Floor Statements

Madam Chair, first I would like to congratulate Chairman Gordon and also Ranking Member Hall for this legislation. Three years ago, this body recognized the importance that science and technology play on our 21st century workforce, and we took action by passing the America COMPETES Act of 2007. We heeded the warnings from the National Academies' report, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm.'' American students were falling behind in science and mathematics, and with their falling grades went our ability to remain competitive in this new global economy. That's why I offered amendments 3 years ago to help students from low-income and rural parts of America to get the support they need to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But we're not through the woods yet. Today we renew our commitment by maintaining America's leadership by reauthorizing this legislation.

This bipartisan bill is exactly the sort this Congress should be focusing on. It's about the economy; it's about jobs; it's about innovation; and it's about preparing for tomorrow. I want to take a moment to mention a particular component of this legislation which I am particularly proud to support. Earlier this year, I introduced the 21st Century Graduate STEM Education Act which is now incorporated into this legislation. We need to do everything we can to ensure that our students at every level have the best STEM education in the world so that they can enter the workforce and thrive. The grants created by this act will help equip graduate students in the STEM fields with the skills and knowledge for careers so that they can be successful outside of the traditional academic track.

We need to see more engineers. We need to see more mathematicians. We need to see more scientists. We need to see more Ph.D.- and master's- level scientists and engineers teaching in schools, providing the next generation of students with a solid foundation in math and science.

Madam Chair, I rise today to proudly support the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act.

Energy efficiency saves fuel, electricity, and it helps Americans to save money. However, embracing energy efficiency at home isn't just about energy or money. It improves the comfort and quality of life that people experience every day. It actually makes homes better places to live.

I support this bill because it creates jobs in all 50 States, which is a priority of this Congress. Whether you live in sunny Arizona, like myself, or icy Alaska, people will use their local installers to make these upgrades to their homes.

I would like to thank the committee for accepting my amendment, which directs the Secretary of Energy to provide need-based scholarships for training programs to get Gold Star certification. To take full advantage of the Home Star program, we need to grow a workforce that can implement these programs in every State and in any home. The scholarships made possible by my amendment will allow these individuals looking for jobs to get the training that they need so that Americans can fully realize the full benefit of the Home Star program. Training a new generation of skilled workers is a smart investment that will pay dividends in the future.

This bill is about jobs. It's also about training the smart workforce, and it's about saving resources and money for American families at this critical time. That is why I am so proud to support the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act.

Mr. Chairman, as one of the sponsors of this amendment, and a strong advocate for defense acquisition reform, I rise today in support of the amendment and urge its passage.

The amendment requires the Department of Defense to make energy efficiency a consideration in buying and developing new weapons systems and new equipment for the military. This is a smart amendment from a green technology standpoint. But let me also stress that this is not just about being green. First and foremost, platform efficiency is a national security issue. Our military's use of fuel and electricity has intertwining impacts on our greater national security.

A 2007 Army report cites 170 servicemembers killed transporting fuel or guarding fuel convoys. Requiring the department to examine how well current and new systems use that precious commodity will help us reduce consumption, a good green tech benefit, but also saving lives of our military, the overarching national security benefit.

In terms of electricity usage, most of our military bases' critical loads are dependent upon the fragile national grid system that is underpinned by a 60 percent dependence on foreign oil.

This represents a single point of possible failure for our most important military assets. The requirement that this amendment puts in place will mean we must take into account the stresses placed upon the grid and how we can reduce those to enhance the security of our defense infrastructure.

By considering the use of on-site renewable generation, like the array that will be installed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in my district, we can better secure our base critical infrastructure against possible attack.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and vote for the underlying bill. I commend Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for bringing this to the floor and Congressmen Andrews and Conaway for their hard work putting it together.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, also known as CEDO--El Centro de Estudios de Desiertos y Oceanos.

On May 1 2010, CEDO celebrates 30 years of exploring and helping to protect the creatures, habitats and cultures of the Sonoran Desert and the Sea of Cortez. Its educational and research facility is located on the Sea of Cortez in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, where students and visitors alike are exposed to its essential work to preserve this fragile ecosystem.

CEDO was envisioned in 1975 when Peggy Turk Boyer, CEDO's executive director, first visited Puerto Penasco with professors John Hendrickson and Don Thomson of the University of Arizona's Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, as part of the University of Arizona's marine biology program.

CEDO opened its doors in 1980. Since then, thousands of people have participated in CEDO's research, education and conservation programs. CEDO's biological field station annually provides hands-on marine studies to hundreds of university students and researchers. CEDO also has expanded its outreach by offering school field trips, eco adventures, summer camps for young marine biologists and community education programs.

Gus, a 13 year old who spent time at CEDO, spoke for many others who have enjoyed the incredible opportunities that are available there. Gus wrote ``in one small trip, I experienced a colossal adventure. It's not every day that you get to do something as magical as I was able to do, but luckily, CEDO is dedicated to bringing people closer to nature and all of its creatures. I have gained a new determination to protect the beauty of Puerto Penasco and its unique environment. I believe that ordinary people, such as you and me, are the key to conserving the Sea of Cortez's irreplaceable natural wonder. Together, we can save the Sea. Thank you CEDO for your wonderful contributions to conservation.''

The CEDO vision is that all residents and visitors to the Northern Gulf understand, appreciate and participate in sustainable activities and actions that support a healthy, thriving and productive ecosystem. CEDO seeks to learn about the region through research, share the fruits of that research through educational activities and then use this knowledge to bring people together to help protect this unique and irreplaceable ecosystem.

Today, CEDO is working with researchers and fishermen in the Sea of Cortez to protect the Vaquita porpoise--the world's smallest and most endangered marine mammal species. Only about 200 Vaquitas remain--down two-thirds from a decade ago. CEDO is helping design a new type of net that will protect the Vaquitas and works with fishermen so they understand how they can ply their trade without harming the few remaining Vaquitas.

The research and educational efforts of the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans have substantially improved the biological health and the sustainability of the Sea of Cortez. CEDO also understands the importance of collaboration with other entities. More than forty funding and program partners are part of the diverse CEDO network.

CEDO is doing critical conservation work for all of us and we look forward to everything that it will accomplish in the next 30 years. I commend the dedicated staff, board members and volunteers whose dedication sustains this essential environmental organization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Arizona Region of the National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, also known as HIDTA. The HIDTA mission is to reduce drug trafficking in the areas of our Nation that are most impacted. This is done through a team effort among Federal, local, and State authorities.

At the recent HIDTA conference here in Washington, D.C., the Arizona HIDTA was honored for its interdiction successes and its financial investigations.

In 2009, the Arizona region completed a 4-year investigation which led to a $93 million settlement with Western Union. And the Southwest Border HIDTA, which includes Arizona, was named the national HIDTA region of the year. The Southwest HIDTA region covers the drug trafficking corridors through which more than 90 percent of the drugs that are brought into this country flow through.

I commend the men and women who carry out these essential and dangerous drug interdiction efforts. Thank you to the service these men and women give to our Nation. Thank you for helping us secure our borders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. This bill will provide a number of additional benefits to our servicemembers and their families and I am pleased that the Chairman and the Ranking Member were able to get it to the floor.

I am particularly pleased that language from two of my behavioral healthcare bills, H.R. 2698 and 2699, were included in the final version of this landmark bill.

My language will provide increased access to Vet Centers for our Guardsmen and Reservists, ensuring they are never again turned away for the behavioral health care they need and deserve.

My language also authorizes the Vet Centers to provide veterans and servicemembers with referrals for behavioral health care so they can see their own doctor in their own community when they need it.

These two items will help remove some of the stigma from behavioral health issues and specifically grant access to care for those who need it the most.

When our men and women in uniform come home from war, it is our responsibility to ensure they receive the care they need and deserve.

My language and this bill provide them and their families with the care and peace of mind they have earned and we owe to them.

I strongly urge passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rob Krentz, a rancher whose family has been in southeast Arizona since 1907.

On March 27, Rob was shot and murdered on his ranch. This senseless act is a stark reminder why the federal government must do more to protect citizens who live and work along the southern Arizona border. Law enforcement officials believe the killer may have been a drug smuggler who escaped to Mexico.

Mr. Krentz was a pillar of the ranching community. He had a heart as big as the land that he loved. Many who spoke at his funeral said that Rob was the nicest guy you will ever meet.

He was a humanitarian who provided food and water to the people that he found in distress, and was likely doing just that when he was murdered.

Rob will be known for his work with the Malpai Borderlands Group, ranchers who are dedicated to conservation of the land.

Rob Krentz was a husband, a brother, a father, a grandfather, an uncle, and a friend to so many. We grieve his loss and send our prayers to his wife, Susan, and children, Andy, Frank, Kyle, and all that knew this great man.

He will be deeply missed, but he will never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, many stories have been shared here on the floor of the House of Representatives, but today I rise to share the story of Larry and Naomi, two of my constituents, who will now have health care because we recently passed health insurance reform.

Last year Larry was laid off from his job, and immediately began searching for insurance. He was repeatedly denied because his wife, Naomi, was diagnosed with benign fibroids. This is a condition that occurs in up to 50 percent of all women. The companies barred his wife because she had a pre-existing condition. This is a horrible practice that will end with this new law.

In my district, there are an estimated 10,300 people just like Naomi. Starting in 2014, these people will be able to get health care coverage. The new law establishes high-risk insurance pools for adults with such pre-existing conditions. When the law is fully implemented in 2014, no insurance company will be able to use this excuse to deny this type of coverage.

Between now and then coverage will be available to Naomi and thousands of others. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to vote for this bill.

Madam Speaker, yesterday I was absent and missed rollcall vote 175. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall 175.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the accomplishments of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

Just last week, the House unanimously passed a resolution in recognition of her distinguished career during Women's History Month. Justice O'Connor truly embodies the Arizona spirit of hard work and rugged individualism.

After growing up on her family's ranch, the Lazy B located in the high deserts of Arizona, she quickly achieved success. Justice O'Connor graduated cum laude from Stanford University in 1950 and in the top three of her class at Stanford University Law School. Justice O'Connor began her career in public service as the Arizona Assistant Attorney General in 1965 and went on to the State legislature. She became the first woman in the country to serve as a Senate Majority Leader. Justice O'Connor was catapulted into our Nation's limelight when President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the United States Supreme Court in 1981. She served 24 terms on the Supreme Court in a centrist role with her commitment to uphold law and our Constitution. Just last year she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, the highest recognition for any civilian.

Today we honor Justice Sandra Day O'Connor because this Friday we celebrate her 80th birthday. This resolution is a small birthday gift to a daughter of Arizona from a grateful Nation that she so proudly served.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books, which will be held at the University of Arizona on March 13 and 14.

The Tucson Festival of Books is a celebration of literacy and an opportunity for those of us who cherish books to meet the men and women who write them. It is, ultimately, a community's recognition of the great value we place on the written word.

As the proud home of the University of Arizona, Tucson is the ideal place for a festival of books. The Festival brings together more than 450 authors and presenters who will speak about their work, sign their books and answer questions about their craft.

Now in its second year, the Tucson Festival of Books will have writing workshops and competitions, panel presentations, children's activities, storytelling, artists and musicians. The Festival truly provides something for readers of all ages. In 2009 more than 50,000 people attended the Festival and an even larger turn out is expected this year. Clearly the people of Southern Arizona have a strong love of books and reading.

As much fun and informative as the Festival will be, it also serves a larger purpose. I believe that the Tucson Festival of Books can help us improve literacy and encourage young people to expand their knowledge of the world. It is a reminder of how essential books and the information they impart are to our society and to our form of government. In 2009, the Festival raised $200,000, which was distributed to agencies providing literacy services in Tucson.

``Once you learn to read,'' Frederick Douglass told us, ``you will be forever free.'' The Tucson Festival of Books plays an important role in fulfilling that promise.

The 2010 Tucson Festival of Books is sponsored by the University of Arizona, the Arizona Daily Star and The Diamond Children's Medical Center.

The Festival is organized and run by the Tucson Festival of Books Foundation, a non-profit organization. It was founded by Bill Viner, President of the Foundation Board of Directors. He is joined in this labor of love by Board Vice Presidents Frank Farias and John M. Humenik, Treasurer Bruce Beach and Secretary Brenda Viner. The Festival would not be possible without their hard work and dedication and the efforts of many volunteers. On behalf of a grateful community I thank and

commend them for bringing us this incredible gift.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Arizona for its dedication to excellence and achievement in higher education. One hundred and twenty-five years ago tomorrow, the 13th Territorial Legislature of the Arizona Territory--we were a territory at that time--authorized the establishment of the University of Arizona. And since that date in 1885, the U of A has maintained a steadfast dedication to building a better Arizona and a better future. The U of A is a testament to the vision of land-grant universities established across the country. For over 100 years, they have led, being the most important drivers for research and innovation that has powered our Nation's economy.

The U of A today continues to be at the forefront of that research. Whether it is mapping the corn genome, teaming with NASA, or using advanced optics to harvest and utilize the power of the sun, the U of A continues to press forward with cutting-edge technology. Most importantly, the university understands that its strength is in the diversity of its students.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in honoring and recognizing the 125th anniversary of the University of Arizona. Congratulations, President Shelton, to the students, the region, and to everyone associated with the U of A.

Madam Speaker, March is Women's History Month, and I rise today to pay tribute to the women who have served our country with honor and distinction. Women such as Major General Susan Lawrence, the commander of the Army's Netcom and 9th Signal Command at Fort Huachuca. She is a true inspiration to soldiers in Arizona and women everywhere.

Women such as Lori Piestewa, a U.S. Army soldier killed during an attack in Iraq in 2003. A member of the Hopi tribe, she was born and raised in Arizona and became the first woman in the U.S. Armed Forces killed in Iraq and the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the United States military. And women such as Air Force Lieutenant Meredith Doran. Working from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, she is an aircraft traffic controller involved in the Haitian earthquake relief effort underway today.

Women have voluntarily served in every conflict since the early days of the Revolutionary War, and their significant accomplishments are often overlooked. Every day, women fly jets in combat, engage enemies on the battlefield, and will soon also serve alongside their male counterparts on submarines.

This month and all year long, we should recognize and remember the service, sacrifice, and the lives of the women in our United States Armed Forces and everything that they have given to our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Tucson Rodeo Parade which on Thursday celebrates its 85th anniversary. The Parade Grand Marshall is James ``Big Jim'' Griffith, beloved storyteller, musician, and folklorist and a Tucson tradition in his own right.

Known as ``La Fiesta de los Vaqueros,'' the parade is a time-honored tradition for thousands of residents and visitors. It is a much- anticipated community event that reminds us of our past as a region shaped by the independence, drive, and determination of cowboys and cowgirls.

The Tucson Rodeo Parade first was held on Saturday, February 21, 1925. Arizona had been a State for only 13 years, and Tucson was still very much a rough and tumble community on the edge of the American frontier. My hometown and home State were very different places 85 years ago. All of Arizona back then had a population smaller than Tucson is today.

The inaugural Rodeo Parade rolled through downtown Tucson the same year the city purchased 1,280 acres on its cactus-studded outskirts for a municipal airport. This swath of desert would, in just a few short years, become the home of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, one of our Nation's premier military installations.

Prizes for entrants in the first parade, long before air conditioning or the modern supermarket, included a 750-pound block of ice, 100 pounds of potatoes and a ``Big Cactus'' ham.

This colorful and exciting parade continues today as a kickoff for the Tucson Rodeo. The parade is a salute to southern Arizona's rich ranching history and our community's close ties with Mexico. With the nickname of ``La Fiesta de los Vaqueros,'' the rodeo and the parade are a true ``party of the cowboys.''

The Tucson Rodeo Parade keeps alive the spirit of that first parade. It long has been known as ``The Largest Non-Motorized Parade'' in the country and achieves its success through strong community participation and the commitment of the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee.

The Tucson Rodeo Parade has become such a cherished event that schoolchildren long have been given the day off so they can attend the festivities. In offices and work places all across Tucson jeans and cowboy boots are acceptable attire on parade day.

As a third generation southern Arizonan, I am proud to recognize the Tucson Rodeo Parade on its 85th anniversary and to commend the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee for sustaining this wonderful tradition.

Madam Speaker, yesterday I was absent and missed rollcall votes 49 and 50.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall 49 and ``aye'' on rollcall 50.