Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Pat Bellamy. Patrick Bellamy was the Chairman of the Houston Ship Patrick also served as a member of the Houston-Harris County Homeland Security Advisory Council and is the retiring Director of the Southwest Public Safety Technology Center at the University of Houston (SWRC). In these roles Mr. Bellamy planned with federal, state and local government entities relative to Homeland Security and related issues.

Mr. Bellamy has been involved with government, information technology, communications infrastructure deployment and first response for over forty years and has completed AAS, BS and MA degrees. Prior to his retirement from what is now AT&T, Mr. Bellamy was Regional Vice President and Executive Director responsible for Technology Planning, Market Development, Technical Sales/Support, Program Management and Technology Certifications/Assurance.

In his various roles, Mr. Bellamy has deployed a variety of ``firsts'' as part of planning the St. Louis, San Antonio, Tulsa, Houston, Paris, Chilean and other complex networking and defense systems. He was also involved in a variety of government and industry emergency response teams and in the development of related process- oriented efforts. Mr. Bellamy's organizations also coordinated the implementation and ongoing management of complex technologies for international, national and other industry systems. Similarly, his organization coordinated sensitive government-oriented systems plus implementations for the Economic Summit (G7), the Republican National Convention and other strategic events. He also wrote the technology planning document for the 2012 Olympic Game effort.

While a member of the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Bellamy was educated at Chanute AFB as an electrical-electronics engineer and assisted in the planning, design, implementation, testing, first response and maintenance of guidance and control systems, nuclear payloads, addressing systems, networking systems, first response systems and other functions associated with the strategic Minuteman Inter- continental Ballistic Missile defense system.

Among his community involvement efforts, Patrick Bellamy was the Founder of the UH Cullen College of Engineering's Houston InfoComm Technology Initiative and co-Founder of the Houston Area Technology Advancement Center. Similarly, Mr. Bellamy has been a board member of the Houston READ Commission and has also served as the Chairman of the Executive Board for the Gulf Coast Alliance for Minorities in Engineering. Mr. Bellamy currently serves on a number of public/private advisory boards. Along these lines, Mr. Bellamy played a leading role in the creation and development of the Houston Ship Channel Security of District. And, with the assistance of HSC2, local governments, the Houston Ship Channel Security District Board, Houston Ship Channel Industry Participants (including EHCMA), HSC2, the Port of Houston Authority, the USCG and other key players, led the transition process associated with the evolution of this ``first-of-its-kind'' key Homeland Security-oriented effort.

And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize and congratulate my long time friend, Pat Bellamy.

I want to thank my colleague from Washington State for allowing me 1 minute.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3534, the CLEAR Act, because it will kill jobs, increase our reliance on foreign oil, and has become a vehicle for controversial and extraneous provisions that do not address the issues at hand--the safety of our offshore oil production.

I am proud to represent a district that does everything energy, from constituents who work offshore, to service companies, to refineries, to chemical plants downstream. I strongly support making production safer and cleaner, whether it's offshore, on land, or in our industrial facilities.

No one questions unlimited liability on the responsible party for all environmental cleanup costs, but this bill goes so far that it would make it unlimited also for whatever economic damage. What is going to happen is it will put at serious risk competitive investment in the Gulf of Mexico and potentially precipitate a future energy affordability crisis. Effective legislation can be achieved that will ensure the continued development of the gulf resources in a responsible and safe manner while preserving the ability of our independent oil and gas exploration and production companies to operate offshore.

This legislation will instead make it impossible for these producers, most of which are small businesses, to get insurance to drill and drive hundreds of production and servicing companies out of business.

This is the last thing the Gulf Coast and our recovering economy needs.

If you want to eliminate jobs and hundreds of small businesses, vote for this bill.

Secondly, this bill contains several extraneous provisions that have nothing to do with ensuring the safety of our offshore production. In football, we call this piling on.

Section 728 of the bill subjects oil and gas construction activities to storm water discharge permits--a regulatory requirement inappropriate for oil and gas operations, which could place entire projects and significant capital at risk and has nothing to do with safety.

This provision mischaracterizes the issue, placing preparatory steps for oil and gas production in the same category as building construction. These are two very different things.

The Department of Energy estimates that such regulation could result in the loss of future production up to ten percent of both current U.S. oil production and current U.S. natural gas production. Again, if you want to kill U.S. jobs, vote for this bill.

Section 802 of the bill imposes a conservation fee of $2 per barrel of oil, or 20 cents per million BTU of natural gas, for production from all new and existing federal onshore and offshore leases, a cost that will eventually be passed on to consumers.

While I am a member of the Sportsman's Caucus and a strong support of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, this fee targets onshore production, which has no place in a bill responding to the BP oil spill.

Section 241 compels companies to renegotiate their 1996-2000 deepwater royalty relief leases or else be ineligible to bid on new leases.

This has nothing to do with responding to the BP oil spill.

For these reasons and others, I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote against this bill.

This bill will kill jobs, hurt our domestic production, and has become a vehicle for controversial and extraneous provisions that do not address the issue at hand.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 5850--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2011. In particular, I am supportive of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development's inclusion of federal funding for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County for four projects in the City of Houston as well as funding much needed improvements to the Lynchburg Ferry Landings in our area.

The Subcommittee's inclusion of $150 million for the North and Southeast corridor light rail projects will be tremendously helpful for the Houston area. These projects involve a combined 11.8 miles of light rail transit, and will benefit the city by increasing citizen mobility, improving the city's air quality, and promoting economic development and job creation. The funding will be used for the final design and construction of these two corridors, which are part of an overall system of interrelated projects that make up the Advanced Transit Program and Metro Solutions Plan. The success of these light rail projects will facilitate Houston's economic recovery and help the city further develop and improve its infrastructure.

Additionally, H.R. 5850 includes $700,000 for the North and South Lynchburg Ferry Landings in Harris County, Precinct Two. These landings haven't been refurbished or updated in years and these funds will provide better connectivity between the historical and recreational sites to increase the number of visitors and provide an economic stimulus for Ship Channel communities.

I would like to thank the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development for recognizing the importance of this assistance to the Houston area and including them in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the over 150,000 residents in the State of Texas who have lost their unemployment benefits since June 2nd. Nationally, over 2.5 million Americans have lost their eligibility for unemployment insurance, at a time when our country is suffering through the most difficult economic slump it has witnessed since the Great Depression.

Unemployment insurance helps our country in two crucial ways:

First, unemployment insurance assists those hurt most by this recession.

Second, unemployment insurance is a major job creator.

Nearly 15 million Americans are out of work. Of these 15 million, 46 percent have been out of work for more than six months. In recent months, there have been at least five unemployed workers for every job opening.

These are proud, working Americans who have already been victimized by the state of our Nation's economy. Why are we victimizing them again by denying them this crucial lifeline?

Unemployment insurance is also one of the most stimulative measures the Federal Government can take to help the economy. The Congressional Budget Office has found that for every dollar spent on unemployment benefits, $1.90 of economic growth is generated.

In a recent study by the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute, the expansion of unemployment benefits since 2007 has supported 1.7 million full-time equivalent positions. These jobs have raised GDP by $244.8 billion, a 1.7 percent boost.

In sharp contrast to extending tax cuts for the wealthiest in our country, unemployed Americans will spend their benefits immediately to pay their rent, buy groceries and other necessary goods, thereby creating jobs throughout the economy.

This is not simply smart policy. This is a moral issue. We will be helping our friends and neighbors during their time of need.

I call upon my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the most successful program the United States Government has ever created, Social Security.

Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has become the great promise that each generation will take care of those who came before it. In our district in Texas, nearly 65,000 recipients receive over $61 million monthly from the Social Security administration. It's a blue- collar district, home to thousands of hardworking families who have overcome wars and natural disasters in becoming the backbone of the American economy.

The national average benefit for the retiree is $14,000 a year, a majority of income for 6 out of 10 seniors. This modest amount guarantees that tens of millions of parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors can retire with dignity.

I believe it's important to consider what would have happened if Congress had followed along the lines of then-President George W. Bush in 2005 to partially privatize Social Security and make Social Security subject to the stock market.

Or consider what could happen if Congress follows along the plans of some of my colleagues across the aisle in cutting Social Security to reduce the national debt. I believe that cutting Social Security is irresponsible and wrong as we approach the 75th anniversary of Social Security.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010.

The National Flood Insurance Program makes federally-backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in participating communities in exchange for those communities adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage. Unfortunately, Congress did not reauthorize the program by the May 31 deadline of this year, and as a result many Americans living in flood-prone areas, including people in my congressional district, have been unable to obtain flood insurance or renew their coverage. Hurricane season is now upon us, and therefore this is an issue on which Congress must show urgency.

The Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010 would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program through the year 2015, along with making certain reforms. One such reform involves a five year phase-in of flood insurance rates for newly mapped areas not previously designated as having special flood hazard. This is particularly important for low-income citizens living in where flood maps change frequently.

I have always been a supporter of the National Flood Insurance Program because I believe that hard-working Americans deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their homes and businesses will be protected in the event of a major flood. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5114 and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program so that people are once again able to obtain this peace of mind.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 411, had I been present, I would have voted, ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of the tremendous leadership of the outgoing President of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Ron Gettelfinger.

Ron is a recognized leader and advocate for the rights and dignity of working Americans everywhere.

Ron began his association with the UAW in 1964, where he was a chassis line repairman at Ford's Louisville Assembly plant. It was on the assembly line that Ron won the support of his colleagues, who elected him to be their representative--first as a committeeperson, then as a bargaining chairperson and president, and later as a delegate to the National Ford Council and Sub-Council #2.

In 1992, Ron served as Director of UAW Region 3, which covers the States of Indiana and Kentucky. Six years later, Ron was elected a UAW Vice President. As Vice President, Ron was director of the UAW Aerospace Department and the UAW Ford Department, where he led negotiations in 1999 that focused on ``Bargaining for Families.''

Since 2002, Ron has serviced as president. As the head of the union, Ron has had to navigate the UAW through difficult times in the automotive industry. He was instrumental in working with the then newly-elected Obama Administration, Chrysler and General Motors in keeping two of the Big Three afloat while also negotiating for the rights and concerns of autoworkers.

During his 8-year tenure as President of the UAW, Ron was a pragmatic visionary, who in 2006 called for a ``Marshall Plan'' to renew America's industrial base through incentives to promote manufacturing of energy-saving advanced technological vehicles and their key components in the United States. Ron has also led the UAW's fight for improving workers' rights and environmental provisions in bi- and multilateral trade agreements. In our nation's recent debate on health care reform, Ron was an outspoken advocate for accessible and affordable health care coverage for all Americans.

Today, Ron is seen as a statesman in organized labor. He provided tremendous leadership during a time of crisis. Due to much of his hard work and dedication, there is renewed hope that our country may be at the dawn of a renaissance in the automobile industry. From January to May of 2010, automobile sales at General Motors were up 14 percent. Over the same period of time, sales were increased 8 percent for Chrysler.

As Ron returns home to his wife, Judy, his two children and four grandchildren, I just want to thank him for his vision and support for working families and working Americans.

I want to commend Chairman Emeritus Dingell for bringing up this special order.

Madam Speaker, I would like to submit the followi article, ``Remember the 60th anniversary of the Korean War'' by Hardie Matthews, as printed in the Pasadena Citizen, June 23, 2010.

Why can't we just have a peaceful world with no war? What

causes us to send the best men and women in the world off to

war. I didn't want to leave my home and go fight some war in

some far off place. I just wanted to stay home and enjoy my

life. I admire the young men and women today who are so

dedicated to defending this great country of ours.

June is a bad month for me. It was June 1945 when I was

taken from my idyllic home in Lubbock, Texas, and thrust into

the real world of basic training. And then five years later,

away I went from Texas Tech to the Korean War.

Never will forget my college roommates and I fixing our

lunch of the usual steak and hearing an interruption of the

noontime radio newscast. The announcer, in his grave voice,

said at eight that night, the President of the United States

wanted to talk to us about the situation that had developed

in Korea. We were all busy and didn't have time to think

about some idiotic place called Korea.

So that night, while we were studying, Squeaky Voice Truman

came on the radio. What a horrible voice he had! What made it

even worse was he had a hard time reading his script. His

predecessor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had such a melodic

voice and knew exactly how to use it. Then old Squeaky Voice

came on, and I lost interest in becoming President of the

United States. With FDR, I wanted to be President; before I

heard him in 1933, first grade, I wanted to be a truck

driver, but Roosevelt just sort of hypnotized me. I wanted to

be just like him.

Soooo, while we were studying, June 25, 1950, Squeaky Voice

came on the radio and told us that Communist North Korea had

invaded South Korea, and that the United Nations had been

asked to submit troops to prevent the takeover of that

peninsula by Communist North Korea.

The next day, the glaring headline in the Lubbock Avalance

Journal newspaper said that Truman had declared war on North

Korea. That morning I went to the Tech library. I wanted to

find Korea on the World Atlas. I did, and came home to tell

my roommates.

Within days, I was on my way. I couldn't believe that

rotten place called Korea. We were on a Japanese Junker ship.

It kept stalling and stalling. Something was wrong with the

durn motor. It would sputter along, and then stop. Then we

would hear a large splash as the anchor was mechanically

splashed into the water. There we would sit for hours. That

went on for days and days.

As best we could determine, it took us 10 days to go the 50

miles by water from Yokohoma, Japan, to Inchon, Korea. Can

you imagine! Fifty miles in 10 days! What made it worse

was the food. We ate spoiled Spam! When you're starving to

death, you'll eat anything. Consequently, when we hit the

beachhead at Inchon, I had soiled pants from dysentery, a

letter in my pocket from Mom saying that she couldn't take

Dad's philandering any more and was divorcing him. What I

didn't have was ammunition, food or officers. All officers

stayed on board our ship. That night, we speculated that

all those officers would be back in Japan receiving

citation after citation for their bravery in combat. Makes

me sick, now, every time I see an officer with a chest

full of medals. All those medals were ``earned'' many

miles behind the lines. So next time you see that,

remember what I've told you here.

Just before we climbed over the side of that ship, we threw

our duffel bags down into a landing barge. Not one bag missed

that little boat. We had a rope ladder to climb down. In so

doing, when we reached the bottom of the rope ladder, we had

to wait until the boat rose up high enough with the tide so

that we could jump from the rope to the barge. Our buddies on

board would catch us and swing us onto the barge.

Cold! Goodness! And there stood ``Boatman,'' as we called

the man running the landing barge. His face was all red and

puffy from frostbite. His eyes had visible white matter in

them, and all he had on for protection from the coldness was

a field jacket. I had on about seven layers of clothes. He

was a Army Reservist just like us and this was his fourth

week on that landing barge.

We all looked at him with such envy, and, in turn, he

looked at us with even more envy. He had two bandoliers of

ammunition; that is, two big straps from his shoulders to his

waste; we had no ammo. We had heavy winter clothing; he had a

light weight field jacket.

All those memories came back to me as I sat in Tom Mixon's

Memory War Museum. Tom and two of his friends were telling me

about the Chosin Reservior battle they were in. There were

about 10,000 Marines, approximately 2,000 Army and United

Nations troops defending that reservoir. 120,000 Chinese

forces were determined to annihilate those Marines and other

troops, but did not. To me, it was unreal that I would be

sitting there in that museum talking to two of the heroes of

that horrible battle that raged for two months in sub-zero

weather. The odds were completely against them, and yet, here

sat two of my heroes: James H. Lewis and Lonnie Avery. How do

you thank men like them and Tom Mixon, who suffered frostbite

so severe that his limbs were to be amputated? There is no

way to thank them, is there? Let me tell you something:

Though I try to keep religion out of this column, I just have

to say this: I thank God for brave men like those three. You

and I wouldn't be here if the Communists of Asia hadn't been

stopped by those heroes.

So on June 25 of this year, the sixtieth anniversary of the

beginning of the Korean War, you and I should wish HIS

richest blessing for those three good men, our own great

heroes, for what they did for you and me. Just let me say,

God bless the three of you. I don't know anyone more

deserving than you. What an honor it is for me to sit here at

this computer writing about you three modest, hard working

men! It is a real honor. Thank you for the good life that is

mine. I wouldn't be here pounding away on this poor old

keyboard, if it weren't for you three. Thank you from the

depth of my heart. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following article: ``No, GOP, you don't get the car keys back'' by Gene Lyons of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as printed in The Baytown Sun, May 25, 2010.

One minor mystery of the Obama administration is whether

the president has actually believed that the nation's most

intractable problems could be solved by the wonder-working

power of bipartisanship and the emollient balm of his

personality. He wouldn't be the first politician whose ego

convinced him he could sweet-talk his bitterest opponents.

Many Democrats think that the White House's ultimately

futile quest for Republican health care votes only gave GOP

imaginers more time to frighten gullible voters with

falsehoods about ``death panels'' and such, weakening public

support.

Until quite recently, it's been much the same with jobs and

the economy. Despite unanimous Republican opposition to the

administrations $787 billion stimulus bill and universal

predictions of doom, the White House has often acted as if

the party's reasonable leadership would eventually return to

the politics of negotiation and compromise.

Instead, we've seen the GOP increasingly dominated by its

irrational Chicken Little wing, seeing grim portents and

predicting doom. Continuing their party's decades-long war on

Arithmetic, Republicans act as if the highest form of

patriotism is to demand tax cuts even as a USA Today analysis

documents that ``Americans paid their lowest level of taxes

last year since Harry Truman's presidency . . . Federal,

state and local taxes--including income, property, sales and

other taxes--consumed 9.2 percent of all personal income in

2009, the lowest rate since 1950, the Bureau of Economic

Analysis reports.'' The historic average has been 12 percent.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the

U.S. economy generated 290,000 jobs in April, the strongest

month in four years. That brings new jobs created in 2010 to

573,000.

And how did GOP savants respond to the good news? Citing

the unemployment rate, House Minority Leader John Boehner

called it ``disappointing news . . . Washington Democrats

have no coherent agenda to create jobs, and no interest in

doing anything but continue to spend money we don't have on

`stimulus' programs that don't work.''

Don't work? The National Journal's Ronald Brownstein puts

things in perspective: ``If the economy produces jobs over

the next eight months at the same pace as it did over the

past four months, the nation will have created more jobs in

2010 alone than it did over the entire eight years of George

W. Bush's presidency.'' It's a fact. Should current growth

persist, the U.S. economy will gain roughly 1.7 million jobs

this year. From 2001 through 2008, the Bush economy generated

about 1 million.

Of course with 15.3 million Americans out of work, we're

far from being out of the woods. Indeed, the nation's

quickening economy has actually led to a slight uptick in the

unemployment rate, as thousands who'd given up seeking work

rejoined the labor market. But we can definitely see a path

to greater prosperity.

Meanwhile, Republicans keep baying at the moon. On a recent

``Fox News Sunday,'' former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

gravely announced that ``The (Obama) secular-socialist

machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi

Germany or the Soviet Union once did.''

Even host Chris Wallace was taken aback, asking ``Mr.

Speaker, respectfully, isn't that wildly over the top?''

Gingrich didn't think so.

A sane political movement would keep a prating coxcomb like

Gingrich off television. Whether Newt actually believes this

rubbish, or is merely following the Tea Party fife and drum

corps around the bend, strikes me as of little interest.

Politically, it's pointless to reason with crazy people--

make-believe or real.

Speaking recently in Buffalo, president Obama signaled that

maybe he gets it. ``When I took office,'' he said ``we were

losing 750,000 jobs a month. . . . I had just inherited a

$1.3 trillion deficit from the previous administration, so

the last thing I wanted to do was spend money on a recovery

package, or help the American auto industry keep its doors

open, or prevent the collapse of Wall Street banks whose

irresponsibility had helped cause this crisis. But what I

knew was if I didn't act boldly and I didn't act quickly . .

. we could have risked an even greater disaster.''

Then, at a Manhattan fundraiser, Obama came up with the

perfect metaphor. He said that Republicans had made a

calculated decision to oppose all White House initiatives,

and to hope for the worst. ``So after they drove the car into

the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it

back, now they want the keys back. No! You can't drive! We

don't want to have to go back into the ditch! We just got the

car out!''

Give 'em hell, Barrack. Over and over until they get the

message.

I thank the chair of the full Energy and Commerce Committee for yielding.

To my Republican colleagues, we make history on the floor of the House, and we did when we passed the health care bill, but you can't rewrite it. The House passed a bill, H.R. 3961, that only had one Member from the Republican Party who voted for that bill that was the permanent fix for this doctor situation so that our doctors wouldn't be cut 21 percent as of last week. One vote, and it was my colleague from Texas, Dr. Burgess. That's why this is so important today.

We wish we could pass a better bill and a long-term fix, but we can't get it through the United States Senate; so we're going to November. You had a chance to step up and do it, but you didn't do it. We passed that bill with only one Republican vote.

This legislation is so important because Medicare is so important. Our seniors need to be able to go to a doctor, and yet we're seeing doctors say they can't afford to treat them anymore because we didn't do the permanent fix. That's why this bill is so important today, to get us through November. Hopefully we will be able to then do a permanent fix so doctors will be able to see our senior citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act.

This legislation will prevent a 21-percent cut in Medicare physician payment reimbursements through November 30, and makes the so-called doc fix retroactive to June 1, when a previous stop gap measure expired.

While Congress enacted stop-gap measures for rate cuts scheduled for several months, yesterday CMS began mailing reimbursement checks to physicians who accept Medicare with the 21-percent reduction in their reimbursement.

This legislation before us today is another temporary fix and amends the legislation we sent to the Senate, which would be a permanent fix to the Medicare physician payment system, but we need to ensure that our seniors will continue to have access to their physicians and doctors will continue to accept Medicare.

It is clear that this current physician payment system contains some inherent flaws that must be addressed to ensure the long term viability of Medicare and access to beneficiaries.

My hometown of Houston contains some of the world's best medical facilities, where the scope of care is unmatched.

Yet, I meet physicians working in every medical specialty who say that this current Medicare physician payment system threatens our Medicare beneficiaries' access to the health care that they provide.

I support the legislation today to ensure our physicians will not receive a 21-percent cut in their Medicare reimbursement rates, but in November we will need to revisit this issue and enact a permanent fix to the physician payment system.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Navy PO Zarian Wood, who died May 16 while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Petty Officer Wood of Houston was a 1999 graduate of South Houston High School who had served as a youth minister and tutor before enlisting in the Navy. Known to friends and family as a giving young man, he followed his father's footsteps in service to his country.

Petty Officer Wood was deployed to Iraq as a hospital corpsman from 2007-2008 and upon returning home he volunteered for a second combat tour in Afghanistan. He was assigned to India Company, as a hospital corpsman in the Third Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

On May 14, 3\1/2\ weeks into deployment, Petty Officer Wood sustained wounds when an improvised explosive device detonated during foot patrol in the Helmand Province.

I know his father, family and friends are devastated by this loss, but they should be proud of the great man Zarian Wood had become and that he died a hero while serving his country.

His loss will be felt by all of Houston, our state, and our nation, and I ask that you remember the family in your thoughts and prayers.

I would like to submit for the record this article on Officer Wood that appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 18.

[From the Houston Chronicle, May 18, 2010]

Sailor Served as ``Doc,'' Volunteered for Combat

(By Lindsay Wise)

Volunteer: Petty Officer Zarian Wood died Sunday of wounds

suffered in Afghanistan.

Before he deployed to Afghanistan last month, Zarian Wood

visited his father and brother for a week at their home in

south Houston. The three men played video games, dined on

steak and shrimp and lounged on camping chairs in the

driveway. It was like a mini family reunion, recalled his

father, Daniel Wood.

``Just before he left, he told me, `Dad, take care of

yourself and everything, and I'll be back,' '' he said.

The 29-year-old Navy petty officer third class from Houston

died Sunday of wounds inflicted by a bomb blast during a foot

patrol in Helmand Province. He had only been in Afghanistan

about 3\1/2\ weeks.

``He was a good honest Christian man,'' said his father, a

63-year-old Vietnam veteran. ``He thought he went over there

to help children and help the country better itself, and

wham.''

The father took a shaking breath, still stunned by the

news.

``Ah well, he's with the good Lord, you know,'' he said.

Nicknamed ``Z,'' Zarian graduated in 1999 from South

Houston High School, where he'd competed on the wrestling

team.

Youth pastor, tutor

He worked as a youth pastor and tutor for troubled kids on

Houston's northeast side and a merchandiser for Coca-Cola

before enlisting in 2006. His decision to undergo rigorous

training to become a hospital corpsman was very much in

character for him, his relatives say.

``He was a very giving young man and my mother taught all

of us that when you have nothing to give you have yourself to

give,'' said his sister, Teresa Robertson.

Zarian deployed to Iraq from 2007-2008. His relatives said

he volunteered for his second combat tour, this time a seven-

month stint in Afghanistan, where he served as ``Doc'' on the

front lines alongside Marine infantrymen from Camp Pendleton,

Calif. He was assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st

Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary

Force.

``He was taking care of other folks,'' his father said.

``He was doing what he wanted to do, and he was doing it for

his beliefs. He didn't want younger men to have to see and do

what he'd seen and done over there.''

Zarian was the third Texan and third member of this Marine

battalion to be killed in Afghanistan recently. Cpl. Jeffrey

Johnson, 21, of Tomball was also killed May 11 by an

improvised explosive device while on a foot patrol. Sgt.

Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, also died in that attack.

Johnson and May served in Weapons Company.

The close-knit Wood family gathered on Tuesday to make

funeral arrangements and remember the fallen corpsman.

``He had a good heart, very outgoing, worked out at the gym

every day,'' said his older brother, Zachary Wood. ``He cared

about his looks.''

``He was very meticulous about that,'' his father said with

a laugh. ``He was a handsome man.''

Wanted to be a dentist

He was an honest man, too, even to the point of being

blunt, his brother said.

``Yeah, he'd tell you in a flat minute if you were wrong,''

his father said. ``Then again, he'd stand up for you in a

flat minute if you were right.''

He said his son dreamed of going back to school someday.

``He wanted to study radiology and then after he got that

degree, he was going to try to become a dentist,'' he said.

``He was all about living life, living life to the

fullest,'' his brother said.

Zarian was preceded in death by his mother, Nellie Sue

Wood. He is survived by his father, Daniel Wood, and siblings

Zachary Wood, Krista Hamilton, Teresa Robertson, Victor

Robertson and Micah Dixon. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1155, commending the progress made by anti-tuberculosis programs.

Tuberculosis is the second leading global infectious disease killer behind HIV/AIDS, claiming approximately 1.8 million lives each year. It is estimated that \1/3\ of the world's population is infected with TB. This disease kills people of all races and ages around the world.

The global TB pandemic and spread of drug resistant TB presents a persistent public health threat to the U.S. The WHO reports that 5 percent of all new TB cases are drug resistant, with estimates of up to 28 percent drug resistant reported in some parts of Russia. Of these numbers, it is estimated that only 7 percent are receiving treatment.

Although drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for TB exist, these technologies are antiquated and are increasingly inadequate for controlling the global epidemic. The most commonly used TB diagnostic in the world, sputum microscopy, is more than 100 years old and lacks sensitivity to detect TB in most HIV/AIDS patients and in children.

Drug susceptibility tests for drug resistant TB take 2-4 weeks to complete, during which time a drug resistant TB patient in a developing country may die. The TB vaccine, BCG, provides some protection to children, but has little or no efficacy in preventing pulmonary TB in adults. We will never be able to defeat TB without the introduction of new identification, treatment and prevention tools.

World TB Day also provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the significant gains made in the fight against TB and reminds us of the challenges ahead. Since 1995, 36 million people around the world have successfully been treated for TB and 9 million lives have been saved.

Less than 2 years ago, this Congress passed two historic laws to combat TB. The Comprehensive TB Elimination Act authorizes the tools to put the U.S. on the path to TB elimination and the Lantos-Hyde Act, with multilateral commitment, aims to reduce the global TB burden by half within a decade.

Both of these laws would support an increased research investment to get us the new TB diagnostic, treatment and prevention tools that we urgently need. With enactment of these 2 laws, we have the power to combat TB effectively and reduce the human misery that this disease wreaks around the world.

I want to commend Rep. Engel for his tremendous efforts on TB awareness and urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1155.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Spring Woods Methodist Church on celebrating its 50th anniversary. The current Pastor is Dr. J.D. Phillips and the church is composed of people from all walks of life. I am a member of the church and am proud of this accomplishment.

Spring Woods has the distinction of being the first Methodist church in Northwest Houston. The first service was held on October 18, 1959, and was attended by 18 people at Spring Elementary School.

On May 15, 1960, Dr. Homer T. Fort, the Houston West District superintendent officially recognized Spring Woods Methodist Church. Through assistance from the Room to Grow Program, the church purchased five and a half acres on FM 1960 for the future church site. The original charter membership was composed of 44 people and by the end of the year, the number increased to 106. Today the congregation numbers over 1,000 members and continues to serve the Lord by serving the people of Northwest Houston

Since the church was built, they have added several buildings on the property. This includes an 18,000 square foot education/administrative office building.

And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize and congratulate Spring Woods Methodist Church on celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Madam Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, because this Congress must continue to make sure that Americans are getting back to work and that we are continuing to move our economy forward.

In our congressional district, the construction industry is one of the highest sources of income for residents, yet this industry has been especially hard-hit by the recent economic downturn.

Unemployment rates in the construction industry have risen almost 17.4 percent and have shed over 134,000 jobs over the past two years.

The HomeStar program seeks to increase employment in the construction and construction-related sectors and increase building energy efficiency to significantly reduce energy use in America.

It is estimated that the program will create approximately 168,000 more jobs in the construction and manufacturing sectors, while promoting American-made goods and services.

The program also seeks to address the issue of rising home energy costs by improving building energy efficiency.

I have always been a strong supporter of energy efficiency and I am pleased the HomeStar program will build on already existing energy efficient retrofitting programs to save homeowners as much as $9.2 billion in energy costs over 10 years.

Congress should continue to invest in job creation and energy efficiency measures in order to keep our nation a leader in the global economy.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.