Henry A. Waxman

Mr. Speaker, since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, experts have been concerned about the vulnerability of chemical plants to attack. These facilities hold large stores of industrial chemicals which pose a safety and security risk to the American people if they are released or detonated. A recent report found that more than 134 million Americans live in the vulnerability zones around chemical facilities. I have such a facility in my district, which is a very serious concern for the surrounding community.

These risks have not been adequately addressed, and this bill falls short of what is needed. The version of the bill before us now also includes a significant and unvetted change to the program that could make many high risk chemical facilities less secure. The self- certification provisions have not been evaluated in hearings or piloted. I am concerned about these provisions and I caution my colleagues that their implementation will require close oversight from Congress.

But this bill is a step forward. For far too long, this important program has been authorized in the appropriations process for the Department of Homeland Security. During last year's government shutdown, the authority for this program lapsed. Looking ahead to next Congress, the risk of another lapse is too great. When we voted on a previous version of this bill in July, I expressed my hope that the Senate could improve the legislation to strengthen this important program.

On some issues, the Senate was successful. The bill now includes an expanded role for workers and labor unions in developing site security plans and some important whistleblower protections.

However, this bill would leave significant problems in the underlying program in place.

The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program at the Department of Homeland Security has not been successful. The original rider that created the program blocked effective enforcement, leading to a lack of compliance. We saw the dangers of noncompliance when the West Fertilizer Company facility in West, Texas, exploded. Unfortunately, those limitations on enforcement would be preserved by this bill.

The original statute blocked the Department from requiring measures to reduce the consequences of a terrorist attack, and in the process created serious obstacles to disapproving site security plans that failed to meet the program's standards. This led to an approval process so complicated that it took more than five years for the Department to complete its review of the first facility. This bill preserves those obstacles.

Both of these challenges may be complicated further by the new self- certification program.

I expect this bill to pass today, and I welcome this step forward. But I call upon all of my colleagues who will be here in the next Congress to continue the important oversight of this program to provide the American people with the protection they expect and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great humanitarian and philanthropist, Monty Hall.

Monty Hall is widely known for his iconic work in daytime television, but what many Americans don't know is that he has spent his life engaged in philanthropic work. Monty Hall has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe and raised an estimated $1 billion for charities. He has been honored with more than 500 awards for his tireless work.

In 1975, Monty Hall was elected President of the world's largest children's charity, Variety Clubs International, and in 1981 he was honored with the lifetime title of International Chairman. In 1988, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada for his humanitarian works around the world. In 2002, he was inducted into the Order of Manitoba. For the past 35 years, he has hosted the annual Monty Hall/Cedars-Sinai Tennis Tournament to benefit the Diabetes Center and Pancreatic Cancer Program.

It is a tribute to Monty Hall's commitment that the children's wings of four hospitals--UCLA Medical Center, Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, Mount Sinai in Toronto, and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore-- all bear his name.

Monty Hall has received honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba, Haifa University in Israel, and Hahnemann Medical College. He and Marilyn, his beloved wife of 66 years, have three children and five grandchildren.

I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Monty Hall for his tremendous contributions, which have made lives better for countless individuals in our nation and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my profound appreciation to the constituents of the 33rd Congressional District of California. It has been a tremendous privilege for me to serve as their representative in Congress for forty years. While the numbers and boundaries of the district have changed four times, generous constituent support has given me latitude to pursue comprehensive solutions to problems that not only benefit us in the district, but benefit our nation as a whole.

It also has been extremely gratifying for me to have the opportunity to assist individuals and families on a more personal level, from helping reunify families more quickly, to getting Section 8 housing vouchers more efficiently, expediting Social Security and Medicare benefits, cutting red tape to ensure military heroes receive the medals they've

earned, and fast-tracking veterans' health care, housing and other benefits.

I am grateful for the support of committed allies in our community who have helped me tackle problems such as safety and pollution at Santa Monica Airport, helicopter noise, veteran homelessness, attempts to commercialize the West LA VA property, traffic gridlock, beach pollution, and so many more. Of course these challenges remain and new ones will emerge, but I have full confidence in the ability of Representative-Elect Ted Lieu to successfully tackle them.

It has been an honor to work with some of the finest elected state and local officials in the nation. I thank my colleagues in the cities of the 33rd Congressional District, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the California State Legislature for fiercely advocating on behalf of our constituents and working closely with me on federal policies that affect our State.

I have had a long career and an eventful one--and I wouldn't trade any of it. I woke each day looking forward to opportunities to make our country stronger, healthier, and fairer. I will always be grateful for this opportunity and privilege and for the many friendships I've forged over the last forty years.