Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to honor the life of Manuel A. Gonzalez Jr., a California corrections officer and family friend, who was brutally stabbed to death by an inmate at the California Institute for Men at Chino. He is the first corrections officer to be killed in the line of duty in California since 1985.

Manuel was born on September 15, 1961, in East Los Angeles. His family moved to Chicago, where he spent part of his youth before returning to Santa Fe Springs, where he made his home. He graduated from Pioneer High School and subsequently joined the United States Army. He spent his tour of duty in Germany, where he was joined by his brother David and his cousin Alex. Manuel remained in the Army Reserve until 1988.

Upon his return from the Army, Manuel made his home in Whittier. His uncle, a corrections sergeant, recruited him for the Department of Corrections. The idea of a law enforcement career had always interested Manuel, so he joined the Department in 1988. He was excited by the challenge of the job and put much effort into his work. He was first assigned to Corcoran Prison where he gained valuable experience. In 1993, he was transferred to Lancaster Prison and became a seasoned officer. To be closer to his family, Manuel was transferred to the California Institute for Men at Chino in 1998. There he became an expert in gang identification and a leader among his peers, who had great respect for him. He had opportunities to be promoted to sergeant and to transfer to parole, but he remained on the front line because it was the job he loved.

Manuel loved sports. He enjoyed watching his favorite teams; the Raiders, Lakers, Dodgers, U.S.C. basketball and football, and the L.A. Kings. He was also very active with his children, taking them to football and baseball practice and coaching as time allowed.

Manuel leaves behind six children. His 22 year old son Mark is following in his father's footsteps. Mark spent four years in the U.S. Navy and is an Iraq War veteran. He is now pursuing a career in law enforcement. Steven is 17, Roxanna 15, Jessica 14, Manuel 4, and Gustavo 3. Manuel is also survived by his parents, Manuel Sr. and Bertha, his brother David, and sisters Rosalinda and Delia.

We all owe a great debt of gratitude to Manuel. He knew the danger he faced but would not be deterred from his duties walking the toughest beat in California. I have spent time with the family during this tragedy, and I wish to express my sincere sympathy to them as well as the extended family who have all been devastated by the loss of one so loved. The entire law enforcement community, especially the California Department of Corrections is in mourning for a lost brother. I ask that all of my colleagues join me to honor this fallen hero who has made the ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus as they affirm their commitment to ensuring the vote of every American is counted, something I hope everybody in this body supports.

As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I am proud to be a voice for this long proud history of Hispanics in this Nation. Since the earliest days of this country, Latinos too have died and fought for the ideals that our Nation was founded upon, but unfortunately we know that many in our Latino community feel disenfranchised from our political process. Our democracy depends on full participation of all our citizenry and a deep and abiding faith in our electoral system.

For the sake of this country, I ask Congress to do all they can to commit themselves to ensuring that our elections are not clouded in question and that we can truly proclaim ourselves a model for the rest of the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to honor a valued colleague and true gentleman, the late Congressman Bob Matsui. I met him when I served as a state legislator within his congressional district in Sacramento. Since that time, I have been taken by his approachability and his ability to make those around him feel that he is truly listening to their concerns.

During his 26 years in Congress, he has been a champion on issues that affect the lives of all Californians and Americans, from protecting Social Security to working for civil rights. Congressman Matsui's fight against privatizing Social Security showed his deep commitment to fighting for the poor or less fortunate in our country. He led the efforts to ensure its fundamental purpose was never compromised.

Congressman Matsui's strong belief in social justice is apparent by looking at the legislation he championed. He drafted bills that became the backbone for child welfare reform, proposing to expand the social services available to at-risk children and families in the child welfare, mental health and juvenile justice systems. He also fought welfare changes, arguing that adequate job training and education programs were essential to helping parents become self-sufficient. And his bipartisan work to provide health care coverage to uninsured children became the basis of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

His personal journey, however, could be his most lasting legacy. After spending his infancy in an internment camp during World War II, Congressman Matsui led the legislative effort to compensate victims of the camps and officially apologize to those held there. A grateful Japanese-American community is indebted to his work, as are the rest of us.

I want to send my prayers and condolences to his family: his wife Doris, son Brian, daughter-in-law Amy and granddaughter Anna. For those of us who remain in Congress, we would like you to know that we will continue to fight for the causes and ideals that Bob fought for his entire life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Margaret Avila, my good friend and tireless advocate of nursing. Ms. Avila is one of California's prominent educators in the field of nursing and plans to retire on December 10th after 30 years of dedicated service to her community.

Ms. Avila has been an integral part and asset in the Congressional 38th District Health Consortium. She was the Chair of the Consortium of Health, Health Professions, and Mental Health Committees. As an educator she designed, developed, and implemented curricula for nursing students from entry level to licensed and post-graduate programs for over 15 years. She taught both nursing professionals and medical professionals at a family practice residency level.

Ms. Avila created an innovative Public Health Nursing Practice Model that completely reoriented and renewed the public health nursing practice in Los Angeles County. The

Model incorporates the concepts of Healthy People 2010, and it has been used in improving the quality and efficiency of the public health nursing practice. The creation and use of this model in one of the largest, most diverse, and dynamic settings in the country represents a tremendous advance in strengthening and expanding population-focused public health nursing. The influence of the model has extended well beyond the boundaries of California, with its adoption by the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan.

Margaret Avila provided the strategic and creative leadership for this effort. Her career path has included excellence in practice, in education, and in leadership.

Ms. Avila is a native of Los Angeles County and a product of the California educational system. She received a Diploma of Nursing from St. Vincent's College of Nursing, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles. She has practiced as a staff nurse, a public health nurse, a nurse practitioner, a state nurse consultant, and an adjunct nursing faculty member. She has served as the Director of Nursing at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health since 1999. She currently serves on the Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

Despite all of her success, Ms. Avila is never content to rest on her laurels. She has dedicated her life and knowledge to increasing opportunities for others. As a result, the Public Health Nursing Section of the American Public Health Association awarded Ms. Avila the 2004 Lillian Wald Service Award. She received this award by demonstrating initiative and resourcefulness in developing efforts to improve the health of the public through political, legislative, and interdisciplinary activism. This noteworthy achievement highlighted her leadership role in promoting social reform activities for client groups, influencing health policy and health laws, strengthening public health nursing practice, and collaborating with other health care workers, legislators, and public officials.

Margaret Avila is retiring as Director of Nursing for the Los Angeles Public Health Department. She is going into private practice and is establishing a woman's clinic in the underserved Pico Union area of Los Angeles. Her goal is to provide health access to low income women to improve their quality of life. She also plans to seek her doctorate degree.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to personally acknowledge and commend Margaret for her dedication to the field of nursing which enriches and promotes the health of our community. She is a model of the passionate American educator, and a devoted and involved citizen. I know the rest of the House will join me in congratulating Ms. Margaret Avila and wishing her success in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1284, legislation to increase the spending cap imposed on the San Gabriel Basin Demonstration Project. Funding level for this program authorized in 1992 was capped at $38 million in 1996.

I want to thank my California colleagues on the other side of the aisle--Chairman Dreier, Chairman Calvert and Chairman Pombo--for their continued assistance to me and other Members who are working to ensure a clean and reliable water supply for their local communities. I would also like to thank Ranking Member Rahall and Congresswoman Solis for their support of this bill.

H.R. 1284, if enacted, would simply allow cities of Industry, El Monte and South El Monte located in and near my district throughout Southeast Los Angeles County to have the ability to request an additional $6.5 million in funding for assistance from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for cleanup of volatile organic compounds or VOC's once they are able to secure 75 percent State and local matching fund.

Although the authorizing amount under this bill was decreased from $12.5 million to $6.5 million by the Senate, local water agencies and municipalities serving residents throughout my district in the San Gabriel Valley remain supportive of this bill, and they are eager to continue their aggressive groundwater cleanup efforts with the assurance of continued Federal funding.

I urge my House colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, October 3 through October 9 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. During this week, it is critical that Members of Congress and the American public recognize the increased mental health needs of our returning soldiers and veterans.

As co-Chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, I rise today to express my strong support for expansion of the mental health benefits offered to our veterans and the men and women currently serving in our armed services. Those who have witnessed the atrocities of war must have professional assistance to deal with the traumatic memories that they are going to live with for the rest of their lives. These traumatic memories can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a dangerous biological condition affecting a soldier's body, mind, and certainly family. Unfortunately, soldiers returning home often do not receive the comprehensive care they need. Some even sign their rights-to-service away.

Many of the soldiers who served in recent wars in the Middle East have a desperate need for mental health services. Here are some alarming statistics. Out of 15,000 veterans returning from the Middle East who have utilized VA healthcare services, 12 percent presented symptoms related to psychological trauma. It is estimated that more than 25 percent of troops returning from Iraq are being examined for mental health concerns. These are startling statistics and dramatically demonstrate the need for more mental health services.

We must concern ourselves that many soldiers find it difficult to obtain treatment or fail to seek help because of the stigma attached to mental illness due to a lack of sensitivity. Just look at our jails and our homeless population. Our communities and our social service system are affected, yet we refuse to admit a problem exists.

I am also deeply troubled and concerned, as are many women Members of Congress, with our returning women soldiers who may have been exposed to the traumatic experience of sexual assault. For example, a horrendous 8 percent of female Gulf War Veterans experienced an attempted or completed sexual assault during deployment. The PTSD from sexual assault is just as harmful as combat related PTSD. This must cease immediately.

In the past three decades, the Veterans' Administration has taken great strides toward better mental care services for men and women, and there is now a better understanding of PTSD because of research conducted through the VA health system. More remains to be done. Twenty-five years ago, the VA offered no PTSD services, no Vet Centers, no homeless services. Today these services exist though limited. However, many veterans will not benefit from these services because of a lack of access. There are just not enough Vet Centers, and the need for services will only continue to grow as a result of U.S. involvement throughout the world.

Additional funding for the VA health system must be appropriated to improve access to care. The President's proposal of funding increase of only 2 percent for the VA health system does not even cover increases in cost of living and is insufficient even to maintain the inadequate current level services. The demand on PTSD services has not kept up with the increase need of services. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have greatly increased the need for these vital services. Some veterans who need weekly or biweekly follow-up appointments for therapy are forced to wait weeks, and in many cases even months. This is unconscionable. The VA does not have enough mental health professionals due in part to lack of funding, and the President's low funding proposal will exacerbate this problem. Our returning soldiers and veterans deserve better from their government. They have earned what was promised them.

The Bush administration has repeatedly emphasized that the war in Iraq is not another Vietnam. However, by not providing veterans the necessary mental health resources, we can assure the same high rates of suicide that existed among Vietnam veterans. As we conclude our recognition of mental illness awareness this week, we will continue our fight to ensure that our veterans and service personnel will be able to receive the mental health services they deserve. Their sacrifice for our beloved country paid for them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2828, the bill to reauthorize the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. I certainly associate myself with the comments of my colleagues, with the exception of Chairman Dreier's. I never saw the Governor at our meetings. I wish he had been. It would have helped. I would like to thank my good friend and colleague from California (Mr. Calvert). His tireless efforts during the past two sessions of Congress to bring all CALFED stakeholders to the table and resolve several complex issues relating to California water management have paid off.

I also would like to thank and recognize the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and especially Senators Feinstein, Boxer, and Domenici for their excellent assistance while we worked to move this legislation throughout the 108th Congress.

The State of California for the past several years has also been operating under the most restrictive allocation of Colorado River water in history. We have been, rightfully so, told by the Interior Department that we need to reduce our water take from the river by 800,000 acre-feet by the year 2016.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that this final version of H.R. 2828 addresses the current severe drought situation by including strong water-use efficiency language that would enable Southern California to take less water from Colorado River and the fragile bay-delta ecosystem through recycling and restoring our groundwater supply. As a former local and State-elected official, I have learned firsthand how groundwater reclamation activities combined with recycling efforts solved problems at the local level.

Now, as a Member of Congress, I have also learned that these projects commonly referred to, and everybody knows them as title XVI, title XVI projects, provide solutions to some of the most challenging community issues we face today and will confront tomorrow, not only in Southern California but throughout the western States.

Mr. Speaker, the key to solving California's water problems is in building partnerships. I sincerely appreciate the partnership and progress that we have all made on this legislation since its introduction last fall. I look forward to the enactment of H.R. 2828.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, as you have heard, there have been very many accolades directed at Jack Fields, former Member of Congress. I would like to repeat them all, but time is short.

I have got to say that I have met the gentleman. I have heard of his accomplishments. I have been able to work with his staff. And I can tell you that he really, truly is a dedicated public servant. I am very happy to lend my support, and I trust that my colleagues will join us, as this was truly a person dedicated to representing his district and the people of the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support passage of the bill, H.R. 4232, that will name the Jack Fields Post Office in the City of Kingwood, Texas.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the subcommittee chairman and the sponsor of H.R. 2828, for his tireless work to keep the CALFED authorization moving forward, and also the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) for his unwavering support.

As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, I have had the privilege of working with the chairman on many water issues. His commitment to a fair and open legislative process is indeed very commendable.

The State of California needs a more reliable water supply; we can all agree on that. We now face, like many other States, severe restrictions specifically on the use of the Colorado River, and we must reduce our water use to meet the terms of the Colorado River Compact.

The gentleman from California (Chairman Calvert) and others on our committee are well aware of my strong support for water recycling, desalinization, and groundwater cleanup projects. With H.R. 2828, the gentleman from California (Chairman Calvert) has raised the importance of these projects to unprecedented levels. He deserves our combined thanks and our support for his commitment.

Efficient water use, water recycling, ground water treatment, new storage, and desalinization projects are all critically important if we in Southern California are to succeed in our effort to cut back our use of the Colorado River. With increased emphasis on using water more efficiently, we can increase our available water supply by more than half a million acre feet of water per year, and we can do it cheaply and quickly.

Mr. Speaker, by working together, we have taken a huge step forward towards authorizing the CALFED program. The gentlemen from California (Chairman Pombo) and (Chairman Calvert) and their staffs have cooperated with us fully, and we have together made many improvements to this legislation. I look forward to continuing our progress on CALFED as we move this bill towards the White House. I urge all of my Democratic and Republican colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dooley).

(Mr. DOOLEY of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Tauscher).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Southern California (Mr. Filner).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza)

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

Mr. Speaker, we have been going through trying to get reauthorization for CALFED for a number of years and have been unable to because of the differences of opinions from many areas of needs. I think it is time that we move forward and begin to work on getting this CALFED passed, which has had a lot of give on the side that we have been working on, and for that, I thank the chairman.

We look forward to making sure that we continue to work on anything else that some of my colleagues might want on another venue, and I certainly would urge all my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, to vote for this legislation.

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

No, I do not.

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

Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank my good friend, the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), for accommodating suggestions from minority staff and myself to improve this bill.

In particular, I am very pleased that the language that was inserted earlier in the week to allow the use of Central Valley Project Restoration Fund for the Environmental Water Account purchases has been deleted. This revision would make it clear that the CVP Restoration Fund cannot be used inappropriately.

I am very thankful and look forward to continuing to work on California's water projects, as well as other projects for the rest of the Nation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit on H.R. 2828. The passage of this motion would prevent a bipartisan measure from moving forward, and we have worked in good faith with the chairman and his staff to try to develop the California water bill. And I know, as has been said, we do not all get what we want. I know I did not get everything I needed and wanted.

The gentleman from California (Chairman Calvert) has stripped numerous provisions that I objected to, including language relating to the Clean Water Act, the Beneficiary Pays, the role of the Record of Decision, and the role of the Interior Department in implementing the CALFED program.

I am sympathetic to the issue. However, I cannot support this motion to recommit at this time.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 341, had I been present, I would have noted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Smith of Michigan

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

I have heard all the rhetoric; and sitting 6 years on the Committee on Small Business, I cannot help but wonder. We talk about funding small business and the engine of our economy, which is the small business, and yet we do not put money behind it to make it work. We talk like we want to help small business; yet we put billions, billions with a ``b,'' into loans, into grants, into whatever for the airline industry. We cannot put in 79 lousy million into small 7(a) loan programs, that for every $33,000 loaned, they would create one new job. Talk about $79 million versus $12.5 billion that we can be able to have our economy move forward; yet we are scrabbling around and arguing about why we should not take this money and invest it in the source of job development that this country so dearly needs.

Let me ask the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), do they really think that it is the time to cut small business when we most need it?

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 218 and 219, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and dear friend, the gentleman from California. I rise to honor, recognize, and celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and thank my friend for making us aware that all of us are immigrants to the United States and that we need to work together to be able to forge a better partnership for the betterment of the whole of the United States.

I have the privilege of representing a large and diverse community of Asian Pacific Americans in my California 38th District. As part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus leadership and a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I extend my gratitude to the gentleman from California, chair of CAPAC, for organizing this Special Order and for bringing us together to recognize and celebrate this very special evening.

This month, the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus pay tribute to Asian Pacific Americans, especially, as we have heard, our great deceased friend, Patsy Takemoto Mink. We also have a great leader in the United States in Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta who has been a great friend to all of us and made a very heavy impact in transportation for the whole of the United States.

The last day of this month is Memorial Day. I extend my appreciation to all Asian Pacific Americans who have died in combat and also to the more than 60,000 Asian Pacific Americans currently on active duty in the armed services. For over two centuries, Asian Pacific Americans have helped to strengthen and define America. In the 1700s, Filipino immigrants fled from Spanish oppression and settled in Louisiana. In the mid-1800s, Chinese immigrants were actively recruited to work on the transcontinental railroad, a vital line for early settlers in the West. In the face of discrimination, many Chinese and Japanese workers continued immigrating to Hawaii and California in the late 1800s to work long hours in agriculture long before other immigrants. Despite playing a critical role in the United States westward expansion, believe it or not, laws were passed to exclude Asians from citizenship. Today immigration policy is still fraught with some of the same systemic problems and hypocrisy early Asian Pacific immigrants encountered.

Last week the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) introduced H.R. 4262, an immigration reform bill that addresses the needs of the immigrant community labor organizations and business groups. It fixes many of the systemic problems and honors the hard work of today's immigrants, all immigrants, including Asian Pacific Americans, provides better security for our country and gives the framework for managing future immigration.

I have the highest regard for the determination and entrepreneurship and the spirit of these Asian Pacific immigrants. They have one of the highest levels of self-employment in the U.S. It is even higher than their American-born counterparts. America must pass an immigration policy that respects their hard work and the jobs that they bring to the United States.

As a community, Asian Pacific Americans have never forgotten the struggles of those who came before us. The Tri-PAC which the Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Black Caucus have formed have been working together and will continue to work together to better the very, very hard issues that face our different communities. We have had the privilege to work with our friends in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, CAPAC, to make the path smoother for those who come after us. The members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus look forward to continuing to work with CAPAC on improving minority health, increasing education resources, and working for real immigration reform for all those that need it in this great country of ours.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay homage and recognize our guest chaplain today, a gentleman who has been our pastor in our church for the last 12 years.

He was born in the San Fernando Valley in California on March 20, 1954, the ninth out of 10 children to Roger and Helen Brennan of Van Nuys. He was born again through Sacrament of Baptism on April 18, 1954, celebrating this year 50 years as a Catholic.

This June 21 he will be celebrating his 24 years as a priest. He graduated from St. John's Seminary College in 1976. He was ordained as a priest from

St. John's Seminary Theologate in 1980 and is a priest in good standing with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He served with Cardinal Roger Mahony at the old Cathedral Church of St. Vibiana for 5 years.

His current assignment, we are sorry to see him go because he has brought our parish together and is adored by all of the children of the school and those that go to our church, will be assigned as pastor of Holy Trinity Church in San Pedro on July 1. We are very happy he was able to spend some time with us today and offer the blessings to the House.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for allowing Father Brennan to give the morning prayer, and I thank Father Brennan for the ability to be here and our resident chaplain for allowing him to be here.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my gracious friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the ranking member on the committee, for yielding me time and thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) for allowing this resolution to be brought to the floor and heard.

Mr. Speaker, I am very, very concerned about this particular individual. His daughter came to my office not quite a year ago asking for us to take some action on behalf of her family. Yes, they are very worried. They are very concerned. Because they cannot be in contact with their family member, their father, they are not able to provide him any kind of assistance, so they are incommunicado and are not able to help this individual.

This particular case is a clear case of a violation of human rights by the People's Republic of China. Dr. Wang, as you have heard, was held for 6 months before they actually filed charges against him. He was sentenced to life in prison on January 22, 2003, after, as you have heard, a very abrupt, half-day trial where he was not allowed time to prepare a defense, he was not allowed to cross-examine the government's witnesses, he was not allowed to call any witnesses of his own, nor was he allowed to provide his own defense.

To date, there has been no evidence to link him to the crimes he was charged with, nor have they released him. It is no surprise that the United Nations working group has declared this detention illegal.

I will include for the Record two articles that were printed on Dr. Wang.

Today, while we go about our business of enjoying freedom and liberty in the United States, it is inconceivable to us that a person such as Dr. Wang would sit in a prison. He has not sent any communication to his family, he has been allowed no visitors, and he has been denied access to medical care.

Our government must continue to put international pressure on China and many other countries to improve their human rights efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who cosigned this resolution and urge this House to sign up for human rights and human decency. Please vote ``yes'' on H. Con. Res. 326 and call on China to end its illegal detention of Dr. Wang.

Mr. Speaker, I include the articles referred to earlier for the Record.

[From Reuters News, Dec. 6, 2003]

China Activist Plans Hunger Strike During Wen Trip

Beijing.--A jailed Chinese dissident who spent years in the

United States plans to stage a hunger strike to coincide with

a trip by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to the United States, a

U.S.-based rights group said on Saturday. Wang Bingzhang, who

was handed a life sentence on terrorism and espionage charges

by a Chinese court in February, aimed to protest against his

solitary confinement at the Shaoguan prison in Guangdong

province, the Worldrights group said.

``From solitary confinement, Dr. Wang is calling on the

leaders of America to stand with him and to demand his

unconditional release,'' it is said in a statement.

Wen is due to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush early

next week to discuss trade and issues related to Taiwan,

which Beijing views as a renegade province, among others.

Wang, a U.S. green card holder in his mid-50s said by

family members to have renounced Chinese citizenship, was the

first democracy activist charged by China with terrorism and

espionage.