Adam Smith

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Yes. That was a huge priority for me in the conference committee. We worked hard to make sure that that happened, and we absolutely protect those rights.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time each side has remaining.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).

Mr. SMITH of Washington. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from California, the ranking member of the Personnel Subcommittee, Mrs. Davis.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, the ranking member on the Air and Land Subcommittee, Mr. Reyes.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews), a very important member of the Armed Services Committee. (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SMITH of Washington. With that, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), ranking member on the Emerging Threats Subcommittee. (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. I, too, want to thank the chairman, Mr. McKeon. We always say that our committee is the most bipartisan committee in Congress. We strongly believe that. Republicans and Democrats on that committee are committed to doing our job, which is to provide for the troops and make sure that our national security is protected in this country. Mr. McKeon was an excellent partner to work with. It's a model for what happens when you sit down and try to legislate together, and something that I think could be emulated by many more committees and on many more issues. So, thank you, Buck. It's been great working with you on this. I think we've produced a good product. I want to, upfront, address the issue that most people have focused on in the rule and elsewhere, and that is the issue surrounding detainee policy. I have never seen an issue that was more distorted in terms of what people have said is in the bill versus what is actually in the bill. Number one, habeas corpus is protected, not touched in this bill. Pursuant to court rulings, anyone picked up pursuant to the authorization for the use of military force, has habeas corpus rights. That is not touched categorically. Now I understand that a lot of people have a problem with what is current law, and current law is something we've been debating ever since 9/11. Both the Bush administration and the Obama administration have taken the position that indefinite detention is an option. In two cases before the Supreme Court, the Hamdi case most notably, a U.S. citizen was briefly subject to indefinite detention. The Fourth Circuit Court upheld that right. That is current law. And I actually share some of the concerns amongst my colleagues about that current law. But this bill doesn't affect that. We, in fact, make it clear in our category on military detention that it is not meant to apply to U.S. citizens or lawful resident aliens. Read the bill. It is in there. Nothing in this section shall apply to U.S. citizens or lawful resident aliens. Now if you have a problem with indefinite detention, that is a problem with current law. Defeating this bill will not change that, won't change it at all. But I'll tell you what it will do. It will undermine the ability of our troops to do their job, to do what we've asked them to do. If we defeat this bill, we defeat a pay raise for the troops, we defeat MILCON projects for the troops, and we defeat endless support programs that are absolutely vital to their doing their jobs. And I don't think I need to remind this body that 100,000 of those troops are in harm's way in Afghanistan right now facing a determined enemy in the middle of a fight. It is not the time to cut off their support over an issue that isn't going to be fixed by this bill. And let me emphasize that just one more time. Current law as interpreted by the Bush administration, the Obama administration, and the judiciary of this country creates the problems that everybody is talking about, not this bill. We put language in on detention policy because we think it's about time the legislative branch at least said something on the subject. But we are not the ones that created that problem. I urge support for this bill.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Will the gentleman yield for a point of clarification? That person----

Mr. SMITH of Washington. No, I am not. I support the conference report.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. One issue I want to address is the issue of military construction projects for Guam. There is some limiting language in this bill on that issue based on the fact that the Department of Defense is rethinking their posture in Asia between Okinawa, Guam, and other places. One thing I want to make clear is that Guam is a critically important part of our Asia presence. They have presence of our military there now. The language in the bill is not meant to cut off existing military construction projects or indeed other ones that may not be related to this. I want to make sure that that's clear. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter).

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is a very important provision of the House bill dealing with better combating sexual assault within the military. Now, this is a significant problem that has been documented by many studies and many media reports. I want to particularly congratulate members of my committee, Ms. Loretta Sanchez, Ms. Tsongas, Ms. Speier, and Mrs. Susan Davis, who have taken a leadership role in this to try to implement policies to control sexual assault within the military. The provisions that we've put together in the House help move us forward towards addressing that issue, make sure that it takes on the importance that it deserves, and empower the military to make the decisions they need to better protect against sexual assault within the military. I particularly applaud Ms. Tsongas. This is her motion to stick to the House provisions in this area. I urge the conference committee to do that going forward. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to instruct at the desk.

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Dennis Roberts for being the recipient of the DynCorp International Chairman's Purple Star Award. This award recognizes Mr. Roberts' courage and sacrifice while working as a security coordinator in Afghanistan. The Chairman's Purple Star Award is the highest honor given by DynCorp to its employees. It recognizes individuals who have been killed or wounded while supporting a customer's mission for their exceptional sacrifice. In February of 2010, Mr. Roberts was supporting our Armed Forces at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. During a sudden rocket attack that was launched upon the installation, Mr. Roberts was struck and severely injured by the motor that separated from the rocket. It penetrated a nearby vehicle before striking Mr. Roberts, who suffered severe injuries to his chest, hand, and shoulder. In the time since the attack, Mr. Roberts has overcome great hardship, undergoing numerous surgeries and completing extensive physical rehabilitation to recover from his injuries. He is also working towards his bachelor's degree and upon his expected graduation next year, hopes to use his education and experience to continue working to support America's security. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Dennis Roberts for receiving this award and I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives please join me in congratulating him.

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. I thank the leadership of this House, both Democrat and Republican, and all the cosponsors for bringing this resolution before us and for honoring Gabe Zimmerman by naming the room in the Capitol Visitor Center after him. I can think of nobody who better personified the idea of public service than Gabe Zimmerman. A lot of people get involved in politics for a lot of different reasons, but I think that the base reason that we all should want to be involved in it is to represent people. So when you read the stories about Gabe and about the service that he did even before he worked for Congresswoman Giffords, you can see someone who truly understood what it meant to be a representative. Gabe made so much of his life about caring for other people, and there can be no higher calling. In naming this room after him, we have a permanent reminder to everybody who comes through this Capitol about what this place is all about. It's about serving other people, and it's about public service. On the base fundamental level, Gabe understood that to do his job right--to represent his district, to represent this country--he needed to make sure that everybody in his district believed that they had a voice in Congress, and that's not an easy thing to do. We represent around 700,000 people, but there was nobody who Gabe wouldn't reach out to and listen to. I have no doubt that there are thousands of people, if not tens of thousands, who have a better appreciation, who believe more in their government because of the work that Gabe Zimmerman did, and that's something that we need to be permanently reminded of. By naming this room after him, we will offer that opportunity to everybody who comes through this Capitol. I also think it is reflective on Congresswoman Giffords as well. Gabe worked for Gabby because he believed in her and believed in what she was doing. She, too, personifies that notion that we're here to represent people--all of them--whether we agree with them or not. It's not just a matter of taking the ones we agree with and fighting for them. You have to fight almost extra hard for the ones who maybe you don't agree with, because that's what makes representative democracy work--believing in this country. Congresswoman Giffords and her staff do that as well as any group of people that I've ever encountered. It's fitting that we honor Gabe and that we offer our condolences to his parents with the encouragement that he has personified what this institution is all about. We will never forget that.

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Janice Langbehn, a recipient of the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal, one of our Nation's highest civilian honors. Each year, the President recognizes American citizens with the Presidential Citizens Medal who have taken exemplary steps outside of their daily lives to serve and improve their communities. Past honorees have addressed some of our nation's most persistent problems, such as hunger, homelessness, high school dropout rates, lack of access to health care, and several other pressing issues affecting the lives of millions of Americans. Citizen Medal honorees face challenging circumstances and act admirably while taking risks to help others. Out of over 6,000 nominees across the country, President Obama chose only thirteen recipients, including Janice Langbehn of Lacey, Washington. In 2007, while on vacation with their children, Janice's partner of 18 years, Lisa Marie Pond, collapsed with a brain aneurysm. Lisa was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. When Janice and her children arrived, hospital officials refused to let Janice or her children see Lisa for eight long hours even though they had a power of attorney in hand. Lisa eventually slipped into a coma and passed away while her loved ones continued to fight to be by her side. Afterwards Janice brought a lawsuit against the hospital, which was dismissed in 2009, and then turned her experience into activism, fighting to make sure no partners or parents have to go through what their family experienced. Her story attracted the attention of President Obama, who revised hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples across the country. The executive order went into effect in January 2011 for any hospital receiving Federal Medicare or Medicaid funds. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives please join me in recognizing Janice Langbehn for her efforts to improve equal treatment for all Americans and congratulate her for being honored with the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal.

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the AbilityOne Program, which has helped more than 47,000 blind or significantly disabled Americans develop skills and receive training ultimately leading to successful employment. The AbilityOne Program harnesses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating community- based non-profit agencies that are dedicated to training and employing individuals with disabilities. This program affords Americans with disabilities the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence and a higher quality of life. I am proud to acknowledge two non-profit agencies, Skookum and Lighthouse for the Blind, both of which are closely associated with AbilityOne in my district. These organizations represent two of many non-profit social enterprises dedicated to the mission of enriching the lives of people with disabilities. Skookum's mission is to create opportunities for people with disabilities, assisting government customers by delivering critical logistics, facilities maintenance and public works services. Skookum was recently awarded the 2010 National AbilityOne Award for Performance Excellence in Hiring Veterans with Disabilities which demonstrates a proud commitment to recruiting the right person for the right job and bringing Wounded Warriors into our workforce. Lighthouse for the Blind has been providing employment, support, and training for people who are blind, deaf-blind, and blind with other disabilities in the Puget Sound since 1918. Lighthouse for the Blind expands employment opportunities by providing the technical and communication tools needed for self-sufficiency. The manufacturing operations center makes products for the Federal Government and various aerospace companies. It is with great pleasure that I extend my support to the AbilityOne Program. The dedication and commitment of Skookum and Lighthouse for the Blind help individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities find employment, live fuller lives, and remain active members of our community. I commend everyone associated with AbilityOne for working to improve so many lives and make our country a better place for all.

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, I was detained in a meeting and inadvertently missed a vote in a series of recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 850 (on agreeing to the Cicilline amendment to H.R. 822).

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, November 4, 2011, I was unable to be present for part of a series of recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 830 (on Agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 455, providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 831 (on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3321), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 832 (on Agreeing to the Cummings Amendment to H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 833 (on Agreeing to the Thompson Amendment to H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 834 (on Agreeing to the Napolitano Amendment to H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 835 (on Agreeing to the Bishop Amendment to H.R. 2838), and ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 836 (on Agreeing to the Slaughter Amendment to H.R. 2838).

Mr. SMITH of Washington

Mr. SMITH of Washington. I rise in support of a bipartisan effort to create jobs. Just as Congressman Reichert said, he and I are hosting a job fair next week. At a time when unemployment is over 9 percent in this country, when our economy desperately needs to put people back to work, I think this is the way we need to do it, in a bipartisan manner. At the end of the day, we're not going to have any job creation bills that aren't bipartisan because of the nature of Congress. I applaud Congressman Reichert for working with me on this idea, and it's really a very good idea in terms of job creation. Yes, there's huge unemployment, but less well known is there are actually employers out there that have jobs that are trying to find people to fill them. Matching the skills necessary with those jobs is critical. And that's what the HIRE America job fair that we're going to do next week in Kent is all about--bringing in 75 employers that actually have jobs available, with unemployed people looking for work, to match them up, to try to put people to work to get this economy moving again. It's a great idea. I thank Congressman Reichert for working with me to do this. It's bipartisan. And it's focused on the number one most important issue this country faces, getting Americans back to work and getting our economy moving.