Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 358, the Protect Life Act.

We've worked so hard over the last few decades to advance women's health and the Protect Life Act just steamrolls right over that progress.

This bill would bar anyone getting federal health subsidies from purchasing private insurance policies that include abortion coverage. This makes it unlikely that ANY health plan would cover abortion, alienating all American women from truly comprehensive health plans.

It allows hospitals to refuse to provide life-saving abortions to women who face imminent threat of death.

And it gives states the ability to attack coverage of non-abortion related services, such as contraception.

I support a woman's legal right to opt for, or against, an abortion. The decision is private. It's a matter of faith and it's a matter of conscience, and our Constitution recognizes this.

The Protect Life Act is a shameful attempt to impose a radical political agenda on women. It strips away their individual liberties and puts their health at serious risk. This bill is wrong, this bill is dangerous, and this House should reject it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness to speak about the passing of my constituent--an American icon, an American genius--Steve Jobs.

Steve was a child of Silicon Valley before there even was a Silicon Valley. He was born here, he was raised here, he started his business here, and he raised his family here. He was a part of Silicon Valley from start to finish, and I'm proud to have had him as my constituent.

Like many of Silicon Valley's pioneers and innovators, Steve began in a garage with just a simple idea and an oversized dream. And from those humble beginnings, his creative genius literally shaped our entire world.

In his short life, Steve Jobs' accomplishments elevated him as one of the great America innovators, not only in the 20th and 21st centuries, but in the history of our entire nation.

Steve said, ``We're here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?'' He put far more than just a dent in the world--he changed the way we work, learn, play and live--Macs, iPods, iTunes, iPhones, iPads, movies, design, and the democratization of the technology. He personalized technology for every man, woman and child.

As the world will mourn him, Silicon Valley will personally miss him, his brilliant mind, and his restless genius. Steve urged colleagues and friends, ``Your time is limited. Don't waste it living someone else's dream.'' Steve's legacy will live on and it will continue to inspire future generations of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire U.S. House of Representatives to join with me in expressing our deepest sympathy to Laurene Jobs and their four children.

As a poet wrote ``. . . and so he passed, and all the trumpets sounded on the other side.''

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I rise in support of this amendment. I think it's a very, very important one.

The bill nullifies the EPA's rules to require boilers and incinerators to reduce their emissions of toxic mercury. That's really quite a sentence: the bill would nullify rules to require boilers and incinerators to reduce their emissions of toxic mercury. In doing so, this bill nullifies the mercury reductions in our country that would have been achieved; and it indefinitely delays, not just for a given time frame, it's indefinite, indefinitely delays the implementation of any replacement standards that EPA issues.

My friend, Mr. Whitfield, said earlier today that the bill does not provide for an indefinite delay of any new rules. That is false. The bill clearly states that facilities have at least 5 years to comply without any hard deadline for compliance. That's the definition of an indefinite delay.

Our Republican colleagues also claim that mercury pollution from dirty boilers and incinerators does not harm public health. That is quite a stand. I think it's terrifying myself, in a civilized society, that this is not going to damage anyone and their health. They blame China, even though U.S. facilities are emitting toxic mercury pollution from smokestacks right here within our borders. I acknowledge that there is some that does come from China. Are we going to replicate China? I don't think that's the gold standard for our country. The mercury released here at home is just as toxic as mercury released anywhere. That's how toxic it is. Ours is not less toxic because it's U.S. It's the same horrible, dangerous stuff.

And how toxic is it? There are a lot of things under attack here in the House of Representatives, but I think one of the most serious attacks is the attack on science. We're coming up with a lot of political science for underlying legislation. Listen to what the National Academy of Sciences has said. They stated unequivocally that mercury is a powerful neurotoxin. The National Academy of Sciences has stated that mercury is highly toxic. They state, and I quote, exposure to mercury can result in adverse effects in several

organ systems throughout the life span of humans and animals. There are extensive data on the effects of mercury on the development of the brain in humans.

The National Academy of Sciences has also stated that exposure to mercury can cause ``mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, and blindness'' in children exposed in utero and sensory and motor impairment in exposed adults. This is stunningly shocking. This is not Republican pollution or Democratic pollution. This is something that will harm our people. Why would we not protect them?

The National Academy of Sciences said again, and I quote, chronic, low-dose prenatal mercury exposure has been associated with impacts on attention, fine motor function, language and verbal memory. The National Academy of Sciences has stated that prenatal mercury exposure has, quote, the potential to cause irreversible damage to the developing central nervous system.

Our Republican friends say we shouldn't worry about mercury pollution from boilers, incinerators, cement kilns and power plants. I know who I trust, and it's not the phony baloney political science around here. I'll put my money any day on what the National Academy of Sciences says. They are the gold standard in our country. This is not something to be fooled around with. This is a huge danger to our people.

This amendment is straightforward. It states that the bill does not stop EPA from taking action to clean up toxic air pollution from an incinerator or a chemical plant or a manufacturing plant with a dirty boiler if that facility is emitting mercury or other toxic pollutants.

I urge my colleagues to vote for the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I'm deeply disappointed that once again we're voting on a bill designed to cripple the Environmental Protection Agency--the agency tasked with protecting our environment and our health.

This bill, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation, TRAIN, Act blocks and indefinitely delays two of the most important clean air regulations of the last few decades--the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.

These rules require decades-old coal-fired power plants with no modern pollution controls to install readily available technology, reducing cancer-causing dioxins, acid gases and mercury.

Mercury pollution from power plants is particularly harmful for children and can adversely affect developing brains and bodies. Nevertheless, the bill before us expands and deregulates mercury pollution.

The American Lung Association has highlighted the importance of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule:

The rule closes a toxic loophole that has existed for 20

years by updating standards to protect Americans all across

the country from hazardous air pollution. Without these

standards, toxic pollution will continue filling our lungs

and more people will suffer--and even die--unnecessarily.

TRAIN Act will create a Train Wreck that will pollute our air and put lives at risk. Ironically, the bill also creates exactly what the majority says they want to get rid of--a new bureaucratic layer to analyze only the cost of EPA regulations while ignoring critical, life- saving benefits.

This legislation is a waste of taxpayer money and I urge my colleagues to vote against it.

Mr. Speaker, we're voting on a Continuing Resolution that will fund the government through November 18th and provide

disaster assistance to many who desperately need it.

While I strongly support providing immediate federal support to those affected by the recent natural disasters, I'm dismayed and disappointed that the GOP leadership would pay for it at the expense of the successful Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program.

The ATVM program, created and funded with bipartisan support and signed into law by President George W. Bush, has created or saved 41,000 jobs from California to Michigan to Kentucky. The program is on- track to create another 35,000 to 40,000 by year's end.

There is no question that this program has and can continue to help ensure that our nation has a robust domestic auto manufacturing industry to build the next generation of fuel efficient cars.

Cutting funding for this program is short-sighted and will hurt our nation's rise as a global leader in advance vehicle technology and strip away good-paying jobs that Americans are so in need of. The $1.5 billion cut to the program will likely cost 10,000 jobs.

House Republicans are pitting two great needs against each other--the need to create jobs and the need to support those harmed by natural disasters. Unfortunately, we are harming our entire nation by putting these two important goals in conflict with one another.

It is for these reasons that I must urge my colleagues to vote against the GOP Fiscal Year 2012 Continuing Resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. C.J. Huang who was awarded the Dean's Medal on Saturday, September 10, 2011, by Dean Philip Pizzo of the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Huang called the event the 'happiest day of his life' and he spoke eloquently about his philosophy and that of generations in his family of giving and the privilege of philanthropy. Dr. Huang was described in the event program as follows:

``Dr. Chang Jen Huang was born in 1916 in Liu Yang City, in Hunan Province, China. He received a Master's degree in engineering from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is a special member of the Stanford Research Institute. Dr. Huang has established a number of graduate scholarship funds and fellowships at Stanford supporting surgical oncology, cardiovascular research, and the exchange of medical education and research between China and the United States.

Dr. Huang is a passionate supporter of Dr. Sam So, Lui Hac Minh Professor in the School of Medicine and Director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Dr. Huang is the honorary founder of the Asian Liver Center, established in 1996, to address the disproportionately high prevalence of Hepatitis B and liver cancer in the Asian and Pacific Islander populations) with the ultimate goal of eradicating Hepatitis B worldwide.

A dedicated philanthropist in many areas related to education and global health, Dr. Huang has most recently given a gift to establish the C.J. Huang Building at Stanford University. When constructed, this building with be the future home of the Asian Liver Center and other medical school programs.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a great philanthropist, one whose life's work has been to promote science and education. Dr. Huang's support of the Asian Liver Center will help eradicate this disease and his gifts to Stanford will ensure that future generations will enjoy a high quality of life because of his extraordinary vision and generosity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Stanley N. Cohen, M.D., who was awarded the Dean's Medal on Saturday, September 10, 2011, by Dean Philip Pizzo of the Stanford University School of Medicine. He noted in his comments at the event that it was a particular honor to be honored by his colleagues and by Stanford. Dr. Cohen was described in the event program as follows:

Stanley N. Cohen, M.D., is a magna cum laude graduate of Rutgers University. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1960. Following subsequent training at the National Institutes of Health, he joined the Stanford faculty in 1968.

Dr. Cohen is the Kwoh-Ting Li Professor in the School of Medicine, Professor and former Chair of Genetics, and Professor of Medicine at Stanford. He and his colleague, Herbert W.

Boyer, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, revolutionized the fields of biology and chemistry by inventing genetic engineering. Their discovery of a methodology for propagating DNA, the hereditary material of all living things, in foreign hosts has provided the cornerstone for virtually all modern biological and medical science, and a foundation for the current revolution in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Dr. Cohen has received numerous honors, including the National Medal of Science, the National Medal of Technology, the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the Wolf Prize in Medicine, the Research Award of the Helmut Horten Foundation, the Prix de L'Institut de la Vie, the Lemelson-MIT Prize, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, and the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine. He has been elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a past chair of its genetics section, a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Cohen has also received ScD honoris causa degrees from Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a truly great American, one whose life's work has enhanced the lives of others and will continue to do so for generations. Together with other brilliant scientists, he continues to build on his discoveries. He adds great luster to Stanford University and to American science, and I'm extraordinarily proud to honor him and his work in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Peter Walker, a 2011 recipient of the St. Madeleine Sophie Award. The Award is given by the Sacred Heart School Community in Atherton, California, to individuals who have made sustained and significant contributions to the Schools and embody the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education. Peter Walker's commitment to the mission of Sacred Heart education is an inspiration to everyone, and has earned him the prestigious St. Madeleine Sophie Award.

Peter Walker was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English Literature from Boston College, a Masters in Education in Counseling Psychology, also from Boston College, and a Master of Divinity from Weston School of Theology. Peter has been at Sacred Heart since 1993, and prior to that was a campus minister at Stanford University.

As a teacher and Head of the Religious Studies Department at Sacred Heart, Peter Walker is devoted to his students and fellow faculty members, as well as being dedicated to their spiritual growth and meeting their needs every day.

Peter enjoys the arts, reading, golf and travelling. Paris is a favorite destination of Peter and Megan Walker and they return there whenever possible.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Peter Walker as he receives the St. Madeleine Sophie Award and to salute him for his tireless work on behalf of the Sacred Heart Schools community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jan Reeves, a 2011 recipient of the St. Madeleine Sophie Award. The Award is given by the Sacred Heart School Community in Atherton, California, to individuals who have made sustained and significant contributions to the Schools and embody the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education.

Jan Reeves has taught for thirteen years at Sacred Heart Lower and Middle Schools. As a teacher for 33 years, Jan says her years at Sacred Heart have been the most rewarding because she has had the ``opportunity to expose students to a deeply enriched art experience.'' Her lessons combine art history and world history, anthropology, music appreciation, poetry, religion and current events. This combined approach brings art to life for the students and keeps it fresh and relevant to them.

Jan Reeves credits her own middle school art teacher with introducing her to the visual arts and teaching her to appreciate them. She has patterned her teaching on his inspirational work, and has worked to teach her students as she was taught.

Jan Reeves says that receiving the St. Madeleine Sophie Award is ``amazing,'' but what she will remember most fondly from her years as a teacher is ``how the students responded to those fine arts experiences''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Jan Reeves as she receives the prestigious St. Madeleine Sophie Award and salute her for her extraordinary work and deep commitment to teaching her students the life-enriching appreciation of the arts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John N. Hunter, a 2011 recipient of the St. Madeleine Sophie Award. The Award is given by the Sacred Heart School Community in Atherton, California, to individuals who have made sustained and significant contributions to the schools and embody the goals and criteria of a Sacred Heart education. John Hunter's commitment to the mission of Sacred Heart education spans decades, is an inspiration to everyone, and has earned him the coveted St. Madeleine Sophie Award.

John N. Hunter is a 1951 graduate of Stanford University and served his country as a member of the United States Army. He is a successful entrepreneur and has made significant contributions in the fields of education and community development.

John N. Hunter joined the Sacred Heart Schools Board of Trustees in 1978. This was a time of transition for the schools. John helped craft the first strategic plan and was a leader of the schools' first capital campaign. He has served on the board of the Religious of the Sacred Heart's Oakwood Retirement Community, and played a key role in expanding the facility and building a chapel.

John has been married to the former Josephine Kegley since 1959, and they are the proud parents of five children: Julene, Wendi, Elizabeth, John and Mary, all of whom attended Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating John N. Hunter as he receives the St. Madeleine Sophie Award and salute him for his tireless work, his humility, his wonderful sense of humor, and his lasting commitment to the extraordinary education of the Religious of the Sacred Heart and their schools in Atherton, California, where generations of children have been shaped, strengthening our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Malin Kenneth Oshman, a visionary, a leader, a builder of businesses, a family man, and a most generous contributor to our community. A man of his brilliance and accomplishment is a rarity, and his family's great loss is also a great loss for our nation.

Ken is reported to have said, ``The interesting thing is that there are so few important decisions. You don't have to go in the `right' direction. You don't have to enter the `right' business. What you have to do is have made a decision as to what you're going to do and then you just have to figure out how to succeed at it.'' Ken succeeded at many things, including earning B.S. and B.S.E.E degrees from Rice University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University, while working at Sylvania. He was a founder of ROLM Corporation, and was CEO, President and Executive Chairman of Echelon until he stepped down for health reasons. He served on many corporate boards and was a mentor to countless Silicon Valley leaders and an advisor to President Reagan.

Ken's final corporate creation was Echelon, a company that is working to transform the electricity grid into a smart, communicating energy control network. At the company's 20th anniversary event, Ken spoke about the company's future opportunities and his hopes for it. His words demonstrate Ken's concern not just for his company, but for all of us. ``Today, the demand for energy has made it obvious that efficiency is the best, most accessible, and lowest cost alternative fuel in existence, and we believe Echelon is at the forefront in delivering the technology to make the world a more energy efficient, cleaner, and better place.''

Ken's creations were not limited to high-tech businesses. Ken and his beloved wife Barbara donated $10 million to help create the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, a building many times larger than the 2,000 square foot building in Texas where Jewish families gathered when he was a boy. The Oshman Family JCC, which opened two years ago, has already provided thousands of people with living space, healthy recreation, intergenerational activities, child care and more.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our deepest sympathies to the Oshman family . . . his childhood sweetheart and wife of 49 years, Barbara; his two sons, Peter and David, and their wives, Stephanie and Joanna; four grandchildren; and his brother and sister- in-law, Rick and Tania Oshman of Texas. His loss will be felt deeply by his family, by the Silicon Valley he helped to found, and to all those who had the privilege of knowing him. He was a great and good man, and his life's work, in all of its diverse dimensions, will live long after him. I have always considered it a great privilege to know Ken Oshman, to represent him and to call him my friend. He made his community better and our country stronger.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an extraordinary couple, Ann and Dick Marshall, as they celebrate a great milestone in their lives on September 9, 2011--fifty years of marriage.

They are the proud and devoted parents of Katie, Richard and Kristin; the loving grandparents of eight grandchildren--Annie, Gabriel and Lochan Flaherty; Seph, Tonnan and Raffi Marshall-Burgardt; and Owen and Fiona Marshall-Young. They are also the terrific mother and father-in- law to John Flaherty, Madeline Marshall and Paul Young.

Ann Dillon and Dick Marshall met at St. David's School in New York as they were each pursing their careers in education. They were married in 1961, at St. Augustine Church in Larchmont, New York, and went on to build a storied life, filled to the brim with children, grandchildren, educational pursuits, a love for learning and the betterment of humankind, nourished by the deep faith they share.

Ann and Dick made their home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where Dick taught Russian and Russian literature at the University of Toronto, and Ann taught ESL to generations of immigrants.

One of their great loves is their farm--Valley Haven--where Dick, the gardener extraordinaire, raises hundreds of varieties of daffodils, taps his own maple syrup, raises turkeys, and makes his own wine.

Ann and Dick are avid readers, travelers and adventurers. Dick cooks marvelous meals and Ann lights all the candles, and together they light up everyone's life and the world around them.

The Marshalls are devoted parishioners of Holy Rosary Church, and it is there, with their entire family, that they will celebrate 50 years of marriage at Mass.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Ann and Dick Marshall on their 50th wedding anniversary, and pay tribute to them for the integrity of their lives together--for their extraordinary work as parents, grandparents and educators, and for being a source of joy and inspiration to me and countless others for so many years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of The Honorable Ron Swegles, a highly distinguished constituent, former Mayor and Vice Mayor, a dedicated City Councilman, a cherished friend and a beloved member of his community of Sunnyvale, California.

Ron Swegles passed into eternal life on July 20, 2011, at the age of 67. He blessed us all with his presence and his devotion to the people of Sunnyvale. He was a committed family man and is survived by his wife Gail, his five children, nine grandchildren and one great- granddaughter.

Ron Swegles graduated from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan, and shortly thereafter, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving from 1962 to 1966. After his military service, Ron attended Cleary University. In 1984, he moved his family to the Bay Area and made the Peninsula his new home.

Ron was a friend to everyone. He was well known in the community for always wanting to help others. He was a mentor to many Bay Area residents, which led him to seek local office. He was first elected to the Sunnyvale City Council in 2003 and he served as the City's Vice Mayor from 2004 to 2005, and as its Mayor from 2005 to 2006. Ron was a member of the City's Planning Commission, the Downtown Planning Committee, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Senior Advisory Committee. He was a graduate of both Leadership Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale Public Safety Community Academy, and he served as a board member for the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce.

Ron prized the value of civic service, dedicating his time to every aspect of local government. He was a member of the Military Affairs Council since 2004; the Moffett Restoration Advisory Board from 2004 to 2007; the Santa Clara Valley Water District Water Commission since 2008; the California Housing and Community Development Commission; and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Policy Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the Onizuka Local Redevelopment Authority and Citizens Advisory Committee for Base Closure, working toward a reuse plan that would convert the closing of Onizuka Air Force Station to an area that would continue to benefit Sunnyvale and the surrounding communities.

Ron was honored for his service on numerous occasions, including being named Sunnyvale Rotarian of the Year in 2003 by the Sunnyvale Rotary Club. One of Ron's greatest joys was when he was serving as a Director of Leisure Ministries at Los Altos United Methodist Church. Apart from his community service, Ron's professional career with Brandenburg Staedler & Moore spanned more than 21 years as their Community Advisor.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring the extraordinary fife and accomplishments of Ron Swegles and extend our sympathy to his family and friends whom he loved so much. His decades of contributions to his community and his country stand as lasting legacies of a life lived well. How privileged I am to have known this wonderful man and to have had him as a colleague and a friend. Those of us who knew him will miss him deeply, and his life stands as a testament to what it means to be a community leader and a true patriot.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today with a coat of many colors. It is a little unusual to do this, but I'm very proud of it. And I think everyone will recognize this because this is the traditional white coat that doctors wear. It was given to me by the passionate residents at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in my district.

All of its pockets hold notes, and the notes were signed by the doctors and the nurses, all in support of a remarkable program in our country that has trained thousands of pediatricians and pediatric specialists over the last 12 years, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program.

It was first created in 1999 because there was a shortage of pediatricians in our country and subspecialists. And this program today has been wildly successful, increasing the number of pediatricians by 35 percent. Congress needs to approve this and keep in place those that take such good care of our children.

I thank Mr. Berman, our distinguished ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for not only yielding me this time but for his conscience, because that indeed is what this is about, and his unflagging leadership on so many issues. Your endorsement and strong support of this bill I think bolsters it enormously, and says to the entire House that a person that is steeped in the background of the issues of the entire world is for this.

I want to pay tribute to Mr. Wolf for his incredible advocacy on this issue relative to religious minorities for so long. It is an honor to have worked with you to bring this to a realization of not only legislation but to bring it to the floor. I salute you. You are a gentleman; and you, too, are a man of great conscience.

Mr. Speaker, I think today we are here on something that really distinguishes the United States of America. From the founding of our Nation, religious freedom has been a pillar of our democracy, and it remains one of the most critical exports of our great Nation. I think having said that really establishes the foundation of why we are here in strong support of H.R. 440. This bill, as my colleagues have said, will create a special envoy to promote religious freedom of religious minorities in the Near East and South Asia. The legislation responds to the very urgent needs of Christians and other religious minorities who are under siege. When I say that, I underscore it. They are under siege in the Middle East. Again, I commend everyone, especially Mr. Wolf, who has been part of this effort. And as a cochair of the Religious Minorities Caucus and all of the members of it, I thank them as well.

In January of this year, Representative Wolf chaired a hearing to review the violence and the hardships faced by Middle Eastern religious minorities. I was privileged to testify that day about the plight of many people, but most especially the Assyrians. I am of both Assyrian and Armenian descent, and the language Mr. Wolf spoke of, Aramaic, I speak fluently and understand very well. It is the language, as he said, that Jesus spoke. These are the world's oldest Christians, and they are quickly disappearing from Iraq. During this hearing, we also learned of Egypt's Coptic Christian population and the renewed threats they face and unacceptable violence in that uncertain political situation.

At the conclusion of the hearing, we agreed to press forward with this legislation to create a special envoy at the State Department, someone at the ambassador level to elevate this issue for the attention it deserves. We need a high-level official dedicated to religious freedom in the region, committed to addressing the concerns of the minority communities.

I am very, very pleased that this legislation has attracted very solid bipartisan support. We have 78 cosponsors, an even split between Republicans and Democrats, all calling for the State Department to elevate religious freedom in the Middle East as a diplomatic priority. There is a history for this. Senator John Danforth served our Nation as special envoy to Sudan, and Senator George Mitchell as special envoy to Northern Ireland, so there is precedent for this.

I want to speak of a meeting I had in my office last week. Three Dominican nuns, sisters who traveled from Iraq, and they once again relayed their story of what is happening to them. They have been dispersed across Iraq. They teach everyone regardless of their background, Muslims, Christians, no matter what the background is. And in their hospitals, they care for whomever is sick and wounded. And yet their convents have been burned, the statute of the Blessed Mother's hands chopped off and placed at their door. So these threats are very real. They are very real. That is just one example of it.

So this history of violence must and should be dealt with. As I said, our great Nation, our great Nation treasures its religious freedoms, and it is part of the core of our democracy. So that's why I urge all of my colleagues to join us, not just me but all of us, in supporting this important legislation. The message that will go forward from this Chamber, with all of the other issues that are swirling around us, is that we stand with great dignity for one of the great principles of our great Nation.