Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering a scaled-down State Department Authorities bill, the State Department Reform Act of 2006, authored by our distinguished vice chairman, Mr. Smith of New Jersey. This legislation, while compact, contains a number of critical authorities needed by the Secretary of State to strengthen American diplomacy. Perhaps most importantly, Mr. Speaker, this measure would provide the Secretary of State with expanded authority to retain fees to support the vastly expanded efforts of the Department to fight visa fraud and secure America's borders. This measure also includes enhanced law enforcement authority to improve the ability of our diplomatic security agents to protect diplomats and officials. It also provides authority needed to set in place reciprocal agreements that will provide our diplomats assigned to represent the United States to the African Union with customary immunities. In addition, it renews expiring contracting authority that is required to keep our Middle East broadcasting, Radio Free Asia and Voice of America programming on the air. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is strongly supported by our Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, who has urged us to pass it before the conclusion of the current session. Mr. Speaker, this legislation provides some timely and critical new and expanded authorities that will strengthen U.S. diplomacy. I strongly support its passage and I urge my colleagues to do so as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5948, the Belarus Democracy Act of 2006. Mr. Speaker, as the third wave of democracy spread over Europe since 1989, one country has been conspicuously absent from the momentous changes affecting its neighbors: the continuing dictatorship of Belarus. Regrettably, this continuing communist cancer in the heart of a vibrant democratic Europe threatens to metastasize to its neighbors, threatening the progress of European civilization. Mr. Speaker, I will not try to provide an in depth catalog of the outrageous abuses of the Lukashenka regime. From stolen elections to suppression of freedom of the press to jailing opposition leaders to oppressing organized labor, the Belarusian strong-arm tactics are well known. Early this year, after President Alexander Lukashenka won 80 percent of the vote in a fatally flawed and corrupt election for president, police arrested over 100 people protesting Lukashenka's strong-arm tactics. When the head of security services equates protests to terrorism, as the head of the Belarusian KGB did during that campaign, we should all recognize that we must act, and soon. Some may say that this is an issue where the Europeans should take the lead, and that dealing with Belarus is their responsibility. And the Europeans, despite their divisions, are moving forward on pressuring Belarus to do more to open their society. Just this week, Mr. Speaker, the European Commission announced that it would move ahead to suspend trade preferences to Belarus because it had violated trade union norms. We all know that a vigorous defense of the right of association has always been a cornerstone of democratic change, and the Belarussian perfidy, in its own self-declared workers' paradise, has been recognized for what it is, and therefore to maintain a tight Communist grip on power. Also, the European Union, in giving their top rights award, the Sakharov Award, to the three-time jailed leader of the Belarussian opposition, Mr. Milinkevich, demonstrates European recognition of the need to support Belarussian human rights defenders and movements supporting Democratic values. I applaud the Commission's action and expect that the EU will adopt its recommendations later this month. We here in the United States, Mr. Speaker, must play our role in supporting the efforts of our European friends. H.R. 5948 is a step in that direction. It contains efforts to buttress smart sanctions against the leaders of Belarus most responsible for human rights violations, while avoiding sanctions that would hurt the people of Belarus. It authorizes the President to stop the entry of high-level Belarussian figures involved in state kleptomania, and it provides important support for those democratic movements and human rights advocates who are prepared to stand up to the madmen in Minsk. Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for continuing to fight for those who do not have the good fortune to live in a free and open society, and I look forward to working with him in the next Congress on this important issue. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to mention that the United States needs to think hard about ways in which we can better promote democracy abroad. Democracy and human rights are not a dichotomy, they are different sides of the same coin. That is why I will continue to work in the next Congress towards reforming our foreign policy institutions so that they formulate long-term strategies to promote democracy in alliance with local proponents of democracy and the like-minded friends in the international community. We need to institutionalize a long-term approach to democracy promotion that is so often lacking in a town that focuses on tomorrow's talking points. I urge all of my colleagues to support this very important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2370. At the outset, I want to pay tribute to my good friend, our distinguished colleague from Florida, for her extraordinarily effective leadership on this issue. In January of this year, the Palestinian people shocked the world, Mr. Speaker, by electing Hamas to run the Palestinian Authority. So for nearly a full year we have been living with an extraordinary and alarming situation in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, a situation in which one party, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority, refuses to recognize the very existence of the other party, the State of Israel. It is a situation in which no negotiations are possible. It is a situation in which the Palestinian leadership has isolated the Palestinian people from the international community. Worst of all, it is a situation in which the Palestinian Authority is governed by a group of assassins and kidnappers who share the vision of the Iranian President, Ahmadinejad, that Israel should be wiped off the map. If anything, Hamas adheres to this vision more fervently and more obsessively than even Ahmadinejad does. In fact, since Hamas took office, Iran has stepped up its financial support for Hamas, and the monstrous terrorist network of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas has become ever more intertwined. It is this frightening situation that the legislation before us today strives conscientiously to begin to address. Mr. Speaker, as the ally and long-time unshakeable supporter of the democratic State of Israel, we should do everything we can to demonstrate the bankruptcy of Hamas' vision and to ensure that Hamas remains too weak even to begin to implement its evil vision. The bill under consideration will help to do just that. This legislation ensures that no U.S. taxpayer money will be used by Hamas officials and that the United States will not fund any project for which the Hamas-controlled government could take any credit. At the same time, it allows for restrictions on aid to the Palestinian Authority to be considerably eased if Hamas loses control of the government. It also ensures that we can support the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, in a prudent fashion, to advance the cause of peace and the prospect of a peacefully negotiated two-state solution. But Abu Mazen's hold on the presidency of the Palestinian Authority is the only obstacle to Hamas' full control of all the levers of power in Palestinian society. Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: this bill is the Senate version of legislation that this body passed in May 2006. I was the cosponsor of that legislation, along with my good friend Congresswoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen of Florida. Our legislation passed overwhelmingly, and I will frankly acknowledge that there are aspects of the legislation we are now considering that do not fully satisfy me. I think, for example, that it allows the executive branch far too much leeway to aid a government in which Hamas has significant participation, perhaps holding posts like foreign minister or interior minister, but may be said not to be fully in control of that government. For now, that is only a theoretical concern, but it will be a real concern if Hamas ever decides to join a national unity government along the lines Abu Mazen has been urging. I nevertheless believe that this bill, sent to us by the Senate, is an appropriate response to our dire concerns about Hamas. It is the best we can do for now, and I believe it merits our firm support. I also believe it is long past time for the Congress to make a legislative response to Hamas' disturbing electoral victory. It sends a strong message to Hamas leaders that we reject their murderous ways and that we have contempt for their refusal to recognize their neighbor, the State of Israel; it clarifies that our support for the Palestinian people is conditional on their support for a peaceful two-state solution; and it makes clear to the Palestinians that our problem is not with them, but with Hamas, both its ideology and its conduct. A new government, and in my view that would have to be a government without any Hamas participation, can open a new era in relations with the United States and with Israel. Our goal, Mr. Speaker, is not to punish the Palestinian people. In fact, the bill before us allows considerable scope for aid to the Palestinian people, including humanitarian assistance and support for democratization, which we hope ultimately will lead to Hamas' peaceful political demise. I think we would all agree on continuing the U.S. tradition of dealing with the humanitarian needs of any people, including the Palestinians. Our goal is simply to demonstrate to the Palestinians and to their government that hatred, assassination and non-recognition of neighbors is unacceptable to the civilized world and that they cannot accomplish anything if they show such contempt for the entire civilized world. We also want to make sure that the U.S. taxpayer is not the source of one penny of aid for a government that Hamas controls, and we want to make sure that Hamas and its government are accorded absolutely no legitimacy by the United States or its representatives. This bill does those things. Mr. Speaker, I am sickened by the fact that the Palestinians chose Hamas as their leader, and I am sickened by everything that Hamas stands for. I believe every Member of this Congress shares my views in that regard. S. 2370 demonstrates that America will stand firm in the fight against terrorism, while remaining true to the hope for a peaceful Middle East. Indeed, I hope that our action will serve as a model for the right policy to take against terrorists, however they take power, and on behalf of a democratic ally that is the target of the vilest threats and the most dangerous enemies of any nation in the free world today. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner).

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, we have no additional requests for time and yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and urge all of my colleagues to do so as well. I would first like to commend my friend and colleague from New York (Mr. Walsh) for introducing this measure and for his long-standing interest in Nepal since his days as a Peace Corps volunteer in that troubled nation. Over the past decade, more than 13,000 citizens of Nepal have lost their lives in a brutal civil war. More than 200,000 have been displaced. Hopes for peace have been repeatedly dashed, and the poor and impoverished people of Nepal have paid the price. With one of the lowest per capita GDPs in the entire world, the inability of the Maoists and the Nepalese government to negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement has been truly unconscionable. In their bloody insurgent campaign, the Maoist guerillas have dragged children from their villages to serve as child soldiers. They have assassinated local officials who dare to challenge their authority and Nepalese soldiers trying to keep the peace, and they have repeatedly harassed poor villagers who simply wish to stay out of the civil war. The Nepalese Government has not been without blame. The government has been hopelessly deadlocked by political divisions between the parties and between Nepal's elected political leadership and the Nepalese King. The Nepalese Army has also been responsible for severe human rights abuses in its efforts to defeat the Maoists. With this history in mind, the news from Kathmandu last month that the Nepalese Government and the Maoists had finally signed a peace agreement is most welcome. On its face the peace agreement holds great promise to bring peace to Nepal at long last, as well as the restoration of democracy. The guerillas will be forced to put their personnel and weapons in U.N.-monitored cantonments, and the Nepalese Army will put a similar number of soldiers back in their barracks. Elections for a constituent assembly will be held next year, and the guerillas will come into the government in the interim. The leadership of the rebels has publicly renounced violence as a means to win political power in Nepal, and the Nepalese Government seems prepared to deal with some of the concerns raised by them. While the peace agreement is a very positive step forward, cautious optimism must remain the watchword for American policy towards Nepal. I am not convinced that the rebels have truly renounced violence or have given up on establishing an authoritarian Maoist society. I am very concerned that the peace deal lets the Maoists into the government before the Constituent Assembly elections next year, potentially giving them the ability to influence the election results in a non-democratic direction. I am also concerned that Nepal's vibrant political parties have not put aside their deep divisions, nor are they prepared to move toward strong and effective governments. The elected leaders of Nepal must focus on encouraging foreign investment, creating jobs and promoting education, not jockeying for the next government appointment. Mr. Speaker, the United States has been a strong friend of Nepal over many decades. Our Nation has been a major donor of foreign assistance to the Nepalese people and we have made enormous diplomatic efforts to promote peace and stability in Nepal. In the months ahead, the United States and the United Nations must keep up the pressure on all parties in Nepal to live up to the terms of the peace deal. Any sign that the rebels or the government are returning to the violent and corrupt ways of the past must be met head on by the international community. With the right amount of international pressure, it is our strong belief that the peace agreement between the Nepalese Government and the rebels will bear fruit. Finally, the impoverished people of Nepal will get the form of democracy, human rights and good governance that they so richly deserve. I strongly support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to my good friend the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), a distinguished member of the International Relations Committee.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I wish to take a bit of time to express my own deep admiration for my dear friend from Iowa, whose brilliance and decency and commitment we shall miss more than any of us can express. During an extraordinarily distinguished, rich, impressive service, Congressman Leach has brought to this body intellectual equipment, integrity, a passionate commitment to the Congress, and he will be sorely and deeply missed by all of us on both sides of the aisle. On behalf of all of my colleagues on the Democratic side, I want to express our admiration, our respect and our friendship for him, and wish him the very best in what I am sure will be exciting future endeavors. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this legislation. I would first like to thank my good friend Senator Barak Obama for introducing this important and timely measure. I would also like to congratulate the people of the Congo for successfully holding their first free and fair elections in four decades, as well as the victor of this election, Laurent Kabila. While the elections were a historic milestone, the euphoria is sobered by the painful and disastrous wars of the past. In fact, for the past 40 years, the people of the Congo have known nothing but dictatorship, tyranny, corruption, poverty and war. Congo is one of Africa's poorest countries. It is the eighth poorest country in the entire world based on gross domestic product. Congo, a country the size of all of Western Europe, has less than 300 miles of paved road. Most of the country has no electricity, proper sanitation and, most importantly, no safe water. The United Nations estimates that 4 million people died in the past 8 years as a direct result of war. To give you another stark look at the situation in the Congo, Mr. Speaker, the International Rescue Committee reports that 31,000 people are dying each month, or about 1,000 human beings every single day. The Congo is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe that has not yet received the high-level attention or the adequate resources it desperately deserves. The United Nations announced recently that it was running out of money to feed some of the 1.7 million displaced Congolese who urgently needed aid. Mr. Speaker, the children of Congo have suffered immeasurable pain as a result of war, poverty and disease. Children as young as 10 were recruited as child soldiers into the ranks of the guerrilla forces. Unprotected children as young as five or six work in some of Congo's most prosperous mines for about $1 a day. According to UNICEF, more than 600 Congolese children die every single day, and even more are displaced, sexually abused or victimized by abduction as child soldiers. An estimated 1 million Congolese are living with HIV/AIDS, but no one can realistically know for sure. The country has only seven doctors per 100,000 people, and life expectancy is in the low 40s. Mr. Speaker, Congo has a long and difficult road to recovery, but with their commitment and our support they can make it. The country has enormous natural resources. In terms of its untapped mineral wealth, it is one of the richest countries in the world. Its soil is expected to contain every mineral listed on the periodic table. Large deposits of gold, copper, cobalt, diamond, gas and oil still remain untapped. The Congo River has the second largest flow on Earth after the Amazon and is the second longest river in Africa after the Nile. The estimated hydroelectric potential has the capacity to provide electrical power to the entire continent of Africa. Congo is home to the world's second largest tropical rain forest, with nearly 20 percent of the planet's remaining rain forests. The Congo Basin represents 70 percent of the African continent's plant cover, with over 600 tree species and 10,000 animal species. In short, Mr. Speaker, Congo has the potential to turn that enormous natural wealth into a rich and prosperous nation, if properly managed under the stewardship of a free economy and a transparent, noncorrupt and stable democracy. The bill that we are voting on today is an important step on the long road towards bringing peace and prosperity to the Congo. Our bill establishes 14 core principles of U.S. policy across a wide range of issues. It authorizes a 25 percent increase in U.S. assistance for the Congo. It calls for a special envoy to help resolve the situation in eastern Congo, and it urges the administration to use its voice and its vote at the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping force that is providing some security in parts of the Congo. Major faith-based and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations, including some with extensive field operations in Congo, have endorsed our legislation, including CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Global Witness, International Crisis Group, International Rescue Committee, and Oxfam America. Mr. Speaker, I want to stress that we are under no illusion that enacting the policies in this bill will be a panacea for Congo's many ills. But we know that we cannot accept the status quo, particularly not for Congo's children. Mr. Speaker, the Congo, Africa's heart of darkness, need not languish forever in its current state, decades of poverty, death and grief, midst an enormous amount of natural wealth. We can help move them on the path towards a bright and prosperous future. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, we have no additional requests for time. We yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, this resolution reflects our sorrow, our anguish, and our resolve following the recent assassination of Lebanese Minister of Industry, Pierre Gemayel. I felt this loss personally. Pierre was the son of former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel and the grandson of one of the most significant figures of modern Lebanese history, his namesake, Pierre Gemayel, our friends. Mr. Speaker, it is a coincidence that we are considering this resolution on the day when the Iraq Study Group has released its much anticipated report. As we all know, the Iraq Study Group calls for the United States to engage with all regional parties, including Syria and Iran. I have been in the forefront of those urging that we engage even with our enemies. That is why I have met repeatedly with the leaders of Syria and North Korea, and that is why I have consistently, if unsuccessfully, sought a visa to visit Iran, and that is why I applauded the successful example of our engagement that resulted in Libya's peaceful divestment of its weapons of mass destruction materials. As former Secretary of State James Baker said in a briefing for our leadership this morning, the policy of isolating states like Syria, and I quote, ``has brought us nothing.'' Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, Damascus and Tehran should not misunderstand the intentions of those of us who support dialogue. We are not going to stray one iota from our core commitments. There will be no compromise on terrorism or nuclear arms, or the security of the State of Israel or on Lebanese sovereignty and democracy, or on the international tribunal to investigate the shameful assassinations of Hariri, Gemayel, and other Lebanese patriots in recent years. For those of us who support dialogue, the message of this resolution is that dialogue does not mean capitulation. By passing this resolution, Mr. Speaker, our body will make clear that we staunchly oppose the sinister designs of Iran and Syria to destabilize Lebanon, particularly through the blood-thirsty instrument of Hezbollah. Syria will pay a heavy price if it does not cease its relentless campaign of intimidation and destabilization in Lebanon and if it refuses to cooperate with the Hariri investigation and the international tribunal. This most recent Gemayel assassination was a crime against a man and his family, but most of all against the Lebanese nation. As our resolution makes clear, the perpetrators must be brought to justice. We don't know who pulled the trigger, but we have the strongest of suspicions about who gave the orders. The Gemayel murder is one of more than a half a dozen political assassinations or attempted assassinations in Lebanon since the tragic killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri along with his compatriots last year. All the victims, Mr. Speaker, share a common profile: They supported democracy, and they outspokenly opposed Syrian and Iranian designs on their nation. Mr. Speaker, I visited Lebanon just some weeks ago. I met with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and many of his colleagues who are members of the March 14th Movement, which forms the core of his government. While we did not agree about every issue regarding Lebanon and the region, this much I can tell you: These people have made a courageous commitment to the sovereignty of their nation. They have done so in the face of threats to their lives and the loss of their comrades, and they are stalwart democrats. I came away convinced that this government deserves our strongest support. Mr. Speaker, by adopting this resolution, we can firmly declare support for the democratically elected Lebanese Government and for all democratically thinking Lebanese. I urge that we do so. I urge all of my colleagues to support our resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield to my distinguished friend from North Carolina, Mr. David Price, who serves as the ranking member of the Democracy Assistance Commission, as much time as he may consume.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, first I want to acknowledge the efforts of the Democratic sponsor of this important measure, my friend and colleague from Florida, Congressman Hastings, who is well known as a strong fighter in the battle against all forms of bigotry, including racism and anti-Semitism. This was particularly evident in his distinguished term as president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe when a number of conferences on anti-Semitism were held with his support and sponsorship. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House today condemns in the strongest terms Iran's commitment to hold an international Holocaust denial conference next week. The conference, entitled ``Study of Holocaust: A Global Perspective,'' is clearly designed to spread the notion that the systematic state-sponsored murder of 6 million innocent men, women and children, principally Jews and other targeted groups by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II, was either an exaggeration or a fabrication. As the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, I am outraged at attempts to deny what I know from firsthand experience to be tragically true. Let me be very clear: Despite Ahmadinejad's lunatic statements, the Holocaust did happen. Six million innocent Jews and people from other targeted groups were slaughtered in this genocide. I personally suffered through it, and I lost virtually my entire family in this historic horror. We all remember, Mr. Speaker, George Santayana's famous statement that ``those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' Iran's Ahmadinejad not only wants the world to forget the past, he also wants it to be revised in the hope that history will be repeated with the destruction of Israel and the Jews. He clearly and forcefully demonstrated this at a conference in October 2005 when he stated, ``Israel must be wiped off the map.'' Last July Ahmadinejad spread more deception and anti-Western and anti-Israel propaganda when he sent a letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany suggesting that some countries who won World War II might have fabricated the Holocaust to embarrass the German people and bar their progress. In August, Mr. Speaker, Iran held an outrageous international contest of cartoons on the Holocaust to endorse and promote anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli stereotypes, as well as Holocaust denial. We can see that his hosting this Holocaust denial conference next week is just one more abominable step in Ahmadinejad's ugly journey to undermine the West, promote global anti-Semitism and destroy Israel. Ahmadinejad's declarations and actions are frightening not only to Israel but to the entire civilized world. Iran supports terrorist groups bent on destroying Israel and the West. Even more serious is the fact that Iran has defied the international community by rejecting nuclear nonproliferation standards and the United Nations Security Council's demand that Iran halt its efforts to enrich uranium. Thus, in the future, we could be facing an Iran prepared to use nuclear weapons to achieve its appalling destructive goals. Mr. Speaker, this powerful resolution not only condemns these outrageous Iranian actions, it also calls for the United Nations to officially and publicly repudiate Iran's anti-Semitic statements. U.N. member states that echo and encourage such statements should also be held accountable. As we all know, too many U.N. conferences and resolutions have been hijacked irresponsibly to promote the same anti- Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions. I personally saw this happen in Durban, South Africa during a conference against so-called ``racism'' 6 years ago which was hijacked by extremists who used that conference to denounce the State of Israel. Mr. Speaker, we also must continue our efforts to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and to condemn its outrageous and destructive goals of destroying our ally Israel and other Western targets. Finally, Mr. Speaker, we must remind the world that in spite of the lies by revisionist historians and Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust in fact did occur, and millions suffered and 6 million died. As we see from the ongoing atrocities in Sudan, the Holocaust saying of ``never again'' unfortunately has not proved to be true. Thus we must recommit to do all we can to stop Holocaust denial, remember the past, and in doing so, not be condemned to repeat it. We must do all we can to stop mass murder and genocide whenever and wherever it occurs, as it does today in Darfur. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished author of this resolution, my good friend from Florida, Congressman Hastings.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Florida for his eloquent statement. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to explain the motion. Mr. Speaker, this motion instructs the conferees to H.R. 5682, the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act, to maintain section 105(8) of the Senate amendment. This section requires a determination by the President that India is fully and actively participating in U.S. and international efforts to dissuade, sanction and contain Iran for its nuclear program consistent with United Nations Security Council resolutions. Mr. Speaker, I voted in favor of a motion to recommit H.R. 5682 that was offered by my friend Mr. Markey during floor consideration of the bill. That motion would have required a similar determination on Iran. I strongly believed that obtaining such an assessment of India's policy in this regard is a critical piece of information to aid our deliberations when we consider an actual agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with India as required by H.R. 5682. Mr. Speaker, my view has not changed. I am a strong supporter of expanding nuclear cooperation with India, which I believe will greatly benefit both of our great countries. But, Mr. Speaker, we should ensure that we have all relevant information that could pertain to our deliberations regarding expanding nuclear cooperation with India. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this motion to instruct. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to strongly support this motion to instruct. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sheriff Donald Horsley on his long and distinguished law enforcement service for the County of San Mateo, and cities of East Palo Alto and Daly City, California, in my congressional district. As a patrol officer and as Sheriff, Don Horsley has dedicated thirty-eight years to law enforcement and has a proven record of combating the community's most vexing criminal challenges with effective strategies. Under Sheriff Horsley's professional and dedicated leadership, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office has developed an extensive number of innovative programs to ensure a safer community. These include the Graffiti Abatement Program, Community Policing Program, Vehicle Theft Task Force, Gang Intelligence/Investigative Unit, Sexual Habitual Offender Program, an expanded DARE Program, an identity theft and computer related crime task force, and a School Resource Officer Program as well as the Sheriff's Activity League to help kids become successful in school and keep at-risk kids out of gangs. Sheriff Horsley has also exhibited a great talent in working with other public officials in coordinating cohesion among municipalities within San Mateo County, neighboring counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, and working with federal law enforcement. Sheriff Horsley has been actively involved in coordinating with the FBI and other Bay Area Sheriffs' Departments as part of a regional Joint Terrorism Task Force and has established a regional information sharing network. Sheriff Horsley has proven instrumental in obtaining the necessary funds for enhancing law enforcement in San Mateo County. He has been integral in directing the Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services to obtain federal grants from the Department of Homeland Security to secure equipment and training for first responders and public health workers. Additionally, Sheriff Horsley successfully worked with Congresswoman Eshoo and me to obtain federal funds for San Mateo County to build a state of the art crime laboratory. In performing the many responsibilities of his job, Sheriff Horsley has not lost sight of the goal of attempting to rehabilitate and treat prisoners humanely. Under his leadership, Sheriff Horsley has brought educational, religious and substance abuse programs to the county jail. He has also ensured medical and mental health services for prisoners as well as instituting Critical Incident Training for officers in the field to more effectively communicate with mentally ill individuals. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in thanking Sheriff Donald Horsley for his contribution to the protection and improvement of our community in San Mateo County. I am truly delighted and inspired by Sheriff Horsley's dedication to law enforcement and public service and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on November 1, 2006 is a day that will long be remembered in Burlingame, California, as the ground breaking for the construction of the Mills-Peninsula Medical Center. This medical facility, located in my Congressional District, is a continued example of why the Bay Area continues to be at the forefront of nation's healthcare system. The New Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2010, will be an extraordinary facility integrating the latest environmentally friendly technology design into a state-of- the-art $528 million 450,000-square-foot building. This newly constructed modern marvel will boast an emergency room 40 percent larger then that of the existing Mills-Peninsula Hospital, and will also provide 243 patient beds in all-private rooms. This new hospital will also have space designated for accommodations for family members of patients, allowing for those who have traveled great distances the ability to remain close to sick loved ones. The blueprints also include an attached office building that will offer space for physician offices, a new parking garage and gardens for people to get away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Mr. Speaker, the Mills-Peninsula Hospital has been in existence for nearly 100 years and is consistently held up as a beacon of excellence for hospitals in the Bay Area. The hospital has been a recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including, being named the Best Hospital in San Mateo County 14 years running by the readers of the San Mateo County Times as well as being named the best place to work in the Bay Area for two consecutive years by the Business Journal Publications. Professional recognitions include being designated as one of the top eight hospitals in the State of California for cardiovascular surgery by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Mr. Speaker, the ground-breaking and planned opening of this hospital has come to fruition due to the tireless efforts of the members and board of the Peninsula Health Care District, Mills-Peninsula Health Services, and Sutter Health, as well as the extraordinary support of community leaders and residents. Without their spectacular efforts, this state-of-the-art facility would be nothing more then a dream. I urge all my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Mills-Peninsula Hospital community on the successful ground breaking of their new hospital.