Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to join my colleagues in support of H. Res. 757, which condemns the horrific attacks on both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon September 11, 2001, and reaffirms our nation's commitment in protecting our land from terrorists.

The events of three years ago will be forever etched in the memories of the American people. The horrible images from downtown New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania, brought sorrow and sadness as a nation collectively mourned the lives lost.

On this day, we salute the Pentagon employees who perished, the inhabitants of the World Trade Center who had their lives snuffed out in a brutal act of terrorism, and the brave men of United flight 93, who sacrificed their lives to save the lives of people they had never even met.

Mr. Speaker, even as a nation mourned, the collective resolve and faith of Americans nationwide began the process of rebuilding, and we continue that process today.

America is strong and its people are committed to the values of liberty. Even today, Americans nationwide are helping the families and children of those killed three years ago.

Mr. Speaker, our nation is engaged in a war against terrorism that continues to this day, and the resolve and faith of the American people will ensure that our nation remains forever strong.

We in Congress continue to pray for all affected by the horrible events of three years ago and will continue to be vigilant on the war on terror. May God bless all the families and their loved ones, and may God bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask for unanimous consent to address the House for as much time as I may consume.

I want to bring to the attention of this Congress, legislation that I have introduced today----The Hardened Containers for Air Cargo Security Act of 2004.

This legislation is in direct response to the 9/11 Commission Report's recommendation that a blast proof container should be on every commercial airplane that handles cargo. This legislation is a proactive step that puts this much needed and much delayed technology to immediate use.

To successfully implement the hardened container program, a win-win partnership needs to be formed between the government, the air carriers and the flying public.

This legislation puts these partners together.

Specifically, this legislation creates a pilot program that does the following:

Creates an incentive program that provides assistance to air carriers to test the use of hardened containers.

Develops guidelines that determine the type of cargo that will be placed in hardened containers on a passenger aircraft.

The pilot program will test the function and interaction of the hardened containers with other components of the aviation security system. It will validate estimates of the quantity of hardened containers required in the air carriers' operations, and identify issues in logistics and control.

The pilot program will ultimately validate training and maintenance requirements required for integrating hardened containers into a carrier's fleet.

The total investment in this pilot program is $1.7 million.

As the 9/11 Commission Report has outlined, our nation must have a layered approach to aviation security. Hardened containers and the subsequent program this legislation creates, I firmly believe, must be a staple in aviation passenger security in the near future.

Hardened containers, or blast proof containers as they are sometimes called, are the last line of defense if an explosive device eludes active security measures.

We cannot rely on one technology or one security measure to protect our citizens, our aviation infrastructure and our aircrafts.

Integrating a hardened container program will compliment technology and security measure that are already in place such as Explosive Detection Systems (EDS), on ground screeners, air marshals and of course our brave flight attendants.

Since the catastrophic bombing of Pan Am 103 in December 1988, industry, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, have developed hardened containers that safely contain the detonation of bombs that otherwise would destroy airliners in flight.

We have made the investment in this technology, now is the time to integrate it into our aviation system. The hardened containers are effective now in preventing damage to airliners by bombs considerably larger than the one that destroyed Pan Am 103.

I ask my colleagues to strongly support the ``The Hardened Containers for Air Cargo Security Act of 2004'' and to comply with the 9/11 Commission Report's recommendation on this very important issue.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 428 I was detained by my constituents and was unable to get to the floor in time for voting. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. George Miller of California

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of House Resolution 422. Recognizing that more than 300 million children suffer from chronic hunger worldwide, we need to restore funding for this program at levels similar to those of the original pilot program.

Providing nutritious food at schools worldwide is a simple, but effective way to improve literacy rates and help poor children break out of poverty.

I strongly believe this funding is key to combating several root causes of international terrorism. It increases the school attendance of children who may otherwise be susceptible to recruitment by terrorist groups who offer meals.

As a co-sponsor of this legislation, I also believe that by providing financial and technical assistance for school feeding and maternal and child nutrition programs, we help fight HIV/AIDS. Schools provide one of the most effective means to teach children about disease prevention.

These are specific examples of how school feeding operations benefit low-income countries.

The fact that both the initial pilot program and the current McGovern-Dole Program have a proven track record at reducing the incidence of hunger among school-age children, increasing attendance, particularly for girls, and improving literacy and primary education, clearly indicates that we should work with the United Nations and its member states to expand international contributions for the distribution of food in schools around the world.

Mr. Speaker, let us not forget how global school feeding operations benefit low-income countries--education is a path to upward mobility that can help poor children improve their standard of living, and, most importantly, help poor nations develop more productive, self-reliant economies.

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Lowey) for her ongoing strong leadership. She has been upfront on this issue since I have been in Congress and even before that.

I would like to take this opportunity to engage in a colloquy with the distinguished chairman, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe), regarding pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment and care. I would also like to thank him for his strong leadership on this issue and his ongoing commitment to this cause.

As the chairman knows, I have worked consistently for global HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs, particularly for children and orphans in Africa. Currently, over 14 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, 95 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa. And while Africa is the epicenter of the pandemic, the next wave is projected to include China and India with between 1 to 15 million and 20 to 25 million infected people, respectively, by 2010.

Mr. Chairman, there is a shortage of trained health care providers who understand and are knowledgeable of the special needs that children with HIV/AIDS have.

I have introduced H.R. 4191 that calls for establishing pediatric HIV/AIDS centers in 10 countries, seven in Africa and the rest in India and China and Guyana. These are countries with epidemic rates of HIV/ AIDS resulting in children and orphans with no social support system. These centers would not only provide treatment but also critical training and research, and they are essential.

I hope that the chairman and the ranking member would bring forth their leadership in providing some assistance here.

I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

I thank the distinguished chairman and the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise to honor and pay tribute to one of my constituents who recently died serving his Nation in Iraq.

Sergeant Brian M. Wood was killed when his military vehicle pulled off the road and hit a mine while he was on patrol. Sergeant Wood was only 21 years old.

Brian Wood was assigned to the Army's 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, which is based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Mr. Speaker, Brian Wood sent an e-mail to his family less than 24 hours before his death and reported that he felt he was making a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people by locating and disarming land mines.

Mr. Speaker, Brian's family reports that he was a young man with tremendous personality and a great sense of humor.

I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Sergeant Brian Wood, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. Brian's honorable service to his country will be long remembered.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to pay tribute to a young man from my district who was killed in action serving in the Iraqi conflict.

Second Lieutenant Andre D. Tyson was charged with patrolling and gathering intelligence on insurgents in the farmlands in Balad. He died, at 33, when enemy forces ambushed his ground patrol.

Called to active duty last fall, Second Lieutenant Tyson was assigned to the 579th Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, which is based in Petaluma, California.

Mr. Speaker, Andre Tyson told a reporter 10 days before his death, that local people were hospitable to the soldiers, giving them tea and bread that he described as being ``almost like homemade tortillas.'' His cousin said, ``All of his e-mails spoke positively about his experiences in Iraq.''

Mr. Speaker, Andre's family said he was a man that commanded respect and his peers looked up to him.

It is important to honor and pay tribute to all of the brave men and women across the Nation who have given their lives in defense of the freedoms we enjoy every single day, and all leave behind families who miss their sons and daughters. Too many of our young people have their lives cut way too short, but their sacrifice will be long remembered.

I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Second Lieutenant Andre D. Tyson, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge also the great work of the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the chairman, and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano), the ranking member, for their tireless efforts in bringing about a much- needed piece of legislation. These two leaders have done a yeoman's job for us in bringing H.R. 2828, and they have come to my district many times to hold hearings on this issue of water.

I would like to specifically thank the chairman and the ranking member for including the strong water use efficiency section in H.R. 2828. This section will meet my community's strong demand for water supply and reliability, not by taking more water from the Bay-Delta ecosystem, not taking more water from the Colorado River in our neighboring States, but from recycling and cleaning up Southern California's existing water supply and investing in sea water desalination projects.

H.R. 2828 specifically clarifies that in addition to recycling and desalination projects, groundwater cleanup projects for contaminants such as per chlorate, nitrates, and volatile organic compounds will qualify for CALFED program funding.

Continued Federal investment in desalination technology, such as the one in Long Beach, will verify and further develop energy savings and optimize the process so that it can be enlarged and duplicated throughout the United States.

The Long Beach Water Department's desalination pilot plant is on the cutting edge, and I am looking forward to seeing this technology fully developed.

Again, I support and commend these two for their outstanding work.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member, the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), for their leadership. In spite of the cuts in funding and the sacrifices that we are having to make in terms of budget shortfalls, they are showing their leadership in providing as much funding as possible for those critical programs that are endemic to working families.

Mr. Chairman, I do rise, though, in strong support of the amendment offered by my colleagues on the Committee on Small Business, the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Manzullo) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), the ranking member, which would provide full funding for the Small Business Administration's primary lending program, the 7(a) loan program.

Mr. Chairman, we on the Committee on Small Business have heard small business owners throughout this country, and they are all saying the same thing, that the one hurdle faced by America's 23 million small businesses is gaining access to affordable capital. I believe that the Manzullo-Velazquez amendment, which maintains the $79 million in funding provided to the agency last year, helps SBA reach its goal of providing small companies with the financing they need through the agency's access to capital lending programs. Without this funding provided for businesses by this amendment, many small businesses could be denied the loans they need to be successful.

Funding for this program, and if it is not restored, small businesses will be unable to target new markets, grow or even hire new workers. The 7(a) loan program is the SBA's core lending program and accounts for roughly 30 percent of all long-term small businesses in America. In addition, these loans are the only source of affordable long-term financing for many of our Nation's small businesses, especially minority- and women-owned businesses.

As the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Tax, Finance, and Exports, I understand the importance of small businesses to our Nation. They employ 97 percent of our Nation's workforce and are often called the engine of the Nation's economy. Without the funding provided for by this amendment, both lenders participating in the program and borrowers will be faced with higher fees; some lenders could be forced to withdraw from the program, leaving small businesses with fewer options for financing.

Mr. Chairman, the passage of this amendment is critical to the capital needs of thousands of small businesses. I urge its passage.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), the ranking member on the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

My amendment would provide increased funding for the Small Business Administration's Women's Business Centers Program. This amendment would provide for an additional $1.5 million in funding for the Women's Business Centers Program that is currently funded at the level of $12 million, which is included in the committee's version of the report, bringing this total level of program funding to $13.5 million.

The United States Small Business Administration network of Women's Business Centers provide a wide range of services to women business owners at all levels of business development through grant funding to private, nonprofit economic development organizations. These centers are located in 46 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands, and provide financial and general business management and marketing assistance, as well as long- term training and counseling, to existing and potential women business owners, many of whom are socially and economically disadvantaged.

Many centers make a special effort to assist women on welfare become self-sufficient and administer programs and workshops in business ownership, other employment or a combination of the two. All of the centers provide individual counseling and access to the SBA's programs and services.

I have always been a strong supporter of women-owned small businesses and have led efforts in past Congresses to increase authorized funding levels for the WBC programs.

Mr. Chairman, women-owned businesses are a dynamic and thriving force in the U.S. economy. Business ownership has been one of the most effective means of improving women's economic well-being. Female participation in business ownership at all levels is climbing. Women now own 40 percent of all small businesses and are growing at twice the rate of all other businesses. America's 9.1 million women business owners employ 2.75 million people and contribute $3.6 trillion to the economy.

Additional funding for this program will go a long way to ensuring that both existing and new centers will have the funding to help women entrepreneurs with additional training and technology assistance, especially minority women and start-up businesses.

I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support and guidance as I have introduced this amendment, and I ask all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

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

Offered By: Ms. Millender-McDonald

Amendment No. 24: Page 57, line 11, after the dollar amount

insert the following: ``(reduced by $2,500,000)''.

Page 92, line 16, after the dollar amount insert the

following: ``(increased by $2,500,000)''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to give my enthusiastic support to S. 2507, ``The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004''.

In January of this year, I urged the Committee on Education and the Workforce to include in this Reauthorization Act provisions to authorize fruit and vegetable pilot programs for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program.

The bill expands this program as well as the Summer Food Service Program. It also provides training and technical assistance to schools in program administration and targets benefits to low-income children.

The passage of this bill today is truly a landmark achievement, as it represents the most extensive amendments to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA). This legislation reauthorizes national school lunch and breakfast, child and adult care food, after-school snack, summer food service and special supplemental nutrition programs for (WIC), among others.

The bill also amends the Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC Amendments of 1987 and the Food Stamps Act of 1977 to streamline applications for school meal program benefits. It does so by establishing agreements between State Food Stamp Agencies and School Food Authorities.

Like my colleagues, I believe it is critical that our Nation's children have access to healthy and nutritional foods while attending school. The pilot program provided in this bill makes this possible.

Mr. Speaker, we are all well aware that childhood obesity is a major health issue in this Nation that must be addressed. Our children deserve to have healthy choices for their breakfast and lunch meals. For many of our children these meals are the only nutritionally complete meals they will eat throughout the week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), an estimated 15 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years were overweight in 1999-2000. This represents a 4 percent increase from the previous 1988-1994 estimates. Passage of this bill represents bipartisan and bicameral efforts to benefit the children of our country.

I firmly believe that this is the right bill at the right time for America's women and children.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and pay tribute to all of the brave men and women across the nation who have given their lives in defense of the freedoms we enjoy every single day, and all who leave behind families who miss their sons and daughters.

I'd like to speak specifically about the life of one of my constituents, Private First Class George D. Torres, who was recently killed in combat in Iraq.

Private Torres was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. He was only 23 years old at the time of his death, and was killed in Al Anbar Province, Iraq due to enemy fire.

Mr. Speaker, the fifth of sixth children, Private First Class Torres joined the Corps in march of last year, and had just been overseas a month before his death.

As our soldiers, who removed Saddam Hussein from power, aim to protect the peace while a transitional democratic government run by the people of Iraq is being established, our troops are in a very dangerous situation.

Mr. Speaker, George was aware of the realities of military service, but always wanted to join the Marines, and ``was very proud'' after he returned to school and earned the high school diploma he needed to enlist, telling his sister that if he had to go serve in Iraq, then he'd go.

A Dodger's fan, he was known for his outgoing personality and in the words of his girlfriend, ``was the best person in this world.''

A memorial Web site set up for George Torres has received numerous emails, which is a testament to the strong relationships George built during his all-too-short lifetime.

His loving family, sisters Oralia Cisnernos, Olga and Evelyn Torres, brothers Fernando Torres Jr. and Francisco Torres, and his parents, Fernando and Genoveda Torres, survive Torres.

I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Private First Class Torres, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. George's valiant service to his country will be greatly remembered.

We owe him a great deal of gratitude for his service to a country he loved.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia and the gentlewoman from California for bringing forth this very supportive resolution. And I speak this morning to pay tribute to one of the greatest singers, songwriters, and composers of the 20th and the 21st Century, Ray Charles. I must tell the Georgians that California also claims Ray Charles as a native son.

Ray Charles, born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia, started his interest in music at the young age of 3 and eventually learned to read and write music in Braille, as well as play a number of instruments including the trumpet, organ, alto sax and the piano.

He scored his first big hit in 1959 with the song ``What I'd Say'' and went on to win 12 Grammy Awards, with nine awards between 1960 and 1966.

Of course, Ray Charles would record many hit records during the course of his career, including ``Hit the Road Jack''; ``I Can't Stop Loving You,'' ``Busted''; ``Born to Lose''; ``Take These Chains from My Heart; and the State song of Georgia, ``Georgia on My Mind.''

His version of ``America the Beautiful,'' like most of his songs, will be considered America's classic for generations to come. He won his last Grammy in 1993 for ``A Song for You.''

Ray Charles was a unique musician, Mr. Speaker, because of his ability to cross musical genres to create a fresh and exciting new sound. Not only did his music and words reach all types of audiences, he also commanded a strong stage presence with his personality and infectious smile warming our hearts.

He was so popular, in fact, that he became a television spokesman for a soft drink company telling viewers they picked the right choice and they picked the right one with the familiar ``uh huh'' refrain.

Mr. Speaker, Ray Charles was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1982 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame in its inaugural year 1986. And I was honored last year to be at the NAACP Gala in Los Angeles when they gave him the highest award, the America's Outstanding Citizen and Entertainer of the Decade Award.

I would like to extend my condolences to the family, friends and fans of Ray Charles. Oh, how beautiful America was with the genius of Ray Charles.

Ray Charles, ``I Can't Stop Loving You.''

I support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 56, which expresses the sense of Congress that States should require candidates who apply for a driver's license to demonstrate an ability to exercise greatly increased caution when driving in the proximity of a potentially visually impaired individual.

More than 1 million individuals are blind in the United States. Many more

are visually impaired. They face many obstacles in their daily lives and travels.

Visually impaired people, including the blind, are particularly at risk when they come in close proximity with motor vehicles when they walk along or cross a street. They are often unaware of vehicular traffic nearby that could pose a serious threat to their safety.

Although many of the blind are familiar with ways to reduce the risk and behave accordingly, their safety is still very much dependent upon the driver's ability to recognize their presence and to exercise greater caution in operating their vehicle.

H. Con. Res. 56 is an attempt to raise the driver's awareness to the blind and visually impaired pedestrians. They need to know that the use of a white cane or a guide dog signals a visually impaired individual.

To ensure that all licensed drivers have such knowledge, H. Con. Res. 56 expresses the sense of Congress that each State should require license applicants to demonstrate an ability to associate the use of the white cane or guide dog with visually impaired individuals and to exercise greater caution when driving in their proximity before being granted a driver's license. This is a simple requirement, which will greatly enhance the safety of the visually impaired.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans).

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