Loretta Sanchez

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Diocese of Orange County which has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and thank Bishop Tod Brown for his leadership of the Diocese. The Diocese of Orange was established in 1976 after 200 years of presence by the Catholic Church symbolized by the Mission at San Juan Capistrano built in 1776. Since its original charter, The Diocese of Orange has always stood for justice and peace and has grown with Orange County providing immeasurable service to the community. The Diocese has a hand in the education of over 65,000 students from elementary through high school instilling values of community involvement and a strong moral compass. The Diocese has also provided assistance to over 400,000 patients through its clinics, health centers, and hospitals in Orange County. On top of these services, the Catholic Diocese has been a beacon of hope for the underprivileged in Orange County and always provides help to those in need. The Diocese has united a culturally diverse group of people, including my Vietnamese and Latino communities, through faith, love and understanding. The Church has always been welcoming and I thank them for their service.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, legislation that will reduce interest rates for student borrowers. Now, we all know that the cost of college has gone up every year. In fact, over the last 7 years the cost of a public school education, on average, has increased by 41 percent and at a private school by 7 percent. That is in real dollars. So, how do lower income and middle income students go to higher education? They do it with Pell Grants. In California we do it with the State grants, but we also do it by borrowing. And so I believe that we should lower the interest costs so that anybody who wants to have a higher education, if you want to go back and get your master's, if your child wants to go and get their B.A., that we should be a partner in investment with them. Investing in our people is the most important thing our country can do to be competitive vis-a-vis the rest of the world.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007. Now you can imagine how Democrats felt when the Republicans hijacked the whole idea of putting benefits into Medicare for prescription drugs. Not only did they do a bad job with the regular program with the doughnut hole and higher prices, but on top of that, they added two additional things. One, they made criminals of people who would go to Canada or Mexico to get the same drugs for lower prices because, of course, our pharmaceutical companies charge the highest price for drugs right here in the United States. Secondly, they prohibited the United States Government from doing what all other health plans do: negotiate the price of prescription drugs for the people who are in their health care program. Well, guess what? Today we will right that. Today we will allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate on behalf of Americans.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. I am proud to have been an original co-sponsor of this legislation in both the 109th and 110th Congresses. H.R. 3 will increase the number of embryonic stem cell lines that are eligible for use in federally funded research while maintaining strict ethical standards ensuring that only stem cells from embryos that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics can be used for research. My home State of California has taken the lead in stem cell research. In Orange County, California, the University of California-Irvine's Reeves Center is the home to spectacular research that is utilizing stem cells to work towards finding new treatments for spinal cord injury. I hope that any Member who has questions about stem cell research will seek out a research center like the Reeves Center to learn about the amazing progress that researchers are making towards finding treatments and cures for spinal injury, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and cancer among others. Federal support for this groundbreaking research will help researchers find answers even faster. I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, and I am glad it will pass today in the House of Representatives, because for too long the disparity between the wealthiest and the poor has been going on and continuing to grow in America. And it is in no small part due to the Republicans not raising the minimum wage in almost 10 years. Imagine this, you work for $5.15 an hour. You work all year round, and not your take-home pay but your gross pay is $10,700. That is $6,000 below the poverty level for a family of three every year. The minimum wage has not gone up. Real income, the buying power of the dollar has gone down for Americans. And the cost of health insurance, of gasoline, of home heating, of tuition at college has gone up by $5,000 since the year 2000. So this is an important law to pass today.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill which includes establishing permanent normal trade relations with Vietnam. I have serious concerns about establishing PNTR with Vietnam without mandating essential human rights protections. Despite the fact that the President removed Vietnam from the list of ``Countries of Particular Concern, which happened to coincide with his trip to Vietnam, reports from people inside the country continue to cite ongoing harassment by the government on the basis of religion and political beliefs. In addition to the Government of Vietnam's human rights violations against its own people, in August, the Government of Vietnam arrested and held a U.S. citizen, Cong Thanh Do--on false charges. Only with the efforts of many U.S. officials was Mr. Do released. The Government of Vietnam arrested and imprisoned Mr. Do, a U.S. citizen, on false charges even when it was trying to convince the U.S. Congress to grant it permanent normal trade relations. What practices will the Government of Vietnam engage in when they are not trying to convince the U.S. Congress to pass PNTR? I think it would be irresponsible for this Congress to establish permanent normal trade relations with the Government of Vietnam at this time, without including critical human rights protections. There is concern on both sides of the aisle about the continued human rights violations by the Government of Vietnam. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill until critical human rights protections are included.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, the cost of higher education in our country has been skyrocketing for far too long. And this year alone, the Republicans raised the student loan interest rates by up to 7 percent and cut $12 billion out of the higher education budget to pay for their tax cuts for the wealthy. Their policy of prioritizing the wealthiest 1 percent over average American families has backfired. Last month the American voters said ``enough is enough'' and voted for a Democratic majority in the Congress, after Democrats offered students and their families an end to the rise in student loan interest rates. We ran on a platform that makes higher education one of our top priorities. Mr. Speaker, Democrats will keep their promise to the American people. Within the first 100 hours of taking office in the next Congress, the Democrats will broaden college opportunities for all students because we believe if you want to go to college, we want to help you get there. Democrats will work hard to make a college education possible for all who want it here in the United States.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, for too long in this country Republicans have governed without a strong dedication to fiscal responsibility and without using the pay-as-you-go method. The President and his friends here in Congress have squandered the Clinton administration's projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion and have put us into a projected deficit of $3.5 trillion. Last Tuesday, the American people told the Republicans that enough is enough and demanded a change in the way that Congress does business. They voted in a Democratic majority to return our country to a path of strong fiscal responsibility and back to the pay-as-you-go system. Madam Speaker, the current Republican leadership has incurred more foreign debt in these 6 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined incurred. When we assume the majority in January, Democrats are committed to fiscal responsibility, and we will reinstate pay-as-you- go, working effectively as we did in the 1990s when President Clinton and the Congress balanced the budget.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for the time. I rise in strong support of House Resolution 993 and the goals and ideals of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and I am proud to be one of the original cosponsors of this resolution. I believe that raising awareness about the need to enhance computer and network security in the U.S. is a valuable tool to protect the identities and data of all Americans. As the ranking member on the Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection and Cyber Security Subcommittee on the Committee on Homeland Security, I have had an opportunity to work on critical issues related to cyber security. In the past, I have offered a number of amendments to various bills to increase our investment in cyber security research and development at the Department of Homeland Security, and I hope that in the next Congress we will make significant progress in this area. I believe that we need to pay more attention to the state of cyber security because it affects all of us, from the government and large corporations to small businesses and, of course, to individuals. Our country's infrastructure relies on secure information networks that ensure the reliable functioning of everything from public finance and control of water systems to the operation of electrical grids and emergency response systems. For all of us, all Americans, our information infrastructure is an integral part of our daily life, allowing us to communicate with friends and family, and pay bills and manage our business. Imagine, if we go to the ATM and our money is gone, and this all leads back to some break in some network. At that point, we are going to realize just how important this is and how this can impact us on a daily basis. It is the reliance on these information networks, these networks that are so much a part of our lives, and that is why it makes it such a great potential for targeted attacks by people who wish to harm us. And this type of attack would be devastating to our physical safety, as well as the economic security of our country. That is the reason I think that government needs to be a leader in the field of cyber security. When I was talking to some of my companies about this, they said the simplest thing, about like over 50 percent of the people that use a network system do not use passwords. We should be using passwords. Those who use passwords may use something like the name of our dog or our pet; well, anybody who knows you can guess that or can get that name. So I went through and I changed my passwords, and I changed Gretsky off of my passwords and everything else. Why? Because we need to. These are very simple, individual things that we can do because if once a person gets into the network, it goes much wider than that and can go into banking institutions and can go into the House of Representatives, et cetera. So I urge my colleagues to support the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. I hope every small business will take advantage of some of the free information with respect to making our networks safe.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I have serious concerns about establishing Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Vietnam without mandating essential human rights protections. In August, the Government of Vietnam arrested and held a U.S. Citizen, Cong Thanh Do, on false charges. Only with the efforts of many U.S. officials was Mr. Do released. The Government of Vietnam arrested and imprisoned Mr. Do, a U.S. citizen, on false charges even when it was trying to convince the U.S. Congress to grant permanent normal trade relations. What practices will the Government of Vietnam engage in when they are not trying to convince the U.S. Congress to pass PNTR? I believe that had the Majority allowed us ample time for consideration and debate on PNTR, we may have been able to include critical human rights protections. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill until sufficient time is granted to include necessary human rights protections.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the fourth annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day which will be October 15. This day is a call to action to all Latinos to protect their lives and the lives of those they love by getting tested and learning about HIV. Latinos continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, comprising over 20 percent of HIV/AIDS cases nationwide. We all must work together to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in our families, communities, cities, states, nation, and around the world. To do this we must not let differences in language and culture be barriers to providing access to preventative measures, healthcare and support services. In my district, the AIDS Services Foundation of Orange County is a critical resource that works to prevent the spread of HIV and improve the lives of men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS. They offer invaluable services to our community by providing food, transportation, housing, emergency financial assistance, kids and family programs, counseling, education and prevention services. In honor of National Latino AIDS Day all of us need to renew our commitment to the fight to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 973, and the goals and the ideals of Financial Planning Month. I am proud to say that I am an original co- sponsor of this bill, and a member of the Financial Literacy Education Caucus. I would first like to start by thanking my colleagues Mrs. Biggert and Mr. Hinojosa for their leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, we need to be paying more attention to financial literacy in this country, and to making sure our constituents have the tools to be responsible consumers, good savers and savvy investors. An estimated 40 percent of Americans say they know only some, a little or not much, about how to manage their finances and only 10 percent of college students have had financial education in high school. And yet, everyday life requires an increasing knowledge of banking and finance. The average American family spends $200,000 to raise a child to the age of 18, but the overall savings in this country barely breaks above 1 percent. Prices for basic essentials--for health care, housing, schooling--are all skyrocketing. How are our families going to pay for it all if they aren't saving? I am pleased that the Congress is voting to pass this financial planning awareness resolution at this time. Next week, I will be hosting the banking and finance portion of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Summit. Financial literacy education is such an important topic that I have chosen to make it the focus of our summit. During our discussion, we will talk about ``best practices'' in financial literacy education. It is essential that our citizens develop the tools of good financial management. These are the tools that will allow them to build wealth to enrich their families and communities. They are also the tools that will protect them from fraud and exploitation, and help them be more responsible with their finances. This is not just important for individuals and their families, it is important to our nation as a whole. Less debt, more savings and more investment will be the foundation of our future economic success. Once again I thank my colleagues for bringing H. Res. 973 to the floor and urge its passage.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Thank you for all of your guidance and help in getting this bill to the point where it is, and also to Chairman King. This was done in a very bipartisan manner. I also want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee where I am the ranking member, which would be Mr. Lungren. And I rise in support of the Democratic motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 4954, the SAFE Port Act. Now, why would we have a motion to instruct that would include things about freight and about mass transit and surface transportation security? Well, the reason is that the Senate side is taking up those issues; and they are good issues. I mean, look how long it took us to get here to do port security. We should be just as concerned to do rail security, mass transit security, surface transportation security. As Ms. Harman said, when you get done with the port, the container keeps going through the neighborhood on trucks, it goes through in freight through the railroad tracks. So it doesn't stop at the port. We need to do it all. For example, today we held a hearing, as Chairman Lungren said, on a very important issue, the training for the security of transportation employees. Not the ones at the airport where we have done a lot of training, we have put a lot of money, but the ones for busses, mass transit, railroad, freight workers. Mr. Speaker, this was a very important hearing because things have happened on buses and trains, like Madrid and London. We need to ensure that transit and rail employees receive adequate training on how to recognize and report potential threats; how to protect themselves; and how to help us, the passengers, if there is a disaster going on; how they would respond in an incident. And there are other provisions in this motion to instruct: establish a national alert response system to ensure that populations are alerted if there is a serious threat; require the Department of Homeland Security to perform vulnerability assessments of freight and passenger rail and make recommendations on how to improve their security; and establish a program to increase the tracking and communications technology on trucks that carry hazardous materials. These are some of the critical issues that this motion to instruct encompasses. So all of this work, Mr. Thompson, Ms. Harman, myself, Mr. Lungren, Mr. King, is very important, and I am thrilled we are at this point. But we can add more, and it will be good. We cannot wait another 5 years like we did with port security. We should do it now. I urge my colleagues to support improving rail, mass transit, surface transportation, and port security. Please vote for the motion to instruct.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Vietnamese people who continue to work every day for a free and democratic Vietnam. In April, 118 Vietnamese citizens signed the Manifesto on Democracy and Freedom for Vietnam. Making this public statement put these Vietnamese citizens and their families at great risk. The signers of the manifesto are part of a movement called the 8406 Democracy Movement, which refers to the date on which they signed the manifesto, the 8th of April of 2006. On June 10, I personally spoke with the leaders of the 8406 Democracy Movement, Father Ly and Do Nam Hai, and it is clear to me from my conversations with them that the government of Vietnam continues to violate religious, property and labor rights as well as the right to a free and independent media. These violations are unacceptable. I urge President Bush to convey the following message to the government of Vietnam during his travel there in November for the Asia- Pacific Economic Corporation Conference. The U.S. supports the people of the 8406 Democracy Movement who are working toward a free and democratic Vietnam and strongly objects to any mistreatment of them.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say to the previous speaker that I would really like to see the information on 300 or 400 people running across the border at one time. Because I have just never heard of a case like that. Having said that, we do support the Border Patrol. We are glad that Mr. Jones has this resolution up on the floor tonight. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1030, legislation honoring the United States Border Patrol. Without a doubt, the United States Border Patrol provides a critical service to this Nation. We rely on them to be highly trained, to be very qualified, to carry out the challenging and important job of securing our Nation's borders. And not just at the Southern border, like what we have in California. But I was recently at a hearing that we had up in Seattle to talk about the issues going on at our northern border; and, of course, our Border Patrol was there. And the issues that they have, the things that they confront are vast, and it is such a difficult, difficult job to do. So we really do want to honor and let them know, as the House of Representatives, that we understand that their jobs are done in difficult conditions, in the desert, forest, and with professionalism and with unfailing dedication. So I support the work that the United States Border Patrol is doing. And for that reason I think that we should not only honor them with words but also provide our Border Patrol agents with the resources that they need to do their job. As I said, when I was up in Seattle, one of the things we kept hearing over and over from the Border Patrol is that they need more resources. They need more people at the borders. They need more technology at the borders. In the 9/11 Act, Congress promised to increase the numbers of Border Patrol agents, of immigration agents and of the detention beds that we need when we get these people who are coming without the right documents and that we would also provide state-of-the-art technology to help the Border Patrol actually secure the borders. But, unfortunately, time after time after time in this House, that has been voted down. We have not lived up to the promise, and the Border Patrol remains understaffed and without access to necessary space and equipment that they need. So I expect that this House Resolution 1030 will receive broad bipartisan support. I can't imagine too many people who would vote against it, and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues who cast this vote to actually fulfill the promise of this vote, and that would be to give the much-needed resources to the United States Border Patrol. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, September 25, 2006, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: (1) Rollcall No. 471: ``no'' (H.R. 5059, New Hampshire Wilderness Act); (2) rollcall No. 472: ``no'' (H.R. 5062, New Hampshire Wilderness Act); (3) rollcall No. 473: ``yes'' (H.R. 6102, Captain Christopher Petty Post Office Building).

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1000, to provide for earmark reform in the House of Representatives. This measure, I believe, will help bring much-needed transparency and accountability for funding projects in the House. It will do this by obliging Committees to list the names of House Members next to the projects that they request. Identifying project sponsors will allow the public to see how their representatives are choosing to spend their tax dollars. I am pleased that this legislation will include ALL House Committees. That means this resolution will identify the sponsors of special tax breaks, and special programs as well as those who are asking for appropriations earmarks. Despite the fact that I support this bill, I am disappointed in its limitations. In the first place, the bill only applies to House rules. It's not the law of the land. So if there are violations, there are no legal consequences. Second, the bill does nothing to limit or at least define Member earmarks. That means that Members will continue to use their seniority and committee assignments to get special deals for their districts. While I'm a strong supporter of bringing tax dollars back to the district, I firmly believe that federal programs and projects need to be awarded based on merit and need, and should be subject to scrutiny and rigorous review. Having said all this, H. Res. 1000 is a step forward. I am hopeful that greater transparency for the earmarking will allow the public to become more knowledgeable about the process. At the very least, this will let them know how their taxes are being sent. And at the most, it will create the oversight and accountability we need to lead to better allocation of our precious and limited resources.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, September 14, 2006, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation. I request that the Congressional Record reflect that had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall No. 448--``no.'' On Ordering the Previous Question providing for the adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 1000) providing for earmarking reform in the House of Representatives (H. Res. 1003). Rollcall No. 449--``yes.'' On Agreeing to the Resolution providing for the adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 1000) providing for earmarking reform in the House of Representatives (H. Res. 1003). Rollcall No. 450--``yes.'' On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass the Thomas J. Manton Post Office Building (H.R. 6033).

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Lantos for yielding me this time. I would also like to thank my original cosponsor, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), and Chairman Hyde, and all of the members of the Committee on International Relations who thought this was an important resolution and who helped me bring it to the floor. I introduced H. Res. 415 in June 2005 because we began to see a very big pattern of confiscation of land. Now, this had been happening in Vietnam since the fall of Saigon back in 1975 by the Socialist government. But we have seen it happen even more, and particularly to religious institutions and to minorities, including the Montagnards who live up in the highlands. It is a growing concern, and illegal seizures of personal property from Vietnamese citizens and private organizations just shouldn't be happening. Even though Article 23 of the Vietnamese Constitution prohibits seizure of property without compensation, this has not been enforced. We must support the people within Vietnam who continue to fight for the right to keep their land. Believe me, they do. They have been demonstrating now for almost 6 months in front of the government buildings in Hanoi asking for land reform, asking to get their lands back. We need to make sure if their lands are taken and they are not gotten back, they should at least be compensated correctly for having them taken from them. The government claims it is working to improve its human rights record. Well, this Congress can send a clear message that we are looking at what they are doing, and in order to show progress in the area of human rights, we are going to evaluate it step by step, and the first part is to end property seizures and to fairly compensate the citizens and organizations whose land has been unfairly taken. Congress must be clear with the Government of Vietnam that promises alone are not satisfactory, and that implementation and enforcement are the real measures of this progress. As the President prepares to go to Vietnam, and as Vietnam is looking at entrance into WTO, and as we are looking at normal trade relations with Vietnam, I think it is incredibly important for this Congress to remember how important human rights are here in the United States and for every citizen of the world. I urge my colleagues to support the people of Vietnam and to send a clear message to the Government of Vietnam by voting for this resolution today.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today disappointed that we once again are debating a bill that will not be a real solution to our Nation's border security and to our immigration problem. This summer the Republican leadership held hearings all around the country under the pretense of learning about what was needed to secure our borders. The various hearings received extensive testimony, but one of the things they told us was that fencing alone is not an adequate solution. The simple fact is that fences are not the silver-bullet solution that the Republicans are painting them to be. It will not add more Border Patrol agents, who are the ones that do the real work at securing our border. And it will not add more detention space for people who are apprehended. There are no more DAs, no more judges, it won't process these people. I am also concerned that the bill does nothing to secure the northern border. Just think about it, when you plug one place, people come in through other places: our coasts, our airports, our northern border. This summer I attended a hearing on the Washington State-Canadian border, and it was very clear that the northern border has major problems, considerable challenges. And what does this bill do to help the northern border? They are going to do a study. I am going to tell you something, the people who were before our committee did not ask for a study. They asked for more Border Patrol agents. They asked for help from unmanned vehicles. They didn't ask for a study. The fence proposed today is not cost effective. A low-ball estimate based on an estimate from the Department of Homeland Security says $9 million per mile. So it would cost almost $7 billion to build the 730- mile fence. In contrast, with just $360 million, we could hire, train and equip the 2,000 Border Patrol agents that would make it operational and secure at the borders, the ones that we said we were going to hire in the 9/11 act. So today we are not discussing a comprehensive bill like the substitute drafted by my colleague, Mr. Thompson, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, the one that gives technology, personnel, equipment to monitor and secure every mile of the border 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership would not allow an up-or-down vote on that amendment. I am a strong supporter of border security, and today, today I wish we were voting on a strong border security bill. I want to work with my colleague on the other side of the aisle, but I cannot support this bill. It will cost billions of dollars, take many years to implement, and it still won't solve our border security problem.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to remember and honor the people who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. The victims of September 11th came from all walks of life and each and every one of them is sorely missed by the friends, family, and this country. I would also like to honor the many brave first responders and volunteers that selflessly rushed to help save lives during the attack, and everyone who has worked to help individuals, families, cities, and our whole country start to recover and heal in the months and years since September 11th 2001. Today the House was supposed to bring up a bill to honor the victims of 9/11, and all those who helped to respond after the attack. Instead, the Republican Majority has brought up H. Res. 994, a politically divisive bill. A bill which is more of an exercise in self- congratulation, than a solemn and respectful memorial. I regret to say it, the Majority has, once again, chosen to use this occasion to score political points, to drive a wedge between Americans by talking about politics, instead of bringing us together as we were on September 11th. This is not a time for partisanship. This is a time to come together to honor the people who gave so much on 9/11. If we are going to use this occasion to talk policy, then we should be looking ahead. Talking about what we can do in the future to prevent another terrorist attack, like passing a law which implements ALL of the 9/11 Commission recommendations. There is much left that needs to be done on that front: We need to ensure that all cargo and people passing through our border are screened and accounted for. We need a law to increase the security of our rail and mass transit systems to ensure that we do not experience an attack like the ones that occurred in Madrid, London, and Mumbai. We need to ensure that our law enforcement agencies have interoperable communication so that they can respond quickly and work together to save lives during any incident. Together, I am confident, that we can implement all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and prevent future terrorist attacks. And if we do that, we will truly honor the memories of 9/11.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 6, 2006, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation. Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: (1) Rollcall No. 427 ``yea'' (H.R. 2808). (2) Rollcall No. 428 ``yea'' (H. Res. 605). (3) Rollcall No. 429 ``yea'' (H. Res. 875).