Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on Saturday, May 17, 2008, 102 Volusia County veterans from the Second World War visited our Nation's Capital as part of the Honor Air program. The trip was made possible through the Rotary Clubs of Volusia County and with the support of sponsors and the 49 Guardian escorts.

It was my pleasure to assist in hosting the veterans during their visit to our Nation's capital. They first stopped at the World War II Memorial to pay tribute to their fellow patriots. In the first visit for all of the servicemen, it was a moving occasion. It was an emotional moment as these heroes stood among the stone columns, fountains and pools that comprise the Memorial.

In the afternoon, the Volusia veterans paid their respects at Arlington National Cemetery. Veteran leaders and I had the privilege to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in a solemn tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. The day concluded with visits to the Woman in Services Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

As the Congressman from Florida's Seventh Congressional District, it was my honor to play a part in our Volusia County heroes' visit. I would like to acknowledge former U.S. Senator Bob Dole, a fellow World War II hero and Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England who both graciously addressed the group. I ask that the United States House of Representatives join me in expressing our appreciation to the 49 Guardians, who through a sense of duty and at personal expense, escorted the World War II veterans on that memorable day.

The May 17, 2008 Volusia Honor Air Guardians included:

Joesphine D. Alexander; Stephen E. Alldredge; Jerry L. Autry; Jerry L. Autry, Jr.; Peter D. Bauer; Roger B. Baumgartner; Ken Bradley; Melina Brannon; David Franklin Brannon II; William Herschel Breneman III; Michael W. Brooks; Joseph Bryant; John F. Cheney; John H. Childress; Leslie Stafford Coggins; Robert L. Doyle II; Geoffrey E. Felton.

Thomas B. Fleishel; William B. Flowers, Jr.; Thomas R. Fowler; Eleanor Gustavsson; John Jeffrey Harting; Raymond H. Heffington; Robert Michael Hill; Randall Jackson; Ben F. Johnson; Russell L. Kelton; Candace Lankford; Gerald H. Lyons; Jeffrey A. Malmborg; Jefferson J. Mancinik; William C. Mancinik; James Mazurak; Clair Roach Metz.

Charles Paiva; Albert J. Razzetti; Alessandra Razzetti; Joseph Frank Rudolph; Thomas D. Smith; Brad Strickland; Theodore J. Surynt; Donaldson Paul Taylor; Carolyn Ganntt Teal; Parke Statford Teal; Kevin Thomas; Warren A. Todd; Alexander B. Veech; Gery Walker; and Douglas Allen Wedekind.

Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, the Democrats have had control of the Congress now for a year and a half. We are still waiting for an energy plan. We are going to celebrate Memorial Day this weekend. We are still waiting for an energy plan. What have the Democrats done so far as an energy plan? Well, let's just take a look at it.

This is a spoon from the House cafeteria. They bought this spoon at great expense to the taxpayers, and it is a green spoon. In fact, it melts in your coffee. This is Exhibit 1. What have the Democrats done when gas is $4? Well, go down to the gift store and you will see these Green the Capitol bags. So now we have, at greater expense to the taxpayer, printed these little Green the Capitol bags.

Now what is the centerpiece of their energy policy when you're going to pay $4 a gallon and more around the country for gasoline? They are going to change the light and green the light on the top of the Capitol. Just the study, I'm told, is going to be $800,000, and then millions of dollars. And $4 gas.

Madam Speaker, on Saturday, May 17, 2008, 102 Volusia County veterans from the Second World War will visit our Nations Capital as part of the Honor Air program. For each of these central Florida veterans this will be their first opportunity to see the World War II Memorial. As the Congressman from Florida's Seventh Congressional District, it will be my privilege to assist in their visit. As part of their mission to Washington, DC, I will join them in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. This will be a special occasion in the lives of our World War II veterans. It will be my pleasure to welcome the first Honor Air visit from central Florida. I ask that the United States House of Representatives join me in recognizing Our Greatest Generation from Florida's Seventh Congressional District and wish them well as they gather in America's Capital City.

It is my privilege to honor the service and sacrifice of those veterans who will be visiting our Nation's Capital on May 17, 2008:

Berkley E. Adams; Robert W. Anderson; Melvin Arnold; Frank

R. Balzer; George A. Bass; Jacob R. Beard, Jr.; Edwin L.

Best; Vernon B. Bly; Imon F. Boarman; Alfred G. Boykin;

Melvin Burgess; Kenneth P. Burnette, Jr.; Lewis H. Buzzell,

Jr.; James Callahan; Charles Carafano; Duncan S. Chamberlin;

John F. Cheney.

Lawrence E. Cheshire; Ralph H. Chesser; Francis H. Clifton;

Odbert H. Cornwell; Edmund D. Covington, Jr.; Otis R.

Daniels; William J. Dreggors, Jr.; Ernest S. Eckhardt; H.

Leslie Ferrell; Charles Finlayson; Jack F. Fortes; Kenneth E.

Fowler; Richard B. Fuquay; Homer Goff; Richard A. Gray; David

F. Greenawalt; H.L. Guthrie; Hayden K. Hale.

Dorothy E. Halevy; Georgene E. Hall; Chester V. Hamilton;

Edward M. Hampton; Edward L. Herendeen; Wayne Holby; George

R. Holden; Paul Hornbaker; Lawrence J. Hubbard; Vera L.

Hubler; Russell W. Hunt; Daniel Jarczynski; Eddie Jenkins;

Erling Johnson; Irving Kelton; Joseph R. Killeen; Jess

Knight; John A. Konrad III.

Claude G. Labranche; Edwin L. Lazarus; Ernest Lee; William

F. Litke; Richard Macak; Robert B. Marriett; Evelyn Mazurak;

Clifford E. McCalley; William R. McKenzie; Evert Mills; Max

W. Minear; Frank R. Nicolo; Chester W. Nixon.

John C. Nuttall; William Orr; Robert L. Orwig; Priscilla I.

Pagano; Charles Paiva; Earle H. Palmer; Harold Parson;

William F. Patterson; Harold N. Pelton; Robert F. Pennington.

Edward J. Perry; Omar Pritchett; James P. Ragan; John

Rokop; John K. Ross; Sam Roth; James E. Sankey; John A.

Seeders; Bill W. Sharp; Richard A. Shaw; Phillip Sheak;

Leonard Slater; Margaret E. Snowdon; Stephen M. Straight;

Robert V. Talley; Margaret S. Terbeek; Angelo Todarello; John

C. Toenjes; George V. Tucker; Alexander B. Veech, Jr. Gordon

L. Ward; Richard H. Westervelt; Delmar E. Whipple; Donald W.

Whynot; John W. Williams.

I know I join countless Americans who continue to recognize their heroism and their families' incredible sacrifice to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, talking to folks in the district last night in a telephone town hall conference and visiting with folks in my district, they want to know what Congress is doing about gas prices and energy prices. People are struggling as they try to fill up their gas tank. They're struggling when they go to the store and see inflated food costs. And so far, we haven't seen any results from Congress.

Now the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, are in charge, they've been in charge. They said they were going to take over and they would have a plan. The Speaker, the then leader on the other side, said they would have a plan. Where is the plan? Gasoline prices when the Democrats took control were just a little over $2. Now they're reaching $4 in some areas. Where is the plan?

The only plan I've seen is the $870,000 plan to replace the light in the dome of the Capitol, a 200-year payout. Where is the plan? People in America want to know where the plan is and how we're going to reduce gas prices for them and food prices for them.

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

As we consider before the House H.R. 1195, I want to express my support for this legislation. And, first off, I'd like to thank the chairman of the committee, Mr. Oberstar, for his work and efforts, for his staff; Mr. DeFazio, who chairs the Highway Subcommittee; and also Mr. Duncan on our side of the aisle.

Now, I know that this bill's being here didn't come by accident. As you heard, this has passed the House at least four other times. A great deal of credit for the achievement in bringing this legislation forward also must go to the former Chair of the committee, the distinguished gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young). Mr. Young worked closely with Mr. Oberstar in crafting legislation to deal with some of the needed changes that were necessary. When you pass a, I think it was, $286 billion transportation and highway transit authorization bill, there are always technical corrections that are needed. It's almost impossible to pass a bill of that magnitude with that many numbers, that many projects, and not come back and make adjustments, both in some of the formulas that are required and also in some of the requests from Members. So this is part of the process.

One of the most important things, as people also ask us what we are doing to move the economy forward, I think it's absolutely essential that our transportation and infrastructure projects move forward. And without this legislation that cannot be possible because, again, of some of the drafting requirements under the July, 2005, SAFETEA-LU bill that was passed.

So here we are, the fifth time the House of Representatives will pass this legislation. It should be on its way to the President. As you heard, this legislation passed in the 109th Congress. It passed in the 110th Congress. Under the leadership of Chairman Young and then ranking member of the committee Mr. Oberstar, it moved forward, and now we have it in this Congress.

The technical corrections in this bill have been clearly identified by the Department of Transportation and also by State Departments of Transportation and are mostly a conforming nature or correcting drafting errors. Again, a huge bill with many provisions.

The largest section of the bill, section 105, makes changes to 386 high-priority projects in section 1702 of the SAFETEA-LU bill. These changes address surface transportation projects that cannot be executed as they are currently drafted in the current law, again, that we passed back in July of 2005. And, of course, next year we will be doing another bill, and that's why it's so important that we get this on the President's desk as soon as possible so that these technical changes clarify who the recipients are and project descriptions and make corrections that in some instances will increase project funding levels and decrease others to achieve budget neutrality.

There are many Members of Congress in the House and Senate who have written to our committee or to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works or the Banking Committee in the Senate supporting specific projects and policy corrections. These requests have been submitted, I believe, through an open and transparent process. On my side of the aisle, I've tried to keep all of these requests public, available to the press, and, again, in a very transparent manner for everyone to see what has been requested, what the projects are, and who has requested them.

In this legislation there are 150 corrections made at the request of Senators, 197 corrections made at the request of House Democrats, and 138 corrections made at the request of House Republicans.

I support this legislation. It's necessary, again, to move these projects forward to stimulate our economy and build our Nation's infrastructure.

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the members of our committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mack) has requested time, and I would like to yield him 2 minutes.

Might I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

I would like to yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).

I do have other speakers. I would be pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

May I inquire as to how much time our side has?

I would like to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman who heads up the Highway Subcommittee on our side, our ranking member, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

In closing for our side, again I want to thank Mr. Oberstar and Mr. DeFazio and Mr. Duncan, who spoke previously, and Mr. Young, the previous Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Let me just respond to a couple of items here. First of all, I want to join Mr. Oberstar. Both of us worked very hard and intently with the Governor of Virginia and with the delegation from Virginia, the Northern Virginia congressional delegation. I am so delighted to see that the extension of the Metrorail will continue out to Dulles.

It is expensive, folks. It is not going to get any cheaper. If you are looking at solutions to help the environment and deal with congestion, that is one of them, and we have to move forward. I am very pleased, and I thank the gentleman for his efforts and our joint efforts in making that possible.

We are all joined together by one common denominator in transportation, from sea to shining sea: We face congestion everywhere, in small towns, middle-sized towns, metropolitan areas. This bill, more than any other legislation that we will do this year, will move projects forward.

Now, there has been some criticism that this changes earmarks or redefines some earmarks. Yes, it does. These are congressional earmarks, and I say from our side of the aisle, I can tell you that we have done everything we can to make this process transparent, open, and have Members publicly state what their intent is. So I feel good about what we have done.

I can't control what the other body does. Mr. Oberstar can't either. But we have done our best to vet these projects and move the interests of this country, which is building and moving the infrastructure of this country forward. This legislation will do that. I urge Members to support this legislation.

Now, I know it does have a provision in here that does allow the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation on one of the projects. The leadership of the House and Senate and Mr. Young and others have agreed to move forward with this. I don't think it sets a good precedent, because the House and Senate should be the judge of their own Members under the Constitution. Be that as it may, I will still support this bill, move forward with the process, and we will try to do our best to keep America moving forward with its infrastructure and transportation projects, which is absolutely vital to our economy at this time.

I ask Members to support this legislation, and again thank all those involved.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank our ranking member, Mr. LaTourette, for yielding time to me, and I am pleased to speak on an important reauthorization measure, and that's reauthorization of our Coast Guard. Unfortunately, I'm told that even if we pass this bill today, and it will not be passed in totality, it still must be conferenced with the other body, that this authorization is only good through the end of this fiscal year. And, unfortunately, this reauthorization has been delayed, and we will find ourselves back at the beginning gate, starting gate, so to speak. That's one of my disappointments.

First, though, before I get into my disappointments, let me commend, first of all, our ranking member, Mr. LaTourette. He's worked tirelessly as the Republican leader of the Coast Guard Subcommittee to try to bring this reauthorization legislation together. He's taken some absolutely terrible proposals that first came out and made them much, much better, and I commend Mr. LaTourette for his hard work on this and trying to reach compromise.

I also compliment Mr. Oberstar, my counterpart in the committee, heads up the Democrat side, our chairman, for his efforts to try to bring about bipartisan compromise on the legislation. Mr. Cummings, the chairman of the Coast Guard Subcommittee, has worked with our ranking member.

So I thank all of them. Their efforts have been good, and I'm going to cast a vote in favor of this to move the process forward, and I think that's incumbent in my particular position to try to continue to make the bill better.

This is a good reauthorization start. I do have two major concerns that I want to say that I am not pleased with, the administration is not pleased with, and I think the United States Coast Guard is not pleased with.

First of all, I have opposition to two provisions. Let me speak about the first one, and one you heard a lot about, the safety regime that's created in this bill. Unfortunately, this particular provision, while it may sound good that the safety is being addressed, it really destroys the command and control function that is so essential in a national security agency.

Now the Coast Guard's primary responsibility is one of national security. It's also safety, but it is first and foremost, a national security agency. And this regime sets up an unprecedented bureaucracy. It also destroys the command approach that we have had in our services.

In fact, it would prescribe the duties, qualifications, and set up a chain of command of senior Coast Guard officials. This represents an extraordinary intrusion upon the service chiefs' authority to command and control a branch of the Armed Forces and, ultimately, the ability of the Secretary and the President to deploy the Coast Guard in an emergency.

Now this isn't just my evaluation. This is the Coast Guard, this is the administration, the President's evaluation of what the current language would do.

Unfortunately again, we still have this provision that needs to be worked on, and we need to make certain that national security, the ability to command and control a branch of the armed services is not damaged.

The second reason that I have concern about this legislation is that unfortunately, the waterside security provisions here that relate to liquefied natural gas terminals and liquefied natural gas tankers requires the Coast Guard to provide security in a manner that is contrary to the existing assistance framework and also at odds with assisted risk-management practices.

In simple layman's terms, what's happening is right now when we're having a difficulty of getting a supply of natural gas, and gas prices are soaring. People are seeing natural gas prices reach record levels. We're creating more redtape, more impediments and setting up another regime in which we will limit the supply and also actually create more impediments to getting the supply so the cost can go down and the people who have access to probably one of the best sources of energy has the least amount of damage of any of the fossil fuels to our environment.

So those are my two concerns.

But, again, I'm going to support the measure. I'm hoping that through conference, we can make the bill much better, that we can address the command regime that's set up here in a new safety bureaucracy, that we can also make certain that we have a supply of liquefied natural gas, access to liquefied natural gas and also bring the prices down for the consumer who's under incredible pressure right now trying to pay bills, meet the costs of increasing energy.

So those are my concerns.

Again, I want to thank all of the members who've worked on this in the committee, the ranking member Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Oberstar, and Mr. Cummings for their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.

It's unfortunate that we're here today to consider an important piece of legislation, our Coast Guard reauthorization, and it's also unfortunate we're discussing the rule under which that legislation will be brought to the floor, and that's a closed rule.

Unfortunately, this is the first time in at least 20 years that this Coast Guard reauthorization has been considered under a closed rule, not an open rule. I think it's particularly unfortunate that this year, when the Democrat leadership has chosen to restrict debate on this important legislation that has a number of important provisions, including a provision to provide a transportation worker identification card and straighten out some of the problems we've had in trying to get a single transportation worker identification card at our ports and other facilities that we can use.

I had an amendment that would have allowed my State of Florida, and other States, a simpler method of obtaining an FBI background check on port workers than is currently available. It would also have saved port workers the cost of paying for the same background check twice.

I brought here the TWIC card. We've been waiting since 2002 for this TWIC card, Federal card. We still don't have this card. In fact, the irony of this is they allowed several amendments; one to allow any identification, there's going to be an amendment that's put in order. I can use my driver's license in the interim.

Then there's another amendment that they allowed to allow them to enroll for a TWIC card 24/7. The ironies of not allowing something to have a State, again, work with the Federal Government and even go beyond the requirements like Florida does in trying to look at the background, the criminal background of the individual. So that's been eliminated, and my opportunity to present that, from this rule and consideration of this legislation.

Also, I'm going to take great exception with this bill because of some other restrictions they put on. Bringing in liquefied natural gas. Natural gas prices are soaring. Prices are high, and this bill creates more red tape, more impediments, and actually will reduce the supply and increase the cost to the consumer out there who's trying to pay those expensive bills for energy.

So this bill does nothing for energy. And it takes a trusted port worker, transportation worker card and makes a continual farce out of the whole process, and not allowing a reasonable relationship between the State and Federal Government.

I want to thank Ranking Member Ehlers and others for working on this bill.

I join in opposition to the legislation. First of all, let me say, my colleagues, there's nothing more important than the integrity of the election process in the United States and confidence that all Americans would have in making certain our system of election is secure.

But let me tell you, folks, this is compounding error and mistake Congress made, and here it is on Tax Day, 2008, that we're going to commit another two-thirds of a billion dollar mistake.

I sat on House Administration that oversees elections. I was there in 2000 when we had the problems in Florida with the hanging chads. We've all heard of the hanging chads. And everybody rushed here, and every vote's got to count; we've got to spend taxpayer dollars and make sure that every vote is counted; and we're going to put in a system, and we have to make it look like we're doing something to make certain that system's secure.

Now, we listened to the witnesses and they came before House Administration and they told folks that an electronic voting system, which would cost billions of dollars to implement, would have the possibility of error and just about the same percentage of error if you choose a lever, if you use a hanging chad ballot, if you use optical scan, if you use a paper ballot. And you can mess up any of those elections.

They told us. And then everybody rushed down. They voted it out of committee. We passed it. We spent $2 billion or $3 billion to put in place a system that they told us, well, somebody can pull the plug, the electronic thing doesn't work. Duh. Somebody can come up with some sort of electronic device. Even one of these might set it off and you might get some results.

They told us there might be errors, and they told us they didn't have a paper trail. Duh.

So here we are putting in place the system. On Tax Day, spend another two-thirds of a billion dollars. Keep working out there, Americans. Send it here because they'll spend it in some dumb fashion, and this follows that.

Now, we do want the system to work, but there are errors in everything. You heard them talking about the scan.

I went down and sat all night and watched the scan voting. It's simple. You just take a pen and you fill in the space. My God, I couldn't believe, hundreds of people, they put X's all the way around, they circled optical scan. They could screw up any kind of a ballot. A paper ballot. Actually I'm told that the old levers are probably the

best, that we took out for $2 billion or $3 billion worth of hard- earned taxpayer dollars and replaced with these electronic machines which now we're coming to correct. But they still have the same rate of error.

I guess it never stops around here. But here we are again spending that money on another whim. But we'll do it.

I didn't get a chance to say this, but there is a quote that I think should be part of the record. And the quote is: ``An informed electorate is the cornerstone of democracy and an educated electorate.'' And that's what we need to do.

And they make errors. Folks make errors. They just don't circle one and it's very clear. I'd love to bring the ballots here. Sometime I'll have to do that to show you how people can mess it up. But an informed electorate is the cornerstone of democracy. And, yes, we need to do all we can to make certain that they're provided with all the assistance from the Federal level to make certain that we have a fair, open, honest election.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with great sadness to honor the life of a good friend, outstanding Florida and community leader State Representative Don Davis. Don passed away after a brave battle with cancer on April 10, 2008. He represented part of St. Johns County and Florida's First Coast since 2000.

Those who knew him as their Representative in Tallahassee and the People throughout the State of Florida who worked with him lost one of its most capable and dedicated public servants. He served his Nation as a decorated Korean War veteran. He served his community as a true gentleman and someone who was respected by everyone who was honored to know him.

Before representing the people of Jacksonville in the State Legislature, Don was elected to the Jacksonville City Council and was elected several terms as president of the council. His leadership and great sense of humor were special hallmarks by which he will always be remembered. Colleagues remember Don as always willing to lend a helping hand in no matter how big or small a task.

Don was devoted to his community as a leader in the American Cancer Society, the Florida Theatre, The First Tee of Jacksonville, Prisoners of Christ, and other organizations.

Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, he attended the Los Angeles City College (1949-1950), University of Redlands (1950), and the University of California-Los Angeles (1959).

The Jacksonville area, the State of Florida, and our Nation has lost a wonderful and distinguished leader.

To his wife, Alice, and two sons, Donald Jr. and Dean; and on behalf of the House of Representatives, we extend our deepest sympathy.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to cast a vote on rollcall 84. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the measure.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and special contributions of Diane Wolf who passed away unexpectedly at age 53 on January 12, 2008.

Our nation's capital city has lost one of its great cultural patrons. The Wolf family has lost a beloved daughter, sister and loved one and I have lost a wonderful friend. Diane Wolf was blessed to be part of one of America's most successful families. Through the years, I have had the privilege of knowing and working with her. She devoted her boundless energy, time and resources to advance history, art and culture not only for Washington, D.C., but also for the people of our country. I had the honor of working with her to raise private funds for construction of the new visitor center for our U.S. Capitol building. Her service on numerous boards aided the National Archives, the Kennedy Center, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution.

In New York City, Diane Wolf was renowned for her work and support of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Frick Collection.

Miss Wolf was appointed by President Reagan in 1985 to serve on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. She also served on the U.S. Senate Preservation Board of Trustees, and the Washington National Opera Board of Trustees.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and with a master's degree from Columbia University, she went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown University.

Miss Wolf also served as president of the Capitol Hill Federal Bar Association.

Of all the individuals I have worked with in our nation's capitol during the past three decades, no one has been more personally dedicated to making a difference in promoting artistic and cultural endeavors than Diane Wolf.

Miss Wolf was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming and raised in Denver, maintained residences in New York City and Washington, D.C.

To her parents, Erving and Joyce Wolf; and two brothers, Daniel Wolf and Matthew Wolf; and on behalf of the House of Representatives, we extend our deepest sympathy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Sergeant Bryan J. Tutten, 33, who died Christmas Day, December 25, 2007 while serving our nation in Iraq during his second tour of duty.

Prior to joining the Army, Sgt. Tutten, born in St. Augustine, Florida, graduated from St. Augustine High School and attended St. Johns River Community College. He was also a member of Holy Greek Orthodox Church in St. Augustine.

We should all remember Sgt. Tutten's courage and his ultimate sacrifice for our nation. The freedom and liberty we enjoy and peace in the world for others for which he fought are part of the great legacy that Sgt. Tutten leaves behind. He was laid to rest at San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida on January 4, 2008.

After the devastating events of September 11, 2001, Sgt. Tutten enrolled in the Army. His family remembers him as an avid sportsman who loved to fish and cook, and how he enjoyed the time he had playing with his daughter, Catherine. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina which was deployed to Iraq.

With the passing of Sgt. Tutten, America has lost an outstanding citizen and a shining example of service to our nation. He will be remembered as a patriotic American, a pillar of our community and a compassionate husband and a loving father.

To his wife Constandina, his daughter Catherine, his son Gareth, his mother Ms. Sylvia Smallwood and his loving family and friends, we offer our deepest sympathy.

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize Sgt. Bryan J. Tutten's contributions and to ask all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives of the 110th Congress to join me in recognizing his service in our nation's Armed Forces and remembering a great American hero.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a wonderful friend and a great leader in transportation, both in Texas and our Nation, the Hon. Richard F. (``Ric'') Williamson. His sudden passing on December 30, 2007 was an incredible loss to his family, the State of Texas and our country.

It has been my honor to know and work with Ric during his service as Texas Commissioner of Transportation. From our first meeting, I knew I had a found a friend, a leader, and a key supporter of building our Nation's infrastructure. Rick's passing is a tremendous loss to all those who respected his leadership and brilliance in government's important work to build the national transportation system. I join the Texas Congressional Delegation and all who knew and worked with Ric in extending our sincere condolences to his wife and family.

As chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, Ric crafted creative, major, and often controversial decisions about the future of the State's transportation system. He was a strong proponent of toll roads and public-private partnerships as a solution to meet the State's transportation needs and funding shortfalls.

Ric's policies and positions were always well thought-out and passionately defended. He always did what he thought would best serve the transportation needs of the State, and many believe that his support for public-private partnerships was instrumental in inspiring other States to consider similar deals as a way to finance new highway construction or to provide long-range, predictable State revenues.

Ric was a native of Abilene, Texas and graduated from University of Texas at Austin in 1974. In 1985, Ric was elected to the Texas Legislature, as a Democrat, and served 13 years until he left in 1998 as a Republican. Serving on the legislature's House Appropriations Committee, he was one of the ``Pit Bulls,'' conservative lawmakers who questioned how the state spent its money. He believed that agencies should get money based on the goals they set and met, a concept known as performance-based budgeting, which is used today in the Texas budget process.

During his State House years, Ric was known as a maverick, and earned the nickname ``Nitro'' for his energy. He was an independent and aggressive leader who preferred making good policy over playing politics.

In 2001, Governor Perry appointed Ric to serve on the five-person Commission that oversees statewide activities of the Texas Department of Transportation. In 2004, he became the Commission's chairman. His tenure at the Commission was sometimes controversial, but, as my friend and colleague from the 26th district in Texas, Dr. Michael Burgess, said, Ric Williamson was ``unafraid to challenge the status quo, and was a highly regarded leader bringing innovative ideas to provide safe, economic and reliable transportation to improve the daily lives of Texans.''

Ric is survived by his wife Mary Ann Williamson and three daughters, Melissa Meyer, Katherine Strange, and Sara Williamson, as well as two grandchildren.

In closing, I will quote another friend of Ric's, the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. ``Texas has lost a proud son, as has the nation's transportation community.'' Ric Williamson was a visionary leader and a straight talker. He will be sorely missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 75th Anniversary of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The AAMVA will be holding their 2008 annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.

In 1932, growth in the motor vehicle population, increasing interstate travel, and an increase in death and injuries on the highways highlighted the need for a national organization for uniform interstate laws and programs.

In response, representatives of the States, recognizing this need for uniform and reciprocal administration of motor vehicle laws, formed the American Conference of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Subsequently in 1933 the group renamed itself the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, or AAMVA.

AAMVA has been the recognized North American authority for driver licensing and motor vehicle administration. AAMVA's U.S. and Canadian members have worked collaboratively to support and improve motor vehicle administration, safety, identification security and law enforcement.

AAMVA has served as a liaison with other levels of government and the private sector, and its development and research activities have provided guidelines for more effective public service.

AAMVA has fostered a tradition of service in the motor vehicle and law enforcement professions, providing outstanding service to the community through superb customer service initiatives, information technology, safety, and the best in public affairs and consumer educational programs throughout North America.

I would like to commend the many achievements of AAMVA and encourage AAMVA to continue its tradition of excellence in service to motorists through its advocacy of improving highway safety.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I join in recognizing the distinguished career of one of my former colleagues, the Honorable Dan Miller of Bradenton, FL. My friendship with Dan actually dates back more than four decades to 1962, when we were best friends and members of the Delta Chi fraternity at the University of Florida. Throughout my time in college, our post-college years and finally our years serving in the House of Representatives together from the great State of Florida, I have always cherished his friendship, admired his public service and enjoyed knowing his wife Glenda and their wonderful family.

Dan Miller will always be remembered in these Halls for his congenial nature, his leadership on a host of issues, and his commitment to fiscal restraint. When he ran for Congress, he was a staunch advocate of shrinking the size and scope of the Federal Government and reducing the impact of onerous Federal regulation in the lives of average Americans. He remained true to his convictions throughout his 10 years in this institution and would be proud to know that he will be remembered that way. He served as a Member of Congress with an appreciation for the history around him and a passion for the job and the goals he came to Washington to achieve that we would all be well- served to emulate. I know that I join family friends and colleagues in supporting this well-deserved recognition by Congress.