Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 790. I was detained in a meeting. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of SGT Jacob S. Schmuecker, an Atkinson, Nebraska, native who lost his life on July 21 in Balad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sergeant Schmuecker, assigned to Nebraska's National Guard's 755th Chemical Reconnaissance/Decontamination Company, died when his military vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.

This young man represented some of the best qualities of Nebraska, and our State mourns his loss.

Sergeant Schmuecker has been described as ``calm, cool, and collected''--a man who answered the call of duty and served honorably. His loss will be felt not only by the men in his unit, but in Nebraska where he leaves behind his wife and three young children.

My prayers and condolences go out to Sergeant Schmuecker's family and friends who feel the loss of this brave man. He will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as we consider the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related

Agencies Appropriations Act. According to the DEA, 33.3 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized in my home State of Nebraska in 2006. For this reason, I would like to commend the leadership and Appropriations Committee for including $85 million in funding for grant projects to address the manufacture, sale and use of methamphetamine. However, we must send a stronger message to those who are smuggling and distributing the drug, which is why I have introduced the Methamphetamine Kingpin Elimination Act of 2007.

The number of methamphetamine labs in the U.S. has declined since Congress enacted the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act last year to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine. Unfortunately, a reverse trend has occurred south of our border.

Mexico is the largest foreign supplier of methamphetamine destined for the U.S. It is estimated that as much as 80 percent of the methamphetamine on U.S. streets comes from Mexico. Unlike the small U.S. kitchen labs, Mexican drug cartels are creating superlabs, which produce huge quantities of cheap methamphetamine and then smuggle it north to U.S. users.

Mr. Speaker, it is time we stop this flood of methamphetamine coming across our border.

The ``Meth Kingpin Elimination Act of 2007,'' increases penalties for meth kingpins. The bill also authorizes $20 million for multi-jurisdictional methamphetamine task forces.

Meth devastates not only those who abuse the drug, but their families and their communities as well. The drug has a phenomenal rate of addiction, with some experts saying users often get hooked after just one use. Recent studies have demonstrated that methamphetamine causes more damage to the brain than heroin, alcohol, or cocaine.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in keeping this destructive drug off America's streets and ensuring that meth kingpins and traffickers receive harsher penalties.

Mr. Speaker, we must work together to address this severe problem.

Mr. Speaker, I am on the side of those who would like an open process. I am extremely disappointed with this tax provision. It can be characterized however one might wish to characterize it. But I am on the side of a process that is open, where a tax provision has a hearing and gathers input from the general population so that we can move forward with good policy.

As a representative of a heavily agricultural district, I hope that we can pass a farm bill that is good, sustainable policy. We are well on our way.

As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I was proud of the process. It was very polite. Actually, the committee process was very open. Then all of a sudden we are blindsided, Mr. Speaker, with this tax provision.

It is extremely disappointing to me, Mr. Speaker, and I hope that we can defeat this rule so that we can open up the process perhaps and move forward with good policy and a good, open process.

Mr. Speaker, along with my colleagues from Nebraska, I am pleased to offer my support for H.R. 761, a bill that would authorize the conveyance of certain federal lands by the Secretary of Interior to the Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitor Center Foundation, Inc. and authorize the appropriation of annual funds to operate the Center.

The journey of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark does not belong to Nebraska, but to all of America.

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center features descriptions of 178 plants and 122 animals recorded by Lewis and Clark during their explorations.

This center should be a destination for any person who is interested in American history, in the species of flora and fauna then found in the unexplored regions of our country, or in the spirit of expansion that helped form our country.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill authorizing the transfer of Federal lands associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in Nebraska to the private nonprofit foundation. It is a valuable resource for every American.

Madam Speaker, In 2006, the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, in Niobrara, received a Rural Housing and Economic Development Innovative Support Grant award, to provide additional funding for a 40-unit subdivision in the Village of Santee.

Today, we will pass H.R. 1982, authorizing the Office of Housing and Urban Development to authorize the Rural Housing and Economic Development program to provide competitive grants to support housing and economic development in rural areas.

This program is the only exclusively rural housing program administered by HUD, and focuses on ``high-risk'' areas.

If rural areas of Nebraska are going to grow and prosper, we need strong, safe communities. H.R. 1982 is an investment in the future for struggling rural areas, and is a good step in the right direction.

Madam Speaker, today, we will pass H. Con. Res. 87, supporting the goals and ideals of a world day or remembrance for road crash victims.

This legislation sets aside the third Sunday of November as a day of remembrance for road crash victims and their families, and calls on nations globally to improve road safety.

It also encourages our country to support and participate in programs and activities to commemorate a world day of remembrance for road crash victims with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and other activities.

Each year 40,000 people in the U.S. die in road crashes--last year Nebraska had 226 fatal crashes, according to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

Very few of us can say we have never been affected by a road crash. It is my hope, through these educational and informative steps, we can lower the total of Americans--and Nebraskans--lost to road crashes each year.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 375--Honoring United Parcel Service and its 100 years of commitment and leadership in the United States--and the more than 1000 UPS drivers, managers and other employees in the Third District of Nebraska.

Founded in 1907, UPS has become an everyday sight for many of us. In Washington, DC it is not remarkable to see one of the big, brown trucks every day.

But for people in rural Nebraska, UPS is an invaluable resource. Rural delivery service--for many--is a life-line for homes far away from the local post office. UPS prides itself on delivery service to every address in North America and Europe, including areas where neighbors can be separated by miles of ranch and farmland.

I have had the honor of meeting with some UPS drivers, and I look forward to doing so again in the near future. Until then, I say ``thank you'' to all UPS employees and to ``keep up the great work.''

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to honor a community in Nebraska's Third Congressional District, the City of Hastings, for being named the Greenest City in America by Yahoo! Incorporated. The contest to be the Greenest City in America began on May 14 and ended earlier this month.

Residents of Hastings made an online pledge on Yahoo's website to live their everyday lives in a more environmentally-friendly way and then followed through on their pledges. I am proud Hastings earned this title, and I look forward to its ongoing efforts to make the City as eco-friendly as possible.

This contest and the improvements Hastings made on its way to the top are perfect examples of an effective and fun way to protect our environment and learn about activities which can improve our lives. This is also a perfect example of how a private company--not a government mandate--can encourage cities throughout America to improve their local communities. This was not a government program compelling improvement, it was a private company helping towns and cities do what is right, and I commend both Hastings and Yahoo for their stewardship.

I hope other companies follow Yahoo's lead, as I hope other communities in our country follow Hastings' example.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague from Texas for his work on this issue.

The need for rural water assistance needs continues to increase with the expansion of Federal water regulations. And because of limited local resources, small communities in my district face severe hardships as they comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act.

We need to find ways to work to protect the public health without placing overbearing costs on small communities, and I look forward to the EPA's updates to the Small Drinking Water System Variance Affordability Methodology.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure today to rise in honor of Major General Roger P. Lempke, the Adjutant General of the Nebraska National Guard since December of 2000. Earlier this morning, General Lempke announced his retirement. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with General Lempke for a number of years. He is a true Nebraskan and the very definition of a great American.

A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, General Lempke became a pilot and flew more than 1600 flying hours primarily as an instructor pilot. He has earned the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, and the Nebraska National Guard National Defense Service Medal among many other awards and decorations throughout his years of service to our country.

General Lempke served all of Nebraska and the people of the United States as Commandant of the State's military forces, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, and as President of the Adjutants General Association of the United States.

Time and time again, our State has needed his leadership when faced with a natural disaster and time and time again, General Lempke has risen to the occasion. He has served his country with dedication and honor during a time of war. The Nebraska National Guard and the United States Armed Forces have been made better through the tireless efforts of General Lempke, and I thank him for his service.

I rise today with a sense of sadness and regret to honor the short life of Specialist Val John Borm, of Sidney, Nebraska. Val, an infantryman in B Company, 2nd Battalion with the 35th Infantry, was killed late last week when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee.

A 2005 graduate of Sidney High School, Val has been described as an enthusiastic soldier who enjoyed his service for our country. My heart goes out to his parents, Larry and Lolita, and the rest of the Sidney community as they come to terms with this loss.

As we head into the July 4th holiday season, let us remember Val and his comrades who have paid such a high price defending freedom. We owe them our very best.

Madam Speaker, on a day when the House of Representatives has passed legislation providing for the health and well-being of our veterans, it is with a heavy heart I honor a brave man who will not be returning home. Specialist Josiah Hollopeter, of Valentine, NE, was shot and killed by small arms fire while on dismounted patrol in Normandy, Iraq, on June 14.

My thoughts and prayers are with Josiah's family--his parents and his wife--today. Josiah represented the best of what it means to be a Nebraskan. His service and sacrifice for our country will long be remembered.

Again, I ask my colleagues to remember the Hollopeter family during this time of grieving.

And to remember Josiah's comrades in arms who are still in harm's way.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Congresswoman Capito.

I appreciate your support for this amendment, the Capito-Smith- Salazar amendment. And I don't want to be repetitive because many good points were offered by the chairman of the committee as well as others. So I just want to add my support and certainly state that it is unfortunate that nearly 6 months since the legislation was signed into law for the Office of Rural Health, little action has been taken. So I believe this is a good step forward for those in rural America because they should not have to suffer simply because they live in rural America.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the American Legion Auxiliary #290, in Elwood, Nebraska--a beautiful town in my congressional district.

They distribute red poppies in honor of all living and deceased veterans, with donations going to rehabilitation efforts and filling other needs for veterans. The poppies are made by patients of VA hospitals and residents of veterans homes.

As we go into the Memorial Day weekend, many of our constituents will be holding backyard cook outs, or taking the boat out for a spin, or just getting out of town for a quick vacation.

In Flanders Field, the poppies grow among the crosses, row on row. These words remind us we owe our thanks to people like the members of American Legion Auxiliary #290, those who help us remember our troops and the sacrifices they have made.