Floor Statements

I first want to congratulate the sponsors and thank them, Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Ramstad, for their tireless effort on behalf of this bipartisan bill. I also want to pay tribute to Paul Wellstone. He and his wife Sheila were very good friends of me and my family. They were both leaders in ending discrimination and making sure that every person in this country has access to affordable comprehensive care, including comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment.

And, if Paul were here today, he would no doubt tell some stories about those he had met throughout the years who would benefit from passing H.R. 1424. And in his absence today, I remember the many, many constituents who I have heard from since first being elected to the Illinois State legislature many years ago who shared with me the need, their desperate need to pass mental health parity legislation.

Every year, about 40 million of us will experience some type of mental disorder; yet one out of every two children and two out of every three adults with diagnosable mental disorders go without treatment.

The good news is that so many mental illnesses are manageable and treatable and curable. The bad news is that, for so many, treatment for mental illness lies far beyond their reach due to high cost sharing and lower caps on services.

Some have said that using the handbook that defines mental health illnesses and is used by the mental health professionals somehow will add to the costs and jeopardize access altogether. But when implemented in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, our own program, in 2001, costs did not increase and not one single insurer dropped out. If we are able to benefit from this level of coverage, shouldn't our constituents get at least that much?

Maintaining strong mental health is just as important as maintaining strong physical health, and it is critical that we pass the strongest parity bill we can today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of my friend and colleague Tom Lantos. Chairman Lantos' passing is a devastating loss both for the United States Congress and for the Nation.

Chairman Lantos was a man of unwavering principle and commitment who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people here at home and around the world. He combined an intense knowledge of the world with an equally intense passion for the rights and security of individuals. Tom Lantos' elegance and eloquence were examples to all of us of how to conduct ourselves as Members of Congress. In my years serving in House, I often looked to him as an example of how to treat our colleagues with courtesy. His respect for this institution was profound.

As the only Holocaust survivor ever to have served in Congress, he had an unfaltering commitment to the promotion of human rights. Having survived one of the darkest chapters in the history of the world, he became a champion for oppressed people everywhere, in every corner of the globe. And as a fellow Jewish Member of Congress, I have been proud to work with Chairman Lantos to defend Israel's right to exist and to join him in his lifelong fight against anti-Semitism.

One of my fondest memories of Tom was working with him to help Congregation Hakafa in Glencoe, Illinois transport their Torah to its original home in the Czech Republic in 2005. The citizens of Lostice, the small town that was the home of the Torah, gathered to celebrate the Torah's return when it was placed in the Ark for the first time since the late 1930s. It was a beautiful moment that connected Jews and non-Jews across continents and it would not have been possible without Chairman Lantos' devoted work.

Chairman Lantos was a proud public servant who selflessly served his constituents in California's 12th District for over 30 years, and I know his loss will be felt deeply in his district, in California, and throughout the world.

I would like to offer my deep condolences to Tom's wife of 58 years, Annette; to his two daughters, Annette and Katrina; and to his 18 grandchildren and his great-grandchildren, who were by his bedside when he passed. The Lantos family, I know, was to Tom his greatest accomplishment. While I know no words can take away the pain of his loss, I hope that the tributes that are pouring in from around the world provide some consolation in this difficult time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 982, a resolution recommending that the House find White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas properly issued by the Judiciary Committee.

Recommending the House cite someone for contempt of Congress is a significant step, one that I support under only the most necessary circumstance. Regrettably, it is a step that must be taken. Since assuming office in 2001, the Bush Administration has repeatedly thumbed its nose at Congress, ignored our constitutional mandate as a check upon the executive branch.

This resolution comes after the Judiciary Committee attempted for months to gain access to information requested by the committee. The Congress has a responsibility to investigate this matter and therefore, the White House' refusal to cooperate with the Congress leaves us no choice.

Testifying before the House Rules Committee yesterday, my colleague John Conyers said that he had written nine letters over more than 8 months trying to resolve this matter. But despite properly issued subpoenas, the White House had ``determined that it has the unilateral authority to prevent Mr. Bolten from providing us with a single piece of paper and to prevent Ms. Miers from even showing up at a committee hearing.'' Madam Speaker, the President is wrong and we have a responsibility to the American people to correct him.

If the executive branch can disregard congressional subpoenas in this way, we no longer have a system of checks and balances. That is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is our responsibility to protect it. That is why I am proud to join my colleagues today in support of the resolution.

Madam Speaker, this week, the Washington Post listed a number of existing programs that would be eliminated in President Bush's budget. These are programs that make a real difference in people's lives but have gotten less attention than the major cuts in his budget.

For example, the President's budget proposes to eliminate the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food packages for about 500,000 low-income elderly persons, women, and children each month. The program received $140 million in 2008. To put that in context, $140 million is the cost of funding 10 hours of the war in Iraq.

During this economic downturn, the President's budget eliminates the Community Services Block Grant and other community services programs. These programs, which were funded at $698 million in 2008, reduce poverty

and provide assistance for individuals dealing with housing, health, nutrition, energy, and substance abuse problems. $698 million is the cost of a little more than 2 days of the war in Iraq.

At a time of soaring energy prices and record oil company profits, the President's budget eliminates Weatherization Assistance to help Americans lower their energy bills by making improvements to their home's energy efficiency. At $227 million, these program cuts would provide to funding for a little more than 16 hours of the war in Iraq.

The President's budget also eliminates the COPS program, which provides grants and other assistance to help communities hire, train, and retain police officers and to improve law enforcement technologies. In 2008 it received $587 million, the cost of about a day and a half in Iraq.

The President's budget eliminates the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps small U.S. manufacturers by providing resources to help them create jobs, leverage private-sector investment, and be more competitive. These cuts would reduce private-sector investment in U.S. manufacturing by an estimated $1.5 billion, and lead to the loss of approximately 37,000 jobs which could be created or retained. The MEP only cost $87 million in 2008, the cost of a little more than 6 hours in Iraq.

The budget eliminates $1.2 billion in funding for career and technical education in high schools and vocational colleges. This would withdraw assistance for approximately 8 million students who are currently supported by the program--at a cost of approximately 3\1/2\ days in Iraq.

Finally, the President's budget eliminates Medicaid funding for the Graduate Medical Education program, which provides physician training programs to pediatricians to address the major shortfall in pediatric specialists. The policy reduces funding to the program by $302 million--the cost of a little less than 1 day for the war in Iraq.

Taken together, all of these programs, which benefit millions of Americans, would pay for a little more than a week in Iraq. President Bush's budget represents a sad continuation of his failed fiscal policies. With this budget, the President is telling us that he believes that America should slash investments that help the families across the Nation who are struggling to make ends meet, and that we should instead waste billions of dollars on a misguided war and on tax cuts for his wealthy friends.

I hope that my colleagues reject these cuts and reject any budget that makes funding the war in Iraq a higher priority than meeting the needs of American families.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 5104. I do so because there is no reason to extend the Protect America Act. Should the Protect America Act expire, our intelligence community will not be left in the ``dark,'' as some suggest. Rather the FISA courts will simply return to operating under the original FISA law, a law which protected the civil liberties of all Americans while also granting the President the tools he needs to conduct an aggressive campaign against terror.

As many of my colleagues have argued today, the original FISA law, which passed in 1978 needs to be updated. It was passed to address surveillance concerns at a different time in our Nation's history, when some of the technological strides we have made since, were simply unimaginable. As a member of the Intelligence Committee, I strongly support efforts by the Speaker and leaders of both parties to work together to update FISA. However, I cannot in good conscience vote in favor of a one-month extension of the Protect America Act. I cannot do so because the reality is that the Protect America Act does not make Americans any safer--rather it allows the Government to pursue an enormous and untargeted collection of international communications without court order or meaningful oversight by either Congress or the courts. Furthermore, it is one of the most damaging pieces of legislation against civil liberties I have seen in my eight years in the U.S. Congress.

I feel so strongly that the Protect America Act is an affront to our values, that in my opinion it is in the best interest of all Americans that this misguided bill be allowed to expire rather than extended for even one more day.

In order to understand why I feel so strongly, let me take a moment to outline some of the most abhorrent provisions in the bill we are considering extending:

First, it allows the Attorney General to issue program warrants for international calls without court review. This provision removes the FISA court, which has overseen the process for 30 years and instead places the Attorney General in charge of determining the legitimacy of surveillance. Needless to say, this is an enormous responsibility and we must all question the wisdom of placing so much authority on the shoulders of one Administration official.

Secondly, it includes no provisions to prevent ``reverse targeting,'' the practice whereby surveillance is conducted on a foreign person in order to hear their conversations with a person in the United States who is the actual target. Under the Protect America Act, these conversations can be heard, recorded and stored without a warrant.

Lastly, the Protect America Act reduces the oversight capabilities of Congress by requiring the Attorney General to provide to Congress only the information the Justice Department sees fit to report. This provision removes an important check upon America's secret surveillance program.

Taken together, the Protect America Act represents a significant infringement on each American's civil liberties and allows for a potentially dangerous abuse of power by our government. I urge each of my colleagues to vote against its extension and allow the original FISA law to be reinstated. Doing so will allow the Congress time to work on a bipartisan update of the FISA and in the meantime give the intelligence community the tools they require while also protecting the rights and liberties of all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act. Although this bill includes some very important provisions, like the private security contracting language I fought so hard to include, I am unable to support this legislation because it authorizes $41.8 billion to continue the war in Iraq. It is unfortunate that this funding was part of this bill because otherwise I would have been proud to vote for this legislation. Nevertheless, I am very proud of the provisions to increase oversight and transparency over private security contractors, which Representative Price, Senator Obama and I worked so hard to include in this bill.

This bill contains important provisions to regulate private security contractors, including nearly all of the provisions from H.R. 897, the Iraq and Afghanistan Contractor Sunshine Act, which I introduced in February to give Congress access to the basic information necessary for us to do our job of providing gravely needed oversight of private contractors. The Defense Authorization Act would give Congress access to information about contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan including a description of each contract, the value of each contract, the total number of personnel employed on contracts and the total number of contractors killed or wounded. I am happy to see these provisions from my legislation included in today's bill.

The series of lethal incidents involving private security contractors in Iraq over the past 2 months have made it crystal clear that we must provide oversight of private contractors. This National Defense Authorization Act would increase oversight by the Department of Defense and the Department of State by mandating that they create clear regulations to govern contractor conduct, investigate any violent incidents like the September 16th Blackwater shooting, and clarify contractors' use of force.

Further, any new contract signed 180 days after the bill is enacted would have to contain a clause saying that contractors must comply with the new regulations and that all contract personnel performing private security contracts understand that they must comply with U.S. laws and the laws of the host country, orders issued by the combatant command, rules on the use of force, and any investigation into violent incidents conducted by DOD. If they do not comply, their contract could be terminated. This will create a powerful tool that the United States could use to ensure that private security contractors follow the law and are held responsible for their actions.

The National Defense Authorization bill also goes a long way toward restoring troop readiness. It includes a badly needed 3.5 percent pay raise for servicemembers and prohibits increases in TRICARE and pharmacy user fees. The bill also includes the Wounded Warrior Act to address the problems experienced by wounded and injured servicemembers that became apparent earlier this year at Walter Reed.

I also support the increase in the number of visas for the brave Iraqis who have worked with the United States and have been targeted for their efforts.

While I cannot vote for the bill because it includes $41.8 billion for the war in Iraq without a withdrawal deadline, I would like to thank Chairman Skelton for addressing so many of my concerns about bringing accountability to private contracting and to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, today we award a Congressional Gold Medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in recognition of her courageous commitment to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and democracy in Burma.

Mr. Speaker, the images we have seen from Burma over the past year have been nothing short of horrifying. Soldiers firing automatic weapons into unarmed crowds and the charred body of a Buddhist monk, slain, lying face down in a pool of water stained with blood, are just two examples of the oppression that continues to plague Burma.

In the face of this horror, a hero has emerged. For close to 20 years, Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has continued to fight for freedom and equality in Burma in the face of tremendous adversity. She has been arrested on numerous occasions, held under house arrest, and even had an attempt made on her life. In spite of this, Suu Kyi continues to speak out and to urge democracies throughout the world to come to Burma's aid. Her message is a simple one: ``Use your liberty to promote ours.''

Today, as we award the Congressional Gold Medal to Suu Kyi, we stand with her to demand democratic change in Burma.

I believe that while change will not come overnight to Burma, it will come. And when it does, it will be my great pleasure to join my colleagues in welcoming Aung San Suu Kyi to Washington so that we can thank her in person for her historic and courageous stand for liberty.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Rush for yielding to

me and for your support. I also want to extend my appreciation to Chairman Dingell whose assistance and guidance were critical in bringing this important bill, H.R. 1216, the Cameron Gulbransen Transportation Safety Act, to the floor today.

One of the most painful things I've been a part of as a Member of Congress are the press conferences which come about every 6 months or so in which parents and grandparents come to share pictures of their children and loved ones, some of whom they have accidentally killed by rolling over them with their vehicles. Imagine that for a moment, particularly in this time of year, as we wish to be with those we love the most.

I am here today because of these courageous people, driven by such horrifying accidents. Today we can pass this bill and reduce these unimaginably tragic and unnecessary deaths and make them a thing of the past. At just 2 years of age, Cameron Gulbransen was tragically killed when his father, a pediatrician from Long Island, accidentally backed over him. This bill is a tribute to him and the hundreds of other young children who have died.

This legislation was first introduced back in 2003 with my colleague from New York, Congressman Peter King, whose constituent is Dr. Gulbransen. But today I stand here with strengthened resolve. Just 2 days ago as her mother picked up snow shovels that had been left in the driveway, Ashlynn Lauber, an 8-year-old from just outside Collinsville, Illinois, my State, was killed when the family car rolled over her.

Unfortunately, since we first introduced H.R. 1216, well over 1,000 children have needlessly died in preventable accidents, and this year alone 200 children have died of back-over accidents. Many children are killed in these kinds of accidents each year without ever leaving their driveways, suffocated by unsafe power windows, backed over by cars with major blind spots, or hit because a car was accidentally put into motion by a child who could not control it.

H.R. 1216 is commonsense, consensus legislation that reflects input from the auto industry as well as child safety advocates. This legislation will require the Secretary of Transportation to set minimum safety standards for cars, SUVs and trucks, and to begin rule-making in three areas: Expanding rearward visibility, enabling power windows to automatically reverse direction when an obstruction is detected, and requiring brake pedals to be engaged when a vehicle is not in park.

Expanding the rearward visibility standard will give drivers a better means of detecting when small children or objects are behind their vehicles. Some SUVs have rearward visibility so poor that up to 62 children could fit in their blind spot with the driver being none the wiser. This provision will enable drivers to detect areas behind motor vehicles and will help reduce deaths and injuries from backing incidents, particularly for children and the disabled.

Instructing the Secretary to consider requiring power windows to automatically reverse direction when an obstruction is detected will help prevent small children from being caught in or strangled by windows. These accidents have taken a minimum of 21 lives over the last 5 years.

And finally, requiring every vehicle's brake pedal to be engaged when the car is shifted out of ``park'' and into another gear will prevent anyone not intending to drive the car, such as a child who cannot typically reach the brake pedal, from accidentally setting the car into motion. In the past 5 years, at least 80 children have lost their lives in this kind of accident.

Families want safe cars. They deserve these commonsense safety features. It is time that we make sure they get them. And one of the best parts of this bill is that it will direct the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to create a publicly searchable database of nontraffic, noncrash-related motor vehicle injuries and to establish a child safety information program to help consumers address ways in which parents and caregivers can reduce risks to small children.

Better design and technologies already exist, and they are getting better and cheaper every day. Many companies already offer these added safety features on their higher end vehicles, but protecting our children is not a luxury to be priced out of reach for most Americans. It is time that manufacturers include these features in every vehicle.

I'd like to publicly thank Kids and Cars and the Consumers Union for strenuously advocating for the safety of children and for taking on the critical problem of unsafe cars. And I, again, want to thank Chairman Dingell, Mr. Barton and Mr. Stearns for their efforts. And I would like to thank Jonathan Cordone and David Cavicke on the committee staff for all their hard work on this bill. I also want to extend a special thanks to Congressman Peter King for his leadership and resolve that he's demonstrated over the years.

And finally, I want to thank Diane Beedle, my former legislative director, who worked tirelessly on this issue, and the families who have turned their tragedies into advocacy.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding to me. And I thank you, Chairman Dingell, Ranking Member Barton and vice chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Stearns, for bringing this bill to fruition.

This is the season of giving, but parents today are worrying about whether the toys they buy for their children will be safe or a potentially lethal hazard.

The Chicago Tribune recently tested 800 toys and found a wooden butterfly in an Oak Park toy store with 85,000 parts per million of lead, 142 times the legal limit.

A Superman figurine contained 33,000 parts per million. The Associated Press followed up with their own tests, and 35 percent of the toys they looked at were contaminated with lead levels above the legal limit.

We should have a Consumer Product Safety Commission that is aggressive in protecting our children, our most precious resource. We should, but we don't. Unfortunately, the CPSC acting chairwoman seems content with the status quo.

H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, recognizes that the status quo of daily recalls, injuries and deaths is not acceptable. I support this bill because it provides new authority and resources to make products, particularly children's products, safe.

There are many important provisions in this bill. It would virtually ban lead in products intended for children age 12 and younger. It will mandate independent third-party testing for hazards in children's products and improve the recall process. It includes provisions from legislation I introduced to require long-overdue mandatory safety standards for durable infant and toddler products and strengthen recall effectiveness by requiring them to include recall registration cards.

I hope we can make this bill even stronger. Even with added resources authorized from the bill, a major improvement from the levels requested by President Bush, we could do better, particularly when it comes to monitoring imports. I support measures to add mandatory premarketing testing and other important things. But ultimately, we need to pass this legislation.

I support measures to add mandatory premarketing testing, tough whistleblower protections and the assurance that injured consumers will have full rights to hold wrongdoers accountable. And while I support provisions to encourage manufacturers to report dangerous products, I remain concerned about the effect those provisions would have on criminal liability and hope we can take a further look at this.

Ultimately no legislation will be successful if the CPSC continues to shirk its mandate of protecting consumers. I want to thank Chairman Dingell and Chairman Rush for their hard work on this bill and for their commitment to

holding vigorous oversight of CPSC's activities. I look forward to working with them to make this bill even stronger.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3793, the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act. I am proud to cosponsor this important, bipartisan legislation which will ensure that members of the Armed Services who are discharged as a result of combat-related wounds receive the full compensation to which they are entitled.

H.R. 3793 was prompted by the recommendations of the Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors, co-chaired by former Senator Bob Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. It will reverse a Department of Defense rule that unfairly penalizes wounded soldiers and prohibits them from receiving their full enlistment bonuses.

While facing the threat of a hostile enemy, our veterans have too often returned home to find more trouble: gaps in health care services, limited educational assistance, problems finding employment and a lack of support for their families. Too often, our brave military men and women find that while they have been willing to serve their country, their country is not ready to serve them. We can take an important step in reversing that trend by ensuring that veterans receive all the pay for which they are entitled.

According to Department of Defense rules, enlistees cannot receive their full enlistment bonus unless they fulfill their entire military obligation. Unfortunately, members of the Armed Services who are wounded while on active duty are not receiving their full bonuses because their service was prematurely cut short. The Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act will correct this problem by requiring the Department of Defense to provide veterans who have been discharged due to combat-related wounds with full payment of remaining bonuses within 30 days of discharge. This will ensure that America's wounded warriors receive the full compensation promised to them.

These wounded veterans have earned their bonuses by answering the call to service. Now is the time to heed the recommendation of the Dole-Shalala Commission and fix this problem.

I would like to thank Congressman Jason Altmire for introducing this legislation and Chairman Bob Filner for prioritizing the health and well-being of the Nation's veterans.

Madam Speaker, this bill, our first in 3 years, will strengthen the oversight of the intelligence community, require reports on the administration's compliance with the Detainee Treatment Act, and reduce the overall number of contractors employed by intelligence agencies.

But for me, the most important element of this bill, the main reason I am supporting this conference report, was added just 1 week ago during conference. When the intelligence oversight committees gathered to consider the conference report, we inserted an amendment that would require all intelligence agencies to comply with the U.S. Army Field Manual on interrogations. This would mean no more torture and no more questions about what the CIA is allowed to do behind closed doors. The Army Field Manual is unclassified, and explicitly prohibits waterboarding, use of hoods, electric shocks and mock executions. The military has voluntarily imposed these restrictions upon itself, and now we must impose the same rules on the intelligence community.

I'm a new member of the Intelligence Committee. The Speaker called me at the beginning of this session and asked if I would serve my country by joining this important and distinguished group, and I consider my work on this bill to be just that.

The intelligence agencies we oversee operate in the shadows, and on the Intelligence Committee, we learn about policies and priorities and problems that no one in the broader public will ever see. Some of these issues are very troubling. Some of them keep me up at night.

The question of interrogation techniques is one of the most important I've dealt with on the committee, and I'm gratified we're having this debate today in a public forum.

My colleagues in the minority complain that the inclusion of this provision will make it impossible for our intelligence officers to protect the American people from terrorists. As a member of the Intelligence Committee, I assure you that those claims are false. But don't take my word for it. Please consider the advice of General David Petraeus, who said in a May 10 memo to the members of the Armed Forces that the Army Field Manual allowed intelligence officials to get the information they need. Among the things he said is, quote, ``our experience in applying the interrogation standards laid out in the Army Field Manual on human intelligence collector operations that was published last year shows that the techniques in the manual work effectively and humanely in eliciting information from detainees.''

If we don't pass this bill with this provision, how can we assume the moral authority to criticize Burma or any other nation for its treatment of prisoners?

In the end, we have hurt our own country and undermined the real source of our strength, the rule of law and the sanctity of our Constitution. We're fighting for the soul of our country today. I urge the adoption of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Reverend John Fredrick Norwood who died on December 7, 2007.

Reverend Norwood and I were friends for over 20 years. We were friends in the very best sense. We stuck with each other through thick and thin--through victories and defeats, good times and challenging times. He was a great source of support for me and my husband Bob.

Reverend Norwood (I rarely called him John) was my mentor. He advised me and helped me as I ran my campaigns, as I set up my offices and as I worked in my official capacities to serve our community.

Reverend Norwood was a role model for me. I saw him treat those with the least, with the greatest respect. He helped and befriended people regardless of race, gender, or station in life. No one had fallen too far for John Norwood to offer a helping hand, often with no public recognition for doing so. His generosity of spirit and of material things had no bounds.

Reverend Norwood was courageous. He would insert himself into controversies that others avoided when he knew the cause was just and his voice was needed, regardless of the consequences.

Reverend Norwood was a spiritual adviser to me, something that may sound odd from a Jewish woman and proud member of Beth Emet synagogue. Next to Beth Emet, however, Mt. Zion was my spiritual home. I will never, ever forget the day that he prayed for me as I knelt in front of the church while he and members placed their hands on me. I was deeply touched inside and out and filled with the commitment to always do my best to be worthy of their blessings.

Whether it was helping the children at that great organization Family Focus, serving as Senior Police Chaplain or on the District 65 school board, working for political candidates, or reaching into his own pocket to help, for example, to pay for funeral expenses for a family in need, Rev. Norwood was a kind and generous and loving man. His legacy will live on in the many people he helped, in the many improvements he made in our community, and in the many lives that he deeply touched, including mine.

I feel so fortunate that I was able to have a wonderful afternoon visit with Rev. Norwood at the North Shore just days before he died. He was clearly so happy to be back in Evanston, and I marveled at how well he looked. The very next day, I was in Washington, DC with Barack Obama and I had him sign a photo for Rev. Norwood. I was planning to bring it to him for Christmas. Barack remembered him fondly from his days campaigning for the U.S. Senate and wrote ``To Rev. Norwood, God Bless.''

And God did bless Rev. Norwood with a good life filled with loving family and friends and an abundance of achievements great and small. He is home now and sorely missed here. I loved Rev. Norwood and I always will. On behalf of my husband and myself, I extend our most sincere condolences to his family and closest friends and all who mourn the loss of our precious friend, Rev. John Fredrick Norwood.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great community leader, Ralph Henry ``Smiley'' Seyller, of Hampshire, Illinois who passed away November 17, 2007 at the age of 82.

Ralph was a man of many hats who dedicated his life to community service. Whether as a coach or park district director, much of his life was spent mentoring and encouraging children and developing programs in Burlington, St. Charles and Hampshire, Illinois.

His many contributions and honors include:

Ralph Seyller established the Burlington Boys Club and served as counselor for 17 years. For his efforts, the Village named the baseball field in his honor and inducted him into their Hall of Fame.

After 25 years of employment at St. Charles High School, Ralph was honored for his service to the youth of St. Charles High School and his contributions to the Athletic Department. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame and given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

In retirement, Ralph organized the Hampshire Park District and served as Director for 20 years. During his tenure, he established programs for people of all ages. His major accomplishments included creation of the Little People Playtime Pre-School program, now in its 25th year and occupying its own facility. He created the Coon Creek Classic Run/Walk which eventually included 800 runners. And he organized trips to Cellular and Wrigley Fields to watch the Chicago White Sox and Cubs play baseball. In appreciation of those and many other contributions, the east park was named the Ralph H. Seyller Park.

Ralph served many years as Democratic Precinct Committeeman.

I was privileged to know Ralph Seyller, whose son David Edmonson is married to my niece Jodi. His life serves as a role model for

those who want to make their own communities the best that they can be in serving the needs and desires of their residents. My heart goes out to those who will miss him most, his loving wife and partner, Catherine, and his children Sarajane, David, Donald and Susan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to address a problem of growing importance: the problem of long-term unemployment.

I recently received a letter from a constituent, who urged me to speak out on behalf of workers unable to find appropriate jobs at living wages, who are being excluded from productive participation in the workforce. She called for Congressional action.

Jean SmilingCoyote of Chicago wrote, ``When unemployed Americans run out of unemployment compensation, they are counted neither as unemployed nor as part of the labor force. . . . We need to take pro- active steps to end long-term unemployment of Americans. The first step is to have these people identify themselves and what they can contribute economically. We have to persuade employers to hire them for appropriate jobs at living wages, starting with people who've gotten a good education and stayed out of trouble.''

We need to adopt measurements that accurately count the number of unemployed and policies that help create good jobs in the private and public sectors. I hope that we will make this a priority in the 110th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my sadness over the passing of our former colleague and friend, Henry Hyde, and my respect for his decades of public service on behalf of the people of Illinois.

Representative Hyde was known throughout the country as a man of strong beliefs, a public servant who fought hard for his convictions with eloquence and passion. Those of us in the House of Representatives--especially those of us served with him in the Illinois delegation--also knew him as a gentleman. Disagreements on some issues never prevented him from working with a colleague on other matters.

I was one who often disagreed with Congressman Hyde, but we were always able to talk about our differences and work together on bipartisan issues, such as investigating the causes of oil and gasoline price increases in the Chicago market, ending the genocide in Sudan and the AIDS epidemic in Africa, fighting global poverty and the proliferation of destabilizing nuclear weapons, and addressing gun violence. I always felt that I could reach out to Congressman Hyde and have an open and beneficial discussion, even on the most controversial issues. He was the only person who ever called me ``Janny,'' a private nickname I enjoyed.

Congressman Hyde was born in Rogers Park, Chicago and went to St. George High School in Evanston. He was first elected to Congress in 1974, after already having had a distinguished career as a lawyer, World War II veteran, and member of the Illinois General Assembly. He served the 6th District of Illinois for 32 years, never forgetting his roots, his responsibilities or his values. He will be missed.