Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week should be established.

Madam Speaker, I want to express my appreciation to my very good friend from Miami (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen); and of course my great pal from California (Mr. Lantos), my classmate and neighbor, who, as soon as I took the well, decided to walk off the floor, but he is still here for a moment. And I do appreciate the fact that in a bipartisan way we have taken on what is one of the most interesting and fulfilling challenges that I have faced in the many years that I have been privileged to serve here in the Congress.

And, of course, as I look around the Chamber and see colleagues like Lois Capps and, of course, the man with whom I served as a partner in a bipartisan way on this, David Price from North Carolina; on our side of the aisle, Jeff Fortenberry and John Boozman, who are among the Members to serve on this commission, it is very, very important today that we reauthorize this effort.

As we look at our quest to prosecute the global war on terror, it is obvious that many things need to be done. We obviously need to have the military wherewithal to do everything necessary to make sure that as we face terror attacks and other military conflicts that we are able to successfully take that on. But, similarly, it is important for us to look at other ways in which we can do everything possible to help people who are struggling.

And I forgot to mention Ms. Schwartz, who I had not seen because my peripheral vision wasn't that great; so I am happy that she is here, another very able and hardworking member of our commission.

But, Madam Speaker, as I was saying, as we look at this challenge not only dealing with the military challenge, it is important for us to work to build democracies and those institutions that relate to it and the rule of law and political pluralism and self-determination, as I like to always say, those things that we have a tendency to take for granted here in the United States but are so important.

And this commission was specifically built on something that we did about 15 years ago following the crumbling of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Soviet Union, that being our effort to let Eastern and Central Europe know that as they work to claw their way from totalitarianism that we would do all that we could to help build their parliaments. And, Madam Speaker, that is exactly what we have now been able to do so far in six countries and we have six other countries with which we are working very closely, assuming that we reauthorize this effort here.

And we are going to be doing so, I know, under the very able leadership of my colleague Mr. Price, and I am going to be working on our Republican side with members. And, again, I was very privileged to serve as chairman that we did this as a partnership. It was not only a partnership in a bipartisan way between Democrats and Republicans here, but it also has been a very important partnership in working with nongovernment organizations, with the Department of State, with the National Endowment for Democracy, with the International Republic Institute, with the National Democratic Institute, and a wide range of other entities out there that recognize that building these parliaments that will have the ability to engage in oversight of their executive branch, to put into place a budget process to make sure that they have the kind of constituent service that is very important for them, these are the kinds of things that this commission has worked on so effectively.

A couple of quick examples from the missions that we have been on so far: one of the things that we found in Kenya when we visited there was that it was essential for us to help them build up their budget process and their committee process there as well, and we were able to provide through our commission great benefits for them. And, frankly, when we were on our mission there in Nairobi, Kenya last July, we went to the site of the former U.S. embassy. And we all know back in 1998 that our embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya were attacked by al Qaeda, and now for us to see the role that we are playing in helping to build this democracy in and the fledgling parliament in Kenya has been a very important thing, especially in the light of the fact that most recently we have seen an effort supported by the Kenyan Government and the Ethiopian Government in liberating the Somalians from the hold of those Islamic extremists. So we are seeing a real tangible benefit in this war on terror from the work of this commission.

Similarly, in the Balkans, in Macedonia, on our mission there most recently just over the Thanksgiving break, we were able to do a great deal in helping with the building of their committee process there, and our commission has worked long and hard on that.

So, Madam Speaker, I am going to quote my friend David Price because my feeling is virtually identical to that. When we think about the important work that we do with the privilege that we have of serving as Members of the United States Congress, there is nothing that is more fulfilling and rewarding and tangible for us to see than the opportunity to participate in this very important work on the commission.

So I express my appreciation again to Chairman Lantos and Ms. Ros- Lehtinen and all of the members of this commission, and we look forward to reporting back to our colleagues here in the House of Representatives, Madam Speaker, on the very important success that we are going to be having in the months and years to come.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 24) establishing the House Democracy Assistance Commission for the One Hundred Tenth Congress, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.

When the Berlin Wall fell, I was there with other congressional colleagues. We experienced firsthand the exuberance of the people of East Germany and across the newly liberated region.

But to sustain the momentum of that unique instant in history to commitment on both sides of the Atlantic, commitment not just to elections, but to the development of permanent, democratic institutions that permeate society. Madam Speaker, I vividly recall how excited we in Congress were when we first provided assistance to our new colleagues in democratically elected parliaments across Central and Eastern Europe.

That is why I strongly support the resolution before the House today, which reestablishes the House Democracy Assistance Commission. This important body plays a critical role in ensuring that the new generation of emerging democratic institutions get desperately needed assistance.

In the 109th Congress, the House created this commission to enable members and staff to assist their counterparts in the parliaments of new democracies around the globe. With our help, they will build strong, independent legislatures.

The commission has been led by two steadfast and consistent supporters of democracy promotion, David Price, our colleague from North Carolina, and David Dreier, my fellow Californian. I want to offer my sincere gratitude to both of them for their efforts.

Under their leadership, the commission took congressional delegations to six new or reemerging democracies and hosted six visiting parliamentary delegations here in Washington.

The commission also offered material assistance to several legislatures through USAID, most notably a project to furnish and equip and train staff of the parliamentary library of East Timor with the invaluable assistance of our own Library of Congress.

Pending the passage of this resolution by the full House, the commission in 2007 plans to assist the legislatures of Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Georgia--not our own Georgia, but the former Soviet Republic of Georgia--Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Mongolia and Ukraine.

Madam Speaker, in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson expressed the idea that it is in our national interest to encourage free and open and democratic governments. Over the past nine decades, the United States has sustained and expanded this important commitment. The Price-Dreier Commission is an important part of this tradition, and it deserves our continued support.

I urge all of our colleagues to participate in the House Democracy Assistance Commission and to support this most important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to my good friend and our distinguished colleague from California (Mrs. Capps), a member of the commission for the 109th Congress.

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

Before yielding to my good friend from North Carolina, let me pay tribute to the two Davids who have done an extraordinary job in the last session and, in fact, should be called two Goliaths of legislative accomplishment across the globe.

I could not think of a person more qualified than my friend David Price of North Carolina to chair the House Democracy Assistance Commission. David Price is a legislator's legislator. His understanding of the legislative process as a distinguished academic political scientist and his practice as one of the most outstanding legislators in the history of the Congress uniquely qualify David Price to chair the House Democracy Assistance Commission.

Under his leadership, this body will take to many parts of the world not

only the principle but the practice of the democratic process.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure and pride I yield such time as he may consume to my friend David Price.

(Mr. PRICE of North Carolina asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

It was an understatement.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my good friend from Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, a distinguished member of the commission.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield such time as he might consume to the distinguished member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, before concluding, let me just say this is the ideal way this body works. We have set ourselves an important task: Teaching new democracies how a parliamentary body should work. And with some of our finest colleagues from the Republican and the Democratic side, we have succeeded during the last session of Congress; and under the leadership of David Price, we shall move ahead, teaching the practice of democracy across the globe from a practical point of view.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend from California for those very generous and indeed extravagant words. Coming from him, they mean more than I can say.

Thank you.

And we do thank the chairman and the ranking member, Ms. Ros- Lehtinen, for scheduling this resolution so promptly, so that the House could act on this and our commission could get on with its work.

I also want to acknowledge the previous speaker, Mr. Dreier, the previous chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, who did a wonderful job in getting this commission launched in its first 2 years. As he said, we have operated every step of the way on an open and bipartisan basis; and so as we swap roles, with my assuming the chairmanship and his being the ranking member, I am very hopeful that this will be a seamless transition, and that this cooperative way of operating will continue. Indeed it should, as we work together in this body to take the message and the practice of democracy to our partner legislatures around the world.

House Resolution 24 would reauthorize the work of the commission. This is a body that was inspired by the work of the Frost-Solomon Task Force back in the early 1990s. We worked then with states in Central and Eastern Europe as they were emerging from communism.

Our commission has undertaken this same kind of work. We are building the institutional capacities of legislatures in emerging democracies. We are working with them to develop their research and budget analysis, oversight, legislative drafting, and other capabilities.

There is a difference, though. In contrast to the Frost-Solomon effort, our scope is not just Central and Eastern Europe, although some of our partner countries are still in that region. We are undertaking around the world to work with partner legislatures. In the commission's first 2 years, we have worked with legislatures in 12 nations. Many of these countries are of key strategic import for our own Nation, and all are enthusiastic, worthy, and willing partners: Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Mongolia, and Ukraine.

Madam Speaker, we view our work as a small but important niche in the United States's mission to spread democracy around the world. We do this not in the sense that we have all the answers about how to promote democratic rights and governance. The commission's work is rooted in the fundamental realization that the heart of democracy is not found just in elections but between elections. Between elections, that is when a nation's ability to govern itself in a way that is responsive to its citizens and representative of its citizens is established. What happens between elections, establishing representative institutions of governance, is just as important as the nation's free determination of who will govern.

Our commission works with partner legislatures to support development of the tools legislators need to establish responsive, effective government. We carry on our work in the sure realization that we do not have all the answers. We know that our own democracy is a work in progress. We do think we have an important story to tell. But we approach each of these legislatures in a true spirit of partnership, learning from them as they learn from us.

We also don't have a corner on the market of democracy promotion, and we coordinate closely with USAID, with the State Department, with other actors in the field to ensure that our efforts complement and enhance theirs.

We have high expectations for the program which we hope to implement in 2007 with the support of this body. During the last 2 years, our focus has been on assessing candidate legislatures and seeking to establish partnerships. Now we plan to move toward consolidating these relationships by expanding and focusing our programming. We plan to conduct advanced seminars on critical legislative capabilities, to enable sustained communications between members and staff of our legislatures, to identify and support pro-democracy reformers in partner legislatures, and to provide small-scale material assistance in cases of significant need.

So, Madam Speaker, let me close by again thanking my colleague Representative David Dreier, the founding chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, thanking him for his leadership. He has led us with vision and with an inclusive spirit. I also want to thank Speaker Pelosi, past Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader Hoyer, Chairman Lantos, Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, and many others who have supported the commission and helped bring forward quickly this resolution to get our work going.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution, which offers Members of this body a promising opportunity to directly contribute to the important work of championing democracy around the world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 24, to reestablish the House Democracy Assistance Commission in the 110th Congress. In the 109th Congress, the House of Representatives created this Commission to enable the

Members and staff of the House of Representatives to personally assist their counterparts in the parliaments of new democracies around the world to build strong, independent legislatures. I thank my colleagues, Mr. David Price, the gentleman from North Carolina, and Mr. Dreier, the gentleman from California, for leading the Commission and supporting the promotion of democracy.

Under their leadership, the Commission has accomplished a great deal. It undertook congressional delegations to six new or reemerging democracies and hosted six visiting parliamentary delegations here in Congress. It also offered material assistance to several legislatures through USAID. One highly successful project furnished, equipped, and trained staff of the parliamentary library of East Timor, with the invaluable assistance of our own Library of Congress.

In the aftermath of September 11, it has been too easy to view some nations more aggressively, as we undertook the obvious course of attempting to dismantle terrorist networks, end the support they received from states, and strengthen domestic and international defense capabilities. But in addition to responding to the immediate security threat, it is also necessary to help democracy take root in those countries of the Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia, and other regions that now breed or support terrorists. It is in these Muslim countries or regions, more than anywhere else, that terrorism feeds off tyranny, finding recruits among the politically repressed and sanctuary from states that use terror against their own people. Building effective political institutions is the surest way to sever the link between terror and tyranny and to advance the values of democracy, individual rights, and cultural pluralism in the Middle East and elsewhere in the Muslim world.

Promoting democratic institutions and values in the Muslim world is thus one of our most urgent challenges. But it is not the only one. Meeting the challenge of democratization in the Muslim world should not warrant a retreat from a global approach; on the contrary, it constitutes a powerful new argument for maintaining and strengthening this approach. As September 11 made clear, any seam of dysfunction in the international system, however marginal to the main centers of political and economic interest, can become a source of exposure and threat. In a globalized world, the cancer of breakdown in any country can metastasize to other parts of the global body politic and thus constitutes a danger to international peace and security. In promoting the antidote of democratic institution-building, therefore, it is unwise to write off any country as insignificant or beyond hope.

The global defense of democracy is the appropriate and most effective response to the threat posed by Islamic extremists. As has already been suggested, these extremists do not represent a religion or a civilization but espouse an ideology of hatred and violence as their means to power. Though it is a particularist and corrupted Islamic ideology, to its zealous adherents it is a universal system of truth and thus a fitting rival to democratic civilization, which they falsely describe as decadent and narrowly Western. Since democracy is a genuinely universal value based on the belief that people everywhere, regardless of their religion or culture, can achieve self-government under the rule of law, it is the natural organizing principle in the struggle to defeat terrorism and to create a stable and peaceful world.

Pending the passage of this resolution by the full House, in 2007 the House Democracy Assistance Commission plans to assist the legislatures of Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Mongolia and Ukraine. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to participate in this important project.

Thank you, Mr. Lantos. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the floor this afternoon.

Madam Speaker, I was honored to serve on the House Democracy Assistance Commission during the 109th Congress, and I was privileged to travel on the commission's first trip to Indonesia and East Timor in February of 2006. I too want to thank the commission's chairman, Congressman David Price, and the ranking member, former chairman, Congressman David Dreier, for their hard work and their leadership on this important initiative.

I also want to acknowledge the commission's staff, John Lis, in particular,

the director, and the rest of the staff who worked hard in advance of our trips and continued to work hard in preparing for the designation of certain emerging democracies and our trips abroad as well to bring some of those members here.

The last few years have borne witness to a number of encouraging events in emerging democracies around the world, as well as a number of discouraging setbacks. One thing that has become clear is that to help advance democracy, transparency and the rule of law abroad, the United States can and must do more than just support elections. We must support the establishment of strong, independent democratic institutions, which provide the backbone of viable democracy. So in addition to elected executives, we must, and indeed it means, help legislative and judicial branches of government have the authority, the autonomy and the continuity that they need.

As Members of Congress, Members of the oldest directly representative democratic institution in the world, we are in a unique position to reach out to our counterparts in fragile democracies to held build relationships and to learn from each other.

The House Democracy Assistance Commission has conducted legislative strengthening programs with our counterparts in Indonesia, East Timor, Georgia, Macedonia, Kenya and Afghanistan; and these legislators face enormous challenges. For instance, in East Timor, where I traveled, only two of their legislators had legislative experience prior to serving in their parliament. They have almost no support staff and few resources.

Their constitution provides for a substantive parliamentary role; however, lack of experience and lack of infrastructure have severely limited their role, leaving the executive to control most of their legislation. Nonetheless, the members that we met with are deeply committed to their role as representatives and to their role in maintaining and building democratic institutions.

They are keenly aware of the challenges that they face as one of the poorest nations in the world, where basic services from electricity to schools are just being initiated. It is in our Nation's interest to work with nations like East Timor, nations struggling on the road to democracy and stability to establish effective legislative bodies.

The commission enables Members of this body, Democrats and Republicans alike, to do just that, to share our knowledge, expertise and passion for the legislative branch with our counterparts in these emerging democracies.

We have worked with parliamentarians from these countries in their home countries, in State capitals across this country and here in Washington, focusing on the establishment of legislative information and research services, on providing advice on legislative procedures and committee operations, and on constituent services.

The commission has also provided these parliaments with some needed material support, such as office equipment and computers and library resources. So as we confront the global security challenges of the 21st century, initiatives that strengthen democratic institutions abroad and help provide a positive image of the United States are of utmost importance. That is why this commission is so worthy of our continued support. That is why I urge a ``yes'' vote on House Resolution 24.