Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Rep. Christopher H. Smith

Bill Number: H.R. 2638

Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army Account

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Intelligence & Information Warfare Directorate, CERDEC

Address of Requesting Entity: Lakehurst Naval Engineering Station

Description of Request: Funding will be utilized to implement a CERDEC RDT & E test capability for airborne and ground antenna design to develop and prove new concept antennae that operate at higher frequencies offering significantly higher capacities and are less prone to interference and jamming. The test capability will provide testing of aircraft mounted antennae at varying altitude under a variety of conditions and on specific aircraft including fixed, rotary wing and unmanned air systems.

The system will be used to provide the design of new antennae which develop more reliable, expanded bandwidth information links which enable the flow of tactical information to the deployed warfighter. The capability will also expand the ability of communicating with the variety of unmanned systems, both airborne and ground based, for increased intelligence gathering and control.

Detailed Finance Plan: Program Cost Summary.

L Band development on UH-60M where a required future aviation waveform, Wideband

Network Waveform (WNW), operates. It is expected that most of the wideband operation will occur in this band vs. the full WNW band of 30- 2000MHz.

The C and Ku Band on UH-60M test-bed will also address other bands of interest to US Army Aviation including C-band where Full Motion Video (FMV) systems are being operated on selected helicopters, and Ku band, where UAS control and TCDL links are being implemented on selected helicopters.

An antenna development for a more sophisticated single (directional or higher gain lower bandwidth omnidirectional) will be needed to increase system data throughput for the UH-60M. As the test data is analyzed, specifications for antenna systems will emerge and it is envisioned that higher gain antenna will be needed to support future required data rates.

Program Costs

Labor (engineers techs, pilots, QA) and Labs--$1,046,000.00

Aircraft costs (UH-1 and C-12)--$150,000.00

Materials--$404,000.00

Total All--$1,600,000.00

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Rep. Christopher H. Smith.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638.

Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy Account.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: McGee Industries Incorporated.

Address of Requesting Entity: Nine Crozerville Road, PO Box 2425, Aston, PA 19014.

Description of Request: The next generation aircraft carriers will be built using new-technology that replaces the traditional steam catapults with an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). The environment around aircraft carrier catapults is among the most corrosive (i.e. seawater spray, heat, deck contaminants) with which the Navy must contend. No reliable corrosion or fracture data exists for the new EMALS materials and configuration operating in a catapult-like environment. A T & E program initiated to develop design-specific corrosion data under simulated catapult conditions needs to be continued in order to permit further design refinement, that will: (1) prevent premature component failures (2) minimize costly fleet maintenance and (3) enhance operational readiness.

Corrosion protection is an important element in producing a durable, highly reliable EMALS that will meet or exceed all Navy performance goals. It can be expected that unforeseen corrosion issues will arise as full-scale development, testing, and implementation of the EMALS proceeds. There is a window to generate corrosion data and recommend changes through 2009. Corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion cracking are critical problems that if addressed correctly, would improve performance, extend their life cycle and lower Operation and Maintenance costs for the carriers and their test facilities. Fracture mechanics testing of various corrosion control alternatives in a realistically simulated environment is required to resolve these concerns.

Detailed Finance Plan--McGee Industries: The total cost of this program has been valued at $3,000,000. We will need to design and develop load frames that will replicate the harsh catapult trough environment. Test equipment will need to be built that simulates the heat extremes, vibration effects, various deck contaminate and their effects on corrosion. All of these parameters will need to be monitored on a periodic basis to assure that we are simulating the EMALS operating conditions. At present we plan to evaluate more than 20 different chemicals and coatings.

The research program planned will follow the direction of the testing results and the direction of appropriate NAVAIR personnel. We estimate that we will need man hours for chemists, engineers, technicians and laboratory services as well as clerical and administrative support.

Breakdown of the Requested Funding:

$750,000 for Design and Test Equipment.

$350,000 for Laboratory Supplies and Equipment.

$550,000 for Man Hours for Chemists, Engineers, Technicians.

$150,000 Administrative, Travel,

$200,000 Research Institutes.

Though this program is specifically directed at the EMALS system controlled by NAVAIR, McGee Industries plans to include updates pertinent to NAVSEA. Corrosion issues and improved corrosion protection are a problem throughout all military branches due to the age of existing equipment and the harsh environments which they must operate in successfully. Thus, this program offers conditioned maintenance improvements for the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines and the Coast Guard.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Rep. Christopher H. Smith

Bill Number: H.R. 2638

Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army Account

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Rutgers University

Address of Requesting Entity: 96 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8018

Description of Request:

This project is a partnership among Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

The Center will focus their work in several areas: critical infrastructure protection; preparedness and response to natural, accidental, and intentional disasters; information/intelligence assessment and analysis; health care/hospital preparedness and response; chemical, biological and radiological countermeasures; disaster and terror medicine; emergency communications; emergency response through innovative uses of rail transportation systems; and education and training for first-responders and local governments, and health and engineering professionals.

The application of our unique expertise in the combination of mathematical sciences, engineering, communications, transportation, medicine and health care, environmental and exposure science, basic societal services, and social/behavioral sciences will help prepare the military and the nation in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Detailed Financial Plan:

Center Administration--$200,000-

R & D Projects--$700,000

Info & Intelligence Analysis--$200,000-

Education & Training--$144,000

Clinical & Health Care Preparedness and Response--$200,000-

Equipment--$156,000

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Rep. Christopher H. Smith.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638.

Account: Military Construction, Navy Account.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle.

Address of Requesting Entity: Colts Neck, New Jersey.

Description of Request: This project will upgrade the Main Gate located at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle. These upgrades will provide the proper Anti-terrorism Force Protection (AT/FP) measures required for current security and terrorist threats. Construction will consist of the following: gate access realignment; reinforced ornamental fencing along the public highway; new security fencing surrounding guardhouse area; removal of existing guard house; and removal of existing parking areas; hardened guard house, intrusion detection system (IDS), local area network (LAN), and base wide alarm duress system; site lighting with connections tied into existing generator; raised median; rejection area for privately owned vehicles (POVs); permanent vehicle inspection shelter with CCTV, for one truck and two POVs side by side; undercarriage video surveillance equipment; permanent passive barriers from fence and gate to active vehicle barriers; two active (pop-up) vehicle barriers; elevated fighting position; hardening of existing generator; sidewalks on both the inbound and outbound sides; relocate entrances to parking for Family/ Housing Services and to Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD); construct new connector road to EOD; demolish existing pass and identification office; construct new pass/i.d, within new inspection facility and provide 54 parking spaces.

NWS Earle has been fortunate to not experience serious assaults or threats; however, continued operations without major security improvements could result in exposing NWS Earle's valuable assets and personnel to terrorist activity.

Detailed Financial Plan:

The majority of the funding (approximately $6.5 M) will be used for Electronic and Mechanical Utilities and Site Improvements, including: Area Lighting; Water Distribution; Sanitary Sewer System; Paving and Site Improvements; Storm Water Management; and Demolition.

The rest will fund Special Construction Features, which total $1,515,766 M and include:

Active vehicle barrier--$91,036.00.

Passive vehicle barriers--$270,213.00.

Security fencing--$208,801.00.

Automatic traffic controls/devices--$245,648.00.

Inspection enclosure (truck/car)--$85,977.00.

I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank Mr. Wolf for raising this. I didn't know he was going to be doing it; I just saw him on the television.

So I appreciate the gentleman yielding.

Let me just say, to clarify the record, this legislation, which would seek to lay bare the science about Lyme disease, the fact that I believe we do have an epidemic, the fact that Lyme often go misdiagnosed, underdiagnosed. It is called ``the great pretender'' because so many people have it and don't know it. It often masquerades as other kinds of anomalies manifesting in a person's body. And it is not until it gets to a chronic state--very often causing severe disability, including neurological damage--that people finally realize that they have Lyme disease.

There has been, unfortunately, a significant, I believe, cover up of the fact that chronic Lyme exists. The gentleman knows, we have asked him repeatedly, the gentleman from New Jersey, my good friend, Mr. Pallone, this legislation has been pending in his subcommittee. He told Pat Smith--no relation to me--who runs a Lyme disease association, that this would get a hearing and would be marked up. It has not been marked up. And meanwhile, this epidemic is growing--it is exploding.

Now, let me just say for the enlightenment of my colleagues; the Infectious Disease Society of America,

which creates--and often does a very laudable job--the definitions, the parameters of what constitutes a certain disease, has looked at Lyme and said that chronic Lyme does not exist. Many of us have raised serious concerns about that because of what we believe to be conflicts of interest on the part of the panel members that made up the Lyme panel.

I would note parenthetically that Chris Dodd is the prime sponsor of the comparison legislation that I've introduced on the House side. We have worked cooperatively on the legislation, so we have a companion bill on the Senate side. The legislation has over 110--I think it's 112--cosponsors, totally bipartisan, Democrats and Republicans alike rallying around this legislation.

The problem with the Infectious Disease Society of America is that these conflicts of interest, we believe, resulted in the conclusion that chronic Lyme doesn't exist. We don't know absolutely if that's the truth, but Attorney General Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut finally took a look at this and came back with a scathing insightful report that there were conflicts of interest. The red flag should go up everywhere.

What does my legislation do? As Mr. Pallone knows, the legislation does not prescribe a protocol, as he has suggested. It simply calls for an advisory committee that would take a good, long look at Lyme disease and determine what is fact and fiction, and finally, for the sake of all of those who are suffering immensely from this disease and their families, say what we need to be doing to mitigate and hopefully stop the spread of Lyme, whether it be long-term and very heavy antibiotic treatment--which I believe probably is the case based on clinical practitioners who have suggested that to be the case--but we want an honest look.

As Mr. Pallone knows, we did not get an honest look from the Infectious Disease Society of America. And I find that appalling. Conflict of interest with insurance companies has no place in modern medicine. And regrettably, and it has been--again, the full weight of the Attorney General's report clearly suggests, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, that there were significant conflicts of interest on the part of the panel members.

Our legislation says let's go where the science takes us. If the science says chronic Lyme exists, then all those patients and the insurance companies which need to be providing the coverage, to get the medicines and the like, like antibiotics--because what has happened, as my friend knows, because of this exclusion of chronic Lyme due to a problem in definition, the insurance companies say we don't have to pay. So when a patient presents with a bill of $100,000 or some excessive amount of money, the insurance companies say, not us, tough luck, we're not going to pay for it. And they go right back to what I believe to be a false definition that precludes chronic Lyme as a condition.

Now, you might think that chronic Lyme doesn't exist, I say to my friend, the chairman, but let's go where the science takes us. We need this advisory committee and we need it now. All points of view, as our legislation clearly suggests, has to be a part of this group. We want a robust debate, not something that is engineered by insurance companies.

Finally, the legislation would authorize $100 million over 5 years, $20 million each year. Frankly, if that drops off due to opposition to new authorization, and is only an authorization, I would like to see it go forward nevertheless, know this however, we're not spending enough on Lyme.

And Lyme is, as Mr. Wolf said so aptly, growing exponentially. CDC admits we are missing most of the cases. As many as 90 percent of the cases go unreported. Our state, Mr. Pallone, as you know, is number three in prevalence according to CDC numbers, and even that is probably very much understated in terms of the actual prevalence of Lyme disease.

So I would make the appeal again, as I have made to my friend from New Jersey, as I have made to Mr. Dingell, as I have made to Mr. Barton and everyone else, this legislation ought to be on this floor and it ought to be on the floor today. It is truly bipartisan. There ought to be a consensus to go where the science takes us. And again, an advisory committee, a Blue Ribbon panel that would be configured under this legislation would finally end, hopefully, this contentious debate and tell us what it is and what it is not.

I have known dozens of people who have had chronic Lyme. Now, you might say it doesn't exist, the Infectious Disease Society says it doesn't exist. These victims suffer from the spirochete, and have suffered neurological damage, severe joint damage, and many, many other problems.

There is a new book called ``Cure Unknown'' that I would recommend to the House. I read it in one sitting because it is so incisive in finally breaking through the fog on this disease. People are walking around with Lyme and they don't even know it.

We need to bring the forces to bear of the U.S. Government that an advisory committee of this kind would do a Blue Ribbon panel, a 9/11- type panel of scientists, of the best people we can put together to say, put aside the egregiously flawed Infectious Diseases Society of America's finding, which Blumenthal said was riddled with conflict of interest--and I urge Members to read Blumenthal's opinion, I will put it in the Record so Members can read it--his findings were, ``atrocious, conflict of interest everywhere.''

This legislation ought to be on the floor and it ought to be on the floor today.

Office of the Attorney General,

Hartford, Connecticut, May 1, 2008.

Attorney General's Investigation Reveals Flawed Lyme Disease Guideline

Process, IDSA Agrees To Reassess Guidelines, Install Independent

Arbiter

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today announced that

his antitrust investigation has uncovered serious flaws in

the Infectious Diseases Society of America's (IDSA) process

for writing its 2006 Lyme disease guidelines and the IDSA has

agreed to reassess them with the assistance of an outside

arbiter.

The IDSA guidelines have sweeping and significant impacts

on Lyme disease medical care. They are commonly applied by

nsurance companies in restricting coverage for long-term

antibiotic treatment or other medical care and also strongly

influence physician treatment decisions.

Insurance companies have denied coverage for long-term

antibiotic treatment relying on these guidelines as

justification. The guidelines are also widely cited for

conclusions that chronic Lyme disease is nonexistent.

``This agreement vindicates my investigation--finding

undisclosed financial interests and forcing a reassessment of

IDSA guidelines,'' Blumenthal said. ``My office uncovered

undisclosed financial interests held by several of the most

powerful IDSA panelists. The IDSA's guideline panel

improperly ignored or minimized consideration of alternative

medical opinion and evidence regarding chronic Lyme disease,

potentially raising serious questions about whether the

recommendations reflected all relevant science.

``The IDSA's Lyme guideline process lacked important

procedural safeguards requiring complete reevaluation of the

2006 Lyme disease guidelines--in effect a comprehensive

reassessment through a new panel. The new panel will accept

and analyze all evidence, including divergent opinion. An

independent neutral ombudsman--expert in medical ethics and

conflicts of interest, selected by both the IDSA and my

office--will assess the new panel for conflicts of interests

and ensure its integrity.''

Blumenthal's findings include the following: The IDSA

failed to conduct a conflicts of interest review for any of

the panelists prior to their appointment to the 2006 Lyme

disease guideline panel;

Subsequent disclosures demonstrate that several of the 2006

Lyme disease panelists had conflicts of interest;

The IDSA failed to follow its own procedures for appointing

the 2006 panel chairman and members, enabling the chairman,

who held a bias regarding the existence of chronic Lyme, to

handpick a likeminded panel without scrutiny by or formal

approval of the IDSA's oversight committee;

The IDSA's 2000 and 2006 Lyme disease panels refused to

accept or meaningfully consider information regarding the

existence of chronic Lyme disease, once removing a panelist

from the 2000 panel who dissented from the group's position

on chronic Lyme disease to achieve ``consensus'';

The IDSA blocked appointment of scientists and physicians

with divergent views on chronic Lyme who sought to serve on

the 2006 guidelines panel by informing them that the panel

was fully staffed, even though it was later expanded;

The IDSA portrayed another medical association's Lyme

disease guidelines as corroborating its own when it knew that

the two panels shared several authors, including the chairmen

of both groups, and were working on guidelines at the same

time. In allowing its panelists to serve on both groups at

the same time, IDSA violated its own conflicts of interest

policy.

IDSA has reached an agreement with Blumenthal's office

calling for creation of a review panel to thoroughly

scrutinize the 2006 Lyme disease guidelines and update or

revise them if necessary. The panel--comprised of individuals

without conflicts of interest--will comprehensively review

medical and scientific evidence and hold a scientific hearing

to provide a forum for additional evidence. It will then

determine whether each recommendation in 2006 Lyme disease

guidelines is justified by the evidence or needs revision or

updating.

Blumenthal added, ``The IDSA's 2006 Lyme disease guideline

panel undercut its credibility by allowing individuals with

financial interests--in drug companies, Lyme disease

diagnostic tests, patents and consulting arrangements with

insurance companies--to exclude divergent medical evidence

and opinion. In today's healthcare system, clinical practice

guidelines have tremendous influence on the marketing of

medical services and products, insurance reimbursements and

treatment decisions. As a result, medical societies that

publish such guidelines have a legal and moral duty to use

exacting safeguards and scientific standards.

``Our investigation was always about the IDSA's guidelines

process--not the science. IDSA should be recognized for its

cooperation and agreement to address the serious concerns

raised by my office. Our agreement with IDSA ensures that a

new, conflicts-free panel will collect and review all

pertinent information, reassess each recommendation and make

necessary changes.

``This Action Plan--incorporating a conflicts screen by an

independent neutral expert and a public hearing to receive

additional evidence--can serve as a model for all medical

organizations and societies that publish medical guidelines.

This review should strengthen the public's confidence in such

critical standards.''

Will the gentleman yield?

I rise in strong support of S. 906, the Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2007.

Mr. Speaker, again, I didn't get a chance when Mr. Pallone was here to correct the Record. I--we--did contact

Congressman Frank Pallone and Nathan Deal by way of letter on May 18, 2007, and wrote at the time as cochairs of the Congressional Lyme and Disease Caucus, ``we are writing to respectfully request that you mark up and report H.R. 741.

``H.R. 741, the 'Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act of 2007' would work toward goals for the prevention, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment of Lyme disease.''

Then we went on to explain the bill. We pointed out that at the time we had 77 cosponsors. That is now 112 and it is totally bipartisan and includes majority leader Steny Hoyer. We also pointed out that Lyme is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States today. More than 220,000 Americans develop Lyme each year. According to the CDC, only 10 percent of the cases that meet its surveillance criteria are reported. Cases that fall outside of the surveillance criteria are not even considered anywhere statistically.

If not diagnosed and treated early, Lyme disease can lead to chronic illness and can affect every system in the body, including the central nervous system and cardiac system. Later symptoms of Lyme disease include arthritis, neurological problems such as facial paralysis, memory problems, extreme weaknesses of the extremities, seizures, heart block and inflammation and even blindness.

So we sent that back in May 18, 2007. And I say that with respect to my colleague.

Let me also point out, and I just will read a very small portion of the statement of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the attorney general of Connecticut. And this is his statement.

``Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today announced,'' and this is May 1, 2008, ``that his antitrust investigation has uncovered serious flaws in the Infectious Disease Society of America's process for writing its 2006 Lyme disease guidelines and the IDSA has agreed to reassess them with the assistance of an outside arbiter.''

``The IDSA guidelines have sweeping,'' this is Blumenthal speaking, ``have sweeping and significant impacts on Lyme disease medical care. They are commonly applied by insurance companies in restricting coverage for long-term antibiotic treatment or other medical care and also strongly influence treatment decisions by physicians.

``Insurance companies have denied coverage for long-term antibiotic treatment, relying on those guidelines as justification. The guidelines are also widely cited for conclusions that chronic Lyme disease is nonexistent.''

Blumenthal goes on to say: ``This agreement vindicates my investigation finding undisclosed financial interests and forcing a reassessment of IDSA's guidelines.''

Blumenthal said: ``My office uncovered undisclosed financial interests held by several,'' several, ``of the most powerful IDSA panelists. The IDSA's guideline panel improperly ignored or minimized consideration of alternative medical opinion and evidence regarding chronic Lyme disease, potentially raising serious questions about whether the recommendations reflected all relevant science. The IDSA's Lyme disease guideline process lacked important procedural safeguards requiring complete reevaluation of its 06 Lyme disease guideline, in effect a comprehensive reassessment through a new panel.''

Blumenthal, and I will put this in the Record, talks about the conflicts of interest with the insurance companies. Again, I would think this Congress would want to get to the science, find out does chronic Lyme exists, and whether or not this is indeed a coverup.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Rep. Christopher H. Smith

Bill Number: HR 2638.

Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-wide Account.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: the Gallo Prostate Cancer Center, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Address of Requesting Entity: Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany & Somerset St., Room 2002, Newark, NJ 08901-1998.

Description of Request: Funding support is requested for key projects for the Cancer Institute of New Jersey to address national goal of eradicating cancer, including prostate cancer which is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Our proposed initiatives are The Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center, which seeks to eradicate prostate cancer through research, treatment, education and prevention; the Center for Imaging, Structures and Function, which will provide state of the art image analysis crucial to the overall applications of cancer research; a Center for Cancer Bioinformatics, which combines theoretical biology, computer science, mathematics and physics with cancer research expertise; the LIFE Center, which coordinates efforts in the eradication of breast cancer; and our plans to merge and enhance the radiation oncology capabilities to create a unified, academically and clinically strong program for the citizens of New Jersey.

By targeting breast and prostate cancer, through developing novel cancer bioinformatics approaches to identify new biomarkers for therapy and prevention and through developing new technologies and approaches in molecular imaging, computational, informatics and systems biology, this project will contribute to the national goals of the elimination of death and suffering from cancer and to the enhanced discovery, development and delivery of novel means of cancer diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

Detailed Financial Plan:

The total cost of this program has been valued at $2.4 million and funding will go toward:

1. Personnel Costs: $1,339,990.

2. Equipment: $643,197.

ABI Prism 7900 HT with Robot (SNP analysis): $126,275.

Web and Database Servers: $6,991.

Micro PET, CT, High speed cell sorters: $249,942.

Confocal Microscope. Lasers, workstations: $196,622.

Computer pilot modules for testing: $758.

Video conference equipments for case research: $62,609.

3. Consultant Costs: $28,756.

4. Supplies: $153,934.

Molecular Biology Reagents, antibodies, cell culture reagents, animal costs, chemicals, dissecting instruments: $97,520.

Flourescent labeled primers , enzymes, PCR kits: $4,240.

Invitrogen, well plates, cell lifters, toxins, lab and chemical supplies: $52,174.

5. Travel for Principal Investigators: $14,298.

6. Other Expenses: $219,825.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Rep. Christopher H. Smith.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638.

Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide Account.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Monmouth University's Rapid Response Institute.

Address of Requesting Entity: 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764.

Description of Request: Monmouth University's Rapid Response Institute (RRI) is requesting funding to develop and prototype a ``Rapid Information Sharing for Consequence Management and Decision Support'' data base system that will enable Joint Warning and Reporting Network (JWARN), Joint Effects Model (JEM) and other military classified systems to effectively share tactical information (plume spread, chemical identity, voice and video, GIS map information, etc.) in real time in support of catastrophic events without disclosing the classified source of the information.

The project will evaluate the software's ability to improve the effectiveness of military (including National Guard) preparedness and its support to the civilian first responders. Prototyping will include Defense and National Guard assets and standards in partnership with the National Guard's Northeast Regional Response Center and the Army Communications and Electronics Life Cycle Management Command.

Detailed Financial Plan: ``Rapid Information Sharing for Consequence Management and Decision Support'':

1. Labor: Monmouth University Employees Principal Investigators: $225,000.00.

Program Management/Instructor/Project Management: $175,000.00.

Faculty Researchers /Adjuncts: $200,000.00.

Technical Writer & Admin Support: $62,000.00.

Technical Research Support: $96,000.00.

Student Employment/Assistantships: $75,000.00.

MU University Labor Costs: $833,000.00.

2. Fringe Costs: MU Fringe 26.6% approved HHS (no Student Salaries): $201,628.00.

3. Overhead Costs: MU Overhead 55.5% approved HHS (All MU Salaries): $462,315.00.

4. PHD Program Support: PHD Program Support Drexel--Lauren Landrigan (Army SEC): $100,000.00.

5. Small Business Set Aside: Contracted Professional Services (SB,SDB--): $300,000.00.

Travel and Supplies for SB/SDB: $20,525.00.

6. SubContracts and MIPR: CERMUSA-St. Francis Loretto, Pa: $400,000.00.

JSTO Battle Space Management ECBC, APG: $350,000.00.

PEOC3T SPO/NRRC, Ft Dix: $100,000.00.

SubContract/MIPR: $850,000.00.

7. Materials, Equipment and Supplies: Communications (Satellite,Direct TV,Cable, VTC): $40,000.00.

Software Licenses and Maintenance: $25,000.00.

Equipment Computers for Technology Interoperability: $35,000.00.

Joint Mobile Command Truck--Maintenance Equip. upgrade: $50,000.00.

Materials, inks, copying, documentation: $40,000.00.

Total Materials and Supplies: $190,000.00.

8. Travel: Inter Location--APG, Ft. Dix, Philadelphia and Loretto PA: $25,000.00.

Conferences and Workshops: $20,000.00.

Local University Meetings: $5,532.00.

Total Travel: $50,532.00.

9. DTRA: DTRA Processing Fees: $192,000.00.

Total Project Costs: $3,200,000.00.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership, and thank Chairman Levin for sponsoring this very important resolution.

I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1314, commemorating and honoring the memory of victims of the abominable act perpetrated against the people of Ukraine from 1932 to 1933.

Seventy-five years ago, millions, and the estimates are as high as 10 million, men, women and children were murdered by starvation so that one man, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, could consolidate control over the Ukraine. In an attempt to secure collectivization and to break the spirit of the independent-minded Ukrainian peasants, Stalin ordered the expropriation of all the foods in the rural population. It was shipped to other areas of the Soviet Union or sold abroad. Peasants who refused to turn over grain to the state were deported or executed. Without food or grain, mass starvation ensued, as was Stalin's intention.

Madam Speaker, food was used as a weapon in a crime against humanity staggering in its scope. This famine was man-made, the planned consequence of a deliberate policy which aimed to wipe out a substantial part of the Ukrainian people in order to crush the spirit of those who remain. In short, genocide was committed against the Ukrainian people.

Madam Speaker, over the years I have read many works of Stalin's genocide against the people of Ukraine, but I recall a moment back in the 1980s when I saw the unforgettable documentary, Harvest of Sorrow. It documented and depicted the horrors of the famine, so that no one since has denied this mind-boggling crime and tragedy. In its bare, stark truth, it was one of the most moving films I have ever seen.

I also recall the fine work of the congressionally mandated Ukraine Famine Commission, which issued its well-documented report in 1988. I am happy that Mr. Levin's resolution notes that there were those in the West, including the New York Times correspondent Walt Duranty, who deliberately falsified their reporting so to cover up the famine because they wanted to ensure that the Soviet Union got ``a good press.''

The fact is that for over 40 years the planned famine was hardly spoken or written about in our country, due to an academic skepticism and silence enforced by political correctness. When Ukrainians and others tried to break through the wall of silence, they were treated with derision. This silence, which lasted from the 1930s through the publication of Harvest of Sorrow, made a sorry chapter in the history of American intellectual life.

Madam Speaker, this resolution will continue to recognize one of the most horrific events in the last century in the hopes that mass murders of this kind never happen again. I support this resolution unreservedly. I hope that the full membership of this body supports it unanimously.

Thank you to the distinguished ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her leadership, for her leadership on human rights. She has been a stalwart for years, and I want to thank her for her tremendous leadership.

I want to thank Mr. McGovern for sponsoring this, and for his commitment as well.

And I especially want to thank Congressman Frank Wolf with whom I've been in Congress now for 28 years. And there is no one that I know or have ever met who cares more deeply, more passionately, more fervently, nor works more effectively to promote human rights around the globe. I have traveled with Frank. I would be more than happy to carry his bags. He is just such a tremendous individual.

I'll never forget when the International Religious Freedom Act was being considered. It was his legislation. He was the prime sponsor. I held a number of hearings on it as chairman of the Global Human Rights Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and there was significant opposition to that legislation. The Clinton administration was against it, on the record, said so in hearings.

Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Labor and Human Rights, John Shattuck, couldn't have made it more clear. They made a bogus argument that the legislation would set up a hierarchy of human rights, vis-a- vis, all other human rights.

Our argument was religious freedom was integral, and a necessary part of a fabric of protecting everyone who was weak and disenfranchised. That includes religious believers, regardless of what their belief system might be. And we wanted to speak out in a very powerful way.

Mr. Wolf pushed that bill to a successful completion. It ended up being signed into law and the International Committee for Religious Freedom, its designation of countries of particular concern, those egregious violators of religious liberties now get put on a list. They're subject to sanctions. We have an ambassador at large who combs the Earth promoting religious liberty and freedom, and then issues reports that holds countries to account and speaks truth to power. That's all a direct result of Congressman Frank Wolf, the prime sponsor of legislation that was as dead as a door nail when he introduced it because of opposition in very high places and indifference.

So it is very fitting that Mr. Wolf will be serving as cochair of this extraordinarily important Human Rights Commission, named very aptly and very importantly after another great man, Congressman Tom Lantos. No one has done more on such issues as anti-Semitism than Congressman Lantos, Chairman Lantos, who is not, sadly, with us, but I'm sure is looking down from heaven with a great smile on his face because he cared passionately about human rights as well.

Madam Speaker so it ought to be clear, I believe it is time to turn the Caucus into a Commission. When the Human Rights Caucus was founded back in 1983, human rights was, at best, a foreign policy sideshow, an obligatory mention, often uttered after the more ``weighty matters'' of statecraft took place, like trade and other issues. It was always at the end if at all. An afterthought. It always had some asterisk next to it on the talking point memo. In case after case, high level diplomats would essentially say, oh yeah, by the way, I have to bring up human rights, because when I go back home I have to mention it. And many of our Secretaries of State, with some exceptions, often would take it to that point. It was never a central core issue in our foreign policy. There was little predictability or consistency.

The Caucus certainly has helped move human rights concerns forward. The Commission, I believe, will take it to the next level.

I hope that more Members will realize that genuine respect for human

rights is the key to good governance. It's also the key, if you want intellectual property rights respected. If you want contract law observed and honored in places like China where human rights are violated with impunity, respect fundamental human rights for the individual. Stop torturing. Protect women from the violence of coercive population control and forced abortion. Help the Falun Gong and the Christians and the Uighurs and the Buddhists and all the others, the Catholic bishops who are languishing in prison. Get it right on fundamental human rights and you also help on the trade side as well, because if they respect one, if they respect their own people, they'll adhere to contract law and intellectual property rights.

I do believe that we must care for and protect all, no exceptions, everywhere, every place, every time from violence; and from my point of view, that includes unborn children, newly born children, the handicapped, disabled; it includes those who are of a religious denomination that some government official thinks ought not to have their rights or liberties. It is about everyone being included. Nobody being excluded. The politics of inclusion. And again, for me that means the unborn child and everyone else who is weak and at risk.

I do believe that we have to, Madam Speaker, realize that human rights can be respected. It is a matter of political will. It is a matter of understanding and empathizing. Get in the minds and hearts of victims and get motivated. Go into the prison, empathize with someone who has been victimized by torture. And we all come out with a different, enlightened, compassionate perspective. Empowered and knowledgable, we then must--we have a duty--to act!

We'll never know the full extent of the Caucus's success over these 25 years, the impact that it has had, but I believe it has had a tremendously positive impact, as a result of broad bipartisan action, Democrats and Republicans, staff, doing yeoman's work. Hans was mentioned a moment ago. He's a fighter. There are so many who have done so much, often without any kind of accolade whatsoever, but they stand up and they do the hard work of human rights, and they do it each and every day because they care, because they love and because they have compassion.

Again, this is a resolution that takes the Human Rights Caucus to the next level, and I think it's about time we did it. This Congress, I think, will be much improved; we will have more insights. Good staffing does make a difference. We've had great staffing, but I think now as we build out that staff, I think more victimized people everywhere will be represented.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Georgian Court University (GCU). For the past 100 years, Georgian Court has been a leader in higher education, encouraging intellectual inquiry, ethical professionalism, and community involvement. Founded as a women's college in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy, Georgian Court is dedicated to the success of women. The Women's College at GCU provides a liberal arts education tailored to women's learning styles and an environment conducive to achievement. Georgian Court's Women in Leadership Development program is one of the most powerful programs for young women today. By participating in university committees, making presentations, lobbying legislators, and networking with mentors, students develop the skills and tools needed by today's successful women leaders. In the 1970s, Georgian Court established a coeducational graduate program. Today, the University College caters to men and women adult students and offers flexible class schedules with online components at a number of locations throughout the state.

With 29 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs, Georgian Court University continues to develop new academic programs to meet the changing needs of the time. A new nursing program established in this Centennial Year will help stem the serious nursing shortage in our state. Accelerated and Executive M.B.A.s allow busy executives to gain the information they need to advance their careers. As 1 of only 50 NASA Educational Resource Centers, Georgian Court ensures that our children's teachers have the most up-to-date scientific information for their classrooms.

Georgian Court University has preserved the estate that comprises its campus and is on the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register. Over the decades, GCU has added buildings to meet the growing student population--starting with 7 students in 1908 up to more than 3,000 today. Within the past several years, a new wellness center, residence hall, chapel, and science wing have been added to the Georgian Court landscape.

Georgian Court University is an economic force in Lakewood and the surrounding areas, providing employment to thousands over its 100-year history and fueling the local economy. The university is also a cultural gathering place for the community, bringing notable artists, musicians, poets, writers, and political figures to campus for lectures and concerts that are open to the public.

Sending teams of students and staff to poverty-stricken areas of Honduras to install water systems, to New Orleans to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, or right here in Lakewood to help provide the necessities of life for the homeless, Georgian Court University is a good neighbor and is committed to making the world a better place. Georgian Court is also an ecologically aware citizen, contributing to the sustainability of our environment. Its new wellness center complex has been built with energy efficiency in mind and is being considered for LEED--Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design--certification.

With an abiding commitment to its students, the community, and the greater good, I commend Georgian Court University on its 100 years of academic excellence and community service.

I thank my good friend, the distinguished ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for yielding. And Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution.

Despite the passage of 7 years, Madam Speaker, the scars from the attack on our country on September 11, 2001 remain. They remain from the loss of the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children, including over 50 men and women from my own district, the 4th District of New Jersey.

Over the course of these several years--as a matter of fact, almost right away--I got to know several of the widows and the loved ones and was so moved and so impressed by their love for the victims. Their loss was--is--excruciatingly painful. But the families also had a great sense that we needed to do more to ensure that this never happens again. And whether it be the ``Jersey Girls'' who walked the halls of this Congress, strongly advocating for the establishment of the 9/11 Commission, or the others--I even actually hired one of the individuals who lost a loved one in my office to do case work. And her sensitivity and her sense of concern for those who suffered irreparable loss that day has been inspiring to me as it has been to members of our delegation in New Jersey and so many others as well.

The scars remain, obviously, Madam Speaker, in the painful void in the lives of the families who sought in vain to make some sense of their horrific and tragic loss. And the scars remain embedded in the fabric of our society, which has had to learn to cope with the reality of a world where indiscriminate large-scale attacks on human life are a constant threat.

Madam Speaker, while recognizing the extraordinary efforts and courage of America's first responders--the firefighters, police officers, emergency response personnel, the heroes--it was also apparent from the terrorist attacks that our Nation had much to learn. We had to craft policies to better protect our people.

I was one of those, among so many others, who advocated early and consistently for a commission to chronicle the facts, missteps and opportunities lost leading up to the tragedy and to develop a well- informed, thoughtful strategy to reduce the future risk of an attack. The 9/11 Commission--that was chaired so ably by Governor Tom Kean, the former Governor of New Jersey, and former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lee Hamilton--issued an historic, incisive report, a comprehensive report which, together with subsequent legislation, was not only thoroughly examined by House and Senate committees, but virtually all of the recommendations were enacted into law. The whole thrust, post 9/11, Madam Speaker, is to mitigate and, God willing, prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again.

Madam Speaker, we must be diligent in searching for and implementing new means for responding to developing threats. Our enemies are constantly searching for our vulnerabilities, and our ability to remain ahead of them is critical to our very survival.

I want to thank Mr. Hoyer for introducing this piece of legislation which gives us the opportunity to have an official solemn expression. It extends our deepest condolences to all who suffered the loss of a loved one as a result of the attacks here in Washington and in New York and in Pennsylvania. To honor those who courageously risked and

even sacrificed their lives, some firefighters bravely went up those stairs at the World Trade Center knowing that it was fraught with unbelievable danger to their own lives. The legislation recognizes the service and sacrifice of our military personnel and their families who continue to strive to protect our country both here and abroad, and to continue to take all appropriate actions, and to do so, I would submit, in a bipartisan way to defend and protect our Nation.

This is a very good resolution and a very solemn day for America.

Madam Speaker, I rise to offer my heartfelt support and congratulations to the Bordentown Little League All-Stars who on Wednesday, won the New Jersey State Championship tournament and the right to now advance to the regional championship. Powered by some big bats--that turned in 17 hits and 4 home runs--the Bordentown Little League's 11/12 year old team easily defeated Pequannock 14 to 3 to win the State Championship. By winning the New Jersey title, the team now moves onto Bristol, Connecticut, to participate in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament where they will take on Haverstraw, the New York State Champions. The A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center in Bristol, Connecticut, is hosting the Mid-Atlantic and New England tournaments.

I especially want to recognize Manager Pat Welsh and Coach Dave Revay for their outstanding efforts developing this championship team. And of course, congratulations go out to the guys on the field who hustled throughout the season to win the New Jersey State Championship--Tommy ``T-Walt'' Walters, Zachary ``Zack'' Gakeler, Ryan ``Shinny'' Shinn, Patrick ``Otrick'' Welsh, Cole ``ColeTrain'' Clauser, Tyler ``Ty'' Revay, Clarke ``Clarkey'' Laba, Nick ``Hammer'' Callahan, Edward ``Eddie'' Holmes, and the teams three Austin's--Austin ``Goke'' Goeke, Austin ``Char-zar'' Chaszar, and Austin ``Big Pappi'' Papp.

Gratitude also has to be given to the Bordentown community for their spirit and the continuing support they offered which helped make fielding this outstanding team possible. Community leaders--Mayor George A. Chidley, Deputy Mayor Bruce Hill, Committeeman William J. Morelli, Committeeman Robert Delaney, and Committeeman Mark Roselli from Bordentown Township; and Mayor John William Collom III, Deputy Mayor James Lynch, and Commissioner John Wehrman from the city of Bordentown have to be recognized and thanked for making this State Championship possible.

As the Bordentown Little League All-Stars now move onto the Regional Championship, we join with family and friends in the entire Bordentown and Burlington County communities to wish them good luck.

I thank my good friend for yielding. I thank the chairman for bringing this important resolution to the floor and thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for his fine leadership and that of Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

A few years ago, Madam Speaker, Liu Jingmin, vice president of the Beijing Olympic bid committee, famously asserted that ``by allowing Beijing to host the games, you will help the development of human rights.'' At the time, the argument seemed plausible, at least to the naive, but in the long run-up to the Olympics the reality has been numbingly disappointing and yet another wake-up call concerning bogus promises made for political and financial gain by the Beijing dictatorship. The pre-Olympic crackdown on political dissidents and religious believers and the crushing of cyber-dissidents is yet another antithetical manifestation to everything that is sane, compassionate or just.

In recent months, the Chinese government has been filling its jails, house arresting, surveilling and warning all known dissidents. These men and women are persecuted simply because they seek to exercise fundamental human freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ironically by the Chinese constitution itself. Tragically but predictably, the Olympics have been the occasion of a massive crackdown designed to silence and put beyond reach all those Chinese whose views differ from the government line. For so many brave Chinese men and women, for the Tibetans, many of them Buddhist monks and nuns, for members of Falun Gong, Chinese Christians, Uighur Muslims, democracy and labor activists and others, this has been a terrible summer, not in spite of but precisely because of the Olympic games. The fact is this is a reproach to the International Olympic Committee and to all those who believe in fundamental human rights.

As we meet here, right now in HC-7 several key human rights leaders, including the great Harry Wu and Wei Jingsheng, are speaking out against the atrocities committed with impunity by the government of China. I would note parenthetically that Wei was let out of prison-- Wei, father of the Democracy Wall movement--simply to try to garner Olympics 2000. When the government didn't get that from the Olympic committee, they rearrested Wei Jingsheng and tortured him almost to death. That is the reality of the people we're dealing with.

In fact, let me just point out to my colleagues that any number of the Chinese government's human rights violations should have been a deal-stopper for the International Olympic Committee. Take the one- child-per-couple policy, Madam Speaker, with its attendant evils of forced abortion and rampant sex-selective abortion. In effect since 1979, the one-child-per-couple policy constitutes one of the gravest crimes against women and children in all of human history, and our resolution before us today has appropriate language condemning that atrocity.

The Chinese government massively violates Chinese women with a state policy of mandatory monitoring of all Chinese women's reproductive cycles, mandatory birth permits, mandatory contraception or sterilization, and ruinous fines up to 10 times the annual salary of both husband and wife if they don't comply with the one-child-per- couple policy. This policy has imposed unspeakable pain, violence, humiliation and degradation on hundreds of millions of Chinese women, many of whom suffer life-long depression as a direct consequence. It is no wonder more women commit suicide in China than anywhere else in the world.

As a direct result of this egregious human rights violation, tens of millions of girls are missing today, dead,

due to sex-selective abortions, creating a huge gender disparity, a new dark manifestation of genocide which is perhaps more appropriately called gendercide.

The lost girls of China, and the estimates are between 50 to 100 million lost girls, murdered simply because they were girls.

Madam Speaker, 3 weeks ago, Frank Wolf and I visited Beijing in order to press for respect of fundamental human rights. The Chinese Secret Police threatened eight human rights lawyers with whom we had planned to meet for dinner in a public restaurant and placed several of them under house arrest.

We did, let me conclude with this, present the Chinese government with a list of people, 734 prisoners, a short list by Chinese standards, of people who are advocating for democracy and freedom. And with the Olympics now underway, we ask again, let those people and all like-minded human rights activists who languish and are tortured in prison, please let them go.

The resolution is a great one, and deserves everyone's support.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to thank Mr. Chabot for authoring this very important and very timely resolution.

I rise in support of H. Res. 1351, which condemns the July 8, 2008, attack on UNAMID peacekeepers deployed in Darfur, Sudan, and expresses the support of Congress for this critical mission. According to the United Nations, seven peacekeepers were killed and an additional 22 were wounded when their patrol was ambushed by unidentified assailants utilizing 40 vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons.

This is the worst attack against the A.U. mission since it first deployed in July of 2004. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be the last.

Given continued deterioration of security in Darfur and the upsurge in deliberate attacks against humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, it is now more critical than ever to ensure that the U.N. peacekeeping mission is properly equipped.

I would note parenthetically, Mr. Speaker, that I've been to Darfur. I've met with the A.U., African Union, troops before it came under the blue helmet auspices, and I was shocked and dismayed during my visit there how underpaid, how they lacked needed materiel, the command-and- control equipment was lacking even then. And now, regrettably, to discover or to find out that there are huge gaps in their capabilities because that has not been provided by the international community is unconscionable. They lack critical air assets, armored personnel carriers, and even the pilots to fly the helicopters.

Anyone who has been in Darfur knows how hard it is to move across that terrain. There are huge gaping potholes. They are not even potholes--it looks like craters on the moon--moving from one place to the next. And if there's a torrential rain, bridges and roads are often completely washed out.

And obviously, it is very difficult to get the critical resources to the camps--and I've been to two of those camps, Mr. Speaker, Mukjar and the Kalma camp. And again, if it wasn't for the U.S., as Mr. Chabot pointed out, it is the U.S. and the generosity of the U.S. taxpayers that contribute most of the food and most of the medicine that is utilized by those beleaguered refugees.

I, again, want to thank him for his leadership in bringing this newest concern which needs to be reiterated over and over again. We have to make sure that those troops have the capability, have the wherewithal to carry on this battle with those who would subjugate and hurt and kill the Darfurians.

Responsible nations must come together and do everything we can to end the violence and restore peace to Darfur. You know, just because it's not on the front burner and it's not in the news media the way it was for a while doesn't mean that the issue has gone away. If anything, it has actually gotten worse in many aspects.

Finally, I'm one of those Members of Congress who actually met with General Bashir, the dictator to Sudan, in Khartoum. We had a very contentious meeting. He was denying that these kinds of atrocities are actually going on, and all he wanted to do was lift the embargo that the United States Government, through the work of Congress in a bipartisan way, had imposed upon Sudan. That's all he wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about the atrocities and the ending of those atrocities.

Well, now we know the chief prosecutor of the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague has asked for an indictment against Bashir. So he will join, in a very similar fashion, Joseph Coney and Charles Taylor, who is being held to account by the tribunal in Sierra Leon, for the crimes that he and like-minded individuals have committed.

We've got to send the message unmistakably by backing this U.N. force and by doing everything humanly possible to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice that ``never again'' will mean never again. We keep saying that, and genocide just keeps going from one part of the world to another. And certainly, the Darfurians are suffering genocide today.

In line with what we just discussed about the Olympics resolution, the Chinese Government, Mr. Speaker--and it's not necessarily in this resolution but it's germane to the issue--the Chinese Government has enabled the dictatorship in Sudan to carry on the atrocities in Darfur by providing the materiel so that the Government and the troops have the guns and the helicopters to strafe and kill and maim in Darfur.

Let's not forget, 2 million people died in southern Sudan with the full complicity of the Chinese dictatorship, and now upwards of 450,000--the high estimate, some put it at a lower number--have been killed and over 2 million made homeless in Darfur as a direct result of the Chinese enabling and facilitation of this terrible series of atrocities.

Again, at the minimum, the African Union troops that have put their lives on the line need to have the support, they need to have the guns, the ammunition and the air lift capabilities and all the other assets in order to carry on their mission.

Again, I thank Mr. Chabot.