Eddie Johnson

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, today we will vote on H.R. 3010, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill for fiscal year 2006. On behalf of the educators, administrators and students in Dallas, Texas, I would like to express my strong opposition to the education appropriations outlined in this measure. The inadequate overall funding in H.R. 3010 completely undermines the public prioritization of education as a paramount concern. Make no mistake--these education cuts come as no surprise. Beginning with the passage of the House budget resolution for FY 2006, my Republican colleagues have shown their true intentions with regard to education funding. As passed, the budget resolution provides $56 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education. This is a $530 million, or 0.9 percent decrease over the current fiscal year (FY 2005). This is the first time in over a decade that total education funding has been cut. Although our children have no legislative voice, they represent our Nation's future and deserve our investment in their education today. As it stands, H.R. 3010 would cut funding for reading tours, teacher quality initiatives, bilingual instruction, class size reduction, school modernization, violence prevention initiatives, afterschool services and many other vital programs. Specifically, the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill would cut. No Child Left Behind by $806 million (3.3 percent) below the current level. Under this bill, the NCLB funding shortfall will be $13.2 billion next year and over $40 billion since enactment. The bill also cuts the $603 million increase the Administration proposed for Title I to help low-income children improve their reading and math skills to only $100 million. The Administration's request was already inadequate. However, under this bill, Title I funding will be $9.9 billion below NCLB's funding promise for FY 2006. The bill freezes After School Centers, virtually for the fourth year in a row at $991 million even though only 38 percent of all after school applications nationwide could be funded last year. We are turning away children even though more than 14 million kids are unsupervised after school each day. It slashes Education Technology by $196 million (39.5 percent) on top of a $196 million cut last year. One in four states have no other dedicated technology funds to track NCLB student achievement data, improve teachers' use of technology, and close the achievement gap through online learning. It eliminates Comprehensive School Reform grants to 1,000 high- poverty schools by eliminating the program. Rigorous independent evaluations have shown that comprehensive school reform models such as Success for All, America's Choice, High Schools That Work, First Things First, and Talent Development are making a significant difference in helping schools implement integrated, schoolwide reform strategies. This bill turns its back on these schools. The bill cuts investments in teachers. It freezes the main NCLB program to put a qualified teacher in every classroom--Teacher Quality State Grants--at $2.9 billion for the 3rd consecutive year of a freeze or cut. The bill denies 80 percent of the Administration's $500 million request to provide an incentive for the best teachers to teach in the most challenging high-poverty schools. It cuts funds requested for math and science teachers by $79 million (29 percent). It even cuts teacher training in American history by $69 million (58 percent). It freezes Impact Aid payments to 1,300 school districts for over 1 million military and other Federally-connected children, funding Impact Aid at approximately 35 percent below the maximum payments authorized for FY 2006. The bill also freezes flexible innovative education grants, English language training, civic education, State assessments, and rural education. Some of these programs have been frozen for four years in a row. Although the Republican Majority promised low-income students a $100 increase in the maximum Pell Grant in the 2006 Budget Resolution, this bill provides only half that. The $50 increase would offset only 2 percent of the additional $2,300 in four-year public college costs since 2001. If enacted, H.R. 3010 would be a grave disservice to our children and the future of our Nation. For these reasons and more, I oppose the unsatisfactory education funding levels in this appropriations bill. Unfortunately, underfunded education initiatives is not the only problem with this bill. The bill disinvests in job training and help for the unemployed--cutting these programs by $346 million below the current level while 7.6 million Americans remain out of work. Finally, this legislation lacks appropriate funding levels for in the human services area, the Committee cuts in half the Community Services Block Grant, a program aimed at helping the poorest people in our communities who often have no other place to turn. This is an improvement over the President's plan to abolish the program entirely, but it still leaves more than 1,000 local community services agencies seriously short of resources to assist low-income people. The purpose of this block grant is to provide flexible funds to meet whatever a local community considers their most important needs, whether it be for job training, emergency food aid, programs for low-income seniors, or home weatherization. The bill also cuts the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by almost $200 million--even though there's no reason to expect that we won't have another winter of sky-high heating oil and natural gas prices. Over the past four years, the average cost of heating a home with oil has almost doubled, and the share of that cost covered by the average LIHEAP grant has fallen by half, from 49 percent to 25 percent. Clearly, I cannot support this bill as written. In its current form, this legislation is nothing less than an insult to the American people. It inadequately and irresponsibly allocates money to Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. However, should this bill return from the Senate with the appropriate funding levels, I will gladly support it. I sincerely hope we can work out the problems and pass a responsible bill that responds to the needs of our children, workers, and elderly citizens.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to my good friend, J.J. Pickle. Those of us who have the tremendous honor of serving in this great institution sometimes fail to see the giants that serve among us. Certainly J.J. Pickle was one of those giants. He was born in Big Spring, Texas on October 11, 1913 and was educated in the public schools. He was a man who was clearly a leader, not only of the people of the State of Texas, of the district that he represented in the central part of Texas, but of this entire Nation. He was a man who gave his heart, literally, to this country. He poured hours after hours into trying to grapple with the important issues we faced as a Nation, and he did it because he loved this country. He was truly a public servant who cared about the people in the State of Texas, and cared about the people in this great country. It is rare that we see people in this institution who worked as hard as J.J. Pickle. However, in doing so, he was always able to retain his touch of the common man. As much as he accomplished academically and through the higher ranks of government in this country, he never lost the ability to relate to people on a day-to-day level. To me he will always be Jake, the fellow who would put his arm around you, smile and joke, and ask how things were going. He was a man who cared about you as an individual and cared about people. He loved high-powered debates with intellectuals, but he never put on airs. He was one of only seven southern representatives to vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act legislation. He believed that his most significant accomplishment as a lawmaker was the 1983 Social Security reform bill, which he helped pass as chairman of the Social Security subcommittee. That legislation eased Social Security's financial problems by raising the age for full benefits from 65 to 67 in the year 2000. He could talk to farmers and mechanics as easily as Presidents such as from his mentor, President Johnson and other leaders. It is no wonder the voters of Central Texas kept Jake in Congress for 31 years. They knew a good man when they saw him. They, and all Americans, have lost someone very special.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise against this bill. It has cut every program to help the poor and elderly in the entire government. It would be shameful to vote for it. I object to this bill. This bill cuts every program designated to assist poor children and the elderly. It's shameful that anyone will vote for it.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor and profound sadness that I rise to pay tribute to the life of Jack St. Clair Kilby of Dallas, Texas. After living a remarkably accomplished life that spanned 81 years, Dr. Kilby passed away on June 20, 2005. Nobel laureate Jack St. Clair Kilby who set off the high-tech revolution with his invention of the semiconductor chip in 1958, graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1947 with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. Kilby joined Texas Instruments in 1958. That summer, the idea for the integrated circuit first came to him. Kilby and fellow TI officials put the first circuit to the test on September 12, 1958, marking the invention that transformed the industry. Dr. Kilby held several engineering management positions at TI between 1960 and 1968 when he was named assistant Vice President. In 1970, he became Director of Engineering and Technology for the components group, before taking a leave of absence to become an independent consultant. Kilby officially retired from TI in 1983, but continued to do consulting work with the company. In addition to his TI career, Kilby held the rank of Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University from 1978 to 1984. In 1990, he lent his name to The Kilby Awards Foundation, which commemorates ``the power of one individual to make a significant impact on society.'' In addition to the Nobel Prize, Kilby received numerous honors and awards for his contributions to science, technology and the electronics industry. It has been said that the ultimate measure of a person's life is the extent to which they made the world a better place. If this is the measure of worth in life, Dr. Kilby's family, colleagues and friends can attest to the success of the life he led. Mr. Speaker, I ask all the Members of the House to join me in paying tribute to the life of Dr. Kilby. He touched our lives and our hearts, and he will be greatly missed.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, due to official business that has great importance to residents of the 30th Congressional District of Texas, I was not present on June 17, 2005. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 274, On Agreeing to the Royce of California Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 275, On Agreeing to the Fortenberry of Nebraska Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 276, On Agreeing to the Flake of Arizona Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 277, On Agreeing to the Chabot of Ohio Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 278, On Agreeing to the Pence of Indiana Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 279, On Agreeing to the Gohmert of Texas Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 280, On Agreeing to the Stearns of Florida Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have vote ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 281, On Agreeing to the Lantos of California Amendment (House Resolution 2745), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 282, Final Passage of H.R. 2745, the United Nations Reform Act of 2005, had l been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to recognize Diane Furnas' retirement as Chair of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU). Since her election in 2003 as the first female Chair of the NAFCU Board, Ms. Furnas has been a leader in the credit union community both nationally and within the great state of Texas. For the past two years, Ms. Furnas has been balancing her time as NAFCU Chair and President/CEO of Southwest Airlines Federal Credit Union, headquartered in my District. At her credit union, Ms. Furnas has fostered several savings programs targeted to today's youth at her credit union by teaching the importance of saving through targeted programs ranging from kindergarten through college. She has promoted financial education programs and has armed her members with protecting themselves against identity theft. Throughout her tenure as Chair of the NAFCU Board of Directors, Ms. Furnas worked tirelessly to enhance the federal credit union charter by working with Congress for regulatory relief legislation for credit unions. As Chair, she has also helped maintain NAFCU's status as a leading credit union trade association. She was first elected to the NAFCU Board in 1998, the same year she received NAFCU's prestigious ``Professional of the Year'' award. Ms. Furnas is also the silver award recipient in the 2005 Society of National Association Publications Excel Awards for a column published in The Federal Credit Union magazine. I rise today to congratulate Ms. Diane Furnas on all of her fine work throughout her illustrious tenure as Chair of NAFCU. With her more than 30 years' experience in the credit union community, there is no doubt in my mind that our good friends at NAFCU will feel a great void once Ms. Furnas steps down. Ms. Furnas deserves our heartfelt thanks for her years of dedicated service and our best wishes for the future.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on May 26, 2005, I unfortunately missed 5 recorded votes and regret missing them. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 223, On Ordering the Previous Question (House Resolution 298), had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the Record. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 224, On Agreeing to the Melancon of Louisiana Amendment (House Resolution 2528), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the Record. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 225, On Agreeing to the Blumenauer of Oregon Amendment (House Resolution 2528), had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the Record. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 226, Final Passage of H.R. 2528, the Military Quality of Life & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the Record. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 227, On Motion to Instruct Conferees to the Transportation Equity Act, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the Record.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me express my appreciation to the committee leadership and the entire committee. We were faced with the Department of Transportation saying that we need $376 billion just to take care of the areas of crisis for safety and for travel; yet, we are still trying at this bill. It is unfortunate that we have to extend one more time, but I hope this is the last time that we have to extend before we get a permanent bill. I appreciate all of the support that the committee has given. As a matter of fact, the committee is trying to cooperate with the Department of Transportation by even mentioning $376 billion, and we did pass something that the President has agreed to, but now we go to conference. So to tide us over, because, yes, our communities are suffering, the persons who build are having to lay off people, things are becoming more expensive while we wait and debate the real bill of which we can start to work on the real problems in transportation in this country. Our environment is getting worse, the congestion in the cities is getting worse, as well as bridges falling. It is time for us to think of the American people, put them to work, and give us the needed infrastructure improvement that we need in this country. I urge everyone to vote for this extension and hope this is the last one.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to tell my colleagues about a proud American and a beloved Dallas resident: Sim Edward Stokes. As family and friends fondly know him as ``Simi,'' I would like to take a moment to acknowledge his energy and vitality to every undertaking. He is the king of networking, and his unabashed enthusiasm is irresistibly infectious. I do not doubt for a second that, he brings his skills from the NFL Champion Dallas Cowboys where he was part of the 1967-1968 team. Anyone who has had the pleasure of working with Simi is immediately struck by his passion for education, and his belief that all children should be able to receive a top notch education, regardless of their economic standing. He is Vice Chair of the St. Paul Endowment Fund which provides grants for special programs for children, youth and adults. This fund enables them to grow in their understanding of the Christian faith and have the opportunity to receive scholarships and grants for the purpose of attending college and seminary to prepare for a church related vocation, and for funding for church camping, retreats and leadership conferences. Mention his family and you'll see Simi burst with pride. He is married to the lovely Elnora Jean Stokes. He is also the father of four young lads, and one ``princess'' whom is a U.S. Army Major at the Pentagon. Simi holds a MBA from University of Dallas. He has been member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity since 1965. He was also honorably discharged from the Texas National Guard in 1968. We, in Dallas, are lucky that Simi left Alabama and adopted Dallas as his home and, in time, adopted each of us and shared his great love for his fellow man. I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in extending my appreciation to Simi for over three decades of service to the people of Texas.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this week marks National Police Week, with May 15th designated as Peace Officers' Memorial Day. It's a week where we pay tribute to our nation's law enforcement officers. In recognition of this event, I would like acknowledge the efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement. Without their courage, commitment, and ability to meet the many challenges, our lives as Americans would be very different. Simply put, law enforcement officers risk their lives so that others are protected. Every day these brave men and women go to work knowing there is a possibility they may not come home. Last year, 153 police officers were killed in the line of duty. That is 153 fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons who weren't able to go home to their families at the end of the workday. The Dallas Police Department has lost a total of 75 police officers: C.O. Brewer, William H. Riddell, William McDuff, Leslie N Patrick, T.A. Tedford, W. Roy Thornton, Leroy Wood, Johnnie E. Gibson, John R. Crain, Charles S. Swinney, Dexter Clayton Phillips, Clarence Marshall Isbell, Alex W. Tedford, Sam Griffin Lanford, Jesse Emmett Griffin, Luke J. Bell, Ernest E. Leonard, Jr., John W. Dieken, John R. Roberts, Ralph Wendell Hoyt, Victor Leon Morris, Ernest Elmer Bates, Jr., Preston D. Hale, William Edward Stafford, Johnny W. Sides, Leonard C. Mullenax, Ray Allen Underwood, J.D. Tippit, Frank Weldon Bennett, James Douglas Stewart, Floyd A. Knight, Robert H. Shipp, Johnnie T. Hartwell, Allen Perry Camp, Carl Jackson Cooke, Howard Kenton Hicks, Joe Jones, Levy McQuietor, Jr., Milton E. Whatley, Donald P. Tucker, Sr., Leslie G. Lane, Jr., Alvin Duane Hallum, Alvin E. Moore, Robert W. Wood, John T. McCarthy, Charles J. ``Chip'' Maltese, Jr., John R. Pasco, Carl J. Norris, Ronald D. Baker, Robert L. Cormier, James C. Taylor, Thomas Lee Harris, Gary Reeves Blair, James Allen Joe, John Glenn Chase, Gary Don McCarthy, Walter Leon Williams, Lawrence R. Cadena, Sr., Lisa L. Sandel, Mark L. Fleming, Michael R. Okelberry, Thomas G. Burchfield, Sunny Ma Lov, Lawrence David Bromley, Harold Lee Hammons, Billy W. Daughterty, John Paul Jones, Jr., Richard A. Lawrence, David R. Galvan, Thomas D. Bond, Henry Allen Brown, Harold F. Baird, Jr., Donald F. Flusche, Jr., Christopher K. James, and Patrick Lee Metzler. Mr. Speaker, the risk encountered by law enforcement officers serving in communities throughout this country is enormous; and this extraordinary sacrifice is all too often viewed as routine. Police officers put themselves at risk so that our communities can be safe. One week of recognition is simply not enough for that type of selflessness. America's men and women in uniform give us their best, and they deserve the best from us in return.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, my amendment will provide an additional $2 million for brownfield assessments and cleanups, while fully funding grants for States to administer their voluntary cleanup programs. The assessment and cleanup of brownfields are critical to the economic and environmental health of communities across the Nation. Brownfields represent lost opportunity where they exist. In 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. That bill authorized $200 million annually in Federal assistance to States and local communities to assess brownfield sites and to conduct cleanup where the assessment indicated that cleanup was warranted. The law also authorized $50 million annually in grants to States to assist States in implementing voluntary cleanup programs. The committees that wrote this legislation, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, following years of hearings, discussions and considerations, determined an assessment on cleanup of brownfields required at least $200 million annually and that State voluntary cleanup programs should be supported at $50 million annually. The bill before the House provides $52 million for the State programs and only $95.5 million for assessment and cleanups. My amendment simply transfers this unauthorized $2 million in grants to the State bureaucracies to the actual assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites, and I believe that it will be more useful to do that. When the President signed the Brownfields Revitalization Act in 2002, it represented the centerpiece of the administration's environmental agenda. It was widely praised and received broad bipartisan support. According to the Government Accountability Office, there are well over 500,000 brownfields across the country. These abandoned and underused sites represent a blight to neighborhoods, pose health and safety threats, and create a drain on economic activity. Brownfield grants generate economic returns in excess of five to one. The City of Dallas, which I represent, one of the first cities designated as a Brownfield Showcase Community by the Environmental Protection Agency, has used assessment and remediation grant programs to redevelop 35 sites in the core of the city. A Federal investment of less than $2 million has leveraged more than $370 million in private investment and created or helped to retain close to 3,000 permanent full-time jobs. Over 1,600 units of housing, including 134 units of affordable housing, have been developed on former brownfield sites. The program has brought new vitality to long distressed portions of the city, boosting the tax base and bringing important economic opportunities to the neighborhoods. Unfortunately, this bill, and the administration budget request it represents, prefers to fund more State bureaucracy rather than more actual cleanup and economic redevelopment. Mr. Chairman, the inadequate funding level for cleanup that was in the President's budget is just another example of the administration touting authorization legislation and failing to follow through with the actual funding. According to the Conference of Mayors, EPA regularly turns away about two-thirds of the applicants for brownfield assistance because of the lack of available funds. So I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. I thank the gentleman very much, and I will withdraw this amendment. I would like to say, too, that the Bechtel, Nevada/National Nuclear Security Administration; the Dartmouth College Interactive Media Laboratory; Eastern Kentucky University; Hazard Community College of Kentucky; New Mexico Technical University; New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner; Summerlin Medical Center, University Medical Center, Las Vegas; Tulane University Medical Center; University of Findlay, Ohio; University of Georgia/Medical College of Georgia; University of Louisville (Kentucky); University of Texas Southwest Medical School, which is in my district; Upper Iowa University; Vanderbilt University; and Western Michigan University along with about 30 emergency physicians that we have been collaborating with for the last 3 years. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw the amendment.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I want to know if I can depend on my colleague to help to get this in the right order so that we can still standardize this training around the Nation.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member as well as the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security for coming forth with this legislation. The objective of my amendment is very simple. This amendment attempts to promulgate a national standardization of emergency medical response training to events involving weapons of mass destruction. The centerpiece of the National Medical Preparedness Consortium is its affiliation with the Center for Mass Destruction Defense, a CDC Center for Public Health Preparedness. The Center For Mass Destruction Defense is the original developer of the National Disaster Life Support courses, Basic Disaster Life Support and Advanced Disaster Life Support, which provides an all-hazards approach to emergency medical services preparedness and are the only courses certified by the American Medical Association as national standards. The Center for Mass Destruction Defense was also one of the founding members of the National Disaster Life Support Education Committee of the AMA, which oversees the development and current implementation of the basic and advanced disaster life support courses, as well as a cofounder of the National Medical Preparedness Consortium. The funding for the National Medical Disaster Consortium would come from the Office of Domestic Preparedness which would not exceed $5 million. Since before the 9/11 attacks, great progress has been made in the level of training and preparedness for the first responders for terrorist attacks, including firefighters, police and other law enforcement personnel. These first responders have been telling their trainers we really appreciate the training and preparedness, especially for large-scale attacks, but when are you going to start training the health care people? They are going to be real efficient about bringing these patients up to the emergency room, but what happens after they enter? It is one of those strange disconnects. When we had 9/11, most of the people were killed and all we thought about was firemen and policemen. But we do not expect that everyone will be killed if we have another disaster. They will need emergency care, and that is where this comes in. The physicians, nurses, hospitals, providers and other health care personnel have not been getting the widespread training in terrorist attacks that the firefighters, police and other first responders have gotten. There has been a variety of courses done here and there, but the vast majority of the health care personnel have not been trained and the ones that have received some training have received a real hodgepodge of courses of different course content, different quality, and even with strange disagreements between the courses. As a trained, educated, degreed nurse myself, I can tell Members firsthand that in certain critical fields of medicine the professional community has come up with a national standard of training in order to get everybody on the same page because it is often important that nurses and physicians go from one end of the country to another when needed, just as firemen and policemen do, but they need to have a specific body of knowledge when they get there. The two main examples were trauma care and cardiac care before we came up with a national standard for trauma care. Like car wrecks, people were getting different approaches in some places, and patients were dying from poor care. The same was happening with cardiac care. Then we came up with advanced trauma life support, or ATLS, and advanced cardiac life support. These national standards revolutionized trauma and cardiac care around the Nation. I have taken both the ATLS and the ACLS myself and this is the way to go. What we need now is a national standard for disaster care so that the medical community will be able to respond responsibly across the Nation. What we need is a national standard for advanced disaster life support. Well, there is an advanced disaster life support curriculum that has been developed by the CDC center known as the Center for Mass Destruction Defense, and this curriculum has been endorsed by the American Medical Association for a national standard for disaster medical care. In addition to the AMA, a number of specialty medical organizations have also adopted the advanced disaster life support curriculum, such as the American College of Emergency Physicians. The advanced disaster life support and its sister courses, basic disaster life support and CDLS, have been presented in 35 States now which is a wider distribution for an all-hazards disaster medical curriculum than any other available. I know that the opposition to this is that it did not come through the Committee on Energy and Commerce and there are some who think it has already been done. What I am attempting to do here is to put something in a standard for around the Nation so that all of the people involved will have a standard body of knowledge.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 5 minutes.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON. Mr. Speaker, it is a special privilege for me today to honor the nation of Israel on its 57th birthday. On May 14, 1948--the fifth day of Iyar, 5708 under the Jewish calendar--after years without a national homeland, the Jewish people established a new country. As Israelis celebrate their country's 57th anniversary, the international community is celebrating with them 50 years of independence. In the 30th Congressional District of Texas, the Dallas Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Dallas, DFW International, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas & the Rabbinic Association of Greater Dallas and other organizations have scheduled a series of events to commemorate this occasion. As someone with a great interest in Israel, Middle Eastern affairs and world peace, I believe that the political transformations in this region during the past few years have been dramatic. We have come a long way, despite attempts by extreme factions to harm Israel and the cause of peace in the region. I would like to quote an excerpt from Israel's `declaration of independence,' published 57 years ago as the British mandate over the area drew to an end: `We extend our hand in peace and neighborliness to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all.' It is in that spirit, and with that faith, that I will continue to work with the administration to ensure the United States remains firm in its commitment to the security of Israel and to those principles necessary to guarantee the success of the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me applaud the author and the ranking member and the Chair of this committee for addressing the issue of gangs. I do not agree with all of the approach, but I do agree we need to address the issue, and I rise today to speak about the creation of databases to track gang activity. In addition to developing a solid gang prevention strategy, we must equip our law enforcement professionals with the tools to protect our communities. Recently, law enforcement in Dallas spoke to me regarding their desire to track gang activity. I work closely with the law enforcement divisions in my area, and they wanted a system that would allow them to easily access and share information on gang activity. I am offering an amendment that will do just that. This database will contain critical information on gangs, gang members, firearms, criminal activities and histories, vehicles, and other fields of information necessary for investigators to solve gang- related crimes. In addition, it will allow law enforcement to track the movement of gangs and members throughout the country, coordinate police response to gang violence, and enhance officer safety. This system is a fundamental step in combating future gang violence. I ask my colleagues for their support for this important amendment.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I have worked with gangs at home in conjunction with our police department, and there is a way to start prevention. I recognize that the crimes that have been mentioned here this morning are crimes that should be punished. I believe if you do the crime, you do the time. But I also believe that you can prevent this with young people. I dialogued with members of a gang several years ago, shortly after I heard that the people are coming from Los Angeles to start gangs. And in dialoguing with these young people, I first had to understand what they were saying. That gang activity has been converted to something positive because I encouraged it. I said, Stay together but do not do crime stuff, do things positive. That is what they have done. They have even run people for office. You have got to not give up on young people. Americans deserve a bill that would successfully combat gang activity and violence. This bill does fall short of that. This bill fails to address the root of the problem. Even though law enforcement is vital, we must try to prevent gang activities before they occur. Prevention programs can save many lives and many dollars. It is a lot cheaper to prevent all this crime and prevent them going to jail and for them to stay in school. Of the $50 million appropriated in this bill, not one penny goes toward prevention. You can call it play. You can call it anything you want. But in-school and after-school prevention programs successfully teach young people the skills they need to combat peer pressure. They target environmental risk factors by teaching young people conflict resolution skills, cultural sensitivity and the negative aspects of gang life, if it is violent. These young people want to be a part of something, and it might as well be a positive experience. We must stop the violence at the source. If we do not put forth that activity, that is when it gravitates to what he just discussed. We must give our young people a path to success not just a path to prison.