Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

First of all, I want to thank Chairman Mollohan for the leadership that he has provided on this particular bill, along with the ranking member on this particular bill.

I rise today in support of my amendment to ensure long-term taxpayer savings. This amendment will make certain that no lightbulbs will be purchased using funds appropriated under this bill that do not meet the ENERGY STAR or the Federal Energy Management Standards.

As you know, Mr. Chairman, this amendment would ensure that the Federal Government makes a long-term investment in lowering costs to taxpayers on inefficient technology. ENERGY STAR lightbulbs have been proven to use less electricity and last longer, saving taxpayers dollars on both counts.

Americans know that regular lightbulbs waste almost 90 percent of the energy on generating heat instead of light. ENERGY STAR lightbulbs, which use compact fluorescent light, provide the same light as a standard bulb but use 75 percent less energy and last 8 to 12 times longer.

I know this amendment was approved in past appropriations, and this House accepted this amendment included in the fiscal year 2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations.

I want to thank Mr. Upton, Ms. Harman, and Mr. Inglis. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported this particular amendment.

Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield to the chairman.

If there is no opposition, I will stand with the chairman's recommendation.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lynch. I appreciate the leadership that you've shown not only on this bill but on the committee also. We thank you for the work that you've done. Mr. Bilbray, thank you also for the work that you've done; and thank you, again, for serving in a bipartisan way on the Oversight Committee.

I rise in support of H.R. 2325 to name the post office at 1300 Matamoros Street in Laredo, Texas, as the Laredo Veterans Post Office. When you look at the history of Texas, the State of Texas, the city of Laredo, you will see that in that history, the veterans have played a very important role.

The veterans of Laredo, Texas, have served in a very distinguished way in many of the wars we have had. Many of them have sacrificed in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and Korea, and in other conflicts we have had, up to the latest war we have.

I think it is only appropriate that we name the post office, which is in front of a plaza where it is also recognized as a way that we have recognized the veterans. It is placed in an appropriate place.

Madam Speaker, I would ask Members to please join me in support of H.R. 2325, where we name the post office at 1300 Matamoros Street after the brave men and women that we have in Laredo, to be named as the Laredo Veterans Post Office.

Offered By: Mr. Cuellar

Amendment No. 102: At the end of the bill, before the short

title, insert the following new section:

Sec. 535. None of the funds made available in this Act may

be used to purchase light bulbs unless the light bulbs have

the ``Energy Star'' or ``Federal Energy Management Program''

designation.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to have this opportunity to celebrate the retirement of Mauro Luna from the U.S. Probation Service. His 22-year career in Laredo exhibits his native and lifelong dedication to the city and its people.

It was at Mary Help of Christians School that Mr. Luna developed his high standard of morals and ethics that he later exhibited as an officer and supervisor. He brought this leadership to his job everyday, and positively impacted those he interacted with through the course of a day.

Mauro Luna found education to be the cornerstone to any successful life and career, so after graduating from J.W. Nixon High School he went on to earn his degree from the University of Texas-Austin and his MBA from Laredo State University. During this time Mr. Luna married Maria Martinez and had two children, Marcos and Massiel Melinda.

Madam Speaker, now after 11 years with the Juvenile Department and 22 years with the U.S. Probation Office I find great pleasure in wishing Mauro Luna a long deserved retirement so he may spend more time with his family and hunting.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I ask for unanimous consent to modify the amendment with the modification at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank first, of course, our chairman, Mr. Oberstar, for his leadership on this bill.

My amendment will assess the effect of the FAA's radars and alternative technology development especially on wind farm development and when appropriate direct the administrator to develop a process for the relocation of those radars if a suitable alternative site is identified. This bipartisan amendment was bourn out of conversation with the FAA and the Transportation and Infrastructure's Aviation Subcommittee. I certainly want to thank the chairman also.

Mr. Chairman, I want to be clear that nothing in this amendment shall be construed to constrain the issuing of a determination of no hazard to air navigation for wind construction projects while the study is underway. I have included clarifying language in my modified amendment, and I intend to work with Chairman Oberstar and the Senate in the conference to ensure that the legislative intent of this amendment stays there so we don't halt the issuance of permits for wind technology.

Yes, sir.

I would like to yield 1 minute to Mr. McCaul.

I just want to thank Mr. Oberstar and Mr. Costello for their time and Mr. McCaul, Mr. Ortiz, and Mr. Rodriguez, who also cosponsored this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this important amendment to help school districts hit by the economic downturn or by natural disasters so they can recover faster.

To paraphrase the gentleman from California, Chairman Miller, school construction is the economic stimulus for struggling communities. It achieves two key objectives: creating jobs and laying out the educational foundation for future prosperity.

As the chairman of the Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee of Homeland Security, I have seen firsthand how challenging it is to rebuild a school after a disaster, a problem that is only magnified in those difficult economic times. As communities pick up the pieces after a disaster, many students are left with damaged schools or no place to learn, leading them to fall farther and farther behind.

We cannot erase the pain and suffering, but one of the things we can do with this particular amendment that we are all cosponsoring is that we provide American students a decent place to learn.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the induction of Encarnacion ``Carny'' Guerra into the Laredo Business Hall of Fame. Carny Guerra has always been hard working, ambitious, a knowledgeable businessman, and it has shown through his work in Laredo, Texas.

Carny Guerra's business know-how first emerged while attending a dance in Laredo, Texas. While waiting in line and watching a great number of people pay their entrance fee he got the idea that he should enter the ballroom business. Soon after he purchased a building and with the help of his five daughters Cynthia, Sylvia, Judith, Belinda, and Elaine the Casa Blanca Ballroom was born.

As every new business encounters initial problems Carny had trouble booking bands and he decided that the best way to solve this would be to use local South Texas bands. As he found new bands he began to record their music and promote them to local radio stations. These local bands soon became celebrities in the area, thus selling out the Casa Blanca Ballroom performance after performance. Working with bands and radio stations on a daily basis Carny saw his next step to be the purchase of a radio station which furthered the popularity of both his ballroom and the bands.

Now some years later Carny Guerra's business has flourished and become Guerra Communications, which now owns a Tejano, hip-hop, and country radio station. In Addition, Carny is credited with giving many of today's popular bands their start.

Carny, after many years of hard work, is now enjoying his retirement and the company of his 5 daughters, 17 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to have had this opportunity to recognize the accomplishments and honor the inductee to the Laredo Business Hall of Fame Encarnacion ``Carny'' Guerra.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Carlos Mejia for his dedication to the Laredo community and the State of Texas. Mr. Mejia has given so much of his time and effort in order to make his community a better place.

After graduating from Texas A&M in 1963, Mr. Mejia attended the University of Southern California where he earned his Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. In 1978, he became the City Engineer for the city of Laredo, Texas. He served this post until 1981 and has since then been instrumental in many of Laredo's major infrastructure projects. He was the civil engineer for the design of the main runway, parallel taxi ways, airplane parking apron, and all landslide improvements for the Laredo International Airport. He was also the lead civil engineer for the preparation of the Master Plan for Texas A&M International University.

His constant dedication to his work and his community have led Mr. Mejia to be honored with the Community Partner of the Year Award for 2008 presented by Habitat for Humanity. Just this past year he was selected to the Laredo Junior Achievement Hall of Fame for 2009.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring a great resident of Laredo and a great American in Mr. Carlos Mejia. Through his hard work and tireless dedication Laredo has seen significant improvements over the years and for that we recognize you today Mr. Mejia.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Norbert Dickman. As the General Manager of Fasken Business, Mr. Dickman has contributed so much to the Laredo community and the State of Texas.

Norbert Dickman was born in 1943 in Chicago where he would grow up and attend Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He would later move to California to attend St. Joseph's College where he earned an AA Degree and then a B.A. Degree in Philosophy from St. Patrick's Seminary. After traveling and attending school in Europe, Mr. Dickman settled again in California where he would study law at Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. After practicing in Larkspur, California he dedicated his service to Mrs. Barbara Fasken and made numerous trips to the Laredo and Midland areas to help her with her oil and gas companies as well as her ranch.

In 1988, Mr. Dickman moved to Midland and became the General Manager of Mrs. Fasken's business where he continues to serve today. He is a valued member of the community who dedicates numerous hours of his time to non-profit boards in the area including the Samaritan Counseling Center, the Executive Council of the Boy Scouts, UTPB Advisory Board, Permian Basin Area Foundation, Trinity School (where he was Board President from 1995 to 1997), and Casa de Amigos, where he was Board President for three years and is currently resident of the Endowment Board.

As the General Manager of Fasken busines interests, Mr. Dickson currently oversees many oil, gas, aid ranching operations in Webb County. He and his business have made many contributions to the city of Laredo and the state of Texas. His foundations have donated nearly 600,000 to the area over the past few years and his business has helped to revitalize the community.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Mr. Norbert Dickman for his contributions and hard work over the years to the State of Texas.

Madam Speaker:

Whereas, The nearly 2.9 million registered nurses in the United States comprise our nation's largest health care profession; and

Whereas, A renewed emphasis on primary and preventive health care will require the better utilization of all of our nation's registered nursing resources; and

Whereas, Texas Nurses Association has had a mission to advance nursing through leadership, advocacy and innovation; and

Whereas, Texas Nurses Association was founded on February 22, 1907 in Fort Worth, Texas with a group of 19 nurses as the Texas Graduate Nurses' Association and is the oldest professional nursing association in Texas; and

Whereas, Texas Nurses Association has advocated to improve the practice and perception of nursing and to ensure quality care for all Texans; and

Whereas, The demand for registered nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging of the American population, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technology, and the explosive growth of home health care services; and

Whereas, Texas Nurses Association has been successful promoting the growth of the nursing practice by getting the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act of 2001 to increase nursing school enrollments; and

Whereas, That more qualified registered nurses will be needed in the future to meet the increasingly complex needs of health care consumers in this community; and

Whereas, Texas Nurses Association in 2007 celebrated 100 years of advocating for professional nursing in Texas; and

Whereas, Along with the American Nurses Association, the Texas Nurses Association has declared the week of May 6-12 as NATIONAL NURSES WEEK with the theme `Nurses: Building a Healthy America' in celebration of the ways in which registered nurses strive to provide safe and high quality patient care and map out the way to improve our health care system; therefore

Be it hereby Resolved, That Congressman Henry Cuellar, in representing the 28th Congressional District of the State of Texas, honors the Texas Nurses Association.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hidalgo County Independent School District for their outstanding achievements this past year. Today, the Hidalgo school district will be presented with the 2009 College Board Inspiration Award. This prestigious award is presented to only 3 secondary schools in the country which have exhibited outstanding college preparatory programs and partnerships among teachers, parents and community leaders.

Earlier this month, Hidalgo Early College High School was named one of the countries three secondary schools to receive this year's Inspiration Award. As one of the most improved secondary schools in the country, Hidalgo Early College High has shown its desire to provide quality programs for its students. This award shows the commitment that these educators in Hidalgo County have for their community, state, and nation as they help prepare and educate tomorrow's leaders.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Hidalgo County Independent School District for their extraordinary accomplishment in having one of the selected schools to receive the 2009 College Board Inspiration Award. Hidalgo Early College High School's students, staff and administrators truly deserve our recognition today for setting such a fine example to the rest of the state and the nation as a whole.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ron Tupper for his 25 years of service to the health care field through his work in health care development and consultation, health education, and hospital and clinic management. He has done so much over the years for the border region and he truly deserves to be recognized today.

Mr. Tupper holds a master's of science degree in health management and health education from Texas State University, as well as a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska. He also served our country proudly for 7 years as a U.S. Air Force Medical Serviceman until he was honorably discharged in 1970.

Ron Tupper has been instrumental over the years to bringing quality health services to citizens in the border regions of Texas. He started in 1974 with his first assignment on the Texas-Mexico border and soon afterwards he was elected one of the youngest CEOs to serve an accredited rural hospital in Texas. Later he would help secure a marketing plan and matching funds to develop a rural public health academic training program on the border.

At the University of Texas Health Science Center, Mr. Tupper was responsible for coordinating medical education opportunities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Over the past few years he has worked with the city of McAllen and the clinic board to secure a site for the community clinic which treats 130 working poverty stricken Hidalgo County residents daily. The facility, which started out as a 3-examination- room clinic, is now a 25,000 square foot facility that operates with 48 examination rooms.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Ron Tupper for his dedicated service to the field of health care in the State of Texas. He has committed so much through the years to advance his cause and I am honored to have the privilege of recognizing him today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late Manuel Benavidez, Jr. for his service to the people of Starr County, the State of Texas, and the education community across the country. His life was a symbol of what hard work and desire can achieve. He was a respected member of his community and of the State of Texas and we will all miss him dearly.

Mr. Benavidez was born in La Grulla, Texas in 1952. A former migrant farm worker, he graduated from Rio Grande City High School and later attended Pan American University where he received a bachelor's degree in bilingual education. Education has been a focal point in Mr. Benavidez's life, where he has not just worked to educate himself but has dedicated himself to helping others enhance their lives through study.

In 1993, he was appointed to the South Texas College Board of Trustees as the representative for Starr County. He worked tirelessly to bring the first community college to the area and through the years he has been instrumental in bringing millions of dollars to the county for STC campuses. His testimony in support of the dual enrollment program was key to getting legislation passed that has helped families across Texas save millions of dollars on the cost of college tuition. His life has revolved around the idea of bettering his community by giving the residents of Starr County an equal opportunity to accessing higher education.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Manuel Benavidez, Jr. for his lifetime of dedicated service to Starr County and to the education community across the country. He was a husband, a father, and an inspiration for all of us. He will be greatly missed.

Madam Speaker:

Whereas, the McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce promotes economic development and assists businesses to access the Hispanic market through networking, promoting education and nurturing leadership; and

Whereas, Mayor Brand born August 12, 1919 in Grayson, Georgia one of six children to Homer and Ilee Brand.

Whereas, Mayor Brand with his unfaltering patriotism served the United States in World War II as a U.S. Marine; and

Whereas, Mayor Brand returned from World War II to continue to work tirelessly building the produce company that would become Griffin & Brand Produce of McAllen and ultimately relocating to McAllen, Texas in 1954; and

Whereas, Mayor Brand always ready for a new challenge served the City of McAllen as City Commissioner and then as Mayor for 20 years. Mayor Brand's leadership and vision was instrumental in creating the City of McAllen of today, a thriving modernized city; and

Whereas, Mayor Brand's dedication to the youth of McAllen is evident through the founding of the Boy's and Girls' Club of McAllen that today supports a large number of youth programs, and his work to obtain land for the McAllen ISD that is now home to a high school, a city park, and a number of sports fields; and

Whereas, Mayor Brand played a central role in the development of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation that has brought a number of industries to the area that today employ thousands of McAllen citizens; and be it hereby

Resolved, That Congressman Henry Cuellar, in representing the 28th Congressional District of the State of Texas, honors Former McAllen Mayor Othal Brand.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Norman A. Townsend for his service to the people of the State of Texas and the nation as a whole. As he prepares to move forward with his career of public service with the FBI, we proudly honor him for his five years of service to the Laredo Resident Agency where he has served as a senior supervisory agent.

Mr. Townsend earned a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and a Master's in Criminology from Central Oklahoma University in Edmond before he began his career with the FBI on July 5, 1977. He worked as a fingerprint examiner and an accounting technician in Oklahoma City before attending the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 1984. Later that year he was assigned as a special agent to the Houston Division in Beaumont, Texas where he performed a number of investigations and continued his dedicated service to the bureau.

On August 4, 2003, Mr. Townsend transferred to the San Antonio Division in Laredo, Texas where he worked as a Supervisory Senior Agent. For the past five years, he has served the community, the state, and our country under the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Laredo. He has supervised agents, task force officers, and support personnel as they conducted investigations on public corruption, white collar crime, and joint task force terrorist investigations.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Norman Townsend for his five years of dedicated service to the FBI Laredo Resident Agency and his 31 years of service to the FBI as he prepares to move forward with his career in the bureau.