C. Young

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, one hundred years ago, an ambitious little boy named Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois; a little boy who was determined to be someone important. When that little boy became this nation's 40th president, he told us that America was too great for small dreams, and that there was purpose and worth in every life. President Reagan believed in the individual character of the American people. He believed in the great power that human liberty and freedom had to change the lives of citizens not only in this country, but of those around the world. Ronald Reagan acknowledged that oppression, tyranny, and evil anywhere in the world was a threat to us all, and he was not afraid to call it by its proper name. He was determined to not merely contain communism, but to conquer it. In his 1982 speech to the British Parliament, President Reagan predicted ``The march of freedom and democracy will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash-heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.'' In his unwavering determination to defeat communism through initiatives like his foreign policy offensive, pro-democratic public diplomacy, along with what became known as the Reagan Doctrine, President Reagan brought communism to its knees. The most symbolic result of his efforts came on the 9th of November, 1989, when the Berlin Wall separating Western and Eastern Germany came crumbling down. Pieces of that wall can now be found beneath the feet of President Reagan's statue in the Capitol Rotunda, a reminder that Tyranny must be temporary in order for human liberty to prevail. President Reagan also believed that a prosperous nation relied on economic freedom; that the entrepreneur and their small enterprises were the driving force behind economic growth in America. This belief was reflected in his policies of freedom and his ``common sense'' approach to economics that laid the foundation for a prosperous nation. On August 17, 1981, President Reagan signed the Economic Recovery Tax Act into law, cutting all income taxes by 25 percent and reducing the top marginal tax rate from 70 percent to 50 percent. President Reagan's policies reduced inflation, lowered unemployment, cut the prime interest rate in half, and increased economic growth by 6 percent only two years into his administration. In addition to those accomplishments, nearly 17 million new jobs were created by the time Reagan left office. Mr. Speaker, today we not only honor a former President, but a remarkable American who truly loved his country. And through his impeccable character and leadership, his generosity and humor, the American people loved him. Throughout his eight years in office, we laughed together and we cried together. Even in its darkest days, President Ronald Reagan recognized that American character and generosity, ideas and ingenuity, liberty and individual freedom are the reasons that the United States of America is and always will be the shining city upon a hill. He believed that it is our inescapable destiny to be the leaders of the free world and that America's best days are yet to come; that our most glorious days are just ahead. On that note, Mr. Speaker, I end with this quote from President Reagan; ``If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.''

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling for their thorough and comprehensive review of the disastrous Gulf oil spill. I appreciate the hard work and diligence of the Commissioners and their staff in compiling this report and know it will prove beneficial as we consider legislative responses to the spill during the 112th Congress. In addition, I would like to commend the Commission for completing the report on time and under budget. By now, we are all too familiar with the account of the spill. On April 20th, a BP oil rig located 52 miles off of the Louisiana coast exploded with 126 workers on the rig, resulting in 11 families losing their loved ones. With no plan in place for failure of the blowout preventer and no clear leader in the federal response, efforts to stop the flow of oil from the damaged well took far too long. The BP oil spill is now the largest spill in United States history and the environmental and economic impacts of this disaster will be felt for years to come. The report by the Oil Spill Commission provides further details of the causes of the spill, including the fact that the disaster could have been prevented to begin with. The report also emphasizes that we can not just focus on reforming the deficiencies in current drilling regulations, we must also continue to monitor the environmental impact of the spill on the Gulf of Mexico. Recovery may take years and the long-term effects of the oil spill, as well as those of the response and clean-up efforts, are still unclear. This monitoring will ensure we are prepared to quickly respond to the unforeseen consequences of this spill. Thankfully, institutions of higher learning around the country are already conducting vital research as we begin ecosystem recovery efforts, including at the University of South Florida whose College of Marine Science has become an international center for the study of our nation's and our world's waters and of our coastal lands. Together with the Florida Institute of Oceanography, also in St. Petersburg, which is drawing together all the state of Florida's marine research expertise, and a variety of other local, state and federal organizations, our community has provided key information to our nation's decision makers about the impact it is having on our environment and the development of long-term strategies to clean it up. Last Congress in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill, I also introduced the SAFEGUARDS Act and was pleased to see many of the issues I had addressed in the measure included in the Commissions report, including updating the National Contingency Plan and ensuring that National Environmental Policy Act requirements are not ignored going forward. Their recommendations will prove useful as I work on revising this legislation for reintroduction later in the 112th Congress. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today in thanking the Oil Spill Commission for their independent and impartial report. Their suggestions will prove useful as we continue our response to last years horrific oil spill and I urge my colleagues to work together to ensure the complete recovery of the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced legislation that would make the deduction for state and local sales taxes permanent. Unlike state income taxes, the deductibility of which has long been a permanent fixture of the tax code, the citizens in states with only a sales tax--including my home state of Florida--have been forced to rely on short-term extensions of the sales tax deduction from year to year. Without this deduction, taxpayers in the nine states with no state income tax, including Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, would not have the opportunity to deduct from their federal tax obligation the sales taxes paid to their state and local governments. This measure helps to level the playing field for the taxpayers in these states, allowing them to deduct state taxes like those in income tax states. Making this deduction permanent enjoys broad bipartisan support, and more than 11 million taxpayers utilized this deduction in 2008. Making the deduction permanent provides certainty to the taxpayers, allows for more efficient financial planning, and ensures fairness in the tax code for taxpayers in states without an income tax. In closing, I urge the Committee on Ways and Means to consider this proposal as they begin to consider ways to make the tax code simpler and more efficient.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to inform my colleagues of a tragedy that took place in St. Petersburg, Florida, this morning. Two St. Petersburg police officers, Sergeant Thomas Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz, were killed in the line of duty and a Deputy U.S. Marshal, whose name I cannot release just yet, was seriously injured while serving a warrant this morning. This is a sober reminder that the men and women who serve us as law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day. In the past 24 hours alone, 11 law enforcement officers across our Nation have been shot in the line of duty. It is my hope that my colleagues will keep the families of Sergeant Baitinger, Officer Yaslowitz and our Deputy U.S. Marshal in their prayers during this difficult time. It is also a good time to say thank you for all of those who serve us in uniform at home or abroad. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for listening to this announcement, and I have to say, God bless the families of those who were killed and wounded.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 9, a measure that directs a number of House committees to begin the process of drafting and reporting to the House individual bills to improve our Nation's health care system. As you know, the House voted yesterday to repeal the health care reform law that Congress approved last year and which has deeply divided our country. The one thing made clear from that debate is there are a number of areas where all sides agree that we should look first to begin reforming our Nation's health care system. These areas include: Preserving the rights of patients and families to keep their health plan if they like it; Ensuring that people with pre-existing medical conditions have access to affordable health care coverage; Preventing insurance companies from dropping coverage for patients who are sick; Allowing young adults to remain on the health insurance policies of their parents; Reforming our nation's medical liability system to lower health care costs by reducing the burden of medical liability policies and eliminating wasteful health care spending; Protecting doctor--patient relationships; Lowering health care premiums through increased competition and choice and by making health care policies available across state lines; Providing incentives to employers to provide health care coverage, rather than fines and penalties on those who do not. The legislation we consider today directs our committees to look at these issues bill by bill so the House can debate each issue one by one, giving all the members of the House opportunity to provide their input. Madam Speaker, one of the reasons the nation is so divided over the health care bill enacted last year is that the House did not have the opportunity for a full and open debate on this important issue. We voted to repeal last year's legislation to give us as a nation the opportunity to start over and to do it right this time. We should start the process again by working to enact the areas above on which we agree and through the repeal effort to undo the problems we see with last year's effort. These problem areas include: Reversing the more than $500 billion in Medicare cuts that threaten the availability of health care for our Nation's seniors; Eliminating the Federal mandates that individuals must purchase health insurance, and the penalties imposed upon those who do not; Eliminating the Federal mandates on businesses that do not provide employees with health insurance, and the penalties imposed upon those who do not; Eliminating the more than $700 billion in fees and taxes which threaten to stifle our economy and the creation of new jobs at a time when our Nation and our State of Florida struggle to get people back to work. Madam Speaker, in addition to these concerns is the overall concern about the short-term and long-term cost of the current health care law. Much has been made of predictions by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office that repeal of this legislation would actually increase the Federal deficit. But CBO's former Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin wrote in The New Your Times just two days prior to it being signed into law that ``In reality, if you strip out all the gimmicks and budgetary games and rework the calculus, a wholly different picture emerges: The health care reform legislation would raise, not lower, Federal deficits by $562 billion.'' He goes on to say, ``Even worse, some costs are left out entirely. To operate the new programs over the first 10 years, future Congresses would need to vote for $114 billion in additional annual spending. But this so-called discretionary spending is excluded from the Congressional Budget Office's tabulation.'' It is no wonder that this legislation is so costly because it creates 160 boards, bureaucracies and commissions and this 2,700 page legislation will require more than 10,000 pages of new Federal regulations to implement fully. It is this cost to the American taxpayer, this cost to American businesses, and the uncertainty this legislation creates throughout so many sectors of our economy and the health care industry that we seek to correct through this two-pronged effort this week. Madam Speaker, we all can agree that our Nation can do a better job at providing health care coverage and services to the American people. Many agree that we can also do a better job at bringing about these changes through a more open and deliberate legislative process. In the end, our goal is to provide a more patient centered health care system in which we preserve the vitally important doctor-patient relationship rather than a government centered health care system in which the government injects itself into the system, mandates certain provisions, penalizes individuals and businesses, and threatens to get in the middle of doctor-patient decisions. We as a nation can improve the quality and delivery of health care for the American people and that effort begins in earnest this week with the adoption of this resolution.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, today, I along with Congresswoman Matsui, introduced H.R. 6081, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010. This important bipartisan legislation will reauthorize for five years the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and the National Cord Blood Inventory Program. These lifesaving programs are set to expire on September 30th, so it is my hope that the Congress takes up and passes this legislation quickly. In drafting H.R. 6081, Congresswoman Matsui and I worked with Senator Hatch who has introduced the Senate version of this measure along with Senators Dodd, Burr, Reed, Ensign, and Franken. Specifically, the legislation would: Recognize that medical consensus supports a national inventory of more than 150,000 cord blood units by modifying the national goal; Extend the term of initial and contract extensions from three to five years, making it easier for banks to engage in long-term relationship building with birthing hospitals; Require cord blood banks to establish a plan for increasing cord blood unit collections and/or expand the number of collection sites with which they work; Require cord blood banks to provide a plan for becoming self- sufficient, a core tenant of the original authorizing legislation; Clarify the minimum timeframe for maintaining NCBI cord blood units on the National Registry; Correct the definition of ``first-degree relative''; Authorize $23 millions for FY 2011 through FY 2014 and $20 million for FY 2015 for the NCBI (when combined with the funding levels for the Program, the overall bill does not increase federal spending); Allow HRSA to allocate funds appropriated in one year in the following year, as needed, for both the Program and the NCBI; Update the annual reporting requirements for the Program; Enhance the studies, demonstration programs, and outreach projects related to cord blood donation and collection to include exploring innovative technologies, novel approaches, and expanding the number of collection sites; Update the confidentiality language that applies to adult donors to make it consistent with the requirements for cord blood donors and existing federal and state privacy laws; Authorize $30 million for FY 2011 through FY 2014 and $33 million for FY 2015 for the Program (when combined with the funding levels for the NCBI, the overall bill does not increase federal spending); Require a GAO report due one year after enactment to review studies, demonstration programs, and outreach efforts for the purpose of increasing cord blood unit donation and collection for the NCBI to ensure high-quality and genetically diverse inventory of cord blood units. Madam Speaker, I would like to enter into the record a letter from the CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program, Jeffrey Chell, M.D., urging us to approve this legislation prior to September 30th. When the Congress originally created the NMDP in 1986, some thought we would only be able to register 50,000 eligible donors. Since that time, the NMDP has added over 8 million eligible donors to the national registry and has performed over 40,000 transplants. This program has exceeded expectations and saved thousands of lives throughout the years. H.R. 6081 has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and I urge my colleagues to support its adoption to reauthorize the NMDP. It is truly a life saving program and this legislation will ensure that it continues without disruption. August 9, 2010. Re Reauthorization of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory Hon. C.W. Bill Young, Hon. Doris Matsui, House of Representatives, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC. Dear Representatives: I am writing on behalf of the National Marrow Donor Program to convey our strong support of the reauthorization of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program (Program) and the National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI). We applaud the efforts of Congressman Young and Congresswoman Matsui in introducing today's legislation and the continued bipartisan support for these life-saving programs. We especially want to thank their staff for their continued efforts. Because the NCBI sunsets at the end of the fiscal year, we encourage the Congress to support passage of this important legislation before October 1. Every year approximately 12,000 patients search the national registry for a life-saving donor or cord blood unit. To ensure that all patients have access to these types of adult stem cell transplants, Congress must maintain its support of the Program and the NCBI. We commend the dedication of Reps. Young and Matsui, along with Senators Hatch, Dodd, Burr, Reed, Ensign, and Franken who introduced legislation in the Senate last week. Their hard work has resulted in a bipartisan and fiscally responsible bill, which will assist the NMDP in advancing our life-saving mission. The reauthorization maintains important components of the existing programs, including a single point of access and a focus on building a diverse registry of adult donors and cord blood units. It also includes modifications necessary to continue the successful work of these programs. The NMDP is dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the transplant therapy they need, when they need it. Through a competitive process, the NMDP has been entrusted to operate the Program since its inception in the mid-1980s. Every day, this Program assists thousands of patients with leukemia, certain lymphomas, and other life-threatening diseases find a matching donor or umbilical cord blood unit. For many of these patients, a transplant may be the best and only hope for a cure. NMDP has facilitated more than 40,000 transplants. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the ongoing sustained support of Congress and its efforts to increase unrelated transplants in the United States. We look forward to working with the Congress, our network partners in the transplant community including, physicians, cord blood bankers, donors, and the patients and families they serve. On their behalf, we thank you for continued support of cellular transplantation and stand ready to support your efforts for successful passage of this act this year. Sincerely, Jeffrey Chell, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, National Marrow Donor Program.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, 101 days have passed, and the devastating impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe continues to grow daily. As we continue to consider specific legislation in the House to address the problems we have identified that led to this unmitigated disaster, I rise today to express my concern over the environmental impact on the Gulf of Mexico and express my support for all the impacted residents, who deserve better from the federal government. Our immediate focus is not only on ensuring that the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill continues to be stopped, but also on addressing the future environmental and economic effects of the spill. The House has already unanimously passed legislation to fund oil pollution research and we must continue to support the important work in this area being done throughout the United States. One of the centers for this research is in St. Petersburg, which I have the privilege to represent. The College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida has become an international center for the study of our nation's and our world's waters and of our coastal lands. Together with the Florida Institute of Oceanography, also in St. Petersburg, which is drawing together all the state of Florida's marine research expertise, and a variety of other local, state and federal organizations, our community has provided key information to our nation's decision makers about the movement of the oil, the impact it is having on our environment and the development of long-term strategies to clean it up. Even with all of this work in St. Petersburg and throughout our state, the long-term effects of the oil spill itself, as well as those of the response and clean-up efforts, are still unclear and continued monitoring of the Gulf will ensure that we are prepared to quickly respond to the future consequences of this spill. Further, we must draw on our knowledge and experience to ensure that this disaster is never repeated. In representing the Tampa Bay area, which has been at the center of some previous disasters, I have experience in responding to these crises. While serving as a Florida State Senator in 1970, the tanker Delian Apollon spilled more than 20,000 gallons of crude oil into Tampa Bay. In response, I introduced and the legislature quickly passed my landmark legislation to set in place emergency response plans for oil spills in the waterways surrounding Florida. The oil and shipping industry challenged my legislation, which was called our nation's toughest oil spill response law, all the way to the United States Supreme Court, where it was upheld in a unanimous decision. When the oil industry proposed drilling off the Gulf coast of Florida, I offered an amendment to a 1983 supplemental appropriations bill to create the first buffer zone to protect Florida's west coast from offshore oil drilling. Because my amendment was carried on an appropriations bill, I had to negotiate with my colleagues to protect it year after year, sometimes fighting off challenges from my own party and leadership. We finally were able to negotiate more permanent protection against drilling in 2006 when we wrote into law a buffer zone that extends 234 miles off the coast of the Pinellas County beaches I represent. In an effort to respond to the lessons learned from this year's disaster, I introduced the SAFEGUARDS Act earlier this month, which provides some commonsense solutions to prevent and respond to future disastrous oil spills. Drafted following a series of meetings and regular phone calls with the on-the-ground incident commanders, local research teams and community emergency response personnel, it is my hope that the solutions put forth in this measure will be included in the wider legislative response that we consider later this year to ensure that we impose rigorous safety standards on any off-shore platforms, while also establishing a fully thought out plan to respond to future disasters. We can and must do better. We cannot allow any more waivers of safety standards or response plans, and the SAFEGUARDS Act ensures that. Our work on oil spill response legislation is just the beginning, and we have much more work to do in the coming weeks, months and years. The future environmental health and economic viability of the Gulf of Mexico depends on us, and we must do all we can to respond to the largest spill in United States history. We owe the American people and the entire Gulf Coast a comprehensive response that addresses both the causes and effects of this spill. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to work together to ensure the complete recovery of the Gulf of Mexico, while also addressing the systematic breakdowns which led to the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 5822, the Fiscal Year 2011 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. It is with great pride that I serve on this subcommittee and I want to commend my colleague from Texas, Mr. Edwards, the Chairman of the Subcommittee, and our ranking member, my colleague from Tennessee, Mr. Wamp, for their work in putting together this legislation. The men and women of our armed forces and our veterans deserve the very best support and care that we can offer them and this bill achieves that. This legislation fulfills our commitment to their future and to their well being. We include in this appropriations bill $57.0 billion in funding for veterans programs, an increase of $3.9 billion over the level of funding we provided last year. These funds will address some of the major problems our Nation has in addressing the needs of our veterans, including those with mental illness, traumatic brain injuries, the homeless, and the disabled who are forced to wait countless months and even years to resolve their disability claims. The largest portion of this funding, $48.8 billion, is for veterans medical care. It will enable the VA doctors and staff to treat an estimated 6.1 million patients, including thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We also continue our emphasis on mental health and medical services for our returning heroes who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries. We also increase by 20 percent to $4.2 billion our commitment to providing housing and medical services to our homeless veterans. We must do better in providing transitional housing and serves to these American heroes who now find themselves with nowhere to live and nowhere to work. We also provide a 25 percent increase in funding, to $2.6 billion, to hire 4,000 additional claims processors to reduce the unacceptable backlog in claims for veterans benefits. With this increase in staffing levels, our Committee will have added more than 10,200 new claims processors over the past four years. Our committee's support has also been vital to my efforts to continue to support the work of the medical professionals at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, which I have the privilege to represent. We have opened at Bay Pines one of our Nation's most active VA Inspector General operations, to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse in veterans programs and to ensure that every dollar we appropriate to care for our veterans is spent as intended. We have also been able to speed up work on the construction of a brand new facility to treat veterans with mental illness and Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder. We also have broken ground thin year on a new Ambulatory Surgery Center and Eye Treatment facility at Bay Pines, work is well underway on a new facility to provide radiation treatment for cancer patients, and we have opened two new VA medical clinics in northern and southern Pinellas County to better serve veterans and their medical needs closer to their homes. Finally, Madam Chair, I want to thank the members of the subcommittee for accepting my amendment to this legislation to ensure that we fix the problems associated with the national embarrassment that we find at Arlington National Cemetery. The committee has included $150 million in the bill to address the many problems, those which we already know about and those which we have yet to find out about, at Arlington. My amendment would require that the Army develop a clear timetable and specify their plan to resolve all identified issues before they can spend these funds. We owe no less to our America's fallen heroes for whom Arlington is their final resting place and to their families who share our shock and outrage at the situation that we find at one of our Nation's most sacred places. Madam Chair, this is a good bill, one that addresses the current and future needs of our Nation's veterans. It is also a bill that emphasizes what our committee and this House can do when we work together in a bipartisan way to solve our problems.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, our nation will observe a landmark event next month as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Social Security program. With its signing into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, our nation established a lifeline for countless millions of Americans and for thousands of the residents of the 10th Congressional District I have the privilege to represent. Throughout the past eight decades, Congress has always acted in a bipartisan manner to ensure the fiscal solvency of the program. Ever since I was elected to Congress in 1970, I have dedicated myself to ensuring the financial security of the Social Security Trust Funds. At times, I had to speak out against Presidents of both parties who proposed changes in the system that would cut or eliminate Social Security cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) or even replace the program with private Social Security savings accounts. It was in the early 1980s that I established the bipartisan Social Security Caucus to fight against cuts in the COLAs and to preserve and protect the Social Security Trust Funds to ensure that benefits would continue to be there, as promised, for current and future generations of workers. It was with great pride that I supported two of the major legislative initiatives to improve the delivery of Social Security benefits and to provide for the program's long-term financial solvency. The 1972 amendments adjusted benefits to allow them to catch up with inflation over the program's first 37 years and also instituted an automatic cost-of-living payment to allow them to stay in balance with inflation from there on out. The 1983 amendments made some adjustments to the program to reflect the longer lifespan of workers and the impact of inflation on the program and protected the long-term stability of the program for more than 75 years. That legislation passed the House 243- 102 with my support as I joined 163 Democrats and 79 Republicans in approving the bill. The 1983 amendments reflect what Congress can do in the interest of the American people when we work together in a bipartisan manner for the good of the people we are elected to serve. A House with a large Democrat majority joined a Senate with a Republican majority and worked with Republican President Ronald Reagan to make some tough decisions that protected the Social Security benefits for generations of older Americans. As our nation looks down the road at our fiscal future, I will remain vigilant in seeing that Social Security continues to be a sound self- financing system that provides retirement security for generations of retirees. There is no doubt though that the time will come when we need to reexamine the financial footing of the system and it is my hope that we will once again join together in a bipartisan manner to make the best decisions for the American people. Madam Speaker, too often Social Security has been used as a political weapon to scare older Americans for the benefit of one political cause or another. As we prepare to celebrate a milestone anniversary of the Social Security program, let us dedicate ourselves to reassuring the American people of our commitment to its long-term solvency and to honoring the greatest traditions of this House and this Congress to ensure that we address any future needs of the program in a bipartisan manner as we have done so many times in the past. My resolve to protect Social Security for our nation's elderly remains firm and you can be sure of my continuing commitment in this regard. We owe the people we represent no less.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding the time. I rise to give compliments to Chairman Norm Dicks of the subcommittee for having worked with the minority and the majority, as well as the President of the United States, to develop a very good Defense appropriations supplemental appropriations bill for our troops who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill provides the equipment necessary for those troops to carry out their mission. The bill provides for training. The bill provides for self-protective measures to keep our troops safe while they fight the war they were sent to fight. The only problem I have is we're not going to vote on that bill. Although this is supposedly a defense supplemental, that bill is not going to be voted on. That bill was reported and approved by the subcommittee back in May, but yet there has been no consideration beyond that date. The subcommittee approved it back in May after the President requested it. The members of the Appropriations Committee have not had an opportunity to vote on a Defense supplemental appropriations bill. The Members of the House have not had an opportunity to vote on a Defense appropriations supplemental bill. There's something wrong with that. Chairman Dicks did a good job. He worked with us, as did Chairman Murtha before him, and it was a good bipartisan effort. We're not only not going to vote on that good bill, but we're not even going to have a chance to vote on the Senate version of the bill that's not quite as good as the House version, but it's better than nothing. And it's time that we provide the funding for our troops in the field, deployed and exposed to danger, so that they're provided with what they need. I have a problem with this. I said the subcommittee approved the bill back in May. The full committee has not considered it. As a matter of fact, we are rapidly approaching the 1-year anniversary of the last time the Appropriations Committee met to consider an appropriations bill. Now, that's unusual. It seems to me like it flies in the face of the Constitution, because Article I, section 9 makes it very clear that the executive branch of government cannot spend money from the General Treasury that has not first been appropriated by Congress. And if the Appropriations Committee doesn't meet to approve the bills or to report the bills to the House, how are we going to meet that constitutional responsibility? It's pretty tough. July 22 last year was the last time the Appropriations Committee met to consider an appropriations bill. So I compliment Chairman Dicks for creating a good bipartisan product that the President of the United States supported, and I am just disappointed that we're not going to have a chance to vote on it. Our troops in the field need to know that we are supporting them with whatever it is that they need to carry out their mission. I am opposed to all of these amendments that we are considering because none of them do anything to support our troops in the field, which is what this bill is supposed to be all about. These amendments are not good, and it's just a real shame that we are not considering the needs of our troops who are deployed, to provide what it is that they need in order to accomplish the mission that we sent them to accomplish and to protect themselves while they're doing it. Mr. Speaker, typically, I would use my time talking on a Supplemental as the Ranking Member of the Defense Subcommittee to congratulate Chairman Dicks on a fine bi-partisan package that he and his staff put together. I would thank him for treating us fairly and listening to the minority's concerns, and suggest that we pass the bill as quickly as possible. Regrettably, I cannot do that today because the bill before us is the product of such an abuse of power and process that we aren't even voting on Chairman Dicks' bill. Instead, we find ourselves voting on the Senate defense supplemental in the hope of getting the Department of Defense the desperately needed funds for on-going Afghanistan operations before they run out. And I must say that really upsets me. While this is our best chance of getting badly needed funds to the Department, Chairman Dicks and his staff had produced a very fine, truly bi-partisan supplemental bill . . . one that in my opinion was much better than this Senate bill. But because of his leadership, that bill never saw the light of day. Not because it was controversial, or contained something bad, but because procedurally a small group of Members couldn't find a way to get unrelated, extraneous domestic spending items attached to it. So instead today, maybe it is in my best interest for me to use this time making a case for my old spot on the Armed Services Committee. That may seem odd, but I can only wonder how much longer the Appropriations Committee will exist . . . if it still does. I do thank Mr. Dicks for his courtesy and cooperation. I only regret that his leadership decided to play politics with what was a good bill which supported our troops.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, seventy-one days have passed, and the oil spill response and containment effort in the Gulf still lacks clear direction. As we've seen by the failure of the blowout preventer in the BP disaster, an uncontrolled discharge of oil is truly a worst-case scenario that oil companies and the Federal Government should be required to have an established plan for. I rise today to introduce the Secure All Facilities to Effectively Guard the United States Against and Respond to Dangerous Spills Act of 2010, or the SAFEGUARDS Act, legislation to prevent and respond to future disastrous oil spills by addressing some of the systematic breakdowns which led to the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. We are currently witnessing the disastrous effects an uncontrolled discharge of oil has on the fragile environment of the Gulf of Mexico. While the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has established specific safeguards for take into account the effects that drilling has on our environment, BP was permitted categorical exclusions from these requirements. No oil company should be exempt from addressing the environmental impact that their drilling activities impose. The SAFEGUARDS Act will ensure that NEPA requirements are not ignored again by, first, prohibiting categorical exclusions from NEPA, and, second, extending the time period regulatory agencies have to review oil explorations proposals. Regulatory agencies currently have only a 30- day period to review extensive and intricate drilling proposals, however this bill will give regulatory agencies up to 150 days to ensure exploration plans are properly reviewed. Not only was BP granted exemptions from environmental standards, they were also allowed to move forward without a prepared response plan for the failure of the blowout preventer. The SAFEGUARDS Act addresses problem by requiring all oil spill response plans to account for a true worst possible scenario, including the uncontrolled discharge of oil resulting from the failure of a blowout preventer or other containment devices. The oil disaster in the Gulf has also brought much attention to the leadership and organization of the response and containment efforts currently in place. While the Coast Guard is ultimately responsible for leading the government's response to an oil spill in America's coastal waters, they are not required to approve oil spill response plans submitted by oil rigs. Instead, each rig is only required to submit their spill response plans to the Minerals Management Service, an agency with many well- documented issues with administering rig safety standards. Oversight by the Coast Guard is necessary to ensure a fully coordinated response effort. If the Coast Guard has to clean up the spills, they should review the clean up plans ahead of time. The SAFEGUARDS Act will make this a requirement for all current and future oil rigs, as well as establish the Commandant of the Coast Guard as the National Incident Commander to oversee the Federal Government's response to large oil spills in coastal waters. Finally, the SAFEGUARDS Act will address some of the inadequacies in federal response efforts highlighted by the current spill. The framework of the National Contingency Plan, which is the Federal Government response plan for all oil spills, has not been updated since 1994. Oil spills in our coastal waters are unique disasters that deserve their own response plan. The SAFEGUARDS Act will require the response plan to be updated at least every five years. Further, this bill will require the EPA to begin monitoring water quality within forty-eight hours after an oil spill is discovered. It is important for the public to have accurate information about how our water, our wildlife and our beaches are being affected as quickly as possible. The Federal Government's reaction to the Gulf disaster over the last few weeks has been insufficient, to say the least. BP's response has not been much better. The Clean Water Act requires the President and the Federal Government to lead the cleanup efforts, and we owe it to the American people and the entire Gulf coast to do better. The SAFEGUARDS Act presents common sense solutions to help prevent a disaster of this magnitude from ever happening again, and improves the federal response in the event it ever does. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this measure to modernize and improve the governments prevention and response efforts to oil spills.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the Seminole Community Library is one of the greatest educational resources of the City of Seminole, Florida I have the privilege to represent. Later this month, the library, its staff and its thousands of patrons will celebrate its golden 50th anniversary. Founded by a dedicated group of volunteers in 1960, the library has outgrown its facilities on a number of occasions before locating at its present site on the campus of The St. Petersburg College. Now named the Dennis L. Jones Seminole Community Library at St. Petersburg College, after my good friend and Florida State Senator, the partnership between the library, the city and the college makes this one of the most unique facilities of its kind in our entire area. Madam Speaker, one thing has transcended the history of this great library, from its early days in the ``cottage'' to its present operations in a state-of-the-art educational facility, and that is service to people of all ages. It is a real honor for me to have the library as a valuable neighbor to my Seminole Congressional District Office and to visit with folks there as they come and go. Please join me in congratulating those early leaders who had a vision that has grown into this great library and to thank all those who provide support to the current facility. This includes the City of Seminole, The St. Petersburg College, the library's professional staff and dedicated volunteers, the Friends of the Library organization, the Library Advisory Board and the Library Youth Advisory Board. As the library embarks upon its next 50 years of service to our community, it remains focused on its goal to remember the past, serve the present and plan for the future.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in our solemn recognition this morning of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War as we pay tribute to the American heroes who served in the finest tradition in that so called ``Forgotten War.'' To this member though, Korea was far from a forgotten war. It was war in which more than 36,000 Americans lost their lives defending our ideals of freedom and democracy against communist aggression. It was 60 years ago that North Korean troops stormed across the 38th parallel into South Korea, launching a three-year conflict that culminated in an armistice in 1953. The ferocious North Korean attack caught the South Korean army by surprise--they rapidly advanced, seizing the capital in a few short days. Concerned over the spread of communism, President Truman ordered U.S. forces to defend South Korea as part of a United Nations Task Force. Unfortunately, that initial effort did little to stop the advance and our forces suffered heavy losses during their first significant engagement of the war. For the next couple of months, the situation looked extremely dire as U.N. forces were beaten back all the way to Pusan. There, however, we held the line with the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. The now famous Inchon Landing further turned the tide by enveloping North Korean forces and forcing them to retreat. Ultimately, China entered the war, a stalemate developed, and the war ended much where it began at the 38th Parallel. The timeline of the Korean War itself does little to capture the individual stories of heroism and sacrifice. Our soldiers endured the harshest of conditions and the coldest of winters. Ultimately, 36,000 lost their lives and many thousand more were wounded or captured. Their sacrifice was not in vain and their defense of our ideals bore fruit that can be seen today. The clearest evidence is that South Korea has emerged as a democratic and economic powerhouse while North Korea languishes in an isolated morass of its own making. Madam Speaker, I am proud to take the time today to reassure our heroes of the Korean War that they are not forgotten. Instead, they remain an inspiration to us and to all who have worn the uniform and who will volunteer to do so in the future. Only they have the firsthand knowledge of the hardship and challenges faced on that distant battlefield but they can rest assured that they have the heartfelt thanks and grateful appreciation of our nation for their service half a world away.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, our state of Florida and our nation will lose one of our nation's uniformed heroes Friday when Florida Adjutant General, Major General Douglas Burnett, retires after serving our state as Adjutant General for almost nine years. In fact his 47 years, four months and 12 days in uniform make him our nation's longest serving Air Force officer. That is correct, General Burnett led the Florida National Guard while wearing a blue Air Force uniform. He was the first Air Guard officer selected by a Governor to lead Florida's National and Air Guard. General Burnett led his troops with passion and compassion. He rose through the ranks of a life-long National Guard career, beginning as an enlisted aircraft radio repairman in 1963 and securing his officer's commission and flight wings in 1969. Throughout his career, he served at all levels of the Florida Guard, including five tours as Assistant Adjutant General Air and Commander of the Florida Air Guard. Florida Governor Jeb Bush recognized this strong and steady record of leadership when just two months after one of our nation's darkest days, September 11, 2001, he selected General Burnett to serve as Florida's Adjutant General. It was a tall task for any officer but the right task for this General. General Burnett quickly established the respect and confidence of his troops as he over saw a force of 11,000 soldiers and airmen who deployed to two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, responded to 14 hurricanes, five dangerous years of forest fires, untold tornadoes, and even a mission to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, the current deployment of Florida Guardsmen in support of Operation Enduring Freedom is the largest deployment of Florida troops since World War II. Despite this hectic pace of operations over the past nine years, General Burnett never lost site of his mission to ensure the readiness of his troops and availability of the equipment they would need to carry out their missions safely and successfully. First and foremost, though, was the morale of his guardsmen and their families. As he told the Florida Air National Guard publication The Eagle's Eye, ``I felt that when you get to know the people and you get to know their mission and you get to know their needs, you can lead them better. I really dug in to know the culture, the needs.'' Following my remarks, Madam Speaker, I will include the full story about General Burnett entitled ``A Leader's Legacy'' written by Master Sergeant Thomas Kielbasa because it captures the essence of a leader who carries out his duties equally focused on his mission and the needs of his troops. My wife Beverly and I know of General Burnett's commitment to standing up for the needs of his troops. We took many of his calls and e-mails in the middle of the night when others tried to deploy his troops with insufficient equipment, when they left his troops sitting on a tarmac without an aircraft waiting to return home, or when they readied his troops for deployment by putting them in inferior housing. Together we solved those problems but only because General Burnett had the courage to stand up for his troops and their families. As a career guardsman, General Burnett knew that there is no distinction between the abilities and professionalism of guard and active duty troops. And he always made sure that our nation's military leadership knew that and respected the special skills of our Citizen Soldiers. Throughout his life in uniform, General Burnett served side by side with his wife Judy who shared his commitment to taking care of the needs of his soldiers and particularly their families. She understood the stress of long deployments on spouses and children. This included financial and emotional strains. Madam Speaker, Major General Douglas Burnett has raised the bar to a new level when it comes to leadership. He has devoted his life to securing our state and securing our nation. He has helped shepherd us through some of our most difficult and dangerous times and done it with great skill. He has also trained his replacement, Major General Emmett R. Titshaw, Jr., well as this Air Guardsmen will step right in prepared to lead Florida's troops wherever their mission takes them. Our nation owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Major General Douglas Burnett for his lifetime of service to our state and our nation and to the cause of freedom and liberty. He has followed in the greatest tradition of all those who have worn our nation's uniform from the Minutemen, our nation's earliest citizen soldiers, to the heroes who continue to carryout the international war on terrorism. In behalf of the people of Florida and the United States of America, and all those General Burnett has served with and led these past 47 years, thank you for a job well done. [From The Eagle's Eye] A Leader's Legacy: Major General Douglas Burnett, Adjutant General of Florida, Reflects on 47 Years of Service (By Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa) St. Augustine, FL (June 17, 2010).--It's been a long, fast flight for Douglas Burnett. His career took off on a sunny morning nearly 50 years ago when he was a young Airman climbing into the cockpit of an F-102 fighter jet to repair a pilot's radio. In what felt like just a few heartbeats to the Florida Guardsman and aspiring jet pilot, his career sped by like a supersonic fighter. Now the 65-year-old major general and current Adjutant General of Florida knows his 47 years of military service are nearly over. On June 26 Maj. Gen. Burnett will retire from the Florida National Guard, but he clearly remembers that day he first sat in a fighter jet and decided to make a lifetime commitment to the National Guard. ``It seems like yesterday,'' the general said during a recent interview at his home in St. Augustine. ``I came back from tech school as an electronics specialist and I went out onto the flight line to repair a radio. I had to get into the cockpit to make sure it worked, and there was something about it that was bigger than anything I had seen in my life. Just sitting in that airplane . . . that was just a really big deal.'' That moment in 1963 jumpstarted the young Burnett's career as an Air Force officer and fighter pilot, and when that career ends after 47 years, four months and 12 days, it will set a record making him the longest serving Air Force officer. A career takes off A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Burnett grew up interested in electronics and developed a strong respect for the military that led him to enlist in the Florida Air National Guard. Shortly after high school he attended basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and then the U.S. Air Force Electronics School at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. For the next six years he served at the 125th Fighter Group in Jacksonville as an aircraft radio repairman. ``Being around folks in the Air Guard was just a joy to me,'' he recollected. ``I was into drag racing at the time; the guys that had the best looking cars and the fastest cars were in the Air Guard as well.'' With his sights set on being a fighter pilot and an officer, he earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and received a direct commission in 1969. After fighter pilot training he was no longer just dreaming of flying the F-102 Delta Dagger, but was actually a full-time alert pilot and later a commercial pilot for Pan American World Airways and United Airlines. After holding several key positions in the Florida Air National Guard and accumulating more than 20,000 flying hours in everything from the F-102 Delta Dagger to the C-130 Hercules, Burnett was selected as the Adjutant General of Florida in late 2001. Engaged leadership For the first time in the history of the Florida National Guard an Air Guard officer had been chosen to lead the more than 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen in the state. This broke the tradition of only Army general officers serving as The Adjutant General (TAG) of Florida. ``I had spent many years in the Florida Air National Guard and I knew my service--the `blue suit' side--pretty well,'' the general explained. ``As the new TAG I knew I had to get knee-deep into Soldier things--right down to the equipment our Soldiers used--everything.'' Burnett admitted he had a learning curve to familiarize himself with every aspect of the Army National Guard; he studied everything from basic Infantry tactics to even learning the proper usage of the word ``Hooah.'' ``I learned the Army language,'' he said. ``It's almost like being bilingual . . . you come to appreciate the Army's culture, which is the rugged business of `fieldcraft.' '' Throughout the next nine years Maj. Gen. Burnett would be seen jumping into a foxhole next to a young private to test a .50-calibre machine gun, looking under the hood of a mud- speckled Humvee, and even donning a Kevlar helmet to watch engineers rig explosives. Soldiers throughout the state would stare wide-eyed as the two-star general approached them, asked about their jobs or families, and discussed the similarities between the Army and the Air Force. ``There are a lot of similarities,'' Burnett said. ``That crew chief on the flight line is just as committed to working in tough conditions as that Army Infantry Soldier who is out there in the foxhole and crawling through the mud.'' He admitted that some people might call his leadership style ``micromanagement,'' but he calls it ``engaged leadership.'' ``I felt that when you get to know the people and you get to know their mission and you get to know their needs, you can lead them better,'' he explained. ``I really dug in to know the culture, the needs.'' Wartime TAG When he assumed the role of Adjutant General in November 2001, Maj. Gen. Burnett knew he was taking charge during an unprecedented time in the Florida National Guard. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were fresh wounds on the American psyche, and no one could exactly predict how that would affect those serving in uniform; during the next nine years the ``Global War on Terrorism'' would draw the talents of more than 11,000 Florida Army National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to locations and combat zones around the world. ``Not only were we engaged in combat operations in two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and other places in harm's way, but we responded to 14 hurricanes, five firefighting seasons, major tornadoes, and we've done it all at the same time,'' the general noted. ``And while we were doing this we also sent Florida Guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border security mission called `Operation Jump Start.' '' Burnett said this showed the Department of Defense, the Departments of the Army and Air Force, and the National Guard Bureau, that ``Florida can fight major wars, respond to natural disasters and still perform domestic security operations at the same time. The nation has a right to expect us to step up in all three venues.'' But as the Florida National Guard moved into the uncharted territory of a 21st century battlefield, the general met the challenges and pressures of being a ``wartime TAG.'' ``I can think of many occasions that kept me up at night,'' Burnett admitted. ``The rapid deployment of the 53rd Brigade to Iraq in 2002 was one of the roughest periods, because we literally called Soldiers the day after Christmas and in five or six days we were moving them to Fort Stewart.'' He said the biggest question he kept asking himself was whether the more than 1,500 Florida National Guard Soldiers were trained enough for combat operations against Saddam Hussein's forces. ``I was concerned if we had the right weapons,'' he explained. ``For example, body armor: we did not start with the Interceptor body armor that the Active Duty had. And we didn't know if we were going to have it until right before we went through that berm between Jordan and Iraq. I was very concerned we weren't going to have it.'' Thanks to support by congressional leaders, National Guard Soldiers and Airmen throughout Florida were equipped and ready, Burnett noted. ``Our congressional delegation has been magnificent in our support of the Florida National Guard, particularly in the funding of new equipment,'' he said. ``The Constitution says that the Congress will equip the Guard, and they've done that. Congressman C.W. Bill Young has been an absolute hero in leading the charge for the modernization of equipment and facilities for the Florida National Guard. Our senators and the rest of the delegation have been superb as well.'' Later in 2003 uncertainty about the redeployment dates of the Florida Infantry units serving in Iraq brought a storm of media coverage and outcry from concerned family members. The general's answer was to address the concerns of the families and the public directly during a series of unprecedented and personal ``town hall meetings.'' ``Initially our Soldiers believed they would only be gone for six months,'' Maj. Gen. Burnett recollected. ``As it became obvious they would spend a year of `boots on the ground' our families were frightened and they were frustrated. I felt the only way to get the message to them was to do it personally.'' In a little over a week he participated in ten meetings from South Florida to the Panhandle, meeting with family groups and letting them know why the Soldiers would continue to serve in the combat zone. ``It was a pick-up game at that point; things were changing daily,'' he said. ``I was working on behalf of the governor to carry facts to these families. And it was a very difficult mission because the senior leaders in Iraq were telling Guardsmen that they were going to be going home at the six- month point. And the information I was getting from the Pentagon was that we were going to be there for a year. I had to go out and deliver that news, and it was very difficult to look these families in the eyes and tell them their Soldiers would be gone another six months.'' ``Not your grandfather's National Guard'' The extensive deployments for the Soldiers and Airmen of the Florida National Guard after 2001 demanded a commitment to a tenet that the Adjutant General addressed throughout his career: Readiness. ``Readiness and high states of readiness are confidence builders,'' he explained. ``These successes ensure (Department of Defense) support and Congressional funding. You just can't operate a National Guard with anything less than the highest standards.'' Burnett's mantra of the Guard moving from ``a force in reserve to a force in being'' was echoed throughout the Florida National Guard during his tenure and evidenced each time an Army or Air unit left for deployment. He said Active Duty counterparts and Florida citizens deserved to know how ready and reliable the Florida National Guard actually was, especially during high-profile missions like Operations Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom, or Enduring Freedom. ``I think we've been able to transcend a lot of concerns about Guard readiness in the past, because over seven years of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq they have found the Guard highly capable,'' he said. The general pointed to high ratings by the Florida Air National Guard on Operational Readiness Inspections, and by the Florida Army National Guard on Command Logistics Review inspections, as proof of this. ``That's the way to send the signal that we `get it','' he said. ``This is not your grandfather's National Guard. ``I really hope the commitment to excellence that I've tried to instill, has become a mindset in our Soldiers and Airmen,'' Burnett added. ``If you don't want to be part of the best National Guard state in America, you probably don't want to serve here. And I can assure you that almost all of our people feel that way. We have fighter pilots wanting to join the 125th Fighter Wing because of its high standards of excellence. We have young people that stay with us on the Army side because they want to be on a winning team. And we are a winning team.'' Legacy of people When he entered the military during the heyday of the Cold War, Airman Burnett was working with equipment and aircraft that now can probably only be seen in military museums. Almost half a century later the Guard's equipment has changed, but the high level of commitment and service found in its people has remained. According to the Adjutant General, he believes his own commitment to those members of the Florida National Guard's enlisted and officer corps will serve as his lasting legacy. ``I would hope that my biggest legacy is that I was a leader who was engaged in the full spectrum of our missions, but was mostly concerned about people,'' he said. ``Because, it is the people that make the National Guard what it is. We've always done the missions even though we haven't always had the best equipment. We've got good equipment now, but it's the same great people we've always had.'' Burnett lauded the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) he has served with during his long career, noting that while their professionalism has remained high, they have become increasingly ``technically and professionally proficient'' over the years. ``I still hold in awe the NCOs that led us during the 60s, the 70s and the 80s; they were absolutely astounding,'' he explained. ``We've always had strong NCOs, but they've stepped up, they're taking on more responsibility earlier, they're exerting strong leadership skills earlier.'' He noted that as a senior leader he always tried to focus his own energy on meeting the needs of the junior enlisted and junior officers. ``I've been concerned with making sure our leaders understand how important it is to reach out to every individual Guardsman so that they know how important we think they are,'' he said. ``And they are very important to us.'' The general and his wife Judy were also ever-present supporters of the Guard's expanding Family Readiness initiatives; whether it was at a unit deployment or a welcome-home ceremony, the Burnetts could be found meeting with Soldiers, Airmen, and their Families. ``I've been honored to serve alongside some unbelievable people, both Army and Air,'' he said. ``I've tried to shift our focus from simply taking care of Soldiers and Airmen to actually meeting our service members' expectations. Let me tell you, there's a big difference between taking care of Guardsmen and meeting their expectations. You have to think a little more and you certainly have to work a lot harder.'' Final approach Each generation of Guardsmen has a leader that represents its period of service, and those Florida Soldiers and Airmen who served during the first decade of the 21st Century will see Burnett as this generation's leader. After Maj. Gen. Burnett hangs up his uniform for the final time, he will stand among those leaders who helped carry on a tradition of military service in Florida that stretches back to 1565. ``I'm going to miss the people,'' Burnett said. ``That is what this business is all about; being around Guardsmen has been my life.'' He said he won't miss the status or the rank that went with being the Adjutant General, but rather will miss wearing his military uniform and interacting with his fellow Guard members. ``I'll miss wearing the uniform because it identifies you with people who have a similar commitment to something bigger than yourself,'' he added. ``For me the National Guard has been my passion. I loved to fly, but being able to make a difference and make the lives of our people better is a passion that has consumed me. That is what I'll miss.'' As his 47-year-long sortie comes to an end, and he pushes back the cockpit canopy of an historic career one last time, Douglas Burnett will know the flight lasted just a few seconds--nearly 1.5 billion seconds. And the Florida National Guard is grateful for every second he has given to our state and nation. Well done, sir . . . well done!

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Aadith Moorthy, a 13-year-old eighth grader from Palm Harbor Middle School, which I have the privilege to represent, won the National Geographic Bee in our Nation's capital this week. This is quite an accomplishment for this Pinellas County teenager, as this is one of our Nation's most difficult academic competitions. It took hours of studying and preparation time. Aadith says one of his keys to success was his writing down 20 facts at a time and memorizing them. As he got closer to the national competition, he upped his daily routine to writing and memorizing 50 facts a day. While others were out enjoying our great weather in Florida, Aadith was inside studying 10 hours a day on weekends. His hard work and dedication paid off with this national honor, along with winning a $25,000 college scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Aadith brought with him to Washington his personal cheering section that included his father Subramaniam, his mother Suguna, and Michelle Anderson, his teacher from Palm Harbor Middle School. Madam Speaker, following my remarks I will include for the benefit of my colleagues a report from the St. Petersburg Times by Theodora Aggeles that describes in detail the tense competition that led to Aadith's title. It also talks about the pride his principal Victoria Hawkins and all of his classmates and teachers at Palm Harbor Middle School have in Aadith and the national acclaim he has brought their school. Please join me in honoring and congratulating Aadith Moorthy as the 2010 National Geographic Bee champion and for months of hard work and study that resulted in a job well done. Palm Harbor Student Wins National Geographic Bee (By Theodora Aggeles) Aadith Moorthy will get the star treatment in New York City today, a day after winning the 22nd annual National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C. ``I'm going to be interviewed on The Early Show, Fox 13, CNN and MSN tomorrow,'' he said Wednesday in a telephone interview while en route to the airport for his flight to New York. ``I'm happy. I feel relieved that I don't have to study anymore.'' The 13-year-old eighth-grader from Palm Harbor Middle School beat out nine other boys in a battle of world knowledge. He wins a $25,000 college scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific west of Ecuador. ``I can take a break and get back to my singing,'' said Aadith, who gives local performances of Carnatic music, the classical music of southern India. ``I haven't had much time to practice, and I've missed that.'' Interestingly enough, he was put on the spot during introductions when host Alex Trebek asked him to sing a Carnatic tune. The final question asked for the largest city in northern Haiti, which was renamed following Haiti's independence from France. The answer was Cap-Haitien. Aadith had it and gave a small fist pump. ``I feel great,'' Aadith said with a big smile shortly afterward. ``The mission is accomplished.'' His father, Subramaniam Satyamoorthy, gave him a hug and bowed slightly before his geography whiz son. When writing 20 new facts a day helped him win the state championship, Aadith boosted his fact writing to 50 a day studying for the national bee. That preparation helped him advance to the final 10 Tuesday and win it all Wednesday. By now, ``he has enough (knowledge) for a couple of books,'' his father said. Aadith spent most of the bee, though, on the edge of defeat. He was the only contestant to answer incorrectly in the first round of Wednesday's finals and would have been eliminated if he was wrong again. He acknowledged he was scared, but nerves didn't throw the aspiring physicist. ``We were worried when he missed that question in the first round,'' said Aadith's mother, Suguna Moorthy. ``Now we are so happy there are no words to express how we feel. ``He spent so many hours preparing. On school days, he studied geography before he completed his homework. On weekends he studied 10 hours a day.'' His teacher, Michelle Anderson, who also traveled to Washington to watch Aadith compete, said that misstep didn't shake his confidence. ``His first question was really tough,'' Anderson said. ``It was something about which city had 71/2 million people within its city limits. He had three choices. ``Aadith knew it wasn't Kiev. When he chose Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and it was Kinshasa, he didn't lose his concentration. He stayed focused, which says a lot for his control, his stamina and endurance. And he took the whole competition.'' Aadith clinched the victory with knowledge of Botswana, Argentina and Sweden in the best-of-five final round, as his final opponent, 13-year-old Oliver Lucier of Wakefield, R.I., stumbled. ``They were hard. They were really hard,'' Oliver said of the final questions. Still, Oliver, a soccer player, will take home a $15,000 scholarship for second place. Karthik Mouli, 12, of Boise, Idaho, came in third to win a $10,000 scholarship. Both runners-up also represented their states at the national bee last year. Right after the victory, Aadith and his proud entourage were giving nonstop interviews to television crews, newspaper reporters and radio show hosts. A few hours later, he was off to New York. Aadith knows he will get a break on Friday when he comes home, but when he was asked what he's looking forward to, he said, ``Sleeping in my own bed.'' Principal Victoria Hawkins of Palm Harbor Middle School is thrilled for Aadith, the school and the school district. ``We are so proud of him,'' she said. ``He is an unbelievable student with a huge thirst for knowledge.'' His teacher, Anderson, said she ``felt a sense of immense joy and pride when he answered the winning question.'' ``I'm proud to have had a small role in helping him. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.'' Fast facts Questions asked in the final round 1. Tswana is a Bantu language spoken by the largest ethnic group in what land-locked country? Answer: Botswana. 2. The Oresund Bridge opened in 2000; it connects Copenhagen, Denmark, with what Swedish city? Answer: Malmo. 3. Cam Ranh Bay has served as a naval base for Japan, France, U.S. and the former Soviet Union. This bay is located in which country. Answer: Vietnam.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, as we enter high school graduation season, I am proud to let my colleagues know that Blaine Krauss, a senior in the arts program at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, which I have the privilege to represent, has been named a Presidential Scholar. Blaine is the only student in the Tampa Bay area and one of only four in the entire State of Florida to be so recognized for his outstanding academic achievement and artistic excellence. He will honored at the White House next month along with a guest he has chosen to accompany him, Mr. Keven Renken, the Chairman of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School and Blaine's acting teacher. Following my remarks, I will include a story from The St. Petersburg Times by Luis Perez about this great national honor for Blaine. Madam Speaker, Blaine will be attending the University of Cincinnati next fall where he will major in musical theater. As his teacher says, he is a talented individual, but I know that he did not achieve his success without a lot of hard work and preparation. Please join me in congratulating Blaine for a job well done. [From the St. Petersburg Times, May 4, 2010] Gibbs High Senior Receives Rare National Honor: Presidential Scholar (By Luis Perez) St. Petersburg.--Blaine Krauss, a senior in the arts program at Gibbs High School, was sitting in acting class Monday when he learned he had been named one of the scholastic elite: a presidential scholar. In dramatic fashion, he spent a good while running around the school. ``I screamed with my friend and ran out of the classroom,'' said Krauss, 18, of St. Petersburg. ``It took me about an hour and a half to calm down.'' Krauss is among 141 students nationwide--four in Florida and the only one in the Tampa Bay area--to receive the honor this year for exceptional academic achievement and artistic excellence. Each scholar gets to invite his most inspiring or challenging teacher to a White House reception this June. Krauss selected Keven Renken, chairman of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs and his acting teacher for three years. ``Blaine is an amazingly talented student,'' said Renken, who has taught for 21 years. ``He is just one of them. He has it. You can just tell. He's a great singer, a great talent. He's just one of the special ones.'' Krauss, who aspires to sing on Broadway and a career in the political stage, said he was glad to be part of good publicity for the high school. This fall, he is entering the University of Cincinnati to major in musical theatre. ``I am happy to be a product of Gibbs and to say that our school is generating great kids,'' he said.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the people of Largo, Florida, I have the privilege to represent will turn out Friday to honor their police chief, Lester Aradi, as he retires after 9 years of leading the force and a 37-year law enforcement career. Chief Aradi has been a strong and compassionate leader who has earned the respect of the people he serves, the city's leaders under whom he works, and most importantly the men and women he leads on the Largo police force. Integrity and ethics are the words most often mentioned when people speak of Chief Aradi. He has had a clear impact on making Largo's streets safer. Part of the reason is that he did not lead from behind a desk. He was always out in the field. It was my privilege to work with Chief Aradi on a number of initiatives during his tenure. These include introducing new technologies into the police force to help make sure his officers had the latest equipment to do their jobs more safely and effectively. We also teamed up with the community on a project he spearheaded to create a local Silver Alert program to put out notices when senior citizens were reported lost or missing. Chief Aradi took the program state-wide and it is now a model national program. Chief Aradi also had a special place in his heart for the families of his officers. My wife Beverly and the Chief worked together on a number of heartrending situations involving families who faced difficult times related to illness, injury, and even the death of an officer with a young family. St. Petersburg Times reporter Lorri Helfand recently featured the life and career of Chief Aradi. Following my remarks, I would like to include her story for the benefit of my colleagues. Also, I will include an editorial from the same publication which speaks for the community in saying that Chief Aradi ``will be remembered and will be missed.'' Madam Speaker, serving in law enforcement is a thankless job. The officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our homes, our schools and our communities. As their leader, serving 24 hours a day 7 days a week, Chief Aradi has been the consummate professional-- leading his force by example. The people of Largo will miss Chief Aradi and we all wish him and his wife Diane the best in their well-deserved retirement years. Thank you Chief for a job well done. [From the St. Petersburg Times, May 23, 2010] Thanks, Chief Arcadi, for Your Service to Largo. Lester Aradi left a good job in Illinois almost 10 years ago to come to Pinellas County because he had read a book, Who Moved My Cheese? and learned that change is good. Now, he's ready for another change. On June 1, Aradi will retire from his job as Largo's chief of police, and while the change may be good for Aradi, it will be a real loss for Largo. Aradi, who lives in Clearwater, took over a police department that had been scarred by scandal and disrupted by having three chiefs in seven years. It desperately needed a steady hand at the helm. He brought discipline, direction and a closer bond between the department and the community. Aradi was not Largo's first choice to replace retiring chief Jerry Bloechle in 2000. City officials initially preferred Vail, Colo., police Chief Greg Morrison, but after a visit to Vail, then-City Manager Steve Stanton cooled on Morrison and instead chose Aradi, the deputy chief in Buffalo Grove, Ill. Aradi had risen through the ranks of the Buffalo Grove department for 25 years and was being groomed to take over as chief there--until he read that book about cheese. Aradi was familiar with the Tampa Bay area, having vacationed here often and even purchased a house in Clearwater. In the Largo job, he saw a challenge--a police department with a young, well-educated rank and file, but problems with leadership, discipline and profile in the community. It was a risk for Aradi. He had never even lived outside of Illinois. He had never been chief of a police department. And the Largo department he wanted to lead had seen one chief forced out because he interfered in a criminal investigation of his 15-year-old son, and another chief retired after a scandal involving sexual activity between Largo police officers and girls in the department's Explorers post. But Aradi took the risk. Almost 10 years later, the department and city are better for his having been here. Whatever people needed from Aradi, he seemed able to deliver it. While his officers were careful to toe the line, they also knew their chief as a man concerned about them, their career advancement and their families. To the community, he was warm, approachable, respectful and always looking for ways to connect with them, whether it was through his Coffee with the Chief series, his community walks or his visits to their neighborhood meetings. Local nonprofits knew him as a compassionate person who helped others, especially children and the elderly. His bosses in City Hall were grateful because he ran a good department and kept it free of scandal. Other chiefs in Pinellas County admired Aradi for his eagerness to try new techniques and his high ethical standards. Aradi admits to being tired and ready to retire to some place serene, perhaps to a plot of land in the mountains where he can ride horses and spend long, leisurely hours with his family. It is no surprise that in making his decision to leave his job, he also was thinking of the man he trained to be ready to take over, Deputy Chief John Carroll. Staying longer would be selfish, Aradi said, and would deny Carroll an opportunity he deserves. So Aradi is making a change, again. But in Largo, he will be remembered and he will be missed.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the people of Largo, Florida, I have the privilege to represent will turn out Friday to honor their police chief, Lester Aradi, as he retires after 9 years of leading the force and a 37-year law enforcement career. Chief Aradi has been a strong and compassionate leader who has earned the respect of the people he serves, the city's leaders under whom he works, and most importantly the men and women he leads on the Largo police force. Integrity and ethics are the words most often mentioned when people speak of Chief Aradi. He has had a clear impact on making Largo's streets safer. Part of the reason is that he did not lead from behind a desk. He was always out in the field. It was my privilege to work with Chief Aradi on a number of initiatives during his tenure. These include introducing new technologies into the police force to help make sure his officers had the latest equipment to do their jobs more safely and effectively. We also teamed up with the community on a project he spearheaded to create a local Silver Alert program to put out notices when senior citizens were reported lost or missing. Chief Aradi took the program state-wide and it is now a model national program. Chief Aradi also had a special place in his heart for the families of his officers. My wife Beverly and the Chief worked together on a number of heartrending situations involving families who faced difficult times related to illness, injury, and even the death of an officer with a young family. St. Petersburg Times reporter Lorri Helfand recently featured the life and career of Chief Aradi. Following my remarks, I would like to include her story for the benefit of my colleagues. Also, I will include an editorial from the same publication which speaks for the community in saying that Chief Aradi ``will be remembered and will be missed.'' Madam Speaker, serving in law enforcement is a thankless job. The officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our homes, our schools and our communities. As their leader, serving 24 hours a day 7 days a week, Chief Aradi has been the consummate professional-- leading his force by example. The people of Largo will miss Chief Aradi and we all wish him and his wife Diane the best in their well-deserved retirement years. Thank you Chief for a job well done. [From the St. Petersburg Times, May 23, 2010] Thanks, Chief Arcadi, for Your Service to Largo. Lester Aradi left a good job in Illinois almost 10 years ago to come to Pinellas County because he had read a book, Who Moved My Cheese? and learned that change is good. Now, he's ready for another change. On June 1, Aradi will retire from his job as Largo's chief of police, and while the change may be good for Aradi, it will be a real loss for Largo. Aradi, who lives in Clearwater, took over a police department that had been scarred by scandal and disrupted by having three chiefs in seven years. It desperately needed a steady hand at the helm. He brought discipline, direction and a closer bond between the department and the community. Aradi was not Largo's first choice to replace retiring chief Jerry Bloechle in 2000. City officials initially preferred Vail, Colo., police Chief Greg Morrison, but after a visit to Vail, then-City Manager Steve Stanton cooled on Morrison and instead chose Aradi, the deputy chief in Buffalo Grove, Ill. Aradi had risen through the ranks of the Buffalo Grove department for 25 years and was being groomed to take over as chief there--until he read that book about cheese. Aradi was familiar with the Tampa Bay area, having vacationed here often and even purchased a house in Clearwater. In the Largo job, he saw a challenge--a police department with a young, well-educated rank and file, but problems with leadership, discipline and profile in the community. It was a risk for Aradi. He had never even lived outside of Illinois. He had never been chief of a police department. And the Largo department he wanted to lead had seen one chief forced out because he interfered in a criminal investigation of his 15-year-old son, and another chief retired after a scandal involving sexual activity between Largo police officers and girls in the department's Explorers post. But Aradi took the risk. Almost 10 years later, the department and city are better for his having been here. Whatever people needed from Aradi, he seemed able to deliver it. While his officers were careful to toe the line, they also knew their chief as a man concerned about them, their career advancement and their families. To the community, he was warm, approachable, respectful and always looking for ways to connect with them, whether it was through his Coffee with the Chief series, his community walks or his visits to their neighborhood meetings. Local nonprofits knew him as a compassionate person who helped others, especially children and the elderly. His bosses in City Hall were grateful because he ran a good department and kept it free of scandal. Other chiefs in Pinellas County admired Aradi for his eagerness to try new techniques and his high ethical standards. Aradi admits to being tired and ready to retire to some place serene, perhaps to a plot of land in the mountains where he can ride horses and spend long, leisurely hours with his family. It is no surprise that in making his decision to leave his job, he also was thinking of the man he trained to be ready to take over, Deputy Chief John Carroll. Staying longer would be selfish, Aradi said, and would deny Carroll an opportunity he deserves. So Aradi is making a change, again. But in Largo, he will be remembered and he will be missed.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary was established by Congress in June 1939 to support the Coast Guard with its boat safety mission. This June, the Clearwater Chapter, Flotilla 11-1, celebrates its 60th anniversary of service to the boating public throughout the Tampa Bay area. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and Flotilla 11-1 provide invaluable support to the active duty Coast Guard through a variety of non-law enforcement programs. These include search and rescue missions, marine environmental patrols, youth programs, public education and safety patrols. As the Coast Guard's homeland and national security responsibilities continue to expand, the men and women of the auxiliary have stepped up to increase their port security patrols to provide for the defense of our nation's and in our case Florida's coastline and waterways. Clearwater Flotilla 11-1's service to the Clearwater area actually predates the Coast Guard's presence in the city. Today, though, the auxiliary provides direct and continuing support to Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and to Coast Guard Station Sand Key. Their missions include search and rescue ``call outs'', back up marine radio coverage and near shore patrols as part of the America's Waterway Watch Program. Last year alone, the Flotilla conducted more than 300 vessel safety checks, made 130 visits to recreational boating programs and conducted 11 boating safety classes. In addition to supporting the Coast Guard on the water, the Flotilla also supports the Coast Guard from the air. Its three aircraft flew 250 sorties last year totaling more than 1,000 hours and included 24 separate search and rescue cases. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that Flotilla 11-1 will join together this Saturday in Clearwater to celebrate its history and for the community to come together to thank the men and women of the auxiliary for their selfless volunteer service to our area. Flotilla 11-1 operates under the leadership of Commander Jim Rudolph and Vice Commander Jerry Osburn. With their breadth of responsibilities, the Flotilla draws upon many, many dedicated officers and volunteers with specific expertise in a large number of areas. The auxiliary's officers include: Barbara Masson, communications; Val Lewis, communications services; Debbie Mallory, finance; Kimberly Clark, information systems; Teresa Kasper, materials; John Caddigan, marine safety and environmental protection; Karen Miller, member training and publications; Harry Bickford, navigation services; Don Smith, operations; Jeff Lawlor, public affairs; Ann Bennett, public education and program visits; Peter Palmieri, personnel services; Scott Signorini, secretary and records; and Dale Folsom, vessel examinations. It is my hope that my colleagues will join me in thanking the men and women of Clearwater Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 11-1 for their 60 years of service to our community and for a job well done.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, a major celebration takes place in Clearwater, Florida, this Friday as Belcher Elementary School celebrates its 50th anniversary of educating Pinellas County's youth. Under the direction of Principal John DiLeo, Belcher Elementary moved into its new brick building on January 4, 1960 and under his leadership for the next eight years it grew into a fixture of the community. Principal DiLeo left Belcher in 1968, but missed the school so much that he returned for another 10 year stint as principal from 1978-1988. He was the first of seven principals that have each left there mark on Belcher. Lisa Roth is the current principal and since arriving in 2003 she has helped usher Belcher into the new age of high technology including white boards in the classrooms. Belcher has always been on the cutting edge of technology. It was in 1989 that the entire school was wired for cable television and with that came the Belcher Bobcat News or BBN. It was the county's first student produced news show for an elementary school, brought to life by fifth-grade teacher Linda Callahan, who continues to oversee production of the program. Eight years later, Belcher took the next technological leap as the school was wired for internet access, which brings the world to the fingertips of every student. Many of the advancements at Belcher Elementary have come through the support of the school's award-winning PTA organization. In addition to the events the PTA sponsors for the students and staff, the organization has taken special pride in the improvements it has made to the school facility and grounds. One of its landmark achievements was the opening of a nature center, which turned some unused area on school grounds into a native Florida ecosystem. With Florida's beautiful weather, this has become an outdoor classroom where students learn and where they work to maintain its natural elements. Belcher's motto is ``Believe--Act--Achieve'' and the students, teachers, volunteers and support staff live that out every day. Likewise the core values of Belcher's staff--Education, Integrity and Community--are widely apparent with the many awards the school has received. Most recently, Belcher was recognized with a 2009 Bronze Award for the National Alliance for a Healthier Generation Program. It is a Positive Behavior Model School and has received a Golden School Award for community involvement for the last 26 years. Madam Speaker, some of the Belcher Bobcats joined us for a visit here at the Capitol last week and they all will be back home Friday for the school's big celebration. It is my hope that my colleagues will join me in congratulating the students, faculty, staff, parents and volunteers of Belcher Elementary School for 50 years of educational excellence.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the St. Petersburg Police Athletic League celebrates 50 years of helping St. Petersburg's youth this Friday. When first established in 1960, the PAL program provided recreational activities for the youth of our community. Today their mission has grown to include a wide range of after-school and summer programs that go far beyond sports. PAL volunteers and staff provide educational support, sports, fitness, art and drama programs and the offerings continue to grow and evolve. The St. Petersburg PAL chapter now serves more than 500 youth per year. As PAL volunteer and former board member Ed Schatzman told The St. Petersburg Times recently, ``We know kids are receiving wholesome programs and great contact with police officers that will be a key to their choosing a positive path to being good citizens.'' One of PAL's primary missions is truancy prevention as more than 300 youth per year come to the program after they are caught by police officers skipping school. Through PAL, they receive help to improve their attendance, improve their academic performance, and are often referred to other agencies for help with drug treatment, counseling and school-based services. Melissa Byers, PAL's Executive Director, told The Times that more than 60 percent of these students show improved school attendance as a result of the intervention of police and the PAL program. Madam Speaker, The PAL program nationally and in St. Petersburg has proven to be a tremendous success in helping to build positive relationships between youth and police officers. They learn to build a bond of trust that keeps many young people from making mistakes that will haunt them for life. Following my remarks, I will include the story from The Times by Kathy Ferguson about PAL's great work in St. Petersburg. As Mr. Schatzman told the reporter, ``Our St. Pete PAL has kept kids on the right path for 50 years; and if that isn't important, I don't know what is. The kids of PAL will make St. Petersburg's future bright.'' Madam Speaker, it is my hope that my colleagues will join me in thanking the St. Petersburg PAL chapter, the police officers who volunteer their time, the board members and the staff for a job well done. There will be a grand celebration of their service in St. Petersburg this Friday as the community comes together to celebrate ``50 Years of Making a Difference'' and as they move on to their next 50 years of serving the youth of our community. [From the St. Petersburg Times, May 9, 2010] For 50 years police have been pals to kids--The local Police Athletic League helps more than 500 kids a year (By Kathy Ferguson) Boxing and double-dutch jump rope were all the rage in 1960 when the Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg opened its doors. Today PAL's athletics have grown to include basketball, track and flag football. Athletics may be its base, but sports are no longer PAL's only lineup. After- school and summer programs, Boy Scout troops, mentoring and a truancy plan help more than 500 youngsters every year. This month, PAL celebrates 50 years of building positive bonds between police officers and youths. A 1950s-style, glamorous gala is set for Friday at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay Buccaneer football great Mike Alstott serves as honorary chairman. Usually a Founders Club Breakfast is held. But this year's anniversary was too important for an early riser salute, Robin Grabowski, gala chairwoman, said. ``This is a major celebration for PAL,'' said Grabowski. ``Everyone is invited to attend.'' The gala will also applaud 50 PAL founders who supported through donations or service. Ed Schatzman, who has dedicated 30 years to PAL, remembers its humble start. ``The north end of the basketball court ended abruptly at the basket because we couldn't fit a regulation court in the building,'' Schatzman said. ``Our home team always had an advantage because our kids knew how to `run up the wall' during games.'' The first facility was on Fifth Avenue N, near 16th Street. Now PAL is at 1450 16th St. N, beside Woodlawn Elementary School. Schatzman and his wife, Stefanie, sponsored a child for the summer program last year. Schatzman has been involved in PAL Scouts, served on the board of directors and helped with the after-school reading program. ``We know kids are receiving wholesome programs and great contact with police officers that will be key to their choosing a positive path to being good citizens,'' Schatzman said. Planting seeds, executive director Melissa Byers said, is what PAL is all about. Its mission is crime prevention through athletics, education and recreation. ``We offer young people opportunities to enrich their self- esteem and team-building skills in a structured, nonthreatening environment,'' she said. The idea is to keep kids busy between the peak hours of youth violence and crime between 3 and 9 p.m. Programs include daily fitness, art, drama, soccer, tennis, games, movies and homework time. Character development focuses on issues like gang involvement, making choices, stranger danger, bullying prevention and goal setting. A new emphasis is being placed on health and the environment. ``We are planting an organic garden behind the facility and putting more focus on healthy eating,'' Byers said. PAL works with disadvantaged youths, but children from all walks of life are welcome. Scholarships are offered. More than 300 children each year get involved with PAL through a truancy intervention program. Officers pick up youngsters skipping school and wandering the streets. The students are brought to PAL's facility. They get help with ways to increase school attendance, improve their grades and find out what else they need to be successful. Often they are referred to outside services for help. That may mean counseling, drug treatment or school-based services. ``This is a much more productive use of their days,'' Byers said. The issues range from skipping school and low academics to homelessness and substance abuse. Success is measurable. ``Over 60 percent of these students show improved attendance as a result of this intervention,'' Byers said. ``Our St. Pete PAL has kept kids on the right path for 50 years; and if that isn't important, I don't know what is,'' said Schatzman. ``The kids of PAL will make St. Petersburg's future bright.''

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, The Daughters of the American Revolution Princess Hirrihigua Chapter of St. Petersburg, Florida will celebrate its 100th anniversary this Saturday. This is a milestone event for the chapter's members who take great pride in fulfilling their motto of ``Service to God, Family and Country.'' Indeed, under the leadership of Regent Gayle Freeland, Vice Regent Deborah Magiolo, Chaplain Sarah Osterholt, Recording Secretary Judith Sallows, Treasurer Patricia Strait, Registrar Diana Clemmons, Historian Norma Sandvig and Librarian Mary Nic Dodd, the chapter has done just that. Chapter members have made it their priority to support our men and women serving abroad with their cards, letters and packages. This is a tradition that has carried forth ever since their founding in 1910 as they have supported our service members in every war and overseas conflict since then. In addition to serving our current heroes, they also serve our heroes of the past at our local VA hospitals in Bay Pines and Tampa. Named for the famous Princess Hirrihigua Indian Mound on Pinellas Point in St. Petersburg, Florida, the chapter members hold firm to the study of the history of our area and our nation. They provide scholarships to high school students going off to college, they hold an American History Contest for students, they honor Good Citizenship Medals to Junior Achievers, and they provide support to DAR schools for underprivileged students in Florida and three other southeastern states. Madam Speaker, the women of the Princess Hirrihigua Chapter of the DAR are proud of our nation's history and of their service to our nation's heroes and they seek to instill that pride in our next generation of citizens. Please join me in congratulating these women for their 100 years of service to our nation and to our heritage.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Orange Grove Elementary School, in Seminole, Florida, which I have the privilege to represent, tomorrow will celebrate 50 years of serving Pinellas County students. The school opened in 1960 in nearby Madeira Beach where classes were held until the school building was erected at its present site in 1961. That six-room school house expanded to 12 rooms 10 years later and became one of Pinellas County's first air conditioned schools. The school was named Orange Grove because at the time, Seminole was surrounded by orange groves. Although the groves are gone now, the staff motto remains, ``Orange Grove Elementary--Where We Have the Pick of the Crop!'' From the school's first principal, Margaret Abbott, to its current principal, Nanette Grasso, Orange Grove has remained a student-focused school whose mission statement is ``to establish a safe learning environment which supports a love of learning, respect, responsibility, honesty and motivation in our students, so that we can reach their personal and academic potential.'' In this day and age when the focus of a school goes well beyond academics, Orange Grove Elementary also stands as a model for encouraging students to develop early habits for a healthy lifestyle. Madam Speaker, in recognition of this milestone 50th anniversary celebration, I took the liberty of having a flag flown over the Capitol today for presentation to Ms. Grasso, the students, the teachers and the staff at Orange Grove Elementary in honor of the school's enduring commitment to providing the best possible education for its students and the most nurturing environment for learning. For half a century, Orange Grove has turned out generation after generation of our community's, our state's, and our Nation's leaders and I know that its proud and rich tradition will continue to turn out our Nation's future leaders for generations to come.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Boley Centers of St. Petersburg, Florida, which I have the privilege to represent, is a private, not- for-profit organization that was established 40 years ago to serve individuals with mental disabilities, the homeless and youth in Pinellas County and the five county Tampa Bay area. Tomorrow night our community comes together to pay tribute to Boley's 40th anniversary of service and to give thanks to the thousands of individuals they have helped gain the highest level of independent living. Boley provides 42 housing and service center locations; a wide variety of treatment, recovery and vocational services; a network of living opportunities in community residences and apartments; and a large staff of hard-working professionals who are dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. Boley provides housing options that range from highly structured group homes to permanent supported apartments that are affordable and safe units for more than 1,200 individuals. This makes Boley one of the largest providers of these services in the entire southeastern United States. Boley has a dedicated board of volunteer directors Chaired by Cynthia McCormick and includes First Vice Chair Loretta Ross, Second Vice Chair Sally Poynter, Immediate Past President Paul Misiewicz, and Virginia Battaglia, Rutland Bussey, Major Sharon Carron, Hal Gregory, Jack Hebert, Sandy Incorvia, Martin Lott, Robert Pitts, and Linda Scott- Leggette. Together they oversee an outstanding organization of professional staff members led by President and Chief Executive Officer Gary MacMath who treat their clients with compassion and dedication. Boley also has a devoted network of volunteers who support the work of the Board and staff. This network includes the Boley Angels, who were founded in 1984 by board member Mary Koenig. They provide invaluable help to Boley's clients by raising funds to fulfill their unmet medical and dental needs and to provide furniture for the residential programs. Madam Speaker, Boley Centers brings together the resources of our local community, our state and our nation to provide help to the less fortunate of our community who have no-where else to turn for housing and treatment options. It has been a real pleasure for me to be able to work with the members of the board and the staff on a number of projects over the years. Please join me in thanking all involved with Boley Centers for a job well done as they gather together to celebrate 40 years of service to Pinellas County, Florida and the Tampa Bay area.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Florida for yielding the time to me, and I want to say on behalf of the Republican members of the Florida delegation, the great delegation here in the Congress, Congressman, welcome. Congratulations. You will be serving in the people's House. Your oath of office that you have just sworn to uphold the Constitution is something that you will find very challenging as you go through your career here. But just rest assured that those of us in the Florida delegation on both sides of the aisle will be here to be helpful to you as you carry out your important activities. Again, welcome. Congratulations.