Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 502, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Vote No. 503, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 504, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 505, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 506, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 507, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 508, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 509, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4794, the bipartisan bill to amend the Tijuana River Valley Estuary and Beach Sewage Cleanup Act of 2000. The House and Senate passed this bill four years ago in an effort to resolve an enormous health problem in my district. Fifty million gallons of raw sewage flow through the Tijuana River from Mexico into San Diego beaches everyday. Most Americans cannot imagine the environmental and health impacts caused by this problem.

Eleven years ago, the San Diego city council declared a state of emergency in the Tijuana River Valley because of sewage from Mexico flowing over the border and spoiling our beaches and waterways. Every two weeks since then, the city council has continued to declare a state of emergency.

I worked with my colleagues to establish a bipartisan plan for a public-private partnership to solve this problem, but the crisis continues. And four years after the signing of the bill nothing has been done. The International Boundary and Water Commission has failed to take the steps necessary to build the wastewater treatment plant that Congress authorized and that families in San Diego deserve.

The IBWC has a new Commissioner who, I believe, recognizes the responsibility that the IBWC has been given from Congress: To end the flow of raw sewage into southern California. That is why I have joined my Congressional colleagues from San Diego in offering this bill to continue the authorization for this project, so we can make sure that this environmental nightmare comes to an end.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to recognize and congratulate Roger Cazares upon the occasion of his retirement as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee (MAAC) Project, a multi-purpose social service agency (with a successful 39 year history of serving various communities throughout San Diego County.

After graduating from San Diego State University with a Political Science Degree, Roger headed to the MAAC Project. Thirty years later, he leaves MAAC as one of the most successful social service agencies in the country with 400 employees, an annual operating budget of over $16 million and over $100 million in assets.

Under Roger Cazares' leadership MAAC Project has become an agency that serves over 35,000 individuals per year and staffs 35 sites bringing to its constituents empowering social services, health components, a state of arts charter school, technology centers, economic development, and affordable housing. Roger is a man with a vision that has empowered his staff at the MAAC Project to serve as many people as possible and not be afraid to expand to new services. Roger's legacy at the agency includes creating new leaders by mentoring a younger generation and inspiring them to believe in their potential.

The growth that the MAAC Project has seen under Roger's tenure includes an increase in the agency's North San Diego County Head Start Child Development schools center sites from 4 to 17. Enrollment at these centers went up from 400 to 1,100 children, directly impacting parental participation and involvement in those children's lives. Thanks to Roger's direction MAAC established two residential care facilities for recovering drug and alcohol dependent individuals housed at Casa de Milagros, for women, and Casa Nosotros, for men. Roger Cazares ensured MAAC's summer employment for over 1,000 South Bay youth annually, in cooperation with the Private Industry Council. The MAAC also provided English as a second language and government classes to over 12,000 adults in San Diego County through the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986 for 5 years.

Roger has made an impact in the community not only by augmenting social services that local government provides but also by becoming involved in the Housing Crisis that San Diego County faces. Roger Cazares created the agency's Housing and Community Development Department in 1991 that has developed more than 1,000 rental units of affordable housing and 12 single family homes, developed, a community development strategy specifically targeting the residents of MAAC's apartment communities, and recently expanded the department to include a property management component. Under Mr. Cazares' leadership, MAAC Project has grown to be one of the premier affordable housing developers in the, region.

Roger Cazares also has left his footprint in the education arena by providing leadership and harnessing his national network for support to fund and open MAAC Community Charter School in Chula Vista. The Charter School is a first class operation that offers hope and opportunity for our deserving youth.

Roger's contributions to the community go beyond the MAAC Project. He was president of the National City Chamber of Commerce from 1994-1995; he served on the National Council of La Raza Board of Directors and Executive Committee for six years. Roger has received a multitude of awards for his community service such as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Leadership Award, Hispanic Heritage Local Heroes Award presented by KPBS & Union Bank of California, the United Way Ben Polak Community Service Award, the UCSD Excellence in Community Service Award, recipient of Reconocimiento OHTLI Community Service Award presented by the Mexican Government.

Roger is joined in celebrating his accomplishments by his wife and lifelong partner of 30 years, Norma Cazares; their daughters Leticia and Nicole; and their son Javier. My best wishes go to my friend Roger Cazares, a visionary, an activist, a great leader, and a good man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of funding in the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations bill for the Compact for Success, an educational reform and college guarantee program at the Sweetwater Union High School District, located in my Congressional District in California. The Sweetwater Education Foundation, a non-profit organization, facilitates this program.

The Sweetwater Union High School District serves the densely populated corridor between downtown San Diego and the international border with Mexico, including nearly 40,000 students in grades seven through twelve. These students live in some of the most diverse and economically disadvantaged communities in the state. The schools serve large numbers of ``latchkey'' children, many of whom enter school behind in basic academic skills. Nearly half of the students in the district qualify for free or reduced price meals, a figure that is as high as 90 percent at some sites.

In addition to their economic disadvantage, a significant percentage of Sweetwater youth come from homes where adult educational attainment is low. Many parents are new immigrants with limited schooling in their home countries. With little history of academic success, these adults often lack the first-hand ``know-how'' so critical in helping their children reach high achievement goals and think about attending college.

With 84 percent of its students coming from ethnicities traditionally under-represented in higher education, Sweetwater is one of California's most diverse districts. More than half of Sweetwater's students speak a language other than English at home.

The Compact for Success, now entering its fifth year, is raising the bar academically and giving the Sweetwater students the tools to reach their goal of attending a four-year university. Compact participants are students of Sweetwater Union High School District, who complete six years in the Compact program in exchange for guaranteed admission to San Diego State University.

Even though the first class of Compact students is in the 11th grade, the impact of higher expectations is already evident. This year, the number of graduating seniors admitted to San Diego State University shows a 76 percent increase since 1999, the year the Compact began.

The Compact was named the most powerful student initiative in the nation this year by the American Association of School Administrators and earned a Magna Award from the American School Board Journal.

I am proud of the accomplishments of the students participating in the Compact, and I urge support of their funding request.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time, and Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of this bill, H.R. 4231, to provide for nurse recruitment and retention for our Department of Veterans' Affairs.

We have heard that the VA is currently the largest employer of nurses in the United States, and with the growth in the number of veterans using the VA for their health care, the increase in the number of aging veterans and the projected national shortage of registered nurses, we must keep the VA competitive in the recruitment and retention of nurses.

So we have this bill, what we have heard described, establishing a pilot program that would study the use of outside recruitment, advertising and online technology to make the VA more competitive. We also know that the bill provides flexible work schedules to be more family-friendly and to allow nurses to take care of their family needs and personal needs and give them more control over their own schedules.

I thank very much the chairman of the committee for his strong statement on the provision that was in the original bill but is not now, but how we will go about making up for that; in the early drafts of the bill, an important provision clarified the status of nurses who meet the VA's qualification standards but do not have a baccalaureate degree. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing reports that the pass rates for licensing of nurses trained with associate and baccalaureate degrees are virtually identical. So to discriminate against nurses with 2-year degrees makes no sense and, of course, is counterproductive to our needs today.

As first drafted, H.R. 4231 committed to hiring nurses with associate degrees. It is not in the bill now, but as the chairman pointed out, a letter by the acting Under Secretary of Health at the VA, Mr. Perlin, and is now in the record to the Committee on Veterans Affairs' chairman and ranking member, outlined the plans of the VA to enhance the recruitment and hiring of associate-degree nurses. Committee on Veterans' Affairs members will be monitoring their progress.

Of course, the next step we need to take is to fix the promotion requirements for nurses in the VA so nurses with those associate degrees are eligible for promotions based on their competency, not their degree. This is a vital change that must be made in order to retain VA nurses, and I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey's (Chairman Smith's) strong statement of the need for competency-based promotion and not on the kind of degree.

All of us here today have made clear that health care for our Nation's veterans must be a high priority. This bill is a step forward in those efforts to provide the VA with the tools to recruit qualified nurses to care for our veterans, whether they are from World War II or to the present conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I urge support of H.R. 4231.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two residents of my Congressional District, Antonio and Martha Gomez, who I have selected as my nominees for the sixth annual Angels in Adoption Award.

The Awards are an opportunity to honor dedicated constituents for their efforts in helping children, as well as an opportunity to raise awareness about adoption. Members of Congress are asked by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute to select an individual, couple or organization from their district who has made a difference in the lives of children, either through adoption, foster care or child welfare advocacy.

I selected Antonio and Martha as my Angels in Adoption because for the past eight years, they have provided a safe and loving home to a dozen foster children, ranging in age from 2 weeks to eighteen years. Their entry into the world of foster parenting was inspired by their daughter who had a friend who was a foster child. Because of her interest, Antonio and Martha decided to become foster parents, and they have never looked back.

Two years ago, they adopted one of their foster children who is now a happy five-year old who loves and is loved by his family, including the biological children of his parents--his 16 year old brother and 23 year old sister.

Besides being a foster parent and adoptive parent, Antonio has served as President of the Imperial Valley Foster Parents Association, and he is currently serving as Facilitator, arranging weekly training meetings for the foster parents in Imperial County, California. Martha is now President of the Association which works in cooperation with Imperial Valley College and the State Department of Social Services.

A celebratory banquet is being held tomorrow evening, Thursday, September 23rd, to honor all the nominated Angels in Adoption. Attending the celebration will be actress Jane Seymour, PGA golfer Kirk Triplett, and General Manager and Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic, Pat Williams. My Angels, Antonio and Martha, will be joining me in attending the banquet, with travel arrangements the courtesy of Southwest Airlines and Pardee Construction Company.

I am sincerely proud of Antonio and Martha, because they have given of themselves for the benefit of the lives of so many children. Through their example, they are an inspiration to other foster and adoptive parents in the community in which they live.

It is an honor to recognize their significant contributions and to designate them as my Angels in Adoption.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, today I rise to recognize Paradise Valley Hospital, a marvelous healthcare facility in my Congressional District that has served the community for 100 years.

In 1904, Ellen G. White, the co-founder and spiritual leader of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, helped purchase the 54 acres of land in National City where the Paradise Valley Hospital currently sits.

Paradise Valley Hospital is proud to be the first hospital in San Diego's South Bay, and is the second oldest hospital in the entire San Diego County. The hospital is a 301 bed, non-profit acute care community hospital with emergency services that includes the Bayview Behavioral Health Campus, a 64-bed psychiatric facility. The hospital serves the Southeastern and South Bay regions of my Congressional District where the most economically challenged and culturally diverse communities in San Diego County live.

Paradise Valley Hospital is owned and operated by Adventist Health, headquartered in Roseville, California. The caring professionals of Adventist Health are committed to continuing the Seventh Day Adventist heritage of quality services by working to enhance its patients' total well-being and to improve the health of our diverse community.

It is a full service healthcare facility staffed by 173 physicians, 1,324 employees, and 148 volunteers who oversee 12,622 admissions, 1,750 deliveries, 36,256 emergency room visits, over 99,132 outpatient visits, and 26,169 home care visits per year.

Among its significant accomplishments, Paradise Valley Hospital has performed its 1,000th cardiac catheterization lab procedure; has began to offer therapeutic classes in Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and Kickboxing; has raised nearly $100,000 in its S.T.A.R. Benefit Golf Tournament, and has established the Paradise Valley Hospital Foundation. Most importantly, in 2003, Paradise Valley Hospital donated $13,260,000 in free and low-cost service to the people of South Bay.

Paradise Valley Hospital places a priority on its relationship with the community through a commitment to quality service, cultural competence, a concern for general welfare, and a willingness to provide spiritual leadership and guidance.

On this wonderful centennial, I am very happy to honor and recognize Paradise Valley Hospital as one of the foremost healthcare institutions in San Diego County.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to recognize the Holtville Athletic Club and the entire Holtville community for cooking 1,000 pounds of ribs and sending them to our troops in Iraq, in the ``Ribs to Iraq Project.'' I also want to give special thanks to the Naval Air Facility in El Centro for assisting in the coordination and transportation of the smoked BBQ pork ribs.

The Holtville Athletic Club is a small, non-profit organization that is known in Imperial Valley for its Rib Cook-off Extravaganza that is enjoyed by visitors from all over the world each winter. The ``Ribs to Iraq Project'' started from a desire to thank our troops in Iraq for their commitment to our country. The project took about a year to implement. Twenty barbecues were built with the assistance of the Navy base. The ribs were completely pre-cooked, sauced and frozen by club members. Holtville citizens wrote letters to the soldiers that were included in the care package. The project ended up bringing an entire and grateful community together to participate in this project.

The BBQ-Ribs were packaged and frozen for transportation via the USS Denver, USS Howard, and the USS Mobile Bay to the Middle East arriving in July of this year. The Athletic Club attached its own special message to each case of ribs: ``These specific ribs were prepared on barbecues built by the club with volunteer assistance of Navy specialists, who we welcome and embrace as a very special part of our community and heart. Please enjoy the enclosed ribs wherever they may find you.''

I've seen my constituents show their appreciation to our troops in many ways. And this is just one example of a great community project that brings the residents together to accomplish an extraordinary goal.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Holtville Athletic Club for bringing the community of Holtville together in the ``Ribs to Iraq Project.'' I am sure the troops in Iraq were thankful for a little taste of homemade loving barbecue.