Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department of Defense should rectify deficiencies in the military postal system to ensure that members of the Armed Forces stationed overseas are able to receive and send mail in a timely manner as well as receive and send election ballots in time to be counted in the 2004 elections.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 608) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department of Defense should rectify deficiencies in the military postal system to ensure that members of the Armed Forces stationed overseas are able to receive and send mail in a timely manner as well as receive and send election ballots in time to be counted in the 2004 elections.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the face of insurgencies in Fallujah and other hot spots in Iraq, what is it that keeps our soldiers fighting for freedom and democracy?

In addition to the trials of war, our soldiers in Iraq wake up with the same problems every other American has. Their lives at home did not stop when they received their orders to ship out. They are mothers and fathers. They have elderly parents to care for. They have bills to pay and college educations to worry about for their children. These soldiers are concerned about how their children are doing in school. They wonder what the score of the last Little League game was, and they question whether they can make that car payment, just like many of us. Only they do all this halfway around the world in a combat zone.

And yet day after day, month after month, our service members wake up, put on their uniform, and they diligently do their duty. Every day they make this sacrifice, knowing they are risking their lives to protect our freedoms and spread democracy. The reason they do this is because they know they are building a safer Iraq and, simply put, a safer Iraq means a safer America for their families.

Ask these soldiers what they look forward to the most and what keeps them steadfast, and they will tell us it is news from home. It is the news from a graduation they were unable to attend, an update on a sick friend, a baby picture of their child's first step. Yet many are not getting this news or are getting it far after it was mailed by their loved ones. A General Accounting Office report received last month found that of a survey of over 100 service members in Iraq, more than half reported they were dissatisfied with mail delivery.

The report, issued in response to over 300 congressional and White House inquiries, also found the same problems that plagued the military postal system during Operation Desert Storm have continued unabated and are now being experienced in Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 12 years later.

The Department of Defense does not have the ability to adequately assess the timeliness of mail and election ballot delivery because it does not yet have a reliable, accurate system in place.

More than half of sampled members of the Armed Forces were dissatisfied with mail delivery, many waiting 4 weeks or longer to receive mail.

The Military Postal Service Agency does not have the authority to formulate and effectively manipulate and implement a joint service solution to the mail problems in the Iraq Theater, and the Department of Defense has not appointed a single agency to address all of these military postal matters.

This is just unacceptable at this time. The very least we should be able to offer those soldiers fighting for democracy is the comfort of a note from those waiting at home. Mail that is delayed for long periods of time, or not delivered at all, negatively affects the morale of not only our deployed forces but also their families at home. Children at home need to hear why Mommy or Daddy is so far away. Husbands and wives need to hear of each others' love and support. The American public needs to hear the true stories of what we are doing in Iraq. It is now, while resolve against terrorism is being tested, that our deployed troops are in most need of mail from their loved ones.

This is not just a morale problem, however. November is coming and in less than 7 months, ballots for the general election will be mailed out all over the country to our troops all over the world.

If we fail to take action, we will again see the voting problems of the 2000 election. Our men and women on the front lines have unquestionably earned the right to express their views on the direction our Nation should take this November. They should have the same confidence of any other American that their ballot will reach the ballot box. It would be an enormous disservice to fail to count the voices of the very individuals fighting for democracy.

This is not a new problem. We saw it in Operation Desert Storm. It was evident early in the war in Iraq, and we are seeing it now. It is vitally important to the success of our mission and to the strength of our democracy that we correct this problem.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 608 seeks to do the following: call on the Department of Defense to immediately address the longstanding military mail delivery problems by implementing a joint task force to resolve the problem; recommend that the Secretary of Defense establish a system to expedite military ballots for the November 2004, election; call on the Secretary of Defense to establish a system to accurately track military postal transit times.

There are three important reasons why we need to pass this resolution today. First, we need to send a message to the Pentagon that it is time to take

care of this problem. The problem has existed for 52 years, and we need to send a message that we need to fix it today. Second, our troops in Iraq need to know that we think that it is important that they get their mail and equally important that their family members know that we care about their loved ones and that they get their mail. And third, we need to make certain that our electoral system is not just for Americans who happen to be near the ballot box, but that our troops on the front lines deserve to vote as much as any other American.

To guarantee that our military men and women in Iraq receive their mail will require shifting priorities. It will require the dedicated cooperation and swift action of many. But if we can root out Saddam Hussein, if we can rebuild a nation of terror into a nation of freedom, then we can get the troops the news they need from home. It is up to the Department of Defense to fix this longstanding problem, but we stand ready to help. We stand behind our troops and behind our military families, and we stand ready to help them stay the course.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her work on this resolution and her support today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley), the distinguished chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Committee on Armed Services.

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

Mr. Speaker, I can just tell you this afternoon that if you asked any soldier, sailor, airman or Marine serving in the Iraq theater what is most important to the morale and welfare of our forces, the answer you will get from them, and you are likely to hear, is mail from home.

The very least our Nation can do for our servicemembers who are deployed halfway around the world risking their lives to protect our freedoms is to ensure that they are able to receive the comfort of a letter from those waiting at home. Now is when our deployed troops need to get mail from their loved ones most.

A recent Chicago Tribune article from May 6 gives real-life examples of why that is so important. One volunteer with Support our Troops Illinois knows the military postal service well. She has mailed out over 2,000 care packages to deployed servicemembers. Now, many of them are stacked up on her front doorstep because they were ``undeliverable.'' She said of the service that she has gotten from the military postal system, ``It is disappointing, because we know how much of a morale boost mail can give the guys.''

Another recent news article stated that the Marines look forward to the nightly mail call because for most it is the only way they can receive a word from home. The article goes on to quote a Marine who says, ``My wife sent me seven boxes, and I've only received one.'' He went on to say that ``the first letter I received from my wife was number six. Since then, I have received five and seven, but I have no idea what happened to the rest.''

Mail that is delayed for long periods of time or not delivered at all negatively affects the morale of not only our deployed forces, but also their families at home. We owe it to our deployed troops to immediately improve the military postal system so that these problems do not continue. We heard from the gentleman from Colorado the importance of getting this fixed for the voting issues that will come up.

Mr. Speaker, I will just close by telling you that this is a problem that began the year I was born. In 1952 a letter from President Harry S. Truman to Congress clearly echoed the challenges that we face still today. He said this: ``Many of those in uniform are serving overseas, or in parts of the country distant from their homes. They are unable to return to their States, either to register or to vote. Yet these men and women who are serving their country and in many cases risking their lives deserve above all others to exercise the right to vote in the election year. At a time when these young men and women are defending our country and its free institutions, the least we at home can do is to make sure that they are able to enjoy the rights they are being asked to fight to preserve.''

Mr. Speaker, it is time to pass this resolution and to correct this problem. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

I rise in support of House Resolution 608 introduced by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes). I would like to recognize the gentleman for his work and interest in ensuring that our military service members stationed overseas are afforded the right to vote.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the gentlwoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who joined with me in cosponsoring House Resolution 608. The postal service is an integral part of the American existence and something that we often take for granted. To the men and women in uniform serving overseas, however, it is a vital connection to home, and they treasure the ability to send and receive packages and letters.

This resolution, Mr. Speaker, draws attention to the continuing problem of ensuring that members of the Armed Forces stationed overseas have access to mail and that they will be able to send in their election ballots in a timely manner. It would be a real shame if our servicemen and women who are fighting to bring democracy to places like Afghanistan and Haiti were themselves denied the opportunity to cast their own vote in November due to a postal delay.

The 2000 Presidential election brought to the Nation's attention the voting barriers that service members and other Americans stationed or living overseas face in the electoral process. Service members living and deployed abroad often find it difficult to exercise their right to vote. Problems with mail delivery, requirements for valid ballots, and just obtaining information is a serious challenge, particularly for those who may be deployed on a submarine for 6 months or are stationed in remote areas around the world.

To ensure that voting rights of service members and Americans serving and living abroad were protected, Congress implemented a number of improvements to the voting process several years ago. The law was changed to improve the system and enhance the opportunity for overseas service members to participate in the electoral process. For example, clarification was provided on voting assistance programs; annual reviews of the effectiveness and compliance by the Department of Defense Inspector General are required; the importance of voting assistance officers was stressed; military personnel have been afforded guaranteed residency; voter registration and absentee ballot application procedures were simplified; and authority for service members to use a single application for all subsequent elections was provided.

However, Mr. Speaker, this year's annual review by the Department of Defense Inspector General found that while improvements have been made, opportunities exist to improve the DOD voting assistance program. The IG found that the Services need to continue to provide command emphasis and improve oversight of the program, as problems still remain.

The General Accounting Office, or more commonly referred to as GAO, also recently conducted a review of the mail delivery to troops serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and found that while some improvements have been made, many, many of the same difficulties the mail system faced during the first Gulf War, over a decade ago, still exist today. For example, GAO found that problems still exist in conducting joint service mail operations and that inadequate training and late deployments, as well as inadequate postal facilities, equipment, and transportation, have had an adverse impact on the delivery of mail. My constituents often have particular difficulty getting mail delivered as the regular service to Guam is lengthy and erratic. In the field there is often confusion as to whether Guam is included in domestic mail rates, which of course it is.

I had one soldier e-mail me from Iraq, telling me he was made to pay for postage while everyone else was able to mail for free. These are the kinds of inconsistencies that the military postal service should examine and rectify.

While challenges still remain for overseas and military voters, it is interesting to note that absentee service members consistently vote at a higher rate than those eligible in the United States. However, it is vitally important that we ensure that those who volunteer to serve our Nation in uniform are able to exercise one of their most basic rights, and that, Mr. Speaker, is the right to vote.

As a member of the Total Force Subcommittee, I also want to reassure my colleagues that the subcommittee shares the concerns that are raised in this resolution, and we will address these issues in the defense authorization that will be marked up tomorrow.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish at this time to urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 608. I do want to take this opportunity to thank the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) for sponsoring this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 608. Few things boast morale in a war zone more than receiving a card, a letter, or a care package from a loved one from back home. And, unfortunately, as more and more men and women in uniform are deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom, we are hearing countless stories of delays in service members receiving their mail.

On March 24 of this year, the General Accounting Office testified that some of the problems that existed during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 are occurring now in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the GAO, the current system of delivering mail to service members relies on outmoded and labor-intensive manual sorting processes that result in undue delays. Furthermore, the Department of Defense is unable to track mail and determine the timeliness of deliveries. And since we have known of the problem for so long and we have not gotten it fixed, it tells me that it is not a very high priority of the Department of Defense; and I think that is what this resolution does, is tell the Department of Defense we think this is important and it ought to be a higher priority.

Compounding this situation is the issue of service members serving in war zones that are not able to vote, and we have heard other speakers before me talk about this, but it is serious and it is important. Currently 29 States require absentee ballots to be mailed and returned to the U.S. Postal Service. Since these service members will not be able to utilize fax machines or the Internet to send their ballots, and given the delays in the Department of Defense's mail service, there is a real possibility of a repeat of the military absentee ballot fiasco of the 2000 general election. The potential disenfranchisement of military voters is simply unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 608 would require the Secretary of Defense to establish a system that expedites the delivery of election ballots to members of the Armed Forces.

Additionally, H. Res. 608 would require the Secretary of Defense to establish a mail delivery system that accurately tracks military postal transmit times, ensuring servicemembers will not have to wait weeks or months to receive a long-awaited letter or package from home.

Mr. Speaker, this is a problem that must be fixed now, both for the morale of the troops and to ensure that our service men and women are given every opportunity to exercise the voting rights they serve to defend. This is why I rise today in support of H. Res. 608.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged motion.

Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if a motion to table this motion on overtime pay prevails, will it have the effect of prohibiting the House Members from even discussing the administration's overtime pay rules at this time?

Further parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, so to be clear, that means that the body will not be debating overtime pay today; is that the impact of the motion to table, to deny us a vote on the overtime pay?

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 160 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''