Rob Simmons

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Well, I have a concluding remark, and I think the gentleman from North Carolina does as well.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. It is a great pleasure for me to be here tonight to speak in support of our wonderful Coast Guard and the great things that they have done, not only in response to the terrible storm, Hurricane Katrina, but also the many things that they have done over the years to keep our people and our homeland more secure. It is also nice to gather in a bipartisan fashion not to point fingers of blame, but to speak words of praise, because I think that is very appropriate. The time will come when the various oversight panels, commissions and committees, our own oversight committees will do the job of looking into what has gone wrong; but I think it is easy for us to gather here tonight and point out some of the things that have gone right. The distinguished coastie to my left, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), a Coast Guard person many years ago, not too many years ago, but a few years ago, pointed out the motto is ``Semper Paratus,'' always ready. They prepare their young men and young women in one of the finest institutions we have in this country, which is the Coast Guard Academy in New London, and I quickly say that the number of applications for that fine academy, for positions available, exceeds the number of applications that you get for your very fine Harvard college in Massachusetts and my very fine university in Connecticut. In fact, of all colleges across the country, the Coast Guard Academy receives more applications for positions available than any other college in the country. It is a testament to the quality of education that they get there. It is a testament to the fine young men and women who graduate.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman is absolutely correct. When we talk about being prepared or always being prepared, that preparation does begin for many of our Coast Guard officers at the academy. Of course then you have the OCS, which is also located at the academy. You have senior officer training, and you have leadership training for the noncommissioned officers in the Coast Guard. So they are prepared. They are prepared to deal with difficult and dangerous situations. They are prepared to deal with fishermen at sea to make sure that our fisheries are regulated. They are prepared to deal with the recreational boaters that we have off the coast of Massachusetts, we have in Connecticut, and I suspect those are off the coast of North Carolina as well; and when those recreational boaters find themselves in difficulty, the Coast Guard is there. They were prepared on 9/11, and when I went to New York City a few days after the attacks of 9/11, it was a Coast Guard cutter in the harbor of the Hudson River and a Coast Guard helicopter that was flying overhead, so a very quick and immediate response. On Wednesday of the week of Hurricane Katrina, the day after the levees broke, I received a call from a friend of mine who lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he called to ask for my help to intervene in getting some Federal response down there as soon as possible. The next morning when I called him back, he said he had received a call from the Coast Guard, that he had called them and they called him back and that two Coast Guard vessels were in the process of clearing the channel up into Louisiana to provide supplies, food, fuel and all of the things that were necessary, and that they had done it within 24 hours of the breaking of the levees. So it was a Federal response that was immediate and directed to assist people in distress. The results speak for themselves. There were 24,135 lives saved; 33,544 individuals saved or evacuated. And 12,000 of those were saved by air resources. That means helicopters with long lines down into tree tops and roof tops, which is, by the way, a very dangerous undertaking not only for the individual on the end of the line but for the helicopter pilot and the crew because often they have to hover over power lines or trees where they can strike and crash. But none of those things took place.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), and I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) again for raising these issues tonight. When we consider the flexibility of these men and women in addressing a problem that perhaps they had not seen before, and yet they did it successfully, they heard noises from the attics and rooftops, and they addressed those problems' need immediately. They broke through and were able to bring people out. It is a great testament to the service and to their willingness to risk their lives and their safety to save others. That always has characterized the Coast Guard. I think it is a testament to the excellence of this service that when it became clear that the Federal response was not producing the results that we all would have wanted in that circumstance, for reasons which will be determined at some future date, who was named to take over? It was Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen, chief of staff, third-ranking man in the Coast Guard, somebody I have met and known before, somebody who has had distinguished sea duties, somebody who actually headed up the Long Island Sound Station for a number of years. He is a highly educated, highly experienced, highly trained man with a somewhat low profile, but the capability to get the job done. That is so typical of our Coast Guard, that they are not out there with a lot of flash and a lot of pizzazz; but they get the job done, and that is so important.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, let me speak briefly to that. I have had the honor for the last 4\1/2\, 5 years, to serve on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. We initially supported the recommendations that were made by Admiral Loy, when he was commandant, to initiate the Deepwater project, which was the most ambitious recapitalization project in probably the whole history of the Coast Guard. And I am looking at the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble). We might consider him a legacy asset as well, because his historic knowledge of the Coast Guard is so substantial. But I will tell the Members he is just as sharp today as he has ever been; so some legacies are good. But one of the key considerations that we had when we bought on to the Deepwater project was, would the Coast Guard be able to implement this program successfully, and it was a very ambitious program, implement it successfully over a period of years? Certainly the subcommittee and the full committee under the leadership of the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman LoBiondo) and the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) have been extremely supportive. On occasions there has been some slippage in the funding, and we have tried to address that as a body. We know that the Coast Guard has to submit through OMB and that there are always challenges in doing that. But I think that this Congress has committed itself in a bipartisan fashion to the Deepwater project, and I think that we are beginning to see the phasing out of some of those legacy assets. My recollection is a year or so ago, we took over 100 small vessels out of the inventory and have been replacing them with more capable boats, which I think is tremendously important. But also something that many Americans do not focus on when it comes to the role of the Coast Guard in homeland security and in dealing both with natural disasters and manmade disasters like 9/11 is we anticipate that there may be a breakdown of civil order in an area that is hit by a disaster of this sort. That is just something that we expect. And the Coast Guard, unlike the military, is not restrained by posse comitatus. The Coast Guard has arrest powers. They exercise those arrest powers in the war on drugs, where they operate in the Caribbean and elsewhere, and they are allowed to board ships and to arrest. They can exercise those powers in issues such as smuggling or other illegal activities. But, in fact, the Coast Guard has the capacity to go into an area that has been devastated by a natural or a man-made disaster where civil order has broken down, where there is no communication, where police cannot talk to firemen, firemen cannot talk to police. They can actually go in and they can arrest those who are doing harm and save those who need to be saved. And that is a unique capacity for our Coast Guard, and it reflects a very important capability as we look to the future of homeland security.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, a very sad moment in our history, but a moment where, once again, the Coast Guard was there and got the job done, the gentleman may recall just a few years ago the son of the late President Kennedy was flying an aircraft along the New England Coast, accompanied by his wife and his wife's sister. And, tragically, the aircraft went down just to the west of Block Island at the mouth of Long Island Sound. And it was a terrible event for all of us who remembered his father and the terrible tragedy of his father's death, and now it seemed that once again this family was in distress and that something terrible had happened to them. But the Coast Guard from our New London station and the Coast Guard from the Long Island Sound station moved out there very quickly and very efficiently. They set up staging areas offshore. They were able to locate the aircraft and to recover the aircraft in what was a sad moment but an important moment in our history, and they did it in a fashion that was respectful, that respected the Kennedy family, and also respected the emotions of all Americans who followed that tragic case for a couple of days, and they did it without fanfare and without a lot of hoopla. They just went about their business and got it done.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, are we getting close to the end of our time?

Mr. SIMMONS. That is what we call a very ``appropriate'' comment. Two concluding remarks, and I thank the gentleman for this Special Order. The first is that approximately 2,200 active duty Coast Guard members and their families live and work in the area of Katrina, and many of those 2,000 families, Coast Guard families, active-duty Coast Guard families lost their homes and discovered that their families were evacuees, just as much as were citizens along the gulf coast. Yet in spite of that distress, they continue to perform in an outstanding fashion. The Coast Guard Foundation, which is located in my hometown of Stonington, Connecticut, put out a press release that all retirees and all folks who participate in supporting the Coast Guard Foundation are invited to provide financial assistance, and they hope to raise about $1 million of financial assistance to help those active duty families to recover with incidentals and costs that may not be covered as a routine matter. So once again, it is an example of the Coast Guard family reaching out to take care of their own, to provide assistance, which is so much a part of the tradition of the Coast Guard. Finally, I am most honored as an Army officer to be here with these distinguished Coast Guard officers and ``Coasties,'' but I will share with my colleagues a personal story. My wife's father was in the Coast Guard, was the captain of the New London Port for a period during World War II, and then did convoy duty across the Atlantic for about 3\1/2\ years. So I feel a little bit of the tradition of the Coast Guard; and as we work to assist and support the next generation of Coasties, I think back to my father-in-law and his generation and all of the great things that they did. Again, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentleman from North Carolina for inviting me to participate.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, the foundation is located in Stonington, Connecticut, and their phone number is 860-535-0786, or they can call my office and we would be happy to put them in touch.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements and service of Willimantic Fire Department Chief John Walsh, who has served the Connecticut community of Willimantic for more than two decades. He has served as a firefighter for more than 50 years. Chief Walsh began his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1954. In January 1960 he joined the Hartford Fire Department where he demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and ability. In 1968 he was promoted to Lieutenant and in 1980 he achieved the rank of Captain. In December 1983 he became Chief of the Willimantic Fire Department. His work on behalf of his fellow firefighters extended beyond the community. In 1988 and 1989 he was President of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs and he is a member of the New England Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association. Firefighters are on call seven days a week, 12 months a year. There are no holidays for firefighters. Tragedy never takes a holiday and when it strikes a community, firefighters are among the first to respond. Individuals are not recognized for what they have taken but for what they have given. Chief John Walsh's family, colleagues and friends honor him for what he has given to his community. I am proud to add my voice to theirs. Through his commitment and character he has made Willimantic a better place in which to live, work and raise a family. Thank you, Chief Walsh, for your service.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, today we have approved $10.5 billion in Federal funding to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This is one of the largest natural disasters to ever hit the United States, and it is essential that Federal, State and local governments work together in a bipartisan fashion to provide the relief that is vitally needed. As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I recognize the important job that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has to coordinate disaster relief and life-saving efforts. The funding that we provide here today will go a long way to supporting that effort. The effort to recover the Gulf Coast is costing FEMA $750 million a day. At that rate, we anticipated we would run out of funding by next Tuesday, so it is critical that we deliver this help today, and we have. Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, but this is not just a Gulf Coast disaster. We are all in this together. We are all Americans. We all want to help our fellow citizens. Back home in my State of Connecticut, Governor Rell and Members of the delegation are taking action. We have activated 100 National Guard troops with experience as military police to try to help regain civil order in New Orleans. In addition, the governor has added four colleges in our State university system to offer free tuition and space to students from Connecticut who otherwise were studying at colleges that have been demolished by the storm. The governor has called upon Connecticut residents to do what they can to help, and they are responding. Around the State, civic groups, churches, businesses, and individuals are collecting bottled water, blankets, batteries and other essentials to ship into the region. Just this morning, my wife, Heidi, dropped off food and baby formula at the New London armory in an effort to help. Others are doing the same. Hurricane Katrina has given America a tremendous challenge. Family members cannot contact loved ones and are unaware of their condition and their fate. There are sanitation and health problems that must be addressed. People are homeless and need to be evacuated. Children are out of school and need to get back into school. The hurricane and the ensuing flood were deadly, disruptive and costly. We must respond as a people and stay united in that response. Just as we recovered from the man-made disaster of 9/11 a few years ago, so we will recover from this natural disaster as well, if we work together. If we are divided, we fail. We fail ourselves, we fail those who look to us and who need us and we fail the Nation.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I was regrettably detained in a meeting regarding the Base Realignment and Closure process affecting SUBASE New London in my district, and was unable to be on the House Floor for rollcall votes 390 and 394. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 290, an amendment offered by Rep. King (IA), and ``yea'' on rollcall 294, an amendment offered by Rep. Watson.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise the service and sacrifice of a brave young soldier from my district, SPC Christopher Lee Hoskins, who gave his life in the cause of freedom and democracy in Iraq. I also pay tribute to SPC Hoskins' family, who raised this fine young man in an environment of loving care and who supported his decision to serve his country in uniform in Iraq. On June 21, Army SPC Christopher Hoskins, of Killingly, Connecticut, was killed in Ramadi, Iraq, after his unit came under small arms fire west of Baghdad. The death of SPC Hoskins, who was a member of the Army's 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, marked the 25th death of a Connecticut soldier in the war in Afghanistan and the Middle East. SPC Hoskins was 21 years old. He, along with so many other fine young men and women from across our Nation, was serving America and the cause of freedom by fighting terrorism and helping to bring stability to a part of the world that for far too long has known mainly violence and misery. SPC Hoskins graduated from Killingly High School in 2001. He enlisted in the Army in 2003. He had recently re-enlisted for another four years. In many ways, SPC Hoskins was typical of most American youths. His friends recalled that he was generous and polite; he enjoyed listening to Metallica; he played chess and was a member of his high school wrestling team; he enjoyed painting and he worked the cameras at school plays. And in many ways he was typical of the men and women who preceded him as members of our Nation's armed forces. This was a young man who wanted to serve a cause larger than himself. This was a young man who did not have to place himself in harm's way but volunteered to do so in service to our Nation, our people and the way of life that we treasure. America is a better place because of young men like Army SPC Christopher Hoskins. We cannot repay the debt we owe Christopher Hoskins; we can only honor him and his family. And we do. Memorial Day was set aside as the day when Americans remember those who left their homes, families and jobs to defend our Nation--and never returned. But our men and women in uniform defend freedom every day, and every day there are those who pay the ultimate price for their selflessness. It would be highly appropriate if we took a moment out of every day to honor and remember the men and women who stand between America and those who would do her harm. Today, July 14, 2005 SPC Hoskins was interred at Arlington National Cemetery overlooking Washington, D.C. with full military honors. He will posthumously receive a Purple Heart for his wounds and a Bronze Star for his valor. SPC Hoskins will rest in good company, among others who answered the call to duty, honor and country. We pray that the service and sacrifice of SPC Hoskins will remind us of the high cost which is paid by those who love our freedom, who believe in our democracy and who give their best to defend the best Nation on Earth. May God rest his soul.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment is very straightforward. It simply requires that the collection of Federal taxes will continue to be done by officials of the IRS and not by private contractors. This amendment is similar to one that was introduced by the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) last year and passed by voice vote, although it was ultimately taken out of the bill in conference. I think all of us, Mr. Chairman, want a Federal system that efficiently collects taxes, but we cannot do it at the expense of taxpayers' rights or privacy. If the IRS is allowed to go forward with the outsourcing of tax collection, millions of taxpayer files will be made available to private debt collection companies. These companies, in turn, will collect up to a 25 percent fee for any collections from American taxpayers. This type of incentive system on the part of collectors is ripe for abuse and ripe for harassment, which is why the IRS specifically prohibits its own employees from being engaged in a quota system with regard to tax collection. Mr. Chairman, each year millions of Americans voluntarily disclose sensitive personal information to the IRS with the expectation that it will be handled with the utmost discretion and care, that it will be protected from erroneous or deliberate disclosure outside the IRS. Yet current law allows the IRS to disclose this information to third-party contractors. This cannot be allowed to stand. Do we really want to release commission-hungry tax collection agents on the American public? Is this really good public policy? Mr. Chairman, at a time when we are concerned about identity theft, we should not be in the business of putting sensitive information into the hands of private contractors. Just today, the Washington Post did an editorial, Have You Been Stolen? And it says, ``Once your name, date of birth, address and Social Security number go astray, you are permanently at risk.'' Yet, if we do not pass this amendment that I have offered here today, millions of American taxpayers will be permanently at risk. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, could I ask how much time I have remaining?

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, in those 30 seconds I would like to say that taxes today are complicated. Senior citizens have problems with them. Single moms have problems with them. Small business owners have problems with them. Mistakes can be made. But the collection should not be turned over to commission-based bounty hunters. We should not adopt a policy that turns these people loose on our citizens. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that this amendment be withdrawn, as I understand that there is a point of order against it.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the LaTourette amendment to ensure that we keep Amtrak up and running. With hundreds of workers and thousands of riders, Connecticut relies every day on a healthy and efficient passenger rail service to sustain our way of life. Were Amtrak to cease operations the ripple effect on my district would be near catastrophic. Hundreds of workers and their families would be without a source of income, thousands of riders would be forced to use an already-clogged 1-95 or equally congested local roads and millions of commuters and business in my district and throughout the state would be inconvenienced and perhaps worse. Passenger rail in my district and throughout the heavily-populated Northeast Corridor simply cannot survive without Federal support. While an improvement from the administration's allocation, the $550 million provided to Amtrak in this funding bill must be increased to sustain our passenger rail system. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the LaTourette amendment and to continue our Nation's commitment to a viable passenger rail system.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, I was regrettably delayed in my return to Washington, DC from an official visit to Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia and was unable to be on the House floor for rollcall votes 308 to 314. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall 308, an amendment offered by Representative Price (GA); ``yea'' on rollcall 309, an amendment offered by Representative Miller (CA); ``nay'' on rollcall 310, an amendment offered by Representative Brown (OH); ``yea'' on rollcall 311, an amendment offered by Representative Filner; ``nay'' on rollcall 312, an amendment offered by Representative King (IA); ``nay'' on rollcall 313, an amendment offered by Representative Hefley; and, ``nay'' on rollcall 314, an amendment offered by Representative Hinchey.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, as the Republican Chairman of the U.S.- Vietnam Caucus here in the House, I rise today to welcome His Excellency Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister of Vietnam. I am delighted to be here to celebrate this historic occasion--the first official visit of the Prime Minister of Vietnam to the United States Capitol here in Washington, DC. Thirty five years ago I served in Vietnam as a soldier. Two years ago I returned to that country searching for the remains of a fellow soldier from my district, Captain Arnold Holm, who was shot down in Thua Thien Province in 1972. Although we never found his crash site or his remains, the Vietnamese Government and people were extraordinarily generous and helpful as we searched. And while we did not find the crash site of Captain Holm, we did find something else of great value. We found Americans and Vietnamese of courage, good will and generous spirit who believed the time had come to heal the wounds of war. As Senator John McCain said last night, we found people who were willing to forget the pain of the past and move forward as friends to build a better future for all our people. When I returned from my visit to Vietnam I joined my friend and colleague Lane Evans to create the U.S.-Vietnam Caucus. The purpose of this caucus is to build constructive relationships between our two countries; to search for and recover the remains of soldiers of both countries; to develop tourism and trade; to promote educational exchanges; and to build better relations between our people. Sir Winston Churchill once remarked, ``The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.'' I am an optimist. While there is much work left to do, today is a day of optimism--a day to celebrate the progress we have made so far and a day to let that progress encourage us as we walk together towards an even better future.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. The Community Services Block Grant provides the core funding for our local community action agencies, allowing them to address the problems that leave individuals in poverty. Through job skills and employment programs, through educational opportunities for young children like Head Start, and through nutritionally sound programs like WIC, community action agencies work to make their community a better place to live and to offer opportunities for the economically disadvantaged to be successful and break the chains of poverty. This Congress has continually demonstrated its support for CSBG. In fact, the Conference Agreement on the FE 2006 Budget Resolution added $600 million to maintain CSBG funding at its current level and the letter I circulated with my colleagues, Representatives Phil English (R-PA) and Brian Baird (D-WA) in support of level funding for CSBG garnered 122 bipartisan signatures. Yet the bill we are considering today cuts CSBG funding in half. At a time when demands on our community action agency services from the working poor, older Americans, and families struggling with unemployment continue to increase, it is essential that Congress maintain its commitment to CSBG. In my home state of Connecticut, this 50% reduction in funds to CSBG will result in a serious reduction of social services to our most vulnerable communities, reduction in services assisting families moving from welfare to work, and will seriously impact our community action agencies' ability to leverage other community dollars. The Thames Valley Council for Community Action in New London County, for example, generates and leverages $27 in other resources for every $1 funded under CSBG. Mr. Chairman, it is clear the CSBG dollars are a smart investment for this Congress and are essential to our nation's most vulnerable citizens. While my colleagues and I intend to withdraw our amendment today, I thank the distinguished Chairman for the opportunity to debate this important issue here today and I look forward to working with him to increase funding through the remainder of the legislative process.

Mr. SIMMONS

Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I was regrettably delayed in my return to Washington, DC from an official visit to Kings Bay, Georgia and was unable to be on the House Floor for rollcall votes 274 to 282. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 274, an amendment offered by Mr. Royce; ``yea'' on rollcall 275, an amendment offered by Mr. Fortenberry; ``yea'' on rollcall 276, an amendment offered by Mr. Flake; ``yea'' on rollcall 277, an amendment offered by Mr. Chabot and Mr. Lantos; ``yea'' on rollcall 278, an amendment offered by Mr. Pence; ``nay'' on rollcall 279, an amendment offered by Mr. Gohmert; ``nay'' on rollcall 280, an amendment offered by Mr. Stearns; ``yea'' on rollcall 281, the Lantos/Shays substitute; and ``yea'' on rollcall 282, final passage on H.R. 2745.