Nancy Pelosi

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate our team that won so decisively last night. Mr. Boehner and I were there to cheer the Democratic/Republican, Republican/Democratic team on. The good news is that they won; the bad news is they beat the Capitol Police. So I don't know what that means. But the fact is that it was great teamwork between the Democrats and the Republicans, which was saluted in the Rotunda earlier today. Senator Edward Brooke, whom we had honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, was pleased to hear about this teamwork between Democrats and Republicans. And, indeed, it got a standing ovation from those folks who didn't even know about the game until then. But you should have seen our guys. They were so great. Mr. Shuster, congratulations. Congratulations to Heath Shuler. The last time I saw them, they were playing baseball. They go from baseball to football, all-round athletes; great teamwork, great leadership. Congratulations to our team. And I, too, want to join in thanking the Capitol Police. I know they went all-out last night because they always go all-out for us. Congratulations. We were suited up, but we were not called upon.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Donald Fisher, an innovative business leader and civic-minded philanthropist, who passed away on September 27, surrounded by his loving family. Don used his remarkable business success for the good of his community and our Nation and he will be long outlived by his legacy to the economy, the arts, education, the environment and sports. A third-generation San Franciscan and graduate of Lowell High School, Don attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he was an all-American swimmer and water polo player. In 1969, Don and his wife Doris opened the first Gap store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, drawing from the City's culture to influence casual style in the U.S. and throughout the world. Growing a single Gap store into a multinational and multi-brand corporation, Don used his remarkable success to promote corporate philanthropy. In 1977, Doris and Don created the Gap Foundation to help underserved youth in developing countries where Gap Inc. conducted business. Don was a renowned art collector and served on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Board of Trustees. Before his death, Don announced a partnership with the museum that will allow its visitors access to his extensive private collection of contemporary art. Doris and Don were instrumental to the founding of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools, a national charter school program based in San Francisco that has grown from 2 schools to more than 80 across the country. Don was an early supporter and a Board member of the Presidio Trust. He was committed to the creation of a world class urban national park from this former military base, for use by neighbors as well as the world. Don was a proud son of San Francisco, and his work for the common good is seen not just in these examples but in every corner of our city. However, he was proudest of his family, and his children and grandchildren will carry on his work. I hope it is a comfort to Doris, his three sons, his grandchildren, and the many others who loved him that so many are mourning his loss at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, for almost two decades, the Ryan White Act has played an essential role in the development and maintenance of systems of care for people living with HIV and AIDS. Today, Congress has the opportunity to continue this lifesaving work. Essential to our efforts has been the leadership of Chairman Frank Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. And I want to especially acknowledge Chairman Henry Waxman for his decades of magnificent and determined leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. From day one of this epidemic, Henry Waxman has been on the frontlines leading the charge. I also want to pay tribute to another great leader who was there from day one of this epidemic: Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Senator Kennedy was tireless in his efforts to ensure the federal government, and the entire health system, eventually rose to the challenge of this crisis with the resources and commitment it demanded. His legacy lives on in the Ryan White Act and the hundreds of thousands of people each year it helps access the medication and primary care they need to stay healthy. As everyone knows, San Francisco was hit early and was hit hard by the devastation of AIDS. But San Franciscans responded to the needs of our neighbors by developing a system of community-based care that became the model for the Ryan White CARE Act when it was first enacted in 1990. As a result, San Francisco produced data that showed the country comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and services not only saves lives, but also saves money by keeping people healthy and productive. Today, Ryan White-funded initiatives are a fundamental component of the systems of care upon which low income individuals with HIV and AIDS rely. Declines in AIDS deaths are a direct result of the therapies and services that have been made more widely available through the Ryan White Act to large numbers of uninsured and under-insured people living with HIV and AIDS. Each year, this legislation ensures access to lifesaving medical services, including pharmaceuticals, for over 500,000 clients--almost half of the individuals living with HIV/AIDS in this country. Passage of the Ryan White reauthorization will continue to increase access to primary care and medications by providing additional resources and facilitating the transition to HIV reporting. The Ryan White Act has always focused on establishing and maintaining effective systems of health care. This means avoiding drastic cuts that destabilize existing resources. For this reason, many of us were disappointed when the Bush Administration implemented the 2006 reauthorization in a way that caused drastic cuts to several jurisdictions, including the San Francisco Eligible Metropolitan Area. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans objected to correcting these implementation flaws in this reauthorization. However, I remain committed to responding to these needs through the appropriations process, as we have done each year since the Bush Administration first attempted to impose these destabilizing cuts. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act will continue our commitment to hundreds of thousands of low income people living with HIV/AIDS. In so doing, we will save lives, save money, and help create a healthier America. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, last week the Bay Area lost a fourth- generation San Franciscan and a proud American, Paul ``Red'' Fay. Over his long life, Red was a devoted public servant, a successful entrepreneur, and a noted philanthropist. Above all, Red was a much- beloved friend to many. He was a man of great humor and an indefatigably good spirit. Red became a close confidant of President Kennedy when they served together in the Navy during World War II. He worked on all of the President's political campaigns, and was an usher at the President's wedding. He was proud to serve as Undersecretary of the Navy in the Kennedy Administration. Their friendship lasted until President Kennedy's death. Red was a successful entrepreneur, leading the Fay Improvement Co., his family-owned contracting business and a successful investment firm. Mr. Fay was a generous supporter of many worthy causes. Proud of his Irish heritage, he was a champion of the American Ireland Fund. He donated his time to the Robert Odell Foundation and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation. But the cause he devoted the most to was Youth Tennis Advantage, which helped teach underprivileged children the game of tennis that Red enjoyed so much. Red is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Anita, his three children, Paul, Katherine and Sally, and seven grandchildren. I hope it is a comfort to them that so many people are mourning their loss and praying for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for giving us this opportunity to come to the floor to express on the floor of the House our condolences to the people of Georgia in this very, very sad time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the Georgia delegation, for calling attention to the serious flooding in Georgia and other parts of the American southeast and again with this resolution to offer our condolences on behalf of all Members of the Congress. Of course, we offer our condolences to those who lost their lives. We are sad for those who have lost their homes and their livelihoods. Those lost, as Mr. David Scott referenced, include nine people dead, dozens stranded and more than 30,000 without electricity. Those lost included a teenage boy trying to rescue another in danger; a mother of two young children; and a very young child, 2 years old, swept away from his father's arms. When that word came over the TV, my colleagues, all of America wept. It is just so sad. Our hearts ache for those who have lost so much. But in the emerging sun, what do we see? We see neighbors coming to the aid of neighbors and the tireless work of our first responders. Members of Congress are being briefed on the ongoing events by our members of the Georgia delegation. Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for being the author of this resolution. We are all trying to reach out to see what we can do to help individually in conversation and as a Congress. I know that President Obama will act upon the request that he has just received. He has received the request from Governor Perdue. Now he has received the formal documentation from FEMA, and I am certain that it will be addressed immediately. The thoughts and prayers of this entire Congress and the people we represent, the American people, are with the people of Georgia today and in these days ahead as we work with them to ensure that they have all that they need. I hope it is some level of comfort to them that their representatives on both sides of the aisle from Georgia have made us fully aware of the direct impact that the rains have had on Georgia. We stand ready to help with whatever we can do officially, but always with what we can do in our prayers.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Thank you to the chairman for giving me this opportunity to come to the floor in strong support of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. I do so because education is the best investment individuals can make in themselves, parents can make in their children, and a Nation can make in its citizens and in its future. Today is possible because of the leadership of the distinguished chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Congressman George Miller. Students across America have no better advocate for affordable and accessible higher education. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I would also like to acknowledge the chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness--I love that trio of jurisdiction--and a national leader on college affordability, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. To them and all of the members of the Education and Labor Committee, we are all in your debt. We all know that for every additional year of higher education, an individual's earnings increase about 10 percent. We know that education is key to the prosperity of our Nation, the prosperity of the individual, the prosperity of the Nation. But for far too many, a quality higher education has been simply unaffordable. I have heard of cases where parents have been hesitant to encourage their children to strive for college because they can't afford to send them. What sadder testimony could there be for prospects for that person. Expanding access to higher education is essential to building America's way out of recession and keeping our Nation competitive. Innovation begins in the classroom. It is essential that we prepare our students for 21st century jobs by providing all Americans with the skills they need to compete. When Democrats came to the majority in 2007, we passed in a bipartisan way the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. That was the single largest investment in education since the GI Bill in 1944, until today. Today we will make the largest investment in making college more affordable in the history of our Nation. On the 100th day of President Obama's presidency, in the House and in the Senate, we passed the budget. The President had three pillars for turning the economy around, for creating jobs in that budget, to create jobs to give tax breaks to the middle class and to reduce the deficit. The three pillars for turning the economy around and creating jobs were investments in education, in health care, and in a new energy policy for good, green jobs for the future. Today, we are passing legislation to support the education pillar of that budget. Again, education is essential to the fulfillment of individuals, the competitiveness of our Nation, and it is the foundation of our democracy. This bill is a great bill, and I want to again reiterate what others have said. It invests $40 billion in Pell Grants and increases the maximum grant that can be awarded. That makes a big difference to our students. It invests more than $2.5 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions, a big issue for Mr. Hinojosa and for many of us here. It strengthens the Perkins Loan Program that provides low-cost loans to students. It keeps interest rates low for those who have Federal student loans. This is very important. This means that more students will enter college, that they will graduate with less debt, and that the Federal loan initiatives that they and their families depend upon are strengthened for decades to come. On top of all of that, taxpayers will save money. Under Mr. Miller's leadership, we are investing in our children without heaping mountains of debt upon them. This legislation is fiscally responsible, following the strict standards of the pay-as-you- go spending and saving for the taxpayer. You heard all the things I said about Pell Grants and college investments and Perkins loans and low interest rates. With the $87 billion in taxpayer savings that this bill achieves, we are able to do all of that by switching to a Direct Loan Program. So it invests $77 billion back into the education of our people while reducing the Federal entitlement spending by $10 billion. That's billion with a ``B.'' This legislation seizes the opportunity to strengthen our Nation by making an historic commitment to our students and a landmark investment in our future. I urge my colleagues to join the distinguished chairman and members of the committee in a bipartisan way and vote ``aye.''

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer deep condolences to the victims of the recent California wildfires and the residents who have lost their homes and businesses; and to pay tribute to the brave firefighters and first responders still standing in harm's way. The wildfires broke out in the last week of August. Since then, more than 160,000 acres have burned. More than 160 structures--houses and businesses--have been destroyed; nearly 4,000 more remain in harm's way. At this stage, thousands of residents and families have been affected by the flames--forced into shelters; displaced; facing the horrifying prospect of a home burned to the ground or a workplace caught in the blaze. The prayers of every Member of Congress go out to every resident impacted by the fires. As the Nation has watched the rapid spread of the wildfires, no one deserves greater praise or gratitude than our firefighters on the front lines. These dedicated men and women stay through the night to get the job done. Their bravery is unparalleled, their heroism unmatched. Their efforts are the front line of defense against the fires, and their sacrifice is saving lives. Two of these firefighters paid the ultimate price for the safety of LA County's residents. Captain Tedmund ``Ted'' Hall and Specialist Arnaldo ``Arnie'' Quinones represent our nation's best values: service and sacrifice, an obligation to help others and a responsibility to protect your community. To ensure our firefighters have the resources they need to beat back the flames, Congress provided nearly $490 million in extra funding this year, boosting the federal government's commitment to helping the people standing in the line of fire each year. Congress will continue to watch closely the developments and spread of the wildfires across the State of California, and we will remain steadfast in our support for state and county emergency agencies in their efforts to protect local residents and rebuild in the days ahead. In the words of this resolution, the Congress ``condemns the acts of arson perpetrated in igniting the Los Angeles County Station Fire,'' and we extend our appreciation to the volunteers, law enforcement and medical personnel for helping evacuees, sheltering the displaced, and treating injuries in recent weeks.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank Congressman Ackerman and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for bringing this opportunity to the floor to speak about the unspeakable horror of 9/11. When we talk about this subject, Mr. Speaker, we are treading on sacred ground, a ground we thought we would never see in our country. But as Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen said, it has defined us, how we dealt with it, and how we carry on afterward. One of the goals of terrorists is to instill fear. So not only do they take lives and destroy a community, try to destroy a community, they also instill fear as to how we will act upon the challenges that we have as we go forward. That did not happen with 9/11. The American people rallied in a way that removed all doubt that we would not suffer that consequence. But it's the families of 9/11 who made the biggest sacrifice, that's self-evident. But when they turned their grief into action, working with the 9/11 Commission to help ensure that this doesn't happen again, they did a great service to our country. In just a few moments, in the Capitol, we will unveil a marker of bravery to recall the sacrifice, in particular of the men and women on Flight 93 who died in rural Pennsylvania. We gather to honor their families, who will be with us. This is the day that they have chosen for that and to ensure that we never forget their heroic deeds, their bravery and the sacrifices of those individuals. They made a decision in that flight not to fly into Washington, D.C., perhaps into this Capitol. Again, it is to those families that we owe so much, whether it was in rural Pennsylvania, in the Pentagon, or in New York at the Twin Towers. Following that ceremony, we will go to Statuary Hall where leaders of both parties in both Houses of Congress will gather to recognize the heroes of 9/11, the firefighters and first responders, the rescue workers and all who perished on Flight 93, in the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on that terrible morning. It is in their names that we mark this day. It is in memory of those who died that we, in the words of this resolution, renew our devotion to the universal ideals that make this Nation great: freedom, pluralism, equality and the rule of law. It is their voices that remind us not just of the images of destruction and despair, but of the unity we all felt in the wake of the attacks and of our common humanity and shared strength, of our potential to move forward as one community, one Nation. When we take inspiration from the memories of the heroes of 9/11, may this resolution rekindle a spirit of service and sacrifice among all Americans. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a beloved friend of mine and many in this body, Martha Dodd Buonanno. Martha Buonanno would best like to be remembered as a mother, grandmother, and wife. She died after a brief illness on July 6, 2009. Her five children, Helena, Bernard, Carolyn, Jody, and Margaret, and 17 grandchildren surrounded their father Bernard Buonanno crying and laughing as they celebrated the life of this remarkable woman. Her love of family and children led her to volunteer for many worthy organizations in Rhode Island. She was a mentor in Providence public schools with the VIPS program; she served on the boards of the Providence Preservation Society and the RI Association of the Blind. She was proud to chair the research center at the University of Connecticut that had been named in honor of her father: Thomas J. Dodd. Martha and I became friends more than 50 years ago at Trinity College in Washington, DC. We shared in common that we both came from political families--in fact, when we first met, both of our fathers were running for Senate. But our friendship grew over many years because we had so much more in common: Martha loved to travel, she loved to laugh, and always, Martha loved Democratic politics. In fact, Martha volunteered on every single one of her brother, Senator Christopher Dodd's, campaigns. She adored all her siblings: Chris, Tom, Carolyn, Jeremy, Nick. Martha Dodd Buonanno had a strong connection to this House, where her father and her brother served. She lived and raised her family in Providence and was admired by our colleagues Patrick Kennedy and Jim Langevin, and Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. Her roots were in Connecticut and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Congressmen John Larson, Joe Courtney, and Chris Murphy join me in expressing condolences to the Buonanno and Dodd families. It is a fitting tribute to Martha's life that more than 3,000 people attended her wake, lining the streets for more than seven hours. Her funeral mass was moved from her parish to another simply to be able to accommodate everyone. Those who came to pay their last respects to Martha included Vice President Biden, United States Senators, and a Governor; but Martha would have been equally proud to know that children that she tutored, neighbors from her block, and friends from growing up joined that day. As I know well, when Martha made a friend, she stayed friends with them forever. Although Martha was always a sparkling personality, she became even more so when she met Bernie. Their love, and their children and grandchildren, are her lasting legacy. I hope it is a consolation to her family that all of her classmates at Trinity College loved her for more than 50 years, and will miss her. I am honored to place in the Record the extraordinary eulogy of her beloved brother, Senator Chris Dodd, which captures her spirit and honors her life. A Tribute to my Fabulous Sister Martha (By Christopher J. Dodd) Before sharing some brief comments about my sister Martha, I want to observe that anything I say will only pale in comparison to the incredible comments of Martha and Bernie's children, and the outpouring of love and friendship that over 3,000 people shared for over 7 hours at last evening's wake. It was obviously a great tribute to Martha--but it is also a great tribute to all who waited for hours to say good by to this bright, shining lady. Now, let me begin with the obvious: My sister Martha is one fabulous gal! And so we gather today to celebrate the life of a spectacular wife, a devoted mother, an over-the-top grandmother, a trusted fiend, a tireless community activist, a political confidant, an amazing spark plug of a woman, and the best sister a sibling could ever hope to have. When most people lose loved ones, they instinctively wish they could have had just a little more time with them. The Dodds and the Buonannos were lucky enough to be with Martha constantly in the last days of her life. And those last days were beautiful. Even as I say these words, they sound so inherently contradictory. Yet for a little more than a week, my sister insisted on spending time alone with each of her five children and their spouses, each of her 17 grandchildren, each of her five siblings, as many of her close friends as were available, and, of course, Bernie. How many of us have lost someone without ever having a chance to say goodbye, or the chance to tell them how much they meant to us? Martha left us with remarkable dignity, grace, and courage. She had the incredible gift of deep, deep faith. She was truly at peace. And even though Martha has left us, we remain brightly lit by the incandescent life she led. Frankly, as sad as we are today, it's hard not to be overwhelmed with joy and love when we think about a life filled with such vitality and vigor, curiosity and compassion. Martha was a few years older than me. At least, that was the case until about twenty years ago. I was always the younger brother until one night at the Dunes Club in Narragansett, when she introduced me as her older, white- haired brother. But, for most of our lives, she made for one heck of a big sister. I learned early how special my sister Martha was. One summer afternoon, decades ago, we were about to head off for a family vacation. Our bags were packed, the station wagon was full, and all of us were itching to get out of town--but Martha's 8th-grade championship softball game was running late. So we all waited together and watched. In the bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded and her team behind, my sister Martha hit a grand slam home run to win the game and the championship. As I sat next to her on that car trip for our family vacation, I was filled with the kind of awe you only feel when you're a fourth-grader with the requisite dreams of being a sports hero and you've just watched your twelve-year- old sister win the big game. Every time I drive by that softball field in West Hartford, Connecticut, I can't help but think back to the day I officially, and forever after was dazzled by my big sister. Nothing Martha ever did was shy or tentative. When she was just a toddler, during World War II, she once devoured our entire family's monthly ration of butter. And when our father wrote home from Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945, he always made sure to ask how ``Miss Butter'' was doing. Over the years, Martha never lost her love of a good meal, but the most important part of any meal, any occasion for that matter, was always the company with which she enjoyed it. If Martha were your dinner partner, you never had a better or more enjoyable time in your life. She was that much fun. Like most people with a vibrant spirit and a contagious personality, she made a lot of friends in her life. If you asked her, she'd tell you that our sister Carolyn was her best friend in the world. Martha had a lot of great friends, because when she made friends, she kept them forever. I.want to acknowledge the presence of several of my Senate colleagues who were with us last evening and today. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is here with us today. She and Martha became friends in college, and have been close ever since. I have never known two people who were better friends to their friends than my sister Martha and her friend Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi. I want to also thank my good friend, and a Martha Dodd Buonanno fan, Vice President, Joe Biden, for making the effort to be with us yesterday. Here also with us today are friends from high school, friends from college, friends she made during her 45 years in Rhode Island, and friends she accumulated at every stop along the way. Martha was fiercely loyal and compulsively competitive. She was a natural politico. She was involved and present in every part of every campaign I ever ran for Congress or the United States Senate. She was my unflinching advocate, my unyielding supporter. And when I ran for President--a very brief run, you may recall--she showed up all over South Carolina, Iowa, and New Hampshire--and anywhere else there was a debate or forum or town hall meeting. No matter where we were, she put the hard sell on anyone she encountered. Even as her health was failing last week, she promised me that she would tear into any opponents I might have from wherever she was. And in light of my present political circumstances, I told her there'd be no lack of opportunity to use her talents. However, along with Martha's loyalty came the requirement that you stay true to yourself. So, she had no problem calling me anytime to tell me in no uncertain terms when I was screwing up. Once, she called me and practically jumped through the phone. ``Why did you vote with Jesse Helms?'' she asked. I asked her, ``Well, what issue are you talking about?'' ``I don't care WHAT the issue is! I just can't believe you voted with Jesse Helms!'' It is important to point out that Martha could be non partisan in her outrage. She had a similar outburst once when I voted with my friend Bella Abzug! When she was in her last days in the hospital in Boston, I received a very kind phone call from President Barack Obama, who was concerned about her failing health and wanted me to pass along his and the First Lady's thoughts and prayers. After the call, I walked back into Martha's hospital room, and said in the presence of her family that I had just received a very important phone call--but I didn't want to be a name-dropper. Martha opened one of her blue eyes, and said in a voice we could all appreciate, ``Oh, go right ahead and drop the name.'' When I told her who had called, and what the message was, she opened the other blue eye, laughed, and said, ``You know, you shoulda beaten that guy.'' I told President Obama that story when he called from Italy on Tuesday to express his condolences. The President roared with laughter at Martha's reaction. Martha and Bernie have been such a magical couple--which, of course, doesn't mean they always had the same tastes. Which may have had something to do with the magic. Martha, as you all know, loved to travel, which you'd expect of someone with such an adventurous spirit. Her favorite spot was the Dominican Republic, but there wasn't anywhere in the world she wouldn't explore. For Bernie, on the other hand, as Martha loved to say, ``foreign travel'' meant going from Providence to Westerly. And a trip to see the Red Sox, the Celtics, or the Patriots was a voyage on par with space travel. So, as all of you know, Martha would travel on occasion by herself--to India, to Ireland, to Mexico and Europe. On one occasion, she became fascinated with the Lewis and Clark expedition, and decided to follow their trail west-- with a group of complete strangers. Or, at least, they were complete strangers when they started out. It didn't take long for them to become lifelong friends, one of whom is here with us today. Even with all the energy she devoted to campaigning and to the many, many efforts she made in this community, Martha would always say, ``My sole ambition is my family.'' In one of those wonderful, quiet moments last week, when she knew the end was near, she said to me, ``My ambition has always been my family, and I have fulfilled every ambition.'' Martha and Bernie have been remarkable parents, and the proof exists in their children. They are all frighteningly bright. They are all remarkably successful. They are all unbelievably well-balanced. And those were their mother's descriptions when she was being modest. Now, children can be gifted intellectually and athletically just by winning the genetic lottery--but when children grow up with decency, kindness, and humanity, you know that's a direct result of great parenting. These five young men and women are the mirror reflection of their parents. And nothing, absolutely nothing, gave my sister Martha greater satisfaction than their goodness. Together, these five children are raising 17 terrific children of their own. When our parents passed away, Martha was the magnet that kept us all in the same orbit. As we all know, once our parents have passed, it can be hard to get the family together. That didn't happen with us, because we all knew that if there was a holiday, there was going to be a get-together at Martha's house. There was going to be good food, and a lot of it. And there was going to be a lot of laughter, raucous debate, conversation, and the sheer joy of each other's company. Her favorite holidays, by far, were Christmas Eve, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. In fact, she never let anything get in the way of bringing her family, including her siblings, closer together--not even the law. Now, what I'm about to tell you could never happen in my State of Connecticut. Martha once started building a structure on their property in Narragansett which, as far as the local zoning commission knew, was a tool shed. She managed to avoid suspicion, even when the tool shed started to get way too big to be plausibly intended for just tools. Martha got even more brazen with time, as the tool shed acquired extra rooms. And, really, the jig should have been up when she added plumbing to that tool shed. But Martha was nothing if not bold, and she got away with building that guest house for our sister Carolyn to stay in when she'd come and visit. Once it was clear that the zoning commission was not about to mess with Martha Dodd Buonanno, she even put up a sign calling it ``Aunt Kitty's Cottage.'' Martha was so proud of our brother Tom's years at Georgetown, and his time as our ambassador in Costa Rica and Uruguay. She never ceased in her amazement of her best friend, my sister Carolyn's achievements reviving American Montessori, and her forty years of teaching. The photos chronicling the growth of her wonderful family, taken by our brother Jeremy, which hang in their home, reflect Martha's respect, admiration, and love of her brother. And the tales, travels, and exploits of our brother Nick kept her, in Martha's words, laughing and breathless for years. I already miss my charismatic, funny, lively, beautiful sister. But she touched so many people so deeply that I don't think she'll ever really be gone. I'm going to see her in the faces of her children and grandchildren. I'm going to hear her voice whenever I'm on the campaign trail or casting a vote in the Senate--particularly when she would disagree with me. And I'm going to feel her presence every time we celebrate a holiday, every time we share a meal, every time I drive by that softball field in West Hartford and remember just how incredible it was to grow up with Martha. Since moments like this never give you a chance to express all of your emotions, let me just say, on behalf of all of us, thank you, Martha, for everything. All of us love you, all of us miss you, and all of us were so lucky to be touched by your generous spirit.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his very important and swift action to address the opportunity that was given to us this week. As you know, my colleagues, as part of the supplemental earlier this year, the Cash for Clunkers provision was provided in it. Many people had worked very, very hard on that for a long time, and we were able to have it pass on a bill that was going to be signed by the President. I want to acknowledge Congresswoman Sutton for her enthusiastic support and leadership; Congressman Inslee and Congressman Israel of New York, who all worked very hard on this; certainly the chairman emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Dingell; the current chairman, Mr. Waxman; and Mr. Markey as Chair of the Select Committee on Global Warming for his leadership on this issue for a long period of time. I mention all of them because this brings together so many elements of what we want to do to grow our economy, to help our workers, to protect our environment, and to do so in a very focused way that works, and that's what is interesting about this week. In about 6 days, it is estimated that 250,000 cars were sold. On both sides of the aisle, people acknowledge the effectiveness of this initiative, and that is why yesterday--and as we were seeing what was happening this week--the Obama administration asked us to help consumers who have yet to have the opportunity to take advantage of trading in their old cars for new energy-efficient models. When they do that, again, they strengthen the auto industry, strengthen our economy at large and help preserve our environment. What's interesting about it, and the point that has been made by many speakers already, is just that everything has performed beyond the requirements of the bill. The cars that have been purchased are much more fuel-efficient and the emissions standard much better than the bill even required, and that's good news. I do share the concern that has been put forth by Mr. Markey--and I don't know if Mr. Inslee has yet, but he will--about the source of the revenue, and that is the Innovative Technologies Loan Guarantee Program. In the recovery package in January, we voted for a $6 billion initiative. It was very important to have it at that level, and it's very important in terms of our renewables program--$6 billion--but the administration has just released a solicitation for about half of that money, for $3 billion in loans for renewable energy. The rest of the money would not be released until next year, until after January. So that gave us an opportunity, for the time being, to use $2 billion of that for this Cash for Clunkers expansion. Again, I am concerned about the fact that that money is taken from that account, but it has not cost any opportunities for the program, because the timing is such that that money would be spent next year. I do hope, whether it's in the continuing resolution or some other step along the way, that those funds will be restored, because it's not appropriate for us to take money to do one thing for fuel efficiency out of an account that is designed to do just that in looking into the future with further innovation. So I share the concerns expressed by Mr. Markey, and I appreciate the comments made by Mr. Obey in the colloquy that they had about restoring those funds. But, again, I think this is a pretty exciting day. As I said, we got the word just as this news was unfolding this week. Yesterday, it was determined that we could go forward. The Rules Committee under Congresswoman Slaughter responded very positively. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Obey, has been trying to find solutions for us, and the leadership of the Republican Party has been very cooperative in how we could bring the bill to the floor. So this is a very positive, bipartisan initiative to help our auto industry, to help consumers grow our economy and to do it in an environmentally sound way. I think it is the perfect message for us to take home for August. Thank you all for your leadership in making this possible.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his masterful leadership of the Budget Committee. He is, indeed, a great American. He put forth earlier this year a budget which is a statement of our national values, about what is important to the American people as being manifested in our priorities in that budget. It's a budget that is designed to reduce the deficit, to create jobs, to give tax cuts to the middle class, and to have as three of its pillars to turn the economy around: education, health care and energy. And today, as part of that framework of fiscal responsibility under his leadership, this legislation is coming to the floor. I would also like to acknowledge our distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, for being relentless in his pursuit of this legislation. He has long supported it, and I don't think we would be here today without his determination. We just heard from Mr. Baron Hill, an author of the legislation, a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition in the House. The Blue Dog Coalition came together with the organizing principle of fiscal responsibility. We all owe them a debt of gratitude because it has become the mantra of the Congress: we will not increase the deficit. Mr. Hill spoke as a policymaker and as a new grandfather, and that is a very important perspective, a new grandfather. As a grandmother of many grandchildren for a long period of time, I know that we have a moral responsibility not to heap mountains of debt onto our grandchildren; and, today, we will be able to put this into place as a statute, not just as a rule of the House, which we did when we took control of the House as Democrats, but now as a statute. I want to pay, also, homage to Mr. George Miller, a Progressive Democrat, a leader in the Congress for many years. Long before I came to Congress, I was reading about Mr. Miller introducing PAYGO legislation in the Congress. Now I'm talking about 30 years ago. And I do remember going in 1982, not as a Member of Congress, to the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia. This was a midterm conference in between nominating conventions for President; and Mr. Miller at that 1982 convention introduced as a resolution a PAYGO resolution, which succeeded at that convention. It became part of the Democratic platform, and then again, as I say, he introduced that legislation into the Congress. It wasn't until a number of years later that it was implemented. During the Clinton years, that PAYGO formula was what took us out of the debts of the Reagan-Bush years and into a trajectory of surplus into the future. The last four Clinton budgets were in surplus. Now we're back in deficit from the excesses of the reckless economic policies of the Bush years. We must dig our way out again; we must sweep up behind, and this is a way. Statutory PAYGO legislation is a way to get that done. I reiterate: when the Democrats took control of the Congress, we made it a rule of the House that we had to abide by pay-as-you-go. Now we have a President of the United States committed to signing this legislation, and we are able to pass it, not as a rule of the House but as a statute, as a law of the land. I thank Mr. Hill, Mr. Baron Hill; Mr. George Miller; Steny Hoyer; and you, Mr. Chairman, for making all of this possible. It's a very important day for our country because it is a day when the Congress of the United States says to the American people: we will be accountable. We have said it. We have done it, and now we will make it a statute of the law of the land. So, again, I urge our colleagues. I hope we have a good, strong vote across the political spectrum, in the Democratic Party from right to left and, hopefully, across the aisle, so that we can have all of those who claim to support fiscal responsibility placing their vote behind this important legislation. If the idea is that you want to persuade the Nation that cutting taxes is a way to grow our economy, those tax cuts must be paid for. If we want to say that we want to increase entitlement spending, we must pay for that, and if we do not, there are consequences. There are consequences, and that is what is important about this legislation. We either pay as we go or, as we say, go into sequestration, have across- the-board cuts, a draconian measure that must be avoided, and here is the way to do it. So I urge all of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to support statutory PAYGO and as a tribute to those who fought the fight for so many years and as an obligation to our children and our grandchildren.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and commend him and the ranking member for bringing this resolution to the floor about a great personality. It is such a cause of celebration for all of us in San Francisco to see Lim Poon Lee so recognized on the floor of the House of Representatives. Thank you both for your kind words about him. Those of us who knew him and worked with him take great joy in the celebration we have here today. And I also rise in support of the legislation to commemorate the life and the achievements of Lim Poon Lee, the first Chinese American postmaster in the United States. Today, the House has an opportunity to honor Postmaster Lee's lifetime of public service and proud patriotism by naming the post office in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown as the ``Lim Poon Lee Post Office.'' As has been mentioned, Lim Poon Lee came to these shores from Hong Kong as an infant. Like many immigrants, he so loved this country that he spent his entire life in public service. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence specialist. He worked in the public welfare and juvenile court system in San Francisco. And Mr. Lee served one of my predecessors in Congress and a friend to many of us here, Congressman Philip Burton, as a field representative. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Lim Poon Lee the Postmaster of San Francisco. At the time, it was the highest Federal appointive post ever held by a Chinese American. In this position, Lee transformed the face of San Francisco's postal system by increasing the hiring of women, minorities and disabled postal workers. In San Francisco, we know the beauty is in the mix, and Mr. Lee worked to ensure while hiring that the post office look like the rest of the city in terms of its great diversity. In 1977, Lim Poon Lee established San Francisco's Chinatown Post Office, the post office located at 867 Stockton Street. Today we have the opportunity to name that post office for him. As we honor Postmaster Lee, we also recognize his family, his wife Catherine, his children Rosalind, Dorinda, Lynnette and Chesley and his grandchildren. They helped make his success possible. As was mentioned by my colleague, Mr. Lynch, Postmaster Lee passed away in 2002 at the age of 91. His absence is felt throughout San Francisco. As was also mentioned, he was the master of ceremonies for the Chinese New Year Parade, a columnist for ``Asian Week'' and a leader on many distinguished boards and commissions. All who knew him knew him to be a larger-than-life personality. All who knew Philip Burton knew that it took such a larger-than-life personality to be his field representative. I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the life of the first Chinese American postmaster, again at the time, the highest appointive office in the land when appointed by Lyndon Johnson, by supporting this legislation naming a post office in honor of Lim Poon Lee. And I thank you, Mr. Lynch, again, for your leadership.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a great California statesman and public servant, Joseph Cannon Houghteling, who passed away on June 23, 2009. On July 16th, 2009 Joe's family and friends will gather on San Francisco's historic ship the Balclutha to celebrate his life, and I wish to honor my friend by submitting his obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle. Joseph Cannon Houghteling, former chairman of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and Democratic activist, died at home June 23 in San Francisco after a short illness. He was 84. Houghteling spent many years in pro bono public service, with an emphasis on regional government, transportation and the balance between conservation and development. When he stepped down as chairman of BCDC, The Chronicle editorialized ``He has served with wit, style and patience . . . and has brought a spirit of compromise to its responsibility of allowing development but protecting the environment, two goals often hard to reach.'' Born in San Francisco in 1924, son of the late William and Virginia LeSeure Houghteling, Houghteling attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. He then joined the Navy V-12 college officer-training program and attended Bates College and the College of the Holy Cross. He served aboard the USS Ocklawaha in 1945-46 with the forces occupying Japan. He graduated from Yale in 1947. After college, Houghteling moved to the Peninsula, where he was publisher of community newspapers including The Gilroy Dispatch, The Los Gatos Times-Observer, The Sunnyvale Standard, The Pleasanton Times and The Mountain View Register-Leader. He owned The Nevada County Nugget for a time. He also founded Diablo Press, which published books on controversial topics including abortion and ``We Accuse,'' a collection of essays on the new American political anger during the Vietnam War, as well as ``The Sinking of the Lollipop'' by Rodney G. Minott, about the congressional campaign of Pete McCloskey and Shirley Temple Black. Although he came from a family of Illinois Republicans, including great-grand-father ``Uncle Joe'' Cannon, Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Houghteling became a committed Democrat. He was a California delegate to the Democratic Conventions of 1956, supporting Adlai Stevenson, and of 1960, supporting John F. Kennedy. He was Northern California treasurer to the 1960 Kennedy presidential campaign. He participated in many other campaigns, including those of both Pat and Jerry Brown, John Tunney, Dianne Feinstein and Pete McCloskey. Houghteling served on the boards of many nonprofits including California Tomorrow, the Planning and Conservation League Foundation, the Coro Foundation, Stanford Hospital, Peninsula School and the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Houghteling joked that he was ``one of Pat Brown's youngest appointees and one of Jerry Brown's oldest.'' Gov. Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown appointed Houghteling to the State Park Commission, which Houghteling eventually chaired, in 1959; in 1964 he was appointed to the State Highway Commission. Houghteling was appointed to BCDC in 1971; in the mid-1970s, he was appointed chairman by Gov. Edmund G. ``Jerry'' Brown Jr., a post he held until 1982. While chairman, Houghteling shepherded through the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan, which shielded 89,000 acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat from uncontrolled development. From 1972-1982, Houghteling was on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. While on MTC, he noticed that there was no direct pedestrian access from the Embarcadero to the ferry landing. At Houghteling's suggestion, a passageway was built through the Ferry Building to allow easy access. In 1994, a plaque was installed in the Ferry Building to honor Houghteling. In 1984, Houghteling was appointed to the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, on which he served until 1992. Houghteling also was president of the National Maritime Museum Association from 1992-1994. He was instrumental in bringing the submarine the USS Pampanito to Pier 45. Houghteling lived in Palo Alto, Los Gatos and Atherton. After moving back to San Francisco in 1978, he kept a home in Portola Valley for many years. Houghteling is survived by his wife of 31 years, Signa Judith Irwin Houghteling, and his daughters with the late Frances Fisher Houghteling: Anne Frances Houghteling and her husband, Herb Greenman, of Palo Alto; Elizabeth Cannon Houghteling and her husband, Philip Balboni, of Cambridge, Mass.; and Mary Wallace Houghteling of Berkeley. He is survived by his grandson, Philip Cannon Houghteling Balboni, of Cambridge. He leaves three nieces and a nephew by his sister, Lucretia H. Robertson, who predeceased him.''

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the many proud Americans who have dedicated their professional lives to the House of Representatives: Mr. Pope Barrow. Pope retires today after more than 40 years of service to Congress-- longer than most Members--and a decade as the House's Legislative Counsel. In this capacity, Pope has drafted legislation that has affected every American: from the air that we breathe, to the food that we eat, to the public lands that belong to all of us. He has always done so with the utmost impartiality, and with the closest attention to ensuring that the laws that we pass here perform as Congress intends. It is through these consistent efforts that Pope has earned the trust of his staff, staff from other offices, and Members of Congress. Pope Barrow's service in the Congress has benefitted all Americans, but I would particularly like to recognize his work on behalf of San Franciscans. Working with me and many other Members of Congress, Pope Barrow was relentless in his determination to create a viable Presidio Trust for the successful future of America's premier urban national park. He worked countless hours to craft the right language that would ensure bipartisan support and ultimately, passage into law. May the Presidio long stand as a tribute to Pope's decades of service in the House! As we honor Pope, we must also recognize his children, Isabel, Pope Jr., and Rebecca, who have also sacrificed so that he could serve along with us. I would also like to note that Pope comes from a family with many who have dedicated their lives to public service. Pope's great-great-great grandfather served in the House, Senate, and as a Governor from Georgia. His great grandfather also served in the Senate. And today, Pope's cousin, Congressman John Barrow, is a distinguished member of this body. Madam Speaker, Pope Barrow represents the many among us who toil in relative obscurity, but proudly serve our country, as staff in the House of Representatives. In saluting Pope today, we recognize all of his colleagues who work extremely long hours, and who consistently rise to the call of duty and exceed expectations. I know Pope intends to pursue his diverse interests: sailing, gardening, and travel. On behalf of the entire House of Representatives, we thank him and honor him for his lifetime of service.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great American, Frank Weinman, on the occasion of his 95th birthday. Born in 1914 in Vienna, Austria, Frank has overcome great hardships and adversity on life's path, escaping the terror of Hitler's Europe to settle with his family in the United States. Working in his father's paint factory in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, Frank fell in love with his future wife, Teri, a Hungarian citizen. When the Germans occupied Austria, Frank was left stateless, because, as a Jew, he could not return to Vienna, and was forced to flee to Prague. In Prague, Frank assisted Jews immigrating illegally to Palestine, undoubtedly saving many lives. On the run from the Nazis, Frank and Teri were secretly married on October 25, 1939 in Prague. Separated often over the next 18 months, Frank received word that his brother Charles, who had emigrated to America, had procured visas for them, and Frank made a daring journey by foot over mountainous terrain to Hungary, where Teri was staying with her family. While waiting for exit visas in Kosice, Hungary, Frank and Teri were arrested and sent to Hungarian concentration camps, before being released due to their American visas. Forced to leave behind family, Frank and Teri made a harrowing journey across Austria and Germany to Spain, where they found passage across the Atlantic on a small Spanish ship. They arrived to the New World, free from the fear and oppression they had narrowly escaped, on October 12, 1941, Columbus Day. Frank and Teri lived together until Teri's passing in 1975, having raised a family of two daughters in Illinois. Frank married Frances Alt in 1977, and they moved to the Great State of California in 1988. Though Frances has since passed away, Frank Weinman celebrates his 95th birthday in Walnut Creek, California today with daughters Francie and Linda, and their husbands, Stuart and Alex, along with four loving grandchildren. He is also blessed to have a devoted stepdaughter, Judy, and her husband Maynard, and stepson George and his wife Maureen. Thanks to them, Frank has three more adoring grandchildren and six great- grandchildren. Frank's story is an inspiration to us all, and we are reminded of the importance of family, perseverance, and faith. I encourage all Members of Congress to join me in wishing Frank a happy birthday, and may he celebrate many more.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I want to join those who have sung your praises as a distinguished presider over hundreds of hours of debate in the House of Representatives. Your service here, your leadership here will long be remembered and be an inspiration to us. Katherine will be very missed, but now she's off to college. Thank you, Ellen Tauscher, for being such a great chairwoman and presider over the House of Representatives. Madam Speaker, I also wish to acknowledge the leadership of our chairmen, who so ably brought this important legislation, this historic and transformational legislation, to the floor: Chairman Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman Markey of the Energy Security and Climate Change Committee, Chairman Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee, and Chairman Peterson of the Agriculture Committee. We thank them for their leadership and for giving us this opportunity today. Madam Speaker, no matter how long this Congress wants to talk about it, we cannot hold back the future. And so in order to move on with the future, I want to yield back my time, submit my statement for the Record, and urge my colleagues to vote for this important legislation. And when you do, just remember these four words for what this legislation means: jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs. Let's vote for jobs. Madam Speaker, today the House has an opportunity to pass historic and transformative legislation: the American Clean Energy and Security Act. I would like to acknowledge the authors of the legislation: Chairman Waxman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Chairman Markey of the Select Committee on Energy Security and Climate Change. I would also like to acknowledge: Chairman Collin Peterson of the Agriculture Committee for bringing the priorities of America's farmers to this bill and Chairman Rangel who helped ensure that this bill is fiscally responsible and fully paid for. And I would like to acknowledge the many staff who worked so hard on this legislation. In his inaugural speech, President Obama called upon us to, ``harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.'' One week and one day later, we did just that. We passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act--the single largest investment in history in clean energy--with over $69 billion for new investments in clean energy. Shortly thereafter, we passed the Omnibus spending bill, with significant investments in advanced energy research and the labs and equipment necessary to perform the next generation of advanced energy research. We passed the Budget, which included a 10% increase in investment in clean energy and energy efficiency. This was building upon the work of the last Congress: The Farm Bill was the first in history to include a real investment in energy independence, with over $1 billion to leverage renewable energy industry investments in new technologies and new feedstocks. And the historic and bipartisan energy bill signed by President Bush increased fuel efficiency standards for vehicles for the first time in 30 years and redirected this country's energy policy toward clean, renewable energy. Creating a new energy policy and addressing the global climate crisis is: Energy independence is: a national security issue by reducing our dependence on foreign oil; an environmental and health issue; it is a moral issue; and it is an economic issue for America's families. There are four words that can describe this bill: jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs. Madam Speaker, we debate this legislation as millions of Americans are struggling in this economy. This is our moment to transform our economy and create jobs. This is the moment when we can unleash private sector investment in clean energy to create millions of new jobs and make America the global innovation leader. It will promote clean energy technology--made in America. It will put America in the lead in the global competition. As we rebuild America in a green way, we will create jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. We are creating a framework in which innovation can occur and that gives business certainty that we are moving to a clean energy economy. That will unleash innovation, investment, and venture capital to drive new technologies into the market. America's farmers will fuel America's energy independence. They will do so with carbon-offsetting crops and forests, and biofuel and wind farms to repower America. This historic legislation is the product of months of consensus building to achieve an effective and affordable transition to a clean energy future. I am so pleased that the diverse coalition supporting this bill includes everyone from: The Union of Concerned Scientists to the Evangelical Climate Initiative and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; from the business community to labor organizations, from ALCOA to the U.S. Steelworkers of America; from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of business and nonprofit groups. Today, we have an opportunity to lead America toward an effective and affordable transition to a clean energy future. It is a moment we cannot afford to miss. We have a responsibility to create jobs and make America more secure, protect the health of our citizens, and honor our moral responsibility to our children and our future generations. Vote to create jobs. Let's put this Congress on the right side of the future. Vote yes on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect God's beautiful creation by supporting this legislation. Organizations Expressing Support for House Passage of The American Clean Energy and Security Act Electric Utilities and Energy Companies Duke Energy Exelon PG&E Corporation FPL Group Austin Energy National Grid PNM Resources Avista NRG Energy Inc.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, today the Congress expresses its deepest condolences for those who suffered because of the earthquake in Abruzzo in April, and the Congress expresses its strongest support for Italy as it rebuilds from this crisis. Soon after this disaster struck, I called Prime Minister Berlusconi on behalf of my colleagues in the Congress to express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those lost. President Obama and other leaders from around the world have offered assistance to those affected. Prime Minister Berlusconi and the Italian government have the steadfast support of the American people as they help the people of Abruzzo rebuild. As someone who can trace my family's roots back to Venice, Genoa, Campobasso, Sicily, and Abruzzo, I am personally committed to ensuring that the United States provides all possible assistance. In 1980, I had the opportunity to visit Southern Italy in the aftermath of another earthquake as part of a U.S. delegation. I saw firsthand the courage of the Italian people in the face of a similar tragedy. The world saw Italy emerge from this crisis stronger than before. America is a land discovered by an Italian, named for an Italian, and built by millions of Italian Americans. The bond between the United States and Italy is uniquely strong because of the vital role daughters and sons of Italy have played in the United States from its discovery to today. Today, we mourn those lost in Abruzzo and those struggling to rebuild their lives. And today, as in times of both crisis and calm, we stand beside each other as allies and friends.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his generous recognition and rise to say, as a mother and a grandmother, what an important day this is for America's children and to say thank you to Mr. Dingell. Some of the giants of the Congress have worked to help the children of America. Mr. Dingell, Mr. Waxman, and Mr. Pallone on the committee. On the Senate side, this legislation passing also is a real tribute to the leadership of Senator Ted Kennedy. It's really a great day. It's momentous. It's historic. We can't say that all the time about the legislation that we pass here. It would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of what is happening here today. Today we have an opportunity to protect public health and prevent disease; and today we have an opportunity to honor our responsibility to our children, to protect them from the harm that can come to them from the use of tobacco. Madam Speaker, tobacco is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it is responsible for about one in five, or 443,000, deaths annually. Again, I want to acknowledge the great work of Chairman Waxman, Chairman Dingell and Chairman Pallone. We passed this bill before Easter. Happily last night, yesterday, it passed the Senate so that we can now pass the bill and send it to the President's desk for his signature. Mr. Oberstar, in his role on Transportation and understanding how we had to get smoking out of Transportation, spelled out for us what the study told us and how it has been 52 years since we should have taken action. There is so much support on the outside of the Congress as well. A thousand organizations, everyone from the American Cancer Society, which we would suspect, the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, the AARP, and the Presbyterian Church, just to name a few. They believe that passing this bill will save lives. Every day Americans benefit from the oversight of the FDA on foods that we eat and medicines we take. That's their jurisdiction. Yet despite the fact that tobacco is one of the deadliest products in America, the FDA has had no authority to regulate it. This is just not right, and today we can correct that wrong. Right now tobacco is exempt from standards that apply to a can of soda or a box of pasta. Tobacco makers are exempt from critical and basic consumer protections, such as ingredient disclosure, product testing and restrictions on marketing to children. This legislation grants the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. It also requires detailed disclosure of tobacco product ingredients and restricts tobacco marketing and sales to young people, among other things. And this legislation does all of this in a fiscally responsible way, funding the FDA tobacco activity through a user fee on tobacco manufacturers. Because of lost productivity and health care expenditures, cigarette smoking costs our Nation more than $193 billion a year, almost $200 billion a year. By reducing the number of smokers, not only will this legislation save lives and reduce chronic disease, it will also reduce health care costs. Today, approximately 3,500 young people will try a cigarette for the first time and another 1,000 will become addicted and become new regular, daily smokers. One-third of those children will eventually die prematurely because of smoking. We must do all that we can to prevent premature death from smoking, and today we have that opportunity. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the aptly named Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. I hope that the children of America will see a strong bipartisan vote. This legislation deserves it, and then we can send it on to the President to be signed into law hopefully no later than next week. Again, Mr. Dingell, as a mother and a grandmother, I'm deeply in your debt for what you're doing for America's children. Mr. Waxman, thank you so much for bringing this bill to the floor. We went into session in January. Before Easter this bill had passed the House. Thank you for your leadership. Mr. Pallone was very much a part of it. Again, Mr. Oberstar, thank you for your leadership. But let's just say about Senator Kennedy, this has been part of his life's work. He's worked on this for a very long time, of itself, discretely, the tobacco and smoking issue and then, of course, just as with Mr. Dingell, the larger health issue for America. Today in passing this legislation, enabling the FDA to regulate tobacco, we are taking a giant step forward in making America healthier. Thank you all for your leadership.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a leader for working men and women, a distinguished diplomat and a great American John Henning, known to us as Jack, who passed away on June 4, 2009. Jack Henning will be long remembered for his distinguished career on the front lines of the labor movement, fighting passionately for justice, equality, human rights and jobs in California, across America and throughout the world. A native San Franciscan, Jack began his career working for the Association of Catholic Unionists. He joined his first union, the United Federal Workers of the CIO, after graduation from college. Jack served for decades as a dedicated leader of working people, rising to be the president of the California Labor Federation. In that role, Jack represented millions of California's workers with great distinction. Not only union members, but millions of Americans who never belonged to a union enjoy better wages, safer workplaces, greater rights and more secure retirements because of the battles waged by union leaders such as Jack Henning. Jack was a close ally of legendary farm worker organizers Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. He cited among his proudest accomplishments the passage in 1975 of the landmark Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which our colleague Mr. Howard Berman was so much a part of, and provided tough labor protections for those who have been abused and mistreated for decades in California's pastures of plenty. Jack Henning ended his farewell speech from the California Labor Federation in 1996 with, And if by a suspension of the laws of nature I were young again, I would follow no other course, no other flag, but the flag of America and the flag of labor. The labor movement was blessed to have him as a leader. As distinguished as he was on behalf of workers, Jack made many other contributions to his State and this Nation for which we are all grateful. Before taking the presidency of the California Federation of Labor, Jack served Presidents Kennedy and Johnson as Under Secretary of Labor and was appointed by President Johnson as Ambassador to New Zealand in 1967. Jack was also a distinguished regent at the University of California for a dozen years during which he helped lead the fight for expanded opportunities for minority students and demanded that the university divest its investments in apartheid South Africa. That divestment initiative helped bring about the peaceful end of apartheid and the new day of majority rule in South Africa. We will all miss Jack greatly, but none more than his sons Brian, Daniel, John Jr., Patrick and Thomas; his daughters Mary and Nancy; his 12 grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. We also remember his beloved wife Betty, who preceded him in death. I hope it is a comfort to his family that so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. Jack Henning was a proud American, a devout Catholic, passionate about his Irish roots and a great friend and mentor to many of us. Mr. Speaker, I join Jack Henning's family, friends and workers worldwide to honor his legacy, celebrate his life and remember his illustrious contributions to the State of California and to our great Nation. Later today, thousands of people will gather in California to do just that, celebrate his life and pay tribute to him.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank all of those who are involved, Mr. Klein of Florida and members of the House Anti-Semitism Caucus and others, certainly the chairman of the committee, Mr. Rahall, and others for giving us an opportunity to speak on the floor to express our grief and our outrage over what happened yesterday. When the news came to the Capitol of what had happened at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, we were shaken, shaken to the core that this could possibly happen. The resolution today allows us to express some of the grief that we have and the strongest denunciation of the despicable hate crime perpetrated yesterday and to express our strong support for the work of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Some of us were there that rainy, rainy day when the Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated. Elie Wiesel spoke to us so profoundly about what it meant, not only in terms of memory and never forgetting what happened in the Holocaust, but what our responsibility is to the future. At the time the Bosnian crisis was happening. So while the Holocaust Memorial Museum is about something that happened in the past, it is a memorial and a reminder to us about ridding our societies of these kinds of attitudes. So how ironic, how ironic that this person, this individual, would go into that museum with hate in his heart, a gun in his hand, and kill this beautiful man, Stephen Johns, who really gave his life. He guarded others with his life. And I would like to take a moment to pay special tribute to Stephen Johns, whose life was cruelly taken yesterday. Stephen was known to his colleagues as ``a soft-spoken, gentle giant.'' Stephen loved his hometown football team, the Redskins, and he loved to travel across the United States. Sad to say--well, it was a happy moment for him--but sad that it was such a short time ago he had married and moved to Temple Hills, Maryland, just 10 minutes away from his mother. Stephen died in the line of duty, doing his job to protect those who came to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. We honor him today. We honor his sacrifice and his service. In the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, anyone who has visited there knows there is a flame that burns in remembrance to all who died in the Holocaust. It lights the room over a coffin of Earth gathered from the death camps, concentration camps, sites of mass execution and ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe and from cemeteries of American and European soldiers who fought and died to defeat Nazi Germany. Engraved above the flame, it says, from Deuteronomy 4:9: ``Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life, and you shall make them known to your children, and your children's children.'' Today we commit to telling our future generations the truth shared at the Holocaust museum. This heinous act was committed at the entrance to sacred ground to us, the Holocaust museum, as I described, where some of the Earth was gathered from. This is a severe blow to all of us who care about these issues, and I would include that to be everyone in the Congress of the United States and in our great country and those throughout the world who promise never to forget. So we commit never to forget, and we commit to continue our work to build a world free of hatred. Again, I thank our colleagues for giving us a time to publicly mourn this horrible, horrible event; to extend our condolences to the family of that brave guard and also to acknowledge, like Stephen Johns, our own Capitol Police and many others who make this area safer for people to visit from all over the world, who make it safer for us to do our jobs here, who make it safer for the press to cover us, who make it safer for our staffs to work, we express our deep gratitude to them. For us, the words Gibson and Chestnut are forever ablaze in our hearts--two of those committed to guard the Capitol whose lives were taken over 10 years ago. We will add to that list Stephen Johns and never forget the sacrifice he made and never forget our responsibility again to end the world of hatred.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. I commend her for her tremendous leadership in putting together this legislation that we have before us. She, Representative Israel and Representative Inslee all worked very hard to come to a position that we can all support today. Mr. Markey is here of the Select Committee, and of course Mr. Dingell, the Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Others, Mr. Braley, Mr. Stupak--well, all of our colleagues have had an important role--Mr. Kildee and our colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle. Hopefully we will have a good, strong bipartisan vote today on this legislation. Because you all have given us an opportunity to pass legislation that is a benefit to our economy and a benefit to our environment, we can create and save jobs while addressing the air pollution issue, so important to our children's health. We will do this by allowing Americans to trade in their own gas-guzzling vehicles and receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help pay for the new, more fuel- efficient cars and trucks. I will go into some specifics--I know we've heard it over and over again, but this CARS bill is quite a remarkable piece of legislation, and the timing is perfect. And when they trade in these cars, they will strengthen America's auto industry, creating jobs and reducing layoffs, and save more than 250 million gallons of gas. This has been tried and true around the world in recent months with great success. In Germany, for example, it boosted auto sales by 20 percent. Because this legislation will deliver consumer savings, increase vehicle demand, help save American jobs while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing our dependence on foreign oil, it is supported by a broad coalition. That coalition includes the Big Three automakers, the United Auto Workers, car dealers, business groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers, the Chamber of Commerce, and, in the lead, the Obama administration. Today, with this legislation, we will ensure a strong American manufacturing base. As much as anything that we can do in terms of addressing the issue of the auto industry in our country, this is a national security issue. The auto industry's success is essential to ensuring that we have a strong manufacturing base. This legislation today will ensure that we have a strong manufacturing base and get more fuel-efficient vehicles on the road, which is essential to our economy, to our national security, and a clean, green future. I commend my colleagues once again. I commend Congresswoman Sutton for her determination to accelerate the pace of when we would bring this legislation to the floor and urge strong bipartisan support for the bill, which it certainly deserves.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank him for giving us this opportunity to come to the floor to sing the praises of our former colleague--we always will have him as a colleague in our hearts, but former colleague on the floor, Congressman Ralph Regula of Ohio. As many of you know and as has been acknowledged, Ralph Regula served in the House with great distinction for 38 years of service, 38 years of service and not only service, great leadership. Last year we sadly said good-bye to him, but now tonight we will honor him by creating a longstanding testament to his leadership, designating the courthouse and Federal building in his hometown of Canton as the Ralph Regula Federal Building and United States Courthouse. I want to acknowledge Congressman John Boccieri for his work in shepherding this legislation through Congress and for doing an exceptional job, I believe, following in the footsteps of Ralph Regula in representing Ohio's 16th Congressional District. Congressman Regula's entire life was devoted to public service and still is. He was a distinguished Navy veteran of World War II. He served our country in that way, and he served in both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives as well as the State Board of Education. And aren't we fortunate that when he came to Congress, he was already an experienced legislator with a strong commitment to educating our children. Thirty-eight years. Imagine that. Some of our Members weren't even born when Ralph Regula came to the Congress. Thirty-eight years in the House of Representatives, earning the distinction of being the second- longest-serving Republican in the Congress. Congressman Regula's leadership benefited our entire Nation. It was a personal privilege for me to work with him on the Appropriations Committee. I saw firsthand his leadership, his knowledge of the issues, the respect that he commanded for all who came before him and the respect he had from both sides of the aisle. I personally am grateful to him for transforming San Francisco's former Army base--he was very much a part of doing that--the Presidio, into one of our Nation's premier parks, and we have honored him on many occasions in San Francisco, most recently at Fort Baker. None of us can come together and talk about Ralph Regula without talking about Mary Regula because they served here in Congress as a team. Ralph would be the first to say that it was the love of Mary and their three children and four grandchildren that made his leadership possible. And we all know that Mary is the one who made a decision that we would have a National First Ladies' Library in Canton, Ohio, to honor the contribution to our Nation of the First Ladies of America. It's a phenomenal thing. She had an idea, she executed it, and now people can visit and see that important part of American history thanks to Mary Regula. Today we honor a great congressional leader, a great friend to all of us, and a great man. I urge all of my colleagues to understand the privilege that we have of expressing our appreciation for Ralph Regula's leadership by supporting this legislation, and I join my colleagues from Ohio on both sides of the aisle for the honor that we are paying to Ralph Regula tonight. And I again thank John Boccieri for shepherding this through the Congress.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I thank him and Sander Levin and Congresswoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen for bringing this legislation to the floor. I associate myself with the comments of Mr. Poe and my friend, Mr. Wolf. We have been working on this issue for a very long time in our task force on China ever since I think even before Tiananmen. Human rights in China is a very, very important issue. China is a very important country. The relationship between our two countries is very important economically, security-wise, culturally, and in every way. But the size of the economy, the size of the country, and the size of the relationship doesn't mean that we shouldn't speak out. I have said that if we don't speak out about our concerns regarding human rights in China and Tibet, then we lose all moral authority to discuss it about any other country in the world. Today we come together to support a resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives recognizing that 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Again, I thank my colleagues for bringing this legislation to the floor. Twenty years ago, a generation ago, thousands, millions of Chinese students, workers, and citizens assembled in Tiananmen Square and all of the streets leading to it and from it to bravely speak out. It was about promoting more freedom in China in terms of accountability of the government in ending corruption. It was about, again, more transparency and the ability to speak and to assemble. It was about the aspirations of people in a country that they love and their desire to have dialogue with their leaders on the future of China. It will be forever seared in our memory what happened next. The People's Liberation Army, the People's Army was used against the people, crushing demonstrators in Tiananmen Square and crushing dissent throughout China. And so again, Tiananmen Square is the place where many people assembled, but the demonstrations were beyond that and well into Beijing and across the country. We remember, again, one of the most enduring images which actually happened after the crush, after the order was given to clear Tiananmen Square by such and such a time on June 4. A day or two later, a brave man stood before the tank. One of the most enduring images of the 20th century will forever be seared again in the conscience of the world, the picture of the lone man standing before the tank in the street bringing a line of tanks to a halt. When the tanks moved, he moved. He even climbed on the tank to communicate to the person in charge of the tank that Beijing was their city and they did not want tanks overtaking it. Today that spirit of Tiananmen lives in the hearts and minds of those continuing to work for freedom in China and beyond. The heroes had the courage to speak out for freedom. There will be other observances of the Berlin Wall coming down throughout Europe in the next weeks and months. And actually, while the Chinese students, workers, and demonstrators used the Goddess of Democracy as the symbol in Tiananmen Square, inspired by our Founders, they, in turn, inspired others throughout Europe and the rest of the world to speak out for freedom, and they did achieve freedom. Unfortunately, the Chinese did not. Some of the people arrested at the time of Tiananmen Square are still in prison. We really don't have all of their names, but we do have the names of some prisoners of conscience that I brought to the attention of the Chinese Government. In a letter to the President of China, I included some of those, and I want to read them into the Record. And I will submit their names and the description of their situation into the Record. Before I read them all, I want to talk particularly about Liu Xiaobo. Liu Xiaobo is one of those individuals who spoke for freedom. He spent 5 years in prison and in reeducation-through-labor camps for supporting the Tiananmen students and for questioning the one-party system. Late last year, he was again arrested for being one of the organizers of the Charter '08, an online public petition for democracy and the rule of law. About 5,000 people signed it. Imagine the courage of these people to sign such a petition. Liu continues to be held without charges. We call for his immediate and unconditional release. Let me read the name of Dr. Wang Bingzhang. He is very famous. There was an article in the paper yesterday about him. Hu Jia, Shi Tao, Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, Yan Zhengxue, Pastor Zhang Rongliang, Bangri Chogtrul Rinpoche, and Ronggyal Adrag are being held. Some of these are from Tibet as well. There are others, but I want to submit these names for the Record as they are representative of the situation. I just had the privilege of visiting China last week. We had magnificent hospitality from the Chinese Government, and I am grateful for the opportunity they gave us to hear about their plans for climate change and issues of global concern. It also afforded me the opportunity to speak about human rights in China and Tibet and congressional concern about it to the President, the Premier and the Chairman of the National People's Congress. In terms of our dialogue, congressional and interparliamentary dialogue, I think it was clear from our visit that this concern is bipartisan, and any dialogue we had between our two congresses would have to include a discussion of human rights. When we were there, the first meeting we had was with Bishop Jin of Shanghai to discuss the status of religious freedom in China. He was optimistic about the Catholics that he led in Shanghai having some more freedom and making progress in that regard. And I respect that. But that is not the case for all who wish to exercise their religious freedom in China. And again, China is a country of contradictions. You see progress here and you see oppression there. Perhaps it is how regions deal with these issues. But the fact is that much more needs to be done in terms of religious freedom. I mentioned that we had submitted this letter to the Chinese Government. When we were in Hong Kong we met with Han Dongfang. Mr. Wolf, you know him. Han Dongfang was in Tiananmen Square as a bus driver at the time, and he gave us his view about what was happening and what opportunities that could be there. It is something that is not taught to children. What we learned is that some students in Beijing University did not have any idea of who the man before the tank was. They didn't have any idea. They could not relate to that. It was not part of their knowledge. It didn't trigger anything that they had heard about in China. That is pretty remarkable. But the fact is that the world will never forget, and that image is one that inspires those who aspire to freedom wherever it is in the world. I do believe that all countries of the world have to get to a place of more openness, more transparency and more accountability of government. And perhaps the issue we visited the Chinese about, climate change, is one that can open some doors. Environmental justice can help people have clean air and clean water and get answers from their government as to why they do not have it. Today, on this floor, and this week we are observing something that is sacred ground when we talk about human rights in the world. It is a remarkable occurrence that will continue to inspire people throughout the world and also inspire those in China who hope for and aspire to freedom. Mr. Lantos, our late colleague, introduced me to the Dalai Lama and the issue of human rights in China and Tibet. He was always saying to me, ``don't be discouraged; the fight for human rights is a long one.'' But who would have thought that 20 years after Tiananmen Square we would be observing this, that people would still be imprisoned and that we would be submitting names of people who want to be able to speak more freely, to assemble and have more accountability from their government? For this and many other reasons, I'm grateful to our colleagues for their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor. Thank you for that opportunity. And with that, Madam Speaker, I want to submit, in full, my letter and the list of prisoners. This is important because they say the worst form of punishment for someone who is a political prisoner is to say that no one remembers that you are here. No one remembers why you are here. So think about that as you are in prison. Well, we want them to know that in the Congress of the United States, we do know about them, we do care about them, and that we will continue to call for their freedom. May 27, 2009. Hon. Hu Jintao, President, People's Republic of China. Dear President Hu: I am writing to ask for your assistance in obtaining the release of certain individuals detained or imprisoned in China. It is my understanding that these individuals are prisoners of conscience and they are detained or imprisoned for exercising rights that are guaranteed to them under Chinese law or under international human rights conventions that have been signed or ratified by the Chinese government. Attached is a list of selected prisoners and brief descriptions of their cases. I look forward to working with you on a positive outcome on these cases and for the welfare of these individuals. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. Key Prisoners in China Who Should Be Released--Submitted May 27, 2009 Liu Xiaobo was detained and transported to an undisclosed location in December 2008 without any legal proceeding. He was one of the original signers of Charter 08 that calls for new policies to improve human rights and democracy in China. Liu is reportedly under residential surveillance at a location outside of his residence, in violation of China's Criminal Procedure law. It is my understanding that he has not been allowed to meet with his lawyer or family except for one brief visit with his wife. Under Chinese law, a person under residential surveillance does not need permission to meet with his lawyer. Dr. Wang Bingzhang was abducted by Chinese authorities in Vietnam in June 2002 and brought to China. He was then convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement in a trial that produced no evidence or witnesses to prove the charges against him. Dr. Wang is an internationally recognized pro-democracy activist and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Wang's detention is arbitrary. Dr. Wang is a permanent resident of the United States and his sister and daughter are U.S. citizens. He is currently held in Beijiang Prison in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, and suffers from phlebitis and has had three major strokes. At minimum, he should be released on medical parole. Hu Jia was detained in December 2007 and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in March 2008. The decision to take him into custody seems to have been made after leaders in several Chinese provinces issued a manifesto demanding broader land rights for peasants whose property had been confiscated for development. Hu pleaded not guilty on charges of ``inciting subversion of state power'' at his trial. Shi Tao is a Chinese journalist serving a ten-year prison sentence for sending an email description of a government order prohibiting Chinese media from recognizing the fifteenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests to a New York-based democracy website. Shi Tao was convicted with email account information provided by Yahoo! China. His lawyer, Guo Guoting, was repeatedly harassed in an effort to prevent him from representing Shi Tao. Chen Guangcheng, a self-trained legal advocate who tried in June 2005 to investigate reports that officials in Linyi city, Shandong province, had subjected thousands of people to forced abortions, beatings, and compulsory sterilization in order to meet population control targets. Although central government officials agreed that the officials used illegal means, authorities rejected the class-action lawsuit Chen tried to file. Chen was tried on August 24, 2006, and sentenced to four years and three months for ``intentional destruction of property'' and ``gathering people to disturb traffic order.'' Chen, who is blind, has reportedly been severely beaten in jail and has gone on a hunger strike to protest the beatings. He is serving his sentence in Linyi Prison. Gao Zhisheng, founder of a Beijing law firm, has represented numerous activists, religious leaders, and writers. On October 18, 2005, Gao wrote an open letter to Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, exposing widespread torture against Falun Gong practitioners. On November 4, officials shut down his law firm and began a campaign of harassment against Gao, his family, and associates. Authorities abducted Gao on August 15, 2006 and convicted him on December 22 of ``inciting subversion of state power'' and subject to a three-year sentence, suspended for five years. After Gao sent an open letter to the U.S. Congress in September 2007, he was taken away by the police for over 50 days, and tortured. Gao disappeared again on January 19, 2009. His current whereabouts are unknown. Yan Zhengxue, a 63-year old writer and painter, was detained on October 18, 2006, during a police raid on his home in the Jiaojiang district of Taizhou city, Zhejiang province. The Taizhou People's Intermediate Court convicted him on April 13, 2007, of inciting subversion and sentenced him to three years in prison after he attended a conference in the U.S. several years earlier and published on the Internet three articles critical of the Chinese government. Yang's cell mate reportedly attacked him, causing head injuries. Yang's family is concerned about his diminishing physical and mental health due to harsh treatment in prison. Pastor Zhang Rongliang is a Christian leader who was detained in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, in December 2004 and sentenced in June 2006 to seven years and six months in prison. Authorities charged him with ``fraudulently obtaining border-exit documents'' and illegally crossing the border in an effort to attend missions conferences. He had been beaten, detained, and harassed a number of times since his conversion to Christianity in 1969. He is reportedly in poor health and suffering from diabetes. Bangri Chogtrul Rinpoche, a lama who lived as a householder, was convicted of inciting splittism and sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2000. He and his wife managed a children's home in Lhasa. The Lhasa Intermediate People's Court commuted his sentence from life imprisonment to a fixed term of 19 years in July 2003, and then reduced his sentence by an additional year in November 2005. He is serving his sentence, which will be complete on July 30, 2021, in Qushui Prison near Lhasa. He suffers from heart disease and gall stones. Ronggyal Adrag, a nomad, climbed onto a stage at a horse- racing festival in Litang county, Sichuan province, on August 1, 2007, and shouted slogans calling for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, the release of Gedun Choekyi Nyima (the Panchen Lama identified by the Dalai Lama), freedom of religion, and Tibetan independence. The Ganzi Intermediate People's Court sentenced him on November 20, 2007, to eight year's imprisonment for inciting splittism.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of one of the grand pioneers of the National Park Service, Brian O'Neill. Brian was a passionate and dedicated advocate for our National Parks. He served as a magnificent steward of our beloved treasure, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) encompasses 76,000 acres of land and 50 miles of shoreline within Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, and includes world-famous sites such as Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods and the Presidio of San Francisco. It is the most visited unit of our National Park System, receiving more than 20 million visitors annually, and is one of the largest urban National Parks in the world. Brian O'Neill's leadership in our National Parks spanned more than 28 years. As General Superintendent of the GGNRA, Brian met the challenge of leadership in every measure. His enthusiasm soared to the heights of the giant redwoods of Muir Woods, his spirit of partnership spanned the Golden Gateway from Fort Point to Fort Baker, and his vision saw to the Farallone Islands and beyond. On a daily basis, Brian inspired a staff of 425 employees, a volunteer force of over 20,000 and more than 30 major facility and program partners. Under his leadership, GGNRA has developed park operational partnerships that have served as national and international models. Brian was a prominent figure in the transitioning of the Presidio of San Francisco from a military installation to a National Park. For more than two centuries, the Presidio stood as the Sentinel of the Golden Gate. Today, thanks to a strong public-private partnership, the Presidio has been transformed into a National Park like no other, and as a place of peaceful reflection and recreation for all people. The transformation of the Presidio from Post to Park has been exciting in its innovation, and is due in large part to Brian's leadership. For more than a century, Fort Baker played a key role in the defense of San Francisco Bay. Today, thanks to the leadership and commitment of Brian, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and many others, Fort Baker offers a world-class retreat and conference center, a hands-on children's museum and learning center, and the Institute at the Golden Gate dedicated to dialog and action on global environmental issues. Ft. Baker's post-to- park transition was truly a collaborative effort that brought together the entire community--a hallmark of Brian O'Neill's leadership. Moving forward, Ft. Baker will play a key role in advancing the cause of both local and global environmental stewardship and preserving our planet for our children and the future. Another highlight of Brian's lifetime of accomplishment was returning Crissy Field from the barren, broken asphalt of a former World War II airstrip to the historic wetlands and verdant marsh along the Presidio's window to the Bay. Crissy Field was one of the first attempts to restore historic wetlands along San Francisco Bay, and the first effort ever in San Francisco. Brian worked with Toby Rosenblatt, the Haas family and many others to bring the resources, talent and energy together in a great success that provides public recreation and environmental restoration. Today, Crissy Field serves as an example of the important alliance that can be developed between local and federal partners for the benefit of the community and for the entire National Parks system. Brian provided leadership for the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, the Bay Area Open Space Council, the Association for the Central California Biosphere Reserve, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, the Headlands Institute, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's California Advisory Council, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and the Save-the-Bay Association Advisory Council. He was a key advisor to the Department of the Interior on partnership matters. As Phillip Burton, a goliath of our National Parks, stated when he created the law preserving GGNRA and the Presidio, ``Even in a remote setting, the features of this park would be outstanding.'' In furtherance of Phillip Burton's vision, Brian O'Neill's enduring legacy is an outstanding National Park that is sustainable, and accessible for all to enjoy, and is a great source of pride to all of us. My colleagues in Congress and I are deeply saddened by his passing, and are grateful for the legacy of natural beauty and cultural heritage he has left for future generations to enjoy. We will miss his enthusiasm, his spirit and his vision. I hope it is of comfort to his wife Marti, and his children Kim and Brent, that so many of us share in their loss.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor and a personal privilege to join our colleagues on the floor of the House today to pay tribute to the life and celebrate all that we all knew and loved about Jack Kemp. Our Members have spoken with great eloquence, with great emotion, with great knowledge of the contribution that Jack Kemp made to our country. He was a formidable Member of Congress. I, fortunately, came to Congress just in time to overlap with his leadership and service here, so I saw firsthand the leadership and skill and intellect that he brought to his work. He was a gentleman. He was civil at all times. He commanded respect on both sides of the aisle by virtue of his character, his personality, and his commitment to what he believed in. And he was an articulate spokesperson for what he believed in and a respectful opponent of other views. The story of his exploits on the football field are just incredible, and his first game with the Buffalo Bills is just historic and remarkable. In reading about that, it was said that what he lacked in size and weight on the field he made up for in intellect. He was a smart player and was able to pull off great victories right from the start as a Buffalo Bill. I hear the emotion in Mr. Lungren's voice. And when I went over to thank our colleague yesterday for the moment of silence that Peter King requested and that Mr. Rangel spoke to, I went over to thank him and Mr. Lungren said, ``Don't forget, he's a Californian.'' And I said, ``I know, born in Los Angeles.'' We take great pride in that. On both the gridiron and in the Halls of Congress, he was the voice for social equity--anybody that knew him knew that--from demanding that the American Football League integrate its All-Star game to insisting that his party remain true to the roots of the party of Lincoln. We all know his commitment to supply side and his accomplishment of Kemp-Roth--imagine having his name on that. He was a very respected Secretary of HUD, Housing and Urban Development. When he was appointed, people across America knew that they had a friend at the Cabinet table, that they had a friend in the Secretary's office. He leaves behind a legacy in the football record books, of course, and the history of our Nation. Any one of us who served with him--and I do believe that we all did because his legacy lives on here, and so that we all can have the privilege of calling him colleague--those of us who did have the privilege of serving with him know what a great honor that was. And so I hope that is a comfort to his family, his wife Joanne, whom he adored--everybody who knew him knew that--his four children, Jeff, Jimmy, Jennifer and Judith--we had some J's going there--and his 17 grandchildren. Seventeen grandchildren. He had enough enthusiasm and love and personality to have raised 17 grandchildren. Not many people can make that claim. I hope it is a comfort to his entire family that so many people deeply, deeply, sincerely mourn their loss and are praying for him at this sad time. Mr. Rangel, at the request of Mr. Boehner, will have a bipartisan delegation attending the services on Friday to celebrate the life of Jack Kemp. He was a patriot. He loved America. And in his service and leadership to our country, God truly did bless America.