Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, last November I stood here to congratulate a native of Iowa, a young woman from our district who has demonstrated amazing discipline and spirit of American ambition. In September of 2007, Shawn Johnson won the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastic Championship. She is one of four American women to hold this esteemed title.

Today, I congratulate Shawn on her most recent win. On Saturday, June 7, Shawn successfully defended her title as the National Champion in women's gymnastics. Next weekend she will compete in Philadelphia for a spot on the elite six-member U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastic Team.

Shawn not only exudes the hard work necessary to achieve her dreams, but also the character of a natural role model. Even with all her gold medals and new-found fame, Shawn continues to compete with humble pride and gratitude.

I thank Shawn for all of the wonderful things she has done around the State of Iowa and the Nation. Since winning the world championship, she has used her fame to bring awareness to breast cancer and other cancers that affect women.

Once again, Shawn, congratulations on winning the National Championship again, and good luck in Philadelphia.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the stand-in chairman for the moment. Mr. Goodlatte, thank you again for your hard work, and everybody else who participate in this process. I thank my ranking member helping on the Livestock Committee. Robin, I appreciate your work as well.

We do have a new livestock title. It is the first time ever. It offers producers much-needed protection and ensures fairness and transparency within the marketplace. And as I look at the support we gave when we passed the bill, the 318 here, 81 in the other body, and then the 1,000 organizations that have sent letters supporting us to do this override, why, it seems to me like there is a lot of need to get this done.

So, in short, I think we have got the best we can do under the circumstances. It is bipartisan. I appreciate the efforts, and I recommend the override.

Thank you, Mr. Peterson, for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference report. And I would just say to my friend Mr. Kind, we all want the whole loaf of bread but sometimes we take a few slices, and you have to know that lots of reform has taken place.

As chairman of the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee, working with my ranking member over here, Mr. Hayes, we have got the first-ever livestock title. It offers producers much-needed protections and ensures fairness and transparency within the marketplace.

I'm proud of this bipartisan bill. It also has a strong title for the dairy industry. Together we were able to bring producers and processors together on issues that have divided the industry for years. We were able to bring together the National Milk Producers Association and the International Dairy Food Association, with their excellent leadership, to avoid a very controversial issue in the dairy forward pricing program. Also, in the dairy title we ensure our dairy producers have an adequate safety net and our dairy industry continues to thrive.

The farm bill will provide a safety net for farmers and increase conservation efforts so that we can protect the land for future generations.

Everybody, every man, woman, and child, has a vested interest in the farm bill. We have access to the most plentiful, safest, least expensive food in the world. Mr. Rangel gets it. Mr. Ackerman gets it. We should all get it.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Thank you, Madam Chairman. I will yield myself such time as I may consume.

This amendment offered by myself and the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) will give applicants from regions that have lost a major source of employment priority for SBIR and STTR funding. The Boswell-Sutton amendment would help to revitalize distressed economies that have lost major employers, such as factories and manufacturing plants.

SBIR and STTR funds would help small businesses in these areas create new, high-quality jobs in areas hard hit with the pressures of globalization and current trade policies. This is particularly important to me because I have witnessed the devastating impact of losing a major employer and what it can have on the community.

For 113 years, the Maytag Corporation was the largest employer in Newton, Iowa. At its peak, Maytag employed over 3,000 Newton residents at the headquarters and manufacturing plants. In 2006, Maytag was purchased by Whirlpool. On October 25, 2007, the last Maytag washing machine rolled off the line and the Newton plant and the corporate headquarters closed. The loss of so many good-paying, quality jobs had a distressing effect on Newton, and the local economy has yet to recover from this tragedy.

Investing in these communities so they are able to create new jobs by attracting companies is essential to many towns in America. I am pleased to report that in Newton, part of the former Maytag facility is in the process of being occupied by a new company that makes components for wind turbines, and the company expects to employ 140 hardworking Iowans. This is a step toward more energy, in response to the gentleman from Alaska. This amendment will help revitalize communities like Newton, and thousands of others across the United States.

I would like to thank Congresswoman Sutton for working with me on this important initiative, and I thank Chairwoman Velazquez and Ranking Member Chabot for their leadership on this bill. Thank you for consideration. I hope you will accept this amendment that I believe is so important for so many communities across our Nation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I am prepared to yield back my time. I thank the gentlewoman for the support, and the ranking member, thank you very much. Ms. Sutton, thank you for your support. We encourage passage of the amendment.

And we yield back.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Public Health Week (NPHW), April 7-13, a week to focus on issues facing the public health and find ways to improve the health of all. This year NPHW focuses on how climate change is affecting the health of Americans and people around the world.

The impact of global climate change on our planet and the role we have played in speeding its progress is becoming increasingly self- evident. The work of groups like the American Public Health Association and committed individuals, such as former Vice President Al Gore, have created a heightened awareness of what is one of the most important issues of the coming century. This heightened state of public awareness has led to calls across the country for a new emphasis on reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that are expelled into the atmosphere by finding new, cleaner sources of energy, reducing our consumption of natural resources, and using energy-efficient products.

In my home State of Iowa we are working hard to find new and innovative ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced. It gives me great pride to say that a recent study by the American Wind Energy Association found that Iowa ranked first in the Nation in the percentage of wind-generated electricity created in the State, and fourth in total wind electricity generation.

The Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council, ICCAC, created less than a year ago in April 2007, is charged with finding ways for Iowa to combat climate change by becoming more energy efficient and independent. The ICCAC is right now creating plans for the reduction of greenhouse gases statewide with target goals of 50 percent to 90 percent by 2050.

In February of this year Governor Chet Culver signed Executive Order Six, establishing a new ``green government'' initiative. This initiative calls for improving energy efficiency in three areas, greening new and existing State

buildings and facilities, promoting resource efficiency by using recycled and sustainable products, and recycling used material, and increasing the use of biofuels in State automobiles and improving their fuel efficiency.

Across Iowa, communities large and small are following the example set by the State government, and in many places blazing their own path. These efforts must be replicated across the country and around the world if we are to curb the emission of greenhouse gases and protect our planet for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Reyes for the time and your dedicated leadership and hard work to effect oversight over our Nation's multiple intelligence gathering agencies.

In the process of this debate regarding FISA, we have strived to make America safe and exercise and protect the Constitution and Americans' civil liberties. As I have heard Congressman Tierney say at different times, if we had followed FISA, we wouldn't be here today, and I appreciate that very, very much. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, and I don't know, none of us do, whatever reason, this President has repeatedly used executive orders and end-run the provisions, protections of FISA that work for the purposes intended.

Several weeks ago, I became concerned that our private telecom companies might be falsely accused and have the effect of putting a chill on their response in the future. I felt a gut confidence that pressure from on high was put on, i.e., we have an emergency, and we, the government, must have your assistance or a terrible event would happen. I think back on my own training in my life, and I know something about those terrible events that could happen, because I put together weapons of mass destruction in my own training, so it kind of haunts you sometimes.

So, yes, I, like others, like 20 others, signed a letter of concern. By the way, it was not a Blue Dog letter or a Blue Dog position. It was individuals, some of whom were Blue Dogs.

Now, over the course of these past weeks, a credit to Chairman Reyes and Chairman Conyers and our super staff, an acceptable solution has been found that makes FISA, supports FISA, and gives protection to those who assist within the provisions of the law.

For example, those who feel their civil rights have been violated can seek justice, and the telecoms who feel they have complied with the law can be defended. A judge would review the classified evidence and decide. This means to me that the Constitution and civil rights are protected, and the telecoms who are asked or pressured to assist in an emergency can know that classified evidence will be seen by the judge. Classified evidence would be seen by a judge and the providers' defense would be taken into account. I believe this to be a solution.

So, in closing, I would say this will protect the Constitution and the American people's civil rights, plus I support the bill because it gives the intelligence community the tools it needs and gives the telecom companies the means to defend themselves from unfair lawsuits. The bill provides telecom companies a way to present their defense in district court without the administration using State secrets to block the defense. If a company is simply doing its patriotic duty and following the law, this bill ensures the company will not be punished.

I urge everyone who signed the letter with me to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 924, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Iowa State University.

I want to thank my dear friend, Congressman Loebsack, for his leadership and yielding the time, and I also want to thank Congressman Braley and Congressman Latham for their leadership on this resolution.

Iowa State University has made noteworthy contributions to the State of Iowa, our Nation and the world since being established in 1958. Iowa State was the first co-ed land-grant institution providing opportunities for students regardless of gender, race, or social class. Iowa State is home to critical agriculture research, from the development of the hybrid seed corn in the 1920s to important work on the development of ethanol and to the development of modern livestock animal genetics and many more.

Iowa State continues to lead the Nation in research into biorenewable fuels and modern agriculture. In 2005 Iowa State's students finished third in the North American Solar Challenge, the world's longest solar car race. Iowa State has excelled in a number of other areas, from development of the electronic digital computer in the 1930s to research into refining reactor-grade uranium.

The campus of Iowa State is also noteworthy. With over 600 public works of art, Iowa State was rated one of the 25 most beautiful campuses in ``The Campus as a Work of Art.'' Iowa State has graduated a number of prominent contributors to our Nation, including, as mentioned, George Washington Carver, who went on to serve as the school's first African American faculty member, as well as suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt, who graduated in 1880.

In fact, more than half my colleagues in the current Iowa delegation attended Iowa State, including Mr. Loebsack, who is the floor manager of the bill, Bruce Braley, Tom Latham, and Senator Tom Harkin.

I look forward to continuing to work with the great institution that is Iowa State University and I am confident that Iowa State will continue to have great influence in Iowa and across our Nation. Again, congratulations to Iowa State University for 150 remarkable years.

Madam Speaker, I urge support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time.

I oppose this point of order. I think that the gentlewoman from California made it very clear that it is appropriate and needed that we do what we're trying to do with H.R. 5351. And I want to support the rule for H.R. 5351, and I would like to thank Congresswoman Matsui for her leadership and Chairman Rangel for their continued work to ensure these vital tax credits are extended.

This legislation takes many needed steps to ensure the United States continues to be a major player on the renewable energy stage. This legislation extends the renewable energy production tax credit which Iowa and my district have seen firsthand the benefits of. It creates a cellulosic alcohol production tax credit which will give a 50 cent per gallon credit for cellulosic alcohol produced for use of fuel, a step to get us out of bondage to OPEC, and anybody knows we have got to do this for the salvation of this country. This legislation also extends the biodiesel production tax credit and creates a new credit for plug- in hybrid vehicles, among other things.

I'm also pleased to see that components of a bill I introduced, H.R. 5373, the Consumer and Manufacturer Energy Efficient Tax Credit Extension Act, were also included in this legislation. The underlying bill, which goes further than mine, would extend and modify the energy efficient appliance credit for 3 years and extend and modify the energy efficiency tax credits for improvements to existing homes.

I'm very pleased to see that the chairman, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), and the House leadership recognize these tax credits are important, not only to the environment but also to the economy. I believe that all consumers want to make more energy- efficient choices, and this legislation will help them do that. It's a win-win situation for the environment and the American consumer's pocketbook.

Iowa has been a leader for renewable energy, and I am proud to say in my district we are leading the State with a new biodiesel plant in Newton just last year and a new wind turbine plant, which provides the State with the equipment needed to supply its growing wind energy.

I am also excited that we have the opportunity to make America more energy independent, create high-tech ``green'' jobs for a ``green future,'' ensure low-income families have affordable energy costs, and I look forward to continuing to work for a more energy-efficient future.

So, again, I thank the gentlewoman for this time. And I would once again reiterate my support for this rule, that we can move on and oppose this point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I think we all agree that, first and foremost, safety is the top priority for everyone involved in the mining industry. We, as a Congress, must ensure that legislation is heading in the right direction for the health and safety of American miners. Over the past several years, we have seen bad safety conditions and the devastating effects these conditions can have, not only on communities, but on human life.

We also must recognize the fact that not all mining operations are the same.

Repeat. Not all mining operations are the same. So I understand, Mr. Chairman, that you will continue to work with us Members, that you just said a moment ago, to address any concerns the bill raises as it moves through the process. And I want to thank Chairman Miller for his leadership on this issue and his willingness to continue to work and listen to other Members on the issue. He in fact is a true champion of our Nation's workers.

Again, I would like to thank him for yielding this time.

Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize and pay tribute to an outstanding employee of one of the great companies located in the State of Iowa. Linda C. Sadler, who has been a valued employee of Rockwell, and subsequently, Rockwell Collins, will retire on February 1, 2008. Linda Sadler's career spans over 39 years, during which she has distinguished herself as a leader, scholar, businesswoman and staunch friend of all civil aviation issues.

A Pennsylvania native, Ms. Sadler graduated with a BS degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and subsequently, a JD from Duquesne University, in addition to earning a certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a fellow in their Foreign Politics, International Relations and National Interest program.

Ms. Sadler began her career at Rockwell as a secretary in the Patent Department, while pursuing an undergraduate degree at night school. She continued to hold positions of increasing responsibility within the Legal Department, while completing her law degree at night school. Upon graduation from law school, she became assistant general counsel in the Rockwell Legal Department, specializing in intellectual property law, advertising, international law and regulation and antitrust issues. She also served as the primary Legal Department attorney for Rockwell Communication Systems Division.

Following that assignment and just prior to coming to the Washington office, she became director of government affairs for Rockwell's Automotive Operations, where she directed the State, Federal and Canadian governmental affairs and regulatory functions for Rockwell's automotive businesses, including product compliance activities with the National Highway Safety Administration at the Department of Transportation.

Presently, as the senior director of Federal affairs for Rockwell Collins, Inc., she has been singularly responsible for public policy and governmental affairs activities for the commercial avionics and communications businesses and for technology marketing on behalf of the Advanced Technology Center and the business units with non-military Federal agencies. In this position, she has planned, directed and managed the Federal policy and regulatory affairs agendas that affect Rockwell Collins commercial businesses' domestic and international interests, including activities before the Congress, the White House and administration agencies, to include the Departments of Commerce, State and Transportation--in particularly the FAA--and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Ms. Sadler has also served as the chairperson of the Aerospace Industrial Association Commercial Aviation R&D Committee, the Air Traffic Control Committee of Government Electronics Industry Alliance, and in addition, she has served in leadership capacities in every industry-related group in which she has participated.

She also has directed and managed the Washington technology marketing support, particularly for Advance Technology Center, as well as the commercial businesses of Rockwell Collins. Ms. Sadler also has corporate-wide responsibility for directing the licensing, regulatory and communications-related policy initiatives at the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the International Telecommunications Union and other U.S. and international regulatory and standards bodies. In addition, Ms. Sadler provides Washington support for the corporate patent function on issues relating to intellectual property laws and regulations. In recognition of her vast contributions to the aviation industry, Aerospace Industry Association has presented her with their Emilia

Earhardt award as ``woman of the year'' in the aviation industry for 2004, which has only been given to two other women since its inception.

Throughout her career, Ms. Sadler has demonstrated her profound commitment to all aspects of aviation business, as well as a dedicated commitment to excellence. With my many dealings regarding aviation issues as a Member of Congress, I have come to know Ms. Sadler's abilities and realize that she is the consummate professional whose performance in over 39 years of service to one of our Nation's leading businesses has personified those traits of competency and integrity that we have come to expect from business professional leaders.

I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Linda C. Sadler for her honorable service to business and our great State of Iowa. Please join me in wishing her all the best in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report.

Our intelligence professionals are on the front lines of a critically important campaign, a campaign against a determined enemy, an enemy that's ruthless, cunning, and does not abide by the rules.

In my past, I served our Nation on the front lines in a different campaign

against another determined enemy. My experience in Vietnam taught me a lot about what our Nation needs to do when it sends its best and brightest off to protect itself from threats abroad.

It taught me that a Nation needs to invest in its national security professionals to ensure that its men and women on the front lines have the best and most effective training possible. One of the principles of war is intelligence. You cannot have a successful strategy without knowing your enemy. Absolutely essential, saves lives.

I'm proud to say that the conference report does, in fact, invest in our intelligence professionals.

It increases spending on language training at the DNI level, Department of National Intelligence, so languages can be leveraged across the intelligence community. Because of bipartisan concerns about language skills, it also requires an annual report on language proficiency.

It fully funds our Nation's counterterrorism effort to ensure that our human intelligence officers have what they need to collect against our Nation's most important intelligence targets.

It increases training and funding for analysts to ensure that when our intelligence collectors gather important information on the front lines that we have trained and qualified professionals back home that can piece the information together and inform policymakers about the important issues of our time.

Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to highlight one provision of the conference report that I worked hard to include. It will require significant and critical reporting on the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, once in the 2008 fiscal year and twice in 2009. Last week's National Intelligence Estimate showed us that the intelligence can change significantly over time and that we have to constantly reassess our beliefs. I don't want us to forget about the threats that are a little further down the road while we're focused on today. That's why I've been pushing this provision for 2 years, and I'm glad it's in the conference report.

Mr. Speaker, I regret that inclement weather prevented me from being here to vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on H. Res. 842, H. Res. 847, H.R. 4343, and I ask that my statement be placed in the appropriate place in the Record to reflect this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an exceptional man, Lloyd Michael Hammes, a constituent of mine from Iowa's 3rd District. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was a prisoner of war, and until recently, was one of the few World War II veterans still living in the 3rd District of Iowa.

Mr. Hammes served his time during the Second World War in North Africa, where he was captured and spent time as a prisoner of war. During this imprisonment, he was shuffled around to various detainment camps throughout Europe. At the end of his service, he was the deserving recipient of the Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars.

When Lloyd returned to the United States, he met his wife, Virginia Perdue, at the Des Moines Veterans Affairs hospital. They were married, and eventually settled down near Harper, Iowa, where they lived for nearly 40 years. Lloyd Michael Hammes passed away

on November 13th, at the age of ninety-one. He will be missed greatly by his surviving family and friends, and by the Nation he so dutifully served. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and service of this courageous man.

I thank the gentleman and I support the bill.

I submit for the Record an op-ed by our friend and former colleague, the Honorable Lee Hamilton, cochair of the 9/11 Commission, regarding the issue of retroactive immunity. The op-ed fully expresses my concerns regarding this issue, and I wish for all Members to have the benefit of reviewing it.

[From the Baltimore Sun, Nov. 4, 2007]

Immunity for Wiretap Assistance Is Right Call

(By Lee H. Hamilton)

If the local fire company asked for your help putting out

neighbor's blaze, you would not force the firefighters to

justify their request. You would just help, right? That's

what the phone companies did when the Bush administration

asked them in secret for help with wiretaps to target al-

Qaida communications into and out of the country.

However, the president's warrantless wiretap program caused

a furor when it became public. The administration had

circumvented the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,

raising many doubts about the legality and even

constitutionality of its wiretap program. The controversy

prompted class-action lawsuits against phone companies that

cooperated with the government.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has reported out a

bipartisan bill that would bring this wiretap program back

under the FISA statute and court review. It would ensure the

legality and robust congressional oversight so lacking in the

original program. It also would give the phone companies

immunity for their previous actions.

The committee made the right call. To the extent that

companies helped the government, they were acting out of a

sense of patriotic duty and in the belief that their actions

were legal. Dragging them through litigation would set a bad

precedent. It would deter companies and private citizens from

helping in future emergencies when there is uncertainty or

legal risk.

The help and cooperation of all our citizens are vital in

combating the threats we face today. Companies in various

sectors of the economy are going to have information that

could save the lives of thousands of Americans. When they

respond in an emergency, at the call of our highest elected

officials and on assurances that what they are doing is

legal, they must be treated fairly. To do otherwise would put

our security at risk.

This is particularly true of communications companies. They

are critical to our intelligence and ``early warning''

against terrorist attacks. The increasing complexity of

communications technology has made the voluntary cooperation

of these companies vital.

Government actions require public review. Actions by

private companies in response to government requests also

should place the burden of accountability on the government.

We should not expect private companies to second-guess the

propriety and legality of government requests. That is the

job of our public servants in the executive branch, the

legislators who oversee them, and ultimately the courts.

Unless Congress provides immunity, the clear message will

be that private citizens should help only when they are

certain that all the government's actions are legal. Given

today's threats, that is too high a standard. We should hold

public officials accountable for their actions--and hold

harmless private citizens and companies when they respond to

government requests to help protect us.

I would like to thank Mr. Davis for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased today to congratulate an inspirational young woman from my district, Shawn Johnson, the daughter of Doug and Terri Johnson of West Des Moines, Iowa, who recently won the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastic Championship, which took place in Stuttgart, Germany. At the age of 15, Shawn has achieved more and seen more than many high school students dream of. She has done it all while maintaining her status as an honor student alongside her friends at Valley High.

Shawn has traveled the world, winning title after title. This past July, she won five medals at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Winning the 2007 Visa championships in San Jose, California, made her the United States champion in gymnastics. On September 9, Shawn became the world all-around champion, taking home three gold medals at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

While her shows are exciting and full of grace, one of the most inspiring things about her championship is that Shawn is shaping history. Having joined an elite group of women gymnasts, Shawn is one of only four American women to win the 40-year-old competition.

Shawn has impressed many around the globe and has made Iowans incredibly proud. She is reminding us how important hard work and dedication are. In honor of Shawn's accomplishments, Governor Chet Culver declared October 17 Shawn Johnson Day in Iowa, and we are extremely proud to join my fellow Iowans in congratulating Shawn and thanking her for making history in the great State of Iowa.

Shawn's positive attitude to achieve has taken her to amazing places. I suspect she's not quite finished. Promising to be ready for the Beijing Olympics, she told a reporter that she would ``put in 100 times more effort and hopefully come back with another gold.''

Again, congratulations Shawn, and good luck at future competitions. You make me proud, you make our congressional district proud, you make your school in west Des Moines proud, you make our State of Iowa proud, and you make our country proud. We wish you continued success. On to the Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that everyone will support this resolution.