Loretta Sanchez

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to John C. Banuelos, in memory of his service to the community as a loyal citizen and as a proud member of our Armed Services during World War II. Mr. Banuelos was born on January 26, 1921. He and his three brothers were Pioneer Farmers from Orange County. The four brothers went on to serve together in the Army during World War II. John served in the South Pacific theatre of operation where he led reconnaissance missions in the jungles of the Philippines and Japan. Some of his most notable experiences included personally meeting General Douglas MacArthur and befriending his family. Toward the end of the War, he participated in the guarding and transportation of gold and currency shipments seized from Japan. As ground force squad leader ``761,'' John led a group of 12 men who escorted generals from Tokyo to camps, inspected quarters for families of military personnel, and made reports on inspections. Always proud but reserved and modest about his military experiences, John was awarded the expert M-1 classification in February of 1945, later receiving a personal letter on behalf of the United States from President Harry Truman. In addition, Staff Sergeant Banuelos' meritorious achievements included receiving the Victory Medal of Honor, the Asiatic Campaign medal, and a Good Conduct medal. Mr. Banuelos and his family are truly a distinguished part of our nation's military history. Mr. Banuelos will be remembered for his service to our country and the community. As his Representative in Congress and as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am proud to recognize John C. Banuelos for his contributions to our nation.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Anaheim Angels for winning the 2002 Major League Baseball World Series. I, for one, have been waiting for them to win this since 1966, the day I attended the first game when we built the Anaheim Stadium. Under American League Manager of the Year Mike Scioscia, the Angels won a franchise record 99 games during the regular season on their way to the world championship. The Angels demonstrated their courage in a ``never say die'' attitude during their championship run, which included an incredible game number six of the World Series where they came five runs from behind to win and be in that World Series for the seventh game. Although there were many outstanding individual contributions, it was the team's collective efforts that made the difference in the post season. And I would like to recognize in particular the Rally Monkey for keeping the crowds excited and helping the Angels to come back and win time after time in the season. With most of the players from this year's team returning next year, I bet we will win again.NOTICE If the 107th Congress, 2d Session, adjourns sine die on or before November 22, 2002, a final issue of the Congressional Record for the 107th Congress, 2d Session, will be published on Monday, December 16, 2002, in order to permit Members to revise and extend their remarks. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT-60 or S-123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. through Friday, December 13. The final issue will be dated Monday, December 16, 2002, and will be delivered on Tuesday, December 17, 2002. None of the material printed in the final issue of the Congressional Record may contain subject matter, or relate to any event that occurred after the sine die date. Senators' statements should also be submitted electronically, either on a disk to accompany the signed statement, or by e-mail to the Official Reporters of Debates at ``Record@Sec.Senate.gov''. Members of the House of Representatives' statements may also be submitted electronically by e-mail, to accompany the signed statement, and formatted according to the instructions for the Extensions of Remarks template at http://clerkhouse.house.gov. The Official Reporters will transmit to GPO the template formatted electronic file only after receipt of, and authentication with, the hard copy, and signed manuscript. Deliver statements to the Official Reporters in Room HT-60. Members of Congress desiring to purchase reprints of material submitted for inclusion in the Congressional Record may do so by contacting the Congressional Printing Management Division, at the Government Printing Office, on 512-0224, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. MARK DAYTON, Chairman.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the declining state of our economy. What has happened to our economy in these past 2 years? It is devastating. Health care costs and prescription drug costs are up. Employees are seeing their hard-earned retirement and 401(k) savings evaporate. Despite these economic hardships, the Republicans continue to support big corporate interests, ignoring the economic troubles of America's working families. It is time that we call upon this administration and this Republican House to acknowledge, to acknowledge the serious economic difficulties that we now face. We must stop draining the Social Security Trust Fund, and we must pass a Medicare prescription drug benefit that lowers drug prices and helps all seniors. We must get this economy moving in the right direction, and it is my hope that my colleagues will join me in trying to ease the economic strain facing American families.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the base resolution authorizing the use of military force in Iraq. First and foremost, the administration has failed to demonstrate that we face such an imminent threat to our national security that a unilateral, preemptive strike is critical to our continued well-being. Yes, we know that Iraq possesses biological and chemical weapons. Yes, we know that Saddam Hussein has used them against the Iranians and the Kurds in northern Iraq. But we also know that Iraq has not demonstrated an intent to use weapons of mass destruction against the U.S., our interests abroad, or any of our allies. And as a result of expert testimony given before the Committee on Armed Services, we also know Saddam Hussein is a decade away from acquiring nuclear-equipped ICBMs capable of reaching the United States. In contrast, we have been presented evidence that a war in Iraq would significantly destabilize the Middle East. Even worse, it could potentially topple friendly governments in countries such as Pakistan, Kuwait, and Jordan. If President Musharraf were to lose control of Pakistan, nuclear weapons would fall into the hands of a fundamentalist regime. We have been presented evidence that a war in Iraq would cost the United States between $100 billion and $200 billion at the time when funds are desperately needed elsewhere, especially in our fight against Afghanistan and the war on terrorism. And we do know that deterrence has worked. The fact is that Hussein has failed to use his vast arsenal of biological and chemical weapons thus far because the threat of collective, immediate retaliation from the global community has kept Saddam within his own borders. In a worst-case scenario, the threat of his impending downfall could finally compel him to use these weapons, and our troops would be the ones to suffer the consequences. Thus far, I have not seen evidence that warrants the loss of American lives in Iraq. Under no circumstance should our servicemen and women be asked to risk their lives unless there is no recourse. Clearly, the United States and the rest of the international community, for that matter, is accurately aware that Saddam Hussein is a brutal, repressive dictator who has ruthlessly tormented his people for decades, but it is evident that any action we take against the state of Iraq, if it is to be successful, will require the help of our allies. It should require the cooperation of the United Nations and its Security Council. These things should be in place before we tilt against our enemy. Otherwise, we risk becoming what we are fighting so hard against, a nation that creates its own rules and does not care about the international community. By taking unilateral action prior to exhausting all diplomatic efforts, the U.S. would set a dangerous precedent and undermine decades of relative international stability. According to former President Jimmy Carter, one of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations is that in political, military, moral and spiritual confrontations there should be an honest attempt at the reconciliation of differences before resorting to combat. In light of this, I will support the gentleman from South Carolina's (Mr. Spratt) amendment. In the event that diplomacy fails, in the event that Saddam Hussein again obstructs access to military facilities, it is imperative that Congress readdress this issue. If Saddam does not let unfettered inspections in, I will join with my colleagues in Congress to authorize the unilateral use of force, but until then we must act within the boundaries of international law if we expect our allies to emulate our actions when resolving a crisis of their own. Harry S. Truman once said there is a right kind and a wrong kind of victory, just as there are wars for the right things and wars that are misdirected. And based on evidence that I have received, this potential war is misdirected. Our enemy was named on September 11. It is al Qaeda. Its name is Osama bin Laden. On March 12, CIA Director Tenet testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that al Qaeda remains the most immediate and serious threat to our country, despite the progress that we have made in Afghanistan and in disrupting the network elsewhere. We have seen what al Qaeda is capable of, that it is al Qaeda, not Saddam Hussein, that has continually restated its desire to continue a wave of crippling, devastating attacks against us. U.S. and military intelligence resources should be focused on seeking out and disbanding the al Qaeda network. We owe it to the loved ones of those lost on 9/11. We owe it to every American family, for that matter, to finish what we have started. As the most powerful military force in the world, a successful military strike can be easily carried out. Diplomacy, however, is immensely more difficult but shows more strength.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gloria Perez of Santa Ana, California, for 27 years of service as a police resource officer in that city. Ms. Perez was recently recognized as the Crime Prevention Practitioner of the Year by the California Crime Prevention Officers Association. She was honored for her work in establishing the Junior Children of Pride program, a crime prevention program created to encourage a work ethic and develop trust of law enforcement for local children. The program targets high-risk neighborhoods and creates a reward system for children that pick up trash and keep their neighborhoods clean. Young people that take part in the neighborhood beautification effort are rewarded with donated prizes distributed by law enforcement officers, allowing these children to bond with local officers in a positive manner. Ms. Perez has continually demonstrated her commitment to serving her community, and I am proud to have her as a neighbor and for all her efforts to make our district a safer place to live.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, October 2, I was absent during the beginning of the legislative session as I was discussing the state of our Nation's health care with the United Domestic Workers of America/National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees in Philadelphia. I request that the Congressional Record reflect that had I been present and voting, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 427, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 428, ``no'' on rollcall No. 429, ``no'' on rollcall No. 430, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 431, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 432, ``no'' on rollcall No. 433 and ``no'' on rollcall No. 434.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Garden Grove Unified School District, which I am proud to represent, for being selected as one of the five finalists nationwide for the Eli Broad Foundation Award. As a finalist, Garden Grove Unified was recognized as one of the top five urban school districts in the Nation, and for that it receives $125,000 in student scholarships. There are nearly 50,000 students in schools in the very diverse Garden Grove Unified School District. They come speaking more than 60 languages, and come from many different cultures. The finalists were chosen for their work in improving overall student achievement and for narrowing achievement gaps, in particular for high- risk students. This prize recognizes the hard work of the teachers and the support staff of the Unified School District, and I applaud the district's efforts to overcome language and economic barriers to give our students a high-quality education.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for allowing me to talk about something that I am very concerned about, and it is the economy. About 15 years ago, when my husband was deciding on whether he was going to ask me out on our first date, he had never seen me, he went to one of his colleagues in the same firm who had worked with me before and he said, what about this Loretta Sanchez? What is she like? And the guy said, well, you know, 2 years ago, the last time I saw her, she was a looker, but, you know, a lot can happen in 2 years; and let me tell the Members, a lot can happen in 2 years. In 2 years, after the Clinton administration and after we worked so diligently to get surpluses to begin to pay down the debt of the United States, when people were employed, people who had creative ideas were accessing capital markets for the money they needed to put those ideas into play, everything was going right. What has happened in 2 years? This chart shows the Bush economic record. What should be going down is going up, and what should be going up is going down. The Republicans' failed economic agenda, or lack of an agenda, is really the problem here. This has led us into fiscal deterioration, into economic hardship, and into an erosion of Americans' retirement security, a lack of an economic agenda. Let us just take a look at this chart here. We all know, for example, that one of the biggest costs that business is facing right now is the cost of health care. That is why we see people unable to afford the larger premium that their employers are now charging for them to have health care insurance; or no health care insurance is being offered, something which, when it hits a family, is detrimental to their stability. Foreclosures of homes are up. Our national debt is up. Goldman Sachs says it is going to be at least $200 billion a year for the foreseeable future; nothing close to the numbers that the White House gives us as projections, but the financial markets are understanding that it is getting worse and worse by the moment. And, of course, right now, long-term interest rates are low; but what happens, what happens when we start going into the market to borrow more and more to finance this almost $6 trillion debt that we have on our hands as a Federal Government? Those long-term interest rates will shoot up. The only positive light in the economic sector that we have right now are all those refinancings that people are doing on their mortgage, their 15- and 30-year mortgage rates, because long-term interest rates are down. But when we start to borrow and take money out of the system to finance this debt, this deficit that is adding to it, these higher interest costs, a bigger piece of pie to finance year after year after year, what happens? Those long-term interest rates go way up, and then that $100 or $150 extra we have because we refinanced, it is not going to be available anymore. There will be no refinancing to do. There will be no bright spot in the home market purchasing going on. The Social Security Trust Fund, we will be raiding it and taking those monies to pay for these deficits that we are running. Now, let us take a look at what is going down, which should really be going up. Our economic growth is down. In my area, it is actually an area that is a little buffeted right now, and we have 1 percent growth going on; but we had projected 3 percent or 4 percent or 5 percent this year, not 1 percent. Other areas are suffering: job losses, foreclosures. People do not know what to do. Business investment? People do not want to lend money. People are afraid of the economic conditions that we find ourselves in, and they see it getting worse. They are holding onto their money instead of investing. The stock market? We know what has happened with the stock market, just $5.5 trillion over the last 18 months of losses in the stock market value. Trillions, what do we mean by that? It is so hard to have that concept. But just this past September, in 1 week alone we lost $420 billion of wealth in the stock market. These are real numbers. This is our wealth slipping away, our retirement accounts. Enron, Global Crossing, all of these companies, our net worth, it is going down, down, down. The last 4 months, the consumer confidence level is down, down, down, down. Retail sales just this month, this back-to-school month, which is an indicator of what will happen in the holiday season for retailers: down. It is an indication that the place where we make money in retail, the holiday seasons, are projected to be down, and still we cannot pass an increase in the minimum wage. The fiscal condition of our country. For 2 years the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) has been telling us that these things are happening, and somehow the Republicans and this administration do not want to talk about putting together a plan to begin to turn this around. I am glad that the gentleman is here tonight and that the gentleman is leading this effort. It is imperative for America to get this turned around, and the way to do it is to sit down and concentrate on what is the most important piece of stability and security for an American family: the national budget.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas for working so hard on this issue of Hispanic-serving institutions. Obviously I am a proud cosponsor of House Resolution 561, which recognizes the contributions of Hispanic-serving institutions. As a Hispanic, it might be a little different than what most people realize is going on in our Nation. First of all, the youngest population in the United States, the largest group of youngsters is the Hispanic population. In fact, over 50 percent of the Hispanic population in the Nation is under 18 years of age. We also make more and more of the work force every single day. The projection into the future will be that the workers of this country will be a large group of Hispanic people. So we need to educate them. We have seen the graduation rates be very low for Hispanics. In fact, I would venture to say that unofficially probably about 50 percent of Hispanic students do not graduate from high school. Why is that? Because if someone goes and gets a job at McDonald's before they graduate from high school, he is not considered a dropout. He is considered an employed person. But when you take a look at the population of Hispanics, it is a very high ratio. So we are not only trying to increase the number of Hispanics who graduate from the high school level, but also to prepare them well so that they can go on to universities, community colleges, et cetera. Our Hispanic-serving institutions work very well in that arena. They work with the middle and high schools in the area to help to ensure that the students are taking the right classes, the building blocks they need to get into the university. And then they welcome them into the university, and they retain them. One of the biggest problems the Hispanic population has is that we drop out of college, so it is important to acknowledge the contribution to this Nation, to America, that the Hispanic-serving institutions are doing. I would like to in particular acknowledge the two Hispanic- serving institutions that I have in Orange County in my area. Santa Ana College ranks 30th among the top 100 associate's degree producers in the Nation, and it is the second highest producer of minority graduates in California. Also, Cal State Fullerton, which also does extensive outreach to ensure that our Hispanic students are getting to college, are learning in college, and are graduating from college so that they can enter the workforce.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Orange County-based Ricoh Electronics, Incorporated, for their exceptional environmental practices. Since 1997, Ricoh Electronics has been dedicated to establishing a progressive environmental management system within their company. In 1999, 2000, 2001, they were awarded for their outstanding waste reduction efforts by the California Waste Management Board. In 2001, all Ricoh facilities were certified Zero Waste to Landfill by eliminating all land disposal of waste from their office areas and manufacturing units. They have also been accepted into the EPA's premier environmental recognition program, the National Performance Track, by promoting sound environmental management, continuous environmental improvement, public outreach and sustained environmental compliance. Once again, I commend Ricoh Electronics on being an excellent example of how today's corporations can increase protection of public health and the environment in the workplace.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Cung Pham of Garden Grove, California. Cung Pham served as the director of educational legislation and planning prior to the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975. After the country's collapse, he was detained in a concentration camp for seven years before escaping by boat in 1982 to spend time in a refugee camp in Thailand. Mr. Pham eventually ended up in the Orange County community. Using his understanding of the refugee experience, Mr. Pham worked as the director of the refugee resettlement program at St. Anselm's Cross Cultural Center in Garden Grove. His great compassion and organizational skills helped make the program a model for the entire country, helping thousands of refugees become assimilated to American life. He helped them with paperwork, enrolled them in English classes, and trained them for job interviews. Sadly, at the young age of 63, Mr. Pham lost his battle to cancer on September 14, 2002. He was known for his quiet and gentle ways and was greatly admired by those he helped and those with whom he worked.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Alexander Lopez of Santa Ana. Alex, a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science Business Administration degree at California State University, Fullerton, has been appointed to one of the two student slots on the California State University Board of Trustees. Student trustees are an important part of the governing body overseeing the 23-campus California State University system. They are responsible for creating policies, for hiring university presidents, and for representing the concerns of over 400,000 students in the California State University system. I met Alex following a commencement address I gave at Cal State Fullerton this past year. He was all the things we hope our young people will grow to be: bright, ambitious, and compassionate. In addition to serving as the president of the student government, Alex is committed to advocacy for programs that will help low-income and minority students attend college. I am very proud of Alex for his achievement, and I wish him luck. I also wish we would take note of this and invest in education instead of war.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oregon, and I thank him for coming down to the House floor tonight to speak about such an important issue. With everything going on right now, with our Nation assessing whether to go to war in the Middle East and the state of our economy being so shaky, we in Congress need to make sure that we are asking the right questions. For instance, we are here tonight to talk about how are we going to achieve a realistic solution to U.S. foreign oil dependence? Now, it is not like this is a new question. I remember back in 1973, 1974, I am a Californian. We use a lot of oil, we drive a lot of cars, we go a lot of places, we drive long distances. I remember standing in lines and waiting in 100-car lines the last time we had a problem with OPEC and prices going up, and we all swore that we would do something about this and that we should not be so dependent on cars that use so much gas. For a while we remembered that and we started to work on and import and get more gas mileage for our cars. But then what happened? The SUV situation, and now we find that we are back up to those gas guzzlers, once again. So we have to say to ourselves, this is an opportune time when we can make some real policy decisions and put into play some very important solutions, possible solutions. People ask me all the time, well, what answer do you have, Loretta, to importing oil from Iraq or from the Middle East or the OPEC countries? There are a lot of ways, and it does not just have to be that we have to go off to the Arctic circle and drill the last plain that we have that is not touched by humans. There are other ways to do this. Let me give my colleagues an example. I am from southern California. We had an energy crisis about a couple of summers ago, about 18 months ago, blackouts in our production, our factories were being affected because we were not getting the electricity we needed; we had natural gas prices go high on us. Now, we now know that much of that was artificially created. But for the moment, while we were in the middle of all of that, we were asking ourselves, how are we going to solve this problem? Well, the first thing is consumption. Why is it that we consume the way we do? And we offered incentives at the State level. As it is, I come from a large family. My dad always taught us to turn off the lights as we left the room and turn everything off, so I grew up that way, so our energy bill was low. But the Governor told us, if you conserve 20 percent more than what you normally use, you will get an incredible savings on your electricity bill. Let me tell my colleague, people rose to the occasion in California. We saw an incredible drop in the consumption of electricity. We learned that once again, things that we know, but we do not think about, that we should run our machines, our washers and dryers and dishwashers and stuff at night, rather than during the day when the regular business shift is using that power. So that we do not have to create more power plants, nor nuclear power plants, divert more rivers, create more energy. We can actually use what we already have, as long as we use it efficiently. California proved that we could do it. It was not a hardship. We were not killing ourselves to get that done. We understood that it was the right thing to do for the moment, and we could continue, and many people have. Many people have learned to live with less, if you will. We can do that in so many ways. Why is it that every time that we set standards at the Federal level to require automobiles to get higher gas mileage, and we say it is going to be 7 years off, the companies need to work towards this, why is it that we reach the 7 years, and all of a sudden we need to change the law because nobody invested in that, nobody really did it? We could have done it. If they knew we were going to stick to our guns, they would do that; they would increase the efficiency of our automobiles. Or we could just remember to put all our shopping trips in one haul. There are so many things that we could do; for instance, offering incentives. Do not punish people, but offer people, companies, incentives for new technologies, to invest more in new technologies for wind and solar and fuel cells. I will bet if we did that and we were real about it, if we put the money behind that, that we would find companies that would be willing to step up and use that and do it and find the solutions so that we would not be so dependent on foreign oil supplies, or even on the need to drill our own supplies that we know exist in some of the States that we have. We have to build better vehicles. We have to light and heat our buildings more efficiently. I know that by doing that we could lower our dependence on fossil fuel oil, which is the real problem that exists here. We have said for years that we are going to do it, but we have never stood behind that. We have never, as a Federal Government, as a policy of the people, said: be more efficient. Let us strengthen energy efficiency standards. Let us create incentives for a new generation of vehicles. Let us raise the fuel economy standards; and let us adopt a strong, renewable portfolio standard. If we do this, we will not be dependent on the Iraqs of the world. I thank my colleague for bringing this to light. We need to discuss this more. We need to get the American people involved in deciding that they are part of the solution towards this dependence that we have on foreign countries because of the oil that they possess.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I just want to add, it is very important that we save that last frontier. I would like my nieces and nephews to be able to see a part of the North American continent that is the same as it was 100, 200, 600, 1,000 years ago. They deserve a chance to see a plain that is open, that is in its austere and pristine condition. That is a legacy that I think is important for us to protect, especially when we can do it through better efficiency and tightening down and understanding that we are part of our own problem.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Cung Pham of Garden Grove, California. Cung Pham served as the director of educational legislation and planning prior to the fall of the Republic of Vietnam 1975. After the country's collapse, he was detained in a concentration camp for seven years before escaping by boat in 1982 to spend time in a refugee camp in Thailand. Mr. Pham eventually ended up in the Orange County community. Using his understanding of the refugee experience, Mr. Pham worked as the director of the refugee resettlement program at St. Anselm's Cross Cultural Center in Garden Grove. His great compassion and organizational skills helped make the program a model for the entire country, helping thousands of refugees become assimilated to American life. He helped them with paperwork, enrolled them in English classes, and trained them for job interviews. Sadly, at the young age of 63, Mr. Pham lost his battle to cancer on September 14, 2002. He was known for his quiet and gentle ways and was greatly admired by those he helped and those with whom he worked.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Josef D'Heygers for his contributions to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana and to our community. Josef worked as a caretaker for Mater Dei High School for over 40 years, beginning in 1956. He has lived a modest life, living on campus in a trailer filled with crosses and Mater Dei memorabilia. Josef recently donated his life savings to Mater Dei to assist with the school's plans to expand. His was one of the top donations given to the campaign. Mater Dei has always been Josef's family. He gave generously because he firmly believes that education keeps teenagers happy and out of trouble, and he wants his gift to offer students what they need for college and for a lifetime of success. Josef was recently honored by Mater Dei by having the new counseling and classroom building named after him. I think all of us can learn from Josef's generosity and his dedication to the education of our Nation's children.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), who just spoke on the other side of the aisle, realizes that the constituents in his State have lost $8.27 billion of their hard- earned nest egg due to a poor economy, corporate scandal, and weak pension laws. That is why we need to do something about these pension laws. By now, all Americans have been affected in some way by the fallout from the collapse of large corporations like Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco. Executives have escaped troubled companies with millions of dollars in compensation, while American workers have lost over $175 billion in their 401(k) plans. Workers in my own State of California alone have lost more than $18 billion in their 401(k) savings plans. As a legislative body, we have begun to examine ways to protect American families from future loss through the Pension Security Act, but among the many issues in this bill that we do not address is the lack of employee representation on pension boards. In its current form, pension boards have the potential to continue the cronyism that got us into the dilemma that we are in now. In the case of Enron, many of the pension board trustees were high- ranking executives whose corporate marching orders did not represent the best interests of the workers they were appointed to protect. The Rangel-Miller substitute to the Pension Security Act would have given employees a voice at the table, where decisions about their companies' pension plans and offerings are made. Employee representation on pension boards has already been successful, even in my own State of California, where we have the California Public Employee Retirement System, or PERS. We require six of the 13 members of that board to be elected by active and retired workers of that system. Giving workers a real voice and real choice means ensuring active participation and overall plan management. Workers bear the financial risk in 401(k)s. They deserve to get pension people on the board representing them.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the parents and volunteers who participated in the first Annual Walk for Success, sponsored by ENLACE, to raise the awareness of the importance of registering for school. I would especially like to honor one mother in particular, Guillermina Garcia, for her dedication to her family and to the community. Like many Americans, Guillermina dreams of sending her children to college, and she wants her friends and neighbors to aspire to this lofty goal also. Despite the many hardships that she faces, Mrs. Garcia finds the time to walk throughout her community door to door and to talk with parents about becoming more involved in their children's education. Mrs. Garcia also finds time to attend a weekly math class which teaches her how to play games with her children to help them with math. Through her actions she has proven herself to be a role model for her children and for our community. I would like to congratulate Mrs. Guillermina Garcia and the ENLACE organization for working to educate Orange County residents about educational opportunities.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Michael Belay of Orange County. On a trip back to his native Ethiopia to a town called Abbiyi Addi, Belay saw children playing on the hulk of a helicopter that had crashed near their school. The dry, cracked earth was the floor of their classroom. They had no chalk, chairs or blackboard. Belay saw an opportunity to help brighten the future for these children. He scrimped together $10,000 and took it back to his village. With this, he bought clothing, shoes and bags of food. When he returned to California, he organized HAPPY, Hands Across the Planet to Poor Youth, to raise $200,000 for these children to buy televisions, computers, construction materials, and chalk. We can all find inspiration in Belay's actions. I am especially proud of him, Mr. Speaker, since he works part time as a security guard at Chapman University where I am a proud alum and a member of the board of trustees there. It is people like Michael Belay that truly make our world a better place to live.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim for helping to bring down the rate of underweight babies in Orange County. Because of the high quality health care these cities have provided to women in my district, we have one of the lowest underweight birth rates in the Nation. Santa Ana and Anaheim have proven that prenatal programs are the key to lowering the numbers of underweight babies and infant mortality. In fact, one such program, Maternal Outreach Management Systems, or MOMS, a nonprofit organization, has worked hard to improve infant health by working with women who are undereducated or may not have the proper information. MOMS comes together to help, in particular to help those with young children or about to give birth. Out of the 46,000 born in Orange County this past year, only 5.5 percent of the babies were born underweight. Programs like MOMS have given more women opportunities to provide a better life for their unborn children and a better chance at being healthy. Again, I would like to commend our cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim in helping with this.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, September 5, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation in my district. I request that the Congressional Record reflect that had I been present and voting, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 373 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 374.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 4, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation in my district; had I been present and voting, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 371 and ``yes'' on rollcall No. 372.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Eli Home Carino Walk-In Center in Anaheim which opened its doors on July 13 to families throughout my district. Many families in my district do not have a place to go to get support, find information, or just ask questions. The Center will help these families, many of whom are dealing with economic crises and other stress creating situations. The Eli Home is dedicated to providing free, bilingual services to Spanish-speaking families. The center offers parenting classes, weekly forums, case management, counseling, and child-abuse prevention. The City of Anaheim has recognized this organization and has welcomed it into the community. I would like to do the same. I would like to personally thank The Eli Home Carino Walk-In Center staff for their hard work and dedication to the community and for creating a positive environment for my district.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Eli Home Carino Walk-In Center in Anaheim which opened its doors on July 13 to families throughout my district. Many families in my district do not have a place to go to get support, find information, or just ask questions. The Center will help these families, many of whom are dealing with economic crises and other stress creating situations. The Eli Home is dedicated to providing free, bilingual services to Spanish-speaking families. The center offers parenting classes, weekly forums, case management, counseling, and child-abuse prevention. The City of Anaheim has recognized this organization and has welcomed it into the community. I would like to do the same. I would like to personally thank The Eli Home Carino Walk-In Center staff for their hard work and dedication to the community and for creating a positive environment for my district.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, California set a revolutionary precedent in the effort to curb carbon pollution and greenhouse gases. Governor Gray Davis signed into law legislation that will for the first time reduce the amount of emissions coming from the tailpipes of all passenger vehicles sold in the State of California. Carbon dioxide is one of the main contributors to global warming, and 59 percent of California's carbon dioxide comes from vehicle pollution. With this law, California joins a longstanding and successful effort by nations throughout the world to combat the gradual and the devastating warming of the earth's atmosphere. I want to commend the California State legislators, agencies, environmentalists, and organizations from all over the country for coming together in the tireless effort to see that this initiative becomes law in California. Once again, California is at the forefront of environmental protection, and I hope that the rest of the Nation will look to this new law as the standard when adopting their own air quality priorities.