Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Louie Wong for his distinguished service to Calexico.

Louie was born in China and has made his home in Calexico since 1971. Mr. Wong and his wife own and operate YUM YUM Restaurant in Calexico where they serve, ``the Best Chinese Food in Town.'' The YUM YUM restaurant has become a hub of activity for the Calexico community, hosting local politicos who meet to share ideas and concerns over plates of good food.

As a successful local businessman and a community activist, Louie has a long record of supporting numerous community organizations. He has just completed a term as President of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce where he has served with great distinction. He is a past recipient of the coveted Lava Lamp Award, presented annually by the Calexico Chamber of Commerce for service to the community. He was an early champion of Calexico's new cultural arts center, located in the renovated De Anza Hotel. The plan involves creating four rooms, or chambers, each dedicated to a different artistic discipline. Louie has supported this vision since its inception, by building community support for the plan and raising money, including personally paying for the architectural renderings.

Louie is a member of numerous community organizations and committees, including serving as a Trustee of the Imperial Valley College Board of Trustees, and on the Imperial Valley College Foundation Board of Directors. He has been much honored for his community service, receiving the first community service citation ever presented by the Calexico Unified School District and the Man of the Year Award from the Calexico Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has served as Grand Marshall of the Calexico Christmas Parade.

Mr. Speaker, Louie Wong is a community leader, equally at home creating regional cultural arts centers as he is serving up Chinese food at high school football games to raise money for charity. He gives wholeheartedly to the organizations he supports that benefit the people of Calexico. While his service as President of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce is coming to an end, I have no doubt that he will find even more ways to improve the quality of life in his community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the prescription drug benefit proposal that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have rammed through the legislative process. I rise to decry this bill because it does not give seniors what they deserve. It seems pretty simple to me: a prescription drug benefit under Medicare ought to work the same way that Medicare has always worked. That is, it is a guaranteed benefit for all seniors, no matter where they live, how ill they are, or what kind of illness they have.

This bill proposes to turn the prescription drug benefit over to HMOs and the private insurance industry. That means, for one thing, that premium prices are not guaranteed--the insurance industry would be able to charge what ever they wanted for the premium. In addition, it would be the insurance companies that get to decide which drugs would be covered. What this means for seniors is that there will not be a consistent, reliable program for all seniors is that there will not be a consistent, reliable program for all seniors across the country. Seniors in my district might pay higher premiums and get less coverage than their counterparts in other areas of the country. Or, they may get better coverage for lower premiums. We just don't know because it will be left up to the private insurance companies and the HMOs.

This bill also raises out-of-pocket costs for those who need the protection that Medicare had traditionally provided: the sickest and the poorest beneficiaries. In addition to the ``mystery'' premium, seniors will have to pay for the first $250 worth of drugs without any help from the Federal Government. After they have paid $250, they must pay 20 percent of all their drug costs. Once they reach $2,000 worth of medications, they must pay all of their drug costs until they reach $4,900 worth of drug costs. So, once they get to $2,000, in addition to the premium, the $250, the 20 percent copay, they must cover all of their prescription costs until they get to $4,900. That is quite a lot of money.

Allowing HMOs and private insurance companies to take over the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit also presents a problem for rural areas. A very large portion of my district is rural. Everyone knows that for private companies, the bottom line rules. Rural areas aren't as profitable for insurance companies, so there is less incentive for them to offer benefits in those area. This means that there will be fewer choices--if any choices at all--for seniors in rural areas.

In one fell swoop, this bill takes the great success story that is Medicare: Universal healthcare for all beneficiaries, and crushes it. Under this Republican bill, your benefits and your costs depend on your income, where you live and the whim of the insurance company or HMO that is running the program in your area.

Mr. Speaker, I have received many letters and calls from my constituents who are worried about this proposal. They know that this proposal will cost them more money, may not even be available to them if they live in rural areas, and will not cover all their medication needs--especially for those with diabetes or even cancer. I will read one example from my constituent, Edna Monk:

Dear Sir, I am writing my Senators and Representatives to

plead our case regarding Medicare proposals that could

endanger patent access to chemotherapy. I am a lung cancer

survivor, age 71, and my husband, age 78, is now undergoing

chemo, for liver cancer. Chemo drugs are required for my

husband's quality of life now and MRI's have shown the tumors

have diminished in size, so ``it's working!''

She goes on to say, ``We in the cancer community want one thing: for all critical cancer services, including chemotherapy and patient care services to be covered fully and fairly by Medicare.''

Mrs. Monk makes a good point. Services must be covered fully and fairly by Medicare. It does seniors no good to have unequal coverage of medications! That is why I cannot support the Republican bill and I urge my colleagues to vote against this poison pill for Medicare!

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo) for bringing us this bill on such an urgent matter.

I come with a small amendment that has rather big ramifications on our southern border with Mexico. I represent all of the California- Mexico border. As the President of the United States and his Secretary of Homeland Security agreed with the President of Mexico, we need a smart border, a smart border meaning security, yes, tight security, but efficiency also.

We need a blending at our borders of security and efficiency. In my district, I have got about a quarter of a million, that is over 250,000, legal crossings every day through the six or seven border crossings in my district. That is a lot of traffic. That traffic is very legal. It is for important purposes, important for our economy, important for our families, jobs, housing, culture, education, all that is going on in this exchange across the U.S.-Mexico border. We have shown that we can have the security we want with efficiency. We started a new program several years ago called SENTRI, meaning Secure Electric Network for Travelers Rapid Inspections. What that means in English is that we give people who have legitimate business across the border to travel, and they do it frequently, we give them as extensive a background check as is necessary to guarantee they are secure. We also give their vehicle a background check, and that vehicle and that person is matched when they cross the border by a smart card and a transponder. That is the SENTRI system. The Customs and INS now and under Department of Homeland Security set aside certain lanes of the border crossings for that purpose, for the SENTRI crossings.

Unfortunately, the demand for those smart cards way exceeds the ability right now of the Department of Homeland Security to meet. There is a backlog of 6, 7, 8 months. The Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for this, in their report said what a great program SENTRI is. They complimented the fact that it exists. What we at the border need, though, is some assurance from this Department that money will go to this incredibly important use. We are not sure given some of the problems in the organization of this new Department that people are looking at the border and will think about it. We need some accountability that the money will go into that program.

We now have 42,000 motorists using SENTRI. As I said, there are three or four times that who are waiting to participate. The backlog is over 6 months. There is no assurance that that backlog will decrease unless there is some dedication of funds to this program.

I know that there is on the part of the committee a rightful concern with, ``earmarks.'' I just ask that the chairman think about accountability not only in the Department but for the stakeholders at the border. We have people on both sides of the border, people who are doing legal business that are so important to our economies. Mexico is now our largest trading partner. A big part of that trade goes on trucks through California, the other part through Texas. We need to move that quickly with security guaranteed.

That is what my amendment will do. The folks who are doing this at the border need to know that the money is going to be there. They need to know that their business can be carried on. They need to know that they can expand their business because they know that crossing the border will be enhanced in a positive fashion. I say to the gentleman from Kentucky and the gentleman from Minnesota, I know that there is some reluctance to specify programs in their bill. I would just hope that such an amendment with such ramifications for our whole economy, and not just in Texas and New Mexico and Arizona and California where the border crossings are, but in Kentucky where there are people waiting for just on-time delivery. They need to know that SENTRI is working. I would ask for approval of $5 million for the SENTRI program.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

I just would like to point out in furtherance of both our arguments and before the gentleman from Texas speaks, that there may be a rather slow hiring at the Department and thus carryover funding may be more than anticipated. With this really small amount of money from that account, it should not influence in a negative fashion anything about the hiring for this Homeland Security Department. I would again reinforce what she was saying, that the money is there, it is just a question of saying that it is going to be available and thus everybody at the border knows what is going on and we will have a more efficient border.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I would challenge the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I am glad to have the opportunity to recognize and congratulate Dr. Willie E. Manley as a recipient of the Ambassador of Peace Award.

I am honored to be presenting this award to Dr. Manley on Tuesday, June 24, 2003. Dr. Manley is one of 100 recipients from around the world. As the award states, it is granted to individuals who have dedicated their lives to promoting ``strong family life, interreligious cooperation, international harmony, renewal of the United Nations, a responsible public media, and the establishment of a culture of peace. Transcending racial, national and religious barriers, the Ambassadors for Peace contribute to the fulfillment of the hope of all ages; a unified world of peace wherein the spiritual and material dimensions of life are harmonized.'' Dr. Manley is certainly deserving of such an award.

Dr. Manley's life has exemplified those very values. At home, he is the loving husband of Vertis, and the dedicated father of seven children. In addition to his work at the Greater Life Baptist Church, he is a community activist: he has traveled as a missionary to South

Africa and West Africa; been a Goodwill Ambassador to Korea; and served as a past President of the NAACP San Diego Chapter. Simply by reading his resume, one realizes that Dr. Manley is a man who is dedicated in every way to his family, to his community, to his religion and to this world. He has worked at the local level, the national level and the international level; with the government, with non-governmental organizations, and at the grassroots.

His work has focused on peace and understanding among the people of the world. He has worked to improve race relations in the San Diego area. He has also worked to promote inter-denominational and inter- religious relations in San Diego and around the world. Indeed, I can think of no better candidate for the Ambassador of Peace Award than Dr. Willie E. Manley.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise to salute Al Best as he is being honored at the ``Sixth Annual Community Tribute Banquet'' on June 22, 2003. He is being recognized for his tireless activism and community service on behalf of San Diego's Gay and Lesbian community.

Al was born and raised in Colorado, was hired at the age of 18 by United Airlines, and in 1960 became United's Regional Convention Representative. During this time, he received his BS degree at the University of Colorado. In 1963, Al joined Frontier Air Lines as Southwest Regional Manager, based in Alburquerque, and two years later, he was named to the New Mexico State Aviation Board. He received his Masters' Degree from the University of New Mexico and his Ph.D from New Mexico State University.

When Al first arrived in San Diego in 1975, he immediately became active in the community by volunteering and raising money for outstanding organizations such as The Center and the Metropolitan Community Church. He was one of the founders of Stepping Stone, a non- profit alcohol and drug recovery agency. In 1979, he made history by being the first openly gay person to run for the San Diego City, Council. Even though he was largely outspent and out raised by his opponents, he finished 5th out of 11 in the campaign.

In 1985, Al became the first president of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club. In 1989, he was the first openly gay person appointed to San Diego's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He was also a member of Mayor Maureen O'Connor's Violent Crime Task Force. In 1990, he was the first openly gay person sworn into the San Diego Civil Service Commission and became its first openly gay president in 1992. In 1993, he was a co-chair for the Human Rights Campaign milestone March on Washington. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of Something Special Food Pantry, a volunteer organization that distributes food to men, women, children and families who have HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Al Best has set an outstanding precedent for gay and lesbians in San Diego and has paved the way for future generations to come. He is truly one of the best in San Diego. I offer my congratulations to him on being honored at the ``Sixth Annual Community Tribute Banquet.''

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and congratulate James Matlack upon the occasion of his retirement as Director of the Washington, DC Office for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He will be honored at a reception on Wednesday, June 25th.

James was born into a Quaker family in Moorestown, New Jersey and attended Quaker schools there and in Westtown, Pennsylvania, an early influence that led to his work at AFSC. He received his Bachelors Degree from Princeton University, his Masters Degree as a Fulbright Scholar at Oxford University in England, and his Ph.D. at Yale University where he was a Danforth Fellow and a Woodrow Wilson Scholar.

He held a number of academic positions before joining AFSC. I first met James when he was on the faculty at Cornell University in the late 1960s. At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, he served as the Master/Director of the Southwest Residential College. Later, he joined the faculty at Hampshire College, also in Amherst, while he was working as Executive Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Before joining the AFSC staff, James spent two terms on their National Board of Directors in the position of Vice Chairman of the Board. He was also Presiding Clerk of the Nationwide Peace Education Committee. In 1979, he was a member of the AFSC delegation to Vietnam and Cambodia, the first Western group to visit Phnom Penh after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. James has been a worldwide traveler on behalf of the work of AFSC, with trips to the Middle East six times, to Central America three times, and to Mexico.

In 1983, he became Director of the AFSC Washington office. In this position, he has worked on a wide range of AFSC domestic and international issues, involving government officials, diplomats, policy experts, the news media, and like-minded advocacy groups.

James also has served on the Board of Trustees of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC.

Upon his retirement, he is joined in celebrating his accomplishments by his wife, his three children, and five grandchildren. His dedication and commitment to the work of the American Friends Service Committee have been monumental, and he will be missed.

My sincere thanks and best wishes go to my friend, James Matlack. He has been a tireless advocate for peace, human rights, and civil liberties. He was one lobbyist that I and many of my colleagues heartily welcomed in our offices!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation with the gentleman from the State of New York (Mr. McHugh). The purpose of our bill, called The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act, H.R. 2442, is simply stated: Give law enforcement status to law enforcement officers.

Many Federal officials, for example, the Border Patrol, are classified as law enforcement officers because that is a classification that comes with certain salary and retirement benefits. But many other officers, officer who are trained to carry weapons, who wear body armor, who face the same daily risk as law enforcement officers are not so classified. These officers, for example, inspectors who work for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs police officers, U.S. Mint police officers, Internal Revenue Service officers, and police officers in about two dozen other agencies, are not eligible for early retirement and other benefits designed to maintain a young and vigorous law enforcement workforce that we need to combat those who pose life-threatening risks to our society.

The tragic irony, Mr. Speaker, is that the only time these officers are classified as law enforcement officers is when they are killed in the line of duty. Then their names are inscribed on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial right here in Washington.

Let me say that again. It is only when they are killed that they are called law enforcement officers, and that is a tragic irony.

My district encompasses the entire California-Mexico border and is home to two of the busiest world border crossings in the entire world, so I am very familiar with the work of border inspectors. They wear bulletproof vests, they carry firearms, and, unfortunately, have to use them. Most importantly, these inspectors are subject to the same risks as other officers with whom they serve side by side and who do have the benefits of law enforcement status.

Our Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act will make important strides toward ensuring the safety of our country as these officers protect our borders, our ports of entry, our military and veterans installations and other sensitive government buildings. The bill ensures the strong and vigorous workforce necessary for our country to have the finest level of protection. Our country deserves no less, and these valiant officers who protect us deserve no less.

Any cost created by this act is offset by savings in training costs and increased revenue collection. A 20-year retirements bill for these employees will reduce turnover, increase yield, decrease recruitment, and development costs and enhance the retention of a well-trained and experienced workforce.

Mr. Speaker, the simple fact is that these officers have dangerous jobs and deserve to be recognized as law enforcement officers, just like others with whom they serve, side by side, and who share the same level of risk. I encourage my colleagues to join the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) and me in cosponsoring H.R. 2442, the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern and many of our concerns over the regulatory uncertainty wrought by the recent Federal Communications Commission so-called triennial review decision. In fact, the FCC has made so many mistakes recently, I think that the initial stands for ``Forget Consensus in Congress.''

In this case, the FCC missed the opportunity to bring clarity to the rules that promote facilities-based competition and would spur investment and create jobs. Instead, it has punted the decision to the States, all 50 of them. This move will force more State proceedings, more regulatory uncertainly, and without a doubt, more delay.

The telecommunications sector has certainly had its meltdown. It has already lost more than half a million jobs and $2 trillion in market value. And immediately after the February decision, the industry lost a total capital value of $15 billion. Wall Street certainly took note and downgraded the outlook for telecommunications companies. With this regulation stranglehold, these companies cannot effectively recover from recent losses, they cannot invest in expansion, and they cannot create or save American jobs. As many recent decisions show, we must hold the FCC more accountable.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of S. 703. This designation that we do today is a fitting tribute to the distinguished career of Carl Curtis. As the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) stated, he served the citizens of Nebraska for eight terms in the House and four terms in the Senate. He was a strong advocate for small business, agriculture producers and Social Security reform. In fact, he predicted very early in his career that Social Security would be a serious financial problem if the government did not plan for the future. We know he was a devoted family man, dedicated public servant, and distinguished elected official, and so it is both fitting and proper that we honor his civic contributions with this designation. I urge passage of S. 703.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 268, I was caught in traffic and missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute Daniel Espinoza on receiving the ``Labor Leader of the Year'' Award from the San Diego- Imperial Counties Labor Council, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the working women and men of our community.

From the age of eighteen, Daniel has participated in and supported organized labor. He joined Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE Local 122, in 1977 and been an active officer for the past 16 years. In 1993, Daniel became the youngest elected Business Representative in the history of Local #122 and is currently serving his fifth term. In addition, he serves on the Executive Board for the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, and is a founding member of the United Labor Foundation.

Daniel has established a reputation of vigorously representing the members of Local 122 while still being responsive to the needs of the employer and their constant struggles with decreased funding for the arts. His commitment and dedication to the working men and women in the entertainment industry has led to successful organizational efforts at a number of San Diego area entertainment venues, including the La Jolla Playhouse, the California Center for the Arts Escondido, and the Audio Visual Technicians for the San Diego Marriott Marina and the Coronado Island Marriott Resort. Under his leadership, Theatrical Stage Employees #122 has increased its jurisdiction and stature in the San Diego entertainment community, and has more than doubled its membership.

Daniel Espinoza exemplifies the high values, standards, and principles of the hard-working men and women who are represented by the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council. I offer my congratulations to him on his receipt of the ``Labor Leader of the Year'' Award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute John D. Hull on receiving the ``Friend of the Labor Council Award'' from the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the working women and men of our community.

John is Vice-President of SBC Communications, Inc. in San Diego, overseeing a region that includes San Diego, Orange and Imperial Counties, and the Inland Empire region of Southern California.

Mr. Hull joined Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1974 following his graduation from college. He has held numerous management positions during this career, culminating in his appointment as Regional President for the San Diego in May 2001. He represents SBC on the boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, United Way of San Diego County and the American Heart Association--San Diego Chapter.

During his career, John D. Hull has been an important friend of the hardworking men and women who are represented by the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council. I offer my congratulations to him on his receipt of the ``Friend of the Labor Council Award.''

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to speak about a military widow in my Congressional District who has written to me about her Military Survivor Benefits Plan, known as SBP.

She writes: ``My husband, who served in the Army for 20 years, died in July, 1995. I was then 61 years old. I was doing okay, paying my monthly bills and having enough left for groceries, but when I turned 62, I was notified my SBP was reduced from $476 to $302. What a shock! This was my grocery money they took from me. I hope that nobody else has to go through what I have. I cry every day and night. Not only have I lost my husband, I lost my money, my pride, my dignity.'' These words from the widow of one of our nation's veterans should be seared into the mind of every member of Congress.

Tomorrow, along with a number of my colleagues, I will be signing a discharge petition for H.R. 303, a bill to provide what is known as concurrent receipt to our disabled military retirees. If this law is passed, these retirees would be able to receive both their military retired pay, which they earned, and their VA disability compensation, which they deserve! As you know, both the House and the Senate passed concurrent receipt during the last session of Congress--and only in the Conference, was it diluted to almost nothing. We are again fighting to correct this grave injustice.

I am here today to state that there is another equally deserving group that we must include in this fight--the widows of our military retirees! Not only are many of our military retirees being denied their rightful benefits while they are alive, their spouses are being denied their rightful benefits upon their death.

The law to reduce the benefits received by military retired widows when they turn 65 is misleading and unfair. It is time to change this law! Most of these military widows are living on small incomes, but even people with substantial incomes would have a tough time coping with a reduction from 55 percent of their retirement benefits to 35 percent.

My bill, H.R. 1592, the Military Survivors Equity Act, would immediately eliminate this callous and absurd reduction in benefits that now burdens our military widows. My colleague form Florida, Mr. Miller, has introduced H.R. 548, a bill that would increase the post-62 SBP annuity so that it reaches 55 percent of the military retired pay by 2007. Both bills fulfill the 2001 ``sense of Congress'' resolution to reduce and eventually eliminate this SBP reduction. The passage of this legislation is a top priority for the Military Officers Association of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars has also voiced their support for these bills. The Democratic Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces legislative package, recently released, also calls for an end to this unfair reduction of benefits.

I encourage members from both sides of the aisle to work with Congressman Miller and me to stop the pain and anguish we are causing our military widows and to show respect for the tremendous sacrifices made by our veterans and their families. We must pass this legislation to make this the compassionate and effective Survivors Benefits Plan it should be.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to urge support for four bills that I have introduced to address several needs of our veterans and to ensure their well-being.

The first bill (H.R. 1924) deals with education benefits. Last year, one very important piece of the Fiscal Year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act that Congress passed was a provision that extends the time limit for members of the Selected Reserve to use their Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) education benefits from 10 years to 14 years. Prior to the passage of this law, these MGIB participants had only 10 years from their release from military service to use these earned education benefits.

Many times, veterans with families, work commitments, and economic difficulties are unable to fulfill all their requirements to receive a degree or certification within this 10 year period. In passing last year's Defense Authorization Act, Congress recognized this difficulty for members of the Selected Reserve. Also recognizing that 10 years may not be long enough for certain individuals, the VA Secretary has limited discretion to grant time extensions to those who are unable to use their benefits due to mental or physical handicaps.

It is clear that life in 2003 can make it difficult to finish an education in the allotted time frame. I believe it is time to extend the time period for all the participants of the MGIB. Therefore, I have introduced H.R. 1924, ``The Montgomery GI Bill Flexibility Act'', which will allow all participants up to 14 years to complete their education. This bill will ensure that more of our veterans are able to avail themselves of the educational opportunity that the MGIB affords them-- the educational opportunity that they earned.

A second bill, H.R. 1920, ``Let U.S. Veterans Rebuild Iraq Act'', does just what the title says. It would guarantee jobs to veterans with companies that are awarded government contracts to rebuild Iraq. We have all rallied to support our troops as they waged Operation: Iraqi Freedom. But often, after the troops come home, our veterans are not treated with the respect that they deserve. It is most important to ensure that there are jobs for our nation's veterans, both new veterans and older. We are still fighting homelessness among veterans, a national disgrace. One way to better the lives of many veterans is to include them in the job of rebuilding Iraq. They fought for freedom for Iraq. Let's get them involved with helping to secure the future for Iraq.

My third bill, H.R. 1347, ``The Former Prisoners of War Equitable Dental Benefits Act'', is legislation that I introduced in the 107th Congress and that passed the House of Representatives, but not the Senate. This bill is supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It would eliminate the ``time of internment'' requirement for former prisoners-of-war (POWs) in order to be eligible for outpatient dental care benefits at the VA.

No one can deny that former POWs have sacrificed greatly in defense of their country. Unfortunately, their sacrifices continue. Reports have shown that POWs are at higher risk for a number of disabling conditions associated with exposure to infectious disease, inclement weather, and malnutrition.

Currently, the law states that eligibility for outpatient dental care benefits only applies to former POWs with 90 days or more of internment. As you can imagine, this time requirement has been difficult for the VA to administer and to justify to the veterans seeking dental care. Former POWs are often confused about this time requirement. Who could say that our POWs in Iraq did not suffer because they were not imprisoned for 90 days? H.R. 1347 eliminates the arbitrary distinction between former POWs who have all paid dearly for their service.

Fourthly, I have learned that VA doctors are not allowed to prescribe more than a 1 month prescription for controlled drugs, such as pain killers used for chronic conditions. But many veterans who have these prescriptions have been treated with the same medications for years and show no signs of abuse. H.R. 1921, the ``Continuity of Care for Veterans with Chronic Conditions Act'', would allow VA doctors to write a three-months prescription for these veterans who demonstrate no sign of

abuse of their medication. This bill would make it more convenient for sick veterans to get their medication and would ensure that no lag time exists when veterans are without their medication.

Education, jobs, benefits, and prescriptions for our nation's veterans. I urge your support for this legislation!

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to honor the life of Douglas Perry and to recognize his lifelong contributions to his community. He was born on February 8, 1920 in Somerville, Massachusetts and passed away earlier this week, on June 2, 2003.

Doug was much more to me than a resident of my Congressional District, he was my friend. I first met Doug and worked with him when I served on the San Diego City Council. I immediately noticed his enthusiasm and his seemingly unlimited energy on behalf of the San Ysidro community where he lived. Because of his work, he was known as the unofficial ``Mayor of San Ysidro''.

He moved to California in 1936 and served in the U.S. Navy, in North Africa and the Philippines, from 1942 to 1946. He met and married Jean Alexis Wadleigh in 1949, and they lived in the Inland Empire until their move to San Ysidro in 1974.

He was involved in many roles in the activities and organizations of San Ysidro. He served as President, Executive Director, and Information Center Manager of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in keeping the Chamber growing in membership. He organized and managed a Chamber Visitor's Information Center for several years, giving tourist information to thousands of visitors every month. It was through his efforts that the San Ysidro Chamber was designated the official Certificate of Origin supplier for the importation of goods by Mexican businesses--a vital part of the Chamber today. He took the lead in obtaining the first-ever fireworks in San Ysidro by developing plans for the Chamber to sponsor the first two years of exciting 4th of July displays and continuing to organize these yearly festivities.

Doug was Chair of the San Ysidro Redevelopment Project Area Committee, Vice President of the San Ysidro Senior Center, Chair and Vice Chair of the Southern Area Committee, Board Member of the South Bay YMCA, and Vice President of the San Ysidro Senior Center. He made possible communication cable at the Senior Center, soliciting a free donation from Cox Cable.

He was Treasurer of the San Ysidro Little League and was a member of Senior San Ysidrans. At the Sister of Nazareth, San Diego Mission, he was House Father for nine years.

As a member of the Park and Recreation Council, Doug represented the San Ysidro Recreation Council, supported their Annual Christmas events, acquired a big screen TV by soliciting donations, and raised funds for the La Mirada School Joint Use Turf Project. He played a significant role in opening the building at Larsen Sports Field, Cesar Chavez Community Center. He worked in obtaining Beyer Undeveloped Park.

He further obtained funding for the Coral Gate Neighborhood Park and the Larsen Field Parking Lot expansion, security lights and ball field renovation. All in all, he raised tens of thousands of dollars for projects and special events in San Ysidro. He worked to get donations for the Annual Food Drive. As you can see, Doug's commitment was to the community as a whole.

Doug was joined in all of his endeavors by his wife of 52 years. Together, they had four children: Philip Perry of Escondido, California, Kim McCormick of Rancho Cucamonga, California, Brooke Barbee of Alta Loma, California, and Craig Perry of Upland, California. His six grandchildren are Steven Barbee, Paige Flick, Brandy Barbee, Michael Perry, Christopher McCormick, and Scott Perry--and his two great-grandchildren are Tessa and Jacob Weir.

My condolences go to Doug's fine family. He will be missed, but his memory will live on in his beloved community of San Ysidro.