Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a constituent and citizen activist, Beverly Eckert who lost her life in the tragic crash of flight 3407 just a few weeks ago.

In addition to being a beloved sister, aunt, and friend, Beverly, who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, was an impressive activist and will be missed, both for her outspoken work on behalf of 9/11 victims and by those who knew and love her.

After her husband died on September 11th, Beverly co-founded Voices of September 11, a group that serves those affected by the attacks and advocates for effective response to terrorism.

In the days, weeks and years after the 9/11 attacks, Beverly was a tireless advocate for the victims' families. She spearheaded protests that led politicians to set aside more land for a memorial at Ground Zero, fought to ensure federal authorities would thoroughly probe the cause of the twin towers' collapse, and spoke eloquently again and again about her husband, Sean Rooney, and the many others who died that day.

As a member of the Family Steering Committee, a group of relatives of victims of 9/11, Eckert helped to spearhead the public fight for a 9/11 Commission to investigate the attacks.

Throughout the years, Beverly remained active in the fight against terrorism. This winter she met with President Obama at the White House along with other relatives of those killed on 9/11 and in the bombing of the USS Cole to discuss how the new administration would handle terror suspects.

Beverly's activism should remind all of us what the actions of one person can do. While she did not work alone, we all have her to thank for making us safer today. Her patriotism should be admired and her citizenship should serve as a model for us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act, a bill that will protect public health and safety as well as animal welfare by prohibiting interstate commerce in primates for the exotic pet trade.

Last week, a woman from my district was brutally attacked and nearly killed by a chimpanzee that had been kept as a pet in a private home. Though the victim is currently receiving treatment at a specialized clinic, it is very likely that her wounds are grave and the effects lifelong.

An estimated 15,000 primates are in private hands in the United States, and while some may think chimpanzees and monkeys are good pets, last week's incident made tragically clear that these animals are unsafe when not under supervision of trained professionals. According to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition, at least 100 people have been injured by captive primates over the past decade.

Currently, twenty states prohibit keeping primates as pets, and the importation of such animals into the United States for the pet trade has been prohibited by federal law since 1975. Nevertheless, primates such as the one involved in last week's tragic incident in Stamford are bred in the United States and are readily available for purchase from exotic animal dealers and on the Internet.

By adding primates to the list of animals that cannot be purchased or transported as pets across state lines by individuals, H.R. 80 targets the pet trade and does not affect trade or transportation of animals between zoos, research facilities, or other federally licensed and regulated entities. This is a targeted, common-sense bill that will further protect our communities and promote animal welfare, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a great artist, humanitarian, and longtime resident of Connecticut's 4th District, Paul Newman.

Paul's achievements in philanthropy and the arts are well known. He was an Academy Award-winning film star whose food company, Newman's Own, donated more than $250 million in profits and royalties to charitable causes. Lesser known, however, are Paul's contributions to the community of Westport, Connecticut, where he and his wife Joanne Woodward resided for nearly 50 years together.

Though they could have easily used their Westport home as an escape from their many national and international projects, Paul and Joanne chose instead to become quiet pillars of their town. They were regular volunteers at the Historical Society, the Public Library, and the Westport Country Playhouse--a cultural mecca in my district whose outreach in the community is tremendous, and where Joanne remains Artistic Director.

If you want to know the Paul Newman that Westport knew, consider the following story. In 2000, the Westport YMCA wanted to honor the Newmans for its ``Faces of Achievement'' award and wrote to Paul regarding this idea. The following was Newman's gracious response:

On my 70th birthday, my wife Joanne and I resolved not to

accept any more honors. Not, you understand out of arrogance,

just a mellow belief that we had been honored in gracious

sufficiency and that more would constitute excess. As the

daughter says in Thornton Wilders' Our Town, `Momma, am I

pretty?' Momma replies, `You're pretty enough for all normal

purposes.' Joanne and I have been fortunate to be honored

enough `for all normal purposes.'

Notwithstanding the grace and modesty that Paul carried with him everywhere, we hope that wherever you are, Paul, you'll indulge us in honoring you just one more time.

Barbara Walters once asked Paul Newman what he wanted his epitaph to be. He replied, ``That I was part of our times.'' Paul Newman was both part and paragon of his times, and we in Connecticut will dearly miss him.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the musical accomplishments of Catherine Olson, an eighth-grade student at the Christian Heritage School in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Each academic year, the National Music Certificate Program awards State Achievement Certificates to students with exemplary performance records for music. Of this year's 100,000 participants, only 700 students earned this recognition.

Catherine Olson has been named a recipient of this award for the 2007-2008 academic year and will be playing at Carnegie Hall on February 8, 2009.

I applaud Catherine's efforts. Her accomplishments are a fine example to the young people of our nation to continue in their effort and determination to achieve success in their field. I wish her good luck in her performance on February 8th and congratulate her on her impressive achievements thus far.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 384, a bill to reform the TARP program.

Let us be absolutely clear, had our markets functioned, had our regulators done their job, had our leaders been sufficiently vigilant, neither the TARP program nor its reform would be necessary. But extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.

Four months ago, the TARP was deemed necessary. Yesterday, in committee, we heard from a long line of experts who urged us to grant the new President authority to use the remainder of the TARP funds. On this question, perhaps people of good faith may disagree, but there can be no disagreement that if those funds are to be authorized, this House has an obligation to oversee their use.

We owe it to the American taxpayer to closely watch how their money is used and to assure that it is neither wasted nor used for private benefit. This bill, at great long last, offers that assurance.

As importantly, there can be no disagreement that after providing relief to industry after industry, it is time to get to the heart of the matter: American moms, dads, and children, and the homes that they live in. This bill, none too soon, mandates and funds a national comprehensive foreclosure relief plan that will finally address the root cause of this crisis, the housing problem. As the saying goes, better late than never.

When the sun goes down today, another 7,000 American families will have lost their home. The same will be true tomorrow. We cannot delay. We must act to save the very core of the American Dream.

I commend Chairman Frank for his leadership on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to stand for smart oversight and for the beleaguered American homeowner.