Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4240.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4240, The Ambassador James R. Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I'd like to begin by thanking the gentlelady from Florida and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for her leadership on this issue.

H.R. 4240 reauthorizes the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, along with some provisions that were included in the 2008 reauthorization. This bill, like its predecessors, is the product of a broad, bipartisan consensus regarding the atrocious human rights situation in North Korea.

This legislation continues to provide resources to assist North Korean refugees, support democracy and human rights programs, and promote freedom of information in the North. It also extends the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues--a vital position that plays a central role in advocating for improved human rights in the North.

As innocent men, women and children flee the repressive North Korean regime at great personal risk, we have a moral obligation to assist these refugees and prevent their forcible repatriation. We must continue working with our close ally South Korea, other friends in the region, and the human rights community to expose the horrendous abuses being committed in the North.

Despite North Korea's efforts to appear ``strong and prosperous'' this year to celebrate the 100th birthday of the country's founder, vast numbers of its citizens continue to face starvation. Sadly, the North Korean regime's misguided priorities--pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its so-called space program, its nuclear programs and its massive military--only underscore its cold-hearted callousness and blatant disregard for its own people.

For the vast majority of North Koreans, life remains as bleak as ever, with the average citizen enjoying no real political, religious, or personal freedoms. Hundreds of thousands of North Korean political prisoners remain imprisoned in gulags.

Some North Koreans endeavor to escape their country by any means possible--even if it means crossing into China, where many refugees are forced into prostitution and servitude. Others are sent back across the border to face torture or even death.

This bill calls on China to halt its forcible repatriation of North Koreans and allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees unimpeded access to North Koreans inside China to determine whether fleeing North Koreans require protection.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4240 is an important demonstration of our bipartisan commitment to assist the North Korean people, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), the ranking member of the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 568, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, and yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution is extremely timely, as next week the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany will once again sit down with Iran to negotiate secession of Iran's nuclear weapons program. What better time for this body to send an unambiguous message that Iran must never be allowed to achieve a nuclear weapons capability and that its nuclear weapons program must end once and for all? That's exactly what this resolution does.

The United States must continue to take the lead in preventing Iran from obtaining the capability to build a nuclear weapon. If Iran were to achieve that capability, neighbors like Saudi Arabia and Egypt would want that capability as well. Others in the region would begin to defer to Iran as if it already were a nuclear power. And worst of all, once Iran acquires the capability, it would be able to build an actual nuclear weapon so quickly that we may not be able to stop it.

Stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability is not simply an American priority, but a global responsibility.

I want to be straightforward about my view. A regime that brutalizes its own people, trains, arms, and dispatches terrorist proxies, props up the repugnant Assad dictatorship, denies the Holocaust, and incites violence against and kills Americans should never be allowed to reach the nuclear threshold.

The urgent nature of the Iranian nuclear threat demands that the United States work with our allies to do everything possible diplomatically, politically, and economically to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. No option, as the President has said, can be taken off the table.

Mr. Speaker, the policy of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability is not unfamiliar to the House of Representatives. Since 2009, we have passed five bills expressing congressional support for this policy. These bills have been supported by nearly every Member of the House.

The resolution before us today reminds us, as well as the world, how Iran has flaunted its flagrant disregard for U.N. Security Council resolutions, is an active state sponsor of terrorism, has engaged in serious human rights abuses against its own citizens, and plotted a heinous terrorist attack on American soil.

This resolution also reminds us of the urgency, as well as the seriousness, of the nuclear issue. And so, as the window is closing, we send a clear message that the House is aligned with the administration in thoroughly rejecting containment, a policy that would have us sit back and watch Iran get the bomb, then try to contain it as we contained the Soviet Union.

I yield myself an additional 30 seconds.

In fact, we have no choice but to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program before it ever reaches that point.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the minority whip, my friend from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the Delegate from American Samoa, the ranking member of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Faleomavaega.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards).

Will the gentlelady yield?

Absolutely not. This resolution is no way intended and in no way can it be interpreted as an authorization for the use of military force. It is a nonbinding resolution that endorses a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear program. It includes no operative authorizations regarding the use of force.

I am pleased to yield 1 minute to a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, my friend from Florida (Mr. Deutch).

Mr. Speaker, I do have a few more speakers.

I am now pleased to yield 1 minute to the ranking member of the Europe and Eurasia Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey, an individual who knows a lot about this subject, Mr. Holt.

Mr. Speaker, could we get an indication of the time remaining on both sides?

I thank the Speaker.

I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the other expert from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my friend from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time.

I yield to the gentlelady from Maryland.

I thank the gentlewoman for the inquiry.

The President is the Commander in Chief. There is no authorization for the use of force.

Contrary to what was said earlier by my friend from Ohio, whatever one thought about the decision to go to war in Iraq, 5 months before that, Congress very explicitly provided an authorization for the use of force. There is nothing in this resolution, and there is no intention in this resolution, to provide that authorization.

Nuclear weapons capability--there are three elements, as defined by the Director of National Intelligence: fissile material production, one. Design, weaponization, and testing of a warhead, two. A delivery vehicle. To be nuclear-capable, you really have to have to master all three elements.

While Iran has the delivery system, they have not yet mastered--but they are making progress--on steps one and two. And if one day, when they've mastered all the other elements and they kick out the inspectors and they shut off the cameras, I will consider them nuclear- capable.

This is about achieving a goal through economic sanctions rigorously applied to achieve a diplomatic resolution. It is the perfect time to bring up this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to pay tribute to Police Commissioner Alan J. Skobin for his outstanding contributions to both community and civic service in Los Angeles County.

Alan Skobin was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners by Mayor James K. Hahn in July 2003 and reappointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, serving two five-year terms as Police Commissioner. His breadth of experience as Commissioner includes unwavering leadership on various fronts including the establishment of the LAPD Purple Heart Award--an award recognizing the sacrifice of officers seriously injured or slain while on duty; the development of a program to regularly replace outdated, vital police equipment, and the initiation of a prevention program for officer-involved traffic collisions.

Commissioner Skobin has also served as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) for more than 30 years, currently holding the rank of Reserve Chief. If that weren't enough, Commissioner Skobin is also the Vice President and Counsel at Galpin Motors in the San Fernando Valley.

Commissioner Skobin's accomplishments have been recognized with commendations and awards from virtually every level of the government and the private sector, including the California Peace Officers Association, naming him Officer of the Year, and Baseballers Against Drugs, which honored him with their Positive Image Award. Additionally, he was honored as one of the top 25 lawyers of the San Fernando Valley, and has received awards from the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation.

As a longtime San Fernando Valley resident, Commissioner Skobin's tremendous legacy in both law enforcement and the community is nothing short of remarkable. His unwavering dedication to public service has brought about significant positive impacts on the communities of Los Angeles. As his tenure with the Los Angeles Police Commission comes to an end, I am grateful that he will continue serving our community with the Los Angeles Fire Commission.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, I ask you to join me in recognizing Police Commissioner Alan Skobin for his years of service and dedication to protecting the citizens of Los Angeles.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4133, the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012, and I yield myself 3 minutes.

I would like to thank my friends, the majority leader, Mr. Cantor, and minority whip, Mr. Hoyer, for bringing this important bill to the floor. Their cooperation on this legislation is an outstanding example of Congress' bipartisan support for the United States-Israel relationship.

Mr. Speaker, since its founding, Israel has faced innumerable challenges to its survival, but the serious threats it faces today are unprecedented. Only weeks ago, a massive barrage of rockets was fired from Gaza at Israeli population centers by Islamic jihad and other terrorists. But unlike previous incidents where terrorists targeted Israel, the Iron Dome anti-missile system--funded in part by the United States--changed the rules of the game. In fact, Iron Dome intercepted a remarkable 90 percent of the incoming rockets aimed at once-defenseless population centers.

Currently, there are only three Iron Dome batteries operational in Israel, with two more on the way, but more are needed in order to protect all of Israel's 8 million citizens.

I'm pleased to say that H.R. 4133 incorporates language from the Iron Dome Support Act, bipartisan legislation that the chair and I recently introduced and which now has nearly 90 cosponsors, expressing support for providing Israel assistance to produce additional Iron Dome batteries.

The bill also pledges to assist Israel with its ongoing efforts to forge a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side by side in peace and security. Despite all of the obstacles to achieving this goal, we can't give up trying, as peace is profoundly in Israel's strategic interest. I applaud Prime Minister Netanyahu's willingness to negotiate anywhere, anytime. The Palestinians should take him up on that offer instead of pursuing a campaign to delegitimize Israel at the U.N. and elsewhere.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the greatest threat to both American and Israeli security today is that posed by Iran's nuclear weapons program. I hope fervently that this can be solved diplomatically. But as we all know, only massive pressure from the United States and our allies has any chance of persuading Iran to give up its quest for nuclear arms. This bill makes clear that the U.S. Congress will continue to help Israel meet the Iranian threat.

Gaza-based terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Iranian nuclear problem are not the only threats faced by Israel. Recent events in Egypt and Syria, along with the presence of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, require Israeli vigilance against danger from all directions. To that end, this bill reaffirms our determination to support Israel's qualitative military edge against any possible combination of regional threats.

I yield myself 30 additional seconds.

And reinforcing that commitment to Israel's security, this bill extends for 4 years a loan guarantee program for Israel that was initiated in 2003, an extension based on legislation that Chairman Ros- Lehtinen and I introduced in March.

Our relationship with our ally Israel is one of the most important, and closest, that we have with any nation in the world. We face many of the same threats, and we share the same values.

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently said that he can hardly remember a better period of U.S. support and cooperation and common U.S.-Israel strategic understanding than the current one. Passage of this bill will help ensure that this cooperation continues into the future. I encourage all of my colleagues to support the legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to my friend from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the very distinguished member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, on a resolution that does not affect--well, it does affect the Western Hemisphere because it affects us, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the other main cosponsor of this legislation, our Democratic whip, a leader for so many years on the issue of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to my friend from Texas (Mr. Al Green).

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

We've had a group of speakers come down to the floor, including the majority leader, the Democratic whip, the chair of the committee, and a number of other Members to talk about our solidarity with Israel, the U.S.-Israel relationship, the bipartisan nature of it.

To the extent there was an implication--which I heard--from the last speaker that this is not a view shared by this administration, I just want to rise and indicate how wrong such an implication is. The President of the United States has indicated that these bonds are unbreakable. He has raised the level of security cooperation and intelligence sharing to unprecedentedly high levels between the United States and Israel. He is leading the international effort to get Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program. He has stood with Israel in the wake of the Goldstone Report, in the wake of the efforts of the Human Rights Commission to demonize and delegitimize Israel, and in the context of vetoing resolutions which unfairly single out Israel on a number of issues. Any implication to the contrary is unfounded and seeks to undercut the very bipartisan nature of the support that is so essential to this relationship.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I along with Representative Bass of California are pleased to pay tribute to Mr. Jim Berk for his outstanding contributions to young people and education in the arts in our community.

Mr. Berk began his impressive career in public education at the age of twenty-one as a music teacher at Carson High. He reopened Carson's music department and quickly built it into one of the largest programs in the State of California. When he left Carson High, Jim went to Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. Together with a committed group of educators, teachers, and parents, Jim founded the Hamilton High School Academy of Music, which is now the largest comprehensive performing arts magnet program in the western United States. The Music Academy is now a treasure in our school system. For 1,000 students every year, it is a special place with a richly diverse campus that provides world class arts education that transforms lives.

Mr. Berk's commitment to the students of Hamilton High deepened when he was appointed Principal of the Alexander Hamilton High School Complex in 1990. He became the youngest principal in the history of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and in that position he instituted an interdisciplinary curriculum combining both academic studies with the arts. During his tenure, an astounding 96 percent of graduating seniors at Hamilton went on to pursue higher education, attendance improved an impressive 22 percent, hitting 94 percent overall, and the schools rating jumped from the 34th percentile to the 81st in state assessment scores.

This year, Hamilton High's Academy of Music is celebrating its 25th year. At a time when so many arts and music programs in public schools are struggling, the community of support that has grown around Hamilton's program is working to ensure that it has the resources it needs to continue in its proud tradition of excellence. In the 25 years since Jim Berk helped to make the Academy of Music a reality, it has maintained a reputation as a crown jewel of public arts education, even as he has carried his skills and dedication to other endeavors.

Mr. Berk's long-standing commitment to our public schools was only the start of his many contributions to our community and to the arts. As the founding executive director of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Foundation, he helped to shape the Foundation's commitment to cultivating an understanding and appreciation of the contribution that recorded music has made to American culture through musical events that engage the recording community, as well as the general public. Mr. Berk later became President and CEO of Hard Rock Cafe International where he also served as CEO of the Hard Rock Foundation. Through the Foundation Mr. Berk helped to provide education, social action grants, and thousands of hours of volunteer services to local charities and schools.

Mr. Berk continues to make a difference in the community through his current position as CEO of Participant Media, an entertainment company that focuses on socially relevant, commercially viable feature films, documentaries, television, and digital media. During Mr. Berk's tenure, Participant Media launched TakePart.com, a social action website that hosts an extensive network of cause-related sites covering an array of social issues as well as ways for individuals to take action. The company has also invested in Me to We, a social enterprise which promotes a socially responsible, globally-focused approach to living for young people who want to help change the world through their daily cht5ices as consumers.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, we ask you to join us in recognizing Jim Berk for his years of service and dedication to arts education and our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to North Hollywood High School on the occasion of advancing to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Science Bowl competition.

Under the leadership of Coach Altair Maine, North Hollywood High School students Rain Tsong, Daniel Bork, Vivek Banerjee, Kennedy Agwamba, and Chiyoung Kim have proven their knowledge and skill by winning the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's 20th Annual Science Bowl Regional Competition. As regional champions, North Hollywood High School is advancing to a field of 69 regional high school championship teams from 40 States. This annual competition provides these commendable young scholars the opportunity to compete in an academically challenging environment that focuses on the principles of mathematics and science.

Now the Nation's largest high school science-based academic tournament, the National Science Bowl underscores the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. This provides a pathway to encourage America's bright young scholars to enter the fields of mathematics and science. As we progress further into this decade, it is becoming increasingly clear that our economy's future will be technology-based. STEM education produces critical thinkers and facilitates the next generation of innovators. This represents the very fabric of American ingenuity. Through STEM education, America will remain a pioneer in science and technology, ensuring our global competitiveness for years to come.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, I ask you to join me in saluting North Hollywood High School and all of the regional champion teams at the National Science Bowl for contributing to a truly excellent educational event that will spark further interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for young Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to pay tribute to my dear friend Ira Freeman, who is being honored by the Valley Community Clinic for his many years of dedicated service and is being named 2012 Pharmacist of the Year by the California Pharmacists Association.

I know firsthand of Mr. Freeman's many outstanding contributions to our community. Ira is a founding member of the Valley Community Clinic (VCC), whose vision is to provide high quality healthcare for all regardless of their ability to pay. Since 1970, Ira has been the Pharmacist of Record for VCC's in-house dispensary, where he oversees the medication processes for all its patients. In addition, he has spent the last four decades volunteering his time in the dispensary every Thursday and Saturday. Along with giving his time to VCC, he also supports many other Valley non-profits including: New Horizons, Ovarian Cancer Coalition, AIDS Walk LA, Executives of the Jewish

Home for the Aging. He was also a board member and Board president of Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce from 1981 1990 and the Studio City Residents Association.

Along with a long and distinguished record of volunteerism and service to his community, Mr. Freeman has been the Owner and Pharmacist at Key Pharmacy since 1964. He earned his degree from Columbia University College of Pharmacy. He actively participates in professional pharmacy associations at the national, state and local level and is actively involved with the legislative process. In fact, his legislative efforts on behalf of pharmacists led pharmacist Barry Pascal to say, ``Ira Freeman has put a pharmacist's face into our political process.'' I can attest to the veracity of this statement because I, myself, have spent many years with Mr. Freeman here in Washington D.C. and in Los Angeles working on different legislation. He served as a member of CPhA PAC, President of the Pharmacists' Professional Society of the San Fernando Valley, and is a founding member of the United Pharmacists Network. He is known as a political activist extraordinaire and is one of the most loved leaders in the community. It is with great pleasure that I call him my good friend.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, I ask you to join me in recognizing Ira Freeman for his years of service and dedication to the community, to honor his many dedicated years at Valley Community Clinic, and to congratulate him on being named 2012 Pharmacist of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3001, the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal--the highest award that can be bestowed by this body--to Raoul Wallenberg on the centennial of his birth.

The story of Raoul Wallenberg's work as an official with the Swedish Embassy in Hungary working in conjunction with the American War Refugee Board is one of bravery, heroism, and ultimately, self sacrifice.

Though Raoul Wallenberg's fate remains a mystery to this day, his legacy can be seen in the tens of thousands of people who survived the war by virtue of his efforts--including my late colleague and friend Tom Lantos and his wife Annette.

Of the 120,000 Hungarian Jews that survived the Holocaust, Raoul Wallenberg, acting under the War Refugee Board, is credited with saving an estimated 100,000 of them in a six-month period.

This year, both Sweden and Hungary celebrate ``Raoul Wallenberg Year'' to mark the 100th anniversary of Wallenberg's birth.

These nations will pay tribute to Wallenberg's courageous work by holding conferences, concerts, exhibitions, and other events to commemorate and educate people about the role he played helping to save the remainder of Hungary's Jewish community.

I hope my colleagues join me in honoring the memory of Raoul Wallenberg and the innumerable individuals and their descendants that he helped save.

Mr. Speaker, I ask Members of the House to vote for this important legislation.

I rise in strong support of the Peters amendment. Without this amendment, the bill will undermine the protections currently in place for wild species under the Endangered Species Act and under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

In this case, the hunters who chose to kill these polar bears knew they were taking a risk. They had good information that polar bears would be listed as an endangered, threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and they acted contrary to it. They were repeatedly warned by Federal agencies and hunting associations that the final listing would cut off imports immediately, and they had well over a year's notice. Despite this knowledge, hunters still chose to shoot and kill polar bears at a time when the species faced severe hardship and when legal protections were imminent.

We should not encourage a small group of people to take conscious risks and then turn around and ask Congress for relief. If we pass this bill without the Peters amendment, we are, in effect, telling hunters that, when species are likely candidates for the endangered or threatened lists, kill them as soon as you can, and then Congress will give you special treatment and exempt you from the law.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Peters amendment. Don't destroy the long-term conservation efforts for the special interests of a few trophy hunters who are hoping for home decor and bragging rights. I will strongly oppose the underlying bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

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

Madam Speaker, this bill arises from a tension between a 1963 statute providing foreign art collectors immunity from seizure and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. It specifically stems from a 2007 court decision that broadened the expropriation exemption under the FSIA and allowed for suits on artwork already immunized under the 1963 law. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and other museums have made clear to me the chilling effect of that decision on artistic exchanges.

This bill resolves the inconsistency between the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the 1963 statute and protects critical cultural exchanges. Specifically, the bill would clarify that foreign states are immune from lawsuits that seek damages for artwork that may already be immune from seizure pursuant to a Presidential determination.

I support this bill for several reasons:

First, cultural and artistic exchanges are a powerful form of democracy that foster mutual understanding, and this bill would remove obstacles to such exchanges;

Second, the bill is narrowly crafted. It provides sovereign immunity only in cases in which the President already immunized the artwork in question;

Third, H.R. 4086 includes an exception for Nazi-era claims. This carve-out is consistent with longstanding American policy to seek restitution when possible for victims of the Nazi government, its allied governments and its affiliated governments.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3992, a bill that places Israel on the list of countries eligible to receive E 2 treaty investor visas, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Smith for his strong support of this bipartisan legislation and for moving it quickly through the Judiciary Committee and to the floor. I also want to thank, along with Chairman Smith, Chairman Gallegly and Ranking Member Lofgren of the Immigration Subcommittee, as well as Chairman Ros-Lehtinen of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for their support and authorship of this legislation.

This legislation will encourage further investment by Israeli business leaders in the United States and lead to the creation of more jobs for American workers. The scope of the legislation is narrow, but at a time when so many Americans are looking for work and families are struggling to make ends meet, every little bit helps.

Israel is one of our closest allies and a leading investor in the U.S. economy.

H.R. 3992 will further strengthen the bonds between our two countries while helping to create U.S. jobs.

There are many hundreds of Israeli companies present in the United States and hundreds of U.S. companies doing business in Israel. E 2 treaty investor visas will enable the business communities in both countries to expand their bilateral investment flow.

Currently, there are over 75 countries whose nationals are eligible for E 2 treaty investor visas. These nations range from Albania to Togo to the United Kingdom. This bill adds merely one country, which is already a significant business partner and contributor to our economic strength. We should be doing everything we can to bring additional Israeli innovations and technologies to the United States.

Israel is an incubator of entrepreneurship, already a global leader in security and defense technologies, medicine, agriculture, and clean energy. Our Nation will benefit greatly from bringing their innovations and scientific advancements to our shores; it would spur investment and introduce new products to the U.S. market.

Recently, a Tel-Aviv biotechnology company developed an advanced cell therapy product that has been used in Israel to achieve a drastic reduction of the mortality rate in patients with deep wound infections. The company invested in an FDA-approved facility in the United States that is engaged in the clinical production of cells.

This Israeli biotech company needs to temporarily transfer one of their executives to the United States to develop, direct, and to oversee local manufacturing to ensure a successful operation. An E 2 treaty investor visa would facilitate this process and allow other Israeli entrepreneurs to explore similar business opportunities with the confidence and assurance that they will be able to monitor their investments.

By passing this bill, Israeli investors are one step closer to expanding their business to our country and creating jobs for American workers. Israel is a trusted friend and a special ally, and this legislation expands business opportunities that will provide economic benefits for both countries. I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the remarks of the ranking member of the Immigration Subcommittee, Ms. Lofgren, be included in the Record.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.

Madam Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry.

I would like to introduce the entire statement of Ranking Member Conyers and subcommittee Ranking Member Lofgren into the Record. I am unclear whether I am able to do that at this time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am submitting the attached statement by World Food Program USA regarding the passing of our good friend and colleague, Congressman Payne.

Statement From Rick Leach, President and CEO, World Food Program USA,

on the Passing of Representative Donald Payne

The entire staff and board of directors of World Food

Program USA mourn the passing of Representative Donald Payne

of New Jersey. Representative Payne was a tireless champion

on behalf of the world's poorest, hungriest people, and his

presence and efforts within the U.S. Congress will be missed.

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa,

Representative Payne played a key role in pushing forward

U.S. policies to respond to the protracted crisis in the

Darfur region of Sudan, as well as across the African

continent. He was one of five members of Congress to

accompany President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton on a

tour of six African nations, and he headed a presidential

mission aimed at finding solutions to the political and

humanitarian crisis in Rwanda. Due to his record of

outstanding service, Representative Payne was chosen by

President George W. Bush to serve for two terms as a

congressional delegate to the United Nations from 2003 2007.

Representative Payne travelled many times to countries in

the worst throes of humanitarian crises, lending his voice

and wielding his influence to help those people most in need.

His many years of steadfast support, dedication, and hard

work have improved the lives of millions of people in Africa,

the United States, and across the globe. He will be

remembered for all that he has contributed to the rights,

well being, dignity and spirit of people across the world. He

was a true humanitarian hero.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 556, which condemns the Government of Iran for its persecution, imprisonment, and sentencing to death of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

Pastor Youcef is a 34-year old father of two who was arrested over two years ago for the crime of converting from Islam to Christianity. In October 2009 he was tried and found guilty of apostasy--and sentenced to death-by-hanging. More recently, the Iranian Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

Iranian law requires that a man accused of apostasy be given three chances to recant his beliefs and return to Islam. Pastor Youcef was given his three chances. In every instance, Youcef refused. Nothing, not even the threat of death, would discourage him from remaining true to his faith. He proved himself as religiously committed as he is physically, and morally, courageous.

Mr. Speaker, last September President Obama said, Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people. . . . A decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities' utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities and for its repression of freedom of thought and of religion, and calls for the immediate release of Youcef Nadarkhani and of all other individuals held or charged on account of their religion.

The House of Representatives should stand in solidarity with Pastor Youcef. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, two of the least noticed and most dangerous trends of recent years have been Azerbaijan's rapidly growing military budget and its increasing bellicosity toward Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh. Last June, during Azerbaijan's largest military parade since the Soviet era, President Aliyev vowed to avenge the deaths of Azerbaijani soldiers killed during the 1988 1994 Nagorno- Karabakh war and declared that ``the war isn't over yet; only the first stage is over.'' He then boasted that Azerbaijan's defense budget is twenty times larger than it was just eight years previously and larger, in fact, than the entire budget of Armenia.

Mr. Speaker, it is particularly appropriate that today, February 27--the anniversary of the 1988 Azerbaijani pogrom directed against its own Armenian population in Sumgait--that we commit ourselves to stopping these ugly threats. Armenian history is drenched in tragedy. Everybody knows about the Armenian Genocide, even if, sadly, only a minority of my colleagues has been willing to recognize it officially. But fewer know about the hundreds of thousands of Armenians murdered under the Ottoman regime in the nineteenth century. And fewer still, it seems, know about the pogroms and ethnic cleansing that Armenians living in Azerbaijan suffered at the hands of Azerbaijanis as the Soviet Union was breaking up.

The Sumgait pogrom that we recall today lasted three days and resulted in the murder of hundreds of Armenian civilians. Other anti- Armenian pogroms took place in Kirovobad November 21 27, 1988, and in the Azerbaijani capital Baku January 13 19, 1990. During this era, there were media reports of Armenians being hunted down and killed in their homes. The systematic pattern of all these attacks suggested that something even more sinister than a mob uprising was at work.

Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan seems bent on destroying every last vestige of the Armenian presence in Azerbaijan. For example, there is videotaped evidence of the Azerbaijani government's December 2005 systematic desecration and destruction of an ancient Armenian cemetery, including thousands of intricately-carved grave-stones in Djulfa, in a section of Azerbaijan near the Turkish border. I believe our State Department still has not adequately examined this incident, and I call on it to do so.

Today is a solemn day as we recall this history of murder, displacement, and destruction, but it is this very history that underscores the

importance of self-determination for Nagorno-Karabakh. I call on the Administration to press the Azerbaijani government to cease its bellicose rhetoric and to stop its headlong rush to war now and to adhere strictly to the principled basis of the Minsk Process, namely, the search for a peaceful, negotiated solution for Nagorno-Karabakh. I likewise call on the Administration to redouble its efforts to achieve a solution for Nagorno-Karabakh. And, on this day when we once again reflect on the brutality Armenians have suffered, and endured, for centuries, I once again call on the Administration simply to acknowledge history and to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the loss of a titan of education in Los Angeles, Shirley Levine, who passed away on January 9, 2012. The entire Los Angeles community suffered a great loss in her passing.

Shirley Levine served as an educator in the LA Unified School District before founding the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in 1972. Encouraged by several local leaders, such as Rabbi Harold Schulweis and Mark Lainer, Shirley laid the groundwork for a school that would fuse humanistic values, a love of Judaism, and unparalleled secular studies. She originally opened the school in North Hollywood, CA, but Heschel quickly outgrew facilities at Adat An El and Valley Beth Shalom synagogues, among other locations, and the school eventually found a permanent home in Northridge, CA. As noted by Rabbi Jan Goldstein, the rabbi-in-residence during Heschel Day School's early years, each institution was forever impacted by Shirley's vision and passion.

As Heschel's Congressman during the 1980s and 1990s, I watched the school mature into a powerful source of moral strength in the San Fernando Valley community, with thousands of roots that trace back to Shirley's instruction and guidance. I have seen these roots firsthand-- many of my constituents are current students and graduates of Heschel, as are some of my staff and close family friends. I can see Shirley's legacy through the activism and Jewish vitality of these individuals.

One graduate related to me stories of weekly Sabbath gatherings in every classroom at Heschel, and how meaningful it was to mark that day each week with peers. The week had an anchor, with the Sabbath as the focus. That epitomizes Shirley's approach--she created an institution with a warm, welcoming environment, one imbued with Jewish and humanistic values. I am also aware that many graduates credit Shirley for making them the person they are today, especially those who spent an inordinate amount of time for disciplinary reasons in Shirley's office. Shirley's son, Darren, stated during Shirley's eulogy that his mother's lasting message is: ``Be passionate about what you do, treat others with compassion, and take actions to make the world a better place.'' I am inspired by the passion in which Shirley led her life; I am mindful of the compassion she imbued in her students; and I am grateful to Shirley for indeed making our community a better place.

My condolences go out to Shirley's husband, Arnold; children Mark, Darren and Marci; and the entire Heschel family.