Commending the University of Connecticut Huskies for their historic win in the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my resolution recognizing the observance of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

I'd like to thank my colleagues Janice Schakowsky of Illinois, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Joe Courtney of Rhode Island, and Jim McDermott of Washington for their support and for their work on child welfare issues.

Child abuse and neglect is a serious issue that affects thousands of American families. Every 11 seconds a child in the United States is reported as abused or neglected.

Last year 5,800 children were confirmed victims of child abuse in my home county of Tarrant County, Texas. Tragically, nine of those cases ended in death as a result of abuse or neglect.

I think of children like Darlene Diles who spent the first seventeen days of her life in her mother's care before an injury on January 30 left her with severe brain damage.

Darlene's nineteen-year-old mother told doctors that she accidently dropped her daughter on the kitchen floor. But doctors found no skull fracture or swelling consistent with a fall. Instead, they said Darlene's internal head injuries were consistent with being shaken.

The thirty-five-day-old infant died after her father decided to allow doctors to take her off life support.

Seven-month-old David Coronado Jr. was admitted to Children's Medical Center in Dallas with forty-two separate skeletal injuries, damage, to his brain and spinal cord, and numerous skin injuries that included human bite marks. David was recently removed from life support, but his prognosis remains uncertain.

Children like David and Darlene deserve so much better.

Observing National Child Abuse Prevention Month Provides us with the opportunity to highlight their stories, which demonstrate the importance of doing more to prevent child abuse and maltreatment.

Increasing public awareness of how important it is to ensure the safety and welfare of children led to the passage of the first federal child protection legislation--the child abuse prevention and treatment act in 1974.

In the thirty-five years since, advocacy groups across the country have been hard at work to raise awareness regarding child maltreatment.

And social workers and child protective service workers across the country have dedicated countless hours to children who have been abused and neglected.

One such dedicated child protective services employee in Texas is Debbie Pendergrass.

Debbie admits to ``fretting virtually nonstop about her charges.'' She provides the one constant for the children she works with who often get moved around from one foster home to another.

When Debbie visited a toddler born to a thirteen-year-old girl in foster care, Tarrant County foster parents James and Glenda Pell praised her professionalism. The Pells said there have been times during six years and a dozen foster children when they couldn't reach their CPS worker. But with Debbie, they have someone who responds quickly and moves the bureaucratic machinery forward.

In Texas, and in states across this country, child protective service caseworkers face an increasing workload.

In 2007, state and local protective services investigated nearly 5.8 million children who were reported as abused or neglected. The Texas Department of Child Protective Services where Debbie works as a caseworker has improved its caseload, but still needs to hire more caseworkers.

In a recent eighteen-month period, Texas workers who are responsible for visiting abused children saw only seventy-four percent of their children monthly. Federal law requires that at least ninety-five percent be seen monthly. But there are only so many hours in a day.

As the stresses on American families increase in the current economy, we need to work together to ensure that resources are available to provide families with support so that more children do not become victims of maltreatment.

And child protective services across the country need funding so that they can continue the work that they do to protect our most vulnerable children.

Observing National Child Abuse Prevention Month provides us with the opportunity to shine a light on an issue that continues to affect too many children and families.

It also provides us with the opportunity to thank the social workers, teachers, physicians, nurses, and community organizations for their work providing safe places for children. Groups like Prevent Child Abuse Texas, the Alliance for Children in Fort Worth, which is working to ``break the cycle of abuse one child at a time.'' And groups like CASA of Tarrant County, which matches guardian ad liteums with children to provide a voice for children in court.

These groups are working to prevent child abuse and neglect throughout Texas and I commend them for their efforts and important work.

The statistics on child abuse and maltreatment are alarming. Child Abuse and maltreatment is a topic few want to discuss, but most of us want to see the cycle of abuse end. By talking about this issue, I hope we can encourage parents to reach out and get the help they need in order to provide a safe and healthy place for their children.

I strongly encourage families and individuals to report abuse or get help by calling the national child abuse hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD.

Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, first of all I want to thank the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands for yielding and also salute him for his leadership on this important resolution, which is something as a Nation we just cannot stop in terms of all efforts to make sure that we eradicate child abuse.

But my purpose for standing up, Madam Speaker, is to speak in support of a resolution which was earlier discussed, H. Res. 344, recognizing the great accomplishment of the UConn Women Huskies.

My excuse for speaking out of order is actually I just left the White House, where our country's number one basketball fan, President Barack Obama, welcomed the Women Huskies, and again in a wonderful ceremony recognized the incredible achievement of an undefeated season and a national championship.

Madam Speaker, Vince Lombardi, the great football coach for the Green Bay Packers, said, ``Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we may catch excellence.''

Those incredibly wise words maybe didn't even anticipate what was accomplished this year by the UConn women who, as I said earlier, went 39-0, won a national championship, did not win a game by less than double digits from the entire season, from start to finish, and led by a coach, Geno Auriemma, who, again, is somebody who is right in the Lombardi tradition, and secured his sixth national championship, something that, as a Hall of Fame coach, we're almost getting to expect too easily and take too much for granted in the State of Connecticut.

But aside from the great athletic accomplishment of these young women, I want to also acknowledge the fact that Maya Moore, who is the Naismith All-American Player of the country, is also someone who is an outstanding student, has received academic awards for her great work as an undergraduate. And she, along with Renee Montgomery, who's also graduating this year, again, is someone who excelled, not only on the basketball court, but also in the classroom.

Speaking of perfection, in the 24 years of the UConn women's basketball program, they have had a 100 percent graduation rate for the women who have been part of that team. And in many respects, at a time when, unfortunately, college athletics has been somewhat dominated by the power and might of money and big money, the fact that we have a program which truly embodies the ideal of student athletes, like the UConn women's basketball team, is something that not only the State of Connecticut but really our whole country can be proud of.

As a parent of a young, 14-year-old daughter, to be able to turn on the TV for sports or ESPN News Center and say, this is not just a guy show, it's also about women who can go out and excel at sports, they have provided a role model that, I think, has transformed athletics, again, for our whole country, for boys and girls, for young men and young women. And we are so proud of this team in the State of Connecticut. And it's a special day with them being recognized at the White House. And I certainly hope that, as a body today, we will recognize their accomplishment by adopting H. Res. 344.

And, again, I thank the Speaker and the gentleman for allowing me to speak out of turn and share these remarks which are so important to the people back home.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 344) commending the University of Connecticut Huskies for their historic win in the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.

Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise, extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 344 into the Record.

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

I rise today to congratulate the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team for their victory in the 2009 NCAA Division I tournament.

On April 7, women's basketball fans were treated to an exceptional game as the University of Connecticut defeated the University of Louisville. UConn battled through six ties and seven lead changes on their way to a comfortable 76-54 victory over third-seed Louisville, capping an undefeated 39-0 season for the Huskies.

The 22-point victory was the second largest in an NCAA women's basketball championship game, and solidified the Huskies as the only women's team in the NCAA Division I history, men's or women's, to win every game of the season by 10 points or more.

Louisville, finishing second to UConn in the Big East Conference Tournament, and regular season as well, had a remarkable season of its own. The Cardinals finished the season 34-5, ranked as the number two team in the Nation. The Cardinals knocked off two number one seeds in their notable run to the NCAA championship game and spent much of the season ranked in the top 10.

I want to extend my congratulations to Head Coach Geno Auriemma, who led the Huskies to their sixth national championship during his tenure and was named the Naismith Coach of the Year for the sixth time. Since arriving at UConn in 1985, Coach Auriemma has led the Huskies to 13 seasons with 30 or more wins. Associate Head Coach Chris Dailey and Assistant Coaches Jamelle Elliott and Shea Ralph round out the coaching team.

Congratulations are also noted for Tina Charles of Jamaica, New York, and Renee Montgomery of St. Albans, West Virginia. Charles, who scored 25 points and pulled down 19 rebounds in the championship game, was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. Montgomery received the Honda Award, which designates the Nation's top female athlete in basketball.

This remarkable season adds another victory to UConn's storied history in NCAA women's basketball. The University of Connecticut women's basketball program is known for excellence. Almost annually the Huskies are expected to and do serve as legitimate basketball championship contenders.

I would like to thank my fellow committee member, Joe Courtney, for bringing this resolution to the floor. Once again, I congratulate the University of Connecticut for their success, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the good gentleman from Wisconsin for supporting House Resolution 344.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

I rise today to join in supporting House Resolution 344, commending the University of Connecticut Huskies for their historic win in the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.

On April 7 of this year, the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the University of Louisville Cardinals 76-54 in the final game of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, to capture the school's sixth national title. In the season, the Huskies remained undefeated with a record of 39-0, defeating each of their opponents by double digits.

The Huskies' success was, in large part, due to the outstanding play of senior point guard Renee Montgomery and sophomore forward Maya Moore. Montgomery was chosen as the Nancy Lieberman Award winner given to the Nation's top point guard, and Moore was chosen as the Naismith Award winner, Wooden Award winner, State Farm Wade Trophy winner, United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year and Associated Press Player of the Year.

While these two players were recognized for their outstanding play, the championship run was a shining example of teamwork. The national accolades bestowed upon this team can only be attributed to Head Coach Geno Auriemma. Coach Auriemma has refined the meaning of success in college basketball in his 23 years as head coach of UConn.

During his illustrious tenure, Coach Auriemma has transformed the University of Connecticut program into the standard that all others are measured by, both on and off the court. Under his guidance, the Huskies have been transformed from a program with only one winning record to its credit to its current state, which includes six national championships, nine Final Fours and 16 Big East regular season and 14 Big East tournament titles since his arrival in 1985.

While athletic success is what brings us here today, we should take time to highlight academics as well. The University of Connecticut is the State's flagship institution of higher learning. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School and became the University of Connecticut in 1939.

UConn is a research intensive university, a prestigious designation shared by only the Nation's top higher education institutions. They have more than 70 focused research centers where faculty, graduate students and undergraduates explore everything from improving human health to enhancing public education and protecting the country's national resources.

I extend my congratulations to the University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan, Athletic Director Jeffrey Hathaway, Head Coach Geno Auriemma and his staff, the hardworking players and, obviously, the fans.

I wish all continued success and ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and rise today in support of H. Res. 337, recognizing the month of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month allows us to help to raise awareness of the tragic circumstances of abuse and neglect that many of our Nation's children face every day. Recognizing this month also highlights the importance of the prevention and awareness of child abuse, so that children can live safely and securely, free from abuse.

It is important that each of us knows how we can help prevent and stop ongoing child abuse. Understanding the causes of child abuse, learning to identify the warning signs that a child is being abused, reporting any known or suspected case of child abuse, being a friend to a child or parent in need and alerting others to the problem are all ways adults and other children can help prevent, and stop, child abuse.

Child abuse may include physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. In many cases, children are the victims of multiple forms of abuse. In 2007, approximately 794,000 children were found to be victims of some form of child maltreatment.

Child abuse prevention not only protects the Nation's children from years of physical, mental and emotional scars, it also lessens the costs associated with child abuse and enables funding to be used to assist children in other ways.

In 2007, child abuse had an estimated total annual cost of almost $104 billion in direct and indirect costs.

In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was enacted to address the issue of child abuse and neglect in this country and to underscore the importance of assisting children in abusive situations. Through this act, States receive grants to help with their child protective service functions, improve investigation and prosecution of child maltreatment, and to assist community-based family resource and support services.

April was first declared Child Abuse Prevention Month by presidential proclamation in 1985 by President Reagan. Since then, in the month of April, child abuse and neglect awareness and prevention efforts are promoted throughout the country.

As members of school systems, neighborhoods, families and communities, all of us can help to prevent child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse Prevention Month provides us with an opportunity to work together to keep children safe and to lend families the support that they need to raise happy children in a safe and secure home.

This is why I stand in support of this resolution and ask for my colleagues' support.

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