Dennis Kucinich

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Sergeant 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi who sacrificed his life while serving his country. Sergeant Fabrizi was in born in Cleveland, Ohio to Mary Miller and Timothy Hess, both of whom were United States Marines. Jason moved to Florida at the age of 10, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1998 after graduating high school. He served with the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team on the 4th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado for the past 11 years. Sergeant Fabrizi had completed three tours in Iraq before his deployment into Afghanistan. Jason was a highly decorated soldier; earning a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation Medals, as well as several more honors throughout his service in the U.S. Army. Sergeant Fabrizi lost his life on July 14th, 2009 when his convoy was attacked in the Konar Province of Afghanistan. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Sergeant 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi, who will be remembered as a dedicated father and national hero by not only his family, but by the entire country. I offer my deepest condolences to his mother, Mary Miller; father, Timothy Hess; wife, Kristi Kool; three sons, Jason Allen, Tyler Jacob and Layne Timothy; and daughter, Reagan, who is due in two months.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in Recognition of the Ambassador of Hungary, Ferenc Somogyi, and his family as they celebrate their departure from the United States after nearly two years of exemplary service. Ambassador Somogyi was born on September 1st, 1945 in Hartkirchen, Austria. In 1952 the Ambassador began his education in Budapest. He earned a University Degree in 1968 from the University of Economics, Budapest in the field of International Relations and in 1977 was awarded a Doctoral Degree in World Economics from the same institution. Moreover, Ambassador Somogyi gained an additional University Degree in the area of International Relations from the College for Political Science in Budapest. After obtaining his degree, Ambassador Somogyi began his career at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Hungary. He worked his way from a junior desk officer in 1968 to Professional State Secretary in 1990, during which he served as the Chief Negotiator for talks on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary. By 1996 Ambassador Somogyi became the State Secretary for Euro-Atlantic Integration. While State Secretary, Ambassador Somogyi acted as the Chief Negotiator for the Hungary-Slovakia Framework Treaty, Hungary-Romania Framework Treaty, Hungary's NATO accession talks and Hungary's EU accession talks. Ambassador Somogyi took positions as the Director for Euro-Atlantic Integration for MATAV Hungarian Telecommunications and CEO of Stonebridge Communications AD between 1998 and 2006. Later in 2006, the Ambassador became the Director for International Affairs for Magyar Telekom before being named the Ambassador of Hungary in 2007. In addition to Ambassador Somogyi's impressive professional career, he has also played a vital role in several Hungarian national and international organizations. For nearly a decade Ambassador Somogyi was a member of the Hungarian Olympic Committee. Between 1998 and 2003 the Ambassador served as President of the Hungarian Atlantic Council. He was also a member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary from 1999 through 2001. Between 2001 and 2003, Ambassador Somogyi served as Vice President of the Atlantic Treaty Associations. Finally, the Ambassador continues to be a member of the Board of Trustees for McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland and the International Advisory Board for the Institute for the Study of Europe at Columbia University. While serving as the Ambassador of Hungary, Ferenc Somogyi has focused on strengthening transatlantic relations between Hungary and the United States. He also continued to work with the Unites States on achieving stability in the Balkans as well as with the business community to explore new ways in economic and technological cooperation. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Ambassador Ferenc Somogyi for his dedication to improving relations between Hungary and the United States. Furthermore, I wish Ambassador Somogyi and his family a joyous celebration before returning to Hungary.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. The health care debate ends up being a debate about the legitimacy of our political system. If this is truly a government of the people, by the people and for the people, then why do we not already have a health care system which meets the needs of all the people? Is it because we have a market-based, for-profit health care system? Why do we have 50 million Americans uninsured and another 50 million Americans underinsured? Why are most bankruptcies connected to people being so heavily in debt for hospital bills? America faces not only a health crisis but a spiritual crisis when health insurance and other interest groups stand between the people and their government extracting the wealth of our Nation and appropriating it to a few at the expense of the many and pressing upon the many the burden of illness and the brevity of life. It is time to break the hold these interest groups have on our government. When we do, our Nation will be more healthy and more free.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 3170, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010. I am especially supportive of Congressman Steven LaTourette's amendment to restrict funding to GM and Chrysler if the auto companies follow through with their plans to close dealerships, and I thank Chairman David Obey of the Appropriations Committee as well as Majority Leader Hoyer for their efforts to protect the LaTourette amendment. The crisis in the automobile industry has devastated Ohio and my district. Statewide, it is estimated that the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler, with the accompanying dealership closings, will cost up to 8,000 jobs and approximately $300 million in state income tax revenue. Moreover, the state could lose an additional $250 million in sales tax revenue. I cannot stand by arbitrary and capricious decisionmaking that will destroy the communities in my district. Hundreds of employees of other industries inextricably linked to auto dealerships will also lose their jobs, and the cascade of destruction through the local economy will continue. We must not let this happen.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Marjorie Helen Knoll Pallotta, whose unwavering devotion to family, friends, community and country has left an indelible imprint upon our society and has forever touched the hearts of all who knew and loved her well. Mrs. Pallotta was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 22, 1923 to George W. Knoll, Jr. and Marie C. Dolan Knoll. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 1941 and went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she met Rico Pallotta. They were married on April 3, 1948 at St. Clair Catholic Church and moved into a duplex in Cleveland Heights. Together, they lovingly raised five children, Ward, Richard, Ann, Joy and Tom, in a home that radiated love, unity and music. They bought their first house in 1955 in Beachwood village and several years later, the family moved to Bainbridge. Although extremely busy raising five children, Mrs. Pallotta always found time to volunteer in the community. She was known for many beautiful talents, including her singing, prize winning rug hooking, Scottish Country dancing and Irish red hair. She lent her musical talents, especially her beautiful voice, as a singer in churches and at community events. She regularly sang at weddings, at Suburban Temple, and joined the choir of Grace Lutheran Church in Cleveland Heights for the production of a record album. Mr. and Mrs. Pallotta also sang together in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. At family reunions, Mrs. Pallotta thrilled family and friends with her incredible mezzo soprano voice, singing religious, classical and operatic selections along with Broadway show tunes, most often accompanied by Rico on accordion or piano. After singing the National Anthem at a July 4th reunion in New York, her cousin, Larry Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Indians, asked if she would sing at Jacobs Field. She accepted, and with power and perfection, on June 7, 2002 at the age of 79, Mrs. Pallotta sang a powerful and moving rendition of the National Anthem, as tens of thousands of baseball fans listened with pride. Madam Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of Marjorie Helen Knoll Pallotta, whose joyous and spirited life reflects unwavering dedication to family, friends and community--framed in love, music and song. I offer my heartfelt condolences to her children, Ward, Richard, Ann, Joy and Tom; to her grandchildren, and to her extended family members and many friends. Mrs. Pallotta's beautiful life brought joy to her family, friends and people in the community, and her love of life, and love she showed to others, will forever be remembered.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of David O. Frazier, actor, singer, author and lyricist, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, and in recognition of his recent induction into the Cleveland Playhouse Hall of Fame for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre. Mr. Frazier began his entertainment career as a child, under the instruction of piano teacher Nelly Kelly, the aunt of Princess Grace of Monaco. During his teenage years, he learned about hard work by picking cotton in Texas. As a young man, fate guided him to Cleveland, where he began his professional career at the Cleveland Playhouse. Mr. Frazier has appeared in over 150 productions. Moreover, Mr. Frazier's unwavering commitment and advocacy on behalf of the arts was a critical factor in saving the Cleveland Playhouse from demolition. His appearance in the record-breaking two and a half year run in the production of ``Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' at the Playhouse Square Foundation stopped the demolition of and revived Cleveland's five historic theatre houses. Today, Playhouse Square is the second largest performing arts complex in the nation. Mr. Frazier has performed on private and public stages around the world, singing, dancing and writing his way into the hearts of audiences ranging from accomplished writers and actors, heads of state, and thousands of theatre patrons. He co-wrote his one man show, ``Conversations with an Irish Rascal,'' with his partner and collaborator of more than thirty years, Joe Garry. Together, Mr. Frazier and Mr. Garry have co-written and co-produced fifteen original musicals. Mr. Frazier also appeals to young audiences in his starring role on NBC's children series, ``Hickory Hideout,'' for which he was awarded an Emmy Award. Madam Speaker Colleagues, please join me in honor of Mr. David O. Frazier, whose passion for music, limitless talent and unwavering dedication to the theatre has served as a source of entertainment and inspiration for audiences in Cleveland, Ohio and throughout the world. Furthermore, his dedication to promoting and preserving theatre in Cleveland has enriched the diverse culture of the entire community. I wish Mr. Frazier a very happy birthday and congratulations on his induction to the Cleveland Playhouse Hall of Fame.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Americans want quality, affordable health care. Fifty million Americans are uninsured. H.R. 3200 will still leave 17 million Americans uninsured. Now, how is that possible? Because it keeps in place a for-profit insurance system which siphons off at least $400 billion every year which could be used to make sure all Americans, not just most Americans, receive quality health care. H.R. 3200 will not solve the problem of underinsurance. Sixty percent of all bankruptcies in America are due to people not being able to pay hospital bills. Of those, 80 percent are insured. People just can't afford the rising premiums, copays, and deductibles which are the basis of insurance company profits. The only way to break the insurance companies' hold on our system is to guarantee affordable, quality health care to all Americans through a universal single-payer, not-for-profit health care system.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chair, we must take measurable actions to replace policies of aggression with policies of dialogue, adherence to international law and an unwavering dedication to the protection of human rights. As such, I oppose the bill based on the inclusion of funding for programs and support for policies that fail to meet these important goals. This bill continues funding for the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program. IMET is one of the three funding sources that support the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School of the Americas (SOA). This combat-training facility for security personnel in Latin America is notorious for graduating human rights offenders. In its 59 years of existence, the SOA trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently targeted educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been victims of SOA graduates. A particularly egregious example shows Americans have been affected too. In 1980, Sisters Dorothy and Jean Donovan of Cleveland, along with two other churchwomen from the U.S., Sister Maura Clarke and Sister Ita Forde, were raped and murdered by members of the armed forces of El Salvador. Three of the five officers involved were graduates of the School of the Americas. I oppose the continuation of funding for the Merida Initiative and expansion of this flawed program to the Caribbean countries. Time and again, research has demonstrated that illicit drug production in developing countries stems from pervasive rural poverty and lack of sustainable sources of income. More money for guns and other tools of destruction will do nothing to ease the suffering of those struggling with addiction or alleviate the social problems that compel people to produce and/or traffic drugs. I also oppose the Import-Export Bank provision in Section 7043 of the bill regarding Iran. Sanctions can be an effective diplomatic tool in the right circumstances. However, sanctions are meant to cripple economies and as such can have disastrous consequences for the citizens of any sanctioned country. Iran is experiencing extreme turmoil among its citizens. Recent events make it very clear that the people of Iran are to be commended for their courage, not strangled by an increasingly crippled economy as the fabric of their society is being ripped apart. Furthermore, the provision will undoubtedly target countries that are our allies who will have a role to play as the U.S. moves forward diplomatically with Iran and in the region generally. With the global economic crisis, this policy will cause the U.S. to fall far short of our diplomatic goals in the region. These are policies that take us down the wrong path. I cannot support this bill.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Chair, the increases in funding for veterans services contained in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill are overdue and welcome. It continues increases in veterans' health care funding by providing $53 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also provides advanced appropriations for FY 2011 for medical accounts. I have long supported advance appropriations for veterans because it helps to stabilize funding instability and ultimately results in higher quality care for veterans. The bill provides $3.2 billion, a 40 percent increase over last year, to combat homelessness. It provides $4.6 billion for mental health care to help address the rising incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in our newer veterans. It provides for the hiring of 1,200 additional claims processors to continue to work to eliminate the backlog of benefits claims. Unfortunately, the bill also includes funds for building extensive infrastructure to support our military operations in Afghanistan. It is clear that this construction will support the expansion of ongoing operations in the region. This is particularly troubling because the Administration is still without an exit strategy for Afghanistan. Additionally, U.S. presence in the region has served to foment anti- American sentiment. I remain concerned that this combination of factors will not ensure U.S. ``success'' in the region but will ensure that the months and perhaps years ahead will be deadly for our brave troops and for the Afghan people. It is unacceptable to fund a more permanent presence in Afghanistan in a bill that gives our veterans services they need. Our veterans deserve more than we could ever repay. I must support this bill.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, information is necessary for the proper functioning of our economy, as well as our political system. Investors, consumers and voters need quality information to make informed choices. Capitalism and democracy require full information for the most ideal outcomes, namely, efficiency and representativeness. But anyone looking at this past year in American business and government would have to conclude we are a long way from achieving the ideal. On the contrary, we are embroiled, in significant part, in the consequences of a profound lack of transparency. Our economic and political systems suffer an information deficit, and the lack of transparency is costing dollars as well as public trust. As chairman of an investigative subcommittee in the House of Representatives, my own work has largely been devoted to identifying and remedying that fundamental flaw. A couple relevant examples: My subcommittee held a hearing this past March on the questions, What does Treasury know about what TARP recipient banks are doing with the funds they've received? My staff identified a couple billion dollar examples. One bank arranged financing worth $8 billion for governmental entities in Dubai; another made a $7 billion investment in a Chinese Construction Bank, and a third made a $1 billion investment in its operations in India. None of these are illegal, of course. They may even represent sound business judgment. But at the time those decisions were announced, those banks had received many billions of taxpayer dollars to help cure a liquidity crisis in the United States. Is that what Congress really had in mind when it created TARP? I think the answer is obvious. What we learned was that Treasury was making no significant effort to find out what federally-supported banks were doing. TARP program makes no demands on TARP recipients for detailed information about their spending. Even though the statute obligates Treasury to be able to prevent waste and abuse of TARP monies, Mr. Paulson's Treasury Department did not even bother to set standards for waste and abuse of TARP funds. ``We trust them'' was essentially what passed for oversight of the Capital Purchase Plan. Treasury has no concrete idea of how TARP monies are being used. They did not ask questions of TARP recipients about their use of funds, and did not gather sufficiently detailed information from TARP recipients to know what to ask about. It was even the opinion of Treasury that an answer to the question is nearly meaningless, because money is fungible. Of course money is fungible. So is gravel. But if you want to know where the gravel is, you look for roads. So to this end, one of our witnesses provided a detailed examination of lending practices by several top TARP recipients and found, as we have all since learned, that net new lending was nearly zero. By integrating not only new loans but also contraction in credit, in the form of foreclosures, shortened credit lines and so on, this witness was able to independently estimate actual new lending--one of the key purposes of the TARP capital infusions--something Treasury had been completely dependent on the TARP recipient companies for producing. I understand that Treasury has made some improvement in other TARP programs created since our hearing. Then more recently, my subcommittee has been engaged in an investigation of the circumstances around a merger that received considerable emergency assistance from Treasury and the Federal Reserve. Here too the transparency issue arose. One of the main problems the systemic regulators were trying to deal with was predictable investor surprise around the unexpectedly huge losses the merger was suffering. Our investigation found that unmistakable warning signs of those losses were known to the acquiring company before their shareholders were asked to ratify the merger, but the company did not share the information with its shareholders. Furthermore, our investigation showed that the Fed was completely aware of the possible securities fraud even as it was orchestrating a bailout to deal with the consequences of a misinformed investor community. Now the Fed is an interesting example of an institution that is statutorily protected from transparency. First a bit of background: As you know, Congress depends upon the Government Accountability Office to perform directed and statutorily required audits and reviews, which Congress uses as one important source of information and analysis for government oversight. But a little known statute called the Federal Banking Agency Audit Act of 1978 barred GAO from reviewing the Fed's monetary functions. Along comes the financial crisis and the Fed engages in a number of extraordinary measures, spends over $1 trillion dollars so far, invokes emergency powers to purchase and lend against assets it has never before held, and yet the Fed's interventions enjoy complete protection from GAO scrutiny of these crisis interventions because it calls them monetary policy. This is certainly debatable, and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee adopted unanimously my amendment to authorize GAO to conduct reviews of the special facilities created by the Fed to deal with the financial crisis. But we have a long and difficult road ahead before we see the Kucinich amendment become law, in spite of the fact that we are in a crisis due in significant part to the lack of transparency. So I will leave you with these thoughts: Our economy and our political system and its institutions are in severe need of greater transparency. We are living with the consequences of a lack of transparency. And yet, it will be difficult to administer the medicine we will all benefit from. I look forward to working with you to see that we get the transparency we desperately need.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, one of the tragic and laughable conceits of the entire health care debate is that people love their for-profit health insurance companies, so hands off the private insurers. These are the same insurance companies whose premiums, copays and deductibles are forcing millions of Americans into poverty. Sixty percent of all U.S. bankruptcies are tied to people not being able to pay their hospital bills, and most of these people were insured. But people love their insurance companies. Now, everyone knows that insurance companies make money not providing health care. But people love their insurance companies, so we have to leave them in the game, right? People love for-profit insurers, so government ought to give the insurance companies a bailout and subsidize private insurers, because people love their insurance companies, right? Well, I don't think that people love for-profit insurance. I think people want a not-for-profit system that guarantees all Americans health care.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2965, the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act. This legislation undermines the very reason for the creation of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and squanders the opportunity to provide vital resources to our country's small business community. The Small Business Innovation Research program was created by Congress with the recognition that small businesses could not compete with their larger corporate competitors in the federal grantmaking process. This grant program provides small, innovative businesses across the nation with the necessary resources to significantly contribute to the federal government's research and development efforts. With the enactment of the SBIR program, Congress made clear its commitment to support the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses. Section 102 of H.R. 2965 would alter the ownership rule provision by providing venture capital firms and venture capital subsidiaries of large corporations the space to increase their ownership in small businesses applying for SBIR grants. Relaxing the venture capital standards for SBIR and STTR grant eligibility undermines the ability of the SBIR program to ensure that small business can address the disproportionate competitive advantages that large business have. In a time of economic crisis, maintaining the integrity of the SBIR program could not be of more importance. We must recognize the significant contributions that small business makes to our economy and preserve the programs that drive their success.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 2997, the Agriculture Appropriations bill. This bill wisely devotes half of the total appropriations in the entire bill to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called the Food Stamp Program. The face of hunger takes many forms. This week while driving in my district I saw a homeless woman who suffered from chronic hunger, begging on the street corner. When the most basic need for food goes unmet, the most basic functions of living that so many of us take for granted become difficult, if not impossible. It threatens the economic and social well-being of the affected person, and sometimes the entire family. And while this homeless and hungry soul is an apt example of the face of hunger, the truth is that food insecurity is hurting far more than just the severely disadvantaged. Food insecurity is hurting our middle class, our children and our seniors among others. During difficult economic times like these, hunger's invisibility belies its startling prevalence. In the United States 1 in 8 or approximately 36 million Americans struggle with hunger, 13 million of which are children. According to the USDA 1 in 6 American children are food insecure. One out of every five children under five years of age is living at risk of hunger in 13 states around our nation. In my home state of Ohio, 12.7 percent of Ohioans are food insecure; 18.7 percent of Ohio's children are food insecure; and 23.3 percent of children under the age of five are food insecure. Ohio has recently been reported to have the third highest rate of food insecure children under the age of 5 in the nation. Uncertain times in our country and economy are even more uncertain for these children as their malnutrition will have a long-lasting impact on their future development. Proper nutrition throughout life is important but research tells us that for children three and under it is particularly important as this is the time that children build a foundation for the rest of their life. It is precisely the time when their brains and central nervous systems are growing the fastest. A good foundation is essential to a child's future health, including mental health, educational accomplishment and economic viability. Recent reports indicate that across our nation, 33.8 million people were enrolled in SNAP in April 2009. This is a new record and an increase of 20 percent over last year. It is expected that SNAP will serve approximately 35 million Americans in Fiscal Year 2010. According to a study from the Center for Community Solutions, portions of my district, including Lakewood, Fairview Park and Parma, have experienced a 74 percent increase in participation in the Food Stamp Program (now called SNAP) between 2002 and 2007. Furthermore, our local food bank, the Cleveland Food Bank, has significantly increased distribution since the start of the current fiscal year. Already they have distributed three million more pounds of food in the current fiscal year than was distributed in the entire prior year. By October 2009 it is expected that this number will increase to four million pounds. In Northeast Ohio local food pantries have experienced a 35 percent increase in clients. Many of these clients are first time users of the food bank. Policy Matters Ohio released a report in February 2009 that found that over 2.8 million Ohioans--roughly 25 percent--are not earning enough income to meet their basic needs. The latest unemployment statistics for the State of Ohio show that unemployment is still on the rise at 10.8 percent. The national unemployment rate is 9.5 percent. These numbers are expected to increase in the coming weeks and months. The resources that are allocated to SNAP by this bill are desperately needed. I support this bill and urge its passage.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Thomas F. McCafferty Health Center and in recognition the staff and volunteer's commitment to providing quality health care services continues to serve the needs of the residents of Cleveland's west side for nearly four decades. The McCafferty Health Center opened in 1971 and was named for well- known physician, Dr. Thomas F. McCafferty. The Center continues the mission of Dr. McCafferty in tailoring medical services to meet the needs of those in the surrounding communities who may not otherwise have access to quality health care services. The McCafferty Center, a bilingual clinic, provides health care in the areas of family practice, pulmonary, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and cardiology, as well as social work and nutrition services. Within these areas are clinics for women's health, veterans, TB testing, testing and counseling for STD and HIV/AIDS and free vaccinations for infants, children, and teens. The Center serves over 32,000 patients a year, over half of whom are Hispanic. Evident in their programs and clinics, the Center has a legacy of embracing the community's vibrant diversity, including a concerted effort in outreach and service to Cleveland's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. Additionally, the Center's Community Advocacy Program works to remove legal barriers that may exist to improve the health outcomes of their patients. Madam Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor of the staff and volunteers of the Thomas F. McCafferty Health Center, whose collective and individual commitment to providing quality health care continues to uplift the lives of countless individuals and families throughout Cleveland's west side community.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the West Park United Church of Christ, as they celebrate one hundred and fifty years of faith, hope and community service throughout the neighborhoods of Kamm's Corners on Cleveland's west side. West Park United Church of Christ was founded in 1859 by nine individuals, including Charter members and community leaders Benjamin Mastick and Lavinia Trisket. The Church was established to serve as a haven of faith and a center for community outreach, through which diversity is embraced and social programs and community groups expand and thrive. The Church quickly became and continues to serve as an anchor of strength for the Kamm's Corner community. Since 1859, the members of the West Park United Church of Christ have strengthened the community by encouraging diversity and reaching out as messengers of hope, peace and comfort. Since its founding, the church has witnessed major renovations and expansion over the years and today, the church has 320 members, all of whom are active community volunteers. Members have volunteered as aides at Fairview Hospital, tutors at local schools, and workers at homeless shelters, emergency food pantries, and the Meals on Wheels program. Madam Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of the West Park United Church of Christ of Cleveland and their members as they celebrate 150 years of faith, community and public service throughout Cleveland's Kamm's Corners neighborhood.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. I thank the gentlewoman. I rise to engage in a colloquy with the chairwoman of the subcommittee. Reliable economic data is critical for any industry. Congress has historically supported the Economic Research Service of the USDA which has collected and analyzed segregated organic data. Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. agriculture. The need and demand for this information will continue to increase. Though language has been included in past Agriculture appropriation bills that dedicates funding for the Organic Production and Marketing Data Initiative, it is not included this year. Only $500,000 of the $82.5 million budget of the Economic Research Service would help meet the needs of the initiative. Is it the gentlelady's opinion that the funding for the initiative should remain strong?

Mr. KUCINICH. I thank the gentlelady.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Timothy Michael Elliott and in recognition of his service to our country and his dedication to the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Tim lived and worked in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland's west side in my district. He sought to preserve Cleveland's historic housing one house at a time and devoted his time to ensuring the historic integrity of each home he restored. As a young man, Tim served in the U.S. Army and worked as a draftsman for Hauserman Inc., and B.F. Goodrich. He also worked for Century 21 Real Estate and led the Nolasco Housing Corporation, a non-profit development organization affiliated with the neighborhood Catholic Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In addition to his work, he dedicated his life to the City of Cleveland. He was proud of the west side neighborhood in which he lived and became concerned about deteriorating conditions. He began to buy and repair neighboring homes to improve the housing of the neighborhood. He rarely worked on houses he could not walk to from his Herman Avenue home. ``He could walk into a place that was falling apart and not see it as it was but what it could be,'' said Judge Ray Pianka, a neighbor and friend as well as Cleveland's municipal housing judge. ``He has taken some homes that appeared to be beyond saving and made them showplaces.'' Also within walking distance of their home was Edgewater State Park, a beautiful park along the Lake Erie shore with beaches, boating, picnic areas, and other recreational activities. Tim and his wife Mimi, along with other neighbors and local officials, started the Friends of Edgewater Park to promote and preserve this wonderful amenity in their neighborhood. Tim is survived by his wife Mimi, his son Timothy Michael Jr., his granddaughter Brooke Elliott, and his many friends. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in celebrating the life of Tim Elliott, and in recognizing his dedication to the betterment of our community. His service and leadership in the west side neighborhood of Cleveland inspired us all to work toward neighborhood preservation. Timothy Elliott, 63, Fixed Up Old Homes on the West Side--Obituary (By Grant Segall) Tim Elliott helped to turn around the West Side. The painstaking renovator and Realtor helped revive Ohio City and Detroit-Shoreway in the past four decades, boosting a couple of hundred properties and winning over skeptical investors, bankers and officials. Elliott died Friday in his West Side home, one of his pet projects, a 3,200-square-foot Italianate from the 1860s. He was 63 and had struggled for several years with strokes. ``He could walk into a place that was falling apart and not see it as it was but what it could be,'' said Raymond Pianka, Cleveland's housing judge, a neighbor and the employer of Elliott's widow, Mimi. ``He has taken some homes that appeared to be beyond saving and made them showplaces.'' Elliott liked not just walking into a place but walking to it. He'd turn down a project if he and his small crew couldn't walk there from their homes. He hoped each project would ripple through the neighborhood. He preferred corner homes, helping two blocks instead of one. He liked to install modern conveniences such as whirlpools while highlighting history. ``There's not a newer old house in the city,'' he boasted about one salvage job. He bought homes suffering from water, waste and vandals and sold them for several times his purchase price. He'd comb rural Ohio for replacement parts or make them himself, from tiles to spindles. Elliott said he'd decided at age 7 to spruce up old homes. He was born on the East Side, the seventh of eight children. His father was an engineer, and several brothers followed suit. He left Cleveland at 12 and graduated from Willoughby South High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, making photographs and maps, serving partly in South Korea. Elliott returned to Cleveland in the early 1970s and helped Hauserman Inc. draft work for projects such as the Americana high-rise in Euclid. He later drafted pipes and buildings for Goodrich in Solon. On the side, he got an associate's degree in arts at Cuyahoga Community College. He started renovating West Side homes about 1978. He owned about 16 buildings over the years and handled many others as well. He worked for Century 21 and led Nolasco Housing Corp., a development group affiliated with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, in the 1980s. Elliott was honored by Cleveland Magazine and the Cleveland Restoration Society. On the side, he liked to bicycle, raise terriers and sail. He put together a 27-foot boat from a kit.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club and applaud their efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of coal and its contributions to global warming. As the nation takes strides towards more environmentally sound ways of producing energy, it is important that we recognize the danger of trading one harmful fuel for another. If we hope to have a stable climate, we must refrain from the use of strong and toxic pollutants like coal. Americans are known for their determination and innovation when faced with a challenge. Let us rely on these qualities in our transition to cleaner energy, rather than choosing an easy way out represented by coal. The health of our children and our planet is too big of a price to pay for our continued dependence on coal. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the efforts that the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club has taken in raising awareness of the dangers of coal. As the nation works towards cleaner energy policies, organizations such as the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club are working tirelessly to keep the American public accurately informed on energy issues.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2009 and the employees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The service and dedication of the men and women that work to ensure the safety of our country is admirable. This bill responds to the public safety needs of our communities in a time of hardship by providing $800 million in grants to fire departments, of which $380 million is provided for the Assistance for Firefighters Grants program used to train, hire and retain our local firemen and women. It funds an increase in the number of border patrol agents to 20,019, providing additional jobs and better national security. I also support the provisions requiring DHS to monitor the medical care of all detainees held in immigration detention facilities and to direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to report to Congress on steps it has taken to ensure that all detainees are receiving proper medical care and attention. I remain concerned about provisions in the bill regarding prisoners held in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. I commend President Obama's pledge to close Guantanamo Bay, but this bill fails to ensure that the rule of law and our commitment to universal human rights are being upheld for detainees. Section 522(a) of the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to conduct extensive threat assessments for all detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility as of April 20, 2009, and to place all detainees on the ``no-fly'' list unless there is Presidential Certification to exclude them on such a list. This section also prohibits any funds in the act from being used to provide detainees with any immigration benefits, including refugee or asylum classification. The treatment and detention of hundreds of foreign nationals held indefinitely and illegally without charge at Guantanamo Bay has violated our most basic democratic principles. The burden to right this wrong by ensuring due process for the remaining 245 falls on the U.S. The detainees held at Guantanamo Bay must be afforded habeas corpus protections. We must have the confidence in our own U.S. system of justice to try the detainees. I will continue to work to ensure all have equal protection under the law. I urge my colleagues to support passage of this bill.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Thomas Rae and in recognition of his dedication to his family and country. Thomas was born on March 2, 1930 in Cleveland Ohio as one of five siblings. Upon graduating from high school, Thomas joined and served in the United States Army for three years before being honorably discharged. After returning to Ohio, he married Mildred Dziak, and they had four daughters who were raised in Strongsville, Ohio. While raising a family, Thomas worked as an inspector for Terex General Motors and later as a supervisor at NASA. Thomas enjoyed his later years in the company of his children and their families. He was fortunate enough to spend time with all thirteen of his grandchildren and especially enjoyed watching them participate in sports. Thomas also took pleasure in the outdoors, playing golf, and handy-work after retirement. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in remembrance of Thomas Rae, who lived his life with the enduring support of his family and in recognition to his dedicated service to our country. I offer my deepest sympathies to his wife, Mildred; children, Denise Kucinich, Karen Vraja, Arleen Miciunas and Cheryl Vanderwyst; and grandchildren, Gary, Matt, Ryan and Michael Kucinich, Amanda, Samantha and Tommy Vraja, Lukas, Alyssa and Alec Miciunas, Lindsey, David and Nicole Vanderwyst.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Captain Michael T. Doyle, upon his retirement from the Cleveland Police Department, following thirty years of dedicated service to the citizens of Cleveland. Captain Doyle graduated from Normandy High School in Parma, Ohio, then went on to graduate with honors from Cleveland State University. Shortly thereafter, Captain Doyle accepted a position in law enforcement as the Assistant Deputy Sherriff for Medina County. After four years, in 1981, he began his service to the City of Cleveland as a Cleveland Police officer. Captain Doyle's service to our community extended across nearly every police district in the City and included work as patrol officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain. Throughout his tenure, Captain Doyle fostered trust, communication and cooperation among individuals throughout our community, from neighborhood block club members to elected officials at Cleveland City Hall. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Captain Michael T. Doyle for his unwavering dedication to protecting the citizens of Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chair, the amendment offered by Representative Schiff of California would allow a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) to apply for grants made available by the Department of Defense. Of NASA's ten field centers, there is only one FFRDC--the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)--in Pasadena, California. The amendment would allow this NASA center to do the ``research, development, demonstration, or transfer of technology . . . for activities including, but not limited to, those conducted by the center under contact with or on behalf of the Department of Defense.'' NASA is a civilian agency, doing civilian work that affects every American in various ways. It must not become too closely associated with the Department of Defense. NASA's mission is to pioneer scientific discovery, aeronautics research and space exploration, not to conduct research for the benefit of the Department of Defense. At a time when these programs may be facing extensive funding cuts, allowing NASA's field centers to focus solely on carrying out NASA's mission could not be of more importance. Allowing JPL to apply for these grants would set a precedent that could pave the way for other NASA centers to follow suit. NASA is prohibited by law from accepting these grants from the Department of Defense for a reason. NASA should not be doing the work of the Department of Defense and should remain a distinct entity doing strictly civilian work for civilian benefits. It should be fully funded in order to allow it to do so.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of La Sagrada Familia Festival being held this June 26 through 28, 2009 and in remembrance of Reverend David F. Fallon, founding pastor of La Sagrada Familia Parish. This year's celebration is the twenty-fifth annual Latin American Festival and is being held at the Sagrada Familia Parish in Cleveland, Ohio. The members of the La Sagrada Familia Parish in Cleveland have a long history of dedication to our community and to empowering Cleveland's diverse Latin American community. This year's celebration will feature live music, cultural dances, children's activities and a talent show that highlight the rich culture of the Latin American community. This year's honoree, Reverend David Fallon, became the founding pastor of Sagrada Familia on April 11, 1998 and continued in that role until his death on May I, 2009. Under his direction, La Sagrada Familia became a source of strength and support for people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Father Fallon initiated numerous programs and organized church volunteers to serve the community through social service, employment and education initiatives. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the La Sagrada Familia Festival as they honor the memory of Reverend David F. Fallon at the 25th annual Latin American Festival. I offer my best wishes for a joyous celebration of culture and community.

Mr. KUCINICH

Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Ken Warren, on the occasion of his retirement as director of the Lakewood Library after 25 years of dedicated service to our community. In his capacity as director of the Lakewood Library, Ken worked to promote and develop innovative projects and programs hosted at the Lakewood Library and throughout the Lakewood community. Ken Warren has maintained an enthusiasm for books and the power of the written word since his childhood. His interest in community issues began when he was a teen, as editor of an underground paper at his parochial high school. He is founding member of the Lakewood Observer and has made the publication a critical instrument of exchange of ideas and opinions on important civic and community issues. During his tenure as director, the Lakewood Library underwent major expansions and improvements, including the complete interior and exterior renovation of the main library building, the development of a new technology center, public auditorium, a children's wing, and an inspiring display of murals that grace the walls throughout the facility. Ken has consistently reached out to the citizens, agencies and community leaders of Lakewood creating strong working relationships and friendships throughout the city. His legacy is highlighted by his unwavering advocacy and innovation in promoting and implementing literacy and learning programs, connecting the library to the public schools. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of Ken Warren, whose tenure at the Lakewood Library is framed by integrity, kindness, love for learning, passion for the written word, and above all, an unbridled commitment to the betterment of the entire Lakewood community.