Floor Statements

I thank my friend, Mr. Kanjorski, for yielding me time.

I also want to congratulate Mr. Kanjorski and Mr. Royce on their hard work in crafting a bipartisan bill to provide reg relief to credit unions.

As you know, the legislation before us today combines important provisions from credit union regulatory relief legislation previously introduced by Mr. Kanjorski and Mr. Royce with provisions from my legislation H.R. 5841, the Bank and Thrift Regulatory Relief Act of 2008.

At a time when many businesses are having difficulty obtaining access to credit, H.R. 5841 will provide important credit opportunities for small- and medium-sized businesses. Among other

provisions, this legislation would remove the existing limits on small business lending for thrifts, thereby enhancing the role of savings associations as community leaders. The Homeowners Loan Act currently caps the aggregate amount of commercial loans other than small business loans at 10 percent of a savings association's assets, and it permits commercial lending, including small business lending, of up to 20 percent of assets.

According to the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, smaller businesses have experienced difficulty in obtaining relatively small loans from large commercial banks that set minimum loan amounts relatively high. Savings associations are increasingly important providers of small business credit and communities throughout the country.

This change, Mr. Chairman, will allow savings associations to continue to serve their small business customers and to further diversify their assets while also providing businesses with greater choice and flexibility to meet their credit needs.

Additionally, this proposal will significantly reduce the amount of time financial institutions spend filling out paperwork, and it will free up resources for the thousands of institutions on the front lines of community lending.

For example, the legislation would provide relief to community banks and financial institutions from requirements under the Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act to provide annual privacy notices to their customers, detailing their privacy policies and the way they share information.

While I have consistently advocated for increased protection of sensitive financial information, there should be targeted exemptions from this requirement to relieve the burden from small banks that do not share information with their affiliates and that have not otherwise changed their privacy policies.

This change, Mr. Speaker, will save small businesses millions of dollars in compliance costs while also protecting consumers from unnecessary and duplicative notices.

The legislation also contains important provisions that would repeal the prohibition against the payment of interest on business checking. This prohibition was enacted during the Depression as part of the Banking Act of 1933, to protect banks in the heat of competition from offering interest levels on deposit balances that might be sustained through risky investments.

In their 1996 report ``Streamlining of Regulatory Requirements,'' the Federal banking regulators concluded, however, that the statutory prohibition against paying interest on business accounts no longer serves a valid public purposes. For example, large financial services companies have devised products, such as ``sweep accounts'' that, in effect, provide interest on deposit accounts, giving them a competitive advantage over small community banks that may not have the capability to offer such accounts.

In addition, most small business owners don't have the minimum balances necessary to maintain a sweep account so they are forced to keep vital cash in zero-interest checking accounts. Making this small change would make a huge difference for small businesses.

Furthermore, every provision in this bill providing regulatory relief for banks and thrifts has been approved previously by Congress in one form or another. The bipartisan support for this bill shows just how important it is for both businesses and consumers that Congress pass this meaningful legislation.

America's financial services industry is the most effective and competitive in the world and my proposal will help us stay out in front. Reducing regulatory burdens on businesses and consumers is simply the right thing to.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Kanjorski and the staff, and I look forward to passage of this legislation today.

As one of the cosponsors of this legislation, I would like to engage its primary sponsor, you, Mr. Kanjorski, in a colloquy on two questions related to section 111. This section concerns the encouragement of small business development in underserved urban and rural communities.

First, I have a question about the meaning of the provision that exempts business loans made by credit unions in underserved areas from the existing cap on member business lending. Is it the intent of this provision that the proceeds from exempt loans will be used to support business operations inside underserved areas?

Thank you, Mr. Kanjorski, for that clarification.

Section 111 of the bill also includes language that member business loans in an underserved area underwritten by a credit union for a business, or a local outlet of a business, operating on a nationwide basis, shall not be eligible from exemption from the business lending cap.

It is the phrase ``operating on a nationwide basis'' where I have a question. For the purpose of this section, it would seem that a business located in an underserved area that meets the other criteria, like a small family-owned business but which has a Web site that sells their goods to anyone who visits it, would not be treated as a business operated on a nationwide basis for the purpose of this section, as the economic benefit from those sales is going to that business in the underserved area.

Have I correctly characterized the intent of this section?

Thank you for this clarification, Mr. Kanjorski. I agree with your assessments.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 40 veterans from the Kansas City area who participated in the Greater Kansas City Honor Flight to Washington, DC, on June 11, 2008.

Honor Flight is a non-profit organization that was created to honor America's veterans by organizing free trips to Washington, DC, to visit and reflect at the memorials dedicated to their service. Priority is currently given to veterans who served during World War II or those veterans who are facing terminal illness. Sadly, each day we lose more than 1,200 World War II veterans. It is imperative that these individuals have the opportunity to visit the memorial that was designed to honor their service and I am pleased that Honor Flight has made this a reality for so many of our WWII veterans. I had to opportunity to visit with many of them as they toured the World War II memorial last week and was struck by how many repeatedly expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, when, in reality, we should be the one thanking them.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to humbly express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the veterans who participated in the Greater Kansas City Honor Flight, as well as their fellow service men and women from other parts of the United States, for their service to our country. No other group of Americans has stood stronger or more bravely for our democracy than our troops and veterans. We must celebrate, honor and remember these courageous and faithful men and women.

I would like to thank the organizers of the Greater Kansas City Honor Flight, Gary Swanson and David Jackson, as well as the many dedicated chaperones and volunteers who worked behind the scenes on June 11 and for many months beforehand to ensure the Honor Flight participants had a memorable experience.

Additionally, I would like to recognize the generous financial contribution my constituents, Norman and Elaine Polsky, made to Honor Flight in order to make the trip to Washington, DC, possible for these worthy service men and women from the Kansas City area. I thank Mr. Polsky for his incredible generosity and appreciate his tireless work in the community on behalf of his fellow veterans.

The T-shirts worn by chaperones assisting Honor Flight participants feature a stirring quote from notable American entertainer Will rogers, which states, ``We can't all be heroes. Some of us have to stand at the curb and clap as they go by.'' Thank you to all of our veterans, especially those men and women who served proudly and courageously during World War II, and serve as an inspiration to our current armed forces. I am standing and clapping as loudly as I can.

Mr. Speaker, the Air Force's recent decision to award a contract to Airbus to replace our current fleet of aerial refueling tankers is a reckless one. Americans are experiencing job cuts, a credit crisis, foreclosures on their homes, and rising foods and energy prices.

Just weeks after this Congress passed a $168 billion economic stimulus package to address these issues, the Air Force assumes it will simply appropriate $40 billion for an Airbus fleet of tankers, creating high-paying jobs in Europe.

American workers have built and provided our tanker fleet for more than 40 years. Their experience makes them second to none when it comes to meeting this need.

It is beyond belief that the Air Force will reward American know-how and hard work by offshoring defense-related jobs and shrinking the U.S. industrial base even further. This decision is not in the interests of the United States.

I urge my colleagues to see the larger picture here. Congress has a responsibility to look out for all of the issues pertaining to this contract and the threat it poses to American workers.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 634) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of veterans who became disabled for life while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, if I could just add one thing.

I want to thank Mr. Neugebauer and Mr. Kirk, who really drafted this bill and got me involved with this, for their generous work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to again thank Mr. Kirk and Mr. Neugebauer for their very, very hard work and important work on this legislation and colleagues on both sides of the aisle who came together in a bipartisan spirit to pass this.

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

Thank you, Mr. Boyd. I appreciate the opportunity to speak here tonight about something that should be very important and that, I believe, is very important to every one of us whether we acknowledge and understand the importance or not.

After the change in the last election when we got the majority after 8 years--and this is my 10th year in Congress, and as Mr. Boyd said, I am the policy cochair for the Blue Dog Coalition--the Blue Dog Coalition leadership was invited, along with the leadership of a group called the New Democratic Coalition, over to the White House to meet with the President. Frankly, I think all of us appreciated the opportunity to go over and to meet with the President because we wanted to discuss items of interest to people in our Nation, not on a partisan basis but simply to find some common ground where we could work together. There were, I believe, nine of us all together--four from the Blue Dog Coalition and five from the New Democratic Coalition. We met in my office before going over.

We only had a 45-minute meeting, and I think all of us had a little concern that somebody, if we didn't have any ground rules, might spend more time and take virtually all of the time. So we agreed, if we had a chance to speak at all--and the President was running the meeting--that we would each take 2 minutes.

When it was my turn, I said, ``Mr. President, I'm a year older than you are. I have seven-and-a-half grandchildren, and we have mortgaged their future.'' I said, ``I'm not pointing at you and your administration. This goes back 25 years to Democratic and Republican Presidents.'' Although, because I was trying to find common ground, what I did not say was our debt in this country has gone up over $3.4 trillion in the last 7 years. Fully a third of our debt has been added in the last 7 years of this Presidency.

I tell folks back home all the time that 80 percent of what we do in Congress should not be about Democrats and Republicans. It ought to be about taking care of our people and our country, and I think people out there really believe that and want that to happen.

Put aside this partisanship, and let's work together. Working together for fiscal responsibility should not be a partisan matter at all. We should all be concerned about that because, as Mr. Scott, the previous speaker, pointed out, we have a large portion of our debt right now held by foreign nations that might have control over some of our actions in the future by virtue of the fact that they hold our debt. We should be very concerned about that, and we should try to do something positive about that.

Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity, I think, at this time with the reinstitution of a rule called PAYGO that expired in 2002. Some of the previous speakers, I think, have told you ``PAYGO'' simply means ``pay as you go.'' If you have a new spending proposal, a new program proposal or a new tax cut, section 1 is here is my proposal, and section 2 is here is how it's paid for so it's revenue neutral and doesn't increase our deficit and our debt. To me, that is a very simple, understandable rule that we all should follow. If we do that, we can stop this increase which is going to be detrimental to future generations in our country.

The Blue Dogs passed out a chart that's not manufactured or made by our group. I think it's U.S. Budget ``something,'' and you can get it on the Web site. It shows a bar graph of expenditures in our country, different categories of expenditures. The big three bars on the bottom are, as most people would imagine, defense. We all want an adequate defense for our Nation; the Department of Health and Human Services, which basically is

Medicare; and the third is interest on our national debt. Interest on our national debt is the third largest category of expenditure in our Federal budget at this time. That's money that could be used for education, for health care, for anything worthwhile besides paying interest on a debt.

Folks, we have got to get back to living like most American families do, within a budget. We have got to do this, not just for us. It's not about us. It's about our children and our grandchildren and about future generations in this country. I believe we owe them the very best, and we owe them to do that.

I encourage and I ask that our compatriots across the aisle, our Republican friends, join with us and support this concept of PAYGO because we need to do this for future generations in our country.

Madam Speaker, last Friday the Labor Department in our country reported that in May the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent from 5 percent and reported that unemployment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, retail trade and temporary health services, while health care continued to add jobs. The half percentage point increase is the largest single increase in the unemployment rate in 22 years, with more than 861,000 jobs lost in May.

The unemployment insurance program provides benefits to those who become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet certain conditions. Our economy has also lost jobs for five consecutive months, and it's likely that more than 1.4 million workers have exhausted their unemployment benefits in the first 6 months of this year alone. The Congressional Budget Office estimate that had this legislation would provide additional benefits to 3.8 million unemployed workers, many of whom are at extreme financial risk.

Extending these benefits is one of the most cost-effective and fast- acting ways to stimulate our faltering economy because the money is spent quickly, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.64 in new economic demand.

Congress has extended unemployment benefits over several occasions over the last 50 years in response to economic weakness. This is another one of those times in which Congress must take immediate action to address this emergency on behalf of the people in our country.

I urge my colleagues to support this temporary, I repeat, temporary extension of unemployment benefits so we can provide much-needed relief to 3.8 million unemployed workers to assist them with rapidly rising food costs while they continue to struggle to find work in this rapidly slowing economy.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, with the consideration of this budget resolution conference report, we're taking another important step towards restoring fiscal discipline as a priority of our Congress, and that's why I rise today to express my support.

We all know it's going to be a great challenge to get our fiscal house in order after 7 years of mismanagement and an increase in our national debt of $3.4 trillion. We must recognize the serious fiscal situation our country is in and begin to take practical steps to address it. This budget does it.

I am policy cochair for a group in Congress called the Blue Dog Coalition. We believe in fiscal responsibility and being within a budget, like most American families do, and this budget puts us on a path to reach a balanced budget by 2012.

Responsible budgeting is about enforcing strong budgetary principles, which is why I'm very pleased this budge adheres to what we call PAYGO, pay-as-you-go, and that it contains a commitment to the extension of statutory PAYGO requirements.

This budget directs House committees to conduct regular performance reviews of programs, recommend legislative and administrative measures to improve them, and to identify waste and to eliminate waste and unnecessary spending. These efforts, in combination with the House PAYGO rule, will provide House committees with incentives to seek out and eliminate inefficient programs.

Finally, you will continue to hear talk about this budget raising taxes on middle class and working families. It does nothing of the sort. It specifically calls for a responsible fix of the alternative minimum tax and the extension of middle-income tax relief in a manner that is fiscally responsible and does not pass on trillions of dollars of debt to our children and grandchildren.

This budget resolution is not perfect, but it's another important step towards restoring fiscal discipline as a guiding value of our government. The Blue Dog group in Congress is dedicated to seeing that commitments made in this budget are adhered to so we can put our country back on a sustainable fiscal path, and we're not mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren.

As a member of the House Budget Committee, I would like to thank Chairman Spratt and his great staff for all the work they do.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mission, Kansas, Mayor Laura McConwell, who recently was named ``Kansas Mayor of the Year'' by the Kansas Mayors Association.

The Mayor of the Year award is based on leadership and contributions by the nominee in promoting intergovernmental relations and the impact of the nominee on his or her community and its citizens. Mayor McConwell is one of only a few Johnson County mayors to ever receive this honor.

Laura McConwell has served as the City of Mission's mayor since 2002. During her tenure as mayor, she has provided thoughtful leadership for the city in extensive redevelopment projects, stormwater remediation, and infrastructure planning and maintenance, all accomplished through energizing citizens and businesses through public processes. Mayor McConwell has also been a leader in the Kansas City areas in promoting sustainability issues not only in Mission, but throughout the region. She spearheaded the Kansas City Area Mayors Sustainability and Climate Protection Conference in November 2007, which set the national record for the most mayors to sign the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement for a region in a single day.

Currently, Mayor McConwell is active in a variety of community and professional associations, including: Vice Chair of the Johnson/ Wyandotte Counties Council of Mayors: Co-chair, Mid America Regional Council First Suburbs Coalition; Vice-chair, National League of Cities First Tier Suburbs Steering Committee; National League of Cities Community and Economic Development Steering Committee; Leadership Kansas Class of 2008; Shawnee Mission School District Committee for Excellence; United Community Services Board Member; Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce; Shawnee Mission North Parent Teacher Student Association; and Boy Scouts of America.

Madam Speaker, I know that all members of the House of Representatives join with me in commending Mayor Laura McConwell on this well deserved recognition. I am proud to have her as a constituent in the Third Congressional District of Kansas and I am proud to represent the City of Mission and all other communities within our congressional district.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Taiwan's proposed membership in the World Health Organization, WHO.

In today's global community, health is a shared responsibility, as the whole world is vulnerable to transnational diseases. Given the tremendous volume of international travel and global trade, the transmission of communicable diseases between borders has been heightened. This reality necessitates both global collaboration and a global response to prevent and control the spread of these diseases.

The World Health Organization is the organization tasked with this duty. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Currently, there are over 190 participants in the WHO. Taiwan is not one of them, however, which means that the 23 million citizens of Taiwan do not have access to the critical health service and information the WHO provides.

As a strong democracy and one of the world's most robust economics, Taiwan should be allowed to benefit from the health services and medical protections offered by the WHO, including direct and immediate access to up-to-date disease information. Taiwan's exclusion from the WHO also prevents the country from taking part in the WHO mechanism for the allocation of vaccines and other disease control supplies. Taiwan's inability to make use of these allocation mechanisms during international outbreaks hampers its disease control efforts and has a strong negative impact on the health of the people in Taiwan.

Taiwan's membership in the WHO is not only in the interest of the people of Taiwan, it is in the interest of the international community and the WHO itself: as the WHO stands to benefit significantly from the financial and technological contributions that Taiwan has to offer.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Organization.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a young constituent whose life tragically ended way too early, as the result of an automobile accident.

Meghan North Lampo of Fairway, Kansas, was killed on May 15, 2008, in an automobile accident in Overland Park, Kansas. She was born on February 12, 1979, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was a graduate of St. Paul's Episcopal Day School and St. Theresa's Academy. Meghan earned a bachelor of arts in Japanese studies at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and spent her junior year in Morioka, Japan. She was a student ambassador to Kansas City's sister city in Kurashiki, Japan, a Rotary International scholar in Myaboshi, Japan, and participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, a Japanese governmental program in Nagano, Japan.

Meghan was a beautiful young woman who loved people from every walk of life and has been described as a creative and free spirit who loved and lived life to the fullest. She described herself as someone who colored outside the lines in order to make a masterpiece. She had boundless energy and her own sense of style, a strong will, a huge heart, and a desire to help others in any way she could. Meghan particularly enjoyed volunteering for Bacchus Foundation, a philanthropic, social and service organization which introduces and integrates young adults into Kansas City's civic, cultural and educational communities. As Meghan said, ``A little sparkle goes a long way these days.'' She is survived by many friends and her family, including her mother, Jane Lampo and stepfather, Rick Welsch, of Fairway, and her father Joe Lampo of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to pay tribute to a very special young constituent whose life was tragically snuffed out when she was much too young. I thank you for this opportunity and I know that all members of the House of Representatives join with me in paying tribute to Meghan North Lampo.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5787, the Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act, a bill that I introduced with Representative Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee to address the disincentives that are currently keeping some agencies from disposing of properties they no longer need.

Last June the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a report which found that there is currently a backlog of more than 21,000 excess and surplus Federal properties worth a total of $18 billion. Holding onto these properties has serious implications for the American taxpayer, as it costs Federal agencies millions of dollars per year to maintain and secure properties that are underutilized or simply unneeded.

Investigations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have also pointed out that the administrative requirements and costs of preparing a property for transfer or sale continue to hamper some agencies' efforts to address their backlog of unneeded properties. Because it can be difficult for agencies to secure the resources that they need to prepare a property for disposal, these costs serve as a disincentive because it makes more sense, in the short-term, for them to simply hold onto a property, particularly if they do not expect to receive the proceeds of a transfer or sale.

Fortunately, over the past several years the administration and Federal agencies have made progress toward strategically managing Federal real property by establishing asset management plans, standardizing data reporting, and adopting performance measures.

But there are also commonsense steps that we can take now to ensure that Federal agencies have the proper incentives to dispose of property they no longer need. H.R. 5787 is designed to do just this.

First, the legislation would move to help agencies deal with the administrative requirements and costs of preparing underutilized properties for transfer or sale by allowing the General Services Administration (GSA), in cooperation with agencies, to use its resources and expertise to cover these up-front costs and help agencies ensure that title records, property descriptions, and environmental clearances are in order so that properties can be classified as excess. GSA would then be reimbursed for the costs it incurs from the proceeds that agencies receive from the transfer or sale of such properties.

The legislation would also provide agencies with another incentive to reduce their inventory of unneeded properties by allowing them to keep all the proceeds received from the sale of surplus properties, which would then be available, subject to appropriations, to fund future asset management and disposal activities.

Many landholding agencies, including the three largest landholding agencies--the Department of Defense, GSA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs--already have the authority to retain 100 percent of proceeds, and it has been shown to be a tremendous incentive for some agencies to dispose of property they no longer need.

H.R. 5787 would simply extend this authority to landholding agencies that currently do not have it, and allow the proceeds agencies would receive to be used for future disposal and asset management efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage my colleagues to support this common sense effort to help Federal agencies more efficiently manage their Federal real property assets. As we are all well aware, the Federal government faces many short and long-term fiscal challenges, which is why we must increase our efforts both to manage our existing assets more effectively and to significantly reduce the backlog of underutilized and unused Federal properties. We should no longer waste precious taxpayer funds on maintaining and holding properties that are not needed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Bob Regnier, who recently was named Philanthropist of the Year by the Kansas City Council on Philanthropy. I was honored to attend a luncheon on May 9th at which he received this very well-deserved honor, which prompted me to consider Bob Regnier's lifetime of service to Johnson County and the entire Kansas City metropolitan area. Bob is the living embodiment of the anonymous saying, ``Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer.''

I have been privileged to know Bob Regnier for many years. He embodies the observation of leadership consultant Don Blohowiak: ``A balanced life is the centered intersection of your values, time and action. That's where integrity resides.'' Starting in 1970 as a safe deposit clerk and teller at Baltimore Bank in Johnson County, he rose within the Boatmen's Bank organization and, in 1989, he left that organization following a merger and founded the Bank of Blue Valley, meeting with his first customers in a doublewide mobile home. The Bank of Blue Valley developed from its initial asset base of $2,150,000 to an organization with total assets in excess of $700 million total loans in excess of $550 million and total deposits in excess of $550 million.

Just as importantly, however, Bob Regnier has been a tireless volunteer and source of strength for the Kansas City metropolitan area. As he said in a 2006 column in the Kansas City Business Journal, ``There is no question that Kansas City is a good place to live and raise a family. The question for all of us is, will this be a `great' place to live? The choice is up to each one of us.'' Phrased differently by Dr. Seuss, the keystone of Bob Regnier's service to our community is based upon this idea: ``Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.''

Madam Speaker, a cursory review of the many, many ways Bob Regnier has served our Kansas City community as a dedicated volunteer simply would not do him justice. Below I've listed his past civic commitments and current civic activities, as well as the numerous other public recognitions he has earned over the years for his good works. I thank you and the U.S. House of Representatives for joining me in taking note of this distinguished history.

civic--past commitments

Heart of American United Way, 1977-1988, Member of Campaign

Cabinet in 1987-1988; UMKC Banking Advisory Panel, 1986-2000;

UMKC Bloch School Alumni Board, 1990-1996; Blue Valley

Educational Foundation, 1993-

1997, Treasurer, 1994-1995; Health Partnership of Johnson

County, 1994-1995, Treasurer, 1994-1995; Blue Valley School

District Board, Member 1995-2003, President 1998-2000; Blue

Valley School District Bond Campaigns, Campaign Co-Chairman

1998, 2005; Johnson County Sales Tax for Benefit of Public

Schools Campaign, Campaign Co-Chairman 2002, 2005; Menorah

Medical Center Foundation, 1998-2003; Enterprise Center of

Johnson County Board, 1998-2006, Vice Chairman, 2002-2003,

Chairman 2003-2005.

Overland Park Chamber Research & Development Foundation,

2000-2004; Health Midwest Johnson County Board, 2001-2003;

United Community Services ``Navigating the Future'' Task

Force, 2002-2003; Salvation Army Christmas Campaign

Chairperson, 2003; Honorary Co-chairman Ronald McDonald Hope

Is Building Campaign, 2003-2006; Honorary Vice Chairman Avila

College Capital Campaign, 2003-2006; Menorah Medical Center

Board of Trustees, 2003-2007, Vice Chairman, 2005-2007;

Menorah Legacy Foundation Board, 2003-2006; Co-Chairman of

Development Committee, 2004-2006; Truman Medical Center

Foundation, Co-Chairman, Capital Campaign for Behavioral

Health Network, 2005-2007; Honorary Dinner Co-chair 30th

Annual Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish

Committee Human Relations Dinner, 2006; Arts Council of

Johnson County, Shooting Stars Gala, Honorary Chairperson,

2007.

Civic--Present Commitments

Johnson County Community College Foundation Board, 1996-

Present, Some Enchanted Evening Scholarship Dinner, 1996-

2001, Executive Committee, 1999-Present, Some Enchanted

Evening Chair Couple-2000, Chairman Technology Center ``Blue

Ribbon Task Force''-2002, Chairman Business & Technology

Center Capital Campaign, 2003-Present, Vice Chairman 2005-

Present, Chairman 2007-Present; Kansas University Edward's

Campus Board of Advisors, 2000-Present; Greater Kansas City

Chamber Johnson County Leadership Council, 2001-Present,

Chairman, 2004-2007; Community Foundation of Johnson County

Board, 2002-Present, Vice Chairman, 2005-2006; Union Station

Kansas City Board, 2003-Present, Vice Chairman, 2005-Present;

REACH Foundation, 2003-Present, Secretary 2003-2006, Chairman

2006-Present; Greater Kansas City Chamber Board of Directors,

2003-Present, Co-Chairman of Annual Meeting, 2004, Vice

Chairman & Treasurer, 2004-2005, 2nd Vice Chairman, 2005-2006

1st Vice Chairman, 2006-2007; Chairman 2007-Present.

Civic Council of Kansas City, 2003-Present, Regional

Infrastructure Task Force, 2003-Present, P-12 Education Task

Force, 2004-Present, Board of Directors, 2004-Present, Vice

Chairman, 2007-Present; Arts Council of Greater Kansas City,

2004-Present, Vice Chairman, 2005-Present; Greater Kansas

City Community Foundation Board, 2005-Present; Midwest

Research Institute, Board of Trustees, 2005-Present;

University of Kansas Medical Center & Hospital Advancement

Board, 2006-Present; United Way of Greater Kansas City, Board

of Directors, 2007-Present, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art,

Board of Trustees, 2007-Present; University of Kansas

Hospital Authority, Board of Directors, 2007-Present.

Madam Speaker, from May 3-5, 2008, more than 1,200 students from across the country visited Washington, DC, to take part in the national finals of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, the most extensive educational program in the country developed to educate young people about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Administered by the Center for Civic Education, the We the People program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education by act of Congress.

I am proud to announce that a group of outstanding students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas, through their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, won the statewide competition, earning the chance to come to our Nation's capital and compete at the national level.

While in Washington, the students participated in a three-day academic competition that simulates a congressional hearing in which they ``testify'' before a panel of judges. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles as they evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. It is important to note that independent studies of the We the People program indicate that alumni of this nationally- acclaimed program display a greater political tolerance and commitment to the principles and values of the Constitution and Bill of Rights than do students using traditional textbooks and approaches. With various reports and surveys that reveal the lack of civic knowledge and engagement, I am pleased to support such an outstanding program that continues to produce enlightened and responsible citizens.

Madam Speaker, the names of these outstanding students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School are:

Hillary Bourquin, Rosemarie Boyles, Annie Clark, Michelle Coombs, Alexander Davidson, Blair Donahue, Maria Dudley, Jillian Falbre, Lauren Hannifan, Lisa Hartung, Sarah Hermes, Veronica Holton, Erin Jolley, Emily Majerie, Arica Maurer, Kirsten Milliard, Theresa Nelson, Angela Nigro, Daniel Obermeier, Courtney Pigott, Rose Reynolds, Amanda Schnieders, Jonathan Shoulta, Emily Stone, David Sullivan, Bryan Thelen, Brittany Wilderson, and Jerry Wohletz.

I also wish to commend the teachers of the class, Tim Lillis and Amy Person, who are responsible for preparing these young constitutional experts for the statewide competition and national finals. Also worthy of special recognition is Lynn Stanley, the State coordinator, and Ken Thomas, the district coordinator, who are among those responsible for implementing the We the People program in my State.

I congratulate these students on their exceptional achievements at the We the People national finals.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Dr. Marjorie Kaplan, Superintendent of the Shawnee Mission School District, who is retiring at the end of this school year, after 16 years of extraordinary leadership for her district, and for the greater Kansas City area.

Dr. Kaplan came to Shawnee Mission in 1992 after a distinguished career in Arizona. She is returning to the Phoenix area where she will be close to her children and grandchildren.

My congressional district is blessed with some of the best schools in the country. I know many Members of Congress feel that way, but I know this is the case. Where I live, among many outstanding school districts, Shawnee Mission schools remain the gold

standard in our area. During her tenure, Dr. Kaplan has reinforced this perception and continually raised this standard.

I have come to admire and respect Dr. Kaplan, who has never been shy about giving me very good advice on education issues and legislation. I know how much good schools mean to my constituents, so I have always heeded her expertise and guidance.

The Shawnee Mission district includes older suburban areas and is surrounded by newer, fast growing areas. Under Dr. Kaplan's leadership, and thanks to confidence in the district, Shawnee Mission patrons have passed a series of school bond issues which allowed the district to renew its building stock, while combining some elementary school populations.

During the past 16 years, Dr. Kaplan and Shawnee Mission schools have:

Brought rigorous International Baccalaureate programming to area high school students since 1996, and greatly increased advanced placement classes; Strengthened the district's Center for International Studies and further developed the languages offered through the program; Transformed career and technical education courses and programs with award winning programs in culinary arts, commercial baking, graphic design, multimedia, and computer training; Brought in engineering technology, biotechnology, and biomedical health science programs; Introduced the Open Court reading program; and Continually produced students who outperform their Kansas and US peers on standardized tests, including the ACT and the SAT. For several years, Shawnee Mission produces about 20 percent of the Kansas National Merit finalists, despite having only 6 percent of the state's population.

Although a talented administrator, Dr. Kaplan has made it a point to substitute teach in every building throughout the school year. Perhaps because of this, her teachers and administrators know how much she cares, and understands their difficulties and joys at the classroom level. Educators today face new challenges, with increasing numbers of children who do not speak English at home and with problems of school funding and federal education programs. Despite it all, this district has continued to succeed.

Madam Speaker, thank you for allowing me the time to pay tribute to an outstanding educator who I am proud to call a friend, Dr. Marjorie Kaplan.

Mr. Speaker, it's my great privilege today to honor the 2008 NCAA men's Division I basketball champions, the University of Kansas Jayhawks, and to encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1096.

The University of Kansas men's basketball team began their season by winning 20 straight games on their way to a final regular season record of 28-3, a share of the Big 12 regular season title and the Big 12 Conference tournament title.

Upon being selected a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, the Jayhawks defeated their first three opponents by 24 points, 19 points and 15 points, respectively. When challenged by Davidson in the regional final and the University of North Carolina in the national semifinal game, Kansas won these competitive, emotionally charged games by emphasizing teamwork, persistence, and focus, three qualities they displayed all season long.

And finally, the Jayhawks won the national title by besting a skilled Memphis team in one of the most dramatic games in Final Four history, 20 years after another Kansas team lead by Danny Manning also won the national championship in dramatic fashion.

As a proud alum of the University of Kansas, I was proud that through the entire season the students, athletes, coaches and everyone associated with the University of Kansas men's basketball team represented the university and the State of Kansas in great fashion by demonstrating sportsmanship, skill, and the ability to overcome adversity. They deserve praise and credit for their efforts and for their dedication of the common goal of winning the NCAA championship.

It should also be said that the students of the University of Kansas, the members of the Lawrence, Kansas community and Jayhawk fans everywhere showed tremendous class in the celebration of the Jayhawks' historic win. And, friends, this is a Jayhawk.

Students and fans take great pride in Kansas basketball, and I believe that this commitment and passion was demonstrated by the fact that nearly 80,000 people showed up on a chilly spring afternoon for the team's championship parade and celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to stand here today to pay tribute to the hard work and success of this championship team, its coaches and its fans, and I ask my colleagues to please support House Resolution 1096.

Rock Chalk Jayhawks!