Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 57) urging the European Union to maintain its arms embargo on the People's Republic of China.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 57, the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution that was introduced yesterday by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), expressing the strong concern of the House that the EU may lift its arms embargo directed at China.

In his recent inaugural address, President Bush reaffirmed America's commitment to democracy and freedom throughout the world. Yet, by selling advanced weapons systems to the People's Republic of China, the EU is directly undermining the security of one of Asia's most vibrant democracies, our close ally, Taiwan.

Over the last decade, Taiwan has moved strongly in the direction of becoming a full-fledged democracy, with free elections, a free press and respect for the rule of law. If the arms embargo is lifted, the EU would be further tilting the military equation against the

people of Taiwan at the very time they are embracing human rights and democratic values.

Furthermore, if our soldiers were ever called upon to defend Taiwan, they could potentially be facing weapons systems manufactured by our own European allies. This would be an intolerable development.

Finally, the lifting of the arms embargo would also have other negative consequences. In the past, China has demonstrated its willingness to sell weapons to nations that cannot be trusted with advanced military gear. This includes countries such as Iran that support international terrorist groups and countries such as Sudan, Burma and Zimbabwe that are among the world's worst violators of human rights. The last thing these countries need is additional weapons.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important measure. I also urge Secretary of State Rice and President Bush to raise this issue during their upcoming visit to Europe.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler).

(Mr. HOSTETTLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).

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

I would like to close by thanking the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and those on the other side of the aisle for their strong support for this important issue. I ask all of my colleagues to join in strong bipartisan support of this critical resolution, H. Res. 57.

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

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, January 26, 2005, I was unable to be present during consideration of H.R. 54, to amend title 31, United States Code, to provide reasonable standards for congressional gold medals. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on the Crowley amendment No. 2 (rollcall 10); ``no'' on the Crowley amendment No. 3 (rollcall 11); ``nay'' on the Motion to Recommit with Instructions (rollcall 12); and ``aye'' on passage of H.R. 54 (rollcall 13).

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, January 25, I was unable to be present during consideration of H. Con. Res. 16, Congratulating the people of the Ukraine and Victor Yushchenko on his election as President of Ukraine and his commitment to democracy and reform (rollcall 8); and H. Res. 39, Commending Countries and Organizations for Marking the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and Urging a Strengthening of the Fight Against Racism, Intolerance, Bigotry, Prejudice, Discrimination and Anti-Semitism (rollcall 9). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on both measures.

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, January 6, I was unable to be present during the counting of the electoral ballots and missed the vote on Agreeing to the Objection to counting the ballots of the state of Ohio. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mike Tracy, a Ventura, California, native who joined the Ventura Police Department as a patrol officer in 1975 and who has been chief of police since February 1999. After a distinguished career protecting and nurturing his hometown, he will retire on December 4.

Mike Tracy is a seasoned law enforcement officer with a reputation for innovation and community outreach.

During the 24 years in which he worked his way up the ranks from officer to police chief, Mike Tracy worked in or was in command of every aspect of the department, including patrol, detectives, administration, training and crime prevention. That experience gave him an insight into his department that few chiefs achieve.

At the same time, Mike Tracy earned a reputation far beyond city boundaries as someone in the forefront of law enforcement who reached out to other departments to share resources and knowledge.

Under his leadership, the department initiated the Crisis Intervention Team program, which trains personnel to better deal with the mentally ill and individuals in crisis--a program that subsequently was adopted countywide. He was the chief architect of Ventura's Community Problem Oriented Policing Program and instrumental in establishing four police storefronts and acquiring several state grants for gang violence suppression and school safety.

Equally important, Mike Tracy continued to contribute to his community outside the walls of the Ventura Police Department. In addition to his involvement with the Police Activities League, Mike has also worked with the Boys & Girls Club and Salvation Army. He has run in several marathons, the Special Olympics Torch Run and the Baker to Vegas run.

His wife, Linda, recently retired as an elementary school teacher. Their son Matthew is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and lives in Arizona with his wife, Christine, and their 3-year-old son, Nathan.

Mike and Linda plan to stay in Ventura and remain active in the community. His continued support will be appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating Ventura Police Chief Mike Tracy on his retirement; will thank him for a lifetime of dedication to his profession and community; and wish him many years of health and prosperity, both for him and his family.

Mr. Speaker, on October 8, 2004, I was unable to vote on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 843, waiving points of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 4200, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005 (rollcall 524); had I been present I would have voted ``yea.'' Also, I was unable to vote on a motion to instruct conferees on S. 2845, to reform the intelligence community and the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States government (rollcall 525); had I been present I would have voted ``nay.'' Additionally, I was unable to vote on the motion to table H. Res 845 (rollcall 526); had I been present I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, on October 9, 2004, I was unable to vote on several measures before the House: H. Con. Res. 518, providing for an adjournment of the two Houses (rollcall 527); had I been present, I would have voted ``yea''; On agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 4200, the DOD Authorization for fiscal year 2005 (rollcall 528); had I been present, I would have voted ``yea''; on agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 4837, the Military Construction Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 (rollcall 529); had I been present, I would have voted ``yea''; and on agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 4567, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 (rollcall 530); had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I rise in opposition to the amendment proposed by the gentleman from New Jersey.

The substitute offered by the gentleman from New Jersey lacks or waters down many of the important provisions recommended by the 9/11 Commission and included in H.R. 10 in its current form.

Border security is essential to national security. The 9/11 Commission recognized this truth. H.R. 10, in its current form, does justice to the 9/11 recommendations by proposing reasonable, meaningful immigration reforms to shore up border and travel security. These provisions would speed up implementation of our entry and exit tracking system and increase the number of border patrol officers. Another provision would help ``push out the border'' by expanding the program for pre-screening passengers before they can embark to the United States to additional countries.

The 9/11 Commission also stressed the importance of secure identity. The 9/11 Commission makes clear that without the regulation of identification documents, those who wish to harm us can use false identities to evade detection or use false identities to enter secure spaces, such as airplanes or nuclear facilities. H.R. 10 would regulate which forms of identification can be accepted as proof of identity by Federal officials--a reform I have long fought for--so that non-secure foreign IDs cannot be utilized by terrorists or violent criminals wishing to evade the law or enter secure spaces undetected. Importantly, it would also set standards for states to ensure state driver's licenses and state identification cards are secure.

I take particular pride of authorship in the provisions that would set immigrant identification standards, expand pre-inspection efforts at foreign airports, reform the designation process for foreign terrorist organizations, increase penalties for identification fraud and for false claims of citizenship, and support creation of a unified system for transliteration of names into the roman alphabet. I am pleased that these initiatives have become part of this landmark legislation.

Each of the Title III, ``Border Security and Terrorist Travel,'' provisions are essential to the national security and should be retained in their current form. Therefore, I urge a ``no'' vote on the Menendez substitute amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the memory of Thomas Laubacher, community leader and elected official from my district who passed away September 26 at the age of 91.

Tom Laubacher was a native son of Ventura County, California, having been born to a pioneering Oxnard family on August 29, 1913. During his life, Tom Laubacher was a farmer on his family's 150-acre farm, located between Doris Avenue and Teal Club Road; an oilman for Union Oil Company; and a B-26 pilot instructor for the U.S. Army Air Corps.

In 1954 he took over Laubacher Insurance Agency and Real Estate, which his father had founded in 1903. It remains in the family today. Tom Laubacher's son, Thomas Laubacher, Jr., now runs the business.

In 1964, Tom Laubacher ran for the Board of Supervisors for the same reason I ran for the Simi Valley City Council 15 years later: a belief that the business community needed better representation in government. He served three terms on the Board of Supervisors and I had the privilege of serving with him on the Regional Sanitation Board about 25 years ago.

Integrity is the word most associated with his public service, his business dealings and his community work.

A devout Catholic--his Uncle John was the first assistant pastor at Santa Clara Parish--Tom was a member of Oxnard Council 750 of the Knights of Columbus and served as the grand knight and district deputy. In 2002, he received the cardinal's award in recognition of a lifetime of service to his church and community.

Tom Laubacher also maintained a long relationship with the Sisters of Mercy and St. John's Regional Medical Center. He became the first lay member of its board of directors and later the board's first lay president.

Tom Laubacher is survived by his wife of 60 years, Helen, four children and 17 grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in sending our condolences to Helen ``Holly'' Laubacher, their children and grandchildren, and pause in remembering a man for whom integrity was a way of life. Godspeed, Tom.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, October 4, I was unable to vote on the motion to suspend the Rules and agree to S. Con. Res. 76, (rollcall No. 487), on the motion to suspend the Rules and pass S. 1814 (rollcall No. 488), and on the motion to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Res. 567 (rollcall No. 489). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on all three measures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize David Pollock, a school board member for the Moorpark Unified School District in my district, for his service as the 2003-2004 president of the California School Boards Association.

David Pollock has served on Moorpark's board of education since 1994 and was board president in 1998-1999. He also served as president of the Ventura County School Boards Association from 1999-2002. He represented Region 11 as a member of the California School Boards Association's Delegate Assembly and served as a member and chair of the California School Boards Association's Nominating Committee from 1999- 2002.

He has also served on the Legislative Committee, the Federal Issues Council, the Collective Bargaining Task Force and as a governmental relations chair and Golden Bell onsite validator. As president-elect, David Pollock served as chair of the Legislative Committee, a board member of the CCS Partnership and a delegate to the National School Boards Association.

David Pollock completed his undergraduate work at Pepperdine University and earned a master's in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a commercial pilot's license and is the manager of market planning for Rocketdyne, a business unit of The Boeing Company.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will thank David Pollock for his service to the Moorpark, Ventura County and California school board associations and congratulate him for his year as president of the California School Boards Association.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 15, I was unable to vote on the Hefley amendment (rollcall 455) and on the Moran amendment (rollcall 456) to H.R. 5025, the Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2005. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on both amendments.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

The amendment guts the section of the PATRIOT Act that Congress enacted to restrict terrorists' ability to open bank accounts, transfer funds, and otherwise use the banking system to further terrorist acts. This amendment would uphold ill-advised Treasury regulations that permit banks to accept nonsecure identification, including the matricula consular, to meet the requirements of the PATRIOT Act. Unfortunately, nonsecure IDs do not establish identity, at all, rendering identification requirements to the PATRIOT Act useless.

The FBI and Department of Justice have concluded that matricula consular is not a reliable form of identification. Forgeries are rampant. An Iranian national trying to cross a U.S.-Mexican border was caught with one. Smugglers have been caught carrying several matriculas, each with the same photo with different names.

Because matricula consulars are not reliable identification, a terrorist can use them to assume an alias, or several. He can use the banking system to further terrorist plans. PATRIOT Act requirements that banks check customer names against terrorist lists become useless.

Money is key in carrying out the acts of terrorism. The 9/11 terrorists had to pay tuition. They had to rent apartments. They had to rent cars and eventually had to buy plane tickets.

It is absurd for Congress to pass laws that attempt to cut off the funding of terrorist groups, as we did in the PATRIOT Act, and then allow regulations to create an end run around the law through tax identity requirements.

Mr. Chairman, in my 18 years in this body, I have seen no piece of legislation that presents a greater threat to national security than this amendment, and I urge the defeat of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, September 7, I was unable to vote on H.R. 4381, the Harvey and Bernice Jones Post Office Building (rollcall 422) and H.R. 4556, the General William Cary Lee Post Office Building (rollcall 423). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on both measures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the coaches and players of the Conejo Valley Little League team, who won 22 consecutive postseason games on their way to earning the title of U.S. Champions on August 30.

To emphasize the enormity of this accomplishment by a dozen 11- and 12-year-old ballplayers from my district, allow me to cite some stats. About 7,400 teams and more than 88,800 players started the post-season quest. It was a two-month odyssey that began on June 29. The boys from Thousand Oaks, California, outscored their opponents 165-29. They played their final games thousands of miles from home, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, before an international television audience and more than 30,000 people in the stands.

Talk about pressure.

They also lost their final game, and the world championship, to the Pabao Little League team of Willemstad, Curacao. But they turned that loss into a victory of respect when they circled the field with the Curacao players, tipped their hats to the Curacao fans and threw baseballs into the stands for souvenirs.

The Conejo Valley Little League team displayed class, talent, drive and true sportsmanship in a long string of wins on their way to becoming U.S. Champions, and during a single loss to Curacao.

As manager Tim Ginther told a reporter: ``Now we're No. 2 in the world overall. That's not bad.''

Political columnist and baseball fanatic George Will once observed that ``sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence.'' The members of the Conejo Valley Little League team are vivid examples of excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating manager Tim Ginther; coaches Jim Barrett, Rick Brower and Frank Leon; the players, James Brady, Jordan Brower, Hayden Cronenbold, Derrick Francis, Timmy Ginther, Adam Justinlano, Tyler Karp,

Danny Leon, John Lister, Sean McIntyre, Evan Ocello and Cody Thomson; and their families, for winning the U.S. championship with drive, talent and true sportsmanship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the memory of Neil Havens, former postmaster of my hometown of Simi Valley, California, and a man for whom community was family and who epitomized the spirit of Simi Valley.

Neil Havens died peacefully Friday at the age of 74 in his favorite chair in the home he and his wife, Pat, moved into soon after they married in 1951. A fourth-generation Simi Valley native, Neil was appointed postmaster by President Dwight Eisenhower, taking over from his father, Charles Reuben Havens. His grandfather, Charles Albert Havens, also delivered the post in Simi Valley.

And while his 30-year reign as postmaster guaranteed him a place in Simi Valley's history, it was Neil's commitment to community that guaranteed him a place in the hearts of all who knew him.

Neil Havens was a longtime Rotarian. He served as president of the Rotary Club of Simi Valley twice. He was one of the founding members of the Simi Valley Education Foundation. He served on the board of the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center Foundation. He was a member of the Salvation Army Disaster Team. He raised money for Simi Valley Hospital. He was active in the U.S. Naval Reserve. And the list goes on.

But that is not what people talk about when they talk about Neil Havens. They talk about his firm handshake and his ready smile framed by a trademark jawline beard. They talk about how many friends he had and how he called every week. They talk about how their lawn was mysteriously mowed when they fell ill, to find out later that it was Neil who wielded the mysterious mower. They talk about how he visited sick friends every day they were ill and looked after their family once they passed.

Neil Havens defined community as family. And Neil looked after his family.

Neil is survived by his wife, Pat, herself a community icon. She and Neil graduated together from Simi Valley High School in 1947 and raised three children in Simi Valley, Debra, Barbara and Russ. The City Council named Pat as Simi Valley's first City Historian while I was mayor of the city, a post she still holds along with Director of the Strathearn Historical Park and Museum.

In addition, Neil is survived by four grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in sending our condolences to Pat Havens, their children and grandchildren, and pause in remembering a man whose family extended far beyond the bonds of blood and whose life embraced all who knew him. Godspeed, Neil.