Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 6407, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.

I want to congratulate the Government Reform Chairman, Tom Davis, Ranking Member Waxman, Representative John McHugh from New York who has dedicated well over 11 years working on this, and Danny Davis who led the effort in the minority, and their counterparts in the Senate for their hard work in getting this compromise bill to the floor prior to the adjournment.

The legislation before us will bring long overdue reforms to the operations of the postal service after almost 11\1/2\ years of negotiations between the House, the Senate and the administration.

We reached an agreement on negotiated service agreements, work sharing, the rate cap and the authority of the Postal Regulatory Commission to design a new postal system. The $9 billion mailing industry is tremendously important to our economy. Had Congress failed to reach this compromise, the public and postal reliant businesses surely would have faced more frequent increases in postal rates in the near future.

This bill will help to keep rates more stable by releasing the funds from an escrow account to pay retiree health benefits.

Additionally, this relieves the Postal Service and postal customers of the $27 billion burden in military service payments by returning that responsibility to the Treasury. The legislation creates a new Postal Regulatory Commission with the authority to establish a modern system for postal rate regulation. The new PRC will improve the rate- setting process by reducing administrative burdens. As a result, consumers and postal-reliant businesses can expect a greater rate stability.

I represent a large portion of the magazine industry which is enormously important both for the economy of New York and the country. High costs have forced many magazines out of business, including Mademoiselle, Mode, Brill's Content, and Industry Standard, leaving many workers without jobs. I also represent many postal workers, some of the 700,000 postal workers who rely on a healthy Postal Service for their livelihoods.

We are hopeful that the legislation we passed today will satisfy many of the concerns of the postal employees, the postal-reliant businesses, and the U.S. Postal Service and consumers. With the passage of this legislation we can ensure the long-term viability of the Postal Service and the continuation of services on which this Nation relies.

Once again, I commend my colleagues and the staff of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee, particularly Denise Wilson, for their hard work and dedication, and Jen Keaton from my own staff for their efforts in completing this task and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep concerns with Turkey's progress toward meeting its European Union, EU, accession criteria.

Today marks the deadline set by the EU for Turkey to demonstrate its willingness to implement the necessary policy changes prior to a summit scheduled for December 14-15 in Brussels, where the EU members will decide if Turkey will continue its accession process.

In a report released last month, the European Commission criticized Turkey's efforts to fulfill its obligations. In many critical areas including political rights and economic reforms, Turkey has much work to do. For example, Turkey is expected to show greater respect for and protection of human, civil, and political rights by guaranteeing freedom of expression in line with European standards. Additionally, Turkey has yet to ratify the Additional Protocols to the European Charter on Human Rights. Turkey must do more to protect religious freedoms, guarantee legal protections for women and children, and comply with International Labor Organization standards, including the right to collective bargaining. The report also detailed necessary improvements to infrastructure still to be made as well as the signing of the Energy Community Treaty that establishes a regional energy market in southeast Europe.

Finally, Turkey's obligations toward Cyprus remain unfulfilled. As part of this process, Turkey must normalize its relations with Cyprus, which joined the EU in May 2004. Unfortunately, Turkey still refuses to recognize Cyprus or open its ports and airports to Cypriot ships and airplanes. Additionally, Turkey has yet to extend the Customs Union to Cyprus to promote the free movement of goods and the removal of barriers to trade. If Turkey wants to join the EU, it should play by the rules.

Turkey is fully responsible for the outcome of this process, including if talks break off. If Turkey truly wants to be a member of the EU, it knows what actions it must take.

Turkey is at an important crossroads in determining its future. I will be watching with great interest to see how it handles all of these matters. I hope that it makes the right decision and takes immediate steps to meet its accession criteria.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1176, the ``Nonprofit Athletic Organization Protection Act of 2006.'' This legislation would provide broad immunity to nonprofit athletic associations which enact rules governing athletic competitions. In some cases, these rules have resulted in injuries to children and participants including serious head and spinal injuries because of swimming pools that were too shallow for diving. I also have strong concerns that passage of this legislation would preclude victims of sexual assault from bringing civil lawsuits against nonprofit athletic associations which have acted negligently.

Unfortunately, the Majority, in its rush to adjourn, has brought a bill to the floor that leaves children vulnerable to abuse. I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to First Houses, the first public housing development in the United States. This year, the New York City Housing Authority is celebrating the 70th anniversary of First Houses and the worthy ideals which it symbolizes.

By creating the New York City Housing Authority seven decades ago, the leaders of our Nation's greatest metropolis launched an ambitious initiative to improve the lives of America's least privileged members by providing affordable housing that met high standards of sanitation, health and safety. The first fruit of that noble undertaking, the watershed First Houses development, was created by rehabilitating a series of tenements built in 1846.

For the first time in American history, First Houses proved that government could provide a practical remedy to the shortage of decent affordable housing confronting citizens of low and moderate incomes. By removing every third building of those original tenements to expand light, air, and open space, combining backyards, and constructing a welcoming common courtyard and recreational area, those visionary civic leaders created in First Houses a vibrant and livable public housing development that became a model for the Nation.

In a tribute to the momentous achievement marked by the opening of First Houses, the inaugural celebration of the complex was attended by two great New Yorkers and great Americans, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.

Today, the approximately 174 authorized residents of First Houses live in eight attractive four- and five-story buildings located on 1.23 acres of land lying between East 2nd and East 3rd Streets and Avenue A and First Avenue on Manhattan's Lower East Side in New York's Fourteenth Congressional District, which I am privileged to represent in this House.

Indeed, as is fitting for New York, traditionally a beacon of progressive ideals of social reform, First Houses also marked the first housing initiative of the newly founded New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the oldest public housing agency in the continent of North America. Throughout its history, the NYCHA has also been the largest public housing authority on the continent. Today it administers 344 public housing developments containing 2,686 buildings housing approximately 412,281 authorized residents in 179,025 different apartments. Today, more than one in twenty New Yorkers lives in public housing managed by the NYCHA, enough to constitute the population of the Nation's 44th largest city.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the historic 70th anniversary of First Houses, in congratulating Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City Housing Authority Chairman Tino Hernandez for their dedication to maintaining and expanding New York City's affordable housing, and in recognizing the tremendous contributions to the people of the city of New York and our Nation made by the hard-working men and women of the New York City Housing Authority throughout its proud 70-year history.

Mr. Speaker, for three decades, Sutton Area Community, Inc., has served as the voice of New Yorkers residing on the East Side of Manhattan between 52nd and 59th Street, from Second Avenue to the East River. Founded to maintain and improve the quality of life in that historic neighborhood, Sutton Area Community (SAC) has united area residents on a myriad of concerns and its ranks now include over 2000 dues-paying members. On October 22nd, SAC celebrated its thirtieth anniversary at the internationally renowned Perigord restaurant, at which its members honored their community's extraordinarily dedicated and effective representative in the New York State Assembly, the Honorable Jonathan Bing.

The dedicated members of Sutton Area Community, currently led by the estimable Mary Clare Bergin, have been at the forefront of efforts the surrounding community. Its volunteers have spearheaded local beautification initiatives. Thanks to the tireless efforts of SAC's members, seasonal planting and iron fence tree enclosures have been installed between Sutton Place and Second Avenue, and dozens of trees have been planted on and around First Avenue. In addition, SAC members serve as conscientious caretakers of three ``pocket'' parks at 54th, 57th and 58th streets. The carefully maintained greenery and flowers have created a ripple effect, inspiring owners and residents of neighboring buildings to make improvements to their own landscaping, making a community already renowned for its quiet elegance a charm an even more idyllic oasis for residents and visitors alike.

The tranquil quality of life of Sutton Place and its environs is rendered even more remarkable for its proximity to midtown Manhattan, the most bustling and thriving commercial district in the entire United States. A constant concern for Sutton Area Community residents is the considerable traffic congestion due to the neighborhood's close proximity to the Queensborough Bridge and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive. After the New York City Department of Transportation made an ill-considered decision to close the 48th street ramp onto the FDR Drive, forcing over tens of thousands of motorists onto local streets, SAC worked with elected officials and civic organizations to overturn this ill-considered decision. Their persuasive and persistent lobbying ultimately won the day, and the ramp was reopened.

In addition, the members of Sutton Area Community successfully fought a proposal to eliminate local bus stops. Such a move would have had very negative consequences on the neighborhood's significant population of seniors, and I was pleased to joined with SAC members, other elected officials and Manhattan Community Board 6 to urge successfully that the bus stops be restored. It is a testament to SAC and the strength of their organization that the stops remained in place.

Armed with the knowledge that clean and safe streets are keys to maintaining the quality of life in an intense urban environment, SAC works closely with the 17th Precinct of the New York Police Department. Its members have former one of the largest groups of volunteer ``blockwatchers'' in New York City. SAC also has contracted with the Doe Fund, a not-for-profit organization that provides jobs for the homeless, to improve sweeping and sanitation of the streets.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in saluting the tremendous

contributions to the civic life of New York City made by the members of the Sutton Area Community and their Assemblymember, Jonathan Bing, and in wishing them continued success at their vital mission in the years to come.

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

Madam Speaker, as the ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Export-Import Bank, I am delighted to speak once again in support of S. 3938, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006.

This bipartisan legislation was overwhelmingly supported by this body when it came to the floor in April as H.R. 5068, and was also strongly supported in the Financial Services Committee and the Small Business Committee on a bipartisan basis. We have all worked together on this, and I would like to thank Chairman Oxley, Ranking Member Frank, Chairman Manzullo, Ranking Member Velazquez, Chairwoman Pryce, Representative Waters and our staffs, especially Scott Morris and Joe Pinder of the Financial Services staff, Eleni Constantine from my staff, and many others for their very hard work on this bill.

The bill that we consider today, though it bears a Senate designation, includes substantially all of the key initiatives that we included in our House bill. Chief among these are new provisions on small business competition and transparency. Our small business initiative starts with a new small business division within the bank run by a senior VP who will advise the board directly.

Within the bank, the bill creates small business specialists with authority to approve smaller working capital loans and guarantees to speed up the process. The bill also creates a Small Business Committee to assist the bank in advancing its small business agenda. Within this division, the bill creates an office charged with expanding outreach to socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses and small businesses owned by women, and it also increases the amount of loans, guarantees and insurance provided by the bank to support exports by these small businesses.

The bill also empowers and directs the bank to deal more forcefully and directly with the looming threat to the U.S. export economy posed by China, which is effectively subsidizing its exports through its currency and otherwise. Since China is not a member of the Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development, Ex-Im's export credit activities are a particularly important vehicle to level the playing field. This is also true for subsidized exports from other non-OECD nations such as Brazil, which are taking a greater share of the markets and unfairly challenging our exports.

In this regard, the bill gives the bank greater authority to use the Tied Aid

Fund, a fund established several years ago by Congress specifically to combat unfair export activities by other countries' export credit agencies. U.S. companies should not have to compete with one hand tied behind their backs and unfair subsidies to their competitors.

I am also pleased that the pro-customer provisions that I was personally responsible for are part of this bill. They include notification requirements so that applicants know what is happening to their application and a mandate to improve Ex-Im Online to make it more user friendly and attract small business applicants. My constituents and many others have complained that the Ex-Im process is needlessly unhelpful and opaque, and these are simple steps to fix that problem. People should not have to wait for months, possibly even a year, to find out that one small item was missing from their application that caused them not to receive their support.

We have also dealt with some regional issues that are of significance to broad constituencies. First, the bill asks the bank to consult with the African Development Bank and similar entities to increase the number of qualified African entities.

Second, the bill prohibits the bank from funding railroad projects in the South Caucasus region that deliberately exclude Armenia, as Turkey has proposed. As a proud member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and the representative of a large and vibrant Armenian community of Americans, I particularly want to thank my colleagues Joe Crowley and Representative Royce for their hard work on this issue.

Allowing the exclusion of Armenia from important transportation routes would stymie the emergence of this region as an important East- West trade corridor. It is in our economic and security interests to ensure that we do not support the historic aggression between Turkey and Armenia.

As the independent U.S. Government agency that assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to markets around the world through export credit insurance, loan guarantees and direct loans, the Ex-Im Bank has long played a key role in the economy of many of the districts that each of us represent. Today, more than ever, the future of the bank is of a great interest and concern because it has significant potential to affect the national economy, job growth and our trade imbalance.

Our country now faces a record trade imbalance of over $800 billion, the largest trade imbalance in our history. This is one agency which can work on the trade imbalance issue as part of its mission.

This reauthorization bill provides fresh guidance to the bank, as well as enabling it to carry on its very important work. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee, the gentleman from the great State of Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the Empire State, my colleague and good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have no further requests for time, and I am about to yield back the balance of my time.

But before I do, I would like to once again congratulate two of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who are retiring who served on this committee with great distinction, Chairman Leach and Chairman Oxley. I thank them for their service and for putting the safety and soundness and fairness of our financial institutions front and center on the concerns of this committee and for their attention and consideration to all points of view, including the minority. It was an honor to serve with them, and they served this country well. We will miss you.

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

Mr. Speaker, last month, I attended the Supreme Court oral arguments on the so-called Partial Birth Abortion bill. You may recall that like the bill we have before us today, that bill included Congressional findings that found no basis in medical fact or science. The bill we are debating today is pseudoscience. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in consultation with physicians who are experts in fetal anesthesia and fetal surgery, knows of no legitimate scientific data or information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain. Requiring a physician to provide a patient with information that is not supported by scientific fact violates the established doctrine of medical informed consent. This bill is a clear attempt by the current antichoice majority to once again chip away at a woman's right to choose.

H.R. 6099 does not inform women who are seeking abortions, it misinforms them. It forces doctors and nurses to distribute a brochure filled with biased language written by anti-choice politicians, most of whom have no medical experience. This bill has nothing to do with improving women's healthcare or increasing access to medical information. It is just one more attempt for politicians to impose themselves on the unique and important doctor-patient relationship, which should remain private.

Mr. Speaker, in these last days of the 109th Congress, the anti- choice majority is lobbing a parting shot at American women. We shouldn't be wasting our time on bills that impede access to healthcare and impose further burdens on women seeking abortions.

I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 6099, a bill where the science is unproven and the result is harmful.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's Disease in strong support of H.R. 6342, which will protect the Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECCs.)

As a leader in the Parkinson's community, I commend the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for working to enact legislation that will formally establish the PADRECCs for the first time in statute.

Significant contributions have been made by the Centers in research, education, and clinical care that benefit all Americans impacted by Parkinson's disease.

The PADRECCs have served to elevate the quality, comprehensiveness, and access of care for veteran patients with Parkinson's disease and related disorders throughout the Veterans Health Administration.

Through the six regional centers spanning the country and the National VA Parkinson's Disease Consortium, the VA is able to treat more than 79,000 veterans with Parkinson's disease.

The efforts of these Centers are the model of innovation in the delivery of health care and research for chronic, progressive disease in the veteran population.

The Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's Disease learned earlier this year that the Centers' existence was in jeopardy-- seriously threatening the institutions' valuable research, education, and clinical care programs that benefit all Americans affected by Parkinson's disease.

I believe that this bill must be enacted to ensure that the PADRECCs will continue providing valuable services to veteran patients, family members, and the entire Parkinson's disease community.

The original bill to protect the PADRECCs was authored by my fellow Co-Chair of the Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's Disease and friend Congressman Lane Evans.

As you may know, Congressman Evans helped to create the PADRECCs.

By working with the former and current VA Administration, Representative Evans helped to establish these Centers that serve American veterans battling Parkinson's disease.

As a former Marine, Ranking Member on the VA Committee, and person battling Parkinson's disease, Representative Lane Evans has a strong sense of mission about providing the highest standards of care for both constituencies. I commend the PADRECCs for doing just that.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, our colleague Lane Evans is officially retiring from the House of Representatives at the conclusion of the 109th Congress due to his struggle with Parkinson's disease.

Congressman Evans has been a true champion of veterans and Parkinson's issues on Capitol Hill and great friend to both communities.

As Representative Evans said in his retirement announcement, ``I believe strongly in serving people and working to make a positive difference in their lives.''

This bill uniquely speaks to the significant contributions Representative Evans has made in the lives of more than one million Americans living with Parkinson's disease and more than 24.5 million American veterans.

I urge my colleagues to honor Lane Evans and vote yes on this important bill.

I look forward to enactment of this bill that is so important to all those who struggle with the devastating effects of Parkinson's disease.

Mr. Speaker, the New York delegation is a strong and unified delegation. At the end of the 109th Congress, four of our colleagues and friends will be exiting Congress. Tonight, we honor them.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a temporary duty suspension for certain umbrellas. These include golf umbrellas and fashion umbrellas with non-collapsible shafts for use by men, women and children. The current duty rate on these umbrellas is 8.2 percent, while the duty rate on similar umbrellas with collapsible shafts is 0 percent. There appears to be no purpose for this disparity; and yet it drives up the cost of the non-collapsible umbrellas for U.S. consumers.

This measure is supported by Essex Manufacturing, Inc. whose headquarters are in my district. It also is supported by other leading umbrella producers, including Peerless Umbrella Co. in Harrison, New Jersey; Shedrain Corporation in Portland, Oregon; and Totes in Cincinnati, Ohio. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this measure next year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express may deep admiration for the work done by the Intrepid Foundation and the great Intrepid Sea- Air-Space Museum.

The Museum, the world's largest naval museum, is housed on the historic and battle-scarred USS Intrepid.

The Museum pays homage to the valiant efforts of the U.S. Armed Forces in defense of our liberties.

Commissioned in 1943, the USS Intrepid is a unique educational resource that promotes public awareness of the history and future development of the sea, air and space sciences.

The Intrepid fought valiantly in World War II, was a primary recovery vessel for NASA and then was sent to Southeast Asia where it launched the jets that supported our ground forces in Vietnam.

During World War II, the carrier was hit by five Japanese Kamikaze suicide planes in separate incidents that killed dozens of crewmen and injured many others.

Nonetheless, the ship exacted its toll on the Japanese air force, downing 43 planes and 4 kamikaze planes in one day.

During the post-World War II period the Intrepid exemplified the United States' leadership and devotion to freedom.

Unfortunately, despite its glorious past, there came a time when the ship was due to be scrapped.

Zachary Fisher, founder of the Intrepid Foundation, rescued the ship in 1978 and arranged for it to be brought to Manhattan where it opened as a Museum in 1982.

Visitors can explore some of the innovative aircraft that made America's air force the strongest in the world, from vintage World War II planes to the latest supersonic jets.

The Intrepid's unique educational programs reach 40,000 school children each year, while the Foundation's Vocational-Technical program has helped hundreds of at-risk youth develop work and life skills.

The Nation's men and women still serving in uniform are always at the forefront of the Foundation's activities.

Its Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund provides financial support for the families of United States military personnel who have been lost in the line of duty, while Fleet Week is a celebration honoring those who are currently serving in our nation's military.

Other Fisher Foundations serve the military in numerous ways.

Zachary Fisher established the Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Armed Services Foundation, which has provided funding to numerous military families who have lost loved ones under tragic circumstances.

His Armed Services Foundation provides scholarship funds to active and former service members and their families.

In 1990, Mr. and Mrs. Fisher began the Fisher House program, dedicating more than $20 million to the construction of 26 comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.

Since the program's inception, more than 35,000 families have stayed in Fisher Houses while their loved ones are receiving treatment.

Thus, the Intrepid Museum is merely the most visible symbol of a enterprise entirely dedicated to serving our nation's men and women in uniform.

Unfortunately, this great symbol of support for our armed forces is aging.

During the past 24 years, the Intrepid has resided at Pier 86 in Manhattan, where she has been subjected to the storms, the vicissitudes of the Hudson River and a vast buildup of silt. All of that has taken a toll, and the Foundation has arranged for the ship to receive some loving care.

The ship will spend 18-24 months in Bayonne, New Jersey being refurbished, while the pier is completely rebuilt. At the end of that period, the ship will return, better able to pursue its mission of honoring our Nation's heroes, educating the public and inspiring youth.

As Robert Burns famously wrote, ``The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley.''

Like many visitors to New York, the Intrepid simply did not want to go.

Despite spending $1.6 million to dredge 15,000 cubic yards of mud and silt that had built up over the past 24 years, the ship could not be budged in the first try.

With the support of my office and others, and under the leadership of Chairman Young, we have reached out to the Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy, who has agreed to spending $3 million to free the ship from New York harbor. We are deeply grateful to him and to the Navy for their help with this effort.

I would also like to thank and recognize, Gordon England, Deputy Secretary of Defense who has responded quickly and professionally to our requests and continues to keep us updated.

Given the enormous support the Intrepid Foundation gives to our armed forces, and the extraordinary education visitors to the Intrepid receive, this is money well spent.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Fisher family, the Intrepid Museum, the Intrepid Foundation and the remarkable men and women who have made the Intrepid an extraordinary public resource.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the ``Study of Ways To Improve the Accuracy of the Collection of Federal Oil, Condensate, and Natural Gas Royalties Act of 2006.'' I am pleased to be joined by Representatives Hinchey (D-NY), Grijalva (D-AZ), and Conyers (D-MI) in introducing this legislation. On May 7, 2006, the Washington Post reported allegations that American taxpayers are being shortchanged by oil and gas companies in the royalties that they are paying to the Federal Government (``Firms Harvesting Energy from Public Lands May Owe U.S.''). Jack Grynberg, a plaintiff in a false claims action against seventy-three energy and pipeline companies, was featured in the article. Based on his expertise, the legislation I am introducing asks the National Academy of Engineering to conduct a study regarding improving the accuracy of collection of royalties on production of oil, condensate, and natural gas under leases of both onshore and offshore Federal lands and onshore Indian lands.

These valuable resources are owned by the American people, who should be fairly and accurately compensated. I believe that this study would prove invaluable in accomplishing this important goal and will tell us if there is a problem, including the extent of the problem, with the collection of royalties from Federal lands and Indian lands.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ambassador Euripides L. Evriviades, who has served as the Cypriot ambassador to the United States since December 2003.

As a co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, I have worked closely with Ambassador Evriviades on several issues of importance to both the United States and Cyprus. He exemplified uncommonly exceptional service in building on the harmonious relations between our countries.

Ambassador Evriviades worked diligently with Congress to ensure that lawmakers understood the importance of ending the division of Cyprus. Over the last three years, he has worked with untiring devotion to create awareness and compassion for finding a peaceful solution for Cyprus. I commend him for his commitment to the reunification of Cyprus.

The people of Cyprus have been fortunate to have such an accomplished individual represent them not only in the United States but in a variety of other diplomatic posts. As a career diplomat, he has held positions at Cypriot embassies in Libya, USSR/Russia, Germany, and served as the Ambassador to Israel and the Netherlands before coming to Washington.

As a testament to his exemplary public service over the years, he was lately honored with the King Legacy Award for International Service in recognition for his distinguished leadership and contributions and for his steadfast dedication to sharing and implementing Dr. King's historical work wherever he has traveled.

While I am sad to see Ambassador Evriviades leave his post in the United States, I am grateful for his three years of stellar service. I am confident that he will bring this same level of passion and integrity to his next endeavor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the work of one of the leaders of the modern-day abolitionist movement, Ambassador John R. Miller, who has announced he will step down as Director of the U.S. Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

He will be greatly missed.

As Ambassador Miller has often reminded us, trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery. With that conviction, he has led his office, and the whole of U.S. government, on a mission to settle for nothing short of the abolition of this terrible international crime.

Under Ambassador Miller's leadership, the U.S. government has grown in its commitment--both at home and abroad--against modern-day slavery. His work has helped spotlight the issue of slavery around the world, through the annual Secretary of State's Trafficking in Persons Report, diplomatic engagement, speeches and multiple prosecution, protection, and prevention programs around the world.

Earlier this year, New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof praised the U.S. commitment to abolishing modern-day slavery, noting:

[T]he heaviest lifting has been done by the State

Department's tiny office on trafficking--for my money, one of

the most effective units in the U.S. government. The office,

led by a former Republican congressman, John Miller . . .

puts out an annual report that shames and bullies foreign

governments into taking action against forced labor of all

kinds.

The 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons. Along with previous editions, its findings have raised global awareness and compelled countries to take effective actions to counter human trafficking. Under Ambassador Miller's direction, the Report has steadily increased its country assessment total each year--from 124 governments reviewed in 2003 to 158 countries assessed in the 2006 TIP Report.

During that time, Ambassador Miller also oversaw crucial refinements to the Report, elevating the annual compendium to a level of sophistication rarely enjoyed by a publication of its kind: the Trafficking in Persons Report has become the gold standard on which governments and the media are able to weigh progress on the global effort to fight human trafficking.

Annual release of the report has also generated increasing media coverage, helping raise global consciousness of the existence and widespread problem of modern-day slavery. Release of the 2006 Report, for example, produced widespread coverage by national and international print, broadcast, and Internet media, reaching, for the second year in a row, more than 400 million people across the globe. Media coverage was particularly intense in many of the Tier 3 and Tier 2 Watch List countries, such as Saudi Arabia and India.

Today, the TIP Report is the essential reference for global benchmarks that challenge all governments to join the 21st century abolitionist movement. The annual Trafficking in Persons Report serves as the primary diplomatic tool through which the U.S. Government encourages partnership and increased determination in the fight against forced labor, sexual exploitation, and modern-day slavery.

``In our judgment,'' declared Dr. Mohamed Mattar, Executive Director of the Protection Project, ``this report constitutes the primary reference and main source of information on efforts made by foreign governments to combat trafficking in persons.''

Armed with the report, Ambassador Miller has engaged with governments from Japan to Jamaica, from Belize to Bangladesh, to bring about improved law enforcement, victim protection, and prevention of this odious crime. Worldwide, Ambassador Miller's diplomatic leadership helped spur new or improved anti-human trafficking legislation in 41 countries in 2005, along with the establishment of dozens of new survivor shelters. That effort paid huge dividends: anti-trafficking convictions worldwide increased from several hundred, before Ambassador Miller arrived at the State Department, to over 4,700 in 2005. Last year's figure--an increase from about 3,000 the year before--was especially dramatic among countries in Africa (from 29 TIP convictions in 2004 to 58 in 2005) and East Asia and Pacific nations (from 348 TIP convictions in 2004 to 2,347 in 2005).

Specifically, Ambassador Miller's diplomatic efforts helped persuade Japan to vastly reduce the number of TIP-exploitable ``entertainment visas'' Japan issued for young women from the Philippines--to fewer than 5,000, from a high of 80,000 a year. In addition, Ambassador Miller has carefully honed the report's system of tier rankings to cultivate global anti-TIP efforts. This year, for example, Malawi rose from Tier 2 to Tier 1 on the TIP Report, while Ecuador rose from Tier 3 to Tier 2.

Over the last 2 years, Ambassador Miller helped enhance the U.S. government's anti-trafficking efforts to include a greater focus against child sex tourism (CST), a crime in which people travel from their own country to developing countries, such as Laos or Cambodia, looking for anonymity and the availability of children in prostitution. Ambassador Miller's leadership against CST has netted success, as Time magazine recently observed:

Those working to protect children in Cambodia agree that

the police force has recently shown a far stronger commitment

to targeting pedophiles. But it's not just law and order that

is doing the trick. A new political will to root them out is

the result of diplomatic incentives and pressures, both the

carrots of international donors and the stick of the U.S.

State Department, say child protection workers. . . . But the

stick came in 2005 when the U.S. State Department, fed up

with the impunity enjoyed by traffickers here, relegated

Cambodia to it lowest tier three rating on its global

trafficking report. Cambodia was lumped in with Burma, Cuba

and North Korea, and Washington threatened sanctions against

Phnom Penh for its inability to comply with `minimum

standards' to combat human trafficking and convict officials

involved.

In part because of Ambassador Miller's efforts, since 2003 over 30 American pedophiles have been extradited back to the U.S. and sent to jail.

With Ambassador Miller's prodding, the United States last December became an official party to the U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, also known as the Palermo Protocol. The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Protocol, which supplements the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, is an important multilateral component of the worldwide effort to combat modern-day slavery. It seeks to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and promote anti-trafficking cooperation among nations.

As chairman of the interagency Senior Policy Operating Group, Ambassador Miller has improved coordination among U.S. agencies, helping to make the panel a decision-making body whose participants have furthered the U.S. effort against trafficking in person both at home and abroad. For example, the Department of Justice (DOJ), in 2005 charged 116 individuals with human trafficking, almost doubling the number charged in FY 2004. Approximately 80 percent of those defendants were charged under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. Forty-five traffickers were convicted, of which 35

were implicated in sexual exploitation. As of May 22, 2006, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had certified 1,000 victims of human trafficking since the TVPA was signed into law in October 2000. In FY 2005, HHS certified 230 foreign victims of human trafficking from a remarkably diverse array of countries.

On a personal note, during his tenure as Director of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Ambassador John R. Miller has been a friend and colleague to those of us in Congress who have taken a leadership role against modern-day slavery. We wish him well in his future work as a Professor of International Studies at George Washington University.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2679, the ``Public Expression of Religion Act.'' This legislation would eliminate awarding attorney's fees to individuals who win lawsuits under the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. While the proponents argue that the bill would protect public officials from lawsuits, what the bill will actually do is deny citizens from exercising their freedom of religion.

Without the ability to recoup legal fees, the costs to bring a lawsuit against a defendant would be too high for most people to afford. This body should not be enacting legislation to deny Americans their day in court.

H.R. 2679 is opposed by groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the American Jewish Committee.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''