Karen McCarthy

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commemorate the services of the Consulate General of Japan at Kansas City to the six-state region of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota and to note, with sadness, the closing of the Consulate as of December 31, 2004.

Since the Japanese Pavilion at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair first intrigued and delighted tens of thousands of visitors, the links between Japan and the heart of the American Midwest have grown in strength and diversity. As investment, trade and educational exchanges have increased over the last 50 years, so too have the number and scope of contacts and contracts between these six states and Japan.

The Japanese government has been proud to host Governors from the six-state region as honored guests, along with United States Senators and Representatives, business leaders and leading scholars. In return, Ambassadors, Diet members, and even the Emperor and Empress of Japan have visited the heart of America. But there is much more to the relationship than VIP visits and official statements. The Consulate General of Japan at Kansas City has served the six-state region for 25 years in promoting economic development, fostering cultural exchange and understanding, and in providing consular services to the Japanese citizens and U.S. citizens in this region.

More than one hundred Japanese companies have operations within the region and the Consulate has been a significant factor in facilitating and encouraging such investments to the economic benefit of the region through increased employment and economic activity. These companies employ over six thousand Americans. Exports out of the region to Japan exceed $900 million per year.

The Consulate has actively promoted and sponsored cultural fairs and activities throughout the region to foster better cultural understanding and exchange. Examples of cultural activities are the Annual St. Louis Japanese Festival and the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival. The Consulate has assisted almost three hundred regional educators to experience Japan first hand through the Fulbright Memorial Teachers Program. Over eight hundred Americans have participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Nearly 100 university and graduate students have participated in scholarship programs provided by the Ministry of Education of Japan. Currently, almost 2,000 Japanese university students are enrolled in public and private universities throughout the 6-state region. In addition, the Consulate has coordinated cultural gifts in the form of gardens, gateways, and statuary to numerous local communities. The Consulate has supported and promoted 28 different sister cities and sister state relationships.

The Consulate has provided consular services to the 4,500 Japanese nationals living in the six-state region and, over the years, the Consulate has issued more than 30,000 visas to American citizens wishing to work, study, or live in Japan.

Over the last 25 years, the Consulate has been active in working to resolve trade issues specific to the region and, as an example, the current Consul General, Takao Shibata, has been actively involved in efforts to resolve beef trade limitations imposed out of concern for BSE exposure.

Since arriving in Kansas City in July 2002, Consul General Takao Shibata and his lovely wife Mieko Shibata have become a valuable part of our community. They will be missed by me and the citizens of Missouri's Fifth Congressional District.

The people of Kansas City and the six-state region regret the closing of the Consulate, but we look forward to a continuation of our close relationship with Japan, and the provision of consular services by the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2845, the 9/11 Implementation Act. In the days immediately following the 9/11 attacks, Congress put partisan politics aside and came together to find answers and implement change in our way of life to protect our homeland from further terrorist attacks. The House and Senate convened in New York's Federal Hall for a Special Session of Congress one year after the terrorist attacks, sending a strong message of gratitude to the world that Americans stand together as one Nation unified with their allies in our fight against global terrorism. The same bipartisan spirit carried on through the extraordinary two years of work by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. On July 22 the Commission submitted to the President, Congress and the American people a comprehensive assessment of what went wrong leading up to September 11, and what needs to be done to prevent future terrorist attacks on our homeland. Following the release of the Commission's report I noted, ``Now that the members of the 9/11 Commission have done their work, we in Congress must do ours.'' Since that day I have fully supported reforms the Commission recommended, from budget authority for the National Intelligence Director to an overhaul of the Congressional oversight structure.

The U.S. Senate came together in a truly bipartisan fashion, in a 96- 2 vote, to pass legislation which implements all 41 of the recommendations laid out in the 9/11 Commission Report. I cosponsored the companion legislation in the House, but was disappointed when no hearings were held on the bill. Instead, this chamber adopted legislation that implements only 11 of the Commission's recommendations and goes further to impose restrictions on civil liberties not even mentioned in the Commission's report.

I am heartened that a majority of my colleagues in both chambers have now come together in a bipartisan spirit to embrace the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and adopted a provision creating the Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Board to protect our privacy and prevent government abuse. The Commission Report provides a roadmap for implementing progressive changes that will keep Americans safer. In the words of President Kennedy, ``There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long range risks and costs of inaction.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our ``Homegrown Hero,'' Robert J. Mann. As the founder and executive director of Bridging the Gap Inc., Bob is being honored by the organization on October 15, 2004, for his leadership and vision which transformed greater Kansas City into a collaborative and interconnected community of environmental awareness, advocacy and reformation.

Thirteen years ago, Bob created Bridging the Gap, an environmental movement of volunteers who created and maintain our first 15 local community recycling centers. It has since grown into a regional, multifaceted environmental movement involving businesses, governments, schools and thousands of volunteers. Under Bob's leadership all segments of the greater Kansas City community have become interconnected and established partnerships working together to make a difference and improve Kansas City's quality of life, economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. During a decade of creating change for a healthier community, Bridging the Gap succeeded in educating the public through environmental publications and speakers bureaus, hosting special green events for environmental awareness and advocacy, and ballot initiatives that brought curbside recycling to Kansas City.

I have been an ardent supporter of Earth Day since the first one in 1970, when I showed my support by bicycling to my job as a schoolteacher and discussing with my students the responsibility each individual has to our global environment. Since 1997 my Earth Day celebration has come to include Bridging the Gap's Earth Day Walk, an eagerly anticipated annual celebration and fundraiser for more than 1,000 Kansas Citians. More than 5,000 area residents attend the Party for the Planet at the Kansas City Zoo, another Earth Day event sponsored by Bridging the Gap.

Bridging the Gap Inc. has grown dynamically and now includes: RecycleFirst, Kansas City's curbside recycling education program; Keep Kansas City beautiful, a beautification project involving more than 7,700 volunteers for 165 metro wide cleanups; Kansas City Wildlands, a natural and wild places restoration and conservation project; Environmental Excellence Business Network, an education

and mentoring program for businesses; Waste Reduction and Recycling Consultation, an advisory, assessment and action program for governments, businesses, educational and cultural institutions; Regional By-Product Synergy Initiative, a project to help business and government reduce waste and increase productivity; Shadowcliff Retreat Center, environmental education and retreat center in Grand Lake, Colorado; and Environmental Excellence Awards, an annual event to honor individuals, businesses and schools.

Bob's efforts have been recognized locally and nationally for Building the Gap's leadership. Awards include: National Recycling Coalition's Award for Environmental and Community Leadership, Kansas City Consensus Achiever Award, Missouri Governor Carnahan's Pollution Prevention Award, EPA Pollution Prevention Award, American Forest & Paper Association's Best Paper Recycling Award, Mid-America Regional Council Regional Leadership Award, Waste Reduction and Recycling Award for non-profits, Missouri Environmental Education Association Environmental Education Service Award, and Keep America Beautiful First Place National Litter Prevention Award.

Bob's leadership and vision of collaboration, his perseverance in environmental problem solving, and his service and commitment to a healthy earth have inspired thousands of individuals to make a difference. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Robert J. Mann, a bridge builder who has indeed made our community, our region and our planet a better place through his tireless efforts to honor our Earth and all who share its wonders.