Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Mr. George Grugett, who has served the Mississippi Valley region and our Nation for 25 years as executive vice president of the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association. Up and down the river, residents and landowners have been lucky for the expertise and tireless advocacy of Mr. Grugett. His work on their behalf has made the region safer for them and their families, as well as preserved vital river transportation.

The Mississippi River is a strange, and sometimes difficult, neighbor to us in southern Missouri. We are struck by her beauty in times of calm and heartbroken by her unstoppable power in times of flood. Living along the Mississippi River presents unique challenges, which Mr. Grugett has made his life's work to meet.

The infrastructure needs of flood protection are staggering. Levees, pumping stations, locks and dams, berms, floodwalls and river management are all critical components of preserving our relationship with the Mississippi River. Managing the plans, construction and upkeep of these facilities demands a rare, dedicated individual. For 25 years, Mr. Grugett has been that person.

Born and raised in west Tennessee, Mr. George Grugett is no stranger to the service of his country. He is a veteran of World War II, during which he served with the 12th Air Force in Europe. He was educated in civil engineering at the University of Alabama and the University of Mississippi and spent 35 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before joining the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association.

Mr. Grugett has received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Rivers Museum. He has been a faithful guardian of our delicate relationship with the Mississippi River in southern Missouri. I thank him for his great service to the residents of Missouri's Eighth Congressional District and to the people of our Nation.

I would like to engage the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, in a colloquy.

Mr. Chairman, in the bill before us, we do make significant changes in the way we pay pharmacies for Medicaid prescription drugs. I am very concerned that these payment rates will significantly reduce access to prescription drugs for Medicaid beneficiaries in districts like mine particularly, which is quite rural. I think that we need to make sure that our Nation's community pharmacies are adequately compensated for Medicaid prescription drugs. I would like to ask you if you could to explain the new provision that calls for a GAO study on pharmacy reimbursement.

I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. Chairman, I am hopeful that we might have the opportunity in conference to clarify in the GAO study that prior to implementation, States would be required to submit to the Secretary of HHS the amounts they would propose to pay pharmacies under this new payment formula. Would you be willing to work with me on this.

Mr. Speaker, I have known Dorothy Burford for over 25 years, and I loved her drive and spunk from the very first moment I met her. Although life left her blind and deaf in recent years, she never lost that spunk. I have never known anyone with such energy and enthusiasm for life. I certainly do not know anyone who lived a fuller life than Dorothy. She was an active political mind and

an able political voice in Southern Missouri for more than half a century, and she was known far outside the boundaries of Doniphan, MO, her home sweet home.

Dorothy missed only one Republican national convention between 1952 to 2000, and not only did she attend, but she was an active participant. She attended numerous State Lincoln Days over the years, traveling from Doniphan to St. Louis, Kansas City or Springfield and one year, after vacationing in Florida, she decided she just couldn't miss it, so she took a bus by herself from Florida to Kansas City. Although Dorothy didn't have a plan on how to get back to Doniphan, she just knew someone would be there from Southern Missouri and she could ride home with them!

I also recall many wonderful Labor Day parades in Doniphan: Dorothy was always there recruiting people to ride the floats or helping with the decorations. One year, it rained so hard they canceled the parade, but Dorothy, ever the patriot, decided it was a shame to waste all our time and effort, so we had our own parade down Walnut Street.

Dorothy Burford's father, T.L. Wright, started a lumber company in Doniphan which later became the T.L. Sand & Concrete, Co. Dorothy graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, and, being the oldest of 8 children, took over the business when her father died in 1928. Not only was it a rare thing for a woman to graduate college in the 1920's, it was even more infrequent that a woman would take over the family business. Dorothy proved herself quite capable, however. She oversaw the completion of one of T.L.'s greatest projects: the first concrete bridge over the Current River. A year later when the bridge was ready to open, instead of doing the usual ribbon cutting, Dorothy pulled on her riding boots and jumped off the bridge.

Once again, Dorothy showed us a different way of doing things. I am still among the many who feel she was too soon taken from us, even at her estimable age of 102. All of these memories and stories about Dorothy only begin to scratch the surface of her drive, her determination, and her individuality. She was a principled, thoughtful, inspiring woman I am proud to call my friend. She will be greatly missed, but through her legendary legacy, I have no doubt she will live on.

Mr. Speaker, due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, I was unable to vote on the Conference Report on H.R. 3057, the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Cary Crane-- the recipient of the 2005 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Award. Mr. Crane and his company, Apple &

Eve, have for years been generous enough to provide juice beverage products to the nation's less fortunate through Rock and Wrap It Up! Inc., a nonprofit, nonpartisan hunger relief organization Bill helped to found.

Mr. Crane has been a true public servant in supplying nutritious food to those in need. He is the Cofounder and Executive Vice President of Apple & Eve, LLC a manufacturer of premium fruit juices, which donates heavily to Rock and Wrap It Up! to further their cause. This is just one area of service and philanthropy in Mr. Crane's life. He is also involved with many other charitable organizations, such as the Education Assistance Corporation, the American Diabetes Association, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Through his efforts, Mr. Crane is helping to advance the vision of my husband, Bill Emerson, for domestic food aid programs when he worked to pass the Good Samaritan Food Act, a law protecting these donations from liability. Bill's hopes for hunger relief in America were very high when he worked to make Rock and Wrap It Up! possible in 1990. Following in his dream, Mr. Crane is an ideal recipient of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Award.

Rock and Wrap It Up! is a volunteer hunger relief charity, which has fed over 20 million since its inception. With over 4,000 volunteers in 500 cities across America, its dedicated supporters recover food in schools, colleges, music concerts, sporting events, and political and corporate functions. Rock and Wrap It Up! was adopted by resolution in 2003 by the United States Conference of Mayors to teach its successful strategies to cities to fill America's food pipeline to feed the indigent.

Cary Crane and Apple & Eve are a major reason the program continues to gain notoriety and grow. They are proof that our commitment to feed America's hungry can always use new initiative and better ideas. As long as there are men, women, and children who need the helping hand of other Americans, we are glad that there are gentlemen like Mr. Crane.

Thank you for your kind service to our nation, Mr. Crane. Congratulations on earning the 2005 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Award. Best of luck to you as you continue your noble work helping to improve the lives of the less fortunate in our great nation.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the Southeast Missourian, a newspaper in Cape Girardeau, MO, for 100 years of service to Southern Missouri. Next week, the year-long celebration marking the centennial of the newspaper will come to a close. I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the staff of the Southeast Missourian, past and present, for their hard work and dedication as they advance the mission of the paper.

It is only fitting, given the newspaper's long history of political coverage, that this great anniversary be commemorated in the House of Representatives. The Southeast Missourian has never been a small-town newspaper, but it has never lost its small-town sensibilities, either. During the 100-year existence of the paper, its reporters and editors have covered 2 World Wars, catastrophic floods and journeys to the moon. The paper has also covered these events from a local perspective: the native sons who went to war in the uniform of our Nation, the impact of the Mississippi River on local lives and economies, and the members of our community who have achieved great things--like traveling to space. At its heart, the newspaper business is about public service, and the Southeast Missourian has served our community well.

On October 3, 1904, two brothers named George and Fred Naeter completed their journey down the Mississippi River to Cape Girardeau and published the first edition of the Southeast Missourian. They had fallen in love with Cape Girardeau, the City of Roses. Over the years, many more people have fallen in love with the city, and the Southeast Missourian has helped deliver the beauty, the good works, the public services and the patriotic spirit of the people to doorsteps just like mine every morning.

In a world where the news is increasingly dominated by bad news, it is refreshing and important to have a newspaper that looks for the good in our communities and in our Nation--making it a daily point to bring those events before the public eye. Another challenge arises in the information age, in which the Internet and 24-hour news offer constant update and interpretation of the news. Still, the Southeast Missourian does what other media cannot: deliver thorough, thoughtful and reliable news coverage right on schedule, every day.

The hardworking men and women of the Southeast Missourian bring their balanced approach to the newspaper's office each morning. Publisher Jon K. Rust and Rust Communications chairman Gary Rust view the paper as a public trust. The public has good reason to trust in the Southeast Missourian, a longstanding institution of Cape Girardeau. Once again, I congratulate everyone who has advanced the mission of the newspaper in Southeast Missouri and worked so hard to bring the news of the day to our residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Systems & Electronics, Inc. (SEI) Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) Paint Optimization Team as the recipients of the 2005 Missouri Team Quality Award (MTQA). SEI's West Plains, Missouri unit is a leader in defense systems and technology. The FMTV Paint Optimization Team is based at SEI's manufacturing facility in my Congressional District, and this team was instrumental in the development of protective armor placed on vehicles for the protection of Army personnel in Iraq.

The MTQA is awarded annually to teams which address and meet six standards: selecting the opportunity for a team, establishing and developing the team, measuring and analyzing the current situation, developing improvements, implementing improvements, and monitoring progress. The FMTV Paint Optimization Team successfully met each standard set forth and excelled in their production of protective armor.

The MTQA Recipient Awards Banquet and Presentation will occur at the Excellence in Missouri Conference in November, at which time the team will be officially recognized for their excellence in teamwork. Again, I send my warmest congratulations to SEI and the FMTV Paint Optimization Team, and I wish them continued success as they work to provide proven armor solutions to our men and women in uniform, both at home and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I accompanied constituents of mine from West Plains, Missouri, as they delivered supplies to the people that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. As a result I missed rollcall votes Nos. 454, 455, 456, 457, 458, and 459 on September 6, 7, and 8, 2005. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on all of the aforementioned rollcall votes.

Mr. Chairman, you will hear today and you have heard today that modernizing our locks and dams on the Mississippi River is a financial boondoggle. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

And economically, waterway transportation is the most efficient mode of transporting commercial freight. Our fleet today carries 800 tons of raw materials and finished goods each year, and it adds $5 billion to the United States' economy.

A typical inland barge holds a capacity of 15 tons greater than one rail car, and 60 times greater than one semi-trailer truck. Waterway transportation is also the most environmentally friendly mode of commercial transportation.

I would like to remind my colleagues from Oregon and Arizona that modernization of the Ohio River navigation system has been ongoing for more than 40 years, and updated to current value, investments to restore that navigation system would far surpass the cost of improvements on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois waterways.

You know, we ship millions of tons of agricultural commodities--oil, gas, chemicals, fertilizers, hazardous materials--up and down the Mississippi River because it is safer, and it is less costly. For this reason, we must continue the modernization process and defeat Flake- Blumenauer when it comes up later today.

Mr. Speaker, I had the distinct honor and privilege of chairing the 53rd National Prayer Breakfast, held at the Washington Hilton, here in our Nation's Capital on Thursday, February 3, 2005. As you know, this annual gathering is hosted by Members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives weekly prayer breakfast groups.

Once again, we were honored that President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush participated and we were greatly encouraged by the remarks given by The Honorable Tony Hall, Ambassador, U.S. Mission to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies.

This year, we hosted a gathering of over 3,500 individuals from all walks of life in all 50 states and from many countries around the world. Please find attached a copy of the program and the transcript of the 2005 proceedings that I respectfully request be printed in the Congressional Record so that all may benefit from this time together.

53rd National Prayer Breakfast--Thursday, February 3, 2005--

International Ballroom, Hilton Washington, Washington, DC

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are

created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with

certain inalienable rights, that among these are life,

liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these

rights, governments are instituted among men. . . .--

Declaration of Independence.

Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt

keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt

incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of

subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a

brotherly affection and love for one another and for their

fellow citizens of the United States at large.

And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to

dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean

ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of

mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of

our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose

example in these things we can never hope to be a happy

nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.--George Washington's Prayer for

the United States of America, June 8, 1783.

53rd national prayer breakfast

Chair: The Honorable Jo Ann Emerson; opening song, Wintley

Phipps; pre-breakfast prayer, the Honorable Emanuel Cleaver

II, U.S. House of Representatives, Missouri.

breakfast

Welcome, the Honorable Jo Ann Emerson, U.S. House of

Representatives, Missouri; opening prayer, the Honorable Tom

Osborne, U.S. House of Representatives, Nebraska; remarks--

Senate and House breakfast groups, the Honorable Mark Pryor,

U.S. Senate, Arkansas, the Honorable Norm Coleman, U.S.

Senate, Minnesota; a reading, the Honorable Dianne Feinstein,

U.S. Senate, California; song, Wintley Phipps; readings from

the Holy Scriptures, Sergeant Douglas Norman, 3rd U.S.

Infantry Regiment ``The Old Guard,'' U.S. Army; prayer for

national leaders, the Honorable Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary

of Labor; message, the Honorable Tony Hall, Ambassador,

United States Mission to the United Nations Food and

Agriculture Agencies.

The President of the United States.

Closing song, Wintley Phipps; closing prayer, the Honorable

Lincoln Davis, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee.

proverbs 3:3-6

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and

man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your

own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.--King Solomon.

ezekiel 16:49-50

Thus said the Lord, behold the sin of your sister Sodom:

She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned;

they did not help the poor and needy.

They were haughty and did detestable things before me.

Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.--The prophet

Ezekiel.

matthew 7:12, 22:37-40

Therefore, Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to

them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

``You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and

with all your soul, and with all your mind.'' This is

the great and foremost commandment. And the second is

like it. ``You should love your neighbor as yourself.''

On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the

prophets.--Jesus of Nazareth.

It is impossible to account for the creation of the

universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being.--George

Washington.

I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by Himself, to be

the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been

preached to man.--Thomas Jefferson.

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of

heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and

prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth, and powers as no

other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God!

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-

sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving

grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us.--Abraham

Lincoln.

Almost every man who has by his life-work added to the sum

of human achievement of which the race is proud, almost every

such man had based his work largely upon the teachings of the

Bible.--Theodore Roosevelt.

No greater than could come to our land today than a revival

of the spirit of faith--a revival that would sweep through

the homes of the nation and stir the hearts of men and women

of all faiths to a reassertion of their belief in God and

their dedication to His will for themselves and for their

world. I doubt if there is any problem--social, political, or

economic--that would not melt away before the fires of such a

spiritual revival.--Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Mr. Speaker, I have a profound deep and abiding belief in the right to life. I have introduced a constitutional amendment to ban abortions every session of Congress since 1997 and have a perfect pro-life voting record.

Two years ago I visited the Bader Peach Orchard in Campbell. I met the Baders' son, Cody, after my tour. Cody is a handsome and articulate young man who happens to live in a wheelchair because of a car accident. Cody asked that I rethink my opposition to embryonic stem cell research because he thought that one day if it did not help him, it might just help another young person like him. I later wrote a note to Cody's family telling them that even after hearing his story, I could not do as he asked. And I have regretted writing that letter ever since.

My friends Joel and Dana Wood have a son James, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when Dana was 9 months pregnant. James may never see his 21st birthday, and this is just heartbreaking. My late husband, Bill Emerson, and his mother, Marie, who passed away last night, both suffered from diseases for which stem cell research holds much hope: cancer and dementia. Embryonic stem cells are the only avenue for research we know of now that can possibly help alleviate those two diseases. Neither adult stem cells nor cord blood are plausible for the study or treatment of brain tissue.

I have met with ethicists, scientists, two priests, and my own minister to talk about this agonizing decision. But when presented with an embryo, an embryo that cannot live outside a uterus, an embryo that is going to sadly be thrown out as medical waste, and the lives of little James Wood and young Cody, I ask do they not have as much of a right to life as that embryo that is going to be tossed away?

I had dinner last Thursday night with my daughter and her friend, Will Coffman. Will's story is much like Cody's. We talked and talked about this issue. And Will said to me, We may never know how the story will end, but please do not let the story end right now.

Mr. Speaker, my pro-life credentials are unquestioned. Who can say that prolonging a life is not pro-life? Technology and faith continue to present agonizing decisions and conflicts. Each life is precious, and so I must follow my heart on this and cast a vote in favor of H.R. 810.

Mr. Speaker, I regret that my vote was not recorded even though I was present for rollcall No. 52 on H.R. 841, the Continuity in Representation Act. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted ``aye'' and would like the Record to reflect this fact.

Mr. Speaker, in East Prairie, Missouri, there is no more well-known or better-loved gentleman than Teddy ``Pillar of Truth'' Bennett. Across our Nation, many fine Americans have met Mr. Bennett and he has had a great effect on their lives. I am certainly one of them.

Mr. Bennett was born in the spring of 1930. He grew up on the banks of the wild and mighty Mississippi River. The usual entree in his Depression-era lunch was a gravy sandwich. Mr. Bennett served our Nation in the Korean war in the U.S. Army. When he returned, he came back to East Prairie. Eventually, Mr. Bennett formed his own business and began to gain fame for his fabulous fish fries. His cooking skills are renowned throughout the Nation--as are his character and his pure heart. The ``Pillar of Truth'' is a man who knows the age-old axiom that you nourish people with fish as well as with ideas.

Teddy Bennett is more than an entrepreneur or a ``people person'' or a great storyteller. His whole life teaches us what it is about to grow up in Southern Missouri and make something of yourself. Teddy began his life's journey during the Great Depression. He learned the lessons of hard work and overcoming challenges as he grew up. He didn't set out to inspire us. It just happened that way.

You hear a lot of stories about the Pillar of Truth--but I know lots of things that are true about him: Though he has made many friends, he has never lost one. He makes his living, and his life, out of bringing people together. And he knows that you feed people with more than food. Teddy is a sage--an intelligent, dedicated man who is just as proud of his community as we are of him.

In recent years, Teddy Bennett has fought a war of his own with cancer, but he has not been alone. Every one of his many friends has stood shoulder to shoulder with him. They deserve the thanks of our Nation. Most of all, however, I would like to thank Mr. Bennett for being a trusted friend to the Emerson family and an inspiration in our world. You are our Pillar of Truth.

Mr. Speaker, the Mingo Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center was established in 1965 and is located on the southeastern corner of Mingo National Wildlife Refuge. Over 224 corps members participate in the program at Mingo at any one time. They can see daily what many people travel miles to observe on a National Wildlife Refuge. They are working to make a special effort to provide vocational work sites for training, as well as placement in permanent jobs, not just at Mingo, but on other facilities within the region.

In a residential setting, students are given the opportunity to complete their secondary education, round out their social skills, and acquire a vocational skill. Vocational training is offered in the following trades at Mingo: automotive repair, building maintenance, bricklaying, carpentry, heavy equipment operation, painting, welding, clerical, culinary arts, and health services.

With an audience of over 200 young people in residence for over a year on a National Wildlife Refuge, the Center is taking advantage of the opportunity to expose them to environmental awareness concepts in the education, vocational training, and residential living programs. The Center is a unique mix of human resources and natural resource management.

The Mingo Job Corps Center, located in Puxico, Missouri, has become a critical part of the economy in Southeast Missouri. I first want to brag on the work the Center has done and give a little background on the work they do to better the community and the lives of those they serve. The Center has been crucial in providing the young people in Southeast Missouri many opportunities that they would not otherwise have available to them. The lack of viable economic opportunities in the area is staggering, and, as a result, many people in the area have to rely on government assistance to make ends meet.

The Mingo Job Corps Center is the one place these people can go to develop the critical skills needed to enter the workforce. While some of the students at the Center are what we commonly refer to as being ``at-risk,'' the Job Corps program has allowed these young men and women to make a life for themselves and succeed. Additionally, the surrounding community has benefitted from the work of the Center because, upon graduation, the students are able to give back to the community with the skills they have learned.

Last year, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that they did not have the budget to adequately operate the Center. As a result, the Department of Labor recommended that the operations of the Center be contracted out. I completely opposed the proposal to contract out the operations at the Mingo Job Corps Center.

In response to the announcement to contract out operations Senator Bond and I introduced legislation to transfer the Mingo Center to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. By adding the Mingo Job Corps Center to the list of U.S. Forest Service-run facilities, we will protect the livelihood of the students and employees served by the Center and ensure that the facility will continue to be operated by an experienced and dedicated staff. Most importantly, the skilled workers who graduate from the Center will continue to add to the dedicated workforce and contribute to the health of the rural economy.

I am very proud to bring this legislation to the House of Representatives for a vote today, because it represents an important initiative in rural Missouri. Our job training programs are vital to our economic success now and in the future. Keeping the Mingo Center open and operating is a small, but important way to acknowledge our commitment to a dedicated workforce.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Allen-Emerson comparative effectiveness research amendment. As my colleague said, as the costs of health care continue to rise, we really do need to make sure that our Nation's health care providers have every possible tool at hand so that they can understand the best, most efficient level of quality care to give their patients.

We obviously in Congress have recognized that need because we authorized $75 million in funding for the Agency For Health Care Research and Quality to conduct comparative effectiveness and health care outcomes research. This information would be made available to providers and consumers alike and allow physicians and their patients to make more informed and personalized decisions on each individual patient's plan of care.

More importantly, comparative effectiveness research will provide evidence-based research to help improve the efficiency of our health care system. Currently, very little objective evidence-based information is available to help physicians choose the most appropriate prescription medications for each patient. Without such information available, many patients may be prescribed a more expensive brand-name medication when a less costly generic medication may have the same clinical effectiveness. Funding further comparative effectiveness research efforts will provide American health care consumers with impartial research-based evidence of the value of different prescription medications and, moreover, will help drive down the costs of health care in the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I also want to mention, in this time when we are all very concerned with the number of uninsureds around the country, with the increasing inflation in the health care delivery system, with small businesses and large businesses experiencing incredibly difficult increases in their costs, this is a measure that has been endorsed by many large and small employer groups, namely, the AARP, the AFL-CIO, Caterpillar Tractor Company, Eastman Kodak, Kaiser Permanente, Verizon Communications, General Motors, United Health Care, the Coalition For Health Services Research. I could go on and on. But the bottom line is anything that we can do effectively to lower the costs of delivering health care in this country is something that the Congress should do.

I urge adoption of this amendment.