Ed Perlmutter

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Luis Larios who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Luis Larios is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Luis Larios is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Luis Larios for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication he has shown in his high school career to his college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Sheylinn Work who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Sheylinn Work is a student at Drake Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Sheylinn Work is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Sheylinn Work for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Kevin Calkins who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Kevin Calkins is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Kevin Calkins is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Kevin Calkins for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication he has shown in his high school career to his college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Richard Schemmel who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Richard Schemmel is a student at Arvada High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Richard Schemmel is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Richard Schemmel for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character to all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Mariam Ibdaiwi, who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Mariam Ibdaiwi is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Mariam Ibdwaiwi is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Mariam Ibdwaiwi for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication she has shown in her high school career to her college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Lucas Campbell who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Lucas Campbell is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Lucas Campbell is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Lucas Campbell for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication he has shown in his high school career to his college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Kandy Arellano-Treto who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Kandy Arellano-Treto is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Kandy Arellano-Treto is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Kandy Arellano- Treto for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication she has shown in her high school career to her college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Taylor Platt who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Taylor Platt is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Taylor Platt is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Taylor Platt for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication he has shown in his high school career to his college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Christine Shehan who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. Christine Shehan is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Christine Shehan is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Christine Shehan for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication she has shown in her high school career to her college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Yuliana Espinoza who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Yuliana Espinoza is a student at Drake Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Yuliana Espinoza is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Yuliana Espinoza for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Good morning, Mr. Speaker, it is nice to see a Coloradan in the Chair. Mr. Speaker, for 7 years now the Bush administration has done the bidding of big corporate interests. The administration has never supported regulation of big business, and in fact they have eliminated important oversight that is necessary to protect the American consumer. In other instances, agencies have simply turned a blind eye. For a time this benefited big business, but we are now seeing how devastating the failure to enforce the law or regulations can be for both the American people and the American economy. Last month the Bush administration bailed out Bear Stearns out of fear that if the Wall Street giant filed for bankruptcy, many more supposed giants would follow. What the administration refuses to admit is that had it enforced the law and properly regulated Bear Stearns and the other giants for the last 7 years, they never would have been in this predicament in the first place. Mr. Speaker, the administration should be commended for finally recognizing the need to enforce the laws and regulations that are on the books. Unfortunately, it should not have taken a huge economic and housing crisis for them to recognize the importance of government oversight. That is, after all, part of their job.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Amber Westerfield who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Amber Westerfield is a student at North Arvada Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Amber Westerfield is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Amber Westerfield for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Arthur Conklin who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Arthur Conklin is a student at Wheat Ridge Middle School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Arthur Conklin is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Arthur Conklin for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character to all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Brooke King who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Brooke King is a student at Moore Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Brooke King is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Brooke King for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Elijah Quintanilla who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Elijah Quintanilla is a student at Arvada High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Elijah Quintanilla is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Elijah Quintanilla for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character to all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Tyler Salen who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Tyler Salen is a student at Oberon Middle School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Tyler Salen is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Tyler Salen for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character to all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Ariel Tovar who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Ariel Tovar is a student at Arvada Middle School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Ariel Tovar is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Ariel Tovar for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character to all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Atsedu Kidane who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Atsedu Kidane is a senior at Arvada High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Atsedu Kidane is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Atsedu Kidane for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication she has shown in her high school career to her college career and future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Yes. To my good friend from Wisconsin, this is about the rights we enjoy as Americans, and this is about the responsibility that we have as Members of Congress to make sure that there isn't some violation of the rights that we enjoy as Americans, we as Members of Congress and everybody we represent. Really what has been troubling I think to everybody is that the President says ``Trust me. Just give them amnesty. Just give them immunity.'' The phone companies are saying, ``We really can't talk to you because we are sworn to secrecy. Just trust us.'' You know, I don't know about any of you and your constituents, but I know that my constituents expect good representation, good oversight of these kinds of things. And if the telecommunications are entitled to some protection, we have given them protection in the law. If you get a warrant, you are immune. You are doing your national duty by wiretapping or using your surveillance powers. But you got to go through the right process to protect those rights that we are so fortunate to enjoy as Americans.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Well, I want to step back for a second and just talk about what I think our responsibility is with respect to this wiretapping surveillance stuff and our responsibility as Members of Congress, and really as citizens of this country, because we each have an obligation as citizens to do these same things, to uphold the Constitution and the rights that we all enjoy under the Constitution and to make our citizenry safe, to help make our families safe, our neighborhoods safe, our communities safe. There is a way under the law as we have revised this surveillance law to do both of those things. We have fixed this technical problem that existed where foreigners were given certain rights under our Fourth Amendment that they weren't entitled to. We have corrected that in this law. But we have maintained the Fourth Amendment and the First Amendment and the Third Amendment and everything else within the Constitution for each and every American by including the courts to oversee this and supervise when the government says we want to eavesdrop on a citizen, and we are demanding of the President and the telecommunications companies, we want to see what it is you are asking us to let you off the hook about. That is what is being asked. And they are saying sorry, we are not going to let you look at that. Therefore, we are going to say, then we are not doing our job. We are not going to just let you go get a get- our-of-jail-for-free or go scot-free without information. We are not doing our job then. We are not being accountable and responsible to our constituents. As the President has laid this out, he is just trying to stir up fear in the American populace, which is wrong. He is trying to avoid the courts as being a check and balance on the awesome power of the Federal Government to invade our privacies. He doesn't want that, and he is asking us to give this carte blanche amnesty without really giving us the basis for that, and I object to all of those things. With that, I yield back to my friend.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. The reason you seek amnesty or immunity or some sort of protection from being sued or charged is that there may have been wrongdoing. There may have been some violation of a law or potentially a constitutional provision like the fourth amendment, which you just read. I think really the issue here, and you may all have been over this a dozen times, but it bears repeating, that there is a provision in our wiretapping law, and everybody calls it FISA. This is about wiretapping. This is about eavesdropping. There are times when you need to wiretap. There are times when you need to eavesdrop if somebody you have probable cause or you have general belief that somebody is going to do you harm. It could be a criminal enterprise or it could be a foreigner who wants to attack the United States. There was a glitch in our law which needed to be fixed. There was a technical glitch which said if there was a wiretap on U.S. soil, then you had to get a warrant. Now the way that telecommunication works these days is somebody could be calling from Pakistan to Germany, two people, foreigners who aren't entitled to the protection of the fourth amendment, but that telecommunication, that phone call is routed through the United States. We changed the law, we, the Congress, to take care of a technical telecommunication glitch and said in that instance that you don't have to get a warrant. So if it's between a foreign individual and another foreign individual, there's no need for a warrant on foreign property. Now we fixed this. But the President asked for more. He wants to get rid of the courts who are there to protect us as citizens, as Americans, and the Constitution of the United States. He says, I don't want those courts. I don't think they need to be present. Well, we needed them when Richard Nixon was President. We needed to make sure that before the government, before the White House, before anybody looks in on my house or your house, or any American's house, there has to be a reason. And the courts were that stop. That was that objective branch. So yes, we are going to keep the courts involved. Secondly, the President or the White House or somebody had asked the phone companies to do these taps. Well, the phone companies knew how to do taps. They got a warrant. The law said, You get a warrant, you're protected, Mr. Phone Company, or Mrs. Phone Company. You can wiretap somebody's phone call. Well, it appears that in this instance they didn't get warrants. They circumvented the courts. Now we don't know that for sure. We haven't been given all the information that we in the Congress or the people of America deserve. Now the phone companies are asking for amnesty. They are saying, look, if we didn't follow the law, we are sorry. Just forgive us. We know at least one phone company that said, Wait a second, this doesn't make sense. You're not giving us the warrants that the law requires. We are not going to do it. That, I am glad to say, is my local phone company, Qwest. So it isn't like everybody did this. At least one phone company said we want to follow the law. So, you know, this is about amnesty for other phone companies and this is about avoiding the courts. That is what this administration wants and, quite frankly, I am not going to shirk my responsibility to the Constitution and to the people of this country by caving in to those particular requests.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. We each in this country, one of the very first principles that we have and one of the very first values that we hold dearly is our privacy. Now it may not be that I don't have anything to hide, but I might not want the world to know that my daughter has epilepsy, which she does. Somebody else might not want to have somebody know that their child is failing in school, or that they are having marital problems. Who knows what it is? We in this country enjoy our privacy. It's something that is protected by the Constitution. And it may be that we haven't committed a crime, that what we have done isn't something that is going to be brought before a court, but it's something that is personal to us. We in this country enjoy that right. We enjoy that freedom not to have the government snoop into our lives unless there is really a reason. And that is why the courts are present. I turn to my friends from Kentucky and Iowa.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Well, I don't know. I wasn't an attorney for Quest. Just in terms of what I have read and the individuals I have spoken to, I think Quest would respond by saying we wanted to follow the law. It isn't as if Quest has a spotless record everyplace, but in this instance they did the right thing and they have got to be given credit for it. Others chose to maybe take the path of least resistance.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I believe there is promise in all forms of stem cell research but especially in embryonic stem cells. Currently, this administration's prohibition of Federal funding for embryonic stem cell procurement is ridiculous. I campaigned on this issue because people suffering from diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and epilepsy deserve a government that fights for them. Researchers who care about finding cures to these debilitating diseases need every resource available. That is why I promise to fight until funding flows from Washington to the lab benches in scientific institutions across the country. Federal funding is essential for embryonic stem cell research and for progress in curing these tough diseases. Mr. Speaker, it is time that we got on track and we stop fighting science in this country.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. The Bush administration continues a daily drumbeat of fearmongering on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, wiretapping, despite its own admission over the weekend that it has access and authority to continue all surveillance. The U.S. intelligence community has expansive authorizations for wide-ranging surveillance limited by each American's right to privacy. If any new surveillance needs to begin, the FISA Court can approve a request within minutes. But National Security Director Mike McConnell says President Bush is holding up a compromise on FISA legislation because he wants to give blanket immunity to telecommunications companies who turned over information about their customers. Once again, President Bush is putting the biggest corporations first and shrinking the constitutional rights we all enjoy as Americans. We can protect this country and the Constitution at the same time, and that's precisely what the Democratic majority will do.