Bart Stupak

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I could not be present for votes on Monday, September 24, 2007 due to commitments in my district. As a result, I missed 4 rollcall votes. I would like to enter into the record that if I had been present on September 24, I would have voted yes on H. Con. Res. 193, which would recognize U.S. hunters for their commitment to safety. As a sportsman myself, I appreciate hunters' commitment to safety and support their continued dedication to safe and responsible hunting. I would have voted yes on H. Res. 668, which would recognize the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas by the Little Rock Nine. I would have voted yes on H.R. 1199, which would extend grant programs for drug endangered children. I also would have voted yes on H. Res. 340, which would emphasize the importance of providing a voice for the victims of missing persons cases.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a group of young women from my district. The Gladstone Major Girls All-Stars softball team placed third in this year's Little League World Series and, in doing so, brought great pride to Gladstone and to all of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, U.P. The Gladstone Major Girls softball team went undefeated in the 2007 regular season, before battling their way to be Michigan state champions. After winning the Michigan State championship, the team won the Central League Championship by defeating Poland, Ohio during the Central Regional Championship. The Gladstone team's demeanor following its win against Poland's team demonstrated the Gladstone girls' dignity and sportsmanship. After winning the game, the Gladstone team began to take a victory lap around the outfield. As they approached the right field, where the Ohio team was gathered with their coaches, the Gladstone team pulled their seated opponents to their feet to participate in their victory lap. While the young women from Gladstone were excited to celebrate their victory, they also made a point of ensuring that their opponents could join in the celebratory run around the outfield. After clinching their victory in Ohio, the Gladstone Major girls drove from Michigan to St. Louis, where they boarded a plane to fly to Portland, OR. In Portland, they represented the Central Region in the Little League World Series of Softball at Alpenrose Stadium. The team enjoyed a bye in their first round of the World Series, and for their second game took on the team from Ramstein U.S. Air Force Base in Germany. The Gladstone team continued to exhibit the skill and determination they showed throughout the regular season, winning the game 15-0. While Gladstone continued to play valiantly, they would lose 2-0 to their next opponent, from Morristown, TN, ending Gladstone's chances to be world champions. Nonetheless, the Gladstone team can take heart that their loss was to a formidable opponent: Morristown would eventually go on to win the Little League World Series of Softball. Despite their loss to Morristown, the Gladstone All-Stars' World Series was not quite over. In fact, the team would continue playing well. Ultimately, with a 5-2 victory over Waterford, CT, the Gladstone All-Stars secured their position as the number three softball team in the world. Throughout their visit to Portland, OR, and their participation in the Softball Little League World Series, Gladstone's team conducted themselves with dignity and class and continued to exhibit fine sportsmanship. When they returned last month to Gladstone, they were greeted in triumphant fashion by approximately 300 fans from Gladstone and the surrounding area. Gladstone area residents came together to show these returning young heroes the deep support the team enjoyed in the community. Madam Speaker, in small town America, local sports are often the soul of a community. The Gladstone Major Girls' All-Stars made all of Gladstone, indeed all Michigan's U.P., proud with their efforts this season and I congratulate each of them: Alison Austin, Nicole Barteld, Jammie Botruff, Neena Brockway, Ashley Hough, Averi Kanyuh, Jordan Kowalski, Heather Sanderson, Jordan Schwartz, Nicole Sharon, and Shannon Wolf. I also congratulate the team's coaches, Andy Schwartz and John Nevala. Madam Speaker, as the citizens of the Gladstone area celebrate these young women's achievement, I would ask that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in congratulating these young women on their winning record, their participation in the Little League World Series of Softball and, most of all, the sportsmanship and dignified demeanor they displayed in representing Gladstone and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the dedication of an important landmark in my hometown of Menominee, Michigan. Henes Park serves today as an important place of respite for the citizens of Menominee and an anchor of the community where local residents can enjoy the outdoors. In 1906, local Menominee businessman John Henes paid $1,000 for a 43- acre wooded peninsula called Poplar Point at the north end of the city's bay shore. Mr. Henes, a German immigrant and local entrepreneur, kept his plans for a public park secret for another year until he officially offered the area to the city council for use as a park and beach. During the early 20th century, most of Menominee's shoreline was occupied by docks, lumber piles, warehouses and homes. As such, local Menominee officials were enthused by the idea of a park along the shore. Landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds of Chicago was hired by the newly appointed park commission to design the park. At the time, Simonds was considered a pioneer of ``natural landscaping'' and his design of the park employed viewpoints, paths, and buildings to frame and highlight the natural environment. There are many walkways throughout the park, some still in use and others now overgrown. The original park design placed great emphasis on providing nature trails. Simonds' design laid out eight nature trails that were named after great names from literature like Longfellow, Byron, Shakespeare and Homer. Those eight trails still exist today. During the summer of 1907, construction on the park began as workers started building roads and cleared rocks from the beach to provide a picnic site. One of the unique elements of the park's original design was a ``bog park,'' a piece of low ground that was selected to hold a variety of water flowers. After a busy summer of work on the park, formal dedication ceremonies were conducted in October of 2007. The Mayor of Menominee, Charles Spies, in accepting the park for the community, commented on how local entrepreneurs contributed to the park's construction, saying, ``It is very gratifying to have among us men, who by beneficent and material acts, show that the welfare, a prosperity and beautifying of our city is one of their chief desires and in which they find their great pleasure and satisfaction.'' U.S. Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan was the featured speaker at the event. He described the space as, ``A park that will forever be the property of every man, every woman and principally every child in this city and one where beauty, recreation and rest will be synonymous. . . `` The Menominee community immediately embraced Henes Park, extending the city's local street car line to the park. Family outings at Henes Park became commonplace among residents of Menominee. Local organizations used the park to hold various special events. Residents of Marinette, Wisconsin, Menominee's sister-city just across the river, also took advantage of Henes Park. The community's appreciation and love of Henes Park only grew stronger through the years. In 1932, 9 years after Mr. Henes' passing, a monument was dedicated at the park commemorating the 25th anniversary of Mr. Henes donating the park to the city. Today's Henes Park offers a swimming beach with lifeguards, a playground, picnic spots, and fine views across the bay to Door County. Behind one of the park's pavilions is a pond with lily pads, fish, and frogs. While the park has evolved since its design 100 years ago, the overall aesthetics of the original plan remain, allowing citizens to enjoy the outdoors and local environment without disturbing the natural layout of the area. Madam Speaker, as a resident of Menominee, I am personally very fond of Henes Park. My wife, Laurie, and I regularly take long walks there and the park is home to some of our fondest memories. Henes Park provides an anchor for the local community, a place for children and young people to play and an opportunity for local citizens of all ages to convene with nature. Perhaps most importantly, 100 years since its founding, the park remains as Senator Smith described it, the property of every man, woman and child of Menominee and a place where beauty, rest and recreation meet. On Sunday, September 9, 2007, the citizens of Menominee will come together to show their appreciation for Henes Park and to pay tribute to John Henes for his contribution 100 years ago. On this tremendous occasion, I would ask that you, Madam Speaker, and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in honoring this park and all those who helped to design it, build it and maintain it for future generations.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Bethel Community Church, a small, non-denominational church in Newberry, Michigan. For 100 years, this church has served as an anchor in the Newberry community, helping its congregation celebrate the good times and weather the bad times. Bethel Community Church is steeped in local history. Prior to erection of the current church, a group of Christian families first began meeting in the home of Margaret ``Grandma'' Walker and later held services at Pratt School. The Bethel Community Church was dedicated in August of 1907. The name of the new church was selected from Genesis 28:17-19, wherein Jacob, after spending a safe night of sleep, established an altar and named the place ``Bethel,'' meaning the House of God. Bethel is further mentioned in Genesis 35:1-15, and is a town 12 miles north of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, the only place mentioned more often than Bethel is Jerusalem. Sunday School at Bethel Community Church began in the 1890s and was initiated by ``Grandma'' Walker, who would hold meetings in her home. When the number of attendees exceeded the capacity of her home, the Sunday School class was moved closer to Pratt School. Margaret ``Grandma'' Walker's family would remain active in the church and her family would leave an indelible mark on the church's history. ``Grandma'' Walker's daughter, Gladys Matelski, was more than just a member of the congregation, she was a Sunday School teacher and church organist for more than 50 years before her passing in 1996. As church attendance continued to grow in the late 1800s, members began talking about building a church home. Around 1901, a Ladies Aid Society was established to begin raising funds toward a church building. In 1905, the present land site was donated by Tom Smith's family and construction began. The early Newberry community rallied together and with members of the congregation volunteering their time and effort to build the church. Tithes provided the funding for the materials. The original church building is still used today for bible study, worship services, Sunday School services and meetings of the church's ``Christian Endeavor Society.'' Eventually, worship services were held on alternate Sundays with the Christian Endeavor Society. As a small, non-denominational church, Bethel relies on area ministers to conduct their worship services. Frequently, pastors from the Methodist Church serve in the pulpit, but ministers and pastor from the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, and Wesleyan churches have all provided services for area residents. Through the commitment of its congregation, the church continued to improve. In the 1920s, a basement, bathroom and classroom were added to the original church building. In the 1940s, another room was added, creating more classroom area and a dining area for potluck suppers and other church activities. These additions continue to be used for Sunday School, bible study classes, meetings, quilting of the Ladies Aid Society and other functions of this small church--including the upcoming 100th Anniversary celebration. Today, Bethel Community Church remains a vital part of the local Newberry community, averaging 22 worshipers each Sunday and 10 worshipers for Sunday Bible Study. The church invites area residents and visitors to attend its Sunday services. Presently copastored by Reverends Forrest and Lois Rank, Sunday School/Bible Study is held each Sunday, followed by worship service. Madam Speaker, this small church has played an important role in the Village of Newberry. This Sunday the people of Newberry will observe Bethel Community Church's 100 years of service. As Newberry honors this pillar of its community, I would ask that you, Madam Speaker, and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in congratulating the church's congregation and honoring this piece of Newberry's history.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to a legendary team that made my hometown of Menominee, Michigan, proud. Forty years ago, an exceptional Menominee High School basketball team made history, under the coaching leadership of Bob Krysiak. The 1967 Menominee High School basketball team won the Michigan Class B State Basketball Championship in March of 1967. Coach Krysiak's team faced a great deal of adversity during the season, which made winning the State championship seem like an impossible dream. The team was young, with a junior and two sophomores in the starting lineup. Moreover, the team's season was plagued with personnel difficulties and other challenges. Early in the season, Coach Krysiak was forced to remove one player from the team for disciplinary reasons. At mid- season, one of the starters was declared ineligible and all games played in the first half of the season had to be forfeited. Menominee lost the second to the last game of the season to Peshtigo High School, a team that was not, at that time, regarded as a basketball powerhouse. Faced with these daunting circumstances, the Menominee basketball team had little hope of winning even one postseason playoff game. Despite these difficulties, Menominee would persevere and prevail. Under Bob Krysiak's leadership, Menominee won the district championship in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, the team won the regional championship in Marquette, Michigan, earning a trip down State. After dominating a team from Standish-Sterling, Menominee faced the number one ranked team in the State, Lansing O'Rafferty. The game was played on Lansing O'Rafferty's home court on St. Patrick's Day in the State semi-finals. By clinching a hard fought victory from O'Rafferty, Menominee earned the right to face Ypsilanti Willow Run, which was widely regarded as a team superior in strength and skills to Menominee. Madam Speaker, according to those who were there, Coach Krysiak spent much of the 12 hours between games talking to other coaches, to gather scouting information on Willow Run. Willow Run was a bigger, stronger, faster team than Menominee, but Coach Krysiak prevailed in the finals by outsmarting his opponents. He coached his team to lure Willow Run's top player into foul trouble, which proved to be the deciding factor. The game remained in flux and undecided until the final seconds and a thrilling finish. Menominee was not favored to win the district tournament, the regional tournament, or any of the final three games down State. Menominee is the only team to win a State championship after having entered the State tournament with a losing record. In all regards, Menominee was truly the quintessential ``underdog.'' Despite Menominee's underdog status, the community of Menominee rallied behind the basketball team. Twenty bus loads of students, teachers, and fans rode yellow schoolbuses nearly 500 miles from Menominee to East Lansing to watch Menominee play the final two games. They were there in the final moments when Menominee clinched the championship and made this small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula proud. Madam Speaker, in all of America, high school athletics are important to a community's identity. However, in small towns and rural communities, high school athletics become all the more important. This weekend, my hometown, the small town of Menominee, Michigan, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Menominee High School's unexpected Class B High School basketball championship. As the Menominee community comes together to honor the 1967 Menominee Maroons, I would ask that the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in saluting the 1967 Menominee basketball team of Pat Miller, Fred Matz, Dewey Bellisle, Dale Englund, Joe Gypp, Dave Haglund, Skip Heckel, Bob ``Cubby'' Johnson, Bill Jones, Joe Kaufman, Bill Kelley, Jay Nelson, Merle Russell and Rick Stultz, as well as Coach Krysiak. The people of Menominee, Michigan remain grateful to the team and the coach for their inspired and improbable championship, 40 years ago. Today, I am proud to enter their names into the Congressional Record.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Catholic Diocese of Marquette, which celebrates its sesquicentennial this weekend. The Diocese of Marquette enjoys a rich and storied history that stretches back into the earliest days of the U.P.'s settlement. In many ways, the story of Michigan's Upper Peninsula is deeply intertwined with the history of the Diocese of Marquette. Even before the Catholic Diocese and before the United States was a nation, Catholicism played an integral role in the settlement of the U.P. As early as the 1600s, Jesuit missionaries from France began spreading the Gospel to natives of the Upper Peninsula. In 1641, Saint Isaac Jogues was the first to offer Mass in America's third oldest city, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. In 1668 missionary Jacques Marquette, for whom the Upper Peninsula's largest city is named, became the first resident pastor to the Chippewa and Sault Indian tribes. For nearly 350 years, the Jesuits remained a constant presence in the region. Father Frederic Baraga settled in L'Anse in 1843 and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Word. The present-day Diocese of Marquette, encompassing all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, was declared a Vicariate Apostolic within the ecclesiastic Province of Cincinnati in 1853. In 1857 it was established by Pope Pius IX as the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, and the saintly Father Baraga was named its first bishop. Bishop Baraga moved from his missionary efforts at L'Anse to Sault Ste. Marie to carry out his new mission. Unfortunately, Sault Ste. Marie was located 230 miles from L'Anse and Father Baraga found the location too remote of a location to effectively reach the residents of the U.P. In 1865, the seat of the diocese was moved to Marquette, Michigan. At that time, the name was changed to the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette. In 1937, the Diocese assumed its current title, the Diocese of Marquette. Throughout the 20th century Bishop Baraga's successors strived to continue building the church as they increased the number of parishes, missions and Catholic schools throughout the diocese, and encouraged involvement from the laity. By 1953 when the Diocese celebrated its 100th anniversary of being named a vicariate apostolic, the Diocese had grown significantly. At that time the U.P. Diocesan clergy numbered 143. The Diocese encompassed 96 parishes, 42 chapels and 38 missions. The Diocese had six high schools and 28 grade schools. A Centennial Mass was held August 30 at Memorial Field in Marquette and seven additional observances were held in various regions of the U.P. in September and October 1953. Madam Speaker, the Diocese of Marquette remains today a church that is intrinsically linked to the spirit of the Upper Peninsula. It remains a church that actively evangelizes and spreads the Word of the Lord. The Diocese continues to minister to the poor and care for the weak and infirm. My hometown church, the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Menominee, Michigan resides in the Diocese of Marquette. A prayer we say there reflects well the history, spirit and sentiment of the Diocese of Marquette. It reads: May the power and love of Jesus transform our families Our neighborhoods, our society and all nations By becoming a welcoming, forgiving people. May we let our faith shine on the world around us, Radiating the love of Jesus By the everyday way we speak, think and act. This we ask in Jesus Name. Amen Madam Speaker, 150 years since its founding by Bishop Frederic Baraga, the Diocese of Marquette remains a steady bastion of Catholic faith in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Just as the Diocese guided the U.P.'s settlement, it continues to today to serve the residents of the Upper Peninsula. Madam Speaker, this Sunday the Diocese of Marquette celebrates 150 years of service to the people of the Upper Peninsula and 150 years of worship. 2,000 Catholics from throughout the U.P. and 10 Catholic bishops from across the Midwest are expected to attend. Residents of the U.P., of all faiths will come together--to celebrate this historic milestone--and to honor Catholicism in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I would ask, Madam Speaker, that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in paying homage to the Catholic Diocese of Marquette, the clergy who have served there and the many parishioners-- past and present--who make up this Diocese, rich in history, rich in faith and rich in the Lord's spirit.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. Dingell and Mr. Pallone on crafting a well-balanced bill and for all of the hard work you and your staff have spent on the CHAMP Act. The State Children's Health Initiative Program was enacted with bipartisan support a decade ago to reduce the number of low-income, uninsured children by expanding eligibility levels and simplifying application procedures. In 2006, SCHIP provided insurance to 6.7 million children. In Michigan, roughly 118,000 children are enrolled in SCHIP. Eighty-six percent of these SCHIP children are of working parents who are unable to afford private health insurance for their children. SCHIP is vitally important to children living in our country's rural areas. Of the 50 counties with the highest rates of uninsured children, 44 are rural counties. This legislation commits $50 billion to reauthorize and improve the SCHIP program to protect and continue coverage for 6 million children. In addition, this legislation ensures coverage for an additional 5 million children that are eligible but currently uninsured. I am also very pleased to see the rural investments in the CHAMP Act which maintains Congress's commitment to rural America by extending a number of provisions that, if left to expire, would negatively affect rural beneficiaries' access to Medicare health services. The CHAMP Act provides health care for children, expands preventive Medicare medicine for our seniors and helps make health care more affordable, available and accessible in rural America. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a daring feat of technology, design and architecture. This week, the mighty Mackinac Bridge turns 50 and, this weekend, the people of the State of Michigan will celebrate the bridge's remarkable legacy. Before the construction of the bridge, the only way to cross the Straits of Mackinac was by ferry. The area around the Straits of Mackinac had blossomed into a popular summer resort destination. However, year-round boat service across the straits was not practical because, during the cold winters, the waters freeze, forming ice and preventing navigation of the straits. For this reason, as early as the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, the residents of northern Michigan were inspired to dream of a bridge that would span the Straits of Mackinac and unite Michigan's two peninsulas. Nonetheless, it would be several decades before the plans for the bridge began to take shape. The process began formally in 1934, when the Michigan Legislature created the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority of Michigan, to study the feasibility of a bridge, and authorized the Authority to sell bonds for the project. In the mid 1930s, the Authority twice attempted to obtain federal funds for the project but was unsuccessful, despite the endorsement of the United States Army Corps of Engineers and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As early as 1936, a route was determined for the bridge. However, World War II put plans for a bridge on hold. The Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority of Michigan was abolished by the state legislature in 1947 but was reauthorized 3 years later in 1950. In June 1950, a board of three engineers was retained for the project. Following a report by the engineers in January 1951, the state legislature authorized the sale of $85 million in bonds for bridge construction. The bonds were sold and, in 1953, Dr. David B. Steinman was selected as the engineer for the project. Construction of the Mackinac Bridge began in November of 1954. The next 3 years would bring a pitched battle between man and the elements. Engineers and ironworkers would defy nature by building a structure that would span 26,000 feet or approximately 5 miles. Not only would the bridge's five miles make it one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, but also the surrounding environs made the bridge's engineering, design and construction a formidable challenge. While most bridges cross placid water, the turbulent straits of Mackinac are ocean-like, often kicking up waves of more than six feet. The brutal northern Michigan winters further complicated construction. These were the challenging conditions faced by the men and women who built the Mackinac Bridge. The 2,500 ironworkers and other tradesmen that built the bridge arrived at the Mackinac Straits from across the country and the small Michigan towns of St. Ignace and Mackinaw City were not quite ready for the workers' arrival. The laborers came from across the nation, hailing from hometowns in Texas, Idaho, Pennsylvania and Colorado. The laborers who built the bridge called each other by colorful nicknames such as Race Horse Roberts and Beer-Barrel Morgan. Together, they would toil tirelessly and bravely, risking life and limb to erect the bridge. Ultimately, five of them would perish in this endeavor. The risks these workers endured were enormous. Everyday, they climbed to the top of the towers that would support the bridge's suspension cables. Lugging 40-pound belts with hammers, wrenches, bolts and steel rivets they braved 60 mile per hour winds, which would dip the wind chill to 50 degrees below zero. Perched on a catwalk that ran between the bridge's 550-foot tall towers, the ironworkers strung the giant suspension cable from tower to tower. The cables that hold up the Mackinac Bridge are comprised of wires the workers spun together to create the suspension cables. In total, the laborers that built the bridge strung 42,000 miles of wire. In constructing the bridge, they used more than a million tons of concrete and steel. The steel is held together by 4.8 million rivets and a million bolts. In 1957, construction was complete and, on November of that year, the bridge was opened to traffic. Today, 50 years later the Mackinac Bridge continues to tower over the Straits of Mackinac, a testament to those who toiled and died to build it. Travelers driving toward it during the day are awed by the 46-story tall towers stretching into the clouds. By night, when illuminated with thousands of lights, the bridge is an enchanting sight. The Mackinac Bridge stands as a mighty monument. It stands as a testament to the hard work not only of 2,500 tradesmen and ironworkers that built the bridge, but also to the 7,500 workers at quarries, shops and mills in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New Jersey who provided the raw materials to make the bridge. The Mackinac Bridge symbolizes American ingenuity and man's ability to overcome and tame nature. Perhaps most of all, the Mackinac Bridge represents the unison of the State of Michigan, two peninsulas, united by a five mile expanse of concrete and steel. Madam Speaker, this weekend all Michigan residents will officially celebrate the Mackinc Bridge's 50th year. Our state will remember the ingenuity, brilliance and sacrifice that went into building it. I, too, will celebrate as, in the course of traveling my district, I regularly crisscross this mighty bridge, sometimes four times in a single day. Through wind, rain and snow, I have traveled across and explored the Mackinac Bridge from the inside, the outside, from above it and below it. No matter how many times a person crosses the bridge, it always remains a breathtaking sight and a graceful engineering feat! My district is comprised of Michigan's two peninsulas and 1,613 miles of shoreline. Traveling my district would be radically different, and almost impossible, without the Mackinac Bridge, which unites the two peninsulas and all of Michigan's citizens, physically and spiritually. Madam Speaker, as Michigan celebrates the Mackinac Bridge's 50th birthday, I ask that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in paying tribute to this wondrous and uniquely American landmark and to the brave laborers from across our Nation who built it.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a business in my district that has enjoyed a proud history in northern Michigan. This month, Lafarge of North America's cement plant in Alpena, Michigan celebrates its 100th anniversary. For one hundred years, through three different owners, the Alpena cement plant has led the cement industry with innovations and served as an example of the industriousness of the people of northern Michigan. The plant began as the Huron Portland Cement Company. The idea for the plant originated from Harry J. Paxton of Fenton, Michigan. While, during this time, Michigan had many young men full of entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Paxton had a unique passion: Portland cement. He had learned to produce cement while managing a small mill at Fenton. Another one of the early cement pioneers in Alpena was John B. Ford, who served as the company's first president. In January of 1907, Articles of Association were filed for the Huron Portland Cement Company in Lansing, Michigan. The purpose of the corporation was stated simply as ``The Manufacture of Portland Cement.'' Capital stock was listed as merely ``twelve hundred thousand dollars'' divided into twelve thousand shares of the par value of one hundred dollars. From these meager beginnings, the City of Alpena Michigan would grow into its nickname ``Cement City.'' When the plant first started, stone from the quarries in Alpena were loaded by hand into horse-drawn wagons to be delivered to the plant. By these crude means, cement was produced in Alpena, loaded, again, by hand, into ships moored at Alpena's Thunder Bay. The cement was then transported across the Great Lakes to ports throughout the Midwest, where the product served as the basic fabric of America's economic growth and industrialization. As our great Nation paved its roads and built its highways, much of the cement used came from the Huron Portland Cement Company of Alpena, Michigan. Over time, steam driven shovels and rail cars took the place of the horse-drawn wagons and human muscle. In turn, the steam driven shovels and rail cars were replaced by electric shovels and large haul trucks. Today, a large front-end loader and huge haul trucks are used to mine the rock. At Lafarge's modern plant, state-of-the-art electronics, computers and x-ray analyzers controlled by highly skilled and educated employees produce a high quality product with maximum efficiency. Over the years, individuals with great vision, indeed, leaders of the cement industry, developed the cement plant in Alpena. There have been many significant technological developments at the Alpena plant. One of the most important was the invention of the air slide in the late 1940s. After the air slide patent was sold to the Fuller Company, it was refined and became a widely used piece of equipment in a number of industries. The Alpena plant was also the first of two North American plants to use waste heat from its kilns to generate steam, which drives turbines producing electricity. In 4 days, the turbines produce enough electricity to power each residence in the county of Alpena for 3 weeks. In 1957, the plant was purchased by National Gypsum, which owned and operated the Alpena cement plant for nearly 30 years, until the plant was sold to Lafarge of North America. Under Lafarge's leadership, the plant has continued to innovate. In recent years, the Alpena Plant has significantly reduced its use of the virgin natural resources it uses as raw material in the cement manufacturing process, replacing them with waste from other industries. This concept of reusing industries' waste for another industry's raw materials is called ``industrial ecology,'' and LaFarge's Alpena Plant has been a pioneer in this area. This development provides another example of how Lafarge of Alpena has helped lead the North American cement industry into the future. Madam Speaker, 100 years after it was built, the Alpena cement plant still towers over the City of Alpena and Thunder Bay. Today, the Alpena cement plant is the largest plant in Lafarge's North American portfolio, a testament to Lafarge's continued faith and investment in the people and community of Alpena. While a century has passed, the Alpena cement plant remains standing as a physical tribute, a testament to the role northern Michigan and the City of Alpena has played in the cement industry and in our nation's economic growth. This week, the people of Alpena will celebrate 100 years of the plant's existence and their reputation as ``Cement City.'' The workers--past and present--who have labored there as well as the plant's previous and current owner all deserve our enduring respect for their contributions to the cement industry's past, present and future. Madam Speaker, on the centennial celebration of the Alpena cement plant, I would ask that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in saluting this northern Michigan institution.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, carbon monoxide added to meat packaging is deceptive for consumers. Blasting meat with carbon monoxide makes spoiled meat appear to be red, wholesome, healthy when its really dangerous to eat. Although it is well known that consumers rely heavily on color to evaluate the freshness of meat, the FDA has not required the use of carbon monoxide in the packaging of meat to be labeled. Consumers, therefore, have no way of knowing whether the meat has been treated, and they can no longer rely on color to judge the freshness and safety of treated meat. Here's meat we left out for 27 hours. The top's been treated with carbon monoxide, the bottom has not. The bottom is brown and nasty. The top looks fresh and wholesome. Eat either one of these packages of meat and you'll become very ill. For this reason, I will today introduce the Carbon Monoxide Treated Foods Safe Handling, Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. This legislation is needed to help prevent consumer deception and serious risk to our public health. Given the recent events that have highlighted food safety risks to public health, the Carbon Monoxide Treated Meat Safe Handling, Labeling and Consumer Protection Act takes the important step in helping inform and empower consumers to ensure their food is safe and wholesome.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of Mr. Whitfield's amendment that would amend funding for the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act, or NASPER. Two years ago, Congress passed NASPER and it was signed into law, making it the only statutory authorized program to assist States in combating prescription drug abuse of controlled substances through prescription drug monitoring programs. Congress realized that more needed to be done to aid States to set up or improve State systems that enable authorities to identify prescription drug abusers, as well as the problem doctors who betray their high ethical standards of their profession by over or incorrectly prescribing prescription drugs. The new law, NASPER law, authorized $10 million in fiscal year 2008 and $10 million each year through fiscal year 2010. Although NASPER has been signed into law, Congress has yet to appropriate funds to the HHS for this program for the past 3 years. Given the existence of this authorized program, it would seem to be inappropriate not to fund NASPER, while funding unauthorized prescription drug monitoring programs. By doing this, Congress sets a bad precedent in sanctioning the creation and continued operation of Federal programs through the appropriation process. NASPER was passed with bipartisan support after many years of hard work by many Members on both sides of the aisle and those of us who are on the Energy and Commerce Committee. NASPER is the only solution which will assist physicians, establish minimum standards for State prescription drug monitoring programs, and substantially reduce prescription drug abuse. I urge all my colleagues to support the Whitfield amendment. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the author of H.R. 2121, and I'd like to thank Chairman Rahall and ranking member Young and their staff on the Natural Resource Committee for assisting and moving this legislation forward. H.R. 2121 is a straightforward bill that would allow the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society to implement a new Human Use/Natural Resource Management Plan for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Chippewa County, Michigan. While this legislation was approved by the House of Representatives in September of 2006 in the 109th Congress, but the 109th Congress ended before the Senate had time to consider the bill. By acting on this bill now, I am hopeful the House will allow the Senate ample time to consider and approve this legislation. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Since 1992, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has operated the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to educate the public about shipwrecks in the region. The museum provides exhibits on several shipwrecks in the area, including an in-depth exhibit on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost with her entire crew of 29 men near Whitefish Point, Michigan on November 10, 1975. Among the items on display is a 200- pound bronze bell recovered from the wreckage in 1995 as a memorial to her lost crew. In 2002, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Audubon Society, and the local community, finalized a new management plan to improve the experience at the museum. The new management plan, which was signed and agreed upon by all the parties, will allow the Historical Society to expand the museum exhibits while addressing concerns about parking and access to surrounding wildlife areas. However, because the original land grant patent references the previous management plan, legislation to amend the patent is necessary before the new management plan can be implemented. In response, I've introduced this legislation, H.R. 2121, to amend the land grant patent to allow the new plan to be implemented. Congressman Dave Camp from Michigan has joined me in cosponsoring this legislation, and I thank him for his support. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has continuously improved the experience at the museum since it was established in 1992. With the approval of H.R. 2121, Congress will allow the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to further develop this cultural and historical resource. I urge my colleagues to support this simple legislation which will improve the opportunities available to visitors of Chippewa County, Michigan, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. I thank all Members for their cooperation with this legislation.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a musical group from my district that, for the past 50 years, has traveled Michigan's Upper Peninsula, U.P., entertaining crowds with traditional drum and bugle corps music. The Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps began in Ishpeming, MI, on Halloween night in 1957 as an all-boy junior corps. Founded by two dedicated young men, Joe Mayrand and Jim Medlyn, the Blue Notes and Drum Bugle Corps performed in local parades for the first time in the summer of 1958. In 1959, the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps was expanded and an all- girl color guard was added, under the direction of Mary Blight. In 1960, women were accepted into the Blue Notes horn line for the first time. Over the next few years, with strong support of hard working parents and the entire Ishpeming community, along with sponsorship by the American Legion Post 58, money was raised to purchase new uniforms and instruments. With a proud community behind them, the Blue Notes soon grew into a competitive drum and bugle corps, well known throughout the Midwest. During their 20-year existence as a competitive junior drum and bugle corps, the Blue Notes won numerous titles, including 9 State championships. The Corps participated in contests across the Midwest and Canada. Sadly, despite their successes, interest in the Corps dwindled and, in 1977, the junior corps disbanded. Drum and bugle corps music was absent from the Ishpeming area for the next 7 years. However, in 1984, a group of junior corps alumni, then in their twenties and thirties, came together to consider reviving the corps. After discussions and practice, the group gathered and marched through the July 4th parade in Ishpeming, to honor the high school's 100-year reunion celebration. The alumni corps' performance electrified the crowd. Having received such a tremendous reception, the alumni group decided to officially reunite and, since then, the revived Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps have been performing every year since. The revived Corps expanded its membership to include not only Blue Notes alumni, but other drum corps alumni and, any musicians interested in sharing their talents. Today, the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps has members from across Michigan's western U.P., including the communities of Ishpeming, Negaunee, Marquette, Gladstone, Gwinn, Ontonagon, Kingsford, Iron Mountain, and even Hurley, WI. The Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps' membership level has fluctuated throughout the years. While having only 8 members in 1984, the Corps boasted 54 members in 1999. Due to these changes in membership, members of the Corps came to realize that the group's continued existence would require a strong recruiting drive. A committee was formed to concentrate on recruiting new members. They targeted younger musicians, those aged 18 to 21, in order to ensure the Corps would remain vibrant even after its older members leave the group. The recruiting committee's efforts successfully brought several younger members into the group. After seeing the enthusiasm these young people brought to the drum and bugle corps activity, the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps extended membership to high school students. Today, the 2007 Blue Notes ``50th Anniversary Corps'' has members ranging in age from 14 to 60. They come from all walks of life, but are united by a passion for drum and bugle corps music. Marquette County's only drum and bugle corps, and one of two active drum and bugle corps in the Upper Peninsula, the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps are the pride of Ishpeming. Every summer, they conduct 20 performances across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, participating in parades, playing at community celebrations and keeping the drum and bugle tradition alive throughout the U.P. Madam Speaker, the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps' stalwart members, who revived the group after the junior corps disbanded in 1977 and their current members, should be commended for their dedication. This month, the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps celebrates its 50 year anniversary. As the Ishpeming community and Michigan's U.P. honor the Blue Notes Drum and Bugle Corps I would ask that you, Madam Speaker, and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in saluting them, congratulating them on 50 musical years and wishing them many more years of spreading drum and bugle music throughout our Upper Peninsula.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. I thank the Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would require the Environmental Protection Agency to hire the appropriate number and amount of criminal investigators as required by law. EPA's criminal investigators play a critical role in protecting public health and the environment from the most serious offenders. That is why the Pollution Prosecution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-593) specifically requires that not less than 200 special agents be assigned to environmental criminal enforcement. This requirement helps ensure that EPA has the number of investigators and adequate resources necessary to enforce the criminal provisions of our environmental law. EPA's criminal investigation division, CID, is currently at less than 200 special agents. Already understaffed, seven agents from CID are permanently assigned to the EPA's administrator's personal security and do not conduct any investigation work. Additional agents are assigned to provide security when the administrator travels outside Washington, DC, requiring them to abandon any investigation work during that period. The assignment of the EPA's criminal investigators to provide personal security to the EPA administrator diverts resources from the investigation of environmental crimes. While I understand the desire to protect a member of the President's Cabinet, criminal investigators at EPA are doing so at the cost of protecting public health. Because of the additional strain that using CID criminal investigator agents for security has on EPA's ability to investigate criminal violations, it is extremely important that CID be properly staffed. The underlying bill, the bill before us today, provides an increase of $11.8 million for enforcement compared to fiscal year '07. The EPA should have no difficulty in meeting the requirement of 200 criminal investigative agents, which is the standard that was set in 1990. My amendment would not reduce the security provided by the EPA administrator. It would only make certain that the EPA uses this funding provided in the bill to meet their requirements under the Pollution Prosecution Act and their responsibility to the American people. I want to thank Chairman Dicks for consideration of this amendment along with Ranking Member Tiahrt. I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on my amendment.

Mr. STUPAK. I yield to the gentleman from Washington.

Mr. STUPAK. I yield to the gentleman from Kansas.

Mr. STUPAK. I thank Mr. Tiahrt and Mr. Dicks for their words. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. I rise today in support of H.R. 2602, a bill to name the Veterans Affairs medical facility in Iron Mountain, Michigan, after Oscar G. Johnson. I am proud to have authored this legislation and proud to bring it to the floor. Oscar Johnson was a friend of mine, and he was a legend in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I would like to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for their support of this legislation. As was mentioned, Oscar Johnson was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner and a Dickinson County native. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in combat near Scarperia, Italy, in September, 1944. I will not go through all the details, as that has already been done by the previous two speakers who have eloquently outlined the heroic actions of Oscar Johnson. Mr. Hare and Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite did an excellent job in doing that. I would like to add a few other thoughts. As was indicated, Sergeant Johnson's service to his country did not stop after he returned home from World War II. In fact, Mr. Johnson continued to serve honorably as a foreman of the National Guard vehicle maintenance shop in Lansing, Michigan, our State capital. During his 30 years of service, Mr. Johnson worked alongside and guided young soldiers, Vietnam-era veterans, and newly enlisted women in our military service. Oscar Johnson quickly became a beloved member of his local community and exemplified the dedication and sacrifice made by all the men and women who served in the Armed Forces, especially during World War II. He was a local hero and a great American. Mr. Johnson is one of 68 World War II Medal of Honor recipients to have survived combat. Mr. Johnson passed away in 1998 and developed a reputation for conducting himself with modesty, dignity and honor. At this time, I will enter into the Record an article entitled, ``A Soldier's Story,'' which appeared in the Iron Mountain Daily News after his death in 1998. This article eloquently describes Mr. Johnson's heroic actions during World War II and his commitment to this country. A Soldier's Story (By Jim Anderson) Oscar Johnson was reluctant, in a newspaper interview, to relate the details of a World War II battle that earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor. ``The way they describe my role, it sounds like I might have been a little better than I was,'' he said. The story of the battle, as told in his medal presentation, is extraordinary. Johnson, a soldier from Foster City, practically single- handedly defended the left flank of his company's position from a German paratroop regiment. The certificate accompanying his Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, tells it as follows: Near Scarperia, Italy in September 1944, Johnson's company (Company B) was stopped by heavy fire from Monticelli Ridge and took cover behind an embankment. Johnson, a mortar gunner, having expended his ammunition, assumed the duties of a rifleman. As leader of a squad of seven men, he was ordered to establish a combat post 50 yards to the left of Company B to cover its exposed flank. Repeated enemy counterattacks, supported by artillery, mortar and machine gun fire from the high ground, had by the afternoon of Sept. 16 killed or wounded all his men. Collecting weapons and ammunition from his fallen comrades, in the face of hostile fire, he held his exposed position and inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy, who several times came close enough to throw hand grenades. That night, the enemy launched a heavy attack on Company B, putting its greatest pressure against the lone defender of the left flank. In spite of mortar fire that crashed about him and machine gun bullets that whipped the crest of his shallow trench, Johnson stood erect and repulsed the attack with grenades and small-arms fire. He remained awake and on the alert throughout the night, frustrating all attempts at infiltration. On Sept. 17, 25 German soldiers surrendered to him. Two men were sent to reinforce him that afternoon, but were caught in a mortar and artillery barrage. Johnson, ignoring his own safety, rushed to the shell-hole where they lay half-buried and seriously wounded, covered their position by his fire, and assisted a medic in rendering aid. That night, he secured their removal to the rear and remained on watch until his company was relieved. Five companies of the German paratroop regiment had been repeatedly committed to the attack against Company B without success. Twenty dead Germans were found in front of Johnson's position. According to his presidential citation, Johnson's heroic stand and utter disregard for personal safety was in large measure responsible for defeating the enemy's attempts to turn the exposed left flank. Oscar Johnson, one of the rare recipients of the Medal of Honor to have survived combat, died Wednesday at the age of 77. He had gone on, after the war, to serve as foreman of a National Guard vehicle maintenance shop in Lansing. During 30 years of duty with the Guard, he saw a lot of changes. ``During the '50s, we got a lot of boys joining to avoid the draft,'' he said in a 1980 Panax Newspapers interview. ``A lot of them were farm boys who knew a lot about equipment. I enjoyed working with them. Now we get guys in who have to be taught to drive a stick-shift.'' The biggest change, he said, was working with women. ``I can't say anything bad about them,'' he said. ``They make real good jeep drivers and they seem to have more responsibility toward their vehicles. They don't think a thing about pulling out a battery or crawling underneath with an oil pan.'' He said the Vietnam-era veterans he worked with at the Guard were really no different than the veterans of World War II or the Korean War. ``The biggest difference is that they don't get as much attention,'' he said. After his Guard service, Johnson retired in Dickinson County. He was a regular church-goer. A couple of years ago, he attended a Good Friday service at First Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain. I'm sure he attended many others--this happened to be one I managed to make. Part of the service is the reading of the ``Good Friday Solemn Reproaches,'' representing the agony and reproaches of the crucified Savior. This line is included: ``I grafted you into the tree of my chosen Israel, and you turned on them with persecution and mass murder.'' Those lines might have been echoing in my thoughts when I noticed Oscar. The sight of his ruddy face and white hair made it especially clear that it took his sacrifices, and those of countless others, to stop the unspeakable horrors inflicted on Jews in Europe. Near the end of the service, after a silence is kept for meditation on the mystery of redemption, there is a time to visit a cross at the altar. Traditionally, one is to bow before the cross, touch it, or kiss it. Oscar Johnson approached the cross, walking with a slight limp as he did in his later years, but with a sure confidence and grace. He didn't bow before the cross, touch it, or kiss it. What he did was this. He gave it a casual, respectful soldier's salute and limped back to his pew. To this day, the memory of that simple gesture brings forward tears. Maybe it's true, as Johnson claimed, that the Medal of Honor story made him sound a little better than he was. It must also be true that he was more. So it is fitting tonight that we honor Oscar Johnson, his years of service and his family by naming the Veterans Affairs Medical Facility in Iron Mountain Michigan the ``Oscar G. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility.'' This legislation has been endorsed by the city of Iron Mountain, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Mr. Johnson was the last Congressional Medal of Honor winner living in the Upper Peninsula. As I stated earlier, he was a friend of mine. I first introduced this legislation in 2000, it is now 2007. It is time for the family and friends to have the honor of Oscar Johnson having his name attached to the VA Medical Facility in Iron Mountain, Michigan. I would also like to thank the entire Michigan U.S. House delegation for cosponsoring this legislation, and our two Senators, Stabenow and Levin, for their support of this legislation. And I thank the previous speakers. General Leave

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Smith-Stupak amendment, which is the only amendment before the House that would restore the Mexico City Policy. This policy is a vital, pro-life provision intended to protect the integrity of U.S. family planning programs around the world by establishing a clear wall of separation between abortion and family planning. By directing support to organizations that agree not to promote or perform abortion as a method of family planning, we ensure that U.S.-supported programs are not in the abortion business. Let me be clear: Our amendment does not, does not, reduce international family planning funding for services or contraceptives by a single penny. Instead, the policy that we are promoting improves the credibility of international family planning programs by ensuring that they are entirely separated from abortion activities. Despite misleading statements to the contrary, the previous Lowey amendment is not about contraceptives or HIV. We have provisions in the legislation where that language can be put, and it would be perfectly acceptable to all of us. Instead, the Lowey amendments are a direct assault on the Mexico City Policy. The Smith-Stupak amendment restores the Mexico City Policy and in no way reduces funding for contraceptives. U.S. family planning funded in this bill at $441 million should be directed to organizations that do not promote or perform abortions. The effort to prevent unplanned pregnancy by providing contraceptives continues robustly under the Mexico City Policy. As you can see from the chart here before me, U.S.-funded family planning increased dramatically in countries where USAID has found the need to be the greatest. Mrs. Lowey claims Ethiopia and some of these others have actually decreased money. It is simply not true. If you look, in Ethiopia funding has nearly quadrupled, increasing from $4.9 million to $19.5 million under the Mexico City Policy. In Uganda, funding has almost doubled, from $5.2 million to $9.8 million. International family planning is funded at $441 million in this bill, and it will still be funded at $441 million in this bill under the Smith-Stupak amendment. I would give the previous speaker, Mrs. Lowey, credit for being ingenious. It is an ingenious amendment which really undermines the Mexico City language. I urge all Members to support our pro-life and pro-family amendment. Support the Smith-Stupak amendment.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, on Friday, June 15, 2007, I missed votes because I had left Washington, I attend my son's swearing in to the California State Bar. I rise today to enter into the record how I would have voted had I been able to vote. House rollcall vote 466. I would have voted ``no'' on the McHenry Amendment to the Foxx Amendment, which failed by a vote of 108-300. This amendment would have resulted in a 50 percent cut to the General Counsel's office. House rollcall vote 467. I would have voted ``yes'' on the Foxx Amendment, which would have reduced funding of the Office of the Secretary by $1.241 million. House rollcall vote 468. I would have voted ``yes'' on the Fallin Amendment to reduce Office of the Secretary funding by $138,000. House rollcall vote 469. I would have voted ``yes'' on the Drake Amendment, to provide $9.1 million for the 287(g) program, which trains and supports local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws, and reduces the Under Secretary for Management by $10.4 million. House rollcall vote 470. I would have voted ``yes'' on the King of New York amendment, which would provide $40 million for domestic nuclear detection office. House rollcall vote 471. I would have voted ``no'' on the Brown-Waite amendment to provide an additional $89.125 million for border fencing and technology because the bill fully funds the President's $1 billion request. House rollcall vote 472. I would have opposed the Burgess amendment that would have cut the Under Secretary for Management by $15 million and fund the Secure Flight program because the Administration has no plan for this program's operations and privacy protections. House rollcall vote 473. I would have supported the Ferguson amendment which would have cut the Under Secretary for Management by $50 million and increase Buffer Zone Protection grants, doubling funding for the program. House rollcall vote 474. I would have supported the McHenry amendment to cut Under Secretary for Management and increase Citizenship and Immigration Services immigration processing by $30 million. House rollcall vote 475. I would have voted ``no'' on the Pearce Amendment. The amendment would cut aviation explosive investment by $125 million and increases Customs and Border Protection by a like amount. This amendment would delay security improvements to detect explosives at airports and in air cargo. This bill already contains record numbers of border patrol agents and border protection funding. House rollcall vote 476. While I support border fencing, I would have opposed the Carter Amendment. The amendment would eliminate the following requirements--State, local and Federal consultation on border fencing; a 15-day public notification of environmental waivers; and a good-management expenditure plan for the $1 billion provided in this bill for border fencing and technology. As a Representative of a border community, I have strong concerns about eliminating the requirement the Department consults with border communities and states when constructing fencing. House rollcall vote 477. I would have voted ``no'' on the McCaul Amendment, which would eliminate the requirement to certify the cost effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle use at the borders before additional ones may be procured. House rollcall vote 478. I would have voted ``yes'' on Amendment No. 105, offered by Rep. King (IA). The amendment would provide an additional $5 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to promote an employment eligibility program, bringing the total to $35 million. House rollcall vote 479. I would have voted ``no'' on the Bilbray Amendment. The amendment would provide $150 million additional funding to REAL ID, when there was already $50 million in the bill. House rollcall vote 480. I would have voted ``no'' on the McCaul Amendment (No. 99), which would strike a provision in the bill to limit funding in this or any other bill until pending litigation on the human resource system is resolved. House rollcall vote 481. I would have voted ``no'' on the Rogers (KY) Amendment No. 2. The amendment would cap the number of aviation screeners at 45,000. House rollcall vote 482. I would have voted ``no'' on the Poe Amendment. This amendment would require people traveling to and from my District and Canada to have a passport and would not allow the Department of State to implement an alternative passport document. House rollcall vote 483. I would have voted ``yes'' on the LaTourette Amendment to restrict funding in the Act from implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative before June 1, 2009. I strongly support not allowing the administration to implement WHTI before 2009 because the Administration has failed to report on how it will implement the program in a way that does not affect trade and protect the privacy of my constituents. House rollcall vote 484. I would have voted ``no'' on the Tancredo Amendment, which would restrict funding in the Act from implementing the Visa Waiver program, a program with 27 countries today. House rollcall vote 485. I would have opposed the Tancredo Amendment No. 7 which would block State and local communities from receiving grant funding if they are found to be acting in contravention of the law that States and locals cannot prevent the sharing of immigration information with the Federal government. Neither DHS nor the Department of Justice has ever found this to have happened. House rollcall vote 486. I would have voted ``no'' on the Royce Amendment that would require all $1 billion in the bill for border fencing and technology only for two layers of pedestrian fence. House rollcall vote 487 I would have voted ``no'' on the Forbes Amendment which would eliminate the ability to extend Temporary Protected Status granted victims from war-torn countries. House rollcall vote 488. I would have voted ``no'' on the Rogers (KY) Amendment. The amendment would eliminate the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirement in the bill. Our contract workers deserve to be paid a prevailing wage and I strongly oppose this amendment. House rollcall vote 489. I would have voted ``no'' on the Rogers (KY) Amendment No. 1. The amendment would reduce funding in the bill across- the-board by 5.7 percent, or a total of $2.1 billion. House rollcall vote 490. I would have opposed the Republican Motion to Recommit on this bill. House rollcall vote 491. I would have voted ``yes'' on final passage of the Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill, which includes $1 billion for border security, funding for an additional 500 agents on the northern border, and reverses cuts made by the administration to critical first responder grant programs. House rollcall vote 492. I would have voted against the Hayes Amendment, which would cut $30 million, or 15 percent, from the NATO Security Investment Program. House rollcall vote 493. I would have voted for the Blumenauer/Brown- Waite Amendment to cut $201 million from the BRAC 2005 account and increase the BRAC 1990 account by $50 million. There is currently a $3.5 billion backlog in environmental clean up projects necessary as a result of previous BRAC rounds. This amendment ensures that we continue to make progress on rehabilitating old bases. House rollcall vote 494. I would have voted ``no'' on the Price Amendment to cut $50 million from the BRAC 1990 account, which funds old environmental clean up programs. The amendment would then increase VA medical services funding by $22 million. The bill already includes $28.9 billion for veterans' medical care, the largest increase in the history of the VA. House rollcall vote 495. I would have voted ``yes'' on the Moran Amendment. This amendment would have increased the beneficiary transportation account by $10 million. House rollcall vote 496. I would have voted ``yes'' on the Garrett Amendment to add $10 million to the State Extended Care facilities account. As I represent the Jacobetti Veterans Home in Marquette, MI, I have been a strong supporter of veterans' homes. House rollcall vote 497. I would have voted ``yes'' on the Musgrave/ Salazar amendment to prohibit the Army from studying the possible expansion of the Pinon Canyon maneuver site, a training site in Colorado. House rollcall vote 498. I would have voted ``yes'' on the final passage of the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which included the largest increase in VA funding in U.S. history.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, which would fund new nuclear weapons development by taking $193 million from the National Nuclear Security Administration nonproliferation account. NNSA plays a very important role in helping us to secure nuclear weapons, ``loose nukes,'' as we call them in committee, around the world. The program helps secure nuclear material in Russia and elsewhere. This funding includes $412 million for the installation of radiation portal monitors at over 200 border crossings in Russia, the Baltic States and the Caucasus region, $293 million more than the President's budget. Rather than commit billions of dollars to manufacturing another generation of nuclear weapons, our existing nuclear arsenal can be sustained using the life extension program managed by NNSA. If we cut $193 million from it, there will be no way we can maintain this life extension program. The JASON Report, a panel of independent nuclear weapons experts, reported last year that the existing plutonium pit will remain reliable for 100 years, far longer than the 45 or 60 years. We don't need new weapons. Let's put the money where it will do the most good, to secure ``loose nukes'' around the world. Support the chairman in this position, and do not support the Udall amendment.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a family business in my district. For 75 years, Plaunt Transportation has ferried people and goods to Bois Blanc Island in Lake Huron, just a few miles north of Cheboygan, Michigan. For those 75 years, through four generations of Plaunts, the company has remained in one family. Bois Blanc Island sits about 2\1/2\ miles east of Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. While the island is home to only about 25 to 30 year-round residents, during the summer, the population swells to 1,500. Plaunt Transportation traces its roots to 1932, when Charles Plaunt began transporting supplies and eight passengers to this remote island on his ferry, the Margaret. It was that same year, 1932, that Charles Plaunt took over the contract to deliver mail from mainland Cheboygan to Bois Blanc Island. In 1934, the Adventure was put into service, carrying up to 20 passengers. In 1937, the Adventure was replaced by the Ada M, which was named for Charles' wife. From its earliest days, Plaunt Transportation has been a family business in every sense of the word. Charles' son, Ray, began helping his father on the boat in 1937. At that time, there were only two bags of mail to deliver. Charles would deliver one bag of mail to the post office and Ray would drive the Model T to the Coast Guard Station on Bois Blanc and deliver the second bag. During World War II, Charles' four sons were away defending our Nation in the war. During this 4-year period, Charles' teenage daughter, Ethelyn, helped out on the boat, first as a deckhand and, eventually, steering the boat. Together, Ethelyn and her father braved storms and the freezing lake to ferry passengers and U.S. mail from the mainland to the island. Ray Plaunt took over the business from his father in 1948, a year before Charles passed away. In 1954, Ray had the Char-Leann II built in Holland, Michigan. The boat, named for his daughters, could carry 28 passengers or 1 vehicle and 6 passengers. To accommodate the changing needs of the island, a barge was used to carry additional vehicles and equipment. Plaunt Transportation incorporated in 1979, and put into service the Chee-Maun-Nes, which carried 2 vehicles and 49 passengers. Ray's son, Curt, bought the business from his father in 1987. Curt had a boat designed and built in Warren, Rhode Island in 1987. He named it the Kristen D after his daughter. The Kristen D could carry 8 vehicles and 49 passengers. In 1998, the Kristen D was lengthened by 30 feet in Escanaba, Michigan, making it easier to carry heavy equipment, as well as semi, cement and garbage trucks. The vessel can accommodate 17 vehicles and 149 passengers. Ray's son, Curt, bought the business from his father in 1987. Ray's grandsons, Ryan McLaren and Jason Plaunt, are both fourth generation licensed boat captains. Another captain, Brente Sharpe, is not a Plaunt, but has worked with the Plaunt family for so long he is considered a member of the family. While they cannot put an exact figure on it, Curt and Ray estimate that together they have made over 50,000 trips across Lake Huron Bois Blanc Island. Today, customers continue each day to board the Kristen D and take the 40 minute ride from the tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula to Bois Blanc Island. It appears the Plaunt family legacy will continue: Charles Plaunt's great-great grandson has already decided at the age of 4 that when he grows up he, too, would like to be a boat captain. Madam Speaker, family businesses are, in many ways, the core of the American system of enterprise. Since our country's inception, in the biggest American cities and the smallest towns, businesses run by families have built and maintained the infrastructure of our economy. No better example can be found of a family driven entrepreneurial spirit than the Plaunts. Their four generations of dedicated service to Cheboygan and to Bois Blanc Island are to be admired. In frozen lakes, through blinding rain, in good weather and in bad, for three-quarters of a century, the Plaunts have kept Bois Blanc Island in touch with the mainland. As Plaunt Transportation celebrates their 75th year of service, I would ask that you, Madam Speaker, and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in saluting them.

Mr. STUPAK

Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, when America's troops volunteer to serve our Nation, they do so believing that the government that sends them into harm's way will live up to its promise to care for them when they return home. However, as we have seen from the debacle at Walter Reed and the current backlog of 400,000 benefits claims pending at the VA, our veterans do not always receive the level of service and care they deserve. Today, this Democratic Congress is taking a vital step in addressing these issues by bringing up a Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill that provides the largest increase in funding for veterans health care in the VA's 77-year history. The funding bill also allocates much-needed funding for mental health and PTSD services; additional funds for construction and modification of extended care facilities; and critical funding for the operation and maintenance of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. This legislation is critical to providing our Nation's veterans with the benefits their service entitles them to and gives the VA the resources necessary to ensure we meet their growing needs. It deserves strong bipartisan support today; and under Democratic leadership, they will receive it.