Floor Statements

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 384: Page 242, strike lines 8 through 10.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 385: Page 197, strike lines 7 through 10.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 386: Page 287, strike lines 9 through 23.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 387: Page 293, strike lines 22 through 25.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 388: Page 294, strike lines 1 through 5.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 389: Page 354, strike lines 3 through 14.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 390: Page 296, strike lines 19 throgh 25.

Page 297, strike lines 1 through 12.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 391: Page 352, strike lines 14 through 24.

Page 353, strike lines 1 through 2.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to herald the achievements of Mary E. Bryant and to acknowledge our pride in her valuable contributions to the Tampa Bay community, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and the students she loved.

Mary Bryant was a Tampa native who grew up in the Jim Crow era, when it was toughest for African-Americans to receive equal rights. She attended Middleton High School and graduated in 1951. Although neither of her parents completed high school, they worked hard to ensure that their daughter would accomplish what they could not. Her father worked as a truck driver, while her mom worked as a maid and presser at a local dry cleaning business.

After graduating from Middleton, Mary went on to earn a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Bethune-Cookman College in 1955. She then completed a master's degree from Florida A&M University and a doctorate from University of South Florida. She was a lifelong educator, working hard to inspire children for more than 40 years. After working in Okeechobee for several years, she began her career in Hillsborough County as a teacher and learning specialist at Henderson Elementary in 1968. In 1971, she became the principal of Phillip Shore Elementary and then at Roland Park in 1974.

During her long tenure as an educator in Hillsborough County, Mrs. Bryant truly made it her responsibility to care for the children in her classroom. She was known for giving blankets to families that could not afford them and food to children that came to school on an empty stomach. She would even keep soap and deodorant in her office for the students who could not bathe because the water was turned off at their home. She would not let any obstacle stand in the way of educating children. She also served as a dedicated mentor to many teachers under her guidance. Mary Bryant was the educator and leader that we all want in the classrooms teaching our children.

Though she was very humble, Mary Bryant received numerous awards, honors and leadership positions as an educator. In 1986, Mrs. Bryant became the first African-American woman to be appointed an area director for Hillsborough's Area II schools. In 1992, she became the first African-American woman to serve as the assistant superintendent for support services. Also, in 1993, she received the Ida S. Baker minority educator award. Hillsborough County named Bryant Elementary School in her honor.

Even after she retired in 1997, Mary continued to show her love, support and passion for Hillsborough County schools. She volunteered at school events, attended school board meetings, and served as a liaison for new principals. It is clear that her hard work and efforts have influenced countless children and teachers in Hillsborough County. It is for this reason that we would like to honor and recognize the remarkable career and life of Mary Bryant.

I stand with the Tampa Bay community and Hillsborough County Schools as we mourn the loss of a dear friend and colleague. We are proud to recognize Mary Bryant for her outstanding career and her many significant contributions to the Hillsborough County School System. Her determination and hard work have made her an inspirational leader within our community.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Castor amendment to safeguard the local government security funds that come from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. I know a lot of the debate has been focused on public campaign financing of Presidential campaigns, but another important portion of that fund goes to local communities to help them with local security and local law enforcement costs when they host a political party convention.

And we're very proud in my hometown of Tampa to be the host of the 2012 Republican convention. It's no wonder that the Republicans selected Tampa; it's a wonderful place. We have beautiful beaches. We need the business and the jobs. So we're going to be a very welcoming community. We do conventions very well. And we're very happy that we're going to play host to the Republican convention.

But here are great warning flags going off because what I hear from my local law enforcement community is that the security costs, especially in the post-9/11 world, are very daunting. They are very concerned with the cost of providing security for the Republican convention, just like, I think, any host community would be for any party convention.

So what this amendment does is it says that, rather than completely do away with this fund, we will retain the portion that will cover local law enforcement security costs. We're going to need this help.

What I understand from my colleagues in Minneapolis after the last convention is that they received over $16 million from this fund to help them cover the costs of security, yet that wasn't enough to fully cover all the cost. And let me tell you, in this economy right now, in an area where we were hard hit by the recession in 2007, early 2007, our local governments simply don't have the wherewithal to go this extra mile and cover all of these security costs.

So what I'm asking through this amendment, as we come together in a bipartisan way to cover those local law enforcement costs, is let's not throw out the entire fund. Let's retain this amount, or what's left in the fund, to go to cover these local security costs.

Let's face it, too, this is voluntary. This is the voluntary checkoff on your income tax form that taxpayers all across America can decide if they want to do this or not. This is not something that is mandatory upon all taxpayers across the country. And if folks around the country, if taxpayers want to say, voluntarily, We want to help keep big money out of campaigns and we want to help cover local security issues, then we should be following through with that commitment and not eliminating it, not giving them any choice at all.

Overall, if the majority will not accept this amendment, since you have raised the point of order, and it seems like you don't want to bring it up to a vote, I would urge everyone to vote ``no'' on H.R. 359 because it puts in danger dollars that can be used by the City of Tampa, the Tampa Bay area, and other communities for security, transportation, preparation, and other allowable purposes.

This amendment intends to replace the $100 million we spend for security every 4 years with funding from this voluntary fund. If we kill this fund, we're going to be hurting many local communities such as my hometown of Tampa. The host committee will be way behind the eight ball. They're doing a good job but, boy, this was a commitment, this is the law, and you're going to really stick it to them by taking these security funds away.

So let's vote on making our communities safe when we rally a democracy under our political conventions.

Mr. Chairman, at this point, since the majority party has offered a point of order, it appears that they are not going to allow this amendment and probably the next one to come up for a vote. So because the majority has raised a point of order to prevent a vote on my amendment, I reluctantly ask unanimous consent to withdraw both of my amendments, which would have safeguarded our security funds for local law enforcement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to herald the achievements of Colonel Denise K. Lew and to acknowledge our pride in her valuable contributions to the United States Air Force Medical Service.

Colonel Lew was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She entered active duty in 1984 through a direct commission into the Air Force Medical Service Corps (MSC). She is a board certified Health Care Executive, and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She has also earned designations as a Health Insurance Associate and Managed Healthcare Professional from The Center for Insurance Education and Professional Development, which is an educational program offered by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

Colonel Lew has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career. Among them are the: Defense Superior Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters. In 1996, she received the American College of Healthcare Executives Early Career Regent's Award. Also, in 2002, she earned the Air Force Materiel Command Commitment to Service Award.

Colonel Lew will be completing an outstanding 26-year career in the United States Air Force in January 2011. She has served with dedication and honor as a Medical Service Corps officer. Furthermore, as the Director of the Medical Service Corps, she has greatly impacted the careers of hundreds of health care executives in the Corps and will influence several generations beyond the tenure of her career. Her efforts have enhanced the medical capability needed to ensure success in overseas contingency operations. It is for this reason that we would like to honor and recognize the remarkable career of Colonel Lew.

The Tampa community and MacDill Air Force Base are proud to recognize Colonel Lew for her outstanding career and her many significant contributions to the Air Force and our country. Her determination and hard work have made her an inspirational leader within our Air Force.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the sacrifice of two St. Petersburg, Florida, police officers who were killed in the line of duty yesterday.

Sergeant Tom Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz were following up on a Fugitive Task Force warrant when they and a deputy U.S. marshal were ambushed and shot. Officer Yaslowitz was fatally shot while trying to arrest the dangerous fugitive; Officer Baitinger was shot while attempting to rescue his colleagues.

Officer Yaslowitz was 39 years old. He was a K-9 officer and had worked with his canine partner, ``Ace,'' for the last 2 years. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine, and three young children. Sergeant Thomas J. Baitinger was 48 years old. He is survived by his wife, Paige.

As my colleague, Congressman Bill Young, stated yesterday from this floor, we pray for their families, the St. Petersburg Police Department, Mayor Bill Foster, and Police Chief Chuck Harmon, and we honor the sacrifice of our community heroes and all who wear the uniform of service.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 3: Strike line 3 on page 1 and all that

follows through line 2 on page 2 and insert the following:

I thank Mr. Pastor for yielding.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of my community in Florida, the Tampa Bay area, I rise to honor my friend and colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, her staff and the other victims of the Arizona shooting tragedy. The arc of time of Congresswoman Giffords' service to her community and in the U.S. House so far has proven to be a time of change and challenge.

Through it all, Representative Giffords has been a model public servant. When we were sworn in 4 years ago, Congresswoman Giffords and I arrived as part of a class, Republican and Democrat, that had very high ideals. She was a leader from the very beginning. We adopted ethics reform. We bolstered veterans. We sought modern solutions for energy challenges. We helped more students attend college. And she, particularly, promoted scientific innovation.

She sought a seat on the Armed Services Committee at a time when our country was struggling with the war in Iraq. She sought that seat because she wanted to ensure that the military personnel and the bases in her district had a champion--and did they ever.

Congresswoman Giffords rose quickly to become a leader on solar energy and on immigration reform. Gabby works to strike a balance with pragmatic policies that actually work. And whether it was President Bush or President Obama, Congresswoman Giffords spoke up boldly for additional resources on the U.S. border.

I know it sounds like a modern fairy tale, that a beautiful, smart congresswoman marries an astronaut, but a love of science and a love of their country brought them together. She was a champion for NASA and space exploration before she married Captain Mark Kelly, but she has become one of the greatest advocates for the mission of NASA.

In 2007, our economy began to contract and people lost jobs, and Representative Giffords stood up to fight for them, for help for the Tucson area and for our great country. It has not been easy, but Gabby does not give up. As one of the more youthful Members of Congress, Congresswoman Giffords has served at a time when the first President of our generation was elected.

It is a time of hope and promise, but in the middle of a time of great economic challenge for Arizona, for Florida, and for all of America. But Gabby Giffords has an optimistic eye to the future. She believes that working together we can solve many of the challenges before us. And in her honor we must recommit to doing so.

From the stories of the victims and the heroes in Tucson, it is obvious that it is a community composed of remarkable individuals. And it may explain why the Tucson area has sent such a remarkable public servant to represent them.