Mark Kirk

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman who lost Jessica Lunsford in her own district. Our leader on this issue is Congressman Jon Porter from Nevada, the author of the School Safety Acquiring Faculty Excellence Act, and I want to yield to him.

Mr. KIRK. I would say that we welcome Republicans, Democrats, everyone, to join this agenda, because while this is popular, while people want this to happen, it hasn't happened yet. This is an incomplete agenda, where we have not set a national strategy to eliminate gangs; we have not established 401-kids programs; we have not interlinked the Federal databases on sexual predators; we have not taken sufficient action on social networking sites like myspace.com to protect kids. All of this, then, builds up to a set of unfinished work which the Congress should now finish in order to protect the lives of Americans. One of the other issues that we hear about very often from suburban families is that we need to take greater action for conservation, that we support the national park system, we want it to be healthy and we want it to grow, but we also want to protect green and open space right near home. Without action by the Federal and State governments, there might come a day when we would drive to work or school and see an unending series of strip malls and no green or open space taken to protect the environment in our local communities. The suburban agenda also contains two pieces of legislation, one by Jim Gerlach and the other by Mike Fitzpatrick, both of Pennsylvania, that encourages donations of open space for conservation purposes and also protects farmland from being gobbled up in suburban communities. I think it is critical that we embrace a future in this country of rapidly expanding suburban communities in which families 10 and 20 years from now also see green and open space and that they do not let inaction by the government or a climate which does not encourage the donation of these areas, to let these key properties go. I yield to my colleague from Georgia.

Mr. KIRK. I thank the gentleman. It was decisive action of this kind that saved the Wagner Farm in Glenview, Illinois. We still celebrate the cows in that suburban community, now intensely built up, but because of foresighted action by the local community, that farm was preserved and it is helping educate a number of kids in the area about different ways to live and to preserve green space in their community. I want to speak for a second about another bill, a bill that is later on in the suburban agenda that defends the rights of teachers to be able to search a child to make sure that their classroom is gun and drug free. A number of us, me included, hesitated seeing a child using our training and our instinct as teachers, knowing that we probably have an issue with a child, but under Federal law and current Supreme Court decisions, we have to show a specific suspicion toward that child before we can execute a search of their book bag, their clothes or their locker. I think that the country is ready to trust teachers, especially people that are long-experienced, certified, full-time teachers, to use their intuition and experience to defend a fundamental value, which is that Americans have a right to a safe and drug-free school and that the teachers and the administrators in that school know best how to appreciate danger and handle it immediately. I recently talked with two teachers at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, where they said that they knew the children, where they had a problem of a weapon potentially coming into the school, but they hesitated. They hesitated because many families in the neighborhood were lawyers, and they would worry about a big lawsuit and jeopardizing their jobs. That hesitation so far in Lincolnshire, Illinois, has not led to a tragedy. But we have seen other tragedies, like at Columbine High School or in my own district in Winnetka, Illinois, where Laurie Dann led an attack against school kids with a gun. Defending the rights of teachers to ensure the safety of their classroom is what the Teacher Safety Act is all about from Congressman Geoff Davis, and I think this once again represents commonsense action. Why do we need to take Federal action on what should be a local issue? Because the Federal courts have continually ruled on this issue, and it is only by action of the Federal legislature that we can define the rights of teachers to protect their classroom. I yield to my colleague from Georgia.

Mr. KIRK. I thank the gentleman. Tomorrow, then, five dozen Members of Congress come together to unveil the suburban agenda, many of these pieces of legislation already with bipartisan support, and it represents commonsense solutions addressing real issues before the country, important issues for all families, and it represents a critical agenda of key items of legislation addressing problems before American families that can be done in this session of Congress.

Mr. KIRK. I thank the gentleman who has become the leader on protecting kids from these new powerful tools online. Suburban families have told us consistently that they want congressional action on education, health care, conservation and the economy; and one of our big reforms in the area of health care is accelerating health care information technology. I yield to my colleague from Georgia to talk about that major piece of legislation.

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Nevada because he is the author of the lead bill of the suburban agenda, and that will be coming up shortly in the Congress here. We know that, for example, in the State of Michigan, schools unwittingly hired 2,500 people convicted of sexual assault, murder and other felonies, exactly because these predators fell between the cracks of the various State registries which have been established and were not brought together in a single Federal register. One of the great problems that we have is also the emergence of international drug gangs moving into suburban communities. There are over 800,000 members of drug gangs now in America. It would be the seventh largest army in the world, and we need action to make sure that these gangs, sometimes suppressed inside large urban cores by capable police departments like the Chicago Police Department, are now moving into the suburbs. This is a phenomenon that we are not immune to in Chicagoland. It is happening all over the country, and I yield to my colleague from Atlanta to talk about the law enforcement situation that they face with gangs in that community.

Mr. KIRK. One of the critical problems we have, we have heard of gangs like the Latin Kings and the Vice Lords and the Gangster Disciples, but we have a new gang emerging called MS-13 that may have reported, we don't know, links to international terror groups coming out of drug activity south of the border that seem to have no compunction with killing police officers, both on the West and East coasts. This is not just a threat to kids in school, it is a homeland defense issue.

Mr. KIRK. We all know Dave Reichert from Washington, who was the national hero who tracked down the Green River killer and is someone who understands well law enforcement challenges east of the Cascades in Seattle. One of the big issues we are also dealing with is a fear among families in America that it may be more difficult for their children to reach the middle class than it was for them. Another key item of the suburban agenda would establish 401-kids, a tax-deferred savings account for each child. I want to yield to my colleague who shares Florida with the author of that legislation, Clay Shaw.

Mr. KIRK. I thank the gentlelady. We have seen a number of gangs morph from the view that we had of them in the 1950s coming out of cartoon images like West Side Story of the Jets and the Sharks, a group of local toughs that no longer exist. These gangs are all connected to international drug cartels, many times having weapons and contacts far exceeding local law enforcement, especially suburban law enforcement. And now the view that they have is that they merely need to move outside of cities where they take on smaller police departments or high school officials and security officials that are not well experienced with these groups to continue their operations. Congressman Reichert's Gang Elimination Act of 2006 makes common sense. It simply says to the Attorney General, identify the top three national drug threat gangs and put forward a plan to the Congress to take them down within 4 years. It sets an example of those gangs that if you represent a near and present danger to kids and to the homeland security of the United States, that the U.S. Government is going to take effective action. The suburban agenda is very much about the security of families from gang violence. It is also about financial security. It is building a nest egg for each child with 401-kids family savings accounts. The Congress should build success upon success. The creation of the 401(k) program transformed the culture of the country to promote much greater savings and investment for people's retirement. In 2001, the Congress created 529 college savings plans, and over 7 million Americans have saved over $75 billion in these accounts. The 401-kids accounts expands the tax-free savings for each child's college education to also allow the first-time purchase of a home. This is something that much more greatly ensures access of our children into the middle class. That opportunity is not just to build a nest egg for the child, it also gives an opportunity for each parent to sit down with that child and review how their account is being built, what is the difference between a stock and a bond and a regular savings account, how they did this year, to build a culture of savings and investment for the rest of the child's life. I yield to my colleague from Georgia.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the UNRWA Integrity Act of 2006 with Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA). This bill ensures that American taxpayers are not funding terrorism through contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA was created in 1949 as a temporary agency to provide relief services to Palestinian refugees. It is the only United Nations agency dedicated to one specific group of refugees. The United States is the UNRWA's largest donor, contributing more than $2 billion since 1950. In 2005 alone, the United States donated $108 million, constituting nearly a fourth of UNRWA's annual budget. Yet, there is a startling lack of accountability over UNRWA's financial activities. An analysis of UNRWA's most recent internal audit performed by the United Nations Board of Auditors finds vague summary totals. Account after account in this audit describe line items as ``Cash Assistance'' or ``Unearmarked Contribution.'' At least $43 million of UNRWA's budget is undefined. As American taxpayers, we are entitled to better accounting standards. With Hamas' rise to leadership of the Palestinian Authority, we must ensure that contributions to UNRWA do not end up in the hands of terrorists. This is no idle concern. UNRWA was suspected in terrorist activity involving terrorists using UNRWA ambulances to transport weapons. Furthermore, UNRWA employees use their posts to run for office on Hamas' ticket. When questioned on Hamas candidates working for UNRWA, the Commissioner General refused to comment. The UNRWA Integrity Act ensures money designated for humanitarian assistance does not fall into the hands of terrorists. The bill requires the President must certify to Congress that UNRWA is subject to comprehensive financial audits by an internationally recognized, independent auditing firm; does not knowingly provide employment, refuge, assistance or support of any kind to members of foreign terrorist organizations; and is not an impediment to finding a lasting solution for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza. The bill also calls upon the State Department to assess the prospect of phasing out services provided by UNRWA, and examine anti-Semitic bias in UNRWA's educational material. Tying future U.S. assistance to UNRWA to an independent, internationally recognized expenditure audit will ensure U.S. taxpayer money does not support terrorist organizations like Hamas. I want to thank my good friend Congressman Tom Lantos for being the lead co- sponsor of this legislation. I look forward to working with him and my other colleagues on this bill to bring accountability to UNRWA. By doing so, we can take positive steps towards solving the refugee problem without allowing U.S. dollars to fall into the hands of terrorists.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill because it addresses one key problem, that the United States has not built a new refinery in America since the 1976 bicentennial, 30 years ago. Over 50 million Americans have moved to our country since then but no new refineries. We can expand gas supplies and lower prices at the pump while strengthening our environmental law through this legislation, and who doubts that we cannot make new refineries be cleaner than old refineries? This bill stands for the principle that we should simply coordinate our laws, written in different decades by different Congresses, to yield environmental protection and more gasoline at the pumps. The population of the United States is expanding. So should our ability to provide gasoline to Americans. We should do so, though, not at the expense of the environment; and this bill does not modify those statutes. It simply says the various Federal bureaucracies should all be coordinated in one place. It makes common sense and helps us reduce pressure at the pump.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the U.S. China Engagement Act of 2006 with Congressman Rick Larsen. The goal of our bill is to ensure American students and businesses are equipped to compete with China throughout the 21st century. The U.S. China Engagement Act of 2006 provides grants for Chinese language instruction programs for American students, expands the U.S. diplomatic presence in China, and establishes new trade offices which support our U.S. exports to China, ensuring our small and medium size businesses are able to compete in Asia. This legislation will help give our American students the tools to compete in a global marketplace. By one measure, China is now the world's second largest economy. According to the Asian Conference, 50,000 American students are studying Chinese versus 110 million Chinese students studying English. The U.S. China Engagement Act of 2006 will provide resources to primary, secondary and post-secondary schools so that all levels of our educational system can provide the proper exposure to the Chinese language and economy. The U.S. China Engagement Act of 2006 triples funding to the State Department for public diplomacy in China and authorizes the creation of a new consulate and ten ``diplomatic presence posts'' in larger Chinese cities. It also increases the U.S. contribution to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, a 21 Member Organization whose goal is to promote free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. America must embrace a strong diplomatic partnership to increase the chance our children will enjoy a stable, economically prosperous and peaceful future with China. Today, China produces more steel than the U.S.; it has more cell phone users and is building its own space station. Hundreds of U.S. companies from McDonald's to Motorola are heavily invested in the Chinese market. China has bought several airplanes from Boeing and Chinese purchases of other U.S. exports are climbing at a rate of 15 percent a year. At her present rate of growth, China's economy has the potential to become larger than America's. The U.S. China Engagement Act takes steps to help small and medium size American businesses enter the China market by increasing resources to the Foreign Commercial Service Office of the Commerce Department and creating new export promotion programs. The U.S. China Engagement Act is an important step in addressing the most critical relationship of the 21st century. It is vital that Americans be prepared for this relationship. We must be prepared diplomatically, educationally, and economically. Our students must have the ability to both culturally understand our competition while also having the ability to communicate with them in their language. This bill will give American students and American businesses the tools to compete in the new and expanding market of China. I want to thank my co-chair of the U.S.-China Working Group, Congressman Rick Larsen, for being the lead co-sponsor on this legislation. And I want to thank Senators Lieberman and Alexander who have a companion bill. I look forward to working with them on these important issues surrounding China.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, I thank my partner, co-chair of the U.S.- China Working Group, on this amendment. I had the honor of serving on the Paul Simon Exchange Commission for the United States to look at his vision of having a million Americans study abroad. That is a very important goal, very worthwhile because of America's position in the world. But, quite frankly, I think there are two language groups vital to the future security, to the economy, and to the diplomacy of the United States, and that is Arabic and Chinese. This amendment highlights that priority for the United States, for our future. Obviously, we know with the global war on terror the importance of the command of the Arabic language. But we also see China rising and projected by the IMF on 19th Street here in Washington, D.C. to be the second largest economy on Earth. And it makes sense for the United States to place its highest diplomatic priority on relations with the number two economy of the 21st century, which is China. Currently, we have reports that there are over 200 million people in China who are or have studied English, but in the United States the total number of Americans who are studying or have studied Chinese number just 28,000. We need to redress that balance to make sure that we have a full engagement with China, with her rising economy, with her very important diplomacy with regard to North Korea, Iran, et cetera, and obviously with military developments there. So I thank the chairman for his support, and I commend my co-chair of the U.S.-China Working Group, because I think in the necessary funding of exchanges we should place a priority on these two language groups.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to ensure the federal government fulfills an important obligation to the families of servicemen and women in my district. In 1950, Congress established the Impact Aid program to assist school districts and communities that lose their property tax base because of the presence of the federal government. Though the program was fully-funded between 1950 and 1969, funding levels in more recent years have not kept pace with the amount required. I am happy that my Illinois Senators are introducing a companion bill to the same effect. Due to a unique housing situation for the Great Lakes Naval Training Facility, Impact Aid funding should be higher in five of my school districts. This Naval base is located in North Chicago, one of the poorest school districts in my state. However, some service members and their families live in housing the Navy obtained when Ft. Sheridan and Naval Air Station Glenview, located well away from North Chicago, were closed in the 1990's. These former bases are located within the boundaries of other school districts--districts that bear the economic cost of educating children from a base, but receive none of the economic benefits a base provides. Thus, it is vitally important that we both ensure North Chicago continues to receive heavily impacted payments for the benefit of students living there, and that the surrounding communities are more fairly compensated for their loss of property taxes. Mr. Speaker, we cannot abdicate our responsibility towards our military families. I have already introduced a bill this Congress, H.R. 390, the Government Reservation Accelerated Development for Education Act (GRADE-A), to fully fund the Impact Aid program. However, the situation in my district warrants special attention. In order to ensure that our students most in need continue to receive necessary resources, I have introduced a new bill to help North Chicago remain qualified for heavily impacted payments, and Glenview and Highland Park receive fair compensation. By passing this bill, the federal government will be fulfilling its responsibility to these communities, and giving our military families the support they deserve. I urge the local communities to continue to work to come to an agreement that most importantly, takes care of our students .

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, I thank the Chair, and I want to particularly thank Mr. Obey of Wisconsin and our chairman, Mr. Lewis of California, for their work on this. This amendment addresses a critical need in the drug war in Afghanistan. Since the U.S. coalition forces arrived in Afghanistan, Afghanistan has become the source of three-quarters of the world's heroin supply. We know what a failed state in Afghanistan leads to. In our new counternarcotic operations in Afghanistan, the United States is about to launch a major operation in the Helmand River Valley, where over half of the heroin crop is raised. In doing this, Afghan forces, including their police, will be hitting drug labs, and we need to collect critical information as those operations unfold. This amendment would provide for critical tools on an aircraft already owned by the Drug Enforcement Agency to collect information on drug traffickers, and especially on kingpins who could be connected to terror. On this, I very much support the work of Chairman Wolf.

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, I strongly support the Shays amendment because this continues the CAP program led by groups like Mercy Corps in Iraq who are able to operate with very low levels of security because they are so heavily supported by the local community. This is a phenomenally successful program. The gentleman is exactly right.

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

Mr. KIRK. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would provide this critical platform to give the tools necessary for Drug Enforcement Agency to be the most effective they can be against Afghan drug kingpins. We already have 120 dedicated drug enforcement personnel on the ground helping Afghan police to carry out this mission. Chairman Hyde, Chairman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, and I have backed this amendment because we feel it is critical for DEA to have these tools now to apply the lessons learned in Colombia to build a success in the coming operations in Afghanistan. It is also important to note that this House supported amendments to the PATRIOT Act, which now make it a crime to deal in heroin for the support of terror without the need to show a connection to the U.S. market. We have seen Afghan drug dealers and terrorists killing U.S. troops, including two from the 10th Mountain Division, and this tool and the legal authorities that the House just provided are critical in helping force protection and adding to the tools that we need to continue this conflict in the most effective way. So with that, I urge adoption of this amendment. It is a modest addition to this bill and provides a critical tool that will very quickly, dramatically assist in DEA's operation in Afghanistan.

Mr. KIRK. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 16 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a bill to require all vessels, including those with no ballast water on board (NOBOBs), to undergo ballast water exchange before entering the Great Lakes. Invasive species pose a dangerous threat to the Great Lakes. These creatures can cause irreparable ecological and economic damage to a variety of locations and industries. Although no federal agency accumulates such statistics comprehensively, an estimate by the American Association for the Advancement of Science put damage to the U.S. economy at $123 billion annually. We must do better to prevent the introduction of invasives into the Great Lakes environment. One method by which these species enter the Great Lakes is through ballast water tanks. Current law requires ships carrying ballast water to undergo ballast water exchange to flush out invasive species before entering the Great Lakes from another port. However, 90 percent of all ships entering the Great Lakes have no ballast water on board. These NOBOBs are not subject to the same ballast water exchange laws, even though they still have ballast tanks. Invasive species often survive in the sediment at the bottom of these tanks. When these ships operate in the Great Lakes, they may add and then pump out new ballast water before leaving. This mixes with residual ballast water and sediments, and provides an unregulated pathway for the introduction of new invasive species when the ballast water is released. In other words, the contamination begins. We must not leave 90 percent of ships entering the Great Lakes untreated. This bipartisan legislation requires all ships with ballast tanks, including NOBOBs, to undergo ballast water exchange. In addition, the bill commissions a study of the effectiveness and environmental soundness of other ballast treatment options. The language fixes a current problem and works towards an even stronger solution for the future. Mr. Speaker, this legislation, while small, has enormous consequences for the health and safety of one of our national treasures. I am proud to introduce this ballast water legislation to significantly reduce the infiltration of invasive species into the Great Lakes.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I support House Concurrent Resolution 341 condemning the Government of Iran for violating its international nuclear nonproliferation obligations and expressing support for efforts to report Iran to the United Nations Security Council. As co-chairman of the Iran Working Group, I am increasingly concerned about Iran's movement towards the brink of a nuclear showdown. In response to the historic International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, referral of Iran to the United Nations Security Council, UNSC, Iran retaliated by halting snap inspections by IAEA inspectors. There are even reports that Iran resumed uranium-enrichment at its Natanz nuclear plant, a process that had been suspended for two years following the disclosure of Iran's covert program. Iranian President Ahmadinejad warned that Iran could withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if international pressure increased over its nuclear program. President Ahmadinejad repeatedly states that his nation will develop nuclear capabilities, and continually rebuffs efforts of nations such as Russia and the EU-3 in providing a way out of a conflict. Given the Iranian President's genocidal intentions of ``wiping Israel off the map,'' we cannot allow Iran to advance on its path towards a nuclear future. The Congress must consider many options to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. That is why I introduced House Concurrent Resolution 177, which calls on our allies and the U.S. to consider quarantining gasoline sales to Iran should the Iranians reject the international effort to end the nuclear impasse. Despite being one of the world's top oil producing nations, Iran is highly dependent on foreign gasoline due to severe mismanagement of its domestic energy supply. The need is so great that the Iranian government regularly debates rationing gasoline to manage its short supply. An oil embargo on exports from Iran could hurt Western economies, but a gasoline quarantine on imports to Iran would fall heavily on Iran alone. Now is the time for the Security Council to take strong action against Iran. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of House Concurrent Resolution 341.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to the Conference Report to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Earlier this evening, I voted in favor of the FY 2006 Defense Authorization bill because it was a good bill, unencumbered by controversial and non-defense related items. I oppose this bill for several reasons. First, evidence indicates that this bill does not provide what Defense Department officials already know our forces will require in the field. Today, officials in our Army headquarters are working on a new request for money from taxpayers far in excess of what is provided in this Conference Report. Authoritative press accounts indicate that the Department has already identified ``urgent'' needs exceeding $100 billion above the amounts included in this legislation. This bill only provides half that amount. No doubt we will consider additional appropriations in the spring. We should have done it here and now. Common sense would dictate that the Congress should include these funds in a bill not yet passed if the Army already knows its current funding request before Congress will fall far short of what uniformed Americans in the field need. It would appear that instead, we may pass this bill--already known to be inadequate to our needs--and then ask for more money under procedures that waive the budget and will automatically add every dollar in new appropriations to our deficit. Deliberate and stable management of our defense budget demands better. So do our men and women in uniform. If we know they have urgent needs in the field, it is our duty to meet them. I oppose this bill for another reason. The calm, stable administration of appropriations follows the rules of the House, precedent, and common sense. Our rules mandate that matters not germane to a bill be excluded. Hence, this should be a defense appropriations bill, nothing else. Our House rules normally exclude matters from final consideration that have not been attached to the bill in either the House or the Senate. That requires elected representatives of at least one chamber to review all matters for consideration in a House-Senate conference. This bill includes extraneous issues not related to the defense of the Nation. It sets a bad precedent that could bog down other defense bills with controversial, non-defense issues not considered by either chamber. This unusual procedure has prevented nearly all members of both the House and Senate from considering these contentious issues. A key controversial issue included in this bill authorizes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. It was not considered in either the House or the Senate bills. It is not germane to legislation making appropriations for national defense. Like many ``Green Republican'' members who support the protection of the Refuge, I oppose this bill because it includes this controversial, unpassed and non-germane attachment to the Defense Appropriations bill. This bill does not provide the full funding that the Army already knows is necessary for our troops in the field. The bill runs against House rules by including controversial matters not attached by either the House or Senate. It also has provisions totally unrelated to defense issues, opening the door for future defense bills to be slowed by unnecessary controversy. Mr. Speaker, I have never voted against a defense authorization or appropriation bill. My record is still perfect having always supported all Defense Authorization bills. As a Member of Congress and a naval officer, I have dedicated a good portion of my life to our national safety. My hope on the coming vote tonight is that we can redraft this appropriations bill to add funds the Army already knows it needs while stripping extraneous and controversial provisions from the conference report. When we do so, we should find a way to pass a defense appropriations final bill that does not open the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling and does not provide school vouchers to religious schools only because they are located in the Gulf Coast region.

Mr. KIRK

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, the State Department's Terrorist Rewards Program is one of the most successful and inexpensive programs against international terrorists. As a staff member to Chairman Gilman, I drafted the enhancements to this program that made it a very successful program in the arrest of United Nations war criminals in Yugoslavia. Chairman Hyde, Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen, and Ranking Member Lantos joined me several years ago in increasing this rewards program to a total offer of $50 million. We also enacted more important reforms that authorize brand new newspaper, radio, and TV ads to increase the impact of this program. Mr. Amil Sanzi killed Americans outside CIA headquarters before fleeing to Pakistan. Matchbox covers with his face on them provided the impetus for the key tip that led to his arrest, conviction, and execution. Uday and Qusay Hussein, the murderous sons of Saddam Hussein, were found and cornered by a tip from this program. Today, we are hunting down Osama bin Laden, Ayman Zawahiri, and Mullah Omar, the leaders of al Qaeda and the Taliban dictatorship. I have conducted two official missions to the Afghan-Pakistan border where conventional wisdom has located the probable sites of the al Qaeda core leadership. I assessed this rewards program and proposed improvements to change its effectiveness. We found that the radio, newspaper, and TV ads in Pakistan are working. Under Richard Griffin, the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security; Ryan Crocker, our very able Ambassador to Pakistan; and David Noordelas, a very able diplomatic security professional, we executed a $200,000 TV and radio campaign that led to dozens of new tips against leaders of the al Qaeda core. We are about to relaunch this program, and it will be even more successful. But there is one problem. Many officials in this part of the world make only $200 or $300 a year. This bill gives the President and Secretary of State the flexibility to authorize rewards for the arrest of the top, key, high-value targets: bin Laden, Zawahiri, Zarqawi, people who lead al Qaeda and its war on Americans. We need this flexibility to grant such rewards. The arrest of Osama bin Laden is a mission of near messianic importance to the American people, and we have a winner here in the rewards program. With the reforms the House passes today, we increase the odds that we will crush the al Qaeda core in some of the most remote parts of the Earth. I want to thank Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Lantos, and John Mackay of the International Relations staff for his particular help on this key issue that will add enhancements to one of the most successful anti-terror programs in the United States.