Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 23, the ``Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act'' will correct the injustice that has been inflicted on a group of World War II veterans, the World War II United States Merchant Marines.

Senator Larry Craig has posted on his Web site his views of S. 1272, the Senate companion bill to H.R. 23. His views have been addressed by the co-chairs of the Just Compensation Committee of the U.S. Merchant Marine Combat Veterans. They have requested that the Senator's views and their letter be placed into the Congressional Record.

What is Senator Craig's position on S. 1272?

Without question, the service provided by members of the

U.S. Merchant Marine was invaluable to America's victory over

the Axis powers during World War II. Merchant Mariners in

oceangoing missions served alongside active components of the

Armed Forces as they braved the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

to deliver vital supplies and manpower to the warfront.

Undaunted by their difficult missions, Merchant Mariners

suffered heavy casualties from enemy naval forces and land-

to-sea artillery fire. To all members of the U.S. Merchant

Marine who put themselves in harm's way, I say ``thank you''

for your service.

Civilian groups like the U.S. Merchant Marine have

frequently performed the equivalent of military service

throughout our nation's history. In recognition of that fact,

Congress, through the enactment of Public Law 95-202

(established in 1977), a process by which civilian groups

could be recognized for their service and be classified as

``veterans'' for purposes of all benefits administered by the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Secretary of the Air

Force was chosen to be the Executive Agent of the Defense

Department in making decisions about granting that status.

And the Air Force Secretary's decisions are informed by a

review process conducted by the Civilian Military Service

Review Board. Since 1977, 30 groups have been recognized as

having attained veteran status. In 1988, members of the U.S.

Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941 and

August 15, 1945 were recognized.

The criteria for having civilian service equated with

military service are necessarily stringent. That is as it

should be; we should never water down what it means to be a

veteran of the United States Armed Forces.

With that perspective in mind, I turn now to the merits of

S. 1272. S. 1272, among other things, would entitle certain

members of the U.S. Merchant Marine (or, if deceased, their

surviving spouses) who served between December 7, 1941 and

December 31, 1946, to a $1,000 monthly payment. The $1,000

monthly payment would be in addition to any other VA

benefits. The following are the reasons why I do not support

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

Madam Chairman, I appreciate the majority's acceptance of this amendment for discussion. I did have other amendments which I thought were more important and more helpful to this bill. For example, in this bill, in section 607, we compensate various local law enforcement agencies of border counties, of which I represent two, for detaining, housing and transporting undocumented persons. The biggest problem for the counties on the border is the emergency health care providers who are not reimbursed for treatment of undocumenteds.

My amendment, introduced in the House as H.R. 2934, is called ``PayUp,'' Pay for All Your Undocumented Procedures. It authorizes the Federal Government to make payment to emergency ambulance and medical services for the cost of uncompensated care of undocumented persons that come to their facility aided by the Border Patrol or any other Federal immigration agency. Unfortunately, that amendment was not accepted for discussion.

Another amendment would have allowed children in Mexico who have serious medical problems, for example birth defects, to come across the border as they did before 9/11 with 1-day visas for emergency treatment. For the 40 years before 9/11, we were able to give lives back to about 125,000 young children, poor children who were treated in my city of Calexico at the Valley Orthopedic Center. After 9/11, these 1-day visas were prohibited. That would have helped not only our relationship between our two countries but allowed our medical technology to help poor and young people who are living in Mexico. That amendment was not accepted.

What was accepted is a technical correction that I will briefly explain, because the bill in most respects takes a wrong approach toward our illegal immigration problem.

In this case, instead of making it a criminal act to sell and distribute fraudulent documents, the bill targets those who are trying to stay in the United States. My amendment fixes this fundamental problem by making the distribution or intent to distribute false, fake, or counterfeit immigration documents as much of a crime as creating or using them. Let us be clear.

We are talking about the sale and distribution of illegal documents. I represent the whole California-Mexico border. There is an industry dedicated to the counterfeiting and distribution of these documents. These are the people we ought to go after, and these are the people who, because of a loophole in the bill, are exempted. We have arrested people in San Diego for distributing false documents, but there is a loophole which allows them to escape that charge.

This is a crime that we ought to be going after. The current government statutes that deal with fraudulent documents completely ignore the distribution of passports, visas, and other permits, which, in my opinion, is the true crime. We should go after the real criminals who are profiting by the sale and distribution of these documents. It is a simple correction of the law that will strengthen penalties. While we might disagree about broader immigration policy, we all agree that the selling of fake and fraudulent and illegal documents should be stopped. I urge the adoption of this amendment.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chairman, I thank the chairman for accepting this amendment and for his common sense approach to this issue. I hope that you will look at the two other common sense amendments I mentioned when you get to conference. Not allowing children to cross for emergency medical procedures makes no sense at all. These are not terrorists; these are young children. We are giving them back their futures, and we ought to change the law to allow medical treatment.

In addition, you ought to put emergency medical providers on the list of people to be compensated when they deal with undocumented persons. I hope you will extend that common sense and courtesy that you have given me in this amendment and extend it to the others, too.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank Mr. LoBiondo for moving this legislation so rapidly given the emergency circumstances.

As the chairman said, during the days and weeks after the onslaught of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Coast Guard showed what a Federal agency can do when it is prepared.

The Coast Guard, whose motto is Semper Paratus, always ready, was prepared to respond to this storm. Before levees ever broke, the Coast Guard was flying additional helicopters and extra air crews into the gulf region. Once the storm hit, their air crews and boat crews were operating 24 hours a day to save their countrymen.

The chairman and I visited the Coast Guard after the bulk of the work was done in the New Orleans area to get a briefing and to congratulate them on behalf of all the Members of the Congress for their work. And we saw their work. We saw that being prepared to respond to a disaster is not just a paper exercise to sit on the shelf when the big one occurs. Being prepared is something they do every day. They develop relationships with State and local government officials. They know who in the private sector can help provide resources to respond. They make decisions quickly so that they can implement an effective response. And as the chairman said, they saved over 33,000 lives during their response to the hurricanes.

So this bill addresses a number of Coast Guard related issues that need to be addressed very quickly. They were in H.R. 889, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2005, when we passed the bill in the House in September. However, the conferees on this bill have been unable so far to come to a resolution on all the issues, and there are a few time-sensitive provisions that cannot wait. For example, section 3 of this bill allows the Coast Guard to temporarily extend the license and Merchant Mariner Documents for individuals whose personnel records were damaged or destroyed in the 8 feet of water that flooded the Coast Guard Record Center in New Orleans. It also allows the Coast Guard to extend the license and documents of individuals who are residents of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi since their own personal records may have been destroyed in their home or office.

Current law states that a license or Merchant Mariner Document is only valid for 5 years. Some of those documents are expiring, and the Coast Guard feels they cannot extend them without the paperwork that is in their flooded building or in the mariner's home. So this bill allows these licenses and documents to be extended to the end of February 2006.

The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd) has raised this issue with me over the past week when it became apparent that the conferees were not going to complete the work on H.R. 889. And I want to thank the chairman and his staff for allowing us to work this out so quickly and to be able to assure the gentleman that his concerns have been addressed in this bill. Any mariner who is a resident of Florida may have his or her license or Merchant Mariner Document renewed if their records were in the Coast Guard's Records Office in New Orleans that was flooded.

Similarly, section 4 allows the Coast Guard to temporarily extend the certificate of inspection or certificate of compliance if the vessel is normally inspected by a Coast Guard Marine Safety Office located in Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana.

Several hundred men and women in the Coast Guard spent so much time responding to Hurricane Katrina that they themselves were not able to use their accumulated leave before the end of the fiscal year. So this bill in section 5 allows Coast Guard personnel who were involved in this hurricane response to carry over for 90 days instead of the normal 60 days that they were allowed.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4508 expresses a sense of Congress that the men and women serving in the Coast Guard went above and beyond the call of duty when they responded to Hurricane Katrina and thanks them for their continued dedication and service to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank Chairman LoBiondo and his staff for working so closely with our staff to get this out quickly. I urge my colleagues to voice their support for H.R. 4508.

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

Offered By: Mr. Filner

Amendment No. 1: At the end of title VII, add the

following:

Offered By: Mr. Filner

Amendment No. 2: Section 1546(a) of title 18, United States

Code, is amended in the first paragraph by inserting

``distributes (or intends to distribute),'' before ``or

falsely'' the first place it appears.

Section 1546(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended

in the first paragraph by inserting ``distributed,'' before

``or falsely'' the second place it appears.

Offered By: Mr. Filner

Amendment No. 3: At the end of the bill, insert the

following:

Offered By: Mr. Filner

Amendment No. 4: At the end of the bill add the following:

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 4259, the ``Veterans Right to Know Act'', recently introduced by my colleague, Congressman Mike Thompson. This bill requires an investigation into chemical and biological weapons tests, especially those carried out from 1962-1974 on our nation's servicemembers.

In this time of war, it is prudent that we redouble our efforts to ensure that the nation is willing and able to protect our troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. To that end, it is imperative that we learn from the past--and one of the great lessons to be learned is that of Project 112 and SHAD.

Project 112 was a Department of Defense program of weapons testing and SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) was a part of the larger Project 112. SHAD involved a series of tests that were conducted to determine the vulnerability of U.S. warships to attacks with chemical and biological agents. Although service members were not test subjects, they were on board the ships during the tests.

So far, almost 6000 unknowing military personnel have been identified as having been involved in Project 112, exposed to Vx Nerve Gas, Sarin Nerve Gas, E. coli and other toxins and carcinogens. The illnesses occurring at too early ages among many of these veterans seem to be more than a coincidence.

I want to commend our veterans for their diligence in bringing this matter to the forefront. Once again, it is our veterans who had to advocate on their own behalf to get the government to release information about harmful exposures so they could better understand their health issues and illnesses. The Department of Defense denied the tests up until 2002.

We have learned a lot since 2002 when these tests became public knowledge, but there is still much to learn. That is why this bill, H.R. 4259, is so important. We need an independent effort to diligently pursue all avenues to discover every veteran who was affected by this testing and to provide each one with appropriate treatment and benefits. In addition, we need to ensure that steps are taken to prevent and improve the documentation of potentially harmful exposures during the current wars. The lives of our veterans depend on our diligence.

H.R. 4259 is endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Military Officers Association of America, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Blinded Veterans Association. Won't you join them? Please let Congressman Thompson know that you want to co-sponsor H.R. 4259!

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

I thank Chairman Sensenbrenner and the Rules Committee for allowing this amendment to proceed. There is a very good section of the bill talking about grants for young witness assistance, and I think when we talk about that, as the bill does, very importantly, we also must explicitly talk about gangs because we know that youth witness intimidation generally comes at the hands of criminal gangs. So my amendment adds language to this section that provides for this bill to allow the use of witness protection grants by youths who are trying to leave a criminal gang or to prevent initial gang recruitment.

I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his support.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).

If I may conclude, Mr. Chairman, according to the past president of the National District Attorneys Association, Mr. Robert P. McCullough, he said that ``prosecutors across the country believe that the issue of witness intimidation is the single biggest hurdle facing any successful gang prosecution.''

So I appreciate the chairman's acceptance of this amendment. I look forward to these grants helping our young people avoid gangs or at least avoid intimidation.

I believe when you talk about witness assistance programs for children, which this bill does, you have to talk about gangs because as many know youth witness intimidation generally comes at the hand of criminal gangs.

My amendment adds language to the witness protection grants provided in this bill to allow their use by youths who are trying to leave a criminal gang or to prevent initial gang recruitment.

Unfortunately, my district like many others across the country has a problem with gangs, which is why I introduced this amendment.

In San Diego, police department records count no fewer than 3,750 gang members on the street. Most are young--pre-teens to mid-20s. During the first six months of this year, gang violence resulted in eight homicides in San Diego, nearly a third of the total of 23.

However, don't let these statistics mislead you, gang violence is not limited to California and or big urban areas--that might have been true a while ago but it is no longer the case today. While big cities still have the majority of gangs their tentacles reach out from the cities into every aspect of our society. For example, Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, has grown from a gang that once numbered a few thousand and was involved in street violence and turf battles in Southern California into a gang that operates in at least 33 states, with an international membership in the hundreds of thousands.

Three thousand jurisdictions across the U.S. are estimated to have had gang activity in 2001. In 2002, 32% of cities with a population of 25 to 50 thousand reported a gang-related homicide. Furthermore, it is estimated that there are 840,000 active gang members in the U.S. operating in every state of the Union.

These gangs are effective because they bind their members to loyalty and create fear throughout the community in which they operate. This fear, most noticeable in children, prevents residents from cooperating with law enforcement officials and testifying against gang members. My amendment, while not a panacea for the gang problem, is a step in the right direction. It provides support to prevent initial gang recruitment and helps those young witnesses who are trying to leave criminal gangs. Passage of my amendment will decrease youth witness intimidation by gangs and as a result lead to improved prosecution of gang members.

According to the past president of the National District Attorneys Association, Robert P. McCullough, ``prosecutors across the country believe that the issue of witness intimidation is the single biggest hurdle facing any successful gang prosecution.'' I could not agree with him more, which is why I am urging you to support my amendment.

Finally, as a matter of clarification, my amendment does not ``require'' states to provide such criminal gang witness assistance to be eligible for young adult witness assistance grants.

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

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 569, on H.R. 3057, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for two bills I have just introduced, H.R. 4183, the

``Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act'' and ``H.R. 4184, the ``You Were There, You Get Care Act.''

In the preparation of these bills, I am indebted to Earl J. Lee, member of the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV) and National District VI Chairman of the AMVETS RECA (Radiation Exposure Compensation Act) Program. Resolutions supporting the provisions in these bills have been passed by the National AMVETS.

For too long, many Atomic Veterans and veterans exposed to Depleted Uranium have been on the outside looking in and wondering why? Were they not loyal and faithful in their military service? Do they not deserve compensation or care for their illnesses?

H.R. 4183, the ``Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act'', directs the Department of Justice to obtain the records of all Atomic Veterans from the Department of Energy Operations Office in Nevada. Using these records, they are to locate and advise all veterans or their surviving widows of their rights under RECA and guide them in filing a claim for the compensation that is due them.

RECA is the program passed by Congress in 1990 (P.L. 101-426) that provides compassionate payments to individuals who contract cancers and other serious diseases as a result of their exposure to radiation from above ground tests of nuclear weapons or from employment in underground uranium mines.

Because the VA did not provide medical care to Atomic Veterans in many cases, many died at an early age. So there are thousands of widows, many on fixed incomes, who have never heard of RECA and do not know that they may be eligible for compensation. My bill will help them apply and receive substantial compassionate payments to ease their burden.

Depleted uranium is an incredibly effective weapon, but its residue has a half-life of 4 billion years and many believe that it is a carcinogen. We simply cannot allow another generation of veterans to be treated as were the Atomic Veterans! H.R. 4184, the ``You Were There, You Get Care Act'', ensures that veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and subsequent conflicts will be considered ``service-connected disabled'' for any illnesses currently covered by RECA and other diseases found by the Veterans'' Affairs Secretary to result from DU exposure.

For example, veterans serving in the 1991 Gulf War or those providing clean-up or servicing of vehicles or equipment that had been in the Persian Gulf, shall be considered as exposed and if they are ill, their illnesses shall be deemed ``service-connected'' with the accompanying VA health care and VA compensation provided.

In addition, this bill calls for an in-depth medical study to be conducted by independent civilian medical entities, independent of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, to determine other diseases that may result from exposure to depleted uranium. A copy of the study will be sent to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees.

We need to ensure that veterans from the Gulf War and all wars waged since will not die an early and painful death without the health care and compensation they need and deserve.

Taken together, H.R. 4183, and H.R. 4184 makes a bold statement--that when young men and women volunteer for service, they can count on their government to compensate them and care for them if their service lends to illnesses. These assurances are so important and so necessary and should aid in the recruitment and retention of military personnel.

Madam Speaker, it is clear that high-ranking officials in the Bush White House have not leveled with the American people about their involvement in the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity to reporters.

When this investigation first began 2 years ago, Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told ABC News that he was not involved in any way. After a steady stream of questions, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said he personally went and asked Karl Rove and Scooter Libby if they were involved, and they both assured him that they were not. McClellan told reporters at the White House press briefing on October 7, ``They are good individuals. They're important members of our White House team, and that's why I spoke with them, so I could come back to you and say that they were not involved.''

Well, like much of what the White House says today, that is simply not true. Both Rove and Libby were involved in the leaking of a covert agent's identity. That means someone in this administration has a lot of explaining to do.

Madam Speaker, this is not the way the American people want their government to be run. It is time for someone to be held accountable at the White House for this outrageous abuse of power. This administration of neo-cons turns out to be an administration of just plain cons.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to acknowledge the passing of a great American, the venerable Rosa Louise Parks.

On a cold afternoon in December 1955, Rosa Parks could not have known she would soon become a national symbol and civil rights icon. But in standing her ground and demanding her fair and equal treatment on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks became the first lady of civil rights and the mother of the freedom movement.

Her simple action and committed resolve that day empowered a people, ignited a movement and changed the course of American history.

The events that followed Ms. Parks' protest that day--her arrest, the Montgomery bus boycott, and the eventual integration of the bus system--set the stage for Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Act.

As a young college student, I was inspired by the stories of Ms. Parks' courageous action. I traveled to the south as a ``freedom ride'' in support of the emerging civil rights movement.

Rosa Parks' courage, determination, and tenacity continue to be an inspiration to all those committed to non-violent protest and change nearly half a century later. She will be remembered as an everlasting symbol and advocate for justice and equality throughout America.

Thank you Rosa, America will forever be indebted to you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support for a bill I have just introduced, H.R. 4095, the Encourage Initiative and Promote Self-Esteem Act of 2005.

There are many people in our country who receive Social Security Disability benefits (SSD) because they have a ``waxing and waning'' disease--Behcet's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Parkinson's, Cancer, AIDS and Arthritis are examples of ``waxing and waning'' diseases. Eric Peterson, who lives in my Congressional District, has taught me a great deal about these diseases and the need for a better way for people to seek and keep SSD.

This process of seeking SSD and keeping it is often times an adversarial one. The climate of suspicion that applicants and recipients say they feel leaves many to view the Social Security Administration, SSA, with a jaundiced eye. Everyone who actually gains disability benefits remembers the hoops of fire they had to jump through during the application process. As a result, many people often do not consider a try at working, fearing that the SSA will use that against them to deny future benefits. With concerns over fraudulent claims, I can understand how this environment came to be. But that doesn't make it right.

For people with ``waxing and waning'' diseases and conditions, they know that they will have good days and bad. They know that, barring a cure, they will always be sick, but that does not diminish their spirit. There needs to be a program that encourage people in this situation to secure temporary employment when they feel they can work without placing their SSD at risk for the times they cannot work.

Currently, if a person makes more than $810 a month, disability benefits will stop. If one makes $810 but then has less money than his SSD, there is no incentive to work. H.R. 4095 would install a system based on a sliding scale. The more money one earns, the fewer benefits he or she receives. But there will be a built-in incentive to stay the course because the total monthly income when working will be more than either the work income or SSD.

In addition, if a person makes $300 or more a month, their review is put aside. This incentive will further encourage people to push themselves to continue working if at all possible.

Imagine a situation where those on SSD who have diseases that ``wax and wane'' could work, without fear, when able. That would be a lot of money put back into the Treasury in payroll withholdings and taxes--and more money put into the economy in increased purchasing, not to mention the contribution to society and elevated self-esteem of the workers. Think about the faith these people would have in a system of government that treats its people with dignity and respect instead of suspicion and contempt.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4095 improve the lives of thousands of Americans.

Madam Speaker, what is President Bush waiting for? It is now blatantly clear that the President's main political adviser, Karl Rove, and the Vice President's Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, leaked a CIA agent's identity to the press.

Madam Speaker, 2 years ago at the beginning of the investigation, the President said, ``If there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is.''

Today all the President will say is he will not comment on it until the investigation is over. If the President really wanted to know exactly how Rove and Libby were involved, he could walk down to their offices and demand that they answer him honestly.

There is simply no reason for President Bush to delay any longer. The American people and our CIA agents around the world need to be able to trust those with top security clearance. Let us not forget that both Rove and Libby continue to hold these clearances despite the ongoing investigation and all of the evidence pointing to their heavy involvement.

Madam Speaker, it is time for the President to take action. There is an ethical cloud hanging over the White House. It is unlikely that firing these two men will remove the cloud, but it is certainly a beginning. Instead of an administration of neo-cons, we apparently have an administration of just plain cons.