Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a man who will long be remembered for his innumerable contributions and the tremendous leadership he displayed in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Harley Knox was an entrepreneur, farmer, developer, and all-around community leader. Personally, he was a loyal and dear friend. Last week, Harley lost a five-month battle with bone cancer and our region collectively mourns his passing, while remembering his lifelong contributions to the Inland Empire.

Harley discovered his entrepreneurial spirit at the early age of twelve, when after WWII, demand from farmers and gardeners prompted a need for fertilizer. For a fee, Harley would clean chicken coups and then sell the fertilizer to large farms and gardeners. His modest, yet successful business soon became more than he could handle alone, so he employed neighborhood kids to help him out.

Later on, Harley capitalized on the increased popularity of Dichondra lawns in front of ranch-style homes and soon began harvesting his family's front yard and selling flats of Dichondra. The popularity of the grass continued, so Harley persuaded neighbors to let him buy portions of their lawns for resale. By the age of 20, he was selling Dichondra across Southern California and the family was buying land for farming the grass. A second business was born when he then began developing farming equipment to collect and process Dichondra seed.

By the 1950s, Harley was president of Knox Seed Company, Inc. and moved operations to farmland adjacent to what is now March Air Reserve Base. The company expanded into producing seed for grain crops, turf grass and sod. After eventually selling the seed business, Harley focused on developing farming tools and was president of Knox Manufacturing Co. of Moreno Valley from 1977 to 1986. The firm developed high-speed produce harvesters and held patents that soon became the industry standard.

In 1983 he founded the land development and consulting firm Harley Knox & Associates, which still develops industrial projects, assists with land-use regulation and attaining government entitlements. More recently, Harley was a partner in March Global Port, an industrial development on 400 acres on the south side of March Air Reserve Base. The project lists Philips Electronics and DHL as tenants and provided the region with a significant economic contribution in the wake of the downsizing of the military base.

In addition to his entrepreneurial efforts, Harley served as an active member of numerous community organizations, such as the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, The Valley Group, the Riverside County Building Industry Association, the Western Riverside County Council of Governments, the Riverside Community College Foundation, and the Riverside Community Hospital Foundation. Following an appointment by former Gov. Pete Wilson, Harley served as commissioner of the California Boating and Waterways Commission.

The Inland Empire is a better place to live today because of Harley's extraordinary contributions and his selfless dedication to his community. On behalf of the Inland Empire I want to convey our appreciation for all of Harley's efforts and express our heartfelt condolences to the Knox family, including his wife Donna, daughter Victoria and sons Bryan and Aaron, as well as his four grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1713, as amended, which strengthens the Nation's nonproliferation principles and objectives while allowing NASA to meet its operational and programmatic needs with regard to the International Space Station (ISS), as called for in the President's Vision for Space Exploration. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of such important legislation with my colleagues and friends, Chairman Hyde, Ranking Member Lantos, Chairman Boehlert, and Congressman Rohrabacher. This amendment is timely. NASA must revise its agreement and contractual arrangements with the Russian Federal Space Agency quickly in order to ensure uninterrupted training beyond October 2005. The next ISS crew is scheduled

to fly on the Russian Soyuz in April 2006. If this amendment is not enacted, INA restrictions will prevent a continued presence of U.S. crew onboard the ISS and limit U.S. presence onboard the ISS to Space Shuttle visits. We could lose our leadership role on the International Space Station.

I know this amendment has been negotiated and discussed by many of my colleagues, who recognize the extreme importance of passing a measure which allows NASA to continue with its current role on the Space Station. I am a sponsor of this legislation and, at the same time, I have been concerned that we not be so restrictive on NASA to prevent them from doing their mission. S. 1713 as amended grants NASA the authority to procure urgent required goods and services from Russia, including crew rescue, to allow continuing ISS operations in the most safe and effective way possible. Some of these goods and services will be required from 2012 to the end of the program's operation. Moreover, ISS is an operational program that continues to evolve, requiring enough flexibility to deal with emerging issues over time. Consequently, Congress may need to address this issue again at a later date. We should be watchful as we move forward that we are able to maintain the ISS and to retain our leadership role.

As the Chairman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, I am mindful of the importance of a continued American presence in space. This amendment moves in the right direction by supporting those Russian entities which are compliant, while helping to solve near-term problems for NASA and its international partners.

Without legislative action, NASA will have limited access to the ISS until the U.S. Crew Exploration Vehicle is ready to be deployed. I urge my colleagues to pass S. 1713 as amended as expeditiously as possible. I also salute my colleagues for bringing this important legislation to the floor in such a timely manner and plan to offer my support as we pass this legislation today in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I want to add my voice of support for this very important legislation, The Aerospace Revitalization Act, which I have cosponsored. I want to offer a tribute to Congressman Vernon Ehlers, a colleague from the Science Committee and Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, a colleague from my home state of California, for their insight in sponsoring this legislation. I also want to thank Chairman John Boehner and Ranking Democrat George Miller for their insight in moving this bill out of their Committee.

This legislation evolved from recommendations of the 2002 bipartisan Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry report, which was chaired by the Honorable Robert Walker, a former member of this body and a former chairman of the Science Committee. In this report, a recommendation proposed that the federal government needed to respond to what the Report termed, ``the nation's apathy toward developing a scientifically and technologically trained workforce.''

This bill does just that. H.R. 758 establishes a taskforce to be coordinated by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and spanning eight other federal agencies. This taskforce includes NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Departments of Defense, Energy, Education, Commerce, Transportation, and Homeland Security. This taskforce will examine the competitive challenges to the aerospace industry's three core business units--civil aviation, military contracting, and space transportation. It will then blend the resources of the federal government to identify new aerospace workforce training and recruitment opportunities through scholarship, grant and loan programs. The taskforce will also set up alliances with the private sector and state governments to tie business, state governments, and the federal government together with the common goal of providing the technical skills needed to keep America competitive.

As the Chairman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, I sponsored the NASA Authorization, which passed this House in July. Because of our Committee's like concerns about our nation's competitiveness globally, in my bill, we direct the Administrator of

NASA to develop a Human Capital strategy to address our concerns about not only the size of the workforce, but the technical skill mix of this workforce. We all recognize the necessity to keep the United States competitively at the forefront. Our largest export is from the high tech aerospace industry. Our global standing is at risk if we do not keep our aerospace workforce second to none!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and give thanks to my friend and colleague, Chris Cox. After serving in the House for more than 16 years, Chris is now taking on a new challenge by serving as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. I think all of us can agree that our loss is most certainly their gain.

Following the redistricting of 2002, I became the newest member of the Orange County delegation and my newly drawn district shared a border with his. Chris immediately welcomed me to the delegation with open arms and graciously introduced me to a host of local government officials, business owners, and community leaders.

If anyone has spent time in his district and enjoyed its extraordinary coastal setting, they would agree that Chris must be a truly dedicated public servant for agreeing to spend so much time here in Washington. Thankfully, he possessed the will to serve in Congress and to be a leader for his county, State and Nation.

During his time in the House, Chris served with distinction in many different roles. Most recently, Chris made history by serving as the first Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. In this capacity, Chris took on an unprecedented challenge and oversaw the most radical government reform in decades. As those who know Chris would expect, he was up to the task and eager to find out what was working and what needed to be fixed.

Chris came to Congress in 1988 after serving as Senior Associate Counsel to President Reagan. While at the White House, Chris gained tremendous insight and invaluable experience, but I think he would tell you that the best thing he took away from his time there would be his wife, Rebecca.

I know Chris will take on this new challenge with the same tenacity and vigor that he showed so often on so many important issues here in Congress. I understand Chris wisely decided to keep his home in Orange County, and I look forward working with him in Washington and enjoying the warm California sun with him in Orange County.

Mr. Chairman, reforming the Endangered Species Act is long overdue. Today the House has an opportunity to enact significant improvements to ESA that restore balance and protections to species as well as landowners.

One of the most effective ways to protect species habitat is through development of habitat conservation plans. The bill improves and encourages habitat conservation plans by codifying the no-surprise policy and eliminating unnecessary red tape that required multiple consultations regarding already approved actions.

These important provisions will free up limited government and landowner resources and ultimately improve conservation of species habitat by encouraging more habitat conservation plans.

My district in California is home to a large comprehensive habitat conservation plan both in Riverside and Orange counties. In fact, the West Riverside County Multi-Species Conservation Plan is the largest in the Nation covering over 1 million acres of land. The plan cost tens of millions of dollars to develop, years to put into effect, and will cost upward of $1 billion to implement. Once fully implemented, 500,000 acres in western Riverside County will be set aside for species habitat.

It is our responsibility to ensure when landowners and local authorities undertake an extensive planning like that back in my district, the Federal Government lives up to its part of the agreement. This bill does just that and removes unnecessary regulatory burdens that do nothing to benefit the species.

I just discovered in the Miller-Boehlert substitute that the habitat conservation plans that we put a lot of time in to work out in Southern California may be put at risk. That would be very, very difficult for areas that spent large amounts of money to put this into effect, not to mention time. I want to make sure that we defeat the substitute, and I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) for working with me to include language that improves habitat conservation plans.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res 450) recognizing Space Shuttle Commander Eileen Collins, Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence, and the contributions of all other women who have worked with NASA following the successful mission of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-114, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res 450, the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for her insight into the contributions of women in the NASA community and to the success of our Nation's civil space program.

House Resolution 450 goes a long way in recognizing the importance of women to our Nation's civil space program, from Commander Elaine Collins and Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence of the Discovery mission, to the other 40 women who have served in NASA's Astronaut Corps.

To all of the women who offer ground support for the launches, these women in the sciences, our Nation offers a resounding thanks.

Not all of those women are often in the spotlight, but they still serve as inspiring role models for all our daughters. What better way to have our children think they can be whatever they aspire to be than to have everyone share the opportunity to get a bite of the apple of success.

In order for the United States to retain its global competitive edge, we need the contributions from all of our citizens. Since all advanced societies now depend on technology for their economic might, the new measure of that might are those graduates with degrees in science and engineering.

The United States is slipping in this category. We are producing a shrinking share of the world's technological talent. China and India are the newest and strongest competitors. The last time the U.S. graduated more engineering and scientific Ph.D.s than Europe and three times as many as Asia was in 1975.

These trends have reversed so now the European Union graduates about 50 percent more Ph.D.s than the United States, and Asia is slightly ahead of the United States.

At the current rate, China will probably overtake us by 2010. They have already produced nearly as many engineering graduates in a month as we do in a year. Outstanding role models inspire our young ladies to pursue a life of study and work in science and engineering.

Seeing these women doing exciting important jobs in our space program is the best way that I know to encourage our children to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank again the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for her thoughtful legislation. I plan to support this important legislation when it comes to a vote and encourage all Members to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt).

(Mrs. SCHMIDT asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).

(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 441) to congratulate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Discovery crew of Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly, Mission Specialist Charlie Camarda, Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence, Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi, Mission Specialist Steve Robinson, and Mission Specialist Andy Thomas on the successful completion of their 14 day test flight to the International Space Station for the first step of the Vision for Space Exploration, begun from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on July 26, 2005, and completed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on August 9, 2005. This historical mission represented a great step forward into the new beginning of the Second Space Age, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 441, the resolution under consideration.

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

Today, we are paying tribute to real American heroes, the crew of the return-to-flight STS-114 Discovery shuttle mission and the NASA team and community on the ground. These heroes have the right stuff that inspires a Nation, from kids studying math and science, to all of us who are awed and inspired by NASA, and our astronauts.

When I introduced this resolution less than a week ago, we had such enthusiastic support that we quickly secured 55 bipartisan cosponsors who represent communities across the Nation. When we pass this resolution today, we plan to present a copy to each member of the Discovery crew as a token of the Nation's gratitude for their heroism.

We all worry about the competitiveness of this great Nation and the fact that our schoolchildren are less competitive in math and science than many of their international peers. Currently, the U.S. share of undergraduate and graduate degrees in sciences and engineering has been falling behind those of Asia and Europe. Intuitively, we know that we need to encourage our youth to study these challenging subjects, and with heroes like Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly, Mission Specialists Charlie Camarda, Wendy Lawrence, Soichi Noguchi, Steve Robinson, and Andy Thomas, it is much easier to inspire American students to devote their time and studies to science, as we saw during the Apollo program.

The NASA family and this Discovery crew have initiated the first step of the Nation's Vision for Space Exploration. Last year, the President announced the Vision for Space Exploration which states that NASA will complete the International Space Station, will return to the Moon no later than 2020, and will extend human presence across the solar system and beyond. This week, NASA released its Exploration Architecture for this vision, which outlines the steps NASA plans to take in order to return to the Moon and explore our solar system over the next 13 years.

In the first space age, our Nation invested in the space program to gain global leadership during the Cold War. Now we are in the second space age, with our global competitiveness worldwide at stake. We must have the United States at the forefront in the exploration of our solar system and the global leader in the high-technology industries. Our preeminence in the world is dependent on our leadership in space.

We honor the STS-114 Discovery crew as true American heroes. They are strong men and women who motivate our children and inspire our Nation and the world. They have taken the historic first step of the Vision for Space Exploration and have brought us one step closer to our Nation's destiny.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from upstate New York (Mr. Boehlert), the chairman of our committee.

(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Dallas, Texas (Mr. Hall).

(Mr. HALL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert); the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), the ranking member; and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall), the ranking subcommittee member.

We have worked out a good bill. This is a good rule. This recognizes the importance of human exploration, robotics, science, aeronautics. This is a good compromise, a good bipartisan solution. Let us move this rule and get on to the general debate.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 is the culmination of a lot of hard work on both sides of the aisle. We have developed a real bipartisan compromise. This is the first NASA authorization bill to come to the House in 5 years, and I want to commend Chairman Boehlert and the ranking members, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall), for their cooperation in carefully crafting this bipartisan bill. But I most especially thank Chairman Boehlert for his unwavering support to get this bill out and to have it here today.

Mr. Chairman, we carefully crafted this bill. It took a lot of meetings on the principles and long hard hours of staff work on both sides to come up with this balanced agreement. This is the first authorization bill to endorse the President's Vision for Space Exploration that was announced on January 14, 2004. This vision includes the shuttle's return to flight, the completion of the International Space Station, the development of a new Crew Exploration Vehicle, the CEV, which will allow us to return to the Moon by 2020 and then on to Mars and beyond.

Our civil space program excites the world. In a Gallop poll released last week, more than three-fourths of the American people support a new plan for space exploration. The Committee on Science strongly supports NASA's new administrator, Dr. Michael Griffin, and wants to provide him the flexibility to transform the agency in this second Space Age. Our bill provides the rules and tools that will enable the agency to maintain its multimission agenda with a balanced approach for human and robotic space flight, science, and aeronautics.

The Committee on Science has not addressed the Iran nonproliferation issue in our bill today, but we will continue to work with the House Committee on International Relations to resolve this matter. We are committed to resolving this issue before our bill is signed into law.

Once we pass the manager's amendment, our bill will fully fund exploration, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and will increase funding for priorities such as aeronautics and the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission. We have asked for a number of strategic plans in the areas of aeronautics, science, human capital, and in facilities in order to better guide NASA in the future.

The bill also addresses the need for NASA to make better use of commercial products, including software, as well as to work with the entrepreneurs in accomplishing NASA's goals. In addition, the bill authorizes a prize program for NASA to stimulate innovation and basic research and technology, modeled on the X-Prize that was recently won by Burt Rutan and his SpaceShipOne team. We have also included a cost- containment regime that has been crafted for NASA in its major development programs.

By remaining silent on the shuttle program's length of operation, the bill provides the administrator the flexibility to move forward with his plans to retire the shuttle in 2010. Ending the shuttle program at this time will free up funding to accelerate the development of the CEV and will close the gap between the shuttle and the CEV. Hopefully, this flexibility will allow us to eliminate the gap entirely.

We have asked the Office of Science and Technology Policy to look at the R&D programs across the Federal Government and to document all programs that may be redundant in multiple agencies and also those that may have fallen through the cracks. In addition, we have asked NASA to consider various business models as it looks at the agency's restructuring. In total, the information will enable Congress to craft legislation which parallels the exciting changes and challenges that NASA will be facing in the coming years.

Mr. Chairman, we do not consider this legislation in a vacuum. Other nations are actively pursuing human space flight and exploration. China alone graduates almost as many engineers in a month as we do in a year. India graduates five times as many engineers per year as we do in the United States. NASA, with its excellent reputation in exploration, science and aeronautics, is the one agency which can focus and inspire America's youth to take up the challenging work of math and science careers.

Again, I want to thank our committee leadership, Chairman Boehlert, Ranking Member Gordon, subcommittee Ranking Member Udall, and the hard- working staff for their efforts in putting this bill together. This bill is an important milestone for our committee, NASA, and America.

Mr. Chairman, the manager's amendment for the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 is an important complement to the bill reported out of our committee last week.

The amendment includes some technical changes, as was mentioned, as well as a number of amendments from committee members and other interested Members. We will now fully fund the President's Vision for Space Exploration, which includes the Space Shuttle's return to flight, completion of the International Space Station, and development of the new Crew Exploration Vehicle, which will allow us to return to the Moon by 2020, to Mars, and beyond.

Just as our bill is a bipartisan compromise, this amendment also represents a bipartisan effort with approval of both sides of the aisle for each addition that was incorporated. Our committee also worked with the administration on several of the fundamental concepts in both the bill and the amendment. As a result, we have received the support of the administration on the bill with the changes in the manager's amendment.

We all recognize that NASA is a multi-mission agency, and the committee worked to provide the rules and tools that will enable the agency to maintain the balance as we proceed into the Second Space Age.

We are hoping this is the first of many NASA authorization bills over the years. It has been too long since that last authorization. We owe it to NASA and the American people to offer guidance through the authorizing process on a regular basis. I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) for his leadership and the gentleman from Tennessee (Ranking Member Gordon) and the gentleman from Colorado (Ranking Member Udall) all for their persistence in pursuing this balanced, bipartisan bill. I also thank the committee staff, as was mentioned before, on both sides of the aisle for their efforts on this bipartisan compromise.

I urge my colleagues to support the manager's amendment and vote for its passage.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman. I read the language also. As a former developer, ``develop'' means, in my vernacular it does mean build. And so I think people would interpret this legislation as building additional infrastructure. And as the chairman mentioned, NASA is trying to get out of the bricks and mortar business.

The fact is we have facilities, space centers throughout this country that have been woefully unmaintained. As we go through the centers around the country and look at them, we are not maintaining the facilities that we have presently. We need to make sure that the facilities that our NASA workers are working in today are maintained in proper order.

I understand what the gentlewoman is trying to accomplish, but we just do not have the resources at this time to develop additional infrastructure, additional buildings and additional maintenance costs throughout this country at this time.

I would ask the committee to oppose this amendment or to work with the chairman to come up with some language that may have a different accomplishment on what the gentlewoman is trying to do.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor an extraordinary couple that survived one of history's darkest periods to live a vibrant and successful life together. Their tremendous life story is filled with incredible inspiration and hope. In a fitting celebration of their life together, Harry and Hilda Eisen will mark their 60th anniversary by renewing their wedding vows on July 10, 2005.

Harry and Hilda were both born in 1917 in the small Polish village of Ibicza. When Poland was invaded by German Nazis during World War II, their lives became a struggle for survival.

Harry served in the Polish Calvary and eventually became interned in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. As a forced laborer, Harry worked in the coal mines and other grueling jobs during the 5 years he spent at Auschwitz, before escaping the forced death march in the winter of 1945. Meanwhile, Hilda escaped the Lodz Ghetto internment camp and joined a group of Jewish partisan fighters that fought back against the Nazis.

Following Poland's liberation, Harry and Hilda met up back in Ibicza and in July of 1945 they were married. They subsequently immigrated to America in 1948.

In America, Harry used the money he earned as a sausage-maker to start up a modest chicken business in Arcadia, California. As his business and urban encroachment grew, Harry needed to find another location for his chicken enterprise and settled in Norco, California. As time went by, the once small chicken business, now named Norco Ranch, Inc.,

continued to grow as a producer and distributor of shell eggs and other egg products in the Southern California marketplace and beyond.

Eventually, Norco Ranch successfully became one of the largest suppliers to the retail food chains in Southern California, employing nearly 500 people throughout the Inland Empire. Additionally, the business that once started with 100 chickens grew to have 8 million chickens producing egg products.

In 2000, Harry sold Norco Ranch so that he could focus his energies on his philanthropic interests. Harry is a founder of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and was President of the Lodzer Organization, which is a non-profit philanthropic association of Holocaust Survivors.

Having lost their original marriage certificate after the war, Harry and Hilda decided to renew their wedding vows to commemorate their 60th anniversary. Their grandson Michael Rubinstein, who will shortly be ordained as a rabbi, will perform the ceremony and provide them with a new marriage certificate. They will also be joined by their four children, Ruth, Mary, Howard and Frances.

I want to congratulate Harry and Hilda on this wonderful occasion and end by sharing with you the sentimental words that accompanied the ceremony announcement: ``Each believing the other to be a giver of love, a sharer of sorrow, a bearer of joy and a reason for life, they decided to renew their wedding vows.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Linda Graham Ward, who retired on June 17,2005 after thirty three years as a teacher in the Ocean View School District of Huntington Beach, California.

Linda G. Ward is a fantastic teacher who truly cares for her students. She has dedicated her 33 years of teaching to improving the quality of life of her students by teaching them Fitness for Life. Her greatest career achievements include not only saving the lives of several students, but teaching students how to live healthier lives through physical fitness. She inspired her students to go on to become Olympians, professional athletes, and teachers.

Linda was born and raised in EI Centro, California. Her love of learning lead her to the University of Southern California where she earned her teaching credential in 1972. That fall she began her long career with the Ocean View School District teaching Physical Education and Science. Her. campus assignments took her to the Rancho View School, the Vista View Middle School and the Spring View Middle School. She kept learning as well and earned a master's degree in kinesiology in 1973.

At each campus she served as a teacher, coach and mentor to her students. She coached volleyball, basketball, track, cross country, softball and soccer. She was the Mentor Teacher for Ocean View School District Physical Education Program and Developed and implemented the Ocean View School District's Physical Fitness Program for Grades 6, 7 and 8. Linda went above and beyond the normal teaching role to inspire her students to live a fit and healthy lifestyle. She created the Ocean View School District's Physical Fitness Awards Program based on Olympic Games model to recognize students' achievements and implemented the California Fitness Testing Program in Ocean View School District.

She made remarkable strides in improving the health of her students by becoming a CPR Instructor for the Ocean View School District and teaching students and employees how to save lives. Linda also served as Physical Education expert and advisor to Orange County Grand Jury investigation regarding childhood obesity. She also wrote, obtained and expended PEP grant funds in the amount of $472,000 to implement the SPARK Program for physical fitness in her district. For her efforts Linda was named the Most Inspirational Teacher in the Ocean View School District, an award she certainly deserves.

For over three decades Linda G. Ward has been educating and motivating the young people of Southern California. She has indeed made a positive difference in thousands of lives and earned my many thanks. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Colonel Richard C. Crotty, United States Army, for his service and leadership while commanding the United States Army's 653rd Area Support Group. On June 25, 2005, Colonel Crotty will relinquish his command of the 653rd and report for assignment to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J-3 Operations Directorate at the Pentagon.

After graduating from North Georgia College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980, Colonel Crotty began his military career at the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. As a trained parachutist, he served with a number of airborne units, including the much heralded 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

While with the 82nd Airborne Division he fought in Grenada during the 1983 U.S. invasion. Colonel Crotty spent 12 years in the Rangers and Special Forces and was a student at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania when receiving orders to take over the 653rd.

On August 9, 2003, Colonel Crotty assumed Command of the 653rd, headquartered at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. This unit is based in my congressional district and a number of the reservists under Colonel Crotty's command are my constituents. I have come to know Colonel Crotty as a dedicated and selfless leader with a ``can do'' attitude. He has demonstrated his leadership and innovation in developing and coordinating the joint training center at March Air Reserve Base. When complete, this jointly funded and shared training center will be used by 1,800 service-members.

Colonel Crotty has seen the 653rd deploy 1,367 troops in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. These troops include military police officers, chemical and biological warfare specialists, Humvee mechanics, communications experts and oil-pipeline builders. Knowing the sacrifice and challenges all reservists experience, Colonel Crotty has demonstrated a sincere dedication to preparing these service-members for the serious mission that lies before them. I know his troops share my admiration of his compassion, strength, and service to our country.

He has earned my many thanks. I wish him well in his new assignment at the Pentagon and in all of his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to an individual whose dedication and contributions to the community of Riverside, California are exceptional. The City of Riverside has been fortunate to have dynamic and dedicated community leaders who willingly and unselfishly give their time and talent and make their communities a better place to live and work. Donald ``Dale'' Hines is one of these individuals. On June 22, 2005, Dale was the proud recipient of the Congressional Award Gold Medal.

The Congressional Award is the U.S. Congress' award for young Americans that demonstrate a commitment to community service and physical fitness. This non-partisan, voluntary, and noncompetitive program is open to all 14 to 23-year olds. The Congressional Award challenges young adults to meet goals in four program areas: Volunteer Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/ Exploration. The Congressional Award Gold Medal is the highest honor.one can achieve through this program.

To meet this challenge, Dale enrolled himself in an emergency medical technician (EMT) training school and subsequently graduated at the top of his class. In order to meet the physical demands of his work as an EMT, Dale began to regularly go to the gym and lift weights. Additionally, Dale found a way to match his work with his physical activities by serving on a bike-medic team that provides emergency medical care at special events in the community.

As an active participant in the Boy Scouts of America, Dale serves as an Assistant Council Commissioner for the California Inland Empire Council. He is a past recipient of the Venturing Silver Award and an Eagle Scout. Furthermore, Dale is dedicated to sharing his passion for community service with others and became active in the Buckskin Junior Leader Training program. While at Buckskin, he served as a Camp EMT and Associate Course Director for Physical Arrangements.

Dale's sincere commitment to community service has contributed immensely to the betterment of our community and I am proud to call him a fellow community member and a great American. I know that many community members are grateful for his service and I salute him as he receives the Congressional Award Gold Medal.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Captain Steven C. Miller, United States Navy, for his twenty-six years of active duty service to our country. He is the Commanding Officer of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Corona, California and will retire on June 17, 2005.

Captain Miller graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1979. After being commissioned as an officer he embarked on an extraordinary active duty career as a Surface Warfare Officer. He has deployed throughout the world in support of America's global naval presence and power projection. Captain Miller has served as a Surface Warfare Officer on destroyers, frigates and cruisers. He was the Executive Officer of the USS Ticonderoga (CG 47) when she went to war in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. Captain Miller was hand picked to be the first Commanding Officer of the USS Stethem (DDG 63) when she entered service in 1995. Under his leadership, the crew of the Stethem earned the coveted Battle ``E'' award for combat readiness in the first year of the ship's service.

Besides being a true warrior at sea, Captain Miller has had a distinguished career ashore. He has served in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations as the Executive Secretary for Joint Chiefs of Staff Affairs and as the Flag Secretary for the Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Following his command tour on the USS Stethem, Captain Miller shaped the future of the Navy's surface combat force while working on the program start of the DD(X). This new destroyer program will lead the Navy into the twenty-first century. Captain Miller has earned a Master's Degree in National Security Strategy at the Naval War College and qualified as a U.S. Navy Acquisition Professional.

I first met Captain Miller when he assumed command of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in my district. NSWC, Corona provides independent assessment and testing and evaluation to the fleet on weapons systems and operations and provides quality control for the tools our Navy uses to fight the Global War on Terrorism. I have come to know him as a strong leader who accomplishes the mission and takes care of his people.

Captain Steve Miller has done much to preserve our way of life. Our country, our Navy and my community have benefited from his selfless service. He is a fantastic example for today's young people who want to serve their country and for those who dream of attending one of our service academies. He has earned my many thanks. I wish him well in his retirement from the Navy and all his future endeavors.

Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Ranking Member Mollohan) for putting together a very balanced bill within the available allocation.

As the new chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, we are in the process of drafting a NASA authorization. Our authorization will be the first opportunity for the House of Representatives to endorse a Vision for Space Exploration, a bold initiative that is the cornerstone for investment in both human and robotic exploration.

Space exploration is a technology engine for this country. We need this vision to encourage the next generation

of skilled workers and to drive innovation. Telling kids that they need to study math and science rings hollow unless there is a real reason to do so, like space exploration.

I certainly support State and local law enforcement assistance; however, Congress has a long track record of providing law enforcement with ample resources. Since September 11, 2001, Congress has provided more than $15 million to assist State and local law enforcement, and, in this bill, has generally funded law enforcement above the President's request. Funding to these State and local agencies is also provided through a number of other agencies, such as Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and others.

NASA has a new Administrator, Mike Griffin, who is getting the Agency moving in the right direction to carry out this Vision for Space Exploration most effectively. These cutting-edge technologies will ensure our global technological leadership, our Nation's security and our competitiveness worldwide.

I urge my colleagues to vote against the Obey amendment and support the committee bill that we have before us today later in this debate.

I thank the gentleman for his time.