Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, March is a significant month for Irish Americans. March 17 honors Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick is commemorated for introducing Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century.

March also commemorates Irish American Heritage Month, which was first proclaimed by the United States Congress in 1995.

Irish immigrants contributed a great deal to the creation of this great Nation, both during the struggle for independence and in the founding of the Republic. Nine of the people who signed our Declaration of Independence and 19 Presidents of the United States claim Irish heritage, including our first President, George Washington.

The largest wave of Irish immigrants came in the late 1840s when the great potato famine ravaged Ireland, caused 2 million people to emigrate, mostly to America. These immigrants transformed our cities and rural communities into centers of commerce and cultural diversity. Though they faced terrible discrimination and prejudice, they persevered and took jobs as laborers and built railroads to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Irish Americans have contributed significantly to the enrichment of all aspects of life in this Nation, including military and public service, science, education, dance, literature and much more. And especially, Mr. Speaker, Irish Americans are very actively and consistently involved in public activity, public service activity, public decision-making, running for office, being members of local and State governments and of our national government. I am pleased to support this resolution.

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

Madam Speaker, I want to, first of all, thank my colleagues, Representatives Kirk and Shimkus from Illinois, for giving us the opportunity to take this moment to pay tribute and commend the life, the work, and I would even extend to the point of saying the legacy, of Chairman Henry Hyde.

As a matter of fact, Henry's district is next door to mine. His district is number six. Mine is number seven. And oftentimes I find myself in his community, in his neighborhood. And I sometimes go to an eating establishment, that is a restaurant, where he is a legend. And generally every time I go in there, someone is exploiting and extolling the virtues of Henry Hyde, and they are talking about they remember the time when Henry did this, Henry did that. I agree with Representative Shimkus that although ideologically bent, Henry has always been a gentleman and a scholar, a true gentleman and a pleasant person to work with. I am delighted to have served with him, wish him well, and know that we are still going to bump into each other occasionally in that great restaurant where he likes to eat.

Have a good time, Henry. We look forward to seeing you.

Madam Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding.

I also want to commend Chairman Souder and Ranking Member Cummings for the tenacious and outstanding work that they have done on this issue ever since I have been associated with them and affiliated with the subcommittee. As a matter of fact, they have traveled all over America, the length and breadth of the country, listening to people, visiting with people. As a matter of fact, I do not know anybody who has worked harder on an issue than they have, and so I commend both of you for your tenacity and outstanding work.

I rise in support of H.R. 2829, Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2005, a policy which addresses prevention, interdiction and treatment, as well as all aspects of law enforcement.

The use and abuse of illegal, illicit and contraband drugs is one of the most challenging and difficult problems facing America. For example, in Cook County where I live, in a survey that was taken a couple of years ago, 800,000 individuals indicated that they used drugs, 800,000. I grant you that we have a population of over 5 million people but 800,000 of those said that they used illicit drugs; 300,000 indicated that they were what we call hard core drug users, every day or whenever they could find the money to purchase what

they need. As a matter of fact, the Chicago police records suggest that 75 percent of all the people that they arrest test positive for drug use.

If we could somehow or another reduce the use of drugs, crime statistics would go so far down until sometimes we would have a hard time finding them. There is a direct correlation between crime and drug use in America.

As a result of looking at this problem, I have become more and more a fan of what I call treatment on demand; that is, enough resources so that when individuals who are addicted decide that they are ready for treatment, that treatment is available to them and so that they do not have to wait 90 days or 60 days to get into a program, because in 90 days or 60 days or 30 days they may have decided that they do not want treatment anymore. So we lose the opportunity.

While again I commend Chairman Souder, Ranking Member Cummings and certainly Chairman Tom Davis and Ranking Member Henry Waxman for all of the attention that they have given, I hope that as we go into the new Congress in January that we can build upon the outstanding work that this subcommittee and the Committee on Government Reform has done and make certain that we have not only the resources available for law enforcement for prevention but that we also have enough resources available for treatment.

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

Madam Speaker, last August, the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization Subcommittee held a hearing in Las Vegas on Federal firefighter compensation. In addition to pay, one of the concerns raised at the hearing by the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association was the classification of Federal wildland firefighters.

Federal wildland firefighters are classified as either general schedule or wage-grade employees of the Federal Government. However, many of them are placed in the occupational series called forestry technicians, range technicians, and biological science technicians that do not reference their firefighting duties. These current classifications do not accurately represent the work performed by these wildland firefighters. H.R. 5697 would correct that by redesignating forest and range technicians as Federal wildland firefighters. This bill changes the name but not the pay of those currently called wildland firefighters or technicians. H.R. 5697 is supported by the FWFSA, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I strongly support this bill, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding.

I rise in strong support of S. 843, the Combating Autism Act of 2006. I also take this opportunity to commend and congratulate Mr. Tim Muri, president and CEO of Easter Seals of Chicago, as well as the University of Illinois Medical Center, and all of those who support this venture which I am about to mention.

On October 30, 2006, Easter Seals, with the support of many in the Chicagoland area, broke ground for a brand new therapeutic school and center for autism research in the Illinois Medical Center District. This bill, S. 843, will greatly enhance the work of this school and other entities across the country.

So I simply support not only the development of this brand new school but certainly the legislation which is going to enhance the work of those combating autism across the country.

I thank the gentleman again for yielding.

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

Mr. Speaker, on November 16 the world lost one of its preeminent and influential economists and thinkers of our time. Dr. Milton Friedman is most commonly associated with his theories of monetarism, his devotion to the free market that sought to turn the Keynesian economic revolution on its head, and his visions of an international economic system that is free of pegged and fixed exchange rates.

Friedman's top achievement, among many, was his Nobel Prize in Economics, which he was awarded in 1976. And while many of his achievements are well known, some of his lesser known accomplishments make him an intriguing figure. One of the abstractions Friedman developed in his famous work, ``Capitalism and Freedom,'' was the concept of the negative income tax credit, or the modern-day earned income tax credit. This abstraction advances the idea that people who earn less than a certain amount of money should receive money from the government. Friedman also was a key member of the White House Commission on White House Fellows from 1971 to 1973. But most of all, Milton Friedman was devoted to the centrality of freedom in domestic and international affairs.

And although Friedman was born to humble beginnings as a first- generation American, he rose to become the leader of the Chicago School of Economics. The Chicago School is regarded around the world as an institution that produces outstanding economic scholarship and rigorous theory. Milton Friedman's name will hold a permanent place in economic debate, and so I am pleased and delighted to be in support of this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that I have any additional requests for time. But simply, as a resident of Chicago where Milton Friedman did a great deal of his work, we were always immensely proud of him, and I am very pleased to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of S. 1820, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6110 East 51st Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Dewey F. Bartlett Post Office. S. 1820, sponsored by Senator James Inhofe, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on March 3, 2006.

Dewey Bartlett was born in Marietta, Ohio. During World War II he served in the United States Marine Corps as a dive bomber pilot in the South Pacific. After the war, Mr. Bartlett moved to Oklahoma, working as a farmer, rancher and independent oil producer.

Mr. Bartlett was elected to the State senate in 1962. Four years later he ran for Governor. As Governor, he was recognized for his efforts in economic development.

In 1972 Governor Bartlett was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1973 to 1979. Sadly, he passed away in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 1, 1979.

I urge swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield as much time as he might consume to the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady).

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume to conclude for our side.

I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1084, as amended, a resolution that honors the life of Ed Bradley. Most of us know Ed Bradley from his 25 years of work on the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes, and his many interviews with world figures, celebrities and cultural icons.

The men and the women who sat in the chair across from Bradley doing his 60 Minutes interviews were figures of importance, people to whom we should pay attention, and we could rely on Bradley to make sure that no skeleton in the darkest corner of his subject's closet was safe from the tenacious journalists.

Bradley got his break by covering the 1965 riots while working part- time for free at a Philadelphia radio station. His talent did not go unnoticed for long. Bradley caught the ear of New York, and CBS radio hired him in 1967. He became the lone African American to report the news on the airways in New York.

Bradley went on to work in international television news in 1971. He worked for CBS news in Paris, Vietnam and Cambodia, where he proved himself as the quintessential journalist in sometimes dangerous situations.

During his coverage of the Vietnam War, Bradley was injured by shrapnel from a mortar shell, a true testament to his devotion to getting a story. Bradley began working on the 60 Minutes news show in 1981, and he remained there until his death last month from leukemia.

I had the opportunity to be sitting close to the mayor of the City of Chicago at the Democratic Convention when he and Ed Bradley got into a serious exchange, one that everybody in our city always remembers.

A tenacious style and hard-hitting coverage earned Bradley many accolades and awards over the years. He won 19 Emmys and countless other awards by bringing us some of the most memorable television news moments over the past 25 years. Whether he was standing on the floor of a Presidential convention, sitting across the table from a world leader, teaching us about the AIDS epidemic from a remote region of Africa, reporting about war and humanitarian crises in Vietnam or Cambodia, or calling from a public phone booth in Philadelphia to report on the 1965 riots, Bradley was a welcome guest in our homes and hearts for almost 40 years.

I again express my strong support for this resolution that honors Ed Bradley.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is believed that Leroy ``Satchel'' Paige was born on July 7, 1905. In 1965, 60 years after Page's estimated birth, he took the mound for the last time and threw three shutout innings for the Kansas City Athletics.

Paige's pitching was amazing and his showboating was legendary. Joe DiMaggio called Paige ``the best and fastest pitcher I have ever faced.'' His career highlights spanned five decades. Pronounced the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues, Paige compiled such feats as 64 consecutive scoreless innings, a stretch of 21 straight wins, and a 31-4 record in 1933. For 22 years, Paige mauled the competition in front of sellout crowds. His goal was to pitch in the Major Leagues.

In 1948, Paige's dream came true. The Cleveland Indians were in need of extra pitching for the pennant race. Paige stepped to the mound and helped the Indians win. He also played for St. Louis and Kansas City.

When Paige's Major League career was completed, he compiled a modest 28-31 record with a 3.29 earned run average. He also served as a coach for the Atlanta Braves in 1968. In 1971, Paige was given the ultimate honor. He was elected to join the very best in baseball history by being elected to the Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to support S. Con. Res. 91.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate November as National Adoption Month. Originating in Massachusetts in 1976 as National Adoption Week under Governor Michael Dukakis, the honor was celebrated nationally by President Ford in 1976 and then extended to the month of November in 1990. It is a time during which we celebrate the families who have shown their commitment to children in need by opening their homes and a time to promote awareness of the need to find permanent homes for our most vulnerable children.

Permanency is important in the life of a child; with over 523,000 children in foster care, we must focus our attention on finding permanent, stable, and caring relationships for these children. Approximately 20 percent of the children in foster care have the ultimate end goal of adoption. This equals around 104,600 who are awaiting or working toward adoption. The need for quality, loving and permanent homes for these children is great. Children who age out of the foster care system are more likely to be homeless and more likely to end up in jail than their counterparts.

The issue of safe and permanent homes is of particular concern to my district, the Seventh Congressional District of Illinois. The Seventh District has the highest percentage of kinship care providers in the entire United States. I hope that our efforts in the 110th Congress will promote permanency for these children and support them and their families.

I urge organizations to continue their hard work advocating for adoption and permanency. Organizations such as the National Council for Adoption, Voice for Adoption, the Child Welfare League of America, the Children's Defense Fund, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, and the North American Council on Adoptable Children, just to name a few. Parents who adopt face many challenges and deserve our recognition and thanks. These families commit themselves to a child, emotionally, financially and mentally. The bonds they form are lifelong, and, most importantly, they positively affect the life of a child.

Mr. Speaker, as John F. Kennedy once said, ``Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.'' We must make sure that all of our Nation's children have hope for their future. To do this, we must ensure them loving, stable, and caring environments. Adoptive parents provide this for thousands of children every year. I thank adoptive parents as well as the numerous organizations dedicated to helping promote permanency for their commitment and sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Field Museum of Natural History on its recent award of a $10,000 grant from the Illinois Humanities Council. This grant helps fund the development of public outreach programming related to the Halls of the Ancient Americas exhibition.

The Field Museum is a world-class institution dedicated to providing outstanding educational experiences to the millions of people who walk through its doors every year. Founded as the Columbian Museum of Chicago in 1893, the Field Museum's original goal was, ``accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of objects illustrating art, archaeology, science and history.'' The Field Museum continues the same goals and objectives today, continuing its commitment to preservation and education.

The Field Museum is so much more than a museum, it is a world class education and research facility; the Field Museum also boasts an impressive 250,000 piece natural history collection. In addition, this wonderful institution is committed to giving back to the community through outstanding learning opportunities and important research.

I am proud that the Field Museum calls Chicago home. Its impressive exhibits and collections have the ability to educate the people of both Chicago and the world. With important education programs such as the Halls of the Ancient Americas, the Field Museum has the ability to instruct those who walk through its doors on their heritage, culture and history.

Once again I would like congratulate the Field Museum on receiving the grant from the Illinois Humanities Council. The Field Museum has served and will continue to serve both Chicago and the nation for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. The American Association of Museums recently conferred accreditation on the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. Accreditation is a prestigious honor; it is the highest national recognition of a museum's commitment to professional museum standards, accountability, public service, and excellence in education.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust works tirelessly to preserve both Wright's home and studio as well as the Frederick C. Robie House, arguably one of Wright's most significant architectural works. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and one of the most prominent American architects of all time. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust provides a great service to the people of my congressional district, the Seventh District of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I once again would like to extend my sincerest congratulations and thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust for all of their hard work and recent accreditation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the 2006 recipient of the National Award for Museum and Library Services. It comes as no surprise to me that this superior institution was selected as the recipient of this award. The Shedd Aquarium has served not only Chicago, but the entire Nation, for well over 75 years. It very much deserves our admiration and respect.

The John G. Shedd Aquarium is a world class institution that enjoys a national reputation for excellence. The Shedd Aquarium is truly the world's aquarium. In addition to being the largest indoor aquarium in the world, the Shedd was one of the first aquariums to offer an education program. Through its unique ability to make education fun, the Shedd has touched the lives of the more than 2 million of people who walk through its doors every year.

The John G. Shedd Aquarium is so much more than a museum; the scientists and staff are leaders throughout the world in research and conservation. The research initiatives that

the Shedd undertakes are vital to understanding and preserving our environment, especially in the Chicago area.

As a Chicagoan, I am proud to have the Shedd Aquarium located in my congressional district. The Shedd's genuine commitment to serving the greater Chicagoland community has for decades made it one of the most distinguished non-profits in our area. In particular, the Shedd demonstrates an exceptional commitment to the community in Chicago through education programs and other service-related initiatives. One of its most important projects is its participation in the Great Lakes Forever initiative. Roughly 37 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, recreation, and livelihood. The Shedd is committed to ensuring that the Great Lakes are healthy and continue to serve those around them for centuries to come.

Clearly, the Shedd understands its role as a community leader and gives a great deal back to the people of Chicago. Mr. Speaker, as Gifford Pinchot once said of conservation, ``Conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men.'' Conservation is paramount at the Shedd Aquarium, and every operation is carried out to reflect this ideal; it is truly working for the lasting good of man. Chicago and its citizens are privileged to call its city the home of the John G. Shedd Aquarium. The Shedd Aquarium works tirelessly to give back to the community, including both Chicago and the Nation. Again, it is my great honor to announce that the John G. Shedd Aquarium is the 2006 recipient of the National Award for Museum and Library Services.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to Honor National Family Week. National Family Week takes place November 19th through November 25th. This event is sponsored by the Alliance for Children and Families. The Alliance for Children and Families represents an impressive group of advocates who have a tremendous effect on our children and families. National Family Week reflects a commitment to ensuring healthy, stable communities--communities where families that have the resources, affordable housing and the social networks they need to thrive

and where children have the quality education, child care, and the health care they need to grow into our leaders of tomorrow.

The Alliance for Children and Families represents several vital organizations in Chicago. There are fifteen Alliance members who work in the heart of Chicago. Included in this group of advocates are: Casa Central; Centers for New Horizons, Inc.; Chicago Children's Advocacy Center; Child Care Association of Illinois; Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois; ChildServ; Generations of Success; Jane Addams Hull House; Jewish Child and Family Services; Kids Hope United; Lawrence Hall Youth Services; Methodist Youth Services, Inc.; Metropolitan Family Services; and Salvation Army Family Services. I am grateful for each of them and all the wonderful work that they do. Specifically I would like to recognize the Jane Addams Hull House, which recently received a $3 million dollar grant from the Department of Education for its Early Reading First program. This grant illustrates the outstanding work that the three-hundred member organizations of the Alliance for Children and Families do for our citizens. I recognize and understand the importance of groups like the Jane Addams Hull House that provide important services to communities. I also want to recognize the efforts of the numerous other organizations in the Seventh District of Illinois that are not members of the Alliance but who are committed to the betterment of child welfare and well-being. These organizations work hard to teach our children, advocate on behalf of families everywhere, and provide necessary services to help strengthen communities.

As George Bernard Shaw once said, ``Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to this country and to mankind is to bring up a family.'' The Alliance for Children and Family and their three hundred members help families and communities successfully achieve the greatest social service by providing the tools necessary to ensure healthy and stable communities. It is my great honor to recognize National Family Week, the Alliance for Children and Families, and all that they do to ensure the success of our nation's children and families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rev. C.T. Baker the Pastor of Holy Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church located in Chicago, Illinois. This Sunday Rev. Baker will celebrate 32 years as Pastor of Holy Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Baker has come a long way from his birth in Lexington, Kentucky. He has served in the ministry now for more than 45 years.

Rev. Baker has served as a beacon of light and a ray of hope throughout Chicago. Rev. Baker is not only a great preacher, but he has also been blessed with a great singing voice. After preaching on Sunday's he can be found singing God's praises in Dr. Willie Wilson's Singsation Choir. The choir is in a different church ever Sunday afternoon.

Rev. Baker really epitomizes the scripture found in the sixth Chapter of the Book of Micah. In that chapter the writer asks the question-- what does God require of man? The response that was given--God requires that man do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. When Hurricane Katrina struck and thousands of people were displaced--it was Rev. Baker who helped lead the effort on behalf of Dr. Willie Wilson and Ministers throughout Chicago to provide relief. Rev. Baker, Dr. Willie Wilson and others personally went to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans--while there they handed out more than $300,000 dollars to people who were displaced by the storm.

Rev. Baker is a compassionate man with a big heart. He received his formal training in the ministry from Moody Bible Institute and The Chicago Baptist Institute. He is a family man, father of his own children and he and his wife Mrs. Diane Baker are parents to many others.

On behalf of the constituents of the Seventh Congressional District I join with those paying tribute to Rev. Baker for his 32 years as Pastor of the Holy Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church.