Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rosita Fernandez, a San Antonio icon and a giant in Tejano music, In a career spanning six decades, she was one of

the first Latinas to cross over into Anglo American mainstream media and appeared in television shows, radio broadcasts and major studio movies, Rosita performed for Pope John Paul II, Prince Charles and five U.S. Presidents including President Carter for his inauguration.

She introduced Mexican culture to a wider audience and was an ambassador for Latino cultures. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson named her ``San Antonio's First Lady of Song,'' yet in San Antonio, we knew her as ``Rosita'' and were very proud that she represented our community.

She began singing at the age of 9 shortly after her family made their way from Monterrey, Mexico, to San Antonio. Rosita adapted to each new mode of entertainment. In the 1920's, she performed throughout south Texas with her uncles in the ``Trio San Miguel.'' As radio grew more popular, Rosita began broadcasting on a W.O.A.I. program, As W.O.A.I. moved into television, so did Rosita as she appeared in the station's first broadcast. Thereafter, Rosita performed in a weekly series. Yet, she made recording the foundation of her career and cut hundreds of records over the duration of her career. Her recordings will perpetuate her brilliance and be a lasting contribution to American culture.

Rosita was a pioneer in popularizing a number of styles including canciones romanticas and the bolero, a hybrid style that fused African and Hispanic styles. At a time when the ranchera style was ascendent, Rosita breathed new life into canciones romanticas, which entailed complex orchestral arrangements.

Rosita achieved success on the silver screen. She appeared opposite John Wayne in ``The Alamo,'' and played the lead in Disney's 1963 film, ``Sancho, The Homing Steer,'' which was based on J. Frank Dobie's true story. But, at a time, when most Americans did not have first hand experience with Latinos, figures like Rosita or Desi Arnaz began to change perceptions and biases against our community. Rosita was the consummate cultural ambassador for San Antonio and Latinos throughout America.

Beginning in the 1950's, Rosita performed at the Arneson River Theater every year during the ``Fiesta Noche del Rio.'' San Antonio could look forward to a summer full of their beloved Rosita performing at the beautiful amphitheater on the Riverwalk in La Villita. It was there during the 1968 Hemisfair that Rosita performed for 40 ambassadors. She became so inseparable from that place that San Antonio named an adjacent bridge for her and many said that this bridge symbolized the way Rosita brought Mexican and American cultures together.

She began a much deserved retirement in 1982 that concluded her performing career but began her philanthropic career. Rosita sang for numerous causes and charities and appeared at a wide range of locales to do so. Among the causes she supported were the Brooke Army Medical Center's Burn Unit, the March of Dimes, and churches. Yet, the cause she worked hardest to promote was that of education. After spending her life bridging cultures and educating America about Latinos, it is fitting that she chose to focus her talents on helping others cross the bridge from ignorance to knowledge.

San Antonio suffered a great loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and her family.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a House resolution recognizing and honoring America's senior citizens. Such a resolution is important because our seniors have made countless sacrifices and contributions that have helped make this country great. This resolution is an opportunity for Congress to officially recognize the impact of this influential segment of our society.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, Representative Walter Jones, for his fervent support of this resolution. His efforts reflect his value for senior citizens and the role they play in our society and our national conscience.

Undoubtedly, senior citizens have played an important role in the development of this nation. They have fought in significant military conflicts such as World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. I have full confidence that Americans throughout the ages will remember and honor such monumental sacrifices.

During their lifetimes, senior citizens have also experienced a myriad of profound social and cultural changes that have made this country what it is today. I believe that nothing is more important to our ability to effectively address our present than understanding the lessons learned from those who have come before us. This resolution encourages children and students to take the time to learn from senior citizens. The knowledge and experience that older Americans have acquired over their lifetimes serve as a window to our collective past. It is imperative that we as a society facilitate the sharing of this information between generations.

As we recognize the contributions of seniors, it is important that we understand their needs. So much of what we do in Congress directly impacts the lives of elderly men and women. The decisions that we make on Capitol Hill have tangible effects on the health, pocketbooks, and livelihood of each and every senior citizen. It is essential that we remember the individuals that our actions will impact as we consider issues such as Medicare, Social Security, veterans' benefits, housing, and healthcare.

After a lifetime of working, raising families, and contributing to the success of this nation in countless other ways, senior citizens deserve to retire with dignity. This resolution is a step in honoring the service of our seniors. However, I encourage all Americans to express their appreciation for and respect toward senior citizens in their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the House to pass this resolution in the coming weeks. My esteemed colleagues in Congress should give deserved recognition to America's senior citizens for the contributions they have made, and continue to make, to this great nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Javits- Wagner-O'Day Program, often referred to as JWOD. This important federal program provides needed employment opportunities for people with disabilities. In fact, JWOD provides more than 40,000 Americans who are blind, or who have other severe disabilities, with the job skills and training necessary to earn good wages and benefits, allowing them to gain greater independence and quality of life.

People with disabilities are often underserved in this nation. They traditionally face an unemployment rate of 70 percent, and thus rely heavily upon social support programs. JWOD empowers these Americans by helping them enjoy full participation in their community and marketing their JWOD skills into other public or private sector jobs. This, in turn, increases their independence and self-esteem.

The National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH work with local nonprofit organizations nationwide to create new employment opportunities for people with blindness or severe disabilities. Such efforts benefit my constituency in San Antonio, Texas. Demonstrating a superlative federal-private sector partnership, NIB, NISH, and local nonprofits, such as San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, enhance opportunities for economic and personal independence for people who are blind or who have other severe disabilities, primarily through creating, sustaining, and improving employment.

Through the JWOD program, San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind provides employment opportunities and training for over 5,000 people each year with visual and other severe disabilities. This enables them to lead more productive and meaningful lives, support their families, and gain important work experience.

On behalf of people with disabilities, I recognize and honor the important contributions of JWOD and the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind. Their tireless work to enhance employment opportunities for people with visual and other severe disabilities does a great service to the city of San Antonio and its citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the House on an important issue that has already been addressed by my colleague Mr. Baca, and that is the power of words. And that is all we really have here in this chamber, and that is to address one another in a respectful manner and engage in a good faith debate about the merits or demerits of any particular issue.

Unfortunately, words can be harmful and they can incite and be counterproductive, and to be a disservice not just to this institution but to the

American people who are waiting for a good faith debate on the important issue of immigration.

However, this debate has been framed in a certain manner, to appeal probably to that rather unattractive underbelly that is out there in society, and that is bigotry and racism. And that is a true danger. And when I say it is a disservice to this country, it is beyond a disservice. It is going back in time.

A recent article that appeared this Sunday regarding this debate pointed out as follows, and this is so important that it cannot be adequately emphasized:

Most Americans who are in favor of stricter border enforcement are not bigots. Far from it. But some politicians and other public figures see an opportunity to foment hate and hysteria for their own profit. They are embracing a nativism and xenophobia that recall the 1920s when a State Department warning about an influx about filthy and unassimilable Jews from Eastern Europe led to the first immigration quotas, or the 1950s hey-day of Operation Wetback when illegal Mexican workers were hunted down and deported.

We are a better Nation than we were in the 1920s, we are a better Nation than we were in the 1950s, but only if we respect what this institution is all about, and that is a good faith based debate on the facts and the figures, and not to appeal to an emotional part of the human spirit that is not to be admired or promoted.

At this time I yield to my colleague, Mrs. Napolitano, from the great State of California.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I need to thank the chairman, my neighbor in Texas, as well as Mr. Rush, my dear friend and colleague.

I want to express my support today as we move forward on the COPE Act. This bill will make necessary changes to the Nation's cable laws to ensure that for the first time we have a fully open national market for cable services. This will allow not only the major phone and cable companies to compete against each other in provision of video services to average Americans, but will allow countless new companies to quickly enter the cable television market and offer their services. This will not only drive down prices for every American, but it will undoubtedly result in countless unforeseen new services and technologies to be offered to Americans.

Mr. Chairman, the telecommunications industry is the most dynamic industry in this country. Every day new technologies are introduced that have the potential to dramatically expand the opportunities for average Americans to have access to new sources of information, new forms of entertainment, and new ways to communicate with each other. These changes have become so rapid with so many implications to both business and public policy that the political process has simply failed to keep up.

This bill reflects, in my view, how Congress should best handle the revolutionary changes that are occurring in telecommunications. It should let the marketplace work. Mayors, regulators, and Members of Congress simply do not know in advance how all of the revolutionary changes in telecommunications will turn out. For us to attempt to do so, whether under the guise of net neutrality or any other slogan, is both foolish and dangerous.

Rather, we should aim, as this bill does, to relieve unnecessary barriers that prevent a full national market to

develop and leave the ultimate decision-making process to the engineers, the businessmen and, most importantly, the consumers of our country.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, the advocates for this amendment claim this amendment is about consumers, the little guy. Countless of bloggers have written all Members of Congress in fear if this amendment does not pass, they will no longer be free to express their opinions on the Internet and have their voices heard. Let me tell you as directly as I can to all the bloggers out there, to all of e- mailers out there, to all the households out there, to the average American, this Markey amendment is not about you. It is not about the consumer.

So what is it? I will tell you what it is. First, it is a guarantee that the consumer will be the only one to finance the building, the maintenance and the improvement of the Internet highway. That is what the Markey amendment will do.

It imposes and establishes, secondly, a massive Federal regulation by mandating and dictating conditions on how the Internet will evolve without any consideration for technological advances and emerging business practices and models.

The Markey amendment does this. It picks sides. It creates inferior and superior stakeholders in the Internet.

And lastly, this is the Markey amendment, in my own opinion. It is driven by a hostility against one particular business entity that is involved and is a stakeholder in the Internet.

It is unfair when this body takes sides and does not allow the marketplace and innovation, imagination, creativity, technological and business practices to flourish in our society. We do a disservice. Vote ``no'' on Markey.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for S. 193, The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2006, our constituents should expect that when they turn on their local broadcast television and radio stations, they will not be subjected to obscene, indecent, and profane material. I believe this legislation does take the necessary steps to ensure that there is a sufficient deterrence to broadcasters who are careless as to their responsibilities to the general public.

But, Mr. Speaker I am concerned that this legislation may fail to take into sufficient account the economic conditions of a broadcaster. There are numerous small broadcasters who serve small or niche market. This is particularly true of minority owned stations or stations that target the minority viewers. I urge the Federal Communications Commission when it uses its power under Section 503(b)(2)(D) of the Communications Act of 1934 to consider the size of the market that the broadcaster serves and its ability to pay when assessing a fine for airing questionable material, as this body approved when it passed the companion House legislation to this bill--H.R. 310 several weeks ago.

I also believe that the Commission should consider the source of the obscene, indecent, or profane programming when levying a fine. When a local affiliate not owned or controlled by a network airs questionable programming supplied by the network, the FCC should penalize the party who was really at fault. If the local affiliate was not given a reasonable time to review an offensive taped or scripted program before it aired, or if it aired an offensive live or unscripted program without reason to believe it was offensive, the fault arguably lies not with the local affiliate but with the network that supplied the program. Section 503(b)(2)(D) allows the Commission to adjust a penalty based on the culpability of the violator, the circumstances of the violation, or any other matters as justice requires. I believe that a situation where a local affiliate was left ``in the dark'' about obscene, indecent, or profane material in a program from the network calls for just such an adjustment.

Thank you again, Mr. Speaker, for moving this important legislation forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a moving article published on Mother's Day in the San Antonio Express-News. Since this piece speaks eloquently for itself, I see no reason to add any extra words.

Fallen Soldiers' Mothers are Also War Casualties

(By Mary Alice Altorfer)

``Mama, Mama,'' is the universal cry of the dying in

battle. Men maimed and broken scream for their mothers, who

mercifully can't hear them.

Posthumous medals for valor muffle the child and honor the

warrior, but for a Gold Star Mother, ribbons and ceremony are

as short-lived as the cherished remains being buried. Without

being a statistic, she, too, is a casualty of war. Heard in

her strangled weeping are guttural pleas to God to ease the

pain of losing a child. For this heartbroken woman, a coffin,

even one draped in the American flag and carried by white-

gloved Marines, is the grim totality of her forced enlistment

into a war that breached the refuge of home.

The bomb in this woman's living room is the conspicuous

absence of her baby. Yes, baby, because no matter how old or

how long deceased, the person for whom taps sounded only

sleeps in his mother's heart, naptime being eternity.

Mother's Day becomes a sad reminder and an accolade for her

supreme contribution to patriotism. Or maybe it's a time to

be angry and resentful--why my son or daughter? Pride

crumples in a darkened room filled with pictures of a young

man or woman whose potential bled out onto a foreign soil.

This imagined scenario is a relentless assault on memories

of all the boo-boos she kissed and Superman Band-Aids

plastered on scraped knees and dinged elbows. If only Mama

could have been there to fix things, to make them better, to

chase the monster away, to kiss away hurts one more time,

then maybe she, too, could quit crying.

Questions and accusations stifle remorse, but tears like

water, ever the enemy of rock, wear down resistance. Solace

wrestles with acceptance, but grief takes on a presence of

its own. Guided by ghosts, it is either torment or release

from them.

When burying a child, remembrance is love and guilt is

debilitating; however, my quantifying and simplifying a

mother's loss and angst seems as unsentimental as some pot-

bellied politician pontificating on Memorial Day. How can

anyone suppose a wound so deep it bleeds concurrently with

every thought of the initial one? Such trauma is personal,

so much so that empathy even seems contrived.

In the middle of the night, this woman still awakens to the

imagined cries of her baby, only to clutch a pillow instead.

Holidays are a poignant reminder of her diminished family,

her unwitting contribution to a distant conflict that ignored

every mother's boundaries and ended innocence as abruptly as

the life she mourns. Her naivete is six feet under, too. The

flag so gloriously waving in front of her home also casts a

shadow.

This Mother's Day, there are women embracing memories

rather than their children. These mothers fully understand

the costs of war and wonder if the old generals and

politicians who enact them ever walk in a military cemetery

and sob aloud? Do their sons and daughters wear our country's

uniform and see active duty?

Do beribboned chests ever exhale and tremble at the sight

of an old woman kneeling at Arlington, her fingers lovingly

touching a carved name as if it were warm and whispering back

to her?

Maybe it is; maybe that's why her face is pressed against

the stone so she can once again hear, ``Mama, Mama.''

Mr. Chairman, I want to briefly recognize the work the subcommittee has done in providing $2.3 million for the San Antonio Channel Improvements Project. This money will provide the first installment of a multiyear construction effort to expand the economic development of the San Antonio River while addressing potential flood control problems.

As many know, the San Antonio Riverwalk which is the central segment of the San Antonio River park system is one of the premier tourist sites in our country. Conceived in the 1930's, the Riverwalk has been an example of everything the Federal government and the Army Corps of Engineers can do right with its water construction efforts.

The San Antonio Channel Improvements Project has fully met the federal technical requirements for project development and fully fits with the Corps' strategic plan for the Nation. This project will significantly enhance flood protection in the San Antonio metropolitan effort while at the same time restore the river ecosystem and connect the San Antonio River park system with the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

The significant economic development impact of this project will primarily be felt by the most disadvantaged sections of the San Antonio community. The City of San Antonio and Bexar County have also committed more than $46 million in local funding to match the Army Corps of Engineers investment in this project.

Mr. Chairman this bill's $2.3 million initial commitment to the San Antonio Channel Improvements Project is appreciated by the San Antonio community. As the legislative process moves forward on this bill it is my hope the final language for this project will provide the level needed to fully proceed with construction. The construction of the San Antonio Channel Improvements Project will provide untold flood control and environmental benefits as well as economically benefit South Texas. I look forward to continuing to work with the Committee towards that goal.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 131, 132, and 133, had I been present, I would have voted 131--``yes''; 132--``no'' and 133-- ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to honor Amos Pacheco, a World War II veteran who recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

Mr. Pacheco enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1944. After basic training, he joined General George S. Patton's Third Army as it raced into Germany. Serving in Company I, 358th Infantry, 90th Division of the 3rd Army, Corporal Pacheco participated in some of the fiercest battles on the Western front. While the Germans were retreating, resistance was stiff. American soldiers were fighting an enemy that might have been beaten but wasn't ready to surrender.

In April 1945, as Allied forces were making the final push towards Berlin, Mr. Pacheco was wounded in action on the Rhine River. A grenade exploded and wounded him, which left shrapnel in his hip. After a period of convalescence, he returned to active duty and was stationed in Europe until 1946.

Unfortunately, as each year passes, we have fewer World War II veterans among us. Men like Amos Pacheco witnessed and participated in the events that changed the world for the better.

This Greatest Generation led our Nation into the American century. They lifted America out of the Great Depression and committed our Nation anew to our founding ideals of liberty. Brave Americans like Mr. Pacheco fought and defeated the Nazi and Japanese regimes, and in the process, secured freedom for millions here and abroad. But their work was not done.

Even after winning World War II, the Greatest Generation had another war to fight: the Cold War. An Iron Curtain descended across Europe, and President Truman articulated a policy of containment to make sure the sacrifices we had made during World War II were not in vain.

Ultimately, freedom and liberty triumphed again, and it was thanks to people like Amos Pacheco, who had returned to San Antonio in 1946 and started working at Kelly Air Force Base. There, thousands of civilian employees worked long hours to repair and equip the planes our Air Force used to safeguard our nation.

I was honored to have attended the celebration of Mr. Pacheco's 80th birthday, where his granddaughter, Chriselda, presented him with replicas of the medals he earned for his service.

Mr. Pacheco has been a father figure to Chriselda, whom he adopted when she was just five years old. Out of love and appreciation for her grandfather, she purchased and presented to him replicas of the medals that were lost over the years. Chriselda gave her grandfather a Purple Heart for the wounds he received and a Bronze Star, which had been awarded to all World War II veterans. It was touching to watch Chriselda and the entire family honor and show their love for Mr. Pacheco. It still humbles me to think they wanted me to be present.

And to my great surprise and pleasure, Mr. Pacheco's 80th birthday party was the second time our two families had crossed paths. After the presentation of the medals, Chriselda showed me a photo of her and my father, Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez. More than 20 years ago, Dad had attended a tree planting ceremony at Sarah S. King Elementary School where he met Chriselda, who was a student. Someone snapped a picture of Dad and Chriselda standing next to the tree, and Chriselda still had the photo. I know Dad would have been honored that she had kept this picture all these years.

It was an honor to help celebrate this signal moment in Mr. Amos Pacheco's life. He is one of San Antonio's heroes, a beloved husband, father and grandfather.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, to honor a lovely woman from San Antonio, who passed away recently. I rise to honor Bennye Carol Frazier, a person dedicated to serving others and causes bigger than anyone person. Sadly, she left us recently, but she never stopped fighting. In fact, despite her kind and gracious manner, she fought hard her entire life for the causes she believed in.

Bennye believed in the power of education to transform lives. She taught in San Antonio schools for many years, and she chose to teach high school students who had the highest risk of dropping out. These are the students most in need of encouragement and reinforcement that obtaining an education is something everyone can do and that the goal is within their grasp. There are, I'm sure, many people in San Antonio who would have quit had it not been for Bennye's encouragement. She fought to keep students in school and on track for graduation.

Bennye also fought to improve schools and treatment of teachers. She served as President of the San Antonio Teachers Council for two terms as well as for the local affiliates of the National Education Association and the Texas State Teachers Association, and the Texas Industrial Vocational Association.

As was her nature, Bennye was also a leader in the community. She served as President for both the San Antonio Calligraphers Guild and the Harp and Shamrock Society and as a member of the S.A. Conservation Society and paper chair of Night In Old San Antonio (NIOSA.)

Bennye worked at the local level of politics, an area often overlooked despite its importance. As Speaker Tip O'Neill used to say ``All politics is local,'' and Bennye knew this. It's at this level that small gestures and kindnesses matter more than policy differences. Bennye was unfailingly kind and helpful in many ways, and many in the Democratic Party recall her tireless assistance.

Bennye would support local candidates in whatever fashion she could. She served as Secretary and Treasurer of the Bexar County Democratic Party. She was named interim Chair of the Bexar County Democrats, often a thankless task, but she dispatched those duties with the same kindness, enthusiasm and efficiency she performed all other tasks. Even while suffering the illness that would lead to her death, Bennye continued to work for the Democratic Party.

Democrats in San Antonio could count on Bennye to keep us focused on the goal of helping people. She was dedicated to the mission of our party at its finest, the mission of Democrats like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Speaker Sam Rayburn or President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Of course, Bennye was a wife, mother and grandmother. She and her husband, Tom, were married for 50 years. I am amazed how Bennye found time for her career, her family and her activities.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her husband, her family, and those whose lives she touched. She will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 80th birthday of Terrellita Maverick, a member of one of San Antonio's and Texas' most distinguished families. The Maverick family has long been committed to independence of mind, fairness, and equality for all. Some claim the Mavericks can trace their roots to Boston at the eve of the American Revolution. While that may be hard to prove, we do know they have shaped San Antonio and Texas in ways that few families have.

Terrellita's ancestor, Samuel Augustus Maverick, was an original signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. An important figure in the founding of the Texas Republic, he later served in the Congress of the Texas Republic, as mayor of San Antonio, and in the State legislature.

His family's name entered the lexicon because he refused to brand his cattle unlike all other cattlemen in Texas. Maverick originally meant an unbranded male calf, yet the word soon expanded to reflect the family's independent ways. Yet, being a Maverick did not mean individualism for individualism's sake. Rather, their individualism was founded on never turning one's back on doing what was right.

Terrellita's father, Maury Maverick, Sr., represented San Antonio in the House from 1934-1938. In typical Maverick fashion, he defied the city's political machine and won his seat on the strength of San Antonio's Latino vote. A fiery New Deal advocate and close ally of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Rep. Maverick spoke his mind and fought for civil rights at a time when doing so put one's political career and life at risk. Still, Rep. Maverick fought for his constituents and for the causes he believed were right.

Like his illustrious forebearer, he became Mayor of San Antonio and thanks to his vision for the city, La Villita was restored. La Villita was San Antonio's first neighborhood and this project spurred other restoration and construction projects in downtown San Antonio. Mayor Maverick was probably the single person most responsible for the appearance of downtown San Antonio today.

Moreover, his service to Texas and our nation were not limited to elected positions. During World War I, he was an infantry lieutenant and won the Silver Star and a Purple Heart. After his service as mayor, he served in a number of capacities to ensure that our production was efficient during WWII.

Terrellita's brother, Maury Maverick, Jr., was another in this family of individualists. Maury served his nation during World War II as a marine. During the 1950s, Maury represented San Antonio in the Texas House of Representatives along side my father and fought McCarthyism and racism. He and other members killed a bill that would have given communists the death penalty. In 1960, he was one of the 71 candidates to run for Vice-President's Johnson's Senate seat.

He then began to practice law but concentrated on pro bono legal work for powerless or unpopular people. He successfully argued against a law barring `mixed-race' boxing matches and won a case before the Supreme Court for a San Antonio bookseller accused of possessing allegedly `seditious' papers. He passed away in 2003 and our city misses his voice and his conscience.

However, I am pleased that Terrellita still makes San Antonio her home and is dedicated to improving our city. When not busy as a mother or grandmother, she is an active member of the Democratic Party and ACLU. She is every bit a Maverick and our community is the better for it. So, I would like to send my birthday wishes to one of San Antonio's distinguished citizens.

This has long been a family committed to fighting the fights that may not have been fashionable but that history declared right and just.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a person who has made an indelible impact on San Antonio and higher education, Dr. Louis Agnese Jr, the President of the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW.) On March 25, 2006, Dr. Agnese will celebrate his 20th anniversary as President of the university and during his tenure the school has been transformed from a small private school into a world class academic institution. Yet despite the changes at UIW, it remains a school committed to expanding both the minds and consciences of its students. I am proud that San Antonio can call UIW one of its schools, but we are especially thankful that Dr. Agnese has applied his talents and energy to making UIW into the institution that it is.

In 1986, Dr. Agnese was inaugurated as the 8th president of Incarnate Word College. He was the driving force that transformed the school from a college into the University of the Incarnate Word. In addition to the San Antonio campus, UIW now has sites in Corpus Christi, Texas, Guangzhou, China, and Mexico City, Mexico and 80 sister schools in 30 countries. During his presidency, UIW has doubled the size of its faculty, tripled the number of buildings on its main campus, and has greatly increased the school's endowment. Dr. Agnese has done nothing less than remake the school while remaining true to its founders' mission.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Texas Bishop Claude M. Dubuis decided to establish a new religious congregation, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, dedicated to helping the poor and ill. He persuaded three sisters from a cloistered community of nuns in Lyons, France to emigrate to Texas and establish the Santa Rosa Infirmary, the first civilian hospital in San Antonio. The Sisters increased the scope of their mission as new circumstances arose. When they found that the hospital was caring for a significant number of orphans, they began orphanages, which led to starting schools to educate these children.

In 1881, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word applied for and were granted a state charter to operate hospitals and schools. At first UIW opened and ran elementary and secondary schools but began offering college courses for young women around the turn of the 20th Century. Soon thereafter, the Sisters christened their school the College and Academy of the Incarnate Word.

Much has changed in the last 125 years. Today UIW is the largest Catholic University in Texas and the fourth largest private school. At the same time the school has grown, it remains committed to the core principles of its founders. UIW recognizes that service to others is the highest calling one can pursue. Moreover, Dr. Agnese has lived this credo as he has helped increase opportunities for young people to earn an education and look at the world in a broader way.

UIW truly is an international school with students from all over the world attending its main campus in San Antonio. This kind of diversity teaches young people to embrace and respect the cultural differences that make life enriching but also to recognize the similarities that bind us together.

In addition to increasing the diversity of the student body, Dr. Agnese also pushed to expand the academic programs at UIW and established the university's first Ph.D. program. Moreover, Dr. Agnese and the university have been sensitive to the challenges facing young Latinos seeking higher education and he has helped facilitate this process. Indeed, Dr. Agnese has said that ``one of the proudest moments of my life occurred when I was selected as the national Hispanic Educator of the Year in 1996, even though I'm Italian-American.''

In 1986, Dr. Louis Agnese had a vision of UIW could become. Yet, he did not just envision UIW as one of Texas' finest academic institutions; he also saw a school that would continue to educate young men and women who would work to improve our community. Knowledge may fire the mind but unless guided by a moral compass, it is little more than pedantry. UIW helps its students gain the moral guidance necessary to implement their education.

Of course, Dr. Agnese is also deeply dedicated to his family and has proven his commitment to San Antonio. He has helped make San Antonio the thriving city it is today and we are the better for his coming here. I wish Dr. Agnese many more years of success at UIW.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 125 years that the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) has enriched the city of San Antonio and South Texas. Incarnate Word has grown from humble beginnings to become one of our city's leading schools and Texas' largest Catholic university.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Americans began the arduous task of rebuilding our war-scarred nation, particularly the South. In the late 1860's, after a cholera epidemic had struck, Bishop Claude M. Dubuis sent a letter to France urging the first Sisters to come to Texas and minister to the sick in the area.

Bishop Dubuis found three young Sisters willing to accept this challenge. Sisters Madeleine Chollet, Pierre Cinquin, and Agnes Buisson journeyed from Lyons, France to Texas and founded the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Immediately, they established the Santa Rosa Infirmary, the first civilian hospital in Texas.

They soon expanded their mission to care for orphaned children and this led to the establishment of the first homes for children in San Antonio, St. Joseph's Orphanage for Girls and St. John's Orphanage for Boys. Naturally, the Sisters were concerned in the long-term well-being of the children in their care, so they opened schools to educate these orphans in San Antonio and eventually other cities in Texas. In 1881, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word applied for and were granted a state charter to operate hospitals and schools.

Their dedication to providing education to the youth of the area led to the formation of a boarding and day school for young women. The Sisters added college courses to the curriculum in 1909. In 1925, the College and Academy of the Incarnate Word received accreditation by what is now the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1929, the School of Nursing Education was established to continue the Sisters' original mission of healthcare. More recently, in 2004, the Feik School of Pharmacy was founded to address the serious shortage of pharmacists in Texas and elsewhere. I know that San Antonio can depend on UIW to be faithful to their original purpose by producing first-rate nurses and pharmacists.

Moreover, UIW reflects the diversity of our nation and our world. Students from all over the world come to attend UIW, which creates an atmosphere of tolerance and cooperation that we will need as our world continues to shrink. Boundaries and oceans that once separated us no longer do and recognizing that events on the other side of the planet can and will have profound influences on our lives is necessary. UIW provides a campus where American students can learn about and from the perspectives that international students have.

UIW now has a student body of 5200 from 47 countries and offers more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs of study. I

expect that UIW will continue to evolve yet remain committed to the calling of serving others. I am pleased to honor UIW on its 125th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer a personal explanation of the reason I missed rollcall votes 19 through 38. Due to an emergency appendectomy I was unable to be present for votes the week of March 6th. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted on rollcall 19 (H.R. 4054 Designating the Dewey Bartlett Post Office), ``aye''; rollcall 20 (S. 2771--Reauthorization of the Patriot Act), ``no''; rollcall 21 (Previous Question to H.R. Res 710 Providing for Consideration of the Food Uniformity Bill), ``no''; rollcall 22 (Motion to Instruct Conferees to H.R. 2830), ``aye''; rollcall 23 (H.R. 4192 designating Hope Arkansas as the President Clinton Birthplace), ``yea''; rollcall 24 (H.R. 1053 Extending Normal Trade Relations to the Ukraine), ``aye''; rollcall 25 (H. Res. 673 Expressing Support for the People of Belarus to Establish a Full Democracy), ``aye''; rollcall 26 (H.R. 3505 to Provide Regulatory Relief for Insured Depository Institutions), `` aye''; rollcall 27 (Cardoza Amendment to H.R. 4167--To Amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to Provide for Uniform Food Safety Warnings), ``aye''; rollcall 28 (Waxman Amendment to H.R. 4167), ``aye'; rollcall 29 (Capps Amendment to H.R. 4167), ``aye''; rollcall 30 (Wasserman Shultz Amendment to H.R. 4167), ``aye''; rollcall 31 (Stupak Motion to Recommit to H.R. 4167), ``aye''; rollcall 32 (Final Passage of H.R. 4167), ``no''; rollcall 33 (Previous Question of H.R. 2829 Reauthorize the National Drug Control Policy Act), ``no''; rollcall 34 (Chabot Amendment to H.R. 2829), ``aye''; rollcall 35 (Hooley Amendment to H.R. 2829), ``aye''; rollcall 36 (Paul Amendment to H.R. 2829), ``no''; rollcall 37 (Rehberg Amendment to H.R. 2829), ``aye''; rollcall 38 (Final Passage of H.R. 2829), ``aye''.