Loretta Sanchez

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Department of Defense Authorization Conference Report. And I am pleased that the report includes a number of provisions that I have worked hard on in this committee. For example, it requires the Department of Defense to make recommendations about how to alleviate the financial burden that we have placed on many of our Guard and Reserve families. It calls for establishing joint training programs of military and civilian personnel for post-conflict reconstruction operations. It expands the mission of the Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the service academies to look at sexual assault across all of our military services, and it requires the Department of Defense to analyze the legal codes that are currently being used to prosecute sexual assaults. We have to make sure that the morale of our soldiers, in particular our women soldiers, is not undermined by mistreatment within our own military. There are elements missing from the bill that would have made this legislation even stronger. I am disappointed that we were not able to close the pay gap between the Guard and Reserves even more because our Guard and Reserves now comprise over 43 percent of our forces in Iraq. I also wish that we could have done more to expand child care and family services for our service members. And I am also disappointed that we are going to go ahead with the development of a new nuclear weapon, the robust nuclear Earth perpetrator. This is particularly troubling at a time when we are asking other nations around the world to stop their emphasis on pursuing nuclear weapons. I think that we are sending a very mixed message here. Overall, I think this is a great bill, and I thank the chairman, and I thank the ranking member for putting it together and for supporting some of the initiatives that I have been championing in the committee. In particular, I thank my ranking member.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank our ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner). He has been doing a great job, and we are going to miss him. What do we need to do to be safer? I think there are three things we need to fix the intelligence system: we need to protect our infrastructure; we need to protect our assets in this country; and we need to prepare. We need to know how to react to an attack that is called the First Responders Issue, but I think this bill falls very, very short of really helping America. For example, protection of our ports still remains a glaring vulnerability in our Nation, and H.R. 10 largely ignores maritime security imposing a deadline or two, but really as far as things not really getting to what the problem is. The Coast Guard estimates that required port security upgrades will cost $5.4 billion over the next 10 years; and despite this estimate, the administration has requested less than 1 percent of that amount for port security improvements. A terrorist attack involving a container at our ports could result in substantial loss of life and billions of dollars of economic losses. This is not the first time this administration has ignored our vulnerabilities.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to voice my frustration over H.R. 10, the House Republican leadership's version of intelligence reform. Instead of following in the tradition of the 9/11 Commission, which issued a thorough, bipartisan recommendation, the House leadership shut Democrats out. We were not allowed to help in drafting this legislation. This legislation actually undercuts the Commission's recommendations, the 9/ 11 Commission recommendations. For example, the 9/11 Commission was adamant that an effective National Intelligence Director, or NID, be given powerful personnel authority. This bill does not do that. The 9/11 Commission was adamant that the NID be given substantial authority over the personnel of our national intelligence agencies. This bill does not do that. The 9/11 Commission was adamant that Congress increase its oversight over the intelligence community, but H.R. 10 limits congressional oversight. I offered an amendment to H.R. 10 in the Committee on Armed Services to partially correct that problem and it was defeated by a party-line vote, but my amendment would have required that the first NID be confirmed by the Senate, a measure that was strongly recommended by the 9/11 Commission. H.R. 10, in contrast, gives the President, whoever he or she may be, the authority to make the CIA director the first NID. Now, the first NID, the first director, is very important in this process because he or she defines that office. They indicate how serious our government is about intelligence reform, and it sends a message to our enemies that we are determined to root them out at home and abroad. This bill shuts Congress out from finding the best person for that job. In actuality, this bill does a great disservice to the American people who are counting on and who actually want real reform and meaningful oversight of our intelligence community. I believe that this is the wrong way to move forward on such an important issue.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to congratulate a very good friend of mine, Ruben Martinez, owner of Libreria Martinez Books and Art Gallery in Santa Ana, California, for being named a 2004 MacArthur Fellow. How appropriate that during Hispanic Heritage Month, I have the opportunity to recognize such a successful Hispanic from my own district on this great honor. For more than 30 years, Ruben has been getting the youth of Orange County engaged in books and politics. What began as a haircutting venture, accompanied by political discussions with his clients, turned into a lifelong passion for selling books in both Spanish and English. Today Libreria Martinez is one of the largest commercial sellers of Spanish-language books in the Nation. Authors and community members, both young and old alike, have made this shop a home. The MacArthur Fellowship has been dubbed the ``genius award'' by some, and I can think of no one more deserving than Ruben. I thank him for his tireless work and his dedication in promoting readings and education in my hometown.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), and I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 759, a bill that recognizes and commends the important work of the Festival of Children Foundation. The Festival of Children Foundation is an umbrella organization that helps foster collaboration between children's charities in the areas of education, community involvement, and arts appreciation. I want to acknowledge Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, who is here with us today, for her work with respect to this festival. We in Congress need to increase the public awareness of children's special needs and to recognize our local organizations who lead the way in providing the services in a very local way, in a very humane way, in a very loving way in our own districts, particularly through private and voluntary efforts. That is why I am a cosponsor of this bill with my friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and why I would urge my colleagues to support and to vote for this. Through its extensive network of community organizations, the Festival of Children Foundation offers resources, such as training and workshops, operation and technical support, and planning for conferences and special events to over 100 organizations. The highlight of all these activities is the Festival of Children, a month-long celebration of children, featuring the work of local children's charities. Just last year, over 55 children's organizations from Orange County, as well as a select group from Los Angeles County, gathered at the South Coast Plaza retail center in Costa Mesa, California, for exhibits, for lectures, presentations, and lots of entertainment. The event was cosponsored by South Coast Plaza, and again I thank the Segerstrom family and Children's Hospital of Orange County, which actually sits in my district, and featured groups such as Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, and the list goes on and on of all the people who participated to help our special kids in Orange County. Over one million people visited South Coast Plaza during the festival. Not only did we have the festival going on, but of course there is great shopping there too; and we are very proud of that in Orange County. But the charities really reaped the rewards of this great opportunity because they were able to market themselves to our community. I, for example, have a young adult student organization that is a task force from all the high schools in my area, and they participate in trying to get their young people to these volunteer organizations because they have time on their hands. They just need to know the information. This is a great way when we hold this at South Coast Plaza. In addition, all the programs that were presented that day were free to the public. The Orange County Board of Supervisors and the California legislature have already commended officially the Festival of Children and even recognized the month of September as Child Awareness Month. I join my colleagues here today in recognizing the Festival of Children as a model for organizing communities to provide for the needs of their children.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Maloney/Woolsey/Sanchez amendment to restore Women's Educational Equity Act, or WEEA, funding in the Labor HHS bill. I am standing here again, as I did in 1999 with my late colleague Patsy Mink, to urge Congress to provide $3 million in funding for this vitally important program. WEEA was established in 1974 to promote educational equity for girls and women, including those who suffer multiple discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, or age. The program was also established to urge compliance with Title IX which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. In the last 29 years, WEEA has funded more than 700 projects throughout the United States. And, unlike a number of programs this Congress has funded, the results speak for themselves. Girls and women in this country are doing better. For the first time, women's educational achievement equals or surpasses that of men. Women are also more likely to graduate, more likely to engage in school activities, and less likely to engage in high risk activities. However, as women advance through their educational careers, they become increasingly less likely to enroll in advanced placement courses, especially those in math and sciences. According to 2000 figures, only 18 percent of engineering degrees are awarded to women, and only 10.6 percent of employed engineers are female. As a representative from Orange County--one of the largest aerospace and defense industrial bases in the country--I know this is a problem. Time and time again, my aerospace and defense contractors tell me that they simply can't find enough people to hire, especially enough women, and that they are having to turn to foreign students to meeting hiring needs. It doesn't have to be this way. Programs such as WEEA will help fill those programs with our women. And because of the lack of role models in these fields, classroom textbooks and other educational materials do not sufficiently reflect the experiences, achievements, or concerns of women and, in most cases, are not written by women. Studies show that women teachers, especially in the K-8 grades, often feel uncomfortable or underqualified to teach math and science. Studies also show that many of our young women perceive math and science as ``unfeminine.'' Why is this? Is there something hidden in the curriculum? Is it in the way that we teach? What makes women believe they are best suited for other fields? WEEA programs are searching to find the answers to these questions. Three million dollars is a small amount of money to expend on a program with tremendous payoffs. Support WEEA. Vote for the Maloney/ Woolsey/Sanchez amendment.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Congress and the nation take great pride in formally recognizing the exceptionally meritorious military service of Major General Ronald L. Lowe, U.S. Army, who completes his tour as the Chief of Staff, United States Pacific Command on the 29th of July 2004. This significant milestone marks the completion of more than 38 years of active and reserve service to the nation. Major General Ronald L. Lowe was assigned to the position of Chief of Staff, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii on 4 June 2000. Prior to joining the USPACOM staff, General Lowe served for three years as the Deputy Commander for Support, Eighth U.S. Army, Yongsan, Korea. In this role he served as the senior wartime logistician responsible for battle command of all Army combat service support forces in the Korea theater of operations. Earlier, MG Lowe served for four years as Vice Director of Information Systems for Command, Control, Communications and Computers (DISC4), Office of the Secretary of the Army, with duty at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Prior to recall to active duty under the Defense Department's ``Chairman's Ten'' program, General Lowe held U.S. Army Reserve command assignments with the 351st Civil Affairs Command, the 7th Psychological Operations Group and the 14th Psychological Operations Battalion. During the early years of his career General Lowe served on active duty as a mechanized infantry platoon leader, company commander and battalion logistics officer, in Europe. Later he served as a Deputy District Senior Advisor in the Republic of Vietnam and as Chief of the Enlisted Separations Branch of the U.S. Army Personnel Center. General Lowe is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Civil Affairs Officer Advanced Course, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose State University and Certificates in Procurement and Applied Total Quality Management from the University of California, Berkeley. He has participated in advanced management programs at the University of California at Los Angeles, Michigan State University and Harvard University. In civilian life, General Lowe retired from Pacific Bell, an SBC Communications subsidiary, in 1997. Prior to his retirement he served as Pacific Bell's Executive Director of General Contracting. More recently he worked in Europe as a senior consultant for KPMG. He is a past President of the Senior Army Reserve Commanders Association, SARCA, and the National Civil Affairs Association and he currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Association of the U.S. Army. General Lowe has been awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Expert Infantryman's Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters and various other decorations. The U.S. Congress congratulates MG Lowe on his retirement, and extends its gratitude for his many years of service to our nation.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 3313. I call it the ``Offense to the Constitution Act.'' Not only does this bill have nothing to do with what it pretends to address, but it attacks one of the fundamental principles of our American democratic system, the separation of powers. The Founding Fathers wisely separated the powers of the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches so as to avoid an abuse of power by any one of the three. This administration was cemented and codified in great historic American cases like Marbury v. Madison. H.R. 3313 is a direct attack on the separation of powers and the legacy of those cases. It says: ``No court created by act of Congress shall have any jurisdiction, and the Supreme Court shall have no appellate jurisdiction, to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of, or the validity under the Constitution of, section 1738C or this section.'' Protect the Constitution. Vote down this bill. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 3313.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the conference report for H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004. I would like to commend the members of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and all of the conferees for the great job they did on this bill. My interest in this bill stems from the work I do on the Committee on Homeland Security and the strong need that we have to bolster the security at our Nation's ports. I am thankful that the conferees included the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) on that committee. The traditional and homeland security missions of the Coast Guard must both be supported, and I think this bill addresses both of those areas well. One provision requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop a long-range vessel tracking system. A true global, satellite-based tracking system that will give the Coast Guard worldwide maritime domain awareness. When we have the ability to track ships on their entire ocean voyage, we will be able to target the ships that exhibit atypical or erratic behavior as well as to ensure their safety throughout the journey. The technology and infrastructure needed for such a tracking system is already available and in place, and I hope to see it will be used within months of passage of this legislation. I had previously introduced legislation addressing that important issue, and I am glad to see it is included in this bill. Tracking vessels is an important part of overall maritime intelligence. The bill also requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress on the maritime intelligence plan required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act. Container security is another key provision in the bill which requires DHS to update Congress on container security technology, empty container inspection, cargo targeting and the deployment of radiation portal monitors at seaports. Finally, this bill gives the Department of Homeland Security continued authority to issue port security grants and accelerates the Deepwater program implementation. This bill will make the Coast Guard stronger and our Nation's ports more secure. I urge my colleagues to vote to pass this legislation.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1156, a bill that I authored. I am pleased to see that the bill is on the Suspension Calendar today, and I thank the leadership for putting it on today's calendar. H.R. 1156 would increase the authorized Federal share for the Orange County, California, groundwater replenishment system from $20 million to $80 million. This will allow Orange County to complete its innovative groundwater replenishment system. The groundwater replenishment system 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. It is basically a recycling program, a very innovative one; and many States and nations around the world have come to Orange County to look at our tertiary cleaning system that we have. What this bill does is to increase the Federal share of the project, bringing it closer to the 25 percent level, the level at which almost every other reclamation project is funded in the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act of 1992 and the Reclamation Cycling and Water Conservation Act. The project is not just important to Orange County, California, but is important to the entire western United States because by recycling our own water, we would not rely so heavily on the Colorado River Aqueduct or the San Francisco Bay Delta water. Members from both sides of the aisle recognize the need for this project, and I would like to particularly recognize the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) for his cosponsorship and his continued support. The gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) is also offering H.R. 142 today, authorizing the Interior Secretary to participate in Inland Empire water projects; and I am pleased to be a cosponsor of that, and I urge my colleagues to support that as well. At the same time, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo); the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall); as well as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert); and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) for their overwhelming support of H.R. 1156. I would also like to say in a very bipartisan manner, the rest of the Orange County delegation, including the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), have been strong supporters of H.R. 1156; and I thank them as well. Lastly, let me thank Denis Bilodeau, Virginia Grebbien, Craig Miller, and everyone affiliated with the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District for their hard work and leadership in groundwater recycling. Their innovation has put Orange County in the forefront of water recycling and groundwater replenishment technology. I thank them for their continued support. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey, for yielding me this time and for putting forward H.R. 1587, of which I am in full support, the Viet Nam Human Rights Act. I know a number of my colleagues oppose this bill, so I would like to reiterate why it is so important to pass this bill today. First of all, we passed a very similar piece of legislation by a vote of 410 to 1 back in 2001. Unfortunately, the Senate did not take that up; and so the law was not enacted. But, since that time, one would think that our relationship would have gotten stronger with Vietnam; and in many ways it has. The problem is that there are still very bad human rights abuses by the government of Vietnam against its own people. In fact, things have gotten worse. Religious dissidents continue to be imprisoned, and crackdowns have been intensified on religious minorities. The leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam remain under house arrest 9 months after this House overwhelmingly passed House Resolution 427 commending the church's courageous leadership. We have passed a resolution on Father Ly, a Catholic priest who has been arrested and convicted, all for following religious freedom, something that our own country is based on. And freedom of the press? There is no freedom of the press in Vietnam. Everything is owned by the State. When I talked to the cardinal of the Catholic church, he said he is not even allowed to pass out a newsletter in his church on Sunday because that is press, according to the government of Vietnam. There is no religious freedom. There is no freedom of the press. People are arrested. I have gone twice now to Vietnam, and they are arrested and put in jail for no reason. I think it is about time that we support this bill and we pass it in this House.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a strong supporter and co-sponsor of H. Res. 704--a bill to congratulate the California State University, Fullerton Titans baseball team for winning the 2004 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, College World Series. Many of the Titans' student body live in my district, and they must be equally proud of the Orange and Blue. The Titans' defeat of the Texas Longhorns, ranked No. 1 in the country, was just the latest victory in the school's history of overcoming the odds. The Titans have never had the resources of the great Big West teams, but they've made up for it in their spirit, drive and determination. Special kudos go out to Coach George Horton for his third career award as Big West Coach of the Year, and to Kurt Suzuki and Jason Windsor for being named ``All Americans.'' Coach Horton and his team have set a high bar for future Titans baseball teams, but I'm sure that they will be up to the challenge, in the best tradition of Cal State Fullerton athletics.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the House Committee on Armed Services for taking this hour to discuss what Democrats in particular have been doing for our troops. The gentleman was so good in outlining the fact that our troops are now in over 120 countries in the world. We have about 161,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Kuwait. Almost 40 percent of those are Reservists and National Guardsmen. The fact of the matter is there has been stop- loss in these troops, which means that somebody who is ready to go out and has indicated that they are leaving the Armed Services are stopped from leaving because we need them to continue to serve. Just recently, about 10 days ago, this administration said that it would call in the Individual Ready Reserve. Those are people who have already gotten out and are into their full-time lives and now are asked to continue back in. So we really are at the risk of breaking the force. Too many tours, our families are hurting, they do not see their loved ones. Especially if you are a National Guardsman or Reservist and you have got your regular life going on, and all of a sudden you are plucked up and sent somewhere 6 months, then it turns into 12 months, then 18 months, and your family suffers because you may not get the same paycheck that you did in civilian life. I know that Democrats on the committee, one of the things we have been doing something to try to make up that gap, so financially speaking, our families are made whole. Unfortunately, that is not included in this bill that goes to conference. One thing that is included, however, is more troops to be trained for the future. We have 30,000 new positions that we have put into the bill for the Army and 10,000 new positions for the Marines. But, again, it takes time. That is over 3 years. It takes time to train these new members of the force to go and help us do the work that we have asked them to do. There are so many things that we have actually done. Initially when we deployed into Iraq, not everybody had body armor, for example. I know in my own area, in Costa Mesa, California, we have one of the premier companies that makes ceramic armor, and we are working three shifts, seven days a week in the factory to try to get the armor to our people out in Iraq and Afghanistan. I guess the last thing I would like to say is that our families, the families of the military, are hurting. I have been able now to go over to Korea and to Afghanistan and to Iraq and to Germany to see our families, and they ask, for how long? How much? Why do you bring my family member and take him back 2 weeks later? How long will he serve there? How long will she serve there? Why do you put them in Iraq for 6 months, and then tell them it is another 4 months, and pretty soon it is a year, and then you bring them back and you put them into Afghanistan. So one of the things we are trying to do is make sure that the Pentagon and this administration makes better schedules, begins to plan better for our troops and for our families. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to take the time to thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) for taking this time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert). I rise in support, full support and strong support, of H.R. 2828. I think maximizing the use of our limited water resources in California is an issue that is close to my Orange County district, and it is close to me. In fact, the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) and I are the sponsors of a bill, H.R. 1156, which would allow Orange County to complete its revolutionary Groundwater Replenishment System. That system would create a new water supply of 72,000 acre feet per year and serve 2.3 million residents of the north and central portion of Orange County. The bill would increase the authorized Federal share for this project from $20 million to $80 million, and I would like to inquire if the Chairman continues to support this very important bill that, unfortunately, is not in this good CALFED bill, but which is very important to Orange County.

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

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask the support of our colleagues for this bill on the floor today.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, H.R. 4614. I would, however, like to ask the distinguished chairman about language in the bill report that would require the Army Corps of Engineers to seek congressional approval whenever the Corps reprograms funds for major water development programs. My district in Orange County, California, would be particularly affected by any changes to the reprogramming policy. In recent years, the Army Corps of Engineers reprogrammed between $10 million to $12 million that Congress had originally appropriated to shore up flood protection along the Santa Ana River in my area. We are now in dire need of that money to continue building up our flood protection for the growing urban communities in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Without the successful completion of the project, the corps estimates that over 3.35 million people would be endangered and that it could probably destroy up to $15 billion in property value if we do not get that project completed. So I am asking the distinguished chairman, will the Army Corps continue to have the authority to ship money back to those ongoing projects from which it had previously borrowed? I understand there is report language directing the court to return funds to appropriated programs. I would like to know, would this apply to the Santa Ana River Mainstem project?

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

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Chairman, I know that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) as the other subcommittee had been able to tighten things up also, and I appreciate the new policy that the gentleman is trying to move forward. Again, I am just concerned, as this is a major project for almost 4 million people in that area, and we are at that point where we are really going to get a lot of it done, and we need those funds to be brought back in.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join the AIDS Services Foundation of Orange County, California in recognizing the tenth year of National HIV Testing Day, a life saving effort organized by the National Association of People with AIDS. This year's theme is ``Take the test, and take control'' of your life. Each year, an estimated 40,000 new HIV infections occur in the United States, and as many as one-third of those new cases do not know they are infected. This growing and tragic epidemic has undeniably affected families and friends of every community. National HIV Testing Day emphasizes the importance of early detection of the virus through testing, counseling and HIV status awareness. Latino populations continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/ AIDS. While Latino teens represent 15 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 21 percent of new AIDS cases. And statistics show HIV infections may be on the rise among the Latino population. I am privileged to promote National HIV Testing Day by urging minority communities to take the test, and to take control of their lives. The reality is minority communities now represent the majority of new AIDS cases. Considering this fact, we must encourage testing. Since 1995, treatment advances have led to dramatic declines of approximately 70 percent in HIV-related deaths. Mr. Speaker, I commend the AIDS Services Foundation of Orange County for the very important contributions and services they provide to those affected by HIV and AIDS. As Members of Congress, let's do our part to protect our constituents and to promote National HIV Testing Day.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I am willing to withdraw my amendment, but I think this is a very important point. I just held for all of the membership here about 10 days ago a meeting with first responders. The answer is always the same. The money is taking too long to come down into the local hands.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to introduce a very important amendment to H.R. 4567. My amendment would make sure that our firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical personnel or other first responders are actually receiving the terrorism preparedness grant money that the Department of Homeland Security promises to them. The amendment would require States to distribute the already-approved grant money to those first responders no more than 15 days after the States receive the receipts for equipment, training or the other purchases approved under the grants from the local first responders. The homeland security appropriations bill in its current form would allocate $1.25 billion for formula-based grants. Yet the bill does not spell out the requirements for making sure that the money gets down to our first responders, to our police officers, to our firefighters, to our hospitals and emergency medical personnel. As we all know, these first responders are not receiving their promised funds to fulfill their mandate to protect our homeland. In some cases, the State is holding tight onto the money. In other cases the local responders do not understand the very complicated process that has been set up for actually receiving those grant dollars from the States. I believe that we need to have a system to verify that critical homeland security money is making its way through the pipeline. That is the biggest criticism that I have heard, that the money is not getting down to the people who have already spent their own money and are supposed to be reimbursed from the Federal Government. My amendment would make such a system possible. Point of Order The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman insist upon his point of order?

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

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.