Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bill and oppose the amendments.

Mr. Chairman, the price of natural gas is unsustainable for the American manufacturing base and for American families' home heating. We are already in a crisis with natural gas around $7 per thousand cubic feet.

Average long-term contract prices for natural gas have tripled and quadrupled over the last 5 years, and spot market prices are even higher.

Normally it would be heresy for a Texan to complain about high natural gas prices. The fact that I do just that is proof of this crisis.

The American chemical industry has already lost almost 1 million high paying jobs due to high natural gas prices. But the worst is yet to come.

We are on the verge of a tragedy as the production in the open areas of the Gulf of Mexico peaks in the next 10 years, and we have nothing to replace it unless we pass this legislation.

Many of the opponents of oil and gas drilling say drilling will have no impact on prices. With oil, they have a point, because it is a global price, but domestic oil does protect us from shortages and price spikes.

However, natural gas is not easily shipped overseas because it must be frozen to negative 200 degrees, so it is not a global price.

The high prices we pay for home heating and manufacturing are a direct result of the fact that our U.S. natural gas is locked up by federal bans.

Unless we open our offshore areas, the U.S. will experience shortages of natural gas over the coming winters.

Natural gas is the most efficient, cleanest form of home heating available and many areas have no alternatives.

We face the very real possibility that one winter, natural gas on the spot market will not be available at any price--factories will close and Americans will risk death during the winter.

If that happens, Congress will be to blame, because the United States is the only developed nation in the world that forbids safe energy production offshore.

Norway, Britain, Canada, and other highly developed countries with strong environmental protection produce offshore without problems.

Because they produce their gas, their industries have a competitive advantage against ours.

Major chemical companies have told me point blank that they are adding jobs in Europe instead of America, even though they have more labor and environmental regulations, because they have cheaper natural gas.

Those are tragic decisions for us, but natural gas is as much as much as ten times more expensive in the United States than it is overseas.

I support energy alternatives, but ethanol, solar power, and wind power cannot substitute for natural gas in home heating or for making plastic.

Electric home heating is much less efficient and natural gas is needed in manufacturing not just as a fuel, but as a feedstock to produce plastics.

Much of the materials we use in our daily lives are plastics, and those materials used to be made in the U.S.

Unless we allow our industries access to domestic natural gas, more jobs will go to Europe, Russia, China and India in search of natural gas.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and a ``no'' vote on all amendments to weaken the legislation.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 355, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 356, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 357, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express support for an increase in the minimum wage.

We should show the Nation that we understand it has been too long since we increased the minimum wage. We should be ashamed it takes a full day's pay at minimum wage to fill up your car at the pump.

Congress has not raised the $5.15 minimum wage since 1997. We are approaching a decade since we have addressed perhaps the most important issue for hardworking, low-income Americans.

This Congress has given billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, and we should help people who are working to make ends meet.

Point of Order

Mr. Speaker, I know it has gotten to be a habit. I would like to raise a point of order that a lot of Members from the Republican side seem to come up and stand at the podium when we are speaking, and I would hope we would not do that.

Mr. Speaker, this Congress has given billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. We should help people who are working to make ends meet.

Under this administration, costs for everything are up. Housing, health care and college tuition have all become more expensive and continue to rise. Yet a minimum wage earner can at best earn $10,700 a year.

I look forward to voting on a minimum wage increase in the near future, and I hope our leadership has the courage to bring this important issue to the floor. Let's increase the minimum wage now.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my support for the fiscal year 2007 Science-State-Justice Commerce appropriations bill. The subcommittee has taken a difficult allocation and done an admirable job of funding important federal programs within these agencies. I am particularly grateful to the subcommittee for dedicating funding for Houston Community College's Public Safety Institute within the Department of Justice's accounts.

The Houston Community College has taken the steps to build a much- needed Public Safety Institute in Houston, Texas. PSI will be a state- of-the-art facility that will offer specialized training for area fire fighters, law enforcement, medical technicians and other first responders. While Houston-area first responders will be the first to benefit from PSI's training programs in bio-hazards, command and control, shipboard spills and swift water rescue, I have no doubt that first responders from across the state--if not the Nation--will soon be traveling to PSI for this high-tech training.

Houston is home to the country's fourth largest metropolitan area and the Nation's second largest port in terms of foreign tonnage. We are also home to the world's second largest petrochemical complex and the world's single largest petrochemical refinery. Given the critical nature of these assets, the PSI's training programs will help further not only our local law enforcement but also our homeland security.

Mr. Chairman, with great pride that we are working to secure federal funding for PSI, which will be located in our district. While no training scenario can fully simulate a true emergency, the offerings at PSI will be as close as technology will allow. First responders will benefit from PSI's ``skills village,'' which will house a number of structures that simulate a real-world training environment for participants. PSI will also house a 10,000 square foot burn building to create fire-fighting scenarios and a 10,000 square foot tower for fire and rescue training.

I appreciate the subcommittee's recognition that PSI is an important project worthy of federal investment. The Congress can be as proud as I am that this funding will further PSI's mission to provide comprehensive training to the firefighters and local law enforcement who serve as first responders to any threat the City of Houston, and the national security assets in our area.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 5688.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to thank our staff and volunteers for their hard work and dedication in holding one of our most successful Citizenship Days.

Citizenship Day is an event that our office has held for the past 12 years. It is an event that assists legal residents in becoming Citizens. Since 1994 this event has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had since becoming a Member of Congress. To be able to assist someone in their dream of becoming a citizen of this great Nation is truly amazing. This year we were able to assist over 320 people process their applications for citizenship.

In order to become a citizen, one must go through a series of stages to fully complete their application forms. Our office assists these very people by setting up a one-stop application processing opportunity. We set up various stages where applicants were able to get assistance in filling out the application form, take the necessary pictures, purchase a cashiers check for the application fee, speak with and receive quality control of their application from an immigration attorney, and the postal service provided the opportunity to send their citizenship application by certified mail.

None of this would have been possible without the help of our wonderful volunteers that took time from their families to be with us on this great day.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the members of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), J.P. Morgan Chase, NALEO, LULAC, the U.S. Postal Service and Mamacita's Restaurant for their dedication to the community and for the intricate role they played in assisting many of our residents fulfill their dreams of becoming U.S. Citizens.

I would also like to give a special thanks to the following volunteers that made this day such a success: Constable Victor Trevino and his officers, Ms. Theresa Turnini, Mr. Charles R. Flores, Ms. Herlinda Garcia, Mr. Francisco B. Rodriguez III, Mrs. Margaret Rodriguez, Ms. Josephine Mendoza, Mr. John Martinez, Mr. Rafael Palafox, Ms. Juana Wilson, Ms. Anna Nunez, Ms. Mary Closner, Ms. Amanda Stewart, Ms. Rose B. Garcia, Mr. Anselmo Davila, Mr. Guadalupe Flores Jr., Ms. Frances Munoz, Ms. Veronica Sanchez, Ms. Xiaochun Zhou, Mr. Jaime Elizondo, Ms. Sylvia Ramirez-Martinez, Ms. Sylvia Espadin, Ms. Natasha Jabbar, Ms. Thelma Valle, Miss Perla Gonzalez, Ms. Sophie Hu, Mr. Joe Vail, Ms. Teresa Murguia, Miss Krystal Hernandez, Ms. Frances Hernandez, Mr. Francisco Valle, Ms. Veronica Avalos, Ms. Ursula Featherston, Ms. Rosalinda Salazar, Ms. Carmen Galle, Ms. Martina Garza, Ms. Patrese Ruffin-Bush, Ms. Patricia Perez, Mr. Adrian Espadin, Mr. Edward Gonzalez, Dr. Melissa Najera, Ph.D., Mr. Cassandra Juarez, Ms. Clarissa Juarez, Mr. John Gavidia, Ms. Esther Arrendell, Mr. Jimmy Jackson, Mr. Jose Henriquez, Ms. Santa Herrera, Ms. Martha Bulbai, Mrs. Kristen Quan, Ms. Ada Smoot, Mr. Eduardo Garcia, Ms. Cristina Valdez, Ms. Claudia Rodas, Mr. Eric Rodas, Ms. Ivonne Moreira, Ms. Jenny Marquez, Ms. Terasina Niles, Ms. Erika Faz, Mr. Kirk Savarese, Ms. Jeanette Niles, Ms. Tania Buitron, Ms. Veronica Sainz, Ms. Belinda Castro Ms. Sylvia Halfhill and Ms. Sandy Heathman.

For too long we have been hearing that immigrants are a detriment to our society. Well I'm here to tell you that most immigrants are just like our forefathers who established this great Nation of ours. They are just like the millions of immigrants who have come before them longing for a better life, longing to become American citizens, longing for the American Dream.

Madam Speaker, I lost a constituent this last week in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Alberto V. Sanchez, Jr., had planned to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary next month while on leave from Iraq. ``It takes a piece of my heart,'' his mother, Olga Sanchez, said in Houston, through tears. ``Nothing we can say or do will ever bring him back.''

Sanchez, 33, a Milby High School graduate, died Saturday from wounds he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

Sanchez was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry out of Fort Carson. Alberto Sanchez chose the Army so he could earn money for college tuition, but the military became his career. He chose to be in the Army, and his mother, Olga Sanchez, said he always said, ``This is just a job. I've got to do what I've got to do.''

His parents, Alberto, Sr., and Olga Sanchez, moved to Houston from Reynosa, Mexico, when their son was an infant. The family is in disbelief, Mrs. Sanchez and the other adult children said. ``We never felt worried,'' his mother said. ``If he felt worried, he never showed it. Like I said, all the pictures we have of him, he always had a big smile.''

Madam Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence to celebrate this American hero, Alberto Sanchez, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of H.R. 42, the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act. This bill would allow homeowners to fly the American flag on their own property in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.

I signed on to this bill because I have a constituent who was told by his homeowners association that his flagpole and his display of the American flag were in violation of their association rules.

Homeowners should have the freedom to display the American flag on their property. Our flag represents our country as a symbol of our patriotism, unity, and most of all bravery.

Right now our service men and women are courageously fighting the war on terrorism and putting their lives on the line every day to protect our great Nation and the freedoms that we hold so dearly.

This bill guarantees the homeowner the ability display the flag and show their support for this great Nation.

We must always remember the sacrifices others have made so that we enjoy the freedoms we have. The flag should never be considered an eyesore on property.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague from California and my colleague from Texas for working with us on this amendment.

I rise in support of the Matsui-Hinojosa-Green amendment to the Flood Insurance Reform Act. The amendment addresses an issue that I have been concerned with for a very long time.

Our district has a per capita income of $12,000 per year, with over 20 percent of the residents in poverty. Over one-third of our households are worth less than $100,000. Many of these households are senior citizens on fixed incomes.

These families and households know the dangers of flooding in the Houston area. They want to protect themselves, and we recently had severe flooding with hundreds of homes with several inches of water.

Some Members in Congress act like it is the victim's fault when their houses flood, but these critics do not realize that many people did not move to the floodplains, the floodplains are moving to them.

When we redraw the flood maps, thousands of people are suddenly required to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in flood insurance. If they not afford to pay, they sometimes lose their mortgage and their house, or when it floods, they can lose all of their property.

It is not fair to evict low-income people from homes that they have been making payments on for years. It would also not be fair to deny Federal disaster assistance to seniors who

could not afford the flood insurance when they suddenly were required to have it.

The 100-year floodplains in Houston and Harris County and across the country, at least our area, have been expanding rapidly. Many of my constituents have been living outside the floodplain for decades. This year they are going to be suddenly redrawn into the 100-year floodplain and required to buy flood insurance.

I believe they should buy flood insurance, and we should encourage low-income people to voluntarily buy flood insurance, also. However, when we are going to impose a new Federal financial burden on low- income folks who have managed against the odds to own their own home, I think we should keep those premiums affordable.

Mr. Chairman, I would hope that we would support this amendment so we could actually have the study.

This legislation is going to increase the rate of premium increases from 10 percent to 15 percent, due to the recent losses to the program.

In return, I think it should also show compassion to low-income homeowners who may be threatened with the loss of their home due to a new flood insurance rate map.

Unfortunately my bill that was redrafted as an amendment to this legislation to provide a discount to low-value homes was not accepted.

As a result, I ask Members to support the Matsui-Hinojosa-Green amendment to require the GAO to determine the best ways to increase flood insurance participation for low-income homeowners, both in voluntary and mandatory programs.

When we reauthorize the NFIP again in 2008, we will need to address this issue, because we do not want the Flood Insurance Reform Act to become the Low-Income Homeowner Eviction Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this legislation, which has been billed as a compromise proposal to legislation this chamber has passed to permanently repeal the estate tax. Instead of offering true compromise, this legislation simply muddies the water and would deal a devastating blow to our national debt.

Make no mistake about it, I do not want to see the children of family farmers or small business owners have to pay dearly for the success of their hard-working parents. Democrats and Republicans alike want American families to be able to preserve their legacies and pass down their farms and small businesses to their heirs. A true compromise would balance the goal of protecting these estates and keeping our country's fiscal house in order. This bill is no such compromise.

This bill would exempt the first $10 million of a couple's estate from the estate tax--an increase from the current $4 million exemption. For estates valued below $25 million, the bill

would impose the capital gains rate--currently 15 percent--and would tax values above $25 million at double the capital gains rate.

Americans should not be fooled by the complexity of this tax structure, because the result is still the same. This bill is a benefit to the wealthiest Americans and will give estates valued at more than $20 million a $5.6 million tax cut, on average. Unfortunately, tax cuts are not free. And this legislation would have all American taxpayers pay the $762 billion ten-year pricetag that will result from lost revenue and interest on our national debt.

Estate tax reform is not a new issue for Congress. For years now, I've supported a sensible compromise that would protect families who have put their blood, sweat and tears into their businesses. Specifically, this proposal would exempt the first $7 million of a couple's estate--an exemption level that would shield 99.7 percent of all Americans from the estate tax.

Faced with a federal budget swimming in a sea of red ink, we should be making the fiscal compromises necessary to shore up Medicare and Social Security and ensure the continued solvency of federal programs that the most vulnerable Americans depend on for their own shot at the American Dream. Americans shouldn't fall for our majority's latest attempt to give millions to the Americans least in need, while leaving those most in need high and dry.

Mr. Speaker, on May 23, 2006, for the second year in a row, I joined many of my colleagues from our Texas Congressional Delegation at a barbeque hosted by the Houston Astros and the USO for injured soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Hospital. The team held a similar event at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. I cannot speak highly enough of the Astros' players, managers, staff, and the owner Drayton McLane for taking time to visit the wounded troops.

Until the Astros hosted the event last year, no other Major League teams had done such an event, and while many players have visited since last years' barbeque, the Astros are the only team to visit the troops as a group. It was remarkable to see players interacting with the troops--many of whom are close in age--and each taking away something valuable from the experience.

The troops at Walter Reed and Bethesda are among the most seriously wounded, many being injured by improvised explosive devices, rocket propelled grenades, and other battlefield hazards. Many are confined to beds, wheel chairs, or rehabilitation facilities, and the opportunity to be outside having lunch with Major League Baseball players was a tremendous morale boost. The Astros' organization provided hats, and players autographed items and took photos with the troops, but most importantly, they spent time talking with the injured soldiers.

After last years visit, Astros' players commented in several newspaper columns on the optimism of the wounded soldiers and the perspective visiting with the soldiers gave them. Mr. McLane said it was the most moving experience in his 12 years of owning the team.

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, I think it is important that we all realize what a sacrifice the men and women of our Armed Forces make each and every day. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, ``Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.''

The men and women of our military endure a tremendous burden so that we may enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted. It was an honor to join the Astros' organization at Walter Reed and it reminded each person there that war has a price. Memorial Day represents one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values. While we should honor these heroes every day for the sacrifices they have made for our Nation, it is especially important that we do so on Memorial Day.

To use an appropriate metaphor, the Astros' stepped up to the plate for our injured troops at Walter Reed and Bethesda. On this Memorial Day, let's follow their example. Please keep our troops and their families in your prayers, and remember the sacrifices so many have made to defend our great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, we have two speakers, and I am glad to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey), a colleague from the same class of mine.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to our colleague from Chicago (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, again, I know I do not have the right to close, but I just encourage passage of this bill and recognize the 100 years, not that it is perfect, but we are still working on it, particularly in our committee, and encourage passage of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill before us today, which will reauthorize the community health center program through 2011. Over the years, the health center program has gained tremendous support from Democrats and Republicans, the Congress, and the President, a claim that can be made by very few Federal programs.

This support is due to the overwhelming impact that health centers have made on the health and well-being of our country's most vulnerable populations. In 2005, health centers provided care to 6 million uninsured individuals who represented 40 percent of the patient population at health centers. Ninety-one percent of health center patients are low income, and 36 percent are Medicaid.

Without a doubt, health centers are meeting their mission for providing much-needed health care to the medically underserved in this country. Much of this success can be attributed to the core elements of section 330 of the statute we seek to reauthorize today. To be eligible for Federal funding, health centers must be located in medically underserved communities; they must have independent boards, a majority of which must be governed by members of the community who utilize the center for health care; and they must also provide compulsory, primary, and preventive health care with services available to all community residents regardless of the patient's ability to pay.

This focus on primary and preventive care has yielded tremendous savings for our health care system, as health centers provide the uninsured and underinsured with access to care that they would otherwise seek in our hospital emergency rooms.

A study in Harris County, Houston, Texas, where my district lies, found that 57 percent of the emergency room visits could be handled at a primary care clinic. This is a perfect example of the type of health care problem that health centers help solve.

Access to affordable primary care at health centers has also reduced the need for inpatient and specialty care. Because of medical problems in health centers, patients are treated earlier before they require in- hospital treatment. In fact, a study suggests that health centers saved Medicaid approximately 30 percent in annual spending on beneficiaries receiving care at our Nation's health centers.

This successful result is that health centers have become the medical home for more than 15 million Americans. Health centers also represent the Nation's largest primary care system, with one in nine Medicaid beneficiaries and one in five low-income individuals receiving care at health centers.

I have a personal interest in this issue because we have been working for years in the Houston area to establish additional community health centers to serve our growing uninsured and underinsured population. My State of Texas, unfortunately, ranks number one in the number of uninsured and with 25 percent of Texans living without insurance.

The statistics for the Houston area are just as troubling. More than 30 percent of Harris County residents are living without health insurance. Despite the obvious need for additional health centers in the Houston area, we have been playing catch-up for quite a while. Last year our area was awarded five additional FQHCs, federally qualified health centers, bringing our total to nine sites, including look-alike centers.

With more than 1 million uninsured, however, the Houston area will still have fewer than 10 FQHCs, while other large cities, like Chicago, have more than 70 sites. In the Houston area we know our work is not done. As a Nation we have a long way to go before we meet the President's goal of locating health centers in every low-income county in this country.

In fact, studies suggest there are still more than 900 poor counties in the U.S. in need of a health center. To ensure that these goals are met, it is crucial that we pass this bill to reauthorize the health center program, whose current authorization expires this year.

Mr. Deal, Mr. Bilirakis and I have put together a compromise bill that will reauthorize the program to 2011, keeping intact the core elements of the program that have been critical to its success, and I want to thank all my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee who supported this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to our colleague on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Engel of New York.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), an active member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis), our colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to another member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, a good member, Congresswoman Schakowsky.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my colleague and our ranking member on the health subcommittee, Congressman Brown.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by thanking both our chairman and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Barton and Mr. Dingell, as well as the chair and ranking member of our health subcommittee, Chairman Deal and Ranking Member Mr. Brown, who we just heard from, the committee staff and their hard work on the bill.

There are many of us on the committee with strongly held views about health centers. Some want higher authorization levels, while others sought certain changes in the statute. In the end we came together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that our differences didn't overshadow our shared support for this important program. And that it has made a tremendous difference in many lives of our constituents.

The bill before us today is truly an example of compromise within our committee, and I would like to thank my colleagues for putting together the good of the health center program above all else when it comes to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for recognizing me for some comments on H.R. 5631 and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this balanced bill that supports our troops and addresses critical issues to our Nation's safety and security.

This bill provides $500 million in funding above the President's request for the equipment needs of the Army National Guard to provide items needed for homeland defense and disaster response. This funding is important to our district in Houston because it is susceptible to flooding--as we are seeing right now--and the National Guard has played a critical role in responding to past tropical storms and hurricanes in our district and along the Gulf Coast.

Many Guard units are leaving equipment in Iraq when they finish their tour for future troops to use. This cuts down on transportation costs, but it also leaves units here in the U.S under-equipped to respond to a natural disaster. The funding in this bill is necessary to ensure Guard units here at home have the equipment to respond to these events.

I also want to speak briefly on two important projects included in this bill.

The first is the University of Houston Consortium for Nanomaterials for Aerospace Commerce and Technology (CONTACT). For the past four years, the University of Houston has been partnering with several University of Texas System institutions, Rice University, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in the Strategic Partnership for Research in Nanotechnology (SPRING). Federal funding for SPRING will end in FY06, and CONTACT will carry on the work started under that partnership.

CONTACT will have two main goals: to ensure our national air superiority through nanomaterials research and development, and to commercialize nanomaterials developed by scientists from Texas universities. This funding will make use of existing infrastructure and enable research, development and technology transfer that address three critical capabilities of the Air Force: power on demand, reconfigurable full-spectrum detectors, and interdisciplinary fundamental nanoscience and engineering.

The second project will modernize the Standard Army Retail Supply Systems (SARSS) and Standard Army Ammunition System (SAAS) and combine the two systems into one by rewriting it in a Microsoft Windows environment.

This program--the Army Legacy Logistics Systems Modernization (SAMS- E)--modernizes computer logistics systems that are critical to the operation of the Army making them more efficient.

This effort will link the STAMIS modules through the web, allowing for a sharing of information and a flexible supply chain that can be redirected seamlessly on the battlefield. The result will be more efficient field logistics management that will save money and provide soldiers with more dependable and reliable management systems.

I applaud the Subcommittee and Committee for putting forward this balanced bill and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.