Nick Lampson

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday I held an event to honor Eloise Milam, a great lady and a proud American, who gave much and has given much to her country and its military by founding the Melody Maids. Founded in Beaumont, Texas, the Melody Maids traveled countless times from coast to coast, singing for conventions and programs of all sorts but primarily for military installations and especially veterans hospitals. They made tours to Europe, several more to England, three to the Far East, seven to the far north, four to the Caribbean, five to Mexico, seven to Hawaii, and four to Bermuda, Iceland, and the Azores. Many of the tours were financed by the girls themselves with money made from musicals, style shows, cake and pie sales and other benefits. The Melody Maids were the most frequently requested of all performers who traveled with the Department of Defense's professional entertainment branch. Eloise Milam's leadership is characterized by a combination of kindness and emphasis on excellence. The standards she set for the group are many we should set for ourselves today. Eloise stressed the value of service to our fellow human beings, the rewards of helping one another in group activities, and a respect for different cultures and religions. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to stand here today and recognize Eloise Milam's tireless work and passionate dedication to service and country. She continues to be an inspiration for us all.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) for yielding me time to speak on this issue that I have indeed considered a passion of my service in Congress and have done a great deal of work. I also want to thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for the wonderful work he has done. He is the former Governor of Delaware. I thank the gentleman for the work that he has done not only when he served that State in the capacity as Governor; but since he has been in Congress, he has been one of the true leaders on the issue that has to do with child safety. We have worked on not just this piece of legislation today, but others; and I thank the gentleman for that. I think the people of the country will be indebted to the gentleman forever. Madam Speaker, I am proud to ask all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 484. We all know now the names of Elizabeth Smart and Michelle VanDamme and all the other children who were tragically abducted this summer. This sense of Congress expresses that we, the representatives of children all across America, care about their well- being and safety. In 1996 just after I was elected, shortly after I took the oath of office to this wonderful body, I did not even know about the issue. I had not spoken about it. I knew a little bit about it because I have children myself; but it came to my attention in such a way that it was dramatic in that a little girl, Laura Kate Smither, was abducted and murdered in my district. The search for her went on for 2\1/2\ weeks before her body was found in a drainage ditch. The outpouring of support that came from Friendwood, Texas, the support that the friends and neighbors of the Smithers showed, and in the hurt that I saw in the eyes of Bob and Gaye Smither when they learned of the death of their daughter was phenomenal to me; and I vowed to come back here to Washington, D.C. to do my best to make some kind of a difference on these horrendous issues that affect so many of our children. We soon found the wonderful people at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and learned of the need to have a coordinated effort here in the House of Representatives, that we might be able to work on legislation that so many different Members were working on in a coordinated manner. So I was proud to be the person who spearheaded the founding of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. The goal of that caucus was to serve as a unified voice for missing and exploited children and to increase awareness on this issue. This resolution serves both of those purposes. I stand here today with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to say that missing kids are not a partisan issue. We have worked together on this legislation and many other pieces of legislation, including legislation on the Amber Plan and Code Adam and the wonderful work that the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) has done on curriculum that has been distributed. And one of the things I often tell people at home when they ask, What is it we can do? What can we do? It is easy for folks to pick up the telephone and call a local school and ask them what their curriculum is to teach children and at what levels. They need to be taught all the way through school about what they can do. It is no longer a simple matter of telling people, Do not talk to strangers. The issue is much more significant than that. We say to the public, Congress is concerned about our American children and their safety. We believe that Federal, State and local law enforcement and communities should work together to prevent the victimization of children, and we are indeed trying to do just that. The program that we have been hearing about with the Amber Alert that I have just mentioned is one where the public becomes a partner with law enforcement and extends law enforcement's ability to do significantly greater things within our communities. We say to communities, schools and parents should learn more and teach their children the skills they need to be safe. I want to thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for introducing this legislation and letting me join him in the work on it and all of our other colleagues. Together, Republican and Democrat alike, we can make a difference in the lives of children everywhere. We are doing so with this and other pieces of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 484.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Code Adam Act. Code Adam is a proven, successful program that has saved lives in the retail environment. It is time to bring that same measure of safety to children in Federal buildings. Since the Code Adam program began in 1994, it has been a powerful preventive tool against child abductions and lost children in more than 25,000 stores across the Nation. The House and Senate versions of the Code Adam Act would require the implementation of this protocol in all Federal buildings. Wal-Mart started this fantastic program in the name of Adam Walsh, John and Reve Walsh's son, who was abducted from a mall and murdered in Florida about 20 years ago. Every day I see children walking through the Halls of Congress and in Federal buildings back home in Texas. God forbid, if a child would go missing in one of these buildings, this bill would make sure that a plan was in place to secure that building and find the child before something tragic could occur. Join me, the gentleman from Puerto Rico and many of our other colleagues in supporting this great piece of legislation.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to tell you that the Secret Service does not just protect the President, they also protect missing kids. Nearly a decade ago, Congress authorized the U.S. Secret Service to participate in a multi-agency task force with the purpose of providing resources, expertise and other assistance to local law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in cases involving missing and exploited children. This began a strong partnership between the Secret Service and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and resulted in the Secret Service providing critical forensic support, including polygraph examinations, handwriting examinations, fingerprint research and identification, age progressions and regressions and audio and video enhancements to the National Center and the law enforcement in numerous missing children's cases. However, there is a clear need to provide explicit statutory jurisdiction to the Secret Service to continue this forensic and investigative support upon request from local law enforcement, or NCMEC. I urge Members to support the Secret Service and NCMEC by cosponsoring the Secret Service Child Protection Act, H.R. 5389. Help the Secret Service continue their work on behalf of America's children.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, yesterday a group of staffers for Members who are part of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited children took part of a tour and briefing at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and I want to thank them today for taking the time to see firsthand the amazing work that the National Center does. One of the things that I did after the abduction and murder of Laura Kate Smither was to go to the National Center to see the work that they do there, to meet with Ernie Allen, the President and CEO of the National Center. Seeing the Center and the people who work there proved absolutely inspiring to me and helped me to found that Congressional caucus that so many of our Members now participate in. I hope that the Members of your staff, those of you who hear me and all of us who visited the center yesterday, were just as inspired and will bring that inspiration back to your offices. There is so much that we can do together to prevent the abduction and exploitation of America's children, if we but take the first step.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow in Texas I am co-hosting on the Beaumont Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Academy a seminar on missing-and-exploited-children cases. And while we work here in Washington to pass legislation to protect children at home and across America, I also think it is important for us to make sure that our law enforcement officers have the training that they need. The seminar is a day-long event run in conjunction with the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. The first 3 hours of the seminar will cover topics regarding the duties of the first responder and law enforcement resources. In the latter 4 hours, we will discuss the investigation of crimes against children with specific emphasis on physical and sexual abuse, abduction and missing children. Sixty-nine officers will attend this conference, and that is 69 officers who will be better equipped to deal with the terrible call from a parent saying, My child is missing. Mr. Speaker, I believe that passing legislation is not our only duty as Members of Congress. I also believe that we must work to educate and assist our communities. This is a great first start.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Bonnie Eloise Rush Milam. It is fitting that today we honor this great lady, a proud American who gave so much to her country and it's military by founding the Melody Maids. Eloise Milam was born in a house on the bay shore of Anahuac, Texas. Her family wound it's way through Texas, to Oregon and then eventually settled in Beaumont. She began to take piano lessons at age five and loved playing and singing on local programs, eventually becoming a member of the chorus at Beaumont High School. After graduation, she continued through college and after as a member of numerous music and drama organizations. She sang in church and community concerts and with the Beaumont Light Opera Company. By 1942, Eloise Milam had a very large group of private voice students. She was frequently asked to arrange programs for community affairs. When asked to assist with a bond rally at the Jefferson Theater, she presented her students as a choral group. Because the newspaper insisted on having a name for the group, they quickly decided on the Melody Maids. A new career was born. The Melody Maids traveled countless times from coast to coast, singing for conventions and programs of all sorts, but primarily for military installations and especially veteran's hospitals. They made four tours of Europe, several more to England, three to the Far East, seven to the Far North, four to the Caribbean, five to Mexico, seven to Hawaii and four to Bermuda, Iceland, and the Azores. Many of the tours were financed by the girls themselves with money made from musicals, style shows, cake and pie sales and other benefits. Practically all the tours after 1956 were sponsored by the Entertainment Branch of the Dept. of Defense. They were the most frequently requested of all the performers who traveled with the Department of Defense's Professional Entertainment Branch. She led her group into numerous hospital wards all over the world where individual conversations with wounded, injured, or ill military personnel proved to be a bright spot for them and a personal privilege for group members. Her influence has been felt by hundreds of Texas high-school and college-age Melody Maids and by thousands of military personnel around the world. Her talent and spirit represented by this group in their performances before civic organizations and in hospitals and military installations have brought significant goodwill to Texas. Her leadership was characterized by a combination of kindness and emphasis on excellence. The standards she set for the group are many that we should set for ourselves today. Eloise stressed the value of service to our fellow human beings, the rewards of helping one another in group activities, and a respect for different cultures and religions. Every August, women from all over the country head toward Beaumont. They come to spend a weekend reminiscing about their Melody Maid experiences, exchange family news, and mostly to be with Eloise and recognize her tireless work and passionate dedication to service and country. Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honor to stand here tonight, representing such an amazing lady. Eloise Milam's commitment to her community and country is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, usually when I stand here to address these 1-minutes, it is on the subject of missing children. Today I want to talk about kids who are missing mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and friends and family because on September 11 of last year more than 2,000 children lost a parent. This may not be the kind of loss that I usually address, but it is a profound loss, nonetheless. I want to send a message to those kids today that this House is thinking about them and they are in our hearts and in our prayers. The children of this country also lost a sense of innocence and security. I want to encourage parents across the Nation to talk to their children about the tragic events of September 11 of last year to reassure them that we all want the best for them and will continue to work to keep their, our, country safe from harm. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, I send our thoughts and prayers out to the children who lost somebody at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, or in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and to the kids all across America who are learning to deal with a changed and unsettled world. God bless you and God bless America.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Speaker, today I rise to again urge my colleagues, if they are not already members, to join the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. In 1997, a little girl named Laura Kate Smither was abducted while jogging near her home in my congressional district. She was later found murdered. We have seen many of those stories, unfortunately too many of them lately. The pain that I saw and the terror that I saw my community go through, as well as the way they came together to search for this little girl, inspired me to want to do something to prevent this kind of loss in the future. I came to Congress with a lot of ideas and issues on my mind, but soon realized the importance of one that was not being adequately addressed; and so I founded the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus to serve as a loud and unified voice for children all over the world. We have seen lots of stories recently on CNN and in our newspapers, elsewhere, during the summer. It is not that there are more but that we are becoming aware. I urge my colleagues to join this congressional caucus and to help us continue to fight child abduction and exploitation.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, in 1997 I established the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus to provide a unified and loud voice for missing children advocates within Congress. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) and 157 other Members work with me in this caucus today. While the caucus works to advance child safety legislation, we are also initiating community, State and national efforts to fight against the exploitation and abduction of our children. One of those community initiatives is a successful and effective way to combat child abduction and it is called Amber Alert. The Amber Alert is named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was tragically abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas in 1996. The tragedy was felt throughout North Texas, and it led to a search for new and innovative community responses to help law enforcement officials find missing children. That response is the Amber Alert, and it has frequently been successful in recovering missing children. We have been reading about it in our news media in just recent weeks. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our Members to take the opportunity to join with us to make this a successful nationwide program, to join me in supporting the Frost-Dunn National Amber Alert Network Act. The National Amber Alert Network Act is a common sense approach to the problem of child abduction. Child abduction is finally receiving the attention it deserves. Let us take this opportunity to bring legislation to the floor that all of America can be proud of.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tim Miller and the Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team (TES). Since Tim had horses of his own, and given a rash of missing persons in his area, many people suggested that he should start a horse search and rescue team. Tim shared this idea with some friends and was amazed at all the positive interest and support received. The first official TES officer meeting was held in August of 2000 and then the work started. Tim, and his faithful and incredibly supportive wife Georgeann Miller, never realized how difficult forming an organization like this could be; or that it would require giving up his business as a general contractor to devote himself full time to the founding and operation of TES. Two years later, I'm proud to say that Tim and his all-volunteer TES team are working harder than ever to help bring home loved ones who are missing. Since Texas EquuSearch was formed, they have been on nearly one hundred searches in two short years. They have an admirable record of working constructively with our nation's local law enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As these words were being written Tim and TES are on still another search near TES's headquarters in Dickinson, Texas. TES was founded in loving memory of Laura Miller, Tim's daughter. The success rate of TES in finding missing people and returning many of them home alive is truly impressive. It is a living tribute to the spirit of Laura Miller. That spirit is alive and well in every volunteer of TES. The following words are Tim's own: I know how important a search and rescue team can be. My daughter, Laura Miller was abducted in September of 1984. I went to the police department to report her missing and file a missing persons report. Five months prior to Laura's disappearance the remains of a young lady named Heidi Villareal Fye, were found on some property at an abandoned oil field on Calder Road in League City, Texas. I told the police officer taking the report of my concerns, and would they please check the area where she had been found, or tell me where it was located so that I might check myself. Of course they said Laura is sixteen, she ran away and will be coming back home. We called and drove to all of Laura's friends to see of anyone had seen her. Three days went by and I found out that Heidi had only lived 4 blocks from our house. So I went back to the police station to tell them my new worries about the close location of our houses and could they go and check the field where Heidi was or please take me to where it was located. Again they said Laura was sixteen and she had run away so we should go home and wait by the phone for her to call. The days turned into weeks, weeks into months, several trips to the police station and still no Laura. Seventeen months later, kids were riding dirt bikes on Calder Road when they smelled a foul odor. They felt as though it was a dead animal but walked over to the area of the odor to see anyway. The odor was not a dead animal; it was in fact the remains of a female who had been there approximately two months. The police were called out to investigate, and during the investigation stumbled across the remains of yet another female some sixty feet from the other. These remains of the other girl found were those of my daughter, Laura Miller. The remains of the other girl found there have not been identified to this day and still is only known as Jane Doe. These were by far the most frustrating and lonely seventeen months of my life and there was some feeling of relief when Laura was found, at least now we know. I often think of what would have changed back in 1984 when Laura disappeared, if there had been a Texas EquuSearch. Would Laura have been found alive? Probably not, but she would have been found and there probably would have been some evidence on the scene to help the police in the investigation. Would Jane Doe have been murdered? My thoughts--probably not or at least not at that spot. Mr. Speaker, the Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search & Recovery Team, was founded in loving memory of Laura Miller by her father Timothy A. Miller to search for our nation's missing and abducted children and adults. It has received help from the citizens of Houston, the State of Texas and the United States to successfully search for and find the lost, abducted, and missing. Our nation's communities and law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have already recognized the significance and value of the Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search & Recovery. It is now appropriate that the People and the Congress of the United States of America applaud and urge on Texas EquuSearch to continue forward--assuring that ``The lost are not alone''.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, we continue to see a great deal about child abductions in the news. That is good. Not all children have to be abducted, and all of the abductions do not have to end in the difficulties that we have seen in our news recently. So I rise today to urge parents to make sure that they know how to prevent child abductions and what to do when they occur. On May 23, the National Missing Children's Day, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and its partner, ADVO, released a survey that showed some parents lack information critical to recovering children who have been abducted. The survey showed results that many parents are missing opportunities to help prevent those abductions. According to law enforcement officials, information such as height, weight, eye color and a recent photograph are critically important when searching for a missing child. However, the survey shows that 22 percent of parents do not know the height, weight and eye color for their children. In the event of an emergency, it is critical for parents to have readily available their child's accurate physical description and a recent photograph so law enforcement can act immediately and effectively. I would like to emphasize that parents should make sure that they have a portrait ID-like photo, and I encourage parents throughout the Nation to take a moment and make sure that they have this vital information readily available, in the unlikely event their child should go missing.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tim Miller and the members of the Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team. The first official meeting of this organization was held in August of 2000; and since then, Texas EquuSearch has been on nearly 100 searches in 2 short years. They have an admirable record of working constructively with our Nation's local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and right now, Tim and Texas EquuSearch are on still another search near their headquarters in Dickinson, Texas. Texas EquuSearch stands for a great deal. Tim Miller founded the search team in loving memory of his 16-year-old daughter, Laura Miller, who was abducted and murdered in 1984. The success rate of Texas EquuSearch in finding our missing and returning many of them home alive to their loved ones is truly impressive and a living tribute to the spirit of Laura Miller. Her spirit is alive today in the heart of the Texas EquuSearch members and supporters. Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team searches for our Nation's missing and abducted children and adults. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud and to urge on Texas EquuSearch to continue forward in their mission, assuring that ``the lost are not alone.''

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend a very brave and very smart little girl by the name of Sarah Ahn. Sarah Ahn is the playmate and friend of Samantha Runnion, the girl who was snatched when playing near her Stanton, California home. I commend Sarah Ahn because she was the only eyewitness to such a horrible crime and gave the police the details about Samantha's kidnapper that ultimately led to his arrest. While this event was obviously extremely tragic, Sarah Ahn proved to everyone that children need not be victims. Her story of bravery is one of many that I have heard about children saving or being key witnesses in abduction cases. One of the most wonderful stories I have ever heard was of an elementary school girl who kept insisting that a boy in her class was the one on the missing children's card, the Advo card, that they got at their home. Her persistence caused her mother to ultimately call the police, tell the story and learn that the little boy had indeed been abducted. He was returned to his family. Mr. Speaker, I want to urge every parent to encourage your children to be aware of what is going on around them. Listen to your kids when they tell you that something might be wrong and trust them. Sarah Ahn is an inspiration to every one of us.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue my talks about Ludwig Koons, the 9-year-old little United States citizen who is being held in the country of Italy. Last week I met with Ambassador Salleo of Italy, and I want to thank the Ambassador from Italy, for he is trying to help this American citizen come back home to the United States where he belongs. This is more than I can say for our own State Department. Two weeks ago the Washington Post ran a story on the removal of Mary Ryan from her position at the State Department. Ms. Ryan at one time was in charge of the office that handles international abduction of children. I am asking the State Department to look into the handling of that office over the past years, just as they are doing other offices that Ms. Ryan was in charge of. Jeff and Ludwig Koons, just like thousands of other parents, are not getting concrete help from our State Department. If the State Department does not do something about it, then Congress must. Please help us bring our children home.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to take just a few minutes and join my colleagues, and I wanted to talk about the issue of Social Security and what we are facing with changes. I know that one of my colleagues soon, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), will be talking specifically about this and thought it might be appropriate to remind people of what some of the benefits of this program are to certain individuals and when it is done right, the significant opportunities that it presents not only to the individuals but for the gain for our country. We want to produce productive citizens. That opportunity came for me when I was but a young kid. When my father died at my age of 12 years old, he was 54, leaving six children and a wife who did not have an opportunity for employment because she had very little or no education earlier in her own life. Had it not been for the support that our community gave us, this family, with the six kids, with one of them being in a wheelchair because of an illness that left her paralyzed, this family would not have been able to stay together. But through the support of Social Security, as long as we were students, up until the age of 21 years old at that time, we could get that help. It gave us the opportunity to stay together as a family. It gave us the opportunity to be able to get an education because otherwise we would have split up and more than likely have been spending our time earning a living so that those of us who needed to would be able just to survive. Today, one of us is a very good physician in a State in the South, in Louisiana, another is retired from a major position in a pharmaceutical company, but my point is that all six of my mother's children became successful because of the assistance that our community gave us. And more importantly than anything, we have to realize that as these benefits come to people throughout our country, the benefits of Social Security, we cannot forget, we cannot pull the ladder up behind us and say it is not good for someone else. It made a difference for me. It helped me become the productive citizen that I believe that I am. And if we protect this, this wonderful institution, make sure that it is there for our kids and our grandkids and their children and on down the line as the security blanket that it can be and has been and hopefully will continue to be, then we can make a difference in the productivity of a lot of people in this country and give a great deal back to our Nation. I look forward to listening to the remarks of other colleagues.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to bear witness to the 100th Anniversary of the Faith United Methodist Church in Dickinson, Texas. This extraordinary religious community traces its roots back more than a century to the establishment of the Warren Chapel in the town of Dickinson in 1901. Six years later, the Methodist community in League City founded their own chapel in 1907. These two communities, separated by a mere seven miles shared both the trials and the joys of life together and in June of 1967, the two congregations merged to form the Faith United Methodist Church. On September 7, this community will commemorate its Centennial with the unveiling of a Texas historical marker celebrating 100 years of faith and community. I ask you to join me in recognizing this remarkable congregation's faith and sense of community that has passed the test of time and remains a shining example of America's strength and unity.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor local Hispanic citizens from the 9th District of Texas who were chosen for their work in the community. While the dedication of Hispanic leaders is well- known throughout the United States, local citizens, right here in the Southeast Gulf Coast region, are just as important to ensuring equal rights and economic progress for all Texans. Last month I asked members of the communities in the 9th District to nominate individuals for my ``Henry B. Gonzalez Latino Leadership Award,'' named in honor of the late Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, that gives special recognition to those who have worked selflessly, often without recognition, and made contributions both in the Hispanic community and the broader society as well. Recipients were chosen because they embodied a giving and sharing spirit, and had made a contribution to our nation. While their efforts may not make the headlines every day, their service and dedication to our country is nevertheless vital to our entire region. This region of Southeast Texas is not successful in spite of our diversity; we are successful because of it. Please join me in recognizing and congratulating these leaders for their work and commitment to their communities and to Southeast Texas. It is leaders like these men and women that continue to be a source of pride for Texas. The winners of this years Henry B. Gonzalez Latino Leadership Award'' are: Alice Flores, Elias de la Cerda, Jr., Ruben F. DeHoyos, John J. DeLeon, Joe Escobedo, Jr., Ella Flores, Roberto C. Flores, Robert D. Gallegos, Tina Garcia, Manuel Guajardo, Manuel R. Gonzalez, Elida Saenz Matthews, Eugenia Rios, Elisa Vasquez, Gilbert Zamora, Jr., Manuel Urbina II, Gilbert Hinojosa, Joseph Cantu, Gregory Flores, Carlos Hernandez, and Jesus Abrego. Mr. Speaker, the recipients of the ``Henry B. Gonzalez'' award are dedicated and hardworking individuals who have done so much for their neighbors and for this nation as a whole. Today, I stand to recognize their spirit and to say that I am honored to be their Representative.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, on July 18, 2002, I missed rollcall vote No. 321. Had I been able to record my vote, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 321.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in light of the reported abduction and murder of young Dannarriah Finley of southeast Texas, coming on the heels of the nationally publicized abductions of Danielle Van Damme and Elizabeth Smart. It is time for our communities to come together to educate our children and save other families from the heartbreaking tragedy of child abduction, exploitation and murder. There are ways that we can work together to make sure that children are safe in our communities. First, I encourage my colleagues to go to schools in their districts to do a ``know the rules'' workshop with students and parents. Education is the key to giving children the tools and power to stay safe. Second, I encourage Members to start a student Safety Ambassadors program. The program seeks to empower children through safety, and has students leading and teaching their peers on the issue. Third, Members should work with our schools to make sure they know about the ``Guidelines for Programs to Reduce Child Victimization: A Resource for Communities When Choosing a Program to Teach Personal Safety to Children.'' These research-based guidelines were developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Education Standards Task Force to assist schools as they select curricula aimed at reducing crimes against children. It takes each one of us, including schools, to keep our kids safe, happy, and healthy.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, the pictures of missing children like Elizabeth Smart and Michelle Van Dam have been all over the news lately, and that is a good thing; not that they are missing, but that people care enough to try to find them. As founder and chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, I see this as a positive move; but I am still concerned. I am concerned about the sporadic coverage and the lack of coverage or discussion about all missing children, children from every walk of life in every circumstance imaginable. Whether it has been by stranger abduction, parental abduction, international abduction, or runaways, all deserve all of the attention that we can give them. Mr. Speaker, I would like to challenge my colleagues here in the House of Representatives and in other branches of government and even the media to move toward more proactive and more helpful positions on missing kids, all missing kids, because that is the way we will bring our children home.

Mr. LAMPSON

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, my mother used to tell me where there is a will, there is a way. Last month, the Committee on Government Reform held a hearing on U.S. women and children who are being held in Saudi Arabia, and that continues to play out in the news. While the situation in Saudi Arabia obviously deserves attention, the issue of international child abduction exists in countries all over the world. Right now, and my colleagues have heard the story that I am telling about Ludwig Koons who is being held in Italy, one of our closest friends. Ludwig Koons is a young boy who has been there in Italy for 8 years being held by his mother in a pornographic compound, and the Italian authorities and our State Department did nothing essentially to help. For years I have been working with left-behind parents who are trying to get their children back where they belong, and for years I have witnessed a State Department that does nothing tangible to help. We need a State Department that fights for United States citizens, not an idle information agency. This issue is one that none of us can afford to ignore. Be aware, put pressure on those other countries that are not sending their children home. American parents are asking for someone to help and help them bring their children home. If the State Department had the will, they would find a way to bring our children home.