Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Mai Hong, as she celebrates the fourth anniversary of the opening of ``A Touch of Elegance'', her thriving Menlo Park salon, founded October 4, 1999.

Mai Hong has built a remarkable business with loyal customers from throughout the community together with her able team of Cindy, Amy, Julie, Danny, Kim and Brittany.

From the time Mai arrived in the United States from Viet Nam in 1984, she has built a better life for her two children, her mother, herself and so many others. Mai celebrates daily the privileges and responsibilities of her American citizenship.

How proud I am to honor her work, her values, and her deep love for her adopted country. She is a model for others to emulate and she is a woman I'm proud to call my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mai Hong and the entire ``Touch of Elegance'' team as they celebrate their fourth anniversary, a model business in California's 14th Congressional District.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Sherman-Lee Amendment to give consumers control over their financial information.

Seven million Americans were victims last year of ID theft. Overall, more than 33 million Americans have had their identities used by someone else sometime since 1990.

The Department of Justice says ID theft is the nation's fastest growing financial crime and the damages to consumers are becoming even more significant.

Despite the fact that millions of Americans are victimized by identity theft each year, Congress is getting ready to pass a bill that blocks states from enacting tougher reforms.

The strongest financial privacy law in the nation passed in California last month with overwhelming bipartisan support. This new law, sponsored by State Senator Jackie Speier, allows consumers to stop banks and other financial institutions from sharing confidential account and transaction histories with most of their affiliated companies.

As we consider this matter, I urge my colleagues to vote to bring these protections to all Americans and make sure that any changes to the Fair Credit Reporting Act truly benefit consumers.

Vote in favor of the Sherman-Lee Amendment which protects California's financial privacy law and allow other states to enact similar laws.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Captain Timothy McHenry who has served with distinction in the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department for almost thirty-seven years and who is now retiring.

Before his career with the Sheriffs Office, Tim McHenry drove an ambulance and served in the Army Reserves. He joined the Sheriff's Office on September 19, 1966 as a Deputy Sheriff, a rank he held for eight years. In this position he was assigned to the patrol unit, the courts and the manpower pool. He took over the Explorer program in 1969, devoting himself to serving the youth of our community. He has earned the many commendations from the five Sheriffs he has served under in his career for his extraordinary leadership and affiliation with Exploring.

Tim McHenry was promoted to Sergeant on October 1, 1974, a rank he held for 23 years. He served as Administrative Sergeant in the Reserve Program and was also active with the Divers, beginning the organization of the Emergency Services Bureau. He developed the Emergency Services Detail, the primary unit within San Mateo County that searches for lost people. He also launched a second Explorer post and the Deputy Cliff Rescue unit which has been responsible for many rescues on the cliffs of San Mateo County.

Tim McHenry developed the search and rescue coordinator position, a 24-hour on-call position for search and rescue, fires, floods, earthquakes and hazardous materials. This program has been expanded to include terrorism response. He initiated the County Commanders' paging system for mutual aid, developed the mobile field force concept for enforcement in mutual aid zones and developed, with the County's police chiefs, the personal protective equipment concept for all law enforcement in San Mateo County.

Tim McHenry has been honored by several Sheriffs for developing STAR camp, a very successful summer camp opportunity for youth in San Mateo County. He brought the Exploring Challenge, a regional Explorer event with competitions and education for teenagers, to San Mateo County in 1996 and 2000.

Tim McHenry was promoted to Lieutenant in March 16, 1977 and to Captain in March, 2002.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Captain Tim McHenry for his extraordinary service to our community spanning almost four decades and in wishing him every blessing in his well-deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Judy Gaither who is retiring from the Executive Directorship of the Human Investment Project (HIP) for Housing, a non-profit group that provides affordable housing in San Mateo County, after serving with distinction for almost eight years.

Mrs. Gaither joined HIP Housing as a senior citizens housing specialist in 1984, and has served as director for several of the organization's programs before being named Executive Director in 1995.

Mrs. Gaither has earned countless honors and awards. She was selected as an honoree for Women's History Month by KQED, and was inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame in 2002. She sits on the board of directors for the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce, the board of the Housing Action Team, and is board Chairperson for the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County.

Mrs. Gaither's passion for helping adults, children and seniors in need has been the driving force behind her extraordinary work. Under her leadership HIP Housing has expanded dramatically, acquiring 177 apartment units for low- and fixed-income residents of San Mateo County during her tenure, including a 92-unit apartment complex for seniors and 11 housing units for people with developmental and physical disabilities. HIP Housing has also grown into an organization with a significant budget, of which an extraordinary 85 percent goes directly to client services.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Judy Gaither for her extraordinary service to our community and our country, and wish her every blessing in her well-earned retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of both the Chile and the Singapore Free Trade Agreements.

Free trade and expanding global markets for U.S. goods and services are critical tools to spur our faltering economy.

The Chile and Singapore free trade agreements open new markets in Latin America and Asia, important regions in the midst of economic development.

The Chile Free Trade Agreement immediately drops tariffs on 85 percent of all U.S. exports, providing a penalty-free entry for almost all American products into an untapped market. We must seize this opportunity.

The Singapore Free Trade Agreement is especially critical since it's the first trade agreement we've negotiated with an Asian country.

I recognize that through trade we export more than just U.S. goods and services. We are in fact exporting our domestic standards for protecting our environment and workforce.

I have strong concerns about how this Administration has diminished the domestic environmental and labor standards they inherited.

But I also believe that we must move forward to open global markets and I think these trade agreements set a solid precedent for doing just that.

I'm encouraged that both Chile and Singapore have a history of protecting the environment and that their labor laws are based on the International Labor Organization's core principles.

It's critical that future trade deals enhance these important standards.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting these important trade agreements.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2210. Head Start should be strengthened even more, rather than dismantled. It is the most effective program for children in our country today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member for yielding me this time.

I rise in opposition to H.R. 2427. Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important for everyone in the House to really understand exactly what this bill will do.

Some think that drug reimportation will dramatically reduce drug costs in the United States. This has never been proven. Secretaries of Health and Human Services for two Presidents have stated that they could not certify that reimportation would actually save Americans money.

Now, minus this guarantee that the bill would ever achieve its primary purpose, I think we are taking huge risks for little or no gain.

Secondly, the bill is dangerously flawed and poses considerable risks to the people that we represent. Current law states that the Secretary of HHS must certify that reimportation will not add risks to the public health. This bill removes that requirement, effectively eliminating our last line of defense against unsafe and illegal pharmaceuticals.

The bill expands reimportation to 25 countries, many of which do not have the regulatory regimes that even remotely, remotely match the FDA.

This is very different from ``Canada only.'' We have the safest drug supply in the world today, and Americans rely on this safety every day. Do we really want to dilute this?

The sponsors of 2427 have said the bill contains numerous provisions that will ensure that drugs reimported into our country are safe. I disagree. The bill purports to only allow reimportation of drugs made in FDA-approved factories, but the bill also eliminates the requirements that reimporters demonstrate who has had custody of a drug since its creation. Now, how can we verify that a drug is made in an FDA-approved facility if we do not even know who had custody of it last?

The bill requires reimporters to test the drugs they are bringing back into the United States to ensure they are legitimate. The results of those tests are to be verified by the FDA. Is there an appropriation to this bill to fund the added mandate to the FDA? There is not.

The bill requires counterfeit-proof packaging for many of the drugs that will be reimported to the United States. And yet there is not any guarantee that the counterfeit technology

itself will not be counterfeit or tampered with. This is happening in the United States today as we debate this bill. This is an example of a hologram that has been tampered with. You and I would not know the difference. The FDA would. My mother would not.

We have to remember that nearly 20 years ago the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) introduced and passed the prescription drug marketing law. He did so on the heals of a multiyear investigation by oversight and investigations of the Committee on Commerce. We should not give up this safety. What my fear is is that we have so taken for granted the efficacy of pharmaceuticals that we are willing to let it go tonight. Vote against this bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a profound sense of sadness that I rise to honor the memory of a good and honorable man, Salvatore ``Sal'' Fazzino, who passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2003.

Sal Fazzino was a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Sicily to Ellis Island. Born in Middletown, Connecticut, Sal served his country during World War II and was stationed in the Philippines. Upon returning from the War, Sal vacationed in Florida and met his future wife Dolores. They were the proud parents of three sons: Gary, Wayne and Brian, and a daughter, Donna.

It was his dedication to his children that inspired Sal in the mid- 1960's to drive his family across the country, moving to California. Without a job or any job prospects, Sal bought a house in Palo Alto so that his children would be the beneficiaries of the Palo Alto school system.

With a high school education and vocational training, Sal went to work at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center repairing the facility's air conditioning. He became an avid follower of local politics, guided by ``Harry Truman-like common sense.'' One of his proudest moments was when his son Gary became the Mayor of Palo Alto. He was a sound advisor to his son, consistently reminding him of the needs of the middle-class in Palo Alto . . . many like himself who moved to the city when it was predominately a middle class community.

In 1994, Sal lost his wife Dolores. In spite of this loss, Sal continued to be active in the community through the Menlo Park Italian- American Social Club, and serving as President of the Amici Club. It was through the Italian-American community that Sal met his second wife, Mary, whom he was married to for the past five years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues in the House to join me in honoring Sal Fazzino and extending our condolences to his family. His life exemplifies the best of America . . . serving his country in uniform, raising four fine children, taking risks so that their future would be better, and giving back to his community. Sal Fazzino distinguished himself as a loving husband, a great father and a proud citizen of the country he loved. We, in return today, pay tribute to a great American.

I was absent June 4th through 12th for a family emergency. Had I been here, I would have voted ``yes'' on roll call votes 237-241, 246-251, 256, 259-264, 267-271, and 275 and ``no'' on roll call votes 236, 242-245, 252-255, 257-258, 265-266, and 272-274.

I thank the distinguished ranking member of the committee for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, for those that are listening in this evening, besides the vote that some Members of Congress have had to take on going to war, I consider this the most important vote in the House of Representatives. Tonight we debate a bill where there is only one thing that the two parties agree on, and that is that our seniors deserve prescription drug coverage.

For 38 years, there has been a gold standard for those that are 65 years and older and it was named Medicare. How dare my colleagues on this side of the aisle say that the Democrats have not done a damn thing. I regret those words in the Record. We love Medicare. We put it on the books, and we have defended it ever since then. And we want a policy in Medicare that is ennobling and recognizes what senior citizens are.

The advertisers are very busy, but beware. Beware of the advertising. Read the bill. If your insurance salesman comes to you, the first thing you say is, how much is this going to cost a month? Read the bill. There is no premium cost in the bill. It says choice. Yes, there will be choice of insurance companies but not choices of doctors.

By 2010, every senior citizen that is listening in, you will be forced, you will be mandated to go into a private insurance program. That is what our friends have written.

Mr. Chairman, I thank our distinguished ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), and the chairman of our committee for their joint leadership and the standards that they set for us every day.

I respect and have high regard for the men and women of the intelligence community, and I really consider it a high privilege to have been appointed to serve on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the House. As a new member, I have valued meeting and learning from the many talented and patriotic individuals in our intelligence community; and I believe it is important for the foreign policy and the national security of the United States that our intelligence community be given the tools and the support they need and that their efforts be focused on important priorities. That is why we are on the floor today in support of this authorization act for fiscal year 2004.

I do have some concerns today that I would like to voice. I serve as the ranking member of the Subcommittee of the Intelligence Policy and National Security, as the ranking member just said. The role of the subcommittee is to examine how intelligence supports national security policy, ensuring that intelligence is focused on the right priorities and is as reliable as it can be and that it is used appropriately by senior policymakers in furthering U.S. foreign policy. Issues such as potentially politicized intelligence, potential exaggeration of intelligence and imprecise characterizations of intelligence are of significant concern to me in my role on this committee. So I am very concerned about the role intelligence played in the foreign policy debates about going to war in Iraq.

The answers must await a thorough accounting, and we cannot predetermine what those outcomes are. But I am concerned that the administration and the American people and the Members of this House relied too heavily on their interpretation of the threat facing this country, a threat that was described as imminent, as grave and growing without sufficient transparency into the intelligence picture underpinning the argument for war.

I think we are learning that a foreign policy based on preemption puts far too much pressure on the intelligence community to deliver certainty when it simply cannot. So the intelligence community must be given all that they need to protect our magnificent Nation.

Every administration deserves the best intelligence that they possibly can get. But we must assure the credibility of this for the American people and for the world community.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this authorization act. It is important for our country and the protection of our people.

Mr. Speaker, on July 27th of last year this body made a bipartisan commitment to American workers who lose their jobs on account of international competition.

Part of this commitment was that the government would provide for 65 percent of their healthcare costs.

Another part of this commitment was that an insurer could not deny them coverage on account of their age, pre-existing conditions or any other arbitrary reason.

The bill under consideration today undermines these protections and allow insurers to arbitrarily avoid covering them.

The consumer protections that are law ensure everyone eligible for the tax credit can actually claim it, regardless of their age or health status.

Many who will qualify for the TAA benefit are older workers and retirees who are more likely to have significant health care needs.

Today's bill is particularly awful because it strips healthcare coverage from those who need it most.

This is not the time to revisit TAA, when commitments to the current program share broad bipartisan support and the current law has yet to be fully implemented.

I urge you to oppose this bill and reaffirm your commitment to the American worker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Carol Bartz, special guest and honoree at the June 18, 2003 Forum for Women Entrepreneurs Silent Auction and Awards Dinner.

Carol Bartz is the Board Chair, President and CEO of Autodesk, Inc., and she has earned an honors degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin, and been granted honorary degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and William Wood University. During her tenure at Autodesk the company has diversified and revenues have grown to more than $947 million in 2002.

Carol Bartz gives generously of her leadership skills, both in Silicon Valley and elsewhere through her service on the boards of organizations such as TEA Systems, Cisco Systems, Network Appliance, Technet, and the Foundation for the National Medals of Science and Technology. She serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange and is one of its 12 members who represent public companies. She was recently appointed to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology where she will play a key role in setting our nation's high-tech agenda.

Carol Bartz has earned many well-deserved honors, including the Ernst and Young Northern California Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Horatio Alger Award and the Donald C. Burnham Manufacturing Management Award and she's been named a member of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Carol Bartz for her extraordinary accomplishments and for the leadership she is known for in everything she does. It is a special privilege to represent her and to honor her for all she has done to make our country stronger and better.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor James C. Morgan who recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Applied Materials, Inc., of Santa Clara, California.

Mr. Morgan was named Chairman of Applied Materials' Board of Directors in 1987 and continues to serve in that position today. He

joined Applied Materials as President in 1976, after serving as senior partner at WestVen Management.

Mr. Morgan received his B.S.M.E. and MBA degrees from Cornell University and has earned countless honors and awards. He received the National Medal of Technology in 1996 and is Vice-Chair of the President's Export Council. He was appointed to the 2002 U.S.-Japan Private Sector Government Commission and served on the Commission on U.S.-Pacific Trade and Investment Policy from 1996 to 1997. He serves on the boards of Cisco Systems, the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the California Nature Conservancy, and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University.

Under Mr. Morgan's leadership Applied Materials has been recognized as one of our nation's leading corporations. Fortune Magazine named Applied Materials one of America's Most Admired Companies, one of the Top Ten in Total Return to Shareholders, one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and one of the Best Companies for Asians, Blacks and Hispanics.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring James C. Morgan for his extraordinary corporate leadership and corporate citizenship. Our community and our country have been strengthened by his countless contributions and his lifetime of service. How proud I am to know and represent Jim and his distinguished wife Becky, and wish them great health and every blessing.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Honda, Ms. Lofgren, and myself, rise to honor Amy B. Dean, Chief Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council who is leaving the Bay Area to go back to her original home of Chicago. On June 7, 2003, Amy Dean will be participating in her final COPE Awards Banquet as CEO of the organization she has so ably led.

Through Amy Dean's leadership, the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council has been extremely successful in working for living wage contracts for city workers, affordable housing requirements in new developments, and health insurance for every child in Santa Clara County. Amy Dean has been a tireless and passionate advocate for social justice and has helped to strengthen the labor movement, bringing dignity and hope to countless families, whether they are union or non-union workers. Amy Dean was the youngest person in the country to lead a large metropolitan labor council and the first woman to head a labor council as large as the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She founded Working Partnerships USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to rebuilding the links between regional economic policy and community well-being. She will continue her advocacy for community-centered economic development through Working Partnerships in Chicago. She has been widely recognized for her many accomplishments, has served on many committees and advisory boards and has written extensively on labor issues.

Mr. Speaker, we ask our colleagues to join us in honoring Amy B. Dean for her extraordinary service to our community as an ardent advocate for working women and men and their families.