Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday what was supposed to be an important U.N. exhibit educating the world about the Rwandan genocide was turned into a farce thanks to the actions of the Turkish Government. Three weeks ago, when the Rwanda genocide exhibit was originally set to open, the Turkish Government did what the Turkish Government often does, denied historical facts and objected to the exhibit because it objected to Armenian genocide as an example of genocide. It was bad enough that this important U.N. exhibit documenting the Rwanda genocide was delayed by 3 weeks because Turkey continued to deny the past, but I was appalled when the exhibit was opened yesterday at the U.N. with one major revision. Gone was the citing of the systematic killing of 1.5 millions Armenians as genocide. Instead it was referred to as a mass killing in order to appease the Turkish Government. No serious historical dispute exists about the Armenian genocide. Sadly, an intensive and well- financed effort by the Turkish Government has succeeded in preventing the United States, and now the U.N., from any formal recognition of the Armenian genocide. This is the warped Turkish version of history, and it's simply not acceptable. The Turkish objection to this exhibit is the latest example of their genocide denial. It's absolutely ludicrous that an exhibit dedicated to the education and prevention of genocide would include Armenia as an example, use the definition of the term ``genocide,'' but not use the word ``genocide'' to describe the events. How, exactly, are you educating the public about genocide when you refuse to call the first genocide of the 20th century by its name? The word ``genocide'' was actually created as a way to describe the barbaric crimes inflicted against the Armenians between 1915 and 1923, but now the word cannot be used in an exhibit at the U.N. This is utterly ridiculous. Would you ever have an exhibit on Christianity without mentioning the birth of Christ? The same type of absurdity has been used by President Bush during his annual statement commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Year after year the Bush administration continues to play word games by not calling evil by its proper name. If I could just end by saying, I don't think that the U.N. response to genocides should be denigrated to a level acceptable to the Turkish Government. It's about time that the Bush administration started dictating a policy for Americans, not for a foreign government like Turkey. This lack of honesty is simply not acceptable. Turkey should be condemned for its policy of denying the Armenian genocide. As a global community we must collectively stand for historical truth and properly recognize the worst humanitarian crimes we have seen.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 493, of which I am a cosponsor. As science continues to make rapid advancement in the area of genetics, I cannot stress how important this bill is to every American citizen. Genetic testing has increasingly become an integral part of the American health care system, providing the possibility to develop better therapies that are more effective against disease and allow individuals to take steps to reduce the likelihood that they will contract a particular disorder. However, as knowledge of the human genome expands, a greater proportion of the population will likely be identified as carriers of mutations associated with a greater risk of certain diseases, indicating that virtually all people are potentially victims of genetic discrimination in health insurance. Along with the increasing prevalence of genetic testing comes the growing fear of the potential misuse of this information by way of discrimination in health insurance and employment. Accordingly, we need to strengthen current laws at both the Federal and State level in order to protect against the possibility of genetic discrimination. This bill will go a long way in making sure that this highly private information cannot be misused or abused. In closing, I want to thank the primary sponsors of this legislation, particularly Ms. Slaughter, I know how long she has worked on this, along with Ms. Eshoo and others. We finally came together in a bipartisan fashion to bring up what I think is a bipartisan bill. They should all be commended, all of us should be commended for our efforts. I think that this could serve as a model for bipartisan cooperation on other bills.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues on the Republican side for agreeing to let me reclaim the time. I will try to limit my time to less than 5 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide. As the first genocide of the 20th century, it is morally imperative that we remember this atrocity and collectively demand reaffirmation of this crime against humanity. On April 24, 1915, 92 years ago tomorrow, that day marked the beginning of the systematic and deliberate campaign of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire. Over the following 8 years, 1\1/2\ million Armenians were tortured and murdered, and more than one-half million were forced from their homeland into exile. These facts are indisputable, but to this day the U.S. Congress has never properly recognized the Armenian genocide. The historical record, Mr. Speaker, on the Armenian genocide is unambiguous and well-documented with overwhelming evidence. The U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time, Henry Morgenthau, protested the slaughter of the Armenians to the Ottoman leaders. In a cable to the U.S. State Department on July 16, 1915, Ambassador Morgenthau stated that, ``A campaign of race extermination is in progress.'' Mr. Speaker, if America is going to live up to the standards we set for ourselves, and continue to lead the world in affirming human rights everywhere, we need to finally stand up and recognize the tragic events that began in 1915 for what they were: the systematic elimination of a people. Despite pleas by Members of Congress and the Armenian-American community and recognition by much of the international community, President Bush continues to avoid any clear references to the Armenian genocide, while consistently opposing legislation marking this crime against humanity. Instead, he has chosen to succumb to shameless threats by the Government of Turkey. I strongly believe that Turkey's policy of denying the Armenian genocide gives warrant to those who perpetrate genocide everywhere, because denial is the last stage of genocide. If the cycle is to end, there must be accountability. And just as we would not permit denying the Holocaust, we cannot accept Turkey's falsification of the facts of 1915. Mr. Speaker, I must say that in the last few months the Turkish Government has made every effort to try to prevent the Armenian genocide resolution from coming to the floor of the House of Representatives. But I just want to show why denial is such a bad thing in a sense. Last week, I came to the floor and I pointed out that when the U.N. wanted to do a project or an exhibit at the United Nations headquarters talking about the genocide in Rwanda, because the Turkish Government protested the inclusion of the Armenian genocide, the Rwandan genocide never took place. There again, if you deny one genocide, you end up denying or impacting the other. And the fact of the matter is that when some of my colleagues say to me, ``Well, why do you need to bring up something that occurred 92 years ago,'' I say, ``Because by denying this, the Turkish Government continues to perpetrate genocide or oppression of its minorities. Just a few weeks ago, there was something in the New York Times about how the Turkish Government continues to persecute the Kurdish minority. Many Kurds have been killed, driven from their homelands in the same way Armenians were. The Kurds happen to be a Muslim people, not a Christian people. That doesn't matter. The Turkish Government consistently oppresses minorities. They refuse also to open their borders with Armenia. They have actually had a blockade of Armenia in placed for several years, which contributes to the economic instability of Armenia. So this is something that must be done. It must be accomplished, that we recognize this genocide if it continues in various ways in Turkey today. The second thing I would point out is that the Turkish Government has been basically hiring lobbyists for millions of dollars to go around and tell Members of Congress that if they pass the genocide resolution, there will be dire consequences: Turkey will not allow supplies to go to U.S. troops in Iraq. They have actually taken to having Members of Congress called and told that their own soldiers in Iraq might be threatened if they pass the genocide resolution. Well, again, this is the type of bullying that we, as a free government, should not allow because bullying is essentially the same thing that takes place when genocide takes place. Why should we give in to the threats of a country that tries to bully our country over such an important issue as the genocide? Now, let me just mention, Mr. Speaker, to wrap up, that tomorrow evening at 6:30 the Armenian Caucus, which I cochair, will host an Armenian genocide commemoration event with the Armenian embassy, and I hope that many of the Members will attend this.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you. I want to thank my colleague from California and also my colleague from Guam. I know that for a number of years now they have both been involved in the health care disparities issue, and have actually put together legislation that we have tried to get passed for several years. It was a little difficult with the Republican majority. And hopefully now with the Democratic majority, we can address those health disparities and concerns. I would like to talk about the Native American aspect of this. And I also want to mention that addressing the concerns of minority health care is important in my district because we do have many Asian Americans. We have the largest number of Indian Americans of any congressional district, and by that I mean Asian Indian Americans, and also a large Latino and African American population in my district. I just know when I go and visit some of the hospitals or community health centers, many times the issue is brought to my attention, whether it is data collection which has already been mentioned tonight, or it is the need for more minority health care professionals, be they doctors, nurses or whatever, or even that more research attention needs to be paid to diseases or afflictions that basically impact the minority communities in disproportionate ways. It is very important that we address this and we need legislation, and we will move forward with the health care disparities legislation that my colleagues have really championed over the last few years. I want to talk about Native Americans. I actually don't have any federally enrolled Native American tribes in my district or even in New Jersey. We have quite a few, we just don't have any recognized tribes at a Federal level. We have five that are State recognized. Unless you are federally recognized and enrolled with the Department of the Interior, you are not for the most part eligible for the health service. American Indians are a little unique in that unlike most Americans, they have a right pursuant to their treaties and the Constitution to health care. When they gave their lands up to the Federal Government by treaty, they were given the right to health care. That, of course, doesn't necessarily mean they can all access it because a lot of them don't necessarily live on the reservation, and that is one of the reasons why we have urban health centers around the country, including several in California, because many Native Americans now do live in L.A. and in some of the larger cities, and don't necessarily live on their homelands on the reservations. So we need to address their concerns in not only providing hospitals and clinics in their homelands, on the reservations, but also in the urban areas where many now reside. Unfortunately, in the last few years, and I know I sound so partisan and I don't mean to be, but the amount of money that was made available in the last 12 years under the Republican Congress was really not sufficient. There is a need for a lot more dollars. This year we did budget significantly more for the Indian Health Service, but we also need to reauthorize the Indian Health Service because it hasn't been reauthorized since 2000. I have sponsored legislation called the Indian Health Care Improvement Act which will be marked up in the Resources Committee this year and will come to the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Health Subcommittee, and we will try to get it passed in this Congress. When you talk about Native Americans and the disparities, the disparities are just incredible. When we had a hearing on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in the Resources Committee a few weeks ago, I asked a question about how many American Indian or Native American doctors there were in the United States. I could not believe the number. There are less than 500, somewhere between 400 and 500 Native American physicians for a Native American population that is probably over 2 million. I don't know what that works out to percentage-wise, but there is clearly a need for scholarship and grant and loan programs that would specifically target the Native American community so we can have not 400 doctors but at least 4,000 or maybe 40,000 when you talk about a community that has over 2 million people. And the same is true, and I don't have the statistics for nurses or other health care professionals, but there are really very few Native American health care providers, and we need to boost those numbers up and allow for opportunities to get more health care professionals. With regard to actual treatment, if they are not on the reservation and able to access the Indian health care hospital or clinic, it is very difficult. There is a huge unemployment rate. Even if you are on a reservation, sometimes distances are great because many Native Americans live in rural areas where health care is simply not available. We also have the phenomenon of diseases or aflictions that target that community. The incidence of diabetes, juvenile or type 2 diabetes, is for many tribes over 50 percent. I have been to some where the numbers are over 60 percent. We need a lot more research into the reasons why, in the example of diabetes, but I could talk about other diseases or health care problems, why the incidence is so high and what could be done. For example, there has been some effort to look at nutrition as an answer, the feeling that many Native Americans, for example, used to live on a subsistence diet. If they were a desert people, they would eat foods that they gathered in a desert. Or they may have lived on a ranch or in a situation where they were getting a lot more natural foods, and now as those opportunities have eased to exist and they are eating processed foods, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that is a major reason for diabetes. This is the type of thing we need. We need research into those kinds of afflictions as to what is causing a better than 60 percent diabetes situation for a number of tribes. Even transportation needs are there because of many of the problems that are in rural areas. So I just wanted to say when you talk about the Native American population in this country, the disparities problem is so great that it has actually gotten to the point of crisis, in my opinion; and that is why we need legislation to deal with these disparity issues, and we need to reauthorize the Indian Health Service through the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. And to the extent that we are looking at this from the Asian population, the Latino population, or whatever population, this type of initiative is very important. I just want to commend my colleagues again for being here tonight and speaking out because I do think we need to speak out. In many cases we are talking about people who don't have people to speak out for them other than a few of us. Thank you again.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, Attorney General Gonzales cancelled a vacation and an entire week of work so he could prepare for his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday on the expanding U.S. Attorney scandal, but it does not seem to have helped him very much. Despite all that prep time, the Attorney General could still not remember why most of the prosecutors had been fired by him in the first place. Worse yet, Gonzales said he could not recall attending a meeting where the discussion of the fate of these prosecutors was debated. Democratic and Republican senators alike grew increasingly frustrated throughout the day as the Attorney General answered ``I do not recall'' to more than 70 questions. It was so bad that conservative Republican Senator Jeff Sessions said that he was concerned about Gonzales' recollection, considering that these events only took place last December. Either the Attorney General is deceiving the Senate about what he remembers or he is so lacking that he can sit through discussions about the potential firing of eight U.S. Attorneys and simply not remember being there. Neither bodes well for Gonzales. It's time the President sets aside his friendship and asks his Attorney General to step aside.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, we keep on hearing all of these doomsday scenarios from the White House and our Republican colleagues about the emergency supplemental bill. It would be nice if they would listen to the President's own defense Secretary, who said this week that our timelines are already creating positive results in Iraq. Yet the President threatens to veto the bill and says that the money is needed immediately. I think it's time for a reality check. Fact: the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concluded last month that the Pentagon could maintain its wartime operations well into July with funds they have already been provided. Another fact: As of today, it's only been 73 days since the President sent his funding request to the Capitol. Last year, the Republican- controlled Congress took 119 days to send the Iraq war supplemental to the President, and yet the President never attacked the Republican- controlled Congress for supposedly holding up funding for our troops. President Bush should stop playing politics with this emergency funding bill so that we can finally move the war in Iraq in a new direction.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am strongly disappointed that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has given in to Turkey's demands and cancelled an exhibit commemorating the 13th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide. Turkey, as usual, was offended by references in the exhibit to the Armenian genocide in Turkey during World War I. As a representative of the international community, the United Nations must be the leading voice against genocide. That includes all genocides, including the Armenian genocide. Unless the United Nations takes a stand against Turkey's denial, its value to the international community is greatly undermined. As the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide approaches, Turkey's recent behavior is yet another example of why it is so important for Congress to reaffirm the Armenian genocide by passing H. Res. 106. Over the past year, Turkey has pulled out of NATO exercises after France affirmed the Armenian genocide. They have threatened U.S. troops in Iraq if the U.S. reaffirms the Armenian genocide. And now they are preventing the U.N. from honoring the victims of the Rwandan genocide. Their denial has no limits. The United States must never allow crimes against humanity to pass without remembrance and condemnation. As a society, we cannot effectively work to end crimes against humanity without recognizing those that have previously occurred. Far too many times we have seen the horrible consequences of ignoring genocide. Even after unprecedented humanitarian efforts by Americans, the Armenian genocide had become the ``forgotten genocide,'' and in 1939 Adolf Hitler exclaimed to his generals to have no mercy by stating, and I quote, ``who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians? In 1994 world leaders witnessed the Hutu leaders of Rwanda kill 800,000 Rwandans, and did nothing. Today we sit idly by as militias massacre innocent citizens in Darfur; and, again, world leaders do virtually nothing. There are lessons to be learned by history. Unfortunately, Turkey has undermined the intent of the U.N. exhibit to help teach the lessons of genocide inaction. Turkey's policy of denying the Armenian genocide gives cover to those who perpetrate genocide everywhere. If the cycle is to end, there must be accountability for genocide. Genocide denial is the last stage of genocide. Mr. Speaker, when will today's world leaders stop letting Turkey deny its past? It is bad enough for Turkey to threaten and prosecute its own citizens for discussing these crimes, but to threaten to retaliate against countries that acknowledge the Armenian genocide is appalling and unacceptable. As a global community we must collectively stand for historical truth and recognize the worst humanitarian crimes that we have seen.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Commerce be permitted to file a supplemental report on H.R. 493.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, as the President prepares to meet with congressional leaders today to discuss the emergency supplemental, he should listen to his own Secretary of Defense, who said that Congress' timelines have been useful in forcing the Iraqi Government to make compromises that have been elusive in the past. While traveling in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Gates said yesterday, and I am quoting, ``The debate in Congress has been helpful in demonstrating to the Iraqis that American patience is limited. The strong feelings expressed in the Congress about the timetable probably have had a positive impact in terms of communicating to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment.'' And that is what Democratic Members of this House have been saying for weeks. It is time to hold the Iraqi Government accountable and pressure them to meet the President's own guidelines. If President Bush refuses to listen to this Democratic Congress and leaders that he is meeting with today, it would be nice if he would at least listen to his Defense Secretary, who is saying that our efforts to change the direction of the war in Iraq are having a positive effect.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend Donald Payne for the introduction and for the comments that he made. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be the sponsor of this resolution honoring the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights women's basketball team, and I applaud their character and integrity. These remarkable young women are a class act, and I am proud to represent them and Rutgers University here in Congress. Rutgers had a Cinderella season that saw them come back from some devastating early season losses, including a 40-point loss to Duke University. In fact, after losing four of their first six games, the Scarlet Knights refused to give up and spent their winter break in the gym honing their skills and working to become a better team for the rest of the season. Under head coach V. Vivian Stringer, the Scarlet Knights finished their extraordinary season with a 27-9 record. To cap it off, Rutgers upset top-seeded University of Connecticut for their first ever Big East championship title. They had lost to UConn twice in the regular season. During the NCAA tournament, they upset top-seeded Duke University in the second round and remained poised with wins against teams playing in their home States. The team brought excitement to the tournament and captured the hearts of basketball fans throughout New Jersey and across the Nation. Through hard work and determination, this young team fought through improbable odds to reach their first ever NCAA title game. A day after their loss, outrageous comments were made about the team by Don Imus on his CBS radio and MSNBC show. Afterwards, the team showed great courage in choosing to meet with him so he could see firsthand how wrong his sexist and racist comments were. During this emotionally and mentally exhausting ordeal, these remarkable young women maintained enormous composure as they became media headlines for controversy. The Scarlet Knights women basketball players are excellent representatives of Rutgers University and of the State of New Jersey. By striving to reach lifetime goals, both on and off the basketball court, they are great role models for student athletes across the Nation. Even with a grueling sports schedule, the players have managed their priorities well. They have maintained academic excellence with a combined B-plus grade point average and are actively involved in the community. Mr. Speaker, these women are the future leaders of tomorrow. Last week, when faced with adversity, they proved their promise when they stood in front of the entire Nation with dignity and grace. I think I can speak for Rutgers students, alumni, faculty and staff along with my colleagues here and countless New Jerseyans when I say, we are immensely proud of this team. They deserve to be honored for their hard work, dedication and heart. I am hopeful that my colleagues will recognize these fine women by passing this resolution today.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a true servant of New Jersey and the States, who devoted his life to the safety and well being of his neighbors and community. John Joseph Hammill, a veteran of the United States Navy, Highland Park Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, passed away on December 6, 2006 at the age of 59. Born on July 23, 1947 in Jersey City, Mr. Hammill moved to Carteret, New Jersey as a teenager. After graduating from Carteret High School, Mr. Hammill enlisted in the United States Navy and served in a military hospital in Yokohama, Japan until 1969. When Mr. Hammill returned home, he joined the Highland Park Police Department, dutifully protecting his community for 8 years and attaining the rank of Detective, First Grade. Demonstrating exceptional knowledge and passion for traffic safety, Mr. Hammill transferred to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office in 1977, where he served as a detective in the Fatal Accident Unit until his retirement from law enforcement in 1994. Mr. Hammill's relentless commitment to public service brought him out of a brief retirement to the Damon House Drug Rehabilitation Center in New Brunswick. Through hard work and dedication he ascended quickly through the organization to the role of Assistant Director, where he served in this capacity until retiring in 2004. While devoting his professional career to serving the public, Mr. Hammill was equally unselfish with his personal time, working to better his community through organizations such as the New Jersey State Policeman's Benevolent Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the New Jersey Coalition Against Impaired Driving, the Middlesex County Alcohol Association and as an AARP defensive driving instructor. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring the life of Mr. John Joseph Hammill. A caring family man, Mr. Hammill served his community and country with pride and honor. His life's work served as an inspiration to us all, and he will be deeply missed.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I came here tonight to talk about the Rutgers Women's basketball team, which I am so proud of, and I will. But I have to respond to the previous speaker. I am very proud of the fact that Speaker Pelosi went to Syria. It is very important for us to have a dialogue with Syria. The fact of the matter is that the Iraq Study Group recommended that we have a dialogue with both Syria and Iran, and certainly we need a new direction with regard to the war in Iraq. And an effort to reach out and have dialogue is a good thing. And there is such hypocrisy on the part of the other side of the aisle. I mean, the President and the White House criticized the Speaker. But a week before, a couple of days before, there were Republican Members of Congress that went to Syria. So this is just total hypocrisy. It was a good thing that she went to Syria. It is the very type of dialogue that we need. Now, Mr. Speaker, I came here this evening to honor the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights women's basketball team and applaud their character and integrity. These remarkable young women are a class act, and I am proud to represent them and Rutgers University here in Congress. After outrageous comments were made about the team by Don Imus on his CBS radio and MSNBC show, the team showed great courage in choosing to meet with him so he could see firsthand how wrong his sexist and racist comments were. During this emotionally and mentally exhausting ordeal, these remarkable young women were graceful and poised as they became media headlines for controversy. And I strongly denounce Don Imus' divisive comments. They were disgusting, and they have no place in our everyday language, let alone on a nationally televised radio and television program. His comments not only affected these players, but resonated with women and African Americans across the Nation. These were innocent student athletes living out their basketball dreams. They did not deserve to be his target. And MSNBC's decision to pull his television broadcast and CBS' firing of him displayed great moral character, and I support their choices. His comments, Imus' comments, deprived these women of fully enjoying their accomplishments of being crowned Big East champions, going to the Final Four, and making history as the first athletic team from Rutgers to play for a national championship. All-Met Division I Player of the Year Kia Vaughn said it best when she said, ``Our moment was stolen from us.'' I want to talk about this team, Mr. Speaker. Rutgers had a Cinderella season that saw them come back from some devastating early season losses, including a 40-point loss to Duke. Under head coach C. Vivian Stringer, the Scarlet Knights finished their amazing season with a 27-9 record. The team fought improbable odds to reach the pinnacle NCAA title game, and maintained enormous composure when nasty comments overshadowed their record-breaking season. I am immensely proud of this extraordinary team. Last week the Nation had an opportunity see a group of outstanding student athletes who were striving to reach lifetime goals, both on and off the basketball court. By excelling in academics, music and community service, they are great role models for student athletes across the Nation. The Scarlet Knights women basketball players are excellent representatives of Rutgers University and the State of New Jersey, and they should be honored for their hard work, dedication, and heart. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a resolution commending the Scarlet Knights women's basketball team for their record-breaking season and their outstanding achievement off the basketball court. I am hopeful Congress will recognize these fine women by passing this resolution tomorrow.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the centennial anniversary of the Garden State Symphonic Band. The Garden State Symphonic Band was founded in 1907 as the Goodwill Fife & Drum Corps. In 1920, the name was changed to the Goodwill Band, and they performed under this name until 1958, when it became the Bay City Band. It was not until 1967 that the Garden State Symphonic Band took its current title. Modeled after the extraordinarily successful Sousa Band of the early 20th century, the Garden State Symphonic Band's primary goal is to remain a traditional American professional concert band while reaching as much of the community as possible. This organization is the oldest band of its nature in New Jersey and one of the only remaining in the entire mid-Atlantic region. Currently, the band is under the direction of Christian Pedersen, Jr., of Fords, NJ, and is composed of an ensemble of musicians hailing from some of the most prestigious music conservatories in the Nation. Many band members have previously performed with well-known orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, while others have performed on Broadway with major musicals. The Garden State Symphonic Band has played at numerous venues including the Garden State Arts Center and the Clinton Museum, in addition to several county and municipal parks. Each summer, the band provides 8-10 free outdoor performances entitled ``Concerts by the Bay'' at Bayview Park in Perth Amboy. Madam Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Garden State Symphonic Band. Through its cultural and artistic contributions, the Garden State Symphonic Band has become an integral part of the New Jersey community.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just wanted to mention, Mr. Speaker, that screening for, and early detection of, breast and cervical cancer reduces death rates and greatly improves cancer patients' survival. Sadly, there is a low rate of screening among women of certain racial and ethnic minorities and among under- or uninsured women, which creates disparities in health outcomes. Since 1991, this program has served more than 2.5 million women nationwide, provided more than 5.8 million screening examinations, and diagnosed more than 22,000 breast cancers, 76,000 precursor cervical lesions, and 1,500 cervical cancers. This bill reauthorizes a program vital to the health and well-being of women nationwide. I just want to thank again Representatives Baldwin and Myrick for their hard work on this legislation and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1132.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1132) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide waivers relating to grants for preventive health measures with respect to breast and cervical cancers, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have a request from the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) to go out of order, and I yield 2 minutes to Mr. Towns at this time. Congratulating New York High School Basketball Champions

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, Ms. Baldwin.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I would yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the sponsor of the bill, Mrs. Capps, such time as she may consume.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The bill before us, H.R. 477, the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act, amends the Public Health Service Act to strengthen education, prevention and treatment programs to improve health outcomes for stroke patients. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and a major contributor to long-term disability. The American Heart Association reports that approximately 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke each year and that more than 150,000 die annually. The AHA estimates that someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes. H.R. 477 would authorize the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to engage in activities designed to increase knowledge and awareness of stroke prevention and treatment. This legislation would require the Secretary to conduct educational campaigns, maintain a national stroke registry and establish an information clearinghouse related to stroke. The bill would authorize the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit entities for the purpose of planning, developing and enhancing improved residency training programs and other professional training for appropriate health professions in emergency medicine, including emergency medical service professionals, to improve stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Finally, the bill would authorize the Secretary to make grants to States and public and other private entities to make medical professional training programs and telehealth networks that seek to coordinate stroke care and improve patient outcomes. The legislation has 86 cosponsors and is supported by the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, the American Physical Therapy Association and the STOP Stroke Coalition. I would like to personally thank Representative Capps and Representative Pickering for all their hard work on this life-saving legislation. I particularly want to thank Representative Capps. I know how hard she has worked on this. I know, because of her background as a nurse, she brings to our attention on the subcommittee so many bills and so many issues that are really important. I would thank her not only for this bill but for so many other initiatives. I would urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 477. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members may have 5 legislatives days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 477) to amend the Public Health Service Act to strengthen education, prevention, and treatment programs relating to stroke, and for other purposes, as amended.