Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, today I recognize Regi Phelps, as he is honored by the San Diego Labor Community with the 2004 Johns Fellowship Award at the Twenty-Second Annual John S. Lyons Memorial Banquet on September 11, 2004.

Regi was born and raised in San Diego, California, graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. He served in the United States Navy from 1970-1973 and completed overseas tours of duty in Vietnam and the Philippines.

His job with Bechtel began in 1976. He worked as a subcontracts administrator on the Hope Creek Nuclear Project in southern New Jersey. In 1978, he moved to Richmond, Virginia to work in labor relations for the Virginia Electric Power Company at the North Anna Nuclear Facility. In 1979, he rejoined Bechtel in labor relations in the early days of construction at the San Onofre Nuclear Project.

Regi has served at Bechtel as Labor Relations Representative, Area Labor Representative, Senior Labor Relations Representative, Labor Relations Supervisor, and Regional Manager. In 2004, he was named Vice- President and Manager/Labor Relations, with overall labor relations responsibility for Bechtel Worldwide.

He has been involved in developing the San Onofre Nuclear Project Labor Agreement--including the recently-renegotiated agreement in effect through 2010--between Southern California Edison (the owner), the San Diego Building Trades, and Bechtel. This labor agreement and project provides employment for thousands of Building Trades Craftspeople.

Regi also serves as a Director to the North American Contractors Association, and as Management Trustee to the Laborers' National Safety and Health Fund. He previously served as Vice-Chairman of the Boilermakers' Health and Welfare fund and as Trustee to numerous local union apprenticeship trusts throughout the western United States.

Regi's grandfather was a proud member of Laborers' Local 89. His father, Ray, retired from Bechtel in 1985, is a current member of IBEW Local 569, and was recently awarded his 45-year membership pin. Regi and his wife, Christine, have been married for 28 years and are currently living in San Francisco Bay area. They have two children: Kevin, who is a junior at the University of Southern California, and Lauren, who is a sophomore at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.

The banquet at which Regi will be presented his award is named in recognition of the late John Lyons of the Teamsters who was very active in the San Diego community. He was a founder of the San Diego Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America. The friends of Mr. Lyons continue to support his cause, and proceeds from the yearly banquets are used to support bone marrow testing and local research grants. Since its inception, the John Lyons Memorial Banquet has raised over one million dollars.

Regi deserves our highest praise for his dedication to the labor movement and specifically to labor relations. My congratulations go to Regi Phelps as he receives this prestigious Johns 2004 Fellowship Award from his peers.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, today I recognize Richard McClees as the 2004 Labor Leader of the Year. This award will be given by the San Diego Labor Community at the Twenty-Second Annual John S. Lyons Memorial Banquet on September 11, 2004.

Rich, as he is known, is currently Chief International Representative of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association. He comes from a strong union background. His father, Charles McClees, now retired, was a 54-year member of Sheet Metal Workers' Local 206, and two of Rich's brothers, Mike and Chuck, are current members. His older brother, Dwight, recently retired as a San Diego City teacher/school principal with 34 years of membership in the teachers' union. His sister, Margaret, is employed by the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council.

Rich began working on his father's tuna boat at the age of 12. Until he was 18, he spent each summer on the Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to Washington state, fishing for albacore tuna. Upon his graduation from high school in 1968, Rich joined Sheet Metal Workers' Local 206 and began working at California Neon Products. In 1970, he entered the apprenticeship program at Standard Sheet Metal Works. His work during this period included the sheet metal restoration of the historic 1880s Villa Montezuma at 15th and K Streets in San Diego.

Rich completed his apprenticeship in 1974, receiving the Apprentice of the Year Award from Mesa College, winning the Regional 10 Apprentice Contest for Sheet Metal Apprentices, and competing in the National Apprenticeship Contest in Minneapolis. In 1976, he began his eighteen years at the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant, working for University Mechanical Engineering Contractors.

As early as 1979, Rich began teaching apprenticeship classes for Local 206. He also coached his daughter's and son's soccer teams and was an active participant in many other of their extracurricular activities. He was elected Business Representative of the Sheet Metal Workers' Local 206 in 1994. In 1996, he became the Apprenticeship Coordinator for Local 206, in addition to his duties as Business Representative. He was also a member of the San Diego and California Apprenticeship Coordinators Association.

In 2000, Rich was elected Business Manager/Financial Secretary Treasurer of Local 206, while continuing his duties as Local 206 Apprenticeship Coordinator. He also served on the Executive Board of the Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers, as a Trustee of the Sheet Metal Workers of Southern California, Arizona and Nevada Pension and Health Funds, as Vice-President of the National City Parks Apartments, as President of the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, and as an Executive Board Member of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

He is currently attending the George Meany National Labor College and will soon receive his Bachelor of Arts Degree. On April 1, 2004, Rich was appointed by Michael J. Sullivan, General President of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association, as Chief International Representative/Director of Jurisdiction for the Washington, D.C. office, and he resides in Arlington, Virginia. His daughter and son and their families live in San Diego.

The banquet at which Rich will be presented with his award is named in recognition of the late John Lyons of the Teamsters who was very active in the San Diego community. He was a founder of the San Diego Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America. The friends of Mr. Lyons continue to support his cause, and proceeds from the yearly banquets are used to support bone marrow testing and local research grants. Since its inception, the John Lyons Memorial Banquet has raised over one million dollars.

Through his dedication and willingness to serve, Rich has done much to advance the cause of the labor movement, and my congratulations go to Rich McClees for his significant contributions. He is highly deserving of the 2004 Labor Leader of the Year Award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Social Security Fairness for Merchant Mariners Act of 2004'' (H.R. 4904).

There were three major roles in World War II: the fighting forces overseas, the production army at home, and the link between them--the United States Merchant Marine. The maritime power of the Merchant Marine may have been the difference between victory and defeat.

The World War II Merchant Mariners suffered the highest casualty rate of any of the branches of service while they delivered troops, tanks, food, airplanes, fuel and other needed supplies to every theater of the war. Enemy forces sank over 800 ships between 1941 and 1944 alone.

Given the role of the Merchant Mariners in World War II, it is unbelievable that they were not given their proper recognition as ``veterans''. I would hope that this was an oversight, not a deliberate attempt to exclude them from benefits.

One of the results of this lack of the ``veteran'' designation is that the law does not recognize Merchant Mariners as veterans for Social Security purposes. If they had the veteran designation, their Social Security would have been calculated as if they had earned $160 more a month than they did earn during their time in service in the Merchant Marines. Of course, what this means is a smaller Social Security check, now that they are retired.

My bill H.R. 4904, will fix this unfair situation! It will provide benefits with the status of ``veteran'' under the Social Security Act to the Merchant Mariners who served during World War II.

Combined with my bill, the ``Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II'' (H.R. 3729), which would compensate them for their exclusion from GI Bill benefits, Congress can fix the injustice that has been endured by the Merchant Mariners. We can never make up for years lost, but we can provide additional benefits to Merchant Mariners, many of whom are living on small, fixed incomes, in their final years.

I urge my colleagues to support and co-sponsor H.R. 4904

Mr. Speaker, although the pharmaceutical industry and the supporters of the Republican prescription drug plan may disagree, Americans have a right to affordable medicine! That is why so many continue to ask Congress to take action, such as allowing the importation of safe prescription drugs from abroad.

The residents of Calexico, El Centro, San Ysidro, Chula Vista and other border communities join in that call, but in the meantime many are already going to Mexico to buy up to a 90-day supply of prescription drugs for personal use.

They purchase medicines in Mexico because the pharmaceutical companies continue to gouge them at home.

Yet the Senate's Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act, which takes the important step of permitting importation from Canada and Europe, would reduce the 90-day cap on personal use medicine from Mexico to a 14-day supply.

It is inconsistent to increase access to Canadian and European prescription drugs while decreasing access to safe medicine from Mexico. It is unfair to low-income seniors who rely on these life- enhancing--and often life-saving--medications.

The supporters of the bill may have reservations about the safety of medicine from Mexico. This is a valid issue to raise. Yet the FDA has not provided convincing evidence that the importation of inexpensive drugs from Mexico has resulted in health problems. If the authors of the bill were convinced that medicines from Mexico were in fact dangerous, why would they allow even a 14-day supply?

The fact is seniors in my district have found these medicines to be a safe, affordable and accessible alternative to their local pharmacies. That is why I call on my colleagues in the Senate to oppose this legislation as it is currently written and ensure that communities on the U.S-Mexico border have access to affordable drugs.

The availability of inexpensive medicine is such an important issue at the border because many senior citizens and other residents of these communities have low-incomes and no insurance.

The U.S.-Mexico Border Commission reports that if the border region were the Nation's 51st state, it would rank: Last in the percentage of insured residents, last in per capita income, last in access to care, first in unemployed; and first in the number of school children living in poverty.

We must move forward in boosting the health of our border communities and increasing the availability of safe and inexpensive medicines, rather than moving backward and placing new restricts on access to prescription drugs from Mexico.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) for his remarks, and certainly the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), and the ranking member from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). I would say to the gentleman from Alaska, maybe we should ask unanimous consent to substitute the highway bill for this conference report!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Chairman Young to strongly support the conference report for H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard Authorization and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004.

This legislation is the culmination of our work in this Congress in examining the Coast Guard missions, with particular emphasis on the funding for the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 and their new homeland security missions.

The bill authorizes over $8.2 billion for Coast Guard operations for fiscal year 2005. We believe this will be sufficient funding for the Coast Guard to carry out their many missions, including homeland security, search and rescue, marine safety, drug and migrant interdiction and law enforcement, which includes $5.4 billion for Coast Guard operating expenses, $1.5 billion for acquisition and construction projects, $24.2 million for research and development, and $19.65 million for alteration of bridges.

In particular, I am pleased that the conferees recommended that the Coast Guard should lease additional helicopters to establish a helicopter interdiction tactical squadron, HITRON, armored on the West Coast. Since their establishment in Jacksonville, Florida, the East Coast HITRON squadron has stopped over $4 billion in illegal drugs from entering the United States. Deployment of a HITRON squadron on the West Coast will help stem the flow of illegal narcotics through the eastern Pacific Ocean.

There is sufficient authorized funding in this bill for the Coast Guard to lease the helicopters required for this deployment. If one were to look at this using a cost-benefit analysis, the $39 million we spend to lease and deploy an armored HITRON squadron on the West Coast will stop drugs valued at more than 20 times that amount.

It is my strong view that the Coast Guard must increase existing airborne use of force assets for port security and drug interdiction. The lease option for these aircraft is already in place. The lease provides antiterrorist and antidrug coverage for the next 3 to 5 years while providing flexibility for the Coast Guard to engage in a competition to select a permanent multimission Cutter helicopter to meet the post-9/11 challenge. When these multimission helicopters are deployed, the HITRON helicopters can be returned to the manufacturer at the option of the Coast Guard.

We make a number of other substantive changes in the law, including providing critical skill training bonuses for enlisted members, providing legal authority to build new housing for Coast Guard and military personnel, extending the International Safety Management Code to all vessels operating in U.S. waters, and requiring electronic charts on ships to help prevent accidents such as the 1989 accident of the Exxon Valdez when they lost their way in Prince William Sound in Alaska. We also extend the oil spill response plans to cargo ships entering U.S. ports, not just tankers.

I thank the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young); the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo); and the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for their bipartisan effort to put the bill together.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the passage of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ruppersberger).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the ranking member of the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

I, too, rise in support of H. Res. 647, designating August 14 as National Marina Day. Like many Members of this House, I have a marina in my district. I am joined with all those who, over the United States, have 12,000 of them.

These marinas, of course, provide a home to millions of boats and provide millions of Americans with access to the ocean, bays, rivers, and lakes in the United States; and as we heard, they also provide jobs for over 140,000 of us.

When we are in our districts next month, we will likely see our constituents relaxing on the water because they have access to that water through the marina.

These marinas will be celebrating National Marina Day with boating safety demonstrations, environmental demonstrations, fishing rodeos, and marina open houses. What is a fishing rodeo? I wrote it, but I just do not know what I mean.

In a time of heightened security, marina owners across the Nation are working with the Coast Guard to help improve security on our waterways by keeping an eye out for aggressive tactics and unusual activities on the water. They are on the water everyday and know when something appears unusual, and they will call the Coast Guard.

So, Mr. Speaker, it is entirely fitting and appropriate for the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize the contributions that marinas make to maritime safety, our national economy, our national enjoyment.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 647, designating August 14 as National Marina Day.

I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

It is not riding them?

I thank the gentleman. I am glad I yielded to him.

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Do I have to wear stirrups or whatever?

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Fiscal Year 2005 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The bill includes several projects that will benefit my district.

Imperial County in my Southern California district is a desert farming community located on the California-Mexico border. The county is one of the top agricultural counties in California. It produced over $1.2 billion of agricultural products in 2002. The county is a leading producer of agronomic and winter vegetable crops, as well as livestock.

This bill contains language that directs the Under Secretary for Rural Development to give consideration to projects that would directly benefit my constituents:

The Imperial Valley Sugarcane/Renewable Energy/Ethanol Project-- Environmental and water conservation issues are of grave concern to the agricultural producers in my district. Alternative, higher-value commodities must become available to ensure the best economic and environmental use of the land and water. This rural development project could provide such an alternative to many of our farmers while producing sugar, ethanol, and renewable energy. My constituents are pursuing an economic development project to develop sugarcane production and processing capabilities, along with ethanol and renewable energy production, in the Imperial Valley. The number one crop in the Imperial Valley is alfalfa, which has a much lower dollar value than sugarcane. Due to a rural-to-urban water transfer that has reduced the number of acres that may be planted in the Valley, my rural constituents searched for an alternative to alfalfa--and found it in sugarcane. The economic conversion project includes development of sugarcane acreage in the Valley, as well as construction of a new sugarcane processing facility on the site of an existing sugar beet processing facility in the Valley. The current sugar beet facility, which currently only operates four months of the year, employs approximately 300 people (100 full-time and 200 seasonal employees). Opening the new sugarcane processing facility would allow year-round processing at the site, dramatically increasing the number of full-time job opportunities at the facility. The project would also allow the creation of a power plant reliant on renewable fuels, principally from residue from the production and processing of sugarcane. Further, the project includes plans for ethanol production from the sugarcane. Due to California's phase-out of MTBE as a gasoline oxygenate, the state requires a stable supply of ethanol, and a local supply will dramatically reduce transportation costs for ethanol purchasers. Sugarcane-to-ethanol production in the Imperial Valley will greatly benefit the economic well-being of my constituents--as well as reduce renewable and clean fuel costs for the nation while protecting environmental quality.

Environmental Technology Business Park--The County of Imperial is working to catalyze development of an EcoPark for location of renewable energy and ``green technology'' industrial projects. An investment in this project would leverage funding already allocated for development of biomass-to-ethanol projects in Imperial County over the past three years by local, state and federal agencies. The EcoPark is expected to attract more than $400 million in private investment and sustain more than 4,000 jobs in the related industry and agricultural sectors. Further, a variety of new and established firms are interested in bringing additional technologies to the EcoPark, such as methane digesters, minibiorefineries for biodiesel, nutraceutical manufacture, liquid natural gas production, and solar power generation. The EcoPark will be a beacon of economic and environmental development for renewable fuels projects.

Desert Farming Institute and The National Center for the Study of International Trade in Agriculture--My constituents are interested in establishing a ``California Desert Farming Institute'' at the San Diego State University's Imperial Valley campus. The Imperial Valley of California is one of the most successful examples of desert farming in the world. San Diego State University-Imperial Valley campus, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, is located on the border with Mexico and thus a logical site for

a Center charged with studying the international aspects of agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated the campus as a ``National Center of Excellence.'' The Institute's primary mission would be to compile, analyze, and disseminate information on desert farming and its commercial viability; to study the environmental and health issues related to desert farming; to compile, analyze, and disseminate information on international trade in agriculture, including trends in agricultural production around the world; and to form collaborative research partnerships with other institutions around the world to encourage research in the development of desert farming. A significant part of the world, including major parts of the United States, is desert land with little productivity. However, the application of state-of-the-art technology to farming and the development of modern agriculture have made desert farming a viable and, in some cases, a necessary activity. Any major expansion of desert farming could have a significant and positive effect on the global competitiveness of the American farmer, as well as positive impacts throughout arid regions of the world.

Neighborhood House of Calexico Youth Center--Throughout the past 66 years of its service, Neighborhood House of Calexico has targeted low- income families in the community, serving an average of 7,000 low- income persons per year. The Neighborhood House provides services such as day care, youth violence prevention, micro-business development, and shelter for homeless and abused women and children. The Neighborhood House Youth Center has been successful in interacting with at-risk youth, in diverting gang activities and helping youth obtain job skills, conflict resolution skills, increased level of interaction between adult role models and youth, and recreational activities. The City of Calexico is experiencing a significant increase in gang activity and potential for intensification with the downturn of availability of jobs, a 22 percent unemployment rate, and reduced level of training opportunity for youth and adults. Funding for this project would provide youth mentoring, assist youth in obtaining job training, and creating youth employment opportunities.

Calexico Telemedicine Center--Calexico, California is a very poor community located in rural Imperial County along the U.S.-Mexico border. Unfortunately, this community does not have a hospital. Pioneers Memorial Hospital and the Heffernan Memorial Hospital District, the two major healthcare providers located in other cities in the county, have partnered to open an urgent-care center in the vacant Calexico Hospital building, which could be wired for telemedicine. Locally, this project has the support of all the stakeholders, government leaders, health boards, and businesses. Funding for this project would provide for the equipment needed to start a telemedicine center. Imperial County has a low number of medical professionals, and the residents of the city of Calexico are especially medically underserved. Telemedicine will allow patients to have appropriate medical treatment without having to travel across the county, or to other counties, states, or even countries, for service.

This bill also contains language to uphold funding for the Agricultural Research Station in my district. The Brawley Research Station performs crucial research work under the arid saline conditions of the Imperial Valley in support of U.S. agriculture in desert and arid environments. For example, crop salinity trials are conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Salinity Lab based in Riverside, California. The salinity work done at Brawley could not effectively be performed at Riverside because smog negates the scientific validity of the findings. Such research has worldwide application as saline soils are a constant challenge to farming practices in many regions. Further, the station is strategically located to provide quick response support to biosecurity and agroterrorism detection work. It is situated less than 90 miles from six border crossings, one of which is the busiest passenger crossing in the world. The constant supply of host crops and high international traffic puts Imperial County on the front line of protection of the American food supply from foreign introduction of diseases, insects, and many invasive species. The Brawley Field Station currently headquarters research facilities and personnel from USDA and the California Department of Food & Agriculture, which can quickly implement control and eradication programs in coordination with local authorities--thereby making use of the best capabilities of local, state, and federal agencies.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and these important agricultural and rural development projects.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the chairman, on an issue which I would hope to have seen more about in this bill, and that is the restoration of the Salton Sea.

As we know, an earlier version of the bill provided for a feasibility study and $300 million in restoration funds. We all know about the importance of the Salton Sea in our ecology and in our economy. It is critical for the Pacific flyway for migratory birds, as well as the Colorado River's delta, and is home to a variety of wildlife, including fish, birds, microbes, and wetlands species. The sea also provides many recreational opportunities such as camping, bird watching, fishing, boating, hiking, hunting, and off-roading.

If the sea were no longer able to support life, it would cause irreparable harm to Southern California's ecosystem and economy.

The Salton Sea lies mostly in my district in Southern California. It is the third largest saline lake in the nation, and the largest inland body of water west of the Rockies. The Sea

is an important natural resource, one that is valued not only by residents of the area, but also by the many who come from around the country to enjoy its bounty.

The Salton Sea does not have an outlet to keep the water fresh, so as water evaporates from the saline lake, the salt left behind continues to concentrate. As the salinity of the Sea continues to rise, and the environmental quality continues to decline, it will no longer be able to support life and will begin to die. If that were to happen, it will cause irreparable harm to Southern California's ecosystem and economy.

The surrounding areas of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys rely on the Sea to support their agricultural and recreational economies. I share the concerns of many about what might occur if the elevation of the Sea drops, becomes too saline to support fish or birds, and further impairs air quality due to blowing sediment.

The Salton Sea is also an essential link in increasing and diversifying our domestic water resources, and therefore needs funding for restoration. A recently signed federal water transfer agreement between Southern California water agencies will reduce flows to the Salton Sea. While the water transfer will assist Southern California in staying within its Colorado River water allocation, inflows to the Sea may be reduced dramatically. With that diminished amount of inflow, the Salton Sea presents a particularly difficult challenge in protecting and restoring it, while at the same time reducing California's use of Colorado River water.

The gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) has been very supportive of the Salton Sea and has been involved in this issue for well over a decade.

I would like to inquire as to further support of the Salton Sea as part of the CALFED legislative process, and would ask for the gentleman to comment on that.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman and look forward to that work and urge support of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that pollution knows no boundaries. As much as we wish they could, the Border Patrol is not able to stop air pollution from coming over our international borders.

Right now, communities on our international border are being bombarded with pollutants from our neighboring countries. It is making air quality along the border even worse and leaves those communities with no recourse.

I introduced a bill, H.R. 4774, to provide Federal assistance to combat air pollution at the border, to ensure that our communities are not unfairly penalized.

Imperial County in my Southern California district, which takes up much of the U.S. Mexico border in the State, is severely impacted by air pollution because it sits in the middle of an air basin that straddles the international border with Mexico.

Mexico simply does not have the same strict air quality standards as does the United States. Imperial County has not met national and State air quality standards as a result, so any air pollution created in the international air basin has serious consequences for the health of my community's citizens.

I have deep concerns about a recent Federal Court ruling regarding the air quality of Imperial County and the subsequent actions on the part of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Imperial County has demonstrated to EPA that the county would have only moderate pollution were it not for serious air pollution from Mexicali, Mexico. EPA agreed. However, outside groups took EPA to court and they ruled in turn that Imperial County's air pollution should indeed be classified as serious.

This is a devastating ruling for Imperial County. Unemployment averages 20 to 30 percent. The ability to attract new employment opportunities will be greatly hindered. Economic development will be halted. Agricultural activities will not be able to begin.

The chaos and expense to Imperial County will not address the real cause of nonattainment: cross-border pollutants.

Imperial County has an asthma rate that is off the charts, the worst in the State, probably the worst in the Nation. Asthma-related hospitalization rates are five to six times greater than the overall rate in California. This statistic is a statistic that I and many others in our community are fighting to change, but we cannot change it if we are not pushed to work with our neighbor to the south.

For that reason, I introduced the bill H.R. 4774, the FAIR Air Act, fair meaning the Foreign Air Impact Regulation, which will compel the United States at the Federal level to work more closely with our neighbors in trying to reduce air pollution. This bill says that if pollution from another country causes nonattainment of pollution regulations, EPA and the Secretary of State should work together to lower it; do not put it on the backs of the farmers and the working people in Imperial County.

My bill would direct the Secretary of State to negotiate with his or her counterparts in the foreign country to develop a plan to improve air quality. It requires EPA to deliver a report to Congress that lays out the agreed-upon binational steps with binational funding to back it up, those steps to improve the air quality in the region; and directs the EPA to take action to help the region implement the plan; and, finally, delays EPA's authority to move border air quality regions to a higher pollution nonattainment status until the previous items have been completed.

We simply cannot put this international problem on the backs of those who simply happen to live along the border. There truly needs to be a binational cooperative solution. We live in the same air shed, and we are interested in good neighborly relations.

I am fighting to help our binational communities come into compliance with air quality standards with help from both sets of governments. It is only with cooperation and working together to achieve a common goal that we can indeed reduce air pollution and keep the children in Imperial County from suffering from asthma.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4774, the FAIR Air Act, will help to achieve that purpose. I urge my colleagues to support that bill.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 326, I was unavoidably detained in my Congressional District, and I missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 327, I was unavoidably detained in my Congressional District, and I missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of the order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to spend a few minutes to talk about some developments recently in the country of Turkey, some of which we celebrate, some of which we have great concern about.

Let me first, by the way, extend my condolences to victims of yesterday's terrorist bombings in Turkey and to the families of the victims. Certainly we want the perpetrators brought to justice quickly.

But I rise to celebrate a small, but very important, victory for human rights that took place last week. Four human rights prisoners in Turkey were released. Leyla Zana, a prominent Kurdish advocate for human rights, and her colleagues, Hatip Dicle, Slim Sadak and Ornhan Dogan, were released from prison following a June 9 appeals court ruling in their favor.

These were Kurdish citizens of Turkey. These were citizens who were elected by majority vote to the Turkish Parliament. These were Kurds who had the nerve to speak their own native language, Kurdish, in the Turkish Parliament; and they were arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Amnesty International declared them prisoners of conscience. They have been there 10 years.

Leyla Zana was probably the best known of the four prisoners. She was the first Kurdish woman elected to Turkey's Parliament who openly and proudly identified herself as a Kurd. In fact, the European Parliament awarded her a Sakharov Prize in 1995 for defending human rights.

I had the great pleasure of getting to know her husband, Mayda, who traveled around the world to talk about the injustice of his wife being in prison. I spent time with her son Ronee who was for a short time a student in Los Angeles. This was a whole family dedicated to human rights for all, and especially to the Kurdish minority who has been denied them in Turkey.

The release of these prisoners of conscience was a result of international pressure, and I want to thank the 21 Members of Congress who joined with me in H. Res. 302 that called for the release of these four parliamentarians. The Kurdish community in the United States, as well as human rights advocates across the country, played an important role in gaining their release.

So we welcome the release of these prisoners of conscience, as well as other reforms in Turkey, including the introduction of public broadcasting in minority languages. However, serious human rights and repression of the Kurds continue in Turkey.

From June 8-10, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Federation for Human Rights joined with Turkish human rights groups in a joint delegation to investigate the situation in Turkey. They heard continuing allegations of torture and violations of freedom of expression, assembly, association, religion, and the right to a fair trial. They expressed concern about prisons, national minorities, the lack of independent investigations into human rights violations, and internal displacement.

The State Department human rights report, released just in February, also found that serious human rights problems exist. The report says that security forces killed 43 people last year and participated in widespread torture, beatings, and other abuses. The Turkish Government continued to limit free speech in the press and, in particular, restricted expression by people sympathetic to Kurdish cultural or nationalist viewpoints.

So we are pleased at the release of Leyla Zana and her colleagues, but we are not placated by this good news. We demand greater progress. The European Union should insist that Turkey take greater strides to improve its human rights record and treatment of the Kurds before joining the European Union. Turkey needs to realize that its Kurdish citizens enrich the country rather than threaten it.

President Bush will visit Turkey for a NATO summit next week. He should use this opportunity to press for greater respect for human rights. I would hope that he meets with Leyla Zana and shows his respect for human rights for the Kurdish minority in Turkey.

Mr Speaker, I rise today to urge support of H.R. 4603, the Eminent Domain Relief for the Little Guy Act. I have introduced this bill to address a current law that makes the hardship of being forced to sell property to the government under eminent domain even more difficult.

The use of eminent domain is authorized in the Constitution and has been used throughout our Nation's history to acquire the property necessary to build roads, schools, military bases, and government buildings. However,

that these projects serve the greater good must seem little consolation to an owner whose property comes under threat of eminent domain. Eminent domain can derail a property owner's life plan, erasing years of hard work spent getting a business off of the ground or building a home.

The Constitution makes it clear that a property owner forced to sell under eminent domain is entitled to ``just compensation.'' While it is debatable whether any compensation can be truly just, it seems that, at the very least, the government owes a seller a fair price for their property and the opportunity to rethink their plan and to move on with their life.

Current tax law related to gain on sale of property under eminent domain denies sellers the opportunity to decide how they would like to move on with their life. It mandates that sellers must pay taxes on income from sale under eminent domain unless they reinvest their money in real estate within 3 years. So not only is the government forcing property owners to sell their property, it is also telling them what to do with the money from that sale.

The Eminent Domain Relief for the Little Guy Act will remedy this by removing the current requirement that a seller must reinvest in real estate. This will make sale of all real property by an individual or a small business under eminent domain tax exempt, meaning that the seller can use their income to start a business, invest in the stock market, save for retirement, or, if they choose, reinvest in real estate. Many will indeed choose to buy a new home or to move their business to a new location. But fairness dictates that this should be their decision.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4603 and make sure the little guys and gals who are forced to sell under eminent domain are allowed the flexibility in spending their income that they need and deserve.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise to honor a truly great San Diego leader. Judge Earl B. Gilliam made a positive impact on San Diego as a judge, a teacher, and a community leader. I have introduced a bill (H.R. 4474) that will appropriately honor him by putting his name on a new post office in my district.

Earl Gilliam grew up in southeast San Diego. His parents owned a fish market on Imperial Avenue where he worked when he was not attending San Diego High School. He went on to complete his undergraduate education at San Diego State University before moving on to Hastings Law School.

Shortly after being admitted to the California Bar in 1957, he was appointed Deputy District Attorney in San Diego. He became the first African-American judge appointed to the San Diego bench 6 years later and was named Presiding Judge of the San Diego Municipal Court in 1971. Governor Jerry Brown named him to the California Superior Court in 1975 and President Jimmy Carter appointed him to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California in 1980. He served there for over 20 years, until his passing in 2001.

In his long, distinguished career Judge Gilliam presided over numerous noteworthy

trials of regional and national importance: Whether these cases dealt with drug trafficking, fraud, tax evasion, bribery, or civil matters, Judge Gilliam's fair and professional approach to the law laid the foundation for his solid reputation both within and outside the legal community.

In addition to his contributions in the courtroom, Judge Gilliam also made his mark in the classroom. The Thomas Jefferson School of Law recruited Judge Gilliam as an adjunct professor. With his background in business, economics, and civil, criminal, and trial law, he proved to be an inspirational and devoted instructor for the numerous courses he taught there over the next 24 years. So much so that the school's moot courtroom has been dedicated in his honor.

Judge Gilliam gave his time and effort to his community in countless ways. He served on the boards of numerous organizations ranging from the San Diego Urban League to the University of California, San Diego to the Y.M.C.A. The community, in turn, has honored Judge Gilliam repeatedly with an unbelievably long, diverse list of awards that attest to his unrelenting success in making a difference in San Diego.

In 1982, the San Diego African American Lawyer's Organization honored Judge Gilliam by changing its name to the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association. Today, they carry on his legacy by working within our community to defend the rights of African-Americans, combat racism and poverty, and foster integrity in the legal community.

Judge Gilliam truly was a hero who worked for all of San Diego. I am glad to have the privilege of introducing this legislation to name a post office in his honor and I hope my colleagues will support me in celebrating his many achievements.