Mike Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support and recognition of the 90th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Founded on the belief that all young women should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and spiritually, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. empowers girls to develop to their full potential. The largest organization for girls in the world, Girl Scouting has a membership of 3.8 million. By establishing programs that are tailored to the needs and interests of girls, the Girl Scouts provides opportunities to develop strong values and life skills in our young women. The scouting experience allows American girls to take on responsibility, think creatively and act with integrity--elements essential to cultivating good citizenship. The Girl Scouts dedication to the positive development of girls and young women is an essential contribution to American society. I am confidant that the hard work and dedication of the Girl Scouts, which has been an integral component of the last 90 years of our nation's history, will continue well into the future. I commend the Girl Scouts of the United States of America for their commitment to assisting girls and young women to grow strong in mind, body, and spirit and call on my colleagues to do likewise.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Drew Shapiro, an eighth grader from Fenton, MI. In June, 2001, for his charitable Bar Mitzvah project, Drew chose to create snack kits to be distributed to homeless veterans in Flint and Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as Toledo, Ohio. When the project was finished Mr. Speaker, he had collected enough donated items and money to assemble over 600 individual snack kits containing canned tuna, snack mix, candy, nuts, raisins and other nutritional food. Some even contained wool hats and t-shirts. On December 21, 2001, with the help of the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Hospital, Drew and his family distributed the kits, along with a note attached to each that read, ``Dear Veteran, Thank you for serving our country.'' Even though Drew was planning his project well before the tragic events of September 11th, his hard work and compassion for our veterans took on special meaning after that terrible day. The attacks of September 11th were meant to create fear in every American, especially our children. Yet, the terrorists who carried out those evil acts have succeeded in only strengthening our resolve as Americans. It is also clear, through Drew's great example, that our nations greatest resource, our youth, is as strong, brave, and as bright as they have ever been. Mr. Speaker, this young man exemplifies the spirit of every American at this time in our history. He has set a wonderful example that every American can follow. I ask that my colleagues join with me in saluting Drew's devotion to our country and to its veterans, who themselves have paid such an incredible price so that we may continue to live in freedom.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Genesee Valley Rotary Club on their 25th anniversary. It is my wish to commend Jack Hamady, Ray Kelley and Jerry Wittemore for their efforts in founding the club in May, 1977. The Genesee Valley Rotary Club has lead the community in service for the past 25 years. They participate and operate several community service projects, such as the Salvation Army Christmas Bell Ringing, the WFUM-TV28 telethon, and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowling Challenge. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Genesee Valley Rotary Club. May its leadership and all of those involved know of my high regard for this exemplary organization and its excellence in community service.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his great work, and I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for a great bill. I think it finally brings justice back to the American people. We are hearing a lot about judges, lawyers, technicalities, which is exactly why I think we have the problem of litigation in America as it stands now. As simply as I can put it, something we all experience when Americans get to the end of the roll of toilet paper, they find aggravation. When our friends, the trial lawyers, get to the end of the roll of toilet paper, they find a pot of gold. What am I talking about, Mr. Chairman? There is a class action suit in California that is suing because there is a roll of premium toilet paper that only has 340 sheets as opposed to the regular that has 400. That is not justice. Justice is fairness. Justice is logic. Justice is a case heard by a jury of one's peers. Do not let what happens in California cost my constituents in Michigan more money for everyday living expenses. Because what happens here, Mr. Chairman, is that Cheerios go up and milk goes up and toilet paper goes up. Enron will get its day in court, and the people who are abused by Enron will get their day in court. Let us stand united about this. Let us stand for that fairness and that justice. Let us stand for a court system that will represent all Americans, when it comes to asking me and my family and my neighbor's family and the working families of Michigan to pay more for the goods they need to survive. The people who make out in this, Mr. Chairman, are the trial lawyers. Let us stand up for justice. Let us stand up for families. Let us pass this bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman for what I think is well-intended work on what he seeks to do and his graciousness for allowing those in the dissent to stand here today. He does a great job for our Congress here. I have been down this road before. I have been told the same things just a few years ago as a State legislator, that this was going to have competition, this was going to bring technology changes, this was going to bring jobs to the great State of Michigan. I voted that day what I thought was the right direction, because they came in, companies like SBC Ameritech, sat there and said, ``Trust us. We're going to do the right thing.'' What I found was exactly the opposite of that, Mr. Chairman, a vote I wish I could take back today and a vote I will rectify today by proudly voting ``no.'' This was an 800-pound gorilla that we made a 1,600-pound gorilla. What we got when we empowered this group that was a monopoly and we turned it into a deregulated monopoly is that this was the same company, SBC Ameritech, that sued its own ratepayers in the State of Michigan to keep a line tax on its consumers. This is the same company that, for weeks on end, there was a website there called fix-my-phone-now-dot-com where thousands and thousands of people typed in examples of how Ameritech and this company who was supposed to allow deregulation and competition to provide better service were abusing customers in our State. We had one elderly woman right before I left who had a husband that was ill, 7 weeks, no phone service, 7 weeks, could not get an answer from SBC Ameritech. At one point, unfortunately, the wrong thing happened. Her elderly husband took ill. She had to walk almost a mile, at her age, in the middle of the night to try to find somebody with a phone that worked to get care for her husband. This is a life-and death issue. This is empowering the same companies like SBC Ameritech that have been abusing customers in Michigan for years to become bigger and uglier and less concerned. They control now something like 85 percent of the market. That is not competition. That is abuse. There is one guy on the block that controls all the service trucks and when he does not feel like getting there, guess what, he does not come. We saw the fact that he took money, millions and millions of dollars paid by phone users in our great State, to go compete in other States around the country. Good for Ameritech, bad for Michigan consumers. That is why, Mr. Chairman, every consumer group out there says this is a bad bill. We talk about CLECs and line sharing and technology and broadband and all this great stuff, and it sounds really wonderful, and the economy is going to come to a screeching halt if the Federal Government does not step in and save the day. I could not disagree more. The free market will get it there, but if we stand up for these monsters, if we stand up and empower them and say the same thing you have done before, you will do again, we will regret it here in Congress as we did in our State legislature. I urge the rejection of the Tauzin-Dingell bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to William H. Fairbrother served his country for thirty years and did what he loved. William Herman Fairbrother was born in Endicott, New York, on March 28, 1923, the son of Lieutenant Herman and Caroline Fairbrother. He grew up on a variety of Infantry Posts, to include the Panama Canal Zone, and Manila, Philippine Islands. Bill entered the United States Military Academy at West Point on a Congressional appointment from the 34th District of New York. When he arrived at West Point he knew the prepared sling, the hasty sling and had qualified with the 30-caliber water-cooled machine gun. This made it easy to shoot expert with the MI Garand plebe year. Academics, however, were something else. With the help of ``Sully's Cram School'' in Washington, DC the previous year he did fairly well in the first half year. But after that it was a continuing struggle to stay proficient. Because of many moves, High School had been rushed and spotty, and the four years of Academy study being rushed into three because of World War II made the task even harder. On the other hand, flying, which was his first love went smoothly. Primary flight training in Texas and then Basic and Advanced at Stewart during the three years went without problems. It was during the Plebe year that he picked up the nickname ``Fair-Bee'' in keeping with the academy tradition to reduce the spoken word to its simplest form. Fair-B graduated with the class of 1944, the D-Day class, albeit rather far down the list. On the very next day, in the Cadet Chapel, he married his childhood sweetheart, Patricia Ross of Kenmore, New York and they lived happily ever after. P-40 and P-47 training, together with those of the class selected for the Fighter business, followed with time at many different bases, as the Service endeavored to stuff as much military experience into the class as they could before sending them overseas. Shortly thereafter it was Ie Shima Flying P-47's against the Japanese. After the war the unit moved over to Okinawa and Patricia joined him there in 1946. They, along with many other pioneer souls set up housekeeping in a Quonset hut. Number one daughter, Bonnie was born in Okinawa in 1947. In December 1947, Fair-B brought the family back to the US to Selfridge, Michigan. The duty was with the 56th Fighter Group flying F-80's and F-86's, where he was squadron adjutant and group adjutant. It was during this time, in 1948, that daughter number two, Nancy, was born. In 1951 it was off to Minneapolis in the Air Defense Control Center business. There he was assigned as an aircraft controller and control center chief with the 31st Air Division. Flying time was cadged from the local guard squadron, which was equipped with P-51s. Then in 1953 cold weather assignments continued, this time to Rapid City, South Dakota and the 54th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base. This was probably the happiest assignment in his career, with over two years of the time there being in command of the squadron. Initially, the airplanes were P-51s, then F84Gs and finally F-86Ds. He had always said that next to being a Captain and Fighter Squadron Flight commander, the position of Fighter Squadron Commander was the best job in the Air Force. Exchange duty with the Royal Air Force at RAF Manby, England followed in June of 1956. The assignment was attendance at the RAF Flying College. The family thoroughly enjoyed this short tour living in the small East Anglia town of Sutton-on-Sea, going to English Schools, learning the language, dealing with pounds, schillings and pence, and driving the left side of the road. Fair-B accumulated a respectable amount of time in British Aircraft to include the Gloster meteor, Hawker Hunter and British Electric Canberra. In January 1957 the family arrived in Rabat Morocco. The assignment here was Chief, Combat Operations in the 316th Air Division. Further broadening and true sophistication took place during this time. Not only was the Division partially manned with French Air Force personnel but also, the family lived in a French villa and had an Arab houseboy. In addition, flights on military aircraft, with family, up to the European continent were allowed once a year. They took full advantage of this privilege and managed to visit Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland during their Moroccan stay. The Division Fighter Squadrons were equipped with F-86D and F-100 aircraft so Fair-B was able to keep his hand in. There were many trips to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, where the squadrons when TDY for gunnery and rocketry training. The three and a half years in North Africa went by quickly, and the return to the US happened in June 1960 with attendance at the Air War College. Following graduation from the Air War College he spent a long five years in the Pentagon, first on the Air Staff in War Plans and then as Executive Assistant in the Office of the Air Force Chief of Staff. One year with Curtis LeMay and one year with John McConnell provided rare and valuable staff experience. After the fast pace of the Washington area, duty on the CINCPAC staff in Hawaii, starting in 1966, seemed slow indeed. Here Fair-B served on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific, at Camp Smith. Not only did they take off for the weekends, but Wednesday afternoons as well. The duty was good, with many evaluation trips to the MAAG supported countries in the Far East. This, together with quarters on Hickam, and the benevolent Hawaiian weather made for a delightful tour. Patricia stayed in Hawaii when Fair-B went to the Republic of Vietnam to join the 14th Special Operations Wing. As Vice Commander and then Commander he was kept busy monitoring the varied activities of the Wing, which were performed from nine separate bases. The little command O-2 spent a lot of time touring the country. In addition to the clandestine operations, the Wing had the AC-47 and AC-119 gunships, the psychological warfare business with O-2s and C-47s and the only armed helicopter squadron in the Air Force, flying UH-1Ns. He served the Wing from September 1969, to September 1970. After Vietnam the next assignment as Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio with the job of DCS Distribution. The assignment was not because of any logistics experience but mainly because the boss man wanted some operational talent on the staff. The job was fascinating and of enormous scope. Fair-B jumped in with his typical enthusiasm and his performance helped in getting him promoted to Brigadier General on April 1, 1972. Separation from the Air Force came in 1974 with Fair-B being allowed to keep the wife and kids and the Air Force keeping the airplanes. His decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal. He was a command pilot. Fair-B and Patricia, hand in hand then returned to Hawaii, their choice of all the places they had tried throughout the years. They moved into an apartment on Waikiki beach and then took the time to read what there wasn't time for before, and work on the projects that had long ago been put aside. Other activities during this eight-year idyll included working with the House Republican Whip in the Hawaii State Legislature, activities with the Retiree Affairs Council at Hickam and work with the Oahu Chapter of the Air Force Association. 1982 found them in San Antonio, Texas, and in 1987 they made their next-to-the- last PAC move into a cottage at Air Force Village II. Fair-B served three years as a Trustee on the Board of the Air Force Village Foundation, and over three years as a Director on the Air Force Village II Board of Directors. He died at 6 am on January 27th at Air Force Village II. He is survived by Patricia; daughters and sons-in-law Bonnie and Jerold Kreidler, Nancy and James Councilor and granddaughters Katherine and Patricia Councilor. While it can be said he never single handedly moved the world around, he certainly participated in many worthwhile events that did. As a result those who knew him well can look back over his busy years and say, ``Not too shabby, old son, not too shabby.'' Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to General William H. Fairbrother. I especially wish to extend the gratitude of a grateful nation to his wife Patricia and daughters Bonnie and Nancy for so selflessly supporting his service to our country. I salute General Fairbrother as he represented the honor, and the values, of America's greatest generation.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the USA for their prestigious service. The Royal College was created in 1984 and is located in Detroit, MI. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, an international organization, longs to provide continuing medical education to physicians and surgeons around the world. The Royal College campuses spread around the globe in Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and South Africa. The College prides itself on its commitment to the science and arts of medicine and surgery. Further, the College is supported by private organizations, however it receives its charters from individual governments. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the renowned organization, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons as they celebrate their 20 years of service.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 2002 Bea Christy Award Nominees, who will be honored Friday, February 15, 2002 in Lansing, Michigan for their contributions to improve their communities and neighborhoods. Bea Christy was a dedicated member of the Eastside Neighborhood Organization for more than ten years until her death. She also worked with other organizations to make the neighborhood and community a better place to live. She was the kind of individual who volunteered to do the ``unglamourous'' tasks, who worked quietly and diligently behind the scenes, who never sought recognition for her efforts. First, she was a good neighbor in her immediate neighborhood, welcoming new people, planting flowers in the church yard across the street from her house, taking elderly folks to the doctor, and noticing where the sidewalk needed repairs. She also helped edit and deliver the Eastside Neighborhood Organization newspaper, made soup for the annual fund-raiser, and helped plant flowers in the bed on Michigan Avenue. Bea was also an active member of her church, volunteered with Radio Talking Book, as well as helped to initiate the Lansing area CROP Walk. She made these contributions in addition to being a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. It is quiet, committed, unsung people like Bea who make neighborhood organizations successful, and the community as a whole a better place to live. It is in this spirit that individuals are nominated for an annual award exemplifying the qualities of Bea Christy. The following six criteria must be considered when making a nomination for the Bea Christy Award: variety of activities in your neighborhood organization; unsung nature of contributions; overall good neighbor; reliability; willingness to take on tasks; and, other service to the community. Friday night, eleven deserving individuals will be recognized as 2002 Bea Christy Award Nominees. I salute the following nominees for their outstanding service to their communities and neighborhoods: Connie Sevrey, Association for the Bingham Community; Mia Tioli, River Point Neighborhood Association; Hannah Gardi, Neighbors United in Action; Mary Rawson, Northtown Neighborhood Association; Ernestine Merritt, Northwest Neighborhood Alliance; Alex Kruzel, Walnut Neighborhood Organization; Rick Kibbey, Eastside Neighborhood Association; Larry Karn, Old Forest Neighborhood Association; Ruth Hallman, Genesee Neighborhood Association; Thomas Foster, Eastern Neighbors; Kathie Dunbar, Sagamore Hill Neighborhood Organization. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the 2002 Bea Christy Award Nominees.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) for bringing this issue to the forefront. This is extremely important. I know sometimes we can get here and we can espouse statistics and we can talk about for every dollar on a car seat it is $32 saved in the end run. But there is no more believer in this than me. I thought these programs, quite frankly, a few years ago really were not worth the paper they were printed on. I was driving into a local one to help support it in my community, before the safety seats became kind of chic; and as I went in, the woman who was there showed me what was going on, showed me some of the seats they had confiscated, and showed me some of the numbers of the improperly installed and said, ``Can I look at yours?'' I had a 2-year-old son at the time. I said, ``No thanks. I'm all set. I read the directions. I'm in good shape.'' She was a pretty persuasive woman. She brings me into the bay and after about 3 minutes said, ``Not only is this in wrong, it is probably the worst one I have seen today.'' This can happen to any of us. It can happen to all of us. I sponsored an event in my district through the National Safe Kids, we have a Michigan Safe Kids organization, they do phenomenal work, all by volunteers, an incredible group of people. Just that day we had some staggering results. We had 200 people show up. Over 80 seats were confiscated because they were defective. Eighty. It is a very sobering thing as you walk down the line of those car seats and realize that those parents were doing everything they possibly could to make their children safe, not realizing that they were putting them in a seat that might in fact cause injury. We had a very touching case beyond that. I know these things work. About 2 weeks after that particular event, a woman came up and grabbed my arm as I was walking in the grocery store and with tears in her eyes related the story of not only had she been told at that particular event that her seat was improper but the way they were strapping her young grandchild in, it was across the child's neck and may have caused injury in a serious accident. Two weeks following that event, her car was hit so hard the car spun at a 180-degree turn with her grandchild in the automobile. The grandchild is fine. His name is Zach. We post Zach around my district and around mid-Michigan as exactly the reason that we can show one life for sure and we know thousands of others are saved because of the awareness of this issue. Four out of five child safety seats are in wrong today. For those of you who are watching and you believe that you are doing everything right at home, trust me, the odds are against you that your safety seat is in correctly. I cannot stress how important this is. I want to thank again the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) for his leadership, and the chairman for his. I appreciate it. Also, thanks to the National Safe Kids Campaign for all they do.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of Rich Perlberg of Brighton, Michigan, who was recently installed as 2002 president of the Michigan Press Association. Rich Perlberg and his family have been dedicated for three generations to continuing America's tradition of a free press. The Perlberg family also works to keep the newspaper industry viable in a highly competitive era and is fully committed to enhancing the communities they serve. Rich Perlberg, publisher and general manager of Home Town Newspapers, is both a second generation president and the third Perlberg to head Michigan's volunteer, statewide organization of newspapers. His father, Ed Perlberg was president in 1982, and his brother Bob served in 1992. Actually, the Perlberg family tradition goes back even farther. Rich's grandfather, Floyd, once served as a board member of the now 300-member association. Rich Perlberg understands that community newspapers are the historians of American life, as well as the watchdogs of community well-being and a cornerstone of the community economy. Perlberg assumes the Michigan Press Association presidency at a critical time. While newspapers that reflect their communities are the very backbone of a the community, the backbone of these publications is retail advertising. Without that revenue, it would be nearly impossible for newspapers to serve their communities. The recent dip in the economy and other media competition for advertising revenue, present Perlberg with a major challenge in the new year. Perlberg's family tradition in community newspapers and his successful newspaper career make him the right man for Michigan's newspaper industry in 2002. He began his career sweeping floors, proofing ads and writing copy at his father's paper in Bay City, Michigan. He has since risen to lead one of the state's most respected and successful community newspaper groups. He is well-prepared to assume responsibility for the association. We congratulate Rich Perlberg on his new opportunity and wish him and the Michigan Press Association the very best in the coming year.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to William Herman Fairbrother for his service to our country. Mr. Fairbrother served his country for forty-three years and did what he loved. William Herman Fairbrother was born in Endicott, New York, on March 28, 1923, the son of Lieutenant Herman and Caroline Fairbrother. He grew up on a variety of Infantry Posts, to include the Panama Canal Zone, and Manila, Philippine Islands. Bill entered the United States Military Academy at West Point on a Congressional appointment from the 34th District of New York. When he arrived at West Point he knew the prepared sling, the hasty sling and had qualified with the 30-caliber water-cooled machine gun. This made it easy to shoot expert with the MI Garand plebe year. Academics, however, were something else. With the help of ``Sully's Cram School'' in Washington, DC the previous year he did fairly well in the first half year. But after that it was a continuing struggle to stay proficient. Because of many moves, High School had been rushed and spotty, and the four years of Academy study being rushed into three because of World War II made the task even harder. On the other hand, flying, which was his first love went smoothly. Primary flight training in Texas and then Basic and Advanced at Stewart during the three years went without problems. It was during the Plebe year that he picked up the nickname ``Fair-Bee'' in keeping with the academy tradition to reduce the spoken word to its simplest form. Fair-B graduated with the class of 1944, the D-Day class, albeit rather far down the list. On the very next day, in the Cadet Chapel, he married his childhood sweetheart, Patricia Ross of Kenmore, New York and they lived happily ever after. P-40 and P-47 training, together with those of the class selected for the Fighter business, followed with time at many different bases, as the Service endeavored to stuff as much military experience into the class as they could before sending them overseas. Shortly thereafter it was Ie Shima Flying P-47's against the Japanese. After the war the unit moved over to Okinawa and Patricia joined him there in 1946. They, along with many other pioneer souls set up housekeeping in a Quonset hut. Number one daughter, Bonnie was born in Okinawa in 1947. In December 1947, Fair-B brought the family back to the US to Selfridge, Michigan. The duty was with the 56th Fighter Group flying F-80's and F-86's, where he was squadron adjutant and group adjutant. It was during this time, in 1948, that daughter number two, Nancy, was born. In 1951 it was off to Minneapolis in the Air Defense Control Center business. There he was assigned as an aircraft controller and control center chief with the 31st Air Division. Flying time was cadged from the local guard squadron, which was equipped with P-51s. Then in 1953 cold weather assignments continued, this time to Rapid City, South Dakota and the 54th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base. This was probably the happiest assignment in his career, with over two years of the time there being in command of the squadron. Initially, the airplanes were P-51s, then F84Gs and finally F-86Ds. He had always said that next to being a Captain and Fighter Squadron Flight commander, the position of Fighter Squadron Commander was the best job in the Air Force. Exchange duty with the Royal Air Force at RAF Manby, England followed in June of 1956. The assignment was attendance at the RAF Flying College. The family thoroughly enjoyed this short tour living in the small East Anglia town of Sutton-on-Sea, going to English Schools, learning the language, dealing with pounds, schillings and pence, and driving the left side of the road. Fair-B accumulated a respectable amount of time in British Aircraft to include the Gloster meteor, Hawker Hunter and British Electric Canberra. In January 1957 the family arrived in Rabat Morocco. The assignment here was Chief, Combat Operations in the 316th Air Division. Further broadening and true sophistication took place during this time. Not only was the Division partially manned with French Air Force personnel but also, the family lived in a French villa and had an Arab houseboy. In addition, flights on military aircraft, with family, up to the European continent were allowed once a year. They took full advantage of this privilege and managed to visit Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland during their Moroccan stay. The Division Fighter Squadrons were equipped with F-86D and F-100 aircraft so Fair-B was able to keep his hand in. There were many trips to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, where the squadrons when TDY for gunnery and rocketry training. The three and a half years in North Africa went by quickly, and the return to the US happened in June 1960 with attendance at the Air War College. Following graduation from the Air War College he spent a long five years in the Pentagon, first on the Air Staff in War Plans and then as Executive Assistant in the Office of the Air Force Chief of Staff. One year with Curtis LeMay and one year with John McConnell provided rare and valuable staff experience. After the fast pace of the Washington area, duty on the CINCPAC staff in Hawaii, starting in 1966, seemed slow indeed. Here Fair-B served on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific, at Camp Smith. Not only did they take off for the weekends, but Wednesday afternoons as well. The duty was good, with many evaluation trips to the MAAG supported countries in the Far East. This, together with quarters on Hickam, and the benevolent Hawaiian weather made for a delightful tour. Patricia stayed in Hawaii when Fair-B went to the Republic of Vietnam to join the 14th Special Operations Wing. As Vice Commander and then Commander he was kept busy monitoring the varied activities of the Wing, which were performed from nine separate bases. The little command O-2 spent a lot of time touring the country. In addition to the clandestine operations, the Wing had the AC-47 and AC-119 gunships, the psychological warfare business with O-2s and C-47s and the only armed helicopter squadron in the Air Force, flying UH-1Ns. He served the Wing from September 1969, to September 1970. After Vietnam the next assignment as Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio with the job of DCS Distribution. The assignment was not because of any logistics experience but mainly because the boss man wanted some operational talent on the staff. The job was fascinating and of enormous scope. Fair-B jumped in with his typical enthusiasm and his performance helped in getting him promoted to Brigadier General on April 1, 1972. Separation from the Air Force came in 1974 with Fair-B being allowed to keep the wife and kids and the Air Force keeping the airplanes. His decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal. He was a command pilot. Fair-B and Patricia, hand in hand then returned to Hawaii, their choice of all the places they had tried throughout the years. They moved into an apartment on Waikiki beach and then took the time to read what there wasn't time for before, and work on the projects that had long ago been put aside. Other activities during this eight-year idyll included working with the House Republican Whip in the Hawaii State Legislature, activities with the Retiree Affairs Council at Hickam and work with the Oahu Chapter of the Air Force Association. 1982 found them in San Antonio, Texas, and in 1987 they made their next-to-the- last PAC move into a cottage at Air Force Village II. Fair-B served three years as a Trustee on the Board of the Air Force Village Foundation, and over three years as a Director on the Air Force Village 11 Board of Directors. He died at 6 am on January 27th at Air Force Village II. He is survived by Patricia; daughters and sons-in-law Bonnie and Jerold Kreidler, Nancy and James Councilor and granddaughters Katherine and Patricia Councilor. While it can be said he never single handedly moved the world around, he certainly participated in many worthwhile events that did. As a result those who knew him well can look back over his busy years and say, ``Not too shabby, old son, not too shabby.'' William H. Fairbrother lived his life according to the Cadet Prayer spoken so many decades ago. O God, our Father, Though Searcher of Human hearts, help us to draw near to Thee in sincerity and truth. May our religion be filled with gladness and may our worship of Thee be natural. Strengthen and increase our admiration for honest dealing and clean thinking, and suffer not our hatred of hypocrisy and pretence ever to diminish. Encourage us in our endeavor to live above the common level of life. Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy. Guard us against flippancy and irreverence in the sacred things of life. Grant us new ties of friendship and new opportunities of service. Kindle our hearts in fellowship with those of a cheerful countenance, and soften our hearts with sympathy for those who sorrow and suffer. Help us to maintain the honor of the Corps untarnished and unsullied and to show forth in our lives the ideals of West Point in doing our duty to Thee and to our Country. All of which we ask in the name of the Great Friend and Master of all. Amen. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Mr. William Herman Fairbrother. I salute his service to our country.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a group of eighth grade students from Durand Middle School in Durand, Michigan. These students along with their teacher, Gayle Potter, have taken the initiative to send to my office their own ideas for helping rebuild vital areas of our economy after the tragic events of September 11th. The events of September 11th were meant to create fear in every American, especially our children. Yet, the terrorists who carried out those evil acts have succeeded in only strengthening our resolve as Americans. It is also clear, through these students' great example, that our nation's greatest resource, our youth, is as strong, brave, and as bright as they have ever been. Mr. Speaker, this group of students truly exemplifies the spirit of all Americans at this time in our history. They have set a wonderful example that every American can follow. I ask that my colleagues join with me in saluting their devotion to our country and its continued prosperity.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Southeast Elementary School for earning the Golden Apple Award for educational excellence. The annual Golden Apple Award is awarded by Governor John Engler for improved scores in the 4th and 5th grades on the Michigan Education Assessment Program, which test the sections of math, science, reading, and writing. Schools must attain a 60-point increase over three year period to receive the honor. Last year 54 percent of the students successfully passed the reading portion of the MEAP test compared to 77.3 this year. Also, 74 percent of the students passed the math portion last year compared to 90.7 this year. The advances by Southeast Elementary School were a result of aggressively employing strategies to help students who placed in the bottom 20-30 percent for the MEAP. Southeast employed dozens of teachers, tutors, and volunteers in a 6-8 week program last winter. The program students focused on reading, writing, math, and science on a daily basis. Further, the school utilized a full-time literacy leader to concentrate on English skills and an educator to concentrate in math. Both programs centered on working with small groups or individuals to help the students improve in the areas in which they were lacking in. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Southeast Elementary School for earning the Golden Apple Award. I salute their commitment to teaching our nations future leaders and commend each educators commitment to teaching these important skills.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Sharon Banks, Superintendent of the Lansing School District, for being named Michigan's Superintendent of the Year. She was selected by the Michigan Association of School Administration from our state's 600 superintendents for her energy and dedication to the district. Hired only sixteen months ago to improve the District's substandard test scores and declining enrollment, Ms. Banks has spearheaded significant progress throughout the District. The District lost more than 3,300 students in the 1990's and has struggled to raise their Michigan Educational Assessment Program test scores. Since arriving, Ms. Banks has launched sweeping initiatives ranging from bolstering literacy programs to keeping kids in school. Enrollment has declined much less than expected with only 30 students leaving the district between 2000-01 and 2001-02, the smallest decrease in more than a decade. As a result of earning this distinguished award, which will be formally presented at a ceremony in January, Ms. Banks is nominated for the National Superintendent of the Year Award. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Sharon Banks for earning Michigan's Superintendent of the Year.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Diana Stout of Charleston, West Virginia for being elected the National President of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Since 1914, the Ladies Auxiliary VFW represents the families of those who have sacrified for our country. The organization fosters our American heritage by conducting an annual patriotic ceremony and providing financial assistance for the preservation of this nation's most treasured symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Stout introduced her theme, Liberty and Justice for All, which is derived from her background in law and one of the Auxiliary's main objects, to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom and equal rights and justice to all men and women. During her 2001-02 term office, Ms. Stout will be advocating the programs of the Ladies Auxiliary, including the raising of $3 million for the Auxiliary Cancer Aid and Research program for the 14th consecutive year, assisting veterans and their families and volunteering in our communities. As a charter Member of the Sperry-Davis Auxiliary to VFW Post 9151 of Salem, West Virginia she joined on the eligibility of her father, Thair Stout, who served in World War II. Stout was named Outstanding State President when she served in that capacity in 1986-87 and has served a total of seven terms as Auxiliary President and two terms as District President. Stout was appointed to serve as State Secretary for three years and was elected to represent West Virginia and Virginia on the National Council of Administration. She was national chairman for the Southern Conference on the Publicity and Legislative programs and in 1988-89 she served as National Legislative Director. After working as a secondary school mathematics teacher, she decided to attend West Virginia University College of Law and is currently employed as the General Counsel of the Treasurer's Office for the State of West Virginia. She belongs to the American Bar Association, the West Virginia Bar Association, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and the Laudati Honor Society. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Ms. Diana Stout for her election of National President of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Brian David Young on his distinguished achievement of not only passing the Michigan Bar Exam, but scoring exceptionally high. He has recently been admitted to the State Bar of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Brian continued to be a highly competitive student at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, MI, where he served on the Wayne Law Review. Not only was he a published author, but as Note and Comment Editor, he assisted other Law Review members with their writings. This exemplary student graduated cum laude in May, 2001. He currently practices law as an associate at Bodman, Longley & Dahling LLP. All who come in contact with Brian clearly notice his stellar attitude and high quality job performance. He is certainly worthy of recognition. Brian has proven to be a professional of the highest caliber. His values and beliefs are reflected in his dedication to his work and his relationships with family, friends, and people in the community. On behalf of the many who have benefitted from his concern, expertise, and leadership, I commend him. Indeed, this young man sets an excellent example to all. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Brian David Young for being admitted to the State Bar of Michigan. I wish him all the best of luck and continued success in the future.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Unified Industries Inc. of Howell, Michigan for earning the title of Clean Corporate Citizen in the state of Michigan. Unified Industries' Howell facility manufactures overhead material handling systems used primarily in the automotive industry, and they have done so for nearly 50 years. Unified Industries is Michigan's 40th Clean Corporate Citizen, an honor reserved solely for those businesses which demonstrate extraordinary environmental stewardship. The Clean Corporate Citizen program was proposed by Governor John Engler in his 1996 State of the State address. Its purpose is to encourage environmentally conscious behavior within Michigan's business community and reward those who demonstrate such behavior. Mr. Speaker, this honor is a difficult one to earn. Participants must go beyond simply meeting standard environmental requirements. They must show themselves to be a step above the rest, by implementing strong environmental management concepts, and abiding by them in their daily operations. With this honor, Unified Industries has demonstrated their commitment to Michigan's environment. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Unified Industries, its management, and all of its employees for making our environment a priority for their company, and for setting an example for which Michigan can be proud.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Technical Sergeant Ronald Gisel as one of this year's U.S. Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year. Mr. Speaker, this is a huge accomplishment, and one that clearly shows this man's commitment to serving the United States of America. As the noncommissioned officer in charge of 31 ceremonial guardsmen who performed more than 700 Air Force and Joint Service ceremonies, Sergeant Gisel proves himself to be a professional of the highest caliber. His superior job performance is noticeable to all he comes in contact with. He is certainly worthy of recognition! A man of firm beliefs and unselfish commitment to helping others, Sergeant Gisel is a fine role model for the young adults in high school and to the two-home schooled junior high school students in which he mentors. His values and beliefs are reflected in his dedication to his work and his relationships with his family, friends, and people in the community. Indeed, Sergeant Gisel is an excellent example to all. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Technical Sergeant Ronald A. Gisel for being recognized as one of the U.S. Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. I want to thank the gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Bachus) and the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Oxley) for their quick and decisive role in moving this bill, and for working with me and many others to get this bill to the floor today. I also want to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for sitting down and working through the differences that we had on this bill, and for coming up with what I think is a very, very good product that is going to do great things to protect senior citizens and those who are most at risk of losing their financial savings and investments around the country. Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), also was very gracious. I had a good conversation with him this morning, and I thank him for working with us and allowing us to get this bill to the floor of the House. We have spent some time here, Mr. Speaker, working on terrorism and focusing the energies and resources of this great body on making sure that the President and this country had all the resources necessary to fight, defend, track down, and stop terrorism, both in the United States and abroad very important issues. However, Mr. Speaker, there is that other person who is lying in the weeds, that other dangerous character who is, as we unfortunately know, in every community in America, who is just waiting for the opportunity to contact a senior citizen or someone who is not quite paying attention and bilk them out of the very precious savings that they have to get them through their golden years or get their kids through college or get that house payment made at the end of the month. What we found in this financial services community that we have that is as different and diverse as it has ever been, and coming together with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act that has been passed in the past Congress, the lines have been blurred, but for the better. One place where we had not caught up was the fact that we could drive a truck through the loopholes we have created between the different regulators of the different industries: the insurance industry, the securities industry, and the banking industry. They are all different regulators having a horrible time communicating together to catch individuals who might steal from the securities field, and then move to the insurance field with no catch in the system that would stop them from doing that, and then again move to the banking and financial services realm and do it again. Nothing under the current system would allow them to get caught or stop them from getting a license in each of those three, even if they had been barred from those other industries or from serving in that particular industry. Mr. Speaker, I say this because there are two cases in Michigan which are happening today which are extremely important. We had a case in Michigan where an individual from Flint sold securities in the form of promissory notes on a casino company, LTD, went to these elderly individuals and sold them the idea of riches in a hurry, and if they invest in this key company they would reap the benefits of all the casino gaming industries in Michigan. We soon found out, much to the peril of those investing, many of whom were senior citizens, that that money in fact was being used to pay his expenses and pay the expenses of his other companies, and paying off other loans that he had made throughout time, better known in the criminal world as a Ponzi scheme. He would take the money in to pay the others off, and continue doing this, to live off of those savings of so many individuals. There is nothing in the law today to stop these individuals, even if they were barred from the securities industry forevermore, from going into the insurance products industry and doing something equally as dastardly with a license. So what we have said is this. We said, we are not going to create a new database. There is no new information that is going to be sent here, Mr. Speaker. The Federal Government is not going to collect information on consumers or regulators all around the country. That is simply not going to happen. But we are going to set up a system. We are going to be the traffic cop that allows these 250 regulators of securities and banking and insurance to talk to each other; to say that, hey, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) is applying in Ohio and Michigan to get involved in the insurance industry. He is also applying in Ohio and Illinois for the securities industry. What do we know about him? If we know that the securities industry has barred him, we can also stop him from getting in the insurance industry. Mr. Speaker, this is simple but extremely important because we are in a time when so many resources are being diverted away from white-collar crime, and rightly so, as our country demands it; yet this is a great opportunity for those who are of a scheming mind, those who will rob, again, those precious resources from so many around the country in a way that is white-collar oriented, sneaky. They can pack up in the middle of the night and be gone and have half of the town's savings are in their pocket. This is extremely important legislation, Mr. Speaker, and there are some safeguards. I just want to cover them quickly. The information cannot include, in this system, personally identifiable information on consumers. The consumers are protected in this law. There is due process notice. The bill creates a new due process right for persons to receive notice when any regulator uses information from the antifraud network to take action against them. This includes a description of the information used, where the information came from, and a reasonable opportunity to respond. In the privacy sector, Mr. Speaker, to protect information shared between regulators, the bill establishes certain confidentiality and liability provisions of regulatory information. Insurance regulators were given increased information when performing criminal background checks on financial professionals. Further safeguards were also added governing the use of such information, as well as strong penalties for the misuse of an individual's criminal records. Again, I want to say this clearly, because there was some concern as this went through all of the committees that this would not create a new database on this type of information to be held in the custody of the Federal Government. It simply does not do that. It allows banking regulators to talk to insurance regulators to talk to security regulators so we can all be on the same sheet of music. When we find that bad apple, that scam artist who is going after Grandma, this bill and this ability will allow us to say no and protect those very, very precious savings. Mr. Speaker, today the House will consider H.R. 1408, the Financial Services Antifraud Network Act, which is legislation that will help safeguard the American public from fraud in the financial services industry. While the technology needed to create this network may be technical and complex, the purpose of this legislation is not: protecting consumers from financial scams. As a former special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I know firsthand that criminals come in all shapes and sizes. Advances in modern technology and the internet have created a new frontier for criminals, allowing them to defraud consumers with a mere click of a computer mouse. Our regulators need the same technological tools. Electronically linking regulators and law enforcement closes a loophole and averts schemes aimed at the American public. In fact, following the events of September 11 and the efforts to crack worldwide terrorism cells, it is even more important that we give our law enforcement officials and regulators the tools they need to prevent fraud and potential abuses in the United States financial services system. The need for this common-sense legislation is clear. Currently, there are over 250 Federal and State financial regulators and self-regulating financial organizations, each with their own separate filing systems for antifraud records. Most regulators have already computerized their records and have been working on efforts to coordinate databases within their industries. Recently, some of the larger regulators have begun developing individual information sharing agreements with other regulators across the financial industry. Unfortunately, effectuating individual coordination among all these regulators would require tens of thousands of separate agreements. At a March 6, 2001 Financial Services Committee hearing, several regulators testified that federal legislation is necessary to establish confidentiality and liability protections so that financial regulators do not compromise existing legal privileges when sharing supervisory data with other regulators and law enforcement agencies. Also, the Financial Services Roundtable testified that financial fraud costs consumers and the industry about $100 billion annually, and that greater information sharing will significantly reduce this fraud. The primary focus of H.R. 1408 is to help the financial regulators coordinate their antifraud efforts, particularly by coordinating computer protocols so that their systems can seamlessly communicate and share critical information. It is important to point out that this network will not be a database; instead, it directs the regulators to establish computer connections allowing regulators' existing databases to exchange data. The regulators themselves will have the initial opportunity to establish the mechanics of the network. H.R. 1408 gives the regulators six months to develop a proposal and two years to implement it. If the regulators fail to do this on their own, H.R. 1408 then creates a Subcommittee with representative regulators from each of the financial industries to make decisions regarding network protocols. This Subcommittee would then have a similar time-frame to plan and establish the network in conjunction with the other regulators, unless they determine that it is impracticable or not cost efficient. The bill provides critical safeguards to govern information sharing among regulators. The measure prohibits information from being shared through the network unless the regulators determine that adequate privacy and confidentiality safeguards exist. The regulators are only directed to share public final disciplinary and formal enforcement actions taken against financial companies and professionals. Additionally, H.R. 1408 expresses a sense of the Congress that the regulators should consider sharing additional anti-fraud information that is publicly accessible, as well as information from financial reports, affiliations, and applications, which are factual and substantiated and do not include personally identifiable information on consumers. The measure also creates a new due process right for persons to receive notice when any regulator uses information from the anti- fraud network to take an action against them. This includes a description of the type of information used, where the information came from, and a reasonable opportunity to respond. To protect information shared between regulators, the measure establishes certain limited legal privileges and confidentiality and liability protections for regulatory and supervisory information. H.R. 1408 also allows state insurance regulators to perform FBI fingerprint background checks on insurance applicants to obtain relevant criminal records, subject to certain protections against misuse. The fingerprinting section also clarifies that employers relying on a state insurance regulator's background approval of an insurance agent are not subject to liability for failing to conduct additional background checks. I believe the Financial Services Antifraud Network Act is carefully crafted bipartisan legislation that is a positive step toward preventing fraud across financial service industry sectors. I would like to thank Financial Services Committee Chairman Mike Oxley and Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chairman Spencer Bachus for their leadership on this issue, as well as Committee Ranking Member John LaFalce and Subcommittee Ranking Member Maxine Waters for their willingness to work together on this much-needed legislation. I would also like to thank Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner and Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest, whose committees shared jurisdiction over H.R. 1408. Finally, many thanks to staff for the hard work and long hours of negotiation that produced the final product. Among House Financial Service Committee staff that deserve special recognition are Robert Gordon, Charles Symington, Tom McCrocklin, Jim Clinger, Bob Foster, and Terry Haines, as well as Matt Strawn from my personal office. Again, we need to catch financial perpetrators before they strike. I believe H.R. 1408 is a positive step in that direction and urge my colleagues to support its adoption.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, the Michigan Vietnam Monument Commission (MVMC) was established by the Michigan Legislature in 1988 to conceptualize, design, fund and build a fitting monument on a site donated by the state of Michigan near the Capitol in Lansing. The project has been a collaboration between the public and private sectors in honoring and celebrating the patriotism of the 2,654 Michigan citizens who served, suffered, died, were imprisoned or are missing because of America's longest war. Plans to build the monument began in July of 1988 and will culminate on November 11, 2001, Veterans Day, with a formal dedication. The volunteers who comprise the MVMC have raised more than half of the $3.4 million in project costs from private donations. The Michigan Legislature, in cooperation with Governor John Engler, appropriated $1.5 million in support of the monument. Other major contributors include several private businesses and labor unions. As a veteran and former Chairman of the Michigan Senate Labor, Human Resources and Veterans' Affairs Committee, I am thrilled that the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country will have a monument to visit in memory of their loved ones. I look forward to participating in the dedication of the monument on Veterans Day which promises to be a fitting tribute to those who have served and are serving our great country.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I have been listening all day and I have heard a reoccurring theme. It seems that my friends on the other side of the aisle are more concerned about who signs the check than they are about who checks the bags. We ought to get back to what is important here. We have come together on a lot of things. We have recognized the problems together. We understand that the companies are not up to standard. You are right. We have talked about it, both sides of the aisle. We understand that the system needs improvement, needs Federal involvement. You are right. We understand that the Federal Government ought to get involved and set the standards and the Federal Government ought to be involved in testing and the Federal Government ought to be involved in training and the Federal Government ought to be involved in accountability and oversight. We agree on these things, all of these things. What we did, what this chairman did, Young-Mica, they talked to the folks who are on the front lines of terrorism every day for the last 20 years in the airline industry. And they said, ``United States of America, don't make the same mistake that we did. Federalize, don't nationalize. If you want all of those things, if you want all of that accountability, if you want safe airplanes in the sky, follow our lead.'' This bill follows their lead. As a former FBI agent, I can tell you, I want safe airlines. I want my wife, who travels on business, to be safe. I want my family to be safe. You ought to set all of the politics aside. I would urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, for the safety of America, for the viability of these airlines, set your arguments aside, stop worrying about who signs the check and start worrying about who checks the bag.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the chairman of this committee for a fine, fine bill and for working with me on several issues, and the ranking member as well. I regrettably stand here today and tell you that I will have to vote ``no.'' There is a provision in this bill that I think is extremely dangerous. The gentleman from Michigan, a previous speaker, spoke very eloquently about protecting the Great Lakes and all that are right with our precious resources and that 20 percent of the fresh water of the whole world that resides there. I could not agree more with his intent. I could not agree more with his heart. I could not disagree more with the policy, as I think it is extremely dangerous. In this bill, there is a section that was not added by the Members of this body, but came out of that conference committee, that has the single largest encroachment over control of the Great Lakes that I have ever seen. It says to the Great Lakes Governors and the Great Lakes legislators that we know better in the United States Congress how to protect your resources, a place of previous jurisdiction that they had themselves. As a matter of fact, the last time Congress tried this, they exempted in navigable waterways ballast water. Now do you know what the number one threat is in our Great Lakes? It is non-native species that came to us because of that ballast water that the great wisdom in the halls of Washington, D.C. gave us. Mr. Speaker, this is very, very dangerous stuff. What we have done now is we have taken control of the Great Lakes and given it to the majority of the southwest States that are thirsty, that see the Great Lakes as a great opportunity to water their lawns, to make their golf courses green. We have given the control of the Great Lakes to the oil- producing States that outnumber us in the Great Lakes; and believe me, there have been attempts in the past to drill on our Great Lakes. Something that started out I think pure of heart, is extremely dangerous. The Governor, who I happen to disagree with on his position on angle drilling in the Great Lakes, is working on this issue. But both bodies of the legislature are acting, and acting now to stop angle drilling in the Great Lakes, a place, Mr. Speaker, where it ought to be debated. We are telling the people who are debating now, the Speaker of the House of the State of Michigan in a bipartisan way is working to stop angle drilling in Michigan; but we are going to stand here today and say Mr. Speaker, back there in Michigan, you do not know what you are doing. You cannot protect your Great Lakes. We are the Federal Government. Trust us. We did that before, Mr. Speaker; and we have the greatest threat, and I am going to say it again, to the Great Lakes, an act given to us by the United States Congress by not regulating ballast water, that gave us non-native species that are damaging and harming our Great Lakes today. People who do not live there, people who do not work there, people who do not raise their children there, people who do not live there in February, and, believe me, Mr. Speaker, that is a trick, ought not to be making decisions about how to best protect our Great Lakes. This is the wrong direction. I think their intent is pure, but I think the results are disastrous. I would urge those who believe that the States, our Great Lakes Governors, and Great Lakes legislators ought to control this issue, to vote ``no'' on the bill. I again regrettably, because there are a lot of good things in this bill, Mr. Speaker, will be voting ``no'' for that very specific reason.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding achievement of Latson Road Elementary School from Howell, Michigan, in receiving a Blue Ribbon Award. Recipients of the Blue Ribbon Award must meet rigorous standards and criteria including: attention to student support, fostering student culture, building community partnerships, meeting challenging standards, and ensuring the quality of their teachers. Furthermore, the process to be recognized at the national level is long and arduous with first being selected by the state department of education to a site visit by a national panel of reviewers to being nominated by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The final step includes the presentation of the awards given tonight at a prestigious banquet in honor of Michigan's top schools. The Blue Ribbon Award is the hallmark in achieving academic excellence for a school. But a school is a great deal more than a building with chalkboards. A successful school is only as good as the people behind it. Therefore, I wish to wholeheartedly commend the principal, teachers, parents and students that dedicated their time and efforts into making this award possible. I am proud to represent Latson Road Elementary School, a shining example of excellence in education.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, for some very fine work. I stand here today, Mr. Speaker, a little bit saddened at the finger pointing by the minority leader and accusation of partisanship. I too had issues with the bill and was eager to work with both parties on many differences that we had over the very short course of time to give our law enforcement the tools to be successful. We won some; we lost some. There was no speed to partisanship, but there was a sense of urgency in what we must do in this Chamber. We can argue and debate and negotiate, but at the end of the day, a decision must be made. I stood with those FBI agents for nearly 6 years, and I understood, and it became very clear to me, that we were fighting a war with 1970s tools in a war that now is into the 21st century; a very different kind of place, a very different kind of terrorist, a very different kind of sophistication. They have stolen, Mr. Speaker, more than just the lives of American citizens. They have stolen the innocence of a whole generation of Americans. My daughter just recently, who during her entire 7 years told me that she was going to be a teacher, and that is what she wanted to be more than anything, was to be a teacher. And every time my wife and I had that conversation, she reiterated without pausing that she wanted to be a teacher. Until just recently, she came to me and said, Dad, unprovoked by me, I want to be President of the United States. And I asked her why, and she said because I want to make the rules so that bad people cannot hurt my friends in my neighborhood. There has been a lot lost here, Mr. Speaker. It is more than process and negotiation and a rule which, to the vast majority of Americans, quite frankly, means nothing. What we have to do, and I have seen the panic in the eyes of the agents of the FBI today, who are asking for the tools of the 21st century to help them stop and disrupt what we know is coming to the United States of America. I am saddened because we ought to stand together and say, yes, we can improve on some things, and yes, we ought to have a money-laundering provision. But today, let us give those agents the tools they need to protect the next generation of Americans, to protect the Americans that are out there today. Let us untie the one hand behind their back and let them do what they will do best: protect America. Mr. Speaker, this is not about partisanship, and this is not about trying to get somebody's way; this is about protecting America. We have to make a decision. Vote for this rule and make it happen. Let me go home this weekend and look my daughter in the eye and say, you are not going to have to run for President, ma'am, unless you want to, because we have done all that we can do to make sure that you can grow up to be anything that you want. Pass this rule. Let us get on with it. Give them the tools that they need to be successful.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Jill Solomon on earning the prestigious Fulbright Award, which will allow her to teach and study in the United Kingdom during the upcoming academic year. Established by Congress in 1946, the Fulbright Award program is the oldest U.S. Government sponsored academic exchange program. Recipients of Fulbright Awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as leadership potential in one's respective field. In receiving this award, Ms. Solomon was one of only 200 teachers out of seven hundred and fifty applicants to earn the Fulbright Award. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in thanking Jill Solomon for her continued devotion to excellence in education and congratulate her for receiving the Fulbright Award.