E. Shaw

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield the balance of my time to the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert).

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill presently under consideration.

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, at this time I do rise in very strong support of H.R. 6406, which is a shining example of how international trade can help the world's poorest people by creating jobs in impoverished nations, also bettering the lives of Americans by reducing costs, creating export opportunities for United States business, and offering United States consumers more choices at lower prices. Living in Florida, I am especially sensitive to the plight of the Haitian people. This legislation includes the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement, also known as the HOPE Act, which is aimed at helping our desperately poor neighbors. This is an act that was created in a bipartisan way with many Members on each side of the aisle participating, and I was very, very pleased to be a part of that. This HOPE Act contains modest provisions to allow Haiti's struggling apparel sector to create jobs and to better integrate the United States and other hemispheric textile industries, such as in Central America. This legislation is critical to help Haiti build an economy to sustain its very young and very fragile democracy and give the Haitian people hope and purpose to cease conflict and embrace a better tomorrow. In this way, the benefits included in the HOPE Act could have a tangible and meaningful impact on the people of Haiti, but would have a very minimal, even, I might say, trivial impact on the United States markets. For example, Haiti's benefit in the first year capped at 1 percent of the United States apparel imports, 1 percent of the imports, a level less than the current 1 percent of the current apparel imports from Haiti. I think one thing is abundantly clear, and we can see it all over the globe, whether you look in Haiti. You cannot sustain a democracy without an economy. That is black letter law as far as I am concerned. In order for this democracy to flourish, it is going to be absolutely necessary that we do help them as best we can to build their economy. I also draw the Members' attention to the short-term extension of unilateral trade benefits for Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, yes, and even Bolivia. The United States signed bilateral trade promotion agreements with Peru and Colombia, and I would greatly prefer that we were approving these bilateral agreements today rather than simply extending the current benefits. But the administration did not submit the implementing packages for these agreements for congressional consideration before the preferences expired, so we must ensure that our allies are not harmed economically while the Congress completes its process, and, hopefully, this will be early next year. This bill provides a seamless tradition for extending the trade preferences for 6 months, yet it maintains an incentive for everyone to quickly approve and implement the trade agreements by providing an additional 6 months of benefits only if the legislatures here and there approve their respective agreements. This approach also encourages Ecuador and Bolivia to follow the lead of Peru and Colombia to include comprehensive and commercially meaningful trade promotion agreements within that year. I certainly support this bill, and if I may, as a point of personal privilege, want to thank all that I have had the privilege of working with throughout so many years on the Ways and Means Committee. It has been an honor, not only to serve in this body, but particularly to serve on this particular committee. The gentleman from Maryland and I have been close friends for many, many years, as I have with soon-to-be Chairman Rangel on the other side of the aisle. We have had our differences here on the floor, but never off of the floor, and it has been a tremendous, tremendous opportunity for me to be able to work. And also to watch the skilful work of Chairman Thomas. Sometimes he gets a little prickly and a little hard to work with, but he always ends up doing the right thing, and it has been a privilege to serve with him too. This will be the last time that I will be able to appear on this floor, but thank you for the great opportunity to serve the people of the 22nd Congressional District of Florida and the people of the United States of America, the greatest country on the face of this Earth. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California, Chairman Thomas.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), who will certainly be missed next year.

Mr. SHAW. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal).

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time in order to read a paragraph into the Record. This is a letter dated December 8 from the United States Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Speaker, the commissioner in this letter says: ``As the customs and border protection official ultimately charged with our trade facilitation and enforcement efforts, including protecting United States industry against unfairly traded textile imports, we can and will enforce this legislation, if enacted. I was disturbed to learn that some interests are characterizing the Customs and Border Protection's position as opposed to the package of legislation. That is not the case.'' Of course, he was referring to the legislation that is before the body at this time. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC, December 8, 2006. Hon. Bill Thomas, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Thomas: Thank you for contacting us with an opportunity to clarify the views of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on H.R. 6346 and its predecessor H.R. 6142 which contain various free trade agreement provisions related to Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Vietnam, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, and various tariff measures. As the CBP official ultimately charged with our trade facilitation and enforcement efforts, including protecting U.S. industry against unfairly traded textile imports, we can and will enforce this legislation, if enacted. I was disturbed to learn that some interests are characterizing CBP's position as opposed to the package of legislation. That is not the case. Every major change to trade laws poses enforcement challenges for our agency, and this legislation is no different. Simply acknowledging these challenges however does not constitute agency opposition to the legislation as a whole nor to the underlying agreements nor do they pose insurmountable obstacles to textile enforcement. I want to assure you that CBP remains committed to enforcing all textile trade laws that impact the domestic industry. I appreciate the opportunity to respond and clarify the agency's position, please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance. Sincerely, W. Ralph Basham, Commissioner. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), a distinguished gentleman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. SHAW. I don't have it.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes). (Mr. HAYES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger), a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think it is very clear that we clarify exactly what we are talking about with Vietnam. We are simply making what we have been doing every year as a permanent-type position so we don't have to come back and vote on it every year. And what do we get for it? We get access to their markets. So this is something that is to the benefit of the United States, and it is not giving any free trade agreement or any special deal to Vietnam. And I think people that are watching this debate tonight should be very much aware of that. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 3 minutes to a valued member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad).

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to clarify the record on the statement by the gentleman from Washington. He may have just gotten the amendments, but the bill has been out there since last spring and amendments were delivered to the staff of the minority office last Thursday asking for comments. We are trying to do this in as bipartisan a way as we can because we have support from the other side. So I don't want anyone watching this process going forward to think that the majority here has in any way not shared the information that it has with the minority. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe).

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5602 would grant permanent normal trade relations with Vietnam and permit U.S. businesses to take full advantage of the commitments that Vietnam has made as part of its accession into the World Trade Organization. On November 7, 2006, World Trade Organization members voted to approve Vietnam's entry into the organization and Vietnam is expected to officially become a member by the end of the year. To get to this point, Vietnam has clearly made significant economic reforms and will benefit not only the international community, but also the people of Vietnam. As part of Vietnam's accession into the World Trade Organization, more than 94 percent of all U.S. exports of manufactured goods will face duties no higher than 15 percent. Tariffs will also be reduced 15 percent or less on three-quarters of United States agricultural products. Additionally, U.S. service providers will have increased access to Vietnam's market. My own State of Florida already exports over $20 million of goods to Vietnam. With Vietnam's entry into the World Trade Organization, I expect this number to grow even higher, thus benefiting those that manufacture, create, grow and harvest these products, as well as those that package, store and transport them. To say the United States and Vietnam have had a rocky relationship would be a dramatic understatement. Yet, much like with Japan, this opportunity to promote cooperation and conciliation demonstrates the great progress that is important when countries engage economically. By enacting this legislation, the United States and Vietnam have a unique opportunity to show the world that no matter what the history between these countries may be, they can still have substantial economic and foreign policy benefits when the countries turn away from violent conflict and focus their efforts on economic interaction with an international rule-based system. This legislation can provide an important symbolic example to countries throughout the world facing an important choice between violence and isolation or economic prosperity. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 5602 and support the efforts of American businesses striving to compete in this new and expanding market. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank Mr. Ramstad, who is trying to get back here in order to take time on the floor, and really I think if he were here, and I will not hesitate because he is not, to praise him for the good work that he has done and his foresight in bringing this particular bill forward.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge that after all of these years, I finally found something that I agree with with the gentleman from Washington, and that is the statement with regard to the Andean countries, Africa, and with Haiti. I would hope if we cannot conclude a satisfactory agreement, free trade agreement with the countries that we are working with now, most notably Peru and Colombia, that we should have some short-term extension of the Andean preference for those countries. At this time we do not have one, an agreement with Ecuador. However, Ecuador is in a situation now of going into an election where they have one pro-American candidate, and one that is pro-Chavez. I think we should watch that very closely, and I think that we have an obligation to do everything we can for our friends and their economic growth. I will leave it right there. But I think that we need to, and I would hope that in the next Congress, which I regret that I will not be part of, to see these things through that we should continue our work to become, and continue to be free trade. I would like to also comment on the comments made by my friend from Ohio with regard to the low wages and low standard of living in Vietnam. I traveled there in the late 1980s with then-chairman Gibbons. It is the same CODEL that Mr. Thomas made reference to in his opening remarks. There we saw a very impoverished nation. We stayed at a government house in which the conditions were deplorable. In fact, one of the spouses along on the trip took all of her husband's undershirts and laid them on the bed before she would even get into the bed. We had rolling blackouts. The country was an economic disaster. But we saw something very important. And I think this was really driven home, particularly, Jake Pickrel, whom many of us know, his wife fell and broke her hip. The doctors who was traveling with us took her down to the hospital in Vietnam, and he came back and said this is 1950s technology, the x-ray equipment there. And of course we immediately flew her out of Vietnam, where she could get and did get proper treatment. I think we can look at Vietnam now, and I have not been back since then. But I understand the economic strides that they have made are really tremendous. And that is almost 100 percent due to their changing their economy so that it can thrive and it can grow and is not held back by the 100 percent socialistic tendencies that it seemed to have at the time. Also I think that there is no question but that our trade will grow with Vietnam, because this is an agreement that works both ways. Their tariffs come down, our exports will increase, there is no question about that. As usual, and we find in most countries, that the tariffs of the country that we are taking down tariffs with has a higher tariff than we do. So we should benefit, Vietnam should benefit and the economy of both countries will be better off for it. And when an economy as small as Vietnam mixes with an economy as large as the United States, it is very easy to realize that any type of stimulus that you give those economies will be a very, very big impact on their economy. I have a letter here from the U.S.-Vietnam World Trade Coalition, and it is signed by Madeleine Albright, Jim Baker, Charlene Barshefsky, Samuel Berger, Harold Brown, Warren Christopher, William Cohen, Lawrence Eagleburger, Carla Hills, Michael Kantor, Henry Kissinger, Anthony Lake, Robert McNamara, Colin Powell, Robert Rubin, George Shultz, Robert Strauss, and Clayton Yeutter, very much in favor of this agreement. Washington, DC, September 8, 2006. Dear Colleague: As the bipartisan cosponsors of H.R. 5602, to provide Vietnam with Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status, we forward you the following letter signed by numerous former Cabinet Secretaries, U.S. Trade Representatives and others involved in trade and foreign policy in previous administrations. We hope you find this letter useful as you consider your vote on this important issue. Sincerely, Jim Ramstad, Member of Congress. Mike Thompson, Member of Congress.

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding this time to me and congratulate the committee on both sides of the aisle. I think, however, when we look around and see some of the rhetoric that is going on, let's take a look at what is happening. We have probably one of the most dangerous countries in the world run by fanatics that is in the process of producing a nuclear weapon. We have the Iranians financing the terrorists in Iraq killing American soldiers. We have the Iranians in Iraq killing innocent Iraqis. We have the Iranians in Iraq killing innocent Lebanese with the Hezbollah. And we are standing here today listening to people talk about press releases. Come on, guys. Isn't there something that can draw this Congress together? It already has brought together responsible Democrats and Republicans. But to come forward and talk of this nature is absolutely counterproductive. It does not help us in our country, and we should stop it now. We need to put up a unified force in this country. We are aiding and abetting the enemy when we stress our division. Of course we are going to disagree. That is healthy. That is what democracy is all about. But on some of these items, such as what we are talking about here today, when American soldiers are spilling their blood and that blood is being spilt with Iranian money, can't we start talking about America and quit talking about politics?

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mingma Norbu Sherpa and Matthew Preece, two outstanding conservationists at World Wildlife Fund, WWF, in the United States, and others who were killed in a tragic helicopter crash in Nepal on Saturday, September 23. The accident claimed 24 lives, including other WWF conservation leaders and senior government officials from the United States, United Kingdom, Finland and Nepal and four crew members. Ms. Margaret Alexander and Dr. Bijnan Acharya of the USAID mission in Nepal are among the deceased. The cause of the crash is unknown. Bad weather in the area may have been a contributing factor. The group was returning from a celebration of a conservation success story that took place in the rugged, far-east mountains of Nepal. The Nepali government hosted the event in Ghunsa to turn over conservation stewardship of wildlife and habitats on the slopes of Kanchenjunga--the world's third highest mountain--to a coalition of local communities. The park, which is home to globally endangered species such as the snow leopard, now will be managed by the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council. WWF was instrumental in the decision and will work on its implementation for the next five years. USAID provides funding for the project. Mingma Sherpa directed WWF's work in the Eastern Himalayas. Born and raised in the foothills of Mt. Everest, Mr. Sherpa represented the best of a new breed of conservationist. As an early pioneer of conservation efforts in his native Nepal, and for more than 15 years at WWF in the United States, Mingma Sherpa dedicated his life to the practice of what he called ``conservation with a human face.'' A protege of Sir Edmund Hillary, who mentored him after his father died in a mountaineering accident on Mt. Everest in 1971, Mingma was the first Sherpa to become chief warden of Mt. Everest National Park. He was also one of the founders of the WWF-funded Annapurna Conservation Area Project--then a new experiment in community-based conservation that has since become a model for conservation around the world. Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF-US said this week, ``Mingma Sherpa's quiet, unassuming modesty made it easy to forget that he helped to point the way for the rest of us to follow. He was a hero to me and to many others in the conservation field. He dedicated his life to the idea people and nature could, and should, co-exist. His death is a tremendous loss.'' Born on October 31, 1955, in the small mountain village of Kunde, Mingma was one of the first students to graduate from the village school system created by Hillary, who had scaled Everest two years earlier. Hillary took an immediate interest in the boy and in 1972, a year after Mingma's father died, invited him to participate in a school-building project. It was to be a transformative experience--and one that led to a close, life-long friendship with ``Sir Ed,'' as Hillary was known among the Sherpas. Attending Lincoln College in Christchurch, New Zealand, on a scholarship received with Hillary's help, Mingma obtained a B.A. in forestry and park management and returned to Nepal as a junior ranger at Mt. Everest's Sagarmatha National Park. Tensions between park management and the sherpas living in the area were running high at the time because of community resentment over what were seen as arbitrary restrictions on tree cutting and other traditional activities. So successful was Mingma in resolving these disputes, through solutions that gave the community incentives to conserve the park, that he was named chief warden six months later. It turned into one of the earliest experiments in what later would become known as ``community-based conservation'' and it worked so well that in 1985, after another sojourn abroad to obtain a Masters degree in resource management from the University of Manitoba, Mingma was picked to help create the Annapurna project that would later become the textbook model for community-based conservation. He joined WWF in 1989, first as director of WWF Nepal's Himalayan Program and later as chief country representative in Nepal and Bhutan. In 1998, he moved to the Washington, DC headquarters of WWF-US to oversee all of the organization's conservation work in the Eastern Himalayas. In ``Sir Edmund Hillary and the People of Everest,'' author Cynthia Russ Ramsay would later write that, of all of ``Hillary's students''-- many of whom went on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and businessmen--Mingma ``more than anyone else embodies the virtues of doing things the Hillary way,'' having taken his mentor's compassionate vision applied it to many ``other remote areas of the world.'' Although he received international recognition for his work--the Gorkha Dhaksin Bhahu medal from the King of Nepal and the Order of the Golden Ark Award from Prince Bernard of the Netherlands--Mingma was forever self-effacing about his accomplishments, preferring to give credit to others. He could not escape fame in his native Nepal, however, where villagers would line the streets to applaud and cheer him whenever he returned for a visit. He is survived by his wife Phurba Sona Sherpa, his daughter Dawa Phuti Sherpa and son Tenzing Norbu Sherpa, all of Falls Church, Virginia. Mingma was one of seven WWF staff killed in the helicopter crash. Mathew Preece, a very promising young conservation professional from Utah, also died in the accident. Mr. Preece was a new Program Officer at WWF headquarters in Washington. He only joined WWF's Eastern Himalayas team four months ago and was thrilled to be making his first trip to the region. Matt spent five years working on domestic and international issues for other non-profit organizations and lived in India, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. He obtained graduate degrees in 2004 from Brandeis University in Sustainable International Development and in 1999 from Vanderbilt University in Environmental Science. While in school, Matt helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity in California and spent a month in Washington, DC as an advisor to the National Youth Leadership Forum. Matthew Preece fit more into his 31 years than most people do in an entire lifetime. He is an inspiration to young people around the world, and our hearts go out to his parents, three sisters, and a brother. The five other WWF staffers who were tragically killed are: Dr. Jill Bowling, Conservation Director for WWF-UK; Jennifer Headley, WWF-UK's Coordinator for Nepal/South Asia Program; Dr. Chandra Prasad Gurung, Country Representative for WWF Nepal; Dr. Harka Gurung, Advisor to WWF Nepal; and Yeshi Choden Lama, Senior Program Officer for WWF Nepal. Several senior Nepali government officials also perished in the crash. They are: Mr. Gopai Rai, Nepal Minister of State Forests and Soil Conservation; Dr. Damodar Parajuli, the Acting Secretary, Ministry of State of Forests and Soil Conservation; Mr. Narayan Poudel, Director General of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation; and Mr. Sharad Rai, Director General of Department of Forests. On behalf of the 125 members of the International Conservation Caucus, I want to express our deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of the conservationists and public servants who were lost to us. They were on a noble mission. All of them will be missed by people who care deeply as I do about protecting wildlife and wild places.

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Fort Lauderdale Council of the Navy League of the United States for their successful campaign to locate a Lone Sailor Statue on Fort Lauderdale's Riverwalk. The Fort Lauderdale Council has been greeting military ships of all Navies arriving in Port Everglades for over 50 years, earning a reputation for Fort Lauderdale as the 'best liberty Port in the world'. Although Fort Lauderdale is not home to a major Navy facility, it is rich in naval history. During World War II, pilots including former President George Bush, trained at the old Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station. During my tenure in Congress, I have had the privilege of participating in two ship commissioning ceremonies at Port Everglades. It is a fact: the Navy loves Fort Lauderdale and Fort Lauderdale loves the Navy. With this strong relationship with the Navy, members of the Council, including former Congressman George Wortley, felt it was time to join eight other communities around the country and bring a Lone Sailor statue to South Florida. They committed to raising $250,000 to obtain the statue, prepare the site and cover other related expenses. They successfully petitioned the City of Fort Lauderdale to approve a permanent home for the 'sailor' on Fort Lauderdale's Riverwalk. On Saturday, October 14th, 2006, I look forward to joining members of the Fort Lauderdale Council and our South Florida community to dedicate the Lone Sailor statue. Cast in bronze, the statue is composed of 2 pieces: the sailor who stands 7 feet tall and weighs approximately 1,000 lbs. and his sea bag and cleat weighing 700 lbs. During the casting process, the bronze is mixed with artifacts from eight U.S. Navy ships which span the Navy's history. It is a fitting tribute to the men and women of the sea service. Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of the Fort Lauderdale Council of the Navy League of the United States for their commitment to this wonderful project. The Lone Sailor Statue will stand as a symbol of the esteem in which this community holds the members of the sea services: Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, U.S.-Flag Merchant Marine.

Mr. SHAW

Mr. SHAW. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SHAW. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of this important bipartisan resolution that I introduced with my fellow cancer survivors and advocates Collin Peterson, Deborah Pryce, Lois Capps, Sue Myrick and Steve Israel, all cochairs of the 2015 Cancer Caucus. This resolution expresses Congress' support for the National Cancer Institute's goal of eliminating the suffering and death due to cancer by the year 2015. Cancer claims the lives of more than 570,000 Americans each year. That is right, over half a million, but we have yet to declare a full- scale war on cancer. The passage of this resolution today puts us on record as going on the right track. Cancer affects everyone. It is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue, it is an issue for our entire country, and it is an issue that faces the world. In 1961, President Kennedy established the lofty goal of putting a man on the moon in 10 years. This historic goal was achieved in just 8 years. Just as this goal was established and achieved, so can the goal of 2015. We are very close to achieving the goal of ending cancer death and suffering. But when you are in a race and you see the finish line, you don't jog, you sprint. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute and other private and public research facilities across the country and world are conducting vital research each and every day that will enable cancer sufferers to be cancer survivors. We must show our solidarity on these efforts by fully supporting the 2015 goal and providing the Federal resources necessary that to achieve it. Over the last 5 years, we have doubled the research dollars for cancer, but yet that is not enough. I see no better legacy for future generations than ending cancer suffering and cancer death. Over 10,000 cancer survivors and advocates from across the country are converging on the Capitol this week for the American Cancer Society's Celebration on the Hill. These heroes will be visiting every one of our offices this week. When you visit with them, and I hope you will visit with them and not push them off to staff, I hope you pledge your strongest support on the war against cancer. We must work together to provide Federal funding needed for research efforts and pass legislation to support early diagnosis and treatment. Ending the suffering and death due to cancer will be achieved with momentous global proportions, the most important public health achievement of all time. I urge passage of this important resolution.