Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, first of all, the language of the bill only deals with one identification card. It is the matricula consular. So it is specific to a card that is issued by the Mexican consulate, and the Mexican consulate has been issuing this card since 1871.

A Mexican resident has to go to the consulate, show proof of citizenship, Mexican citizenship, a photo ID to show that that is the person, and thirdly, proof of the residence that they are having in this country. That is the requirement.

Since 9/11, the Mexican Government has made this card harder to get and also more authentic in terms of a fraud-free card to the best of their ability.

Since 9/11, because of the U.S. PATRIOT Act, according to section 219, the Treasury, in cooperation and consultation with the various departments, Department of Justice, FBI, et cetera, accepted a regulation that allows this card to be used as primary identification for a bank or financial institution.

Now, we have heard a number of allegations. All throughout this debate, at the subcommittee and the full Committee of Appropriations, the only letter that has come to the Committee on Appropriations has been the letter signed by the Secretary of the Treasury. The FBI has not sent a letter. Today, we have a letter before us that is signed by the Deputy Attorney General from the U.S. Department of Justice saying that they agree with the regulation of the Treasury and would like to continue the use of its card.

I have to tell my colleagues that when we talk about terrorist acts, and I also am concerned about them. But I must say that there are a number of cities and towns in this country who have accepted this consular card as a form of I.D., because it allows an entity, city, county or State, to know the residence of a person who is here undocumented. If that person did not identify themselves through this card, we would never know where they live. So sheriffs, police departments, city governments, county governments, because of the fear of terrorism, accept this card because they now know where an undocumented person resides in this country. So it is not only the financial I.D. aspect of this card but it is also the security provided by this card that we must vote for the amendment.

The allegations that have been made that the FBI did not support this card and Homeland Security did not support this card, was done months ago, and the only notification that we have from this administration is the Treasury saying they want to keep the regulation and now from the Department of Justice saying they support the regulation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give recognition to The National Latino Day Foundation, which is dedicated to celebrating the contributions of the Latino population throughout the U.S. and the Americas.

The National Latino Day Foundation has chosen July 24th to celebrate National Latino Day. On this day, Latinos will celebrate freedom, positive self-awareness, cultural unity, and their important roles in the democratic process. Planned events will recognize Latinos' active participation and creative leadership in our communities and their role as responsible American citizens.

It is appropriate that the Latino contribution be recognized in this way. In the Western

Hemisphere, the Latino population expands to over 700 million people. Latinos are the fastest growing and largest minority group in the U.S., with 40 million people, and will play a significant role in shaping our Nation's future.

The goals of The National Latino Day Foundation are to promote unity and closer bonds between Latinos and other Americans. The Foundation strives to expand the Latino population's political participation, uphold international peace and goodwill, and most important, celebrate the Latino heritage, culture and the arts.

The National Latino Day Foundation has made it their mission to ensure that a National Latino Day is established to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the Latino population in the U.S. The National Latino Day Foundation aspires to transform National Latino Day into a positive movement for national unity, social, political, and economic growth. I support this effort, ask my colleagues to do the same, and look forward to celebrating National Latino Day on July 24th.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to proudly pay tribute to South Mountain High School, in Phoenix, Arizona, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

This distinguished school in the Phoenix Unified High School District first opened its doors in February of 1954. For the last five decades it has proudly served the educational needs of the students in south Phoenix and has become one of the most dynamic schools in the district, offering five magnet programs: aviation and aerospace education, law- related studies, performing arts (drama, music, and dance), visual arts (drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, computer art and photography), and communication art (print, radio, television and film).

From its student body to its administrative team, SMHS's history of success is lengthy. Accommodating up to 3,000 students at times, the school has been able to maintain one of the highest graduation and attendance rates in the district. In addition, throughout the years students at SMHS have consistently improved their test scores in every category.

The administrative staff at SMHS is also a reason to boast. Of the seven National Board Certified Teachers in the district, four teach at South Mountain. The school has produced the District Teacher of the Year for the past two years, and Assistant Principal Robert Estrada was named 2002 Arizona Class 5-A Athletic Director of the Year. Furthermore, the Administrative team at South Mountain has the longest tenure of any team in the district. Patricia Tobin, in her sixth year, has the second longest tenure as a current principle at a Phoenix Union school.

South Mountain High School's mission is ``to create a community of learners.'' I am proud to say that SMHS has more than accomplished this mission and continues to produce tomorrow's leaders who proudly represent the home of the Jaguars.

Mr. Speaker, as you can surmise, South Mountain is a landmark in Phoenix with a successful past and a promising future that has served the needs of its diverse, dynamic and growing community. It has improved student achievement as well as effectively used human and fiscal resources. It continues to raise academic achievement and serves as a model high school for the nation. Therefore, I am pleased to pay tribute to South Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating the student body, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support efforts to give prescription drug coverage to the Medicare patients who do not currently have it. But, this bill does a poor job of meeting our prescription drug needs, and it drastically and negatively alters the overall structure of the Medicare program.

We have the ability to give Medicare patients prescription drug coverage. But our hands have been tied by the arbitrary budget limits Congress has set on funding such a program.

Congress and the President decided that, over the next 10 years, $400 billion was all we could spend on helping the elderly who need prescription drugs. So, in order to meet this number, a prescription drug bill has been written that will prove inadequate for meeting the basic needs of today's senior citizens while proving itself a champion at destroying health care for the senior citizens of the future.

Simply put, Mr. Speaker, this bill is no longer about prescription drug coverage. It is about ending traditional Medicare coverage.

I oppose this bill for several specific reasons.

First, the bill will do little to alleviate significant out-of-pocket costs for most senior citizens. A senior who spends $2,200 a year, less than $200 a month, on prescription drugs, will be required to pay almost $1,200 for this coverage and the drugs. A senior spending $3,500 a year on prescription drugs will be forced to pay almost $2,500 out of his pocket. That is 70 percent of the total drug costs. While this bill provides some help, I fear it will not be enough to keep the poorest of our elderly from making the difficult choices between buying medicine and groceries.

I am also opposing this bill because, in essence, it is designed to privatize Medicare. The ``demonstration'' projects to be established in six areas of the country, the so-called Premium Support Program, is nothing more than a first step toward complete privatization. The authors of this bill hope that more and more people will forego traditional Medicare for cheaper private HMOs with less overall choice and coverage. In fact, the private insurance companies would receive billions of dollars in subsidies for luring patients away from the traditional program. We all know that the private insurance companies will only accept the healthiest of patients, leaving the sickest patients in traditional Medicare. This, in turn, would result in higher costs for traditional Medicare because it would serve a sicker population.

Additionally, I am opposing this plan because it will mean that a good portion of the 75 percent of Medicare patients who already have prescription drug coverage, many through former employers, will be dropped from their current plan and forced into a more expensive plan with less coverage. In hopes of avoiding that event, this bill is paying a tremendous subsidy to keep these companies from dumping their beneficiaries.

So, this bill provides billions and billions of dollars to private companies to help them lure senior citizens away from traditional Medicare and to continue to provide prescription drug coverage to former employees.

There is some disconnect here. As Robert Robb, the noted Arizona Republic conservative columnist writes, ``Congress is proposing to subsidize private drug plans that are currently being offered at no cost to taxpayers, in order to offer taxpayer-financed drug coverage to seniors that Congress hopes they won't take.'' He continues, ``See what I mean about being sort of stupid.''

Mr. Robb and I rarely agree on issues. But he has hit this nail right on the head.

A more logical solution might be to take these subsidies and use them to simply pay for prescription drugs for those who don't currently have coverage.

Mr. Speaker, I say, let's give prescription drug coverage to the senior citizens who need it. We could do that, in a fair and meaningful way. We only need the desire to do so. But, let's not hurt the seniors who have coverage, and all those in future generations, by passing this ill-advised legislation. We have the opportunity to do something good and important. Yet, the drafters of this bill have taken it as an opportunity to change the Medicare program so drastically that it can only prove devastating to this country's older population. Let's reject this bill and force ourselves to set aside partisan ideologies and help the current and future senior citizens of this great land.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to pay tribute to a man who has dedicated himself to public service and serves as a shining role model in our community. I speak none other than of Mr. Dan Eckstrom who recently retired from serving on the Pima County Board of Supervisors in Arizona.

Dan is a native of South Tucson and a 1965 graduate of Pueblo High School. In 1969, he graduated from the University of Arizona, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government. In addition to his duties as County Supervisor, he has more than 30 years of progressive business management experience.

Currently, he is the principal owner of a management consulting firm that provides marketing and management services to a variety of businesses. He formerly served for more than eight years as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer with Ruiz Engineering Corporation/Maya Construction Company, where he was responsible for managing and directing business activities relating to corporate planning, finance and business development.

Dan has worked on more than 50 local, state, and national campaigns, both on a partisan and non-partisan basis. His first measurable involvement in a campaign was at the age of 13 when he successfully assisted a group of neighbors who were running for the South Tucson Town Council by preparing a campaign slogan and printed literature. In 1991, he was very instrumental in organizing the successful Pima County campaign which helped to elect Ed Pastor as the first Hispanic in the state to serve in Congress. In 1994, he served a key role in the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Eddie Basha. He has also provided valuable leadership and guidance to area non-partisan voter awareness and educational projects sponsored by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and the Labor Council of Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), of which he is an associate member. He is currently a member of the National Association of the Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

Dan has earned numerous award and honors for his community service. In March 1996, he received the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Presidential Citation and Community Service Award. In 1993, we were both presented with the prestigious Montemayor-Barraza Award which is the highest national honor given by the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA). In 1992, Dan was inducted into the Arizona Democratic Party Hall of Fame. In 1991, he received the Distinguished Citizen Award by the University of Arizona Alumni Association. In 1988, his service to the City of South Tucson was best acknowledged when the Mayor and City Council named the newly constructed municipal complex in his honor.

Dan has been married for more than 30 years to Mary Alice Rosales. They reside in South Tucson with their two children, Jennifer, age 26, and Daniel, age 22. The Eckstrom family is very active in the community. His wife served four terms as President of the League of Mexican American Women. His daughter, at the age of 18 was elected to the South Tucson City Council and has the distinction of being one of the youngest elected officials in the state. His son serves as a Neighborhood Reinvestment Coordinator for the City of South Tucson and was a participant in the National LULAC Youth Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me today in honoring Dan Eckstrom for all his hard work and dedication to the people of Pima County.

Mr. Chairman, I voted for the supplemental, and I voted for the Defense appropriations and the Defense authorization. My support for the troops is well-documented, and I have shown that I support them. But I have to tell you, Mr. Chairman, that this administration misinformed the American people and misinformed this Congress for the reasons to go to Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction, the nuclear plan, the chemicals, the biological, we have yet to see any of that. Yet, he continues to tell us a story that is not true. This administration miscalculated what we would do in Iraq. He said that we would be seen as liberators and, in fact, to date, Mr. Chairman, they see us as invaders. I believe that this administration and the policy it has towards Iraq and its construction is misguided. The plan right now, if there is a plan, is not working. The ghosts of Vietnam are around this Congress and this city. For those that talk about the loans, I just want to remind them that we forced the Arabian states, we forced Russia, France and England to give loans to the regime when they were in a battle with Iran.

It was because of our encouragement that this debt is carried by Iraq today.

Mr. Speaker, during the week of September 22, I missed several votes due to the passing of my father.

Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: On votes number 509, 510, 511, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 519, 520, 521, 522 and 523, I would have voted aye. On vote number 518 I would have voted no.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the understanding of the House and thank each Member and each of my colleagues for their kind words.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to pay tribute to a man who has served as not only a pioneer in his profession but as a shining role model to our community. I speak of none other than Mr. Tommy Nunez, who recently retired as a referee from the National Basketball Association (NBA) after thirty years of service.

Considered one of the most respected and honored referees of the game, Tommy began his officiating career with the NBA in 1972 earning the distinction of being the first Latino to referee in any major sport. Throughout his thirty-year career, he has officiated 2,019 NBA games, 64 playoff games and the 1992 All-Star Game.

He began officiating basketball games in predominantly black and Hispanic leagues in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Sharpening his skills he moved on to officiate high school and junior college games. His big break came when an NBA official happened to see him work an exhibition game with the Phoenix Suns and suggested he try out to become an NBA referee. He went on to become one of 16 out of 1000 applicants to join this elite group.

However, Tommy's accomplishments off the court far exceed what he has accomplished with the NBA. His dedication and service to his community have been widely recognized. He speaks and gives clinics for children throughout the country encouraging them to stay in school. His annual National Hispanic Basketball Classic for young Latinos raises money for youth activities. To add to this, he directs a summer work program designed to introduce young adults to the basic principals of employment and instill in them a sense of responsibility and pride.

Tommy's recognitions, to name a few, include being an honoree of the 1994 Hispanic Heritage Awards, inducted into the National Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, and presented with the 1992 Roberto Clemente Award for excellence by the National Council of La Raza.

As you can clearly see he serves as an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Tommy Nunez for his work and dedication to his community and to his sport; and best of wishes on his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate a couple who will soon celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and to honor their outstanding contributions to our community in Phoenix, Arizona.

Felix came to the United States as a migrant worker, toiling the fertile fields of California in the late 40's working for the Acosta Company. In 1950 he accepted a construction position refurbishing the Sacramento Fairgrounds. He worked very hard so that he could send money back home to his beloved family. Mexico was never far from his heart and he would visit when time allowed. On one of his trips back home in 1950 he met Soledad. He returned to California to continue to help support his brothers and sisters but his heart was in Autlan, Jalisco were he returned in 1952 to work and on September 29, 1953 Felix and Soledad were married in the company of friends and family. Felix worked for the Mexico Department of Geology and Minerals from 1952 to 1957. The young couple had their first son, Juan Manuel in 1956 followed by their first daughter Maria in 1957.

Felix and Soledad made the difficult decision of leaving loved ones and moving to the United States. They knew that their future and that of their children was in the North. They maintained a fierce loyalty to the family that they left behind and continued to help fund and educate their siblings while living in their new adopted home.

The Coronas first worked as laborers on the Dansie Farm in Northern California. They wanted to achieve the American dream for themselves and their children and in 1958 they developed a company that helped ranchers cultivate their crops.

During this time the young family grew to include six more children, all born in Marysville, California. They welcomed Armando in 1958, Teresa in 1959, Esperanza in 1961, Hector in 1962, Alex in 1964 and Beatrice in 1965.

In 1967, Felix started what has been a rich legacy of success, achievement and accomplishment when he formed a partnership with life long friends, Raul Ybarra, Albert Rodriguez and Francisco Mejia. They owned and operated Spanish Movie houses in Marysville, San Jose, San Bernardino and Orange County.

In 1970, Felix, Soledad and all eight children moved to Phoenix, Arizona to expand the business. They ran the Palace West Theater from 1970 to 1987. During that time, they saw the need for expanding the Hispanic family entertainment in Arizona and they met that need by opening the Cine Mexico in Chandler in 1979 and the Hayden West Plaza in 1980.

This was a busy time for the young and ambitious family, running a couple of restaurants

such as the Courtroom Restaurant in downtown Phoenix as well as a record distribution company, entertainment promotions, and gift shops.

During this time the Coronas started working on what was going to be their greatest accomplishment as both a family and as leaders in the Hispanic business community. In 1976 they started construction of the Lienzo Charro El Herradero in Laveen, Arizona. Little did they imagine that they were embarking on a project which one day would be known nationally and internationally as Corona Ranch. With Felix at the mast, few deals were made that were not successful. His dream of bringing true Mexican culture and entertainment to the masses has been accomplished during the last 25 years.

The Coronas have enjoyed an accomplished, successful and fulfilling life with their 8 children and 18 grandchildren by their side. And although semi-retired, this couple is not content to sit on their laurels. They have been active in community, cultural and religious organizations such as the Friendly House, Ala de La Gente, St. Anthony's Catholic Church and the Laveen Lions.

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, Felix and Soledad have truly achieved the American dream and have contributed greatly to our community in Phoenix, Arizona. Therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating them on their 50th anniversary and for their contributions.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a man whose tireless dedication to our community has enriched the lives of our citizens, and especially our youth, in the City of Phoenix. For his contributions, Mr. James Colley has recently been posthumously awarded the Ed Pastor Cultural Awareness Award.

The Ed Pastor Cultural Awareness Award provides an opportunity to highlight innovative culturally sensitive programs and the visionary, creative leaders who design and implement them. This award also recognizes any research related to the promotion of diversity issues in parks and recreation.

It is fitting that this initial award is awarded to a man who directed and created innovative programs and services throughout his career in parks and recreation. The Ed Pastor Award represents the late Mr. James Colley's commitment to all citizens regardless of ethnicity, gender, or age.

Minority youth have long suffered at the hands of gangs, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and other social ills. Jim dedicated significant

and substantial amounts of department resources to address the needs of youth throughout the City of Phoenix. He also forged collaboration efforts with city and community organizations in an effort to leverage the City's resources.

Jim personally visited many of the inner city areas of Phoenix to discuss issues with the youth themselves. By creating a Youth Advisory Board he was able to get the input directly from those individuals primarily impacted by program policies and their implementation. Input from the Youth Advisory board led to the creation of Camp Colley, a camp created for inner city youth located in Northern Arizona.

During his final two years as Director, Jim had the vision of creating a Latino Institute to meet the ever increasing demands of the burgeoning growth of the Latino population in the City of Phoenix. The Latino Institute now in its third year has implemented community forums in the cities of Phoenix and Glendale.

For these reasons Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of Mr. James Colley as this year's recipient of the Ed Pastor Cultural Awareness Award.

Mr. Speaker, due to my father's serious heart condition, I was called back to Arizona, and I missed several rollcall votes on Wednesday and Thursday.

Had I been here, I would have voted in the following manner:

On rollcall No. 429, final passage of H.R. 2800, the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 432, final passage of H.R. 2739, the United States- Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall No. 436, final passage of H.R. 2738, the United States- Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall No. 444, final passage of H.R. 2210, the School Readiness Act, I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall No. 445, final passage of H.R. 2427, the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the understanding of the House and my constituents on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act. This bill, long heralded by the Republicans and the Administration as a comprehensive overhaul of the Medicare system, will do nothing to alleviate the harsh effect on our seniors of the high cost of prescription drugs. It only will continue to aggravate the cause of health care inflation.

Depsite all Republican claims to the contrary, the bill, which calls for private drug-only plans, would not make drugs affordable. It has no mechanism for keeping prices down, no negotiation for acceptable terms, no guarantee of defined and stable costs. Seniors would be at the mercy of private plans. They would lose their choice of doctors. They would be at risk of continuous coverage.

Private plans would only have to promise to stay in the program for one year. We've had these problems before with the Medicare Plus Choice program which failed to deliver its expanded benefits, leaving millions of seniors out on a limb.

Seniors have voiced their concerns. They fear the absence of provisions to limit drug prices and the lack of certainty about the future cost and coverage provided. Many seniors in rural areas are worried because they have no access to private plans and would have no ``fallback'' to offer coverage. Seniors are particularly concerned with the ``gap-in-coverage'' that means no coverage at all for drug spending between $2,000 and $5,100.

Instead of passing this plan which would privatize Medicare, we should support a plan that would establish a real Medicare prescription drug benefit within the Medicare program. The plan should be available to everyone regardless of income or place of residence. It should be voluntary and comprehensive. And, most importantly, it should be affordable.

The Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act fills none of these requirements. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I vote ``no'' on H.R. 1.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 660.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my opposition to this Conference Agreement.

This country needs jobs. Since Inauguration Day in January, 2001, more than 2.7 million people in this country have lost their jobs. Though we took the important step today in this House to extend unemployment benefits for those still unable to find work, the most important piece of legislation we will pass today, the duplicitously named Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act, is one that will do nothing to help them get another job. It will do nothing to stimulate the economy. It will do nothing to cause the large corporations in this country to create jobs. It will do nothing to convince the small businessman to add a position or two to his payroll.

The only thing this bill will do is put this nation further in debt and create bitter fiscal hardships for future generations. I suppose if there is a bright side to this bill it is that it increases the debt by only $350 billion, whereas the President initially wanted to add another $726 billion in deficit spending.

But, don't be fooled. This $350 billion still comes at the cost of the Social Security Trust Fund. It still comes at the cost of missing another opportunity to help elder Americans buy their prescription drugs. It still comes at the cost of falling down schools and the falling down dreams of the working single mother trying to find a way to put her children through college.

The President has once again found a way to take care of the people who need taking care of the least. He has promoted a tax bill that makes the wealthy wealthier, while doing nothing for the working men and women of America. And, while the working class is left further behind, the people who are unable to find work, the unemployed, are completely abandoned.

Difficult economic times require bold and innovative solutions. This bill is only bold in its unfairness, and only innovative in its injustice.

I urge my colleagues to reject this misguided legislation.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today to welcome the XIX Annual Convention of the Association of Peruvian Institutions of America and Canada, AIPEUC, to our Nation's Capital May 21 to 25, 2003. I particularly want to extend warm hospitality to a special participant at this convention, Peruvian Assistant Secretary of State Manuel Rodriguez, and to delegates from all eight chapters representing AIPEUC.

The AIPEUC, a nonprofit entity for technical assistance and support, is made up of 300 associated institutions that group Peruvian men and women from all occupations living in the United States and Canada. Its purpose is to strengthen the traditional ties of friendship and cooperation that unite Peru with the United States of America and Canada in the sectors of education, health, business, arts, and sports.

The AIPEUC is recognized for many important achievements including: Promoting the ``Nationality Law'' by which Peruvians residing in another country may keep dual nationality; supporting the victims of the 1996 Nazca Earthquake; constructing an education center in Nazca for 250 children; building a health center in San Juan de la Virgen in Tumbes for pediatric, dental, and general medicine; supporting surgical procedures for harelip for 50 children in Catacaos, Piura; and building a center for 80 adolescent mothers in Huancyo.

The AIPEUC represents an important sector of the American community and I am sure my colleagues are happy to join me in recognizing this commendable organization on the occasion of their XIX Annual Convention.