Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise again to support the Solar Technology Roadmap Act and of course Mr. Hastings and the work that he has done. I had offered an amendment that got included to authorize the Secretary of Energy to study micropower solar power technology used in underserved communities that lack basic electric and traditional powers.

I think my friends from Texas are familiar with the colonias. They understand that this is important to provide power to those areas that have literally no electricity. And this particular bill and this particular amendment will go a long way to make sure that these communities are provided the support they need.

What this calls for is for the Secretary to provide a study to take the resources that we have, especially in south Texas, the sunlight, and put it to work to power these communities.

We have worked together to work and put some micro power stations to use in areas like Webb County in south Texas, and I believe that by getting these recommendations to be sent to Congress for increasing assets to solar energy and to help address the problems that exist in those low-income communities, this will go a long way. We can harness this 21st century technology to bring these areas out of 19th century conditions.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you very much, and also Ms. Giffords, and our ranking member.

I urge Members to vote for the Hastings amendment, and of course for this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support the manager's amendment to the Solar Technology Roadmap Act.

I authored an amendment, included in this manager's amendment, to authorize the Secretary of Energy to study micro power solar power technology use in underserved communities that lack basic electric or traditional power infrastructure.

I thank the distinguished Chairman Ms. Giffords for including my amendment in the manager's amendment. This important amendment will go a long way towards helping communities along the southern border.

In my home state of Texas, many of these communities are called colonias.

They are commonly found on the United States/Mexico border, in underdeveloped areas across the state, and also in areas of New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

These communities exist with conditions typically found only in developing nations--no plumbing, no roads, and no power.

Texas has both the largest number of colonias and the largest colonia population.

According to the State of Texas, about 400,000 Texans live in colonias.

The development of Texas colonias dates back to least the 1950s, when developers created unincorporated subdivisions using agriculturally worthless land or land that lay in floodplains or in other rural properties.

They divided the land into small lots, put in little or no infrastructure, and then sold them to low-income individuals seeking affordable housing.

This study will hopefully take a resource that is vast in South Texas, sunlight, and put it to work to serve and power these communities.

I have worked in the past to put these micro power stations to use in Webb County, to provide small, isolated communities with power, and this amendment builds on that to hopefully expand power to so many more families of South Texas.

The manager's amendment includes my plan to direct the Secretary of Energy to present to Congress recommendations for increasing access to solar energy and to help address the problems that exist in these low income communities.

We can harness this 21st century technology to bring these areas out of 19th century conditions.

Mr. Chairman, I applaud your leadership on this important Manager's amendment, and I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of today's Coast Guard Authorization Act, H.R. 3619. I commend the distinguished chairman and the ranking member for their work on this excellent piece of legislation. The Coast Guard is an integral part of making our country safe. They conduct daily missions to protect our ports, our waterways and the marine transportation system.

I authored a provision included in this bill to require the Coast Guard to step up border-security efforts on the

navigable portions of the Rio Grande, which are international waters. Currently, the Coast Guard is only able to patrol a very small portion of the Rio Grande twice each quarter. This forces local agencies and the U.S. Border Patrol to concentrate the majority of their time and effort on the 1,200 miles of the river banks, instead of the international boundary waters of the Rio Grande.

Along the Rio Grande, the Federal and local officials are being confronted with a multitude of security issues, including border violence, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, and even diseased bodies floating down the river. By analyzing the current mission and identifying needs and determining how to increase the presence of the Coast Guard in this area, we can help address these local needs and keep our communities safe.

Also there is a piece of clarifying language included in the manager's amendment today that directs the Coast Guard, in conducting the analysis, to work with all necessary and appropriate entities, including Customs and Border Patrol, and local entities with local expertise. Increased cooperation and partnership between local entities and Federal entities will help identify the needs and more efficiently allocate resources. We will continue to fight to protect our communities and enhance security along the border.

Mr. Chairman, I applaud you for the continuing work you have been doing on this important bill, and I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker,

Whereas, the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse was founded in 1990 by a group of concerned citizens who wished to address issues related to substance abuse; and

Whereas, October 15th is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day; and

Whereas, Latinos represent 15% of the U.S. population, but make up 18% of new HIV infections; and

Whereas, Latino women are infected with HIV at a rate of up to four times greater than other women; and

Whereas, citizens from Hebbronville, Zapata, Roma, Rio Grande established the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse 19 years ago as a nonprofit agency; and

Whereas, the agency was created out of a grant from the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse to develop a Statewide Initiative Council for the four county regions consisting of Jim Hogg, Starr, Webb, and Zapata; and

Whereas, the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse was established to provide screening, assessment, referrals related to substance abuse, and education services to the region for substance abuse; and

Whereas, the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has expanded its services to include HIV prevention, treatment, and Voces Fronterizas--an HIV prevention and intervention program from the CDC; and

Whereas, the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has expanded their role to encompass not only that of being a Clinical Training Institute but also providing intervention outreach studies to impoverished border communities like the colonias; and

Whereas, the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has served over 12,000 clients through HIV programs in the past 6 years; and

Whereas, the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has invested over $1,000,000 annually on HIV programs; and

Be it hereby resolved, that Congressman Henry Cuellar, in representing the 28th Congressional District of the State of Texas, honors the contributions of the South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for their exceptional service to South Texas communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to mark the momentous 40th anniversary of the Texas A&M International University.

Texas A&M International University first began as a ``center'' in August 1970 under Texas A&I University in Kingsville in order to fill a demand in teacher education and business disciplines. Seven years later, the name changed to Laredo State University and in 1993, the institution became Texas A&M International University. In the fall of 1995, the Texas Legislature authorized the expansion of a four-year undergraduate program status with an eventual authorization for doctoral programs. Today, the university has been at the forefront of providing higher education and cultural opportunities to students of Laredo and surrounding south Texas region.

Texas A&M International University consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and a NCAA Division II Athletics program. Undoubtedly, this university serves as a unique asset to the fundamental groundwork for progressive and influential Hispanic serving institutions. TAMIU has 92 percent of students identifying themselves as minority, including, Hispanic, African- American, Asian and other. Additionally, a rising number of baccalaureate graduates have been first-generation college students. This university has seen enrollment growth of approximately 10 percent every academic semester and recently welcomed its largest freshman class ever. The growth in admission numbers has provided social strides towards students attending the highest quality programs built on solid academic foundations.

Over the years, TAMIU has increased success for the development in the community, educational achievement, and promising academic endeavors. I am happy to have this opportunity to congratulate Texas A&M International University on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, and I wish all staff and students many more years of success.

Thank you very much for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding contributions of a fine public servant in Laredo, Texas, Judge George P. Kazen. This is an individual that has dedicated the majority of his life to upholding the justice system in south Texas.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge George P. Kazen to be a United States district judge. For four decades, he served south Texas as a tireless advocate for fairness under the law. From 1996 to 2003, he was the chief judge of the United States Southern District, which includes the areas of Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Laredo, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Brownsville in Texas. Judge Kazen is also a JAG officer for the United States Air Force, and in 1965 he received the United States Air Force Commendation Medal.

Judge Kazen is married to Barbara Ann and they have four children. He is, without a doubt, a selfless public servant who has been a tremendous credit to the city of Laredo and the State of Texas and our great Nation.

I also want to recognize Judge Kazen's Federal magistrate, the Honorable Marcel Notzen. Since 1967, Marcel Notzen, the magistrate, served for four decades in front and behind the bench, as an attorney, as a law partner, and most recently as a U.S. magistrate for the Southern District. Judge Notzen is married to Nora Lee, and they have six children.

It is with great pride that I authored this legislation, H.R. 2423, to name the United States Courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the George B. Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse in honor of George Kazen. It is also my legislative intent, Mr. Speaker, to name the jury room in the United States courthouse as the Marcel C. Notzen, II Jury Room. I think this is a way to thank these two individuals who have worked so hard for their Nation as judges.

I want to thank all of my Texas colleagues for helping me recognize these exceptional individuals. By recognizing these individuals, their contributions will be remembered and they will continue to inspire those individuals who follow their lead in preserving the American justice system.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 768, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the leadership of the South Texas Academic Rising Scholars (STARS) organization. This nonprofit organization has been critical in helping local students obtain higher education at schools of their choosing.

The South Texas Academic Rising Scholars was established in October 2002, with the goal of making higher education accessible to the students of south Texas.

Higher education is the gateway to advancing one's future. As one of eight children born to migrant parents in the border town of Laredo, Texas, I value the significance education has in our lives. There's no doubt that my education has charted the course of my public service career. As a Hispanic-American, education helped me defy odds which still exist for millions of minorities today.

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month we should recognize the role higher education plays in progressing minority communities and dissolving the disparities. With education comes opportunity; it's an undeniable equation that makes a difference in people's lives.

The STARS Student Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to qualified students of south Texas annually and partners with area colleges and universities to better serve the students of south Texas. To this day, STARS has been able to award thousands of scholarships to south Texas students. I join the organization in the belief that education is essential to the growth and enhancement of our community.

The success of STARS is not only due to those managing the program, but also in large part due to generous individuals, businesses, and organizations that support the organization. I am proud to say that 100 percent of every dollar contributed by sponsors goes toward student scholarships. The board of directors is comprised of a diverse group of community leaders dedicated to helping south Texas students achieve higher education.

This truly is a grassroots effort that has given thousands students in south Texas opportunities that wouldn't have existed otherwise.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had the time to recognize the goals and endeavors of the South Texas Academic Rising Scholars.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of Mr. Pedro Devora, whose barbershop business recently celebrated 50 years of operations in downtown Floresville, Texas.

Pedro Devora was born on May 22, 1926 and raised in Tordio, Texas where he attended school until the third grade. Mr. Devora worked in the area until he joined the U.S. Navy on October 1, 1944 to serve his country. While in the Navy, he served during the invasion of Okinawa that began on April 1, 1945. During that mission, his ship was hit in battle. Mr. Devora would survive a night in the water until he was rescued the following morning. During his time in the Navy, his hard work ethic gained him several promotions from his superiors. In fact, in less than a week he went from working in the laundry section to becoming an assistant supervisor, and later supervisor. In 1946, Mr. Devora returned to the United States and received an honorable discharge.

Following his time in the Navy, he returned home to Tordio and within a year he decided to attend Barber School. While in attendance, Mr. Devora married his sweetheart, Maria Flores on November 3, 1947. In 1948, Mr. Devora received his Barber's License and began work in Floresville, Texas.

Since returning from the Navy, he has been active in several political races, such as those of Lyndon Baines Johnson, Harry Truman, Gus Garcia, Carlos Cadena, Judge Mike Machado, Congressman Chick Kazen, Albert Pena, Judge Esquivel, Pete Tijerina, and almost every Democratic President since 1946.

On August 12th, 1959, he opened a barbershop with his longtime friend Raymond Lucio. Mr. Devora and Mr. Lucio spent over 49 years as coworkers until Mr. Lucio's passing. The business remains in operation to this day and remains a pillar of the Floresville community.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had the time to recognize the many accomplishments and service of Mr. Pedro Devora, and I thank you for this time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, which I believe is acceptable to the chairman, Chairman Miller.

I surely want to thank Chairman Miller for the leadership that he has provided, and the ranking member, Mr. Kline, for the work that he has been doing in the committee.

Madam Chair, at a time when our Nation's students need it the most, this legislation makes significant changes to student lending, one of the biggest changes that we have seen in years and years. While this bill makes tremendous investments in education, too many potential college students may be unaware of it.

Unfortunately, today, there are many students, especially those who may be first in their families to apply to college or who may come from disadvantaged communities, who are ill-informed about Federal student loans. Many students aren't aware of the opportunities available to them or of the responsibilities that follow from taking out a loan. This lack of information will range from students deciding that college is too expensive to those who default on their loans after graduation.

When you look at some of the States that have been impacted, this particular amendment will call on the Secretary to work with colleges and universities to educate students about the repayment of Federal direct loans, and this amendment will help cut excessive default rates that threaten the eligibility of some of the schools from participating in this student aid program.

My home State of Texas has one of the highest student loan default rates in the country, and financial aid directors in my district have cited a lack of information and outreach as a primary cause. As we make college more accessible to all Americans, we need to make sure that students and their families have the information so they can make reasoned and informed decisions.

This simple but important amendment will lead to increased student awareness, financial aid opportunities, help prevent student loan defaults and increase our country's production of talented graduates. I urge all my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield as much time as he may consume to Mr. Andrews of New Jersey.

I yield back.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to publicly celebrate 30 years of service in law enforcement by Chief Richard A. Jamison.

Richard Jamison joined the Converse Police Department on August 23, 1979. Within just 1 year, he was promoted to Corporal in Patrol. Through his hard work and dedication to the job of protecting the citizens of Converse, Mr. Jamison was promoted to Chief of Police on April 24, 1999.

He has shown such a devotion to Converse that he does more than just act as Chief of Police; he also serves his community. Chief Jamison was voted citizen of the year by the Converse Lions Club 2003-2004, for his many service contributions to the community.

He has also supported Project Graduation at Judson High School for 21 years, to protect our high school graduates from the dangers of drunk driving. He has been instrumental in fundraising efforts to support this program.

Madam Speaker, it is a great honor to recognize 30 years of service from Chief Richard A. Jamison. I am proud to be here today to publicly honor this great citizen of the 28th district of Texas.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to share with you and celebrate the life of Eloisa Coronado from Zapata, Texas. Eloisa will be turning 100 years old this 31st of July, making her the oldest registered voter in Zapata County.

Born in 1909, she lived in a time when you still had to ride in a mule wagon to go into town for groceries. At age 9, her father died of Tetanus, leaving Eloisa to drop out of the third grade to help her mother raise her 4 younger sisters.

On January 1, 1926, she married Benito Martinez and eventually had 9 children. They ran a farm together raising cattle, planting corn and selling milk and eggs.

Living to be 100 naturally comes with hardship. Mrs. Coronado has outlived 4 sons, her 4 sisters, a half brother, 1 grandson and 3 daughters-in-law. As one can imagine, such pain has been difficult. But Eloisa's faith as well as the joy of her family of 27 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren and 43 great-great-grandchildren has kept her spirits up.

As a devoted believer, Eloisa has taught her family to have a strong faith, to be honest and to love one another. About her age and her life, she tells family members, ``These hands will reach out for the Lord's hands when He calls me Home.''

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to publicly celebrate the 100th birthday of Eloisa Coronado of Zapata Texas.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the Arguindegui family, of AOC Holding Company. The family has truly worked towards and achieved the American dream.

This American success story begins with Peter R. Arguindegui Sr., who founded Arguindegui Oil Company in August of 1942. His sons put education and service to our nation first, before later joining the family business. So, after serving in the military and graduating from Texas A&M, Peter Jr. and Carlos Arguindegui joined their father in the late 1950s. With the additional help, the company was transformed into a corporation which then focused on wholesale commercial fuels.

Within 20 years grandsons Carlos Jr. and Alfonso Arguindegui joined the family business after graduating from college, bringing with them new ideas.

AOC Holding Company, as it is now called, has expanded into convenience store marketing by converting a dozen existing stations into convenience stores under the ConocoPhillips and Valero brands. It also runs four bulk warehouse operations in South Texas.

This company is on track to become the leader in retail and wholesale fuels in the South Texas area.

An admirable quality of the Arguindegui family is they do not reserve success for themselves. They have engaged in philanthropy by staying involved with local charities such as the United Way, the Boys & Girls Club, and other organizations that are too numerous to mention. They have also provided scholarships to area students.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize a true American success story. I am pleased to have such a valued family in my district.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this bill, H.R. 2920. I rise because there are many Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck, dollar to dollar.

As I traveled around my south Texas district from Laredo through the Rio Grande Valley, my constituents, like those around the country, are gathering around the kitchen tables to figure out how to make those hard financial decisions. They're making tough choices about which basic needs they can afford. Many live by a very simple principle. If you have $5, you spend $5. We should expect Congress to do the same.

So, today, I stand in support of the statutory pay-as-you-go legislation because it will rein in national spending and help reduce our national debt during these very difficult times.

If we return to the fiscal responsibility philosophy that we had in the 1990s when PAYGO spending created record budget surpluses, we would change our economy. Americans can't spend their money recklessly right now, and Congress shouldn't either. Our children deserve more, and the people in Texas and the Nation deserve better.

Today's consideration of PAYGO is a golden opportunity to start getting this country's bank account out of the red. It's time to stop the borrow-and-spend mentality. It's time to return to pay-as-you-go, especially as we consider the health care reform bill. It's important that we spend taxpayers' dollars wisely.

I've always been supportive of good government efforts to increase fiscal responsibility to make sure that we have an accountable and effective government. This is why the Blue Dogs have been supporting the performance-based budgeting bill to make sure that we have effective, accountable government. That increases government transparency and efficiency in spending.

Americans and Texans are doing their share to be fiscally responsible. Now it's time for Congress to do our part, and this is why we need to pass pay-as-you-go.

Sure. And again, thank you very much. I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from California, a good friend of mine. First, to answer this question, we have to look at history. When the PAYGO was implemented back in the 1990s, it expired in 2002. The majority at that time decided not to put it back again or reimplement it. We saw from history in early 2000 there was a surplus that we got. And I believe part of the reason was because we had a statutory pay-as- you-go provision. When this was let go, and it expired in 2002, you saw that the deficit--and again this deficit that you're talking about, and I'm concerned about it just like you are, but this deficit didn't occur on January 20 of this year. It is something that has been happening for the last 4 or 5 years.

So if I can just finish my thought, what we need to do is, I know that we have some differences, but I hope we can get both the Democrats and Republicans and both sides of the aisle working together to come up with a way that we can go ahead and stop this deficit. Because as you very well know, if I can just finish this, look, this is what we have. We have over $11 trillion in debt that we have right now. Forty percent of that is owned by foreign countries. And again, the gentleman from California, if you had a business, imagine what would happen if one day you woke up and your neighbor, your friendly competitor, suddenly owned 40 percent of your mortgage. That would put us in a very difficult situation. And this is what we are facing in this country.

I thank the chairman for yielding to me.

Most of the claims from veterans of my district in south Texas are processed at the Houston VA Regional Office. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle, which I will submit for the Record, notes that nearly 18,000 veterans are waiting for their disability applications, and 26 percent of these claims have been pending over a year and a half. The number of claims on appeal from Houston are about 11,389, which is the highest in the country.

I have written a letter to the Secretary of the VA that brings attention to this problem, which I would like to be submitted into the Record. Mr. Chairman, I ask for your help to address this very serious problem so we can provide service to our veterans.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of this bill and Chairman Price's manager's amendment, which includes an amendment that I coauthored with my friend, Mr. Martin Heinrich, to reduce government waste, abuse, and inefficiency.

This simple amendment, commonsense amendment, ensures that no taxpayer dollars will be used to purchase first-class tickets for the employees of agencies funded by this bill, except in special circumstances, as allowed by law.

Madam Chairman, it goes without saying that the Federal Government should never use taxpayer dollars for extravagant luxuries and excessive spending. To say that these are difficult economic times is an understatement. There has never been a more important moment for the Federal Government to demonstrate that it is a careful steward of taxpayers' dollars and that it would not engage in frivolous and wasteful excesses.

Just as every American household has gathered around the kitchen table, finding ways to cut costs and reduce waste, the Federal Government has the responsibility to do the same. Fiscal responsibility should be a primary objective of every Member. And as a member of the fiscally responsible Blue Dog Coalition, I will continue to work with my colleagues to address the increasing national debt that we have.

However, it is important that we tackle every cost-saving opportunity, large or small, to meet that goal. I am pleased that Chairman Price included this amendment in his manager's amendment. I would also like to thank my colleague from New Mexico, Mr. Heinrich, for working with me on this issue, and for his dedication on cost- saving issues.

I don't see Mr. Heinrich here, so I would conclude my remarks.