Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico. I also thank the gentleman from Wisconsin this evening for being here in support of H.R. 4750. As has been indicated, this is a very important issue for many in both the State of Nebraska and the State of Kansas. I particularly want to express my appreciation to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and really the cooperation that has existed on very difficult issues between the State of Nebraska and the State of Kansas.

Water is a huge issue in the midwest. It always has been, probably always will be. But it is especially exacerbated by the fact of inadequate rainfall for now, four, five and six years in much of Kansas and much of Nebraska.

An agreement was reached, compact litigation ensued. Ultimately a settlement of that litigation was reached. And that settlement provides for the State of Nebraska and the State of Kansas to come together, provide some money, share with the Federal Government.

The Department of Interior would then conduct a study. The State of Kansas, and I believe the State of Nebraska has appropriated this money for the fiscal year. That is why this legislation is so important to be timely considered and timely approved. All that now remains is for the Federal Government to meet its obligation under the settlement agreement.

The feasibility study is desperately needed to increase the water availability to find out how we do that, and to encourage its efficient use and conservation within our delivery system.

Madam Speaker, the feasibility study authorized by 4750 is not only necessary to ensure the State remains in compliance with that agreement, but to make certain that the economic, agriculture and personal use of water is done in a very efficient and effective way.

I urge Members of Congress to approve this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the citizens of Burns, Kansas for continuing efforts to sustain and revitalize their community.

With a population of approximately 450, the citizens of Burns and the surrounding area demonstrate pride in their community through action.

Over the course of many years, steps have been taken to ensure that the future of Burns is a bright one.

In October of 2002, ground was broken on a new community center. With assistance from the Kansas Department of Commerce Kan-Step Program, the building was completed in March of 2003. During that five-month period, crews of volunteers worked on the center on a daily basis. Cabinets and More, a local business, volunteered more than 300 hours of labor to build and install cabinets. A donation of $18,000 was made by the Burns school alumni for window blinds and furniture. Twenty tables and 200 chairs were provided at cost--saving the community $7,000. The end result is a building that sports a wellness center, youth room, a place for seniors to quilt and a great kitchen. The center is constantly reserved for civic events and private gatherings. Carolyn Koehn, former city clerk and coordinator of the community center project, believes the facility demonstrates a collective willingness to enhance Burns' quality of life--today and for future generations. ``This project would have not succeeded without the culture of volunteerism and the acceptance of change and new ideas in the Burns community,'' Koehn said.

More recently, residents banded together to transform the former post office into a new community library and city hall. Grant funding from USDA Rural Development covered $50,000 of the project expense. Impressively, more than $95,000 was raised by the Burns Public Library Board from private sources. Approximately half that amount came from local and area residents. The fundraising effort consisted of phone calls, an ice cream social by the Burns United Methodist Church and an 800 letter fundraising campaign. The new city hall and library was completed in May of 2006. Barb Stuhlsatz, library board president, is excited by the additional opportunities that the new facility affords area residents. ``We now have a state-of-the-art library that provides reading programs, GED assistance and computer access to residents of Burns and the surrounding area,'' Stuhlsatz said.

The Burns PRIDE committee is always searching for ways to promote the community. Sandy Heyman, a committee member, came up with a unique way to achieve this goal. She initiated the sale of two-foot tall concrete roosters to local businesses and residents. Upon sale, the roosters were then creatively decorated. In May of 2004, Burns hosted its first ever Rooster Parade. In all, more than 60 roosters have been sold, decorated and are on display. In recognition of the project's success, the local Lions Club has purchased a four-foot rooster that serves as a welcome

sign on the way into town. Sandy is proud of how the roosters have united her hometown. ``It is amazing how many people participated in the project,'' Heyman said. ``The roosters really brought people together.''

Additional art can be found in the Prairie Arts store, an arts and crafts mall that attracts visitors from across the country. A local group of artists and craftsmen organized the business, which displays intricate wheat weavings, beautiful quilts, handcrafted wood items and much more. The arts and crafts mall is one of more than 20 businesses that call the Burns area home.

Local residents developed a new memorial park, which includes a pavilion, picnic tables, walking path, horseshoe pit, basketball goal and restroom. In addition, volunteers installed new city street signs, made improvements to the local ball field and constructed a new gazebo.

Since 1954, families in Burns have hosted international students in their homes over the Thanksgiving holiday. The program was initiated by Betty Grimwood and Bonnie Lohrentz, who thought it would be great if foreign students could experience rural, American culture. In recognition of how thoroughly the community embraced the idea, Burns received a Distinguished Service Award from the Institute of International Education in 1959. The award was presented by then Vice President Richard Nixon. Over the last 52 years, more than 60 local families have served as student hosts. In excess of 500 people representing 110 countries have visited Burns. Today, local resident Tom Grimwood carries on his mother's international legacy. Tom and his wife Nedy teach Spanish and Italian at American companies. They also welcome foreign students into their home every Thanksgiving. Tom is proud of the reputation that the program has developed over the years. ``One of our students told us that Burns is the smallest town with the biggest diplomatic service in the world,'' Grimwood said.

In her 21 years as a resident, Mayor Mary Glenn has witnessed first hand how her community pulls together in order to achieve a goal. ``All of our accomplishments are made possible because of a tremendous volunteer effort,'' Glenn said.

Stuhlsatz knows that her hometown is special. ``The people of Burns are awesome,'' Stuhlsatz said. ``They are like a family and whether they still live here or not, they work together to keep Burns a place you want to come home to.''

For rural communities to survive and prosper into the future, citizens must be willing to create their own opportunities for success. Ongoing efforts to revitalize Burns are an example of how hard work, vision and community support can create such opportunities. Citizens throughout Kansas are working together to enhance the quality of life in their communities. Burns is a success story that demonstrates how teamwork and creative thinking can make a positive difference in rural America.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate from time to time that we reflect upon our country's past, study events of history, and remember what we have learned from those who came before us.

The western Kansas town of Nicodemus, though small in size, has a rich history that can teach us much about who we are as Kansans, and who we are as Americans.

Discrimination and slavery are an unfortunate part of our country's history. Black Americans suffered greatly, and many fought and died to obtain their freedom. The struggle between pro-slavery forces and abolitionists was fought across the country. And significant battles took place in my home State of Kansas during the 1850s.

The outcome of Bleeding Kansas was a free State in the heart of an expanding nation that offered hope and opportunity to former slaves. While the end of the Civil War brought with it expectations that African Americans would finally enjoy the rights described in our founding documents, many rights obtained were largely stripped away by the end of the Reconstruction period.

Many recognized the sacrifice that Kansas had made to become a free State. Ex slaves left the south and ventured out to the vast prairies of Kansas in search of freedom and opportunity.

The destination for many of these individuals was Nicodemus. Founded in 1877 by six African American men, Nicodemus was formed as a community specifically for African Americans. At a time when prejudice and oppression were still common, Nicodemus offered African Americans a place to own their own land, to make a living farming, and to prosper in a jurisdiction allowing self government.

The young community of Nicodemus grew and prospered during the 1880s as a result of the ingenuity of black entrepreneurs and the dedication and commitment of black farmers. Though many African Americans in the south were denied an education, Nicodemus established schools and educated the town's children. Since the bustling activity and growth of the 1880s, Nicodemus has had its ups and downs, yet it today remains a community of African Americans and a testament to the human desire for freedom.

Nicodemus is the only remaining western town established by emancipated slaves during the reconstruction period, and it is critical that its history not be lost.

On November 12, 1996, Congress recognized the historical significance of Nicodemus and established the Nicodemus National Historic Site to preserve, protect and interpret this unique community. Thanks to Congressional action, the National Park Service and especially the residents of Nicodemus, this community and its story are being preserved for future generations.

Each year during the last weekend in July, Nicodemus is transformed again into a busy community, full of activity, for the emancipation celebration. At this event, former residents and their families return to Nicodemus to share stories and to enjoy one another's company.

This year, the community will not only celebrate the first emancipation of slaves in the western hemisphere, but also Nicodemus's 10th anniversary as a National Historic Site. Nicodemus is a special community that reminds us both of the struggles and the accomplishments of African Americans.

I am proud of this community. Nicodemus deserves to be honored for its contributions to American history. I commend and encourage the preservation efforts of the National Park Service and the residents of this amazing town.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my gratitude for an incredibly well hosted event in my district this past week. Through a collaboration of more than 2,500 volunteers, the renowned Prairie Dunes Country Club and the United States Golf Association, the 2006 U.S. Senior Open was contested in Hutchinson, KS.

I was proud to be in the crowd of this well attended tournament. The state of Kansas and this community did a wonderful job of showcasing our welcoming spirit and beautiful landscape.

The names of Watson, Player, Irwin, Crenshaw and Kite are easily recognizable to golf enthusiasts. After his repeat victory, Allen Doyle should also now join this list of distinguished champions as a household name.

But there were more than just famous golfers who made this a successful event. I'm certain that Kansans will join with me in specifically thanking Mr. Allen Fee, Tournament General Chairman, and Mr. Greg Conrad, Championship Director, for their collective contributions in making this an outstanding week of golf. I also want to thank the legion of volunteers who gave of their time and talents. As testament to the event's success, volunteers from 27 states joined nearly 115,000 spectators in establishing the mark for the largest sporting event in Kansas history.

The real star of this championship, however, was the golf course itself. Many golfers and spectators commented that Prairie Dunes was stunning, from tee to green, from fairway to ``gunsch'', and provided the level of difficulty required in a tournament of this high caliber. To the unfamiliar, what players and spectators alike found was a course ranked by many in the top 15 in the United States, and the top 25 in the world. From its origins dating back to 1937, Prairie Dunes continues to emphasize native prairie grasses and its famous ``Maxwell Rolls'' greens to provide a stern test for the discriminating player.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in recognizing the Hutchinson community for hosting the 27th U.S. Senior Open, and for their many contributions to the State of Kansas and game of golf.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of increased exploration, drilling and production of natural gas off our intercontinental shelf. This is an important issue for all of the country, but especially true among my farmers and ranchers in Kansas.

I am one who supports renewable fuels, and ethanol and soy diesel provide a great opportunity for economic opportunity in Kansas, for Kansas farmers and for American agriculture and for our country. We must become much more independent from the energy sources abroad.

But for our farmers and ranchers to remain in business, to survive into the future, they have got to have access to natural gas and at prices that are affordable. Natural gas is the primary feed stock, the ingredient for the production of many agricultural components, but especially for nitrogen fertilizer that is so important; and if we are going to produce ethanol in this country, if we are going to produce soy diesel, we are going to have to have the fertilizer at an affordable price that will allow our farmers to raise the corn and grain sorghum to produce the ethanol to raise the soy beans to produce the soy diesel.

Our farmers are struggling across the country. Input costs are dramatically on the rise. Nearly 40 percent of the nitrogen capacity, fertilizer capacity has been shut down in this country since 1999. Six years ago, approximately 15 percent of our fertilizer needs were met in the United States from abroad. Today 50 percent is imported.

Prices have increased dramatically: $250 a ton for nitrogen fertilizer in 2002; today, $416.

One of my farmers who farms in southwest Kansas, 30 years ago when he started farming, natural gas was 19 cents. Today it is $9. We are seeing double, triple and even fourfold prices that Donny Young talks about in trying to stay in business with these increasing input costs, while the price of corn has stayed the same.

We in the United States need to become independent if we are going to produce the ethanol. And it is important that we remember that natural gas is necessary to make that nitrogen fertilizer.

I encourage the adoption of this proposal.

A vote for H.R. 4761 is a vote for agriculture.

Agriculture's ability to produce an affordable food supply will continue to face huge obstacles if our nation does not come to grips with its desire to have limitless resources, like natural gas, for production and not realize that these resources have to come from somewhere. Our natural gas crisis has two solutions--increase supply and reduce demand. H.R. 4761 addresses one aspect of this crisis as it will increase the supply of natural gas from the Outer Continental Shelf. This additional supply will do two things. It will send a strong signal to natural gas markets and could increase the elasticity in North American natural gas markets. It indicates to these futures markets that the United States is committed to lifting the moratoria in the Outer Continental Shelf to provide consumers with an additional supply of natural gas. This message should ease the volatility in natural gas prices that all of us have seen since 1999 and the additional supply should help ease the natural gas prices over time.

Why does agriculture care so much about this natural gas crisis? Simply put, agriculture is a very large consumer of natural gas. Farmers use significant amounts of natural gas for food processing, irrigation, crop drying, heating farm buildings and homes and for the production of crop protection chemicals and nitrogen fertilizers.

Natural gas is the primary feedstock in the production of virtually all commercial nitrogen fertilizers manufactured in the Untied States. Natural gas is not just an energy source it is the raw material for producing the fertilizer. Today, in the case of the nitrogen fertilizer anhydrous ammonia, natural gas accounts for over 90 percent of the total cash cost of production.

Just like Kansas wheat and Wisconsin milk, fertilizer is a commodity bought and sold worldwide and subject to basic global supply and demand economic principles. As the U.S. domestic nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing sector declines due to high natural gas prices, Kansas farmers and other U.S. food producers will be subject to global supply/ demand forces on the fertilizer products they buy, even more so than today.

The climb in natural gas prices since 2000 has forced U.S. fertilizer production costs to unprecedented levels. Over this period of high prices and intense volatility, the U.S. fertilizer industry began to shut down production. Nearly 40 percent of the industry's nitrogen capacity permanently shut down between 1999 and today. This has and will, continue to make U.S. farmers dependent on offshore production from the major suppliers such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Russia.

This rise in natural gas prices and the permanent closure of so much U.S. fertilizer production has dramatically impacted fertilizer prices throughout the marketing chain and, in particular, at the farm level. According to USDA, U.S. prices to farmers for ammonia climbed from $250 per ton in 2002 to $416 per ton in 2005. That is almost a doubling of the price of ammonia to farmers.

This continued loss of production from the U.S. nitrogen fertilizer industry would force farmers to rely on a highly uncertain and highly volatile world market with no assurance that they will be able to obtain enough product to meet their full demand. This is particularly important when considering the importance of nitrogen to farmers. Thirty to 50 percent of corn yields are directly attributed to nitrogen fertilizer.

Passing H.R. 4761 represents a direct, positive action to increase our nation's domestic natural gas supply to help relieve the high prices pressuring American farmers, fertilizer producers and homeowners. Allowing exploration and development of the Outer Continental Shelf is an essential commitment that our nation must make. These natural resources belong to all Americans and should be developed for the benefit of the entire nation.

A vote for H.R. 4761 is a vote for agriculture. Please support passage of H.R. 4761.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the citizens of Barnes, KS, for continuing efforts to sustain and revitalize their community.

Deb Kruse, local bank manager and active civic volunteer, wants to see her hometown raise another generation of Kansans. ``We are very fortunate and blessed to have a community that pulls together to support our businesses and projects that need volunteer or financial assistance,'' Kruse said. ``We have a lot to offer--not always a large salary--but caring friends and neighbors.''

Despite its small size--144 people--Barnes is bustling with activity.

More than a year ago, the city council started a successful initiative to rehabilitate and demolish old houses. To date, eight homes have been rehabilitated and five old structures have been demolished.

The volunteer fire department is made up of 20 dedicated members. With the assistance of local and Federal funding, the department has successfully upgraded its pumper truck, safety equipment, information system and continuing education requirements.

More than 20 years ago, the Barnes Community Development Corporation was formed to help sponsor important community services and events. In 1995, the corporation purchased and still operates the Hometown Cafe. The corporation is also working to preserve the Barnes Gym which hosts Bingo every Thursday night and is utilized for wedding receptions, programs, plays and other community events. Through the years, the corporation has organized many community activities and celebrations: Barnes Old Home Days, Water Garden Tours, Washington County Junior Miss Scholarship Program and the Annual Barnes Lighted Horse Parade.

Close to four years ago, residents came together to open a faith- based youth center called The Refuge. Thanks to generous personal donations of time and money, The Refuge is currently located in a renovated one room school house. Adult mentors, otherwise known as ``Servants of the Refuge,'' provide area youth opportunities to gather and grow through meaningful community service projects.

Rehabilitation of the Barnes I.O.O.F. Park was initiated by Ms. Marilyn Laflin, a Master Gardener, who donated her time and expertise to the project. Community members have donated lamps, benches and various other items to the park in memory of loved ones. The local Lion's Club has been instrumental in maintaining the beauty of all community parks. In addition, the club provides assistance to the Hometown Cafe, makes improvements to the local ball field and band shell, and erected the town's welcome signs.

Our Daily Bread Family Bake Shoppe and Bistro is a family owned business that started out of a two car garage in December of 2002. Since October of 2003, people have come from all over to dine on delicious homemade meals in a beautiful, historic 100-year-old downtown building. The success of Our Daily Bread is testament to what is possible, with creativity and hard work, in rural America.

The newest community entity is the Barnes Trust for Historic Preservation. The trust is in the formation stage and is charged with preserving and restoring the historical identity of the community. The trust's first priority will be to help restore the Barnes State Bank.

The city maintains an extensive Web site that includes a list of 26 entities on its business and organization directory. That list includes three antique shops, three churches, two bed and breakfasts, two automobile repair shops, two building contractors and a plumber.

Gloria Moore, city treasurer, knows it is no accident that so much is taking place in such a small town. ``The individuals that have started businesses in Barnes have invested their money and talents to keep our community alive,'' Moore said. ``We could live anywhere in the world but choose to live in a small community, because we're sold on rural Kansas.''

For rural communities to survive and prosper into the future, citizens must be willing to create their own opportunities for success. Ongoing efforts to revitalize Barnes are an example of how hard work, vision and community support can create just such an opportunity.

Citizens throughout Kansas are working together to enhance the quality of life in their communities. Barnes is a success story that demonstrates how teamwork and creative thinking can make a positive difference in rural America.

Mr. Chairman, a methamphetamine epidemic is plaguing America, as we know. It has become the leading drug problem in my home State of Kansas. The Byrne-JAG program is a critical tool for Kansas drug and law enforcement as they fight this methamphetamine abuse production and trafficking. It is especially true of rural communities who have fewer resources and live and die by these Federal grants.

Today, I spoke to Cristi Cain, a meth prevention organization leader. Here is her quote: Reduced funding means reduced enforcement, which means increased addiction, increased trafficking, increased manufacturing, which means more injured and killed children, more fires and more explosions, more crime to support the addiction. In short, an endangered Kansan.

I urge adoption of the Kennedy amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of a distinguished Kansan, Edward Lawrence ``Larry'' Winn, Jr. Congressman Winn honorably represented the residents of the Third Congressional District of Kansas from 1967 until 1985. His career in Congress was marked by his care for the Kansans he represented and accentuated by noteworthy accomplishments.

Kansans are people that know the value of a hard day's work-- Congressman Winn included. During his eighteen years of service in Congress, Congressman Winn always worked to ensure taxpayer's dollars were spent wisely. He knew the folks back home had worked hard and expected their taxes to not be wasted. The Treasury Department recognized Congressman Winn's efforts for fiscal responsibility by awarding him the Golden Bulldog Award each year he served.

Congressman Winn also made sure that Kansans were well-informed about what was happening in Washington. As a former radio broadcaster, Congressman Winn taped a weekly radio program that was distributed to local broadcasters in Kansas. His popularity and reputation for excellence in constituent service was evident by frequently seeing ``I visited Congressman Larry Winn in Washington'' bumper stickers.

During his service in the House, Congressman Winn was a strong supporter of our nation's space program. As a member of the House Committee on Space and Aeronautics, Congressman Winn's support for space exploration and scientific discovery, helped give NASA the resources it needed to achieve the great accomplishments it did.

I am proud to be a sponsor of legislation to recognize this fine Kansan. For his dedication to the people of Kansas and our nation, it is appropriate that Congress honor Congressman Winn by designating the United States Post Office at 6029 Broadmoor Street in Mission, Kansas, as the ``Larry Winn, Jr. Post Office Building.''

Mr. Speaker, on June 19, 2006, I was unavoidably detained because of travel delays and missed the following rollcall votes:

1. Rollcall vote No. 289: the Sergeant Jacob Dan Dones Post Office Designation Act;

2. Rollcall vote No. 290: the Larry Winn, Jr., Post Office Designation Act; and

3. Rollcall vote No. 291: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Youth Sports Week should be established.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' to rollcall vote No. 289, ``yea'' to rollcall vote No. 290, and ``yea'' to rollcall vote No. 291.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia, and I also thank the leader of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), as well as my chairman from the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) for their support of this resolution, as well as my colleagues from Kansas.

Many good things come from Kansas, including the Patriot Guard, but in response to something that is less than desirable, and that is a radical Topeka, Kansas-based church has been disrupting funerals of servicemembers now for several years, with picketers that appear at those funerals during and holding signs that read, ``Thank God for IEDs,'' and, ``Thank God for dead soldiers.'' No Kansan, no American can respond to that in any way but the way that it has been described by my colleagues today.

But in 2005, the American Legion Riders of Post 136 in Mulvane, Kansas, responded by bringing their motorcycles and themselves to those funeral services where they provided a buffer between the protesters and the families of those deceased service men and women. They decided to take action and called themselves the Patriot Guard, and they organized their supporters from across the country to attend those funerals and shield our military families. They waved the American flag, sang patriotic songs, and took lawful and peaceful action to serve as a barrier between the families and protesters. Their actions preserved the dignity and honor of these funeral services and allowed the families a peaceful time of mourning on that day of service that they so much deserved.

This movement has now spread across from Mulvane, Kansas, across the State and around the Nation. The Patriot Guard Riders now include thousands of members who volunteer their time to come to the aid of military families at funerals to show their respect and, when needed, to shield families from disruption. Members include veterans and nonveterans, riders and nonriders, and they have successfully performed hundreds of missions across the country not only supporting the fallen and their families, but also providing comfort to those who serve today, knowing that their families would be protected should they fall.

The significance of these volunteer actions is realized when you read letters of appreciation written by family members and friends of the deceased. I would like to mention a letter that the Patriot Guard received from the family of Corporal Peter Wagler. I attended that funeral in Hutchinson, Kansas, at the Nazarene Church on February 10, 2006. Corporal Wagler was killed in Iraq at the age of 19, having served only a month in Iraq, and his family wrote the Patriot Guard Riders:

Thank you so much for your amazing support at the funeral

of our son Peter Wagler.

Despite the cold north wind, you rode many miles to

participate.

I have never seen such a display of flags as we encountered

when leaving the church. Many people have told me how

meaningful the flags were to them; many shed tears as they

drove through the tunnel. As for your protecting us from the

demonstrators, when we arrived we looked for them, but we

could not see them, and we never did.

Peter loved motorcycles and planned to get one when he

finished his term in Iraq. He will not get to do that, but he

would have loved the tremendous display you put on. Our

family feels inadequate in expressing our thanks, but please

know that we deeply appreciate what you did for us.

God bless you,

David for the Wagler family.

Mr. Speaker, I urge that we adopt this resolution and that we, as a House, commend the Patriot Guard Riders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the current system of automatic pay increases for Members of Congress. This system does not allow for a clear up or down vote on the annual cost-of-living increase in Members' salaries.

This increase is conducted in a manner that only serves to increase cynicism towards the political process and confirms the feeling of many voters that their representatives are out of touch. The American public deserves better. Kansans deserve to see whether or not I support a pay increase. So I would like to share that my vote would be against a salary increase.

The need for a cost-of-living adjustment is not limited to Members of Congress, it also includes the public--veterans, teachers, farmers, the retired. These people, who we represent, deserve responsible government and Congress should not receive an automatic cost-of-living increase during these challenging economic times.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, it is a bit of history that brings me back to the House floor, an issue related to agriculture, food and medicine trade with Cuba. In July of 2000, this House of Representatives adopted an amendment that I offered to allow the sale of food, medicine, and agriculture commodities to the country of Cuba.

That amendment was adopted in July of 2000 by a vote of 301-116. A majority of Republicans, a majority of Democrats supported that amendment. As a result of that amendment being adopted, in the conference committee significant discussion occurred, and ultimately the new legislation, TSREEA, the Trade Sanction Export Enhancement Act, of 2000 was adopted.

And that law was working reasonably well for a period of time. And then in February of 2005 the Department of Treasury adopted a regulation changing some of the rules related to trade with Cuba. Mr. Chairman, we have had the opportunity now of taking advantage of the opportunity to sell for cash, cash up front, to Cuba agriculture commodities, food and medicine, to the tune of about $400 million in the previous year.

But the regulation that the Department of Treasury adopted in February of 2005, began to seriously limit the opportunity for American farmers to export their agriculture commodities to Cuba. The rule that the Department of Treasury promulgated changes the time frame in which the cash must be paid. Again, let me reiterate what we are talking about here is not whether Cuba must pay cash in advance, but the timing of that payment.

And the rule that was adopted by the Department of Treasury changed that time by a few days. It turns out to be 10 days to 2 weeks. And the issue becomes that the cash must be paid prior to the shipment from the United States as compared to prior to delivery in the port in Havana.

As a result of that, it has increased the cost of doing business with Cuba in a significant way, and, in fact, we have had a significant reduction, 22 percent reduction, in the sale of agriculture products since the adoption of that rule.

This amendment that I offer today, Mr. Chairman, simply is a prohibition against the spending of any money to enforce that regulation and therefore return us to where we were prior to February of 2005.

It is identical language to what was included in the appropriation bill last year in both the House and the Senate. The language was removed in conference. But this House of Representatives and our companion body across the way adopted identical language in the Treasury/ Transportation appropriation bill a year ago.

And the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson) has made that effort in 2005, which we all agreed to when this bill was adopted a year ago. So the sole purpose here today is to return us to preFebruary 2005.

We will probably have the opportunity to debate the value of trade with Cuba and what it means to the Castro government. And I welcome that opportunity. It seems to me that unilateral sanctions, we clearly can reach the conclusion that unilateral sanctions by the United States are only harmful to our own agriculture sector, to our own farmers, at a time in which drought affects much of the country. High energy and input costs are dramatically increasing.

It seems to me that there is no reason for us to make these sales more difficult. And, in fact, the reduction of those sales is almost 21 percent of corn, 17 percent of wheat, and 27 percent, 26 percent of meat products from the United States, reduction in those sales since the adoption of this rule.

This amendment is obviously supported by a wide array of farm organizations.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, again, let me reiterate that this has nothing to do with changing the sanctions that are in place. The law remains. The administration created a new rule a year ago for which there is no commercial basis.

And the argument that farmers will not be paid, it is farm organizations and farmers who are supporting my amendment today. And, finally, the suggestion that we must save taxpayers expense, there are no taxpayer dollars involved in trade with Cuba. There is no subsidy. There is no agricultural credit provided.

This is really about a noncommercial reason, just trying to make the trade more onerous, more expensive, so that our farmers have less of an opportunity to export their goods to Cuba.

Again, Mr. Chairman, I would ask support. Return us to the compromise that was created prior to February of 2005.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his remarks. My particular interest in this legislation, in honoring the interstate transportation system, is the gentleman that has been mentioned in both remarks, and that is President Eisenhower, a fellow Kansan, and that historic moment on June 29, 1956, when our President initiated the interstate highway system, is one that we memorialize in Kansas. We are very much a transportation-dependent State. We are land-locked in the middle of the country and roads and highways that lead elsewhere are lawfully important to us, particularly in the sense of commerce and moving industrial goods and agricultural commodities to market.

But President Eisenhower, in his life and his involvement in the interstate system, is memorialized in Abilene, Kansas, his hometown, at the Eisenhower Center where photographs of the interstate construction are on display.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon just to again remark about this remarkable individual, this former general, this former President of the United States, who had the foresight as a military leader and commander to bring the country together in regard to a transportation system that is so important to us today.

So as a Kansan, I am here to pay tribute not only to the interstate system, but to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. I thank the committee and the gentleman for yielding me the time and for bringing this occasion to the House floor today. I urge my colleagues to support this historic occurrence that matters so much to Kansas and Americans in 2006, 50 years later.

Mr. Speaker, there is an occurrence and an occasion in Kansas that occurs each and every year. It is a very special time in our State. It is the harvest time for wheat. Of course, Kansas is known as the Wheat State. It is a time in which families, sons and daughters, return home to the family farm. There is a lot of work to be done, but there is a history, a culture, a tradition, a family time each and every year in which harvest is a special moment.

But, Mr. Speaker, this year unfortunately is one of those times in which it appears that the Kansas wheat harvest and, in fact, the harvest across the Midwest is going to be less than what we would hope. In fact, the 2006 crop is expected to be the worst in the last 10 years, and many yields are expected to be less than 50 percent of normal. This is a huge consequence to the economy of our State, to the Midwest, and really to the country.

Rainfall has been about 28 percent of normal this year. In fact, 84 of Kansas' 105 counties received no precipitation during the month of February when that wheat crop is attempting to grow. Of those remaining counties, the greatest amount of rainfall in those other counties was thirty one-hundredths of an inch for the month. This is the fifth and sixth years across many portions of our State and in Nebraska and eastern Colorado and Oklahoma and Texas and South Dakota and Wyoming in which drought has had serious consequences. In 2005, drought damage was also exacerbated by tornadoes and hailstorm and freeze. In 2005, every county

but four in our State was declared a disaster county.

Today we debated the emergency supplemental appropriations act. I am very supportive of the efforts to bring disaster assistance to the farmers of the gulf coast and those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But, Mr. Speaker, $500 million was included in that bill but directed only to those farmers and other producers who were in hurricane-affected counties.

It is one thing, Mr. Speaker, for us to deny farmers across the country any assistance due to budget considerations, due to our desire to work toward balancing the budget; but it is not understandable in my State that we would pick and choose which farmers receive assistance based upon whether or not the event is a result of a hurricane. Those farmers who have had inadequate moisture in the Midwest for the last 5 and 6 years are no less damaged than those farmers who were affected by the rains and the breaking of the levee and the saltwater in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

I can explain to my constituents about the desire to hold the line on spending, but I can't explain to them why their problems are not addressed in this emergency supplemental but some other producers, some other farmers have been.

And so, Mr. Speaker, I am hoping to set the stage tonight as we conclude the debate on the emergency supplemental, but as we work our way through the remainder of Congress to see that there is some level of disaster assistance provided to all farmers, regardless of the cause of their losses.

Many in this body will say, but Congressman, isn't it crop insurance's duty to provide that kind of assistance? And isn't ad hoc disaster, isn't this disaster assistance package unnecessary?

Well, Mr. Speaker, I chair the subcommittee responsible for crop insurance. The reality is that crop insurance policies insure about 50 percent of the crop losses. The best policies cover 85 percent of the losses. And there is no insurance coverage for livestock. When you have 5 and 6 years of disaster in which you are only being compensated for 50 percent of your losses and you have paid the premiums for that coverage and your average return on equity as a farmer in our State is 3.66 percent, you can't lose year after year after year and stay in business.

The average age of a farmer in Kansas is 59 years old. Our farmers are reaching the conclusion that there is no future in agriculture, and that is not only detrimental to the communities of Kansas, to that individual farm family, but it is detrimental to the people of this country to lose agriculture as a way of life and as an economic driver of our economy.

So we do need to work to improve crop insurance in our subcommittee. Our agriculture committee is working to do that. But the reality is the problem is with us today, and we are losing another generation of farmers. We will revisit the issue, I hope. 2005, which should be included in this year, is not in this bill; but 2006 may be even worse.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues, the leadership of this House in an effort to make sure that farmers can survive into the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ken Haas of Hays, Kansas for his years of service to this community through his diverse career in education.

Mr. Haas began teaching in 1964 at Kennedy Middle School as an industrial arts and physical education instructor. He also influenced countless students by serving as the school's guidance counselor. In 1999, after 35 years of work in the Hays school district, Ken was approached by Father Mike Scully and asked to assume the role as principal of Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, a private Christian high school in the Catholic tradition.

Ken was nearing the point of possible retirement in his current position and awaiting him was the well-deserved free time that one earns after working so long in a challenging vocation. After a weekend of prayer and consideration, Ken decided that it was the Lord's desire for him to accept the position.

That was 7 years ago. After improving the school's leadership structure, balancing the school's budget, and sustaining enrollment, Mr. Haas has chosen to retire from his current position. Even in retirement Ken plans to be involved where he's needed around the school.

Mr. Haas is a committed professional who is well-regarded among his peers and students. He is known for attending athletic events, even the ones that don't generate the largest crowds. He still surprises many former pupils with his unique ability to greet them by name after not seeing them for many years. Just another sign of how much he cares.

Mr. Haas has served Hays students and their parents well for over 40 years, and that is why Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor him today.