Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Ross and Chairman Pombo. Congressman Ross for introducing the bill, and then Chairman Pombo for getting it to the floor.

I rise in strong support of this bill. The reason that I do, before I was elected to Congress I had never been to Washington, D.C, and I came up here, I can still remember the excitement of seeing all the structures and things; and then now, as my constituents come up, taking them around, showing them the different areas, the different things of history that we preserved.

Preserving Presidential birthplaces is very, very important. It is something that we need to do. We need to do a much better job, I think, in this country of preserving structures like this in general that are so important, that tell the story of America.

One of the things that I really enjoy doing is going out to schools and I visit with the kids. I was on the school board for 7 years, and I sit down and visit with them, and one of the main reasons I am there is I want them to understand that a guy like me that was on the school board, had a small business, was on the school board, grew up very much like they did, in western Arkansas, that the sky is the limit, that they can work hard and basically achieve anything they want.

Bill Clinton is truly an example of that. And certainly as they go through the structure that we are trying to preserve, I think it really shows that a young guy that grew up as much of America is growing up, maybe at some times maybe a little bit worse than much of America is growing up, but growing up in humble circumstances, having a dream, able to achieve the governorship of Arkansas, and then go on to become the most powerful man in the world. I think it is a great story. I think it is one that kids will be able to relate to and certainly show that, again, if they step forward that the sky is the limit.

As Mike said, this has great support from the State of Arkansas, great support from our congressional delegation, and then also from our Governor, Governor Huckabee, that we would like to do what President Clinton did in the future, also from Hope, and he was very, very supportive as the letter indicates.

Again, I speak in strong support of this bill and I urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a member of our congressional family, Mrs. Virginia Hammerschmidt, the wife of former Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt. Virginia and John Paul were married for almost 58 years before she passed away over the holiday recess.

Any of us who have had the honor of serving in this House know that the full support, encouragement and guidance of a loving spouse makes our job so much easier. John Paul served in this institution for 26 years. I am sure that he would be the first to tell you that he could not have done it without Ginny by his side.

Many of John Paul's former colleagues are still serving in the House today, and they remember Ginny with fondness. Gracious, dignified, sincere, these are some of the words people have used to describe her. I had the privilege of being in her company on numerous occasions and can personally attest to what a warm, caring person she was. She will be missed by many. She touched the lives of so many in Arkansas and here in these halls.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to keep John Paul, his son, John Arthur, and the rest of the Hammerschmidt family in their thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4500) to designate certain buildings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4500.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4500 honors two great leaders, Rosa Parks and Mother Teresa, by designating buildings in their honor.

This bill designates the Headquarters and Emergency Operations Center Building at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention as the Rosa Parks Headquarters and Emergency Operations Center. Rosa Parks is most well known as the mother of the civil rights movement. In 1955, she defiantly refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, inspiring further civil disobedience. Rosa Parks' dedication to fight for social and economic justice continued beyond that monumental day in 1955, as she spent the remainder of her life fighting against all forms of discrimination.

Rosa Parks received numerous awards for her contributions to the civil rights movement, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal. Rosa Parks passed away earlier this year.

H.R. 4500 also designates the Global Communications Center Building at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the Mother Teresa Global Communications Center.

Mother Teresa spent her life assisting those in poverty in Calcutta, India and throughout central Asia. Her inspiration started a movement of volunteers who continue to spread her message and ministry throughout the world. Today, over 100,000 volunteers in 123 countries participate in Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity program, bringing hope and aid to the sick and dying.

Mother Teresa received numerous awards and recognition for her humble acts of kindness, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa died in 1997.

It is an honor to name facilities used to provide essential human services and protect the health and safety of the American people after two women who devoted their lives to similar causes.

I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from Kentucky (Mrs. Northup) be allowed to manage the remainder of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3665) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide adaptive housing assistance to disabled veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member and to make direct housing loans to Native American veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to commend H.R. 3665, as amended, to the House for passage. This bill has several goals. First, we want to provide some flexibility in several VA programs, including the Adapted Housing Grant program and the Native American Loan program. Second, we want to protect and institutionalize the taxpayers' investment in the President's National Hiring Veterans Committee. Third, we want to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program for 3 years.

Madam Speaker, it is no secret that many of those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan return home with significant disabilities. Many of those severely disabled servicemembers spend their convalescence at a family home before moving to their own home when they are well enough to do so. Under the current rules, VA cannot help adapt those family homes for their specific disabilities unless the veteran has an ownership interest in the property. This bill would eliminate the ownership requirement for a partial grant. Therefore, title I would provide a partial adaptive housing assistance grant up to $10,000 or $2,000, depending on the level of disability to veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member. It would also authorize up to three specially adaptive housing grants within the allotted maximum amount.

Madam Speaker, this measure contains several provisions from H.R. 1773, originally introduced by the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee ranking member, Ms. Herseth. I want to compliment her and her staff for their hard work on this issue. These provisions would make permanent the pilot program for housing loans to Native American veterans; extend the eligibility for Native American loans to certain non-Native American veterans who have a meaningful interest in the property under tribal law and are the spouses of a Native American. And finally, this would adjust the maximum loan to conform with the Freddie Mac limits similar to other VA loans, currently $59,650.

Madam Speaker, the taxpayers have made a significant investment in the work of the President's National Hire Veterans Committee, and we feel strongly that a 1-year extension will allow a proper transition of the duties and products of the committee to the Veterans Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor. Therefore, title II would extend the committee's work until not later than December 31, 2006. Transition of its duties to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training require the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training to develop a transition plan for those duties and modify the membership and duties of the advisory committee on veterans employment and training to include outreach activities.

Madam Speaker, we all know that homelessness among the veterans continues to be a problem. While there is some disagreement about the total number of homeless veterans needing a job to break the cycle of homelessness, there is no disagreement that the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program remains a valuable tool to put homeless veterans back to work. I want to emphasize that this is an employment program managed by the Veterans Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor, not a housing program. Therefore, title III would reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program for fiscal years 2007 through 2009 and retain the maximum authorization of $50 million per year.

Finally, title IV makes technical amendments to the servicemembers group life insurance legislation as well as clerical and technical amendments to a number of other sections of title 38.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), chairman of the Health Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), the sponsor of the original bill to extend the operation of the President's National Hire Veterans Committee, and former chairman of the Veterans' Benefits Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley), the vice chairman of the Veterans Disability and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, a gentleman who, since coming to Congress, has been a tireless advocate for veterans.

Madam Speaker, first, I would like to thank the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), and the committee's ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for their leadership and support in bringing this bill to the floor. I would also like to thank the ranking member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth), as well as her staff and my staff for their hard work and cooperation on this bipartisan legislation.

Special thanks to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), who is the ranking member for Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

This bill is an example of how we can work together to achieve good things for veterans, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3665, the Veterans Housing and Employment Improvement Act of 2005.

I do not think we can close today before noting that this coming Friday is Veterans Day, a day that originally marked the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the war to end all wars. Unfortunately, that idealistic prediction failed, and several generations of Americans have since served in wartime. So today, instead of honoring the end of World War I, Veterans Day now honors all of those who have worn the uniform in defense of the Nation. Whether a veteran served in war or peacetime, we owe them our gratitude, and this bill is just one small token of our appreciation.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the House, I want to say thank you to all who have served.

Madam Speaker, having no further requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3665.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a dedicated educator, Joel Stubblefield, who passed away last week. Mr. Stubblefield assumed the role of chancellor at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, in 2002. Without his vision and efforts, that role would have never existed. While he always gave the credit to others, Mr. Stubblefield's initiatives transformed Westark, which was a very successful 2-year community college which he had been president of for many, many years, into a full-fledged 4-year institution that became part of the University of Arkansas system.

Under his stewardship, UAFS blossomed, the faculty ranks doubled, student enrollment nearly doubled and private giving, a measure of the school support, skyrocketed. He worked tirelessly to accomplish these feats. In fact, he worked so hard that at one point the school's trustees had to vote to force him to take a vacation.

Madam Speaker, 2 days ago I joined over 1,000 people at the UAFS campus to say our final good-byes to Joel Stubblefield. While he may no longer be with us, the impact he left on the community of Fort Smith will remain literally for generations to come. He was dedicated in every way to making a difference in the lives of his students, and our communities are a better place because of his efforts.

Mr. Speaker, last Congress, myself, Mr. Waxman in the House, Senator DeWine, Senator Kennedy in the Senate, became aware of a very serious problem. The FDA had claimed jurisdiction over all contact lenses, and then in April of 2003 announced that it did not feel like it had jurisdiction over contact lenses that did not have any power in them anymore. In other words, there were lenses that were sold for the purpose of changing eye color, sold at Halloween to enhance; if you were going to a whatever and wanted to look kind of wild, you could buy these lenses. Up until then, everyone agreed that a contact was a contact, but when they got to looking at their statute, they were very concerned that they did not have any jurisdiction.

As a result, these lenses began being sold at flea markets, began being sold at places where you get your nails done, and when they were sold, no one told them how to put them in and take them out, there was no effort at all to teach anything about hygiene, the disinfecting solutions that you needed to prevent your eyes from becoming infected.

Dr. Steineman at Case Western Reserve about this time started seeing a tremendous incidence in eye infections related to these lenses. Let me just tell my colleagues about a couple of them. Here is an example of a young gal that was 16 years old. Her boyfriend supplied her with these colored contact lenses, did not have any power in them, so they were not regulated. The patient admitted to sharing the colored contact lenses with her younger brother, again doing this because she had no idea of how you take care of this type of situation.

You say, well, it is just a 16-year-old. Here is an example of a 26- year-old that also bought contact lenses at a flea market that made him have cat eyes. This individual developed a very significant, very severe infection, which probably resulted in loss of vision.

Today what we are trying to do by passing this bill is to close the loophole which everybody agrees needs to be done. So the real heroes of this have been the FDA. We have worked very, very hard with them and have gotten language that they have agreed to; Dr. Steineman, in doing the early work in identifying this; and ophthalmology, optometry that have really pressed the issue in the House; the manufacturers of the particular lenses; Senator DeWine and Senator Kennedy in the Senate; and then also Mike Enzi, the chairman of the committee over there that really took this upon himself to get this thing passed. Mr. Waxman has done a tremendous job of working with us and just really going through in an effort to get the particular language that would get this done without affecting the jurisdiction of the FDA. So I really appreciate the gentleman from California; also, Chairman Barton and Chairman Deal in allowing this to go forward to get this to the floor. These were the guys that really allowed us to get this done. We had a goal of getting this done before Halloween, and I think we are almost there.

The other thing I would like to do, which needs to be done more than we do it, is thank our staffs. They have

put in literally countless hours trying to get this thing worked out.

Again, I would urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. I think it is something that needs to be done, and it is one of those things that as a result of us getting this done today truly will protect our youth, protect people in keeping them from experiencing a devastating eye injury.

I also want to thank the majority leader, Mr. Blunt, for getting this scheduled, again before Halloween.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a dedicated educator, Ms. Betty Lynn Reagan, who passed away earlier this month. For 47 years, Ms. Reagan taught school in Rogers, Arkansas. As a former member of the Rogers School Board and the father of three daughters who attended public schools there, I can personally attest to the impact Ms. Reagan had on the lives of her students. She was greatly respected in the classroom, in the education community and the community at large.

Throughout her career, Ms. Reagan received a number of awards and commendations, including induction into the Education Hall of Fame in 1995. However, the most notable came in 1989, when the community renamed a school for her and her sister Mary Sue, also a long time teacher and outstanding educator. Reagan Elementary will serve as a reminder for future generations of the impact that Betty Lynn and Mary Sue Reagan have had on our community.

Mr. Speaker, Betty Lynn Reagan will certainly be missed. However, her legacy will live on for generations to come. Rogers School District Superintendent Janie Darr summed it up best when she said: Because of Betty Lynn, the School District and the City of Rogers is a much, much better place.

I thank my colleagues for the opportunity to honor and celebrate the life of this wonderful woman.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 388) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the July, 2005, measures of extreme repression on the part of the Cuban Government against members of Cuba's prodemocracy movement, calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners, the legalization of political parties and free elections in Cuba, urging the European Union to reexamine its policy toward Cuba, and calling on the representative of the United States to the 62d session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to ensure a resolution calling upon the Cuban regime to end its human rights violations, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 388.

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

Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) would normally be here. The gentleman is very, very concerned about this resolution and is very, very supportive of it, but he currently has a markup, a committee vote that he is in the process of doing, so, again, I have the opportunity and honor of going ahead with this in his stead.

H. Res. 388 is a resolution which condemns the gross human rights violations committed by the Cuban regime and expresses support for the right of the Cuban people to exercise fundamental political and civil liberties.

As a member of the Committee on International Relations, I would like to thank my colleague the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz- Balart) for introducing this resolution, which highlights the atrocious human rights violations the Cuban people continue to suffer at the hands of Castro's oppressive regime.

Mr. Castro continues to hone his craft, that is to say, his systematic reign of fear and intimidation of his own population. This past July, the Castro regime renewed its efforts to stamp out the pro- democracy movement.

This resolution sends a strong message to the Cuban Government that the world will not forget those people who are languishing in Cuban prisons for the so-called crime of speaking out against the injustices perpetrated by the Castro regime. Many of the dissidents arrested July remain in custody, and several of them face long sentences in prison for threatening to undermine Cuba's Communist government, according to Amnesty International and other organizations.

As U.S. service men and women put their lives on the line to bring freedom and democracy to areas of the world that have long suffered in the shadow of tyranny, Cuba represents a prime example in our own hemispheres of what can happen if any nation shuns democracy and subjugates itself to the whims of dictatorship.

As it stands now, Cuba is the only nation in the hemisphere that is a complete dictatorship, and since the earliest days of the regime, Castro has not only stifled efforts to promote freedom and democracy in Cuba, but he has also actively been involved in promoting communism and dictatorships around the world, most especially in Central and South America. The fall of Castro's principal benefactor, the Soviet Union, may have caused a shift in Castro's tactics, but he has never abandoned his ambition to export communism.

I am very concerned about the state of affairs in the Western Hemisphere, and I am convinced that there will never be true, lasting peace and freedom in the region until we solve the Cuba problem once and for all. The only acceptable solution is a free and democratic Cuba. I have hope there will be a day when the light of democracy shines in Havana, a day when free expression and free elections replace the current hopeless status quo.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. We owe it to the thousands of Cubans who risk their lives every year to flee the Communist regime by any means necessary, even attempting to brave the hazardous 90-mile crossing between the United States and Cuba on makeshift rafts, as well as those languishing in Cuban jails, to further open the eyes of the world community to the true evils of the Castro regime. We must never forget them.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), the original sponsor of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Ranking Member Lantos and Chairman Hyde for their leadership and such a bipartisan effort for these human rights issues. Again, we truly appreciate their leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of Arkansas' most generous philanthropists, Mrs. Pat Seamans Walker.

Next week, Pat will be presented with the prestigious Arkansas Children's Award. There is good reason Pat is receiving this honor. Since Pat and her late husband Willard founded the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation in 1986, she has made it her goal to improve the quality of life in communities across Arkansas.

It is impossible to list all of the donations that the Walkers have made over the years in the short amount of time allotted to me. I would, however, like to give my colleagues a brief description of Pat's generosity.

Over the years, her foundation has given millions to educational institutions in Arkansas, millions to health care research and community health care centers in Arkansas, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to community libraries in the Third District of Arkansas.

Mr. Speaker, the examples that I have given are just a few of Pat Seamans Walker's gifts to Arkansas. Arkansas is extremely appreciative of her generosity. She certainly deserves this prestigious award, and I congratulate her on this honor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I appreciate all of the hard work in crafting the Interior bill, the conference report; and I very much support it.

I really rise today, though, to talk about something a little bit different. Mr. Speaker, in a few hours, U.S. Army Sergeant Arthur Raymond McGill will be laid to rest. A third district native, Sergeant McGill gave his life serving his country in Iraq when his convoy detonated an improvised device. I rise today to mourn this tragic loss and honor his courageous life.

Sergeant McGill grew up in the northwest Arkansas communities of Gentry, Decatur, and Gravette. At the age of 17, he joined the National Guard and later enlisted in the Army. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed.

Sergeant McGill valued family more than anything else and wanted to set a positive example for his daughter, Kaylee, who his aunt said was the love of his life. Though his life was cut short, Sergeant McGill did set a wonderful example for Kaylee and us all through his selfless and noble service to his country.

Mr. Speaker, at the age of 26, Sergeant Arthur Raymond McGill made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He is a true American hero, and I certainly ask my colleagues to remember his family, remember his friends in their thoughts and prayers during these very difficult times.

Mr. Speaker, this Sunday is Parents Day, an annual day commemorating the contribution parents make to our society. Parents Day provides an opportunity to recognize and promote parenting as a central vocation for our families and communities.

In 1994 Congress passed a resolution establishing the fourth Sunday of every July as Parents Day. According to the resolution, Parents Day is established for recognizing, uplifting and supporting the role of parents and rearing of children.

And in that vein I would like to recognize one truly special set of parents,

Mike and Becky Kneeland of Van Buren, Arkansas. They will be receiving Arkansas' Parents of the Year Award this Sunday, and I am honored to be able to recognize them on the House floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating the Kneelands and all the other wonderful parents across the country. Their efforts and sacrifices are molding the future of this Nation, and parents like the Kneelands are setting a wonderful example for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to introduce H.R. 3279, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization Act of 2005. I am especially pleased that the Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, Ms. Herseth, as well as Ms. Brown-Waite, Mr. Evans, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Filner, Mr. Baker, and Ms. Berkley join me as original cosponsors.

H.R. 3279 would reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, or HVRP, through 2009, currently the authority for this program expires at the end of fiscal year 2006. The legislation would also retain the authority to appropriate $50,000,000 to HVRP for each fiscal year.

HVRP, administered by the Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service, is designed to take the men and women who are probably the most difficult population of veterans to serve off the streets and return them as productive contributors to society. It is a tall order and one that presents unique challenges to both the government and those who deliver services to homeless veterans. It is a well known fact that a very high percentage of this Nation's homeless have mental health and substance abuse issues. Unfortunately, homeless veterans are not immune to those concerns. In fact, some are so debilitated that they will never fully return to society outside a very structured environment.

HVRP funds are awarded on a competitive basis to eligible applicants such as: State and local Workforce Investment Boards, public agencies, for-profit/commercial entities, and non-profit organizations, including faith based and community based organizations. Grantees provide an array of services utilizing a case management approach that directly assist homeless veterans as well as provide critical linkages for a variety of supportive services available in their local communities. The program focuses on employment and veterans receive the employment and training services they need in order to re-enter the labor force. Job placement, training, and development, career counseling, and resume preparation, are among the services that are provided. Supportive services such as clothing, provision of or referral to temporary, transitional, or permanent housing, referral to medical or substance abuse treatment, and transportation assistance are also provided to meet the needs of this target group.

The emphasis on helping homeless veterans get and retain jobs is enhanced through coordination with various veterans' services programs and organizations such as the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program Specialists and Local Veterans' Employment Representatives, veteran service organizations, and the Departments of Veterans' Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services.

Today, VA estimates the number of homeless veterans to be about 185,000. This is a far too large of a number, in my mind, one homeless veteran is one too many. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, due to important constituent casework meetings, I was absent from the House of Representatives for portions of Thursday, June 30, 2005. Should I have been in attendance, I would have voted in the following manner: Rollcall 346, ``no''; rollcall 356, ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to a death in my family, I was absent from the House of Representatives on Friday, June 24, 2005. Should I have been in attendance, I would have voted in the following manner:

Rollcall 310: no.

Rollcall 312: aye.

Rollcall 314: no.

Rollcall 318: no.

Rollcall 321: aye.