Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I thank my chairman for yielding me this time.

It is an important debate that we are having today, I think one that cuts across party lines, it cuts across generational lines, this issue of fiscal responsibility, and really keeping our word, keeping our commitment to a process that was put in place 30 years ago with the creation of the Committee on the Budget, with the commitment to control spending, to send forward a blueprint of priorities for the Federal Government, and then follow through on it.

Many people would be amazed to know, and if we could, please pull up chart 16; many people would be amazed to know that two-thirds of the Federal budget is on auto pilot. It is on auto pilot. Only one-third of the budget is subject to annual review, change that leads to a debate that leads to a vote that all of us are then held accountable for through the regular appropriations process. But two-thirds of the budget continues to grow year after year, really without direct input from the Committee on Appropriations or from the Congress as a whole. That is not good, long-term fiscal policy.

The programs within mandatory spending are worthwhile. They are important, but they are not so important that they should be exempt from congressional review. And as we move through this debate, and it is going to be a long debate, but it is an important debate; as we move through this, it is a healthy process for us to move forward with reform efforts that bring that two-thirds back under the control of the Congress and let us exert the control and take the responsibility that we were hired to take on.

I applaud our chairman and the distinguished Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations for working through these issues and having this important discussion about retaking congressional responsibility for the fiscal future of this country.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 668) congratulating the Tampa Bay Lightning for winning the 2004 National Hockey League Stanley Cup championship and for their outstanding performance during the entire 2003-2004 season, as amended.

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 the resolution under consideration.

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

I want to thank my good friend and colleague from Tampa, Florida (Mr. Davis) for authoring this resolution and on behalf of the entire Florida delegation and frankly the entire State of Florida, we are delighted to be here to honor an outstanding team.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, Coach John Tortorella, general manager Jay Feaster, owner Bill Davidson and the entire team on their victory in the Stanley Cup finals.

They all deserve credit for this remarkable achievement, made all the more remarkable by the fact that it is a hockey team in Florida, Mr. Speaker.

The Stanley Cup is North America's oldest professional trophy, but this year's final belonged to the NHL's youngest generation. The Tampa Bay Lightning had won just one playoff series before this season and is the first of the eight franchises added since 1991 to win the coveted cup.

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the National Hockey League in 1992; and 12 years later, through hard work, class, a strong work ethic, and determination, they are Stanley Cup champions.

Two years ago, few could have imagined the Lightning making the playoffs, much less winning the cup. Before last season, Sports Illustrated rated Tampa Bay as the worst of the NHL's 30 teams. Defying the experts, the Lightning went on to win the Southeast division and accumulated the second most regular season points in the NHL. Now the Lightning has proven itself to be the best team in all of hockey.

Many deserve credit for this remarkable achievement and for turning this team into world champions: Coach John Tortorella for his brilliant leadership and ensuring the team remained focused, motivated, and prepared; owner Bill Davidson for having invested the resources necessary to put a winner on the ice; Captain Dave Andreychuk, who at the age of 40 had played the most games in the NHL without winning the cup; Brad Richards, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player; goal tender Nikolai Khabibulin, also known as the Bulin Wall, for his countless saves; Martin St. Louis, for winning the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player; and all the Tampa Bay Lightning players and personnel who worked tirelessly on and off the ice all year to make their dreams become a reality.

Most importantly, I congratulate the fans who have given so much to this team. Through years of suffering, the Lightning fans' determination and patience have paid off. This is truly a victory for the fans.

I commend the champion Tampa Bay Lightning for a wonderful and magical run this year and for all their achievements this season. The people of Florida and the entire Tampa Bay region are proud of them. They have demonstrated to us all that hard work, perseverance, and unity are the foundation of success.

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

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

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

On behalf of a very proud Tampa Bay area, an area that has been growing an awful lot of champions in a variety of sports over the last several years, I urge adoption of House Resolution 668.

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

Madam Speaker, I was in grade school when President Reagan was elected, so my thoughts and observations are not based on any particular policy, but on the man, on the spirit himself.

We took great courage as a Nation in watching him as he dealt with an attempt on his own life. We watched in awe at his unwavering commitment to freedom everywhere around the world and his commitment to peace through strength, which allowed him to win the Cold War without a shot being fired.

He moved an entire generation of young people to that same cry for freedom, the battle to spread liberty and democracy and freedom and equality around the world, and he did it with a sunny, hopeful, cheerful, optimistic demeanor. He appealed to the very best in us, never preying on our worst fears, but backed up by a steely resolve, backed up by principle, backed up by the notion that it was better to be right than to be popular. In doing so, he succeeded with an understanding, a very clear understanding, of the power of the American spirit when it is unencumbered, when it is let loose to achieve its own potential and carve out its piece of the American dream. He always believed in the goodness of the American spirit and the human spirit around the world. He understood that the strength of America, the resilience of America is in her people. He inspired in us all of those great factors without preying on the worst.

Madam Speaker, may we ever be vigilant gatekeepers of his shining city on the hill. God bless the Reagan family, God bless America, and God bless this institution to whom President Reagan has given so much.

Mr. Speaker, on April 29, 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor will celebrate the second anniversary of GovBenefits.gov. Additionally, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor will launch the GovLoans.gov website as an integrated part of GovBenefits.gov. GovLoans.gov will be a one-stop shop for Federal loan programs.

I want to recognize the successful interagency collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education to improve the American public's access to their government through the launch of GovLoans.gov. I would also like to congratulate and recognize the U.S. Department of Labor for consistently demonstrating GovBenefits.gov as a leading government-to-citizen initiative that is offering tremendous value to the American public

GovBenefits.gov is a prime example of what e-Government should look and act like. In working together with nearly a dozen other agencies, the Department of Labor has launched this one stop shop for individuals interested in learning what government benefits for which they may be eligible.

GovLoans.gov will provide a broad range of information on Federal loan programs, as well as educational tools and resources to help citizens and small business owners understand the loan process. This site will also help consumers find the loan that best fits their individual needs, and will serve as a trusted and comprehensive point of access to Federal loan information.

GovLoans.gov is a Presidential initiative managed by the U.S. Department of Education that will provide citizens and small business owners with comprehensive information on available Federal loan programs from the five major Federal credit agencies: the U.S. Departments of Education, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Small Business Administration.

GovLoans.gov consolidates loan programs across government into a single portal and simplifies the language describing each program, enabling citizens and small business owners to easily find applicable Federal loans that meet their needs and to better understand the loan process.

GovBenefits.gov represents a partnership of 10 Federal agencies, including the U.S Department of Labor (managing partner), and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, State, Veteran Affairs, and the Social Security Administration.

Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, I commend the U.S. Department of Labor for its work in developing GovBenefits.gov as a leading government-to-citizen initiative that is offering tremendous value to the American public and recognize GovBenefits.gov and GovLoans.gov as citizen-centric initiatives that are demonstrating the intent of the President's Management Agenda.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time and for his leadership on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is an important step toward restoring equity to this process. The growth in America, the demands on our infrastructure and the demands on our roads have moved to the South and Southwest, and this formula does not reflect that.

There is $50 billion in new money in this bill for highways over the last one, and yet the growth States move backwards in funding. That is simple math that is indisputable and cannot be explained but can be corrected with the Isakson amendment.

If the projects were so nationally significant, why will you not tell us where they are? If they are so nationally significant, why are they not in the bill?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa for yielding me this time, as it is a very important debate that we have here today.

The gentleman from Hawaii referred to consequences, and that is important. As a younger Member of the House, I like to view things for the long haul. We talk about the consequences of the decisions that are made here, not just for the next election cycle or the next fiscal year, or to put a Band-Aid on this budget, but the long-term fiscal consequences.

Frankly, I have been encouraged by a great deal of the debate that took place throughout the budget hearings and throughout the debate on the floor, because the positive consequence of this rising Federal deficit has been that we have attracted a good deal more fiscal conservatives to the cause. But the consequences of the Democratic amendments in committee were 28 billion new dollars in new spending. The consequences of the amendments in that markup were nearly 30 billion new dollars added to the Federal deficit, the consequences that would be borne by the next generation of Americans and taxpayers.

This debate centers around core values. Everyone, I think, is coming around to the idea that the deficit is a great, great problem that has to be dealt with. But when we get down into the details, the other team's plan wants to focus on making it more difficult to lower the tax burden on the American citizen, the American entrepreneur, the American homeowner, investor, worker; make it easier to increase the tax burden on that same group of hard-working, hard-charging, thoughtful, innovative Americans, and not deal with the real issue, which is spending. Nearly two-thirds of the Federal budget now is mandatory spending. It is on auto pilot. The debate, the fights, the arguments, the outstanding eloquent rhetorical discussions that take place on this floor are about over one-third of the Federal budget. That is it.

Our plan and the Spending Control Act, which has the force of law that was marked up in the Committee on the Budget and will be on this floor before Memorial Day, deals with mandatory spending. It deals with the fact that Congress has failed to make some of the tough decisions over the past generations to get their arms around spending; and as a consequence, we have been far outpacing the spending of the American household.

Now is not the time, when we have a dual challenge, the challenge of getting the economy going, putting people back to work, bringing small businesses the opportunity to have a piece of the American dream, now is not the time to make it easier to raise taxes. And for us to adopt as a consequence, for us to adopt the other body's half-baked, cockamamie, crazy schemes to deal with this issue is nuts.

All of us have a difficult time explaining why the other body's rules require us to phase down the death tax on farmers and small businesses and then, boom, miraculously it is reborn 10 years from now in its old, in its old full, former glory of the highest rate possible. All of us have a difficult time explaining why it was such a great idea to end the marriage penalty, but we have to vote on it again this year; otherwise, it comes back, or that the American people will lose the expanded child tax credit. It is because of the other body's cockamamie rules that we do that, and now we want to adopt another one of their cockamamie rules and make it even easier to raise taxes on the American people.

Now is not the time to turn back that clock, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 117) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange certain land in the State of Florida, and for other purposes.

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

(Mr. Putnam asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate 117, the Florida National Forest Management Act of 2003. I commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), my good friend, for his leadership on this issue.

This bill allows the Secretary of Agriculture to solicit offers to sell or exchange 17 parcels of land within the National Forest system in Florida. These parcels, according to the Department of Agriculture are ``isolated lands that no longer contain National Forest characteristics and are no longer manageable as National Forest system land.'' Many of the parcels this bill considers contain structures such as baseball fields and the Okaloosa County Fairgrounds.

The committee received letters of support from the Department of Agriculture and the concurrence of the Air Force for the sale or exchange of lands adjacent to Air Force property in Florida. All interested parties agree that this bill will improve ownership patterns, facilitate the best use of these lands, and enable the Forest Service to

achieve its land management objectives. I urge all the Members to support this important legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record jurisdiction-related letters between the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Resources regarding this legislation.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Resources,

Washington, DC, November 19, 2003.

Hon. Bob Goodlatte,

Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I understand that you wish to consider

H.R. 482, on the Floor of the House of Representatives today.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey

several National Forest System parcels in the State of

Florida. The bill was referred solely to the Committee on

Agriculture. However, a closer reading shows that 16 of the

17 parcels are located in the Choctawhatchee and Ocala

National Forests, which are forests created from the public

domain. Those forests are under the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Resources under Rule X of the Rules of the House

of Representatives. In addition, the bill waives a provision

of the Federal Land Policy Management Act, a statute also

under Resources' purview.

My staff has reviewed the bill and we have no problem with

the substance. Because of the limited number of days

remaining in the first session of the 108th Congress and the

importance of this bill to Congressman Jeff Miller, I will

not insist on a referral of the bill. Of course, this action

does not waive our jurisdiction over the bill, nor is this

action to be construed as a precedent for other, similar

legislation. In addition, I would ask you to support my

request to have the Committee on Resources to be represented

on any conference on H.R. 482 or a similar bill, should one

become necessary. Finally, I would include this letter and

any response you might have in the Congressional Record

during debate on H.R. 482.

Thank you for your consideration of my request. I

appreciate our continued excellent working relationship on

forest issues and look forward to working with you on other

bills this Congress.

Sincerely,

Richard W. Pombo,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this issue. We do thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) and the rest of the minority for their assistance in moving this legislation as quickly as we have.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on S. 117.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man of honor and a dear friend, a man who touched so many lives and dedicated himself to making Polk County, Florida, a better place.

Charles Richardson rose from humble beginnings in Polk County and helped to integrate what is now Bartow High School. He began his political career on the Winter Haven City Commission, and rose to be, as a Republican, the first African American ever to serve on the Polk County commission.

He was described as a family man and a jovial leader, with a keen intellect and an extraordinary wit and wisdom. He was also known as a strong role model for young people, who encouraged them to get an education and to go to college and achieve the American Dream. He is survived by his wife, Karen; two daughters, Ericka and Janine; and two sons, Charles, Jr., and Elden.

Mr. Speaker, even after being diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer, Charles Richardson continued to perform his county commission duties right up to the night he passed. Charles Richardson blessed our community through his hard work and generous nature, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome home the more than 100 men and women of the Florida National Guard's 495th Transportation Company from Lakeland, Florida as they arrive back in the United States and return to their families. I want to thank them for their courage, their service, their bravery, and I want to thank their families for their patience through this long ordeal. The 495th took small arms fire during its tenure in the desert, luckily without casualties.

Floridians should be proud of the service and tremendous accomplishments of the 495th Transportation Company. These men and women risked their lives and made sacrifices to keep our country safe and secure and secure those same blessings for the Iraqi people.

Mr. Speaker, the men and women of the 495th Transportation Unit have each played an invaluable role in their own communities for years. They are now home again to retake their place in businesses, schools, fire stations and farms. And I believe Staff Sergeant Stephanie Miller said it best: ``I'm just glad to be home. Glad we made it back safe.''

God bless Stephanie. God bless all her colleagues, and may God continue to shower his blessings upon this great land.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to make a point of order.

Mr. Chairman, it is with no small amount of regret that I rise to make a point of order against the distinguished chairman of this subcommittee who has worked very hard and is so capable in this area, but on behalf of Chairman Goodlatte of the Committee on Agriculture, I must rise to make a point of order against section 568(a)(3) in that it violates House rule XXI, clause 2, by changing existing law and inserting legislative language in an appropriation bill.

Mr. Chairman, I regret that I must rise again and raise yet another point of order against section 572 entitled, ``Competition in Contracting,'' on the grounds that this session changes existing law in violation of clause 2(b) of House rule XXI and is therefore legislation included in a general appropriations bill.

If the gentlewoman would yield.

Mr. Chairman, again rising to raise a point of order and certainly not reflecting on the policy contained therein but rather the process and asserting the jurisdiction of the authorizing committees, I must rise a third time to make a point of order against section 575 on the grounds that it is changing existing law in violation of clause 2 of House rule XXI. By its very terms, this section changes current law and specifically says ``The United States Agency for International Development is authorized.'' This is a clear violation of the rule.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this issue.

I am from a farm family in a rapidly growing part of the State of Florida. I have seen what the death tax does to destroy families and destroy pieces of property that have been in the same family's hands for generations, that have cared for that land and have been steward of that land, and the environmental benefits that come from that. When the death of the grandfather or the great grandfather or the father comes along, it is busted up into half-acre ranchettes, and the environmental and agricultural benefits are lost. The food security issues are lost forever. We cannot unpave a parking lot, we cannot bring those families back together again, you cannot put agriculture back into practice. It is lost forever because of a quirk in our tax law which is purely redistribution of wealth.

Now the Johnny-come-lately deficit hawks on the other side would have us believe that we cannot afford to do this

in this particular economic environment. But they did not believe we should do it when we were projecting trillion-dollar surpluses either. The bottom line is that they do not support the repeal of this immoral tax. They continue to support the redistribution of wealth, the penalty on ambition, the penalty on thrift, the penalty on holding those family operations together again. Despite their best planning efforts, 70 percent of small and family-owned businesses do not survive the second generation and 87 percent do not survive the third.

Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of those failed owners say the death tax was a contributing factor to the loss of that business. It is time for the death tax to die. It is an immoral tax. It sends the wrong philosophical message to the next generation of Americans who are looking for incentives to work hard and create wealth and jobs and build businesses and farms. I urge support of H.R. 8.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding me this time, and I appreciate his leadership on this important issue.

I rise in support of H.R. 1954. Our servicemen and women shoulder the burden of defense as one of the responsibilities of citizenship in this country. Having participated in protecting our rights of U.S. citizenship, and having met lethal force on battlefields around the world, they are more than qualified to appreciate and treasure the blessings of citizenship in the country they so proudly serve.

The relationship of citizenship to the all-volunteer force is very real. That force is a reflection of the intrinsic civic virtue of military service. That civic virtue is as strong today among America's citizen-soldiers as with the first minutemen. And making it easier for military service members to gain citizenship is a minimal act of gratitude by an often all-too-ungrateful Nation.

A citizen of the United States is accorded a number of benefits not granted to lawful permanent residents. He has the right to vote and to hold public office and may qualify for various jobs from which permanent residents are barred. But who is more deserving to receive those benefits of U.S. citizenship than a member of the Armed Forces?

I am delighted that the committee's bill incorporated my legislation, H.R. 1806, along with others, as part of the final package. It came to my attention that this was the right thing to do for our citizen- soldiers when one of my district caseworkers notified me that some of our own constituents were courageously serving in our Armed Forces, defending our freedom, and sadly, some of those who had been killed had yet to be granted U.S. citizenship.

More so than most, these individuals have earned their opportunity to become citizens of the country they defend. These active duty service members who have shown such courage and bravery in the defense of our homeland deserve to become citizens before not after they begin risking their lives to defend ours.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw my Colleagues to the attention of the following articles on the Mulberry Memorial American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 72, in Mulberry, Florida from my district.

Unit 72 is very active within the community of Mulberry, and I feel these articles exemplify the best of Unit 72's service and commitment. Please consider the inclusion of these articles in the Congressional Record.

Mulberry, Florida's Schools Benefit

(Submitted by Donna Righi, Unit 72 President and Education Chairman)

Mulberry Memorial American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 72,

Department of Florida works closely with the schools in

Mulberry, Florida and are kept aware of the needs of their

students. In February 2003, Unit 72 donated over $120 of

underwear to two of the schools in Mulberry.

School Supply drives are frequently held, and money is

often donated to schools, however, Unit 72 discovered that

children in need often do not have underwear to wear. You

aren't able to give away your used underwear, so needy

families often do not receive this necessity. The schools

were contacted in regards to sizes, and Unit 72 bought them

for the schools to distribute to those in real need. Items

that were distributed were: Socks, underpants, jockey shorts,

and even bras. The schools really appreciated this. They

never seem to have enough of these items for occasional

accidents that occur, not to mention the students that can't

afford these necessities.

On Wednesday evening, September 11, 2002, The Mulberry

American Legion Auxiliary Unit #72, joined with the American

Legion and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 72 and

conducted a service in observance of the events of September

11, 2001.

We had distributed bags to two local schools, Kingsford

Elementary and R. Bruce Wagner Elementary, for the children

to decorate for luminaries. These children did a magnificent

job on over three hundred bags.

Legion Post 72 Commander, Jerry M. Mitchell, opened our

ceremony with a brief welcome and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Legion Chaplain Dennis Farmer gave an invocation and then

turned the ceremony over to Martha Bosley, Auxiliary Vice

President who gave a short speech in remembrance of the

victims and heroes of that fateful day. Auxiliary Unit 72

member, Jan Feldman closed our service with the singing of

``God Bless America''.

The more than fifty participants then took their American

flags to the side of Route 37 to wave in a show of patriotism

and were greeted by passing motorists who waved back. Later

the members lighted all the luminaries the students had

provided and placed them by the side of Route 37 as dusk

fell. Again the passing motorists signaled their approval and

appreciation by blinking their lights and honking their

horns.

Mr. Speaker, when Dr. Gregory Spirakis' 14-month-old baby, Petey, developed meningitis, the child was given antibiotics and recovered fully. When 14-month-old Andre Chionizilli of Balti, Moldova, developed meningitis, he lost his hearing because he had no access to antibiotics.

To help children like Andre, Dr. Spirakis, a constituent of mine from Lakeland, Florida, began a humanitarian mission in Moldova, one of the former Soviet Republics. Dr. Spirakis has made two more trips to Balti, one of the cities of Lakeland's Sister Cities.

During the second trip in August 2000, Dr. Spirakis, with financial support from the First Aviation Sertoma club of Lakeland, brought 115 hearing aids and 90 pounds of antibiotics and started a mobile audiology program.

Dr. Spirakis began traveling to Moldova to treat hearing-impaired children in 1997 after meeting Dr. Iurii Lobeev, his Moldovan counterpart, in a medical exchange program in the United States. Dr. Spirakis and his wife, both audiologists, have made several visits to Moldova, consulting and treating more than 170 children.

In 2001, Dr. Spirakis founded the Moldovan Children's Audiology Foundation (MCAF) and provided financial and technical support for the establishment of the Hearing Protection Center in the city of Belts, Moldova.

The Center provides hearing and medical services for children with disabilities and operates a medical care unit fully equipped, through Dr. Spirakis's support, to solve children's hearing problems.

Dr. Spirakis has personally provided training to his Moldovan counterparts at the Center, Dr. Iurii Lobeev and Dr. Victor Vrabie, and has assisted them in traveling to Lakeland and throughout the State of Florida to learn American techniques for treating disabled children, developing their capacity to perform audiograms for children, choose treatment strategies, and provide other operations that were previously only available in a specialized hospital in Chisinau, the capital.

Through the combined efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of State, the MCAF, and Counterpart International, a container of medical equipment, consumables, school supplies, and furniture, valued at nearly $48,000, was delivered to the Hearing Protection Center on October 1, 2002. With this delivery, the Center now has a state-of-the-art audiology clinic and provides services to the city of Belts and throughout the surrounding rural areas. The Center provides services to a larger number of constituents including newborn children, veterans, and pensioners with hearing disabilities.

The U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Europe and Eurasia will be honoring Dr. Gregory Spirakis at a dinner on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 to recognize his efforts to improve the lives of people around the world and salute his continued commitment to foreign assistance. I would like to congratulate Dr. Spirakis for his work and express my thanks to him for his dedication and commitment to children around the world.