Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, esteemed colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I stand before you today, one happy man. I am happy that I have the opportunity to vote in favor and hopefully bear witness to the passage of this momentous bill, the State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.

Our great leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once famously remarked, ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.'' I wholeheartedly agree with Reverend King's sentiments and I would like to take his statement one step further. I contend neglecting adequate health care for all of our children is perhaps the most disgraceful and appalling atrocity this nation faces.

Today we have an opportunity to take one step towards rectifying the wrongs of our past. Today we have the opportunity to vote in favor of a bipartisan piece of legislation that would expand health care to more than 11 million children nationwide and preserves the coverage of 7.1 million children through 2013.

This fine piece of legislation will reduce the number of uninsured children in my state by 66%; reducing the number from 400,000 to approximately 267,000. I don't know about you, but that's the type of change I can believe in.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program catches the most overlooked segment of our population--those families and children that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private health insurance. This land-breaking and much needed piece of legislation will provide coverage to those families that are eligible for but not yet enrolled in SCHIP and Medicaid.

The legislation is truly bipartisan in nature, and is supported by numerous organizations including the American Hospital Association, AARP, and families USA.

My Democratic friends and Republican comrades, I urge you to take a stand against health injustices and take a stand for our children. I urge you to vote in support of the Children's Health Insurance Health Program Reauthorization Act.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the bipartisan Platts/Van Hollen amendment. This amendment is identical to H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007, which passed the House with an overwhelming vote of 331 to 94, and which was reported by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee by a vote of 28 to 0.

The reason this measure enjoyed such strong, bipartisan support in the last Congress is that it was carefully crafted with input from both sides of the aisle. It is truly the result of bipartisan consultation and agreement on this issue. And I want to thank Representatives Platts and Van Hollen for their hard work on this measure.

The amendment addresses several court decisions which have ignored the intent of Congress and created loopholes which undermine the current whistleblower statute's effectiveness and unreasonably limit the nature of disclosures protected under current law.

In addition, the amendment makes clear that national security workers, employees of the Transportation Security Administration, employees of government contractors, and workers who attempt to protect the integrity of federal science are all entitled to protection from retaliation for blowing the whistle.

Protecting whistleblowers is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It is an issue of importance to all Americans, because they are one of our most potent weapons against waste, fraud, and abuse. Ensuring that those who blow the whistle are protected from retaliation benefits all Americans.

I urge members to support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a critical first step to beginning what will be a long process of recovering from our current economic crisis, the likes of which we have not seen since the Depression of the 1930s. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill.

Our Nation has already lost 2 million jobs in the current recession, and is expected to lose another 3-5 million in the coming year. The bill before us targets priority investments in infrastructure, education, health care, and energy in an effort to forestall those job losses by creating or saving 3-4 million jobs.

While the need for this economic stimulus package is urgent, clear, and compelling, we must also make sure that the money is spent wisely, and that waste, fraud, and mismanagement of these funds is kept to an absolute minimum. That is why this bill includes provisions that will ensure an unparalleled level of oversight, transparency, and accountability.

Over the past few years, Oversight Committee investigations have uncovered waste and theft of government dollars on an unprecedented scale. Stacks of one-hundred-dollar bills were loaded onto cargo planes with forklifts and flown to Iraq--and nobody could say what happened to the money. Billions were spent on Katrina contracts, with little to show for it. When writing this bill, we worked with Chairman Obey so waste and fraud is prevented from the beginning.

The bill will provide almost $210 million to agency Inspectors General and $25 million to the Government Accountability Office to ensure vigorous oversight of the programs and activities being funded through this bill. It will fund auditors and accountants, and more importantly, criminal investigators, to track the funds. The bill also creates a Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board to review management of the funds and provide early warnings of problems.

The bill requires an unprecedented level of transparency over the announcement and award of contracts and grants through a special Government Web site. Federal, State, and local officials will be required to post this information. Governors and mayors will have to certify that any investments funded with recovery act dollars are an appropriate use of tax dollars. It is often said that sunshine is the best disinfectant. This bill puts that sentiment to work in an extraordinarily rigorous way.

In addition, the bill makes clear that Federal contracts awarded using recovery act dollars must comply with the Federal acquisition regulation and that fixed-price, competitively awarded contracts are used to the greatest extent possible. This will ensure that the taxpayer gets the best bang for the buck.

Contractors and other non-Federal employees are also afforded whistleblower protections under this bill. This is critical, since they are often our first line of defense against wasteful spending.

Mr. Chair, this bill is essential to jump-starting our economy and providing sustained growth. But it does so in a way which will ensure unprecedented accountability and transparency. I urge all Members to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this amendment to the House rules that emphasizes the importance of congressional oversight.

As Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased that this resolution requires all standing committees to include reviews of waste, fraud and abuse in their regular schedule of hearings. We need to attack waste, fraud and abuse every way that we possibly can.

This rule, in no way diminishes the jurisdiction of the Oversight Committee. Instead, it complements the Oversight Committee by ensuring that our committee's focus on government accountability carries through to the authorizing committees for each agency.

The ranking member, Mr. Issa, and I agree that the Oversight Committee will continue to review all of the GAO and Inspector General reports that our committee receives, and consider whether a hearing in our committee would be appropriate. I look forward to working with him and with all of the Members of the House towards our shared goal of making government work more efficiently for Americans, and also to make it much more transparent and this is what this amendment does, and that's the reason why I'm supporting it.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 384, the TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009. This bill will improve the Troubled Asset Relief Program that was enacted as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act last year by increasing the transparency of financial institutions use of taxpayer funds, closing certain loopholes, and strengthening accountability of the Program.

The bill also requires the Treasury Department to commit significant funding to addressing the growing home foreclosure crisis facing our nation. The housing crisis is at the heart of our current economic problems, so this is a much needed step.

H.R. 384 requires financial institutions which receive taxpayer funds to account for the use of those funds on not less than a quarterly basis. To date, the banks and other financial institutions which have received billions of taxpayer dollars have refused or been unable to account for how that money has been spent. That is simply outrageous, and I am glad this bill addresses that issue.

The Special Inspector General for the TARP has also informed me of several issues which would improve his ability to hire experienced and talented staff in an expeditious manner. One would be to clarify that his office has law enforcement authority. This is clearly needed to ensure that his investigative staff can issue subpoenas and make arrests, if necessary. I believe the intent of the original legislation was to include this authority, so this is only a matter of clarification.

Also, other Special Inspectors General have the authority to re-hire federal employees who have retired. That enables them to quickly hire experienced auditors and investigators. While this is an issue which needs to be examined closely, I believe it may be appropriate for the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program to have similar authority.

While neither of these provisions are included in the bill before us, I believe they would improve the operations of the Special Inspector General's office, and would hope to work with Chairman Frank to address them in future legislation.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 35) to amend chapter 22 of title 44, United States Code, popularly known as the Presidential Records Act, to establish procedures for the consideration of claims of constitutionally based privilege against disclosure of Presidential records.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in order to revise and extend their remarks.

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

H.R. 35, the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2009, will restore public access to Presidential records. Identical legislation was introduced in the last Congress and passed the House with strong bipartisan support.

The Presidential Records Act of 1978 established that the records of the President belong to the American people, not to the President. It also ensured that these records would be released to historians and to the public in a timely manner.

In an executive order issued in November 2001, President Bush reversed the presumption of disclosure in the Presidential Records Act. The order gave Presidents and former Presidents the ability to delay the public release of records even long after their own deaths. For the first time, it gave former Presidents the ability to assert privilege over their own records.

Today's legislation restores the intent of the Presidential Records Act. It makes clear that only Presidents and former Presidents, not former Vice Presidents or the descendents of Presidents, can make assertions of privilege over records. It gives former Presidents the authority to assert privilege over their own records, but it requires a sitting President or a court to agree with the assertions in order for those records to be withheld from the public, and it sets strict deadlines for the President and former Presidents to review records before they release them to the public. This legislation will prevent former Presidents from withholding embarrassing records, and will allow historians to tell a complete story about Presidential administrations.

I would like to thank the ranking member, of course, from California, Mr. Issa, for his cooperation in moving this measure to the floor very quickly. I would like to thank him for that. I know that we share the same goals of making government more open and less wasteful, and we plan to work together on those goals in a bipartisan manner.

I also thank the previous chairman, Congressman Waxman, for his work in the last Congress, who did a marvelous job. Of course, that's the reason why we are able to move very quickly, because of some of the work that he was able to do in the last Congress.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay).

I yield the gentleman 2 additional minutes.

Madam Speaker, as we begin a new Congress and a new Presidency, it is time to move away from the policy of secrecy. The President-elect has spoken of a desire for more openness in government. We in Congress share that goal, and this bill is an important step towards a more transparent White House.

I want to thank my colleague from California and his staff and my staff for the work that they've done on this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill because this is definitely good government, and I think that we need to be about good government because we cannot afford the luxury of waste, fraud, and abuse.

Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 36) to amend title 44, United States Code, to require information on contributors to Presidential library fundraising organizations.

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

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 36, the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act, will require organizations raising money to build Presidential libraries and their affiliated institutions to disclose the identities of their donors and the amount of their donations. Like the records bill just considered, an identical version of this bill was considered in the 110th Congress and passed the House with strong bipartisan support.

Presidential libraries are becoming increasingly expensive, and fundraising for their construction begins during a President's term. These are broad campuses with museums, conference centers, and other institutions, some of which are entirely separate from the federally run libraries.

According to press reports, it cost more than $80 million to build George H.W. Bush's library and $165 million to build the Clinton library. Press reports have suggested that the fundraising target for President Bush's library is $500 million.

Under current law, individuals, corporations and even foreign interests can make anonymous, unlimited donations to these organizations. Such donations can be made while the President is still in office. There is enormous potential for abuse in this system. Special interests could make multi-million dollar donations to a Presidential library foundation in an effort to influence the President, and the public would remain completely unaware.

In order to prevent real abuse, as well as the perception of abuse, H.R. 36 would require Presidential library foundations to divulge information about their donors while the President is in office and for the several years after the President's term has ended.

I again thank the ranking member, Mr. Issa from California, for his cooperation on this bill and thank the previous chairman, Mr. Waxman, for his work in this as well.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, let me just say to the gentleman that I really share a lot of his views, and I'm willing to continue to work with him in seeing in terms of what we might be able to do to strengthen this legislation.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay).

Madam Speaker, may I ask how many speakers does the minority have left.

I'm prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, our President-elect has talked a lot about transparency. He's really interested in transparency. So improving transparency of donations to Presidential libraries, as this bill does, will assure the American people that their Presidents are not being influenced by unknown persons or groups.

Open government is an important goal of the Congress and the incoming administration, and I hope today's bill is just the right kind of bill to move forward with that in mind.

Let me say, Madam Speaker, this is a good piece of legislation, and I'm hoping that my colleagues join me in supporting this bill. I want to thank the minority for their support, and of course, we will continue to look and see how we might be able to improve the legislation, but I really feel that this is a giant step in the right direction. Transparency is something that we cannot lose sight of.

On that note, Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 3), ensuring that the compensation and other emoluments attached to the office of Secretary of the Interior are those which were in effect on January 1, 2005.

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

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

S.J. Res. 3 is a measure needed to ensure Senator Salazar of Colorado will be able to serve our country as the Secretary of the Interior during the Obama administration.

The Constitution provides that no Member of the House or Senate may be appointed to an office in the Federal Government for which the salary was raised during the Member's term. Fortunately, this does not prohibit the appointment of Senators or House Members to positions in the executive branch and will not prevent Senator Salazar from becoming Secretary of the Interior.

Numerous historical precedents and Justice Department interpretations hold that such appointments are, in fact, permissible so long as the salary is set at the level it was before the appointee's term began.

This long-standing practice dates back at least 100 years and is often referred to as the ``Saxbe Fix,'' referring to the solution which set the salary for President Nixon's nominee for Attorney General, William Saxbe, so that it would reflect the salary level in place before his congressional term of office began.

Other Cabinet officials appointed under such arrangement include Secretary of State Edmund Muskie and Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen. The House also passed a similar measure by unanimous consent just last December to ensure that Senator Clinton may serve as Secretary of State.

This is a commonsense solution with ample precedent, which I urge all Members to support.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Let me just say to the gentleman that he makes a very good point, and we will review it and see in terms of what we can do to be able to move things along. Also, I'm for saving. Any way we can save, let's do it.

S.J. Res. 3 sets the salary of the Secretary of the Interior to the level in effect on January 1, 2005, before the start of Senator Salazar's term, satisfying the constitutional requirements. I urge Members to support the resolution and, of course, look forward to working with my colleague in terms of being able to look at a broader kind of legislation to be able to deal with others who might be moving forward or going into the administration.

Madam Speaker, I don't have any other speakers, and I want to know if the minority has any other speakers.

Madam Speaker, on that note, I ask my colleagues to be supportive of this legislation because, after all, I think that when we look at the service that is provided and what it is going to do in the days ahead, I think we should be supportive.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues a press release which announces that the US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family Association have won the only Public Service Emmy Award presented nationwide in the category of local public service announcements. I would also like to pay tribute to Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers which for nearly 160 years has provided critical health care in New York and beyond, and is an important member of the US Family Health Plan. I am also pleased and proud to add that today, Saint Vincent's has a highly capable and dynamic new chief executive officer, Henry J. Amoroso, who is leading plans to build a new ``all-green, all-digital'' 21st century health care facility that will serve hundreds of thousands of patients annually.

And the Emmy Award Goes to: The US Family Health Plan and the National

Military Family Association

(By Michelle Joyner and Susan Oakland)

Washington, DC, November 20, 2008.--A series of public

service announcements (PSAs) jointly sponsored by the US

Family Health Plan, a DOD-sponsored military healthcare plan

and the National Military Family Association, a non-profit

organization committing to improving the lives of military

families, has been honored with an Emmy Award from the

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The PSA

series, ``Now is Our Time to Serve,'' was designed to raise

awareness of the need to ``support, befriend, remember and

appreciate'' America's military family members. It won the

only Public Service Emmy Award presented nationwide in the

category of Local Public Service Announcements, designed for

the PSAs that have aired in up to 50 percent of the country's

TV markets.

The series aired from July 2007 through February 2008, with

total viewership topping 7.3 million, including broadcasts in

major U.S. television markets and airings in over 200 movie

theatres prior to family film screenings. The announcements--

just one facet of an ongoing partnership between the US

Family Health Plan and the National Military Family

Association--may be viewed online at

www.yearofthemilitaryfamily.org. The PSAs were produced for

the US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family

Association by Marion, Montgomery, Inc.

``US Family Health Plan delivers the TRICARE Prime benefit

to many of our beneficiaries and we certainly applaud these

kinds of public awareness efforts,'' said Army Maj. Gen.

Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE Management

Activity. ``Congratulations go out to everyone involved in

raising awareness about the needs of our military families.''

Kate Ryan, chair of the US Family Health Plan Alliance,

said, ``We are honored to share the Emmy Award with the

National Military Family Association. Both the NMFA and the

US Family Health Plan are passionate about service uniformed

services families and it's gratifying to know that our

collaboration has helped spread the word about the need to

support these everyday American heroes.''

Nancey Alsheimer, chairman of the National Military Family

Association Board of Governors, said, ``The Emmy Award gives

us renewed pride in our mission of protecting and promoting

the interests of military families. The Emmy Award for the

series will bring additional attention to the important

message of support for families--and for that, we are

grateful.''

The US Family Health Plan, a Department of Defense-

sponsored health plan, is made available by nonprofit

healthcare providers in six service areas across the country.

It serves over 100,000 military beneficiaries, including

active-duty family members, activated Guard and Reserve

family members, and retirees and their family members. One of

its hallmarks is its ability to maintain a consistently high

level of patient satisfaction; in fact, in 2008, overall

satisfaction with the health plan is 87.9 percent, compared

to 61.9 percent for traditional HMOs. The six not-for-profit

organizations through which enrollment in the US Family

Health Plan is offered include:

Johns Hopkins Medicine (1-800-801-9322)--serving Maryland,

Washington D.C., and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia and West

Virginia

Martin's Point Health Care (1-888-241-4556)--serving Maine,

Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York

Brighton Marine Health Center (1-800-818-8589)--serving

Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, plus Rhode Island and

northern Connecticut

Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (1-800-241-4848)--

serving parts of New York, all of New Jersey, eastern

Pennsylvania and southern Connecticut

CHRISTUS Health (1-800-678-7347)--serving southeast Texas

and southwest Louisiana

Pacific Medical Centers (1-888-958-7347)--serving the Puget

Sound area of Washington State.

For more information about the US Family Health Plan, visit

www.usfamilyhealthplan.org. The National Military Family Association, the only

nonprofit organization that represents families of all ranks

and services, prepares spouses, children and parents to

better deal with the unique challenges of military life. The

Association protects benefits vital to all families,

including those of the deployed, wounded and fallen. For

nearly 40 years, its staff and volunteers, comprised mostly

of military family members, have built a reputation as the

leading experts on military family issues. For more

information, visit http://nmfa.org. Marion Montgomery, Inc. is a full-service marketing, public

relations and interactive agency based in Houston, Texas. It

produced the PSA series for the US Family Health Plan and the

National Military Family Association. For more information on

Marion Montgomery, Inc. visit www.mmihouston.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a

professional service organization dedicated to the

advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the

promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational

and technical achievements within the television industry.

For more information, please visit www.emmyonline.tv.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Mr. Israel Velazquez. Mr. Velazquez is the founder and President of Velazquez Associates, Inc., and its subsidiary Velazquez Accounting Services (D/B/A/), a New York-based Accounting and Non Profit Development Consulting firm.

Mr. Velazquez, for the past 30 years, has consistently assembled public and private partnerships on affordable housing and economic development projects in urban cities throughout the United States and in several Caribbean islands. Mr. Velazquez has successfully managed to have a major input in various national, statewide and citywide revitalization programs benefiting various disadvantaged communities. His tireless efforts have borne fruit, as evidenced by new ventures in affordable housing, senior citizen housing complexes, community-owned shopping centers and well-recognized youth programs in these communities.

Mr. Velazquez has held several executive positions as the first Comptroller for organizations such as the West Harlem Community Organization, Inc., the National Black United Fund, and the Black United Fund of New York, Inc.

Currently, Mr. Israel Velazquez serves as Special Project Director for the East New York Development Corporation formulating public and private partnerships in ascertaining corporate giving, public grants, and funding specialized academic and recreation programs/activities for the youth in the East New York community.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Israel Velazquez for his extraordinary accomplishments on behalf of East New York and elsewhere.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Mr. Israel Velazquez.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Marshan Mason Gainer. Ms. Gainer began her career as a public high school teacher in Washington, D.C. after receiving her BA degree in English and Secondary Education from the State University of New York at Fredonia and an MA from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Ms. Gainer, in her 30-year career, has been responsible for the development and implementation of sales and management training and the design of multi-media and computer-based training programs. She has administered assessment centers and conducted training programs throughout the United States and abroad. Her areas of responsibility also cover all phases of human resource management for staff located worldwide.

Before retiring from her position as Vice President of management services for Save the Children (a relief and development organization operating in 40 countries), Ms. Gainer was responsible for developing and implementing human resource policies and programs for the more than 2,500 staff members in the headquarters, field and overseas offices. A worldwide traveler, Ms. Gainer has visited countries on five continents. Her adventures also included stops in almost every state in America.

Ms. Gainer is an active member of the Prince Hall Order Eastern Star and its affiliate groups. She has held several offices, chaired many committees, and was most recently the Grand Worthy Matron of Eureka Grand Chapter, Prince Hall Order Eastern Star Inc., State of New York.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Marshan Mason Gainer for her extraordinary accomplishments on behalf of children across the world.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Marshan Mason Gainer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Dr. Gregory Page. A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Page earned his undergraduate degree in zoology at Howard University and received his doctorate degree in dentistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Foregoing a lucrative career in Philadelphia's high class dentistry circles, Dr. Page packed his bags and began his professional career in Harlem, NY.

Dr. Page, after 31 years, has achieved extraordinary accomplishments in improving dental hygiene in New York and abroad. He served as the director of dental services for an Aid to Dependent Children's (ADC) program in the South Bronx administered through the Health Insurance Plan of New York. He also has volunteered as a dental missionary in an underserved region of Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean. Additionally, he is also a past president of the Harlem Unit of the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Page, as an adjunct associate professor in the Dental Hygiene Unit at Hostos Community College, has been directly or indirectly involved in the training of over six hundred dental hygienists, many of whom provide direct care to inner city communities like Harlem and the South Bronx. The program has consistently boasted a better than 90 percent passing rate on all national, regional and State board examinations.

Dr. Page also serves as a police surgeon with the New York State Police Investigators Association, as a charter member of the Honorary Deputy/Police Commissioners Foundation of New York City, and has been inducted as an honorary member of the Honor Legion of the New York City Police Department. He also maintained a full time dental practice in Harlem for over twenty-five years.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Gregory Page for his extraordinary accomplishments in elevating the level of quality dental care in Harlem and the South Bronx.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Dr. Gregory Page.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Dr. Maurice Wright. Dr. Wright is the chief of the Emergency Department and president of the Medical Board at the Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center. A graduate of Fordham University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he did his medical training at St. Luke's- Roosevelt Hospital from 1987 to 1990, after which he continued to work in the Emergency Department as an attending and later as the assistant director until 1997.

Dr. Wright joined the Woodhull Staff on April 1997 as the associate director of the Emergency Department and was promoted to chief of the Emergency Department in 1998. In addition, he has held several academic appointments, including assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University and Medical Director of the Harlem CUNY Physician Assistant Program at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Sciences. He is also a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), The American College of Physicians (ACP), the National Association of Public Hospitals Health System (NAPHHS), and is also a graduate of the Physician Leadership Institute of the NAPHHS '03.

As a visionary leader, he strives to foster teamwork and inspire excellence. While managing a high volume emergency department, he has achieved a high standard of care that is responsive to community needs and concerns. Among his accomplishments at Woodhull, Dr. Wright embarked on a continuous clinical performance improvement program with outstanding results in cardiac, asthma and abdominal pain care among others. This vigorous program is supported by evidence-based practice guidelines and frequent emergency medicine conferences. He was recently honored by the New York State Physician Assistant Society as its Physician of the Year for his clinical teaching and leadership.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Maurice Wright for his extraordinary accomplishments at the Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Dr. Maurice Wright.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Dr. Daniel Leal. Originally from Texas, Dr. Leal would describe himself as a Community Psychiatrist. Educated in Texas, Dr. Leal completed his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at the University of Texas, graduating second in his class. He matriculated at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, receiving his medical degree in 1989.

Dr. Leal pursued his internship and residency at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. His training at an inner city hospital fostered his life long interest in outreach to disenfranchised populations such as the mentally ill, the homeless, and the substance abusing population. His last academic training stop was as a fellow in Addiction Psychiatry at NYU-Bellevue. It was here that he studied and published on the effects of chronic homelessness for the mentally ill.

Dr. Leal has continued his advocacy for these individuals as Medical Director for the Washton Institute and as a consultant to Pathways to Housing. He frequently speaks to consumer advocacy groups such as the Alliance for the Mentally Ill and has instructed at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan.

Dr. Leal began working at Woodhull Medical Center in 2000 and feels he has found a supportive and enthusiastic work environment. ``Working in emergency psychiatry, I feel it is imperative that I convey to a patient that they will be treated in a humane and respectful manner. The emergency room is often the first contact a patient or their family has with the mental health system. How we respond will often impact the course and outcome of their mental illness.''

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Daniel Leal for his extraordinary accomplishments for mental health in New York City.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Dr. Daniel Leal.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Yvonne Nixon-Orr. In 1970, Yvonne immigrated to the United States and has resided in Brooklyn, New York. Soon after her arrival, she began teaching at the Haitian American Day Care Center, and later joined the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) where she has been teaching for more than 25 years. Middle School 61 in District 17 is where her career with the NYCDOE began as a literacy instructor for 6th and 7th graders. All along, she maintained her volunteering as a Sunday school teacher and an assistant youth coordinator at her local church, planning and implementing activities for the youth of the community.

Yvonne Nixon-Orr is presently the school librarian at P.S. 181, The John Steptoe School in Brooklyn, working with students from Grades K through 8. In her functions, she helps students to develop a love for books and multicultural literature. In her teaching, she imparts skills that incorporate literacy, social studies, and the arts. Yvonne is passionate about imparting a love for learning and moral responsibility to the youngsters she encounters in the Public School system classrooms. In her role as a staff developer, she shares instructional techniques and skills with colleagues, mentors and assists new teachers with methodology, classroom management, and facilitates their transition to the New York public school system. Through her dedication and hard work as an educator, she has touched many lives and has equally had her own life enriched by working with colleagues, students, and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Yvonne Nixon-Orr holds an Associate Degree of Science from New York City Technical College, a Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY), and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Adelphi University. Her post-graduate education focus has been in literacy development. She continues to enhance her knowledge of education and teaching skills by reading and attending professional workshops and seminars that expand on the latest development in literacy and the best approaches to teaching and learning in the 21st century.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Yvonne Nixon-Orr for her extraordinary contributions to education in New York City.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Yvonne Nixon-Orr.