Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 691, which commends the Wings Over Houston Airshow for its contribution to the appreciation, understanding, and the future of the United States Armed Forces, the City of Houston, and Ellington Field.

Mr. Speaker, for 23 years, the Wings Over Houston Airshow has been delighting aviation enthusiasts and future pilots from around the world with spectacular flying in the skies, and with historical and educational displays on the ground in Ellington Field.

This top-rated aviation event, which is sponsored by the all- volunteer Gulf Coast Wing and West Houston Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, honors the spirit of the courageous and valiant American military flyers of the past and those who take to the skies today to ensure our Nation's freedoms.

The Wings Over Houston Airshow showcases the United States Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, and increases the awareness and appreciation for active duty members and the veterans of our Armed Forces.

But more important than the air show's entertainment, the Wings Over Houston Airshow has awarded $10,000 to $15,000 in scholarships per year to students who are pursuing an education in aviation and in aerospace. In total, this organization has provided over $100,000 to young men and women who have entered into careers in both military and civilian aviation.

The Wings Over Houston Airshow celebrates America's aviation and aerospace history and the courageous military pilots whose sacrifices have ensured our freedom. I am confident that the Wings Over Houston Airshow will continue to ignite the enthusiasm for flying in future generations of American aviators.

I strongly urge all Members to support this resolution.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 640, as amended, a resolution that honors the sacrifices and commitments of the men, women and families of the United States Transportation Command. U.S. TRANSCOM was established in 1987 as one of the nine U.S. unified commands. TRANSCOM is tasked with coordination of people and transportation assets to allow our country to sustain forces whenever, wherever and for as long as they are needed. The men, women and families of TRANSCOM have done an extraordinary job of supporting this Nation and our national defense over the past 20 years.

I would like to take a moment to share a story with you that exemplifies the incredible capabilities of this unique organization. On an early morning in July, one of our sergeants was on a raid in Baghdad and found himself the victim of a brutal attack that resulted in a severe head injury. The soldier was immediately transported to Balad Air Base in Iraq for treatment. The wonderful people at the 332nd expeditionary medical group, whom I met on a recent trip to Iraq, examined this wounded soldier and determined that he needed to be quickly returned to the United States for a level of care that they could not provide in the field.

This is the point where the amazing men and women of the U.S. TRANSCOM went into action. A C-17 crew was just getting ready to start their day making normal cargo runs around the theater. As they arrived for duty, they were told of the wounded soldier. They immediately began planning the mission to get him the critical care that he needed. While U.S. TRANSCOM deals with urgent requests almost daily, this one was different. The C-17 crew was notified that due to the nature of the sergeant's head injury, they would have to keep the cabin pressure no higher than 4,000 feet on the flight home. They were also told, by the way, that it wouldn't be prudent to land anywhere on their trip as the pressure changes from climbing and descending could trigger bleeding and the patient would possibly lose his life. In order to make the flight home at a lower than normal altitude, the C-17 would need to be refueled twice along the way. The folks at U.S. TRANSCOM coordinated for the air refueling support over Turkey and England. As the flight was en route, this refueling took place. The extraordinary skills and capabilities of U.S. TRANSCOM personnel brought that flight safely to the ground at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, in record time. The wounded soldier was under the care of a neurosurgeon at Bethesda less than 24 hours from the moment of attack.

Now, that miracle is pretty impressive. But there are a few other details that you should know about this story. First of all, the C-17 was a McChord Air Force Base, Washington, airplane, where I happen to serve. It was flown by an active duty crew from Charleston Air Force Base. The doctor who cared for the patient while in flight is a reservist from Langley Air Force Base. The nurse is also a reservist, but he is from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. The rest of the critical care team is a part of the Air National Guard. The entire mission, Mr. Speaker, was being controlled from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, by the Tanker Airlift Control Center. That is what U.S. TRANSCOM is all about, bringing together the mobility assets needed to support our war fighters to the medical service that they need.

This is why I am proud to support H.R. 640. The men, women and families of U.S. TRANSCOM have served this Nation well. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of U.S. TRANSCOM today, let's send them a strong message and support this legislation.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2779, a bill that recognizes the Navy Underwater Demolition Team-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum of the Navy SEALs and their predecessors. H.R. 2779 has the strong bipartisan support of 44 cosponsors, including the distinguished members of the Committee on Armed Services and my good friends Susan Davis of California and Thelma Drake of Virginia whose districts contain the majority of present-day SEALs units.

The Navy SEALs are deservedly renowned around the world for their combat prowess and are a critical part of our special forces team. This elite fighting team and force traces its beginning to the Navy's World War II

frogman training facility in Fort Pierce, Florida, where this museum is located. During World War II, the Navy trained thousands of volunteers as combat demolition and underwater demolition experts at Fort Pierce. The brave men who mastered these difficult and dangerous skills set the standard for today's SEALs to attain.

The Navy Underwater Demolition Team-SEAL Museum, which we designate today as the official national museum, has an impressive and comprehensive collection of material about these elite Navy fighting forces, providing the public with an excellent education of today's Navy SEALs and their predecessors.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this bill has been brought to the floor. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, on September 27, 2007, I missed three rollcall votes. I was unavoidably detained at a medical appointment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 919, ``yes'' on rollcall No. 920 and ``no'' on rollcall No. 921, final passage of HR 3121, the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act.

Mr. Speaker, later today I will introduce legislation, the Stop the Sale of Murderabilia to Protect the Dignity of Crime Victims Act. And I will introduce that legislation with my good friend and former sheriff from Indiana, Congressman Ellsworth.

Before coming to Congress, I served 33 years in the King County Sheriff's Office. I have seen the pain on the faces of victims and victims families, unexplainable, unimaginable pain that covers their faces and their families for the rest of their life.

And, unfortunately, criminals today who are in our State and Federal prisons are using their fame and notoriety to make a buck. The Internet has become a gateway to an industry coined as ``murderabilia,'' where tangible goods owned and/or created by convicted murderers are sold for their profit.

Today, on the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, I'm privileged and honored to honor the memory of all victims. And my bill aims to shut down this business.

Madam Speaker, on September 7, 2007, I missed rollcall vote No. 863, on passage of H.R. 1908, the Patent Reform Act of 2007. I was in Iraq visiting Washington State soldiers. If I had been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on September 7, 2007, I missed rollcall vote No. 864, on agreeing to the Conference Report on H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act. I was in Iraq, visiting Washington State soldiers. If I had been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, today I join my colleagues and friends and the entire State of Washington in mourning the loss of former Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn. She was my predecessor here in the House of Representatives, represented the Eighth District of Washington State. I'm shocked and saddened by the news of her death today, and my condolences go out to the family: her husband, Keith; her children, Bryant, Reagan, and Angus; their wives; and the grandchildren, who meant so much to her.

And today as we were on the floor voting, Mr. Speaker, the news was presented to the Members of this body by a good friend, a longtime friend of hers, Doc Hastings is his nickname, from Central Washington. He had known Jennifer for over 30 years. And as Doc Hastings announced the news of her unexpected death, you could hear the sadness. You could hear the sadness. You could hear the gasp as the air went out of this room.

Jennifer Dunn served this House for 12 years. She was a well- respected Member of this body. She was in leadership in the Republican Party, one of the first females in leadership in this House. She was one of those Members who reached across the aisle; who worked with all; who had a dedicated, compassionate drive to represent the people of the Eighth District. She served with passion and the heart of a servant.

I first met Jennifer Dunn back in 1997 as I became the first elected sheriff in King County, Seattle, Washington. And I had the opportunity to travel back and forth between Washington State and Washington, D.C. to meet with our delegation. And Jennifer Dunn was always so gracious in allowing me time as the sheriff to come in and present the issues that were facing us in King County law enforcement.

She was very proud of the fact that she helped start the school resource officer program with grant funds. She was very proud of the fact that she helped acquire funding for the so important fight against methamphet- amines that really are the scourge of this Nation today. She helped plant the seed of an effort in Washington State that still goes on today in the form of the Washington State Meth Initiative, people meeting today, deciding how to spend the money the Federal Government still provides as a result of her efforts in fighting the deadly addiction that meth causes in our communities.

But one of the things that she was most proud of was her effort in passing legislation that led to the Amber Alert system that we have throughout this Nation that, as everyone knows across this country, has saved many lives, lives of our children, our most vulnerable of citizens and victims.

So I am so honored and so proud to be the person who has been given the privilege to follow in such a great lady's footsteps.

Jennifer Dunn, we will all miss you. Our prayers and thoughts go with the family.

Mr. Speaker, we must continue to open markets to encourage American companies to innovate and compete with our global counterparts. This grows our economy and creates jobs.

I am proud to represent a district in Washington State that integrates our Nation's leading technology innovators with a vibrant and highly productive small business community. Opening new global markets gives them the incentives to improve their products, produce more goods, and employ more American workers.

I have seen these jobs created in Washington State firsthand, with trade accounting for one of every three jobs in the State of Washington. Free trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea are currently pending before Congress. We cannot allow these important agreements to languish in committee.

I urge my colleagues in the majority to stop the delays, pass these free trade agreements and renew trade promotion authority. Let's advance the trade measures needed to grow our economy, create jobs and improve our relations with global partners.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank both sides of the aisle on this great piece of legislation. It truly is an honor to be here this afternoon to speak on it on behalf of our veterans across the world.

I am very pleased that part of the language that I have been working on, along with other friends here in the House of Representatives, works to make sure that our returning veterans have a job, make sure that their families are taken care of.

I was in the Air Force Reserve for 6 years. That was a long time ago. I was never called to active duty. I worked for the sheriff's office then, and even back in the early 1970s, as I served our country in the Air Force and served our community on the streets as a police officer, I never had to worry when I served my one weekend a month or my 2 weeks every year that my employer would get upset with me and say, You know what, we can't support you here as you support our country and our troops across the world serving our country; we need you here every day. In fact, it was just the opposite. The sheriff's office said, We are proud to have you as a member of the Air Force Reserve. We are proud to have you come back and serve with us and have you continue to serve in the Air Force Reserve. And when I became sheriff later on in 1997, and after 2001, still serving as the sheriff in King County, we made sure that our Guard and Reserves had a job.

And I could see it in the eyes of their spouses and their children and the rest of their family, because they felt loved, they felt cared for, they felt comfortable to know that when their loved one returned, they had a job.

Imagine for a moment that you started a family, you started a business, you have employment, you have a profession, and all of a sudden it is taken away. When you return, it is gone. Your family has no job. You have no income. You are looking at maybe selling your house, selling your car. Health insurance might not be available. All of these things are things that our veterans in the last few years had to deal with upon their return. This bill fixes that.

We are able to help them make sure that they have employment when they return from serving our country and keeping us free. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. What an honor it is to be here again today to speak on behalf of our veterans across the world.

Madam Chairman, I would like to thank our colleagues for their crusade in offering real reform for the American people. I am proud to be a part of this unique coalition of Members in support of this amendment.

Why is a Member representing a suburban area of Seattle taking such an interest in the farm bill? The farm bill isn't just for farmers. It's funded by and affects every one of us across America.

The underlying bill leaves American farmers and businesses open to challenges from the World Trade Organization. Trade is critical, crucial to our State and our farmers. One in three jobs in Washington State is linked to trade. This amendment is a critical

step to bringing us into trade compliance so that our farmers and businesses have access to markets around the world.

Currently, 19 congressional districts receive 50 percent of Federal farm subsidies; 348 congressional districts would benefit positively from this amendment. Every district in my State would benefit. The Washington Post referred to farm subsidies as Federal giveaways that cost all Americans but benefit few.

This amendment funds many other American priorities; $1.2 billion to promote healthy food choices, $3 billion more to conservation programs, and $1 billion more to support fruit and vegetable producers.

This amendment saves money, brings us closer to trade compliance. It does all this without raising taxes. In fact, it saves taxpayers $2 billion.

We can't continue business as usual. Our taxpayers deserve an equitable balance. The time is now for reform.

I urge my colleagues to support this critical amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support this morning of the funding levels included in the State and local law enforcement in H.R. 3093. This legislation reverses a dangerous downward trend in the Community Oriented Policing Services program, the COPS program.

Specifically, it increases the COPS budget to $725 million, which is a $183

million increase over last year. It also includes $80 million in additional money for the Byrne grant system.

I was the sheriff in Seattle up until 2\1/2\ years ago for the last 8 years of my career. I was in law enforcement 33 years. As a sheriff, I used the Byrne Grant funds. I used the COPS money. We worked together with our communities. We worked together with business. We made our communities safe. It is a vital program, a useful program, a necessary program.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot have freedom, we cannot feel safe in our neighborhoods until we know we are safe, until we know our law enforcement is there to protect us. The COPS grant does that.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I am proud to stand today with my good friend Mr. Etheridge in support of this amendment to the CJS appropriations bill.

Nearly 4 years ago the President signed into law the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act. This legislation, which was championed by the author of this amendment Mr. Etheridge, corrected a technicality in how public safety officers' benefits were paid. Specifically, the law allowed for families of those killed in the line of duty, by heart attack or stroke, to claim the benefit. It sounds simple.

I didn't have the opportunity to vote for this legislation because at the time I was the sheriff in King County, Seattle, Washington, completing my 33-year law enforcement career. During my time as a police officer, I saw firsthand the pain that a family endures when they lose a loved one. I have lost partners over those 33 years that I was in the Sheriff's Office in Seattle. I know that pain. It doesn't go away.

But yet they go out on the street day after day after day, and they put their lives on the line. Their families are standing there with them. Unfortunately, the families, who are dealing with this pain, and who are eligible for this compensation under the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act, are being stalled and denied by our government.

It took the Department of Justice almost 3 years just to issue a rule that would dictate how these benefits would be paid. On top of the 3 years, in the last 10 months, since the rule was issued, only 10 claims have been completed favorably, which averages to 1 claim a month. There are approximately 200 claims left, as Mr. Etheridge indicated, still in limbo.

I have seen the tears of these families. We just met with three families last week. Through the Federal Government's inaction and complacency, more tears will be shed.

This is absolutely unacceptable, outrageous. This amendment is simple. It will double the current funding for the Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program. This amendment will take away the excuse that the Department of Justice does not have the people or the resources to process these claims. The issue of taking care of first responders, as I have said, is close to my heart.

Let's take care of the families. Let's implement a law that we put into the books years ago. Passage of this amendment will send a strong message to our Nation's first responders that we, the United States Government, truly stand behind them and their families.

Please support the Etheridge-Reichert amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, as a former sheriff of King County in Seattle, Washington, and a member of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, I am proud to offer this amendment along with my colleague from Connecticut, Congressman Murphy, to provide $5 million to fully fund the Court Training and Improvements Program, offset from the Department of Commerce departmental management salaries and expenses account.

The Court Training and Improvements Program enhances our courts' ability to keep victims of domestic and sexual abuse safe and to hold offenders accountable. It was authorized early last year as a part of the Violence Against Women Act but has not yet been funded. Mr. Chairman, this program must be funded.

I spent 33 years of my life working in law enforcement, and during that time I walked into many unpredictable domestic violence situations. Responding to a domestic violence call is one of the most dangerous calls a police officer can go to. Domestic violence cases have their own unique challenges, and we in law enforcement have had to learn specific strategies for how to deal with those situations. People are physically and mentally harmed and homes are torn apart. I have seen how domestic and sexual abuse not only affects spouses but the children, the families, and the lives of the entire community. Safe homes and families are the root of a safe society.

Statistics show that every year almost 1 million incidents of violence occur against current and former spouses, boyfriends, girl friends, and each year nearly 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence. We need to implement and fund every tool at our disposal to combat this terrible problem.

One of the key ways to reduce the impact of domestic violence is to ensure that our justice system has the tools to deal with these cases. Too often lives hang in the balance as judges and court personnel make decisions without an understanding of the dynamics of abuse and violence in relationships. Judges themselves have repeatedly cited a need and a desire for specialized knowledge and judicial education regarding sex offenders and victims.

The desperate need for trained judges and court personnel was recently brought to light in the tragic case of Yvette Cade. On the morning of October 10, 2005, Yvette was doused with gasoline and set on fire by her estranged husband while at work here in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At the time of the attack, she had a protection order out against him, but a judge had dismissed her protection order 3 weeks before, saying she didn't need it. This judge had likened victims of domestic violence to buses that come along all the time. Cade's husband was recently sent to prison for attempted murder.

Better-trained judges are essential if we are to keep victims and children alive and hold abusers and rapists accountable for their behavior. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to improve our courts, protect the victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, prevent future crimes, and ensure that perpetrators are appropriately punished.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, as the House continues its consideration of the Labor-HHS appropriations bill today, I urge all my colleagues to support funding for the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program.

Even though this amount is lower than the amount suggested by some of us in the 109th Congress, the $307 million in this appropriation bill will go to training and educating graduate medical students who will help our children at our children's hospitals across this Nation.

Especially close to my heart is my godson, Kyle, who at 18 months old was diagnosed with cancer and for the last 12 years has survived and has been helped and aided by these graduate medical students.

So I urge my colleagues, please support this bill. It is so critical to the health of our children.