Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bill that came out of the committee

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 9, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006.

A few years ago, my son Brian and I were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel with Congressman John Lewis to Selma, AL, to participate in a reenactment of the 1965 voting rights march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. On the 36th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the most famous civil rights confrontation of the 20th century, I was deeply moved to hear firsthand accounts from John Lewis and others about that fateful day. When the original marchers got across the bridge, the Alabama State troopers savagely attacked and brutally beat them simply for peacefully demanding their rights as American citizens.

The sacrifices at Bloody Sunday produced the most effective Federal election reform in our Nation's history and guaranteed the voting rights of millions of American citizens.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protects our citizens' right to vote primarily by forbidding covered States from using tests of any kind to determine eligibility to vote, by requiring these States to obtain Federal approval before enacting any election laws, and by assigning Federal officials to monitor the registration process in certain localities. Although the Voting Rights Act is a permanent Federal law, it contains some temporary provisions that will expire in 2007. Sections 4 and 5 pertaining to pre-clearance of congressional district maps by the U.S. Department of Justice and the bilingual provisions contained in section 203, were considered constitutionally controversial and were made temporary in order to revisit the issues.

Mr. Chairman, I support reauthorization of H.R. 9 and oppose all amendments which attempt to weaken it. With the help of the Voting Rights Act, I am proud to say that my State of North Carolina has made substantial progress in lessening voting discrimination. However, more progress can be made and because sections 4, 5 and 203 continue to be necessary in some jurisdictions, they must be reauthorized. We must continue to protect the rights of all American citizens to fully participate regardless of race, color, ethnicity or native language.

Some argue that ballots should only be printed in English; however, the fundamental

right to vote must not be subject to a modern day equivalent of a literacy test. I oppose the amendment proposed by Representative King which will effectively deny some citizens the right to vote.

I also oppose the amendments offered by Representatives Westmoreland and Norwood of Georgia. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is working for North Carolina and is an important protection for our citizens. My State of North Carolina has 40 counties which are subject to preclearance by the U.S. Department of Justice. In testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights, Donald Wright, general counsel for the North Carolina State Board of Elections said ``. . . there is a consensus that the temporary provisions have had the effect of moving the consideration of adverse effects on the voting rights of minorities to the `front of the bus,' as opposed to the `rear of the bus' where it was for much too long. There also continue to be instances in which section 5 prevents discriminatory voting changes from being implemented in North Carolina. To tamper with these temporary provisions may jeopardize the substantial progress minorities have made in our State.''

Upon signing the Voting Rights Act, President Lyndon Johnson said, ``The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.'' I fully support passage of the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments of 2006 for 25 years.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4761.

Our country is facing a painful energy crisis as a result of the policies of this Administration and Congressional Leadership. The price of oil is as high as it has ever been, and the people in my district in North Carolina are suffering from these high energy prices. The American people desperately need effective new energy policies, but H.R. 4761 is simply more of the same failed solutions from the Republican majority in this body.

This legislation would override provisions in my State of North Carolina against offshore drilling, and eliminate a long-standing national moratorium on coastal drilling. I have never supported drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf that could threaten North Carolina's pristine beaches.

Instead of finding new solutions to our energy crisis, such as passing biofuels legislation that would encourage our farmers to grow our own fuel here at home, the Republican leadership chooses to put at risk the places all Americans hold dear.

Mr. Chairman, I will vote against H.R. 4761, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposions to House Resolution 895 and in support of a better alternative, H. Res. 900 introduced by Congressman Frank.

H. Res. 895 intends to express the sense of Congress that we are in support of intelligence and law enforcement programs used to track terrorists and terrorist finances when these programs are consistent with Federal law and with appropriate Congressional consultation. H. Res. 895 also specifically condemns the disclosure and publication of classified information that impairs the international fight against terrorism and needlessly exposes Americans to the threat of further terror attacks. Although I agree with these basic tenants, H. Res. 895 includes several statements that cannot be factually confirmed as of yet by the vast majority of Members of Congress.

No Congressional Committee has formally looked into the terrorist finance tracking program. The Financial Services Committee will not hold its first oversight hearing on this topic until July 11, 2006. Although H. Res. 895 includes a clause stating that Congress has been fully informed on the terrorist finance tracking program, we cannot ask Members of Congress to affirm specific statements about the legality and constitutionality of a program that have yet to be independently confirmed. I simply cannot state something to be a fact that I do not know to be a fact. To do so would be a disservice to the people of North Carolina's Second District I have sworn to serve.

In contrast, H. Res. 900 expresses the same sense of Congress in support of lawful programs used to track terrorists and terrorist finances, as well as the condemnation of the disclosure of classified information, while remaining free of any of these unverified statements of fact. H. Res, 900 is a balanced, thoughtful and appropriate statement of Congressional support for vigorous prosecution of the war against the terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Fire Chief Louis Joseph of Erwin, North Carolina, who died March 15, 2006. In his passing, Erwin lost one of its most outstanding citizens and a man who was instrumental in his community, county, and State.

One of the area's most beloved men, my friend Louis Joseph, died Wednesday afternoon at Rex Hospital following a battle with cancer he developed from a rare respiratory disease. He was 63. Louis was the longtime Erwin fire chief and coproprietor of Joseph's Department Store in Erwin. He was diagnosed with Wegener's Granulomatosis in October 2004. After 45 years as a firefighter and 30 years as chief, Louis's health forced him to retire from the department last June.

Chief Joseph and his brother George Joseph, Jr. were sons of an immigrant father from Beirut, Lebanon. George Joseph, Sr. came to North Carolina in 1933 to work in his brother's department store in Benson. After a try in the ice cream business, Mr. Joseph, Sr. opened a men's clothing store in 1948, which led to Joseph's Department Store and the first men's clothing store in Dunn, NC. Finally in 1951 Mr. Joseph, Sr. moved his department store east to Erwin where Joseph's Department Store still stands today. Louis and his brother George Jr. both worked at the store after school and eventually took over their father's business. Both sons demonstrated a life

long commitment to the business and to Erwin. Both George Sr. and George Jr. served as Erwin past mayors and George Joseph, Jr. continues to manage the department store. He continues to be among Erwin's most effective and giving community leaders.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Louis Joseph used every minute of his long and productive life to make the world a better place. He was a respected and successful businessman, a dedicated public servant, and a great North Carolinian. It is fitting that we honor him and his family today.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

(Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, Michael Childress, Randelman, North Carolina; Roger Armstrong, Atlanta, Illinois; Steven Rosenfeld, Salem, Virginia; Donald Eugene Ward, Columbus, Ohio; Richard Allen Fast, Alum Bridge, West Virginia.

Mr. Chairman, these are just five of the 135 eligible firefighters who have died in the line of duty since this House unanimously approved the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefit Act and it was signed by the President into law on December 15, 2003.

The Hometown Heroes Act, which had 281 bipartisan cosponsors, made sure that a public service officer, such as a fireman, law enforcement officer, EMT or other public servant, who died of a fatal heart attack or stroke in the line of duty would receive a benefit.

Since the President signed this bill into law on December 15, 2\1/2\ years ago, 135 firefighters have suffered a fatal heart attack or stroke while responding to a call. However, in 2\1/2\ years, none of these survivors have received one single penny of these congressionally authorized benefits because the U.S. Department of Justice has not approved the regulations.

I have offered this amendment to highlight the Justice Department's foot dragging and delays. The first delay came when they proposed regulations that were in direct contradiction to the legislation that was passed. They then delayed when they quibbled with the words and phrases. The last excuse is that they are waiting for approval from the Office of Management and Budget.

Mr. Chairman, Members and staff spent countless hours while writing this legislation to clarify what it really meant. During the Judiciary Committee markup on this measure, Chairman Sensenbrenner stated, ``I believe this bill provides the Bureau of Justice Assistance with the direction they require in reviewing and granting these benefits to deserving and qualified public safety officers who dedicate themselves to the public interest and pay the ultimate price for the public good.''

Once the President signed the bill into law, we were in constant contact with DOJ, working through the queries.

The brave men and women who serve our cities and towns every day, many of whom are volunteers, do not delay when they are given a call and someone is in distress. They act, and they act immediately.

I call on Attorney General Gonzales to stop making excuses, to end the delays, stop denying these victims and families the benefits they deserve. The brave men and women should not have to wait another day.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy), who just lost a fireman in his district.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for the time.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan), the ranking member.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his willingness to work on this and also Ranking Member Mollohan. They are absolutely right. There is no excuse for this. Men and women are doing their job, and we ought to support them.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment, with the understanding it is going to be in the report language.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues from North Carolina in congratulating the Carolina Hurricanes on winning the Stanley Cup.

And, yes, Mr. Davis, I did not play any hockey and know very little about the rules. I played with a much bigger ball, one that bounced a little bit rather than one that slides.

As has already been stated, in an exciting seven-game series, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. And as has been stated, the win is truly unprecedented for North Carolina. Not only is it the first time the Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup, but it really is the first time that any professional sports team from North Carolina has won a championship.

North Carolinians are not only proud of how well the Canes played on the ice, we are proud of their sportsmanship that they displayed throughout the playoffs and really throughout the season. The Canes truly are a class act, and North Carolinians are proud to call them our own.

They give back to the community. It is amazing on Saturdays to see the number of young children grabbing their hockey sticks and going out to practice, and the Canes help with that.

Mr. Speaker, let the record show that hockey is here to stay in North Carolina. In less than a decade, in 1997, when the Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina, many of our northern friends questioned whether our fine southern State could support a hockey team. Well, Mr. Speaker, we sure proved that we could. Not only did the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup, but we sold out every single game of the playoffs. Hockey is right up there with barbecue and beach music in terms of popularity in the Old North State. North Carolinians are proud of our Hurricanes, and as you have already heard, we cannot wait until next season.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5638, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting against it.

As a part-time farmer myself, I support tax relief that helps our farms and small businesses grow. I have supported raising the estate tax exemption level several times in previous years. However, this must be done in a responsible manner that does not dishonor our values, shortchange our essential services, or heap more debt on our children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, H.R. 5638 fails this basic test. H.R. 5638, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006 is far from the ``compromise'' that its authors claim. This bill would result in almost 80 percent as much lost revenue as a full repeal of the estate tax. H.R. 5638 would cost the American people $762 billion in the first 10 years of its enactment.

The Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006 is the latest example of this Congressional Majority's misplaced priorities. Less than 1 percent of estates will pay the estate tax this year under the exemption in current law and only 7,500 estates nationwide would be taxable under the $3.5 million exemption that would take effect in 2009. Under current law, 997 of every 1,000 estates would not pay any part of Federal estate taxes. Given current circumstances, the timing could not be worse for giving tax breaks that only apply to multi-millionaires' estates.

I am very proud that during my first term in the U.S. House, Congress and the President balanced the Federal budget for the first time in a generation. Until just a few years ago, the budget remained balanced and the surpluses we produced were being used to pay down the national debt and strengthen Social Security. The current Republican regime in the White House and Congress has reversed that progress and the Nation is much worse off because of their policies. Today the national debt stands at $8.4 trillion. We face the danger of being forced to borrow more money from countries like China to pay our national debt and putting ourselves at the mercy of their rising interest rates. A nation at war cannot justify adding almost $800 billion to this staggering debt. We cannot continue to pile on debt that our future generations will be forced to pay.

Increasing this budget shortfall only makes it more difficult to invest in our true priorities. We are still a nation at war and some of our soldiers lack the best armor. We are facing another hurricane season while continuing to rebuild the Gulf Coast following Hurricane

Katrina. Already the Republican budget resolution cuts funds for homeland security, including port security by $6.1 billion over 5 years, cuts essential services for working families by $9.4 billion, and slashes funding for health by $18.1 billion below current services. As the former Superintendent of North Carolina's public schools, I find the budget cuts for education especially disappointing. Instead of investing in our future Congressional Republicans are eliminating 42 Federal education initiatives. The budget also eliminates vocational education ($1.3 billion); Perkins Loans ($730 million); Safe and Drug- Free Schools State grants ($347 million); and Even Start family literacy services ($99 million). The Republican budget cuts $15 billion from the amount authorized for the No Child Left Behind education reform effort and reduces the 17.7 percent Federal contribution to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to 17.0 percent. The loss of revenue from H.R. 5638 leaves a huge budget hole that will have to be filled by the States and the burden will be placed on middle class and low income families.

In contrast, the Pomeroy Substitute is an alternative that offers a simpler solution without the damaging economic effects of H.R. 5638. Unlike the Republican bill, the Pomeroy Substitute would offer immediate tax relief by raising the estate tax exemption level to $6 million per couple and growing to $7 million per couple in 2009. This would exempt 99.7 percent of all estates in the nation while costing only 60 percent of H.R. 5638. While there is no plan to make up for the huge losses in revenue resulting from H.R. 5638, the Pomeroy Substitute would be payed for by closing the gap in unpaid taxes. Additionally, the estate tax revenue collected under the Pomeroy Substitute would be transferred as receipts used specifically to shore up the Social Security trust fund. According to the Social Security Actuary, this would eliminate one quarter of the trust fund's shortfall.

The Pomeroy Substitute offers immediate tax relief without adding to the crippling debt now facing future generations. This is the type of sound tax and budget policy Congress should pass. We owe the American people nothing less.

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

Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the chairman.

Mr. Chairman, as you remember, 6 years ago I came to this floor and shared with the body about a Hurricane Summit that I had held in the Second District of North Carolina. It was in response to devastation that took place from a major hurricane by the name of Floyd.

That hurricane was the strongest and most devastating storm to hit the United States in more than 25 years. When Floyd roared across the east coast from the Carolinas to New England and through Virginia and Washington, D.C., in September of 1999, it took 56 lives and upward of $6 billion in devastation.

Floyd showed us that much more damage, death and destruction can be created by the unexpected inland flooding of fresh water, more so than what happens on the coast. North Carolina was a good example of that. My district is an inland district and suffered greatly from that storm.

Last summer, this was displayed again with devastating intensity during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. When, as we all witnessed, the damage that was done, that did not just limit itself to the areas on the Gulf Coast.

After the storm pushed inland in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, in the weeks that followed, we saw the severe flooding and the anguish and the problems that was wrought by it. And just this past weekend we saw it right here in Washington, D.C.

That Hurricane Summit brought together metrologist experts from universities, the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service to develop more accurate indexes for inland flooding monitoring. The purpose of this index, simply put, is to save lives. Too many times these storms hit and bring harm to people who have a false sense of security because they believe they live far inland and too far inland to escape flooding.

With information that was gathered at that summit, we drafted legislation, as you remember, Mr. Chairman, and it ensured that NOAA and the National Weather Service would make significant improvements to the Inland

Flooding Warning System. That bill was H.R. 4826, the Inland Flood Forecasting and Warning System Act of 2002, that passed the 107th Congress, and it enjoyed wide bipartisan support.

The legislation directed NOAA to do three things: Improve the capacity to forecast inland flooding associated with tropical storms and hurricanes; two, to develop a distinctive inland flooding warning system for emergency management officials that clearly defines inland flood risks and dangers; and, third, train emergency management officials, National Weather Service personnel and metrologists to use these improved forecasting techniques on inland flooding.

And the important part of this legislation required the National Weather Service and NOAA to report annually to Congress on the progress of this new index. Mr. Chairman, this week we saw, as I said, what could happen here.

I would like to work with you and the members of the Appropriations Committee to ensure that NOAA provides these reports to Congress in a timely manner. Congress must provide the proper oversight to NOAA to ensure that the progress to develop this important index is done and it is accomplished as soon as possible to save lives.

I thank the chairman. I yield.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to congratulate the Carolina Hurricanes for winning the most storied trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers in game seven to win the first Stanley Cup and the first professional league sporting title for any North Carolina team. The Hurricanes exemplify what is great about professional sports: teamwork, dedication, and sportsmanship.

In addition to congratulating the players, coaches and the Hurricanes organization, I would also like to congratulate all the team's fans, the Caniacs. When the Hurricanes first arrived in North Carolina in 1997, skeptics across North America really thought that a Southern State could not support a hockey team. Well, we certainly have proven them wrong. The excitement that the team's fans displayed throughout every game of the playoffs shows that folks in basketball country love our hockey team. It may be shocking to our cold weather natives, but North Carolina won the cup. Hockey has long been thought of as a national sport to our neighbors to the North, but now it is the sport of the good old North State.

Congratulations, Canes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate John Webb Hart and Virginia Sparrow Hart on the birth of their first child, Caroline Sparrow Hart. Caroline was born on Friday, June 9, 2006 and weighed 7 pounds and 5 ounces. Faye joins me in wishing John and Virginia Sparrow Hart great happiness during this very special time in their lives.

As a father and grandfather, 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 the Harts 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 Caroline into the world and wish John and Virginia all the best as they raise her.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5576, the Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Urban Development-Judiciary-DC Appropriations Act of 2007.

This bill will provide over $139 billion in budgetary resources, including direct appropriations and funds from the transportation trust fund. Our highways and infrastructure system built this Nation, and we need to maintain them. This legislation brings the funding level to the amount required in the recently passed transportation bill, provides over $1 billion for Amtrak and other rail service, as well as the funds needed to maintain our Community Development Block Grant and elderly housing programs.

But I believe that this could have been a better bill. The proposed cuts to the HUD programs such as Hope VI and Section 8 housing for the elderly should have been rejected.

I support H.R. 5576 as amended, and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to the debate on this resolution on Iraq. I will vote for House Resolution 861 because I strongly support our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I recently returned from Iraq, which was my second trip to that war zone. I am tremendously proud of all the men and women serving there, especially all the North Carolinians who have served and continue to serve there. I am pleased that we have made progress in training the Iraqi military to begin to provide for that country's security needs. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of work to be done to train Iraqi police, government and other civil institutions that are critical to a stable and functioning society. There is a long way to go to make Iraq a sustainable, peaceful country, and the administration must change course to build coalitions with our allies and all peaceful nations of the world to cooperate in rebuilding Iraq.

Although I strongly support our troops, I have serious concerns about the administration's current policies regarding Iraq. I believe the ultimate goal must be victory in Iraq. We need more burden-sharing support from other countries because the whole world has a tremendous stake in a stable Iraq and a peaceful Middle East. The administration must do a better job of providing for our soldiers in the field and our veterans and military families here at home. Specifically, the communities surrounding Fort Bragg in my district need more Federal funds to build new schools to meet the needs of the children of our servicemembers. I have voted every time to approve the funds to rebuild Iraq, but if we can spend billions of American tax dollars on building new roads, water treatment plants and schools in Iraq, we can invest some public resources in our urgent infrastructure needs here at home.

Congress has played a critical role in issues like providing armor for our troops and their vehicles, improving pay and incentives for better recruitment and retention of our troops and care for their families and creating the Homeland Security Department to protect our people from the threat of terrorist attack. I call on Congress to reject the administration's proposed cuts to our vital National Guard, and I will continue to work on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security to support our first responders who keep our people safe.

I will vote for this resolution because I support our troops, but I have serious concerns both with certain provisions in the resolution and the administration's approach to Iraq. Specifically, the resolution states support for the goal of a ``unified Iraq.'' I do not believe that the Congress should dictate the contours of the map of the Middle East. As long as they do so in a peaceful manner, the Iraqi people should be free to decide whether or not unity, confederation or independence is the best form of government to meet their needs. And the administration's failed approach of going it alone and refusing to hold high level officials accountable for clear mistakes must end. Stubbornness is not a strategy and slogans will not win this conflict.

Let me state clearly that last week's elimination of terrorist leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi by American special forces is an important accomplishment. I commend our military personnel who carried out the operation. This success points out the importance of human intelligence methods and demonstrates the usefulness of offering awards of large sums of money for information on America's enemies. This success stands in sharp contrast to the administration's continued failure to find Osama bin Laden. We should immediately double the bounty on bin Laden and continue to increase it at regular intervals until the terrorist mastermind is defeated.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I regret the partisan manner in which this resolution has been brought to this floor, which my North Carolina colleague Republican Congressman Walter Jones has rightly termed ``a charade.'' From the very beginning, the Bush White House and Republican congressional leadership have exploited the Iraq war for partisan gain. I believe the blood of our soldiers should be off limits for political gamesmanship, and with more than 20,000 American soldiers killed or wounded in Iraq, the American people deserve better than petty politics on this issue.

I will vote for this resolution because I support our troops, but we can do so much better.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5252, the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, & Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006.

The technology in wireless and traditional wire-line capabilities has far outpaced our current telecommunications laws, and the COPE Act serves to update these regulations. This bill provides for the streamlining of video franchising at the federal level, to speed up the process of granting new franchises into these markets, providing badly needed competition in the marketplace, and lowering prices for telecommunications in America.

This legislation updates the rules ensuring that satellite providers are treated equally to local cable franchises; and addresses new technologies that did not exist when the last telecommunications laws were written, such as ensuring that voice-over internet providers provide 911 emergency services to their customers. The COPE Act also contains build-out requirements for these new franchises, as well as protecting our rural infrastructure by ensuring that these providers contribute fairly to the Universal Service Fund.

In 2005, the Federal Communications Commission released four network neutrality principles: (1) consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice; (2) consumers are entitled to run applications and services of their choice; (3) consumers are entitled to connect their choices of safe legal devices; and (4) consumers are entitled to competition among networks, applications, services, and content providers. H.R. 5252 enacts these neutrality principles into law, sending a strong non-discrimination message to Internet providers. North Carolina's economy has prospered from open Internet access, and H.R. 5252 ensures that we continue to enjoy that opportunity.

Mr. Chairman, no legislation is perfect. I would like to have seen stronger language regarding build-out requirements than was included in the bill, and I supported amendments that gave local authorities even greater oversight than the original language provided.

However, this legislation represents a significant step forward in the information age. I urge support of H.R. 5252.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the time of the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, as the Memorial Day Weekend approaches, with the unofficial kickoff of the summer driving season, I rise this evening to say a few words about the energy crisis in this country.

Specifically, I urge this Congress to take immediate action to crack down on price gouging of gasoline and develop alternative fuels to free Americans from the grip of foreign oil. Over the past several weeks and months, gas prices have skyrocketed across the country.

Middle class families who were already feeling economic pressure of the rising cost of health care and college expenses are getting squeezed tighter still due to the higher price of gasoline.

According to the AAA fuel gauge report, my North Carolina neighbors are paying nearly $3 a gallon for gas. I know I paid that much when I stopped and got gas on Monday and filled my car up. Now, as a former full-time small businessman for almost 20 years, I take no back seat to anyone in support of free enterprise market capitalism.

But the gasoline price gouging of American citizens must stop. Unfortunately, the administration has chosen to turn a blind eye to this urgent problem. Just yesterday, the head of the Federal Trade Commission argued against a new Federal law against price gouging by the oil companies and suggested that they be allowed to continue to reap the profits of American consumer's pain at the pump.

I am proud that my colleagues and I have introduced the Federal Response to Energy Emergency or FREE Act. I am pleased this House has passed this important legislation. I hope the administration will end its opposition and the Senate will put this into law shortly.

Over the long term, Mr. Speaker, Congress must exercise visionary leadership to pass policies that are innovative to secure America's energy independence.

Last month I hosted a summit on biofuels in my Congressional district to explore policy options to grow our way out of this energy dependence we have. This event featured local, State and national experts on energy, biofuel producers and State government officials.

We examined the current state of the biofuel development and explored how North Carolina as the third largest agricultural producing state can become a leader in biofuel production.

What we found is that we have the technology to make our own fuel from the products we grow in our fields today. For example, soybeans are the largest crop in my State of North Carolina, making up about 25 percent of the total acreage in our State.

We have the answers to our fuel crisis growing in our fields across America. In addition to the biofuels summit, I recently discussed this topic with the Second District Youth Advisory Committee, a group of young people. And let me tell you that these young people get it. They inherently understand that the U.S. reliance on imported fossil fuels is unsustainable and leaves us

vulnerable to developments far from our borders and not under our control.

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Agricultural Committee and co- chair of the House Democratic Rural Working Group, I know firsthand that rural Americans feel this pain when they go to the pumps. But rural America will benefit from legislation my colleagues and I have introduced to encourage biofuel production and the usage of it in the United States.

Specifically this legislation will, one, increase production of American-made biofuels. Double the percentage of renewable fuels sold in America in 6 years, make sure that biodiesel and cellulosic sources are the key parts of that increase, and extends tax credits for ethanol and biodiesel through 2015, and increases tax benefits to small ethanol producers.

Mr. Speaker, in addition, the bill will expand the market for and the distribution of biofuels, invest in research and development to improve the use of renewable energy. And, finally, the bill will encourage local domestic ownership through Federal incentives to small ethanol and biofuel plants so that independent locally-owned facilities that produce biofuels can grow and thrive, improving our rural communities and creating jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I hope when Congress returns from the Memorial Day district work period that this House will pass this legislation to invest in America's energy independence.

I hope the administration will put the power of the Federal Government to work for the American people suffering at the gas pump, rather than the big oil CEOs enjoying record profits at their expense.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, this evening I rise on the floor to speak for a few minutes in support of H.R. 5351, the National Emergency Management Reform and Enhancement Act, and to address the need for reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This legislation represents a significant victory for democratic principles of effective Federal action for the American people.

Hurricane season starts in a little over a week, and just yesterday scientists at NOAA told us to expect another several months of dangerous storms. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita on our fellow citizens on the gulf coast serves as a wake-up call that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was badly broken.

Unfortunately, the inept response of many FEMA officials and the administration to this national disaster illustrated the degradation of an agency that once was a showplace of government responsiveness, efficiency, and professionalism.

My State of North Carolina has been no stranger to hurricanes and natural

disasters over the years, and FEMA personnel performed admirably as our State struggled to recover from Hurricane Fran in 1996 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999, as well as other floods, tornadoes, and ice storms. Fran featured devastating winds and Floyd produced a 500-year flood in northeastern North Carolina. Fortunately, then-FEMA director James Lee Witt was a professional with marching orders from the White House to do whatever was needed to save life and property. FEMA in the 1990s delivered vital services the American people have a right to expect. Unfortunately, that model of success was replaced by the current administration with the failed approach of cronyism and incompetence. Congress must now step in and provide leadership to fix a broken system.

However, unlike some of my colleagues in this body, my solution to fixing FEMA is not to strip it out of the Department of Homeland Security. This action will not only result in an ill-conceived division of duties, resources and responsibilities, but also increase bureaucracy, interagency turf wars and red tape.

I don't need to tell you, but the American people will not stand for more red tape and bureaucracy. The last thing they want to see after a disaster are Federal government officials trading business cards instead of assisting the victims of the storm. My Democratic colleagues and I have worked for months on the Homeland Security Committee to reform FEMA and to restore its standing as a quality government organization.

I am pleased that our Republican colleagues have joined together and the Homeland Security Committee passed a bill on a unanimous bipartisan vote.

H.R. 5351 addresses many of the problems and deficiencies that prevented FEMA from providing efficient and effective support of State and local officials after a disaster, whether they be natural or man- made. This legislation creates a stronger autonomous mission-oriented FEMA within the framework of the Department of Homeland Security. It restores control of the accepted emergency management cycle of preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation to the agency.

It requires that the director of FEMA be a recognized emergency management professional who would serve as the day-to-day principal adviser to the President of the United States for emergency management matters. The legislation would elevate the director to the President's cabinet during times of crisis so no one could obstruct the speedy delivery of relief, personnel and resources to devastated areas in this country and around the world.

H.R. 5351 reinvigorates FEMA's regional offices and staffs them with emergency management professionals with both experience and a familiarity with the people, geography, and threats to our States and municipalities.

Importantly, this bill gives FEMA budgetary independence and prevents the Secretary of Homeland Security from siphoning money away from disaster and terrorism prevention and preparedness for other agency initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me as a cosponsor of this bipartisan, commonsense legislation; and I urge the leadership to schedule for a vote this legislation as soon as possible. Our Nation and its people will not stand for another botched response from this Federal Government, nor should they. This administration should be held accountable for its many mistakes, and this bill would allow FEMA to fulfill its mission as a primary Federal responder and support agency in times of disaster.