To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 23055 Sherman Way in West Hills, California, as the "Evan Asa Ashcraft Post Office Building".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5147) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 23055 Sherman Way in West Hills, California, as the ``Evan Asa Ashcraft Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5147, the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this legislation sponsored by the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman). Upon enactment of H.R. 5147, this post office will forever carry the name of Evan Asa Ashcraft. Evan Asa Ashcraft was an army sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division.

Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Ashcraft was killed in Iraq on July 24, 2003, when his convoy came under attack from Iraqi militants. Sergeant Ashcraft led a division that took part in the assault in northern Iraq that killed Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay. Evan was 24 years old. All Americans, and those who knew this young man, have felt a terrible loss.

Evan's family said that the West Hills, California, native had planned to join the Los Angeles Police Department on his scheduled discharge from the Army in what would have been January of 2004. His father-in-law, LAPD Lieutenant Loren Farell said the following after Evan passed away, and I quote: ``He was a good soldier. He would have made a great cop. As for the rest of us, Evan, you are a hero to all of us and you are a hero to your country.'' Those are the words of Mr. Farell.

Lieutenant Farell's poignant words speak for all Members of the House tonight. Evan Ashcraft was a proud American soldier and his toils simultaneously helped to liberate a nation from oppression and defend the world from tyranny. Evan is survived by his loving wife, Ashley.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I urge the pass of this legislation tonight to honor one of our fallen heroes, Evan Ashcraft.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to conclude.

Mr. Speaker, tonight we have recognized three heroes who lost their lives in service to this Nation. It is a small token of appreciation that this Congress extends to recognize these heroes. One was not a citizen of this country, a native of the Dominican Republic, who we honored with citizenship after he gave his life in service to this country. Evan Asa Ashcraft is being recognized with H.R. 5147.

Each of these are precious lives and each of these are a great sorrow and loss for their families. We must think and reflect upon all of these heroes, some from my district. And I have attended some of those funerals, consoled some of the loved ones who lost their sons. Tonight we do recognize again three heroes who served this Nation and we wonder about the greatness of this Nation, how men and women can go forth and their families can sacrifice them in causes that sometimes seem remote.

I remember speaking to a high school graduation class in central Florida. A young man in that class went in service to this Nation and was murdered 2 years later by terrorists in Khobar Towers, Brian McVeigh, who I never forget, and many other young men and women who have lost their lives both in combat and by accident in service to this Nation in Iraq.

I think of those who lost their lives to remove a thug and a drug dealer from Panama. I think of those who lost their lives in Europe and Kosovo, in that region of the world, to restore stability. And I think how great these American heroes are that not only allow us to live in freedom, with liberty and a system of justice, but to let others have that potential across the globe.

Sometimes it succeeds and sometimes it does not, but they have given their full measure and their families have given their loved ones so that others may have even the potential of enjoying the freedoms that we Americans take for granted.

So tonight we have honored three American heroes, and, finally tonight I ask the House to pass H.R. 5147 and name a post office building in honor of Evan Asa Ashcraft.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of a young man, Evan Asa Ashcraft, whose life was cut short serving our nation in Iraq. H.R. 5147, which has been cosponsored by the entire California delegation, would name the post office located at 23055 Sherman Way in West Hills, California the ``Evan Asa Ashcraft Post Office.''

Evan Ashcraft was smart, talented, and energetic. He represented the very best of American values. From an early age, he excelled in school, first at Welby Way Gifted Magnet School in West Hills, then at Nobel Middle School Magnet in Northridge and El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills.

Evan was devoted to his family--his wife, Ashley, his mother, Jane, his father, Asa, his younger brother, Drew, his stepmother, Beverly, and his two stepsisters, Felicia and Theresa.

By all accounts, Evan was extremely dedicated. Anything he put his mind to, he accomplished in grand fashion, and his service in the military was no exception. He enlisted in the Army at the age of 20, and it did not take long for his superior officers to recognize that he was a gifted soldier. Midway through his basic training, Evan was made a team leader.

Evan enjoyed his time with the 101st Airborne division. As was often the case in his life, however, he sought a greater challenge and volunteered for duty with the elite Army Rangers. Unfortunately, he was injured during training and returned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry of the 101st.

On March 1, 2003, Evan was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He saw action quickly, participating in the liberation of Baghdad International Airport and the mission that found two of Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Usay.

A month later, the Humvee Evan was riding in hit a land mind and came under enemy fire. Both soldiers accompanying Evan were badly wounded and in desperate need of medical attention. Showing no regard for his own safety, Evan risked his life to pull the two men to safety. According to others on hand that day, were it not for Evan's quick and decisive action, both men would have died.

One of the men Evan saved that day, Sergeant Arcebuce, said, ``Evan was always there for his men. He was a natural born leader.''

Like so many soldiers in Iraq, Evan had big dreams for his life after the war. He planned to move back to California with his wife, Ashley, start a family, and join the Los Angeles police force. His reason for doing so was simple according to Ashley: ``He was a person who really wanted to help other people, to protect them.''

Evan was not able to realize his dreams. He was killed with two other soldiers on July 24, 2003, when his Humvee was attacked during a reconnasissance mission near Mosul.

To the people who knew him, Evan represented hope for America's future. After he died, his mother wrote, ``This loss is not just mine, it's the world's loss . . . Evan will always be with us in spirit. He still lives, and will continue to live, in all of us.'' Evan was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery, and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the rank of Sergeant.

By naming a post office in Evan's honor in his hometown of West Hills, his community and a grateful nation will always be reminded of the life, the contributions, and the ultimate sacrifice of this extraordinary young man.

I urge unanimous support for H.R. 5147.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3574, the Stock Option Accounting Reform Act. This is a highly complex issue with compelling arguments on each side. But after carefully weighing these views, I oppose H.R. 3574 because it is not good public policy nor is it good for investors.

H.R. 3574 interferes with the independence of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the financial accounting standard-setting process. Just 2 years ago this body overwhelmingly passed and the President signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which recognized the importance of an independent standard- setting process free of political pressures. H.R. 3574 risks damaging the investor confidence in and the credibility of our capital markets that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act sought to restore. FASB--not Congress--has the expertise to set accounting standards through an independent deliberative process. In the wake of recent corporate scandals we have not interfered with FASB rulemaking; it is not prudent to begin doing it now.

FASB's rule will provide greater protections to investors and shareholders. Supporters of H.R. 3574 state that expensing stock options will hurt the economy; I believe the opposite is true. Allowing FASB to promulgate its rule to expense stock options will improve investor confidence and increase investment. It will institute a standardized approach that will help all investors evaluate the effects of stock options upon company earnings on a uniform basis. Even the shareholders of Intel Corporation, one of the companies leading the fight against stock options expensing, passed a resolution calling for employee stock options to be treated as an expense.

Apart from the issue of FASB independence, another key question is whether stock options should be accounted for as an expense or as dilution to equity. In the final analysis, I agree with Warren Buffett: since both employer and employee place a value on options granted in lieu of other compensation, they should be treated as an expense.

The FASB rule does not prevent companies from using broad-based stock option plans. A company can, and should, as good corporate policy, continue to grant ownership to its employees with stock options. Healthy companies that previously disclosed the intrinsic value of compensatory options in the footnotes of financial statements as currently required should not suffer from a fall in stock price solely as a result of FASB's new rule. Several studies have indicated that, provided there is full disclosure, company stock prices will not be affected by expensing compensatory stock options.

Absent from the Sarbanes-Oxley bill was any provision regarding the accounting treatment of stock options. Recognizing the need to address this issue, I was a cosponsor in the 107th Congress of H.R. 5147, the Stock Options Accountability Reform Act, to develop standards of financial accounting and reporting related to the treatment of stock options. The FASB rule accomplishes this objective, and I cannot support Congressional efforts to interfere.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), in consideration of H.R. 5147, which names the post office in West Hills, California, after Evan Asa Ashcraft.

Sergeant Ashcraft, a native of West Hills, California, joined the U.S. Army in 2000, specifically the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. As a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry of the 101st, Sergeant Ashcraft was deployed to Iraq in March of 2003.

Shortly after his arrival, he rescued two wounded soldiers, saving their lives. Sadly, he lost his life in 2003 after the Humvee he was driving was hit by enemy rockets.

Sergeant Ashcraft was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. He leaves behind a wife, his parents, a brother, and many other family members. I commend my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform, for seeking to honor the sacrifice of Evan Asa Ashcraft by naming a postal facility in his hometown, and I urge swift adoption of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Governmental Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 2693, S. 2839, H.R. 5039, H.R. 4381, H.R. 4556, H.R. 4618, and H.R. 4632 en bloc, and that the Senate proceed to their immediate consideration, along with H.R. 4046, H.R. 5027, H.R. 5133, H.R. 5147, and H.R. 5051, which are at the desk, en bloc.

I would be happy to.

We will make that part of our unanimous consent request. And you might consider making it 10 minutes instead of 20 minutes, but you will have up to 20 minutes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the bills be printed in the Record.