Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Jonathan Dean Sisto of Eagle Scout troop #204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Jonathan Dean Sisto my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Jameson Joseph Collins of Eagle Scout troop No. 204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Jameson Joseph Collins my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Brandon Michael Runyon of Eagle Scout troop #204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Brandon Michael Runyon my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Nicholas George Richardson of Eagle Scout troop #204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and

planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Nicholas George Richardson my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Michael William Moore of Eagle Scout troop No. 204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Michael William Moore my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent John Patrick Maher of Eagle Scout troop No. 204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call John Patrick Maher my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Kyle Richard Kelson of Eagle Scout troop #204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Kyle Richard Kelson my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Samuel Stephen Drucker of Eagle Scout troop No. 204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Samuel Stephen Drucker my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent Brett Alexander Sisto of Eagle Scout troop No. 204 in Lafayette, California, as he receives the distinguished honor of the Eagle Scout rank.

The honor of Eagle Scout is given only to those young men who have demonstrated that that they have fulfilled its rigorous requirements, including living by the Scout Oath and Law, rising through the Boy Scout ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving as a leader, and planning and leading a service project for their community. This is not an honor given out lightly: this young man is becoming an Eagle Scout because he is intelligent, dedicated, and principled.

I am proud to call Brett Alexander Sisto my constituent, for he is a shining example of the promise of the next generation. Indeed, he represents the best of the young people in our country. I extend my sincere congratulations to him and his family, on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career accomplishments of Commander Daniel J. Hurley during his service to the El Cerrito Police Department.

Commander Hurley represents very high professional standards of law enforcement and service to his community, and he will be missed after his retirement.

In the Department, which he joined in 1975, he held positions of increasing responsibility, advancing to the rank of Sergeant in 1980, and to the rank of Police Commander in 2000.

He also held a wide range of positions, from administration to field operations, that required both technical and managerial expertise.

In a characteristic quest for excellence, Commander Hurley continued on with his higher education while he was working for the Department, and he earned a Bachelor's Degree.

Commander Hurley's life work, like the work of law enforcement officers in all our communities, is the source of stability and safety we all count on and enjoy in our daily lives.

My purpose in speaking today is to give due recognition to the quiet, knowledgeable, and reliable work Commander Hurley has consistently performed in his twenty-nine years with the El Cerrito Police Department.

I thank him for his essential contributions to the quality of life in El Cerrito and the Tenth Congressional District, and I wish him a well- deserved retirement with his wife Deborah and their children Danielle, Erin, and Ryan in the desirable community he has worked well and hard to shape.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the December 16, 2004 dedication of the Government Center Complex in Fairfield, California, the county seat of Solano County.

The new Government Center Complex is the most ambitious capital improvement project in the history of the county and I laud the project's energy efficiency measures.

The Government Center Complex contains a six-story County Administration Center that achieves the lowest energy cost per square foot for any government facility in the State of California.

The Government Center Complex also contains a five-level parking structure with over 1,000 parking stalls, 20 electric vehicle slots, and a rooftop photovoltaic solar array that generates 119 kilowatts of clean, emissions free power.

Again, I commend county staff and the county's private partners on the timely and fiscally responsible completion of what is truly a landmark building for the citizens of Solano County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Steven Chappell, of the Suisun Resource Conservation District, for his timely actions in protecting the Suisun Marsh wetlands.

Steven Chappell began working for the Suisun Resource Conservation District in August 1994 as a district biologist, and was quickly promoted to executive director, a position he has held for almost 10 years.

On April 28, 2004, at 5:30 p.m. Steven Chappell received notification from the California Department of Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) that a petroleum pipeline had released diesel oil into the Suisun Marsh.

Mr. Chappell immediately drove to the site to offer his assistance and expertise to the Incident Command Team, comprised of State and Federal agency representatives. He explained how managed wetlands work and took immediate action to close all water control structures on the affected property.

As a direct result of Steven Chappell's quick actions in closing the gates, the diesel oil remained contained within the area and did not enter the Roos Cut, an unimpeded waterway extension which feeds into the tidal sloughs and adjacent wetlands of the Suisun Marsh.

In addition, Mr. Chappell prepared detailed aerial maps of the Suisun Marsh and returned to the spill site that same day. These aerials have been invaluable in OSPR's cleanup efforts.

For weeks after the spill, Steven Chappell devoted an inordinate amount of time coordinating with OSPR, the United States Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Kinder Morgan, the owner of the pipeline, in cleanup efforts and in the development of a restoration plan.

Steven Chappell's timely actions helped to avert a major disaster at the Suisun Marsh wetlands. I am proud to commend him today for his leadership, dedication, and commitment to the Suisun Resource Conservation District and to the people of Solano County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Sergeant Kevin Wise, who is retiring from the City of Concord Police Department after 29 years of serving the residents of Concord as well as the larger community.

Sergeant Wise is a life-long resident of California. He married his wife Maggie in 1988 and he has two daughters, Kristen and Kelsey.

Kevin Wise's career began when he worked as Police Assistant for the Concord Police Department in 1976. He was hired as a sworn Police Officer in 1977, and faithfully served the department, holding many specialty positions until he retired in October of 2004 as a Provisional Patrol Sergeant in the Field Operations Division.

The distinguished career of Kevin Wise includes serving on the Board of the Concord Police Officers' Association, and in 2002 he served as the Association's President for eighteen months.

Mr. Wise's work also includes several recognitions, including a Blue Knight award which Sergeant Wise received in 1996 from the Knights of Columbus for his exceptional work as a career member of the community's emergency services. He also received a Peace Makers Award in 1997 from the Conflict Resolution Panel of Contra Costa County for his outstanding service ``keeping the peace'' in the community while working as a Gang Investigator.

Sergeant Wise has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout his career including co-founding the Concord Police Department's GANG Unit in 1996. This unit is still in existence and continues to increase gang awareness and suppression. Furthermore, he was selected in 2002 to provide peer support counseling to NYPD officers struggling with the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy because of his highly regarded work as a Peer Support Counselor within the Concord Police Department.

For 29 years, Sergeant Wise has served the Concord Police Department and surrounding community. His hard work has improved the safety of the City and provided important support to his peers. Today, I am proud to commend him for his service, dedication and commitment to the people-- and entire community--of Concord.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased today to have the opportunity to vote in support of reasonable and responsible CALFED legislation. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano), and especially the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) for their leadership and especially the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) for acceding to the Senate language.

As I said when the House first considered this legislation this summer, it is well past time that the State of California and the Federal Government get to work in active partnership to restore the delta's ecosystem and meet our State's growing water needs.

For too many years, Mr. Speaker, because agreement was not reached, California lost tens of millions of dollars which could have been used to begin work on these vitally important projects. In fiscal years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, zero was appropriated for the CALFED projects. We could not allow this to continue. And so I am glad today we are considering the Senate version of this measure, ushered through by the hard work of our senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein.

This bill preserves the existing record of decision, strips the divisive preauthorization language, and best balances the vital water interests in our region. Fortunately, today's legislation will make new water projects subject to the critical public review and public participation process which the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and I have been fighting for, which will secure the integrity of the CALFED program into the future.

Under an open process and through this renewed Federal-State partnership, we can begin to address issues of water supply restoration, ecosystem restoration, and water-quality enhancement so vital to the future of California. As the sixth largest economy in the world, as home to some of the world's most unique, yet endangered, species and ecosystems, and as a major key to the economic strength of our Nation, it is critical that we endeavor to address our State's aging water infrastructure and diminishing resources. The CALFED program will allow us to do so. I am pleased to join my California colleagues in supporting it. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill, H.R. 5011, the Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act. Every American--especially every American who suits up to protect our Nation--should rest assured that their family's future is provided for if the unthinkable happens. I support Representative Burns's bill because basic life insurance should not be a worry on our fighting force's shoulders, it should be a trusted guarantee. It is utterly unconscionable for insurance agents to be peddling policies to our troops that provide poor coverage and charge exorbitant fees, such as these contractual plans. I recently returned from a trip to Iraq and I am pleased to know that the young soldiers I met will soon be protected from fraudulent or misleading sales practices with the passage of this bill.