Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chairman, in 1992 this Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 1992. In that act was a requirement that all Federal agencies have to make sure that 75 percent of all vehicles they purchase each year are alternatively fueled vehicles. These vehicles run on ethanol or biodiesel or other alternatives fuels. However, very few agencies are actually meeting this requirement. In fact, highlighted in a recent lawsuit, the Federal Government was found not to be in compliance with the act, but no agency did worse than the Department of Labor last year. The Department of Labor was only able to achieve a 19 percent goal.

The goal of EPAct was to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 30 percent by 2010. The department only purchased 5,000 gallons of E85 and 200 gallons of biodiesel, yet it purchased over 5.3 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel. Not only is this bad in terms of helping us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it is also a bad fiscal move as E85 is selling for less than regular gasoline in many areas of the country.

Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that when this bill is in conference, some language can be added that will encourage the department to do a better job at meeting the requirements set forth by Congress to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. How can we expect the average consumer to reduce oil use when we cannot even get our own Federal agencies to take the steps necessary to make our Nation more secure?

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of Army Specialist Brian Romines who was recently killed in action fighting for freedom outside Baghdad, Iraq.

Romines was a 20-year-old native of Simpson, Illinois who served as an Army Specialist assigned to the A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment, Army National Guard in Milan, Illinois. He was a 2003 graduate from Vienna High School, Vienna, Illinois. After his 18th birthday and his high school graduation, Romines felt the call to duty and signed up for the National Guard. According to reports, he was killed outside of Baghdad by a roadside bomb.

Romines is survived by his mother, Melinda Austin of Dongola, Illinois, his father, Randy Romines of Simpson, Illinois, and his brother Randall Romines, also a member of the National Guard. I am proud of the service this young man gave to our country and the service his fellow troops perform everyday. Not enough can be said about Army Spc Romines. It is troops like him that are risking their lives day in and day out to ensure our freedom here at home and to others throughout the rest of the world. I salute him and my best wishes go out to his family and all the troops fighting to ensure freedom and democracy. May God bless them and may God continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the page class of 2005 to come down and take seats in the first two rows. While we are doing that, I would like to yield to my colleague and friend, the minority whip, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who is on a time crunch and always likes to say good-bye to our page class.

Mr. Speaker, I will submit the roster of the 2005 pages for the Record at this point.

Spring 2005 Pages

Katy Ake--CA

Paul Bennett--FL

Rachel Bentley--OH

Emily Berger--CA

Katharine Billingslea--NC

Lauren Boswell--MD

Suzanne Brangan--TX

Stephen Burke--NJ

Kerianna Butler--CA

Jon Calvo--GU

Elsbeth Centola--OR

Joy Chung--IA

Daniel Ciucci--CO

Stella Clingmon--CA

Stephanie Collard--RI

Juleah Cordi--CA

Matthew Cujak--WI

Awapuhi Dancil--HI

Ruben Davis--PA

Lauren DeNunez--CA

Caroline Dickerson--TX

Edward Dumoulin--IL

Timothy Ford--MI

Adam Hammond--ID

Lane Hartley--VA

Alexandra Heard--MD

Lauren Henley--IL

Allison Holmer--CA

Amanda Huth--TX

Sarah Jaeschke--AR

Derek Jennarone--NJ

Holly Johnson--VA

Krystal Johnson--AL

Jaclyn Kahn--NJ

Rosemary Kelley--VA

Zachary Kirihara--CA

Dean Ladin--IL

Thomas Leonard--PA

Peter Linscheid--MI

Seth Lloyd--VI

Anthony Lupo--CA

Tyson McBride--UT

Caitlin McGowan--MN

Conor McManus--FL

Shannon Magnuson--FL

Jeremy Moore--MI

Chelsie Morales--AZ

Richard Moses--KY

Lucy Nicholas--CT

Darren Nowels--MD

Travis Proctor--KS

Danielle Raines--AZ

Rachel Romer--CO

Taylor Salisbury--MO

Matthew Sheldon--NM

Sara Skiles--MS

Kellie Staab--PA

Elizabeth Stone--TN

Joshua Strazanac--MI

Michael Trummel--WY

Dustin Tryggestad--WI

Allison Vanderboll--WA

Sarah Walker--AR

Whitley Wallace--UT

Ginger Wells--KS

Wesley Williams--MA

David Wilson--PA

Kevin Wood--TX

Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo), the delegate from Guam, to address you, as she has a special person here from the territory.

Mr. Speaker, this always gives me an opportunity to bounce back and forth between the podiums because this is really a special time. I will get a chance to address you all tomorrow at the departure ceremony, which will be a first for me, although being with the page program

for a long time. The work and effort that you have put in, you know what you have done, and we really thank you for your efforts and the sacrifice you have made.

You have heard now from two Members of Congress. There are Members who you know who always pay a little closer attention to the pages because of love and admiration, maybe a history in the program, and we have one of those with us. I would invite him to come up and say his good-byes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague.

General Leave

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 my 1 minute today.

Mr. Speaker, the ranking member of the page program is the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who has been on the program for decades now. I will not say how many decades. And he has been a great help to me in keeping the current environment and the future of the page program grounded to the traditions of the previous classes. He could not stay to talk and address you all, but he did provide me with his comments, and I will submit those for the Record along with your names.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), a colleague who would like to address the class.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. The pages have given to this institution and the page program. You have set a bar by which we can now challenge other page classes, and I want to thank you.

Mr. Speaker, also joining us is the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to steal some thunder from some of the words I will mention tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening, but you know what you have been doing and you know the role you have played here and the friends you have made and the relationships you have built. You take a unique quality back with you.

As a former high school history teacher, it is not the book learning; you have actually lived it. You are now some of the most informed people in the operating of the House of Representatives from the whole congressional district in which you reside. You know truth from fiction. You know, as the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) said, that people come here well intentioned to do the best job they can for their districts. You have seen the debates, and you have run out of the Capitol. You understand the environment we live in here, that representatives try to balance a thousand balls in the air at one time, and you have had to do that, too.

I am also speaking here for the floor staff on both sides of the aisle who have worked with you diligently, and you have worked with them, whether it is the school program which I applaud you on and your efforts in that respect, or it is the dorm staff. You truly have been a class that many of the people you have had to work with over the past year are honestly saying that they are going to miss you. I cannot think of a better tribute to pay to a group of young men and women, than for those, especially adults that you have had to work with for over a year, to say I am going to miss that class.

Mr. Speaker, these pages have set the bar. We will challenge the incoming classes to try to meet their high standard. I hope they do. I hope we will continue to be better for that.

This period of time is in honor of the pages. You will get to celebrate with your families tomorrow night, say your good-byes and make America stronger by having well-informed young women and young men to get back into the everyday activities of our homes and how to make our country better. Thank you, God bless you all, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the continued failure of the Nigerian Government to respect international law regarding Cameroon's Bakassi Peninsula. In October 2002, the International Court of Justice overwhelmingly held that the Peninsula rightfully belongs to Cameroon. As a result, the ICJ demanded that Nigeria rapidly and unconditionally remove its military, police, and civilian officials from Cameroonian territory. Almost three years later, Mr. Speaker, Nigerian military forces are still on the Bakassi Peninsula.

Nigerian President Obasanjo recently has taken some admirable steps to combat corruption and advance democracy in his country. On this key issue, however, Nigeria has been less than forthcoming. At the outset of the Bakassi dispute, President Obasanjo promised that Nigeria would abide by whatever decision the ICJ reached. It has not. After the ICJ decision, Nigeria promised that it would withdraw all of its troops by September 2004. It has not.

Mr. Speaker, President Bush recently declared that the United States recognizes and respects its obligations to the International Court of Justice. We must ask for nothing less from Nigeria and our other friends in Africa and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, let me give a brief history lesson. We know that Southern families decorated the graves of their fallen friends after the Civil War on what was known as Decoration Day.

However, it was a former Member of Congress, a Democrat-turned- Republican, an individual who got elected to the Senate, General John A. Logan, who gets credit for memorializing Memorial Day as he established the Grand Army of the Republic and issued General Order 31 which formerly established Memorial Day.

General Logan was from Illinois in the deep southern part of the State. He was a congressman, a U.S. Senator and a vice presidential candidate. He is memorialized with a statue here in Washington, DC and a statue in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he kept Union soldiers from burning down the city. He also has a community college named after him in the southern part of the State of Illinois.

As we remember the men and women who have fallen in combat, let us also remember our soldiers from all wars and the folks that made it possible for us to have and celebrate Memorial Day, and one of those individuals is General John A. Logan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to applaud President Bush on his recent statements in support of renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. While touring a biodiesel facility in Virginia last week, President Bush stated, ``Our independence on foreign oil is like a foreign tax on the American Dream, and that tax keeps growing every year.''

The President called on Americans to increase our use of renewable fuels and highlighted biodiesel as a fuel of the future. ``You are beginning to see a new industry evolve,'' the President stated, ``and as more Americans choose biodiesel over petroleum fuel, they can be proud knowing they are helping to make this country less dependent on foreign oil.''

The energy bill that passed the House and is currently being debated in the Senate would increase our use of renewable fuels and reduce our reliance on foreign fuel. The President has called on Congress to get him that energy bill by the August break.

We need a national energy policy sooner rather than later, and a policy that strengthens and encourages the development and use of renewable fuels like biodiesel and ethanol.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Mary Gude of Dorsey, Illinois. On May 27, Mary Gude will be retiring as a teacher at Trinity Lutheran School in Edwardsville after 30 years of teaching.

Trinity Lutheran School is the only place Mrs. Gude has ever taught. During her years there, she has taught preschool, kindergarten, first and third grades. Most recently, she has been the very beloved second grade teacher. Her second grade classes have been filled with much learning, but also the joy of music and the love of all God's creatures with several classroom pets.

Her second grade classes have annually produced a Second Grade Operetta. These productions are truly a labor of love, taking a great deal of extra time and commitment on Mrs. Gude's part. The shows are enjoyed by all the children of the school, as well as parents and family members.

Mary Gude's years at Trinity have not all been easy. Early in her tenure, she lost her husband to brain cancer and was raising two small children by herself. But God does provide, and in 1980 she married a Lutheran pastor, himself a widower, with two children. Mary Gude and Pastor George Gude together raised their four children, and she became a part of the family at Emmaus Lutheran Church in Dorsey, where she serves as the choir director yet today.

Today, Mrs. Gude is the proud grandparent of three--two of whom she was able to teach at Trinity. She looks forward to this retirement so she can spend more time with her family, continue to teach piano lessons, and continue to serve as the director of the choir at the church.

Mary Gude has seen Trinity Lutheran School and the hundreds of children who have passed through her classroom as her calling from God. Her kindness, goodness, strength, and love of God shines through in all she does and is forever part of the children who have been fortunate enough to have her as a teacher. In the words of Jesus, in Matthew 25:21, ``. . . Well done, thou good and faithful servant . . .''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of the City of Trenton.

This past weekend, the City of Trenton celebrated the establishment of their city. In 1818,

William Lewis and his brother-in-law, A.W. Casad of Trenton, New Jersey located Lewis' farm at the location where the city now stands. A few years later, in 1825, the first church congregated with others soon to follow.

In 1853 the area found itself in need of a Post Office, which was given the name of Trenton. On May 14, 1855, Trenton, Illinois was established. Less than a year later, on February 16, 1856, the Village of Trenton was chartered with Joseph Hanke as the first mayor. A little over 30 years later, on September 20, 1887, Trenton was incorporated as a city.

In 1955, the year of its centennial, with a population of 1,400, the City of Trenton was given the nickname, the ``Friendly City'', and went on, in 2003, to receive the Governor's Hometown Award.

Today, the City of Trenton has grown to a city of 2,700 citizens under the current mayor, Robert Louis Koentz.

Here's to the City of Trenton and all who reside there.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of the City of Trenton.

This past weekend, the City of Trenton celebrated the establishment of their city. In 1818, William Lewis and his brother-in-law, A.W. Casad of Trenton, New Jersey located Lewis' farm at the location where the city now stands. A few years later, in 1825, the first church congregated with others soon to follow.

In 1853 the area found itself in need of a Post Office, which was given the name of Trenton. On May 14, 1855, Trenton, Illinois was established. Less than a year later, on February 16, 1856, the Villiage of Trenton was chartered with Joseph Hanke as the first Mayor. A little over 30 years later, on September 20, 1887, Trenton was incorporated as a City.

In 1955, the year of its centennial, with a population of 1,400, the City of Trenton was given the nickname, the ``Friendly City'', and went on, in 2003, to receive the Governor's Hometown Award.

Today, the City of Trenton has grown to a city of 2,700 citizens under the current Mayor, Robert Louis Koentz.

Here's to the City of Trenton and all who reside there.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we passed the first of 10 appropriation bills by a large bipartisan majority. It was nice to see and has become somewhat of a common practice this year.

The energy bill was passed by this House by a vote of 249 to 183 with 41 Democrats supporting. The highway bill passed with a vote of 417 to 9 with 198 Democrats supporting. The class action reform passed this House with a vote of 279 to 149 with 50 Democrats supporting. The death tax repeal passed, 272 to 162 with 42 Democrats supporting. Bankruptcy reform passed this House by a vote of 302 to 146 with 73 Democrats supporting. And the continuation of government passed by a vote of 329 to 68 with 122 Democrats supporting.

The public needs to know that this is a very impassioned body, and we should really appreciate that; but the true test of how we work together is when we count the votes.

Madam Speaker, I attended West Point from 1976 to 1980. The Academy was going through much change dealing with a cheating scandal and the integration of the first women at West Point.

To effect change, the Army turned to a world renowned retired four star general, Andrew Jackson Goodpaster, a West Point graduate.

General Goodpaster, from Granite City, Illinois, led Army troops in World War II, Vietnam, and oversaw NATO and U.S. troops in Europe in the 1970s. General Goodpaster served at various times as an aid to Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.

General Goodpaster died yesterday at the age of 90 here in D.C. at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; two daughters, Susan and Anne; and seven grandchildren.

As their alma mater states: ``And when our work is done, our course on earth is done, may it be said well done, be thou at peace.''

Well done, Supe. Be thou at peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the country of Belarus and their ongoing struggle for fair and free elections. The last dictator in Europe, Aleksander Lukashenko, rules this country through a combination of intimidation and fear. He is suppressing the voices and rights of the Belarusian people as they watch their neighbors in Georgia and Ukraine rise up and take back their countries and emerge as thriving democracies.

As President Bush said in his visit to Riga, Latvia, ``All the nations that border Russia will benefit from the spread of democratic values, and so will Russia itself. Together, we have set a firm and confident standard. Repression has no place on this continent.''

I have had the privilege of meeting with the opposition party representatives from Belarus several times. It is inspiring to see these men and women from every political ideology come together with a unified goal, to let the Belarusian people decide for themselves who should lead their country, rather than have it forced upon them by Lukashenko's regime.

As co-chairman of the House Baltic Caucus, it is my hope that the United States Congress will stand with our friends in Eastern Europe and support all efforts to bring democracy, freedom, and the rule of law to this part of the world.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say welcome back, Mr. President, from your historic trip to Europe.

As a former military officer and a high school history teacher, I thank and appreciate the Soviet Union and the Russian people for their sacrifice in helping to win World War II.

Some would justifiably argue that the Russians carried the lion's burden in Europe, both in sacrifice and materiel. However, as much as we thank the Russian people for their sacrifice, we must also remember the five decades of totalitarian regime that ruled over five of the Eastern European Block countries, those that we call the former captive nations. Loss of liberty, freedom, rule of law, executions, deportations and Russification was imposed on many countries. By the President book-ending his trip with a visit to Latvia and Georgia, we should know that old animosities can be put aside and a new Europe can emerge, one that promotes freedom and democracy and the rule of law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary public servant. Lieutenant David Wallace has served the people of Litchfield, Illinois, for over 20 years as a firefighter and a training officer for first responders. Like all firefighters, he has dedicated his career to protecting the people of his community.

But on June 7 of last year, Lieutenant Wallace went above and beyond the call of duty, even for his noble profession. Just after midnight, a 9-1-1 dispatcher reported people trapped in a fire in a mobile home just two blocks from Lieutenant Wallace's own home. Though off duty, he rushed out the door and was the first rescuer on the scene. Upon arrival, he noted the heavy black smoke billowing out of the building's back porch. Knowing that there was an individual trapped in the home, but also aware that his own safety equipment was aboard a fire truck that was yet to arrive, Lieutenant Wallace made a split-second, life- or-death decision to enter the burning building and attempt a rescue.

Once inside, Lieutenant Wallace found a man on the floor, unconscious with a weak pulse. Relying on his firefighter training and his instincts, Lieutenant Wallace crawled the ten feet between the door and the victim, and began to drag the man out of the burning building. Just as he reached the door, the first pumper truck reached the scene, and a fire captain and an EMT arrived to assist in the rescue. The victim was rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield and is alive today thanks to the brave efforts of Lieutenant David Wallace.

At this year's annual ceremony in Springfield, Illinois, Lieutenant David Wallace will be awarded the Firefighting Medal of Honor for his actions that night. I want to congratulate Lieutenant Wallace, his wife Mary and his son Michael on this award, and thank David Wallace for his commitment to protecting the lives of the people of Litchfield, Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and to place in the Record a portion of an opinion article written by Lee Enokian.

Armenian Genocide Victims Are Not Forgotten

(By Lee Enokian)

Today is the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Between 1915 and 1923, more than 1.5 million Armenians were

murdered or forcibly exiled because they were the wrong

religion and ethnicity. The world community memorializes the

anniversary annually as Armenian Martyrs Day.

Thousands of Armenians were offered their lives in exchange

for their conversion to Islam. They refused and died as a

result. Their steadfast faithfulness to the Christian faith

is not surprising. Armenia was the first Christian nation and

remains the only Christian nation in the Middle East.

Various Turkish people invaded southwest Asia during the

Middle Ages and carved an empire for themselves from lands

occupied by the indigenous Semitic and Indo-European

inhabitants.

Turkish nationalism grew relentlessly during the following

centuries. In the years preceding World War I, they actively

sought to Turkify the Ottoman Empire and strengthen their

rule by eliminating fractious ethnic minorities.

The western two-thirds of Anatolia was once inhabited by

Greeks and other Indo-European peoples. It is now primarily

occupied by Turks.

The eastern third of modern Turkey was once Armenian with

an Assyrian minority, but is now populated by Turks and

Kurds.

Modern Armenia survived only because it was the single

province controlled, and protected, by the Russian Empire.

The rest of the territory within its historical borders is

almost wholly devoid of ethnic Armenians.

The organized depopulation of Christians and non-Turks from

Anatolia by the Ottoman Empire is one of the worst incidents

of racism and religious intolerance documented in the world.

The Genocide was master-minded by the ultra-nationalist

``Young Turk'' government of Ottoman Turkey. Mehmet Talaat

Pasha was the Minister of the Interior and architect of the

Armenian Genocide. He was rewarded by being elevated to the

position of Grand Vizier in 1917. Pasha fled to Germany as

his empire collapsed in 1918. He was convicted of capital

crimes, including massacring the Armenians. The post-war

Ottoman government sentenced him to death in absentia.

Just-minded federal, state and local governments throughout

the world continue to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

Illinois is no different. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has

continued the practice of his predecessors by remembering the

plight of the Armenian people. Part of his annual

proclamation reads: ``The Armenian community, as well as the

global community, remembers the Armenian Genocide, which

occurred 90 years ago; and during this tragic historical

period between the years of 1915 and 1923, Armenians were

forced to witness the genocide of their loved ones, and the

loss of their ancestral homelands; and this extermination and

forced relocation of over 1.5 million Armenians by the

Ottoman Turks is recognized every year.''

Sadly, the modern state of Turkey denies the Genocide ever

occurred. It restricts the ability of ethnic Armenians, Kurds

and Assyrians to enter and travel within the country. In

fact, Turkey has done its best to remove every trace of the

Armenian people from their ancestral homeland. These efforts

still don't change history.

Blagojevich concluded his proclamation with the fact that

we must remember hateful events like the Genocide to help

prevent their future institution.

``Both recognition and education concerning past atrocities

such as the Armenian Genocide is crucial in the prevention of

future crimes against humanity.''

Evil wins when good men turn a blind eye.