Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Ross yielding me this time. I want to start this evening by thanking Mr. Tanner.

In the 4 years I have been in Congress, he has been one of the true leaders of the Blue Dogs. I think of him as the conscience of the Congress these days with regard to the issues of fiscal responsibility and accountability and making sure that our government does the right thing.

Mr. Ross, I want to thank you. I have traveled to your district. I know how much your constituents respect you on this matter and others, but it is really so important for the American people to understand the magnitude of the challenge that we are facing with regard to the national debt, and your leadership each and every week here on the floor means so much not just to me and the Blue Dogs but to the entire country.

I want to talk about my recent work with my colleagues on a task force on waste, fraud and abuse. My distinguished colleagues, Mr. Waxman from California, Mr. Tierney from Massachusetts, and Mr. Tanner who you just heard, serve as Members of what we call the Truth Squad, which is charged with holding the Bush administration accountable for the mishandling of taxpayer dollars. That is something that this Republican Congress has simply failed to do.

The Blue Dogs are committed to ensuring that this government account for its stewardship of taxpayer dollars. You heard Mr. Tanner: currently, 19 of 24 Federal agencies can't pass a simple, clean audit. That is happening under a Republican watch.

This administration touts itself as being a businesslike administration, yet no business in America would tolerate the fiscal irresponsibility that is being conducted by this administration. It is really little wonder that with their lack of oversight of this Congress and lack of oversight in the administration, that we continue to see abuse and waste on this scale.

The Blue Dogs believe that all Federal agencies should be required to pass a clean audit. The American public deserves nothing less.

I introduced a bill this year, along with Mr. Tanner's piece of legislation, that says that any Cabinet Secretary who can't pass an audit for 2 years in a row can't run his agency, basically, couldn't run a business if he was running a pharmacy in Prescott or Hope, Arkansas, Mr. Ross. If you ran that and couldn't pass an audit, couldn't pay your bills, your wife, Holly, would say come back and run this business right.

The reality is that we need to recall this administration and this Congress and tell them to run the business right. They are simply not doing it.

As co-chair of the Truth Squad, I am working with my colleagues to bring attention to the most egregious waste of taxpayers' dollars, the places where we are absolutely wasting taxpayers' dollars and putting that money down the drain. In fact, we have unveiled a new award called the Golden Drain Award. All told, the Truth Squad has identified with the help of our staff over $150 billion of American taxpayer dollars that have gone down the golden drain of waste, fraud and abuse.

Mr. Waxman's Democratic side of the committee has documented all of these facts and has put out a report to this end. We created this award because it is essential that we bring attention to these outrageous instances of waste, fraud and abuse, otherwise they will never stop.

Sadly, there is seemingly an endless list of nominees for this award under this Congress and this administration. We will unveil one or two or three on Thursday.

Mr. Ross, since we have been here talking, we have talked about the waste in Iraq. You and I went together to your home district and went to the Hope airport to see the FEMA trailers, nearly half a billion dollars of FEMA

trailers, that never got delivered to the people that needed them, but the taxpayers sure paid for them.

We see how we have wasted money on homeland security and the borders and the airports, and they are still not secure. The ports certainly are not secure enough. The list goes on and on. The administration's track record for no-bid contracts, for waste in contracting, for lack of oversight in contracting is truly appalling; and we talked in a press conference 2 weeks ago, the Truth Squad did, about these egregious behaviors.

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. It is time for accountability. It is time to audit the books. The Blue Dogs that serve in Congress are fully committed to this. The Democratic Caucus is fully committed to this. It is time that the entire Congress be committed to this.

Mr. Ross, I will close tonight's activities with one last thought, and that is that we owe the taxpayers more than we are giving them with the jobs we are supposed to do. We should be accounting for their money every single day we are here.

Mr. Speaker, the Truth Squad on Waste, Fraud and Abuse is charged with holding the Bush administration accountable for its mishandling of taxpayer dollars.

That is something that this Republican Congress has failed to do. On issue after issue, from Katrina to Iraq to border security, to health care, we have seen outrageous waste of American tax dollars. And this Congress has repeatedly failed to hold the administration accountable for it.

Today, the Truth Squad is unveiling the Golden Drain Award, which you see next to me in this picture. The Golden Drain is an award that will be displayed in my office, and it will be given each week to a recipient who has been most derelict in their duty as stewards of American taxpayer dollars. We will award this award next week for the first time.

All told, the Truth Squad has identified over $150 billion of American tax dollars that have gone down the drain of waste, fraud and abuse. Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. It is time for accountability. It is time for a new direction. It is time to audit America's books.

Mr. Speaker, it is with the greatest pleasure that I rise today on behalf of my colleagues Rep. Jim Costa, Rep. Devin Nunes, Rep. Richard Pombo and Rep. George Radanovich to honor Stephen K. Hall, the Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) for his outstanding contributions to California agriculture and the California water community.

The recognition that my colleagues and I are offering today is well deserved and long overdue. Throughout his career, Steve has remained a champion for California agriculture and for the protection and delivery of safe and clean water. Soon after graduating from California State University, Fresno in the early 1970's, Steve began his career as General Manager of the Tulare Lake Drainage District. In the years following, Steve founded the Land Preservation Association, an organization created to help develop and implement irrigation and drainage policy in California, and the California Farm Water Coalition, a pioneer collaboration of agricultural water users and water agencies. In 1992 Steve became the Executive Director of ACWA, and in the years since has helped shape the laws and policies that affect California's cities, farms and businesses. Under Steve's guidance and leadership, the ACWA has been a leader in California water issues. Devoted to promoting the development, management and reasonable beneficial use of water in an environmentally balanced manner, Steve has been involved in many major statewide water issues affecting California's local water agencies. He was a lead negotiator in the three-way negotiations between agricultural, urban and environmental water representatives that led to the creation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program and the passage of Propositions 204 and 13.

Steve Hall's expertise in California's water issues and water policy has been recognized and utilized by many as he has served in numerous appointed and advisory capacities to Governors Deukmejian, Wilson and Davis. Currently, Steve serves on the Boards of Directors for the California Water Institute and the California Infrastructure Coalition, as a member of the UC Davis Land Air and Water Advisory Committee and the California Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee, and is the co-chair of the Water Supply Sub-Committee for the California Bay-Delta Water Authority.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of Steve Hall's 55th birthday, it is with the utmost respect and appreciation that my colleague's and I acknowledge his enormous and lasting contributions to the future of California and America in his continued commitment to sustaining our most precious resource, water.

Madam Speaker, I rise to express strong support for Israel's right to defend itself against unprovoked acts of terrorism.

On June 25, members of Hamas attacked an Israeli army post, killing two Israeli soldiers and kidnapping another, Corporal Galid Shalit. Israel responded with appropriate force, seeking the return of its soldier and an end to rocket attacks coming from the Gaza Strip. Then, on July 12, Hezbollah terrorists attacked an Israeli military unit patrolling the Israeli border south of Lebanon, taking two Israeli soldiers hostage. They also began firing dozens of Katyusha rockets at northern Israel, including Haifa.

The acts of terrorism perpetrated by Hamas and Hezbollah created the situation that the world confronts today. Israel could not tolerate such assaults on its soil, against its citizens--no nation would. Israel responded to these acts of war by defending themselves. They entered Gaza and Lebanon to try to rescue their kidnapped soldiers and prevent terrorists from committing further attacks on their homeland.

Both of these attacks were calculated acts of war--attacks on Israeli soldiers guarding undisputed Israeli territory. The attacks by Hezbollah are blatant breaches of Security Council resolutions 1559, 1655 and 1680, which certified Israel's full withdrawal from Lebanese territory and called for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon and an end to attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border. Unfortunately, the government in Beirut has not done its part to enhance the security of both nations. In fact, the attacks against Israel are the result of Iran, Syria, and certain factions of the Lebanese Government's inaction towards these terrorist organizations in their country.

Let's look at the facts. Despite the Security Council resolutions, Hezbollah remains an armed militia group that controls 23 seats in the Lebanese parliament and 2 ministers in the national government. According to the State Department, Hezbollah receives between 30 and 40 million a month in cash, aid and arms support from Iran. Additionally, the State Department reports that Syria is an active partner with Iran in supporting and funding Hezbollah.

At the same time, the leadership of Hamas recently called Hezbollah's actions ``a heroic operation.'' It is clear that, despite optimism that Hamas would transform into a secular, stable government, it is sticking to its roots as a terrorist organization, supporting and encouraging attacks against innocent civilians.

Given these facts, I believe it is time for the world community to take action against Hamas and Hezbollah and the nations that support both regimes. The United States should demand that the Government of Lebanon immediately release the abducted Israeli soldiers. The same holds true for the soldier held by Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, we must insist that Iran and Syria immediately cease interfering in the internal affairs of Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories by ending all support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

The United States must also continue to provide Israel with consistent and broad-based support, since an even greater destabilizing force is developing in the region--a nuclear-armed Iran with terrorist allies in Hezbollah and Hamas.

I also believe the United States must also play an active role in forging a solution to this conflict and its underlying cause. Let us not forget that it is not only the lives of Israelis, Lebanese, and Palestinians threatened by the fighting. Press reports indicate that approximately 25,000 Americans are in Lebanon, many of whom are trying to leave that war-torn area.

The best deterrent to future acts of terrorism is the presence a unified world community. In the days ahead, I hope the Bush administration works to build a broad global alliance to deal with the current crisis in the Middle East, which will act as a powerful deterrent against similar acts of terrorism in the future. We cannot afford to let Israel go it alone in this conflict--we need the engagement of the Bush administration and the world community to punish the regimes that support terror, while also supporting the moderate voices in the Muslim world.

At this time of struggle and great peril, we need to stand firmly with the people of Israel and their government. Our country will stand with the government and people of Israel as they defend themselves. As an independent sovereign nation, Israel has every right to respond to acts of aggression against its homeland and the soldiers who defend it.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2389, the Pledge Protection Act.

While I strongly support the Pledge of Allegiance and the use of the term under God, I oppose this misguided legislation because it would strip all federal courts, including the Supreme Court, of the jurisdiction to hear First Amendment challenges to the Pledge of Allegiance.

In the process, this legislation would strip federal courts of their important role in safeguarding Constitutional rights and freedoms. It will also work to undermine public confidence in the federal courts by expressing outright hostility to their role as a neutral arbiter of constitutional claims.

Through passage of this legislation, this body is endorsing the dangerous premise that Congress is above the Constitution. So in response, I ask my colleagues this question: do you believe our founding fathers designed the Constitution to protect the people from their government, or to regulate the conduct of its citizens?

I submit that if we strip federal courts of their judicial independence, nothing stops Congress from preventing courts to rule on other freedoms protected in our Bill of Rights, including freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, freedom of worship and freedom to assemble. Is that really the precedent we want to establish?

I believe we need our judicial system to protect our rights--and this bill prohibits the courts from doing just that. Indeed, I believe enactment of this legislation would have a dramatic impact on the ability of individual Americans to be free from government-coerced speech or religious expression.

In our system of democracy, our government works on a system of checks and balances. Instead of stripping power from the courts, I believe we should follow the process prescribed in our Constitution-- consideration of a Constitutional amendment. In fact, as a member of the California Legislature, I passed a bill calling on Congress to pass a Pledge protection amendment, and I believe that is the appropriate way to address this issue.

I happen to believe that the inclusion of the term under God in the Pledge is appropriate and constitutional. Further, should the Supreme Court ever rule that the term is unconstitutional, I would vote for a constitutional amendment to it ensure its presence. I support the Pledge because it is an important part of our American fabric, and an important symbol of the rights our founding fathers fought so desperately to preserve--liberty and justice for every American.

But our justice is protected by our independent judiciary. Let us keep it that way for all Americans. Oppose this bill and support and protect our Constitutional rights.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Arkansas (Mr. Ross). You have been so gracious to lead the Blue Dog effort here on Tuesday nights for several weeks now, and I consider it an act of patriotism what you are doing here because, truly, it is something that the American people must know, and it is what we will do to strengthen our country and our fiscal order if we can simply pass half of the accountability measures that the Blue Dogs have put in place, the 12-step Blue Dog program that I am sure you have talked about tonight because you have talked about it so many times on the floor. Hopefully, the American people are listening and the Congress is listening that we must, in fact, bring accountability to our government.

As you said, the Blue Dogs have been fighting for greater accountability in Washington for over 10 years now. We have argued for a return of pay-as-you-go budgeting to balance our budget. And as I said, we offer a 12-step reform plan to cure our Nation's addiction to deficit spending.

We have argued that all earmarks should require written justification from a Member of Congress before being considered, and now the Blue Dogs have authored and endorsed two bills that strike at the heart of this administration's mismanagement and its fiscal mismanagement of our government.

We have introduced the Blue Dog accountability package, and one is a bill that I authored which requires the reconfirmation of any Cabinet official whose agency cannot produce a clean audit for 2 consecutive years.

The second piece of legislation, written by our colleague from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) requires an oversight hearing 60 days after the Inspector General reports waste, fraud and abuse above $1 million in any Federal Department.

I would like our audience tonight to consider these facts: in 2004, the Federal Government spent $25 billion of everyone's tax dollars, yours, mine and everyone else who pays taxes in America, $25 billion that it cannot account for.

Now, Mr. Ross, you and I, when we write a check out of our account, we have a check stub. But for some reason the Federal Government has lost $25 billion in check stubs. They are our tax dollars.

That same year, 2004, only six of the 63 Pentagon departments were able to produce a clean audit, about 10 percent.

For 2005, the General Accounting Office reports that 19 of the 24 Federal agencies can't produce a clean audit or fully explain how they have spent our taxpayer dollars.

In March of 2005, the Veterans Affairs Inspector General issued a report calling for agency information systems to be upgraded for security purposes. As you probably know, no action was taken; and since that time, the personal information of millions of our veterans has been stolen or lost, putting millions of our veterans' personal information and virtually their financial history in jeopardy.

Certainly.

I thank the gentleman for the correction. I am not sure that 18 out of 24 is a whole lot better than 19 out of 24. Maybe they got one of the little departments to come into compliance. I think the year before I think it was 16 out of 24 or 23. So it is sort of like the Bush deficit numbers. You inflate them one year so you can show improvement the next. It boggles my mind that they can't find $25 billion in check stubs. You would think that they would be able to do that. But I guess when they think it is not their money, they are not so worried about it. But I have got to tell you, I am worried about it, and I know you are, Mr. Ross, because when we lose the confidence of the American people for our voluntary tax system that we have, and when people don't think that their money is going to be used the correct way, I think this Nation is in serious, serious trouble.

I thank the gentleman. And in fact I will describe it. But before I do, I just want to say one thing. You know, you talked about your growing up in rural Arkansas. I grew up in rural California. My grandparents were all Portuguese immigrants. They all naturalized, became legal citizens, proudest day of their lives was when they got their citizenship papers. And they imbued in me and my parents, who couldn't speak English when they were growing up, a sense of duty and responsibility. And you did the right thing.

I will never forget my grandmother, she wasn't so excited when I got into politics because she said, you know, Dennis, that is a dirty game sometimes. And if you are going to get in that business, you just make sure you do the right thing.

And when I introduced the legislation that you described, it is really holding us to a higher standard. And the legislation says that if you break the public trust and you enrich yourself while you are standing here in the Halls of Congress that you would have to serve the time that you would get convicted for fraud or for all the other kinds of things that you can do to get put in jail, but you would have to serve a sentence enhancement for two additional years because you broke the public trust, the trust that the people gave you when you signed up to run for this office.

And I hold that sentiment very strongly, that that is something that we should all stand up and be held accountable to a higher standard if we are going to take the oath of office. So I thank you for raising that issue and that I could talk about my bill tonight.

I want to also tell you that the work that we are doing with regard to oversight and demanding that this Congress do oversight, that is one of the fundamental jobs of Members of Congress, to hold hearings and to examine where our tax dollars are going. And we simply, as a Congress, are not doing that anymore. It is part of the problem with having one- party government that there is nobody to hold it accountable. And we can't get the power of the subpoena to go in there and look and see what is going on. And we need to examine the books. We need to audit the books in a more effective way. We need Mr. Tanner's bill that says if the Inspector General finds fraud and abuse, that we will, in fact, do a hearing in the Halls of Congress. And I see you putting up a poster.

I have been there. We went together, and we saw, talk about waste, fraud and abuse. What we could do for $1 billion in this country is just amazing. We can educate so many kids, send our kids to college. We can do so much good for $1 billion. And here we are looking at about a half a billion dollars. You tell the story, Mr. Ross, because this is in your district. You took me down there. We did some uncovering of some waste, fraud and abuse.

And I will yield back to the gentleman from Arkansas.

Jacuzzi tubs. It is amazing.

That is what we call them where I come from, even though that might not be the brand.

The gentleman is absolutely right. And it is interesting that so many of our Departments are run this way. But the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security Department, which FEMA is part of, was quoted recently as saying: ``Unfortunately, the Department had made little or no progress to improve its overall financial reporting during the whole fiscal year of 2005.'' And KPMG accounting firm was unable to even provide an opinion on the Department's balance sheet because the books were in such bad shape.

Another example is the Inspector General for NASA, in its 2005 financial statement said: ``In the enclosed report of independent auditors, Ernest & Young disclaimed an opinion on NASA's financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2005.''

The disclaimer resulted from NASA's inability to provide Ernst & Young with auditable financial statements and sufficient evidence to support the financial statements'' that they did

have ``throughout the fiscal year and at year end.''

Basically it is what we were talking about earlier. The Federal Government is writing checks and does not even keep its check stubs. They cannot find $25 billion of our taxpayers' money, and then they want to spend more of it. And it is just a crying shame that we cannot do a better job, and it is a crying shame that we are not doing the accounting and the investigative hearings and the oversight hearings that is the job of this Congress. It is an abdication of our duty as Members of Congress, and it is an indication that we need to change the one-party system that we have got going on here because we need to audit the books. It is just a basic fundamental necessity of running a good government. And what it means is that we have gone, like that chart you showed, from a situation where when we had a Democratic President, we were actually paying off the national debt, and now we are going in the wrong direction. We are going into a deep trough, and I see the slide that you have put up now. This is what the resulting action is. First of all, we are not able to do what we need to do for education, send our kids to college, do all the things that we need to do proactively to prepare our country for the next century, but we are having to do instead what you are about ready to talk about, Mr. Ross.

Is that Communist China, Mr. Ross?

I thought it was.

I would just like to say thanks to the gentleman from Arkansas for hosting this once again. We are going to make fiscal responsibility a priority for this Congress. It is a shame that we have not spent more time this year dealing with these matters. Hopefully, we will have some oversight hearings.

Thank you for conducting this, and I just say we will continue to work on it.

Mr. Speaker, it is with the greatest sincerity and respect that I rise today to honor Floyd Weaver, longtime community activist and icon in Stockton, California. He has recently been honored by the Stockton Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Weaver has taught in the Stockton Unified School District for 39 years, with over 20 years of experience in city government. It truly is an honor to join the NAACP in recognizing his notable contributions and dedication to our community.

Floyd Weaver is an innovative thinker, a highly respected leader and an individual with an unwavering commitment to the Stockton community. Throughout his career, Mr. Weaver has distinguished himself as a pioneer in the education realm, starting out as one of few African American males to teach in the Stockton Unified School District and later becoming the first African American Male Principal in the school district. After 39 years with the Stockton Unified School District, Mr. Weaver moved into the realm of city politics. While serving on the Stockton City Council, he founded and chaired the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recognition ad hoc Committee and later developed a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trust for charitable events. The then City Councilmember became a two term Vice Mayor, another first for African Americans in our community. During his tenure as Vice Mayor, Mr. Weaver witnessed the realization of one of his proudest achievements, the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza in the heart of downtown Stockton.

Floyd Weaver's service has reached beyond the City to Stockton to the county and state levels. In 1997 Mr. Weaver began serving on the Board of Directors for San Joaquin Regional Transit District, including two terms as Chair and three terms as Vice Chair. In October 2003, he was appointed to the California State Reclamation Board by Governor Gray Davis. More recently, he has been recognized for his efforts in renaming part of Charter Way in Stockton to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, Mr. Weaver serves on several local advisory boards and committees and continues to be recognized with numerous awards for his ongoing involvement and unmatched devotion to the community.

Mr. Speaker, the recognition that I am offering today before the House of Representatives for Mr. Floyd Weaver is clearly deserved and well overdue. He is an esteemed member of our community, a lifelong activist for all people young and old, and an outstanding human being who will leave behind a legacy to be admired for generations to come. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring him for his remarkable career and untiring dedication to a vision for a better tomorrow for the people of our community.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

I would like to start and begin by thanking Chairman Wolf and the ranking member, Mr. Mollohan, for working with me on this amendment. I also want to thank Mr. Larsen of Washington and Ms. Hooley for offering this amendment with me today and for all of their hard work addressing the methamphetamine problem and its effect on children.

I rise today to introduce this amendment to provide $5 million in authorized funding for the Drug Endangered Children Program. This program would provide grants to States for initiatives that help children move from homes in which drug abuse or production takes place and, instead, into safe, permanent homes.

Funding the Drug Endangered Children Program would represent an important step towards helping develop new protocols for law enforcement and child welfare workers to address the special needs of these children displaced by family methamphetamine use, which is a growing problem.

Mr. Chairman, I want to quickly tell you a story about a 12-year-old boy that recently came to see me here in the Capitol. He is from Stockton, California, in my district. His father was arrested for running a meth lab in their home garage, and his mom, a meth addict, abandoned him and his two brothers. In fact, she left them at a phone booth in the community of Stockton, told them that she would be back, and 2 days later, this young, 12-year-old boy took his two brothers to a local police station and turned themselves in to the police so that they could get food and get out of the cold climate that they were in for 2 days.

The system was unable to handle this situation. As a result, he was separated from his two brothers, his only remaining links to his family that he once loved.

He came to see me last year, and he sat in the cafeteria below this Chamber, and he leaned over to me, and he whispered, Congressman, I have had so much pain in my life.

We can do better and we must do better to help these young children. By working with the chairman and his staff, we have reduced the dollar amount in the bill so that this amendment no longer affects the Census Bureau.

Mr. Chairman, this program will make a real difference in the lives of children affected by meth and other drugs. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley).

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman for accepting the amendment. I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).

Mr. Chairman, I would like to once again thank the chairman for working with me on this and appreciate his accepting the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Mr. Cardoza

Amendment No. 1: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), add the following:

Mr. Speaker, we have all heard the motto, ``If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.'' Last year the White House and congressional Republicans failed in their efforts to privatize Social Security. Democrats stood united in defending the program, and the American people saw the privatization effort for what it was, a dismantling of the Social Security safety net that has provided millions of seniors real independence in their retirement years.

The American people were clear with Washington Republicans: Keep your hands off our Social Security. We thought they had gotten the message last year. Now, however, it appears that House Republicans want the privatization back on the table. Earlier this month the man most likely to lead the Republicans' Ways and Means Committee next year says it should be their top priority if they retain control of Congress to privatize Social Security.

Is the Republican majority in this House really that out of touch? The American people have already rejected their risky privatization plan. Instead of dismantling a critical safety net for millions of Americans, House Republicans should join the Democrats in strengthening Social Security for the future. The time has come to protect Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, it is with the greatest pleasure that I rise today to honor Mr. Doyle Mooneyham upon his retirement from the United States Postal Service after nearly 50 years of dedicated service.

In 1958, Doyle began his impressive career with the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier in Merced, California. Just a few years later, in 1961, Doyle was transferred to the Winton Post Office, in Winton, California where he has remained for the last 45 years. Throughout his extraordinary career, Doyle's work has clearly remained his priority. During his tenure with the Winton Post Office, Doyle has exemplified the unofficial U.S. Postal Service's motto as ``neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.'' Throughout his nearly 50 years of service, Doyle never used a sick day until he underwent hip replacement surgery in 2005. Even after taking a year off of work to recuperate, Doyle still has 2,926 hours of sick leave, the equivalent to a year and a half of work. This is quite a remarkable accomplishment that very few individuals achieve in their lifetime. It is truly reflective of Doyle's commitment to his work, the community and the United States Postal Service.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to join Doyle Mooneyham's family, co-workers and friends in recognizing his lifetime of service to our community, and to congratulate him on his retirement from the U.S. Postal Service. Our community benefits greatly from the splendid example that he has set throughout his career. It is with the greatest sincerity and respect that I ask my colleagues to join me in offering Mr. Doyle Mooneyham best wishes for continued success and happiness in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Byrne-JAG funding for state and local anti-drug task forces. This program is critical to supporting the dedicated police officers combating the meth epidemic sweeping our nation.

Methamphetamine is an extremely dangerous drug. In San Joaquin County, California, part of my congressional district, meth has been the most deadly drug for four years running. Even worse, the impact of meth spreads far beyond just the self destructive behavior of the meth addict. In the Central Valley, meth has resulted in higher crime rates, child abuse and neglect, and toxic waste released into the environment.

The Byrne-JAG program should be an important part of any effective strategy to stop the devastating impact that methamphetamine use is having on our communities. Byrne funding supports anti-drug task forces that bring together federal, state, and local law enforcement and that have proven very effective in disrupting meth production and trafficking. In 2004 alone, Byrne-funded task forces seized 5,646 meth labs.

The Administration's meth strategy released last week sets a goal of reducing the number of domestic meth labs by 25% by 2008. Now is not the time to eliminate a program that provides our local and state law enforcement with the resources to achieve this goal.

I urge my colleagues in the Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Byrne-JAG program.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5403 sponsored by Mr. DeLay, and I would like to associate myself with Mr. Stark's remarks and that while we have not always agreed on every policy issue, there is no doubt that Mr. DeLay will be fondly remembered in this House for his tireless work on behalf of foster children and disadvantaged youth. I very much appreciate knowing him and the work we have done together. This is not our first effort to work together on a bill, and I appreciate Mr. DeLay and his work in this House.

As Members on opposing sides of the political spectrum, we are coming together today to do fabulous work. As an adoptive parent myself of foster children, I have seen firsthand the glaring problems of the system currently facing this Nation. At any time, there are roughly 500,000 children in foster care in the United States, moving from placement to placement, often living out of a suitcase or even worse, the symbol of foster children, which is a black garbage bag, hoping that one day a loving family will welcome them into their home.

H.R. 5403, Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act, addresses one specific yet extremely important aspect of the system of adoption across State lines. Often an impediment to foster children's placement to permanent homes occurs when a child from one State is adopted by a family from another. The State where the family resides must complete a home study in order to verify that the placement is safe, secure and ready for the new child. Often, these types of home studies are a low priority for the State where the adoptive family resides and can lead to delays, often taking months and sometimes years to complete.

This legislation that we are considering today would establish a 60- day deadline for completing an interstate home study. If the State completes the home study within 30 days, H.R. 5403 would authorize a monetary incentive for the completed study to be used for the adoption- related expenses.

The children this bill seeks to help are already needy, neglected children without a voice who desperately want a permanent home, something that most all of us have always taken for granted. They want to go to school, the same school with the same friends for more than a few months. They want someone to tuck them in at night and help them with their homework. They want to stop living out of a black garbage bag that doubles as a suitcase and have a real home with a bed they can call their own.

Over the years I have met numerous children from all over the country who are in various stages of foster care. I have heard great stories where children are reunited with their biological parents who are placed in loving, adoptive homes. But I have also heard of other stories that have just sickened me.

One boy I met at a school for foster children in my district told me the story of his life that seems quite fitting to this debate.

I met this young boy, and he had been placed in foster care at an early age and had been moved in and out of seven different foster homes up and down the State of California. As you can imagine, he grew jaded and resentful from the harsh life he was forced to live. He was also separated from brothers and sisters whom he loved very much. Finally, he was placed in a family that saw through his rough exterior and wanted to adopt him. This young boy was convinced that he had finally found a real home with devoted parents that he had always dreamed of.

However, soon after he was placed with his family, the father in this foster family was transferred to North Carolina and the family was forced to move. Unfortunately, they couldn't get the paperwork processed between California and North Carolina in order to facilitate the adoption. So this young boy was left behind in California and is now residing in a group home.

It is our job as Members of Congress to be a voice for these children and make sure their dreams are recognized. We owe it to them to streamline the adoption process and make Federal law work towards positive outcomes. If that means requiring a State to get their act in gear and complete timely home studies, then so be it.

Thank you, Mr. DeLay, for the legislation. Thank you, Mr. Herger, for your work on this topic.

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I was unable to be present for the following rollcall vote today due to a death in the family. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 5122 (the National Defense Authorization Act).

Mr. Speaker, it is with the greatest respect and admiration that I rise today to honor the late Mr. Joseph Garcia Saca. Joe was not only an endearing member of our community in Merced County, California, but he was a beloved member of my family. He was a very special and well respected man to many people, known for his gift of conversation, unwavering faith and positive approach to life. At the age of 84, Joseph Garcia Saca passed away on Thursday, May 4, 2006.

Joe, a longtime resident of the Atwater/Winton area of Merced County, was born to the late John and Adeline Saca in Pico, Azores on August 11, 1921. At the age of 7, Joe arrived in the United States with his mother and late brother John. In the years that followed, Joe attended Fruitland Grammar School in Winton, met his wife Laura Maciel and married on May 14, 1944.

To describe Joe's life as anything less than amazing would not suffice. Throughout his 84 blessed years, he participated in many successful business ventures throughout Merced County. He owned and operated the Arena Grocery Store in Livingston and was also a successful almond rancher for many years. In the 1950's Joe put his natural talent as a gifted conversationalist to work as a local talk show host for KYOS. In 1952, Joe established what would become his most memorable business--Kathy's Tot Shop in Atwater. Named after his daughter, the children's apparel store grew up with Kathy. Years later it was renamed to Kathy's Deb U Teens and specialized in teen clothing, and then in its last years it was simply Kathy's, selling women's wear until it was sold in 1977.

Throughout his life, Joe was involved in many community organizations and activities. He held the position of past President of the Atwater Pentecost Association and the Atwater Chamber of Commerce, was a member of the Lion's Club and Knights of Columbus. He dedicated many hours of service as President of the St. Anthony's Parent's Club and in countless volunteer positions for St. Anthony's Church. He has certainly left behind a legacy of community service that is to be admired and followed.

Joe is survived by his wife Laura with whom he shared 62 years of fulfilling happiness, and his three wonderful children and their spouses: Kathy and Wayne Jansen, Ron and Kathy Saca and Alan Saca. Known as ``Papa,'' Joe adored his grandchildren Laurie Havel and her husband Richard, Kori Lynn Jansen and Allyson, Gigi and Caroline Saca, and his only great grandchild Tyler Havel.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor and privilege to join my family and community in honoring the memory my dear cousin, Joseph Garcia Saca. He will be greatly missed by all.