Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1, the Honest Leadership, Open Government Act of 2007. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of it to clean up the culture of corruption in Washington.

The first order of business in the 110th Congress has been to restore honesty and integrity to the U.S. House of Representatives. On the first day of the new Congress, we imposed tough new rules on Members of Congress to ban gifts from lobbyists, end the abuses connected to lobbyist-funded congressional travel, require full transparency and end the abuse of special interest earmarks, to ensure this Congress upholds the highest ethical standards.

S. 1 will now bring unprecedented transparency and accountability to lobbyists' activities. For the first time, lobbyists who collect campaign checks for Members of Congress must report this practice. Members of Congress will also be required to disclose if more than $15,000 in campaign contributions was collected on his or her behalf by a lobbyist. Lobbyists will be required to disclose contributions to Members' charities, events honoring Members, contributions intended to pay the cost of a meeting and contributions to Presidential Library Funds.

Lobbyists will now be required to file disclosure reports quarterly rather than semi-annually. The bill will establish an online, searchable public database of these lobbyist disclosure reports. In addition, this legislation increases criminal and civil penalties for violating the Lobby Disclose Act to $200,000 and five years in prison.

We have added additional restrictions on Members of Congress by requiring sitting Members to disclose job negotiations for post- Congressional employment and to recuse themselves if there is a conflict of interest. We will also establish an online, searchable public database of Members' travel and personal financial disclosure forms.

The ongoing corruption scandals in the U.S. House and Senate anger me because they threaten the bonds between the American people and their elected leaders. Therefore, I am very pleased that this bill denies pension benefits to those Members of Congress convicted of corruption while serving the American people. I have always believed that public office is a public trust, and I work every day to live up to the trust the people of North Carolina's Second Congressional District have placed in me.

I urge my colleagues to vote for a new direction and to support honest leadership and an open government.

Mr. Speaker, later this morning the House will take up the farm bill, H.R. 2419, and let me just share a couple of quotes, one from the American Farm Bureau:

``The farm bill is one of our highest priorities. We understand there may be a motion to recommit the bill back to the House Committee on Agriculture. We urge you to oppose this amendment. Without the additional almost $4 billion in offsets, we cannot adequately fund the nutrition needs in the farm bill.'' This is signed by the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

And from 24 different commodity groups that affect labor and commodities in America:

``Dear Members of Congress, we support both the underlying farm bill and the additional nutrition spending which gives rise to the need for an offset. For that reason we appreciate the efforts of Members of Congress who have attempted to identify that offset and we would encourage those who are concerned about the offset identified by the Committee on Ways and Means to support H.R. 2419 despite those concerns.

``In any event, we urge the House to move expeditiously to pass H.R. 2419. We remain hopeful that the long congressional tradition of passing farm bills on a bipartisan fashion will not be broken.'' And it is signed by 24 groups from the American Soybean Association through the U.S. Rice Producers Association.

American Soybean Association

American Sugar Alliance

Arkansas Rice Growers Association

Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council

National Association of Wheat Growers

National Barley Growers Association

National Cotton Council

National Farmers Organization

National Farmers Union

National Sorghum Producers

National Sunflower Association

North Carolina Peanut Growers Association

Oklahoma Peanut Commission

Panhandle Peanut Growers Association

South Carolina Peanut Growers Association

Southern Peanut Farmers Federation

Texas Peanut Producers Association

Texas Peanut Producers Board

Western Peanut Growers

United Egg Producers

USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council

USA Rice Federation

US Canola Association

US Rice Producers Association

Mr. Chairman, I recognize the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 1 minute.

I thank the gentleman for his leadership.

Mr. Chairman, as you've heard, this commodity has already taken a major hit, a major change in the whole list of that commodity. It is really unfair to single out cotton.

I agree with the gentleman from Colorado; we have done some things in conservation and wish we could have done more and wish we had more money. You have already heard how we have been strapped for cash, but the truth is this amendment is unfair. And I will oppose the gentleman's amendment, and I would encourage my colleagues to oppose it as well.

We will continue to work with him as the bill moves forward to try and help, but it is absolutely unfair, once we have reached this very delicate balance within the bill, to reach in and single out one commodity that has already been hit harder in terms of cuts than any other commodity within all of the commodity titles.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition and yield the customary 2\1/2\ minutes to the ranking member from Virginia.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy).

Mr. Chairman, as chairman of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, we have already held three hearings this year. The chairman has indicated that the committee is going to hold more hearings. We are going to look into this deeper. I think that's appropriate. To make this kind of change on the floor of the House at the 11th hour is unfair to the farmers of America.

I oppose the gentleman's amendment and would ask the Members of this body to do the same. Let it go back to the committee so we will have the opportunity to do it at committee level where it should be done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this conference report, the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Bipartisan 9/11 Commission, and commend the chairman, Mr. Thompson, and the ranking member, Mr. King, for their hard work. We would not be here today had it not been for their diligence and hard work and the leadership of our committee. And certainly, as has already been said today, Congress cannot wait for another attack like 9/11 to take the steps to protect our Nation from terrorists, and I thank them for their efforts.

This legislation improves homeland security. It empowers our communities to respond to threats, and it enhances interoperable communications and begins to restore America's moral leadership in the world.

Homeland security begins with hometown security, and local funding provided by this bill makes our entire Nation more secure.

Specifically, the bill provides States with more than $3 billion over 5 years to provide all hazardous preparation and response assistance.

Mr. Speaker, as a former State school chief in North Carolina, and a proud member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly proud that this bill specifically strengthens school security. The legislation emphasizes the need for resources to protect our school children and plan for emergency response for our schools. And it contains a provision that I offered directing the Department of Homeland Security to study this related to school buses and school transportation.

Just last week, the National Intelligence Estimate gave us a stark warning that we cannot afford to be complacent in the face of rising Islamic extremism and threat of terrorist violence.

Mr. Speaker, the American people want bipartisan action and I commend this report.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this Conference Report to H.R. 1, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting to pass this vitally important legislation to implement the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.

In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy of 9/11, our Federal, State, and local governments worked to improve preparedness and our security. The work that we have done since then has made our country safer, but there is much more yet to do.

Keeping all Americans safe must be the top priority of the government. Congress cannot wait for another attack to take steps to protect our nation from terrorism. The legislation that I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting today improves homeland security, empowers our communities to prepare for and respond to all threats, and begins to restore America's moral leadership throughout the world. It reflects bipartisan work on the part on the part of this Congress and implements many of the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. These provisions will make our Nation stronger and safer.

The bill fixes grant programs for first responders, and takes all- hazards risk-based approach to our homeland security spending. It will provide critical funding and equipment to our communities to implement state homeland security plans, protect mass transportation, and enable first responders to communicate with each other during a terrorist attack or other emergencies. It improves intelligence and information sharing among agencies, and ensures a unified response to all threats. Homeland security begins with hometown security, and these local resources make our entire nation more secure. Specifically, the bill provides states more than $3 billion over 5 years to provide all hazards preparation and response assistance.

Others have spoken about the provisions that provide 100 percent scanning of cargo, prevent the proliferation of WMD, and advance our democratic values--these are vital and important provisions we can all be proud of. As the former State schools superintendent in North Carolina, and North Carolina's only member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly proud of the fact that the legislation emphasizes. the need for resources to protect our school children and plan for emergency response at our schools. It also contains my provision directing the Department of Homeland Security to study risks related to school buses and other school transportation. These details are evidence of the comprehensive nature of this bill, which preserves and strengthens our national response to all threats to homeland security.

Just last week, the new National Intelligence Estimate gave us a stark warning that we can not afford to be complacent in the face of rising Islamic extremism and the threat of terrorist violence. This legislation continues Congress' commitment to keeping America safe.

Mr. Speaker, the American people want bipartisan action to provide real solutions for a safe and secure country, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to approve this conference report.

Mr. Chairman, I stand in opposition to the gentleman's amendment and move to strike the last word.

Thank you.

For many of my colleagues this is just another earmark. For me this is somewhat personal because the first job that I ever held right out of high school before I went to college was in a textile plant. That was when they were plentiful in North Carolina and really

across the Southeast. Hard work, in a lot of cases it was dirty work, but it was honorable work, and it made a difference in people's lives.

The National Textile Center, or NTC, as you have already heard, really is a national initiative. It's not a localized project. It's a project that has already made a difference. It will continue to make a difference. And as you have heard, it's a consortium of eight leading textile research universities. One of those is in my State. Actually one of the universities happens to be in my district, an outstanding university, North Carolina State University. But each of these States making a contribution, or the universities in these States. They're working to advance every aspect of the textile industry, from fiber production to marketing, through research, education, and, more importantly, industrial partnerships.

That's the kind of thing we ought to be promoting here. We ought to be about getting people to work together. That's what this is about. Yet we have an amendment that says, no, we don't want you to work together. We'd just as soon you have those silos. We argue on this floor daily about knocking down silos and getting people to work together.

The National Textile Center was established really to achieve that one goal, but three others:

It was to develop new materials, innovative and improved manufacturing procedures and integrated systems essential to the success of a modern fiber, fabric and fabricated products manufacturing enterprise.

Secondly, to provide trained personnel. It's important today as the industry changes to have people who can affect the new industry, because it is a high-tech industry today, and to develop those industrial partnerships and technology transfer mechanisms.

And, finally, to strengthen the Nation's textile research and education efforts.

Just yesterday I had a large manufacturer of textiles in my office. Twenty-four plants. He closed one in the western part of North Carolina. Now, for some people that might not make a difference, but for about 300 people that lost their jobs, that's trauma. Their lives have been changed. This is a way we can help that situation. We've lost our shoe industry overseas. Much of our textiles have gone. We are now about trying to reclaim some of it.

Now in its 14th year of activity, the center has made numerous contributions to its constituents, helping to keep the textile industry economically viable by providing a knowledge-based, competitive, cutting-edge opportunity. It enjoys widespread industry support and a partnership across the States.

As has been stated already, this industry is still alive. Six hundred thousand workers in America are still employed in the textile industry, contributing nearly $60 billion to the national gross domestic product on an annual basis. Research has already provided, as you have heard, uniforms and opportunities for our first responders. They're in the process in a broader sense of creating fabrics that are self- decontaminating to protect against biological and chemical hazards.

These are things we ought to be doing. And, yes, we ought to be doing them in a way that we work together so that at multiple universities and the bright minds we have across this country today can work together to make a difference.

I oppose the gentleman's amendment, and I ask this body to defeat it resoundingly.

I thank the chairman for his hard work, and really on both sides of the aisle, for all the Members who put in long hours, who traveled across this country and listened to farmers and commodity groups speak.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2419. It's an important piece of legislation.

Madam Chairman, this has been a long process. In the early part of the year, our Subcommittee on General

Farm Commodities and Risk Management continued to hold hearings. We listened to groups. All the groups came, they talked, they made their recommendations.

The message we heard from farmers was that they like the basic framework that was created under the 2002 farm bill. Not only did we preserve that framework, but we made improvements so that the safety net worked more effectively.

And yes, as a result of the farm bill in 2002, we saved money, which meant that we had a greater challenge. We maintained the three-legged stool that supports farmers through direct payments, counter-cyclical payments, and marketing loan benefits. We adjusted loan rates and target prices to achieve a rebalancing between commodities that was long overdue.

We included several improvements to the cotton marketing loan program to make it more reflective of current market realities and values, as well as corrected problems in the program that we experienced since the elimination of the Step 2 program.

We also provided assistance to the textile industry to enhance their competitiveness and help keep those jobs here at home.

This could be called not only an Ag bill; it's a jobs bill, as well as a national defense bill, because we use it for food and fiber to feed our people.

I'm also proud that we're also providing farmers with the opportunity to experiment with revenue-based counter-cyclical programs. While most producers are satisfied with the current counter-cyclical program, some farmers are interested in the revenue-based approach.

Providing farmers with the option to choose between these two types of counter-cyclical programs allows them to make the best economic decision for their families. This revenue counter-cyclical program will also provide us with better insight into how the program works so we can determine if it is a better model for future farm bills.

H.R. 2419 contains Rural Development programs that will better facilitate the financing of essential rural infrastructures like public water and waste disposal systems. It establishes grant and loan programs for rural healthcare facilities. It will improve access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas.

The Bill also expands funding for a host of conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Maintaining the 60 percent share of EQIP funding for livestock is extremely important to North Carolina's poultry and pork producers.

As a representative from one of the most agriculturally diverse states in the Nation, and a member of the Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee, I am particularly pleased that we are providing, for the first time ever, mandatory dollars for programs that benefit fruit and vegetable producers as well as the ever growing organic agriculture industry.

For our tobacco farmers who have been trying to get into specialty crop production since the buyout, these new programs will support the industry through projects in research, marketing, education, pest and disease management, production, and food safety.

We are strengthening the nutrition title through extra money for the Emergency Food Assistance Program; raising the minimum benefit for Food Stamps, which hasn't been done since 1977; and eliminating cap on dependent care, which opens up the program to more working families.

We are reforming crop insurance to provide better coverage for organic producers; expanding data mining to root out waste, fraud, and abuse; and providing an extra option for producers to obtain supplemental area-based crop insurance in addition to their current revenue or yield policies.

We have accomplished all this, and so much more. But we did it with a responsible budget. Operating under the Pay As You GO (PAYGO) requirements has posed difficult challenges for the Agriculture Committee, but I believe we have managed to preserve for farmers a sound safety net that provides extra protections, while staying within our budget.

In addition to my service on the Agriculture Committee, I serve on the House Budget Committee. Yesterday, we had a hearing with the Director of the Congressional Budget Office and the Comptroller General of the United States.

They testified about the budget calamity this Administration and the previous Republican Majority have left this country in. A calamity which made the job of passing a farm bill that much harder this year.

According to their testimony, were it not for the policies of this Administration and its Republican allies in Congress, the federal budget would be in balance today.

Yet the Republican priorities are so out of whack that today, one of the fastest growing segments of the federal budget is interest on the national debt.

And most of that debt is financed by foreign countries like China who may not always have America's best interests at heart.

It was a Democratic Congress that restored fiscal discipline to the federal budget through PAYGO rules, and this Farm Bill responsibly adheres to those rules.

I thank the Chairman for his hard work on moving this bill to this point, and I urge my colleagues to support farm families, support feeding children, support moving to renewable fuels, and vote for H.R. 2419.

Madam Chairman, I rise in opposition to the Kind-Flake amendment.

The sponsors of this amendment like to argue that passage of the amendment would help pave the way for new trade agreements. That is naive thinking.

Our trade negotiators are engaged in WTO trade talks in a bid to open up foreign markets for U.S. agriculture products and reduce, if not eliminate, trade distorting foreign subsides. The cuts in the farm safety net that the Kind-Flake amendment impose are tantamount to unilateral disarmament.

During the Cold War, we would never have cut our military strength without first extracting similar if not greater reductions from the Soviets. We should do no less in today's trade negotiations.

Cutting our farm support will not lead to a WTO agreement. As the current negotiations have shown, any time the United States gives a little on its trade position, our trading partners ask us to give more.

Trying to create a farm bill that will please a WTO negotiator from another country is the wrong approach. The farm bill is for helping U.S. farmers.

Who supports the Kind-Flake amendment, groups who mistakenly believe that unilateral cuts will spark a trade deal.

Who opposes the Kind-Flake amendment, farm and commodity groups across the nation.

When it comes to farm policy, I am going to stand with the farmers. I urge my colleagues to oppose the Kind-Flake amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I offer this amendment with my colleague, Mr. Reichert of Washington State, to force the administration to really do right by the widows and orphans of fallen public safety officers.

For nearly 4 years, the U.S. Department of Justice has been dragging its

feet on providing benefits to the families of brave men and women who have died in the line of duty protecting their communities.

There are more than 200 claims, some of which have been waiting for decisions since 2003, languishing in the Public Safety Officers' Benefits office at the Office of Justice Programs.

This is in clear conflict with the intent of Congress, which unanimously passed the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act to expedite cases and streamline the process. Instead, there has been delay after delay from the Department of Justice, and the PSOB office has created an incredibly complicated system that even personnel at the PSOB office have been confused by.

My amendment would simply ensure that there are enough benefits personnel to deal with this backlog, enough appeals officers to address the concerns of families who are wrongfully denied, and additional managers or ombudsmen to help streamline claims and interact with claimants to make an emotional and difficult process easier.

We owe our first responders no less than to be sure that their loved ones are taken care of if they fall while working to ensure that our communities are safe. These families should not have to jump through hoop after hoop to receive what they justly deserve.

JoAnn Tilton of Katy, Texas, whose husband, Fire Chief Gary Tilton, died of a heart attack after responding to a traffic accident, has waited 2\1/2\ years to hear from the PSOB office.

In that time she has been asked for volumes of information, been given conflicting information. She had basically been given the runaround in a bureaucratic marathon. She is one of the lucky ones, because at least she has gotten information from the PSOB office, even though that information includes having been told that a decision would be made earlier this month, before going forward with the claim. Now she is going to have to go through a second round of medical information reviews.

Shelly Hardin of Hope Mills, North Carolina, whose husband, Sergeant James Heath Hardin, died of a heart attack while working to apprehend a criminal, did not even receive notice from the PSOB office that their claim was being processed. The PSOB office still cannot say when they will begin the processing.

They are but two of the hundreds of individuals whose lives have been tragically disrupted, once by the death of the loved ones, and whose lives continue to be disrupted by the Department's delays. These additional funds will make sure that they wait no longer.

The brave men and women who serve our communities every day, many of whom volunteer their time, don't ask when they get a call from someone in distress. They act immediately, and the Justice Department should do the same.

The history of the Hometown Heroes Act is riddled with delays. The first delay came when they proposed regulations that were in direct conflict with the legislation. Then came more delays when they quibbled over wording and phrases and claims that they were waiting for approval from the OMB.

It took 3 years to finalize the process. Since the law went into effect, only 10 families have been approved for the Hometown Heroes benefit out of 264 that have applied. Forty-seven claims have been denied, and more than 200 families still await a verdict.

The U.S. Justice Department appears to be intentionally misinterpreting the intent of Congress to create the presumption that the death was caused by work in the line of duty. I urge the Justice Department to act swiftly and fairly on the remaining claims to provide the needed benefits, the much-deserved benefits.

I urge my colleagues to support these amendments.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.

As a veteran of the U.S. Army myself, I strongly support our troops, our veterans and their families. Our troops have done everything they have been asked to do and done it exceptionally well. I am tremendously proud of all the troops from North Carolina and across America who have done their duty so admirably. They are our heroes, and we salute them. But as the Representative for Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, I am very concerned about the state of readiness of America's armed forces.

I have traveled to Iraq twice, and after I returned last year, I said the Administration must change this failed policy. Specifically, I said that we need more focus on the threat of international terrorists. The National Counterterrorism Center has released a report today entitled: ``Al-Qaida Better Positioned To Strike the West'' that concludes Osama Bin Laden's network has been reconstructed while America's military is bogged down in the civil war in Iraq, with no end in sight.

H.R. 2956, written by Chairman Ike Skelton of the Armed Services Committee, one of the most respected Members of this body and an expert on military policy, is a good first step for this needed new direction. It requires the Iraqi leaders to begin to provide for the security of their own country by redeploying American combat troops from the sectarian civil war and reconstituting our readiness and transitioning American forces to the mission of effective counterterrorism anywhere in the world where radical jihadists threaten America and our interests. Let me be clear that H.R. 2956 maintains the flexibility of the Commander in Chief to direct the operations of the armed forces. It simply calls for a change in policy and public accountability for a comprehensive U.S. strategy for Iraq.

North Carolina's senior Senator stated it well this week when she said, ``It is my firm hope and belief that we can start bringing our troops home in 2008.'' This bill begins to do just that. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for it.

As the first member of my family to graduate from college, I know firsthand that affordable access to quality higher education is the key to the American dream for working families. Unfortunately, college costs have skyrocketed in recent years even as many fine colleges and universities, like those in North Carolina, have gone to great lengths to keep higher education affordable. The Federal Government has an obligation to step up to the plate and provide more assistance, and H.R. 2669 makes several important changes to the Federal student financial assistance effort.

Specifically, H.R. 2669 would provide nearly $18 billion in college financial aid at no new cost to the taxpayers. The bill would increase the maximum Pell grant scholarship for low-income and moderate-income students by $500 over the next 5 years. It would cut in half the interest rate on need-based Federal student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over 5 years. This will save the typical borrower some $4,400 over the life of the loan. This provision alone could benefit more than 162,000 students in North Carolina.

H.R. 2669 would make historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities--HBCUs--with $170 million in new grants for HBCUs, such as Shaw University and Fayetteville State University, in my congressional district. H.R. 2669 also would create a new designation of Predominantly Black Institutions, which are defined as schools that enroll students in financial need and have at least 40 percent African- American student enrollment. These schools would be eligible to receive $30 million in grant aid over 5 years for academic programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, health education, and teacher education. This legislation would provide $228 million in funding over 4 years for Upward Bound that increases high school completion, college participation, and graduation rates among low- income and first-generation college students.

I enthusiastically support the bill's tuition assistance for excellent undergraduate students who agree to teach in the Nation's public schools and its loan forgiveness for college graduates that go into public service professions. In addition, H.R. 2669 would make important new investments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics--STEM--education that is so critical to our prosperity in the global economy.

I want to thank Chairman Miller and his outstanding professional staff, especially Gaby Gomez, Denise Forte, and Mark Zuckerman, for working with me to help nonprofit lenders, like we have in North Carolina. Specifically, this bill provides non-profit and small lenders a significant boost to their bottom line earnings and their ability to compete with for-profit lenders. These lenders will save $85 million in the first year to re-invest in their college aid financing and nearly $500 million over 5 years to serve students even better.

As the legislative process moves forward, I want to continue to work with Chairman Miller to ensure that cuts to lender subsidies do not result in North Carolina students paying more for their loans than they do today. I am confident the final product will achieve that result, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to pass H.R. 2669.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Courtney Crowder, formerly of my staff, and his wife Byinna on the birth of their first child, Courtney Amaya Crowder. Courtney was born on June 17, 2007 and weighed 8 pounds. Faye joins me in wishing Courtney and Byinna great happiness during this very special time in their lives. A Raleigh native, Courtney served on my district staff in several capacities with distinction and will always remain a member of team Etheridge.

As a father and grandfather myself, I know the joy, pride, and excitement that parents experience upon the entrance of their child into the world. Representing hope, goodness, and innocence, a newborn allows those around her to see the world through her eyes as a new, fresh place with unending possibilities for the future. Through a child, one is able to recognize and appreciate the full potential of the human race. I know Courtney and Byinna look forward to the changes and challenges that their new daughter will bring to their lives while taking pleasure in the many rewards they are sure to receive as they watch her grow.

I welcome young Courtney into the world and wish Courtney and Byinna all the best as they raise her.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the centennial celebration of Lee County, North Carolina, in my congressional district. Lee County was created from portions of Moore and Chatham Counties on March 6, 1907 and became an official county July 2, 1907.

Lee County was named for General Robert E. Lee commanding general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War and it is North Carolina's 98th county. The city of Sanford, named in honor of railroad engineer Col. Charles Ogburn Sanford, is the county seat. The county's early economy centered on agriculture, naval stores, and an iron works. Just prior to the Civil War in about 1853, the first commercial exploration of the area's coal veins was begun in the community of Egypt, now Cumnock. During the war, the coal was transported to Fayetteville on the Western Railroad, which had been built by slaves and immigrant Irish laborers. Once in Fayetteville, the coal was taken by boat on the Cape Fear River to the port of Wilmington. The Western Railroad extended to the town of Jonesboro, named after Col. Leonidas Campbell Jones.

After the war, the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad built southward and crossed the Western Railroad tracks. At this junction and passenger point, the rail-born village of Sanford grew. The city was incorporated in Moore County in 1874, and its population in 1880 was 236 persons. The County of Lee was formed through a bill passed by the General Assembly in 1907. Wagon and buggy travel through the sands from Sanford to Carthage, the county seat of Moore, was too laborious and time consuming for the busy people of the railway junction. A new county with a convenient governmental seat needed to be formed. This was given overwhelming approval by a vote of area residents. Sanford's population in 1910 totaled 2,262 persons.

After 1907, with railroad and a new county government, Lee County began a period of rapid growth. The economy flourished with new industries including tobacco harvesting, brownstone quarrying, furniture making, brick works, and later textiles. By 1930 the county population numbered 13,400 people. After World War II, in 1947, the cities of Sanford and Jonesboro merged. The 1950 census of the city counted 10,013 residents while the population of Lee County was 23,522 persons. Like much of my Congressional District, Lee County has experienced rapid growth in recent years, and today some 56,908 North Carolinians live there.

Madam Speaker, Lee County has always been dear to my family since it is the birthplace of my lovely wife Faye Etheridge. It is fitting that we take a moment today to honor the centennial celebration of Lee County.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday of last week, the House took up 26 sequential votes on amendments to the 2008 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, H.R. 2638. The fourth of these votes was on an amendment by the gentlelady from Virginia, Representative Drake, which increased funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program. This program funds training and activity of State and local law enforcement personnel to carry out Federal immigration law. I believe that immigration law is and should be the responsibility of Federal border and Customs officials, and not delegated to the States and local authorities who are already burdened with protecting their communities. I, therefore, do not support the Drake amendment.

On roll number 469 when I cast my vote on this amendment, however, an ``aye'' vote was recorded when a ``no'' vote should have been recorded.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate John Bryan and Rebekah Sparrow Chiavetta on the birth of their second child, John Hayden Chiavetta. John was born on Thursday, May 24, 2007 and weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces. My wife Faye joins me in wishing John and Rebekah and their daughter, Charlotte, great happiness upon this new addition to their family.

As the father of three, I know the joy and pride that John and Rebekah feel at this special time. And I know that Charlotte is excited to have a brother with whom she can share the wonders of childhood. Children remind us of the incredible miracle of life, and they keep us young-at-heart. Every day they show us a new way to view the world. I know the Chiavettas look forward to the changes and challenges that their new son will bring to their lives while taking pleasure in the many rewards they are sure to receive as they watch him grow.

I welcome young John into the world and wish John and Rebekah all the best as they raise him.