Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Lake Oswego Soccer Club's Dynamo Blue boys' team who will be competing in the U-12 bracket of the U.S. Club Soccer Nationals tournament held in Cary, North Carolina July 22 through July 25, 2004.

These Lake Oswego Soccer Club members will represent the region of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Northern California: Ryogo Asai, Cale Begelow, Brandon Blackmore, Jacob Campbell, Jack Cowan, Kyle DeVos, Ben Dugoni, Alex Haagenson, Ben Handy, Thomas Iwasaki, Erik McAdams, Nick Nelson, Bennett Savage, Luke Thompson, and Tyler Webster and are coached by Michael Harn.

As a former physical education teacher and coach, I know the positive benefits of giving students the opportunity to participate in team sports. Whether working together as a team, exercising good sportsmanship skills or developing pride in playing one's best, team sports teach our children valued lessons they will carry throughout life.

We also know that childhood activity improves child health which, in turn, is beneficial to adult health. When children have the opportunity to live an active life through programs such as soccer, children have a much higher propensity to live as active adults which reduces their health risks.

I would also like to commend U.S. Club Soccer, a non-profit organization, committed exclusively to the support and development of competitive soccer clubs. With close to 8 million youth soccer players in our country and growing, it is safe to say that U.S. soccer players pose a significant challenge on the world's playing field.

Again, good luck to the Dynamo Blue boys' team from Lake Oswego. I know that you will play your best and carry the pride of representing our community, our state and the region at Nationals.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment would increase funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service by $5 million for the purpose of combating sudden oak death.

Sudden oak death is a relatively new disease, first discovered in California in 1995. Since that time it has spread to nurseries throughout the west coast and actually has also been discovered in New York. Caused by a fungus-like organism that invades susceptible trees through the bark, killing portions of the tree, sudden oak death is dangerous to both the nursery and Christmas tree industries, and to our wild forests.

I want to commend the committee for including some additional funding in this bill for research of sudden oak death. Because of the newness and lack of knowledge we have about this disease, additional research is essential, and I am strongly supportive of these efforts.

In addition to research, however, we must include additional funding to investigate and eradicate sudden oak death, and the bill we have in front of us today falls short of that necessary funding. Last year, APHIS allocated $15 million toward efforts to fight sudden oak death and is launching a national investigation to determine where sudden oak death is located and how it is spreading. Additional funding is necessary to complete the job.

In Oregon, the nursery industry is the number one sector of agriculture, totaling over $700 million produced annually. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has acted aggressively in an attempt to identify and eradicate this disease.

Sudden oak death, however, is a national problem, not one unique just to Oregon and, as a result, demands a national solution.

The nursery industry nationally is a $14 billion industry. Failure to stop the spread of this disease could have devastating effects on the American economy. Canada currently has a quarantine on California nurseries and is considering placing one on Oregon and

Washington. In addition, Korea and Mexico are considering a quarantine that would affect the export of Christmas trees. Even within the United States, States are beginning to place quarantines on other States because of sudden oak death.

Sudden oak death has real economic consequences, and we must take additional steps to fight it. This amendment is merely a step in the longer battle against this disease. This amendment is fully offset, reducing funding from the USDA Buildings and Facilities Account. Even with this reduction, they will receive at least as much money as they did last year. This amendment will help stop sudden oak death and will save American agriculture millions of dollars. I urge my colleagues to support the Hooley-Wu amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote, and pending that, I make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Today is an important day for small business, their owners, their employees, those out of work and desperately searching and, indeed, the entire American economy.

In June, our economy was estimated to add 112,000 new jobs. Make no mistake, this is a significant number, especially for those individuals that found these new jobs and for their families. However, there are still far too many individuals and families that are suffering from the effects of unemployment, and unfortunately, that number of new jobs falls drastically short of the number of new jobs needed each month just to keep up with the growing working population. Yet, here we are on a day when Oregon's unemployment is still 6.7 percent.

There is a bill before us that seeks to cut all funding for the Small Business Administration's loan program, 7(a). The SBA 7(a) loan program is vital to America's small business, and American small businesses are vital to the American economy and the American worker.

Demand for more small business loans, especially 7(a) guaranteed loans, have increased dramatically as America's small businesses seize a glimmer of hope that we are emerging from our recession. To pull the very rug out from under them by cutting funding to the 7(a) program just when they see this glimmer of hope is nothing short of cruel. These SBA 7(a) loans are especially important to start-up businesses which are so reliant on ready access to capital.

These start-up businesses are our future. They will be where our new growth comes from. It makes no sense whatsoever to cut their access to capital when our economy needs every boost of stimulus it can get.

A vote for the Manzullo-Velazquez amendment is a vote for America's small business which, in turn, is a vote for America's economy and the American worker. That is why I am supporting this amendment to restore the funding needed for the 7(a) SBA program, and that is why I am asking all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Credit Union Act. Recognizing that every credit union exists ``for the purpose of promoting thrift among its members and creating a source of credit for provident or productive purposes,'' Congress passed the Federal Credit Union Act on June 26, 1934 and in so doing gave birth to the network of federal credit unions that continues to serve our nation's citizens today.

While federal credit unions have grown since 1934, their basic mission remains the same today as it was 70 years ago:

Federal credit unions now as they did then provide low cost financial services to their members; and

Federal credit unions now as then continue to emphasize their traditional cooperative values of democratic control and volunteerism.

The unique democratic spirit of credit unions is what sets them apart from other financial institutions. Seventy years after passage of the Federal Credit Union Act, federal credit union boards of directors are still elected democratically with every single member of the credit union (regardless of the amount of his or her savings) having an equal vote. What's more, the vast majority of credit union board members volunteer their time for the betterment of the credit union, without compensation of any kind.

Although credit unions are a very small segment of the financial services industry, that democratic spirit and sense of volunteerism has helped them grow over the course of the past seventy years to serve more than 85 million Americans. Today, credit unions serve as a viable, healthy alternative to other traditional providers of financial services.

Credit unions also continue to serve a growing number of people of modest means. By building branches in distressed neighborhoods absent other traditional financial institutions, credit unions have helped encourage entrepreneurship and improve access to basic financial services.

I commend the Nation's federal credit unions for the good work they have done for the last 70 years and the good work they will, no doubt, continue to do for the next 70 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the very special life of Eric McKINLEY.

Eric, like most young men, loved his family, enjoyed his job, and dreamed of doing something important with the time given him.

But Specialist Eric McKinley was different from most. Simply put, Eric did more in his brief twenty-four years than many ever will. This local hero volunteered to serve his community, his State, and his Nation for a six year enlistment with the Oregon Army National Guard.

He proudly did his duty, and then he did more. You see, Eric was due to come home and be discharged in early April. His family, his friends, and his coworkers at the bakery shop in Corvallis where he worked longed for his laugh, his smile--his gentle presence.

But it was not to be.

Like a lot of young soldiers, Eric McKinley's service was extended in Iraq because his special skills were needed to rebuild a broken state, protect a delicate peace, and foster a climate within which a vulnerable but growing seed of democracy might take root.

Eric took his duty seriously, he knew the risks, and yet this self- sacrificing man chose to serve. He accepted his charge without complaint, he understood the need of the extension and quietly soldiered on as he always had.

Eric is the face of the Guard--but he is also the face of our community.

His desire was simple: lift young people up; provide them with new and viable alternatives for a healthy life, and provide a place for safe and meaningful fun.

Eric McKinley will not have the opportunity to build his own business as he had dreamed and watch the young people of Benton County enjoy the fun of a safe haven.

We are all now indebted to Eric's spirit and sacrifice. We are all now accountable to seek out the opportunities of tomorrow to help the young people that he cared so much about. We must stretch ourselves to make Eric's vision a new reality. All of us must join together to take up Eric's personal commitment in seeking to provide opportunities for the young people in our lives.

As the seasons come and the time passes, the pain of our loss will slowly subside. But the sacrifice of Eric McKinley will be as significant then as it is today: he gave his all so that others could have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Eric's sacrifice must always be remembered.

It is now, and will be forever, our turn to repay the debt.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to thank the entire committee for their commitment to fight forest fires. We all know it is going to be a very bad forest fire year, and we know the time has come to prevent forest fires as well as put them out.

Over the years, highly flammable underbrush has built up in our forests and previously logged but unthinned areas have become dense, overstocked plantations of small, fire-prone trees. These conditions have made it impossible to allow low-intensity natural fires to burn within their historic range, and catastrophic fires have become more and more common.

To help address this problem, we in Congress passed and the President signed H.R. 1904, the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. This law will streamline future field reduction and thinning projects, and I was pleased to vote for it.

With the promise of $760 million in funding, the new law would provide thousands of jobs across the West, it would provide Federal land managers with the necessary tools to thin our forests of hazardous fuels and, most importantly, reduce the size and severity of wildfires. But the President and Congress must provide the money to get projects done on the ground.

The most important provision in this bipartisan bill we passed last year was a 5-year multimillion dollar commitment of Federal resources. Providing substantial funding for fuel reduction projects is essential in completing problem projects, putting people back to work and stopping forest fires.

Politicians and bureaucrats have been fighting over fuel reduction legislation for far too long. Last year, we were finally able to produce a bipartisan bill that sought to address this problem. However, we must also provide the money needed to get the job done. This bill does not do so, providing far less than the $760 million we determined was necessary.

The amendment to help rectify this problem is very simple: It provides $6 million for hazardous fuels reduction, which would allow tens of thousands of additional acres to be treated. The offset for this amendment is from the Industries of the Future Program, the Chemical Industry section. All my amendment would do is reduce this program to the level requested by the President.

Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to support my amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Ms. Hooley of Oregon

Amendment No. 13: Page 68, line 5, insert after the dollar

amount the following: ``(increased by $6,000,000)''.

Page 69, line 10, insert after the dollar amount the

following: ``(increased by $6,000,000)''.

Page 85, line 3, insert after the dollar amount the

following: ``(reduced by $6,000,000)''.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to mourn the loss, recognize the sacrifice, and ultimately, celebrate the lives of three American heroes.

These three men, Lt. Erik McCrae, Sergeant Justin Eyerly, and Specialist Justin Linden, were ours. To Oregonians, they were--they remain--a part of us.

They chose to answer the call of their nation. Each of them understood the sacred duty of military service--they knew the special bond formed by soldiers under arms--and they died fulfilling that duty with honor.

Today, tomorrow, and the days that follow--we are and will be less without them. Unfortunately, their loss means that our community will never reach the potential it once could have.

As we have proven countless times, Oregon and the Nation will go on and we will succeed. But we will never forget their sacrifice. Their investment was, is, and will remain--invaluable.

These brave men died because they selflessly chose to charge into harms way to aid strangers in a foreign land that are struggling for freedom. Erik, Justin, and Justin entered combat with full knowledge that their act of duty might well require the last full measure--but they did it anyway.

Although our hearts are filled with anger, frustration, and pain--we must try and remember that these young men lived and died for love: for love of their family, for love of their community, for love of their country, and for love of freedom.

We must turn this loss into something worthy of their sacrifice; we must each find ways every day to remember Lt. Erik McCrae, Sergeant Justin Eyerly, and Specialist Justin Linden, and the sacrifice they made in the name of freedom, so that they will never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, a man whose legacy will be remembered for generations to come.

I remember President Reagan as an optimistic leader who stood up for what he believed in and who led our Nation with passion, grace, and wit. President Reagan believed in the resourcefulness of the American people and believed that their ingenuity, courage, and hard work could build a better America and a better world.

President Reagan envisioned America as a can-do country, and he was devoted and unwavering in his commitment to the American people. His message of optimism provided hope for many Americans during challenging times for our Nation and for the world.

Today we remember his service and his leadership and join the rest of the country in mourning his passing. My thoughts and prayers are with his devoted wife Nancy and his entire family.

Mr. Speaker, in honor of Memorial Day, I rise today to pay tribute to the brave men and women who gallantly gave their lives so we may live in freedom.

Throughout the history of our nation, valiant soldiers have struggled, distinguished themselves, advanced our cause, and fallen in battle. Next weekend is the unveiling of a lasting tribute to our greatest generation--many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice more than 50 years ago.

As Tom Brokaw so eloquently wrote:

They won the war; they saved the world. They came home to

joyous and short-lived celebrations and immediately began the

task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted.

I am in awe of them, these men and women who have given us

the world we have today. I feel privileged to have been

witness to their stories. As I came to know many of them I

became more and more moved by their everyday excellence--and

more and more convinced that this is the greatest generation

in our country's history.

I too, am in awe of the brave men and women who fought on the front lines, and the millions of Americans who served on the home front. Truly they are the greatest generation.

Young men and women committed their lives, knowing they might not see their families again, for a cause that was greater than any individual nation. Young men and women committed to building a free world.

And now we mark the dedication of a memorial that honors our greatest generation, a memorial that will remind future generations of Americans as well as visitors from around the globe of the cost of freedom that we enjoy. It will serve as a reminder of the suffering and the sacrifice of our soldiers.

We also must take the time this Memorial Day to remember the soldiers who have given their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom. These soldiers deserve no less awe and respect than those who fought and served more than 50 years ago. From Oregon, 15 brave soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country: Specialist Brandon Scott Tobler of Portland, Sergeant Donald Walters of Salem, Captain Aaron Joseph Contreras of Sherwood, Staff Sergeant Robert Anthony Stever of Pendleton, Corporal Travis J. Bradachnall of Multnomah County, Chief Warrant Officer Erik C. Kesterson of Independence, Specialist Joseph M. Blickenstaff of Corvallis, Specialist Nathan W. Nakis of Corvallis, Specialist Christopher Jude Wesley of Portland, Sergeant Travis A. Moothart of Brownsville, Private 1st Class William C. Ramirez of Portland, Specialist Philip G. Rogers of Gresham, Lance Corporal Gary F. Van Leuven of Klamath Falls, Specialist Chase R. Whitman of Eugene, and Lance Corporal Bob W. Roberts of Newport.

Each of these 20 soldiers and their families deserve thanks from all Oregonians and all Americans. The Nation offers its collective thanks, as well as its sincere hope that all the Americans still in Iraq will return home to their families swiftly and safely.

Let us give thanks and praise to all men and women who worked together and in many cases died together, so that we all live in a more safe and more free world. We are all forever indebted to these brave soldiers.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, what we have before us today is not a serious document. Putting together a budget should be a reflection of the Nation's priorities. It should be a long-term road map for where we want this country to go and how we expect to get there.

This budget shows that we are not taking this process seriously. This is a 1-year budget providing no commitments or details after the first year. A failure to detail future plans masks the consequences of these policy decisions in future years.

This budget shows that the majority is not taking the deficit seriously, and the results of this budget will seriously tax our children and grandchildren.

Deficits do matter. We cannot just continue to run up massive deficits and add billions to the national debt.

This budget shows that we have no commitment to our future generations. In addition to passing on massive deficits, this budget underfunds education programs and cuts investments in our future, like scientific and medical research.

I urge my colleagues to take their jobs seriously. We have to have a road map for the future. Please vote ``no'' on this budget resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the alleged abuse of prisoners in Iraq. We must take every step possible to investigate the shocking allegations, punish any perpetrators, re- examine our entire system of interrogation and confinement to prevent such occurrence from happening in the future.

I have called on Attorney General Ashcroft to begin an investigation of abuses committed by private military contractors in Iraq. I circulated this letter to all of my colleagues for review. A hundred Democrats have signed on so far. I hope all my colleagues will join me in this effort.

In the year 2000, Congress passed the Military Extra Territorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute criminal action by contractors abroad that are in the employ of the United States Government. This Congress granted the Attorney General this authority for this exact case.

Attorney General Ashcroft has the ability to investigate and prosecute any criminal abuse by private contractors. I urge him to begin his investigation immediately.

Mr. Speaker, on April 28, 1989, the world observed the first Workers Memorial Day in honor of the 2 million people who die each year as a result of workplace injury or illness. Fifteen years later, we remember the almost 6,000 Americans who died on the job this past year and recall the hard work that still needs to be done in the United States to keep our working men and women safe.

The date of April 28th was chosen in recognition of the anniversary of The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1971. Since its creation, OSHA has helped reduce the rate of workplace death and injury through the work of The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. But over 6 million workers in the United States still become sick or injured each year as a result of their work. This is not the time to roll back new safety and health standards, to cut OSHA's budget or to gut funding for job safety research. To have a strong and healthy economy, America needs a safe and healthy workforce.

Last year, 70 Oregonians gave the ultimate sacrifice to their professions: their lives. I would like to honor their memory now by recognizing them by name:

Larry H. Zygar, Jacquelyn S. Wyatt, Azucena Terrazas,

Michael W. Norris, Donald M. Lea II, Randall Harmon, Dan O.

Taylor, Robert G. Cramer, Nicholas Voris, Timothy M. Smith,

Mark A. Hauser, Ronald S. Weekly, Steven J. Maine, Nathan D.

Sigfrid, Janet P. Knoke, Russell H. Simpson, Russell L.

Barker, James G. Clements, Leland S. Halsell, Luther H.

Stinson Jr., Daniel R. Becker, Richard W. Black, David C.

Mackey, Jessie D. Rucker, Kenneth F. Tison, Bobby D. Adams,

Henry C. Gauthier, Camilo U. Becerra-Corona, Daniel A.

Knigge, Robert L. Chasteen.

Juan Rivas, David A. Burgess Jr., Elizabeth Roxanne Smith-

McLeod, Harold E. Hanscom, Jerome P. Sedlak, Michael S. Lowe,

David L. Martinson, Milan Smith Jr., Daryl R.

Steenhard, Charles A. Shull, David K. Hammer, Mark R.

Ransdell, Ricardo B. Moore, Jesse D. James, Leland D.

Price Jr., Ricardo M. Ruiz, Paul E. Gibson, Jeffrey D.

Hengel, Christopher R. Kroker, Sarah G. Huang, Timothy A.

Bowers, Timothy P. Smith, Adam H. Cox, Jeremy C. Gage,

Matthew S. Fitsgerald, Douglas R. Davis, John M. Allison,

Noe Lira-Sanchez, Wiley D. Rasmussen, Matthew L. Barrows

Sr.

Alfredo Zamarano-Sierra, Gregory V. Rogozhnikov, Samuel L.

Lazott, Thomas H. Kistler, Timothy J. Lannon, Gregory A.

Hoffert, Luis J. Gonzales, Griffin E. Fisk, Joseph A. Davis,

and Daniel L. Coulter.

We remember them and their parents, spouses, children and friends who are grieving. But grief cannot overshadow hope. Mourn for the dead but fight for the living--this is the message of Workers Memorial Day. But it must be in our thoughts every day of the year, as workers and their advocates strive to make workplaces safer for those whose lives depend on it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation before us today to allow the reservists and National Guard members to make needed withdrawals from the retirement accounts without the usual tax penalties. This will allow these families to adjust to the financial strain that extended deployment inflicts on soldiers and their families. But hopefully this is only the first step. This is a very small piece.

I would like to take this moment to announce the introduction by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and me of another simple piece of legislation to help our deployed soldiers. Under current law the refundable child tax credit provides a refund of 10 percent of taxable earnings over $10,000, but they have to be taxable earnings. We do not tax combat pay for deployed soldiers, unintentionally raising taxes for many families of soldiers deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Because of the quirk in the Tax Code, a soldier earning combat pay who is making under $39,000 a year with two children would actually be better off if their combat pay were taxed. This legislation we are introducing would fix this glitch and treat combat pay as taxable income only for the purpose of computing the family tax credit.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill before us today and to cosponsor the Rangel-Hooley bill to correct the inequities with combat pay and the child tax credit. All Members can sign up.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time.

Right now, Oregon has 7.7 percent unemployment, the highest in the country. Since January, 2001, the State has lost over 50,000 jobs. These are hard-working men and women, not statistics. They are real people with real lives and families, and right now they are facing the prospect of not having enough money to put food on the table or enough money to pay for their medical bills if someone should get sick.

I have talked to people who are unemployed. They have sold their homes trying to live off the profit. They said, I do not know what is going to happen when this money runs out.

Unemployment benefits are supposed to be a safety net to get you from one job to the next job. They do not provide 100 percent of the person's previous salaries, but those benefits are absolutely vital for families to make ends meet. They are not out there not going to work because they want to. They are out there because they cannot find a job.

I talked to one gentleman, 52 years old, daughter in high school, and he talks about how bright his daughter is and that he would like to send her to college. He said, I cannot even pay for my mortgage. What am I going to do for my daughter?

Not only do these benefits provide a level of security for families, unemployment benefits are also stimulants for the economy. For every dollar we spend in unemployment benefits, we put $1.73 back into the economy. That is good for business as well as people. These benefits are not used for luxury items. They are used to pay the rent, food, and utility bills.

The President talks about marriage promotion programs costing in the billions of dollars, but it is a scientific fact that poverty and homelessness directly increase the rate of divorce. Unemployment benefits, which keep families together and keep them temporarily off the streets until they find a new job, should be considered the best marriage promotion program of all, yet these benefits have been ignored by Congress and this administration.

Some have raised concerns that extending unemployment benefits would bankrupt the system. Guess what? We have $18 billion sitting in the unemployment trust fund. That is more than enough to continue this program and extend the current benefits. These funds were paid into this unemployment compensation system for the purpose of helping dislocated workers during difficult economic times.

In short, there is not a legitimate argument towards not extending the unemployment benefits.

Again, people talk about stimulating economy. These benefits stimulate the economy. People say, well, we do not have enough money, yet we have $18 billion sitting in that account for that purpose. People talk about promoting marriage and families. Preventing financial crisis is the number one way to keep families together.

Frankly, it is a no-brainer. I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can extend unemployment benefits for the thousands of suffering Oregonians and Americans.