David Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. We have no further speakers. I yield back my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1461) recognizing the 10th anniversary of the terrorist bombings of the United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the memorializing of the citizens and families of the United States, the Republic of Kenya, and the United Republic of Tanzania whose lives were lost and injured as a result of these attacks, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. August 7, 1998, is a day that will never be forgotten. With near simultaneous vehicular bombing attacks by members of al Qaeda on our embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the United States was challenged to face a new world. The violence that day claimed the lives of Americans, Kenyans, and Tanzanians with a death toll of 213 individuals in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania. The injured numbered well over 5,000. As great as the tragedy that day, without the dedication and bravery of the security individuals of those embassies, those acts of terrorism would have been far more catastrophic. Shortly after the bombings, Congress provided $50 million in emergency supplemental appropriations to aid in the recovery process. And last October, the House passed the Foreign Service Victims of Terrorism Act of 2007 which provides compensation to the families victimized by these tragedies who are still recovering from their loss. Our embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam have been rebuilt. Nevertheless, we must never forget the tragedy of that fateful day, and we must always remember the significance of the lives of those lost. Madam Speaker, that is why I strongly urge and support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in that support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is with both sorrow and gratitude that we indeed recognize this 10th anniversary of the terrorist bombings of the United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and in memorializing the citizens and families of the United States, the Republic of Kenya, and the United Republic of Tanzania whose lives were lost and injured as a result of these horrible terrorist attacks.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to extend 3 minutes to the distinguished congresswoman from Nevada, Ms. Shelley Berkley.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. I yield the gentlelady 1 additional minute.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume. First I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida and the chairman of the Europe Subcommittee, Mr. Wexler, for introducing this important resolution calling for immediate and just restitution of illegally seized property from the Nazi era. Among the many atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II was the illegal confiscation of private homes, of businesses, of art work, and communal property. Many of these stolen assets were retained by the Communist governments after the war. While the vast majority of Central and Eastern European countries should be praised for passing property restitution laws in order to right historical wrongs, others have failed to enact necessary legislation, or they have thrown legal roadblocks in the way of individuals or religious and communal organizations who are seeking to reclaim property rightfully belonging to them. Though it had the largest pre-war Jewish community in Europe, Poland has, for over half a century, resisted efforts to return private property--be it homes or businesses--stolen by the Nazi and Communist governments to its original owners. I am very heartened now to learn that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is currently finalizing a draft restitution bill, and I hope the Polish Parliament approves this long overdue legislation. My concern is that we have been down this road before with previous Polish governments, all of whom have failed to deliver on their promises. The Lithuanian Government has been similarly disappointing in its failure to implement fair and comprehensive restitution legislation. While it should be commended for enacting laws that provide restitution for individual property owners, attempts to pass legislation paving the way for the return of nonreligious communal Jewish property taken by the Nazis, such as schools and hospitals, have stalled. As many of those individuals awaiting restitution are in their waning years, it is imperative that the United States continue to encourage the governments of Poland, Lithuania, and others to adopt meaningful legislation ensuring the prompt return of or compensation for property seized during the Nazi and Communist eras. I strongly support this resolution, Madam Speaker, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in doing the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. I'd like to just add this one point in closing, that it is so important that we take this opportunity as a United States Congress to put pressure on Poland and Lithuania and other countries to adopt meaningful legislation ensuring prompt return and/or compensation for the property seized during the Nazi and Communist eras. This is the height of injustice. We have an opportunity to right a terrible wrong, and it is important that we pass this legislation and send a very strong message to these countries to finally, finally restore the property and/or the compensation to these individuals. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 5834) to amend the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 to promote respect for the fundamental human rights of the people of North Korea, and for other purposes.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I wanted to first thank our colleague and the ranking member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, who introduced this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, the human rights situation in North Korea remains one of the bleakest on the planet. This is an extraordinarily important piece of legislation which speaks to some extraordinary abuses of human rights in North Korea. As we speak, millions of North Koreans live in desperate conditions; political, economic, and religious freedoms are nonexistent, and many are starving and undernourished and live in fear of arbitrary arrests when they know they may be tortured or executed. The North Korean government knows that access to information outside the country is a threat to the regime's control, and so it maintains an absolute grip over all legal media using it to manipulate the population into believing that life is no better anywhere else on the planet. Those who manage to leave the country in North Korea face further danger. They face denial of rights and threats to their lives. China stubbornly refuses to categorize North Koreans who flee horrific living conditions and persecution as refugees. Instead, they label them as ``economic migrants.'' This disingenuous semantic trick relieves Beijing of its obligation to assist the North Koreans who escape into China in accordance with international conventions on refugees to which Beijing is a signatory. North Koreans are routinely arrested and abused by the Chinese authorities and sent back to North Korea where they are considered traitors. Upon return, they are arrested. They're likely tortured, and sometimes, Mr. Speaker, they are killed. The suffering people of North Korea need assistance. And in 2004, Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support the North Korea Human Rights Act in an effort to focus U.S. attention on their plight. This Act provided new resources to assist North Korean refugees, support democracy and human rights programs and improve access to information through radio broadcasts and other activities. It is also required that the President appoint a special envoy on North Korean human rights. Our bill, H.R. 5834, reauthorizes this vitally important legislation. The current bill extends the North Korean Human Rights Act through fiscal year 2012 and enhances the role of the special envoy by making it an ambassadorial rank and requiring it be a full-time position. H.R. 5834 was passed by the House on May 15 of this year, and the Senate made minor amendments to the bill on September 22. Mr. Speaker, the North Korean Human Rights Act has been instrumental in ensuring the issue of human rights for North Koreans remains a key priority of U.S. policy toward North Korea. I strongly support this legislation. It is badly needed. And I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5611) to reform the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I just want to again echo my sentiments, and appreciate the fine work that Mr. Davis has done on this. It's been a pleasure working with him and the full committee and all of our staffs combined and working with the insurance industry itself and especially our agents to make their work smoother and to pass a bill that is very forward-looking to improve consumer benefits on their end. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I want to thank Chairman Kanjorski of the Capital Markets Subcommittee, as well as Chairman Frank, for working with us and allowing H.R. 5611, the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act, to be considered today. This is, indeed, an important piece of legislation. I was pleased to introduce this bill, along with my good friend, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis), as insurance regulatory reform is an issue many involved agree requires action. It, indeed, has been a pleasure to work with Representative Davis on this, who is one of my distinguished colleagues on the Committee on Financial Services. We both believe that this bill is a good starting point for leveling the playing field for insurance agents and brokers. Never before, Mr. Speaker, have we really seen the significance and importance of the financial services industry as we are seeing it today. There are so many, many, many pieces that need to be reformed and looked at and improved upon, and this legislation happens to be one of those pieces. H.R. 5611 will simply establish the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers, which we refer to as NARAB, to provide for nonresident insurance agent and broker licensing while preserving the rights of States to supervise and discipline insurance agents and brokers. The legislation will further benefit consumers through increased competition among agents and brokers, leading to greater consumer choice. This legislation is straightforward. Insurance agents and brokers who are licensed in good standing in their home States can apply for membership in the National Association for Registered Agents and Brokers, NARAB, which will allow them to operate in multiple States. This is very much needed. Membership will be voluntary and not affecting the rights of a nonmember producer under any State license, respecting the sanctity of the State. This legislation will benefit policyholders by increasing marketplace competition and consumer choice by enabling insurance producers to more quickly and responsibly serve the needs of the consumer. A private, nonprofit NARAB entity consisting of State insurance regulators and marketplace representatives will serve as a portal for agents and brokers to obtain nonresident licenses in additional States. This is provided that they pay the required State nonlicensing fees and meet the NARAB standards for membership. This bill would also establish membership criteria which would include standards for personal qualifications, education, training and experience; and further, member applicants must be required to undergo a national criminal background check. And, to be very clear, NARAB would not, I repeat, would not be part of nor report to any Federal agency and would not have any Federal regulatory power. This is being done to streamline and bring greater efficiency and greater choice to consumers. Federal legislation is needed to ensure a reciprocal licensing process for insurance agents and brokers, and Congress already endorsed this concept when we passed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act would have created NARAB if a number of States had not reached a certain number of licensing reciprocity, and although enough reciprocity was provided to avoid the creation of NARAB, it has been brought to my attention and to Mr. Davis' attention by agents across this country that there is a frustration over incomplete insurance licensing reciprocity, and this legislation addresses that important fact. It is abundantly clear that the bar was not set high enough in Gramm-Leach-Bliley, thus the reason behind this important legislation that we are considering today. We, my colleague, Mr. Davis and I, are simply working to ensure an updated version of NARAB. I believe the increased competition among agents and brokers this bill would create will be beneficial to all, and on all accounts, be more fair; and, in addition, lead to greater consumer choice. Mr. Speaker, this is what is important. The bottom line, it is the benefit to the consumer. As more and more agents operate across State lines, this problem of reciprocity has become worse, and it has become apparent to us that true nonresident licensing reform for insurance agents could only really be achieved through legislation at the Federal level. That is why this Congress is acting today. The NARAB Reform Act that we are looking at today has garnered support from both sides of the aisle, both Democrats and Republicans, with 48 bipartisan cosponsors, and 27 of these cosponsors are Members serving on the Financial Services Committee. Again, I was very much pleased to work with the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis) on this legislation which again narrowly targets only the area where there is a problem. We have gone in with a laser beam and simply targeted where there is a problem to fix, and we have done that. Our manager's amendment was recently endorsed by the NAIC, showing that the State insurance regulators believe that this type of legislation is badly needed reform. Other groups that support this bill include the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, the IIABA; the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers, the NAIFA; the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, the NAMIC; the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, PCI; and the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, the CIAB; as well as a number of individual insurance companies. As talks continue on this issue, we are very hopeful for the expansion of our regulatory board to include PIA, the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents. This has been a very inclusive process, Mr. Speaker, working in a very much needed area to bring a greater degree of consumer choice and benefits to the American consumer of insurance products. I am proud to have the opportunity again to work along with my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee and Mr. Davis on this important legislation. And to close, I would just simply urge all of my fellow Members to support H.R. 5611. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous materials thereon.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Today, I rise in support of H.R. 3019, the Expand and Preserve Home Ownership through Counseling Act. This important legislation establishes an office of housing counseling at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to carry out and to coordinate the responsibilities of the Department with respect to counseling on homeownership and rental housing issues. The House of Representatives has already approved this bipartisan bill in three separate measures that have passed during this Congress. They include H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007; H.R. 5830, the FHA Housing Stabilization and Home Ownership Retention Act of 2008; and the initial House version of H.R. 3221, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Given that the Senate has yet to act upon this important housing counseling measure, it is important that the House pass this legislation as a stand-alone bill. HUD's current Housing Counseling Program authorizes HUD to provide or contract with organizations to provide counseling and advice to tenants, homeowners and low and moderate income families on a range of housing issues. However, the current program lacks the stature, organization and prominence in the Department to help ensure that its counseling activities are high quality, widely available and well- coordinated within other Department activities. In the midst of this foreclosure crisis, this extraordinary crisis we are going through at this very moment in our financial markets, there can be no doubt that housing counseling, whether it is pre-purchase or post-purchase, is a vital component of the homeownership process, and I urge this House to support this bill, which will create an Office of Housing Counseling at HUD to better focus the Department's resources in this area. Now, specifically this bill will do the following: It establishes an Office of Housing Counseling to carry out and coordinate the responsibilities of the Department with respect to counseling on homeownership and rental housing issues; it will require and facilitate the coordination of HUD's homeownership and rental housing counseling programs, including programs targeted at low and moderate income individuals, the homeless and senior citizens; it will require the launch of a national public service multi-media campaign to promote housing counseling, including the establishment of a Web site and toll- free hotline; and it will authorize the assurance of homeownership and rental housing counseling grants to HUD-certified State, local and nonprofit organizations. This is an important and critical piece of legislation, and much needed, for all we know that the need for housing counseling far outstrips its current availability. The enactment of H.R. 3019 is a major step in addressing this need in a very comprehensive, thorough, efficient and effective manner, and I urge this full House to support this very important bipartisan home counseling legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as we conclude this, let me state the appreciation this entire Congress has for the distinguished leadership of Mrs. Biggert on this issue. She has been a pioneer in financial literacy. She has committed a tremendous amount of her time and energy to this bill and to other bills. I want to commend her for that. Another bill which she has provided leadership on has been a financial literacy bill of utmost importance as we see now, and that is K through 12th grade literacy programs, to get them into our schools. I think it is very important for all of us here to know, and the Nation to know, that Mrs. Biggert has provided sterling leadership on this entire issue of financial literacy. I certainly want to say how appreciative we all are for that leadership, Mrs. Biggert. It points out, Mr. Speaker, as we look at where we are today with the downturn of the financial markets, the meltdown of our mortgage industry, at the core of it as we peel back the reasons and the causes we will all find and come to the conclusion that we have a tremendous need for financial literacy and financial education, because the core of our problem is that there are so many complicated and complex entities involved in financing, that we as a nation are coming up short on financial literacy. To you, Mrs. Biggert, I thank you for your leadership on this. It has indeed been a pleasure working with you on this subject, and this bill is a testimonial to your leadership. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3019) to establish an Office of Housing Counseling to carry out and coordinate the responsibilities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding counseling on homeownership and rental housing issues, to make grants to entities for providing such counseling, to launch a national housing counseling advertising campaign, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a spiritual and community leader in my district, Pastor Donald Battle of Divine Faith Ministries International, on the occasion of his 54th birthday. Pastor Donald E. Battle and his wife of 34 years, Gwen, along with their three adult daughters, TaVondria, Jamie, and Christin, are all leaders of this life-changing body of believers. I am proud that the southern campus of Divine Faith Ministries International, along with Divine Faith's School of Biblical Studies, are both located in my district, the 13th Congressional District of Georgia. Pastor Battle is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Gwen. He served in the U.S Army six years and served 15 years in Georgia law enforcement as a police detective for the City of Atlanta. Pastor Battle's ministry began in 1990 as Divine Faith Baptist Church with a group of 60 members. Today, Madam Speaker, Divine Faith Ministries International currently serves God with a membership of over 8,000. This explosive growth can be directly traced to the servant leadership of Pastor Battle and his family. But Pastor Battle does not content himself with service in the church alone. A leader in the community, Pastor Battle has served in the Association of Christian Ministers of Clayton County, and guided the creation of the Clayton County Public Schools' Mentorship Forum. The forum includes business leaders, judicial system leaders, state and local elected officials and pastors who serve to mentor high school students. Pastor Battle also led the call for incorporating the faith community in the Clayton County youth offender program to allow churches to be involved in the juvenile offenders' community service program. Other examples of Pastor Battle's unshakable commitment to the 13th District and the entire Atlanta area are Divine Faith Ministries International television broadcasts which reach thousands of homes weekly, a day care program--Divine Faith Ministries Christian Academy, and the Divine Faith Ministries School of Biblical Studies. Again Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize this great man on his birthday. His presence, his purpose and his commitment to service have blessed not only his family, his friends and his congregation, but undoubtedly the entire world as the effects of his ministry are felt in the hearts of thousands. Thank you for the opportunity to honor Pastor Donald Battle, his family and Divine Faith Ministries International.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you very much, Mr. Ross. Good to be with you again. I thought I would just start for a few moments on the fact that we are going to vote on a ban to lift the ban on offshore drilling. Democrats are taking the lead and Democrats are moving forward in a very responsible way to take the ban off offshore drilling and drill. What is important here are two points. One is that we need to make sure--and I understand that we are making sure--that whatever oil we are able to get from offshore drilling stays in America. This is a very tricky maneuver. Right now, as I understand it, all oil goes on the world market, but I do understand that we have the Continental Lands Act, and in that Act of 1953, as amended, it states that all oil that is discovered or pulled out of waters in the United States coastal areas will be American and will stay in America. That's very important. That's the question that a lot of my constituents want to know, if we go, we get this oil, are we going to be able to keep this oil in America, because fundamentally, that's what's at issue. This is more than just a just basic energy crisis as we've had before. This is a national security issue of the highest regard. I spent this afternoon for about 3 hours in our Foreign Affairs Committee talking with the Under Secretary of the Secretary of State and discussing the ramifications of Russia invading Georgia and what that was all about, and I hasten to add that this was all about, in many respects, energy and about Russia's position in that. Europe gets 31 percent of its oil--I mean, we get a lot of ours from foreign sources, but right now, Europe gets 31 percent of its oil and gas from one Nation, Russia. There is a lot at stake that is going on in that part of the world, and underneath it all is oil and gas and energy and who's going to remain in control. We need to understand that our basic charge is to get American dependent. So that part of the question has to be answered, and I think we've done that. The other part is, and I think and I hope in this legislation, as we have worked and crafted--I might add that this legislation that's being crafted that we will vote on before we go back home on many, many sources. We're pulling in many ideas because no one has a monopoly on these ideas. Some of these ideas that we'll be voting on are contained in what the Senate calls the ``Gang of 10.'' That is very important. But I think one aspect of that--and I've been very supportive of that--is that we will allow four to five States on the eastern seaboard, Georgia being one of them, to decide and opt in to whether they want to drill. We are going to have to come up with what the mileage is offshore, whether it's 3, 5, 10, 50 or 100 miles offshore. But I think we ought to entertain the possibility of allowing it open to every State, that every State may make that choice so that you're not deciding one or the other. Perhaps we will go in that direction, to allow the entirety of America, the United States of America, wherever we can get oil that we can keep, that is American dependent oil, we must do so, and wherever that drilling needs to take place, we must do so. And hopefully, that will be incorporated into the bill. But we must not stop there. What we have more than any other country, we have the greatest amount of technology. Nobody's smarter than we are. We've got to unleash our technology, our scientists, our chemists, our engineers to go and hurry up and get alternative sources of fuel away from fossil fuels. We can't drill our way out, no matter what it is. There's just so much oil there. We've got to grow our way out of it. And that's why we hope that this bill will be multifaceted, but drilling will be an important component on it, and we're excited for the future. I think the American people can be proud of what the Congress is about to do.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor to be able to stand in this House of Representatives and say a few words for my distinguished colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. You know, on everybody's tombstone there are three things. There's first the date you were born and then the date you die, and in between there is a dash. And the question we all must answer at some point is what do you do with the dash. Stephanie Tubbs Jones did an amazing amount with her dash. Born to hardworking, loving parents--Mary, who was a cook at Case Western University in Cleveland; her father, Andrew, was a sky cap-- good, hardworking people, who gave love to Stephanie. She rose to become a prosecutor, a judge, a trial lawyer, all the way up to the Congress of the United States. And I tell you, in between, Mr. Speaker, she learned how to play a mean game of Bid Whist, Mr. Speaker. But I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, she kept the faith, she finished her course, and she fought the good fight. And therefore, there is put up for Stephanie Tubbs Jones an extraordinary crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, appointed and has given to Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and we thank God for sending Stephanie Tubbs Jones our way.

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of Forest Park for reaching their 100th Anniversary. Forest Park began as Forest Station/Astor on just one square mile of land chartered in 1908. This early community was mostly comprised of farming families, but quickly grew as Forest Park became an important railroad stop close to the bustling hub of Atlanta. Although the railroad gradually lost its more prominent role in the area, the people of Forest Park worked with the railroad and with their neighbors to find new opportunities for themselves and for their community. Their perseverance and hard work have paid off, helping to make Forest Park one of the largest cities in Clayton County and an important center of commerce for Georgia and the Southeast. Today Forest Park is home to over 21,000 dedicated and productive citizens. This diverse community deserves our commendation for setting a positive example for Georgia and our great nation as a whole. I praise Forest Park for its commitment to its citizens through an outstanding police and fire department, school system, and overall community atmosphere. I also applaud Forest Park for fostering strong and affordable community recreation and leisure programs. These activities serve to bring people of all backgrounds and experiences together in friendship and collaboration. I am proud to see these endeavors encouraging a healthy and dynamic environment for the citizens of Forest Park and promoting positive community values throughout the area. Forest Park will be holding a centennial celebration for just this purpose on August 14th, 15th, and 16th. This celebration will not only serve as a time of fun and enjoyment, but will also educate the public on the rich history of Forest Park. I also look forward to the increased participation and partnership of the citizenry, public institutions, and local businesses during this time and trust this close connection will continue into the future as it has for the past 100 years. This commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Forest Park is sure to be an enjoyable and fruitful enterprise for all involved. I would further like to laud the dedicated efforts of Mayor Corine Deyton, and City Council members Sparkle Adams, Debbie Youmans, Maudie McCord, Donald Judson, and Linda Lord for their just and spirited public service in the governing of the City of Forest Park. Congratulations on reaching this 100 year milestone are also certainly due to the citizens of Forest Park. Without their tenacity and resolve, Forest Park would certainly not be the active and vibrant city that it is today. I wish them well in continuing to enrich the lives of their neighbors and in maintaining a beautiful and prosperous community for the 100, 200, 300 years to come. In closing, I wish the City of Forest Park a Happy 100th Birthday. As the U.S. Representative to the 13th District of Georgia, I honor the City of Forest Park, its leaders, and its inhabitants for reaching this milestone and look forward to the continuation of its proud legacy.