Tom Udall

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. The gentleman is absolutely correct, and I cannot emphasize enough that the lawsuits that were brought by State attorneys general were brought by Democrats and Republicans. As the gentleman knows, in his home State of Colorado, Attorney General Gale Norton, who is now Secretary of the Interior, she brought a lawsuit in the State of Colorado against the tobacco companies. She was part of the master settlement. She, like everyone else, was very concerned about the situation with women, the targeting of young people and trying to addict them over a lifetime. So she was out there as a Republican, very active, and there were many other Republican attorneys general around the country that were involved. So this was a bipartisan effort. Back to this issue of Attorney General Ashcroft being in charge of this lawsuit. I cannot, with all this evidence we have laid out there, I cannot think of a worse individual to be in charge of the Nation's lawsuit against the tobacco companies. It is really like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. This gentleman has condemned these lawsuits. He fought the tobacco settlement. He was the only one in the committee. The vote in the committee was 19 to 1. He was the one in the committee. And now we have him as Attorney General and he is the head litigator. One of the first things he did was to announce, well, I think we have a weak lawsuit; we better settle. That is no way to go into a lawsuit. It is no way to go into settlement negotiations. You have to get in there and be tough with these companies, as the State attorneys general were. He seems to be folding his tent before he has even started. So this raises the whole question of conflict of interest, it raises the question of an appearance problem, and it raises the whole issue of bias. And I think one of the individuals that said it the best was the person that wrote the editorial for The New York Times just a couple of weeks ago when they said ``The Bush administration has shown a troubling propensity for putting the interests of industrial campaign backers before its duty to protect public health. The latest case in point is the Justice Department's curious announcement that it will attempt to settle the huge tobacco lawsuit against the tobacco industry brought by the Clinton administration 2 years ago, explaining in part that it thinks the case is weak. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a major opponent of the lawsuit when he was in the Senate, included no funding for the suit in his budget. So in that sense this week's action is no surprise. Mr. Bush's spokesman explains that the President thinks society is `too litigious,' and that it is preferable to `reach agreements,' but abandoning the case is not the way to preserve leverage.''

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. The gentleman's comment is correct, and when Senator Ashcroft made that statement he was specifically targeting FDA regulation. And really what he was saying, he was taking a very libertarian approach; just let anybody do whatever they want and let the private sector work. Let the tobacco companies get out there and advertise all they want and get our young people addicted. And he is saying the government should play no role. That, I think, is an irresponsible position.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. I very much want to thank the gentleman from Colorado for those comments. I know that he and I and many others here in the House of Representatives are going to be monitoring this very closely and trying to make sure that Attorney General Ashcroft does what is in the public interest if he stays on the case. I think we both feel he should not be on the case. Let me also talk a little bit about the gentleman's comments about women. The women in America have had a tragic situation when it comes to their relationship with tobacco. The statistics are pretty astounding. And that is why when we do these tobacco settlements, one of the conditions that should be in there and one of the ways settlement monies can be used is to try to do everything we can to educate people about quitting, offering them cessation courses, doing counter advertising. One of the States that has done an incredible job is the State of California, which has put a tax on cigarettes and then taken that money and advertised and showed everybody that is out there the danger of tobacco, and they in particular target their advertising to young people and say this is going to be your future. They show them lungs that have been damaged. They show older individuals that have wrinkles all over their faces because of premature aging from smoking and try to let them know what kind of damage this is going to do. So it is important that we protect everybody, protect women, and that we come up with a variety of programs with these settlement monies to try to do that. The gentleman's comments on Attorney General Ashcroft, I think, are crucial. And over and over again we see the statements he made as a United States Senator before he got to be Attorney General. Listen to his statement on FDA authority over the tobacco industry. This was from a letter dated June 7, 2000. ``I believe that the most effective way to combat nicotine addiction by people of all ages is not to allow the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry.'' Well, that is just the opposite of what we ought to be doing. President Clinton used FDA authority to get out there, to regulate, to say that you cannot target young people in this country, and the courts threw it out. So now we are in a situation where the FDA has no regulatory authority. I have authored a bill in the Congress that gives regulatory authority to the FDA. We have a number of sponsors on that, and I think that is a good solid piece of legislation.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, it is a real pleasure to be here this evening. Let me begin by talking a little bit this evening about tobacco issues, because I have been involved as a State attorney general on the issue of tobacco. I was involved in the massive piece of tobacco litigation that State attorneys general filed across the country in their respective States, and we also, as a result of that, had a settlement; and we learned a lot about tobacco, about tobacco companies, about tobacco companies targeting kids. It is something that is a pretty incredible story. It also says something about public health in America and where we should be headed. That is our real purpose here tonight, is to talk about the public health side and to talk also about the side of the administration, this current administration, the Bush administration, carrying on a tobacco lawsuit, the Federal Government versus the tobacco companies; and we will also be talking about that. First of all, let me talk a little bit about the public health problem when it comes to tobacco, because a lot of people do not understand the massive size of the public health problem that we have here in America when it comes to tobacco. Mr. Speaker, 435,000 people every year are killed by tobacco. These are tobacco-related deaths, and it is a huge number. When we hear the number, we all hear statistics and we wonder what they mean. Take all other causes of death out there, and let us just go through a few here, auto accidents, suicides, murders, deaths by infectious diseases, deaths from AIDS; think of any other chronic illnesses, heart disease. If we add a lot of these up and we total them, we still do not get to the number of deaths caused by tobacco. So when we talk about the cause of death and talk about public health problems, we clearly have a huge one when it comes to tobacco; and it is one that I think is in a way demonstrated, and I am going to have another Member join me here and maybe others if they want to come down and talk about this; but it is demonstrated by a physician that I talked to, a cancer doctor in New Mexico. She is an oncologist. She told me this story. She said, I work in the cancer field. It is a very trying field to work in. She is very interested in tobacco and lung cancer and that whole relationship. She said, ``If tomorrow we could stop people smoking, one-third of my patients would go away immediately.'' So the people that she is treating today, if we stopped individuals from smoking, she would lose an entire third of her patients. She of course said that she sees every day all the pain and suffering that people go through. She said, ``I would be happy to have that happen, to see that loss of patients.'' So when we are talking about cancer docs across the country taking a look at this, we can see the kind of impact it is having. One of the other facts here that is very, very important is that tobacco companies have targeted our kids in America for addicting them to tobacco. I would just like to give some of the facts here. People do not realize that the tobacco companies saw their markets going down about 10 or 15 years ago. They saw their markets going down. They saw the number of people shrinking. The older people were quitting. They did a lot of research. This is in their files. There were documents that we recovered from them as State attorneys general. They discovered several things. They discovered first of all if they build their younger market, then they are able to increase their markets dramatically. That is what they did. They started targeting younger people to start smoking. It is documented. It is in there. It is something that is pretty astounding, when we think about it. Listen to these figures. Almost 90 percent of the adult smokers began at or before the age of 18. So it is the young people that are starting, and they continue for their whole lives. Each day here in America more than 3,000 kids become regular smokers. That is more than 1 million kids a year. Roughly one-third of them will eventually die from tobacco-related disease. Fifteen and one-half million kids are exposed to secondhand smoke at home. More than 3 million of our children ages 12 to 17 are current smokers, and 900 million packs of cigarettes are consumed by our children a year. More than one-third of all these children who ever try smoking a cigarette become regular daily smokers before leaving high school. That is what these tobacco companies knew all along. They knew if they got young people addicted, that they would stay addicted for a lifetime, and keep buying cigarettes, and their profits would keep going up. It is a horrible story to tell, but it is out there and it is it is documented. It is part of these tobacco lawsuits that the State attorneys general brought. Now, who stepped in to do something about this? Very little was done at the Federal level in the 1990s. Did we see any other people stepping out to do something about it? Private individuals hired attorneys and went to court and tried to sue the tobacco companies. The tobacco companies had never settled a case. They fought these cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if they had to, and they always defeated these poor little plaintiffs, many of whom had smoked for 30, 40, or 50 years, and then had contracted lung cancer. But in the 1990s, there were a group of attorneys general, first led by Attorney General Mike Moore from Mississippi, who filed the first lawsuit down there in Mississippi. It grew over the years, and eventually we had 45 attorneys general join this lawsuit. These lawsuits were pushed hard. They were fought hard. There was an incredible battle going on in State courts with these lawsuits, but eventually there was a master settlement for $240 billion. As part of that master settlement, the tobacco companies agreed to do a number of things: not target our kids, change their advertising, pay this $240 billion over 25 years. My little State of New Mexico, this was the largest civil settlement in the State of New Mexico for $1.2 billion. Many of the States had something like that, settlements of that magnitude, so bringing in this kind of money was very important to the State. I would say at this point that it is very, very important, and this is a side issue, but it is important that the States use this money on health-related issues, rather than using it to build roads or for a tax cut, or some of the other things that they have used it for. These came out of health care monies. These were Medicaid monies that were spent by the States, it was the crux of the lawsuit, so these monies should go back into health care. I am proud to say that my State of New Mexico has put this in a trust fund and is going to analyze this, and I think is going to head in the right direction. But the point I wanted to make here in the State attorneys general filing these lawsuits is that we always wondered, when we would talk about bringing our lawsuits, and when we would visit on the telephone and in conferences about the cases, why the Federal Government was never bringing a lawsuit. The crux of our claims were basically Federal claims. They were Federal monies. They were State and Federal monies mixed in, and many of them were 50/50 matches. Why did the Federal Government never join us? Eventually the Federal Government did, under President Clinton. They realized that we had made enormous progress. They realized that the settlement that had come about was in the interest of the public, so they filed a lawsuit. I think they also realized that $240 billion was left on the table, something in that range that they could have gotten. So they joined in and they said, well, let us file a lawsuit, and they did file that lawsuit. That is what we are here to talk about today is where are we on that lawsuit, what is happening with it in this new administration. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a very controversial nominee over there in the Senate, did a number of things on tobacco before he got into. One of the things he did was lead the fight in the Senate against the tobacco settlement, and he was very proud of the fact that he led the fight against Senator McCain, who at the Federal level tried to pass a bill and deal with the whole issue at the Federal level. At one press conference, Attorney General Ashcroft was saying ``It would be a big-government travesty at its biggest to use the tragedy of tobacco as a smokescreen to cover the expansion of the Nanny State.'' In other cases, Senator Ashcroft at the time said things like this was a frivolous lawsuit. He was the only one on the Senate Committee on Commerce that voted against reporting the tobacco settlement bill that was sponsored by Senator McCain. So, basically, we have an individual that is in the Attorney General's office. He is the lead negotiator on this case. He is somebody that can make the decision one way or another as to how this case is handled, what the strategy is to pursue in court, and whether and on what terms it should be settled. That is really the issue that is before us this evening. We have been joined this evening by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall). I know that he has an interest also in tobacco and these public health problems that are out there. I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall) to see if he is interested in talking a little bit about this current lawsuit and this current situation, and reflect on his views.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, the 2000 presidential election may well be remembered for ``hanging chads'' and other evidence of the imperfections in our electoral system. The right to vote is our most precious freedom. We cannot afford to have a repeat of last fall's problems. The 2000 presidential election, therefore, should direct our attention once again to the need for campaign and electoral reform. Both political parties are motivated to address the issue in this 107th session of the Congress. I have already cosponsored legislation to provide states with the tools they need to ensure uniformity and improve voter accuracy and access. We must be careful, however, not to let our efforts to achieve voting reform mask the critical problem with our electoral process--the uncontrolled and pernicious influence of big money on the outcome of our elections. So, today, I rise in strong support of the Shays-Meehan legislation, which will help fix many of our system's problems. It is time for Congress to enact campaign finance reform because quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, our federal campaign finance system is broken. Last year, both parties spent unprecedented amounts in soft money for a new record in the campaigns for control of the White House and Congress. New Mexicans--like all Americans--are justifiably appalled by the fact that the amount of money spent in elections has increased exponentially with no end in sight. The Democratic and Republican national party committees raised a record $463 million in soft money from January 1, 1999 through December 31, 2000, according to a Common Cause analysis released in February. The amount raised during this past election cycle was nearly double the $235.9 million raised during the 1995-1996 election cycle. We must take action now. In the 106th Congress, and again in the 107th, I was elected by my colleagues to take a leadership role on the issue of campaign finance reform in the House of Representatives. In September 1999, I helped floor manage the House's passage of the Shays-Meehan legislation which would have closed some of the worst loopholes in the campaign finance laws. However, this bill never became law because of the opposition of a single Senator. In spite of this setback, a bipartisan group, led by John McCain and Russell Feingold, have passed their legislation in the other body. It is my hope that, this year, the House will follow suit, and pass meaningful campaign finance reform legislation and that the President will sign it into law. Current law authorizes contributions by individuals of up to $1,000 per candidate per election and up to $5,000 per Political Action Committee (PAC) per election. Corporations and unions are prohibited from making any contributions to candidates or their campaigns. Nevertheless, individuals, unions, and corporations give contributions of hundreds of thousands of dollars, indeed, millions to campaigns as so-called ``soft'' money to the political parties themselves. The soft money loophole is based on the fiction that a contribution to the Democratic party or the Republican party is different in reality from a contribution to the party's candidates. It is fiction because parties spend most of the contributions on television campaigns and those campaigns have one goal--electing candidates. Banning unregulated, unlimited contributions to parties is the core of campaign finance reform. Campaign finance reform is vital to every other piece of legislation that Congress considers. From the very real need for a patients bill of rights to the acute need for a comprehensive national energy policy, to the need for a Medicare prescription drug benefit to education reform, the people's voices should be heard and not drowned out by big money. Vested interests have too often been able to exert influence in Congress and White House through the soft money loophole. Mr. Speaker, campaign finance reform is the most important step Congress can take to restore citizens' belief in our democratic process. What better motivation for reform than the egregious excesses of the 2000 election--both in voter access and in campaign contributions? We must act before the 2002 election, before the abuses of the electoral process have so distorted the democratic ideal that we are no longer truly a ``government of the people, by the people and for the people.'' I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill. The time is now for real campaign finance reform. Passage of the Shays-Meehan legislation is the only true way to achieve that goal.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Larry Holman on the occasion of his retirement later this summer. Mr. Holman has served 30 years as the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Superintendent for Education of the Eastern Navajo Agency. Since beginning his BIA career in 1966 as a Wingate Elementary school teacher, he has dedicated his life to bringing equal opportunity education to the Navajo youth of New Mexico. Mr. Holman has seen many changes during his term. In the late sixties, families would bring their children to school in horse-drawn wagons. In the seventies, there was a lot of pressure to only emphasize English instruction. One of his many distinguished accomplishments was instituting a new Bureau of Indian Affairs personnel system. Through his efforts, BIA teachers' salaries were raised to equal the Department of Defense teacher's rate. This led to a superior teaching staff, and it has increased the quality of education for students. Such dedication to our teachers and our students, the future of our world, is one of the greatest gifts that a person can give. Mr. Holman has touched many lives and affected a strong beginning for a successful education for many New Mexicans. Today we recognize Larry Holman's distinguished career and his remarkable service to the youth of the Navajo nation. Mr. Speaker, I believe that I speak for every citizen in the State of New Mexico when I extend our congratulations and best wishes for a retirement filled with happiness.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I would like to explain my position on the Kucinich amendment that would reduce funding for the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and move some of the NIF money into the nonproliferation programs of the national Nuclear Security Administration. There is clearly a need to avoid the damage that would occur to our nonproliferation programs if funding is not increased. The President made a mistake in his budget when he made deep cuts in the non-proliferation programs. The cuts make little sense in a world where many nations have the capability and desire to develop weapons of mass destruction including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. We must therefore increase our capability to monitor developments around the globe in this area. The President's budget already cuts the NIF programs. I support that cut given the troubling history of this program. I am very concerned about the recent GAO report findings, which concluded that not only will NIF cost at least $1 billion more than planned and take six years longer than expected to begin operations, but also that the program poses a serious number of unresolved technical problems. Moreover, because of the critical nature of the GAO findings, the agency reportedly is doing a follow-up report, which it intends to submit to Congress. Mr. Speaker, furthermore, in an article in the Albuquerque Tribune, the Director of Sandia National Laboratory, Mr. Paul Robinson, criticized NIF suggesting there be a reduction in its design and cost to protect other nuclear weapons program components. Moreover, a report by Dr. Robert Civiak, a physicist and former OMB Program Examiner for the Department of Energy, spells out the need to cancel NIF before any further spending occurs. For these reasons and others, Congress needs to closely examine the NIF program and determine whether it warrants future funding. That is why I am voting NO on the Kucinich amendment.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for their efforts in bringing House Concurrent Resolution 174 to the floor today. I introduced H. Con. Res. 174 on June 26, 2001, to authorize the Rotunda of the Capitol to be used on July 26, 2001, for a ceremony to present Congressional Gold Medals to the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. This legislation will bring us one step closer to making the special and long overdue ceremony a reality. I would also like to thank the 14 Members on both sides of the aisle who joined as original cosponsors to this measure. During the 106th Congress, Senator Jeff Bingaman introduced legislation to honor the Navajo Code Talkers who played a pivotal role in World War II. I introduced the companion measure so that both Chambers could support these original 29 heroic men with the Congressional Gold Medal. In addition, a Silver Medal will be presented to the other Navajo Code Talkers who later followed the original 29. Thanks to Senator Bingaman's efforts, language was included in the last year omnibus bill to honor these men. This was an effort that I and many of my colleagues supported in the House. These Code Talkers will soon receive their long overdue recognition for their service and the honor they brought to our country and to their people. This is a historic moment for the Navajo Nation and for all World War II veterans. The medals that the President will present to these 29 men on behalf of Congress will express our appreciation for their dedication and service as Navajo Code Talkers. Of the 29 original Navajo Code Talkers, 5 are still alive today. They are John Brown, Jr., of Navajo, New Mexico; Chester Nez of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Allen Dale June of West Valley City, Utah; Lloyd Oliver of Phoenix, Arizona; and Joe Palmer of Yuma, Arizona. Mr. Speaker, during World War II, the Navajo Code Talkers took part in many assaults conducted by the U.S. Marines in the Pacific. In May 1942, the original 29 Navajo recruits attended Marine Boot Camp and worked to create the Navajo Code. The Navajo Code Talkers created messages by first translating Navajo words into English and then using the first letter of each English word to decipher their meaning. Because different Navajo words might be translated into different English words for the same letter, the code was especially difficult to decipher. The use of Native American languages in coded military communications was not new to World War II. Choctaw Indians, for example, served as Code Talkers in World War I. The idea of using Navajo as code in World War II came from a veteran of World War I, Phillip Johnston. Johnston knew of the military's search for a code that would withstand all attempts to decipher it. He was also the son of a missionary, raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation, spoke fluent Navajo, and believed that the Navajo language was the answer to the military requirement for an indecipherable code, given that it was an unwritten language of extreme complexity. The Navajo Code Talkers served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions and Marine parachute units. They transmitted messages by telephone and radio in a code derived from their Native language, a code, I may add, that was never broken by the Japanese. The Navajo code remained so valuable that the Department of Defense kept the code secret for 23 years after World War II. Therefore, the Code Talkers never received the recognition they deserved. The ceremony on July 26 will at long last pay full tribute to the brave Americans who used their Native language to help bring an end to World War II in the Pacific. I would also like to mention that a separate ceremony is being planned for later this fall in Arizona or New Mexico to present a silver medal to each man who later qualified as a Navajo Code Talker. In closing, let me say that the Navajo language imparts a sense of feeling, history and tradition to all the Code Talkers who served valiantly in World War II. To the five Code Talkers who are with us today, to their families, and to those who are with us in spirit, I say a few words in Navajo, which I will translate. Dine bizaad chooz' iidgo silaoltsooi niha nidaazbaa Aadoo ak'ah dadeesdlii. Nitsaago baa aheeh daniidzin. Ahehee. Which in English translates to, ``Let me express my deep gratitude to the Navajo Code Talkers who provided and helped to develop an ingenious code based on your language, and became the communications link to and from the front lines of the Allies in the Pacific War.'' Through the Navajo Code Talkers' bravery, their sacrifice, and the unbreakability of the code, the United States military was able to communicate with one another. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I urge my colleagues to come together and support this resolution, support our Navajo veterans and every veteran who sacrificed their very lives for the liberties and freedoms we enjoy today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), the cochair of the Native American Caucus, who has also been a staunch leader on Native American issues in this body for many years.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson).

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me just once again thank the chairman for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a bill I have just introduced, the Low Income Gasoline Assistance Program Act of 2001. Let me begin my remarks by thanking the original sponsor of this legislation, Senator John Rockefeller, who in introducing this bill is attempting to address a very serious problem throughout our country. I also want to thank the original House cosponsors who have joined in this effort. We all know the problem: skyrocketing gasoline prices have taken their toll on pocketbooks in a severe way. Gas station managers around New Mexico--and other parts of the country--say drivers are filling up their tanks and driving off without paying. Some say they have never seen it so bad, and it has forced them to change how things are done at the pump. A number of stations are now requiring customers to pay first because of so much lost revenue. A common recommendation that we often hear when gas prices go up is for people to drive less. Walk, bike, or take public transit when you can. While I agree with that, unfortunately, that only goes so far, especially if you have no choice but to commute to work, to the doctor, or to school because public transportation is not available in your area. This is especially true for those who live in rural areas. These citizens have no other choice but to pay these prices in order to live their lives. This legislation attempts to address the problems that underprivileged citizens face in rural America with regard to the high cost of gasoline. Our proposal is relatively simple. The current high price of gasoline is hurting people throughout the country. And perhaps no group is being hit harder than seniors and the working poor, especially in rural areas and places with inadequate public transportation. With experts predicting regular unleaded gasoline prices in excess of $2.00 a gallon for much of the country this summer, I believe it is our responsibility to provide some immediate, short-term assistance for our most needy citizens. The Low Income Gasoline Assistance Program Act of 2001 or LIGAP, is modeled on the successful LIHEAP program that helps seniors and the disadvantaged pay for heating oil in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Under this program, recipients would receive $25 to $75 per month for three months, as long as gasoline prices stay high where they live. If the price of gasoline does not fall back below the price at which the program triggers off, recipients would be allowed to re-apply for three additional months' benefit. LIGAP will allow states to make grants to low- and fixed-income individuals and families to defray the cost of purchasing gasoline for travel to work, to school, or to regular healthcare appointments when the price of gasoline reaches or exceeds the unmanageable current levels. States will make LIGAP grants to income-eligible families who meet the distance requirements of driving at least 30 miles a day, or 150 miles per week for work, school, or medical care appointments. States are also encouraged to use their welfare reform block grant to provide transportation stipends to parents who meet the same distance standards. This measure will enable states to operate the program through their Community Action agencies or welfare departments. Thus, states will have the flexibility to set income-eligibility standards similar to the current eligibility for LIHEAP. The prices at which the program triggers on and subsequently releases will then be set for each jurisdiction through consultation between the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Energy. LIGAP is not meant to be a substitute for the long-term energy solutions we all seek for our nation. Each of us understands the necessity of a comprehensive and balanced approach to energy development, but we must realize that in every state there are hard- working people and elderly individuals whose monthly budgets are being stretched to the breaking point by the cost of gasoline. While we must approach this country's energy demand with the willingness to make the tough, long-range choices demanded of us, it is equally important that we heed the immediate damage being caused by the current high prices. We must show a willingness to provide some comfort for those Americans who are most at risk. Mr. Speaker, we all recognize that people are suffering and that something must be done to help with the high cost of gasoline. I urge my colleagues to join us in this proposal that is both forward thinking and comprehensive.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of the outstanding citizens of the northeast corner of my home state of New Mexico--Jim Roper, who was recently inducted into the New Mexico Broadcasting Association's Hall of Fame. As a pioneer with more than 50 years in the industry, he is eminently deserving of this prestigious honor. Mr. Roper is the chief executive officer of Raton Broadcasting and head of KRTN-AM and FM. These stations bring music and important news to the citizens of Colfax, Union, and Harding Counties as well as southeastern Colorado. In northeastern New Mexico, I cannot emphasize how important the medium of radio is as a critical news source. Mr. Roper and his team have served its citizens well. Jim's career began in 1948, while still in high school. And it all started because the station's general manager had laryngitis. Jim and his family lived in the now abandoned town of Brilliant, not far from Raton, where radio was one of the only sources of entertainment. During a high school basketball game, Stan Brown, then the general manager of KRTN, had lost his voice and could not broadcast the game report. Jim said, ``I don't know, but I'll try.'' One thing led to another, and soon he was spinning records at the station. In less than two decades, he was the station's owner. Jim has seen vast changes in the radio broadcasting business since he began. Tape recorders replaced wire recorders, compact discs replaced records and satellites replaced disc jockeys. However, at KRTN on-site folks still operate the station, and despite lucrative offers to purchase the small station, Roper has refused to sell. Jim has always been committed to providing quality service to the listeners of KRTN and capturing the essence of rural New Mexico. His dedication and commitment have made him an important part of the community. Jim has served as the city commissioner, the president of the Raton Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the city parks and recreation board and as the president for the Raton water board. There have been two constants that have run throughout Jim's life: the radio station and his loving family. He is a proud husband and father, whose family has kept him focused and grounded. Mr. Speaker, Jim Roper is a champion of his community and is completely deserving of being named as one of the first inductees into the New Mexico Broadcasting Association's Hall of Fame. I urge my colleagues to join me in saluting Jim Roper for his vast accomplishments.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise before the House of Representatives today to mark the passing of an important American, Robert Moody McKinney, editor and publisher of the Santa Fe New Mexican, the west's oldest newspaper. Over my years of serving the people of New Mexico, I came to know and respect Mr. McKinney. I saw embodied in him the principles of a dedicated public servant and many of the high standards that we expect from a newspaper editor and publisher. He was a man of great wit, humility, intelligence and integrity, and his many contributions to his country will never be forgotten. I join many in mourning the death of Robert M. McKinney and send my heartfelt condolences to his family. I am including for the Record a copy of his obituary, which details his extraordinary career. [From The Santa Fe New Mexican, June 25, 2001] Robert M. McKinney: 1910-2001, Paper's owner Dead at 90 Robert Moody McKinney, editor and publisher of The Santa Fe New Mexican, died of pneumonia Sunday night at New York Hospital. He was 90. His daughter, Robin McKinney Martin of Nambe, was with him. He was a diplomat, corporate director, conservationist, veteran and poet. During a distinguished career, McKinney served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency at Vienna, Austria, and as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. McKinney purchased The Santa Fe New Mexican in 1949 and was its editor and publisher for 52 years. Due to health problems from the high altitude of Santa Fe, McKinney sold the company to Gannett Co. in 1976, retaining the right to continue as editor and publisher. After a protracted and celebrated court battle, which he won, McKinney resumed management of the newspaper in 1987 and repurchased the property in 1989. Through his friendship with U.S. Sen. Clinton P. Anderson, McKinney was instrumental in securing the San Juan Chama water-diversion project. He also persuaded St. John's College of Annapolis, Md., to open its western campus in Santa Fe. As publisher, he supported John Crosby's efforts to launch The Santa Fe Opera and staged conferences in the early 1960s on the advantages of managed municipal growth in Santa Fe. Born in Shattuck, Okla., Aug. 28,1910, McKinney grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and graduated from Amarillo High School in 1928. As a teen-ager, he was a cub reporter for the Amarillo Globe News. He received a bachelor's degree, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oklahoma in 1932 with a major in literature. Upon graduation, he worked in New York City as an investment analyst at Standard Statistics, now Standard and Poor's. He served as a partner in his cousin Robert Young's investment firm from 1934 to 1950 and became financially successful by investing in bankrupt railroad stock at the depth of the Depression. During World War II, McKinney, was,.a lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Navy. He helped develop and manufacture the Tiny Tim rocket and participated in D-Day to observe how the devices pierced the armor of German tanks. In 1943, he married Louise Trigg, the daughter of a ranching family from eastern New Mexico. His career in government included appointments by five presidents. President Harry S. Truman appointed him assistant secretary of the Department of Interior in 1951. President Dwight D. Eisenhower named him U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Commission. He was editor and principal author of a multivolume work on the peaceful uses of atomic energy. President John F. Kennedy appointed him U.S. ambassador to Switzerland in 1961. Under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon, he held appointments in the U.S. Treasury Department. He was awarded the Treasury Department's Distinguished Service Medal. Because of Santa Fe's proximity to the National Atomic Weapons Laboratory at Los Alamos, McKinney became interested in peaceful uses of atomic energy, became an authority in that field and published several books on the subject. McKinney served on the board of directors of several major corporations, including the Rock Island Railroad, International Telephone & Telegraph, Trans World Airlines and Martin Marietta. He was a classical scholar, having mastered Latin at Amarillo High School and Greek at the University of Oklahoma. He was a published poet; his book Hymn to Wreckage was rated by The New York Times as one of the 10 best poetry books published in 1947. McKinney's hobby was landscape architecture. Farms he owned in Nambe and Middleburg, Va., were testament to his design skill. McKinney was divorced from Louise Trigg in 1970 and later married Marielle de Montmollin, who died in 1998. He is survived by his daughter, Robin Martin and her husband, Meade Martin; grandchildren Laura and Elliott of Nambe; stepson Laurent de Montmollin of Florida; and stepdaughter Edmee Firth of New York and her children, Marie Louise Slocum and Olivia Slocum, both of New York, and John Slocum of Newport, R.I. Funeral services are pending.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, let me recognize the leadership of the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) on this and also the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) for their effort. I rise today to express my support for H. Res. 168 which sends an unequivocal message that our Nation's schools should honor the Native American men, women, and children of this country for their lasting contributions to American history, culture, and education. It is only fitting that we honor them for their unique contribution which is evident in every aspect of American history and culture. For centuries, Native Americans have experienced untold hardships and trials at the hands of many. Yet their contributions to the United States and their support for our Nation are without doubt. Native Americans have and continue to share with all Americans a profound love and respect for this great country. In New Mexico, Native Americans account for 9 percent of the State's population and in my congressional district, 20 percent. I am proud to represent such a large indigenous Native American population. With the passage of this resolution, I believe this body is taking an important step toward a time when Native American history and culture will be embraced and taught in the schools nationwide. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. The rural part of this, as the gentleman knows, is a huge issue. Rural America does not have the opportunity to take the benefits that managed care provides, and we are especially seeing that in my district and in rural New Mexico in regard to Hispanics. I thank the gentleman once again for his leadership. I see we have another of our distinguished colleagues here that I know he is going to talk about, a real champion of health care issues for Hispanics.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas. It is nice to be here with the gentleman this evening. Let me first say that the leadership of the Hispanic Caucus on the health care issues and on the Patient's Bill of Rights has been very impressive. I have a district in New Mexico that is 38 percent Hispanic, close to 20 percent Native American, and the leadership that the Hispanic Caucus has shown in terms of educating us on these issues has been very, very helpful to me. The gentleman mentioned an issue that I wanted to say something about, until I go on to continue with the Patient Bill of Rights, and that issue is this issue of why we are giving patients the right to sue an HMO. Mr. Speaker, we have two States which have passed laws very similar to the bills we are considering now. California and Texas have passed Patient Bill of Rights laws. To listen to the other side argue and to listen to the HMO community, the managed care community argue, one would think that we were going to have runaway lawsuits. You would think that juries are going to go crazy and award massive awards. In fact, those two laws which have been in place now a number of months, one of them in Texas, went through and was put in. President Bush did not sign it, but he could have prevented it and he allowed it to become law. I believe only a half dozen people have even filed a claim under that law. And so the one thing that we have got to get the word out on is that this is not a situation that is going to jeopardize these companies. This is not a situation that is going to end up in runaway jury verdicts. This is a situation where we just give a patient an opportunity to have their day in court is really what we are talking about, if they are seriously injured, if someone is killed as a result of a medical decision, that they have that kind of opportunity. That is a very important point. I think the same thing is true, as the gentleman knows in California. Only about a handful of individuals have filed. It has not been a situation that has fostered lawsuits. The important thing here is to protect the civil justice system. A couple of words on the Patients' Bill of Rights. I believe that this is a very, very good bill because it protects patients and all of their various options. There is nothing more frustrating as a patient to have care denied and not understand why. There is nothing more frustrating as a patient to have an expert be turned down to look at your particular case. What we are talking about here is very simple, common-sense rules that make the HMOs produce quality care. I will never forget as State attorney general when I heard this whole idea of managed care coming in, as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) knows, they sold it to us that it was going to be cost effective, which they have cut a lot of costs, there is no doubt about that; but they said the quality of care is going to go up. In fact, that has not happened. The quality of care has gone down, people have been denied care, patients find themselves dealing with these large bureaucracies, and they do not have any idea how to get through them. That is a big, big problem. Let me just sum up by saying, the Hispanic Caucus has been a real leader on this issue. They have taught me a lot, the gentleman and the other members. It is a real pleasure to carry on this colloquy today with the gentleman about these issues. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that is important to and affects many people throughout the country, particularly many of my constituents who live in the 3rd Congressional District of New Mexico. As our colleagues in the Senate begin to take up the very important issue of a Patients Bill of Rights, it is important that we highlight the various and unique obstacles that Hispanics in the United States face when it comes to managed care. Many Hispanics who belong to managed care programs often face obstacles that others do not. One obstacle is language barriers. At times, language barriers adversely affect not only their access to health care, but that of their children, as well. A recent report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality showed that the inability of many Hispanic children to access care is a result of their parents' inability to speak English well enough to interact fully with the health care system. Furthermore, pamphlets and written information are sometimes available only in English, which presents another set of challenges for many Hispanics in the United States. Moreover, the difficulty of navigating through the bureaucratic managed care system is often complex and burdensome. This can often present a challenge to anybody, but can be compounded by unfamiliarity with the managed care system and difficulty with the English language. In addition to these specific problems faced directly by some Hispanics accessing and obtaining managed care, there is also a general lack of data that outlines the specific Hispanic needs pertaining to managed care programs. While these issues I just mentioned are faced by Hispanics on an individual basis, there is another more systemic problem, that being the lack of Hispanic representation at the administrative level. It is important that more Hispanics are able to participate in the decision- making processes in managed care. There are many reasons why this is important, one of which is that individual's from similar backgrounds can better related to the challenges faced at the individual level. As this Congress takes up a Patient's Bill of Rights and help guarantee the safety and care of patients, it is important that we not forget the unique challenges that Hispanics face when dealing with managed care. The issues that have been discussed tonight must be addressed in order to insure that Hispanics are able to receive the care they need and deserve.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, let me first applaud the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), and the gentleman from Maryland (Chairman Gilchrest) for their efforts on this important bill and for protecting this valuable resource. I am a strong supporter of H.R. 1157, the Pacific Salmon Recovery Act. This measure would provide significant assistance to the Northwestern States and tribal and local governments involved in salmon management recovery and conservation activities. The salmon populations are economic and wildlife resources whose preservation is our national responsibility. As such, the recovery of salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest is of great importance to the ecological, recreational, and economic future of the region. The recovery of our salmon populations are important to the once- thriving commercial salmon fishery business, which is dwindling as a result of a decline in salmon population. This has left the industry crippled. Thus, by protecting healthy salmon runs and those of other species, we can possibly revive what was once a sustainable fishing industry in the region. Once there were 12,000 jobs in this industry. Would it not be great if we could move towards restoring many of those jobs? These activities, coupled with a revival of the recreation industry, provide for a potential increase in commercial and recreational fishing, which can provide the region with new opportunities for economic growth. Our efforts are also an important part of our commitment to honoring our treaty obligations with Native American tribes and with Canada. It is important to emphasize that, in passing this bill, we will take a significant step in honoring our treaty obligations. The history of the United States is replete with unfulfilled promises. As a Nation, we must remedy this by setting new precedents and taking steps to honor our commitments. The potential cost of litigation, should Canada or the tribes contest the treaties in court, could be enormous. Some observers estimate that attorney fees, potential damage awards and/or a settlement based upon a failure to maintain a viable salmon population could exceed $10 billion. Mr. Chairman, we must act now to preserve this magnificent national resource. By passing this measure, we take a necessary step in moving the salmon further from extinction. It is an action that makes sense for the ecosystem, the economy, the nations and tribes with whom we have treaty obligations; and most importantly, it allows us to pursue a balanced approach to preserving this national resource.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to salute Dencil Haycox, the city of Rio Rancho's first and only public safety officer, on the occasion of his retirement after an impressive two decades of dedicated service. Chief Haycox was first hired in 1981 as a police planner to set up the Rio Rancho Police Department shortly after the city of 10,000 incorporated. He quickly established a force consisting of one sergeant and seven officers. In 1985, he became the director of public safety when the City Council created the current Department of Public Safety. Since then he built the current force of 104 police officers and 37 fire and rescue personnel. Chief Haycox's commitment and leadership truly have been instrumental in enhancing the special quality of life in the City of Vision. In Chief Haycox, people have been served by someone who has made their safety and well-being his life's work and has been very attentive to their needs. He has served under eight different mayors, and during that time he has shown his willingness to respond to problems, large and small, for the people he served. He literally took a department that did not exist and made it into what it is today. His colleagues have described him as someone who set high standards for his department and always wanted to help his employees grow professionally. For example, when an employee made a mistake, he tried to use the mistake as a learning opportunity. Rio Rancho is extremely fortunate to have had the leadership of an individual as dedicated, experienced, and successful as Dencil Haycox. I ask that my colleagues join me in saluting him on the occasion of his retirement, and I wish him continued success.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the fifty- seventh anniversary of the invasion of France by Allied Forces, commonly known as D-Day. It is fitting that today we honor the brave American soldiers, sailors, and airmen who took part in the greatest invasion of our history. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, approximately 175,000 soldiers from the allied nations of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain stormed the coast of France in a campaign that proved ultimately to be the turning point of World War II. On the eve of June 5, 1944, 175,000 troops, an armada of 5,333 ships and landing craft, 50,000 vehicles, and 11,000 planes, sat in southern England ready to attack Nazi forces stationed along France's Normandy Coast in preparation for the largest amphibious assault in history. Included in this force were a number of New Mexicans representing the proud military tradition of the country's forty-seventh state that continues to this day. The tradition carried to the beaches of Normandy on June 6th, 1944 began even before New Mexico's inclusion in the Union. Residents of the New Mexico Territory fought proudly in the Union Army of New Mexico and again as part of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders who were victorious at San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. As the dawn lit the Normandy coastline on June 6th, the Allies began their assault on Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Many New Mexican troops were killed and wounded during the invasion and in the campaigns to follow. Men such as Willie Cordova of Truchas, New Mexico, who invaded with the 90th Infantry division and was subsequently wounded while participating in five major campaigns that followed, exemplified the dignity and courage of the American Servicemen. Since that day on June 6, 1944 new chapters have been added to New Mexico's war-time history for future generations to follow, but today belongs to those brave men and women of the Allied forces who participated in one of the greatest military campaigns in history. It is right that we thank them for their bravery, service and commitment to liberty around the world. You, American Veterans of the Allied invasion of France and the liberation of Europe, will never be forgotten, as we owe to you the freedoms and liberties that we so enjoy.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a group of outstanding New Mexico students for participating in the 74th Annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee held last week in Washington, DC. The participants have demonstrated hard work and determination. They are New Mexico's finest spellers. Sarah Paige Berling, 13 of Albuquerque, is an honor student, member of her local YMCA swim team, and a violinist for the Albuquerque Junior Orchestra. Sarah also enjoys reading, writing, drawing and attending her Sunday night youth group meetings. She attends school at home. Brendan T. Guinn, 10, of Gallup, enjoys all his academic studies, especially mathematics. Brendan likes to read and explore the canyons and backcountry of the Navajo reservation where he and his family reside. Brendan is interested in a career as an U.S. Navy Seal. Jackie Metts, 13, of Clovis, participated in the last year's 2000 national finals. Jackie plays the trumpet in her school's varsity band, participates in the gifted students program at Yucca Junior High School, and is also a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Jackie enjoys English and is a fan of the Harry Potter series. Julie E. Palmer, 14, of Kirtland is a straight A student and was the winner of her school's seventh grade English, History and Science awards. Julie's interests include writing, rock-climbing, reading, soccer, hockey, and music. She has won numerous piano awards and was selected as the 2001 Young Artist by the San Juan College Fine Arts department. I want to commend each student for their time and commitment they invested to prepare for this competition. I applaud their hard work and determination and wish them well in their bright futures.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, this is an emotional day for the public school system in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as we say goodbye to an educator who is dear to our hearts. Today, we say farewell to Capital High School Principal Andrew Rendon, who is retiring after 27 years of dedicated service to New Mexico public schools. Mr. Rendon began his career as a 21-year-old student teacher at Robertson High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Additionally, he spent two years at West Las Vegas Junior High, also in Las Vegas. Mr. Rendon then moved into the Santa Fe school system, teaching history at Capshaw and Alameda middle schools, and one year at Santa Fe High School. After his promotion to the Assistant Principal of Alameda Middle School, he transferred to Capital High, where he has been the principal for the last ten years. The challenges facing Capital High have mounted over the past several years. The enrollment of the school has quickly risen to more than 1,400 students. In fact, Capital High is larger than Mr. Rendon's hometown community of Chama, New Mexico. In 1998-99 Capital High's dropout rate of 11.9 percent was the highest in the district. Mr. Rendon has embraced these challenges by taking a hands-on approach in working with students to ensure their success, despite the daily hardships these students face. He has helped the Santa Fe Public School system aggressively institute literacy programs, beginning with kindergartners, to prepare students for high school. Mr. Rendon routinely spends time every day conversing with students and spending time with them on a one-on-one level, paying close attention to the issues that students face every day. His students say Mr. Rendon is a caring, ``cool'' individual, who ``is fair with students and doesn't play favorites.'' Mr. Rendon helps his students to realize the importance of a quality education, which in turn helps them to stay in school. As a result of his undying efforts, the school's TerraNova ranking has risen eight points, and the school's dropout and attendance rates have significantly improved. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the tireless efforts of one of the most committed educators, Andrew Rendon, who has dramatically impacted the lives of thousands of students. I want to thank him for his work to overcome the hardships facing educators across the state of New Mexico. Mr. Rendon will be greatly missed.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate an outstanding student from my state of New Mexico, Peter Indall. Peter is a fourteen-year-old eighth-grade student from St. Michael's High School in Santa Fe who recently represented New Mexico in the 2001 National Geographic Bee. This is not, however, his first time to participate in the National Geographic Bee--Peter represented New Mexico in the 2000 event. Peter is a geography enthusiast; he believes ``geography is not just about memorizing information--it is learning about other cultures and their history.'' Peter's parents, Jon and Mary Indall, credit their son's fifth-grade teacher, Connie Zimpleman at E.J. Martinez Elementary School, for inciting his son's passion to study geography. I know that his fifth grade teacher, as well as the rest of his instructors and fellow New Mexico citizens, are extremely proud of his accomplishments and are honored to have such a distinguished young man represent their state. I have always placed an emphasis on education, and I am so pleased that Peter is excelling in his studies. His achievements have brought much pride to his family, school and community. I wish Peter and his family the best as this extraordinary young man continues to shine and stand out.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Kirk amendment which expresses the sense of Congress that the Impact Aid program should be fully funded. Fully funding the Impact Aid program will greatly help the vast numbers of local school districts which have lost tax revenue as a result of a large Federal presence in their district. This especially holds true of my congressional district in New Mexico which has a large number of schools which depend on Impact Aid funding and who educate a large number of Native American students. The last time this program was fully funded was 1950 through 1969. Since that time, the funding levels for Impact Aid have not kept up with the amount required to cover the Federal Government's obligation to this program. Mr. Chairman, I cannot stress how important this program is to the more than 1,500 school districts and 1.5 million children across the country who depend on this program for a quality education. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, Dr. James E. Shanley, President, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, urges us to support an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Alexandria, VA, May 16, 2001. Hon. John A. Boehner, Chairman, Education and the Workforce Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. George Miller, Ranking Member, Education and the Workforce Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Boehner and Ranking Member Miller: On behalf of the 32 Tribal Colleges and Universities, I am writing to request your support for an amendment that is being proposed in the Senate to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), S. 1. The amendment addresses a serious matter involving two tribally-controlled postsecondary vocational institutions, United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) and Crownpoint Institute of Technology (CIT). It is our understanding that the House of Representative's ESEA reauthorization bill has already been reported from your committee, and consequently a similar amendment may not be offered. Therefore, we ask that consideration be given to rectifying this serious issue either through an amendment on the House Floor or during any Conference session that occurs with the Senate on the ESEA reauthorization bill. CIT and UTTC were founded to provide much needed vocational education opportunities to the American Indian students in their respective tribal communities. Because these two institutions are not eligible to receive funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act and are vocational in nature, Section 117 of the Carl Perkins Act was created in 1990, to offer them a source of core operational support and is key to their existence. The proposed Senate amendment (numbered 426) reaffirms the original intent of section 117, to provide institutional support for these two tribally controlled vocation institutions. While increased funding for Indian vocational education programs is greatly needed, section 117 is not the appropriate vehicle to address this funding disparity. AIHEC directly advocated for the creation of section 117 and herein state our intent to do everything possible to continue to protect its original purpose. Thank you for your attention and consideration of this serious issue. We look forward to working with you on this and other issues that impact our tribal colleges. Dr. James E. Shanley, President, AIHEC Board of Directors and Fort Peck Community College, Poplar, MT.