusiastically support this concept of an extension to December 31, 2007, Mr. Chairman, and I support the voucher projects of this bill. I ask my colleagues to vote for this bill. When FEMA's temporary housing programs expire on August 31, 2007, over 120,000 families housed across the country through FEMA-funded trailers, mobile homes and rental assistance could be displaced a second time. Housing assistance is critical for the many low-income, elderly, and disabled evacuees displaced by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. An estimated 35,000 families currently receive Section 408 rental assistance from FEMA; the vast majority of these families reside in Houston. The average income of surviving families now in subsidized Houston apartments was less than $20,000 in Louisiana. While more than 60 percent of families were employed before Katrina, less than 20 percent are currently employed. Families continue to face numerous challenges while rebuilding their lives in new communities, including finding affordable housing, health care, child care, and employment. The scarcity of housing in the Gulf Coast disproportionately hurts lower-income households, making it difficult for evacuees to find affordable housing and reducing the likelihood of their return home. Of the units destroyed or damaged by the hurricanes, 71 percent were affordable to low-income families and 30 percent were affordable to very low-income families. This amendment would extend FEMA housing assistance until December 31, 2007, and then transfer income-eligible households to HUD's tenant- based rental assistance program when FEMA assistance ends, so that displaced families will have a place to stay while they wait for housing in the Gulf Coast to be rebuilt. Tenant-based vouchers would also be available to households currently living in FEMA trailers and mobile homes. This is important because conditions in many trailers are deteriorating and deadlines in many local communities for trailers and mobile homes are rapidly approaching. This amendment puts into law the deadline that I have worked on through negotiations and letters to FEMA. The vouchers in this amendment would be ``temporary'' in the sense that they would only be available through the duration of the households' eligibility. Finally, this amendment would require property owners currently receiving rental assistance for displaced households to accept Section 8 vouchers for displaced households. HUD's role in meeting the longer-term housing needs of people displaced by disasters is supported by many members of Congress, housing advocates, and the Bush Administration. Nothing in this amendment would deny Houstonians their right to Section 8 vouchers. I urge you to vote ``yes'' for the Green amendment so that we can provide displaced families with the assurance and stability they need to continue their recovery.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1227, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007. Among other things, this legislation includes provisions designed to speed up the repair and rebuilding of homes and affordable rental housing in areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma; ensures continued rental assistance for both families that have moved back to their home areas and for families displaced by such hurricanes, and provides reimbursements to communities and landlords that were generous in providing assistance to hurricane evacuees in the aftermath of the storms. Mr. Chairman, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit landfall in 2005. In the immediate aftermath of the storms, Congress provided substantial sums through the Federal Emergency Management Administration, FEMA, to address emergency needs arising from the devastation that the storms created, and to provide a housing safety net for families who lost their homes or were otherwise displaced. Later in 2005 and in the summer of 2006, Congress approved two emergency spending bills providing more than $16 billion in CDBG funds for affected states, to provide assistance for home repairs and reconstruction and for repair and rebuilding of a depleted stock of affordable rental housing. Congress also appropriated $390 million for the Disaster Voucher Program, which provides voucher assistance to formerly HUD-assisted families that have been displaced by these hurricanes. However, some 18 months after these storms, the pace of recovery of housing repair and reconstruction is not as robust in many areas as many had hoped. The pace of home repair, particularly in areas within Louisiana, has been slow. The repair or rebuilding of many damaged federally subsidized public and assisted housing units, affordable to lower income families, has still not taken place. And, tens of thousands of federally assisted evacuees from these hurricanes face impending deadlines later this year for continued eligibility for rental assistance. The Financial Services Committee has held a number of hearings over the past year and a half, including two in September 2005, two in December 2005, two in January 2006, one in February 2006, and three in February 2007 to explore the pace of the housing recovery effort in the Gulf Coast. The hearings included representatives of Federal agencies, State and local government officials, housing developers, nonprofit organizations, and representatives of low income housing. Witnesses testified as to the current state of the housing recovery in various communities in the Gulf Coast and offered legislative suggestions for addressing housing problems in those areas. The bill ultimately reported out of the Financial Services Committees relies extensively on the hearing record and these suggestions. Flexibility H.R. 1227 includes a number of provisions designed to improve flexibility with respect to previously appropriated funds for hurricane recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast. The bill would free up for use $1.175 billion in funds previously made available for use to the State of Louisiana under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, but which has been held up by FEMA. Louisiana has proposed combining these funds with CDBG funds under its Road Home program for grants to homeowners, but FEMA will not approve use of the funds because of Road Home provisions that provide incentives for homeowners to commit to returning to the state to live. Under the program, homeowners would receive a 40 percent reduction in any Road Home grant money if they leave the state. However, this provision excepts homeowners over the age of 65. The bill would transfer such funds to CDBG, to expedite the availability of such funds. The bill eliminates an unduly restrictive ``duplication of benefits'' provision that has resulted in homeowners in Louisiana receiving less than the funds they need to rebuild under the Road Home Program, while instating a prohibition against any person receiving a ``windfall gain'' from assistance under that program. The bill eliminates a provision from a previous CDBG appropriations bill that prohibits CDBG funds from being used as a match for other Federal programs, a change that could help cash strapped communities without a tax base that are unable to meet these other match requirements. The bill provides that $15 million in CDBG funds made available to the State of Louisiana shall be transferred to the New Orleans Redevelopment Agency, for a pilot program to leverage private capital to assemble, redevelop and resell parcels of land in New Orleans. Finally, the bill expedites the handling of loss claims for lenders in the case of FHA insured 1- to 4-unit properties where there are problems with the conveyance of title. Preservation of Affordable Housing H.R. 1227 includes a number of provisions designed to preserve the supply of rental housing that is affordable for low income families. The bill requires HUD to give timely approval of all feasible requests to restore project-based rental assistance or transfer such assistance to another site, in the case of damaged or destroyed federally assisted housing developments. The bill authorizes 4,500 new housing vouchers for the purpose of project based assistance for supportive housing units for seniors, disabled persons, and the homeless. The bill requires HUD to provide replacement vouchers for every public housing and assisted housing unit that is not brought back on line. Similarly, with respect to public housing, the bill provides resident protections and preserves the availability of public housing units in hurricane affected areas by preventing the transfer of such units without preserving long term affordability requirements. It also conditions demolition of public housing units on providing alternative housing units for residents of the units being demolished and on replacing such units either with other public housing or with comparable units providing comparable affordability for low income residents. Specifically, with respect to the Housing Authority of New Orleans, the bill also requires the Authority to survey pre-Katrina residents to identify which residents want to return and when, and to provide public housing or comparable units to those residents that want to return, but in any case no less than 3,000 units by August 1st. Funding is also authorized for repair, rehabilitation, and development of HANO public housing units. The bill also authorizes $5 million in each of the next two years for Fair Housing activities, to ensure that housing activities in areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are carried out in a manner that furthers fair housing. Rental Housing Assistance Faced with a looming September deadline for the cutoff of some 12,000 families currently receiving Disaster Voucher Program (DVP) assistance, H.R. 1227 extends this deadline through at least the end of the year, and authorizes replacement vouchers to affected families when the program terminates, which will continue as long as the family is eligible for voucher assistance. These vouchers are attached to each individual and family and will ``disappear'' when the individual or family is no longer eligible for the assistance. The bill also provides a clarification that HUD should make adjustments in the voucher formula funding allocation changes made in the Continuing Resolution, so that Gulf Coast housing agencies will not be adversely impacted by the hurricanes. The Continuing Resolution provided such authority for HUD to make such adjustments, and this bill requires the adjustments be made. Finally, the bill requires HUD to make a good faith effort to identify families that are eligible for Disaster Voucher Assistance but are not receiving such assistance, and make such assistance available. oversight H.R. 1227 includes a number of provisions to ensure that Federal funds are used efficiently, effectively, and legally. The bill requires the State of Louisiana to submit monthly reports on the progress of the Road Home program in making funds available to homeowners. The bill requires the General Accountability Office (GAO) to complete quarterly reports identifying any waste, fraud, and abuse in connection with the program. And, the bill requires a GAO study to examine methods of improving the distribution of Federal housing funds to assist states with hurricane recovery efforts. Finally, the bill requires that any funds used under Title II with respect to public housing construction or repair must have verification that all workers have an immigration status that allows them to be legally employed. Reimbursement for Communities and Landlords that Assisted Evacuees A number of communities and private sector landlords throughout the country played a critical role in providing housing assistance to evacuees in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This assistance was critical at a time when housing was in short supply and hundreds of thousands of families were displaced. It is important to encourage such actions in future disasters. Therefore, H.R. 1227 authorizes funding for reimbursement of localities that used their own CDBG funds to provide rental housing assistance to such evacuees. The bill also authorizes reimbursement to landlords who participated in the FEMA Section 403 program under which local communities co-signed private lease agreements--but who suffered financial losses arising from FEMA subsequently breaking their agreement to provide reimbursements under this program. For all these reasons, I am proud to rise in strong support of H.R. 1227 and I urge all members to vote in favor of this important and much needed legislation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman Mr. Welch for his insightful leadership on this issue, and I thank the Financial Services Committee. And I ask the question of my colleagues, how many of them have encountered Hurricane Katrina survivors, as I have every day in my congressional district, or been back to the scene of the crime, if you will, along the Mississippi gulf or the Louisiana gulf and asked the question, how long? This legislation, which I believe the Rules Committee has been enormously fair in allowing amendments by both Republicans and Democrats, answers the immediacy of the concerns. One, being no housing. One of the amendments Mr. Green will be offering is raising the question of extending the benefits so that individuals who are trying to recoup themselves to get back home will have housing. How many have walked into apartments in Houston, Texas, and talked to Katrina survivors who held in their hand an eviction notice because their FEMA benefits were being cut off, while at the same time they were trying to access the Road Home Program, and they could not access those dollars? So this is answering real questions for real Americans, and it answers the failures of this administration, which never seemed to get it together and concern themselves enough with breaking, if you will, the entanglement of bureaucracy to ensure that these individuals will receive benefits. So one of the issues, Madam Speaker, as we both serve on the Homeland Security Committee, is to pre-prepare so we are in front of the natural disaster or man-made disaster. I look forward to legislation that establishes post disaster housing, not trailers, so that individuals can be evacuated to real housing that is there in place to be able to be of help. This legislation moves the ball further down the road. It is long overdue. It is a good rule. It is a rule that I have not seen in my time here in the Congress under the other majority; so I am grateful that we are moving forward as we are. Let us vote for the rule. Let us vote for the underlying legislation. Let us help those who need our help, and let us help them now.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, some semblance of security in Baghdad, but chlorine bombs in Anbar province and other parts of Iraq, the fourth-year anniversary of this country's offensive on the nation state of Iraq. It is interesting that as we continue to watch our young people fall in battle, heroes that they are, and veterans come home, that the executive in this body, this Congress, this House and the other body cannot come to grips with a forward path for solving and reconciling the war in Iraq. It is interesting that our Commander in Chief desires to tell us that we must stay the course, a refrain that we have heard over and over again. My plea would be let us sit down at the table of reconciliation. Let us not suggest that people who stand for conscience are unpatriotic, and let us resolve to bring our troops home together in dignity and with success.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Chemical Facility Security Improvement Act of 2007. It is my hope that this act will improve upon the current legislation authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to regulate security practices at the Nation's chemical facilities. On October 5, 2006, H.R. 5441, FY07 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act became law (P.L. 109-295). Section 550 of that bill granted the Department of Homeland Security the authority to promulgate interim regulations for chemical facility security. Although not required for interim regulations, the Department put out an Advance Notice of Rulemaking and requested public comments. Parts of the proposed regulations caused concern, prompting comments from myself and several of my colleagues in Congress. The intention of this bill is to address four areas of concern: Preemption of State laws, use of specific security measures, information protection, and private rights of action. The most concerning piece of the proposed regulation occurred when the Department decided to go far beyond congressional intent and assert the right of the Secretary to preempt any State or local law; H.R. 5441 was silent on the issue of preemption of State laws, and other major chemical security legislation considered in the 109th Congress-- specifically H.R. 5695 and S. 2145--protected State laws from preemption in most cases. This bill will protect State laws by allowing no Federal funds to be used to approve a site security plan unless the facility meets or exceeds security standards established by the State or local government. H.R. 5441 restricted the Secretary from requiring the use of any particular security measure. The use of specific security measures could, however, prove necessary to lower the risk posed to and by the chemical facility in certain cases. This bill removes this restriction and would allow the Secretary to require the use of specific security measures where necessary. According to the proposed regulations, the Department seeks to create a new class of security information called Chemical-Terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI). The creation of new classes of protected information is not desirable, and this bill would require Vulnerability Assessments and Site Security Plans to be treated as Sensitive Security Information (SSI). SSI is the same information classification currently used for Vulnerability Assessments and Site Security Plans required by the Coast Guard under the Maritime Transportation Security Act, under which chemical facilities located at ports are currently regulated. H.R. 5441 also restricted the right of a private citizen to sue a facility or the Department to force the facility to adopt and enforce the security measures. I feel that private suits are sometimes necessary to force a Federal agency to enforce regulations passed by Congress. Given the proliferation of signing statements made by President Bush in the past, we should not assume that congressional intent will be automatically followed. Regulations that preclude American citizens from access to judicial action run counter to our values. We should be empowering the citizens of this country to help protect the homeland, not restricting them from doing so. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1255, the ``Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007,'' which vitiates an Executive order issued in 2001 by President Bush that unreasonably and severely restricts public access to Presidential records. By negating that Executive order, we win a great victory for open government. Under the Presidential Records Act, Presidential records are supposed to be released to historians and the public 12 years after the end of a Presidential administration. Shortly after taking office in 2001, President Bush issued Executive Order 13233, which overturned President Reagan's Executive order and gave current and former Presidents and Vice Presidents broad authority to withhold Presidential records or delay their release indefinitely. H.R. 1255 will nullify the Bush Executive order and establish procedures to ensure the timely release of Presidential records. Under the Bush Executive order, the Archivist of the United States must wait for both the current and former President to approve the release of Presidential records, a review process that can continue indefinitely. Under the bill, the current and former President would have a set time period of no longer than 40 business days to raise objections to the release of these records by the Archivist. Mr. Speaker, another salutary feature of H.R. 1255 is that it limits the authority of former Presidents to withhold Presidential records. To prevent the release of his records under the regime established by President Reagan's Executive order, a former President was required to request the incumbent President to assert the claim of executive privilege. If the incumbent President decided not to assert executive privilege, however, the records would be released unless the former President succeeded in obtaining a court order upholding the assertion of privilege and enjoining disclosure. The regime established by President Bush's Executive order turned this process on its head. It requires the incumbent President to sustain the executive privilege claim of the former President unless a person seeking access could persuade a court to reject the claim. In effect, the Bush order gave former Presidents virtually unlimited authority to withhold Presidential records through assertions of executive privilege. H.R. 1255 restores the Reagan approach, giving the incumbent President the discretion to reject ill-founded assertions of executive privilege by former Presidents. Mr. Speaker, under President Bush's Executive order regime, claims of executive privilege could be asserted to defeat disclosure even after the death of a former President by his heirs, assigns, and descendants. The practical effect of eliminating the requirement that the former President had to assert the privilege personally is to extend the time in which Presidential records may be withheld in perpetuity. H.R. 1255 makes clear that the right to claim executive privilege is personal to current and former Presidents and does not survive the death of the former President. Mr. Speaker, perhaps the most egregious aspect of President Bush's Executive order is that it authorized former Vice Presidents to assert executive privilege claims over Vice Presidential records. If the authority to assert such a claim is left undisturbed, the public will never learn what really went on behind the closed doors of Vice President Cheney's secret energy task force or the White House Iraq Group's marketing campaign to sell the Iraq War to the Congress and the American people. That is why I support the provision in H.R. 1255 limiting the right to assert executive privilege over Presidential records only to Presidents and former Presidents. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1255 and urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation amending the Presidential Records Act to nullify the Bush Executive order and establish procedures to ensure the timely public release of Presidential records.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the public's right to know. I rise in support of H.R. 1254, the ``Presidential Library Donations Reform Act of 2007,'' which requires the disclosure of donors to presidential libraries. Mr. Speaker, Presidential libraries are built using private funds raised by an organization or foundation working on behalf of the President. It costs a lot of money to construct and endow a Presidential library. The first Presidential library, housing the papers of Franklin D. Roosevelt, cost less than $400,000 to build, about $5 million adjusted for inflation. But since that time, Presidential libraries have grown more and more ambitious and costly. The $26 million Carter library was succeeded by the $57 million Reagan library, followed in turn by the $83 million library complex for former President George H.W. Bush, and the $165 million Clinton library complex. George W. Bush's Presidential library complex may cost as much as $500 million. To erect these major complexes is going to take more than the $25 to $50 donations that built Harry Truman's modest Presidential library. Donations from individual donors can and have amounted to several million dollars. Under current law, Presidents may raise unlimited funds for their libraries while in office, which raises concerns about conflicts of interest, corruption or the appearance of corruption. This is because donations for the Presidential library can be unlimited in size but are not required to be disclosed. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1254 greatly enhances the public's access to information because it requires that contribution information be made available in a timely manner on the Internet in a searchable, sortable, downloadable database, without any fee or access charges. This proposal would ensure, for the first time, the public knows the source of contributions to the Presidential libraries intended to serve them. Typically, fundraising to construct a Presidential library is done through a nonprofit foundation or group, which is free to seek donations from corporations, individuals, even foreign nationals and foreign governments. Sitting presidents may be actively involved in soliciting these contributions. And there is no limit on the size of the donations, and no requirement that they be disclosed. Mr. Speaker, a Presidential library complex has become one of the vehicles for Presidents to shape and perpetuate their legacy. They also provide a platform for Presidents to continue work on issues they care about. But if sitting Presidents are raising money in undisclosed, unlimited amounts for projects in which they are personally invested, wealthy special interests have unprecedented opportunities to seek access and influence at the White House and evade all public scrutiny. At the very least, the public deserves to know the amount of donations, the names, addresses and occupations of the donors, and the dates donations were made. H.R. 1254 requires that all organizations established for the purpose of raising funds for Presidential libraries or their related facilities report on a quarterly basis all contributions of $200 or more. Under H.R. 1254, organizations fundraising for Presidential libraries would be required to disclose their donations while the President is in office and during the period before the Federal government has taken possession of the library. The bill sets a minimum reporting period of 4 years after the end of a President's term. The bill injects sunshine in government by making public information about donations to presidential libraries made during the term of the president in question. Under the bill, presidential library fundraising organizations would be required to disclose to Congress and the Archivist the amount and date of each contribution, the name of the contributor, and if the contributor is an individual, the occupation of the contributor. As noted previously, the National Archives would be required to make the information available to the public through a free, searchable, and downloadable database on the Internet. For all of these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1254. As Justice Brandeis famously observed, ``sunshine is the best disinfectant.'' I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this important and necessary legislation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1309, the ``Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007.'' This legislation contains a dozen substantive provisions that will increase public access to Government information by strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Mr. Speaker, the principles embodied by FOIA are intended to make the Government, in President Lyndon B. Johnson's words, ``as open as the security of the Nation permits.'' But in recent years, Federal agencies have come to look on FOIA requests as something to be prevented and obstructed, rather than welcomed and facilitated. The bill before us will help end that way of doing business. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1309 restores the presumption of disclosure to FOIA by making it clear that records should be released to the public if disclosure is allowable under law and the agency cannot reasonably foresee any harm from such a disclosure. Mr. Speaker, under current law, agencies are required to respond to a request for information filed under the FOIA within 20 days but as we all know, delays and backlogs are all too common. H.R. 1309 makes this deadline meaningful by ensuring that the 20-day statutory clock runs immediately upon an agency's receipt of a request. The bill imposes consequences on Federal agencies for missing the deadline. For example, agencies are prevented from charging processing fees whenever they failed to meet the 20-working day response deadline. The bill also requires agencies to provide requesters individualized tracking numbers for each request and access to a telephone or internet hotline with information about the status of requests. Another important feature of the bill is that it strengthens agency reporting requirements to identify excessive delays and requires each agency to make the raw data used to compile its annual reports publicly available. Also, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report annually on the Department of Homeland Security's use of the broad disclosure exemption for ``critical infrastructure information.'' I also commend to Members another feature of H.R. 1309 that should reduce the need to resort to litigation. The bill creates the new position of FOIA Ombudsman to help FOIA requesters resolve problems without having to turn to the courts. The FOIA ombudsman will be located at the National Archives and will help requesters by providing informal guidance and nonbinding opinions regarding rejected or delayed FOIA requests. The FOIA ombudsman will also review agency compliance with FOIA. Last, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1309 makes it more feasible for citizen groups to challenge the improper withholding of Government information by expanding access to attorneys' fees for FOIA requesters who successfully challenge an agency's denial of information. The bill also holds agencies accountable for their decisions by enhancing the authority of the Office of Special Counsel to take disciplinary action against Government officials who arbitrarily and capriciously deny disclosure. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1309 and urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation that will restore public confidence in the administration of the executive branch of the Federal Government.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman for his leadership, and I thank all of the cosponsors that have brought this legislation, H.R. 985, to the floor, Representatives Henry Waxman, Todd Platts, Chris Van Hollen, and Thomas Davis, and certainly a number of the total of 29 cosponsors, and the fact that this committee voted the whistleblower protection out unanimously. We who are members of the Homeland Security Committee, along with Chairman Thompson, and I know we have been working on this with the ranking member as well, stand in support of this legislation. I know that we will be yielded time shortly, but I am delighted to be able to share my thoughts on the importance of H.R. 985, which would extend whistleblower protection to Federal workers who specialize in national security issues. It would also ensure that employees who work for companies with government contracts are protected when they report waste, fraud, and abuse of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Protecting scientific whistleblowers, this legislation would extend whistleblower protection to Federal employees who disclose actions related to the validity of federally funded scientific research and analysts. Many of us recognize and remember the Los Alamos incident of a couple years ago still was never, if you will, explored and never settled. This also would override several court and administrative decisions that undermine existing whistleblower protection, provide whistleblower access to Federal District Courts if the Merit Systems Protection Board or the Inspector General does not take action on their claims within 180 days. This is good news to the Homeland Security Department and particularly the transportation security officers. Contrary to assertions by the opponents of the bill, TSOs do not have any meaningful whistleblower rights. The truth is, TSOs do not enjoy full whistleblower protection; specifically, transportation security officers enjoy little more than minimal whistleblower protections deriving from a memorandum of understanding entered into when the TSA was still part of the Department of Transportation. Under the MOU, screeners can only bring a claim to the office of a special counsel; they do not have the right of appeal or to seek independent review by another agency or court. It is important to note that in 2004 the Merit Systems Protection Board ruled in a case, Schott v. Department of Homeland Security, that the Homeland Security Act does not provide TSA screeners the right to bring a claim before the MSPB, even though such rights were enjoyed by all other department employees. This is crucial. I have been working on this issue for quite a while. The No Fear Act, which indicated or had to do with discrimination against workers at the Environmental Protection Agency, generated, even though it is a bill on discrimination of Federal employees that generated from whistleblower employees at the Environmental Protection Agency that didn't have the necessary protection to talk about issues that dealt with regular issues of research, but also on the issue of security. Let me quickly say that the EPA had a similar problem where it also faced no protection of those employees, and the No Fear Act came out of that which had to do with racial discrimination against Federal employees. But NASA, for example, legislation that I wrote dealing with the International Space Station to give protection to NASA employees to save lives and also to protect them in case of issues that they were dealing with relating to national security. All employees should feel free to tell the truth. All employees should be protected, particularly Federal employees, particularly in this time in the backdrop of 9/11. Tell the truth, be protected, and the whistleblower protection will allow us to run this country in the right way, save lives, and have employees that are Federal Government employees gives us the fact so we can do the right thing. Support H.R. 985. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 985, the ``Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007,'' which extends whistleblower protections to federal employees and contractors working in the area of national security and intelligence, including screeners at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Mr. Chairman, there is a tremendous need to protect our best sources for identifying waste fraud and abuse--federal workers and contractors. H.R. 985 treats Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), sometimes called ``screeners,'' the same as all other Department employees by giving them full whistleblower protections, which TSOs currently do not have. Mr. Chairman, contrary to assertions by opponents of the bill, TSOs do not have any meaningful whistleblower rights. The truth is TSOs do not enjoy full whistleblower protections. Specifically, TSOs enjoy little more than minimal whistleblower protections deriving from a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into when TSA was still part of the Department of Transportation. Under this MOU, screeners can only bring a claim to the Office of Special Counsel; they do not have a right of appeal or to seek independent review by another agency or court. Mr. Chairman, in 2004, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) ruled in Schott v. Department of Homeland Security, that the Homeland Security Act does not provide TSA screeners the right to bring a claim before the MSPB, even though such rights were enjoyed by all other Department employees. Thus, as you can see Mr. Chairman, TSOs are treated differently than other Department of Homeland Security personnel--including fellow employees within TSA. This bill allows a whistleblower to seek relief in federal circuit court, if his or her claim has not been acted upon within 6 months. In addition, H.R. 985 permits the whistleblower to bring an appeal on their case to any federal circuit court of appeals having in personam jurisdiction, not just the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as is the case under current law. I am also pleased that this bill provides the same rights to the Department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis employees as it does to intelligence employees in other agencies. I do not have to tell you, Mr. Chairman, that whistleblowers in the intelligence community must be careful when they disclose certain information. H.R. 985 set forth procedures which enable whistleblowers to assert their claims, while at the same time adequately protecting any sensitive or classified information involved with such claims. Mr. Chairman, I note that H.R. 1, which passed the House in January, seeks to improve the poor morale problem at TSA by giving TSO employees whistleblower and collective bargaining rights. These collective bargaining rights are comparable to other law enforcement officers and others within the Department, such as the Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Officers. Mr. Chairman, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, I am proud to support H.R. 985. This bill will help the federal government keep make America safer and more secure by encouraging and protecting employees who come forward to report waste, fraud, wrongdoing, or abuse of vital and limited government resources. I urge all members to join me in voting for this important legislation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Carney for his leadership and work, along with, as I mentioned earlier, the chairman of the full Committee on Homeland Security, Mr. Thompson, and the ranking member. There is no doubt that whistleblower protection is intimately interwoven with the work and the issues and the mission and obligations of the Homeland Security Department and the Homeland Security Committee, both in the House and the other body. We have too often seen debacles occurring, tragically, and I believe with a clean whistleblower protection, where workers are aware of their rights, we are enhancing the security of America. This bill in particular responds to the transportation security officers, sometimes called screeners. As the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security with oversight over our transportation security screeners, it is clear that giving them full whistleblower protection is crucial, and it is also clear that they do not have it now. Others will tell you that TSOs have whistleblower protection rights. They do not. While this may be true on paper, it is not true in practice. The truth is that transportation security officers do not enjoy full whistleblower protections. Specifically TSOs have limited whistleblower protections that come under a memorandum of understanding, an MOU, that was entered into when TSA was still part of the Department of Transportation. Under the MOU, TSOs can only bring a claim to the Office of Special Counsel. They do not have a right of appeal or independent review by another agency or court. What that means, Mr. Chairman, is they can be fired. So if a transportation security officer sees a breach at one of the thousands upon thousands of airports around America, they have no protection to protect the traveling public. In 2004, while reviewing a TSO whistleblower claim in the case of Schott v. The Department of Homeland Security, the Merit System Protection Board ruled that the Homeland Security Act does not provide TSOs with the right to MSPB review, which review rights are enjoyed by other department employees. Thus, as you can see, Mr. Chairman, this bill is crucial to the transportation security officers, who are treated more differently than any other Department of Homeland Security personnel, including their fellow employees within TSA. The bill allows a whistleblower to go to court if their claim has not been acted upon within 6 months. There is much that the TSA screener says as he or she watches day after day at whether the procedures that we have in place really work. In fact, I know there are procedures that go on at the screening site where it is crucial that an astute, well-trained TSA employee, screener, can in fact be able to enhance the security of America by telling the truth. I am glad Mr. Carney is chairing our Management Subcommittee, because he is going to be talking about training issues. They are crucial. This bill permits, Mr. Chairman, as I close, the whistleblower to bring an appeal on their case to any Federal Court of Appeals having proper jurisdiction over the case, not just a Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as the law now stands. That means we have real protection against firing and termination just because a transportation security officer is doing his or her job. I am also pleased this bill provides the same rights to the Department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis employees as it does to intelligence employees in other agencies. As we know, whistleblowers in the Intelligence Committee must be careful when they disclose certain information. This bill helps govern how these people bring their claims, while also adequately protecting any sensitive or classified information that may be involved with such claims. Mr. Chairman, I want to note that H.R. 1, which passed the House in January, tries to fix TSA's poor morale problem by giving TSO whistleblower rights and collective bargaining rights. These collective bargaining rights are comparable to other law enforcement officers and others within the Department, such as Border Patrol and others. I ask my colleagues to support this. This is a new day, a fresh day for homeland security in America, giving these officers the right to tell the truth and do their job and protect America. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 985, the ``Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007,'' which extends whistleblower protections to federal employees and contractors working in the area of national security and intelligence, including screeners at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Mr. Chairman, I have long been a strong proponent of whistleblower protection. As a Member of Congress from Houston, home of NASA's Johnson Space Center, I have long been involved in developing procedures and protections to ensure that concerns affecting the public health and safety are made known and addressed in an atmosphere free of intimidation, threats, harassment, and reprisal. For example, during a hearing held a few years ago by the Science Committee of which I was a member, Admiral Gehman and representatives of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board explained how fear of retaliation by management led some engineers to withhold their concerns about the safety and well-being of NASA missions and crew. Reports received after the tragic Colombia space shuttle accident indicated the accident may have been avoided had there been in place a process that would foster an environment encouraging employees and contractors to come forward with information that could avert future threats to the safety of astronauts, mission specialists, and other workers. My legislation created a NASA Safety Reporting Board that would rapidly screen such disclosures and either report them directly to the Administrator, or reject them as non-eligible--perhaps with a suggestion to seek redress through internal means, e.g., union and OSHA representatives, and agency ombudsmen. Afterward, the Board would be tasked with keeping a registry of reporting workers and with dispute resolution in the event that the worker alleges retaliation by management. Coupling the reporting and anti-retaliation functions in one board would limit the scope of the board to truly vital issues, and make workers feel confident that their concerns will not be lost or buried in the bureaucracy of standard whistleblower or OSHA claims. The Safety Reporting Board would be comprised of both NASA managers and non-managers, with diverse expertise, representing multiple Centers, and include an advocate for workers. Because we saw the lack of whistle blower protection for NASA employers as a safety threat to the nation's commitment to space exploration and travel, we took action to remove this impediment. The effort has been successful and we are reaping the benefits to this day. Mr. Chairman, we need to extend the benefits of whistleblower protection from NASA to other vital Government agencies and functions. There is a tremendous need to protect our best sources for identifying waste fraud and abuse--Federal workers and contractors. H.R. 985 treats Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), sometimes called ``screeners,'' the same as all other Department employees by giving them full whistleblower protections, which TSOs currently do not have. Mr. Chairman, contrary to assertions by opponents of the bill, TSOs do not have any meaningful whistleblower rights. The truth is TSOs do not enjoy full whistleblower protections. Specifically, TSOs enjoy little more than minimal whistleblower protections deriving from a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into when TSA was still part of the Department of Transportation. Under this MOU, screeners can only bring a claim to the Office of Special Counsel; they do not have a right of appeal or to seek independent review by another agency or court. Mr. Chairman, in 2004, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) ruled in Schott v. Department of Homeland Security, that the Homeland Security Act does not provide TSA screeners the right to bring a claim before the MSPB, even though such rights were enjoyed by all other Department employees. Thus, as you can see Mr. Chairman, TSOs are treated differently than other Department of Homeland Security personnel--including fellow employees within TSA. This bill allows a whistleblower to seek relief in Federal circuit court, if his or her claim has not been acted upon within 6 months. In addition, H.R. 985 permits the whistleblower to bring an appeal on their case to any Federal circuit court of appeals having in personam jurisdiction, not just the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as is the case under current law. I am also pleased that this bill provides the same rights to the Department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis employees as it does to intelligence employees in other agencies. I do not have to tell you, Mr. Chairman, that whistleblowers in the intelligence community must be careful when they disclose certain information. H.R. 985 set forth procedures which enable whistleblowers to assert their claims, while at the same time adequately protecting any sensitive or classified information involved with such claims. Mr. Chairman, I note that H.R. 1, which passed the House in January, seeks to improve the poor morale problem at TSA by giving TSO employees whistleblower and collective bargaining rights. These collective bargaining rights are comparable to other law enforcement officers and others within the Department, such as the Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Officers. Mr. Chairman, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, I am proud to support H.R. 985. This bill will help the Federal Government keep America safer and more secure by encouraging and protecting employees who come forward to report waste, fraud, wrongdoing, or abuse of vital and limited Government resources. I urge all members to join me in voting for this important legislation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished chairman and I thank my colleagues, my fellow member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Lantos, and the ranking member, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Certainly, I have indicated already to Chairman Wexler thanks for his continued leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise, of course, to acknowledge and certainly support recognizing the 186th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating Greek and American democracy. Greece has been a long-term model, if you will, for the principles of democracy. Any of us who have had the honor of learning the Greek philosophers throughout our academic training know that the principles they have enunciated have been strong and lasting. With that in mind as I celebrate the 186th anniversary, I commend my friends in Greece for their continued deliberations dealing with the issue of divide between the Turks and Greece, and I look forward to an opportunity that resolutions will come about that would solve some of those problems. Might I, Mr. Wexler, also indicate my support for H. Res. 64, which speaks to the freedom of press and particularly expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the government of Bangladesh should immediately drop all charges against Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. I say that in recognition of the principles of freedom of press. Whenever we have had the opportunity to interact in bilaterals through Members of Congress or parliamentarians, one of the key issues that are discussed is the right of the voice of the opposition, or the voice of difference to be expressed. I hope that this particular legislation will pass with a firm statement by this Congress that we are, if you will, asking for his release. Might I also support H. Res. 107. I am an original cosponsor of this legislation calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah. Let me say this, I have met with one of the family members of one of the captive soldiers. I think what is important in this statement, because we know that King Abdullah just a few days ago came to this Congress and said, we can make a difference in the Palestinian-Israeli issue. This happens to be soldiers that are in Lebanon, and, frankly, I think the point should be made that Israel has, in fact, done what they said they would do in pulling back. Whenever you get agreements that are kept, promises that are kept, then it seems that in the course of international collegiality or international decorum or international protocol that you have the opportunity to receive your soldiers back home, your loved ones back home. These young men, who are still being held, Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, remain in captivity, even though the United Nations has, through passing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, imposed a ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border. The resolution called for, and I quote, the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers. Even in the United Nations, which has a place for disparate voices and has a place for disagreement, we find that there is a call for their release. So I would hope that this particular legislation is not taken as a negative, but it is taken in compliance with the United Nations' interests in countries, recognizing when agreements are made that we can move forward on the agreement, and the captivity of soldiers of another sovereign nation certainly argues against having a world forum that really works. The United Nations has managed with all its difficulties to be a world forum. It has made a statement that they should be released. I would hope there would be enough resolve in Hezbollah and certainly in Hamas and others and in Lebanon, that whatever your viewpoint, you certainly should have the view to provide comfort to these families and have their loved ones returned. So I ask again for support of the underlying bill; that is, H. Res. 228, and I add my support for H. Res. 64; and as a cosponsor of H. Res. 107, I add my support for that. I conclude by simply saying that we have an opportunity to accept the challenge of King Abdullah in the way that we must know how to do it, and that is engagement and resolve for the best of all people in the Mideast. I hope that we will do so, and I would say to my friends in Lebanon, a good step and a good start would be the release, unconditional release of these soldiers. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 107, which calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli soldiers held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah and expresses the Congress's support for a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Speaker, while the fighting between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah has subsided, one of the initial causes for the war, has not yet been addressed. Three young men, Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev, and Ehud Goldwasser, remain in captivity. The fighting last summer ended when the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1701, which imposed a ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border. That resolution unequivocally called for ``the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers.'' Therefore, their ongoing captivity is ignoring the will of the international community. Indeed, Hamas and Hezbollah have not even allowed access to the Israeli captives by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 107 expresses this Congress's vision for ``a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside of the State of Israel.'' But this vision cannot be achieved by continuing to hold these soldiers by Hamas and Hezbollah. The United States cannot turn a blind eye when citizens of a fellow democracy fall prey to terrorists acts. Israeli soldiers must be released without delay and without preconditions, as the Security Council demands. That is also our demand. We will remain committed to the soldiers' freedom--for the sake of peace and to move toward a just resolution to these conflicts in the Mid East. Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution sponsored by Mr. Ackerman, the chairman of the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee. I urge all my colleagues to do so as well.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, yesterday in the afternoon on a bright Sunday, one of my constituents, my corporate constituents, decided to offer a press statement to indicate that they were relocating to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. We know that many American companies do have their offices in Dubai, and we know it is a thriving metropolis of business. But Halliburton is one of the largest corporate government contractors in the United States; and, unfortunately, their offices located in the 18th Congressional District have had an impact on the employees who work there. It is unfortunate that the arrogance of this company would suggest that they could make announcements in the brightness of sunlight on Sunday and not engage their local community leaders, their employees, and others who might be vested in the relocation of corporate headquarters. So I ask the leadership of this company to come forward and answer a number of questions which I will be sending to them. And I express my own personal outrage that a company would move its corporate headquarters without the full discussion of those who are stakeholders and work every day paying their taxes as employees of this company. I look forward to the light of day being shined on Halliburton.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Chairman, let me thank the chairman for his leadership and the chairwoman of the subcommittee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, for her leadership. Texas, under the President's budget, lost $18 million, and with the restoration of the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund of $14 billion, we will see now the possibility of the restoration of $49,413,000, a total that we had in the 2007 funding level and going up. I know what it is like to deal with communities that do not have clean water. Bordersville in Houston, Texas, now has the opportunity to engage and use these dollars to build this community and develop clean water. The EPA recognizes that we have had difficulty across America and water crises and bad water. This bill makes a good statement. It also makes the positive statement on prevailing wages. There simply is no excuse to not give people a living wage, and that is what prevailing wages are all about. I want to thank my colleagues for recognizing that water is the source of life and the importance of making sure that the 34 percent cut by this Republican Congress in years past now needs to be amended and fixed. Today we fix it. I rise in support of H.R. 720, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 720, the ``Water Quality Financing Act of 2007,'' which authorizes $14 billion over four years for the clean water State Revolving Fund (SRF) for fiscal years 2008 through 2011. This bill will go a long way toward restoring the $18 million cut in Texas share of the SRF. Under the SRF program, the Environmental Protection Agency provides grants to States, and the States provide matching funds to establish a low-cost loan program to enable communities to upgrade wastewater treatment systems. Madam Chairman, the Administration has not sought reauthorization for the revolving fund, preferring to turn the revolving fund into a self- sustaining loan program that is replenished by interest payments made on loans. H.R. 720 reauthorizes the program at an annual funding level of $4 billion per year, well above the level of $1 billion contained in the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill for EPA currently working its way through Congress. The bill would extend repayment periods for revolving fund loans up to 30 years, require a State to use part of its funding to provide subsidies for disadvantaged communities, and authorize $75 million annually in technical assistance to rural and small wastewater treatment projects. H.R. 720 also directs the Government Accountability Office to study potential revenue sources to set up a Clean Water Trust Fund and encourage communities to consider ``green infrastructure'' such as the use of rain gardens to collect storm water runoff. The bill also uses water quality benefits and a watershed approach as the criteria to prioritize which projects receive funding. Madam Chairman, it is no exaggeration to state that the Clean Water Act is the Nation's most successful environmental law. But the continued high quality of the Nation's water supplies is imperiled because over the past six years the Congress has not invested enough funding to replace or repair the aging and deteriorating wastewater infrastructure. The State revolving fund's steady source of Federal funding ran out when reauthorization expired in 1994. Since then, Congress has been unable to get any bills affecting the fund through the House or the Senate because of disputes over Davis-Bacon Act requirements that local prevailing wages be paid on projects receiving Federal funds. Instead, Congress has been appropriated funds for the SRF on an annual basis, but at declining levels. The lack of a steady, dependable source of funding has had a detrimental effect on the ability of water management agencies to repair, build, and upgrade the Nation's water quality infrastructure. It puts at risk the Nation's clean water. Madam Chairman, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), there is a ``funding gap'' of $300 billion to $500 billion over 20 years between what is needed and what is actually spent on our water quality infrastructure. Without a Federal recommitment to clean water, the costs of maintaining existing and aging infrastructure further stressed by ever increasing population and industrial demands, as well as new and costly Clean Water Act requirements must be borne at the local level. Madam Chairman, the needs of municipalities, counties, and towns have simply outgrown the funding levels of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). The SRF program has been under siege since 2004, plummeting from $1.35 billion in 2004 to less than $700 million proposed for 2007. A dedicated source of Federal funding must be identified to assure adequate and continued financial assistance to municipalities to meet the goals of the Federal water quality program. H.R. 720 takes a major step in this direction and provides a significant down payment on the investment that must be made to ensure the quality of the Nation's water supply. Madam Chairman, I support the objectives of establishing a Clean Water Trust fund. Such a dedicated trust fund for clean water will ensure that infrastructure modernization and maintenance remains a priority and will secure the long-term viability of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), while also adding a significant grant component to help communities fully achieve the goals of the Clean Water Act. I also support expanded eligibility under the SRF for water conservation measures. This would enable consumers to make more efficient use of treated water, including incentives for the modification, retirement, replacement of customer-owned water-using equipment, appliances, plumbing fixtures, and landscape materials. Saving water through improved efficiency can lessen the need to withdraw ground or surface water supplies for municipal or industrial demands. Strategic use of water conservation not only helps save the Nation's water resources but also can help extend the value and life of both water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure, extending the beneficial investment of public funds. Finally, Madam Chairman, I strongly support the Davis-Bacon provisions in H.R. 720 requiring that workers on projects funded through the SRF not be paid less than the prevailing wage. By guaranteeing payment of the prevailing local wage rate, Davis-Bacon provides a better standard of living and economic security for these workers. Madam Chairman, Davis-Bacon ``prevailing wage'' standards are set by scientific surveys of actual wages paid in local communities. Accordingly, Davis-Bacon wages in lower-cost areas such as rural communities and small towns are closely tied to existing local wages and therefore ensure a reasonable wage comparable to those earned by other workers in that community. Obviously, the prevailing wage rates in higher-cost areas such as major urban centers are higher because the average wage and cost-of-living are higher. Moreover, in 1981, the implementing regulations for Davis-Bacon were specifically amended to prohibit the Department of Labor from using wage data collected in urban areas to make a prevailing wage determination in a nearby rural county. Madam Chairman, I will strongly oppose any amendments by the minority to eliminate, weaken, or alter the Davis-Bacon provisions within this legislation. These are the latest in a long history of Republican attacks on the Davis-Bacon Act and the protections it provides to workers. Not only have three Republican presidents temporarily suspended the Act, but many of Republican colleagues have sought to repeal it altogether. For all of these reasons, I strongly support H.R. 720 and urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for its adoption by the House. I also call upon my colleagues to oppose any amendments to weaken this critical legislation that will address the real needs of the American people.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I rise in strong support of H.R. 700, the ``Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2007'' which authorizes $125 million to enhance water supplies in shortage-plagued areas through the development of such alternative sources as waste water reuse and other water recycling projects. The funding will be used to help finance pilot projects to recycle water for drinking and agricultural use in states like Texas that have long faced chronic supply shortages amid continuing population booms. States would have to pay half the cost of the projects. Mr. Chairman, the new majority in this House understands that ensuring clean water is a top priority for America's working families. A clean and healthy environment begins with clean water. H.R. 700 will help to make the Nation's water supply cleaner and healthier by utilizing alternative water sources such as waste water and recycled water. If we explore alternative water supplies now, we take a giant step toward ensuring that we will have adequate supplies in the future.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, just a few minutes ago, Mr. Speaker, the King of Jordan offered a challenge to America and the world to allow Palestinian children and Israeli children to live in peace, as well as children around the world. I for one, Mr. Speaker, accept the challenge and cite this government and particularly this administration for its slowness and its inattentiveness to the crisis and the solution and resolution of a roadmap for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The King was right. In 2002, the Arab states did stand up and offer suggestions. Many of them may not have been those that we might have agreed with, but it is important, Mr. Speaker, that we now come to the table for the crisis is spiraling out of control. People are dying. Children are without opportunities. And the Iraq war only fuels the fire of dissent and confusion. It is time now for our soldiers to come home. It is time now for us to take leadership in the Palestinian and Israeli crisis. And, yes, it is time now for us to treat our soldiers at Walter Reed and elsewhere with dignity. I join my colleagues in that fight for soldiers and for peace.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as a proud Texan, I rise today to pay tribute to Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States and the greatest ``Education President'' in the history of our Nation. It is no exaggeration to say, Mr. Speaker, that Lyndon Baines Johnson's record of extending the benefits of education to all Americans in every region of the country, of every race and gender, irrespective of economic class or family background, remains unsurpassed. Lyndon Johnson recognized that the educated citizenry is a nation's greatest economic asset and most powerful guardian of its political liberties. Mr. Speaker, Lyndon Johnson did more than any single American, living or dead, to make the federal government a partner with states and localities in the vitally important work of educating the people of America, from pre-kindergarten to post-graduate school. It makes perfect sense, therefore, to name the headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Education in his honor. Mr. Speaker, Lyndon Baines Johnson was one of the leading figures of the 20th century. This teacher who became a president served his country in numerous, distinguished ways, including as Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II, as a Member of both houses of Congress, as Vice President of the United States, and as the 36th President of the United States. Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, in Stonewall, Texas. In 1927, he enrolled in Southwest Texas State Teachers College at San Marcos, Texas (Texas State University-San Marcos). He took a leave of absence for a year to serve as principal and teach fifth, sixth, and seventh grades at Welhausen School, a Mexican-American school in the South Texas town of Cotulla. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in August 1930. After graduation he taught at Pearsall High School in Pearsall, Texas, and taught public speaking at Sam Houston High School in Houston, Texas. In the spring of 1931, his debate team won the district championship. In a special election in 1937, Johnson won the U.S. House of Representatives seat representing the 10th Congressional District of Texas, defeating nine other candidates. He was re-elected to a full term in the 76th Congress and to each succeeding Congress until 1948. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Johnson became the first Member of Congress to volunteer for active duty in the armed forces (U.S. Navy), reporting for active duty on December 9, 1941. Johnson received the Silver Star from Gen. Douglas MacArthur for gallantry in action during an aerial combat mission over hostile positions in New Guinea on June 9, 1942. President Roosevelt ordered all Members of Congress in the armed forces to return to their offices, and Johnson was released from active duty on July 16, 1942. In 1948, after a campaign in which he traveled by ``newfangled'' helicopter all over the state, Johnson won the primary by 87 votes and earned the nickname ``Landslide Lyndon'', and in the general election was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was elected Minority Leader of the Senate in 1953 and Majority Leader in 1955. He served in the U.S. Senate until he resigned to become Vice President in January 1961. Lyndon Johnson became the 36th President of the United States on November 22, 1963, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. During his administration, education was one of the many areas where President Johnson blazed new ground. He pursued numerous education initiatives, and signed many landmark education bills into law. In 1963, President Johnson approved the Higher Education Facilities Act (P.L. 88-204) which authorized a five-year program of federal grants and loans for construction or improvement of public and private higher education academic facilities. This legislation was the largest education program enacted by Congress since the National Defense Education Act of 1958, and it was the first broad education bill enacted in the post-World War II period that was not tied to national defense. In 1964, Johnson signed the Library Services Act (P.L. 88-269) to make high quality public libraries more accessible to both urban and rural residents. The funds made available under this Act were used to construct as well as operate libraries, and to extend this program to cities as well as rural areas. Later that year, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act (P.L. 88-352), which among its landmark provisions authorized federal authorities to sue for the desegregation of schools and to withhold federal funds from education institutions that practiced segregation. In 1965, President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (P.L. 89-10) at the former Junction Elementary School in Stonewall, Texas, where he first attended school. Sitting beside him as he signed the bill was his first teacher, Mrs. Kathryn Deadrich Loney. This legislation was the first general aid-to-education program ever adopted by Congress, and it provided programs to help educate disadvantaged children in urban and rural areas. Later that year, he also signed the Higher Education Act (P.L. 89-329), which was the first program approved by the U.S. Congress for scholarships to undergraduate students. In 1965, President Johnson launched Project Head Start, as an eight- week summer program, to help break the cycle of poverty by providing pre-school children from low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. Recruiting children from ages three to school- entry age, Head Start was enthusiastically received by education and child development specialists, community leaders, and parents across the nation. Currently, Head Start continues to serve children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories, as well as many migrant children. In 1966, President Johnson signed the International Education Act (P.L. 89-698), which promoted international studies at U.S. colleges and universities. In 1968, he signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1967 (P.L. 90-247), establishing bilingual education programs for non-English speaking children, and providing more funds for special education for disabled children. Later that year, he also signed the Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act (P.L. 90-538), which authorized experimental programs for disabled children of pre-school age. After leaving office, Lyndon Johnson returned to his native Texas and continued his involvement in public education. His presidential papers are housed at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum at the University of Texas, which in 1970 established the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs, The ``LBJ School,'' as is commonly known, pioneered what was then regarded as a novel approach to training for public service. The curriculum combined courses in theory with courses that took students into government agencies to work and conduct research; the faculty included academics from various disciplines as well as practitioners from various levels of government; public service programs included an academic publishing program as well as workshops for government officials. This blend of the academic and the practical remains the distinguishing characteristic of the LBJ School and this highly effective approach to training for public service is today an accepted model for public affairs graduate programs across the country. Mr. Speaker, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who died January 22, 1973, will be remembered not only as a great President and Member of Congress, but also as the greatest champion of accessible and affordable quality education for all. President Johnson truly understood the importance of leaving no child behind, and he didn't. For all these reasons, Mr. Speaker, it is most appropriate that the House voted to rename the headquarters building of the Department of Education located at 400 Maryland Avenue Southwest in the District of Columbia as the ``Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building.'' Finally, Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute to President Johnson's leadership in the area of civil rights. In response to the civil rights movement, Johnson overcame southern resistance and achieved passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which effectively outlawed most forms of racial segregation. As he put down his pen, Johnson is alleged to have told an aide: ``We have lost the South for a generation.'' In 1965, he achieved passage of a second civil rights bill, the Voting Rights Act, that outlawed discrimination in voting, thus allowing millions of southern blacks to vote for the first time. In other actions on the civil rights front, Johnson nominated civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall to the positions of Solicitor General and later Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, making him the first African American to serve in either capacity. After the murder of civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo, Johnson went on television to announce the arrest of four Ku Klux Klansmen implicated in her death. He angrily denounced the Klan as a ``hooded society of bigots,'' and warned them to ``return to a decent society before it's too late.'' He turned the themes of Christian redemption to push for civil rights, thereby mobilizing support from churches North and South. On June 4, 1965 at the Howard University commencement address, he said that both the government and the nation needed to help achieve goals: . . . To shatter forever not only the barriers of law and public practice, but the walls which bound the condition of many by the color of his skin. To dissolve, as best we can, the antique enmities of the heart which diminish the holder, divide the great democracy, and do wrong--great wrong--to the children of God. Lyndon Baines Johnson was a giant of a man and a towering figure in the history and life of our nation. We are not going to see his like again.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, March 5, and Tuesday, March 6, I was detained because of my representation of the United States House of Representatives at a commemoration commemorating the 50th year of independence of the nation-state of Ghana. If I had been present, on rollcall No. 122, H. Res. 140, supporting the goals of International Women's Day, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall No. 121, H. Res. 89, honoring the life and achievements of the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior, I would have voted ``yea''; rollcall vote No. 120, H.R. 497, the Brigadier General Francis Marion Memorial Act, I would have voted ``yea''; and rollcall No. 119, to amend Public Law to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia to honor veterans who served in the Armed Forces, I would have voted ``yea.''

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support H.R. 569, the ``Water Quality Investment Act,'' which authorizes $1.8 billion in much needed funds for municipalities to control combined sewer overflows, CSOs, and sanitary sewer overflows, SSOs, at the local level, and to better reduce sewer overflows, which will allow them to maximize environmental and health benefits. This necessary increase in funding is a good first step toward addressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's estimated sewer overflow control costs of over $150 billion nationally. Mr. Chairman, sewer system overflows are a growing problem in the United States today. Most Americans do not know that many of our municipalities utilize sewer systems constructed as far back as the 1860s. This antiquated infrastructure is deteriorating, and as a result, State and local governments are often unable to stop sewage and untreated waste from flowing into streets, basements, rivers, and lakes. It goes without saying, Mr. Chairman, that sewer overflows represent a major public health hazard. Combined sewer systems, those handling both waste water and storm water, which are found mainly in older cities, are one source of these overflows. Our most recent data indicates that a total of 772 municipalities have combined sewers, serving approximately 40 million people. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these combined sewer overflows, CSOs, discharge about 850 billion gallons of wastewater and storm water containing untreated waste, toxic debris, and other pollutants. Sanitary sewer systems often overflow as well, releasing untreated waste into our environment in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. For example, in 2003, New Jersey closed over 30,000 acres of classified shellfish growing areas due to a large sanitary sewer overflow, SSO. Another year saw over 1,000 sewer overflows in Michigan, totaling over 20 billion gallons in spilled sewage. Upgrading these systems is extremely expensive. The EPA estimates that the total cost of repairing the country's combined sewer systems is nearly $51 billion. The price tag for fixing U.S. sanitary sewer systems hovers around $89 billion. Sewer overflow control grants were authorized for 2002 and 2003, but the Republican-controlled Congress never appropriated any funds and let the authorization expire. But the new majority in this House understands that ensuring clean water is a top priority for America's working families. A clean and healthy environment begins with clean water. H.R. 569 will help to make the Nation's water supply cleaner and healthier by authorizing $1.8 billion in much needed funding for municipalities to control combined sewer overflows, CSOs, and sanitary sewer overflows. That is why H.R. 569 is strongly endorsed by dozens of water management, environmental, public resource, building trades, and civil engineering associations, including the following: American Concrete Pipe Association; American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association; American Council of Engineering Companies; AFSME; American Public Works Association; American Society of Civil Engineers; American Sportfishing Association; Associated General Contractors of America; Associated Equipment Distributors; Association of Equipment Manufacturers; and Association of California Water Agencies. American Supply Association; Construction Management Association of America; California Rebuild America Coalition; Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Clean Water Action; Clean Water Construction Coalition; Design-Build Institute of America; Environmental and Energy Study Institute; Food & Water Watch; Laborers' International Union of North America; and International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO; National Association of Counties; National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies; National Association of Clean Water Agencies; National Association of Regional Councils; National Association of Sewer Service Companies; National Association of Towns and Townships; National Construction Alliance; National League of Cities; National Precast Concrete Association; and National Ready Mixed Concrete Assocation. National Rural Water Association; National Society of Professional Engineers; National Urban Agriculture Council; Pipe Rehabilitation Council; Portland Cement Association; Rural Community Assistance Partnership; SAVE International; Underground Contractors Association of Illinois; Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association; United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices in the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, AFL-CIO; The Vinyl Institute; The Western Coalition of Arid States; and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Mr. Chairman, I strongly support H.R. 569 and urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation that addresses one of the real and pressing needs of the American people.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly support H.R. 995, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to stand here today to support a bill that will honor the service of veterans who have become disabled while serving in the Armed Forces. These veterans have given great contributions and made incredible personal sacrifices so that all of us in this country might live in a safe and secure nation and world. Establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia for these valiant warriors is only a small step towards repaying the insurmountable debt that all of us owe to all veterans. For, what is the price of freedom? As President Kennedy once said, ``The price of freedom is high, but Americans have always paid it.'' And no one has paid a higher price than the brave men and women through the years who gave the last full measure of devotion to their country. Whether it is the ultimate sacrifice of life or the loss of limb or the loss of time with family and friends, we owe our veterans an enormous outstanding debt of gratitude. From Bunker Hill to Yorktown, from Washington, DC to the Battle of New Orleans, from Bull Run to Gettysburg and Antietam to Appamattox, brave Americans gave their lives so that the nation might live. And from Alsace Lorain to Verdun, and Normandy to Berlin and Pearl Harbor to Okinawa, from Inchon and Correigador to Vietnam, Lebanon, Grenada, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Americans have nobly sacrificed their lives so that the world may live in freedom. The debt of gratitude we owe to the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who answered their nation's call and made supreme sacrifices can never be repaid. But the nation can follow President Lincoln's admonition to ``care for him who has borne the battle, and for his [family].'' Indeed, it is the least we can do. It is out of my profound respect and gratitude for all who wear and have worn the uniform of the United States that I continue to work so hard to pass legislation that will ensure that veterans receive the health care, job opportunities, housing assistance, and educational benefits they deserve. Because I realize that our veterans deserve our very best, I have recently introduced H.R. 1240, the Vision Impairment Specialist Training Act (VISTA). VISTA is a means to help our nation's blind and low-vision veterans by establishing a scholarship program for students seeking training in blind rehabilitation. There are 160,000 legally blind veterans in the United States, but only 35,000 are currently enrolled in the Veterans' Health Administration. Members of the Armed Forces are important to our Nation and we show them our appreciation by taking care of them when they no longer can serve. Caring for our veterans also means giving them our time. I have had the honor of visiting with some of our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC. Many of these soldiers were recovering from some of the most horrific wounds imaginable. But what made the most indelible impression on me was that to a man and woman, there was no self-pity or anger at their fate. Instead of anger or sorrow there was only concern for their fellow soldiers and pride in the certain knowledge that they had fought valiantly on behalf of a country they loved. There is no reason that any of our veterans should not receive the highest care from all of us in this country. I hope all Americans take the time to visit their local VA hospital and thank the wounded for their service to our country. We must do everything possible to let our veterans know how much we value their service. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 995.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 62, which supports the goals and ideals of National Children and Families Day. The purpose of H. Con. Res. 62 is to encourage adults to listen to children and to help children throughout the Nation achieve their hopes and dreams, and for other purposes. As Chair of the Children's Caucus, I strongly believe that we must continue creating positive and effective support systems for our children so that they will become healthy, productive citizens. To do this, we must ensure that all of our children have access to quality education and healthcare. We must also give quality time to our children. Mr. Speaker, National Children and Families Day encourages parents to spend time with their children and to spend time together around the dinner table. Our young children are increasingly facing monumental challenges such as drug and alcohol addiction, pregnancy, depression, and obesity. We must invest the time and money in the necessary resources needed to help our children combat these challenges. I recently hosted a briefing, ``Childhood Obesity: Factors that are Impacting the Disproportionate Prevalence in Low-Income and Minority Communities,'' to discuss the causes of, and search for solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic. Eating dinner at the dinner table with parents is one of the suggested ways children may develop healthier eating habits. According to research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. The research suggested that the conversations that go hand-in-hand with dinner will help parents learn more about their children's lives and better understand the challenges they face. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 62 to support the goals and ideals of a National Children and Families Day.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 162, which recognizes the contributions of the Negro Baseball Leagues and their players for their achievements, dedications and sacrifices to baseball and the Nation. African Americans began to play baseball in the late 1800s on military teams, college teams, and company teams. They eventually found their way to professional teams with white players. Moses Fleetwood Walker and Bud Fowler were among the first to participate. However, racism and ``Jim Crow'' laws would force them from these teams by 1900. Thus, black players formed their own units, ``barnstorming'' around the country to play anyone who would challenge them. In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew ``Rube'' Foster--a former player, manager, and owner for the Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, MO, Foster and a few other Midwestern team owners joined to form the Negro National League. Soon, rival leagues formed in Eastern and Southern states, bringing the thrills and innovative play of black baseball to major urban centers and rural countrysides in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. The Leagues maintained a high level of professional skill and became centerpieces for economic development in many black communities. In 1945, Major League Baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson from the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson now becomes the first African American in the modern era to play on a Major League roster. While this historic event was a key moment in baseball and civil rights history, it prompted the decline of the Negro Leagues. The best black players were now recruited for the Major Leagues, and black fans followed. The last Negro Leagues teams folded in the early 1960s, but their legacy lives on through the surviving players and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is extremely significant because it represents many of the outstanding contributions that blacks made to the game of baseball notwithstanding their initial exclusion from the professional baseball league here in this country. The museum was designated America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when the House passed a resolution. The museum, in the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District, was founded in 1990 to commemorate an era when many of baseball's top players could not perform on the game's biggest stage, the major leagues, but instead made their own history. The museum draws about 60,000 visitors a year who can view evidence of the great contributions made to America's favorite pastime. The legacy of the Negro Baseball Leagues also lives on through the multitude of great black and Latino players who have contributed greatly to the game of baseball. The contributions of the Negro Baseball League players certainly paved the way for baseball giants such as Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Barry Bonds. Hank Aaron is the Major League Baseball homerun record- holder because of the significant role the Negro Baseball Leagues played in the black community. The Negro Baseball League is not only a great contribution to the black community but also to the Nation and the world. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 162 to recognize the contributions of the Negro Baseball Leagues and their players for their achievements, dedication and sacrifices to baseball and the Nation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 78, which authorizes the use of the Capitol Rotunda for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen. I strongly support the resolution because it is an appropriate and fitting tribute to one of the greatest groups of the Greatest Generation. On July 19, 1941, the American Air Force created an all black flight training program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen were not only unique in their military record, but they inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces, paving the way for integration of the Armed Services in the U.S. The first class of cadets began in July of 1941 with 13 men, all of whom had college degrees, some with PhDs and all had pilot's licenses. From all accounts, the training of the Tuskegee Airmen was an experiment established to prove that ``coloreds'' were incapable of operating expensive and complex combat aircraft. Stationed in the segregated South, the black cadets were denied rifles. The Tuskegee Airmen were credited with 261 aircraft destroyed, 148 aircraft damaged, 15,553 combat sorties and 1,578 missions over Italy and North Africa. They destroyed or damaged over 950 units of ground transportation and escorted more than 200 bombing missions. ``We proved that the antidote to racism is excellence in performance,'' said retired LTC Herbert Carter, who started his military career as a pilot and maintenance officer with the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Fighter Squadron. Clearly, the experiment, as it was called, was an unqualified success. The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded 3 Presidential Unit Citations, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses and Legions of Merit, along with The Red Star of Yugoslavia, 9 Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars and more than 700 Air Medals and clusters. On February 28, 2006, the House passed H. Con. Res. 1259, authorizing the award of a Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen. The President signed the legislation and it became Public Law 109-213 on April 11, 2006. The concurrent resolution before us authorizes the use of the Capitol Rotunda on March 29, 2007, for the award ceremony. I would like to thank Congressman Rangel for his tenacity in seeing to it that the contributions of Tuskegee Airmen are fully recognized and acknowledged by the people of the United States. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the resolution.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor and proud Texan, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 584, which designates the national headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Education located in the District of Columbia as the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building. I support this bill because it is a fitting tribute to the greatest ``education President'' in the history of our Nation. It is no exaggeration to say, Madam Speaker, that Lyndon Baines Johnson's record of extending the benefits of education to all Americans in every region of the country, of every race and gender, irrespective of economic class or family background, remains unsurpassed. Lyndon Johnson recognized that the educated citizenry is a nation's greatest economic asset and most powerful guardian of its political liberties. Madam Speaker, Lyndon Johnson did more than any single American, living or dead, to make the Federal Government a partner with States and localities in the vitally important work of educating the people of America, from pre-kindergarten to post-graduate school. It makes perfect sense, therefore, to name the headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Education in his honor. Madam Speaker, Lyndon Baines Johnson was one of the leading figures of the 20th century. This teacher who became a President served his country in numerous, distinguished ways, including as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II, as a Member of both Houses of Congress, as Vice President of the United States, and as the 36th President of the United States. Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, in Stonewall, TX. In 1927, he enrolled in Southwest Texas State Teachers College at San Marcos, TX--Texas State University--San Marcos. He took a leave of absence for a year to serve as principal and teach fifth, sixth, and seventh grades at Welhausen School, a Mexican-American school in the south Texas town of Cotulla. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in August 1930. After graduation he taught at Pearsall High School in Pearsall, TX, and taught public speaking at Sam Houston High School in Houston, TX. In the spring of 1931, his debate team won the district championship. In a special election in 1937, Johnson won the U.S. House of Representatives seat representing the 10th Congressional District of Texas, defeating nine other candidates. He was re-elected to a full term in the 76th Congress and to each succeeding Congress until 1948. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Johnson became the first Member of Congress to volunteer for active duty in the Armed Forces--U.S. Navy, reporting for active duty on December 9, 1941. Johnson received the Silver Star from GEN Douglas MacArthur for gallantry in action during an aerial combat mission over hostile positions in New Guinea on June 9, 1942. President Roosevelt ordered all Members of Congress in the Armed Forces to return to their offices, and Johnson was released from active duty on July 16, 1942. In 1948, after a campaign in which he traveled by ``newfangled'' helicopter all over the State, Johnson won the primary by 87 votes and earned the nickname ``Landslide Lyndon,'' and in the general election was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was elected minority leader of the Senate in 1953 and majority leader in 1955. He served in the U.S. Senate until he resigned to become Vice President in January 1961. Lyndon Johnson became the 36th President of the United States on November 22, 1963, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. During his administration, education was one of the many areas where President Johnson blazed new ground. He pursued numerous education initiatives, and signed many landmark education bills into law. In 1963, President Johnson approved the Higher Education Facilities Act--P.L. 88-204, which authorized a five-year program of Federal grants and loans for construction or improvement of public and private higher education academic facilities. This legislation was the largest education program enacted by Congress since the National Defense Education Act of 1958, and it was the first broad education bill enacted in the post-World War II period that was not tied to national defense. In 1964, Johnson signed the Library Services Act--P.L. 88-269--to make high quality public libraries more accessible to both urban and rural residents. The funds made available under this act were used to construct as well as operate libraries, and to extend this program to cities as well as rural areas. Later that year, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act--P.L. 88-352, which among its landmark provisions authorized Federal authorities to sue for the desegregation of schools and to withhold Federal funds from education institutions that practiced segregation. In 1965, President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act--P.L. 89-10--at the former Junction Elementary School in Stonewall, TX, where he first attended school. Sitting beside him as he signed the bill was his first teacher, Mrs. Kathryn Deadrich Loney. This legislation was the first general aid-to-education program ever adopted by Congress, and it provided programs to help educate disadvantaged children in urban and rural areas. Later that year, he also signed the Higher Education Act--P.L. 89-329, which was the first program approved by the U.S. Congress for scholarships to undergraduate students. In 1965, President Johnson launched Project Head Start, as an 8-week summer program, to help break the cycle of poverty by providing pre- school children from low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. Recruiting children from ages three to school-entry age, Head Start was enthusiastically received by education and child development specialists, community leaders, and parents across the Nation. Currently, Head Start continues to serve children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories, as well as many migrant children. In 1966, President Johnson signed the International Education Act-- P.L. 89-698, which promoted international studies at U.S. colleges and universities. In 1968, he signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1967--P.L. 90-247, establishing bilingual education programs for non-English speaking children, and providing more funds for special education for disabled children. Later that year, he also signed the Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act--P.L. 90-538, which authorized experimental programs for disabled children of pre-school age. After leaving office, Lyndon Johnson returned to his native Texas and continued his involvement in public education. His presidential papers are housed at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum at the University of Texas, which in 1970 established the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs, The ``LBJ School,'' as is commonly known, pioneered what was then regarded as a novel approach to training for public service. The curriculum combined courses in theory with courses that took students into government agencies to work and conduct research; the faculty included academics from various disciplines as well as practitioners from various levels of government; public service programs included an academic publishing program as well as workshops for government officials. This blend of the academic and the practical remains the distinguishing characteristic of the LBJ School and this highly effective approach to training for public service is today an accepted model for public affairs graduate programs across the country. Madam Speaker, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who died January 22, 1973, will be remembered not only as a great President and Member of Congress, but also as the greatest champion of accessible and affordable quality education for all. President Johnson truly understood the importance of leaving no child behind, and he didn't. For all these reasons, Madam Speaker, it is most appropriate that the headquarters building of the Department of Education located at 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., in the District of Columbia be designated the ``Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building.''

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 149, which supports the goals of International Women's Day (IWD). International Women's Day is a day on which millions around the world come together to commemorate their continued struggle for equality, justice, peace, and development for all women around the world. International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. Madam Speaker, 1975 was designated as `International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organizations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on March 8 by holding large-scale events that honor women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life. There are over 3,000,000,000 women in the world, representing 51 percent of the world's population; we need to celebrate and emphasize the important roles that women play around the world. Throughout history women have faithfully and fervently forged a strong fight to tear down the walls of discrimination, bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots, and lay the foundation of a towering edifice of equality and justice. Some of these strong soldiers for justice include Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Rosa Parks. I am extremely proud of the recent passage of H.R. 4510, a bill on which Senator Hillary Clinton and I worked diligently together to pay tribute to the enormous contributions Sojourner Truth made in the interests of all women. H.R. 4510 directs the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and to display the bust in a suitable location in the Capitol. On behalf of women in this country, and all around the world, it was important to urge the recognition and honor of abolitionist Sojourner Truth with the addition of her likeness to the statue commemorating women's suffrage in the United States Capitol. Women continue to play the prominent role in caring for families within the home as well as serving as economic earners. Women are defined by their versatility. Women not only cook, clean, and care for their children, but they also own and operate businesses, teach our schoolchildren, drive buses, create art, practice medicine and law, and legislate, as well as perform in many other capacities. All over the world women play important roles in the world of diplomacy and politics, contribute to the growth of economies, and improve the quality of the lives of their families, communities, and nations. Madam Speaker, we recently celebrated the 2007 election of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House, a significant stride in the cause of promoting the advancement of women as leaders and major players in politics. We also witnessed the recent passage of H.R. 4510, a bill I proudly introduced which directed the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and to display the bust in a suitable location in the Capitol. On behalf of women in this country, and all around the world, it was important to urge the recognition and honor of abolitionist Sojourner Truth with the addition of her likeness to the statue commemorating women's suffrage in the United States Capitol. We also witnessed the 2006 election of Michelle Bachelet as the first female President of Chile; the 2006 election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as the first female President in Africa's history; and the 2005 election of Angela Merkel as the first female Chancellor of Germany, who will also serve as the second woman to chair a G8 summit beginning in 2007. Women account for 80 percent of the world's 70 million micro- borrowers and 75 percent of the 28,000 United States loans supporting small businesses in Afghanistan are made to women, and 11 women are chief executive officers of Fortune 500 companies. In the United States, women are graduating from high school at higher rates and are earning bachelors degrees or higher degrees at greater rates than men, with 88 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 having obtained a high school diploma and 31 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 earning a bachelors degree or higher. But in spite of tremendous gains, women still face political and economic obstacles, struggle for basic rights, face the threat of discrimination, and are targets of violence all over the world. Worldwide women remain vastly underrepresented in national and local assemblies, accounting on average for less than 10 percent of the seats in parliament, except for in East Asia where the figure is approximately 18 to 19 percent. In no developing region do women hold more than 8 percent of the ministerial positions. Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours and produce half of the world's food, yet earn only 1 percent of the world's income and own less than 1 percent of the world's property. In the United States between 1995 and 2000, female managers earned less than their male counterparts in the 10 industries that employ the vast majority of all female employees. Of the 1,300,000,000 people living in poverty around the world, 70 percent are women and children. Madam Speaker, we need to continue to support programs that ensure women and girls across the globe are empowered with an education so that they reach their performance potentials and therefore function as productive citizens of the world. According to the United States Agency for International Development, two-thirds of the 876,000,000 illiterate individuals worldwide are women, two-thirds of the 125,000,000 school-aged children who are not attending school worldwide are girls, and girls are less likely to complete school than boys. Women are particularly vulnerable to health problems and we must continue to fight to ensure that every woman around the world has access to adequate health care and health insurance. Worldwide women account for half of all cases of HIV/AIDS, approximately 42,000,000 cases, and in countries with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, young women are at a higher risk than young men of contracting HIV. Globally, each year over 500,000 women die during childbirth and pregnancy. We must also provide adequate protection and support systems that empower women to avoid or discontinue the victimization of abusive relationships. Domestic violence causes more deaths and disability among women between ages 15 and 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and war. Worldwide, at least 1 out of every 3 women and girls has been beaten in her lifetime. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 1 out of every 6 women and girls in the United States has been sexually abused in her lifetime. Worldwide, 130,000,000 girls and young women have been subjected to female genital mutilation and it is estimated that 10,000 girls are at risk of being subjected to this practice in the United States. According to the Congressional Research Service and the Department of State, illegal trafficking in women and children for forced labor, domestic servitude, or sexual exploitation involves between 1 million and 2 million women and children each year, of whom 50,000 are transported into the United States. Between 75 and 80 percent of the world's 27,000,000 refugees are women and children. In times and places of conflict and war, women and girls continue to be the focus of extreme violence and intimidation and face tremendous obstacles to legal recourse and justice. Madam Speaker, March 8 has become known as International Women's Day for the last century, and is a day on which people, often divided by ethnicity, language, culture, and income, come together to celebrate a common struggle for women's equality, justice, and peace. For these reasons, the people of the United States have reason and should be eager to participate in International Women's Day. I strongly support H. Res. 149.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 98. I rise to honor the life and achievements of the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior. I rise to reaffirm the continued commitment of the House of Representatives to a just and lasting peace in the Republic of the Sudan. Let me express my thanks to Mr. Payne and Mr. Wolf, the chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, respectively. I also wish to express my appreciation to the many other co-sponsors of this resolution who have worked long and hard to help bring about a just and lasting peace in Southern Sudan. Madam Speaker, the life of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, ``Dr. John,'' as he was affectionately called, is testimony to mankind's innate capacity to do good and a powerful symbol of a peoples' struggle for freedom. In honoring Dr. John today, we also keep alive the dreams of his people. One day peace and justice will flow like milk and honey for all people throughout Southern Sudan. Dr. John was born into a poor family of the Dinka ethnic group, in the Upper Nile Region of Sudan. He was orphaned by the age of 10 but was supported by his family members. It truly took a village to raise a child and what a child he was! When the civil war broke out in 1962, Dr. John was too young to fight and was sent away to high school in Tanzania. In 1969, he earned a scholarship attend Grinnell College in Iowa. After graduation he could have attended graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley but turned it down, choosing instead, to return to Tanzania to study agricultural economics where he could be closer to his people. In 1972, Dr. John joined the Sudanese military and became a career soldier. He eventually took a leave and earned his doctorate in agricultural economics from the University of Iowa. But a life of academic repose was not for Dr. John for he was a man of action and passion. And the actions and passions of his time called him to a life of struggle on behalf of the oppressed people of his country. In 1983, Dr. John left the military and joined the newly created Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Army, a movement opposed to the imposition of Sharia law. Thus began his long career as the political and military leader of the people of Southern Sudan. Throughout this struggle, Dr. John developed a strong political and personal relationship with many Members of the House of Representatives. The struggle for justice in Sudan was not a partisan issue for Members of Congress. Strong bonds of collegiality and friendship were formed through our efforts to shape U.S. foreign policy toward Sudan. In that sense, Dr. John's life and struggle, and the struggle of the Southern Sudanese people served to unite Democrats and Republicans in a common cause for freedom. When I first met with Dr. John in my congressional office, I recall he did not waste words. In his soft-spoken way, he laid out very clearly his vision for Southern Sudan. And, in his highly dignified way, this powerfully charismatic man of deep conviction and strong moral character asked for my support and the support of the United States Congress on behalf of his people. It was clear to me then, as it is now, that Dr. John lived a purposeful life of singular devotion to the liberation and well-being of his people. Dr. John's tragic death in the mountains of Uganda shocked the world. It seems enormously unjust for this man, who brought his people through a long and devastating civil war, who became Vice President of Sudan, and who later became head of Southern Sudan, to die in 2005 in a helicopter crash. Madam Speaker, out of this historic tragedy, the people of Southern Sudan have been called to carry on. As Dr. John said after being inaugurated: ``I congratulate the Sudanese people. This is not my peace or the peace of al-Bashir; it is the peace of the Sudanese people.'' Madam Speaker, the recognition this House today gives Dr. John Garang de Mabior should also remind us of the importance of redoubling our resolve to end the genocide in Darfur. There is wide-spread and broad- based consensus in America and between Democrats and Republicans that the ongoing genocide in Darfur is intolerable and must be ended. Thus, this is an area in which there is ample opportunity for the Congress and the Bush administration to find common ground to alleviate the overwhelming suffering in Darfur. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a systematic campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, mass murder, and terror as we are witnessing in Darfur for the last 3 years. At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival. Unless the world stirs from its slumber and takes concerted and decisive action to relieve this suffering, the ongoing genocide in Darfur will stand as one of the blackest marks on humankind for centuries to come. The people of Darfur cannot wait. The time has come for decisive leadership from the United States. It has been more than 2 years since I and my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus Darfur Task Force met with Secretary Colin Powell to press successfully for the administration to declare that the campaign of ethnic cleansing and atrocities carried out against civilians primarily by the Government of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militias is genocide. It has been more than a year since I flew to Chad and walked across the border to Sudan and met with African Union troops who pleaded for more peacekeeping authority and the resources to protect the refugees from violence, rather than merely monitor it. After returning from that Congressional delegation, I worked with other Members of Congress to secure increased funding to aid the thousands of Sudanese displaced to refugee camps in Chad and to provide additional funding to assist Chad in responding to the humanitarian crisis. It has been almost 2 years since the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1556 demanding that the government of Sudan disarm the Janjaweed. This demand was later followed by Resolution 1706, which authorizes a 20,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping force. It has been 6 months since the Darfur Peace Agreement was brokered in May 2006 between the Government of Sudan and one faction of Darfur rebels. But still the violence continues; indeed, the violence is escalating. This violence is making it even more dangerous, if not impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to their homes and for humanitarian relief agencies to bring food and medical aid. According to Jan Egeland, the U.N.'s top humanitarian official, the situation in Darfur is ``going from real bad to catastrophic.'' We have come full circle. Violence is increasing, peace treaties are falling apart, and again as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Darfur Taskforce and a ranking member on the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee, I have been meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seeking an increase in the number of refugee visas for Darfur students to come to the United States to study. I will continue my ongoing, unceasing efforts to end the suffering in Darfur and bring peace to Sudan. These efforts include intensifying my discussions with Secretary Rice, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, representatives of the Arab League, and humanitarian groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and various African public policy groups to discuss ways and means of bringing peace to that troubled land. It is also not too early to begin the hard thinking and hard work needed to transform the Darfur region from killing field to economically, politically, and socially viable and peaceful community. This work will, of course, require the active and purposeful engagement of the United States and other key stakeholders, such as China, and the Arab League. In this connection, I have been engaged in an on-going dialogue with government representatives of Egypt, a dialogue that has already yielded significant dividends. For example, Egypt has implemented several fast track projects in southern Sudan in different sectors involving health, agriculture, electricity, irrigation, infrastructure, and education in order to make unity an even more attractive option to the people of south Sudan. It must be noted that no just and lasting peace in Sudan can be achieved without the responsible intervention of China. For too long China, which is Sudan's biggest oil customer, has also served as Khartoum's enabler and protector by preventing the U.N. Security Council from imposing more serious sanctions on Sudan in response to the genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. As former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick stated in a major policy speech on China a year ago: ``China should take more than oil from Sudan--it should take some responsibility for resolving Sudan's human crisis.'' Based on my meetings with Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the United States, I am hopeful that China can be persuaded to provide the type of constructive leadership in Sudan befitting a great power. There is much work to be done and not much time, Madam Speaker. And I have no doubt that our response will be worthy of our responsibility as a world leader. But today, it is right and good and just to pause, reflect, and honor the remarkable life of a remarkable human being--Dr. John Garang de Mabior, which we will do by adopting H. Res. 98. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the resolution.