Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today Mexican American communities throughout America are celebrating Cinco de Mayo, and I want to take this opportunity to join in commemorating this important day in Mexico's history. Today marks the triumphant victory of the Mexican Army over the French that led to Mexico's self-rule. It is a day that symbolizes Mexican unity and patriotism, and is a time of joy and national pride.

The United States and Mexico have a long history of friendship and economic partnership. Today, there are more than 25 million men and women of Mexican American origin who call America home. Mexican Americans have made great contributions to our nation.

They are our small business owners creating jobs for our communities, teachers and other professionals. Mexican Americans are government leaders, and today, there are eighteen Mexican American Members of Congress.

Mexican American culture has been deeply interwoven into the fabric of daily American life and is part of the American experience. Their contributions have made us a stronger and more vibrant nation. Mexican Americans have served in the Armed Forces defending our country and our freedom. In fact, today, more than 8,700 men and women born in Mexico now wear the United States military uniform.

The United States and Mexico are neighbors united by the common interests of security, prosperity and friendship. As we move forward in the 21st Century, we will continue working together with respect and commitment to our mutual goals.

So to my Mexican American constituents and colleagues, I extend my warmest tribute in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

Mr. Speaker, as the ranking Democrat of the Committee on House Administration, I wish to comment briefly on key provisions of this supplemental appropriations bill that touch upon my committee's jurisdiction.

I commend the conferees for including $2.6 million for taking ``technical countermeasures'' to assure the electronic integrity of the Visitor Center now under construction here at the Capitol. Given the status of that construction project, this matter is time-sensitive, and while we have no reason to believe anyone involved with the construction may be seeking to install surreptitious listening devices within the building's walls and fittings, we know there are people in this world who might like to do so. It is prudent to take reasonable steps against it, and thus eliminate any chance of repeating what happened during construction of the U.S. embassy in Moscow some years ago.

I also commend the conferees for including $8.4 million to refresh the supply of ``quick masks'' deployed around the Capitol complex to protect persons against chemical or biological attack. The current masks have a limited shelf-life, and making these funds available now will expedite the process of replacement as they approach their expiration dates.

There is no question that the Congress needs a new off-site delivery center, to facilitate the secure, timely delivery of packages to the Capitol and congressional office buildings. I am pleased the conferees included funds for a temporary facility to replace the substandard site now used, and funds for design of a permanent facility. I trust that given the importance of deliveries to the Capitol, any difficulties between the two houses over the nature of the delivery system can be resolved quickly.

Finally, I wish to comment on something the conferees did not include in this bill, namely, any funding for up to 132 additional Capitol Police officers during fiscal 2005. These 132 officers, when added together with 122 more requested as part of the Police's fiscal 2006 request, would increase the sworn ranks by another 254 officers, an increase of roughly 16% within two years. Obviously, with less than five months remaining in fiscal 2005, the Police could not hire and fully train 132 more officers by September 30, so there is little reason to include funds in this bill, or even the funds for all 50 more officers included in the Senate bill. I am pleased that under these circumstances, the conferees chose to defer a decision about the need for 254 more officers until the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, the authorizing committees for the Capitol Police, have had an opportunity to consider the optimum strength of the force going into the fiscal 2006 cycle.

I thank our friends on the Appropriations Committee for their difficult and prudent decisions on the Legislative-branch portion of this bill. I look forward to working with them, and with our colleagues on my own committee, as the work of the Legislative branch forges ahead.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. And I really commend the leadership on both sides for this H.R. 366.

This is a very important piece of legislation, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.

This legislation is so important for many reasons. Specifically, it is vital to my district, the 37th District in California. But, first of all, it reauthorizes the Perkins Vocational Program that provides for many citizens the ability to learn a marketable skill that allows them the ability to partake in a career that allows upward mobility and job satisfaction. Experienced trade workers can earn up to six-figure salaries with the right type of training. Perkins programs have traditionally provided this type of skills training.

In California, only 8 percent of the ninth graders will complete the high school years and college in 10 years. The Perkins programs provide opportunities for students who need to develop the different skills for them to grow and to have career choices. With vocational training, students will aspire to entering into a career path that allows them to make a comfortable living, having the same ability to do so as students who attend a 4-year college or university.

Second, students who avail themselves of this training are able to enter into fields where there is a ready supply of jobs. They are currently more jobs available in these industries than there are students enrolled in vocational tech training. There is a large demand for skilled technicians. These programs, when they are adequately funded through the Perkins Act, prepares students for these jobs.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, I ask Members to support this legislation because it provides for programs and resources for women and girls to obtain education and training for high-wage/high-skill and nontraditional jobs. When I was director of Gender Equity, I was responsible for bringing a lot of the nontraditional jobs to the forefront.

Mr. Chairman, this is a great piece of legislation, and I ask all of my friends to support it.

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

Mr. Chairman, today I am offering an amendment that establishes an automotive technicians workers training program and makes eligible this particular program under the Vocational and Technology Education for the Future Act, the use of funds for establishing curricula to train automotive technicians to work on hybrid, hydrogen and alternative fuel technologies for the new automobile fleets sold in the United States.

This amendment speaks to the true intent of the Perkins Act. It will graduate students into employable jobs that will have an immediate return on our educational system. Automotive technicians are in great demand. We need to educate the new generation of automotive workers so that they will be able to work on the new hybrid vehicles that are fast becoming a dominant part of the automotive marketplace.

The numbers speak for themselves, Mr. Chairman. In 2004, close to 90,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States. Since the hybrid vehicles debut in the American market in 1999, U.S. hybrid sales have doubled every year. An estimated 10 percent of the 2 million mid-sized vehicles sold in 2006 will be hybrid vehicles.

By 2007, it is estimated that over 400,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold in the United States. The American public is willing to invest in automobiles that incorporate environmentally sound technology. Whether consumers are motivated by environmental concerns, such as the health of their children, by rising fuel costs that causes further dependence on foreign oil, or by a combination of the two, the car dealerships are consistently selling out the hybrid vehicles.

In order for this purchasing trend to continue, consumers need to be able to purchase hybrid automobiles with the knowledge that they are doing their part to help the environment along with the reassurance that they will be able to find high quality service. We need the work force to meet these new demands.

Currently the average age of automotive technicians is 50 years old. As the Department of Labor has projected, we will need almost 32,000 new automotive technicians a year for the next several years to service these new vehicles. Automotive technicians are high skilled, high wage and high demand.

In my home State of California alone the need for new highly skilled technicians will outpace supply by 42,750. The need for technicians is expected to increase by 18 percent in the next year.

When this is added to an expected turnover rate of 34.5 percent, which is due to attrition, the true scope of educating new automotive technicians become apparent.

This is a much needed training program, and a much needed amendment, and I ask my colleagues to support the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and all of the subcommittee chairs and ranking members for their support for this very needed amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am honored tonight to have this opportunity to pay tribute to Asian and Pacific Islander Americans during this month when we honor their great heritage.

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans constitute one of the fastest growing minority communities in the United States, and I am proud to say that they are a significant part of my constituency in southern California while they represent over 13 million Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who live in this United States. It is estimated by the year 2050, they will comprise about 33.4 million, or 8 percent of our total population.

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have made tremendous contributions to our society. They are government leaders, scientists, lawyers, athletes, business men and women, artists, soldiers, advocates for civil rights and champions for the underrepresented. As we celebrate this glorious month, let us remember some of the notable Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who have served our Nation with honor and distinction:

Kalpana Chawla, who became the first Indian-American woman astronaut, who, while pursuing her dreams, perished in the Columbia shuttle disaster;

Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American who, for decades, fought tirelessly for civil rights;

Yuan T. Lee, a Taiwanese American who shared the Nobel peace prize in 1986 for his work in chemistry;

And, of course, my dear friend, the Honorable Patsy Mink, the first Asian-American woman and first woman to grace this august body. She has left an indelible mark that gave her the honor of distinguished;

Haing Ngor, the first Cambodian American to win an academy award for his role in the film ``The Killing Fields.''

And let us acknowledge the great Members of Congress who make up this august body who are Asian American and Pacific Islanders:

The Honorable Mike Honda, who is the caucus chair of our caucus;

The Honorable David Wu;

The Honorable Bobby Scott;

And, newly, the Honorable Doris Matsui.

And let us not forget and pay tribute to our dear friend and colleague, the late Congressman Robert Matsui who recently passed away. He was an extraordinary man, Mr. Speaker, who overcame challenges and obstacles and became a great Member of this body. He will be remembered as a national champion of all Americans, particularly our seniors and Social Security.

Despite hardships and discrimination, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have maintained an abiding and unwavering belief in the promise of our country and they have moved forward to make remarkable contributions to our Nation. I am proud to stand with them tonight as a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus.

This time of tribute is also a time of celebration and reflection upon where we have been and where we are going as a Nation, ever mindful that liberty and freedom for all must be our collective national goal.

Finally, tomorrow I will be introducing a resolution honoring the victims of the Cambodian genocide. I am proud that the largest Cambodian population in the United States resides in my district. Their culture and contribution, along with all Asian and Pacific Americans, have enriched our community and this American landscape. We are a better country because of their contributions.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this committee's funding resolution. For the past 6 years, the Speaker and the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) have labored in the House service to the benefit of both the majority and the minority. They have firmly established the fairness principle in the committee funding process. By doing so, they have benefited this great institution and have brought civility to the House regarding the fair allocation of committee resources.

While many others have also worked to bring this about, including the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) and my predecessor ranking members, especially the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), it is the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) and the Speaker who must be credited with greatly diminishing this source of continuing tension between the majority and the minority.

But the most important consequence of the application of the Speaker and the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) of the fairness principle today is that the principle is now firmly established as an operating standard within the House; and I believe it will be applied from this point forward, no matter which political party is in the majority.

The fairness principle, simply stated, is that the minority is entitled to a minimum of one-third of the staff and committee resources and control over those resources. The fairness principle has been embedded in House rules for many decades under both Republican and Democratic majorities. It is currently reflected in the House rule X, clause 9.

Six committees unconditionally operate under the fairness principle today, with the remainder operating on a version of the fairness principle agreeable to the respective chairmen and ranking members. We must anticipate that as committee leaders' positions change hands, old compromises and accommodations will yield to the universal and unconditional application of the fairness principle. Only then will the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) and the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert) have fulfilled the worthy objective of securing civility between the majority and the minority regarding the division of committee resources.

Mr. Speaker, we also would like to compliment the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) on another matter of great importance to this institution. It involves the self-initiated mass mailings on behalf of committees, which could have undermined public support for the franking privilege.

The Committee on House Administration has taken a very enlightened approach to these taxpayer-funded mailings. The resolution before us clarifies the existing rules regarding committee-initiated mass mailings and prohibits the use of committee funds to prepare mass mailings once a committee has expended $5,000 in mass-mailing costs in a session.

Mass mailings by committees would have to be approved by the bipartisan

Franking Commission and would be subject to the 90-day cutoff that individual Members are subjected to. This clarifying language and the limitation provide guidance which will allow committees to strategically plan their franking use during each session of Congress.

By a separate action of the Committee on House Administration, we adopted a committee resolution setting an overall committee limit for all forms of franked mail, including committee-initiated frank mailings, of $5,000 per session. Again, this gives committees a planning tool. And we recognize that a committee might find itself in crisis due to exigent circumstances.

During the markup of this resolution, the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) expressed clearly and unequivocally that any committee needing additional franking authorization above the $5,000 must return to the committee to request and justify the needed increase. Such an increase would be adopted by the full committee in the form of a committee supplemental resolution, and the increased funding could not be used for mass mailings.

Mr. Speaker, I insert a chart in the Record at this point.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank again the chairman for his leadership in drafting this resolution and also would like to ditto what he said in terms of the staffs on both sides working diligently to ensure that we had this type of resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to strongly urge all of my colleagues to vote against H.R. 748.

There are so many reasons to vote against this bill.

To begin, the premise of CIANA violates the core constitutional principles of federalism.

The ability to travel freely between states is fundamentally interwoven into the cloth of our country. The 50 states are not 50 different countries and the founding fathers would not have wanted us to treat them as such.

H.R. 748 violates the Constitutional right of every individual to travel freely from State to State. If we are to be a unified Nation, every citizen cannot be treated as a foreigner when visiting another State.

Every young woman who will be affected by this bill is a citizen. Every young woman who will be affected by this bill deserves the protections of the Constitution of the United States of America that applies to everyone.

CIANA treats a young woman who travels to a state or resides there temporarily (as in the case of a college student) differently than a young woman living in that State.

The Supreme Court held in Doe v. Bolton that the Privileges and Immunities Clause requires a state to make abortions available to out- of-state visitors on the same legal terms under which it makes them available to residents. CIANA would single handedly reverse this decision.

CIANA is potentially dangerous from a health and safety perspective.

CIANA contains no exception to the 24-hour waiting period for when an abortion may be necessary to protect a teenage girl's health. The only exception that exists is in cases where the minor's life is at risk. Even at that point, the bill contains no guidance as to how to draw the line between a lifethreatening situation and one that is a nonfatal medical emergency.

CIANA imposes a mandatory 24-hour waiting period even if the teenager's parents accompanied her to the doctor. This means that anything short of a possible death, including a risk of infertility or nonfatal hemorrhaging, will not waive the 24-hour delay. These delays can impose logistical and financial hardships on functional families who are trying to support their daughter.

A vote for this bill will signal that we do not even trust parents to make these incredibly personal and incredibly painful decisions with their daughters even in cases of medical emergency.

CIANA is an extremely dangerous attempt to incrementally encroach upon the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. Imposing the aforementioned restrictions on a young woman's ability to obtain an abortion essentially places those young women in the same place as young women were prior to the Roe decision.

Most disturbing of all is that teenagers facing an unwanted pregnancy may turn to dangerous and drastic acts to avoid notifying their parents.

A teenager facing an unwanted pregnancy is already in crisis. Those young women who are unwilling or unable to tell a parent about an unwanted pregnancy may resort to self-induced or illegal abortions with tragic results.

I implore you to vote against this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

Today I am offering an amendment to the energy bill that establishes a diesel truck retrofit and fleet modernization program. This amendment will advance some of our country's most pressing environmental and transportation concerns.

Currently, there are over 90,000 trucks in operation in the United States, and over 30,000, or 35 percent, are over 10 years old. Heavy- duty trucks are known to operate for 20 years or more and 1 million miles or more.

The emissions from these older, heavy-duty trucks are among the highest contributors to ozone and particulate pollution in the country. Heavy-duty trucks are the highest polluters among on-road transportation emissions resources. This is a national issue.

In 2003, 62 million people lived in 97 U.S. counties with particulate levels higher than the particulate matter 2.5, and/or PM-10 Federal standards; and 159 million people lived in areas that do not meet the 8-hour ozone standards. The health impact of particulates and ozone pollution are increasingly a major public concern.

The problem is that we have to get the old trucks off the highways so that we can fully receive the benefits of the progress we have made over the past 30 years. My amendment authorizes $100 million in funding between fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2008 that will be an incentive to replace and scrap the oldest and highest emitting heavy-duty trucks; incentives to retrofit heavy-duty trucks that will be operating for more than many years; incentives to develop and implement a training program for technicians working with advanced diesel technology and alternative fueled vehicles; and an exemption from Federal income taxes on any incentive payments to truck owners and operators who participate in voluntary replacement and/or retrofit programs, and where the incentive payments are used toward purchasing or retrofitting newer, cleaner-burning heavy-duty trucks.

Mr. Chairman, to date, 322 old trucks have been scrapped since September 2002. In the last year alone, only 11 trucks have been removed from the road. I think we can do better.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano).

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank the support of the Members for my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Stop Violence Against Women week affords

us the opportunity to recognize the tremendous strides we have made in the decade since the Violence Against Women Act was passed. We have begun to educate our communities. We are slowly changing attitudes about domestic violence from seeing it as a family problem, a private issue that the government should not interfere with to a public interest issue that affects victims, their families and the nation as a whole. We have put in place nationwide, state and local programs that use a multifaceted approach to eradicating this plague on our society.

Violence against women has decreased in the last ten years in the United States, but it is still at epidemic proportions throughout the developing world. It is projected that in 2005 over 1 million women will be the victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence knows no racial, ethnic or socio-economic boundaries. Its social and economic consequences are incalculable.

Women who are the victims of domestic violence, and nearly one in three women experiences at least one physical assault by an intimate partner in her adult lifetime, are more likely to miss work and under perform, affecting their ability to support themselves and their children. Children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to be the victims themselves and are more likely to perpetuate this behavior when they are grown. The detrimental affects are far-reaching and severe.

Going forward we need to build on the foundation put in place over the past decade. We need to promote awareness. We need to provide viable alternatives. We need to make sure the world knows that in the United States we do not tolerate violence against women.

As we celebrate International Women's Day this week, we focus our attention on the challenges women face abroad. As cultural attitudes about women change across the world, foreign governments must also set the stage and take affirmative steps to protect women from violence. The increasing number of murders and rapes is an especially critical problem in the developing world. We must let our voices be heard: America and the global community will no longer tolerate these crimes against women. We urge foreign governments to hear our call.

We also need to combat the international trafficking of women and children. Between six hundred and eight hundred thousand people are trafficked across international borders. Eighty percent of these victims are women and up to fifty percent are minors. These victims are bought and sold daily and forced to perform unspeakable acts for others' financial gain. They are exposed to torture, sexual violence, fatal sexually transmitted diseases. This is modern-day slavery, this is the epitome of violence against women and it has to stop.

I want to thank Lifetime Television and others involved with Stop Violence Against Women Week. The more we talk about these problems, the closer we get to viable solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a national trailblazer and dynamic American public servant, Mr. John W. Mack, who will be retiring as the President of the Los Angeles Urban League.

John W. Mack has served as President of the Los Angeles Urban League since August of 1969. He began his career with the Urban League in Flint, Michigan in 1964 and was appointed Executive Director in 1965. Prior to heading the Los Angeles Urban League, he served on the Urban League's National staff for six months during the Urban League Presidency of Whitney Young in Washington, D.C. John was a leader in the 1960 student civil rights movement in Atlanta--Co-Founder and Vice Chairperson of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Sociology from North Carolina A&T State University. He holds a Master's Degree from Atlanta University.

John Mack has been fighting on the frontlines for decades in the battle to secure equal opportunities for all Americans from all walks of life. Under John Mack's leadership, the Los Angeles Urban League has become one of the most successful non-profit community organizations in Los Angeles with an annual budget of $20 million. The Los Angeles Urban League serves over 100,000 individuals each year and operates a number of innovative, result-orientated job training, job placement, education, academic tutorial, growth development and business development programs. Under his leadership, the Los Angeles Urban League has utilized state of the art computer technology to prepare citizens for careers in the 21st Century Global Economy. John Mack understood that in order for America to maintain its standing as the global economic leader, its workforce must be the best trained, best educated and best equipped in order to compete on the world stage.

John Mack has also been a visionary with respect to ensuring that civil and human rights are neither compromised nor violated in Los Angeles, California and across the Nation. He is a highly respected advocate for equal opportunities in education, law enforcement and economic empowerment for all Americans. He has been a drum major for justice and equality and a bridge builder across all racial, cultural, economic, gender and religious lines.

I am proud to call John W. Mack my friend. His demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of life and improving economic opportunities for the citizens of Los Angeles, California and the Nation has been exemplary and noteworthy. I have found his insights to be thoughtful and genuinely compassionate. The Los Angeles Urban League, the National Urban League, California and the Nation have benefited tremendously from the vision, commitment and public service of John W. Mack.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for his kindness in providing time for me and also the chairman for providing the time he has provided to other Congressional Black Caucus members.

Mr. Chairman, I am both pleased and proud today on the alternative budget that we, the Congressional Black Caucus, have crafted. It is a sensible and fiscally responsible budget that takes into consideration the needs of the average working American. This budget does not cater to the wealthy, but addresses the needs of ordinary Americans coping with the daily economic challenges that they face such as education, jobs, and housing. In short, Mr. Chairman, the CBC alternative budget works toward eliminating disparities in housing, small businesses, economic, educational, and other disparities created by the administration's fiscal year 2006 budget.

First, as we all know, a sound education is a stepping stone to economic opportunity, success, and prosperity. The CBC alternative budget has a comprehensive approach to education and training by increasing funding for education and training programs by $23.9 billion over the majority budget. It provides funds for school construction, fully funds No Child Left Behind, and provides critical funding for Head Start, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness Programs, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. For those in college, the CBC budget appropriates $450 million for Pell grants. In addition, the CBC budget funds the Perkins loan programs, job training, and vocational education programs that are critical in today's global economy.

Our young people, particularly African Americans, are lagging in education when compared to other groups. This budget aims to close the achievement gap here at home while making our students more competitive worldwide. The CBC understands that Federal support for community and regional development helps promote growth in economically distressed urban and rural areas. To remedy these economic disparities, the CBC budget ensures that the community development block grant programs will continue to improve housing conditions in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.

Our budget adds $1.5 billion to CDBG grants and improves housing conditions for moderate-income families. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of CDBG grants. They assist cities and counties with creating jobs, increasing economic development opportunities, and expanding homeownership. CDBG provides for these services in a way that recognizes the unique needs of distressed areas in rural, urban, and suburban communities. It is the signature program for cities and counties to stimulate local economies. I know that from experience because I once served as the mayor pro tempore on the city council for Carson, California.

In 2004, CDBG assisted 168,938 households across America with their housing needs, including financial assistance, construction, rehabilitation, and other improvements. At least 95 percent of the funds support activities benefiting low- and moderate-income families.

The alternative CBC budget also allocates funding to the Small Business Administration and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and provides additional funding for adult training and dislocated workers programs. By supporting these programs, the CBC is working to close the existing economic disparities in the United States and to help entrepreneurs and ordinary Americans realize the American Dream.

The CBC alternative budget also allocates additional funding for enforcement initiatives such as juvenile justice and prison reentry programs. The CBC understands we need to protect the homeland, and our budget adds $2 billion to meet urgent homeland security needs that face our Nation. The alternative budget therefore devotes additional resources for guarding against terrorist attacks through our rail and ports, including cargo screening that prevents nuclear or radiological weapons from entering the United States.

It also supports essential funding for the Centers for Disease Control to help us prepare for a possible biological attack. The CBC alternative budget ensures that cities, towns, and hamlets will receive the resources that are urgently needed to protect our citizens, resources that are absolutely needed for our cities and towns.

We can accomplish this, all of these priorities, by reducing the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 from an individual's adjusted gross income that exceeds $200,000 and closing tax loopholes. I urge all of my colleagues to support this budget.

Mr. Chairman, finally one of the most important bills, if not the most important bill, has come to this floor; and I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), for their continued leadership in drafting a principled and balanced transportation bill, and also the subcommittee Chair, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), for their steadfast commitment to our Nation's transportation system.

As a senior member on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, representing Los Angeles County, the most congested and impacted county in the Nation, it has been my privilege and my pleasure to work with all of them.

It has been the priority of our committee to meet the many transportation needs of our cities, our States and our businesses, both large and small, that rely on our transportation system. Governors and local governments alike are crying out for relief from the congestion that chokes our highways and slows down our economy.

Our country needs more public transportation services to help in fighting congestion. We need more new transit buses and greater investment in rail systems so that the single-occupant automobile is not the only way to get to work. From coast to coast, our great Nation needs this bill. Our communities, our businesses, and our constituents all need this bill. Traffic congestion costs American motorists some $67.5 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs. Americans spend an additional 4.5 billion hours a year stuck in traffic.

This bill addresses the immediate needs of our communities, and our communities have spoken loud and clear: they want congestion relief. We have been asked to do more with less at $284 billion, but we have drafted an innovative bill that maximizes our resources to address our most glaring transportation needs.

I want to again thank this committee and especially the ranking member, the gentleman from Oregon

(Mr. DeFazio); the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar); the former ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski); the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young); and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Petri) for including and supporting the projects of national and regional significance.

This new program will go a long way in relieving our Nation's transportation choke points and help reduce the congestion that plagues our communities and slows down our national economy. We desperately need programs like this to address our Nation's growth in trade.

In 1970, the amount of U.S. trade in goods totaled $83 billion a year. Today, that figure has grown to $2.29 trillion, a nearly 28-fold increase in 35 years. Over the same period, the U.S. population has grown by 40 percent and the number of registered vehicles has increased by 100 percent, yet our road capacity has increased by only 6 percent.

Mr. Chairman, we must and we can do better.

Think about this: In the last 35 years, we have revolutionized how we communicate and conduct commerce. We have transformed the size and scale of business in a global economy. Yet, how we get our goods and services is the one element we have not changed during that time. Our economy is evolving and our transportation infrastructure must be an integral part of this evolution.

A prime example of our economy's evolution is the emergence of just- in-time delivery, which is the way that most major businesses run and grow their businesses. Just-in-time delivery minimizes the storage costs for businesses, allowing them to keep smaller inventories, which ultimately keeps consumer prices down across the country. We must have a transportation infrastructure that meets the many demands placed upon it.

The Projects of National and Regional Significance program and funding addresses the increasing importance of moving goods safely, securely, and efficiently, as well as the mobilization of people. This program does what only a transportation reauthorization bill can do; it makes sure that our transportation infrastructure is coordinated, balanced and national in scope.

In addition, I want to thank the committee for including another provision that speaks to goods movement, and that is the designation of the I-710 as a high-priority corridor. Fifteen percent of our Nation's total commerce of inbound and outbound containerized goods move along the I-710. This is truly a high-priority corridor.

Finally, this is a jobs bill, Mr. Chairman. Every $1 invested in public transportation infrastructure provides up to $6 in economic return, and every $1 billion invested in our transportation infrastructure creates and sustains 48,000 jobs.

This is a bill that we need. We must have this bill. I ask my colleagues to vote in support of TEA-LU. This is the most important bill we will see this year.

Mr. Speaker, tonight I'd like to talk about legislation that I recently introduced--The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005 (HR 822).

Adopting a child is a life long responsibility, but let me be frank, the way we care for our children, especially children in foster care is a direct reflection of who we are as a society.

The Administration has boldly stated that they will ``Leave No Child Behind.'' I want to take them up on this pronouncement and extend this idea to the 523,000 children who are in foster care programs throughout this country.

These children cannot be left behind and must be given every opportunity to succeed.

The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005, will support the establishment, expansion and operation of programs using a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care.

Specifically The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005, does the following:

Provides $15 million in grants to States to develop or expand statewide academic mentoring programs for children in foster care.

Authorizes States to use this funding to help recruit, support and train volunteers to serve as a foster youth's academic and personal advisers.

Authorizes $4 million to fund a national coordination and media campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the need to get involved in the life of a child waiting for foster care placement.

Engages college and graduate students by making them eligible to have their student loans discharged up to $2,000 for every 200 hours they serve as mentors to children living in foster care. A total of $20,000 in student loans incurred by participating college or graduate students would qualify for forgiveness.

My legislation is a good first step in approaching how we can better transition children into loving, supportive homes. But we must do more.

As I stated earlier, there are over 523,000 children in foster care. One in three of these children has been in care for over 5 years. Of the 25,000 children who leave the foster care system each year, they do so without ever having the promise of a permanent family fulfilled.

This is shameful! We must do better. Children in this country need to have a stable adult they can rely on and turn to for support while growing up. Mentoring is an excellent way to meet some of these children most basic needs.

The life experiences of children in foster care put them in a precarious and vulnerable situation. Children in foster care are more susceptible to; drug addiction, depression, delinquency, and pregnancy.

What's more, the constant turnover in placements for children in foster care makes it difficult for these young people to succeed in school.

Mentoring can make a difference in the life of young people in foster care and provide a lifeline to academic success and better life skills.

Traditional mentoring programs often do not include the type of training and recruitment necessary to equip mentors with the tools they need to most effectively serve the needs of these young people. Those that do yield amazing results:

Current statistics show that for young people who are mentored; 45 percent are less likely to begin using illicit drugs; 59 percent do better academically, and 73 percent set and attain higher life achievement goals.

The need for mentors for children in foster care is clear, however, few states have programs aimed at serving the special needs of this vulnerable population. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 822 `The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005.'

Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise today to share a few remarks about my friend, our friend, the Honorable Tillie Fowler, who served with honor and distinction in this House. I shall remember her as someone with enormous capacity, inclusive and fiercely loyal to her friends on both sides of the aisle. Her sacred belief while serving in Congress was, I cannot sit next to them one day and campaign against them the next.

What a lady. If I am your friend, then I am your friend. As the politics around her grew more partisan and unkind through her tenure here, Tillie held her ground. She knew that, in order to get things done, she had to do away with partisan rancor. She was never reluctant to embrace an idea she felt strongly about.

She had a tiny frame, but a great heart and a giant heart. She was a good soul. Tillie wanted more women to get involved in politics and championed the issues women care so much about. She challenged us all of the time with a question: Does it matter whether women are involved in politics? Her career exemplifies that answer.

Upon entering Congress in 1992, Tillie was elected co-chairwoman of the Freshman Republican Task Force on Reform. And in her second term, she became a deputy whip for the Republicans. She was elected vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference on the vow that she would serve no longer than 2 years in the Republican leadership.

When she left Congress in 2001, she was number five in the House leadership. Tillie served with distinction on the Armed Services Committee, which led the former Speaker, Newt Gingrich, to give her and Representative Jane Harman the tough assignment of investigating sexual harassment in the Army.

Her experience on defense matters was not limited to gender issues. And she earned respect as an authority on a range of essential military issues. In 1998, it was indeed my privilege to ask Tillie Fowler to join me, as we would have the first memorial wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony honoring women in military service from the American Revolutionary Army until the present.

In subsequent years, Tillie never missed the annual occasion to stand with us women of the House at Arlington to honor current and past servicewomen. For all of us who will gather together again this May in Arlington, Tillie's absence will be felt and regretted. But she stands among the greatest of women of this country.

I think Tillie Fowler's career is a reminder of what we need to be about, a shining example for all women, civilian or in the military, seeking opportunities to become the best that one can be, to their families, to their Nation. Tillie Fowler was that lady. She will be sorely missed. My condolences go to her husband, Buck, and her two daughters.

Mr. Speaker, the Peace Corps is celebrating its 44th anniversary on March 1st, and its work has never been more relevant than it is today. Since its inception in 1961, over 178,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 138 countries to promote the Peace Corps' mission of world peace and friendship.

There are over 7,700 volunteers now serving in 72 countries around the world--this is the highest number of volunteers in the field in 29 years. Our Peace Corps volunteers work as teachers, business advisors, information technology consultants, health, youth and agriculture workers. With the spread of HIV/AIDS ravaging many countries, more than 3,100 volunteers are working directly or indirectly on HIV/AIDS prevention and education activities throughout the world. In short, Peace Corps volunteers provide valuable knowledge and life-changing skills to people all over the world in all aspects of daily living, altering countless lives in a positive way.

We are a generous nation and pride ourselves in giving, not only monetarily, but of ourselves. As a nation, we recognize the importance of humanitarian service, and host countries are eager for our volunteers because we give with sincerity of cause and commitment to service. Our volunteers spread goodwill and embody America's strength and pride.

During National Peace Corps Week, I would like to salute and honor our men and women who serve abroad as Peace Corps volunteers. I would especially like to mention my constituents who are currently serving in countries ranging from Albania to Swaziland: Anna Gutierrez, Nicole M. Hendrix, Meldy Hernandez, Cliff Okada, Erica Smith and Samrong So.

Thank you for your service. And thanks to the Peace Corps for continuing to encourage and inspire Americans to give so willingly of themselves.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Public Transportation Systems Vulnerability and Reduction Act of 2005.

Securing our Nation's public transportation system has been a top priority of mine.

For years, governments around the world have recognized that public transportation is a major terrorist target. Until 9/11 the United States has been largely spared the kinds of terrorist campaigns waged against public surface transportation. However, we cannot wait for a tragedy to happen before we address our vulnerabilities.

An October 2001 study released by the Mineta Institute, Protecting Public Surface Transportation Against Terrorism and Serious Crime: An Executive Overview cites that between 1920 and 2000 there have been approximately 900 terrorist attacks and other significant criminal incidents involving public surface transportation systems.

However, all but 14 of these attacks occurred after 1970, the year that marks the beginning of modern terrorism.

Attacks against transportation and transportation infrastructures accounted for 42 percent of all international terrorist attacks, according to the most recent statistics provided by the USDOT Office of Intelligence and Security in 1998.

These statistics play out before our eyes on CNN. Last year alone, we witnessed attacks on public transportation systems in Madrid and Moscow, not to mention the ongoing attacks in the Middle East.

My legislation, The Public Transportation Systems Vulnerability and Reduction Act of 2005 will provide our Nation's transportation systems and workers with the training and funding to help protect our homeland. This legislation will provide funding for:

Ongoing vulnerability assessments which will build continuously on information collected, allowing for easier implementation of new technologies that will assist in averting terrorist attacks on all modes of public transportation.

Training programs for frontline transit employees, ensuring that employees, who are the eyes and ears of transportation systems, are prepared to respond to emergency situations.

Development and implementation of local and regional emergency preparedness plans that fully utilize a community's transportation resources.

Provides $25 million a year, $100 million over 4 years for emergency preparedness and response training.

I ask my colleagues to join me in working to provide our Nation's transportation systems and employees the resources to protect our communities.

I urge you to support the Public Transportation Systems Vulnerability and Reduction Act of 2005.