Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I sit on the Natural Resources Committee here in the House, and through our investigations into our treasured national parks, my colleagues and I have discovered a number of tragic choices and changes that are in store for all of us and our children.

Mr. Speaker, because of a changing climate, Glacier National Park's glaciers will melt and be no more.

Mr. Speaker, because of a changing climate, Joshua Tree National Park's Joshua trees will disappear from the park named after them.

Mr. Speaker, because of a changing climate, Rocky Mountain National Park's forests are dying because mild winters cannot kill pine beetles, which are devastating the park's trees.

Climate change is upon us now. We are paying for its effects today, regardless of the number of votes this body takes to deny what is happening before our eyes.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to honor the military service and the life of Tibor--known to us as Ted--Rubin, a Korean war veteran, a Holocaust survivor, and a prisoner of war survivor.

Mr. Rubin received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2005, and he will be the guest of honor at a ceremony in the city of Garden Grove at their post office in Orange County, California, on August 8, 2014.

Ted was born on June 18, 1929, in Hungary. He spent 14 months in a concentration camp in Austria, which was

liberated by the United States Army. Inspired by the work of the United States Army who saved him, he enlisted and became a member of the U.S. Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, on February 13, 1950, and he was soon deployed to Korea.

Despite facing religious discrimination from his sergeant, who sent him on the most dangerous missions in South Korea's Pusan Perimeter and who withheld his commendation, he fought valiantly. Corporal Rubin enabled the complete withdrawal of his comrades by solely defending a hill under an overwhelming assault by North Korean troops.

He inflicted a staggering number of casualties on the attacking force during his personal 24-hour battle and helped capture several hundred North Korean soldiers. During a massive nighttime assault, he manned a .30-caliber machine gun and slowed the pace of the enemy advance.

On a later assignment, Corporal Rubin was severely wounded, and he was captured. He disregarded his own personal safety and immediately began sneaking out of the camp at night in search of food for his comrades.

Risking certain torture or death if he was caught, he provided food to the starving soldiers, and he provided desperately needed medical care for the wounded in the prisoner of war camp. He used improvised medical techniques to save his fellow soldiers and provided critical moral support. His brave, selfless efforts were directly attributed to saving the lives of as many as 40 of his fellow prisoners.

Corporal Rubin's gallant actions in close contact with the enemy and unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war are in the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

Corporal Rubin states: ``I always wanted to become a citizen of the United States, and when I became a citizen, it was one of the happiest days in my life. I think about the United States, and I am a lucky person to live here. When I came to America, it was the first time I was free. It was one of the reasons I joined the U.S. Army, because I wanted to show my appreciation. It is the best country in the world, and I am part of it now. I do not have to worry about the gestapo knocking on my door tonight. I have shalom, peace. People die for it.''

Mr. Speaker, our community lost a true friend and major benefactor on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 with the passing of Ray Alpert at the age of 87.

Ray and his wife, Barbara, were known throughout Long Beach for their generosity and passion for organizations that helped support the Jewish community. Over the decades, Ray and his wife Barbara donated millions of dollars to the Jewish Federation of Greater Long Beach and West Orange County and its partner agencies, the Alpert Jewish Community Center, Long Beach Hillel, Jewish Family and Children's Service and the Hebrew Academy of Huntington Beach.

From its inception, the Alpert Foundation has provided the Long Beach and Western Orange County Jewish Federation with its largest annual gift. In 1997, their lead donation to the Federation was instrumental in creating the 85,000 square foot Alpert Jewish Community Center, whose comprehensive programs and facilities now serve almost every segment of our community. ``The Alpert Jewish Community Center is forever indebted to Ray and Barbara for their generosity and caring for the Center,'' said Jeffrey Rips, Executive Director.

Ray's longtime friend, Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation Past President, and community leader in his own right, Eugene Lentzner, spoke lovingly of his 50 year association with Ray. ``Ray achieved great success, yet he was the most unpretentious and unassuming person I ever know. (And you should also know that comment applies to his wife also),'' said Gene. ``He was most comfortable outside the limelight; yet he served on many boards, he had a lot to say

about how the agencies functioned, and he never had to have a title or office to be the most effective person in the room. And that is why everyone who has anything to say about him says that he was our pillar.''

``He was an extremely generous man and very humble, very down-to- earth,'' said Deborah Godlfarb, CEO of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation. ``He really believed in community involvement and was active in many non-Jewish causes, as well as Jewish causes. It was part of who he was.''

``The Hebrew Academy community is saddened by the loss of Ray Alpert a giant mentsch in our community,'' said Rabbi Yitzchok Newman. ``Ray paved the path to provide a myriad of opportunities for active participation in our community. He was a man who cared deeply about and invested generously in the future of our community. Ray will be sorely missed--may his memory be a blessing for all.''

Ray was born on April 9, 1927, and grew up in Boyle Heights. He was a co-owner of Alpert & Alpert Iron & Metal Inc., a Los Angeles-based scrap metal business founded by his father and uncle in the 1930s. Eighty years later, the company remains a family-owned business. Ray and Barbara moved to Long Beach in 1963 and soon joined Temple Israel.

``Through the years Barbara and Ray's passion for youth seemed unending,'' continued Lentzner. ``The establishment and endowment of the Alpert New Leaders Forum at the Jewish Federation, his lobbying and support that literally saved Hillel at Cal State, the founder's donation and ongoing funding of CCEJ's Building Bridges camps, which brings young people together to respect each other, were all indications of this commitment to the next generations.''

And the list goes on and on: ADL, National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, the rebuilding of Temple Israel, Ronald McDonald House, and the new Fisher House at the Long Beach Veterans Administration hospital, providing a place for the family of veterans who are being treated. ``In all, they were major funders of over 50 organizations every year, lead givers for their campaigns, and have endowed their gifts so that their programs will continue on into the future,'' remarked Lentzner.

``Ray Alpert was a man who was committed to his causes and the community,'' said Kathryn Miles, JFCS Executive Director. ``For Ray, it was not only a matter of a donation. He found long-lasting and far- reaching ways to impact programs and agencies, as both a leader and as a donor. For JFCS, Barbara and Ray's generosity has had a tremendously positive impact on our ability to provide mental health and social services to people who have nowhere else to turn.''

Ray also had a passion for Jewish history and Holocaust education. At Cal State University, Long Beach (CSULB), he and Barbara established the Barbara and Ray Alpert Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies. ``We at CSULB owe them a real debt of gratitude. Ray was not merely an active member of the Jewish Studies advisory board. At a moment of crisis, he and Barbara stepped up, and through their generosity, saved the Jewish Studies Program,'' said Jeffrey Blutinger, Director of the program. ``Their endowment has not only allowed us to continue offering classes, degrees, and our regular lecture series, but also helped us expand our programming by bringing artists, performers, and lead scholars to campus.''

Ray and Barbara have also been strong and consistent supporters of Beach Hillel, which provides services to Jewish students at CSULB and several other universities and community colleges in the Long Beach and Orange County areas. ``Through the help of Ray Alpert, Beach Hillel has been able to provide free and kosher Friday-night dinners to students, opportunities to work for social justice, and various educational and social activities that encourage students' personal growth and exploration,'' said Rachel Kaplan, Hillel Executive Director.

``One issue dear to Ray's heart was building bridges among communities,'' said Blutinger. For the last two years, Ray and Barbara have funded a collaborative project on campus involving Jewish Studies and Chicano and Latino Studies, bringing speakers on campus to highlight the longstanding relationships between the Jews and Latinos(as) in Southern California. Just a few weeks ago, he and Barbara went to CSULB to hear Dr. George Sanchez from USC describe the unique nature of the Boyle Heights community of the 1930s and '40s, a place where immigrant Jews mixed with Mexican and Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, and Japanese-Americans, forming alliances of mutual support.

``Since Ray was born and raised in Boyle Heights, he was delighted to see students from Jewish Studies and Chicano and Latino Studies classes come together to learn about his common past,'' said Blutinger.

Gene Lentzner echoed Ray's interest in connecting diverse communities. ``I have to mention Ray's love for the people with whom he grew consulted and argued until they got it right, and then did it together. And the results were wonderful, often incredible,'' said Lentzner at the funeral which took place on Friday, June 13. Ray is survived by his wife Barbara, his children, Teri, Alan and Nancy; his sister, Janet Farber; and seven grandchildren who will all miss him tremendously.

``I once asked him what gave him the most satisfaction in life. You created a foundation to give away most of your fortune, so it wasn't about just making money, or having the best of everything. And he simply answered: Helping other is the best reason for the gift of life on this earth. That is what my parents taught me. That is what I tried to teach my children,'' remembers Lentzner.

His life was a blessing for all of us. He really knew how to live. It is why he was so universally respected and loved.

Ray's generosity and activism has touched the lives of countless people in the Long Beach area and his passing leaves a gaping hole in our hearts.

First, I would like to thank the ranking member and Chairman Simpson for bringing to the floor a bill that has incorporated interests from both parties within the limit of the Bipartisan Budget Act.

In particular, I want to thank the committee for increasing funding for a specific activity within the Department of Energy's fossil energy research and development. That is the risk-based data management system.

This activity supports the funding of a tool which is used by many States for public disclosure of hydraulic fracturing operations. It is called FracFocus. While this tool is intended to be easily usable by the public, it has been pointed out by a special Department of Energy task force that some improvements must be made to this government- funded database in order for it to be more accurate, accessible, and transparent.

That is why I was very pleased to hear from the chairman and the ranking member that a portion of the increased funding for the risk- based data management system is intended to help update the FracFocus database to meet modern data, usability, and public transparency standards.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

I thank the ranking member, and I look forward to working with her in the future.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, my district provides a perfect example of the need for ocean coordination and information sharing between local, State, and Federal governments, including our offshore energy management agencies, the military, our ports, our ocean carriers, our energy developers, recreational users, and other stakeholders.

Let me explain. The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest port in the United States, moving $140 billion in goods, supporting 1.4 million jobs in the United States.

Offshore oil platforms extract crude oil in San Pedro Bay, less than a mile from my front door. San Clemente Island, in my district, has a Navy training ground and a ship-to-shore firing range. Nearby waters are home to seabirds, fisheries, and migrating whales.

Sea-level rise and extreme weather threaten neighborhoods and businesses all along my district and the entire coast of California.

These are all major, interwoven uses of our oceans, and it doesn't make sense to address them on a case-by-case basis without all the stakeholders participating. We need smart ocean planning and coordination.

For those reasons, my amendment would strike the misguided and counterproductive language in H.R. 4899 that prohibits costal and marine spatial planning coordination. We need our Federal offshore energy management agencies to include the consideration of other stakeholders, not exclude them from the offshore leasing and the drilling process.

We should all want BOEM and BSEE to coordinate with our ports and our shipbuilders, not restrict coordination. We should all want BOEM and BSEE to coordinate with our fishermen and our fishery councils, not to restrict coordination. We should all want BOEM and BSEE to coordinate with our States and local governments, not to restrict coordination.

The country, and my district, needs a comprehensive approach to our ocean resources, which is what the National Ocean Policy provides.

At this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), a lifelong advocate for our oceans.

Madam Chair, I would like to point out that the opposition said that six times the House is on record for striking out the National Ocean Policy.

I would like to remind him that all six times that has been put back in by the U.S. Senate.

I want to point out that ocean coordination--as he points out, the planning is good, but not now--has been supported by a broad array of stakeholders, including commercial fishing, engineering and consulting, recreation tourism, the renewable energy industries, as well as academics, tribes, faith-based groups, and NGOs.

In fact, 117 of those organizations across 20 States wrote a letter to Congress saying:

We urge you to reject any provisions that would undermine

continued progress on coordinated ocean planning or seek to

undermine the implementation of the National Ocean Policy.

Madam Chair, I will insert that letter in the Record, as well as a letter from the North Atlantic Ports Association that represents ports and port-related interests from Virginia to Canada.

The Ports Association says:

We strongly oppose these amendments to any legislation,

which undermine our ability to engage in planning for future

ocean uses, impede the integration of the marine highway

system, and create uncertainty for our businesses.

May 16, 2014.

Hon. John Boehner,

Speaker, House of Representatives, Office of the Speaker,

U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Office of the

Democratic Leader, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.

Hon. Harold Rogers,

Chairman, House Appropriations Committee, Rayburn House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Hon. Nita M. Lowey,

Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee, Rayburn House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Chairman Rogers and

Ranking Member Lowey: We are writing to express our strong

support for coordinated ocean planning. In recent years,

provisions attempting to undermine and defund ocean planning

and coordination work among states, tribes, and federal

agencies have been repeatedly inserted in a variety of

legislation, particularly appropriation bills. The sole

purpose of these provisions is to halt vital cross-

jurisdictional coordination and ocean planning that benefits

coastal communities, ocean-based businesses, and helps to

protect, maintain and restore the health of our ocean's

wildlife and ecosystems. We strongly object to these

provisions and urge you to oppose inclusion of any such

language in legislation moving through the House of

Representatives.

Cross-jurisdictional coordination and smart ocean planning

allow coastal communities to take a pragmatic approach to

changing ocean economies and environments. This approach puts

ocean management decisions closer to the people, industries,

and jobs that will be impacted by ocean management decisions,

allowing communities to help guide their own future and make

smart choices that will provide balanced use, good

governance, and long-term sustainability. In contrast to

misleading rhetoric from those who oppose the National Ocean

Policy and the improved coordination and leveraging of

limited resources it supports, efforts to better coordinate

and plan for ocean uses have emerged from the ground up, with

their roots in state-sponsored regional partnerships.

Comprehensive, science-based coordination efforts are

already underway in several regions--engaging stakeholders

who use the ocean, developing region-specific data, building

resiliency from large storms and creating a regional ocean

plan to address current and future ocean uses. These

partnerships allow local, state, tribal, and federal

institutions to work together toward solutions for ocean and

coastal health and improved economies. In addition to these

regional efforts, several individual states are also

currently using smart-ocean planning as a management tool for

their state waters, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island,

New York, Washington, and Oregon.

Attempts to prohibit key coastal and ocean management

agencies from coordinating with coastal states, other federal

agencies and the public, or to undermine the National Ocean

Policy are severely misguided. Dismantling coordination

efforts results in overspending at the state and federal

level, duplicative and potentially conflicting processes

among agencies, and creates uncertainty among ocean-based

businesses and industries. Coordination at a regional scale

through Regional Ocean Partnerships and Regional Planning

Bodies provides a seat at the table for all ocean users to

address current and emerging ocean uses and conflicts.

Provisions attempting to impose arbitrary restrictions on

coordinated planning undermine these ongoing state and

regional efforts and threaten the progress already being made

to enhance ocean and coastal communities, economies, and

ecosystems. Accordingly, we oppose any effort to obstruct

funding for regional coordination and planning, or to

undermine participation by any relevant agency in regional

coordination and planning efforts.

Congress should be enhancing our ocean and coastal

economies by supporting coordinated ocean planning, not

creating arbitrary barriers for this ongoing work at the

local, state, and regional level. We urge you to reject any

provisions that would undermine continued progress on

coordinated ocean planning or seek to undermine the

implementation of the National Ocean Policy.

Sincerely,

National

American Littoral Society; Blue Frontier; Friends of the

National Ocean Policy; Greenpeace; GZA GeoEnvironmental,

Inc.; Interfaith Council for the Protection of Animals and

Nature; International Federation of Fly Fishers; League of

Conservation Voters; Mangrove Action Project (MAP); National

Audubon Society; National Marine Mammal Foundation; Natural

Resources Defense Council; Nature Abounds; Ocean Champions;

Ocean Conservancy; Ocean Conservation Research; Oceana; Save

Our Shores; Shark Stewards; Surfrider Foundation; The

Wilderness Society; WATERWATCH International; Wild Heritage

Planners.

regional

Anacostia Watershed Society; Center for Chesapeake

Communities; Conservation Law Foundation; Gulf of Mexico

Coastal Ocean Observing System; Gulf Restoration Network;

Markian Melnyk, President, Atlantic

Grid Development LLC; New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance;

Northwest Watershed Institute; Pacific Coast Shellfish

Growers Association.

california

Endangered Habitats League; Environmental Defense Center;

Monterey Coastkeeper; Ocean Defenders Alliance; The Otter

Project; Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director,

Waitt Institute; Dawn Wright, Ph.D., Chief Scientist,

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA; Jacob

A. James, Managing Director, Waitt Foundation; Jennifer

Harrower, Ph.D., Student, Environmental Studies, University

of California, Santa Cruz; Marc Shargel, Sea Life

Photographer and Author, Living Sea Images, Santa Cruz

County, California; Marilyn O'Neill, Founder & CEO, Nautilus

Environmental; Zdravka Tzankova, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,

Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz.

colorado

Colorado Ocean Coalition.

connecticut

Rivers Alliance of Connecticut; Save the Sound, a program

of Connecticut Fund for the Environment.

Delaware

Delaware Nature Society; Dr. Alina M. Szmant, Professor of

Marine Biology, Center for Marine Science, University of

North Carolina Wilmington.

florida

Florida Wildlife Federation; Indian Riverkeeper; Fly &

Light Tackle Angler, Stuart, FL; Just-In-Time Charters; Palm

Beach County Reef Rescue; Drew Martin, Conservation Chair,

Loxhatchee Group; Sierra Club; Dr. Ed Schwerin, Professor of

Public Policy, Florida Atlantic University; Kristen Hoss,

President, Tanawha Presents LLC; Dr. Rozalind Jester,

Professor of Marine Science, Edison State College, Fort

Myers, FL.

louisiana

Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe.

maine

F/V Sea Keeper; Great Harbor Maritime Museum; Island

Institute; Maine Wind Industry Initiative; Sea Keeper Fishery

Consulting LLC; Richard C. Nelson, Captain F/V Pescadero,

Maine Regional Ocean Planning Advisory Group, Friendship,

Maine; Ryan Beaumont, P.E., Principal Engineer, R.M. Beaumont

Corp., Brunswick, Maine.

maryland

1000 Friends of Maryland; Maryland Academy of Sciences;

Maryland Coastal Bays Program; National Aquarium; Daniel

Trott, Owner, Maritime Sector Solutions, LLC, Fort

Washington, MD; Drew J. Koslow, Choptank Riverkeeper,

Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy; John H. Dunnigan, Sailor

and Grandpa.

Massachusetts

Alewives Anonymous; Peter Phippen, Coastal Coordinator,

Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program, Eight Towns and

the Great Marsh Committee; Richard F. Delaney, President &

C.E.O., Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA; Robert

Stoddard, Executive Vice President, GWAVE LLC, Boston, MA;

Tedd Saunders, CSO, The Saunders Hotel Group, Boston, MA.

new hampshire

Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation; Seacoast

Science Center; Noah J. Elwood, PE, Appledore Marine

Engineering.

new jersey

Environment New Jersey; SandyHook SeaLife Foundation; Margo

Pellegrino, Founder, Miami2Maine; Michael L. Pisauro, Jr.

Legislative Affairs Director, New Jersey Environmental Lobby.

new york

Blue Ocean Institute; Citizens Campaign for the

Environment; Empire State Consumer Project; Friends of the

Bay; Group for the East End; Operation SPLASH; Arthur H.

Kopelman, Ph.D., President, Coastal Research and Education

Society of Long Island; Harald Duell, Senior Vice President,

Ardour Capital Investments, LLC, The Empire State Building,

New York, NY; Jackie Quillen, The Garden Club of East

Hampton.

oregon

Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition; Oregon Wave Energy

Trust; Port Orford Ocean Resource Team; Chares Steinback,

Director, Point 97; Ruby Gate, CEO, Point 97.

pennsylvania

Captain Joel S. Fogel, The Explorers Club, First World

Ambassador.

rhode island

The Ocean Project; Bill McElroy, Captain/Owner, FV Ellen

June; Jeff Grybowski, CEO, Deepwater Wind; Michael C. Tuttle,

Manager Marine Services Division, HRA Gray & Pape, LLC,

Providence, RI.

south carolina

South Carolina Coastal Conservation League; Waccamaw

Riverkeeper; Paul M. Rosenblum Ph.D., Faculty Advisor to the

Honor Committee, Professor of Biology, The Citadel.

texas

Texas Coastal Partners; Ann E. Jochens, Research Scientist,

Retired, Texas A&M University, College Station.

virginia

TerraScapes Environmental; Virginia Aquarium & Marine

Science Center; Eileen Levandoski, Assistant Director,

Virginia Chapter Sierra Club; W. Mark Swingle, Director of

Research & Conservation, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science

Center, Virginia Beach, VA.

washington

FOGH (Friends of Grays Harbor); Taylor Shellfish Farms;

Wild Fish Conservancy; Kathleen Sayce, Shoalwater Botanical,

Nahcotta, WA; Norman T. Baker, Ph.D., Executive Committee,

North Olympic Group of the Sierra Club.

west virginia

Christians for the Mountains.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to

States and tribes having a seat at the table for Federal oceans decisions and vote ``yes'' on the Lowenthal amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Thank you, Congressman. It is an honor to be here. It is an honor to work with you on LGBT issues and all issues before the Congress, but as you point out, this is a historic time that we are living through.

This month, as you point out, marks LGBT Pride Month, a time for all of us to come together and remember the struggles for inclusion and the steps we are taking together to promote equality today, tomorrow, and generations to come.

Also, as you pointed out, it marks the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York. The riots in June of 1969 were a turning point for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and also for all its allies, friends, and family.

This is a moment when the community came together and stood up and said no--no to intolerance, no to homophobia, and no to homophobic public policies.

So much has changed since that night at the Stonewall Inn. Today, the egregious Defense of Marriage Act has been overturned by the United States Supreme Court, and marriage equality has come to 20 States, including my home State of California.

I am pleased to say two weekends ago I had the honor of being an affiant in the marriage of a loving couple of the LGBT community. The momentum for marriage equality is continuing, and we are living through a time when change is before us.

As you pointed out, I was listening to the discussions before the United States Supreme Court on DOMA and on Proposition 8, and I was so caught up and offended by people not wanting to provide equality when they would testify before it that I said that I would fly the pride flag from that day forward until equality is attained by all people, and especially the LGBT community. And that flag still flies today. Although there have been great strides, equality is still not here.

For example, there is no Federal law that explicitly protects the LGBT individuals from employment discrimination. Congress now has a unique opportunity to change that and make history. The Employment Non- Discrimination Act, also known as ENDA, has 205 bipartisan cosponsors and will ban all workplace discrimination against the LGBT community. This bill is the next important step on the inevitable march towards equality, and it will change the way in which we deal with all of our brothers and sisters, and it will provide the dignity that the LGBT community deserves.

I was pleased to hear that President Obama has indicated that he is soon to issue an executive order regarding LGBT discrimination, that he will ban all Federal Government contractors from discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Since taking office, the President has added critical protections to the Violence Against Women Act that protects the LGBT community and repeals the decades-old military policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

These are great steps, and we are living through a time of great change, but now it is Congress' turn to act so we can finally close this chapter of inequality. We must pass ENDA during the 113th Congress so we can take the

next step towards ending discrimination now and forever.

I thank you very much.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky, thank you for providing me this time to speak on the floor today.

Mr. Chairman, as we all know, providing science, technology, engineering, and math education to America's youth is critical to the global competitiveness of our Nation. The STARBASE program engages local fifth grade elementary students by exposing them to STEM subjects through an inquiry-based curriculum that is currently active in 56 congressional districts throughout the country. We need to be committed to ensuring the United States remains competitive globally by strengthening the pipeline of American graduates with degrees in STEM fields.

That is why I am offering STARBASE amendment No. 32 to H.R. 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. My bipartisan amendment, with Congressman Benishek, increases funding to the STARBASE Youth Program by $5 million. The STARBASE program is carried out by the military because the lack of STEM-educated youth in America has been identified as a future national security issue by the Department of Defense.

Last year, both the House and the Senate rejected the Office of Management and Budget's proposal to terminate this critical program. As a Member of Congress, I appreciate the OMB's desire to consolidate the STEM programs across the spectrum into one funding line. However, this is a national defense issue, and it has been identified by the Joint Chiefs of Staff as such.

STARBASE was created under the auspices of the Department of Defense to meet its critical needs in STEM-related fields. Regrettably, the funding uncertainty caused by last year's OMB action has resulted in the elimination of all of the programs operated by the Navy, and it has reduced the fiscal year 2014 number of DOD STARBASE programs from 79 down to 56 sites. Despite the funding issues, the DOD currently has 25 sites on a waiting list for a program, and that is why we need a small increase in the number of STARBASE programs.

I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their strong leadership in reestablishing the funding for the program, and I respectfully request an additional $5 million to help expand the program. It is one of the most cost-effective programs, and it is also reported by the Department of Defense as being one of the most effective of the STEM programs.

My amendment makes a significant step towards providing and engaging America's youth with the tools they need to pursue careers in STEM-- fields in which jobs are available and in which there is a significant lack of trained workers. STARBASE inspires America's youth to discover technical fields that are imperative for our future national security challenges. During this time of economic recovery, we cannot lose this battle and concede our technical edge to the rest of the world.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, the House Natural Resources Committee marked up amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act, the law that manages our Nation's Federal fisheries.

Unfortunately, the bill that passed out of committee was not a bipartisan effort. Among its many concerning provisions, the bill supersedes long-standing protections for endangered species and our national marine landmarks.

That is why I offered an amendment in committee that would have kept the Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Antiquities Act, and the Endangered Species Act from being overridden by Magnuson-Stevens.

That act, Magnuson-Stevens, is really designed to manage fisheries, not to safeguard our national marine treasures. Thankfully, the Senate is taking a bipartisan approach to Magnuson-Stevens. I urge our committee leaders to follow their example and work across party lines to build a bipartisan fisheries bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 36. Few people in history have shown the sort of bravery for which we will be honoring Raoul Wallenberg.

As Sweden's special envoy to Hungary during the Second World War, Mr. Wallenberg quietly issued thousands--and I say thousands--of protective passports and sheltered as many Jews as he could in Swedish Embassy buildings, protecting them from being rounded up by the Fascist authorities. It is estimated that his efforts saved potentially up to 100,000 Jews from the horrors of the Holocaust.

Sadly, as the gentlewoman from Michigan pointed out, Mr. Wallenberg would never see the impact of his great work. As the Iron Curtain descended on Eastern Europe, he was apprehended by Soviet authorities, never to be seen again; but if not for his commitment to the protection of human rights, untold thousands would not be among us today.

One of the lives that he saved was that of our former colleague, Congressman Tom Lantos, who wrote the bill making Raoul Wallenberg an honorary citizen of the United States in 1981.

In 2012, we posthumously awarded Raoul Wallenberg the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust. This resolution will allow the use of the rotunda for a ceremony presenting the Gold Medal to his family in honor of Mr. Wallenberg for his noble and selfless actions.

I urge all Members to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 36, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, after speaking with the majority committee staff, and in deference to the wishes of the Chair, I want to be clear that I will be withdrawing this amendment at the conclusion of my control of time.

In fiscal year 2010, a number of transportation projects, including critical seismic safety projects, received appropriations from Congress but were unable to receive the funding due to an incorrect account designation in the appropriations act. According to the Department of Transportation, the funds remain unobligated but inaccessible due to the congressional error in the account designation.

Mr. Chair, crucial transportation projects needed to ensure public safety that were intended to be funded by Congress have been left without funding due to technical errors.

My amendment would ensure that those unobligated funds currently stuck in limbo would be made available for the surface transportation program projects. This shouldn't be controversial. There is already language in the underlying bill before us that does something very similar. It transfers unobligated funds appropriated in previous years from one transportation program to another.

I hope that, moving forward, the gentleman from Iowa will work with us to correct these accounting errors that have left crucial transportation projects without funding.

Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

Offered By: Mr. Lowenthal

Amendment No. 31: Page 156, after line 10, insert the

following:

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join with thousands of people in my district and millions across the country to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this May. This month, we celebrate the innumerable contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to communities in every corner of our Nation.

California's 47th District is a testament to the richness and diversity with which Asian Pacific Americans have added to the fabric of our country, from Little Saigon and the Korean Business District in Westminster and Garden Grove to Cambodia Town and the Filipino and Pacific Islander communities in Long Beach.

This year also marks the 35th anniversary of the end of the Cambodian genocide and the 39th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. It reminds us of the courage and the bravery with which millions of Asian Pacific Americans made the journey to the United States to build a better life for themselves and for their children.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Madam Chairman, I join my colleagues tonight in opposition to the irresponsible cuts in this bill to vital climate research. The CJS mark slashes NOAA's climate research program by 24 percent below the fiscal year 2014 levels and 37 percent below the President's fiscal year 2015 request.

Does the majority think that with less climate research we can make better informed decisions? Does the majority think that with less climate research we can better prepare our communities for higher storm surges? Does the majority think with less climate research we can better understand why the Western United States has increased wildfires and water shortages? Does the majority think that with less climate research we can improve our predictions and responses in our planning for hurricanes? And, finally, does the majority think that with less climate research we can improve our ability to model regional weather pattern changes, which will affect the productivity of our agricultural sector?

Unfortunately, the majority's bill shortchanges our ability to realize all these vital benefits of climate research. If we hide our heads in the sand, the laws of physics will not change. We cannot wish away this problem. Denying a changing climate is not just another political position. It is a denial of reality.

I want to make this point to those in Congress who think the verdict is still out on whether human actions contribute to climate change. This is false, it is wrong, and it is misleading. The case is closed: climate change is happening, and humans are contributing.

Today, there is not a single scientific body of national or international standing that rejects the findings of human contribution to climate change--not one. To further make this point, let me share the latest work from researcher Dr. James Powell, a geochemist and 12- year member of the National Science Board who was appointed by both President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush.

Dr. Powell recently completed an update to his comprehensive study of the peer-reviewed literature on climate change. Dr. Powell found that of the 10,885 peer-reviewed scientific papers that were published on climate change in all of 2013, only two papers reject human contributions to climate change--two out of nearly 11,000. That is less than two-hundredths of 1 percent of all scientific journal papers published in 2013 that are peer reviewed rejected some form of human contribution to climate change.

This is not disagreement. This is not a divided scientific community. The reason for this is simple: there is no convincing scientific evidence against a human role in climate change. Period. End of discussion. Those that deny human contributions to climate change offer no compelling evidence to better explain the undeniable rise in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and accompanying rising global temperature.

The case is closed. We need to put this illusion of major scientific disagreement behind us and take action. We should be fully funding NOAA's climate research hopefully at the level requested by President Obama in his 2015 budget request.

I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the United States is currently in negotiations with our P5+1 partners and Iran over the fate of Tehran's illicit nuclear program. I support the President's efforts to negotiate an agreement to end Iran's nuclear weapons question, and I am hopeful, but I am also concerned, that this goal may or may not be achieved.

As the initial 6-month period for negotiations comes to an end on July 20 and as we debate the NDAA, it is crucial for Congress to speak out on what a good deal with Iran would look like.

Congress must insist that final agreement ensures that Tehran has no pathway to a nuclear weapon. As the President and Secretary Kerry have repeatedly said, no deal is better than a bad deal.

Any agreement must include an inspection and verification regime that provides for anytime, anywhere inspections to ensure that Iran is complying with a deal.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for inviting me. I too was moved by the speech and the talking from my dear friend and colleague from North Carolina.

As we know, 66 years ago, with the darkness of the Holocaust still fresh in all of our minds, the State of Israel was born as a shining beacon of freedom and democracy.

I was born just as the Second World War was beginning. I remember when the State of Israel was founded. My family, my mother, was an immigrant; my father was the first of his family to be born in the United States from immigrant parents. Now I am so proud to be here as a Member of the House of Representatives and to recognize also that my country was the first nation to recognize Israel.

Since 1948, and as I can say, there was such great pride I took when Israel fought its war of independence, when Israel became a state, and Israel has persevered against great threats both large and small while at the same time building a dynamic, thriving, and innovative economy.

Today, we are so proud of our unbreakable bonds with Israel, built upon our common foundation of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Israel is without question the United States' closest ally in the Middle East and most likely our closest ally throughout the world. The people of Israel continue to be a symbol of democratic courage in the Middle East and throughout the world.

As I remember and we recall the independence and the founding of the State of Israel 66 years ago, I am reminded of the words of President John F. Kennedy, who said:

Israel was not created in order to disappear. Israel will

endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the

brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized

by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors

the sword of freedom.

Happy Independence Day--Yom Ha'atzmaut Sameach.