C. Young

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, The foundation of our nation is built upon one person helping another in their time of greatest need. This month we honor those volunteers who ``Give the Gift of Life'' during National Blood Donor Month. Florida Blood Services, which I have the privilege to represent in St. Petersburg, Florida, provides life-saving blood products for the 14 counties of the Tampa Bay, Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama areas, supplying 61 hospitals and ambulatory care centers. This fine organization also tests and screens blood for 30 East Coast blood centers and medical facilities from Maine to the north all the way to Puerto Rico to the south. The heart of Florida Blood Service's operations is its volunteers. Last year, 100,000 blood and platelet donors rolled up their sleeves to donate one pint at a time to save the life of complete strangers near and far away. This includes some remarkable individuals who have made blood donation their passion. Frank Knight, III has donated 96 gallons of blood, Bobbie Bernstein 86 gallons, and my former District Director and now the Vice Mayor of Clearwater, George Cretekos, has donated 36 gallons of blood. Florida Blood Services has an outstanding staff and Board of Directors that manages donor recruitment, collection, distribution and quality control programs. Don Doddridge is the Chief Executive Officer and this year also serves as President of America's Blood Centers. He has devoted his entire working career to promoting the need for blood donation and to ensure the safety of the procedure and the quality of the products. It has been a pleasure to work with Don and his staff over the years on a number of federal issues related to blood collection. This includes Don's work to focus national attention on ensuring that blood collection is a key part of our nation's disaster contingency planning and that plans are in place to be able to distribute blood products to areas in crisis. He has also seen that Florida Blood Services and other national blood banks are available to provide critical blood products to those serving in uniform here and abroad. Finally, Madam Speaker, I want to commend Florida Blood Services for instilling in our nation's youth the need to serve others, in this case as blood donors. Through its unique high school leadership program, Florida Blood Services recruits high school students to organize and sponsor blood drives in high schools throughout the four-county Tampa Bay area. It was a real honor for me last April to be asked to speak to its High School Leadership Conference where they brought together more than 400 students who had led efforts in their schools. Together, students at these school-based drives donated 27,000 units of blood. Madam Speaker, I would ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Florida Blood services and their volunteer donors of all ages. Like blood donors all across America, they ``Give the Gift of Life'' every day to complete strangers out of a sense of service and compassion. We honor all these heroes during this National Blood Donor Month.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, The St. Petersburg Times, my hometown newspaper, began its 125th year of publishing this month. Starting from humble beginings in the back of a Dunedin, Florida drugstore, 3 people--a doctor, dentist and printer--turned out 480 copies of the newpaper's first edition. Today, The Times is Florida's most read newspaper. Following my remarks, I will include for the benefit of my colleagues, a column by Paul Tash, the Editor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The St. Petersburg Times, commemorating the newspaper's growth and plans to celebrate its history over the next year. Madam Speaker, The St. Petersburg Times has dutifully recorded the history of our community these past 125 years, and as Paul Tash writes, ``sharing in the success, suffering in the setbacks.'' Please join me in thanking all those past and present employees of The Times who have brought the news to our doorstep, in good times and bad, and even during the most trying of times. [From the St. Petersburg Times, Jan. 14, 2009] Our Common History: Tampa Bay and Its Times (By Paul Tash, Editor, Chairman, CEO) This year the St. Petersburg Times turns 125 years old. To mark the occasion, we are starting a weekly feature of local history, drawn from the newspaper's own pages. In their origins, neither the newspaper nor its community amounted to much. The Times started out as a weekly in July of 1884. In the back room of a drugstore in Dunedin, three men--a doctor, a dentist and a printer--teamed up to produce the first edition. The total circulation was 480 copies. As my colleague Rob Hooker once wrote, ``Their paper was like the community--small, humble and faced with an uncertain future.'' Over the years, however, the frontier villages scattered around Tampa Bay grew together into a vibrant, dynamic metropolitan region, and the Times grew with it. Today it is Florida's favorite newspaper, with the largest circulation in the state. Nelson Poynter, a generous and far- sighted owner, protected its independence, and three decades after he died, the Times remains rooted in this community, not part of a chain or conglomerate. There have been rough patches along the way. Back in the 1930s--the last time a real estate boom collapsed into depression--St. Petersburg city government defaulted on millions of dollars in bond payments, and the public schools started charging tuition. On the outskirts of town, a sign went up warning visitors, ``Do Not Come Here Seeking Work.'' Those hard times also hit the Times. Advertising dropped by two-thirds. Since they had no cash, merchants paid their bills with vouchers, which the newspaper parceled out to employees as pay. At one point, the news staff dropped to 15 people, and the paper itself dwindled to eight pages. But over the long term, the trend lines have kept climbing. Compare just two scenes. During the World Series in 1924, a crowd gathered outside the Times' offices while an editor with a megaphone called out the play-by-play, coming by telegraph into the newsroom. Eighty-four years later and just a few blocks away, 40,000 fans gathered to watch the town's own team playing in the World Series. For a century and a quarter, the St. Petersburg Times has recorded the unfolding story of our region, sharing in its success, suffering in the setbacks. Now we celebrate our common history by offering these slices of it. And even in this difficult stretch, we are betting that Tampa Bay's best days lie ahead. That is one of history's lessons.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that in St. Petersburg, Florida, I represent one of the world's foremost centers of marine and geological research. We have created a thriving hub of academic, government and private sector facilities whose professional staffs work together on a daily basis to study and help to solve some of our state's, our nation's and our world's most challenging environmental, marine and geological problems. The University of South Florida College of Marine Science on the University's St. Petersburg campus has been the linchpin of our efforts to bring together the best and brightest scientific minds. With the addition of the U.S. Geological Survey 10 years ago and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the Florida Institute of Oceanography, and in the private sector SRI International, we have at Bayboro Harbor a thriving research community. Recently two of those researchers have been honored for their work in the field of geology. The first is Dr. Albert C. Hine, the Associate Dean of the USF College of Marine Science, who received the Francis P. Shepard Medal for Sedimentary Geology at the annual Society for Sedimentary Geology meeting in Denver, Colorado. The award is given to those who have a sustained record of outstanding research contributions in marine geology. In addition to being recognized for his prolific research and his 140 peer-reviewed publications in the field of coastline studies, carbonate platforms and coral reefs using an array of geophysical tools, Dr. Hine was also recognized for his commitment to teaching. He is a major advisor to 11 Ph.D. and 22 M.S. candidates. He is a perfect example of the type of collaborative research that goes on every day at USF's Bayboro campus, where he has worked and taught since 1979. That includes his work with the U.S. Geological Survey where the second award recipient Dr. Eugene A. Shinn worked for more than 31 years. Dr. Shinn was recently awarded the Society for Sedimentary Geology's William H. Twenhofel Medal for his outstanding contributions in the areas of paleontology, sedimentology and stratigraphy. Now retired from USGS, Dr. Hine is a Courtesy Professor at the USF College of Marine Science where he continues his research and teaching. Madam Speaker, following my remarks, I will include from the USGS publication Sound Waves two articles about both of these eminent researchers, which includes much more detail about their lifetimes of work in the field and about the special collaborative relationships among these outstanding St. Petersburg organizations. Dr. Al Hine and Dr. Gene Shinn are two shining examples of the energy and enthusiasm we have captured in St. Petersburg that makes our city the center of international work in marine science and geology. Please join me in congratulating them on these great honors and in thanking them for their continuing efforts to impart their knowledge and enthusiasm to future generations of their students and colleagues. USGS Collaborator Wins Prestigious SEPM Shepard Medal, Sound Waves, December 2008 Barbara Lidz Albert C. Hine, a close collaborator with scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) office in St. Petersburg, Florida, from its inception in 1988, will receive the Francis P. Shepard Medal for Marine Geology at the 2009 Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM) annual meeting in Denver. Hine is currently Associate Dean in the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida (USF) in St. Petersburg, where he began his career in 1979. He has worked extensively with USGS personnel for many years, including Gene Shinn (who will receive SEPM's Twenhofel Medal at the 2009 meeting; see article, this issue), Bob Halley, Barbara Lidz, David Twichell, Kevin Cunningham, Jack Kindinger, Lisa Robbins, Terry Edgar, and Kim Yates. Hine received his B.S. degree from Dartmouth, his M.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. For his dissertation he investigated modern carbonate-bank-margin sediment on the Bahama Banks with high-resolution seismic profiling. He studies coastlines, continental shelves, carbonate platforms, and coral reefs, using an array of geophysical tools. Hine has been heavily involved in the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and served on the program's Ocean History Panel, Site Survey Panel, and U.S. Science Advisory Committee; he was also selected to be a Joint Oceanographic Institutions/U.S. Science Advisory Committee Distinguished Lecturer for 2005- 2006 (URL http://www.oceanleadership.org/usssp/dls/hine). Hine has had extensive seagoing experience on many research vessels, including as co-Chief Scientist on ODP Leg 182 to the Great Australian Bight and as a member of the scientific crew on Leg 194 to the Marion Plateau of northeastern Australia. He currently serves on the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Fleet Improvement Committee. Hine has written approximately 140 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He is major advisor to 11 Ph.D. and 22 M.S. candidates, including 2 from the USGS. His former graduate students are spread far, wide, and deep. In recent years, he has focused on deep-water coral reefs and drowned barrier islands; with Bob Halley and others, he mapped the deepest coral reef in the United States, off the southwest coast of Florida (see related Sound Waves articles, ``USGS Scientists Use the SeaBOSS to Explore What Could Be the Deepest Coral Reef in the Continental United States'' and ``Coral Reef Off Florida Determined to be Deepest Known on U.S. Continental Shelf''). The Shepard Medal is given to persons who have a sustained record of outstanding research contributions in marine geology. Francis Parker Shepard (1897-1985), known as ``The Father of Marine Geology,'' is one of the field's true heroes. Shepard began his career studying structural geology but is best known for his work on, and understanding of, submarine canyons. A short story of his life is available as a PDF file (76.4 KB) at URL http://gsahist.org/gsat/ gt01dec20_21.pdf. Gene Shinn Wins Preeminent SEPM Twenhofel Medal, Sound Waves, December 2008 Barbara Lidz Eugene A. Shinn, carbonate geologist with Shell Oil in the 1960s and then with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for 31 years, will receive the 2009 William H. Twenhofel Medal from the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM). The highest recognition given by the SEPM, the Twenhofel Medal is awarded annually to a person for his or her outstanding contributions in sedimentary geology. Albert C. Hine, Associate Dean of Research at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, made the announcement in August. Shinn received an honorary Ph.D. from USF in 1998 and was a commencement speaker. Since retiring in 2006 from the USGS Florida Integrated Science Center office in St. Petersburg, Shinn has been seated as a Courtesy Professor at the USF College of Marine Science next door. Nominees for the Twenhofel Medal are chosen for their outstanding contributions in paleontology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and (or) allied scientific disciplines. The contributions normally entail extensive personal research but may involve some combination of research, teaching, administration, or other activities that have notably advanced scientific knowledge in the field of sedimentary geology. Shinn has devoted his career to each of these areas and more, and has excelled in all. As a researcher dedicated to working in the field, he is recognized as a pioneer in studies of carbonate sediment, tidal flats, diagenesis, coral-reef ecosystems, and, in recent years, the effects of transatlantic African dust on corals and human health. Shinn has an innate ability often to perceive truths before others do, and he encourages discussion and innovative thinking. He is not afraid to speak his mind or to get on the hot seat amidst controversy; he also knows when to avoid controversy. Shinn has led numerous modern-carbonate field trips to the Florida Keys and the Bahamas for SEPM, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the Geological Society of America (GSA), and many universities and local societies. He has published more than 150 scientific papers, produced training films, won several ``best paper'' awards, and received the USGS Meritorious Service Award, as well as the USGS Gene Shoemaker Award for Excellence in Communications. Shinn joins the ranks of other very distinguished geologists who have shaped major concepts in understanding Earth processes and history in the realm of carbonate geology. The honor is long overdue. Shinn will receive the award at the Society's annual meeting in Denver in June 2009. Congratulations, Gene, for a meritorious job well done! William H. Twenhofel (1875-1957), Ph.D. Yale (1912), is regarded as the patriarch of sedimentary geology. Twenhofel, who was a member of the National Research Council, retired in 1945 from an illustrious academic career at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where the Department of Geology and Geophysics has offered one of the top Earth-science programs in the United States for decades. Twenhofel cofounded the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, now the Journal of Sedimentary Research, one of the premier journals in the field of sedimentary geology.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to honor Abigail Seldin, a constituent from Tierra Verde, Florida I have the privilege to represent, who has earned a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Abigail has studied anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and plans to graduate in May with both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree. She put her studies to use in the field of anthropology to amass an in-depth knowledge about the little-known Lenape Indian Tribe of Pennsylvania. Because of her dedication, Abigail was also named the first undergraduate curator of an exhibit at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. With 769 applicants this year, the Rhodes Scholarship is a revered prize awarded only to those with the highest level of academic success and Abigail is one of only 32 students nationwide to receive this award. She joins a long history of distinguished Americans who have made the journey overseas to participate in international study at England's prestigious Oxford University. Madam Speaker, I would also like to congratulate Abigail's parents and sisters as well as all of her past and present teachers for inspiring her to reach her goals and beyond. Following my remarks, I will include for my colleagues a story about Abigail's accomplishments as reported by Rita Farlow of The St. Petersburg Times. At a time when we are encouraging students to strive for educational excellence, I would urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Rhodes Scholar Abigail Seldin as she is a symbol of what is right about our nation's schools and universities and to wish her luck in her future studies at Oxford University. [The St. Petersburg Times, November 24, 2008] Pinellas Woman a Rhodes Scholar (By Rita Farlow) A University of Pennsylvania student from Tierra Verde is among this year's winners of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships. Abigail P. Seldin, a 20-year-old anthropology student, organized an exhibit about the previously unknown history of Lenape Indians that is now on display at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Seldin is one of 32 men and women from across the United States to win the scholarships for study at England's Oxford University. Winners were officially announced Sunday, but Seldin received the news after an interview with a selection committee on Saturday. ``I was shocked,'' Seldin said. ``I didn't say anything for about five minutes. I managed `Thank you' and `I'm honored' but my mind was blank.'' Seldin, who plans to graduate in May with a bachelor's and a master's degree in anthropology, became the first undergraduate to curate an exhibit at the university's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. History books say the Lenape tribe left Pennsylvania by 1803, Seldin said, but there were some who stayed behind, intermarrying with whites but quietly continuing their indigenous ways through the generations. Seldin said she admired the survival of cultural traditions despite the difficulty involved in maintaining them in secret. Seldin said she will postpone plans to co-author a book with Chief Robert Ruth of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania while she studies social anthropology abroad. Though her family lives in Tierra Verde, Seldin attended a boarding school at Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts. She graduated in 2005. She is not the only 2008 Rhodes winner with Florida ties. Florida State University college football star safety Myron Rolle, who had to miss part of Saturday's game against Maryland for his Rhodes interview, also received the award. Rolle, of New Jersey, is a pre-med student and hopes to become a neurosurgeon. ``It was a very exciting day, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to study at Oxford,'' Rolle said after arriving in College Park, Md., to play in the second half of the game. Well-known Rhodes scholars from the United States include former President Bill Clinton, former basketball star and Sen. Bill Bradley, author and social critic Naomi Wolf and former Gen. Wesley Clark. The winners were picked from 769 applicants endorsed by 207 colleges and universities nationwide. The students will enter Oxford University in England--the world's oldest English- language university--next October. Created in 1902, the scholarships are the oldest of the international study awards available to American students and provide for two or three years of study. The scholarships have an estimated value of $50,000 for each year of study. Since the program's inception, 3,164 Americans from 309 colleges and universities have won Rhodes Scholarships. This report includes information from the Associated Press and Times archives. Rita Farlow can be reached at farlow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4162.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the more than 500 volunteers with the Pinellas County, Florida, Environmental Lands Division, which help manage and preserve Pinellas County's natural resources. These volunteers, whom I have the privilege to represent, are a diverse group that range from the age of 12 on up. These volunteers make a vital contribution to the county's environmental protection efforts, ensuring that all citizens and visitors are able to enjoy Florida's native environment. They supplement the efforts of the Environmental Land Division's staff, helping to oversee the nearly 16,000 acres managed by the division. In the first half of 2008 alone, these volunteers provided over 13,605 man hours in a wide range of activities. The division's conservation efforts were recently honored both regionally and nationally. In April 2008, the National Association of Counties awarded the program with an Act of Caring Award for community improvement. Additionally, in March 2008, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recognized the division for its community service, as well as environmental and public education efforts. Following my remarks, I will include for my colleagues the full story of the volunteer effort as reported by Mariana Minaya of The St. Petersburg Times as well as an editorial from the same paper. Madam Speaker, the spirit of volunteerism and giving back to the community is alive and well in Pinellas County, Florida and I am honored to represent those who make such an invaluable contribution to the protection of Florida's natural resources. Their hard work and dedication allows the natural beauty of the land to be accessible to all visitors and I would ask my colleagues to join with me today in recognizing their outstanding achievements and to thank them for a job well done. [From The St. Petersburg Times, July 30, 2008] 500 Environmental Gems (By Mariana Minaya) Thirty years ago, before development swallowed up swaths of Florida, Pinellas County had the foresight to begin setting aside thousands of acres of land for environmental protection. Now, a robust corps of volunteers is striving to protect the county's natural resources. The Environmental Lands Division, which manages the county's preserves and other protected areas, has seen its ranks swell to more than 500 people. It is the fastest-growing sector of volunteerism in Pinellas County government. The division's conservation efforts were recently honored both regionally and nationally. The volunteers are an ``invaluable resource'' to managing the nearly 16,000 acres under the department's care, said division director Dr. H. Bruce Rinker. Without the volunteers, the division's staff of 34 people would be seriously disadvantaged. So far this year, volunteers have provided more than 13,605 man hours, equaling more than $263,433. These numbers are up from the 1,387 hours of volunteer service in 1998, the year the division was founded within the department of Environmental Management. The volunteers care for 30 different ecosystems. They staff educational centers at the Brooker Creek and Weedon Island preserves, maintain trails and grounds, survey flora and fauna, perform clerical work, lead hikes and help with research. The sheer number of volunteers, the hours of labor they've donated, and the variety of duties they performed impressed judges of two awards programs this year. In April, the National Association of Counties recognized four counties from about two dozen entrants with an Acts of Caring Award for community improvement, said spokesman Bill Cramer. In March, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recognized the division for its community service, as well as environmental and public education efforts. The division received a $2,500 grant for its volunteer program from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. Judges ``were amazed . . . to have a program that has that many volunteers,'' said Wren Krahl, spokeswoman for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. ``The other thing they were impressed with is how much they've accomplished with the stringent budget that they've had.'' Over two years, as the division's staff has shrank by 14 positions, the volunteers recognize that the need for them ``is real, not feigned,'' Rinker said. The division wants to grow by 10 percent more volunteer hours each year to offset the effects of staff and budget cuts. To keep the ranks full, the division keeps the red tape to a minimum, said Kristin O'Meara, the land division's volunteer site coordinator. Once a background check clears, volunteers are open to the wide range of activities. They accept anyone age 12 and up. Interest appears to be as strong as ever from both young and old. About half the volunteers are retired. About 15 percent are under age 18. Some do it for school requirements; others have a passion for wildlife and nature. ``How can you resist being able to work in the great outdoors?'' Rinker said. ``Driving down our driveway is like going back in time is what I've heard from people.'' That is the appeal for Bill Brown, 62, of East Lake, who lived in Groveland as a child, spending time at his grandmother's boarding house for orange grove workers, living off the land. ``I can remember eating things on the endangered species list,'' Brown said. Volunteering gives Brown the freedom that 30 years of office work as an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman never afforded him. ``You don't have a timetable,'' he said. ``They give us a job to do and then turn us loose, which I kind of like.'' On Tuesday mornings, he spends about four hours with his buddy, Ty Miramonti, 65, of Tarpon Springs. As a former Navy man and firefighter, Miramonti is the more adventurous and the more experienced, having started in 1993. But once in a while, his wild streak has gotten him literally stuck in the mud, and his partner's caution adds some balance to the team, which has worked together for seven years. Together, the pair cruises through the Brooker Creek Preserve on a four-wheel drive Ranger, clearing trails with machetes in hand. It's hard work for old men, Brown said, but it lets them stop to soak in the scenery or debate the identities of the critters crawling on them when they need a break. ``It's the type of thing you think an old man wouldn't be interested in doing, but it really is invigorating because you are totally immersed in the environment,'' Brown said. ``It really is cathartic to get out there.''

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the Tampa Bay community I represent celebrated the 150th anniversary of one of the key aids to navigation on all of Florida's west coast last November, the Egmont Key Lighthouse. The Lighthouse has a rich history and includes being destroyed once by a major hurricane, being rebuilt and staffed by a long list of dedicated keepers, being at the center of civil war intrigue, and now being home to a national wildlife refuge. Throughout its storied history it has stood tall as the only lighthouse between Key West and the Florida Panhandle and marks the entrance to Tampa Bay, one of our Nation's busiest waterways. Because its history is so interesting Madam Speaker, I will include, following my remarks a column from the Tampa Bay Soundings newspaper by Captain Richard Johnson, the past President of the Egmont Key Alliance. He and the members of the alliance have not only worked hard to share the history of Egmont Key and the Lighthouse, but also to preserve structures on the island. Also I will include with my remarks further information about the legacy of Egmont Key from the Web site LighthouseFriends.com. Madam Speaker, we continue to protect Egmont Key and the lighthouse, which was added to the Register of National Historic Places in 1978, by providing Federal funds to renourish the shoreline surrounding the island and by studying a way to provide a long-term solution to protect the island's original buildings. In the meantime, the Egmont Key Lighthouse will continue its mission to ensure the safe navigation along the Gulf of Mexico and into Tampa Bay just as it has throughout the past 150 years. Please join me in thanking all those who have served to keep its beacon lit and who continue to serve today with President Jim Spangler and the Egmont Key Alliance to keep its history alive and its structures sound. Lighting the Way: The Egmont Key Lighthouse, Tampa Bay Soundings (By Captain Richard Johnson) It has been 150 years since light keeper Sherrod Edwards first carried cans of lamp oil up the spiral staircase of the lighthouse on Egmont Key. But this magnificent beacon, rebuilt ``to withstand any storm'' after a hurricane in the late 1840s, still stands guard at the entrance to Tampa Bay, welcoming mariners and visitors. The 71-foot-high lighthouse has been vital to the safety of commerce on Florida's west coast for more than a century. First constructed in 1848 to support commercial trade along the nation's Gulf Coast, it was the only lighthouse between the Panhandle and Key West. While guiding ships along the coast, it also marked the entrance to the increasingly important port of Tampa. The first lighthouse was built with brick and cost $10,000. It was located about 100 feet northeast of the existing structure on the north end of the island. The keeper's house, also brick, was constructed nearby for Edwards and his family. The lighthouse was first lit in April 1848 when they moved in. Less than six months later, in September, a hurricane ravaged the lighthouse. Stories say Edwards and his family took refuge in a rowboat tied to a palm tree as water rose over the island. With the first tower damaged beyond repair, a new, taller lighthouse--which still stands today--was constructed in 1858 for $16,000. Other buildings were added over the years. A small brick building was constructed in 1895 near the lighthouse to store lamp oil; a larger brick building erected in the 1920s housed the island's radio transmitter. Other structures have since been torn down. Two large sheds near the bayside dock served as a depot for navigational buoys along Florida's Gulf Coast in the late 1800s. For a time, all buoys between St. Marks and Key West were maintained and stored on Egmont Key. An assistant light keeper's house was added in 1899. All that remains of that house is a cistern, which is still used today. Over the years, numerous improvements were made to the light station and the dock was rebuilt several times. Almost every recorded annual report to the Lighthouse Board includes some reference to repairs, improvements or rebuilding, mostly to mitigate damage from storms. The life of the lighthouse keeper was not easy. For the most part, the light keeper, his assistant and their families were the only people on the island. Bulk supplies like oil for the light were brought in just once a year, and the families raised much of their own food, while traveling by small boat to Bradenton or Tampa for other supplies. Maintaining a lighthouse with an oil lamp required constant attention to trimming and adjusting wicks, cleaning the chimney and lenses, and washing the windows of the lantern room. While the light was bright and well-focused for an oil lamp, it was not nearly as bright as an electric light, and scrupulous attention to maintaining the cleanliness of every part of the system was necessary to ensure that the light would not be obscured. Each day they worked from dawn until about 10 a.m. just cleaning up and preparing the light for the next night's work. Curtains hung from dawn until dusk to prevent discoloration of the lens glass. In 1939, the Coast Guard took over the lighthouse service and converted the newer light-keeper's house into a barracks for a small crew. A few years later, the lighthouse was renovated. With the upper portion of the brick tower deteriorating, the tower was trimmed several feet for stabilization, and an aircraft-style rotating beacon replaced the original oil lamp. Illumination surged from 3,000 candlepower to 175,000 candlepower, visible on a clear night from as far as 22 miles away. But it wasn't until the late 1980s that the light was fully automated and the Coast Guard personnel reassigned. Shortly after that the Florida State Park Service joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in caring for the island's natural resources. Through the years, a series of light keepers about whom we know very little, worked through heat and hurricane, battling mosquitoes and winter gales, to keep the Egmont light working and the station in good order. Even with modern advances in navigation, the light remains an important aid to mariners and aviators destined for Tampa Bay. Capt. Richard Johnson, president of the Egmont Key Alliance, teaches sailing at the St. Petersburg branch of the Annapolis Sailing School. For more information on Egmont Key or the Egmont Key Alliance, call 727-867-8102. Egmont Key, Florida, LighthouseFriends.com Description: When Florida was under British control, surveyor George Gauld named the small island found at the entrance to Tampa Bay Egmont Key, after John Perceval, second Earl of Egmont and First Lord of the Admiralty. Through the years, the island has served as home to two lighthouses, a fort, a movie theater, a cemetery, boat pilots, and a radio beacon. Today, all that remains on the island is a truncated lighthouse, crumbling remains of the fort, a small colony of gopher tortoises, and a park ranger to interpret the island's history. In 1833, the Secretary of the Treasury received multiple petitions for a lighthouse at Egmont Key to assist vessels transiting Florida's Gulf Coast between Key West and the Panhandle. However, it wasn't until after Florida achieved statehood in 1845 and its legislature petitioned Congress in December of 1846, that funds were granted for the Egmont Key Lighthouse. Francis A. Gibbons of Baltimore signed a contract with the government to provide a lighthouse and dwelling at a cost of $6,250. The contract called for a 40-foot, brick tower, topped with an octagonal lantern that would shelter 13 lamps backed by 21-inch reflectors. The lighting apparatus was supplied by Winslow Lewis at a cost of $1,330. The St. Marks customs collector, a Mr. Walker, who oversaw the construction, recommended that ``in consequence of the heavy gales of wind in this country,'' the 34 x 20, one-story, brick dwelling should ``be placed at least 100 feet from the tower, so in case of its prostration, the house and lives would not be endangered.'' Walker also insisted that the tower be built on a foundation of driven pilings rather than on a foundation of ``dry shells and sand'' as promoted by the frugal Stephen Pleasonton, Fifth Auditor of the Treasury. Work began on the lighthouse during the summer of 1847, and the lamps were to be lit by January 1, 1848 according to the contract. However, the supply ship Abbe Baker, which was transporting bricks from New York for the lighthouse, ran aground on Orange Key, and roughly half of the bricks had to be tossed overboard to refloat the ship. By February of 1848, the tower stood at a height of twenty feet, but work was halted until a new shipment of bricks arrived. The tower was officially certified on April 19, 1848, and shortly thereafter Sherrod Edwards, the first keeper of the Egmont Key Lighthouse, activated the light. At that time, the lighthouse was the only one between Key West and St. Marks. On September 23, 1848 a powerful hurricane covered Egmont Key with several feet of water. Keeper Edwards and his family, according to local legend, survived the storm by seeking refuge in a small boat tethered to a Palmetto tree. Shortly thereafter, Keeper Edwards rowed his family ashore and resigned. It was likely due to Walker's pile foundation that the tower survived the storm. The lighthouse was subsequently struck by lightning, which opened cracks in the tower. In 1854, a concrete pad was poured around the base of the tower, but by 1856, it was apparent that a replacement tower was necessary. A new tower, twice as tall as the original, was completed in 1857 near the northern end of Egmont Key, and probably ninety feet inland from the previous tower. A fixed-light produced by a third-order Fresnel lens was exhibited from a focal plane of eighty-six feet starting in 1858. In 1861, keeper George V. Rickard found himself caught in a struggle for control of the lighthouse. The collector in Key West was loyal to the Union, while the collector at St. Marks sided with the Confederates. Rickard feigned allegiance to Union blockaders near the island, until their absence allowed him to flee the island. After crating up the Fresnel lens, Rickard absconded to Tampa with the lens and as many supplies as he could transport. The lighthouse soon fell under Union control and was reactivated using a makeshift light. After the war, a fourth- order lens was used until 1893, when it was replaced by a third-order lens with a red sector. In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Fort Dade, part of a comprehensive coastal defense system, was constructed on the island. Named for the army commander, who along with his detachment, was killed by Seminole Indians in 1835, the fort, along with Fort DeSoto on Mullet Island to the northeast, stood watch over the entrance to Tampa Bay. The fort was staffed during World War I as well, and by the time it was deactivated in 1923, a movie theater, bowling alley, tennis courts, and miles of brick roads were found on the island. In 1944, the upper portion of the lighthouse was removed along with the Fresnel lens, and a Double Head DCB-36 Rotating Beacon was placed on top of the capped tower. The remaining keeper's dwelling was demolished in 1954 and replaced by a one-story barracks. In 1974, Egmont Key became a National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The island was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, due to the lighthouse and remains of Fort Dade. The lighthouse was automated in 1989 when the present optic, a DCB-24 Rotating Beacon was installed, and today the Florida Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service work together to manage the island. In November of 2008, a celebration was held on the island to commemorate the 150th birthday of the Egmont Key Lighthouse. In preparation for the event, the lighthouse received a new coat of paint thanks to the Tampa Bay Rough Riders and volunteers from the Coast Guard. A new plaque was unveiled at the base of the lighthouse during the festivities, and birthday cake was served to over 200 people. For the past several years, Christmas lights have been placed on the tower by volunteers from the Egmont Key Alliance to bring a little holiday cheer to the island.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Tampa Bay Watch is a community based habitat restoration and education program that has helped us bring back to life the waters of Tampa Bay and its surrounding tributaries. This year marks the 15th anniversary of its great environmental work and I want to commend the staff, the members of the board, and most importantly the thousands of volunteers of all ages who give their time for this cause. Peter Clark, Tampa Bay Watch's Executive Director, helped bring a vision to life and has mobilized more than 65,000 volunteers in what is the first environmental organization of its kind in the Southeastern United States. Together, these dedicated individuals helped a dying bay recover from decades on neglect. Tampa Bay Watch's staff and volunteers coordinate a variety of coastal restoration events throughout the year such as salt marsh plantings, oyster dome and reef construction, coastal cleanups and storm drain markings. The largest one-day salt marsh planting in Tampa Bay's history took place on September 29, 2007, bringing together 425 volunteers who planted 34,000 salt marsh grasses over 32 acres of newly constructed wetland habitat. Another milestone event took place on August 16, 2008 when more than 150 volunteers found 624 scallops at the Great Bay Scallop Search, the most scallops ever found in a single Tampa Bay Watch event. Next to its enthusiastic volunteer base, one of Tampa Bay Watch's greatest assets is its Marine and Education Center constructed next to its Tierra Verde offices at the entrance to Fort De Soto Park. The education center, built in 2005 with funds provided by the House Appropriations Committee through an Economic Development Initiative, includes classrooms, outdoor wet labs, and two 5,000 gallon touch tanks that are used year-round during school field trips, summer camp programs, and community groups. It is home to the Estuary EDventures program, which builds environmental literacy and encourages environmental stewardship while educating students about estuarine and habitat restoration. More than 180 field trips have been held there during which 3,000 students contributed 14,600 hours to learn about and help restore Tampa Bay. Madam Speaker, Tampa Bay Watch brings together families and neighbors to take care of our environment and to take pride in our environment. Nowhere is this more important than Florida where we are surrounded by water and Tampa Bay remains the linchpin linking the waterways of our entire region. As Tampa Bay Watch celebrates its 15th anniversary, I want to salute three current and former board members who first brought this program to my attention. Ed Alber, whose passing was a great loss to Tampa Bay Watch and our entire community, Angelo Catani, and Bob Hite have all invested considerable time and energy into restoring Tampa Bay and educating youth of all ages about the need for environmental stewardship. Other board members who have contributed so much of their time to the cause include Chairman Lawrence Weiner, Secretary/Treasurer Steve Stanley, Past Chairs Doug Williamson and Steve McCreary, board members Paul Avery, Matt Bisset, Rick Bourkard Jr., Leiza Fitzgerald, Mike Flynn, Richard Happle, Richard Hatcher, Debbie Kraujalis, G. Lowe Morrison, Robert L. Paver, Dr. Honey Rand, Stephen Reynolds, Joseph Saunders, John Semago, Nadine Smith, Ray Smith, and Dr. Richard Wilkes. Madam Speaker, it is my hope that my colleagues in the House join in congratulating Tampa Bay Watch for remaining true to their simple mission statement to Restore Tampa Bay Every Day.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, which I have the honor and privilege to represent, has been honored by the Department of Veterans Affairs with the very prestigious Robert W. Carey Performance Excellence Award. This is the highest honor given to a medical facility by the Department of Veterans Affairs and recognizes organizational excellence which translates in the highest quality of care for our nation's veterans and in this case those who receive their medical care through Bay Pines. This award confirms what I have always known--that the dedicated staff and volunteers at Bay Pines are the best in the VA system and provide our veterans with the quality of care we would expect and they so richly deserve. The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is the 4th busiest of the 153 VA Medical Centers and provides services to 94,000 veterans per year at the Bay Pines medical center and at nine linked clinics. Based on the VA's performance criteria, including customer satisfaction surveys, Bay Pines ranks first among like sized facilities nationwide, first among Florida VA facilities, and fourth best in the nation for quality of care, access to care and customer satisfaction. Bay Pines is the only facility in Florida to receive the Carey Award, which is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Criteria used by thousands of government and private organizations worldwide to assess and improve performance. Wallace M. Hopkins, the Director of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, leads a team of dedicated health care professionals and selfless volunteers who care for our veterans. They continually strive to improve the quality of care our veterans receive and are working on several projects which my colleagues and I on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs have supported. These include the opening of a new and larger emergency room that will more than double the capacity for emergency care for veterans including emergency mental healthcare; a new radiation oncology center to provide veterans with state-of-the-art cancer treatment; a mental health center of excellence to include inpatient, outpatient and PTSD programs; a new and larger eye care clinic; and a new and larger ambulatory surgery center. As the veterans population of Florida and the Tampa Bay area continues to grow, the staff at Bay Pines seeks to respond quickly to meet the increased demand for veterans medical care. Madam Speaker, representing Bay Pines and the veterans its serves is a great honor but also a great responsibility. It is reassuring to know that with receipt of the Carey Award for Excellence that Bay Pines continues to provide the highest level of care and that they never rest on their laurels as the staff and volunteers continue to search for new ways to improve the services they provide to our nation's heroes and their families. It is my hope that my colleagues will join me today in expressing to the staff and volunteers at Bay Pines our thanks and appreciation for a job well done.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 34, which reaffirms our Nation's strong unwavering support for Israel and its right to defend itself against missile attacks from Gaza. As an ardent supporter of Israel and its fight against terrorism, I am well aware of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and am monitoring developments closely. As any nation, Israel has every right to protect itself from terrorist attacks within its borders and across its borders to ensure the safety of its citizens from the threat of terrorism. As a sovereign nation, Israel has the right to defend itself just as our Nation and any of our allies would. Throughout the past year, Hamas has launched an estimated 3,000 rockets into Israel and during that time the range of these rockets has increased striking further and further into Israel. The ultimate goal is peace, security and prosperity for the people of this troubled region, but there can be no peace when terrorists attack the Israeli people. Israel is carefully targeting the Hamas leadership and its rocket launching capability, but as long as Hamas hides and operates within civilian locations there will be civilian casualties. That is regrettable, but as long as Hamas launches rockets into Israel, there will also be civilian casualties there. Our Nation will continue to respond to terrorist attacks and threats on our Nation and our people and I would not expect the Israeli government to react any differently to these ongoing threats. Madam Speaker, Israel remains our staunchest friend and ally in Middle East and we stand together with them as they endure this most recent assault against their freedom and liberty.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker who last November was named one of Governing magazine's eight public officials of the year. Now beginning his 8th year as mayor, Rick has brought insurmountable energy and passion to serving the people of St. Petersburg and revitalizing the entire community. His catch phrase is, ``Another great day in St. Petersburg,'' and under his leadership, every day has become another great day for our community. As the only mayor honored this year, the magazine dubbed Mayor Baker as ``Mr. Inclusive'' for his work to revitalize the city's economy, improve its parks system, and improve the city's schools. This is one of many honors Rick's hard work and commitment to public service have earned him and the city. Just last September, General Colin Powell's America's Promise Alliance named St. Petersburg one of our Nation's 100 Best Communities for Young People. During ceremonies September 22 at Union Station, the organization cited St. Petersburg for its effort to improve its schools by forming corporate sponsorships. In particular, it said, ``St. Petersburg has a strong backbone--the mayor--who, since 2003, has increased corporate partners for its schools from nine to nearly 80.'' It was Rick Baker whose vision led to the establishment of the Mayor's Mentors & More program 6 years ago. With the support of the Pinellas Education Foundation, which funded a city staff position to lead mentor training, the city has trained more than 500 mentors over the past 2 years. Madam Speaker, as Rick Baker embarks upon his final year as mayor, it is good that he receives recognition for a job well done for the people of St. Petersburg, Florida. He and his work stand as a symbol for all that is good about public service and those who choose to serve.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Leslie Pohley, a teacher I represent at Largo Middle School, who has been named Florida's Outstanding Middle School Science Teacher of the Year. Ms. Pohley was honored by her peers at the Florida Association of Science Teachers. Her principal Fred Ulrich told The St. Petersburg Times, ``She is the science teacher every principal would love to have on staff. She cares about her students.'' A teacher at Largo Middle School for 30 years, Ms. Pohley grew up in Pinellas County, Florida where she now teaches. She graduated from Clearwater High School in 1973 and holds two bachelor's degrees from the University of South Florida. One degree is in science education and the other in biology. Previous honors for Ms. Pohley include being named the 2003 Air Force Association Science Teacher of the Year, the 2004 recipient of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Education Award, and being selected for a National Science Foundation fellowship program at the University of Georgia. Madam Speaker, at a time when the education of our children is a top national priority, especially in the fields of math and science, I salute Leslie Pohley for her lifelong dedication to teaching. Throughout the past 30 years, teaching from the same classroom at Largo Middle School, she has touched the lives of thousands of students and impressed upon them the value and importance of the sciences.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Pinellas County, Florida lost one of the pillars of our community and our teachers lost their greatest advocate December 16th with the passing of Jade Moore. Jade served for 34 years as Executive Director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association. In that role, he was the champion for teachers, but he was also the champion for the students they taught. Jade Moore was a tough but fair negotiator, one who earned the trust and respect of all those with whom he came in touch. He grew up in Pinellas County and was a product of Pinellas County schools having graduated from Clearwater High School. His advice was eagerly sought not just by this Congressman but by Governors, legislators, school board members and community leaders. And it was just not advice on educational issues. In fact, Jade was just completing a difficult term as the Governor's appointee to the Florida Taxation and Budget Review Commission. More than 700 people turned out this past Saturday to memorialize Jade Moore and pay tribute to his life as a husband, a father, an educator, a community leader, a Sunday school teacher, and a friend to many. Following my remarks, I will include an article ``Boisterous and fitting farewell'' by Thomas Tobin and Donna Winchester of The St. Petersburg Times on January 4, 2009 which talks about the very moving and uplifting memorial service. Also, I will include a December 20, 2008 column by Jon East of The St. Petersburg Times which describes Jade as a tough but friendly advocate. As Mr. East says in concluding his column, Jade Moore ``honestly believed in saving one soul, one child, at a time.'' Madam Speaker, at a time when our Nation looks to its elected leaders to come together and put politics aside to do the people's business, Jade Moore should be an enduring example of how we can serve our constituencies and express our views with respect rather than conflict. We have lost a great leader in Jade Moore, but we must not lose those lessons from a lifetime of leadership he leaves behind. [From the St. Petersburg Times, Jan. 3, 2009] Boisterous and Fitting Farewell (By Thomas C. Tobin and Donna Winchester) Clearwater.--He loved roses and Broadway musicals. He stunk at golf, though he had a whale of a time playing it. He was an optimist, active in his church, strong in his views. He was a reader and a smiler, a pundit, a partier, a people lover. And when it came to teachers, Jade Thomas Moore--the executive director of the Pinellas teachers union for 34 years--was no pushover. ``He fought hard for them and he loved them,'' Tim Moore said at a memorial service for his brother Saturday. ``If you want to remember Jade, remember that love for teachers.'' Pinellas County's education and political communities turned out in force to remember Mr. Moore, who died Dec. 18 at age 61 after suffering his second stroke in a year. More than 700 people jammed Trinity Presbyterian Church in Clearwater for an hourlong service that recalled his success as a family man, his long career as an educator and the outgoing personality that endeared him to allies and adversaries alike. The congregation included state and county officials, legislators, judges, lawyers and school system employees of every stripe--from support workers and teachers to top administrators and school board members. In keeping with Mr. Moore's love of food and celebration, hundreds of mourners reconvened at union headquarters in Largo for an evening of eating, drinking, tears, laughter and toasts. Guests arrived to a massive potluck spread, a full bar and a chance to talk about Mr. Moore for up to three minutes. A DJ played Broadway hits, popular songs from the 1950s and '60s and Mr. Moore's favorite, Blue Moon by the Marcels. ``The noise is what Jade would want to have happened,'' his wife, Sue Moore, told the crowd. ``He would want us talking to each other and drinking a whole lot.'' She offered a toast: ``To the best man I've known and the best man I will ever know.'' Said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa: ``He believed in the power of education. He believed in the power of teachers. He believed we could take this state forward.'' Kim Black, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, said Mr. Moore served with her and 12 other presidents during his tenure. ``Jade has adapted to every one of us,'' she said. ``He has been the constant. When we were weak, he was strong.'' She said his favorite part of the job was visiting schools. Black and Mr. Moore had been to 40 so far this year and planned many more visits in the upcoming semester. ``He was about bringing joy to the workplace,'' Black said. ``He was about bringing joy to everybody he knew.'' County Commissioner Susan Latvala recalled her time on the Pinellas School Board from 1992 to 2000. ``I don't know if I would have survived those eight years without Jade,'' she told the crowd. ``He would call me to say, 'Susan, why don't you come over to the office and we'll have a drink.' It was never a 15-minute conversation.'' Upstairs at union headquarters Saturday, Mr. Moore's office remained as he left it on Dec. 15, his last day of work. An avid reader who would polish off a dozen books during vacations to North Carolina, he had three books on his desk. The titles: I Haven't Understood Anything since 1962, Educational Conflict in the Sunshine State and The Language of God. Mr. Moore was known in Pinellas and across the state for his knowledge of Florida's budget and politics. He took tough stances, including pushing for a teacher raise this year even as the district plunged into a deep economic hole. But he maintained a collaborative style and an optimistic outlook. ``All of us knew that Jade meant what he said, that ... his views were in support of the many, not of the few, and that he would always, no matter what, stand by his beliefs,'' said the Rev. Victoria ByRoade, a local Presbyterian pastor who eulogized him Saturday. ``Jade Moore was a man we could trust.'' [From the St. Petersburg Times, Dec. 20, 2008] A Tough, Friendly Advocate (By Jon East) What made Jade Moore such an institution in Pinellas public education was also what made him such an invaluable source to those of us who watched from the sidelines. Moore, who died Thursday after suffering a stroke, knew his stuff. He believed in what he was doing, and he would never let education ideology cloud his plain assessment of right and wrong. And, yes, Moore would speak his mind, usually with blunt, sometimes pro- fane and often comic effect. Moore ran a union with 8,000 teachers and could throw a punch with the best of them. He retaliated to legislative cutbacks in 1991 by stuffing what was then called the Florida. Suncoast Dome with 15,000 educators and supporters holding signs imploring, ``Don't $hortchange our Kids.'' He skewered a Pinellas School Board that in 1998 voted to seek an end to the federal court order on desegregation, and then fought a choice plan for student assignment that he viewed as a retreat. But Moore became a force in education policy for three decades in part because conflict was not really in his genes and was never his first impulse. School boards and superintendents from other locales would marvel at the relationship between the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association and the school administration. Most contracts through the years were signed after friendly collaboration, not threats and mediation. Moore came to respect most of the superintendents with whom he worked, though he remained partial to Scott Rose for his inspirational style through the 1980s. Moore managed to develop such strong bonds with school officials that former superintendent Clayton Wilcox made the unfortunate mistake upon his arrival in 2004 of seeing Moore as part of a good ol' boy network that needed to be rooted out. Moore remained as Wilcox left. The Moore persona was a tapestry of color and contradiction. He would cuss enough to make the timid blush. But he also was a Sunday school teacher who really did live by the Golden Rule. Nothing got him angrier than to see teachers be made scapegoats for political causes or to be publicly humiliated for private and personal transgressions. But he would avoid like the plague defending any teacher who he believed didn't belong in the classroom. He was an unabashed liberal Democrat, but he befriended so many Republicans that he even managed an appointment from Gov. Charlie Crist to a constitutional taxation review panel. He could describe, in detail, the district cost differential multiplier in the Florida Education Finance Program but--much preferred to settle budgetary policy over a bottle of bourbon. Back in the early 1990s, when tensions were high with then- superintendent Howard Hinesley, Moore was persuaded by a former PCTA president to lobby School Board members for the four votes necessary to remove Hinesley. He failed, and to the day he passed away he seemed to regret what he had done. Guerrilla politics were never Moore's style, and the failed attempt nearly severed his relationship with Hinesley. ``I'll never go there again,'' he would say. ``I won't do it.'' The lesson was never lost, and Moore even found himself taking friendly fire as a result. A splinter group calling itself TUFF-Teach emerged In 2001, condemning what it saw as too much coziness between PCTA and school administrators and state lawmakers. But Moore was unyielding and argued that cooperation, not confrontation, is more productive in the long run. In his characteristic style, he said: ``You don't score points by taking a dump on these guys.'' What I always saw in Moore was an unfailingly sentimental view of public education. He would speak wistfully of his own days at Clearwater High School and the way such schools can be a gathering place for children from different walks of life. Nothing got him more emotional than to talk about a teacher who had made a difference in a child's life. That was the Sunday school teacher in Jade. He honestly believed in saving one soul, one child, at a time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I submit the following: Requesting Member: Congressman C.W. Bill Young. Bill Number: H.R. 2638--Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 Account: Military Construction, Army National Guard. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida Army National Guard. Address of Requesting Entity: 400 S. Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399. Description of Request: Provides $20,907,000 for construction of Phase IV of the Regional Training Institute (RTI), Project Number 120191, located at Camp Blanding, Starke, Florida 32091. It is my understanding that the Florida Army National Guard (FLARNG) and Army National Guard readiness will be affected if the school cannot educate and train soldiers. This final phase will finish construction of the remaining 65,000 square feet of billeting, all remaining infrastructure, supporting facilities, and all necessary work not completed in the prior phases to support and house students attending the courses at the training institute. Requesting Member: Congressman C.W. Bill Young. Bill Number: H.R. 2638--Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009. Account: Navy Aircraft Procurement. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Inc. Address of Requesting Entity: 13133 34th Street North, Clearwater FL 33762. Description of Request: Provides $3,200,000 for an AAR-47 Missile Advance Warning System. The AAR-47 is an extremely effective, low cost, missile warning system that provides significant timely warning of missile and laser threats to U.S. aircraft. This program will provide upgrades for new requirements based on emerging threats in the Global War on Terrorism, and it will address long-term performance improvements for emerging threats. This system is currently fielded in a wide variety of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft currently being used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lessons learned from years of combat operations and subsequent upgrades to this system will enhance the ability of aircraft to avoid being shot down. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Enser Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 5430 70th Avenue North, Pinellas Park FL 33781. Description of Request: Provides $2,300,000 for Advanced Battery Technology (ABT). This program is intended to establish a U.S. owned thermal battery capability to support advanced weapons systems to meet production requirements of next generation weapon systems for strategic defense and advanced guided munitions, smart bombs and missiles. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Eclipse Energy Systems Inc. Address of Requesting Entity: 2345 Anvil St. North, St. Petersburg FL 33710. Description of Request: Provides $3,500,000 for the Advanced Conductivity Program (ACP). This program is designed to meet an urgent need for manufacture of patented advanced nanotechnology films that offer enhancements over current film systems in order to reduce solar loading of vehicles, and provide greater multi-functionality in transparent armor. Account: Air Force RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Alaka'i Consulting & Engineering, Inc. Address of Requesting Entity: 7887 Bryan Dairy Rd, Suite 220, Largo FL 33777. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Advanced Detection of Explosives (ADE). ADE will improve current counter-IED technology and detect improvised explosives devices (IEDs) at safe standoff distance. Account: Army Aircraft Procurement. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Conax Florida Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 2801 75th Street North, St. Petersburg FL 33710. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for the Air Warrior-- Joint Service Vacuum Packed Life Raft (AW-JSVPLR) which will provide the Army with a small, compact, maintenance free raft for helicopter crews in the event of an emergency egress. The Air Warrior Block I ensemble specification includes a requirement for an Over-Water-Gear Container (OWGC) and vacuum packed, low profile life raft for over- water missions and for personnel safety/survival in the event of a water landing or eject. Account: Navy ONR RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for Autonomous Marine Sensors and Networks for Rapid Littoral Assessment. This program continues development of advanced underwater sensing systems and associated networks that provide rapid assessment of near shore ocean environments. Account: Army Reserve Operation & Maintenance. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: U.S. Army Reserve. Address of Requesting Entity: St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, Clearwater FL 33762. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 to address the immediate military need for aviation facilities supporting the United States Army Transformation and rapid fielding of the new USAR Air Ambulance Company in Clearwater, FL. The USAR Air Ambulance Company is the first in a series of unit activations required to implement the Army's directive to increase the air ambulance structure in the modular force and mitigate the critical medical evacuation shortfall with the OIF/OEF rotational requirements. Account: Air Force RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Honeywell. Address of Requesting Entity: 13350 U.S. Highway 19 North, Clearwater FL 33764-7290. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Ballistic Missile Technology. This project will help develop and mature the current Minuteman III program, the Navy's Trident D-5 Life Extension and Prompt Global Strike mission. Account: Navy/Marine Corps RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: SAIC. Address of Requesting Entity: Central Avenue, Suite 1370, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Battlefield Sensor Netting (BSN). BSN will provide the warfighter with unparalleled access to mission critical, real-time sensor data. Although tremendous progress has been made in the advancement of sensors, there has not been a corresponding advancement in data link network technologies that can effectively disseminate, display and exploit the tremendous amounts of data generated by modern sensor systems. The Battlefield Sensor Netting program bridges the sensor to shooter gap. It would provide a high bandwidth data network that combines the advantages of low cost, highly capable commercial wireless technologies with the extended range, jamming resistance and security provided by phased array antennas, military encryption systems and network software. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: DRS Technologies. Address of Requesting Entity: 6200 118th Avenue North, Largo FL 33773. Description of Request: Provides $4,000,000 for C-Band Radar Replacement Development. The C-Band active array radar is capable of replacing several in-service ship radars facing obsolescence and escalating maintenance costs. This program is intended to be the Air Traffic Control/Marshalling radar for amphibious ships. It will replace the obsolete and difficult to maintain SPS-67. At half the cost of similar radars, CBAAR will provide surface search, air traffic control, anti-ship missile defense and navigation. Account: Air Force RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Honeywell. Address of Requesting Entity: 13350 U.S. Highway 19 North, Clearwater FL 33764-7290. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for a Chip Scale Atomic Clock project. Atomic clocks allow for accurate time reference for communications and navigation systems. However, most atomic clocks are very heavy (100 lbs or more), too large for handheld or compact electronic systems and also too costly. This project will miniaturize the atomic clocks for inclusion on the battlefield, help prevent IED jammers from interfering with each other and will provide position accuracy even in areas where GPS is unavailable or denied. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Cure Search. Address of Requesting Entity: 440 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 400 Arcadia, CA 91006-3776. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for the Children's Oncology Group (COG) treats 90 percent of children in the U.S. diagnosed with cancer, including hundreds of children of the men and women serving in our armed forces. In order to meet the needs of military families who have children with cancer, the COG developed the Uniformed Services Oncology Consortium (USOC). The USOC is a group of military institutions within the COG. Because of the COG network, children are able to receive state of the art care in COG institutions throughout the country and are often treated at institutions other than those on a military base because of the increased availability of care. This funding will expand on ongoing research by COG with the Department of Defense and improve investigations of the genetic, epigenetic and signal transduction pathways. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: DRS Technologies. Address of Requesting Entity: 6200 118th Avenue North, Largo FL 33773. Description of Request: Provides $3,200,000 for a Common Below Decks Architecture. Legacy shipboard surveillance radars operating at various frequencies cannot sustain operational effectiveness or realize their full performance potential without a marked improvement in below decks signal/data processing. This program is intended to provide a common architectural approach to unique below decks signal/data processing requirements which can benefit 120 radars installed on 74 ships. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Custom Manufacturing and Engineering. Address of Requesting Entity: 2904 44th Avenue North, St. Petersburg FL 33714. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for a Compact MVCC Soldier Cooling System. This project will combat heat stress in troops by using a unique miniature refrigeration system and cooling garment to regulate their body temperature while wearing body armor and other protective gear. This project will greatly reduce heat stress and heat injury in our troops, especially those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: SRI International. Address of Requesting Entity: 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Description of Request: Provides $4,500,000 for a Comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness. This funding would continue an ongoing successful program to detect, deter or prevent terrorist attacks against our ports as well as support a broad group of local and regional law enforcement agencies, national and defense assets tasked with protecting ports, waterways, and the general maritime commerce. The program is developing a comprehensive, networked, waterside and landside port and maritime domain awareness system. The initiative applies the latest available technology and develops new capabilities to fill deficiencies in existing systems. Technology used to support the effort takes advantage of the latest advances in micro-systems and nano-materials for sensors and communications. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Constellation Technology Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 7887 Bryan Dairy Road, Suite 100, Largo, FL 33777. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for Continuation of Advanced Materials (Mercuric Iodide) Research for Nuclear Detection, Counter-Proliferation and Imaging for Special Operations. This project will enable the development of radiation detection equipment with significantly improved resolution and detection efficiency which provides improved ability to find and identify radiological threats. Mercuric Iodide continues to demonstrate great promise in meeting the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's mission and that of the various intelligence gathering organizations to quantify the impact of CBRNE threats. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Constellation Technology Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 7887 Bryan Dairy Road, Suite 100, Largo, FL 33777. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for Continuation of Industry Based Research into Biological Agent Identifiers without Wet Reagents. This project will greatly reduce consumable costs and logistical footprint associated with transport, storage, and use of ``wet'' reagents in a battlefield environment. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Raytheon. Address of Requesting Entity: 7401 22nd Avenue North Building D, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. Description of Request: Provides $4,800,000 for the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). CEC is a high priority, anti-air warfare program for the Navy that forms real-time networking among land, ship and airborne sensors and sends target information to every CEC-equipped platform. It combines all sensor data into a high-resolution, fire- control quality, composite track air picture. CEC is currently deployed on over 95 ships and aircraft, and is a transformational program identified in the Joint Forces Command ``Joint Battle Management Command and Control road map.'' Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Countermeasures to Chemical Biological Threats. Prior to the anthrax laden letters of late 2001, USF and the other 10 institutions which comprise the State University System of Florida were working on preparing the United States for an unannounced bioterrorist attack. Until then, basic microbiologic research had not been widely transferred from the laboratory to actual application in the field. It is in this environment that the State University System of Florida with the USF College of Public Health as the lead and coordinator was awarded Congressional project funds. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: CTC Tampa Bay Inc. Address of Requesting Entity: 7887 Bryan Dairy Road, Suite 220, Largo, FL 33777. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) and STAR-TEC Partnership. Disruptive technologies for potential solutions in combating terrorism are frequently created by small, fragile start up enterprises with highly unique skills. Historically, 80 percent of these emerging technology companies fail before their fifth birthday due to an unbalanced focus on product development and insufficient attention to fiscal operational management. Statistically, 87 percent of small companies mentored by professional business incubators succeed. This project seeks to meld STAR-TEC's business incubation and acceleration expertise with CTTSO's mission to rapidly field new combating terrorism technology solutions to ensure the fiscal health of the domestic, small business partners selected by CTTSO for technology acceleration. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Raytheon. Address of Requesting Entity: 7401 22nd Avenue North, Building D, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for CV-22 Helmet Mounted Display. This program will replace the current Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) and night vision goggles with an integrated, panoramic, HMD/night vision daylight readable capability. This will allow our CV-22 aviators to more safely operate this new aircraft. Since most helicopter flights in Iraq and Afghanistan happen during darkness, it is vital that our pilots have this new capability for these wars and also in training. Account: Defense Wide Procurement. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: National Forensic Science Technology Center. Address of Requesting Entity: 7881 114th Avenue North, Largo, FL 33773. Description of Request: Provides $3,200,000 for Expansion of the Mobile Forensic Labs and Technical Assistance and Training Support in Largo, Florida. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency developed and fielded one mobile forensics laboratory to be used in the U.S. for weapons of mass destruction and explosives. FY 2009 funds are needed to provide additional systems for international deployment. These state of the art modular laboratories provide rapid analysis and exploitation of forensic evidence recovered during missions thereby enhancing intelligence for ongoing operations as well as evidence. Account: Air Force RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Honeywell. Address of Requesting Entity: 13350 U.S. Highway 19 North, Clearwater, FL 33764-7290. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for Florida National Guard Missile Range Safety Technology (MRST). MRST funding supports the 114th Range Operations Squadron of the Florida Air National Guard. This unit provides Command and Control of local and down-range assets in support of Air Force space launch operations as well as providing a wartime surge capability for the 45th Operations Group, 45th Space Wing at Patrick AFB, Florida. MRST is GPS-based mobile range safety system which offers an advanced capability, increased flexibility and cost savings to support range operations. For instance, the 114th ROS provides a mobile range tracking and command truck that can track and if necessary destroy errant ballistic missiles on firing range facilities. Providing this mobile capability will reduce costs by replacing the need to build permanent fixed sights at each missile range. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $2,500,000 for Health Informatics. Health informatics deals with the resources, devices, and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. This project continues research and development of new software applications that will be applied to advanced health informatics training programs. This will help the DOD better manage its healthcare systems and expand post-doctoral training of future researchers. Account: Defense Production Act Purchases. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Enser Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 5430 70th Avenue North, Pinellas Park, FL 33781. Description of Request: Provides $3,000,000 for a High Performance Thermal Battery Infrastructure Project. Thermal batteries provide high technology power used for current and next generation strategic weapons systems as well as USAF tactical missiles. This project's goal is to scale up and optimize manufacturing processes to increase the production rate while taking advantage of economies of scale to facilitate operations as a viable business supporting the DOD. Account: Army Procurement. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: CONAX Florida Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 2801 75th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. Description of Request: Provides $3,200,000 for a HMMWV Restraint System. This program will procure and install upgrade kits for restraint systems on Army HMMWV and other tactical vehicle fleets. Furthermore, it will incorporate a ``no snag'' design for rapid vehicle egress while making it much easier for troops to fasten and unfasten safety belts while in full combat protective gear. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Information Manufacturing LLC. Address of Requesting Entity: 11300 Dr. M.L. King Jr. Street, Suite 315, St. Petersburg FL 33716. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Improved Information Transfer for SOCOM. This program will fulfill an urgent need to apply real-time knowledge management tools using new and emerging technologies that allow for the indexing and correlation of data from non-formatted data and divergent sources. This technology supports both written and spoken language translation covering multiple Arabic language dialects, with the capability to add additional languages over time. It will have the capability to apply artificial intelligence to automatically select and distribute information based on user needs as well as automatically discover un-seen relationships between data entries. With these advances, the system will collect, store, and index multi-media data, and perform meta-data searches. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for an Integrated Functional Materials Project. This project focuses on the synthesis and characterization of new materials and devices, optimizing and integrating their functionality, and theoretical modeling for military and commercial applications. It will allow troops easy and immediate access to superior body armor, power generators, self-medication, communication devices, and reconnaissance tools while reducing bulky and redundant equipment. Account: Air Force RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Pinellas County Sheriff Office. Address of Requesting Entity: 10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo FL 33778. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for a Law Enforcement Counterterrorism Test Bed. Civilian law enforcement professionals have unique skills in investigations, crime scene forensics and evidence gathering that are hard to find in the DOD. The test bed program allows DOD to increase an operational unit's ability to conduct 11 counterinsurgency and counterterrorism missions through interaction and training with the law enforcement community. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: SAIC. Address of Requesting Entity: 360 Central Avenue, Suite 1370, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for a Layered Surveillance/Sensing project. This program links advanced Navy and Marine Corps sensors, providing a layered network of real-time fire control quality data together with on-demand situational awareness information distributed across near real-time subnets. This will enhance the Marine Corps' ability to perform real-time battle surveillance as well as battle damage assessments. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for a Lean Management System Research Initiative. This program helps military managers and leaders improve efficiency in business systems and practices by removing non-value activities to improve system performance. Cost savings will be realized by further lean systems research and implementation by US Air Force business leaders. Account: Air Force Procurement. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: SRI. Address of Requesting Entity: 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Description of Request: Provides $1,000,000 for a MacDill AFB Waterside Security System. This project seeks to develop a new networked, waterside surveillance and reporting system to provide waterside security for MacDill AFB. This will directly assist MacDill AFB in executing its anti-terrorism and force protection responsibilities in providing security for two vital combatant commands and two component commands directly involved in executing the Global War On Terrorism (GWOT). Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: SRI International. Address of Requesting Entity: 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for a Micro-systems Nanotechnology for Advanced Technology Development project. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are small integrated devices or systems that combine electrical and mechanical components. This will continue funding research into new leading-edge microelectromechanical system (MEMS), microsensor and nanotechnologies that support warfighter needs. This initiative supports research, development and production of highly advanced microsystems and advanced materials for harsh environments in defense and homeland security applications. Account: Navy Operation and Maintenance. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of West Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola FL 32514. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for a Mobile Distance Learning for Military Personnel project. This program will provide alternative instructional systems, course, and certificates to enable deployed service members the same educational opportunities afforded while deployed or at home. This will help military personnel continue their education while deployed by providing mobile language learning initiatives. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Custom Manufacturing and Engineering. Address of Requesting Entity: 2904 44th Avenue North, St. Petersburg FL 33714. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for Modular Universal Tactical Operations Center (TOC) Packages for Vehicles and Shelters. This project provides enabling design approaches to new ways of modularizing mission equipment into small reconfigurable and plug play packages that can be cost effectively installed in host Tactical Operations Center (TOC) platforms. This project develops, integrates, and demonstrates modular, reconfigurable TOC mission and support equipment into flexible host platforms so commanders can maintain pace with their forces and various platforms. 13 Account: Defense Wide Procurement. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Raytheon. Address of Requesting Entity: 7401 22nd Avenue North Building D, St. Petersburg FL 33710. Description of Request: Provides $2,000,000 for Multi-Band Multi- Mission Radio (MBMMR) which are the special operations standard man- portable tactical UHF frequency satellite communications terminal. It is the primary mission radio used by SOCOM units, providing worldwide and tactical connectivity. This program will procure an additional 400 MBMMR radios for U.S. Special Forces. Account: Drugs Counter-Drugs And Drug Interdiction. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: St. Petersburg College. Address of Requesting Entity: 6021 142nd Avenue North, Largo FL 33760. Description of Request: Provides $3,000,000 for Multi-Jurisdictional Counter-Drug Task Force Training (MCTFT). This program is a federally funded partnership with the Department of Defense's National Guard Bureau, the Florida National Guard and St. Petersburg College. This program offers in-depth courses covering aspects of counter-drug law enforcement using conventional classroom and scenario models as well as distance learning technologies. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Moffitt Cancer Center. Address of Requesting Entity: 12902 Magnolia Drive Tampa, FL 33612. Description of Request: Provides $6,000,000 for The National Functional Genomics Center. This new funding would establish a tissue bank and related bio-informatics database that will become the national standard for storing, retrieving, and updating tumor data, validating new molecular signatures, focusing on colon cancer, and promote academic, governmental and corporate collaborations. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: St. Petersburg College. Address of Requesting Entity: 6021 142nd Avenue North, Largo FL 33760. Description of Request: Provides $3,000,000 for the National Terrorism Preparedness Institute Anti-Terrorism/Counter-Terrorism Technology Development and Training project. This project provides the DOD with technology and training development in the four pillars of combating terrorism: intelligence support, counter-terrorism, anti- terrorism, and consequence management. The National Terrorism Preparedness Institute (NPTI) will continue to provide training to the DOD, emergency responders, and policy makers. This program will continue research and development of technology and training. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Revenge Advanced Composites. Address of Requesting Entity: 12705 Clearwater Drive, Clearwater FL 33762. Description of Request: Provides $2,400,000 for a Next Generation Scalable Lean Initiative. This program will expand the U.S. defense industrial base to manufacture large light weight monolithic structures (e.g., light weight, heat resistant flight decks) to satisfy the needs of USSOCOM and the U.S. Navy. SOCOM would like to partner with the private sector to do applied research and development to support scalable engineering and manufacturing capabilities for SOF platforms. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Coda Octopus. Address of Requesting Entity: 100 14th Avenue S, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for a Port and Hull Security 3D, Real Time Sonar System--Echoscope. This project will allow for 3D surveillance of ports and hulls to detect potential seaborne threats in the Global War on Terrorism. The Echoscope provides significant protection of fixed assets such as bridges, piers, harbors, underwater installations as well as vessels. Account: Air Force RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: General Electric. Address of Requesting Entity: 14200 Roosevelt Blvd, Clearwater FL 33762. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for Precision Image Tracking and Registration. Acquiring, tracking and striking multiple moving targets is an expressly stated operational requirement of U.S. Combatant Commanders. This program will continue to develop and operationally validate a highly reliable precision locating system with the capability to accurately track multiple moving targets of opportunity. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Honeywell. Address of Requesting Entity: 13350 U.S. Highway 19 North, Clearwater FL 33764. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for Precision Terrain Aided Navigation. The PTAN gives the tomahawk missile a redundant navigation capability in the event of GPS disruption. This project will provide on-missile mission planning and better navigation precision for the Tomahawk missile. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies to Enhance Life of Individuals with Disabilities. This program pursues research and development into advanced innovative assistive and rehabilitation technologies relating to traumatic battlefield injuries. Its goal is to develop technology for military veterans and civilian employees requiring prosthetic, orthotic or robotic services. This will improve the quality of life, increase functional independence, and community integration for our severely injured veterans. Account: Navy RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of South Florida. Address of Requesting Entity: 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa FL 33620. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for Reparative Core Medicine. This program creates and expands a core laboratory with related support devoted to developing regenerative and cellular therapeutics to treat devastating diseases and injury from armed conflict. This will provide needed medical research relative to combat and civilian related injuries and the availability of red blood cell transfusions. Account: Army National Guard. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida National Guard. Address of Requesting Entity: 400 South Monroe St, Tallahassee FL 32399. Description of Request: Provides $4,200,000 for a Second Civil Support Team for the State of Florida. This program would continue funding for a second Civil Support Team in Florida, and provide an increased response capability to match the potential terrorist and natural disaster threats in the state of Florida. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Concurrent Technologies Corporation. Address of Requesting Entity: 7995 114th Avenue, Largo FL 33773. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for SOF Mission Training and Preparation Systems Interoperability. This project will enable conventional and special operations warfighters around the world to conduct real-time, virtual and interactive pre-combat rehearsals. SOF Mission Training and Preparation Systems includes all training, planning, preview, and rehearsal systems used by SOF regardless of whether they are used during mission execution, conduct of command and control, mission rehearsal or training. Account: Defense Wide Operation & Maintenance. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Information Manufacturing LLC. Address of Requesting Entity: 11300 Dr. M.L. King Jr. Street, Suite 315, St. Petersburg FL 33716. Description of Request: Provides $800,000 for a SOCOM Enterprise Wide Data and Knowledge Management System. This program would address an urgent need to link SOCOM active legacy date repositories into a modern knowledge management system. Its goal is to build a robust and modern knowledge management system for SOCOM to better support information sharing. Account: Army RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: General Dynamics. Address of Requesting Entity: 11399 16th Court North, St. Petersburg FL 33716. Description of Request: Provides $4,500,000 for the Super High Accuracy Range Kit (SHARK). This program has the potential to improve the accuracy of the 105mm artillery projectiles from the existing 200 meter circular error probable (CEP) to less than 10 meters. This technology incorporates proven GPS technology with a gun hardened Control Actuator System (CAS) that has been successfully demonstrated on the 155mm Excalibur program. Account: Defense Wide RDT&E. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Global Technical Services. Address of Requesting Entity: 6901 Bryan Dairy Road, Largo FL 33777. Description of Request: Provides $1,600,000 for an X-Band/W-Band Solid State Power Amplifier. This program will design, develop and test a solid state power amplifier at X-Band/W-Band to replace the current Traveling Wave Tubes (TWT), in order to provide a higher mean time before replacement. Requesting Member: Congressman C.W. Bill Young. Bill Number: H.R. 2638--Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009. Account: FEMA. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners. Address of Requesting Entity: 315 Court Street, Clearwater FL 33756. Description of Request: Provides $1,000,000 for infrastructure hardening of the Pinellas County facility housing its Emergency Medical Services operations, which in times of emergency serves as the countywide base-of-operations.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Defense part of this bill is a very important part of the package, although it's only one of three appropriations bills. It's a good bill. The Republican members and the Democratic members of the subcommittee all played a part in drafting this legislation and coming to the final product. I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Murtha for the fact that he included us in every step of the way. I have had the privilege of chairing this subcommittee on two different occasions. Mr. Murtha is serving as chairman the second time in his career. Whether he was chairman or I was chairman, all members, Republican or Democrat, were included in the process. We were this year as well. The problem is, once we finished our part of the process, the process broke down. This bill, for the first time, as long as I can remember in many years, did not go to the full committee for the committee to review it, did not go to the floor, did not go to an official formal conference. Nevertheless, the product is a good product. It's a good bill. Chairman Murtha has explained the highlights of this bill. I agree with what he said about the importance of all of those issues. Another one of these bills is the bill that provides for military construction and for our veterans, and I have the privilege of serving as a member of that subcommittee. I would say that under Chairman Chet Edwards, the same thing happened. The Republicans and the Democrats all had a chance to be players in making a decision on what was included in that bill. Chairman Edwards had the good fortune to get his bill to the full committee, and it was reviewed and adopted almost the way he wrote it. Then it came to the floor, and it was passed here on the floor with all Members having an opportunity to discuss it, to debate it, and offer amendments if necessary. The bill, a good bill, passed. You have got the Veterans bill and you have got the Defense bill as part of this overall package, and I strongly support both of them. But I do have to speak out against the procedure. I just don't think that it's right that all of the Members have not had an opportunity to review these bills when they could debate them, when they could offer amendments to the bills. It probably wouldn't have changed either one of these two bills very much, if any, because they are both good bills. So I stand here objecting to the procedure, but I stand here supporting those two bills. From what I have heard, I am not a member of the Homeland Security subcommittee, but I understand that it is also a good bill. So I have no objection. I support the bills, but I do object to the process. We need to vote this package today. The end of the fiscal year is rapidly approaching. In 5 more days, the fiscal year is over. We don't want the Defense Department and the soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines, who are protecting this country, to go without knowing what they are going to have by way of funds for training, by way of funds for equipment, by way of funds for protective gear for themselves. This is a commitment that I think all of us in this Chamber have made. We want to guarantee that our military troops, our heroes who protect this Nation, have the best equipment that is possibly available to them to do their job and have the best training on how to use that equipment and use it effectively to do their job and have the best protective gear to protect them while they are doing their job. So all in all, I suggest we vote for this package.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. I will be happy to yield to the leader.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, when Puerto Rico kicked us out, yes, kicked us out of our training areas for the Air Force and the Navy in Vieques, we had to move that specialized type of training into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. We established a military mission line and said there would be no drilling platforms or drilling ships there because it would not be compatible with the type of training. The type of training that we are doing there with the Air Force and the Navy aviation, as well as the naval surface ships are hypersonic weapons, supersonic aircraft, long-range missiles, stand-off missiles like AMRAAM, and we are talking about Patriot missiles. We are talking about all types of ordnance being used to train our pilots and our ship crews, a very specialized training. For those of us who are determined to make sure that our forces have the best training possible, this is the only place, according to a briefing that I had with the Deputy Secretary of Defense this week, the Air Force this week, the Navy this week, this is the only place east of the military mission line where this type of training can take place in America. So those who are concerned, those of us who are concerned about this, are curious as to what will the motion to recommit have to do or speak to this area east of the military mission line? It's very important to us. It's very important to our national security and to those fighter pilots who are going to be doing their training here before they get into a combat situation.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. I want to thank the leader. This is important to most of us and to our military. So I thank the gentleman for his response.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Sally Galego of Largo, Florida who I am proud to represent, for being one of Florida's longest living persons at 108 years old. During Ms. Galego's rich life she has witnessed the popularization of indoor plumbing, electricity, flight, the internet and so many wonderful innovations that made the last century so great. Born in 1900, she lived through the American Century, a time of great turmoil and triumph, through which our nation has become one of the truly great nations of the world. For the benefit of my colleagues, I would like to include in the Record a story about Ms. Galego from her hometown paper, the Largo Leader. Madam Speaker, Ms. Galego is a reminder of this last century as we look forward to the new one stretched out ahead of us. Please join me in congratulating her for her long lifetime of experiences. [From the Largo Leader, Jun. 12, 2008] (By Thomas Michalski) Largo--Sally Galego will be 108 years old on Saturday, June 14. She might be among the oldest person in Pinellas County, man or woman, and possibly the state, but still goes to the YMCA three times a week to exercise. She was born before the Wright Brothers flew their first plane and before the popularity of electricity, automobiles, radio and television came along. ``I have many, many fond memories,'' Galego said. Born June 14, 1900 in Belfast, Maine, she and her two brothers and two sisters grew up on a 100-acre farm. There was no electricity. No telephones. No inside plumbing. One sister, Louise, 99, of Bangor, Maine, survives and the two sisters stay in touch on a regular basis. Galego's father was killed by a swarm of bees when she was 9. She later not only graduated elementary school, but high school and college as well. That was almost unheard of in those days. Galego recalls seeing television for the first time at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. Over the years, she traveled the world to visit the pyramids in Egypt, the Vatican in Rome and toured England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other countries.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Retired Colonel Leonard Schroeder of Largo, Florida who I am proud to represent, for being the first American soldier to land at Utah Beach. During the Invasion of Normandy, Colonel Schroeder led F Company onto Utah Beach as part of the first wave of American infantry at the battle that would turn the war. Commander Schroeder bravely battled for eight hours before being shot and forced to leave the fight. As part of the first landing, F Company took heavy casualties with half of the members killed or injured before Colonel Schroeder was hit himself. Colonel Schroeder continued to serve our great nation through World War II earning both a Silver and Bronze Star. He went on to fight in the Korean War and provide logistical support during the Vietnam conflict. Colonel Schroeder retired from the Army in 1971. Madam Speaker, Colonel Schroeder represents the best our Nation has to offer. He served our Nation in uniform and to protect our freedom and liberty in its darkest days. Please join me in saying thank you to him for his actions and his lifetime of service. [From the St. Petersburg Times, June 6, 2008] (By Demorris A. Lee) Leonard Schroeder will never forget watching the sun rise off the coast of France the morning of June 6, 1944. Schroeder, who was 25 and an Army company commander, spent the night before the D-day invasion with the 219 soldiers from Company F in small, flat-bottomed boats. ``We were a little nervous, hoping we were going to hit the place we were supposed to hit,'' said Schroeder, who is now 89 and lives in Largo. At about 6:30 a.m., Schroeder's company began wading toward shore in waist-high water. He held up his .45-caliber pistol to keep it from getting wet. Amid a flurry of smoke and gunfire, they stormed Utah Beach. Schroeder is believed to be the first American solider to step foot on the beach during the battle considered the turning point of World War II. ``We prayed and prayed that everyone got the right signal,'' said Schroeder, who retired from the Army in 1971 as a colonel. It's been 64 years since that fateful day. But Schroeder said the images from that morning remain etched in his mind forever. For the next eight hours, Schroeder led his men in battle. By noon, half of them were either killed or injured. Relatives thousands of miles away in America were desperate for details. Schroeder's wife, Margaret, 91, said she received a call from her mother-in-law that morning. ``She said, `My son and your husband landed safely on the beach,' '' Margaret said, laughing. ``I thank God over and over that he made it back safely to his family.'' During the fight, a machine gun round ripped open Schroeder's left forearm. The next thing he remembers, he was heading to a hospital in England. ``I lost some time after that, and don't remember what happened or how long,'' Schroeder said. ``The decision was whether they could save my arm.'' Schroeder's forearm still bears the long scar from his five surgeries. From Glen Burnie, Md., Schroeder graduated from the University of Maryland. After World War II, he went on to fight in the Korean War and worked logistics during Vietnam. He believes he is the only remaining survivor among his college classmates who participated in World II. Two of those classmates died last year. Schroeder, who earned a Silver Star and a Bronze Star during World War II, now surrounds himself with memories of his Army service. Two ball caps with his unit's name are proudly displayed in his living room. In his office are framed military ribbons and certificates. The black leather boots Schroeder wore when he landed on Utah Beach are in the garage. There is also a huge poster of him on the front of a French magazine that proclaimed him the first man to land on a beach in Normandy during D-day. He and his wife of 66 years were flown to France in 1984 in honor of D-day's 50th anniversary. Though he turns 90 on July 16, there's another date that's just as important. ``I say that June 6 is my second birthday,'' he said.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding the time. Mr. Chairman, as a member of the subcommittee presenting this appropriations bill tonight, I rise to strongly support the bill and to compliment and pay a special tribute to Chairman Edwards and Ranking Member Zach Wamp, who have done such a great job in leading this good subcommittee to present this exceptional bill. I am particularly pleased that the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital at Bay Pines, which is in my district that serves the veterans of Florida, will be able to expand the type and quality of care that it can provide through this bill. Work will begin next year on a major $17.4 million expansion of the Bay Pines Hospital that will provide enhanced mental health and posttraumatic stress syndrome services with funds included in this bill. The new facility responds to an urgent need for additional space and resources to provide mental health and posttraumatic stress counseling and services which are so badly needed. So, Mr. Chairman, I do rise in support of this bill. There are so many other parts of the bill that have already been discussed and that will be reported in the written legislation, but I just want to say that I believe that it meets the needs of today's military, the members of our military. It meets many of the needs of yesterday's military, and it meets many of the needs of tomorrow's military. It's a good bill. I hope we can expedite its passage and get it to the President, get this bill signed so that the money can start to flow to care for our veterans and to provide necessary facilities for the members of today's military. Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill and it is needed now. While conducting a foreign war, our military continues to realign to meet current requirements around the globe and continues to aggressively work the base realignment and closure plan. I am glad that it has finally been brought to the floor of the House. In total, this bill authorizes a total appropriation of $24.8 billion for needed military construction efforts around the world. This total is $400 million over the President's requested budget. In addition, the bill appropriates a total of $3.2 billion for military and family housing projects for the families of our service members who are bearing the bulk of the sacrifices of this Nation's ongoing military actions around the world. This is an increase of $300 million over the fiscal year 2008 level. The bill authorizes $336 million to continue a quality of life initiative that was begun in the 2008 Supplemental. This sum includes $200 million for new trainee and recruit housing, and $136 million for medical military construction and upgrades to certain medical treatment facilities. The President did not request this funding in his budget. Equally as important are the funds supplied in this bill for our continually increasing veterans population. This bill includes a total funding level of $47.7 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. This total is $2.9 billion over the President's request. We owe our past, our present and our future veterans the finest care possible. bay pines I am particularly pleased that the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital at Bay Pines which serves veterans in Florida will be able to expand the type and quality of care that it can provide through this bill. Work will begin next year on a major $17.4 million expansion of the Bay Pines hospital that will provide enhanced mental health and Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder, PTSD, services with funds included in this bill. This new facility responds to an urgent need for additional space and resources to provide mental health and post traumatic stress counseling and services. The three story, 156,00 square foot addition to the main hospital building will include an Outpatient Mental Health Center of Excellence and a Post Traumatic Center of Excellence on the main level and replacement Inpatient Psychiatric and Geriatric Psychiatric bed wings on the 2nd and 3rd levels. The addition of new space will allow for the renovation of 189,000 square feet of existing patient care space in out years, which will be used for medical and surgical nursing wards and a modern psychiatric domiciliary. The bill also includes $4.5 million for the hiring of an additional 20 inspectors for the VA Office of Inspector General, 10 of which will go to the newly established Inspector General facility at Bay Pines. Each dollar spent on the IG will be returned many times over as fraud, waste and abuse are uncovered. It was through an initiative that I sponsored that the VA opened a major new VA IG office at Bay Pines in May 2007 to expand oversight and investigation operations in Florida to ensure that veterans receive the finest in care and the best use of limited tax dollars. Three years ago I learned that the VA Inspector General had only five personnel to monitor VA operations throughout the entire state of Florida. Soon thereafter I provided funding to enable the Inspector General to expand its operations in Florida to more than 50 investigators, auditors and agents to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse within the VA system, monitor the quality of care veterans receive, and apprehend those who seek to violate the public trust by stealing federal funds or abusing the trust of veterans. The Inspector General has said that the operation at Bay Pines is a flagship for the entire VA system. tampa The legislation also includes $21 million for a new headquarters for the special operations element of United States Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base. The new 66,000 square foot building will provide a secure facility for command and control, to train an increasing number of personnel, and store operational equipment. The unit currently operates out of a Cold War era alert bombing facility that is too small to accommodate existing and future manpower requirements and equipment storage. Another $10.5 million is included in the bill for construction of a headquarters for the United States Special Operations Command's Global Network Control Center. The unit is currently scattered about MacDill in trailers and temporary facilities. Construction of this 32,000 square foot building would begin in February 2009 with completion in May 2010. These two projects are part of a major base-wide construction program at MacDill that I have championed since 2006. Our men and women who serve in uniform deserve the finest possible facilities to train and prepare for missions throughout the world. It is time that we move these special operations units out of trailers and 50-year-old make-shift facilities and into state-of-the-art buildings.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 6599, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for FY 2009 Account: Military Construction, Army National Guard. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida Army National Guard. Address of Requesting Entity: 400 S. Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399. Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $20,907,000 for construction of Phase IV of the Regional Training Institute (RTI), Project Number 120191, located at Camp Blanding, Starke, Florida 32091. It is my understanding that the Florida Army National Guard (FLARNG) and Army National Guard readiness will be affected if the school cannot adequately accomplish its mission to educate and train soldiers. This final phase will finish construction of the remaining 65,000 square feet of billeting, all remaining infrastructure, supporting facilities, and all necessary work not completed in the prior phases to support and house students attending the courses at the training institute.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Americans all over our Nation honored our fallen heroes for Memorial Day. We gathered in our national cemeteries, at veterans posts, and at town halls to say thank you to those who paid the ultimate price for freedom and to their families who suffered the greatest of losses. Many forget that today's heroes also celebrated Memorial Day in the far corners of the world, including the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. One such Memorial Day ceremony took place in Fallujah, Iraq, the site of some of the fiercest fighting and where many of our troops gave their lives. Marine Corps Major General John F. Kelly led the service for our troops in Fallujah saying, ``There is something about looking out at real Americans who know the price paid for our protection, and the world's freedoms. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines--heroes all.'' General Kelly knows personally of service and sacrifice, as he is on his third tour of duty commanding Marines in Iraq, his third tour away from his family. He also has two sons serving as Marines in Iraq. General Kelly told his Marines, ``Our countrymen at home should be on their knees every day thanking God we still have enough young people in America today willing to take up the fight as our veterans did from the earliest days of our Nation. They should know that they are protected today by men and women as good as have ever served; as good today as their fathers were in Vietnam, and their grandfathers were in Korea and World War II. In this, my third tour in Iraq, I have never seen an American hesitate, or do anything other than lean into the danger and, with no apparent fear of death or injury, take the fight to the enemies of our way of life.'' Those who serve make many sacrifices including having to endure the horror of war. As General Kelly told his troops, ``You are all heroes and like many veterans throughout our history, many of us have endured things--sights, sounds and horrors--that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. I know I find great comfort that because I am here those I love and have sworn to protect will never have to deal with memories so terrible. I hope you who have seen these things have the same sense of purpose and balance when you relive the scenes of violence, and of decisions made. America's Armed Forces today know the price of being the finest men and women this nation has to offer, and pay it we do every day in Iraq and Afghanistan.'' Madam Speaker, following my remarks, I would like to include for the benefit of my colleagues the full text of General Kelly's letter to his Marines. It is from the heart and it is to the point of what every American service member and their families give to our Nation in the defense of freedom and liberty. General Kelly concludes his message by reading a letter no officer wants to write, that to the mother or father, husband or wife, brother or child of a fallen warrior. In this case it is to the mother of Jonathan Yale, a Marine who died protecting an Entry Control Point in Ramadi, Iraq from a suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with explosives. He and fellow Marine Jordan Haerter fired upon the truck until it exploded before breaching their security point. They both died during their job that day and in so doing saved the lives of 50 other Marines and countless Iraqi policemen. General Kelly wrote to Jonathan's mother, ``I have 25,000 Marines under my care here in Iraq, and I fear for their lives every minute of every day as if they were my own. They are out there every day and every night patrolling the most dangerous places on earth for millions of people at home they do not even know. In times of weakness I wonder why they come, young men like Jonathan, why they come when no one makes them. When everything in our society seems to say ``what's in it for me,'' those like your son think of others--not themselves.'' Madam Speaker, it is my hope that every member of this House will read General Kelly's powerful and poignant words and take them to heart as we thank him and every American who goes into harm's way on a daily basis to protect us and our way of life. May 25, 2008. Words From a Memorial Day Ceremony in Fallujah, Iraq Fallujah, Iraq.--Major General John F. Kelly dispatched a letter from Iraq stating that they held their Memorial Day ceremony in Fallujah today and it was inspiring. ``Something about looking out at real Americans who know the price paid for our protection, and the world's freedoms. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines-- heroes all,'' Kelly said. The General continued: ``First, a few statistics to ponder. There are twenty-five million living American Veterans. Since General George Washington commanded the Continental Army, forty-two million Americans have served the colors. A million have been killed in its defense. Another million and a half wounded. When most of us think about military cemeteries the first thought that comes to mind is Arlington National in Washington, but there are many, many more in the

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, which I have the privilege to represent, has honored 25 Pinellas County High School students with the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award for their work to improve our community and our world. These students are being recognized for their volunteer efforts in a wide variety of areas including Special Olympics, Toys for Tots, community food drives, environmental awareness campaigns, mentoring programs for the less fortunate, hurricane and disaster relief projects, supporting our troops overseas, and raising funds to support an African orphanage. The award was established just after the attacks on our Nation that took place September 11, 2001. Irene Weiss, who is now Chairman of the Museum's Board of Directors, decided that our Nation needed to step up and honor selfless acts of kindness by young people, particularly at a time of such violence and horror. As a result, the museum has honored high school juniors from the five county Tampa area every year since 2002. The Museum pays tribute to juniors in hope that they will become role models in their schools as seniors to let their fellow classmates know that it is never too early to become community leaders. As the award's namesake Anne Frank once said, ``How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.'' Madam Speaker, join me in congratulating the Pinellas County students that were honored this year. They are: Zachary Northcutt, Admiral Farragut Academy; Lady Nash, Bayside High School; Heather McShane, Boca Ciega High School; Dominic Delgado, Clearwater Central Catholic High School; Leigh Jester, Clearwater High School; Danielle Rodnizki, Countryside High School; Megan Dockerty, Dixie Hollins High School; Bo Everett, Dunedin High School; Jennifer Dipietro, East Lake High School; India Welch, Gibbs High School; Caitlan Welsh, Indian Rocks Christian School; Alyssa Boddie, Keswick Christian School; Christine McLarty, Lakewood High School; Maxwell Brickel, Largo High School; Alexanndrea Wert, Northeast High School; Kathryn Keller, Northside Christian School; Jacquelean Watson, Osceola High School; Danielle Simpson, Palm Harbor University High School; Alicia Griggs, Pinellas Park High School; Caitlin DeMull, Seminole High School; Helen Kline, Shorecrest Preparatory School; Mikel Bryant, St. Petersburg Catholic High School; Amanda Emery, St. Petersburg Collegiate High School; Danielle Rossbach, St. Petersburg High School; Jessica Primiani, Tarpon Springs High School. These youth, who are our future leaders, should remind us that our Nation is in good and capable hands. It is that volunteer spirit that has allowed our country to grow and prosper and to remain free and strong. Through their leadership, these students will become our next generation of government, community, business, and civic leaders and I want to commend Irene Weiss and the members of the Board of Directors of the Florida Holocaust Museum for their exceptional work to recognize the talent that we have developing at such an early age.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4264, legislation to designate the ``Michael Bilirakis Department of Veterans Affairs Spinal Cord Injury Center'' at the James A. Haley Hospital in Tampa. First, I want to commend my colleague from Florida, Jeff Miller, a distinguished member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, for introducing this legislation to honor our former colleague and my friend Mike Bilirakis. There is no member of this House who devoted more of his time and energy to improve the quality of care for our Nation's veterans than Mike Bilirakis. Long a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, he made the establishment of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at Tampa one of his highest legislative priorities. As a result of these efforts, we have at Tampa the finest center of its kind anywhere in our Nation taking care of seriously injured veterans. We are thankful that Mike had the foresight to pursue this project as it has become a critical center in taking care of returning heroes from the war against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Naming the Spinal Cord Injury Center for Mike Bilirakis will be a lasting tribute to a man who never forgot our Nation's commitment to our veterans. It is also a special honor to a member of this House who did not seek acclaim or recognition. He just worked hard every day for the people of his district and for the veterans who wore the uniform. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join in approving this legislation to honor one of this House's quiet heroes who is a champion of those who bore the uniform in the past, do so now, and will into the future.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding the time, and I want to congratulate Chairman Obey and Mr. Lewis for having worked out what appeared on many occasions to be an impossible solution. They did a good job. I compliment Mr. Murtha, the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Committee for a good job on amendment No. 1. It is not quite as much funding as we thought that there should have been, but we're okay with that. It's a good plan. We're going to vote for it. We're going to vote for the whole package. It just proves, Mr. Speaker, that when we finally settle down and decide to work for the country, we can do it. We can work together and we can make good things happen. And so the last time we discussed this, I stood here and extended my support for the package, but it didn't pass. This time, I'm indicating my support for the package. At least most of us are going to vote for it, extending our thanks and our appreciation to those who are serving in our military in far-off places around the world--and as we talk so much about defending our freedoms--defending our safety, protecting the safety of the American people here, at home, and abroad. So it's a good package. I support it strongly, and I compliment all of those who were involved in the negotiations to make this happen. I thank the gentleman for yielding the time. Today the House is finally considering funding for the 2008 and 2009 Global War on Terror requirements of the Department of Defense. The deal on this bill could not have been reached at a more critical time. The Department will very soon be out of money . . . literally. While I support everything we are doing for the Defense Department in this bill, I do wish that we could have provided all of the requested funding. This bill is almost $4.2 billion below the President's request. More important than this reduction, however, is the fact that we are finally getting the Department the funding they urgently need. Morale is suffering. This Congress's inability to act has created frightening uncertainty among the men and women of the Department who are not sure they will receive their next paycheck, and placed an inexcusable burden on those professionals trying to execute the finances of the Department during a time of war. It is time to get the Department the money they requested almost a year and a half ago. Let me reiterate, I have no argument with the substance of the Defense spending in this bill. I support this bill, as I did the previous version that was considered on the House floor. This one, however, I plan to vote for. Let's pass this supplemental bill, and complete the work of supporting our military and their families. While there have been numerous votes in the House and Senate on this issue as we negotiated our way to this agreement, this is the critical vote and the meaningful vote as we conclude our work on this Supplemental Appropriations Bill.