Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 4381, legislation naming a postal facility in Springdale, Arkansas, after Harvey and Bernice Jones. This measure, which was introduced by the gentleman from Arkansas (Representative Boozman) on May 18, 2004, and unanimously reported by our committee on July 8, 2004, enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the Arkansas delegation.

As my colleagues have heard, the late Harvey and Bernice Jones were founders of a nonprofit organization, the Jones Center for Families. The mission of the center is to ``serve families, strengthen community, and glorify God.'' The organization, which provided a host of needed community services including health, education, and recreational facilities, was founded to improve the lives of those in need of assistance and guidance.

In 1996 President William Clinton awarded Mrs. Bernice Young Jones the Presidential Citizen Medal. Throughout her life, Mrs. Jones donated millions of dollars to assist individuals and families.

Mr. Harvey Jones, who built one of the largest trucking companies in the country, was also a generous contributor to charitable organizations. Sadly, he passed in 1989, and Mrs. Jones passed away last year.

I commend my colleagues for sponsoring this bill, and I urge its quick passage.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 4618, legislation naming a postal facility in Nanuet, New York, after Anthony Lombardi. This measure was introduced by the gentleman from New York (Representative Engel) on June 18, 2004, and unanimously reported by our committee on July 21, 2004; and it enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the New York delegation.

A native of Nanuet, New York, Anthony Lombardi served in the U.S. Army. A dedicated serviceman, Anthony participated in the ground force that stormed Normandy in 1944. He was later wounded in another battle. For his valiant efforts, Anthony was awarded two Bronze Stars.

After the many battles, Anthony returned home, taught Sunday school at St. Joseph's of Spring Valley, and began a 30-year career with the U.S. Postal Service.

As a letter carrier, Anthony Lombardi walked over 100,000 miles delivering mail. His neighbors and friends remembered him as a carrier who did his job with a smile and a hug.

I commend my colleague for honoring the memory of the late Anthony Lombardi, and I urge the swift adaptation of H.R. 4618.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 4556, legislation naming a postal facility in Dunn, North Carolina, after General William Carey Lee. This measure, which was introduced by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) on June 14, 2004, and unanimously reported out by our committee on July 21, 2004, enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the North Carolina delegation.

William Carey Lee was a native of Dunn, North Carolina. He left college to join the United States Army and fought in World War I. He returned home from the war and graduated from North Carolina State University.

After a distinguished Army career, William Carey Lee became Commander of the Provisional Parachute Group and the 502nd and 503rd Parachute Battalions at Fort Benning. His enormous enthusiasm for parachute and glider troops led him to develop and command the 101st Airborne Division, an elite paratrooper company hailed for its heroic participation in the D-Day invasion.

Although his health would not allow him to be there for the invasion, his men respected and admired him so much that as they jumped from their planes into battle, they yelled his name.

General Lee died in 1948, but he remains a legend. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy of General Lee by sponsoring this bill, and I urge its quick passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), the sponsor of H.R. 4556.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong opposition to H.R. 3313, the so-called ``Marriage Protection Act,'' a misnomer that would make George Orwell smile. The fact is, just like the Federal Marriage Amendment, this Court Stripping bill is unnecessary, unwise, and serves as little more than a distraction from the many urgent matters facing our Nation.

Like the Federal Marriage Amendment, the Court Stripping bill is not needed. The Defense of Marriage Act remains the law of the land and its Constitutionality has not been overturned in any United States court. Furthermore, H.R. 3313 is a grave threat to the protection and enforcement of civil rights laws, and will erase decades of social progress all in the name of ``marriage protection.''

Historically, the judicial branch has often been the sole protector of the rights of minority groups against the will of the popular majority. Cases such as Brown v. Board of Education come to mind. The Court Stripping bill would deny the courts the ability to hear challenges to a legislation by a specific minority group, in this case gays and lesbians, thus creating a slippery slope where any law could be subject to ``courtstripping.''

This is a serious challenge to our fundamental system of checks and balances. The Court Stripping bill is the first, and undoubtably NOT the last, effort by the Republican Congress to hamstring an independent Federal judiciary. This reckless bill would take away even the Supreme Court's authority to decide on a Federal law.

Those who are advocating the Court Stripping bill today use the argument of ``judicial activism'' in Massachusetts and other States as a justification. Make no mistake about it, these same arguments were also advanced by defenders of segregation in the South in response to the Brown v. Board of Education decision and other decisions such as Loving v. Virginia that invalidated State anti-miscegenation law.

There are so many issues that this Republican-controlled Congress has failed to address. We don't have a budget. We haven't passed all of our appropriations bills we are engaged in, with no end in sight, and our economy has failed to generate the jobs necessary to keep the GDP growing. Meanwhile, this Republican Congress is taking up a divisive, discriminatory, and completely unnecessary legislation just to appeal to their far right base and to drive a wedge into this upcoming election. It is cynical and simply dead wrong.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting this hateful, unconstitutional, and discriminatory legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to read words of reflection about one who believed who just passed away, and read this scripture, ``God had the power to work within her and to accomplish abundantly far more than all she could ask or imagine.''

Aunita T. Hudson-Edwards was born to Levi Hudson and Elnora Davis Hudson on September 20, 1915 in Carthage, Texas. She was the first of three children, and she just recently passed away. When she married Frank Edwards, she enjoyed parenting four children. Many of you might know Willis Edwards, Brenda Joe Edwards and Edward Earl and Frank. In California she worked as a teacher in Palm Springs Unified School District for 15 years and found herself taking in children who had no one else to claim them. She was active in the community, and as a quiet force demonstrated her trail-blazing tendency by founding the Palm Springs Chapter of the NAACP and joining as a founding member of the First Baptist Church. She was a life member of the NAACP.

Mr. Speaker, she was a stateswoman, this woman that we pay tribute as she passes on. She enjoyed coming here to the White House during the Clinton and Bush administrations and tended two Congressional Gold Medal ceremonies, one for Rosa Parks and the recent ceremony for Dorothy Height. She loved going to the NAACP national conventions. She was a great soul we will always remember, and wish that her legacy would produce more like Aunita T. Hudson-Edwards.

Mrs. Aunita TriDoris Hudson-Edwards

Words of Reflection about one who believed--

``God had the power to work within (her) and to accomplish

abundantly far more than all (she) could ask or imagine . .

.'' Ephesians 3:20 (NRSV)

Aunita T. Hudson-Edwards was born to Levi Hudson and Elnora

Davis Hudson on Sept. 20, 1915 in Carthage, Texas. She was

the first of three children. She attended public school in

Carthage, Texas and graduated from Bishop College, Marshall,

Texas. She taught in the Texas public school system for many

years. At an early age she united with Bethlehem Baptist

Church of Carthage and remained active until she relocated to

California.

She married Frank Edwards and enjoyed parenting four

children, Willis, Brenda Jo, Edward Earl, and Frank. In

California she worked as a teacher in the Palm Springs

Unified School System for 15 years and found herself ``taking

in'' children who had no one to claim them. She was active in

the community, and as a quiet force demonstrated her

trailblazing tendencies by founding the Palm Springs chapter

of the NAACP and joining as a founding member of the First

Baptist Church. She was a life member of the NAACP.

As an elder stateswoman she enjoyed accompanying Willis to

the White House during the Clinton and Bush Administrations,

and attended two Congressional Gold Medal ceremonies (Rosa

Parks and Dorothy Height), NAACP national conventions,

Congressional Black Caucus weekends, NAACP Image Awards, and

numerous awards and community service events.

Aunita T. Hudson-Edwards departed this life July 19, 2004.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Frank, her sister,

Nelva J. Thomas and brother, Hodges Hudson, both of Kansas

City, MO and her son Edward Earl. She leaves to cherish her

memory, a son, Willis Edwards of Los Angeles, CA; a daughter,

Brenda Joe Pine of Palm Springs, CA; a son Frank Edwards of

Northridge, CA; grandchildren: Kisha Dixon, Zachary Clayton,

Renita Pine, Natalie Edwards, Antoinette Pine, Charlotte

Pine, Derrick Pine, Teresa (Kent) Taylor, Tanya (Kenneth)

Molinelli, Karon (Lennard) Lehman, and Sharon Edwards; great-

grandchildren: Devian, Fanasha, David, Demaria, Kadisha,

Eric, Sierra, Alonzo, Jr, Demitra, Tony, Alonzo, Jason, Jr.,

Jordan, Deshaun, Delawn, Derrian, Armani, Sherlita, Juan,

Vivianna, Derrick Jordan, DeMond, Jade, Arika, Eleana,

Suamana (Bright), Mattias, Christian, Michelle, Heather, and

Thomas; a nephew, Perry C. Daniels of Longview, TX; a niece,

Gwendolyn C. Moore of Miami, FL; niece, Jacquetta J. West of

Kansas City, MO; brother-in-law, Dr. Jackson Thomas of Kansas

City, MO. She also leaves a host of nieces and nephews in

addition to the many relatives and friends in California and

Texas.

Aunita TriDoris Hudson-Edwards made herself available to be

used by God. Because of her, young people were rescued,

communities were activated, churches fulfilled their

ministries, and her family was blessed.

Thank you, Mother Aunita, for giving us so much--We pledge

to honor your legacy of humble service with the establishment

of a computer lab for senior citizens at the First Baptist

Church of Palm Springs sponsored by the Tavis Smiley

Foundation and the Aunita TriDoris Hudson-Edwards Scholarship

Fund in your name. Until we meet again!

July 21, 2004.

Homegoing Services for Willis Edwards' Mom

We mourn not because she is lost, for God has taken her

home, but because we will miss her. Yet, we are assured that

if we are faithful, that parting will be only for a short

while. We thank God that Mother Edwards came our way and

loved us. Willis Edwards has asked that you, his extended

family and friends know of the Homegoing Services for his

Mom--

aunita tridoris hudson-edwards

Service in Los Angeles, Saturday, July 24, 2004, 11:00 AM,

Ward AME Church, 1177 W. 25th Street, Los Angeles, CA.

Rev. Norman D. Copeland, Pastor and Officiant, Bishop

Carolyn Tyler-Guidry, Eulogist.

Service in Palm Springs, Tuesday, July 27, 2004, 11:00 AM,

First Baptist Church, 588 Las Vegas Road, Palm Springs, CA.

Rev. Rodney S. Croom, Officiant/Pastor.

Services conducted by: Agape Funeral Home--4250 South

Central Avenue--Los Angeles, CA.

For those who have inquired, in lieu of flowers you may

want to make a contribution to the Aunita Tridoris Hudson-

Edwards Scholarship Fund to provide assistance to young

people pursuing college and/or graduate degrees.

Mr. Speaker, on August 23, President Bush's new overtime pay take-away rules will go into effect. These rules will slash wages for over 6 million Americans.

Since 2001, this administration has passively stood by while Americans lost their jobs and unemployment benefits; but here in Congress, we have a duty to fight for the safety and security of workers who need overtime wages to pay their bills and make ends meet.

If these rules go forward, the outcome will be disastrous for working families who depend on the income from overtime wages in order to live. Hardworking mothers and fathers in my hometown of Los Angeles will see their workplace more than their homes, their bosses more than their families as they are forced to work longer hours for less pay.

Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous for Congress to deny overtime pay to the nurses, policemen, secretaries and every other person who works for a living, while the administration rewards millionaires and big corporations with tax breaks. Slashing overtime wages is another example of this administration's disregard for the well-being of the middle class.

Mr. Speaker, we are now almost 3 months past the deadline for Congress to pass a Federal budget. At this point, it is likely that Congress will not pass one at all. The cause of this breakdown is the ongoing misguided policies of the administration which have put irresponsible tax cuts ahead of the programs that Americans rely on to move our country forward.

One such program is COPS, or Community Oriented Policing Services. Since its inception, COPS has put more than 140,000 police officers on the streets. In Los Angeles, my hometown, that meant 240 new officers last year alone. But despite all of the talk about supporting local police, Republicans are starving the COPS program of funds. Because of their marriage to big tax cuts, Republicans have proposed cutting this vital program by over $100 million. That means about half as many new police on the streets next year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and memorialize a great American, Juanita R. Phillips, a retired educator in the St. Louis public schools. She died of natural causes on Thursday, July 1, 2004, 3 months shy of celebrating her 100th birthday.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 26, 1904, 3 months, as I said,

before her centennial. She attended the Clinton Iowa public schools and graduated in 1927 from the University of California at Los Angeles and earned a master's degree in English from Ohio State University.

After graduation, she taught English at various historically black institutions such as Florida A&M College in Tallahassee, Florida, and Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, before moving to St. Louis.

In 1943 she moved with her husband, Dr. A.C. Phillips, an educator who served as principal of Washington Technical, Vashon, and Central High Schools, and after retirement as a former president of New Age Federal Savings and Loan in North St. Louis.

Mrs. Phillips continued her love for teaching English at Soldan High School, from which she retired in 1972, and subsequently served as a tutorial volunteer.

During her lifetime, Mrs. Phillips remained engaged in various local and national organizations until she became well advanced in age. As a founding member and first president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's Alpha Gamma Chapter, my chapter, at UCLA in the 1920s, she also dated Ralph Bunche, a classmate while in college. She continued an active social life in St. Louis where she maintained membership in the Booklovers Club, the Garden Club, a local women's bridge club, as well as shared activities with her husband as an archousa in the Beta Eta Boule, The Anniversary Club, The Couples Club, and numerous civic and philanthropic projects. She was a voracious reader, avid gardener, a consummate traveler, and a generous hostess who enjoyed sharing her time and energy to make life more pleasant for her friends and family, and especially her grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say I just returned from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Convention, over 10,000 women, and announced to them her passing. But the remarkable thing is that she almost saw a full century of life and we, her family, she was my aunt, need to emulate her spirit because she believed in peace. She loved poetry, and she wrote to us poetically. The last conversation I had with her she said to me, I think I have just lived too long. And I responded, you will live forever in our hearts and our minds.

We need observing. I observed the election in 2000 from Micronesia. I was ashamed. I was embarrassed because I had to go out and interpret what had happened. I did not find those elections to be free or fair. The spaghetti ballot, the hanging chad, and the Supreme Court's decision, cutting off the counting of votes, so the person who had the largest number of votes did not win. And so we need the world to see how our elections are run because Florida cheated, and we are not going to allow it to cheat again.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the ranking member, my good friend and very distinguished Member of the House, and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger) for supporting H. Res. 576, a bipartisan resolution urging the government of the People's Republic of China to improve its protection of intellectual property rights, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to thank them for their leadership and their diligence in bringing the bill to the floor for consideration.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 576 is a balanced and responsible piece of legislation. It recognizes China's efforts to deal with the serious problems of intellectual property violations, as well as encourages China to redouble its efforts to rectify a serious problem that results in the loss of revenues, according to the USTR's most recent figures, in excess of $2.5 billion yearly to U.S. companies and manufacturers.

The resolution recommends that the Chinese government implement more effective customs and border measures to prevent exportation of pirated goods into the United States and into other countries. It encourages the Chinese government to fully and comprehensively implement a legal framework to protect intellectual property rights; and it urges the Chinese government to give greater market access to foreign producers of legitimate products to reduce the demand for counterfeit goods.

In crafting H. Res. 576, my staff shared the text of the resolution with various Federal Departments and agencies, including the State and Commerce Departments, U.S. Customs, the U.S. Copyright Office, USTR, and the United States Patent and Trademark Offices. In many instances, changes suggested by these various entities have been incorporated into the final version of H. Res. 576.

Mr. Speaker, I will submit for the Record at this point letters that I have received from Marybeth Peters, register of copyrights from the United States Copyright Office; and Douglas Lowenstein, the president of Entertainment Software Association, in support of H. Res. 576.

U.S. Copyright Office,

Library of Congress,

Washington, DC, March 30, 2004.

Hon. Diane E. Watson,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Watson: I am pleased to have this

opportunity to respond to your request for the Copyright

Office's views regarding H. Res. 576. I wholeheartedly agree

that consideration of the problem of copyright infringement

in China is especially important and timely.

The Copyright Office has actively engaged our counterparts

at the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) for

over twenty years in an effort to foster better understanding

and improve the protection of copyrighted works in China. Our

most recent exchange was earlier this month, when we hosted a

delegation led by Deputy Director General Wang Ziqiang of the

NCAC for a one week symposium on the protection and

enforcement of copyright. The delegation included officials

from the central government in Beijing, officials from

several of China's provinces with authority for the

enforcement of copyright, and judges who hear copyright

infringement cases.

The Copyright Office also plays a crucial role in the

United States' bilateral trade relations with China. We

advise the Congress, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office,

and other federal agencies on copyright protection and

enforcement and we participate in trade talks held both in

the U.S. and in China.

Over the years, we have worked with China as it has

transformed itself from a country that did not even have a

copyright law into a WTO member. But we have also been

dismayed by the persistent and overwhelming problem of

copyright infringement in China. The U.S. copyright

industries continue to report piracy rates of at least 90%

across the board in China. This fact, combined with the size

of the Chinese market and the growing problem of the export

of pirated products from China, threatens, if gone unchecked,

to deluge markets in the region and around the world with

cheap, illegal copies of American products.

Despite these threats, many American companies continue to

invest in the Chinese market. I believe that this is

indicative of the business opportunities in China. Thus, I

see both a crisis of piracy and great opportunity. H. Res.

576 eloquently captures a balanced and realistic assessment

of the situation in China and the Copyright Office supports

it and hopes that it will be adopted. It is important for the

Chinese Government to understand that the United States

recognizes that much has been done, but also that it sees how

much remains to do and how important it is to finish the job.

Please feel free to contact me again on this or any other

copyright matter.

Sincerely,

Marybeth Peters,

Register of Copyrights.

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for the protection of intellectual property rights in America and around the world. The U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement, of which I am a strong supporter, serves as a great testament to our Nation's commitment in safeguarding and strengthening the rights of intellectual property holders. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Australia and the United States have long had a strong relationship, be it economically, politically, and culturally. In addition to nearly $60 billion invested in the United States by Australian companies, two- way trade between the two countries is currently at over $28 billion per year and growing. The U.S.-Australia agreement before us today would further strengthen these economic ties by expanding market access for the distribution of U.S. entertainment products and by setting the highest standards of copyright protection for the modern digital age.

For example, among many of its outstanding provisions, the Agreement would establish strong anti-circumvention provisions to prohibit tampering with copyright protection technologies. It includes strong IP enforcement language, which includes enhanced criminal standards for copyright infringement and stronger remedies and penalties. It would also eliminate tariffs on all U.S. movies, music, consumer products, books and magazines exported into Australia, and broaden market access for U.S. films and television programs over a variety of media, such as cable, satellite, and the internet. Finally, the FTA provides groundbreaking commitment to non-discriminatory treatment of digital products, including DVDs and CDs, and an agreement not to impose customs duties on such products.

The U. S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement is a giant step forward in improving the protection of intellectual property rights and in promoting the access of U.S. entertainment products around the world. It is good for our economy and good for our entertainment workers, who have witnessed drastic erosions in the values of their products due to unprecedented global piracy. When a major trading partner such as Australia makes these type of commitments to protect the products of the American creative community, we need to embrace them.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support the U.S.-Australia FTA.

Mr. Speaker, today is the first good day that Grandma Millie has had in a long time. Disgraced former Enron chairman Ken Lay has surrendered to the authorities. This is an important milestone. Many Americans, including myself, worried that Lay's close ties to President Bush would permit him to go free. I am heartened that it appears those fears have been proven wrong.

But while Lay's arrest is an important step on the road to justice, justice will not be complete until the victims of Enron's crimes get back the money that Lay and his cronies stole from them. The full scale of Enron's greed is laid bare on recently released tapes, where Enron traders openly crow about stealing millions of dollars each day from Grandma Millie.

What a shame. My congressional district in Los Angeles is full of Grandma Millies, hard-working homeowners who pay their bills on time and in full. They deserve better than this.

I call upon all of us to join to force Ken Lay and his friends to repay the total amount of stolen money.

Madam Speaker, as we mark the first anniversary of the President's historic tour of Africa, we cannot help but wonder when, if ever, the government of this country will end the ``promise game'' they are so adept at playing with the peoples of Africa.

The administration's whirlwind, 1-week tour was ostensibly undertaken in pursuance of a policy ``to work with others for an African continent that lives in liberty, peace, and growing prosperity.'' It offered a laundry list of financial aid and development initiatives that could wipe out its poverty and dependence.

It is up to us to insist that the promises are kept and not relegated to unfunded programs for Africa, so characteristic of compassionate conservatives.

Startled by the realities of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a threat potentially more devastating than global terrorism, the administration announced a tripling of its relatively modest commitment to battling the spread of the dreaded disease in Africa. The proposed $15 billion appropriation over the next 5 years in a region in which the pandemic has infected more than 30 million people, a tenth of them being children under the age of 15, is a drop in the bucket compared to the several billions we are committing annually to the pursuit of geopolitical strategies of a significantly less danger to the world at large.

But as generous and noble as this initiative is and touted to be, it is subject to political strings and is actually presented as another means of imposing our ideological concepts on the suffering people of Africa.

The other priority of the administration's African policy is the so- called advancement of political and economic freedom. Considering the means by which this government sat itself in power, it remains a source of wonder that they have had the unmitigated gall to propose to lecture any other state, least of all ancient African kingdoms, on the arts of governance and the democratic path to freedom.

The supposedly well-intended African Growth and Opportunity Act, known as an AGOA, is designed to build trade capacity with Africa and will, no doubt, be renewed and extended. Yet its full effect may never be realized until its implementation is not limited to those African nations that place themselves under the thumb of U.S. business interests.

The administration's third African policy priority is, they say, to create peace and regional stability. This would and could have been a lofty goal in itself had it not been proffered by an administration whose overall relations with other nations is based on a doctrine of preemptive aggression and regime change by violent external force.

We of the Congressional Black Caucus have been dubbed the conscience of this Congress. It is our duty to watch over the actions and activities of this government and to insist that, in words as well as in deeds, the interests of our constituency primarily and of the Nation ultimately are served.

In closing, Madam Speaker, our priority, therefore, is to ensure that the advantageous promises made to Africa are kept, and that every cent committed is spent as appropriated; that this and every other administration become fully convinced that its appropriations to Africa are not charitable contributions, but at least are reparations for past exploitations and, at the most, investments in the prosperity of Africa's people and all of the world.

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

Mr. Speaker, it brings me a great deal of fulfillment and joy to recognize the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Given the extremely close bilateral relationship between our two nations, and the important

role played by the people of the Marshall Islands in our Nation's victory in World War II, it is appropriate that we commemorate this important day in the history of the Marshall Islands.

On the personal side, I had the pleasure to be the Ambassador to Micronesia. As you know, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are right in the same region, and the islands of Micronesia are under a Compact of Mutual Agreement, as are the Marshall Islands. As they work their way into the 21st century, it is with our support as they build their democracy in islands that are thousands of miles away. We can be proud of the relationship we have had with them for the past 20 years as they build their nations into a brighter, more prosperous future.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member and the chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to raise a concern and to support an amendment by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo). I am particularly concerned with recent developments in my home State of California, where consumers are being forced to repay over $270 million to Enron and other energy corporations amidst growing evidence of Enron and other energy companies' manipulative practices.

The recent release of Enron tapes, where traders openly discuss a manipulation of California power markets to the tune of $1 million to $2 million a day, is unfair to all residents of California. Instead of FERC ordering refunds repaid by States, they should step in and investigate, so that western consumers may receive well-deserved refunds for poor service. FERC should also give the American people the right to view all documents related to energy market deception in 2000 and 2001.

Mr. Chairman, the administration continues to give billions of dollars in

tax breaks to special interest oil, gas and coal companies that are doing nothing to help lower fuel prices, instead of giving tax breaks, we need to provide everything possible to help consumers in our States and right the wrongs the energy crisis created. I am appalled and dismayed with the administration's coddling of special interests, while leaving taxpayers the task of having to foot the bills for years of wrongdoing by Enron and other corporations.

The refunds my home State is forced to pay reward market manipulators for predatory pricing activities. As legislators we should punish, not reward, companies who have deceived our citizens.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the Eshoo amendment.