Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and I commend him for his leadership on trying to address the energy supply and demand and refining capacity of our Nation so that we can begin to see lower gas prices, better energy supply and a better market for our people here in the States.

It applies to both economic strength and national security. And I wish that we could do more. To be honest, all of the hullabaloo is much to-do about nothing. This bill does not change the clean air or clean water requirements. EPA has given it priority status. It simply gives an ability for us to coordinate among all government agencies the permitting process which is too cumbersome and too long. This is the only way we can help expedite in a reasonable way and a responsible way to have the refining capacity necessary for our Nation.

It reminds me of my friends on the other side that when they see a house burning, they will lay down in the street to keep the fire truck from coming to make a difference and to put the fire out. That is what we are trying to do, whether it is on OCS, on offshore production, on additional refining capacity, or additional nuclear capabilities in our country, anything that will increase our own independence and energy supply.

On this side, we stand up in a responsible way, a rational way for it; and on the other side, they will do everything to obstruct and block and stop the progress that we need for greater energy production, greater energy refining and greater energy independence.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I will be very brief.

This amendment simply makes sure that the local companies and local communities in hurricane regions will lead the way in the preparation, cleanup, recovery and building for the next storm season.

I want to thank the chairman for working with me on this amendment.

I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, this week I met with Steve Kennedy and Kyle Robertson, both from my home county of Jones County, Mississippi. We discussed ALS--also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease--funding and awareness. May is ALS Awareness Month and an opportunity for us to increase knowledge about this fatal, neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement ends and patients in later stages are totally paralyzed, often despite sharp and alert minds.

Steve Kennedy's father, Dr. Larry Kennedy, is the president of William Carey College--an excellent Baptist university in Mississippi. Dr. Kennedy was diagnosed with ALS in July of 2005 and had planned to announce his condition in September, until Hurricane Katrina ravaged the school, destroying the entire Gulf Coast Campus and closing the nursing school in New Orleans. After shepherding the school through that natural disaster, Dr. Kennedy again put off his announcement rescheduled for December of 2005 when the college was presented with a generous contribution. Dr. Kennedy delayed his personal concerns again, so as not to detract from the news of the gift. He finally announced his condition in the Spring of 2006. President George W. Bush greeted Dr. Kennedy and recognized his sacrifice during his recent visit to Mississippi.

Dr. Kennedy is an example of a man facing a deteriorating disease with class and dignity and resolve. He reminds us that anyone can be afflicted by this condition which has no currently known cause, cure or means of prevention. Only one drug currently is available to even treat this disease and it only prolongs life a few months. During ALS Awareness Month, I am advocating greater research investments into ALS.

Every day, on average 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS--more than 5,400 people per year. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from time of diagnosis. ``With recent advances in research and improved medical care, patients are able to have longer, more productive lives. But we have much left to learn about this mysterious and deadly disease.''

Mr. Speaker, I hope Congress will include $5 million in the FY 2008 Federal Budget to establish a national ALS registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and to enact the ALS Registry Act. This will help identify occurrences of ALS, collect data surrounding it and examine standards of care. Promoting a better understanding of the disease will enhance the nation's efforts to find a treatment and cure. With studies indicating that ALS occurs at a greater rate in military veterans, I encourage the Department of Defense to investigate the causes and take appropriate remedial action to prevent the development of this disease among our fighting men and women. Now is the time for us to invest in seeking the causes, treatments and a cure for this disease.

Mr. Speaker, today I ask Congress to join me in saluting the life and legacy of Mississippi State Representative Charles Young for his 25 years of elected public service. Charles has put his stamp on state's educational system as Chairman of the Universities and Colleges Committee. And his impact on his hometown of Meridian, and indeed across the state, as a seminal player in our civil rights movement, cannot be overstated.

Over the years, Charles and I have partnered on initiatives to benefit East Mississippi: economic development projects, educational improvement goals, and renewal and arts endeavors like the Meridian Grand Opera House. His faith and commitment to state and country have empowered him to make a real difference through service in the lives of his neighbors and in the fabric of his community.

Mr. Speaker, it is totally fitting that tomorrow night I will join other members of the Mississippi Delegation, local and state officials, as well as community leaders and activists in honoring Charles Young as part of the Carnegie Library Renovation Project. It is my wish to take with me the well wishes and congratulations of this Congress to this longtime public servant. I hope you all will join me today--so that I might extend that unity of national good-will to him tomorrow--in saluting Representative Charles Young.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Mississippi legislature said good-bye to a long time friend and public servant. State Senator Robert Gene Huggins--``Bunky'' to everyone who knew him--passed away Wednesday in Jackson, Mississippi, after a long battle with cancer.

Bunky was born in Carrollton, Mississippi on November 12, 1938. He graduated from Greenwood High School and attended the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi College. A farmer and businessman, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1971 and reelected for two more terms before moving to the Senate in 1984 where he served for 22 years. Most recently he was chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee and had previously served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Public Health Committee.

His funeral will be at his home church, St. John's Methodist Church in Greenwood.

Mr. Speaker, our prayers are with Bunky's family: his wife, Gerry and his two children and four grandchildren. He will be remembered as a hard worker and a dedicated public servant with a love for Mississippi and his Delta home. His humor and wit and tireless dedication to public service will be remembered by colleagues and constituents for years to come. I hope Congress joins me today in remembering this honored public official.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our chairman, and I want to talk to the Members here to sadly inform them that our friend, Sonny Montgomery is struggling in the last moments of his life. And I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, Mr. Skelton from Missouri, for very appropriately and very fittingly naming this the G.V. ``Sonny'' Montgomery Defense Authorization Bill.

As you all know, Sonny Montgomery served in Congress for 30 years. For 14 years he was chairman of the Veterans Committee. His name and his legacy and his service are very rich and very deep, as he passed the G.V. ``Sonny'' Montgomery GI bill.

If you go back home to Mississippi, you see the G.V. ``Sonny'' Montgomery VA Hospital and National Guard complex. He was Mr. Veteran and he was Mr. National Guard, and he contributed greatly to the force that we have today and to the men and women who serve; and most importantly, he was an example to all of us of the best of this institution of civility, of common ground, of bipartisanship, of supporting the men and women that serve in our Nation's military.

He has been my friend, and he has been my example. And so, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for naming this the G.V. ``Sonny'' Montgomery Defense Authorization Bill.

Mr. Speaker, he was also the spiritual leader of the House, always calling us to prayer and to remember those in need, those that were sick, and those that were facing challenges. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body to pray for Sonny Montgomery. May God have mercy on him, his life, and his legacy.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, Mississippi will miss a 36-year presence in our education community with the retirement of Janet Henderson. Janet will conclude her role as Starkville School District assistant superintendent next month after serving in that capacity for 8 years. She has previously served as both as a teacher and a principal in Mississippi. Her legacy of teaching can be seen daily in Mississippi in the lives of her students who now have families of their own.

With a bachelor's of science degree in elementary education, a master's degree in elementary education, and a doctorate in education leadership--all from Mississippi State University--Janet is a tribute to Mississippi's educational system. She has been Teacher of the Year, has earned the Mississippi Association of Women in Educational Leadership Award, selected as Ward Fellow for the Harvard Principal Institute, inducted into the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce Education Hall of Fame, and was named the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Mississippi Distinguished Educator.

Mr. Speaker, I hope Congress joins me in recognizing the public service of Janet Henderson. Her dedication to leadership, professional development, and teacher training will leave a strong imprint on our educators for years to come. Her colleagues and students alike will remember her and I recognize and honor her work today. Mississippi has been blessed by her work and life.

Mr. Speaker, each year, the University of Michigan medical school in Ann Arbor honors the chief resident with the outstanding record for research in surgery with the James W. Crudup Award. James Crudup of Forest, Mississippi has no medical license, no medical degree, and no college degree. But he had the intellect and the determination to learn and achieve, and along the way he trained some of this Nation's finest surgeons and helped to pioneer microsurgery.

James Crudup was born in central Mississippi during the Depression. His mother was a midwife and his father hauled wood. He learned to work driving a tractor and then a truck. After serving in the Army, he returned to Scott County, Mississippi in 1946 to finish his education at Scott County Training School. He married and he and his wife moved near Detroit where he drove a truck for a brick company. The brick company ran into some trouble and James looked for a new job--what he found changed the lives of countless doctors and patients for years to come.

He went to work with his brother Jonas at the medical school morgue. He cleaned surgical instruments used on animals to instruct surgeons and perfect techniques including organ transplants. He began practicing himself on animal bodies on their way to be incinerated. He borrowed medical books and learned terms and practices. The doctor who ran the lab discovered this and watched with wonder as he performed advanced and complex surgical procedures. Soon, residents came to see James to learn their lessons and he became a legend on campus.

When Dr. Sherman Silber wanted to study transplant rejections and use rats as subjects, James designed and fashioned the previously unengineered instruments needed. Silber has said that he and James ``basically pioneered microsurgery together.''

Mr. Speaker, today James Crudup is retired. He lives humbly in Forest, Mississippi. His story is not well known but those of us who have heard it want to recognize him for his contributions to our Nation's medical heritage, as well as his gift to the American spirit. James is one of those hard working heroes who move through their life blessing others, contributing to society and making this a better country for his service. I hope Congress joins me in applauding and recognizing his contributions to medicine and the well being of doctors and patients alike.

Mr. Speaker, all of Mississippi recently lost a musical legacy who impacted thousands of high school and college students over a 40-year career in education. Dr. Kent Sills--``Doc''-- passed away on May 3 in Starkville, Mississippi. His obituary in the Starkville Daily News recounts his achievements:

Dr. Sills began his teaching career as band director at

Lumberton High School in 1956 before accepting a similar

position at Clarksdale High School in 1961. He joined the

faculty at Mississippi State University in 1967 as assistant

director of bands and in 1983 was appointed as only the sixth

director in the band's 100-year storied history. He served as

director of bands and professor of music education at

Mississippi State until his retirement in 1999.

While at Mississippi State, he founded the MSU Stage Band

(1967), established the MSU Jazz Band Festival, the MSU

Junior High Band Festival, and directed the ``Famous Maroon

Band'' at MSU football and basketball games.

Dr. Sills also served as the manager and director of the

Mississippi Lions All-State High School Band from 1983 until

1997. Under his leadership the Lions Band won seven

international championships and never finished lower than

second place in any competition, performing in Asia,

Australia and across North America.

A graduate of Kosciusko High School, Dr. Sills held a

bachelor of music education degree (1956) and master of

education degree (1959) from the University of Southern

Mississippi. He also held a master of music degree (1967) and

doctor of arts degree (1977) from the University of

Mississippi.

In 1996, he was awarded as ``Outstanding Contributor to

Bands to the State of Mississippi'' by Phi Beta Mu, and in

2000 was selected for the Mississippi Bandmasters Hall of

Fame.

From 1954 through 1960, Dr. Sills traveled throughout the

country performing with his popular swing band ``Kent Sills

and His Southernaires.'' He also was a veteran of the U.S.

Army and performed with the U.S. Army Reserve Band.

Throughout his career, he served as an adjudicator and

conductor at numerous band festivals and clinics.

The Daily News' editor Brian Hawkins shared some of his personal experiences with Doc.

If you ask any band alumnus to share memories of Doc, the

floodgates open. There are just THAT many stories to share,

and so many of them leave us in stitches every time.

In fact, one year in the early 1990s, a T-shirt with a top

10 list of ``Doc-isms'' was developed by some individual

members and was sold to many in the band. Here are just a

few:

``It's not ya-ya time''--This meant that we needed to quit

messing around and get down to business in rehearsal.

``You know, somebody somewhere loves that child''--This was

heard frequently when Doc had to correct someone individually

in rehearsal. It often broke any tension that may have arisen

from the mistake.

``Don't be dumb, cause when you're dumb, you're showing me,

the band and the whole world that you just don't care''--In

other words, get your head in the game and pay attention to

what you're doing.

``You play when we all play''--This was meant to discourage

any showboating or individual playing when the full band or a

designated section was not playing.

There are countless ``Doc-isms,'' some a bit more colorful

than others.

One thing was certain, though, Doc had a wicked sense of

humor. Not a rehearsal went by where the entire band didn't

have at least one good laugh.

But that was Doc. He loved life, he loved music and he

loved his students.

Hawkins continued:

I know without a doubt that God has a special place for him

in heaven and that he's already there as I write this.

Even now, I can imagine the majestic music of the hosts on

high filling the expanse anew under the baton of heaven's

newest bandleader. And what glorious music it is.

Mr. Speaker, so many prayers are with Kent's family: his wife, Nora; his son Allen; and his grandchildren Hannah and Tyler. Their family is a pillar of the Starkville community where Nora is the organist at their church. Dr. Kent Sills is a music icon in Mississippi, at Mississippi State University, and in Starkville. I hope Congress joins me today in saluting and remembering this amazing and talented life and person.

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your support, your leadership on these issues, and for your commitment and traveling to the Gulf region, to New Orleans and to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, your leadership on the committee and on the Select Committee on Katrina to find the solutions for the future storms and recoveries, but also to do everything you can to make sure that this Congress does the right thing for this region as we recover. I am extremely grateful.

To Mr. Oberstar, I thank you for working with me today in the best sense and tradition and civility of this place to find common goals and common ground to be able to help my people in my home State recover, rebuild and, most importantly, to lead the way for themselves.

As the Stafford Act clearly states, and Mr. Oberstar was here in the beginning of that act and has been intimately involved in all aspects of that over his career here, but let me read the Stafford Act and the committee language when it was first enacted.

In section 204 of the Disaster Relief Act of 1970, the Senate Committee on Public Works, which proposed the language, stated, ``Preference is to be given to persons or firms who work or do business in the disaster area.'' The committee report discussed the rationale and justification for this provision. ``One outstanding feature of the aftermath of a great disaster is the lack of ready cash. A Federal assistance program should be designed to revitalize the community by infusions of cash through the use of local people and business firms.''

To be honest, this has not been done in this recovery. Unfortunately, it is a failure of the Bush administration in implementing the contracts for the recovery of this region. But the administration is trying to correct that action. Today, 95 percent of all Federal contract dollars, 95 cents on every dollar spent on Federal contracts, is going to out-of-State firms, not in-State, not community, not local, but out-of-State.

Now, why is it so important that local firms, local businesses, local communities lead the way? It is those local businesses that will pay local taxes to rebuild local schools, to make the contributions to the churches as they care for the people who are helpless, needy, hungry, and homeless. It is those companies that will pay for the rebuilding of the Little League ball parks. All of the community institutions and infrastructure are led by local businesses and local leaders, and it is those people who should be on the front lines, not at the back of the line in the recovery effort.

What the Corps of Engineers did in December was to try to correct that. They set aside on a geographic preference consistent with the Stafford Act contracts for debris removal. And let me say this: In Mississippi alone, we have had more debris, as you can see from these pictures, more debris than any disaster in American history. Over 50 percent more has already been cleaned up than ever occurred in any disaster anyplace in America. What the Corps did in December was to say, in the future, going forward, we are going to let local companies lead the recovery and comply with the congressional intent and stated objectives of the Stafford Act.

Unfortunately, the incumbent contractor from out of State protested that action. They gamed the system to delay the implementation of those contracts. Three months later, the GAO rejects the protest, finds in favor of the Corps, finds in favor of the congressional intent of the Stafford Act, and says, in essence, the protest is baseless.

It is time, and this act urges the Corps, to immediately, to promptly move forward in the implementation of local contracts for local debris removal.

President Bush, when he addressed the Nation in Jackson Square in downtown New Orleans stated: ``In the work of rebuilding, as many jobs as possible should go to the men and women who live in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.'' What we are doing in this act is clarifying and reaffirming the original intent to make it possible that no one can litigate this or game this or delay this to keep local firms from leading the way.

Let me say this. As I look across to both sides, this body has been extremely generous to the people of Mississippi and New Orleans. We have appropriated billions, now over $100 billion to the recovery of the region. The churches and the charities across this country have been compassionate, and their generosity has flowed down and poured into our region. Our people will be forever grateful. Mississippi is the most generous State in the Nation, according to IRS returns. We are the poorest State, but we give more per capita than any State in the Nation. We are a proud people, and we want to lead the way and work first.

We do not want to be at the back of the line. We want to be on the front line, cleaning up, rebuilding, restoring and renewing our region.

I urge bipartisan support of this action today so that our region can recover with the help, but not the dependence, not the displacement, not the replacement of our own people, our own economy, our own jobs; and I ask all of us to look at this legislation and to work with me and for the administration to keep its commitment and to keep the law and the intent of this legislation.

In closing, let me also ask the current contractors: do nothing as these contracts to Mississippi companies go forward to disrupt, to sabotage, or to slow the work. Cooperate with us and partner with us, just as our companies have partnered with you as you led. Stand down. Let us stand up. Let us lead the way, and we can have a continued good relationship. But protest this, litigate this, fight this, sabotage it, and there will be bad will that will go forward and undermine the way that our communities and our country should work together.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Members for their support, and I thank the ranking member, Mr. Oberstar, as we continue to rebuild our region.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 65, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is the number four killer in the United States, and it is the only condition in the top ten where deaths are increasing annually. Analysts predict it will move into the number three position within the next decade. But through pulmonary rehabilitation, doctors and health care providers are saving lives. This treatment is covered by Medicare, but confusion in the regulation denies many people the opportunity for this life-saving and life-extending treatment.

As far back as 1981, the Health Care Financing Administration, now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, recognized the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation and readily acknowledged it was a covered service under Medicare. But in the past 25 years, the Medicare program has not published a policy for coverage of pulmonary rehabilitation services, letting local Medicare contractors decide how best to cover the service. So in some parts of the United States, Medicare beneficiaries have no access to pulmonary rehabilitation because local Medicare contractors have no defined policy for coverage.

So, today I introduce the Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation Act of 2006, a companion bill to S. 1440 introduced by Senators Mike Crapo and Blanche Lincoln. I am pleased to be joined by my colleague John Lewis as a cosponsor of this reform legislation. This legislation clarifies Medicare language to establish a specific benefit category for pulmonary rehabilitation services.

Organizations such as the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, the National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care, the American Association of Respiratory Care and the American Hospital Association have all signaled their support for this reform.

Heart disease, along with other cardiovascular diseases, is the number one killer in the United States. So in addition to establishing a specific benefit category for pulmonary rehabilitation, this legislation would do the same for cardiac rehabilitation services. I commend CMS for taking action on cardiac rehabilitation and proposing a National Coverage Decision in December 2005. This bill would give legislative certainty and clarity to that action.

Because CMS agrees that cardiac rehabilitation is an important covered service, there is no cost associated with these provisions of the bill. The costs associated with the pulmonary rehabilitation section are currently being scored by the Congressional Budget Office and are expected to be minimal.

My mother recently experienced firsthand the benefits of these rehabilitation services at South Central Regional Medical Center in my hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. I hope this legislation will provide others around the country with the same health care opportunities that have so benefited my mother. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, last month, Cerese Teel retired as executive director of the Oktibbeha County chapter of the American Red Cross. Through 7 years of ice storms, wind storms and the mother of all storms--Hurricane Katrina--Cerese served her community with diligence and a noble spirit.

During her time as executive director, she oversaw the chapter's expansion as they moved into new headquarters and purchased and outfitted an emergency response vehicle. She opened and operated emergency shelters and provided leadership to more than 1,300 volunteers from the area.

Mr. Speaker, I hope Congress joins me in recognizing the public service of Cerese Teel. The strength of our Nation dwells not in the halls of the Capitol but the hearts of our people. Cerese loved her neighbors and served them. Mississippi has been blessed by her work and we honor her for her dedication, vision and compassion.

Mr. Speaker, Mississippi State University has much to be proud of: excellence in academics with a reputation for top agriculture and energy research. This year, I

join MSU in congratulating a student athlete for his on-the-field achievements.

Senior running back Jerious Norwood of Brandon, Mississippi, was awarded the Cellular South Conerly Award this year, earning the honor of Mississippi's top college football player of 2005. Norwood ran for 1,136 yards and six touchdowns this season, 204 yards and three scores coming in the Bulldogs' season-ending, 35-14 win over rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. That performance also earned him the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Norwood is only the second Bulldog ever to rush for 1,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons. He follows James ``JJ'' Johnson (1997-1998) both in that distinction and in earning the Conerly Award. Norwood and Johnson are the only two Bulldogs to win this recognition in its 10- year history.

Midway through this season, Norwood became State's career rushing leader with a final achievement of 3,222 total yards on the ground, eclipsing Walter Packer's previous mark of 2,820 yards set in the 1970s. Norwood also finished with the most 100-yard games in MSU history.

Norwood, along with senior defensive end Willie Evans, was named to the 2005 Coaches' All-SEC team and was named second-team, All-SEC by the Associated Press.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Norwood on his achievements and join with Bulldog head coach Sylvester Croom in wishing him many future successes.

Mr. Speaker, the newest carrier in the United States Navy is engaged in final training and preparation in the Pacific Ocean and will soon be deployed to the Middle East to support our national interests, defend freedom and spread liberty to a more stable world. Nearly 6,000 Navy personnel call the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan home and serve both day and night in her courageous mission to provide ``peace through strength.''

Many of the personnel on the Reagan hail from Mississippi, and we our proud of our men and women who serve from the magnolia State. I often tell my colleagues that Mississippi has the full military package: Our citizens serve bravely in our Armed Forces, our bases train top pilots and protect important facilities, our universities provide cutting edge military research and technology, while companies and manufacturers earn top military contracts to produce the equipment our modern soldiers need for today's battles. I take personal honor in sharing the title ``Mississippian'' with these soldiers. We at home are proud of the Mississippians serving on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.

Many of the aviators and crew onboard the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan trained at Naval Air Station Meridian in my district in Mississippi. NAS Meridian is an essential, necessary and critical component of our national security network. This valuable and effective facility, and the community that supports it, adds strength to the character and performance of the United States Navy. We send these personnel to the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan and to our Navy forces around the world to serve with honor, courage and commitment.

Mr. Speaker, I hope Congress joins me in saluting the command, crew, and air wing ofthe U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. Their training and preparation allows the United States to advance our priorities around the globe, and remain secure at home. The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan's designation is CVN 76 and the crew practices daily the ``Spirit of 76'' in honor of their ship and the year of our independence, 1776. Their service will continue to keep us free. For the next half-century, the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan will serve the American people in times of peace and times of war, and I take this time to honor her and the forces on board as they prepare for her maiden deployment.