Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, let me just rise and talk about how I on the other side am concerned about our situation now. We are concerned. The census reported just this month in August, 36 million Americans living in poverty, more than ever in recorded history. Forty-five million without access to health insurance. And we are saying we have a good program? This is the most powerful country in the world. Yet we find a large number that still reside in poverty. At the same time we are choosing to cut back in education. We are choosing to say no, when the administration shook hands on Leave No Child Behind.

That Republican compassionate conservatism is self-proclaimed compassionate conservatism because it is not one for allowing young people an opportunity to be able to further their education, to make sure they do not go onto welfare. During the last 4 years, we have lost more jobs than ever recorded. Those jobs that we have gained have been jobs that have paid much less than the ones that we have lost.

So the reality is that we have had an opportunity to make some things happen, and they failed to do that.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me, first of all, take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) for his efforts in this particular piece of legislation, and I want to thank him personally for his work in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs; as well as the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), the subcommittee chairman, for his work and his diligence and outreach to my side. I also want to take this opportunity to also thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) for his work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4768, the Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004. For the last 5 years, Mr. Speaker, the VA construction has essentially been nonexistent in large part to allow the completion of the CARES initiative. As the Members well know, the CARES initiative was an effort by the President to go out and look at facilities' utilizations, and so the fact is that we have not had an opportunity to improve on a lot of the facilities that are out there, and I am really pleased that this piece of legislation we have been able to bring forth. For the last 5 years, the VA health-care system has struggled to provide services with infrastructure that is in sore need of repair and upgrade.

H.R. 4768 will help the VA to develop and improve its properties, and under this bill, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs will have the authority to transfer unneeded properties and to retain the proceeds from those transfers.

In place of the Nursing Home Revolving Fund, the bill establishes a Capital Asset Fund, allowing the proceeds from the property transfers to be used for financing the cost of those transfers. The bill also authorizes $10 million to be appropriated to the Capital Asset Fund where it can be used for these purposes. Sixteen new major leases are authorized in this bill, including leases that I would like to mention in South Texas, where the gentleman from Texas' (Mr. Ortiz) district has had a lack of services in the Corpus Christi area.

The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), in the Harlingen area, and as well some services in the South Texas area, in San Antonio and others. So I am real pleased to have seen those areas, that even the CARES proposal that identified some areas of disparity that exists in terms of services for veterans.

Because many of the VA's important historic buildings are poorly maintained and are falling apart, I am also pleased that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs concluded that the VA should also use the capital asset fund to preserve historic properties. It is the committee's intent for VA to provide a series of reports to address its large inventory of historic assets.

In addition to the VA's construction, H.R. 4768 will include funds for four emergency preparedness centers we authorized in November of 2004. These centers will enhance medical preparedness for the VA and for the Nation. It is clear to me that as the Nation's largest health care provider, the VA has an important role to play in providing for attack or natural disasters. I have fought for funds to address the initiative costs of these centers, and I am pleased that the provisions are included.

This legislation would also extend the VA's authority to provide care to veterans participating in long-term care pilot programs. These programs were previously authorized in the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act, and are set to expire in December of 2005. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of the legislation, and I hope Members will support this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for the bill, but I just had some concerns with the dialogue on the House floor.

We service about 4.7 million veterans in this country. There are 25 million veterans out there, and our veterans are reaching that age where we really need to reach out to them. So we do have a long way to go. But I am real pleased to have this bill before us.

Mr. Speaker, I would like for the record to show that the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) wanted to be here to comment on this important bill, in which he has played a very important role and strategic role, but at the present time he is at the Committee on Armed Services meeting on the 9/11 legislation that is there before him. He does, however, intend to make comments available for the record.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, let me briefly just mention I am real pleased that in the piece of legislation, in 2002 we had passed the wordings for the emergency preparedness centers. One of the beauties of the VA is the fourth mission, and that is to respond to health care needs in case of emergencies, in case this country is ever hit, such as what happened on 9/11. It is one of the few systems that we have nationwide to respond.

We drafted legislation to establish four emergency preparedness centers, and I am real pleased the effort is there in this piece of legislation to try to make that happen and create that.

This is definitely an area where we really need to beef up on. I am hoping that the appropriators look at this seriously. I know that the discussions in the past have been that this should be a homeland security issue. The bottom line is that homeland security does not have access to health care, VA does, and emergency preparedness centers could provide that care.

So I think this is the appropriate area where we could respond through this legislation.

Let me just add once again on the CARES process, the CARES process also came up with some real good data that I think we also need to be concerned about, and this legislation begins to address some of those, but there are still some gaps there, and that is where it showed the disparities throughout the country.

Depending on where the veteran resides, depending on where he lives, determines basically the types of services that he gets or does not get, and that is one of the proposals and one of the recommendations that the CARES process has.

But one of the negative things that I would like to mention is that in the

process of having this CARES and going throughout the country, I know the VA put out a letter asking the staff not to solicit, not to educate veterans about services. The letter even indicated that even where there were gaps and where utilization of facilities were not being utilized, not to bring in more additional veterans, to the point that the Vietnam Veterans of America got fed up with it and decided to file a lawsuit against the VA.

So I was very pleased to see that, and we need to continue to move forward.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4231, as amended, the Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Recruitment and Retention Act of 2004. This act has a variety of innovative approaches designed to assist the VA in managing its nursing workforce. The VA nurses are significantly older, on average, than nurses in other sectors; and more than one-third of the VA nursing staffs would be eligible for retirement in the next 5 years. Those are substantial figures.

In the meantime, fewer students are training for careers in nursing care, while the need for those professions is growing. This will make the VA effort to retain and recruit nurses critical in ensuring that it is able to maintain high-quality and accessible services.

This bill contains provisions to address the projected nursing shortage, including a pilot project to examine the effectiveness of new recruiting techniques and, in addition, new flexible work schedules that may be attractive to nurses with young children or those who are interested in full-time employment with seasonable breaks. State veterans homes, an important partner to our veterans health system, may also offer new educational opportunities to their nurses.

I want to take this time, Mr. Speaker, to recognize the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) and thank him and acknowledge the leadership of the chairman of our Subcommittee on Health, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), in his efforts. I want to thank him and his staff in drafting this piece of legislation and working with me and us and all of us together to consider improvements to this particular bill.

I also once again want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) and the gentleman from Illinois (Ranking Member Evans), who continues to be at this present time in the Committee on Armed Services as we speak. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), my friend and fellow colleague, a member of the committee who has been a staunch supporter of veterans.

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

Let me first of all take this opportunity to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) for his efforts on this particular piece of legislation, and one of the beauties of this particular piece of legislation also is that it sets a trend. There is no doubt that in this country, and just like the VA's having difficulty with nurses, the entire country is having difficulty in getting nurses.

In addition to that, in the area of health professions, there will be a need for us to look at doctors. I know that we have a large number of slots in the area of doctors in the VA that have also not been filled. For some reason, this country has not produced the number of doctors that we need. We continue to produce 12,000 to 15,000 and bring in about 5,000 from abroad each year. In fact, right prior to 9/11, we brought in some 300,000 professionals from abroad, of which, in that category, was a little less than 5,000 doctors.

So we need to really begin to look, especially in the health profession and how it impacts the VA and these other areas, both these specialties, as well as physicians and the other health professionals that are needed.

So, once again, I want to thank everyone.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam for yielding me this time, and I am honored to rise to support Senate bill 2052, the Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Act.

This bill is the Senate version of the legislation I introduced, recognizing the historical and cultural heritage of what has become known as the Camino Real de los Tejas. The Camino Real de los Tejas is a series of trails extending from the Rio Grande through San Antonio, and ending in Louisiana, covering nearly 2,600 miles in all.

For more than 150 years, these trail systems served as critical trade routes, post roads, cattle trails and military highways. These roads were also, prior to the Spanish, were the trails the Native Americans utilized for almost 500 years.

The history of the United States is often taught as the western migration and the settlements of this continent. That history is, of course, central to our national experience. But there is another history that deserves our attention and recognition. That history is the south-to-north migration of the Spanish, the Native Americans, and the peoples of Mexico and Latin America.

The Spanish and the Mexican exploration and development of Texas followed these patterns from the late 1600s to the time of Texas independence in 1836. Even today, that pattern continues as people from Latin America trade with the United States, visit our country, and migrate here seeking new lives.

The Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail will give us the tools to remember that critical history and will provide local communities and organizations with the opportunity to develop cultural tourism in cooperation with the National Park Service. The Camino Real de los Tejas trail system was an important commercial and cultural trade corridor that helped define the history of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I first introduced the legislation to establish El Camino de los Tejas Trail in 1998. During these past 6 years, I and my staff have worked closely with local community leaders and other Members of Congress to craft a bill that would recognize the history of the trail while absolutely protecting the private property rights. I am proud this legislation enjoys bipartisan support in both the Senate and House.

I want to recognize the support and the work of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, the senior Senator from Texas, who introduced this companion bill earlier this year and successfully negotiated its passage in the Senate. I want to personally thank her, because without her efforts, we would not be where we are at now.

I also want to thank the staff who worked on this bill in the committee and in our personal offices, including Laura Marquez of my office, and I especially want to thank my chief of staff, Jeff Mendelsohn, who has spearheaded our efforts to pass this bill during the past 6 years. His focus and dedication to the project has made today's passage possible.

I also want to thank Al Notzon, back home in San Antonio, who has worked and gotten some 30 or 40 letters from cities and counties and a multitude of individuals throughout the State of Texas and Louisiana to come forth.

The beauty of this piece of legislation is that it allows us to get a good recognition of our history. One important thing I would like to mention, Mr. Speaker, is that during the War of 1812, whether you know it or not, through this trail came 10,000 head of cattle. If it had not been for those Mexican cows coming through there, no telling what would have happened in 1812. But we were able to pull it off in that war, and that is one of the little tidbits of history that is there regarding this trail and which was so significant to the making of this country.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the gathering of the National Hispanic Contractors Association at their 2nd Annual Conference entitled ``Framing the Future: Diversity Builds the American Dream''.

The Conference will take place on September 23rd and 24th, 2004 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With more than 150,000 Hispanic contractors in our nation, the Association will host many of them during this conference.

One of the panel discussions will focus on safety in the workforce. The rate of workplace injuries for Hispanics is disproportionately high. Hispanic workers, who comprise 12 percent of the U.S. labor force, experienced 15 percent of the fatal occupational injuries in 2003. Eight hundred forty Hispanic workers died from workplace injuries in 2003. I commend the USHCA for discussing this important subject.

The U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing the support necessary for the advancement, advocacy, and economic growth, and full participation of Hispanic-owned businesses in all areas of contracting and procurement contracts.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House of Representatives, I wish to recognize the Academy of Tejano Artists and Musicians, also known as the ``Tejano Academy,'' for mobilizing a unified effort and creating this organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The Tejano Academy is a unique musician-led organization that is committed to ensuring that artists and musicians have a voice of advocacy in the entertainment industry.

The Tejano Academy is the first organization of its kind in the Tejano Music Industry to encourage its membership to recognize and honor talent without relying on record sales, airplay, or any other type of monetary gain in an effort to diversify and elevate music standards. By diversifying categories, they are able to bring due recognition to artists and musicians who have been continuously overlooked and subsequently, educate the public about Tejano music.

The success of the Tejano Academy is due to the great leadership of the following Board Members: Donald Garza, President; Zeke Martinez, 1st Vice President; David Lee

Garza, 2nd Vice President; Stefani Montiel, 3rd Vice President; Sasha Sullivan, Secretary; Steve Roth; and Gibby Escobedo, Parliamentarian. Additionally, the Tejano Academy would not have been realized without the hard work, unwavering commitment and long hours persevered by Executive Director, Chayo Zaldivar. With this great team's continued hard work, the Tejano Academy is filling an important void in the Tejano Music Industry.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to recognize the many achievements and services provided by the Academy of Tejano Artists and Musicians. Please join me in honoring the Tejano Academy on September 19, 2004 for their 1st Annual Awards Presentation and Banquet.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honor to recognize today a friend and mentor who has distinguished himself brilliantly in business, politics and community. I speak of Arthur Riklin, who has lived his entire life--outside of college and military service--in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas. This Sunday, September 12, 2004, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly known as AIPAC, is honoring Arthur for his service to the community and his steadfast support of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.

Arthur is a leader in every sense of the word. He inspires others and leads by example. He currently serves as chairman of the San Antonio Friends of Israel Committee, a group he has nurtured and encouraged the past few years with great success. When you speak with Arthur, you can feel his passion, his commitment, and his dedication. He is an advocate who speaks from the heart about the common values and mutual interests shared by the United States and Israel.

A few years ago, Arthur spoke at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio about the impact of Judaism in his life. He spoke of his early experiences with anti-Semitism growing up in San Antonio, planting within him the seeds of political activism. He ended his talk by urging his friends to be involved in the political process to fight injustice and promote issues of importance. He explained that it meant not only voting, but also getting to know elected officials personally, to share viewpoints, and thereby be in a position to make a difference.

Arthur has done just that--he has made a difference to me and to countless others. A successful businessman whose family had little when he was a child, Arthur has given back to his community. He served five years as an officer in the United States Air Force, followed by seven years in the Reserves. He has raised money for charitable causes and given of his time generously. Arthur has served in senior leadership positions with numerous organizations, including the USO Council of San Antonio, the Rotary Club, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He helped establish the Judeo-Christian Studies Committee of St. Mary's University and is a lifetime member of the NAACP, both part of his lifelong effort to bring diverse people together in ways that increase understanding and break down barriers. It is no wonder that he has received the Lyndon Baines Johnson Humanitarian Award, the NCCJ's National Brotherhood Humanitarian Award or Hadassah's Myrtle Wreath Award.

Above all else, Arthur is a gentleman, a loving husband, father and grandfather. He is married to Helene Katz, also of San Antonio, and they have three children and five grandchildren. Of all his awards and honors, I know he values them the most.

Mr. Speaker, those in this House who know Art Riklin, and many of us on both sides of the aisle know him, appreciate his quiet, yet persistent voice, and we value his counsel and advice. Arthur Riklin is a gentleman and a citizen extraordinaire. May he go from strength to strength.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for the bill under consideration here today. But I am disappointed that we could not address this issue in the military construction appropriations bill.

The military construction bill includes not just funding for the construction of much needed facilities but also funds dedicated to constructing housing for our troops and their families. These funds are needed to construct new housing to replace existing housing that is in poor condition--where failing electrical systems and leaky roofs risk the safety of our military families. These funds are needed to build new houses on military bases where there are not enough homes to meet the demand of our military families--where the waiting time for a home can be over a year, where young enlisted families must live far from the support the base community provides. And these funds are needed to remodel and refurbish homes that are in disrepair--where families live without proper air conditioning in the summer or with poor heating in the winter.

In order to meet these pressing needs in the best and quickest way possible, we have worked with private industry to speed relief to military families. But today some here in Congress want to put a halt to the very successful military housing privatization program--not because they want to harm military families, but because they want to argue about the legislative process.

I believe that there is a time and a place for a debate about budget process to occur--that time is not now. Not when we have military families living in substandard housing. And not when we have hundreds of thousands of fathers and mothers serving in hostile environments around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote to support our military families by supporting the privatized housing program that has been so successful in bringing needed relief to these hardworking families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3884 which would name the San Antonio Federal Courthouse after the Honorable Hipolito F. Garcia, better known to San Antonians as Hippo Garcia.

He was a native of San Antonio, and entered high school unable to speak English. Through hard work and determination, he became the first Mexican American to be named a Federal judge for the Western District. After graduating from high school, he served in the Army and on his return to civilian life, he earned a law degree.

With his diploma in hand, he launched his career as assistant district attorney. Years later, Judge Garcia was recognized by President Carter who nominated him to the Federal bench in 1980. Following his confirmation by the United States Senate, he served as a U.S. District Judge for the Western District.

Judge Garcia, better known as Hippo Garcia, dedicated more than 50 years of his life pursuing the cause of justice and inspired many people along his path. Over the course of his extraordinary life, Judge Garcia blazed new trails for Americans of Hispanic descent and brought incomparable integrity, fairness and intelligence to his courtroom. He is a highly respected jurist who has earned this permanent honor.

I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation as we commemorate his achievements, Judge Hippo Garcia.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4175, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2004.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, and of course, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), our ranking member, for their leadership and advocacy for our Nation's veterans. I also would like to thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) for his efforts and his leadership as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Benefits, as well as the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown).

Every year Congress does a small yet much welcomed cost-of-living adjustment to increase the rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities. This legislation, similar to those we have passed before, would authorize the cost-of-living adjustment on December 1, 2004, based on the same formula for our Social Security users. Additionally, it would increase the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of certain service- connected disabled veterans.

Our disabled veterans are some of our country's greatest assets.

The Disabled American Veterans say it best: ``Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end, but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent.'' These men and women must struggle to regain health, to reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions, and rejoin the civilian world. At each step, they need help to help themselves.

Madam Speaker, I know that this is just a small increase for our veterans and their survivors, but I know that they appreciate it. I encourage all my colleagues to vote in favor of this particular piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, we are incredibly blessed in this country to have a group of veterans service organizations looking out for the best interest of our veterans. For almost 60 years, American Veterans, commonly referred to as AMVETS, have been making a difference in the lives of those who have given so much for this country, our veterans and their families.

Through their national service foundations, AMVETS has service officers throughout the country who provide guidance and action on compensation claims and help them at no charge to our veterans.

Additionally, their Members and those of the AMVETS Auxiliary volunteer countless hours at our veterans and military hospitals throughout this country. During this time of increased military deployment, it is so important to have a network of veterans who help our injured soldiers and to whom they can turn for help and assistance.

Throughout my 7 years in Congress, I have met with AMVETS on a regular basis as they advocate for funding for veteran services, needs for homeless veterans, for better education benefits for our veterans, and many other issues. They have been there. Without them, we would not be where we are. They have been a voice for our veterans and continue to be there for our veterans. They have an incredible history, and I would like to take this opportunity not only to thank them for all they do for our veterans, but also to congratulate them on their upcoming National Charter Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring a wonderful leader and educator, Ms. Sandra Feldman, as she retires from her role as President of the American Federation of Teachers.

As the 15th president of the American Federation of Teachers and the union's 1st female president since 1930, Ms. Feldman has led the more than 1 million members of her union since 1997.

A native of New York, Sandra Feldman is a self-described ``kid from Coney Island.'' She grew up in a city-owned slum in Brooklyn that was condemned for all the years she lived there and worked her way through the public education system. She attended Brooklyn College on a scholarship and later received a master's degree in English Literature from New York University.

Sandra Feldman is a lifelong civil rights and union activist. She rose from union ranks to serve as president of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, a post she held from 1986 to 1997, when she was elected AFT president. She recognizes that children are America's most valuable resource and, as such, they must have guidance from able- bodied professionals to develop into productive members of society.

Recognized as an authority on urban education and an advocate for children, her long-standing commitment to social justice dates back to her involvement with the early Civil Rights movement. As such, she has been recognized by many United States Presidents, governors and mayors to tackle the social issues of education, the economy, child-welfare and labor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank her for her many efforts and sacrifices, as she continues to work to increase the rights of public school teachers and the quality of education for our young children and I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating this wonderful American.

Mr. Chairman, let me take this opportunity, first of all, to congratulate the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca), the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) on this particular amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for this effort, because there is no doubt that, despite the amendment before us by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla), we still need to make sure that those resources go to those communities, minority communities, throughout this country, to make sure that discrimination does not exist.

Although we have made great strides to end discrimination in this country, it still persists in our produce organizations and the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA has a history of discrimination in these programs, and the USDA has not provided enough funding for minority initiatives that would level the playing field for minority products.

So even if we do what we have been assigned based on the amendment that was passed offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla), we have got to make sure that those resources reach those populations that are in need; that despite the fact when we did have that staff there and now we are trying to increase the staff, that still did not take place.

Civil rights complaints from minority farmers have cost the USDA nearly $1 billion in the form of settlements and awards and have the potential to increase many times that amount. The Baca-Thomas-Kildee amendment is a modest and needed step in reducing these costs and eliminating discrimination against minorities.

With all the progress that our country has made, it is my hope that the Congress continues to move in the right direction and support funding for programs and farmers and ranchers throughout this country, including black farmers and Hispanic farmers.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment in order to do the right thing in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Brendan Godfrey, a great scientist, leader, and friend. As the Deputy Director of the 311th Human Systems Wing at Brooks City-Base, formerly Brooks Air Force Base, since 1998, Dr. Godfrey has served the medical and human system needs of the Air Force and the San Antonio community.

Dr. Godfrey has proven his leadership skills and abilities, to the benefit of Brooks, the Air Force, and the San Antonio community. Dr. Godfrey has been a true partner in the transformation of Brooks from an Air Force base to

the first city-base in the country. He has provided good counsel, creative ideas, and tremendous energy to make this first-ever transition a reality.

Brooks City-Base has greatly benefited from Dr. Godfrey's 30 years of scientific and managerial experience. He has successfully managed large staffs and budgets, and under Dr. Godfrey's direction, Brooks City-Base has increased its productivity and has forged unprecedented community partnerships that have benefited both Air Force warfighters and the local community.

Dr. Godfrey's accomplishments have distinguished him from his peers, and his colleagues have recognized his leadership skills by naming him the Director of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. I am happy to congratulate him on this new assignment; however, I know Brooks City-Base and the San Antonio community will miss his valuable service. I am confident that he will continue to create innovations that will enable the Air Force to better serve its military members and our country.

It is a pleasure to recognize and thank Dr. Godfrey for his many contributions and public service. I ask the Members of the House of Representatives to join me in honoring this gentleman on his promotion as the new Director of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and wish Dr. Brendan Godfrey and his family all the best.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4345, and would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, especially the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown-Waite) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) for bringing this issue forward.

For many years, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) has been advocating for this, and I am glad that we are taking it up on suspension today. Like all Americans, our veterans dream of obtaining the American Dream of homeownership. Our veterans have fought selflessly on behalf of our country and are entitled to the benefits we have promised them, including home loan benefits.

Unfortunately, for many, the dream is faced with many obstacles. The current VA home loan limits of $240,000 prevents many veterans from using home loan benefits to purchase a home in many high-cost areas, like California, Florida, and many parts of the State of Texas, which affect my veterans who are retired.

This legislation indexes the maximum loan amount to 100 percent of

the Freddie Mac Conforming Loan Rate to make the VA home loan program compatible with the home loans available to the public nationwide. Additionally, the legislation allows the maximum VA loan amount to adjust automatically each year to the Freddie Mac standard in order to remain compatible with the national housing market.

This legislation is extremely important. During 2003, three million veterans took advantage of the VA home loan program. Three million. And I am also very positive that more veterans will be able to take advantage of these benefits because of the improvements we have made today.

As our troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must continue to show them and to say thanks from a grateful Nation. This particular piece of legislation is something that is needed and I am real pleased we have had this opportunity. I cannot think of a better way of saying thanks to all our soldiers and our veterans than by improving the benefits to our soldiers with this legislation.

Once again, I thank the two authors.