Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, this week, the Association of California of Water Agencies, representative of private and public water experts, marks the coming retirement of its Executive Director, Steven Hall. He is a person who knows that water is the life-blood of California, and has been a key figure in planning for our state's future.

Steven Hall has held that position since 1992 and has helped formulate and guide the development and allocation of the water resources upon which the entire California population and agricultural production are dependent. Representing the urban and agricultural users of California, the association is the largest of its kind and has an enormous impact on citizens and consumers throughout the nation.

Prior to assuming his responsibilities at A.C.W.A, Steven Hall was Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition, which he founded. The Coalition was a first-of-its-kind coalition of agricultural water users and water agencies which developed strategic information and policy related to agricultural water use in the state. He was instrumental in enactment of major water transfer legislation and related issues.

For 4 years prior to his work at the Coalition, he founded and directed the Land Preservation Association which developed and implemented policy on irrigation and drainage in California. He helped develop policy and funding solutions for impacted agricultural land as well as serving on policy and technical work groups formulating recommendations to state and federal policy makers.

Perhaps his greatest achievement was lead negotiator in the three-way efforts between agricultural, urban and environmental water users that led to creation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. CALFED is a unique collaboration among 25 state and federal agencies with a mission of improving water supplies in California and the health of the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a body of water on which two-thirds of California's citizens depend for water. As a result of the early work of the program, the California Bay-Delta Authority was formed to oversee the program's implementation, and Congress adopted the plan in 2004. Steve Hall was a guiding force behind these accomplishments, and he leaves much of its work as his legacy.

Steve Hall is a friend and role model to all of us who know him. His passion for family and friends is well-known. Steve's ability to combine humor with work has made public policy efforts productive and enjoyable.

At the end of the day, we are all judged by how we handle success and adversity. No one has demonstrated any better than our friend Steve Hall on how we deal with life's challenges. Let the record clearly state that Steve Hall is a true gentleman and a class act.

I join the other members of the California Congressional delegation and all of Steve's friends in wishing him well, and congratulating him for the depth and scope of his accomplishments that have affected all California.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the service and devotion Bishop Joseph J. Madera has bestowed to the community on the event of his 50th anniversary of priesthood.

Bishop Madera was born in San Francisco on November 27, 1927. He was raised in Mexico and received his priesthood at the Holy Spirit Missionaries House of Studies in Coyoacan, Mexico City, on June 15, 1957. Upon his ordination, Madera assisted in the minor seminary of the Holy Spirit Missionaries. After his work at the seminary, he was assigned to parish work in Mexico and soon after he was sent to the United States to serve in California.

His service in the Diocese of Fresno has made Bishop Madera a legacy in the community. On March 4, 1980, Bishop Hugh Donohue retired and Madera, who was serving as an appointed coadjutor bishop, was consecrated a bishop and was named Bishop of Fresno. During his tenure with the Diocese of Fresno, Bishop Madera founded the KNXT television station. He had his Sunday Mass in English, which was broadcast throughout the entire country and to Latin America.

Bishop Madera has an extensive resume, having served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Diocese of Fresno serving the communities of Fowler and Del Rey, Our Lady of

Guadalupe Parish in Oxnard, and as an assistant pastor at Christ the King Parish. In addition to his responsibilities to the church, Bishop Madera actively oversaw the pastoral care of 24 labor camps in Ventura County, lectured at the Camarillo Seminary of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and hosted radio broadcast programs both at the local and international levels. He was also instrumental in the construction of the second part Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Oxnard, CA, as well as the rectory and the church.

In recognition of his years of commitment to the Catholic Church, Bishop Madera had the distinctive honor of receiving his ordination as auxiliary bishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services by the late Pope John Paul II in 1991. In this post, Bishop Madera was responsible for the pastoral care of 2 million Catholic men and women serving in the U.S. military and their families, the residents of the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, and the civilian employees of the U.S. Government living abroad.

Bishop Madera's work and outreach efforts are highly commendable. He has left the communities in which he has served a better place because of the sincerity and generosity of his services and faith. Through his post on the Archdiocese for Military Services, he reached out to provide comfort and guidance to Americans domestically and overseas. Even though he is now retired, his advocacy and commitment to service carries on as he currently volunteers to assist the Bishop serving the Sacramento area in California. For all these reasons, it is without doubt an honor to recognize him today as Bishop Joseph Madera continues to touch the lives of many people, leaving his mark of good will across the world.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 265, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House regarding rollcall No. 265.

Mr. Speaker, I simply want to note for the Record that I had voted previously for the supplemental measure, and that if I had been here at the time, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 265. It is consistent with my previous vote on this measure. While this measure is imperfect, I think on balance it provides the benchmarks the President has recommended. It also provides disaster relief that I think is necessary for many areas of the country that have experienced disaster that the President has so designated in his own message, and I want the Record to note that I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 265.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 96th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

On March 24, 1915, 300 Armenian leaders were rounded up and deported and killed under the orders from the young Turk Government. And so began the genocide that lasted for 7 years, resulting in an estimated over 1.5 million Armenian deaths. To this day, unfortunately, the Turkish Government denies that this occurred.

Ladies and gentlemen, Members of the House, I just returned from Darfur with a group of our colleagues 2 weeks ago. Over 450,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Darfur; yet government officials claim there in Darfur and Sudan that there is no genocide, that the situation is overblown.

Yesterday Rwanda, today Darfur. And we can remember the Holocaust. Clearly, silence is genocide's best ally. It is time that the Congress end this silence and pass the Armenian genocide resolution. The message will be clear: the United States of America will never forget and never stand for those who support genocide.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, as a cochairman of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, along with Congressman Ted Poe, we rise today in support of House Resolution 119, the 2007 National Crime Victims' Rights Week resolution, expressing the sense of Congress' support for Victims' Rights Week and the efforts to increase public awareness in the United States and throughout the country with everything that is occurring, as my colleagues have indicated.

I also want to thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and Congressman Scott for their leadership on victims issues and for helping bring this bill to the floor today, as well as the gentlewoman from West Virginia.

Allow me to begin by sending our thoughts and prayers to those victims, the wounded, the friends and the families who were touched by the tragedy at Virginia Tech last week. We as Members of Congress and throughout the country are wearing these ribbons symbolic to remind all of us that in our Nation, and in the world, crime knows no boundaries.

Victims of crimes are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents, neighbors and friends. They are those who are struggling to survive the aftermath of crime, and therefore they deserve our support. They deserve the services to help them cope.

When I came to Washington 3 years ago, I discovered that there was a void in the leadership on victims issues, so together with my colleague, Congressman Ted Poe, we developed the bipartisan voice for victims in Congress, the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, which we together cochair. For Members and staff who are listening today, we welcome your participation in this Crime Victims' Caucus.

On behalf of the caucus, we have introduced this legislation to recognize the fact that, as most Americans know all too well, crime knows no country, no geographic, no demographic, and no political boundary, and it touches all of our communities, unfortunately.

This resolution before you provides support for Victims Rights Week and the Crime Victims Fund, which are two legacies of a former President of ours, President Ronald Reagan. Let me give you some of the history of how the Crime Victims Fund started.

First of all in 1980, President Reagan, with bipartisan support in Congress, called for a national observance to recognize and honor victims of crimes and their families and survivors. The Democratic majority in the Congress back in the 1980s supported that effort. This week also pays tribute to the thousands of community service providers, those providers throughout our country, that give critical support to victims every week of the year. Victims Rights Weeks have been observed annually, therefore, across the Nation since 1980.

But the Congress and President Reagan at the time's commitment to rights of victims led to the passage of what then became known as the Victims of Crime Act, which in 1984 created a Crime Victims Fund. The concept behind the fund is smart and it is simple: We take fines levied on criminals and distribute that money to the victim services providers, those which we talked about. The concept behind that effort is that it is not taxpayers' dollars, it is money that comes from those fines levied on criminals, and they distribute the money to those care providers throughout the Nation. Therefore, let me emphasize, this is not taxpayers' dollars.

Yet, for the third year in a row, this administration is trying to take that money meant for victims and to put it in the abyss of our current efforts to balance the general fund. I might support that if in fact these were taxpayers' dollars, but they are not. These are criminals' dollars that are levied for their criminal act. It is simply wrong.

For the last 2 years, the Crime Victims Caucus led the effort to protect that fund, and we are doing so again this year. As long as I am in Congress, I will continue to fight any effort that would effectively deny services to those victims.

Let me tell you what the Crime Victims Fund has done over the years. It has dedicated more than $8 billion annually and supported more than 4,400 victim assistance programs throughout

the country that has benefited over 3.8 million. It helps get beds in domestic violence shelters, it helps ensure that rape victims receive proper counseling, and, sadly, sometimes it even has to go to help families pay for funeral expenses.

This fund, therefore, plays a critical role in all of our communities throughout the country. Several groups which I am proud to represent in my own district include but are not limited to the Marjorie Mason Center in Fresno, the Kern, Fresno and Kings County Probation Departments, Clinica Sierra Vista, the Rape Counseling Service of Fresno and the Comprehensive Youth Service.

Our caucus is committed to ensuring that this fund is used for what President Reagan intended: to help victims who truly need and deserve their assistance and to hold offenders accountable, as the Congress intended to do in 1984.

In 2007, the National Crime Victims' Rights Week theme is ``Victims Rights: Every Victim, Every Time.''

This week from April 22 through April 28, observances are taking place throughout the country in thousands of communities, as indicated by my colleagues.

Unfortunately, last year the FBI Uniform Crime Reports found that crime again is on the rise. Violent crime rose by 3.7 percent. Murders increased by 1.4 percent, and robberies were up by 10 percent. This means that victims suffered the indignation of crime and have significant losses that affect them physically, emotionally, and financially. Our caucus and our Congress must recommit our energies to ensure that ``every victim of every crime'' has access to support and services.

Therefore, we must talk to the millions of Americans who are victimized each year. We must recall that every violent crime has a victim and every victim has a story. We know about the teenage girl who leaves home for the first time to go to college, to be impacted by a rape; or the young mother who is beaten by her husband on a regular basis but fears leaving him because he has threatened to kill her kids and she has no money and no place to go. Every victim, every time.

Therefore, we must do everything we can. The 22 leading national organizations have come out in official support of the Victims' Rights Week resolution including the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, Justice Solutions, National District Attorneys Association, National Children's Alliance, National Coalition against Domestic Violence, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the National Center for Victims of crime. I include the full list for the Record.

Victims Organizations Official Support for H. Res. 119

Organization: Justice Solutions; National Association of

VOCA Assistance Administrators; National Organization of

Parents of Murdered Children; American Probation and Parole

Association; National Crime Victims Research and Treatment

Center; the National Judicial College; American Society of

Victimology; National Center for Victims of Crime; National

Alliance To End Sexual Violence; National Organization for

Victim Assistance; Stop Family Violence; Mothers Against

Drunk Driving; The National Coalition of Victims in Action;

National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards;

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence; National

Network To End Domestic Violence; National District Attorneys

Association; Jewish Women International; National Children's

Alliance; Louisiana Department of Public Safety and

Corrections; Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network; Security

on Campus, Inc.

Let me close by recognizing one victim advocate in particular for her valuable contribution in this field throughout the country, and her friendship and support of crime victims, Anne Seymour. She helped Congressman Ted Poe and I organize the Crime Victims Caucus 2\1/2\ years ago. People like Anne and all the organizations I mentioned are where the rubber meets the road. They are the direct providers, meeting the needs of victims every day. They truly are the unsung heroes, and this resolution honors their efforts.

The Congressional Victims Crimes Caucus is committed to working with victims, service providers, and advocates to ensure that from the courtroom to the U.S. Capitol, the voices of crime victims are heard. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this significant resolution.

Madam Speaker, I join my colleague Mr. Devin Nunes, and rise today to celebrate the 80th birthday of Mr. Harry Davidian, a wonderful husband, father, and community member.

Mr. Speaker, this week the House voted to honor Mr. Ernest Gallo, a pioneer and innovator in winemaking and exceptional example of the American entrepreneurial spirit. Born on March 18, 1909 near Modesto, California, Ernest Gallo grew up working with his brother, Julio, in a vineyard owned by their immigrant father. With less than $6,000 and a pamphlet from the Modesto Public Library, the brothers founded E & J Gallo Winery in 1933. From these humble beginnings, Ernest and his brother built a wine empire, bringing a love of wine to the U.S. customer and permanently establishing California as the epicenter of America's wine industry. Today, E & J Gallo Winery produces approximately 900 million bottles annually, selling them under 40 different labels and distributing to 90 different countries. Throughout the years, Gallo received honors for his achievements in winemaking by a host of organizations ranging from the American Society of Enologists Merit Award for outstanding leadership in the wine industry to the Gold Vine Award from the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine wine fraternity and the 1983 Distinguished Service Award from The Wine Spectator. In recent years, Gallo Winery has continued this trend of excellence, being named Winery of the Year in 1996 and 1998 by the San Francisco International Wine Competition and being named ``Wine of the Century'' at the Los Angeles County Fair wine competition. These honors are owed in no small part to the passion and innovation of Ernest Gallo. In his passing, we have lost an American legend and a dear friend.

Madam Speaker, I join my colleague Representatives Devin Nunes in honoring the life of Mr. Louis Flores Ruiz from Dinuba, California, who passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, April 1, 2007. Mr. Ruiz was loyal, compassionate and worked hard to make the American Dream a reality in his life.

Mr. Louis Flores Ruiz was born on October 30, 1918 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. At the age of five, he and his family immigrated to the United States and after successfully serving his country by joining the U.S. Army, he was granted United States Citizenship on December 17, 1944. During his time in the Army, he served as a Military Police escorting prisoners-of-war and civilians in combat areas as well as investigating theft. His stellar service to our country made Mr. Ruiz a recipient of the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, one Bronze Service Star, an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Stars, and a Good Conduct Medal.

Upon his return from his service, Mr. Ruiz first worked as a grocery store owner, then as an insurance salesman. After that, he joined his brothers and brother-in-law in Tulare, California and co-founded a large tortilla factory where they pioneered the automation of tortilla production. An entrepreneur and innovator at heart, Mr. Ruiz went on to co-found what has become the largest frozen food Mexican manufacturing firm in the United States, the second largest Hispanic-owned manufacturing firm in the United States, and the largest manufacturing plant in the state of California. Ruiz Foods has also helped establish programs of charitable giving within the community to many organizations that enhance the quality of life for the people of the Central Valley.

In 1983 Mr. Ruiz had the distinctive honor of meeting with President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush in the Rose Garden of the White House, as he accepted the U.S. Small Business Administration's Small Business Person's of the Year Award. In 2003, Mr. Ruiz had the pleasure of hosting President George W. Bush at Ruiz Foods in Dinuba, CA. Other major highlights in Mr. Ruiz's life include, placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery at the request of President Reagan and being named the 14th person to the Tortilla Industry Association Hall of Fame--a distinction reserved for those who have made positive contributions to the tortilla industry through technical or significant innovations in products, equipment or ingredients while attaining business success.

Mr. Ruiz is survived by JoAnn, his wife; their daughter and son-in law, Shannon and Eric Weller; brother and sister-in-law, Carlos and Olga Ruiz; brother and sister-in-law, Edward Sr. and Dolores Ruiz; brother and sister-in-law, Oscar and Alice Ruiz, sister, Margaret Tarasas; and daughter-in-law, Luisa Ruiz; the mother of his four children, Rose; and their daughter and son-in-law, Rose Margaret and Paul Doherty; son and daughter-in-law, Fred and Mitzie Ruiz; daughter and son-in-law, Anna and Dennis January; and daughter Carrie Ruiz. Louis was also blessed with numerous nieces, nephews, godchildren, grandchildren, great grandchildren, a wonderful care provider and many dear friends.

Although the passing of Mr. Louis Flores Ruiz brings sadness to his family, friends, and community, we believe his legacy of hard work and kindness will forever live on, through those whose lives he so graciously lived.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 103, 110th Congress, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Madam Speaker, I, too, feel, as I believe most Americans do, for those who have been impacted by the effects of the disaster that occurred with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And my colleague and good friend from Mississippi makes, I think, strong arguments that it is part of our responsibilities as representatives of the people's House, to, in fact, respond to needs and crises when natural disasters occur.

My district, the 20th Congressional District in California, includes the heart of California, some of the best farm land in the country, from Fresno in the north all the way down to Bakersfield in the south.

I rise this afternoon to address the concerns, the deep concerns that our constituents have because of a lack of Federal support in declaring Federal designation disaster status for the 31 counties in California that were impacted by the freeze that took place in California between January 11 and January 16.

Now, this is a disaster of significant proportions. Unlike a hurricane or a tornado, as we have witnessed recently in other parts of the country, a dramatic freeze takes on different visual effects. But the damages and the impacts to families and their children and people with farms and farm workers, compesinos, can be just as devastating.

Since January 11, January 16, doing our due diligence, Governor Schwarzenegger has declared 31 counties in California available for Federal designation disaster. Yet, we have gone now 6 to 7 weeks without the Federal Government responding. It believes now the total cost of the impact of this freeze to the farms, to the citrus industry, to the vegetable industry is totaling over $1.3 billion and growing.

These farm workers, these compesinos, are out of work. These farmers have their life holdings in these citrus orchards. The communities, the economic impacts are reverberating throughout the communities within these 31 counties.

Last Friday, we had a listening session on the impacts of agriculture. We had members from the foodbank in California, the Fresno County foodbank, Sarah Reyes, an old friend and former colleague of mine. She indicated that over 3,100 households, which contain over 14,700 individuals, over 7,425 children under the age of 5 years of age or less, have been provided food because these folks have no jobs, because there are no jobs available, because the citrus industry and related industries have been devastated by this freeze.

It goes on. You know, in places like Orange Cove and Parlier and Reedley and Selma and places in Tulare County, we have seen the need to provide food for families increase 1,000, 2,000 percent. The UFW, faith-based organizations have chipped in. The State has paid millions of dollars. But yet the Federal Government response has been lacking.

We have had bipartisan support from Members of the California congressional delegation, by both our United States Senators. Congressman Nunes and myself have introduced an Impact for Freeze Relief for those farm workers, those farmers, their families and the businesses and these small communities. Yet the President has yet to declare, since January 11 through January 16, that these counties are deserving of Federal designation disaster relief.

But in the meantime, my colleagues, since December 19, 14 other States have been declared Federal designation disaster areas. Nebraska, December 19, for severe winter storms; Kansas, January 28, severe winter storms. The President, on January 7, declared both those States disaster areas. Missouri, Oklahoma, Florida, Illinois, Washington State, winter storms, mud slides, tornados, all deserving, I believe, and the President believed, for Federal designation disaster status.

Yet, 7 weeks later, California, that complied with all the requirements under the Federal law in which our Governor made the request, now finds itself, 7 weeks later, without the sort of Federal designation status that we deserve as taxpayers to the Federal Government.

We ask the President, please respond as you have responded in 14 other cases in these other States. Our citizens need the support and the same sort of help that we have given to other parts of the country.

So I ask, once again today, for the President to respond to FEMA and to produce the Federal designation disaster relief that our citizens in California deserve and need for those farmers, for their families, for those farm workers and for the communities they live in.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Chair, ranking members, and colleagues, especially those who, like myself, from California had an opportunity to serve with Leo McCarthy.

Leo McCarthy, as has been said, put faith, family, and service as the preeminence in his life goals, and he lived them every day by example.

Leo McCarthy was Speaker when I was first elected to the State Assembly in 1978. Those were heady days in California, and Speaker McCarthy had a contentious caucus that he had to work with among younger members who thought that they oftentimes knew better. But I can tell you that from the lessons I learned firsthand from Speaker McCarthy, later to be our Lieutenant Governor, was that of being a quintessential legislator. He believed in process, he believed in transparency, he believed in accountability, and he believed in working in bipartisan fashions to solve problems for people of California. And because of those facts, Leo McCarthy's speakership was successful.

I was part of a group that ended up in what often happens within political families, a difficult speakership fight, and I chose for various reasons not to support Speaker McCarthy. Nonetheless, we travailed for over a year. During that entire time, Leo maintained class and maintained dignity and attempted to still reach out and bring the caucus back together.

That was not to be, but his legacy was the fact that he always, always treated people the way he wanted to be treated himself. And for that I would like to join with my colleagues in the memory of a tremendous public servant, not only in California but throughout our country, Leo T. McCarthy.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross), my good friend, who every day is working to represent the constituents of his State.

I share, too, the concerns with the lack of accountability that has taken place over the last 4 years as we have put America's finest men and women in uniform in harm's way, fighting this war on terrorism, but specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan, and only to find that too often we have not done the necessary planning, we have not put the necessary resources in place nor have we taken the time to ensure that their work is focused on in a way that brings results, the kind of results that all Americans as taxpayers want to see when we invest in our Nation's interests.

The Iraq Accountability Act is an important step to try to reinstate credibility through this war effort, and therefore, we are urging our colleagues throughout the House to embrace this effort. This is not a partisan issue. This is all about making sure that when we invest $25 billion in reconstruction, when we need that kind of investment here at home, that it, in fact, is not taken in by sole source contracting single bids; that, in fact, that the work actually takes place at a level of quality so that the Iraqi government or the citizens can, in fact, benefit from that investment of infrastructure.

We just saw recently about the construction of a police station that was so shoddily built with U.S. taxpayers dollars that, in fact, it has been deemed unusable.

So as fellow Blue Dog members, we really urge in a bipartisan basis for us as a House to come together. We are the people's House, after all, and it is important that we put partisan politics at the water's edge. We are in a real mess in Iraq. There is no doubt about that. I have every hope, as do most Americans, that, in fact, we do the right thing in ensuring that this effort takes place in a way that brings our American troops home as safely and as quickly as possible.

However, if this surge is not successful, as I asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Foreign Affairs Committee just 2 weeks ago, that I think it is absolutely critical that we understand what our backup plan is. I think the American public is getting tired of us pursuing these efforts without the sort of time invested effort that is going to ensure that if this effort is not successful, we have a backup and that we are not simply winging it, because I think too often that has been the history of the recent past in this engagement.

Mr. Speaker, and my colleague, Congressman Mike Ross, I would like to shift this effort of accountability and transparency back to our Nation's shores. I was very moved by the comments Congressman Mike Ross made when he talked about the devastating impact of those tornados in his district back in Arkansas. I saw the devastation on television shortly after it occurred.

I e-mailed my friend, Congressman Mike Ross, and asked him how it was there. He talked about the horrific

challenges his constituents were facing, and I felt for him. I felt for him because whether we like it or not, natural disasters occur throughout the country, whether it is in Florida, whether it is Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. I know, because just in January we had a similar natural disaster in California, called the freeze.

This devastating freeze has now impacted the State of California over $1.3 billion. Now, when you have a freeze that impacts communities in many counties such as we had in California in January, it doesn't take on the same sort of graphic visuals that a tornado or a hurricane does, but it is the worst freeze we have had in over 10 years. Governor Schwarzenegger immediately declared the State a disaster, an area designated as 31 counties eligible for State aid, and the State has been putting money in there.

We have signed a bipartisan letter to the President asking for Federal support. The estimate is that the freeze has affected not only $1.3 billion in losses, and those numbers are adding up, but over 12,000 farm workers, as well as farmers, have been impacted. The livelihood of these farmers, these farm workers and the communities they live in have threatened the economies of these towns where we have had 50 percent, 70 percent unemployment just in the last 4 to 6 weeks.

I was talking to a good friend of mine, Sarah Reyes, who heads up the community foodbank back in Fresno County. She told me that in the last 6 weeks they have fed over 91,000 families, 91,000 families that don't have jobs, that are out of work. But still, even though we have sent this letter, the Governor made the declaration, 31 counties have been impacted, the administration has yet to declare the freeze a Federal disaster.

So you ask why, why is our Governor, Governor Schwarzenegger's request being ignored? Why is the letter that has been signed by both Democrats and Republicans among the California congressional delegation being disregarded? Why is the administration acting so casually about a situation that puts families out of work and family businesses at risk?

Mr. President, the freeze may not make the sort of pictures that we have seen in Florida or in Arkansas or in Louisiana or in Mississippi; but I can tell you, if you come to those communities and visit and meet with those farm workers who are out of work, you talk to those farmers and their families who have invested their entire lives in their family farm, you will see just as dramatic an impact as any devastation of any other natural disaster. So I think it is time for the administration to focus on the accountability in its efforts in California for those families that have been so impacted by this devastating freeze. Accountability is what people expect their government to do. They expect their government to solve problems.

When the President spoke here in the State of the Union in January and said that folks are less concerned about the partisan squabbling that takes place and they are more concerned about doing the people's business, I agree with the President. In fact, this is part of the people's business, being accountable, being transparent, and making sure that after action that has already taken place, clearly 6 weeks, now going on to 7 weeks, after the initial disaster, that yet we have no response from Washington.

Ladies and gentlemen, folks in California and those 31 counties expect better. My constituents expect better, and I am hopeful that soon the President and the administration will step up to the plate and take FEMA's recommendation and that the Office of Management and Budget will suggest to the President that, in fact, California is deserving of the same sort of support and response and accountability that all of our citizens expect.

I thank the gentleman from Arkansas, my dear friend and colleague, Mr. Mike Ross.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Verna Duty. Mrs. Duty passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 24, 2007. She was 83 years old.

Ms. Duty lived a life of dedication and sincere loyalty to those she cared for and fulfilled

the philosophy by which she lived her life of ``leaving it better than you found it.''

Verna Viola Brown was born on September 18, 1923 in Keota, Oklahoma. Ms. Duty relocated to California and became a lifelong resident of Riverdale, California a small farming community in the San Joaquin Valley.

She was the wife of the late Mr. Joe Duty, a farm worker and she gained a deep appreciation and love for those who labored in the fields. Her pride and joy was being the mother of my dear friend Mayor Alan Autry of the City of Fresno. They shared a special bond and she was his biggest supporter as a mother, friend, confidante and hero. Her spiritual beliefs form an inspirational foundation of values for all who knew her.

Mrs. Duty is survived by her only child, Fresno Mayor Alan Autry and his wife Kimberlee of Fresno; her grandchildren Lauren, Heather and Austin; her brothers Tony, Gene, Alvin and Ronnie and sisters Gladys, Freda, Violet and Elaine.

Although the passing of Mrs. Verna Duty brings sadness to those whose lives she touched, her sincere and compassionate spirit and the ways in which she left this world a better place will never be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the distinguished public service of Linda Holbrook. After 35 years with the U.S. Department of the Treasury--Internal Revenue Service, IRS, she will retire.

During her tenure, Linda worked her way from an entry-level data transcriber to her current position for the past 13 years as Territory Manager of the IRS Real Estate and Facilities Management Operations, Fresno Territory. I have had the pleasure of working with Linda, and her dedication to the community is to be commended.

During her time in Facilities Management, Linda guided the acquisition of over 500,000 square feet of space in eight buildings in downtown Fresno, bringing thousands of Federal employees and visitors into our central business district. Her support of the city of Fresno's downtown revitalization effort has been widely recognized and has served as a stellar example of the benefits that can arise from partnership among congressional, Federal Government and local officials. Linda serves as an example to staff throughout the Federal Government of how a local program manager can work closely with local officials to assure that each group's work complements the others in such a way that both are enhanced.

Throughout her career at the IRS, Linda Holbrook has proven to be a highly effective administrator who was always committed to public service. As she gets set to spend more time with her husband, Brent, I wish her continued success and good luck in all her future endeavors.