Chris Van Hollen

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, the chairman of the Committee Education and the Workforce, for those remarks; but the action the Congress took last year was too limited. First of all, it only lasted a year so we could come back this year to fix the problem; but the other part of the problem was it left a big part of the loophole still in place, what is called ``recycling,'' so that the lenders can continue to receive this windfall of 9.5 percent guarantee on those loans. This amendment is prospective only. It does not look back; it only looks to the future. Nobody who has been promised certain returns on their loans will lose the promises they have been made. But what it prevents from happening is future recycling, future abuse in this program. So I urge adoption of the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Does the chairman of the committee have the right to close?

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, I have a very different view of this amendment and what it will do, obviously, than the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. In fact, what this will do is free up additional funds that can be used to make sure more students have the opportunity to go to college, because what is happening right now through this recycling scheme is that the lenders, the makers of the loan, are getting a 9.5 percent essentially guaranteed payment when we could in fact be using those monies instead to provide lower-cost loans to more students and to provide Pell grants. This will give the Subcommittee on Education of the Committee on Education and the Workforce the opportunity to provide more funds to do what they have been saying all afternoon that they want to do. The fact of the matter is this applies prospectively. This is not going to have a negative impact on these non-profit lenders. If you already have one of those loans out there, if you are already getting the sweetheart deal of 9.5 percent, you are still going to get that return. But what this would prohibit you from doing is that when you get that income from the students and the government, all those additional revenues, you cannot go out and do it again. You cannot keep this perpetual-motion machine going. According to some estimates, if we do not plug this hole, we will cost the taxpayers $13 billion, if we let it go on indefinitely. Monies that could be spent, again, could make sure that more students have the opportunity to go to college. I know that we will be dealing with it in the Committee on Education and the Workforce; but in the budget that passed this House, we did not deal with this issue. The budget does not envision closing the recycling loophole. The President 2 years ago submitted a budget that did envision closing the recycling loophole, but a bunch of lenders with interest in this, a lot of lenders who are making a ton of money obviously built up the pressure and it was heard. As a result, the budget does not close the loophole fully. Let us close the loophole fully. Let me say in closing, Mr. Chairman, the issue of the 9.5 percent loans is costing the American taxpayer and the American students billions of dollars a year. The General Accountability Office has looked into this issue. They have done an investigation. They have determined the Department of Education had the authority to shut this down. The Department of Education has not used that authority. Congress must use its authority, and it should do it now. I cannot think of any better place to deal with this issue than in the bill that provides funding for higher education. Because if we adopt this amendment, if the Congress adopts this amendment, it will immediately free up additional resources that we can spend as a Nation on providing students with more loans and providing more grants. So as a result of this amendment, more students will have the opportunity to go to college. I urge its adoption. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is designed to stop what is an ongoing scam in the college student loan program whereby a small handful of lenders are receiving a guaranteed 9.5 government-paid return on certain student loans. As a result of this 9.5 percent loan scheme, the Government Accountability Office has found that certain lenders are pocketing billions of dollars in taxpayer money that would otherwise go to students. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), and I have offered legislation to address this issue, but we should address this issue right here on the floor and right now. We have heard a lot of people coming to the floor saying that we need more funds for higher education; we need more money for Pell grants; we need to provide more opportunities for students to make sure college is affordable. That is what this is about. If we adopt this amendment, we will close the loophole and we will free up billions of dollars that can go to the purposes we all want them to go to, which is to provide greater opportunities for students to go to college. The Department of Education has estimated that closing the loophole will save over $7 billion. Other estimates take the number even higher. So I urge this House to adopt this amendment and provide greater opportunities for our students to go to college. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the rule with a very simple question: What is the House Republican leadership afraid of? We say we want to promote democracy around the world. We say we want to set a good example to others, and yet the House leadership seeks to block a vote today. That is what this argument is about, a vote today on the Waxman amendment, which would simply create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate abuses at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and other places around the world. Unfortunately, the only example we seem to be setting these days is the example of the ostrich, to bury our heads in the sand, to ignore the facts, to ignore the truth. The Bush administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that the reports of human rights abuses at these facilities have been greatly exaggerated. Then what are they afraid of? The chairman of the Intelligence Committee just says these are serious issues. They are serious issues. We do not want quarter-truths; we do not want half-truths. Let us get at the full truth, the good, the bad and the ugly. People around the world look to the United States, not just for the statements we make, but for the actions we take. And Americans have been shocked at the reports of abuses because they know these actions do not reflect our values, and that is what this is about, our values. And they do not represent us as a people. The United States throughout its history has been a great beacon of human rights. And very sadly, that beacon has been dimmed by the abuses that have been taking place. And the best way to reclaim our credibility on this issue is to squarely face the facts and those abuses. We must lead by our example. We must show we will not run from the truth even when it is unpleasant. Only by confronting the truth can we learn from our mistakes. Only by examining our own conduct can we credibly talk about the misconduct of others. Let us show the world that a strong, competent Nation does not run from or hide from the truth. Let us once again lead by example.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to commend one of my constituents, Judy Schneider, on receiving the Women in Government Relations 2004 Distinguished Member Award. Ms. Schneider is a specialist on Congress at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a department of the Library of Congress, and an adjunct scholar at The Brookings Institution. She worked previously for Senate and House committees, including the Senate Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee System. Ms. Schneider is a frequent speaker and lecturer on Congress and legislative procedures. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from The American University. Ms. Schneider is also co-author of the Congressional Deskbook, a comprehensive resource tool frequently used by Congress and Lobbyists. Ms. Schneider is well known on Capitol Hill by Members of Congress, staff, lobbyists and others as ``The person'' for information on numerous topics including House, Senate and Committee Procedure. Ms. Schneider has been a long time friend of WGR. Valuing Ms. Schneider's dedication and support for the organization, she was granted Emeritus Member status in 2004. Emeritus Membership status is reserved for women who have displayed an exceptional commitment to helping other women succeed in the field of government relations, and who have also achieved notable personal success in that endeavor. Previously, only Members of Congress have been awarded this honor. Judy is a dedicated public servant who is committed to making a difference in the lives of others. I am proud to represent her in the U.S. Congress and to have the benefit of her wisdom, insights and experience. I commend Judy Schneider on her accomplishments and wish her continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to congratulate my constituent, Dara Feldman, on receiving the 2005 Disney Teacher Award. The award was given in recognition of her creativity, innovative teaching methods, and ability to inspire her students. Ms. Feldman, a kindergarten teacher at Garrett Park Elementary School, is being recognized for her efforts in the areas of Early Childhood Education. Her commitment to teaching results in a creative, high-tech kindergarten where children learn about the wonder of the world in which they live. Ms. Feldman hosts internet exchanges between her kindergarten students and kindergartners in other parts of the world. This year, her students corresponded with students in Southeast Asia who were victims of last December's tsunami. Ms. Feldman's creativity and dedication to teaching have made her one of only 45 honorees selected from more than 50,000 nominations worldwide. Teachers like Dara Feldman are making profound contributions to the future of our country and provide a beautiful example of how America's teachers can excel. I applaud Dara Feldman and wish her continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, I believe that stem cell research holds the promise of scientific breakthroughs that could improve the lives of millions of Americans. This bi-partisan legislation would provide federal funding for a wider range of research while establishing ethical guidelines. The most compelling arguments for expanding federal funding for stem cell research can be heard in the heart wrenching stories of individuals suffering from debilitating diseases for which there are currently no cures or treatments. While it is too late for the countless Americans who have passed away from terrible diseases, it is not too late for the millions of other Americans hoping this House will support funding for this potentially life-saving resource. For these patients and their families stem cell research is the last hope for a cure. This bill provides that embryos that are otherwise likely to be discarded can be used to help develop treatments for debilitating diseases and life saving cures. We should allow federally supported research to proceed to find such treatments and cures.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. John Mathwin, a teacher at Montgomery Blair High School in my Congressional District, who is retiring after a long and distinguished career. Though Mr. Mathwin will leave Montgomery Blair when this school year closes, his spirit and legacy of dedication, hard work, and service will remain. Mr. Mathwin began his career at Montgomery Blair as an English teacher, but found a more satisfying calling as a journalism instructor. Eventually he became the faculty advisor for Blair's student newspaper Silver Chips. Under Mathwin's guidance, the student staffers of Silver Chips enjoyed tremendous success. During his tenure, Silver Chips earned countless awards at the local, state, and national level, including the Pacemaker Award as the nation's top newspaper. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the students, parents, faculty, and administration of Montgomery Blair High School, I say to Mr. John Mathwin: thank you for your service to our community and our children. You will be missed!

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mihan Lee, an 11th-grader who lives in my Congressional district and attends Georgetown Day School. Recently, she competed against nearly 5,400 middle and high school students nationwide in an essay contest titled ``Lincoln and a New Birth of Freedom.'' Her essay, ``A New Country, a New Century, a New Freedom'' earned her grand prize honors. The contest was held to commemorate the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Mihan, a 17-year-old, second-generation Korean-American, read her award-winning prose during the dedication ceremony. Although Mihan's essay was not specifically about President Lincoln, she captured his message of freedom and courage in a story about her great-grandfather, who lived in Korea under Japanese colonization. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Mihan Lee and wish her continued success in the years ahead. I submit her essay for the Record. A New Country, a New Century, a New Freedom My understanding of freedom is inextricably tied up with my understanding of language. My great-grandfather, in 1940s Korea, was arrested for putting together the first Korean dictionary, when the language had been banned by the Japanese government. My great-grandfather believed that words, the medium by which we formulate and share ideas, can bind and break the very ideas they express if the language is that of an oppressor. He fought for the freedom of his people to express ideas in their own words; in so doing, he defended their very right to have ideas. As I prepare for all the freedoms and responsibilities of adulthood, I remember these definitions of freedom I have inherited, and strive to make ones of my own--not only as the first generation of my family born in a new country, but also as an American youth at the birth of a new century. Sitting in the hall between classes, my friends and I discuss the faults of our school's administration, the right to same-sex marriage, the justification for the Iraq War. We feel it is our right to know and evaluate our surroundings, to speak and have our ideas responded to. I believe that freedom in the 21st century means the liberty of individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, or class, to express themselves in their own words, and to use those words to shape history. We celebrate it, and yet we never stop fighting for it. I am Korean-American, I am young, and I am free. I speak--not always articulate, not often right, but always in my own words. I speak, and I listen.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Israel Independence Day. This young country, now 57 years old and surrounded by hostile neighbors on each of its borders, has stood as a bulwark of democracy throughout its history. On this day we honor the people of Israel, who struggle daily to maintain freedom and independence. Throughout the country's short history, Israelis have fought against unfathomable odds to reestablish the birthplace of the Jewish People. Today, Israel stands strong and prosperous, longing to live in peace and security. Today we also remember and pay tribute to the strong bond of friendship and support between the United States and the State of Israel. I am proud to have visited Israel and to have seen firsthand the courage and steadfast resolve of its people. I look forward to a time when we will be able to join Israel in the celebration of a more peaceful and secure Middle East. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that all Americans will join me in congratulating the citizens of Israel and the entire Jewish community on the 57th anniversary of the birth of the State of Israel.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the life of William R. ``Bill'' Allder, Jr., a senior executive with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Bill Allder, who faithfully served the United States Government for more than 30 years, passed away on May 7, 2005. He was a dedicated public servant who made a lasting contribution to keeping our Nation safe. Mr. Allder was a respected leader at the National Oceanic Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Defense Mapping Agency, the Central Imagery Office, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and most recently, NGA, where he served as the Director of NGA's Strategic Transformation Office. He helped stand-up NGA's predecessor, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. An intellectual pioneer of the Nation's geospatial intelligence discipline that has become a bedrock of the intelligence community, Mr. Allder was a world-class information technology manager who directed the development and deployment of large, complex systems worldwide. To the legions of government employees and aerospace and defense contractors he managed over the years, he will be most remembered for his photographic memory, unerring judgment, decisive leadership, and wonderful sense of humor. Mr. Allder's numerous awards include the Meritorious Service Award, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Presidential Rank Awards of Meritorious Executive, and several Distinguished Executive Awards. He is survived by his wife Susan ``Soozi'' Allder, a daughter Jacquelyn and a son, William R. Allder III, and by two sisters, Elizabeth ``Bette'' Rutherford and Diane DuBois. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring the exceptional life of an extraordinary public servant who will be greatly missed by all.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, this week is Public Service Recognition Week, a week when we salute government employees at the federal, state, county and local levels. As a member of the Congressional Public Service Caucus, I would like to honor one of my constituents who is a model public servant. Eileen Harrington, of Kensington, Maryland, is the Associate Director for Marketing Practices at the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection. In this position, Ms. Harrington led the team that developed the heralded Do Not Call Registry. Ms. Harrington and her team won a 2004 Service to America Medal from the Partnership for Public Service and Atlantic Media Company for this great accomplishment and they continue to receive accolades for their groundbreaking work. Opened on June 27, 2003, the FTC's Do Not Call Registry enables consumers to block phone calls from telemarketers. All consumers have to do is sign up online or through a toll-free number, and registration is free. By any measure, the success of this program has been phenomenal. The registry quickly became the most searched-for site on the Internet, and more than 10 million people were registered in the first four days. According to a January 2004 Harris Poll, 91 percent of adults have heard of the registry, and 57 percent have actually registered--bringing the number of enrollees to almost 60 million. Ninety-two percent of enrollees report receiving fewer calls, and 78 percent say that they get ``far fewer calls'' or none at all. Mr. Speaker, Eileen Harrington and the Do Not Call Registry Team demonstrates the government's ability to deliver practical solutions that are positively improving the everyday lives of millions of Americans. I commend Ms. Harrington and the Do Not Call Registry Team for their service to our great nation.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this Yom Ha'Shoah, we honor those whose lives were lost in the atrocities of one of the darkest periods in human history. We pay tribute to all who lost their lives during World War II and reflect on the loss of more than six million Jewish lives. We honor the heroes who perished in the one of the most valiant battles for liberty and justice the world has ever known. The most fitting tribute that we can offer to the countless heroes who suffered under the Nazi regime is to work to ensure that they did not suffer in vain. As we reflect on the unfathomable loss suffered during the Holocaust it is also important that we vow to build a more peaceful world. Today, more than fifty years later, we must teach our children about the horrific events that transformed the world so that the mistakes of the past are never repeated. It is important that we fight ignorance on a daily basis through a dedication to learning about the origins and realities of the Holocaust. With examples of malice and terror everpresent in today's society, we are reminded of the strength and courage of the Jewish people. Their dedication to begin anew in the aftermath of the Holocaust serves as an example of steadfast determination. Through their example, we learn how the human spirit can triumph over the hollowness of vengeance and anger. On this day we celebrate that spirit. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join the commemoration of Yom Ha'Shoah and I hope that all Americans will join me.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act. Although Democrats would in candor have crafted a different Perkins reauthorization bill, I do want to recognize and salute the bipartisan process that has brought us here today. Mr. Chairman, this is timely legislation. As the premiere Federal investment in career and technical education for secondary and post- secondary students, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act is a critical tool in our efforts to stem the flow of outsourcing and train a world class American workforce for the 21st century. In particular, I am pleased that H.R. 366 includes a model sequence of courses so that students will have a seamless transition between high school and post-secondary education. Additionally, I believe the establishment of separate indicators for postsecondary education represents a common sense improvement to current law. Given the loss of 446,000 private sector jobs since the beginning of the Bush Administration, I am frankly at a loss as to how the President could continue to recommend the elimination of the programs funded under the Perkins Act. And while the majority has in this instance correctly reached its own conclusion about the value of Perkins, I believe a Congress with its priorities in order would be in a position to do better than the level funding for Perkins programs we are passing today. Additionally, while I acknowledge the hold harmless provisions regarding funding for Tech Prep in the base bill and in Mr. Castle's amendment, I remain concerned that eliminating the separate funding stream for Tech Prep will over time result in inadequate funding for these important initiatives. Finally, while we should always be interested in finding administrative savings in order to free up funds for actual education and training on the ground, I fear the additional, important responsibilities we are placing on our states under this bill run the risk of getting shortchanged due to our slashing in half the money we are making available to implement them. In conclusion, I'd like to thank Chairman Boehner, our ranking committee and subcommittee members Mr. Miller and Ms. Woolsey, minority and majority staff--and especially Mr. Castle for his leadership on this issue and for his willingness to reach across the aisle when crafting this bill. While I will be supporting efforts to improve this legislation in conference, for today I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute Mihan Lee, an 11th-grader who lives in my Congressional district and attends Georgetown Day School. Recently, she competed against nearly 5,400 middle and high school students nationwide in an essay contest titled ``Lincoln and a New Birth of Freedom.'' Her essay, ``A New Country, A New Century, A New Freedom'' earned her grand prize honors. The contest was held to commemorate the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Mihan, a 17-year-old, second-generation Korean-American read her award-winning prose during the dedication ceremony. Although Mihan's essay was not specifically about President Lincoln, she captured his message of freedom and courage in a story about her great-grandfather, who lived in Korea under Japanese colonization. Her great-grandfather, Jung In Seung, created the first Korean dictionary at a time when the language was banned under Japanese rule. He was arrested and interred in a prison camp until the liberation of Korea in 1945. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Mihan Lee and wish her continued success in the years ahead. I submit her essay for the Record. Grand Prize Winner: Mihan Lee, 11th grade. Potomac, MD A New Country, A New Century, A New Freedom My understanding of freedom is inextricably tied up with my understanding of language. My great-grandfather, in 1940s Korea, was arrested for putting together the first Korean dictionary, when the language had been banned by the Japanese government. My great-grandfather believed that words, the medium by which we formulate and share ideas, can bind and break the very ideas they express if the language is that of an oppressor. He fought for the freedom of his people to express ideas in their own words; in so doing, he defended their very right to have ideas. As I prepare for all the freedoms and responsibilities of adulthood, I remember these definitions of freedom I have inherited, and strive to make ones of my own--not only as the first generation of my family born in a new country, but also as an American youth at the birth of a new century. Sitting in the hall between classes, my friends and I discuss the faults of our school's administration, the right to same-sex marriage, the justification for the Iraq War. We feel it is our right to know and evaluate our surroundings, to speak and have our ideas responded to. I believe that freedom in the 21st century means the liberty of individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, or class, to express themselves in their own words, and to use those words to shape history. We celebrate it, and yet we never stop fighting for it. I am Korean- American, I am young, and I am free. I speak--not always articulate, not often right, but always in my own words. I speak, and I listen.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a private bill to make Malik Jarno a permanent resident of the United States and to end the protracted ordeal of immigration removal proceedings that have spanned almost one-quarter of this young man's life. Malik is a mentally disabled teenage orphan from Guinea whose compelling plight has attracted the concern and involvement of more than 70 members of Congress, countless citizens, the international media and dozens of national, state and local organizations working with the mentally disabled, children and immigrants and refugees. Deporting Malik to Guinea to face life-threatening circumstances would run contrary to the standard of human rights and decency this country maintains. Members of Malik's family were killed and his home was destroyed in the midst of ethnically and politically motivated violence in Guinea. Immigration authorities have received overwhelming evidence of Malik's shattered life and the serious risk of harm he faces, given his father's status as a prominent political dissident, at the hands of Guinean authorities. The heightened threat associated with Malik's deportation places a special responsibility on this country to consider the well-being and livelihood of this young man. In addition, as a mentally disabled homeless orphan the potential risks of a life in Guinea are aggravated. With no known family or friends to care for Malik, he faces the reality of being relegated to the fringes of a society that has no infrastructure or services to support this young man's special needs. According to information from USAID, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO and other agencies, there are no government or non-profit programs or legal protections for mentally disabled individuals in Guinea. Given his disability, he will face ostracism and severe discrimination and be extremely vulnerable to physical abuse, oppressive conditions and hostile treatment. In an act of desperation, family friends that were looking after Malik put him on a plane bound for the United States. Upon his arrival at Dulles International Airport in 2001, Malik was detained by immigration officials and held in adult jails, where his special needs as a mentally disabled child were neglected in the company of adult convicts, for eight months, before he was allowed to appear before a judge to apply for asylum. Only after another two years of detention was Malik transferred from a maximum security prison to a refugee shelter in York, Pennsylvania. On December 29, 2004, despite strong evidence supporting Malik, an immigration judge denied Malik asylum. An appeal was filed with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) on January 28, 2005. DHS possesses a travel document for Malik's removal to Guinea which can be used as soon as the BIA dismisses his appeal. This ordeal has dragged on for too many years and the perpetual uncertainty has left Malik anxious and unsettled. He continues to study, make friends, and go to school in York, Pennsylvania, but with the constant threat of being torn away from his life in the United States. Malik has a promising future in the United States and this bill will provide Malik with a permanent immigration status and the path to becoming a productive and contributing citizen. In these troubled times, where our reputation as a beacon for human rights has been challenged by the situation in Iraq, the United States has a heightened responsibility to guarantee justice and humane treatment to the most vulnerable in society instead of relegating a mentally disabled orphan to such a horrific fate.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the horrific events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. The Armenian Genocide was a global tragedy. Over an eight year period, one and a half million Armenians were killed and about a half a million more were forced into exile. Every one of us, as citizens of the world, has a responsibility to ensure that the legacy of the Armenian Genocide is acknowledged and remembered so such human tragedies will not reoccur. We debated for months, as systematic killings occurred in Darfur, about whether the actions there constituted acts of genocide. That is why I rise today to voice my disappointment at the administration's continued lack of clarity when referring to the genocide that occurred during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Falling well short of a declaration, the President referred to the tragedy in his April 24 statement as a ``great calamity.'' Indeed, what occurred was a calamity of such dimensions that the Armenian people are still dealing with its consequences today. But genocide is more than calamity. I share the opinion of the members of the Armenian Assembly of America who say the President's weak statement, ``was a missed opportunity . . . to speak the truth plainly, to once and for all avoid using evasive terminology. . . .'' Just as there is no reason to equivocate about what is happening to the people of Darfur, there is no reason to equivocate about what happened to the Armenians 90 years ago. Genocide is genocide.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, as Yogi Berra used to say ``it's deja vu all over again.'' I never would have imagined: During a time of war in the Middle East, heading into the summer smog season in cities like Washington, DC, with prices at the pump hitting $2.50 a gallon, we are here today telling our constituents that the wisest course of action-- the best America can do with its energy policy--is ``more of the same''. Nonsense. We have choices. We always have choices. What we apparently don't have--yet--is the leadership to make them. Take national security. Rather than heeding the clarion call of former CIA Director Woolsey, former National Security Advisor McFarlane and others to reduce our use of foreign oil by launching ``a major new initiative to curtail U.S. consumption through improved efficiency and the rapid development of . . . petroleum fuel alternatives,'' this legislation actually increases our reliance on foreign oil, according to the independent Energy Information Agency (EIA). What about economic growth? We've lost over 2.8 million manufacturing jobs since 2001--and no matter how hard today's proponents try to spin it--this bill isn't going to bring them back. To the contrary, by doling out additional tax breaks to already highly profitable oil companies, this legislation represents a monumental missed opportunity to target critical federal investments towards the rapidly expanding green industries of the 21st century. We should be the world leader in renewable energy and hybrid technologies--not playing catch up to the Danes, Germans and Japanese. In that regard, I regret that an amendment I offered with Reps. Inslee (D-WA) and Holt (D-NJ) to achieve this goal was blocked by the Rules Committee and will not be permitted a floor vote today. Finally, no serious discussion about formulating a comprehensive national energy policy can take place without reference to the environmental impacts of our nation's energy consumption. However, rather than having that discussion, this bill instead goes the other direction by deliberately chipping away at the Clean Water, Clean Air and National Environmental Policy Acts. It once again proposes to despoil the ANWR while ignoring the potential for far greater fuel gains through a long overdue increase in CAFE standards. And it brazenly extends a special interest liability waiver to MTBE manufacturers whose product is polluting groundwater in many of our districts--leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab. In my home state of Maryland, important statewide energy efficiency standards and local LNG siting perogatives are preempted. And throughout the entire 1019 pages of this legislation, you will not find a single reference to climate change--despite a bipartisan effort I joined to attach language which would have taken the modest step of establishing a national greenhouse gas registry. That amendment, which twice received unanimous support in the Senate, was similarly quashed by the Rules Committee. Mr. Chairman, America needs an energy policy that strengthens our national security, promotes long term economic growth and protects the environment. This is not that policy. I ask my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today and join the millions of my fellow Americans in commemorating Greek Independence Day which, on March 25th celebrated the 184th anniversary of the rebellion and the struggle of the Greek people against the Ottoman Empire. What makes Greek Independence Day so special here in America is that it reminds us of the strong principles and bonds that the U.S. and Greece share. In looking into the struggles of our two nations, we realize how much our struggles have in common, and how much each country has been influenced by the other. Greece and the United States are bound by an absolute commitment to the democratic ideals of justice and freedom and continue to be strong allies. By commemorating Greek Independence Day, we also celebrate the strength and the resolve of the human spirit that has been the inspiration of us all. I am very pleased to place into the Record a statement made on this 184th anniversary of Greek independence written by one of my constituents, Constantinos Nicolaou: Statement of Mr. Constantinos Nicolaou of Maryland The greatness of the human spirit, regardless of any efforts to suppress it, will always rise against tyranny and oppression and will start revolutions where heroism will pay any price, even the ultimate sacrifice of life, in order to gain freedom and independence. Every time we commemorate heroism such as the one exhibited by the Greeks on March 25, 1821 and during the ensuing struggle for their freedom, we cannot help but think of our great Founding Fathers, who were so much influenced by the ancient Greeks in their struggles for freedom and the creation of what had become the freest, most democratic country in history, the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson looked to the ancient Greek philosophers and their teachings as an inspiration in trying to create a fair, strong, democratic state. And it was not accidental that many of the Greek leaders of the 1821 revolution, turned to America for inspiration as they were embarking in their struggle for freedom. Both nations were faced with seemingly insurmountable struggles, rising against empires to claim their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Both nations became triumphant at the end, because of their love of freedom. The great American Patriot, Patrick Henry, proclaimed, ``Give me liberty or give me death.'' The Greek patriots went to battle proclaiming, ``Eleftheria I Thanatos'' --liberty or death. As with the American Revolution, the Greek revolution is filled with stories of heroism and sacrifice. News of such heroism and sacrifice met with strong feelings of support by the American public and by their politicians, including President James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, who expressed their support for the Greek revolution through their annual messages to Congress. Henry Clay, our secretary of state in 1825, was very vocal in his support of Greece's fight for independence. Daniel Webster, more often than not, influenced his colleagues in looking into the Greek struggle with sympathetic interests. It is, of course, no surprise that our Founding Fathers and other prominent Americans were supportive of the Greek struggle for independence. As mentioned, they themselves had been inspired by the ancient Greeks. Thomas Jefferson, of all the Founding Fathers, had a particular affinity for Greece, not only because of its classical republican philosophy but also because of his studies of the origins of languages. He expressed that affinity many times, as in a letter to John Brazier on August 24, 1819. In that letter, Thomas Jefferson addresses ``Mr. Pickering's Memoir of the Modern Greek,'' and the Memoirs review by Brazier. He tells Brazier, ``I had been much pleased with the memoir, and was much also with your review of it. I have little hope indeed of recovery of the ancient pronunciation of the finest of human languages, but still I rejoice to the attention the subject seems to excite with you, because it is evidence that our country begins to have a taste for something more than merely as much Greek as will pass a candidate for clerical ordination. . . . Among the values of classical learning, I estimate the luxury of learning the Greek and Roman authors in all the beauties of their originals. And why should not this innocent and elegant luxury take its preeminent stand ahead of all those addressed merely to the senses? I think myself more indebted to my father for this than for all other luxuries his cares and affections have placed within my reach.'' Jefferson expressed his empathies with Greece revolting against its Ottoman rulers. In an 1823 letter to Adamantios Coray, the Greek patriot and scholar that he had met in Paris years earlier, he stated: ``. . . You have certainly began at the right end towards preparing them [the Greek people] for the great object they are now contending for, by improving their minds and qualifying them for self-government. For this they will owe you lasting honors. Nothing is more likely to forward this object than a study of the fine models of science left by their ancestors; to whom we also are all indebted for the lights which originally led ourselves out of Gothic darkness.'' No people sympathize more feelingly than ours with the suffering of your countrymen; none offer more sincere and ardent prayers to heaven for their success. And nothing indeed but the fundamental principle of our government never to entangle us with the broils of Europe could restrain our generous youth from taking some part in this holy cause. Possessing ourselves the combined blessing of liberty and order, we wish the same to other countries, and to none more than yours, which she first of civilized nations presented examples of what man should be. The ties that bind America and Greece go, of course, far beyond their parallel and noble struggles for freedom. The philosophical and cultural connections, although little known to the public at large, could not be stronger or better assimilated. Such connections were born almost at the same time with the birth of our nation, if not before. In his excellent study of ``Lincoln at Gettysburg,'' Gary Wills tells us: ``America as a second Athens was an idea whose moment had come in the nineteenth century. . . . In the early 19th century, an era that became known as America's Greek Revival was taking shape. Archaeological discoveries in Greece at the time brought the ancient democracy to mind just as modern Greece began its struggle for freedom from the Turks. ``Edward Everett, President of Harvard, founder of Mount Auburn, congressman, Massachusetts's governor, minister to the Court of St. James's in London, senator, secretary of state and principal speaker at Gettysburg years later, was the leader of the Greek Revival. Harvard established its new chair of ancient Greek studies for him. While studying in Germany, Everett went to Greece, `to walk over the battlefields where the first democracy of the West won its freedom.' He returned to America convinced that a new Athens was rising here. His appearances, `prompted rallies for Greek independence'--a favorite cause of Everett. ``Everett's prestige influenced others, including historian George Bancroft, whose `main interest was Greek history.'. . . Bancroft was ahead of the wave of histories that would glorify Periclean Athens in Victorian England. Direct democracy, a flawed system in republican theory, was rehabilitated, for its usefulness in the parliamentary reform movement, by British historians like George Grote. In America, a similar motion toward government by the people, not just for the republic, was signaled by an enthusiasm for Greek symbols. Barcroft became a Jacksonian Democrat when he began to apply historical skills formed on the Attic democracy to America's development. Walter Savage Landor recognized what was happening in America when he dedicated the second volume of his Pericles and Aspasia to President Andrew Jackson.'' Greece and the United States, bound by their absolute commitment to freedom and justice, have always been the strongest of the allies. Greece stood by us and fought with us in every single war or conflict since we both gained our freedom. And we always stood by Greece, and although at times we appeared to have forgotten how loyal and valuable the Greeks had been to us, our ultimate commitment to their freedom and well-being never wavered. And as we commemorate and fight to free all people, let us remember that some other friends of ours are still agonizing and asking for our help in fighting forces of evil still occupying their land and their homes. The people of the Republic of Cyprus, Greeks and Turks and all others, should be given more active support by our great nation in their efforts to reunite the island and get rid of the occupying forces. U.S. leadership is essential, and now it is the time that we should remember that the Cypriot people are where we had been, and they are striving for what we have earned long time ago, that is, their right to freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is essential that American leadership urges Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders towards peace. These are the two sides that hold in their hands, to the largest extent, the peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem. A solution that undoubtedly will benefit all the people of Cyprus, but it will also benefit the nations of Greece and Turkey, will stabilize the region, and will strengthen the bonds and relationships between the United States and the countries involved in the conflict. As we commemorate Greek Independence Day, we are celebrating the strength and the resolve of the human spirit as well as man's unbending will in the pursuit of freedom. The people of ancient Greece gave us values and ethics and showed us how to fight for freedom and democracy. Our country, more than any other country, shares those values and ethics, and in days such as this we reaffirm our common democratic heritage with the Greek people. The commemoration and celebration remind us also that we should stay forever vigilant in fighting for and protecting our freedom and our democracy, least we lose the right to determine our lives and our future. Dionisios Solomos was the great poet who transformed in his poetry the unparalleled struggle and the sacrifices of Hellenism in the pursuit of Freedom. The Revolution so much influenced his poetry that he is considered the national poet of Greece. One of his most inspired poems, Hymn to Liberty, has almost become synonymous to that Revolution and it became Greece's National Anthem. The poem was published in 1825, along with translations in Italian, French and English. The Revolution would have never been the same without Solomos. The enthusiasm of the fighters, as well as the international sympathy among the Philhellenes would have definitely been smaller without the Hymn to Liberty. Probably nowhere was Solomos's vision of Liberty depicted better than here, in the United States. Here, in the Rotunda of our own Capitol Hill, we see a most wonderful painting of Liberty, with the sword in hand chasing her enemies, exactly the way Solomos envisioned her in his Hymn to Liberty. This figure was painted by another son of Greece, one who really grasped Solomos's vision of Liberty, Constantino Brumidi. And as a tribute to the United States, Solomos envisions our country rejoicing in seeing Greece fighting for Freedom. He describes the American feelings this way: Most heartily was gladdened George Washington's brave land: For the iron bonds remembered, Her old slavery's cruel brand. We live today in a great, free country. Our country became great, and will always be so, because the spirit and the morals that we share with Greece, as so eloquently expressed by Solomos, will always be with us.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to announce that today I introduced the Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Act of 2005. If enacted into law, this bill would repeal the provision tacked onto the FY2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill that hands over the tax returns of millions of American taxpayers to private contractors to collect delinquent taxes, and to keep 25 percent of their take as a commission for services rendered. This provision opens the door to taxpayer intimidation and abuse, practices that have been outlawed by Congress. This practice amounts to bounty-hunting--at taxpayer expense--by allowing collection agencies to harass those same American taxpayers, many of whom are guilty of nothing, with the incentive of collecting their commission as their primary motivation. Giving unaccountable outside bounty hunters unfettered access to Americans' personal financial data poses a risk that we just cannot afford, and that is why these organizations oppose the IRS proposal: Citizens for Tax Justice, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Consumer Law Center, National Consumers League. Late last year, Congress enacted H.R. 4520, the corporate tax bill, which included a provision that will give the IRS the authority to use private collection agencies to collect tax debt. This means that up to 2.6 million tax returns--which until then were only scrutinized by federal government employees--will now be open to private collection agencies and an untold number of private debt collection staff. What's more worrisome is the IRS' inability to oversee the work of these private debt collectors. A 1996 pilot program for private collection was so unsuccessful that a similar pilot program planned for 1997 was cancelled outright. The contractors used in the pilot programs regularly broke the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, did not protect the security of personal taxpayer information, and even then failed to bring in a net increase in revenue. The IRS has said that it has learned from the 1996 project and is better equipped to address the problems raised. However, even recent evidence is to the contrary. An eye-opening report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA Audit #200320010) shows how IRS contractors put taxpayers' data at risk. The TIGTA audit found that the ``lack of oversight of contractors resulted in serious security vulnerabilities.'' The report found that ``contractors blatantly circumvented IRS policies and procedures even when security personnel identified inappropriate practices.'' In fact, the report found that contractors made hundreds of calls to taxpayers during times prohibited by the FDCPA, and that calls were even placed as early as 4:19 a.m. The objective of the review was ``to determine whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has adequately protected Federal Government equipment and data from misuse by contractors.'' The review found: ``The involvement of non-IRS employees in critical IRS functions increases the risk of misuse or unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer data, and could lead to loss of equipment or sensitive taxpayer data through theft or sabotage.'' While IRS employees are explicitly forbidden from being evaluated on the basis of revenue collected, the private collection scheme would actually link contractor pay to the amount of revenue collection. This policy encourages contractors to use aggressive collection techniques to boost their remuneration. Furthermore, the IRS is currently liable for damages to a taxpayer resulting from the misuse of confidential information by an IRS employee, but taxpayers will not be able to recover damages from the federal government where contractors are guilty of malfeasance. The House had already expressed its will that this provision not become law when it approved by voice vote an amendment to the FY2005 Treasury Appropriations bill that prevented the expenditure of any federal funds for private collection of federal taxes. Unfortunately, the Treasury Appropriations bill never became law, and the House-passed amendment was stripped out of the omnibus spending bill by the Republican leadership in the conference--behind closed doors, in the dead of night. We must repeal this onerous provision. We must protect American taxpayers from intimidation and abuse. We must ensure that personal financial records are protected and remain private. Two decades ago this Congress passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act specifically to protect Americans from intimidation and abuse, but last year this Congress perpetrated an injustice by allowing these very abuses to go forward. I urge my colleagues to join me in working with the IRS to find a more effective means of collecting delinquent tax debt collection and avoid this risky scheme altogether. Let's pass the Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Act.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today and join the millions of my fellow Americans in commemorating Greek Independence Day which, on March 25th celebrated the 184th anniversary of the rebellion and the struggle of the Greek people against the Ottoman Empire. What makes Greek Independence Day so special here in America is that it reminds us of the strong principles and bonds that the U.S. and Greece share. In looking into the struggles of our two nations, we realize how much our struggles have in common, and how much each country has been influenced by the other. Greece and the United States are bound by an absolute commitment to the democratic ideals of justice and freedom and continue to be strong allies. By commemorating Greek Independence Day, we also celebrate the strength and the resolve of the human spirit that has been the inspiration of us all. I am very pleased to place into the record a statement made on this 184th anniversary of Greek independence written by one of my constituents, Constantinos Nicolaou. The greatness of the human spirit, regardless of any efforts to suppress it, will always rise against tyranny and oppression and will start revolutions where heroism will pay any price, even the ultimate sacrifice of life, in order to gain freedom and independence. Every time we commemorate heroism such as the one exhibited by the Greeks on March 25, 1821 and during the ensuing struggle for their freedom, we cannot help but think of our great founding fathers, who were so much influenced by the ancient Greeks in their struggles for freedom and the creation of what had become the freest, most democratic country in history, the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson looked to the ancient Greek philosophers and their teachings as an inspiration in trying to create a fair, strong, democratic state. And it was not accidental that many of the Greek leaders of the 1821 revolution, turned to America for inspiration as they were embarking in their struggle for freedom. Both nations were faced with seemingly insurmountable struggles, rising against empires to claim their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Both nations became triumphant at the end, because of their love of freedom. The great American Patriot, Patrick Henry, proclaimed, Give me liberty or give me death.'' The Greek patriots went to battle proclaiming, ``Eleftheria I Thanatos'' -- liberty or death. As with the American Revolution, the Greek revolution is filled with stories of heroism and sacrifice. News of such heroism and sacrifice met with strong feelings of support by the American public and by their politicians, including President James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, who expressed their support for the Greek revolution through their annual messages to congress. Henry Clay, our secretary of state in 1825, was very vocal in his support of Greece's fight for independence. Daniel Webster, more often than not, influenced his colleagues in looking into the Greek struggle with sympathetic interests. It is, of course, no surprise that our Founding Fathers and other prominent Americans were supportive of the Greek struggle for independence. As mentioned, they themselves had been inspired by the ancient Greeks. Thomas Jefferson, of all the Founding Fathers, had a particular affinity for Greece, not only because of its classical republican philosophy but also because of his studies of the origins of languages. He expressed that affinity many times, as in a letter to John Brazier on August 24, 1819. In that letter, Thomas Jefferson address ``Mr. Pickering's Memoir of the Modern Greek,'' and the Memoirs review by Brazier. He tells Brazier, ``I had been much pleased with the memoir, and was much also with your review of it. I have little hope indeed of recovery of the ancient pronunciation of the finest of human languages, but still I rejoice to the attention the subject seems to excite with you, because it is evidence that our country begins to have a taste for something more than merely as much Greek as will pass a candidate for clerical ordination . . . Among the values of c1assical learning, I estimate the luxury of learning the Greek and Roman authors in all the beauties of their originals. And why should not this innocent and elegant luxury take its preeminent stand ahead of all those addressed merely to the senses? I think myself more indebted to my father for this that for all other luxuries his cares and affections have placed within my reach.'' Jefferson expressed his empathies with Greece revolting against its Ottoman rulers. In an 1823 letter to Adamantios Coray, the Greek patriot and scholar that he had met in Paris years earlier, he stated: . . . You have certainly began at the right end towards preparing them [the Greek people] for the great object they are now contending for, by improving their minds and qualifying them for self-government. For this they will owe you lasting honors. Nothing is more likely to forward this object than a study of the fine models of science left by their ancestors; to whom we also are all indebted for the lights which originally led ourselves out of Gothic darkness. No people sympathize more feelingly than ours with the suffering of your countrymen; none offer more sincere and ardent prayers to heaven for their success. And nothing indeed but the fundamental principle of our government never to entangle us with the broils of Europe could restrain our generous youth from taking some part in this holy cause. Possessing ourselves the combined blessing of liberty and order, we wish the same to other countries, and to none more than yours, which she first of civilized nations presented examples of what man should be. The ties that bind America and Greece go, of course, far beyond their parallel and noble struggles for freedom. The philosophical and cultural connections, although little known to the public at large, could not be stronger or better assimilated. Such connections were born almost at the same time with the birth of our nation, if not before. In his excellent study of ``Lincoln at Gettysburg,'' Gary Wills tells us: America as a second Athens was an idea whose moment had come in the nineteenth century . . . In the early 19th century, an era that became known as America's Greek Revival was taking shape. Archaeological discoveries in Greece at the time brought the ancient democracy to mind just as modern Greece began its struggle for freedom from the Turks. Edward Everett, President of Harvard, founder of Mount Auburn, congressman, Massachusetts's governor, minister to the Court of St. James's in London, senator, secretary of state and principal speaker at Gettysburg years later, was the leader of the Greek Revival. Harvard established its new chair of ancient Greek studies for him. While studying in Germany, Everett went to Greece, ``to walk over the battlefields where the first democracy of the West won its freedom.'' He returned to America convinced that a new Athens was rising here. His appearances, ``prompted rallies for Greek independence''--a favorite cause of Everett. Everett's prestige influenced others, including historian George Bancroft, whose ``main interest was Greek history.''. . . Bancroft was ahead of the wave of histories that would glorify Periclean Athens in Victorian England. Direct democracy, a flawed system in republican theory, was rehabilitated, for its usefulness in the parliamentary reform movement, by British historians like George Grote. In America, a similar motion toward government by the people, not just for the republic, was signaled by an enthusiasm for Greek symbols. Barcroft became a Jacksonian Democrat when he began to apply historical skills formed on the Attic democracy to America's development. Walter Savage Landor recognized what was happening in America when he dedicated the second volume of his Pericles and Aspasia to President Andrew Jackson.'' Greece and the United States, bound by their absolute commitment to freedom and justice, have always been the strongest of the allies. Greece stood by us and fought with us in every single war or conflict since we both gained our freedom. And we always stood by Greece, and although at times we appeared to have forgotten how loyal and valuable the Greeks had been to us, our ultimate commitment to their freedom and wellbeing never wavered. And as we commemorate and fight to free all people, let us remember that some other friends of ours are still agonizing and asking for our help in fighting forces of evil still occupying their land and their homes. The people of the Republic of Cyprus, Greeks and Turks and all others, should be given more active support by our great nation in their efforts to reunite the island and get rid of the occupying forces. U.S. leadership is essential, and now it is the time that we should remember that the Cypriot people are where we had been, and they are striving for what we have earned long time ago, that is, their right to freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is essential that American leadership urges Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders towards peace. These are the two sides that hold in their hands, to the largest extent, the peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem. A solution that undoubtedly will benefit all the people of Cyprus, but it will also benefit the nations of Greece and Turkey, will stabilize the region, and will strengthen the bonds and relationships between the United States and the countries involved in the conflict. As we commemorate Greek Independence Day, we are celebrating the strength and the resolve of the human spirit as well as man's unbending will in the pursuit of freedom. The people of ancient Greece gave us values and ethics and showed us how to fight for freedom and democracy. Our country, more than any other country, shares those values and ethics, and in days such as this we reaffirm our common democratic heritage with the Greek people. The commemoration and celebration remind us also that we should stay forever vigilant in fighting for and protecting our freedom and our democracy, least we loose the right to determine our lives and our future. Dionisios Solomos was the great poet who transformed in his poetry the unparalleled struggle and the sacrifices of Hellenism in the pursuit of Freedom. The Revolution so much influenced his poetry that he is considered the national poet of Greece. One of his most inspired poems, Hymn to Liberty, has almost become synonymous to that Revolution and it became Greece's National Anthem. The poem was published in 1825, along with translations in Italian, French and English. The Revolution would have never been the same without Solomos. The enthusiasm of the fighters, as well as the international sympathy among the Philhellenes would have definitely been smaller without the Hymn to Liberty. Probably nowhere has Solomos's vision of Liberty depicted better than here, in the United States. Here, in the Rotunda of our own Capital Hill, we see a most wonderful painting of Liberty, with the sword in hand chasing her enemies, exactly the way Solomos envisioned her in his Hymn to Liberty. This figure was painted by another son of Greece, one who really grasped Solomos's vision of Liberty, Constantino Brumidi. And as a tribute to the United States, Solomos envisions our country rejoicing in seeing Greece fighting for Freedom. He describes the American feelings this way: Most heartily was gladdened George Washington's brave land: For the iron bonds remembered, Her old slavery's cruel brand. We live today in a great, free country. Our country became great, and will always be so, because the spirit and the morals that we share with Greece, as so eloquently expressed by Solomos, will always be with us.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud today to introduce the Federal Employees with Disabilities Protection Act. The Federal Employees with Disabilities Protection Act (FEDPA) simply states that in cases where federal jobs are contracted out, a federal employee should not lose his or her job if that employee is an individual with a significant physical or developmental disability and had been hired under a program designed for individuals with such disabilities. The FEDPA was drafted to respond to a particular situation that occurred at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In the fall of 2003 I visited the Hospital, which has developed an innovative and successful program hiring developmentally disabled individuals from our local community to work in its kitchen and cafeteria. Many of these individuals have worked there for more than twenty years. They are hard-working, reliable, and beloved by the naval officers and staff. I was shocked to learn that the Administration had selected these positions to be subject to competitive sourcing. In other words, these hard-working disabled employees, who had been hired under a federal program designed specifically to hire the severely disabled, would be forced to compete for their own jobs against people who were not disabled, leaving them on the verge of losing their jobs. I wrote the President about this injustice and am pleased that as a result of our timely intervention, plans to compete these jobs have been withdrawn and these individuals have been able to keep their jobs and the sense of dignity that comes with them. But it is unconscionable that other severely disabled federal workers might have to suffer through the same thing. The FEDPA will protect federal employees with severe disabilities from losing their federal jobs as a result of contracting out. The bill does allow for jobs to continue to be contracted out to organizations like NISH (formerly known as the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped) and the National Industries for the Blind covered under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (JWOD). JWOD established specific programs to hire the severely disabled; it is not the intention of the FEDPA to interfere with JWOD. The FEDPA is supported by many advocates for the disabled, including ANCOR (The American Network of Community Options and Resources), The Public Policy Collaboration of United Cerebral Palsy and the Arc of the United States. Federal employee unions supporting FEDPA include the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The FEDPA also has the support of the Professional Services Council, one of the principal organizations representing government contractors, because they agree that supporting employment opportunities for the disabled is important. Mr. Speaker, I believe that everyone in this body wants to protect employment opportunities for the severely disabled. I urge my colleagues to support and cosponsor the Federal Employees with Disabilities Protection Act. I am submitting for the Record an article that was published by The Washington Post on October 14, 2003 that describes the situation involving the scullery workers at the National Naval Medical Center. [From the Washington Post, Oct. 14, 2003] In Bethesda, Hiring Policy, `Competitive Sourcing' Clash Naval Medical Center Considers Replacing Disabled Workers (By Christopher Lee) President Bush's efforts to make government run more like a business collided this month with the reality that, in many ways, government is not a business. For the 2 two years, the Navy, as part of the Bush administration's initiative, has been studying whether a private contractor should take over the custodial and food services provided by 21 federal employees at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. It is just one small example of Bush's ``competitive sourcing'' initiative, which requires hundreds of thousands of civil servants across the government to prove they can do their work better and more cheaply than a private contractor, or risk seeing the work outsourced. But in one important way the 21 workers in the hospital scullery are different: All are mentally retarded, beneficiaries of federal policies that promote the employment of people with disabilities. To their supporters, the administration's requirement that they compete for their jobs misses the point that government employment has always been about more than the bottom line. Through various policies and laws, federal agencies for decades have gone out of their way to hire members of certain populations, from veterans to disabled people to welfare mothers and students. ``There are different goals of the federal government, and one of those goals is to get different people into real jobs,'' said Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who met last month with the scullery workers at the hospital, which is in his district. ``And this [policy] will undercut that goal.'' Bush has strongly defended ``competitive sourcing,'' calling it one of his most important management initiatives. He says forcing government workers to compete with private contractors for their jobs promotes government efficiency and saves taxpayer dollars--even if the jobs stay in-house. An Oct. 3 report by the Office of Management and Budget said federal agencies have identified 434,820 jobs that are ripe for such competition, of which 103,412 are being evaluated for possible contracting out. ``We are confident that the savings and service benefits expected from this effort will soon follow,'' Clay Johnson III, OMB's deputy director for management, said that day. That provides scant comfort to employees such as Devorah Shapiro, 30, who has worked at the hospital scullery for 10 years and worries what will happen if she loses her job. ``I like working here,'' Shapiro said the other day while taking a break from the first half of her eight-hour shift. ``I work on the belt. I help push carts upstairs sometimes. I wash plates, pick silverware--I do everything.'' Shapiro landed the job after interning at the hospital while a student at Rock Terrace School, a public campus in Rockville that serves 112 special-needs children in grades 6 through 12. ``I live in a group home and I have to pay the rent there,'' said Shapiro, her dark curls tucked neatly under a hairnet. ``And I have to work, or else they'll ask me to leave. I don't want to leave my friends. I don't want to leave my house. It's too nice.'' The work isn't easy. The employees, clad in blue uniforms and white plastic aprons, remove trash and utensils from used trays as they navigate across a water-slicked red tile floor. Many wear earplugs to block out the drone of the industrial dishwasher that cleans the dishes and trays that pass through it on a conveyer belt before the workers retrieve and stack them in neat piles. Shifts begin at 5:30 a.m. and finish as late as 7 p.m. James Eastridge, 38, another former Rock Terrace student, has worked in the kitchen for 22 years. That is long enough for him to earn several promotions and enough money to buy a house in Hagerstown, where he lives with his parents. ``I started out when I was 16 years old and just kept on working; the years just flew by,'' he said. ``I hope we get to keep the jobs. When I was in school, I was pretty wild. They got me in the job . . . and I've been doing good ever since I've been here.'' Randy Severt, a teacher at Rock Terrace, said more than 300 students have interned or worked at the hospital since the school formed a partnership with the institution in 1979. The Navy got reliable, long-serving employees for hard-to-fill positions. The students, who earn between $9.42 and $12.80 an hour, were given an opportunity to work, learn about money management and become more self-sufficient. Providing such opportunities is a long-standing goal of the federal government. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 banned discrimination against disabled people in federal hiring and required agencies to develop affirmative action plans to hire more people with disabilities. Most of the scullery workers joined the hospital under a federal hiring authority that allows agencies to take on people with mental retardation as provisional employees, then convert them to permanent status after two years of satisfactory service. The government employed 1,734 mentally retarded workers in 2000, about one-tenth of 1 percent of the 1.8 million-strong federal civilian workforce, according to the Office of Personnel Management. (Overall, more than 120,000 disabled people worked for the government that year, more than 7 percent of the federal workforce. ) If the hospital scullery work goes to a private contractor, it will mean a big adjustment for a group of workers who, due to circumstances and disability, do not cope well with change, Severt said. ``They have problems finding jobs on their own. They don't advocate well for themselves and they don't have a lot of skills,'' Severt said. ``Some of them can speak well. Some of them have very good social skills. But they are retarded, and they need help every step of the way. They just don't adapt.'' Hospital officials say the quality of the work isn't at issue. ``They're very loyal employees,'' said Cmdr. Martie Slaughter, the hospital's nutrition manager. ``I've only been here for two years and they are like my family.'' In similar competitions across the government, the in-house bid has triumphed more than half the time, according to the OMB. Even in the cases where the private sector has won, the employees often have gone to work for the contractor. But the scullery employees are at a decided disadvantage. ``If you are special needs, you have a great need for greater supervision,'' Slaughter said. ``And we all know that supervision costs money.'' Jerry Leener, whose son Mike, 27, has worked at the hospital for eight years, said that even a White House focused on the bottom line should realize there is little to be gained by contracting out the work. Displaced employees would turn to government entitlement programs, including federal disability payments, Medicaid and food stamps. ``If our kids lose their jobs, the federal government is still going to have to compensate them,'' Leener said. ``Either way, it's going to be coming out of federal funds. So we haven't had a cost saving as it relates to these kids. What's more, we've displaced them from their passion. They love working here. They love being a part of this.'' Military officials have been sympathetic but unmoved. Slaughter said that early on in the process she asked about getting a waiver for the workers, but none was forthcoming. Over the last year, parents of some workers have written to Navy officials and members of Congress seeking help, but with no concrete results. As recently as two weeks ago, Navy officials said they were still studying the situation. Parents of the workers grew nervous as a December deadline loomed for the hospital to submit its bid to keep the scullery jobs in-house. They were told that a decision on whether a contractor would take over could come as soon as March. Then on Oct. 2, 10 days after Van Hollen's visit to the scullery and after inquiries by The Washington Post, Navy officials passed the word internally that they had been directed to temporarily stop working on the job competition. ``The study has not been cancelled, but postponed until further notice,'' an internal e-mail said. Parents said they were given a vague explanation that the job competition had gone on longer than current law permits. A provision in the recently passed 2004 Defense Appropriations bill blocks new funding for single-function job competitions that have exceeded 24 months, and multifunction competitions that have exceeded 30 months. Navy officials at the hospital did not respond to two requests for more information about the decision. ``I have a suspicion that they were starting to feel political pressure and decided to put it on hold, and that maybe this thing would blow over,'' said Leener, who added that he remains uncertain about whether his son's job is safe. ``We took it as a big victory, believe me, but it's a temporary one.'' Trent Duffy, an OMB spokesman, said agencies may cancel job competitions that jeopardize protected workers, such as veterans or disabled people. ``It is permissible for agencies to make that determination and cancel a competition because these protected populations, these certain people, could potentially lose their livelihoods,'' Duffy said. ``They absolutely have that discretion under the law.'' Van Hollen, who wrote a letter to Bush urging him to halt the study, said he viewed the Navy's decision as little more than political expediency. He still believes competitive sourcing is ``a one-size-fits-all contracting-out policy that does not take into account other important goals of the federal government,'' he said. ``I still think it's an example of their policy run amok,'' Van Hollen said. ``There's no doubt what happened here. You want to applaud the Navy for reversing its decision, but you can't have a member of Congress or a member of the press visit every site where you've got . . . contracting out going on with model programs.''