Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Lisa Tealer, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Lisa Tealer is a dedicated advocate for health and diversity issues. She is a Certified Aerobic Instructor for Large Women and founded A- Body-Positive Fitness Facility for women of all sizes and fitness levels. She has hosted special classes and seminars on various topics of benefit to women and has given numerous presentations and demonstrations on issues ranging from expanding diversity in fitness to bridging the multi-ethnic healthcare gap.

Lisa Tealer has displayed extraordinary leadership skills in business as well. She manages the Pharmacological Sciences Division in the Department of Assay Services at Genentech, has ten years experience managing a technical service operation at Genentech, and four years experience as a health club owner in San Mateo. She was the first Chairperson of Genentech's African Americans in Biotechnology Employees Association. She designed the Diversity Action Plan which was presented to the CEO and Executive Committee of Genentech and she has initiated many diversity efforts in the areas of recruitment and development.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Lisa Tealer as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Susan Ferren, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Susan Ferren is a manager in San Mateo County's Human Services Agency and for the past 12 years has dedicated herself to improving health in San Mateo County. In addition to her job at the Human Services Agency, Susan Ferren is a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern and is working toward obtaining her license. She also works as a Crisis Therapist at Mills/Peninsula Hospital.

Susan Ferren has initiated and managed many innovative programs to address family violence and children's welfare. She is cochair of the Family Self-Sufficiency Policy Team which helps families achieve stability and independence, and a site coordinator for the Fatherhood Project. She serves on the board of directors of Sor Juana Ines and has given many hours of volunteer time to several community service agencies.

Susan Ferren is a mentor to interns at the Human Services Agency and gives generously of her time and talents to nurture them. A single parent, she is justifiably proud of her extraordinary son and daughter. She's been a Cub Scout Leader, a Sunday School Teacher, a Room Parent, a PTA Vice President and a Team Mother for several sports teams.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Susan Ferren as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American and a most distinguished Californian, Lenore (Lennie) Roberts, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. Roberts has been named to the Hall of Fame for her success in protecting ``much of the open space that makes the San Francisco Peninsula a uniquely beautiful place to live and work.''

I founded the Women's Hall of Fame in 1984 to honor women who have made major contributions to our community and our country. Lennie Roberts is the personification of those we honor; she is intelligent, fair, effective, trusted, and articulate. The Peninsula would not be the place it is today without Lennie and her extraordinary work.

Lennie Roberts has a unique vision which extends beyond the limits of San Mateo County. In addition to her work with the Committee for Green Foothills, she serves as a member of the Yosemite Association Board of Trustees and helped form the Yosemite Fund Council of Directors, and is a member of the Citizens Advisory Commission for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Among Lennie Roberts' many achievements were the passage of Measure A which protects San Mateo County's rural coastal area from urban sprawl and her successful fight to prevent a giant freeway from being built on the coastside.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this great and good woman. Lennie Roberts is one of the most exceptional, effective and respected leaders in our community and through her commitment and professionalism, she has made our communities and our country a better place for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Nora Razon, as she is named a San Mateo County Young Woman of Excellence.

Nora Razon is a young woman of tremendous insight and dedication. She took initiative in conceiving of and founding her own organization at Carlmont High School, Chicanas Healing Injustice, Sexism, Prejudice and Animosity (C.H.I.S.P.A.). This organization empowers Latino youth through participation in school and extracurricular activities dealing with the healing of injustice and animosity within and towards the Latino community. Under her direction, C.H.I.S.P.A. has evolved into one of the most successful and well-attended clubs at Carlmont High School.

Nora Razon's leadership has been likewise valuable in East Palo Alto's College Track, a non-profit organization which assists motivated young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods to recognize their full potential and to attend a four-year university of their choosing. She has been credited with helping turn College Track ``from a good idea into a successful entity.''

Nora Razon is a senior leader in the East Palo Alto chapter of Youth United for Community Action and an active four-year participant in Youth Community Service. She is the Youth Representative on the San Mateo County Commission on Aging, a member of the Student Council, and a mentor to her peers through Carlmont's SOS Program designed to mediate conflicts that arise within the student body.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Nora Razon as she is named a San Mateo County Young Woman of Excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Elizabeth McKenna, as she is named a San Mateo County Young Woman of Excellence.

As President of Best Buddies, an international organization that provides students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to develop one-on-one friendships with other students at their high school, Elizabeth McKenna devotes extraordinary time and energy to improving her school and community. She organizes and publicizes meetings, pairs up mentors and mentees, and ensures all aspects of the program run smoothly. Her chapter was the proud recipient of the ``Chapter of the Month'' award at a recent Bay Area chapter meeting. In addition to her involvement in Best Buddies, she also finds time to volunteer weekly with Service Commission and the Interact Club and to be a member of the Dance Team and Dance Ensemble at Hillsdale High School.

Elizabeth McKenna excels in her academic pursuits as well. She is a lead trial attorney with Hillsdale High School's Mock Trial team and played an instrumental role in bringing her team to the 2002 California State Finals, where they placed second. She is a staff writer for her high school newspaper and has been playing the piano since the fifth grade and she maintains an excellent grade point average while juggling multiple Advanced Placement and Honors courses.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring, Elizabeth McKenna as she is named a San Mateo County Young Woman of Excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Carol Young-Holt, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Carol Young-Holt is a model for success in academics, professional development and nonprofit management. As the Coordinator of the South Coast Collaborative (SCC), a grassroots organization, she has united members of the South Coast area into a community of equal partners and initiated a multitude of programs for community development and enhancement. She has secured over a million dollars of funding for local projects and has designed a community development plan that among other things, developed a strong community leadership program for Spanish-speaking residents. She also established the first local positions for mental health and community outreach workers. The change in the South Coast community since she became Coordinator has been described as a ``Renaissance for both the English and Spanish-speaking communities.''

Aside from her remarkable work through the SCC, Carol Young-Holt has lectured at Stanford University, directed the prestigious Bing Nursery School Child Development Laboratory School, and created an innovative child development teaching and management program with Foothill and Canada Community Colleges. She is the publisher of many seminal articles, was director of a national multimedia-training program for early childhood educators and served as a program consultant for federal government Head Start programs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Carol Young- Holt as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Oregon (Ms. Hooley) for her distinguished service in the House, and I thank her for putting together this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to talk about what will be coming before the House of Representatives, the House of the people, and that is our Nation's budget. We know that the Federal budget is a very, very thick book of many, many pages with fine print and many, as we say, line items. But at the end of the day what a budget is about is not only a compilation of numbers but it is a statement of the values of the American people.

I have done much budgeting in my day from local government, the county of San Mateo, where we were required, obviously, to balance our budget. I still adhere to that because I think being fiscally responsible is not only necessary but it is the prudent thing to do.

So what is this budget debate going to be about? Both sides of the aisle are really challenged to come up with their best ideas for their vision of our country, of where we are going and what we need in order to get there.

Tonight on the Feast of Saint Joseph, the worker, our country is on the brink of war. And yet the President's budget does not include one dime for that. There is something wrong with that picture. There is something very wrong with that picture.

Let me give you a picture of my congressional district. It is a very distinguished place in our country. It is the home of Stanford University. It is the home of Silicon Valley. In 2 short years everything that was up is now down. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in our Nation. Our State is facing up to a $35 billion deficit. Keep in mind that our State and our local governments represent 12 percent of our national economy.

Now, what are the President and this House proposing in their budget? The same old same old. How many months ago? 18 months ago the President said as the economy was sputtering. We need massive tax cuts. Tax cuts that would go to the wealthiest, the best off in our Nation. It is a legitimate argument that was pitched then about whether that was the best prescription for our Nation's circumstances. I voted against it because I thought at the time that when the sun is shining, that is when you fix the roof. We did not do it. Squandered the surplus.

We now have a different economic condition in our country. Indeed, our country faces even more challenges than we could have ever dreamed of as the first roll of tax cuts went out. So what is contained in this new budget that the President has brought to us and your Republican friends are going to bring to the floor? More tax cuts. I believed it was wrong then; it is certainly wrong now.

Imagine if Winston Churchill, when he was rallying his countrymen to go to war said, And in addition to my rallying you, my countrymen, I am calling for a massive tax cut.

This is a sober time in the life of our Nation and in the families of our Nation. Many have committed their children, their treasury and our Nation's treasury to this war in Iraq. Veterans benefits should not, therefore, be cut. Our Nation's defense needs to be paid for. But the education of those that are serving in Iraq, their children's education should not be cut at home. We do them a disservice. We dishonor them, and we dishonor the future of our country by doing this.

This is not about throwing money at things. This is the responsibility of a great democracy. That is why the Democrats have held the line on education here at home. It is why Democrats recognize that we will not have homeland security unless we fund hometown security. There is something wrong when the firefighters from my district who came in to meet with me just this morning said, because hometown security is not being funded, our positions, our jobs are being eliminated. Now that does not make sense. It is not right.

I keep thinking of what my father used to say when something really got mucked up. He would say, You have made a real mess of this. This is a harsh judgment of my Republican colleagues, but you have made a mess of the economic life of this country, a real mess. We are now back to you have produced a deficit and it is over $300 billion. You will drive the national debt up to at least 5 trillion. The cost of this very tax cut that you are going to bring to the floor in your budget, the cost, the price tag of that alone is $1.6 trillion.

This is not pitting those that have more against those that are average, against those that have even less. This is about the United States of America. We are all in this together. And so the fairness and the responsibility and the

fiscal responsibility need to be exercised. It is a budget that leaves the American people wanting. If we cannot fund properly our national defense, our hometown security, education for our children, and the health care of our veterans and those amongst us, then what have we come to? What have we come to?

We have a responsibility not to place these burdens on our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. The Democratic budget recognizes that. That is why I am proud to stand next to it. The Republican budget does not.

It is no wonder that those in Republican seats on the other side of the aisle are rising up and saying, This is not fair and we are not going to vote for it. I salute their guts and their courage to do that. Why? Because our Nation's treasures are putting their lives, their courage, their lives on the line some place else on the globe; and we need to stand next to them by honoring their families here at home. That is what this is about.

So, Mr. Speaker, as we come to the floor and speak about what is going to come to us on the floor, there may not be that many people in the country listening, unfortunately. Why? Because legitimately we are preoccupied with the moment when America is going to strike. But whether people notice it or not, whether they notice it or not in terms of our words in this debate, make no mistake about it, it will be felt. It will come home to each individual, each mother, each child, each health clinic, each classroom, each senior center, each lunch program in your grammar schools and our elementary schools.

It will be felt in communities across this country. Why? Because that is what our Nation's budget is about. It is about our democracy. It is about what we value. It is about where we place our priorities. I hope that it is a budget that reflects the best of us and not some bumper sticker. I hope it is a budget that funds what is going to collectively take us into the future. I hope it is a budget that does not shortchange what children eat in their lunch programs, whether they have a classroom that is the right size, whether their teacher is trained and educated the right way, whether those that have served in other wars are honored with the benefits that they receive. I hope it is not a slap in the face to America. That is not what this should be about.

I am proud that the Democratic alternative will take us back to a balanced budget by 2010. I do not think our friends on the other side of the aisle can boast that. It covers the priorities that we believe not only have made our Nation great in the past, what has been given to us, but what we can do for the future of our country.

I thank my colleagues, especially the New Democrats, for taking time this evening to demonstrate the differences, because there is a difference, Mr. Speaker, and, Mr. and Mrs. America, between the two major parties. It is our responsibility to bring our ideas forward and have them be part of the debate in this country about which way is the best way to go. I thank my colleagues, and I especially thank the gentlewoman from Oregon who has brought such leadership to this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Joel Irwin Wolff who will be named Pioneer of the Year by Grays Harbor County, Washington on March 23, 2003.

Joel Wolff's father came to the United States from Germany and established Wolff's Department Store in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1897. Joel Wolff was born on September 26, 1908, and has spent his entire life in Grays Harbor County.

Joel Irwin Wolff has been the devoted husband of Ruth Kauffman Wolff for 65 years and he is the proud father of Susan Desmond of Portland, Oregon, and George Wolff of Hillsborough, California.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a true pioneer and a great American, Joel Irwin Wolff.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my distinguished colleague for yielding me time.

Mr. Chairman, I want to use these 3 minutes to talk about the science that the substitute, H.R. 801, preserves, and exactly what somatic cell nuclear transfer is.

The American people are tuned in today and they are listening to this discussion and they deserve to get some facts.

First, a woman donates an egg cell and a patient donates a skin cell. The nucleus is removed from the woman's egg cell and in its place the nucleus from the patient's skin cell is inserted. The egg is then stimulated to induce it to divide. Once the egg divides, it begins creating stem cells that are identical to the patient's own cells.

This is regenerative medicine, it is not fertilization. Children are created by the fertilization of an egg cell by sperm, not by chemical stimulation.

Stem cell research is research on the most fundamental part of the human system, cells that can become any other type of cell in the body. Because of their ability to develop into liver cells, pancreatic cells, spinal cells, any kind of cell, stem cells are critical to researchers who are trying to cure a whole host of diseases.

What researchers are focusing on today is how these stem cells become other types of cells. There are some types of protein or chemicals that stimulate stem cells to become spinal cells. Scientists just do not know what proteins or chemicals they are.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer or therapeutic cloning is an important part of this process because scientists are still learning how to use the cell from inside the patient's cheek to turn it back into a stem cell, and then reprogram it to become a liver cell that revitalizes the liver damaged by cancer. That is what this discussion is about today.

There are two proposals. They both outlaw human cloning. It is unethical. It is wrong. We all agree to that. But only one bill preserves science and research to accomplish what I just outlined.

So I urge my colleagues to protect the research. Do not criminalize scientists. That would be wrong in our great Nation. We can preserve and protect the sanctity of what we want to protect, to outlaw human cloning, but we should move ahead and be the America that we have always been, to embrace research, to embrace innovation and to help those who are suffering in our country today.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the substitute and to oppose the underlying bill.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my distinguished colleague for yielding me the time.

I rise today in support of the substitute and in opposition to the underlying bill.

There are three major points that need to be made. First, the substitute bans human cloning in any form, period. It has stiff criminal and civil penalties imposed on anyone who would attempt human cloning, and both bills do that.

One is not diminished with a stronger bill. They both absolutely provide that.

Second, the underlying bill takes a step that I do not think can be talked about enough, and that is that it turns scientists and researchers, who I think are the merchants of hope, into criminals simply for trying to find cures for our most dreadful diseases.

In the life of our Nation, there have been many times that white-hot issues have been debated in the Congress. In the mid-1970s, the subject was recombinant DNA. Today, this procedure is responsible for the insulin that allows children with juvenile diabetes to live normal lives. It was such a debate like this one today that took place in the Congress, and there were Members that stood up and said we cannot do this, the sky will fall, it is not moral, it is not ethical; and yet we took the steps to move in that direction.

In the late 1970s, and again in the early 1990s, the subject was in vitro fertilization. Many Members questioned then, in a very important debate, how we could allow that process to go forward; and yet today there are many happy families as a result of it. Today, the opposition characterizes this in a very unusual way. In my view, it is the equivalent of book burning, to criminalize scientists and researchers and ban what they do.

It is important to take note of how these debates have gone forward. I think the Congress needs to move forward today with scientific discovery and also affirming life and protecting it. We can do both. I understand that this is a difficult issue for some Members, but I think that we need to look at who stands with us in this, the groups that support H.R. 801. Is Stanford University off its rocker? Is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists totally wrong in this? Is the American Gastroenterological Association wrong? How about the American Infertility Association, the American Medical Association, the American Society for Cell Biology, the National Health Council, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the International Foundation for Anticancer Drugs?

I could go on and on. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to read the list that I will ask be placed in the Record and to read it carefully. Let us ban human cloning, let us support American research and those that are a part of it.

Mr. Chairman, the list I just referred to is submitted herewith for the Record.

Groups Supporting H.R. 801--Alliance for Aging Research,

Alpha-1 Foundation, ALS Association, American Association of

Neurological, Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons,

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American

Council on Education, American Foundation for AIDS Research

(amfAR), American Gastroenterological Association, American

Infertility Association, American Medical Association,

American Society for Cell Biology, American Society for

Microbiology, American Society for Reproductive Medicine,

American Society of Hematology, Association for Women in

Science, Association of American Medical Colleges,

Association of American Universities, Association of

Reproductive Health Professionals, Biotechnology Industry

Organization, California Institute of Technology,

Californians for Cure, Canavan Research Illinois, Cancer

Research and Prevention Foundation, Cedars-Sinai Health

System, Children's Neurobiological Solutions, Christopher

Reeve Paralysis Foundation, Coalition of Patient Advocates

for Skin Disease Research, Columbia University Committee for

the Advancement of Stem Cell Research, Cures Now, Duke

University Medical Center, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS

Foundation, Genetic Alliance, Hadassah, Harvard University,

Hereditary Disease Foundation, Hope for ALS.

International Foundation for Anticancer Drug Discovery

(IFADD), International Longevity Center--USA, International

Psoriasis Community (IPC), Jeffrey Modell Foundation, Johns

Hopkins Medicine, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,

International Lymphoma Research Foundation, Monash

University, National Association for Biomedical Research,

National Coalition for Cancer Research, National Coalition

for Cancer Survivorship, National Council on Spinal Cord

Injury, National Health Council, National Venture Capital

Association, Parents of Infants and Children with

Kernicterus, Parkinson's Action Network, Parkinson's Disease

Foundation, Project A.L.S., Quest for the Cure,

Research!America, Resolve: The National Infertility

Association, Rett Syndrome Research Foundation, Society for

Women's Health Research, Stanford University, Stem Cell

Research Foundation, Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation,

Tourette's Syndrome Association, Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance,

University of California System, University of Minnesota,

University of Rochester Medical Center, University of

Southern California, University of Wisconsin-Madison,

Vanderbilt University and Medical Center, Washington

University in St. Louis, WiCell Research Institution,

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Association

for Biomedical Research and Education.

Madam Speaker, with the consideration of H.R. 395, the Do- Not-Call Implementation Act, we're finally directing our attention to an issue that has affected our constituents for some time . . . telemarketing.

Telemarketing is big business. There are more than 16 billion telemarketing calls made each year which generate nearly $300 billion in sales and employ 6 million people. But consumers have grown weary of interruptions coming from an unwanted sales call at dinnertime, while they're sleeping, or just barely waking up. They've repeatedly asked for a way to avoid these calls.

Twenty-seven states have responded by establishing do-not-call lists and more than 12 million households have already signed up.

At last we have a federal response . . . a national do-not-call list. I commend the Federal Trade Commission for making this useful tool available to the consumers of our nation.

Implementation of the list has an estimated cost of $16 million. This money is well-spent but it's extremely important that the FTC's proposal is implemented in the most efficient manner.

Effective implementation requires harmonization with state laws, as well as a cooperative effort with the Federal Communications Commission which is in the process of reviewing its ten-year-old telemarketing rules.

One area that may need refinement is the FTC's exemption for pre- existing business relationships. The current FTC rules place an 18- month limitation on prior relationships but some industries, such as software and information product manufacturers, may have upgrades that occur outside this time frame.

A longer time frame may be necessary so that the Do-Not-Call list doesn't have an arbitrary impact on consumers and small businesses. Only a consistent framework, not a patchwork of varying rules, will accomplish our goal of increasing consumer confidence and protection.

I'm proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 395 and look forward to quick enactment of the FTC's Do-Not-Call list. I urge all my colleagues to vote for it to hasten its implementation for the American consumer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Anthony Paul Spitaleri who is retiring after a distinguished career in service to the City of Palo Alto and its Fire Department for thirty-five years.

On January 1, 1967, Anthony ``Tony'' Spitaleri joined the Stanford Fire Department as a Firefighter. The Stanford Fire Department merged with the Palo Alto Fire Department in 1976, and Tony rose through the ranks to become Fire Captain. He has served his coworkers ably as President of the Palo Alto Firefighters Union (Local 1319) for more than a quarter century with professionalism and commitment. He helped recruit and retain a force of highly qualified firefighters and developed safe standards for staffing and equipment. He's been a tireless fundraiser for many community causes, and recently helped raise $800,000 for the families of New York Firefighters following the tragedies of September 11th.

Mr. Speaker, Tony Spitaleri is known throughout our community as an unselfish, enthusiastic, thorough, fair, compassionate, courteous man and he's one of the best barbequers around! I salute him for his extraordinary leadership which has made our community safer and stronger.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Anthony Paul Spitaleri for his outstanding service to our community and wishing him a retirement filled with every blessing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ruth Williams Buce who died on January 20, 2003, after a brief illness at the age of eighty-two.

Ruth Williams Buce was born in Alexander City, Alabama, and was the first woman in her family to earn a college degree. She was a member of the ``greatest generation,'' the generation that secured democracy and built America in the 20th century.

Ruth made friends everywhere she went in her unending pursuit of continuing education and personal growth. She lived a life of volunteerism and gave generously to many causes. She helped her parents prepare food and deliver it to those in need; she rolled bandages in World War II, and worked as a hospital aide. Most recently she volunteered at the Methodist Country House Health Center. Ruth was an avid participant and a leader in the Friends of the Concord Pike Library, the AAUW Landmarks Group and St. Paul's United Methodist Women.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, William Austin Buce and her children, James A. Buce and his wife Judith, Robert E. Buce and his wife Barbara, and Janet Buce Cook. She also leaves two grandchildren, Julie and Brian Buce.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ruth Williams Buce for her lifetime of extraordinary service to her community and her country and extending our deepest sympathy to her entire family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American and most distinguished Californian, Fran Wagstaff, for her 20 years of leadership as the executive director of the Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition, MPHC, of Redwood City, CA.

Fran Wagstaff joined the Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition in 1983 and since that time she has become known as the premier person and leader in affordable housing in the 14th Congressional District of California and throughout our region. With Fran Wagstaff's leadership, Mid- Peninsula Housing Coalition is considered the ``gold standard'' for providing affordable housing for the people of San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Monterey, Solano, and Contra Costa Counties in California. Today, thousands of families who work locally but would otherwise be priced out of the local housing market have safe, attractive, affordable housing.

Fran Wagstaff has been responsible for the development of over 80 affordable housing projects, creating more than 2,500 new affordable housing units. Beyond the creation of new housing, under her leadership MPHC has been able to acquire and rehabilitate another 2,500 units for low-income individuals and families. Fran Wagstaff and her team have also created six facilities for homeless families, ensuring that everyone has a place to live. Her work and her vision helped to create Shelter Network of San Mateo County, a highly respected nonprofit organization which operates local homeless shelters and programs to help people end the cycle of homelessness. She's also been a leader in the effort to develop a housing trust fund for San Mateo County.

Before joining MPHC, Fran served as executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, CHIP, a private nonprofit housing agency that provides a variety of housing services to low- income households in predominantly rural areas. Through her leadership, CHIP was able to help thousands of people find a place to live, whether it was through the conversion of vacant buildings, the development of cooperatives for low-income families or the rehabilitation of existing homes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this great and good woman. Fran Wagstaff is one of the most exceptional, effective and respected leaders in our community and through her commitment and professionalism, she has made our communities and our country a better place for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 13 companies in the Bay Area which were selected by Fortune magazine as one of the ``100 Best Companies to Work For.''

Xilinx, Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems, Intel, Agilent Technologies, Silicon Graphics, Network Appliance, Autodesk, Intuit, Sun Microsystems, Genentech, Charles Schwab and Electronic Arts have distinguished themselves as employers. How proud I am to represent the District which is either home to several of the honorees or who employ some of my constituents.

Despite adverse market conditions each one of these companies has demonstrated in important ways how much they value their employees. Top executives have taken pay cuts and many have set a high corporate standard of providing employees incentives to work for nonprofit organizations in their communities.

Each company who is part of this `honor role' has come to the list experiencing a challenging economy and tough workplace issues. Yet they've done it with fairness, with integrity and with respect for their employees.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Xilinx, Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems, Intel, Agilent Technologies, Silicon Graphics, Network Appliance, Autodesk, Intuit, Sun Microsystems, Genentech, Charles Schwab and Electronic Arts for everything they've done to create the best workplaces of the 21st century and as they do, we salute them for what they contribute to the well being of our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for yielding me the time, and Mr. Speaker, it is nice to see you in the Chair.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill to reinstate the National Flood Insurance Program. It is widely known by the acronym NFIP. I am relieved that it has come to the floor because it is important that it is passed. It is important for many reasons.

Because it did expire on December 21, it would affect 400,000 American homeowners because they will be without coverage by the end of the month. So timeliness is important and it is legitimate to say that this thing could have been taken care of before we left last year. So that is why I am saying I am relieved that it is coming up today.

For those who own property in flood-prone areas, flood insurance is really essential. It is a must and the consequences of the lapse in this program are serious. New policies cannot be issued, and without coverage perspective home buyers may not be able to close on a home. Many of us have closed on a home and we know that there are many parts of that closure. This is an essential piece if someone lives in a flood zone.

Policies cannot be renewed for homeowners whose policies expired after December 31st, and they could be liable for damage, even if they paid their premiums. That is not such a great deal.

Finally, the NFIP will not be able to borrow money to cover claims. So this has to pass, and I do not think that there is anyone that is opposed to it, but we really did not have to come to this point of anxiety.

My constituents have a special association with this coverage. That is because we suffered severe flooding in 1998 in the last El Nino, and hundreds of homes were flooded, many millions of dollars in damage. We can ill afford to be without this flood insurance today.

I want to urge every single person in this House to vote for this. It should be unanimous. It should be bipartisan. The American people deserved to have this taken care of before we left, but as I said, I am relieved it is on the floor now. Let us get this thing done. Let us send it to the President to have him sign it into law. The American people deserve the backing of this kind of insurance coverage and cannot afford to be without it.

I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.