Floor Statements

I thank Chairman Miller for the work that he has done on this bill.

I rise to support the manager's amendment which has language from an amendment that I have submitted. This language goes a long way to support the poor communities in different parts of the Nation, especially around the southern border.

In particular, I'm talking about adding the definition of colonias as part of

the definition of ``severely economically distressed areas'' that under this bill receive special financial consideration in the operation of national volunteer services. Colonias are found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California along the border. These colonias are areas that have no water, no sewage or paving. It is almost Third World conditions, Mr. Chairman and Members of Congress, where we have to do something to help these people. Just in my area, for example, it is estimated in the State of Texas that we have over 400,000 Texans that live along the border in colonias.

This help will go a long way, and this is why the manager's amendment that includes my language gives critical financial assistance to the areas that contain colonias to facilitate the operation in support of national service programs that are working to solve many of these problems in colonias.

With this amendment, we are one step closer to helping colonias to have the basic living conditions that all Americans deserve. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for allowing this language to be added dealing with colonias.

I urge all colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Chair, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support the manager's amendment to the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009.

The manager's amendment I support builds upon the strong nature of this bill, and addresses several additional needs.

I thank the distinguished Chairman for including 2 of my amendments in the manager's amendment. These important amendments will go a long way towards helping communities along the southern border.

My first amendment, included in this manager's amendment, authorizes the EPA to Study wastewater treatment facilities that discharge into the Rio Grande River, develop recommendations for improving monitoring, information sharing, and cooperation between the Unites States and Mexico.

Last EPA study of pollutants in the Rio Grande River took samples from November 1992 to December 1995.

Since 1992 Laredo alone has doubled in population.

I applaud inclusion of this requirement because knowing the dangers that exist in pollution in the River is the first step in protecting a national treasure.

I also wish to offer my support for the Manager's amendment's recognition of the ongoing crisis that exists on the United States' southern border with impoverished families living in Colonias.

Colonias can be found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, but 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 border colonias.

The development of Texas colonias dates back to at 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.

The manager's amendment includes my plan to direct the Government Accountability Office to present to Congress a blueprint to properly address the problems that exist in these low income communities.

Mr. Chair, I applaud you on this important Manager's amendment, and I urge all my colleague to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Growing up as the son of migrant parents, I was among the millions of American children who had no health insurance. When someone in our family got sick, seeing a doctor simply wasn't an option.

I got lucky. Even without health insurance, I grew up into a healthy adult. But I could just as easily have ended up going untreated for a chronic disease or serious injury, and a lifetime of opportunities would have evaporated. It is unacceptable that 1.4 million Texas kids continue to bear that risk today.

When I served in the Texas State House, I had the honor of launching the first CHIP program in Texas at Farias Elementary School in Laredo. The program later expanded statewide, and today, it has helped millions of Texas families--families like the one I grew up with--afford to see a doctor.

In these difficult economic times, as millions of Texas families struggle with job losses and pay cuts, CHIP is more important than ever. For families living on the financial edge, CHIP is a critical source of care, support, and peace of mind.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my fellow Blue Dog Democrats in strong support of House Resolution 40. I want to thank Mr. Tanner, Mr. Cardoza and Chairman Towns for the leadership that they have provided on this subject matter.

When you look at taxpayers, taxpayers want a government that is efficient, effective and accountable. This is what this legislation does. It does provide an efficient, effective and accountable government.

It is always difficult for Congress to agree on exactly where America's tax dollars should go, but we all agree on where they should not go. In these difficult economic times, America can scarcely afford to throw tax dollars into the waste bin of fraud, abuse and mismanagement.

Unfortunately, in the battle against waste, Congress does not have enough information, and we do not have any formal mechanism to investigate allegations of wasteful spending. This legislation sets up a mechanism. This is why today's legislation is a major step towards strengthening government accountability.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 40. I thank Mr. Tanner, Mr. Cardoza and Mr. Towns for their leadership.

Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today in recognition of the 50th Wedding Anniversary for Encarnacion `Carny' Arevalo Guerra and Emma Flores Guerra. The lives of these individuals have been uniquely American, and this Golden Anniversary of theirs is a special moment for not only them, but for their family and friends.

Encarnacion Arevalo Arevalo was born May 15th, 1940 in McGregor, Michigan to Sacarias Bonilla Guerra and Ines Arevalo. Emma Flores Guerra was born December 13th, 1940 in San Antonio, TX to Alfredo Saucedo Flores and Ofelia Cavazos Flores. From San Antonio, Emma's family moved to Saginaw, Michigan that she met Encarnacion. Both fathers of the honored couple worked at General Motors during the 1940's, a crucial period when manufactures were devoting all effort to preparing the military with proper equipment.

Music played an important role in both of their lives. As children they loved music and would attend weekly dances in Saginaw, Michigan as young adults. This later would inspire them to start a business. When both were in junior high, attending Central Junior High in Saginaw, Encarnacion played the saxophone, and Emma the French horn. This is where they met and began their relationship. Not all went as planned however as Emma's family was forced to move back to San Antonio. This would not stop their relationship however. The young couple stayed in touch by writing letters to each other at every chance they had.

It was January 10, 1959 that the two married in a large ceremony at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. After marriage, Encarnacion supported his growing family with his continued employment at General Motors in Saginaw for 10 years. It was during this time that the two welcomed 5 daughters into their family: Cynthia, Sylvia, Judith Ines, Belinda, and Elaine.

After leaving GM, the family moved to Laredo, Texas. It was here the couple purchased and converted the Bowl-A-Rama into what we now know as the ``Casa Blanca Ballroom''. The Ballroom has become a landmark and has held a prominent place in the lives for Laredoans for almost 40 years now.

From here the couple went on to purchase their first radio station in Nuevo Laredo and name it ``Radio Canon''. This proved to a wise investment, and the Guerra's later purchased share holdings in seven more radio stations. After a short try at retirement, the two returned to the business and acquired three new radio stations: Z-93, Energy 98, and K-Onda. In 1995, the couple moved to San Antonio, but remain active in the communities. Today, when Encarnacion is not tinkering in his garden, the two are fulfilling their dream of traveling the world. The Guerras are a vibrant example of living the American dream.

Madam Speaker, please join me in celebrating them on the 50th Wedding Anniversary not just as local icons in Texas, but model citizens of the United States of America. They are true stewards of the American dream, and I celebrate them and thank them for their contributions to the Great State of Texas.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 15th Anniversary of South Texas College to congratulate them for enrolling 22,000 students, the highest amount enrolled in South Texas College's history.

The South Texas College was created by the Texas legislature in 1993 and signed into law by former Governor Ann Richards. They are only one of three community colleges in Texas accredited to offer bachelors degrees and the only community college in the state to offer two Bachelor of Applied Technology Degrees. Their faculty and staff of over 1,500 have been leaders in higher education by not only providing education to college students, but by providing unique workforce training programs and the College Express dual enrollment high school program. Partnered with sixteen school districts in Hidalgo and Starr Counties, these programs help minority students find a pathway to higher-paying careers in math and science.

In recent years, South Texas College received the MetLife Foundation's 2008 Community College Excellence Award for promoting educational and economic advancement, thirty-one Excellence Awards from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development in 2008, and the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada's Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 2003 through 2007.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize South Texas College for their record enrollment in 2008, and I thank you for this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my dear friend, Carlos Marin, the United States Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission, IBWC. On September 15th, he departed with his IBWC Mexican counterpart, Mr. Arturo Herrera, on a chartered flight to survey the flooding of the Rio Grande River along the border area of Presidio, Texas, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico. While working to assess the damage and coordinate joint-response efforts with the local officials and the Mexican Government, their chartered flight crashed, taking the lives of all those aboard, in a remote area of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

Mr. Marin joined the IBWC as a staff engineer in 1979, and he rose through management and executive positions through 2006, when President Bush appointed him as U.S. Commissioner to the IBWC. Our Nation has lost a true public servant who worked for a quarter of a century with the International Boundary and Water Commission on issues such as water debt, and most recently the rehabilitation of the levees in Hidalgo County. He was one of the few that understood the water issues facing the border region, and was a friend to everyone in South Texas.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the others who were on the plane with him. His tragic passing leaves a void in our hearts and minds. I am personally saddened to lose a wonderful friend; and it will not be the same working with the IBWC without Carlos as its commissioner. His exemplary dedication and service to the South Texas community have been crucial to future development, especially with the much-needed levee repairs that helped save residents in my district from flooding during the hurricanes this past summer. We in our South Texas community will be forever grateful to Carlos for his contributions, and I thank his family for their support of Carlos' work with IBWC.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to honor the memory of Mr. Carlos Marin.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Federico ``Kiko'' Zuniga, of Laredo, Texas, in recognition of his being elected Chairman of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Association (IFCBA) during their biannual conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

The IFCBA is made up of customs broker organizations from 27 countries around the world, and is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Zuniga has been a member of the IFCBA board since 2003, and for the past 2 years has served as one of the organization's managing directors. In addition to being a part of IFCBA, Mr. Zuniga also is Chairman of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA), and prior to that, served as the president of NCBFAA for 4 years. He is currently a member of the Department Advisory Committee for the commercial Operation of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) and related agencies. Mr. Zuniga has been a licensed customs broker since 1984 and is part owner of F. Zuniga, Inc., the brokerage his father started in Laredo, Texas.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the hard work and dedication of Mr. Federico ``Kiko'' Zuniga to the City of Laredo, to his wife, Bobbie, and to his family. He is a truly deserving recipient of the great honor of being elected chairman of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Association.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Marlowe family, and their father, Edward Marlowe, for the bravery they have shown in supporting their father's career with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in La Paz, Bolivia, which is a part of the DEA jurisdiction known as the Southern Cone Region.

The Marlowe family lived and worked in Bolivia in the Southern Cone Region which consists of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. These countries are considered to be transit zones for the movement of cocaine base, cocaine HCL, and heroin being shipped from Colombia and Peru to market in the United States. The DEA has the largest international presence of any federal law agency, with 87 foreign offices in 63 countries.

Mr. Marlowe, as a DEA agent, has served our Nation with courage, vision, and determination in protecting our communities from the dangers of narco-trafficking violence during his service in Bolivia. He contributed to the crackdown on these dangerous drug cartels by working to stop the distribution and manufacture of these drugs from entering the market. I thank the Marlowe family, especially Edward's wife, Violet, and their daughter, Joelle, for standing firm in the face of the dangers they faced while staying in Bolivia.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have this time to recognize the Marlowe family for their bravery and determination they showed during Mr. Marlowe's service in Bolivia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Most Reverend James A. Tamayo, the Bishop of the Diocese of Laredo.

Bishop Tamayo has admirably served those of Catholic faith in the community of Laredo, Texas, for the past 10 years at San Agustin Cathedral, the oldest Catholic Church in south Texas. His passion for helping the religious community and his dedication to his calling has made Bishop Tamayo an essential part of the community in Laredo.

Bishop Tamayo came to heed the call of religious service by attending St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas. From there, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. After that, Bishop Tamayo became the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston- Houston in 1993, and then went on to become Bishop of the Diocese of Laredo in 2000.

Bishop Tamayo currently serves on the Texas Board of Directors in the Texas Catholic Conference as well as the Texas Conference of Churches. He is a member of the Boy Scouts National Hispanic Initiative Committee, building upon the great relationship he has established with the youth in the interfaith community.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Bishop James A. Tamayo for his service to the Diocese of Laredo. Words cannot express how much he has done for the people of the city of Laredo and the surrounding communities. His quest to serve others and his desire to better the lives of those in Laredo is truly commendable.

I thank you for your time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Cpl. Miguel Rodriguez on his retirement from the Texas Department of Public Safety, where he served his State and country honorably for 28 years.

In his 28 years with the Department of Public Safety, Corporal Rodriguez performed a multitude of tasks, such as serving as field training officer in the induction of new officers to the Department, training them on driving, firearms, and accident reconstruction. He helped foster the training of Mexican highway patrolmen, served on interview promotional board for troopers, and worked as chairman on grievance board hearings. Corporal Rodriguez also served on security staff for President George Bush, Sr., on his visit to the University of Texas at Austin. His awards include the District Commander Award, Region Commanders Award, Commanders Accommodations, and Quarter Century Club.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the dedication and commitment of Cpl. Miguel Rodriguez to the State of Texas, and to the United States of America upon his retirement from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the Federal Bureau of Investigation agency, and the brave men and women that work at the FBI Laredo Resident Agency, LRA. The FBI LRA was established in 1943, during the height of World War II, with four Special Agents assigned to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The FBI LRA was staffed throughout the end of World War II and during the Cold War with a particular focus on counter-espionage and sabotage. The focus changed during the 1960s and 1970s to a spate of new crimes involving fugitives and vehicle theft. The mission of the FBI LRA was expanded to public corruption, interstate theft, fraud, and general property crimes during the 1980s and 1990s. Currently, the FBI LRA investigates terrorism, public corruption, white collar crime, kidnappings, gangs, drug cases, and cyber crime.

Also, the FBI LRA has established a Joint Terrorism Task Force, JTTF, and a Public Corruption Task Force in the past few years to respond to potential terrorist threats and drug-trafficking violence in the U.S.- Mexico border region. Throughout the decades, the FBI LRA has evolved to meet the crime prevention needs of each decade in its five-county area of Webb, McMullen, La Salle, Zapata, and Jim Hogg, with over 30 Special Agents and support staff. The FBI LRA also works with Laredo Police Department, Office of the Inspector General--Department of Homeland Security, Department of Public Safety, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Border Patrol.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the commitment of our brave men and women at the FBI Laredo Resident Agency and I applaud their efforts to safeguard the lives of my constituents along the U.S.-Mexico border, and to serve their Nation honorably. I thank you for this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Sisters of Mercy on the 10th anniversary of their establishment of Casa de Misericordia (CASA), a shelter that provides safety, planning, education, and support for victims of domestic violence and their children.

In 1997, Sister Rosemary Welsh and her staff of health care providers from Mercy Primary Health Care Programs recognized the lack of existing community support for victims of domestic violence and their children in Laredo, Texas. A starting grant and local community support enabled them to open the doors of Casa de Misericordia. The shelter provides court accompaniment, assistance with VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) applications, and takes in victims of domestic violence and their children, not just from Webb County, but from other counties and states as well.

CASA obtained independent non-profit status by becoming a 501(c)3 in 1999, and became an annual contracting agency with the State (TDHS) in 2001. CASA received funds from the United Way and from the Office of the Attorney General. It is due to the efforts of Sisters of Mercy and to the hardworking staff that CASA has been able to help thousands of victims of domestic violence and their children. CASA is committed to involving the community in changing the perception of domestic violence, and has dozens of volunteers from Laredo Community College, Texas A&M International University, and local high schools in raising awareness about the mission behind CASA through the new Lamar Bruni Vergara Education Center, which was opened in 2004. The Education Center provide counseling, support groups, educational classes, and summer activities to members of the community who suffer from domestic violence but do not need shelter services.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the dedication of Sister Rosemary Welsh and the Sisters of Mercy, and their staff, on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Laredo's only domestic violence shelter, Casa de Misericordia.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Blackstone Dilworth in recognition of his being named the 2008 Laredo Business Person of the Year by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce on June 26, 2008. This award recognizes his remarkable dedication to the city of Laredo as a business entrepreneur.

McMullen County is where it all began for Mr. Dilworth, where he was called upon to oversee his family's ranching, oil, and gas operations in the mid 1970s. He managed over 50,000 acres spread over four south Texas counties, and his land was often used for commercial hunting operations. In 1983, Mr. Dilworth went on to found Towers of Texas, a communication tower leasing company. He focused his communication business on the digital cell phone tower market in the late 1990s, enabling the construction of over 500 tower sites across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Along with the expansion of his tower business, Mr. Dilworth planned and executed the development of a family ranch in north Laredo. The relatively new addition to Laredo has already created a solid reputation for itself, boasting of industrial, commercial, and residential development. From the beginning of Mr. Dilworth's ownership of the San Isidro ranch, he has tried to develop a quality place to live and work for Laredoans. Toward that end, he donated over 120 acres of land for Loop 20 as well as for the extension of McPherson Road to connect to the Loop. In the years following, the land for the United Day School was donated by the Dilworth family. The land for the fire station north of the Loop on McPherson was also donated to the city. Mr. Dilworth's newest venture in the business world is in the hospitality industry, with addition of the new Best Western Motel on the corner of Sandia Drive and Loop 20.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the hard work and dedication of Mr. Blackstone Dilworth to the city of Laredo, to his wife, Frances, and to his family. He is a truly deserving recipient of the 2008 Laredo Business Person of the Year by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 445, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''