Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 171, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday April 27, 2005 on rollcall vote No. 140 I was recorded as ``no'' I intended to vote ``yes.'' In addition, on Wednesday April 27, 2005 on rollcall vote No. 144 I was recorded as ``yes.'' I intended to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and wish well in retirement Mr. Gene A. Lundquist, of Bakersfield, California. Gene has greatly served his community through the various organizations with which he has been involved.

Gene has recently retired from Calcot, Ltd., following 36 years of work within this corporation. In his most recent capacity, Gene was the Vice President of Calcot's Legislative and Public Affairs department He was also a member of Calcot's management committee, and took part in Board of Directors' activities.

His career with Calcot began in 1969 and Gene made an impression on all of those who worked with him. He became well known by growers throughout California and Arizona, he represented Calcot at various functions, and he directed the grower relations program. Gene was always the liaison on which people could count. He guided the public affairs program, and assisted with farm legislation and legislators.

While growing and expanding in his various duties at Calcot, Gene also joined other beneficial organizations. He is the director of the Kern County Water Agency, of which he has been a member for over 20 years. This agency is the second largest contractor of state project water, after the Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles. The Agricultural Council of California, the National Cotton Council, and the Seed Saving and Pricing Committee of California Cotton Planting Seed Distributors are just a few of the other councils and committees on which Gene has served.

Throughout his career Gene has been committed to providing information to the public on various important issues. He is, for example, currently the President of the Water Association of Kern County, a local water education organization.

Although Gene has become well known and quite comfortable with the various agencies in California, he has also expanded his horizons. He participated in the California Agricultural Leadership Program and traveled to Africa and visited Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Egypt to observe the culture, economies and governments of those nations.

His many experiences both here and abroad have combined to make Gene the all around great guy that he is. His family, wife Susan and son Nels, have graciously shared Gene with the community for many years. While I am sure that Gene will not completely retire from public service, I am sure he will be spending more time with his loved ones.

For us, his retirement is bittersweet--although it is well deserved his efforts will be greatly missed. I congratulate Gene Lundquist, and wish his family all the best.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian Genocide is fully documented in the U.S. archives and through an overwhelming body of firsthand, governmental, and diplomatic evidence. The only party denying the Armenian Genocide is the Turkish government.

As a young man, I remember learning about the Armenian genocide by listening to the experiences of the men and women who experienced it firsthand. Many of the survivors of this experience fled to the United States, and through time established communities throughout the country, including my district.

California is home to the largest Armenian-American population in the United States. The California State Assembly designated April 24, 1997 as ``California Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915- 23, and for the Victims of the Sumgait Pogroms of 1988 and Baku Riots of 1990.''

Morally, it is wrong for the American people to be complicit in the Turkish government's effort to deny the suffering and death of over 1.5 million people.

Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide sets a dangerous precedent that makes future genocides more likely. Adolf Hitler, while planning the Holocaust, silenced the potential reservations of his generals by asking: ``Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?''

As a Nation that values the freedom of speech and assembly, we must admit that this event occurred, and force Turkey to do likewise.

Additionally, we must ask the EU to refuse Turkey's application to join the EU until Turkey accepts their role in the genocide against the Armenian people.

Mr. Speaker, Irise today to commemorate the 90th anniversary of one of history's most terrible tragedies, the Armenian Genocide.

On April 24, 1915, 300 Armenian leaders, intellectuals and professionals were rounded up in Constantinople, deported and killed, under orders from the Young Turk government. This was the beginning of a campaign of terror resulting in the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians and the deportation of more than 500,000.

The government of the Ottoman Empire justified this policy by claiming it was necessary to suppress revolts being launched by Armenians as a consequence of the ongoing military operations of World War I. This assertion was patently denied by survivors and witnesses. United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morganthau reported at that time, ``Deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is increasing and from harrowing reports of eyewitnesses it appears that a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion.''

Not content with perpetrating this atrocity, the Young Turks denied the genocide had taken place. Generations have since been raised denying this tragedy. Such denials are refuted by the archival documents and first-hand accounts found in such recent scholarly works as Peter Balakian's The Burning Tigris and Samantha Power's A Problem From Hell. Director Atom Egoyan presented the horror of the siege of Van in his film Ararat, which was based, in part, on the memoirs of Clarence Ussher, an American physician and missionary working in Turkey at the time. To those who suggest that this ruthless genocide of a people and culture did not happen, I ask, what further testimony could the world possibly want?

Mr. Speaker, for myself and my constituents, I rise today to urge those who deny this genocide to accept it as fact. Only then can we move forward and stop these atrocities from repeating themselves over and over again.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for raising this point of order.

When the current majority took over the control of the Congress, one of their first actions was to pass the Unfunded Mandated Reform Act; and as a State legislator, I applauded their efforts because it was appropriate and fitting. The bipartisan legislation provided a funding cap that Congress could impose on States and local governments.

Mr. Speaker, here, today, I believe that we are breaking that commitment to our local governments and to communities if we pass this energy bill without moving to strike the legislation to MTBE. Unless we impose a spending cap, we are imposing too great of a financial burden on local government that is already hard pressed throughout our country.

There is no doubt that the MTBEs pose a significant environmental health threat to our communities. If released into the water table, a small portion of MTBEs can ruin a community's supply of drinking water. In addition, exposure to this has resulted, as we know, in a number of cases of cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses.

Mr. Speaker, it is also evident that the legislation, I believe, is a direct violation of the Unfunded Mandated Reform Act. The MTBE provisions presented in the energy bill would restrict the existing rights of States and communities to seek compensation under the law. The same provisions would impose larger financial costs of the cleanup of those communities throughout our country; and notwithstanding the argument of a Member of $50 million, that is but the tip of the iceberg.

Approximately half the Members of our House have served in our State legislatures. I was a past president of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I will enter into the Record at the end of my statement their opinion, in fact, that this is a violation of the Unfunded Mandates Act that they, too, supported in the mid-1990s when the majority enacted this very important piece of legislation.

For my own district, the 20th district in California, we believe the costs could exceed $150 million because of the large number of sites that we have. This bill eliminates my district's ability to hold producers liable for the problem and help them assist in cleaning up. On top of this, I believe that this does little to deal with the threats.

I urge that we support the point of order of the gentleman from Massachusetts.

National Conference of

State Legislatures,

Re H.R. 6--Unfunded Mandates

April 20, 2005.

Hon. Joe Barton,

Chairman, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, for the past 20 years, Saint Agnes Medical Center has been blessed by the presence of Sister Ruth Marie Nickerson. Since her arrival to Fresno in January of 1984, she has embraced her position as President and CEO of Saint Agnes Medical Center. Now, as Sister Ruth moves forward in her life-long commitment to help those people in most need, it is clear that she has left a lasting mark upon the Medical Center, as well as upon the entire Fresno community. During her tenure at Saint Agnes, employee size grew from 1,500 to its present size of 2,700. Several new wings and centers opened under her direction, including the California Eye Institute, the Cancer Center, the Heart and Vascular Center, and the medical center's East and North Wing expansions.

In addition to these projects, Sister Ruth was also influential in the expansion of the Holy Cross Center for Women. At the women's center, she oversaw the establishment of the Gathering Place, a safe spot where children now learn and play; MaryHaven, an educational facility designed to teach women important life skills; and Naomi's House, an overnight respite for women.

Beyond her position at the medical center, Sister Ruth Marie Nickerson serves on the board of many organizations, including the Fresno Business Council, Fresno Compact, Poverello House, and The California Endowment (TCE). She was also a past board chair of the Catholic Health Association of the USA, the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, and the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California. Currently, Sister Ruth serves as chair of the Regional Advisory Council of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute.

While these numerous projects and board positions are impressive and speak volumes of her commitment to providing quality health care to the people of the Central Valley, what is most notable about Sister Ruth Marie Nickerson is the warmth and compassion with which she conducts her daily activities. She possesses the distinct ability to bring people together to work for the good of the community, and she accomplishes such with both a kind heart and revered sense of humor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate University of California San Francisco Fresno Medical Education Program on this ceremonious occasion of the opening of the Medical Education and Research Center.

As UCSF School of Medicine celebrates it 30th anniversary in the Valley, the program deserves congratulations for providing much needed medical services to our area. With 175 medical residents trained each year in the program, over 50 percent of these residents remain in the Greater San Joaquin Valley to set up their practices. The Medical Education Program offers a unique community development experience. Medical students can train with some of the best and brightest doctors, at the same time deliver services to community members that may not have been previously accessible.

This Center is a product of a bipartisan effort to provide medical resources to a program that offers unsurpassed benefits to the community. As one of nine Central Valley members of the California State Legislature who sought funding for the Medical Education and Research Center, it is certainly uplifting to see this project come to fruition. By constructing a new Center, UCSF-Fresno will no longer be forced to make do with facilities that are functionally obsolete or geographically separated over a wide area.

The new Medical Education and Research Center will serve as the operating location for the Medical Education Program and house both the administrative and educational components of this program. The facility will allow the Medical Education Program to expand and fill its role as a leader in health and education

in the 21st Century. Just as important, this facility is yet another critical addition to the Community Regional Medical Center campus in downtown Fresno, a long time vision for this community and now a reality.

In this building, students of medicine will have the opportunity to learn the intricacies of medicine and its impact on the broader community. Simultaneously, the center will provide individuals the insight to the various health issues challenging the residents of this region.

This facility has been years in the making, and the entire community will reap the rewards of the newest addition to UCSF-Fresno.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and wish well in retirement Ms. Ellen Gibson of Fresno, California. Ellen has diligently served her community for over 30 years.

Ms. Gibson began her public service career in 1972 with Congressman Bernie Sisk. Through the years Ellen became an instrumental team member in the district offices of two other Congressional Representatives. She joined the staff of Congressman Tony Coelho in 1979 and, my predecessor, Congressman Cal Dooley in 1991.

Ellen began as a District Aide to Congressmen Sisk where she generated press releases, performed general office duties and handled constituent casework. After her time there she joined Congressman Coelho as an Office Director. In this capacity Ellen managed the Fresno district office, trained new staff people, and was responsible for federal casework. Finally, Ellen became Congressman Dooley's Senior Casework Manager.

While her responsibilities were many, Ellen was devoted to, and excellent at, one of the most important aspect of a district office-- casework. To this day her coworkers laud Ellen's assiduous efforts to help the people of the San Joaquin Valley. This type of work is one of the most demanding tasks a Congressional staff member faces, and Ellen not only embraced, but also effectively managed this large responsibility.

Ellen's work positively impacted the lives of the many people she touched. Whether she helped somebody attain their citizenship, or their social security benefits, Ellen met each and every case with renewed energy and desire to help.

Ellen has set the standard for individuals who follow in her footsteps, and her shoes will be difficult to fill. Her retirement is bittersweet. While we will miss her greatly, this time is much deserved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Dr. Vincent Leeroy Bloom of Fresno, California. He is survived by his wife, Melanie, son, David and daughter, Rebecca.

Dr. Bloom, retired chair of the Communication Department at California State University, Fresno, is remembered by all as a dedicated scholar, a loving husband, a passionate teacher, and a strong community member. Students, faculty, colleagues, family and friends not only mourn his passing, but also celebrate his life.

Born in Cambridge, Minnesota, Vince received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He continued his education at Colorado State College and received his Master of Arts Degree in Speech Communication in 1967. Ever the dedicated student, Vince attained his Ph.D. in Communication from Ohio University in 1970.

Fresnans were soon to enjoy the intellectual stimulation of the Doctors Bloom when Vince and his wife Melanie moved to California and joined the Communication Department at California State University, Fresno.

While at CSU Fresno, Dr. Bloom managed to touch the lives of many. He served as department chair for three years, developed a course for shy students, and served as chair of the Academic Senate Standards and Grading Committee. Vince was also chair of the Athletic Advisory Council. In this capacity, Dr. Bloom was instrumental in forming the committees on campus that upheld athletic academic standards.

Dr. Bloom's efforts, however, did not solely focus on Fresno State. Vince served as chair of the National Communication Association Commission on Communication Apprehension and Avoidance; whose newsletter he edited. He was also active in the Western States Communication Association.

While he effectively negotiated the scholastic sphere of his life, Vince also ventured outside of academia. He was a member of Northwest Church, where he served on its Deacon Board. In his efforts to motivate youth he sponsored the College Age Group at his church and taught Sunday school.

It goes without saying that Dr. Vince Bloom was an integral part of the community. His journey through life was guided by his level of commitment to others--a level matched by very few. Although he has passed on, his memory will forever have an impact on the lives of the people who knew him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a personal friend and close confidante of mine and many of my colleagues. Sadly, on Friday, February 25, 2005 Wing Fat passed away in Sacramento, where he made his home for over half a century.

Wing Fat was born in Canton, China in 1925. He joined his father in America when he was ten years old. In his youth, Mr. Fat attended California State University of Sacramento and served in the United States Air Force.

In 1939, Mr. Fat's father, Frank Fat, opened up his restaurant at 806 L St. in Sacramento. Mr. Fat worked his way up from dishwasher and floor scrubber eventually taking over as restaurant owner and main host, when his father passed away in 1997.

Mr. Fat will be remembered as one of the most well-liked and well- respected members of the Sacramento community. Over the years, the Fat family garnered a large following among Sacramento politicians for their impeccable hospitality and strict discretion. For decades, national and state leaders from both political parties pursued good public policy and practiced the art of politics, all while enjoying the wonderful establishment that Wing and his family made famous throughout California. As such, the family restaurant became a nexus of power as witness to many high-powered negotiations. In his own way, Wing Fat made a difference in improving the lives of Californians, and on a personal note, I counted Wing among my dear friends.

However, Mr. Fat's legacy will also thrive by his involvement in various civic and cultural organizations. In particular, a $1 million donation to the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation from Mr. Fat and his wife, Chee, last November made possible the start of construction of the Laguna West complex, scheduled to begin this month. This summer, a group of young basketball players will travel to Japan as part of the Foundation's cultural exchange program--a testament to the power and commitment of civic leaders, like Mr. Fat.

My prayers and condolences are with the entire Fat family, who will continue to be a source of inspiration and leadership in the Sacramento community. My fellow colleagues please join me in honoring the memory of Mr. Wing Fat, a true friend to generations of California politicians.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman from Florida for her vision and for her leadership and ensuring that the people of America understand what is at stake today in the President's proposal to cut funding for Amtrak, which I believe, Mr. Speaker and Members, is unfair and lacking in vision.

I would like to confine my comments to focusing not only on the impact nationally as it relates to a true intermodal transportation system, but also that in the 21st Century, if we in fact are going to provide the services necessary to move goods and services and people throughout our great country, we have to have a true intermodal 21st- century system of transportation, one that allows connectivity of our cities, of our States, to ensure that we handle the growth necessary to continue to improve the economy.

And that is why the President's proposal in his budget is unfair and it is lacking in vision. We saw on 9/11 the impact when our air service across the country was virtually grounded, and how dependent we are upon our daily rail service as it relates to not just intercity travel but our commuter service as well, in which Amtrak provides a tremendous amount of service in terms of our cities for commuter purposes.

And what we saw was a greater reliance in which the northeast corridor exceeded the amount of passenger daily usage of our air transportation for months and months and months as we attempted to reconstruct our service.

Mr. Speaker and Members, let me give you the California perspective. Amtrak operates an average of 70 inner-city trains in California alone, over 200 commuter trains per day in California. In 2004, Amtrak serviced over 9.3 million people in California, providing service in 70 California cities.

It employs over 3,589 California residents. On top of that, when you look at the top five busiest corridors in Amtrak across the country, three of them, three of them are in California. Number two, the Pacific Surfliner provides service for over 2.3 million riders in California and it increases annually, 7.6 percent last year over 2003.

The number third busiest corridor in the Nation is the capital corridor, from San Jose to Sacramento to Auburn. It provided over 1.1 million riders last year for over a 2.3 percent increase over 2003.

And number five, the San Joaquin services, which I have been involved with for many years from Bakersfield, Oakland, Sacramento provides service to over 700,000 riders annually.

And when you take into account the cutbacks in regional airline service for mid-sized and smaller communities, in many cases this is the only public transportation service people have on a regional basis.

When you add to the commuter trains that operate in California that combined carry over 66,000 commuter ridership daily in the Bay Area and Los Angeles and San Diego and Oceanside areas, you understand how important it is to California.

As a matter of fact, California has the second highest ridership in the Nation, second only to New York. In addition to that, our State provides, and I have been involved as was mentioned earlier, when I have served in the State Legislature over $70 million a year to enhance the existing Amtrak service.

California does more than any State in the Union to provide additional funds to improve our inner-city and commuter service. When you look at it over the last 15 years, California has provided $1.5 billion to improve and upgrade our services. Amtrak in return during that same 15-year period has provided over $400 million to upgrade and to improve our services.

The bottom line is we estimate in California alone in the next 20 years that we are going to have a 300 percent growth in our inner-city service and commuter service in California to sustain the population growth that is estimated to be another 15 to 17 million people.

And we are going to depend mightily on an intermodal transportation system that combines the best of our air service along with our rail service, along with our roads. And therefore it is fitting and appropriate this afternoon that we have this discussion, and I want to again thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) for setting this time aside.

We all know, if we study our Nation's history, that every mode of transportation going back to the 18th century has been subsidized in one form or another.

The canal system that first began to connect our States, the Erie Canal and

the other canals, was what? The Federal Government helped finance that for the purpose of promoting interstate trade and commerce, and we continued into the 18th and 19th centuries. The great emancipator, President Lincoln, in the middle of the perhaps most difficult time in America's history, the great Civil War, when inflation was running rampant and deficits were huge, decided to build the Transcontinental Railroad.

In the 20th century, we have seen the expansion in our interstate freeway system that has been subsidized by Federal, State and local revenues. Every port and harbor in America today has some form of local, State or Federal funding.

All modes of our transportation historically for three centuries have had a subsidization to what? Promote trade, commerce and move our people around. So, therefore, when we take that in light of our history and where we are today and where we want to be in the 21st century, it is absolutely essential that we be promoting and expanding our intercity rail service throughout the Nation to ensure that, in the 21st Century, Americans have the proper type of intermodal transportation system that is reflective of the world's number one economy.

For all of those reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge the Congress to act appropriately and to ensure that we properly fund our Amtrak service throughout America today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and wish well in retirement Warren Weber of Sacramtnto, California. Mr. Weber served with the California Department of Transportation for over forty years, and eight as the Chief of Caltrans Division of Rail.

Warren graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, and pursued his Master's Degree in Public Administration at California State University, Sacramento. He began his career in the Urban Planning Department, at the Division of Highways. He moved through the ranks at the California Department of Transportation and served as a Supervising Transportation System Analyst, Chief of Rail Planning and Corridor Studies, Assistant Director of Legislative and local government affairs, and finally Chief of the Division of Rail.

Throughout the years Warren was responsible for various activities. Before he became chief of Caltrans Rail, he served for over five years as Caltrans' Assistant Director for Legislative and Local Government Affairs where he was responsible for development of Caltrans' State legislative program. As the chief of the California Department of Transportation's Division of Rail he is responsible for the program management, administration, and marketing of State-supported Amtrak service in California.

To enhance his busy career, Warren also serves on various committees. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee, Local and Regional Rail Freight Transport; Transportation Research Board Committee, Intercity Rail Passenger Systems; National Research Council Committee, Assessment of Federal High-Speed Ground Transportation R & D; and the Board of Directors for the California State Railroad Museum Foundation.

In conjunction with being an active member of several Transportation Research Board committees, Warren has received the AASHTO's President's Modal Award for Rail Transportation and a special recognition award from the American Short Line Railroad Association. He also received the finalist award for State Employee of the Year from the California Film Commission.

Ever the busy character, Warren has authored several papers on multi- modal transportation improvements for intercity corridors.

His time and dedication to the development and implementation of rail programs are to be lauded. Warren has truly been an instrumental player in the transportation sector, and while his retirement will be celebrated, he will also be missed by his many colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Don DeMers of Fresno, California. Mr. DeMers, Fresno County Transportation Authority Executive Director, recently lost his battle against cancer.

Mr. DeMers had a long list of work experience in various places. Prior to becoming Administrator of the Fresno County Transportation Authority, Don was the Manager of Transportation Planning and Implementation in Anchorage, Alaska. He served as the Executive Director of the Bi-State Planning Agency in Minnesota, and as a stockbroker for Shearson Lehman in Minnesota. Don even spent time in Washington, DC, as a law clerk to a U.S. Attorney.

He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of North Dakota. Don holds a PhD in Political Science, and a Master's in Political Science/ Public Administration. After his education in North Dakota, he attended Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC and the New York Institute of Finance in New York.

Mr. DeMers is survived by his wife, Deborah; sons Robert and wife Dawn, and Tony and wife Teena; daughters Barbarah and husband Michael Livorsi and Tressa and Crystal DeMers; his ``pride and joys,'' eight grandchildren, Nicholas, Alexas, Brogen, Tyler, Lauren, Destany, Kaitlyn and one on the way; and his brothers Jim, Denny and Mike.

Don had a zest for life and a smile and sense of humor that made everybody laugh. He liked skiing, dancing, reading and biking, but most of all, golf with Deborah. All who knew and loved him will miss Don greatly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and wish well in retirement Warren Weber, of Sacmento, CA. Mr. Weber served with the California Department of Transportation for over 40 years, and 8 as the Chief of Caltrans Division of Rail.

Warren graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, and pursued his master's degree in Public Administration at California State University, Sacramento. He began his career in the Urban Planning Department, at th Division of Highways. He moved through the ranks at the California Department of Transportation and served as a Supervising Transportation System Analyst, Chief of Rail Planning and Corridor Studies, Assistant Director of Legislative and local government affairs, and finally Chief of the Division of Rail.

Throughout the years Warren was responsible for various activities. He developed the State Rail Plan coordinating his efforts with various public and private organizations.