Loretta Sanchez

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. C. Thomas Keegel. Mr. Keegel joined the Teamsters in 1959 as a member of Local 544 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a driver for the Sterling Cartage Company. From driver to recording secretary of Local 544, Mr. Keegel has held elected office for 25 out of the 47 years he has been a member of the Teamsters Union. Since being elected to general secretary-treasurer in March of 1999, Mr. Keegel has not only balanced the union's budget for the first time in nearly a decade, but has helped set an example of clarity and ethics for local union chapters. In addition, Mr. Keegel has taken a leading role in continuing the Teamster's comprehensive anti-corruption policy, instituting sweeping reforms and safeguards in every area of the union's finances, as well as initiating legal actions to recover money stolen from the union in past years. It is for these reasons that I stand in recognition of the work and dedication Mr. C. Thomas Keegel has demonstrated to labor workers across this country and especially the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute James P. Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Mr. Hoffa has spent the past 47 years in diligent and loyal service to the Teamsters Union and workers across the country. Sworn in at the age of 18 by his father, James has been a member of the Teamsters Union since 1959. He learned early in his life the importance of workers' rights as he joined his father on picket lines as a young boy. Since taking office in March of 1999, Mr. Hoffa has been rebuilding the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. During his tenure as President, union membership has increased and the budget has been balanced for the first time in nearly a decade. The Teamsters have also increased their global outreach, creating a new office of global strategies to focus resources on building alliances with workers from around the world, and by holding meetings of the International Transportation Workers Federation, ITF, with union leaders representing 624 transport unions that consist of 4.5 million workers from 142 countries. Most recently, Mr. Hoffa faced intense challenges while the union family chose to take different directions for its future. It is my hope that these changes will be positive for the Teamsters and provide Mr. Hoffa with a continued opportunity to lead. It is for these reasons that I stand to recognize the work and dedication of Mr. James Hoffa, and his commitment to workers and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 657, a resolution honoring the contributions of Catholic schools to our Nation. I rise today in support of this resolution and in recognition of the teachers, parents, and schools administrations who dedicate themselves to the difficult task of creating a strong learning environment for students in Catholic schools everywhere. I have dedicated my time in Congress to the issue of education and have worked to try to improve our educational system by supporting such initiatives as the creation of incentives for new teachers and increased funding for preschool programs. It is in honor of this same pursuit by the Catholic schools of this Nation that I rise today. These schools are charged with the most important responsibility in our society: Educating our children. The pursuit of excellence in education and opportunities for students in the area of music and the arts put these schools and educators in a class of their own. The future of the American educational system is tenuous. To quote the former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank Alan Greenspan in a recent congressional hearing regarding solving the education problem in this country, ``if you don't solve it, nothing else is going to matter.'' Many thanks to the Catholic school system for all it does to help meet this challenge and I call on my colleagues in Congress to join me in working to put the education of our children at the top of our legislative priorities.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, let me start by adding my thanks to the Armed Services Committee staff for their hard work and long hours in getting this conference report to the floor. On the whole, I think this is a solid bill--a bill that does a lot of good for our servicemembers and their families. It raises basic pay and hardship duty pay. It provides TRICARE coverage for Reservists. It increases the death gratuity for all activated servicemembers. It begins the much-needed reform of the DOD acquisition system. And with the inclusion of the McCain language, this bill makes a strong statement to the world that the United States does NOT condone-- and will not tolerate--the torture or abuse of detainees. But I'm particularly happy to note that the final conference agreement includes two important revisions to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The first revision would update Article 120 of the UCMJ making it a modern, complete sexual assault statute that protects victims, empowers commanders and prosecutors, and improves good order and discipline of the armed forces. It offers military prosecutors a clear definition of sexual assault and better tools for prosecuting sexual offenses, and it affords increased protection for victims by emphasizing acts of the perpetrator rather than the reaction of the victim during an assault. The second revision to the UCMJ involves the addition of stalking as a specifically defined offense, bringing the UCMJ in line with federal laws and the laws of all 50 states. The language in this bill will offer commanders and prosecutors a clear definition of stalking. It will raise awareness, strengthen law enforcement, and underscore the criminality of this conduct to all members of the military community. Furthermore, it will give commanders a powerful tool to cut stalking off in its early stages--before a stalker's behavior escalates. I have pushed for these changes for a long, long time, and I am thrilled to see both chambers finally agree on these major steps forward for the military justice system and for the men and women of our armed forces.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 4437. The chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, the committee on which I serve, is right in saying that we worked on this bill in a very bipartisan way, at least the initial King-Sanchez bill that came to the Homeland Committee. We did it over a period of 2 months. We worked back and forth many of us on our side of the committee with Mr. King and others, and then we brought a bill to the Homeland Security Committee, a bill that dealt with border security. Border security. By the way, it was not just the immediate southern border we were talking about; we were talking about issues that are affecting us all, many of the borders and airports and coastal sections, and it included, this border security bill, even land away from the border, in the sense that it comes up to the area I represent. If you are in Disneyland in my district, you are less than 100 miles away from the California border with Mexico. This bill that we had in Homeland Security would have affected my area. Now, not everything was great about the Homeland Security bill. In fact, I was very angry at some pieces that managed to get in. But we had a real debate, and we took our time, and we understood what we were talking about. And then this bill was taken over by the Judiciary Committee, usurped, with many, many more pieces put on, pieces that do not make any sense and really are not about border security. They are not about getting rid of the catch and release process that we have right now; they are not about tightening. They are about being mean, mean to immigrants in this community. And not just those who have no documents to be in the United States. This bill dangerously is unfair and penalizes everyday Americans regardless of what their immigration status is. Under this legislation, the Sensenbrenner bill, it would be a criminal offense, criminal offense, to be in the United States in violation of immigration laws. It would affect millions of legal immigrants, including lawful permanent residents and nonimmigrants who accrue technical violations of immigration regulations, like failing to report a change of address. Now, I know this because we have been working, we have been thinking, and we have been looking. But many of my colleagues may not understand the impact that the Sensenbrenner bill has on the people of America, legal residents in some cases. People would be criminalized under H.R. 4437. In addition, this bill criminalizes anyone who assists undocumented immigrants in the United States; and this would include, listen to this, please, it would include churches, other faith-based groups, volunteers that provide food aid, shelter, or other life-saving assistance to members of its community who may not have documents. Do we really want to clog up the Federal system with decent people who are just trying to be Good Samaritans? Is that what this is about? For you taxpayers, is that what you want to spend your monies on, providing public defenders for everyone we are about to put in jail? And the 11 million, supposed, because we do not even know really how many people there are here without documents, that we are going to criminalize, women and children, where are we going to hold them? Because the mere presence of them being in the United States the day after a bill like this passes would make them felons in this country, according to Sensenbrenner. So, it is not a good bill. This has not been thought through, the implications and how we handle it. And the money that this would cost is something that America really is not really ready for. The Sensenbrenner bill also cripples American businesses. All of these people all of a sudden are felons. They are not in. They are not working. And all employers would be forced to use an employment eligibility verification system that, quite frankly, is not capable of handling the increase in volume that this Sensenbrenner bill would require. The database for the employment eligibility verification system contains widespread flaws and false information, false information, which would show many legal workers as undocumented, depriving legal employees of jobs and employers of the much-needed workers, the reason these people are here. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and business groups across America oppose H.R. 4437 because the employers will pay the price for these impractical provisions and because enforcement-only legislation like H.R. 4437 will not create a rational immigration system needed to serve all Americans, businesses, and potential immigrants. It does not address real comprehensive immigration reform, which is necessary for everybody out there in America who thinks that undocumented workers are a problem. This Sensenbrenner bill will not fix what we have on our hands. You have only to look at demographics to understand we in America need more workers than we can provide. And we need to get them from somewhere. So we need to get back to comprehensive immigration reform, not just closing off borders or hurting people or taking children away from mothers or deporting mothers. This will not solve the problem we have at hand. And so when we were in the Homeland Security Committee, we were working on border security in the hopes that this would be a good-faith effort to work together in a bipartisan manner and to get the ball rolling to work on more comprehensive reform that would bring about what we need here: Family reunification, good economic conditions for our economy and homeland security. I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 4437. We deserve a comprehensive solution to our immigration problems. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez), the chairman of the Hispanic Caucus Task Force.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a remarkable aviation achievement--a new world record for the longest nonstop distance flown by a commercial aircraft. On October 9, 2005, a Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner touched down at London Heathrow Airport after completing a non-stop flight from Hong Kong, breaking its own world record set just 16 years earlier. The Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing's newest aircraft, took the long way around, leaving Hong Kong and flying over the Northern Pacific ocean, crossing North America and then over the Atlantic Ocean to complete its record setting 11,664 mile flight, beating out the previous record by 1,164 miles, The lead pilot for this remarkable flight was Captain Suzanna Darcy- Hennemann, who in the tradition of aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart, is inspiring the next generation of young women pilots, Mr. Speaker, this achievement is a milestone in the history of aviation. We have come a long way since Charles Lindbergh's first solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927, which set the first world record. I rise today to congratulate Boeing and its record setting crew, and to express on behalf of my constituents in Orange County, many of whom are Boeing employees themselves, my sincere appreciation of all that Boeing has done in service of American aviation.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 4312.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ed Roybal, a member of this House of Representatives, and also to honor the work that his daughter, my colleague, Lucille Roybal- Allard, does in this House. Ed Roybal for many of us was a path-maker. He was the first Mexican American on the City of Los Angeles City Council, and he was the first Mexican American from California to this House of Representatives. He is probably best known for his work in civil rights and his work on behalf of all people in California. Tonight, we honor him. We honor him, because for many of us he was an inspiration, an inspiration that told us that we could be a politician, that we could be a legislator, that we could be a leader from our community. I hope that this House will remember the great work of that appropriator, Ed Roybal.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today not only as a Representative, but also as a longtime fan, to congratulate the American League Western Division Champions, the Anaheim Angels. The Angels' victory was far from predicted and it all came down to game 5, where in a 5 to 3 victory, the Anaheim Angels beat the New York Yankees to become the American League Western Division Champions. The Angels labored in the beginning, losing their star pitcher Bartolo Colon in the top of the second inning, but the Angels were not out. They rallied behind their relief pitching staff to win game 5, and the Division Championship. This victory is a testament to the teamwork and abilities of the Anaheim players and I would like to congratulate them. I must also congratulate and thank Angels' manager Mike Scioscia, coaches Bud Black, Orlando Mercado, Mickey Hatcher, Alfredo Griffin, Ron Roenicke, Joe Maddon and Steve Soliz and the entire Angels' staff. A very special thanks goes to the Orange County fans who came out to cheer the Anaheim Angels to victory. They were instrumental in bringing the Western Division Championship to Anaheim. Mr. Speaker, the Anaheim Angels had a great season and I join the residents of Anaheim looking forward to the next.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman, my amendment is very simple and straightforward. It merely adds alternative credit scoring as an element of the Annual Housing Report, as outlined in section 1324 of the bill. Before I continue, however, I would first like to thank the Committee on Rules for making the amendment in order and the Committee on Financial Services for its consideration. In particular I would like to thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), who has been a leader on exploring the challenges and the opportunities of alternative credit scoring. I look forward to working with the gentleman on this issue in the future. My amendment is a modest one, but I think its implications have far- reaching potential. It is currently estimated that there are about 50 million people in the United States who have little or no credit history. Many of these individuals make a solid income, they pay their bills, they have substantial savings and investments. However, these people face tough, if not insurmountable, conditions when they go to secure a loan. Those who do qualify often have to pay excessive fees or elevated interest rates. The irony is that you are more likely to secure credit if you have debt than if you have none. So the question is, how can these people who are outside the traditional banking system gain access to credit and home loans if they have no traditional credit history? One of the answers may be to use alternative credit scoring and alternative sources of information, such as utility bills and other types of payment systems so that they have a history. If we use that, then we could see that they would most likely pay their mortgage every month. Much work is being done to develop and automate the use of alternative credit information. Companies such as Fair Isaac, the originator of the FICO score, has an algorithm which it uses to help lenders gain the credit worthiness of unbanked or underbanked applicants. Nevertheless, while the private sector is taking the initiative, I think it needs the support of the Federal Government. Let me tell you why. Recently, we had Hispanic Heritage Month here in Washington, D.C. where the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute does a summit. I did a particular forum on alternative credit scoring. Many of the actors, many of the first originators of loans for homes, for example, said that it would be much easier for them to approve people on alternative credit scoring if in fact the Fannie Maes, for example, of the world actually would buy these in the secondary market. Right now they do not. So I think it is important for us as the Federal Government to step up and to have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and others begin to look at using alternative credit scoring on a more regular basis. It would encourage primary lenders to follow suit; and more people, who should really be eligible for these loans, would be eligible. My amendment does not mandate nor does it direct GSEs to use alternative credit scoring. It only asks that they report on their use of these methods in the effort to promote greater homeownership, particularly in underserved communities. By raising awareness of alternative credit scoring, we could potentially be helping thousands of qualified home buyers who have always aspired to own their own home. Madam Chairman, I ask my colleagues for their support on this amendment. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 177, particularly with regard to Section 5, which will increase the ceiling of the federal share for the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment project. I introduced this section as a stand-alone bill in the 108th Congress, and it was passed by the House last year. I am pleased to see this legislation being passed again in its current form. Section 5 will increase the authorized Federal share for the Orange County California Groundwater Replenishment, OCGWR. This will help Orange County to complete this important and much-needed project, which will serve about 2.3 million residents of north and central Orange County, and it will create a new water supply of 72,000 acre-feet per year. The OCGWR project is not just important to Orange County, California, but also to the entire western United States. By recycling our own water, we in Orange County would not have to rely so heavily on water from the Colorado River Aqueduct or the San Francisco Bay Delta. Moreover, the OCGWR is a highly innovative recycling project--a pilot project for other future water recycling projects. Experts in public water management systems, from other states and from countries around the world, have come to Orange County to look at the tertiary cleaning system housed there. The project is of national and even international significance. I am pleased that this project has received strong support from Members on both sides of the aisle. As I mentioned previously, the Committee on Resources very generously allowed this same bill to be considered under Suspension of the Rules last year. I would like to take this opportunity to again thank Chairman Pombo from California, Ranking Member Rahall from West Virginia, as well as former Subcommittee Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member Napolitano of California for their overwhelming support of this bill. I would also like to thank my colleagues from Orange County for their continued support. Mr. Miller, the former Representative Mr. Cox, Mr. Rohrabacher and Mr. Royce are strong supporters of this project. Securing funding for the OCGWR has always been, and will continue to be, a bipartisan effort. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 177 which contains this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 491, a bill expressing the sense of Congress regarding the raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer security in the United States, and supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity of the House Homeland Security Committee, I have had the opportunity to work on the broad Homeland Security aspects of cybersecurity. However, it is important to recognize that cybersecurity includes a wide variety of challenges that affect governments, businesses and individuals on many levels. The Department of Homeland Security has the considerable responsibility of working to protect the computer systems that operate some of our nation's most critical infrastructure like dams, oil pipelines and water treatment systems. It is essential that the federal government coordinate with state and local governments in addition to the owners, operators, and vendors of the computer control systems. I urge the Department of Homeland Security to act swiftly in building better partnerships and information sharing relationships between the public and private sectors in order to improve cybersecurity. In addition to the government's responsibilities, private businesses need to recognize the sensitivity of the information that they store and process, and commit to adhering to industry best practices to ensure the security of their computer systems. Consumers should be able to expect that businesses can and will protect sensitive personal and financial information. National Cyber Security Awareness Month is also an important tool for raising individual citizens' awareness of the steps they need to take to protect their personal computers and files from hackers and viruses. Every individual should consider protecting their computer by: (1) Using anti-virus and anti-spyware programs with firewalls to protect against infected incoming files, and outside hacker attempts to control your computer. (2) Updating software and operating systems with the most recent patches from the manufacturer. (3) Refusing to provide personal information to unknown, online sources. (4) Using strong passwords that contain at least 8 characters that include numerals and symbols. (5) Backing up computer files. (6) Educating kids on how to safely use the Internet, and teaching them not to give out personal information. I hope that Cyber Security Awareness Month will encourage governments, businesses and individuals to take steps to improve the security of their computer systems, and I urge my colleagues to support this important initiative.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of several important programs that will be reauthorized in H.R. 3402, The Department of Justice Authorization Act. The two programs that I'd like to highlight are the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program and the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). Both COPS and SCAAP provide critical resources that help local law enforcement do their job. The COPS program consists of Federal grants to provide assistance to eligible police departments to help improve community policing efforts and law enforcement support activities including: hiring or rehiring police officers, purchasing equipment; paying overtime; and building support systems. The COPS program has long had bipartisan support in Congress, even in the face of repeated proposed budget cuts from this Administration. Despite these budget proposals Congress worked in a bipartisan way to appropriate funding for the COPS program and ensure that our local law enforcement agencies continued to receive these valuable grants. I hope that the formal reauthorization of the COPS program through H.R. 3402 clarifies the Congressional recognition of the significance of the COPS programs to local law enforcement, and the importance of the COPS program now and in the future. The SCAAP reimburses states and localities for the cost of detaining criminal aliens. These funds are critical for local law enforcement agencies; especially those in border states like California, that routinely cover the cost of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens. Between FY2001 and FY2005, SCAAP funding decreased by $265 million. This is unacceptable and places a significant burden on cash-strapped States that desperately need reimbursement. I supported the Kolbe/Dreier/Lewis amendment to increase the authorized funding for SCAAP to $750 million for FY06, $850 million for FY07, and $950 million for FY08-11. I am pleased that this amendment was accepted as it will provide much needed funds to the states and improve their ability to work with the Federal government on border security and immigration issues.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my colleague, Chris Cox, for his service to this House, and to Orange County California, a region we both had the privilege and the responsibility to represent. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish now Commissioner Cox good luck in his new position at the Securities Exchange Commission, SEC. As a former constituent, a member of the investment banking community, I know how important Mr. Cox's new job is to the health and security to our Nation's economy. The job of the SEC is to maintain investor confidence in our financial markets. I would urge my friend to invest more resources in maintaining that confidence. That would include going after insider- trading cases, and preventing scandals, like Enron and WorldCom, that undermine our system. We shouldn't forget that it's the small investors, and workers depending on their pensions, that get hit the hardest by these scandals. I would also urge the Commissioner also to think about the future and to help reform the New York Stock Exchange, and other exchanges, to bring them into the 21st Century. Instant trading is a fact in the market. It needs to be brought to the floor of the NYSE. In closing, I would like to thank Chris Cox again for his service and wish him all the best at the SEC. I look forward to working with him and helping to make our nation's future, safe, fair and secure.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mr. Manuel Esqueda, a retired banker who over his lifetime helped send nearly 2,000 Latino students to college, many of whom were the first in their families to go. Manuel's dedication to his community and education came from his deep-seated connection to the Delhi neighborhood of Santa Ana, California, where he grew up and where his family was able to buy a home when other Mexican Americans were unable to do so. He was active in the development of the Delhi Community Center, which is now a centerpiece of that neighborhood. In honor of his community service, the Manuel Esqueda Elementary School was dedicated on September 8, 2005, to honor a man who never wanted recognition for himself but whose dedication to his community and to the Latino people of Santa Ana, California garnered him prestige and love. Manuel was honored to have a school named for him, and from his hospital bed he tried to hold on so he could be there for the first day of school. Unfortunately, Manuel passed away 2 days before he was able to witness the opening of this school with his name. He will be remembered fondly and his spirit will go on in all those young people who enter the doors of the Esqueda Elementary School in Santa Ana.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Head Start program and the great opportunities that it provides to children, parents, and families in America. I am a Head Start kid. I experienced firsthand the valuable and comprehensive education program that Head Start provides for low-income families. Head Start opened up a new world, not only for me, but also for the rest of my family. As I received an education and health services, my mother learned valuable lessons on how to become a more active and involved parent in America's public school system. I am glad to see that H.R. 2123 preserves the valuable Federal-to-local design that gives parents and local communities the right and the responsibility to be active in their Head Start program. For this is really the key to the Head Start program, the fact that parents and families are also involved with their children. To maintain the integrity of Head Start, I would urge my colleagues to pay special attention to two key votes. My colleague from Indiana (Mr. Souder) will be offering an amendment to restore the joint governance structure of Head Start and to allow policy councils made up of parents and community members to approve or disapprove program plans and operation activities, along with the board of directors. I urge my colleagues to support that important amendment. On the other hand, I urge the House to oppose the amendment that would allow faith-based Head Start programs to use Federal tax dollars to discriminate against teachers and employees solely on the basis of their religion. We need to keep Head Start strong and to open it up for everyone so that it can remain the great program that it was for me and so that it can continue to be so for so many Americans.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the support of my good friend from Minnesota.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to modify this amendment with the modification placed at the desk.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would have the commandant of the Coast Guard review and report on whether the currently authorized level of active duty personnel is adequate for carrying out all the Coast Guard's missions, including its newly expanded homeland security missions. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we have seen how much our country relies on our Coast Guard. Currently, there are 2,400 Coast Guard members on the ground working on rescue and recovery efforts in the gulf coast, and to date they have saved over 33,000 lives. The Coast Guard's contribution to disaster response is extremely valuable, and it is only one part of what the Coast Guard's broad mission is, which includes port, waterways and coastal security, recreational boater safety, search and rescue, illegal drug and migrant interdiction, aids to navigation, and the protection of our natural resources. In the last couple of years, the Coast Guard security mission has grown exponentially as they work to secure our Nation's ports, our ships, and the cargo. But despite these growing responsibilities, the Coast Guard's authorized active duty personnel level is the same as it was in the early 1990s. In the ``Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General Fiscal Year 2003 Report'' on the mission performance of the Coast Guard, the demand for experienced and trained Coast Guard personnel was cited as one of the major barriers to improving and sustaining mission performance. So we must ensure that the Coast Guard has the personnel resources to achieve their broad and their very complex security missions while maintaining high performance on all of their other missions. I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member and their staff for working with me on this issue, and I ask for my colleagues' support of this amendment.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartfelt sympathy to the people in the Gulf Coast area who have been so profoundly affected by Hurricane Katrina. The loss of lives, property, and livelihoods is a shocking tragedy, the full extent of which is only starting to be known. The number one priority now must be safeguarding and improving the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been evacuated from their homes, or whose homes have been damaged or destroyed. We must ensure that all people affected by this disaster have food, water, shelter, clothing, and healthcare. To achieve this, the government must commit to fast tracking needed public services like unemployment insurance and compensation, food stamps and Medicaid. In addition, we must be prepared to provide ongoing support through housing loans, job information networks, and aid to school districts that will enroll evacuated students. These measures are critical in helping people as they start to put their lives back together. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina was compounded by a sluggish response by the Federal Government that trapped people in harm's way, and failed to provide them with the basic necessities of food and water. I believe that the Department of Homeland Security and the President must ultimately account for the failure in preparing for this disaster in an efficient and comprehensive manner. As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am dedicated to finding solutions to the systemic problems in DHS, as evidenced by its weak initial relief efforts in response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Despite the substantial problems that plagued the relief effort, the rescuers on the ground performed 47,300 life-saving rescues, and managed to find shelter for 235,200 people whose homes were damaged or destroyed. As the first responders continue working in the Gulf Coast, our thoughts and good wishes, and those of the entire Nation are with them. In Orange County, CA, I am proud to say our communities are doing their part. There are numerous efforts to assist the people affected by this disaster. Mr. Frank Garcia of the La Casa Garcia of Anaheim and volunteers from Orange County, CA, are traveling right now to Texas to set up a kitchen to help feed the evacuees. I am confident that the generosity of the American people will continue and grow. We have all been touched by the pain and shock of this disaster. And I hope that this outpouring of support and solidarity will help the people of the Gulf Coast to rebuild their lives and give them hope for a better future.