Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained yesterday and was not present for Rollcall vote number 953.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Democratic bill because it will help women with breast cancer pay for chemotherapy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the posthumous induction of Harvey Jessup into the Athletic Hall of Fame of Western Connecticut State University. I never had the honor of knowing Mr. Jessup, but I do have the pleasure of having his daughter Debbie Jessup, a nurse midwife, working in my office as my health care policy advisor. Debbie recently shared news with us that her father was being honored for his work at the then-named Danbury State Teacher's College. It is a testament to Mr. Jessup that 50 years after their graduation, the Class of 1959 at Danbury State chose to nominate him for induction into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. I was touched when Debbie recounted stories of her father's athletic accomplishments, and more importantly, how he impacted the lives of his students and athletes. I am submitting to the Congressional Record the remarks Debbie made when she accepted the award on her father's behalf to share with my colleagues the story of Coach Jessup, and all his good works which prompted the Class of '59 to bestow this honor on him.

Hall of Fame Acceptance

Thank you all for honoring my father--and our family--with

this award. That my father would be remembered as a great

coach and teacher almost a half century after leaving Danbury

State Teacher's College is a remarkable tribute and very

touching for those of us who loved him. But this award is

particularly meaningful for me because it paints a picture of

a man that I had been too young to know, and it gives some

insight into the life and career that followed his years in

Connecticut.

When I remember my father, it is always during the Tulane

years when he was a Professor, Department Chair, and

Assistant Athletic Director. Our family's lives were

structured around the university calendar, campus activities,

and my dad's teaching, recruiting and administrative

responsibilities. Our home was always a haven for students

and athletes who needed comforting, mentoring, or just a good

home cooked meal.

During those years my dad was my greatest hero, and to me

he always seemed larger than life. I lived in awe of his

athleticism and his intelligence, of his ability to command a

room with his words, and his gift for bringing out the talent

in the least promising of students. He pushed me and everyone

in his life to their greatest levels of achievement, but at

the same time he always had amazing compassion and patience

for anyone who was vulnerable. Although it has been 21 years

since he left us, hardly a week goes by that I do not

remember something that he taught me with his words or

modeled with his life.

When I remember those years with my father at work I always

recall a flock of female students vying for his attention, or

an athlete needing his guidance, or a young teacher seeking

his advice. Every homecoming I met alumni who told me of the

impact he had had in their lives, and I have proud memories

of honors and awards he received over the years. So

truthfully his selection for an Athletic Hall of Fame award

would not have been particularly surprising to me--If it had

come from his Tulane years.

Instead this Hall of Fame award comes from a time that I

hardly remember. And the nomination comes from a class of

students and athletes who knew my father 50 years ago. I am

honestly overwhelmed that the class of 1959 would remember my

father's impact on their lives five decades after they

graduated. It is extraordinary just in the amount of time

that has passed, but even more so when you know something

about the four years during which the Class of 1959 was

taught and coached by my father. It is a story that I think

is worth sharing, because I believe it is what makes this

nomination and this award truly remarkable. I also believe

that it presents an opportunity for one last lesson from your

Coach and Teacher.

When this 50 year reunion class entered Danbury State

Teachers College in the fall of 1955 my father was a young

teacher and coach at the beginning of his career. Three years

earlier he had married the love of his life, they had a two

year old daughter (me) and a three month old baby girl. With

a little home overlooking Candlewood Lake, he was living the

American Dream.

During the four years that my father taught and coached

this class of 1959, his entire world was shattered. His

infant daughter (Doreen) was diagnosed with uncontrolled

seizures and irreversible brain damage--his third child

(Dolores) was born with Down syndrome--and we buried Doreen

six months before her fourth birthday. My parents spoke very

little of that time in their lives, and so it really wasn't

until I had children of my own that I began to understand the

magnitude of their struggles and their suffering.

Even in the best of circumstances, parenting three children

under the age of five is exhausting and all-consuming. I've

been there--and I am sure that many of you have also--and you

know how much work and attention it takes. Most people in

that situation who are faced with even one of the tragedies

that my parents lived through would be lucky to simply

survive emotionally. But somehow my father managed to remain

the strength and the sunshine for his family during these

four difficult years, while coaching three teams, teaching

his classes, and mentoring a group of students who still

remember his influence on their lives fifty years later.

Several years after coming to Tulane my father gave a

commencement speech in which he described the core element of

a great teacher or leader. ``Moral courage,'' he said, ``is

standing still and saying--this is what I believe, that I

will do and that I will not do, this is my code of behavior

and that is outside it.'' I believe that the man I loved and

admired my entire life found his moral courage during those

four years with the Class of 1959. Perhaps that is the reason

you still remember him fifty years later. Hopefully it was

the core lesson that you took with you when you graduated.

My father's years of teaching and coaching were guided by

the belief that the true mark of greatness for any coach or

teacher is not found in his record of games won, or his list

of publications--but rather is measured in the

accomplishments of his students, or the athletes he coached.

For that reason, I am certain that his greatest pleasure in

this evening's award ceremony would be hearing the life

stories of his former students. Your lives and your

accomplishments are truly his Hall of Fame.

I know that my dad would have been particularly thrilled

that he is being honored along side his student and athlete

and lifetime friend, Teddy Smigala. I extend my

congratulations to Teddy and to all the other awardees here

tonight. And I thank all of you--not only for this honor that

you have given my father, but especially for the insights and

memories you have shared with our family.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of Commerce and ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating its residents on the city's 50th Birthday. I am proud to represent this unique city--aptly characterized by its motto, the ``Model City''--as part of my 34th Congressional District of California.

While we honor the city's 50 years of official incorporation, the exciting story of the founding and growth of one of Southern California's leading industrial cities dates back to 1810 when a humble Spanish soldier acquired a Spanish land grant that included the present-day City of Commerce.

The city's industrial roots began to take hold from 1871 to 1912 when the land's then-owner, Arcadia Bandini, leased the property to the railroads and other developers--a move that would make the landowner one of the wealthiest women in California.

One of the first industrial manufacturing plants established in the area was a brickyard, the 350 acre Simons Company Plant No. 3. The bricks were used to construct Royce Hall at UCLA, Disney Studios in Burbank and to rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

During the Roaring 20s, Commerce grew from a region of rural farms crisscrossed with a few roads and rail lines into a rail and transportation center and a promising location for heavy industry close to Downtown Los Angeles. During the following decades, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, B.F. Goodrich, U.S. Rubber, the East Los Angeles Rail Station, Chrysler Corporation, Ford and U.S. Steel located manufacturing plants in Commerce and solidified the city's reputation as an industrial center.

Commerce remained both a rural and industrial area until the late 1950s when the construction of the Long Beach and Santa Ana freeways ushered in a post-war era of rapid suburbanization. As the community grew, residents determined to avoid higher property taxes and improve city services established the Citizens Committee for Incorporation with the help of local business leaders. On January 28, 1960, the community was granted a certificate of incorporation and became the 67th city in Los Angeles County.

Fifty years later, the City of Commerce is still flourishing. It is a diverse community of more than 13,000 people and 1,700 businesses.

To keep up with the changing times, the city successfully brought about the diversification and transformation of the city's industrial base throughout the 1970s and 80s. Today, the city maintains much of its manufacturing and goods-distribution base while successfully converting former industrial land to lucrative commercial uses like the Citadel outlet mall, which occupies the site of the U.S. Rubber tire factory.

The city, however, retains its small town appeal by providing an unmatched range of programs and services. The city operates an award- winning library system, four city parks, a fare-free public transit service and a camp in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Through the city's commitment to providing recreational opportunities to area youth, the city takes pride in producing numerous state and national champions, including two members of the 2008 Olympic Silver Medal United States Women's Water Polo Team and one member of the United States Boxing Olympic Team.

Commerce also remains committed to improving the environment and reducing emissions from trains, trucks and stationary sources of air pollution and is in the process of building a Liquid Natural Gas/ Compressed Natural Gas fueling station for eco-friendly vehicles.

The City of Commerce will mark its 50th Birthday in 2010 with a series of community events throughout the year, including its annual Cake Cutting, July 4th Celebration, Miss Commerce Pageant, and Summer Safety Fair.

I am honored to recognize this historic milestone in this city's rich history.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Commerce's first 50 years as this vibrant community continues to live by its motto the ``Model City'' and work toward a prosperous future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles County that provides quality and affordable health care, health education, and advocacy to the uninsured and underserved communities of Greater Los Angeles.

Named after Archbishop Romero of El Salvador, the organization was founded in 1983 by a coalition of Salvadoran civil war refugees and local volunteer health professionals who wanted to address the unmet health care needs of thousands of Central American refugees arriving in Los Angeles in the early 1980s.

During its 25 years of service, Clinica Romero has grown from a very small operation to a $9.2 million Federal 330 Community Health Center, with two clinics in Pico-Union/Westlake and a third clinic in Boyle Heights.

In the past year alone, Clinica Romero has reached notable milestones.

The organization completed its $6 million Capital Campaign, which was essential to the purchase and renovation of its main clinic at 123 South Alvarado Street in Pico-Union/Westlake. When the work concludes, Clinica Romero will be based out of its first permanent medical home in its history.

Equally significant, on June 15, Clinica Romero opened a new Children's Clinic located just two blocks from its main site. Renovated with the assistance of a $1.2 million grant from the St. Vincent Medical Center on behalf of the Daughters of Charity, this ``Clinica Infantil'' is dedicated to serving the health care needs of children 11 years and younger.

As a way of including the entire community in the celebration of its 25th anniversary, Clinica Romero will hold its 1st Annual Health Walk on October 3--a fun-filled and innovative way to promote the health and well being of the families it serves.

Clinica Romero's 1st Annual Health Walk (Camine, Sonria y Vive con Clinica Romero) is expected to include 2,000 participants who will meet at its 123 South Alvarado Street clinic. They will then walk three kilometers through the local community to the new Vista Hermosa Natural Park, where they will be invited to enjoy a picnic lunch, live entertainment and a community health fair.

Madam Speaker, during my years in Congress, I have had the privilege of working closely with the community health centers in my district and have seen firsthand the important role that clinics such as Clinica Romero play in improving the health of our communities, especially among Latinos. I especially enjoyed partnering with Clinica Romero in securing federal funds to bolster its successful diabetes care program and I pledge to continue to fight for increased federal funding for all of our community health clinics through comprehensive health care reform.

In recognition of Clinica Romero's ongoing and tireless role as a health provider and educator in the 34th District, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing its 25th anniversary. I also commend Clinica Romero's Board Chair, Carlos Vaquerano, its Executive Director, Albert Pacheco, and all of the many dedicated people who make Clinica Romero the health care safety net that it is today, especially for the most hard to reach and at-risk patients. Clinica Romero provides resources that enable our community members to stay healthy and strong, and I wish everyone involved with this fine organization many more years of continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend an extraordinary group of highly motivated and talented high school volleyball players and their coach from the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles in the 34th District who were crowned champions of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)-Southern Section Division V in May.

When people talk about Salesian High School's run at the championship, they talk about an unlikely coach and an equally unlikely group of young men for whom volleyball has become more than a game.

The team's coach, Elliott Walker, is a math teacher who learned the basics about volleyball by reading library books. With his compact body and beard, he doesn't exactly fit the stereotype of a volleyball coach. As for the players, the Salesian roster mirrors a student body that is 96 percent Latino, and few of the kids played volleyball before arriving as freshmen.

However, with a defensive style that emphasizes keeping the ball in play, Salesian's team, called the Mustangs, more than compensates for its lack of height and experience. The Mustangs try to throw other teams off-balance with quick transitions, giving opponents less time to settle defensively. This approach suits their coach who, ever the mathematician, asks players to line up with shoulders perfectly angled and teaches his players precise steps for each situation. Hitters aim at nine distinct areas across the net like keys on a cellphone, beginning with high-percentage shots to No. 1, then No. 3, and so on.

After consecutive runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008, the second- seeded Mustangs ventured to suburban Orange County this year for a shot at the title. While the Mustangs built a respectable program on sweat and guile, the team from the Boyle Heights school faced a formidable match-up. After all, Salesian faced volleyball royalty in the form of St. Margaret's of San Juan Capistrano. In addition to being made up of big kids from a beach town, St. Margaret's team is led by Coach Karch Kiraly, a legend in the sport, whose two sons are on the team's roster.

After four hard-fought games, the final match ended when senior outside hitter Bernard Luna smashed his eighth kill of game four, giving the all-boys school from East Los Angeles its first-ever section title in the sport. Luna finished with 22 kills, two blocks and a service ace in an overall spectacular performance. This was not a one- man effort. Cameron Walker, Jacob Porter, Aaron Turcios, brothers Steven and Ivan Godinez and Erwin Ramirez were the other starters who contributed. Anthony San Jose and John Mora also had their moments off the bench.

Bernard Luna, a senior outside hitter who averaged 18 kills per game for the Division V champion Mustangs, was named CIF Player of the Year. Salesian's Elliott Walker was named Coach of the Year. And, juniors Erwin Ramirez and Cameron Walker were named to the First Team All-CIF.

But the players success extends well beyond the volleyball court. All nine seniors on last school year's championship volleyball team are currently enrolled at four year colleges, including Luna, who earned an athletic scholarship to Hope International University.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the 34th Congressional District and the state of California, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Salesian High School's volleyball team on their remarkable achievements and extending to this school year's team our best wishes for the upcoming season. They are truly an inspiration, on and off the volleyball court. After all, as they have shown, with determination, teamwork and a lot of hard work, anything is possible.

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Children's Act for Responsible Employment, better known as the CARE Act.

This month, millions of children across the country are returning to school. After meeting their teachers and reconnecting with friends, they will launch headlong into their studies. Absent from our Nation's classroom, however, will be thousands of children who, instead of going to school, will be working in the fields and orchards of our country. These are not children of local farmers, but hired hands who travel from crop to crop to help their families make ends meet.

These children who help put food on their table start school late and continue to work long hours, leaving them little time or energy to do their homework. If previous years are any guide, some of these students will miss 1 out of every 6 days of school.

The results are predictable. Studies show that 50 percent of youth who regularly perform farm work drop out of school. The consequences of this high drop-out rate are tragic.

In addition to these children being deprived of educational opportunities, which could help them escape a lifetime of being stooped over in the hot sun picking fruits and vegetables, it deprives our country of the talents and potential contributions of these young children.

Adding to their heartbreaking circumstances is the fact that many of our labor laws do not protect them equally. Not only do they earn sub- minimum wages, but under current law the children of agriculture are allowed to use hazardous farm equipment and work in an environment that continually exposes them to poisonous pesticides, which can lead to serious injury or even death.

These dangerous and exploitive conditions, which are illegal for children in every other industry, simply do not reflect the precious value we Americans place on children. I am introducing the CARE Act to reflect our value.

The CARE Act raises labor standards for farm worker children to the same level as those for children in all other occupations. Specifically, the bill raises the minimum age for working in agriculture to 14 and restricts children under 16 from working when it interferes with their education or endangers their health and well- being.

The CARE Act also prohibits children under the age of 18 from agricultural work that the Department of Labor has specified as particularly hazardous. This is consistent with current law governing all industries outside of agriculture.

The CARE Act also requires employers to document the injuries, illness and deaths of these young people. This documentation will enable the Department of Labor to monitor and protect children working in agriculture from exploitation and dangerous work conditions. And, finally, to help ensure compliance with the bill's protective measures, the CARE Act sets a minimum fine of $500 for child labor violations and a maximum fine of $15,000.

Madam Speaker, it is our moral obligation to do all we can to protect the rights, the safety and the educational future of our most precious resource, our children. The CARE Act is a positive step toward meeting that obligation.

I urge my colleagues to cosponsor and help pass the Children's Act for Responsible Employment, known as the CARE Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, the first Catholic church established in the City of Downey in the 34th Congressional District.

From its initial opening as St. Anthony's Church with just a few families in 1909, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish today boasts a membership of approximately 3,500 families. The church also educates 290 students in grades K-8 at its Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, which opened more than 60 years ago in 1948.

Under its guiding mission to ``proclaim our love for God through social justice outreach,'' the church's involvement in the community extends well beyond religious services. Each year, Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishioners join together to help out with a wide range of community activities, including cleaning up around railroad tracks as part of ``Keep Downey Beautiful,'' building houses with Habitat for Humanity, and participating in the Arc of Southeast Los Angeles County walk to raise funds for the organization that provides opportunities for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

In celebration of the church's centennial milestone, Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, will preside over an outdoor Mass in the Marian Courtyard on the grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School on Sunday, September 20.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me along with Cardinal Roger Mahony and the parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in celebrating the parish's 100 years of service to its members and the community. I would also like to submit for the Record the church's detailed historical overview of this parish that today stands as a spiritual home for so many Downey families.

A History of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church

The 100 year history of the growth and development of Our

Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church closely parallels that

of Downey and all of Southern California. Our Lady of

Perpetual Help Church, which began as St. Anthony Church,

grew from a scattering of Catholic families in a small

mission church into a large and vigorous Catholic community

whose original parish was sectioned off to aid in the

establishment of 5 additional parishes.

Late in 1907 Downey area Catholics, numbering about 100,

sent a petition to the Bishop requesting that mass be held

there on a regular basis. Bishop Thomas Conaty, in response

to their plea, arranged to have a priest say mass at Mannings

Hall in Downey every Sunday morning.

In preparation for the construction of Downey's first

Catholic Church, property was purchased on May 23, 1908. It

was described as ``a triangular lot bounded on the east by

Crawford Street (Downey Avenue), on the south by Fifth Street

and on the west by New Street.'' The following year a small

frame church named in honor of St. Anthony was built on this

property facing Fifth Street. The church was blessed by Fr.

McGrath, pastor of St. Aloysius, in September, 1909 and

dedicated by Bishop Conaty in 1911.

At the time of its dedication, St. Anthony parish

boundaries extended from the Los Angeles River on the west to

the San Gabriel River on the east, from just south of Slauson

Avenue along the Pacific Electric tracks on the north, to

Imperial Highway on the south.

St. Anthony Church continued as a mission of St. Aloysius

Church until 1913 when its first resident pastor, Rev.

Bartholomew O'Rorke was appointed. He was succeeded by Rev.

Thomas Blackwell who remained pastor until 1918. From 1918 to

1921, Dominican Fathers served in the parish. The

Redemptorist Fathers, who were assigned to St. Anthony Church

from April, 1921 to mid-1922, were responsible for changing

the name of the Church to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

In 1929, ground was broken just north of the existing frame

church for a new larger church with a seating capacity of

450. Bishop John Cantwell officiated at the solemn dedication

of the new church on Sunday, January 25, 1931.

A period of tremendous growth throughout Southern

California began in the 1940s during and following World War

H. With the great increase in the number of parishioners, the

church was enlarged in the early 1950s.

The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 caused severe

damage to the original portion of the Church and it was

declared unsafe for occupancy. Following feasibility studies

and a parish survey, the church was restored with certain

alterations. The older portion of the church was razed and an

entirely new section was built onto the remaining portion of

the church. The church construction was completed in 1992.

Today, under the spiritual direction of Pastor Mark

Warnstedt and Associate Pastor Vivian Ben Lima, parishioners

attend services--in English and Spanish--in keeping with its

fitting centennial theme to ``remember, rejoice, and renew.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my best wishes to two young Americans who are starting their new life together. On Friday, June 4, 2009, Michelle Lynn Falkenthal and Michael David Nichols were joined in matrimony surrounded by their loving family and friends at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden located on the campus of California State University, Long Beach.

Michelle Falkenthal was born in West Covina, California on December 24, 1979. Her mother, Evelyn Bobbitt, is an accounting technician for the County of San Bernardino, and her step-father, David Bobbitt, is a director of audits for Riverside Community College. Her father is Robert Falkenthal, an attorney in private practice, and her step-mother is Jennette Falkenthal, a homemaker. Michelle graduated from Colton high school and is currently employed as a billing agent for Cox Communications.

Michael Nichols was born in Arcadia, California on December 12, 1980. His mother, Linda Nichols, is a secretary at Arcadia High School, and his father, Ken Nichols, is a general contractor. Michael attended Arcadia High School and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. He is employed as an independent contractor pilot.

In this constantly developing age of electronic communications, it's no surprise that the young couple first met via the internet. After several weeks of getting acquainted online, Michelle and Michael had their first date on June 5, 2007. They were engaged fifteen months later on September 14, 2008. The couple enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to Big Bear Lake, bike riding, and remodeling their new home, among other activities. Their many friends say Michelle and Michael are very well suited for each other, and their families already consider each of them a member of the family. The newlywed couple will make their home in the city of Chino Hills in Los Angeles County.

Michelle and Michael were joined in their wedding celebration in Long Beach by guests from across town and across the country. Family and friends traveled from Maryland, Washington, DC, Sacramento, Oxnard, Newberry Park, the Inland Empire, and from across southern California. Special participants in the wedding ceremony included the maid of honor Casandra Holiday, the bridesmaids, Sally Lara and Evie Bobbitt, the bride's niece and sister respectively, and the groomsmen Travis Amezcua, Ryan Benigno, Caleb Gray, and Dustin Mullins. Leading the bridal party and assembled family and guests in the wedding celebration and officiating the vows was the Reverend Doctor Paul Yestebo of the New Hope Community Church in Huntington Beach.

Madam Speaker, I offer my best congratulations to the Bobbitt, Falkenthal, and Nichols families, and their friends and guests on this happy and memorable occasion. To Michelle and Michael, I offer the sentiment and gifts which George Bailey offered the Martini family as they moved into their new home in the classic film, ``It's a Wonderful Life'': ``Bread! That their house may never know hunger. Salt! That life may always have flavor. And wine! That joy and prosperity may reign forever.'' Lastly, I wish that throughout their wonderful life together, Michelle and Michael will always have an abundance of what St. Paul wrote of in his letter to the Corinthians, ``faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Los Angeles Lakers, on winning the 2009 National Basketball Association Championship. This is their 15th NBA World Championship title.

I congratulate team owner Dr. Jerry Buss, Coach Phil Jackson, his staff, and the entire Laker organization for their accomplishment in winning basketball's coveted championship trophy. I also congratulate the team's captain, Kobe Bryant, on being named the first recipient of the newly-named Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.

A few days after their championship victory, the Lakers and 250,000 of their fans, celebrated with a victory parade through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. The parade led to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where 100,000 additional fans gathered to commemorate the team's accomplishment. People came from all over Southern California to join in the celebration.

Madam Speaker, the Lakers have such a loyal following not only because they are champions on the court, but because they are champions in the community as well. The team's outreach program, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation, works with community groups to better the lives of children in our community. The Foundation focuses on using sports to promote education, teamwork and self-esteem among Los Angeles area youth by providing financial assistance to children and local youth programs.

As part of their foundation work, the Lakers have created 12 Reading and Learning Centers at youth clubs throughout Los Angeles and Hawaii and they have sponsored several community basketball court renovations each season. The Lakers also participate in the Toyota Project Rebound, a season-long community outreach initiative established by the NBA and Toyota. The program includes 15 hands-on community service projects that are hosted by NBA and WNBA teams. The projects include court refurbishments, the creation of Learn & Play Centers, and other Legacy Projects providing youth safe places to live, learn or play.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating each member of the 2009 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers for their many victories on the court and in the community. They are champions to their sports fans, to beneficiaries of their Foundation, and to the entire Los Angeles community. We thank them for returning the NBA championship trophy where it belongs--the Los Angeles Staples Arena in my congressional district.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an inspiring spiritual and civic leader not only in the Boyle Heights community in the heart of my congressional district, but in Los Angeles as a whole.

This year, Father Gregory Boyle, S.J.--best known as Father Greg by all who meet him--is celebrating his 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in the Society of Jesus. He is also celebrating the beginning of his third decade leading Homeboy Industries, the gang- intervention nonprofit organization that he founded to address the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth. It is my pleasure to share with you some highlights from his ongoing work.

Father Greg was born in Los Angeles, one of eight children. His father, a third-generation Irish-American, worked in the family-owned dairy in Los Angeles County. Father Greg and his siblings worked side by side with their father in the dairy. He graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles in 1972 and would later return to his alma mater to teach and serve as a faculty advisor for the student service program called Christian Action Movement (CAM). He also worked with Christian Base Communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia, before becoming an ordained Jesuit priest in 1984.

In 1986, his work in the Boyle Heights community that I am proud to represent began to unfold when Father Greg was appointed Pastor of Dolores Mission where he served for six years.

Homeboy Industries traces its roots to ``Jobs For A Future'' (JFF), a program created in 1988 by Father Greg at Dolores Mission parish. Father Greg and the community developed positive alternatives for gang- involved youth, establishing an elementary school and a day care program, while working to find legitimate employment for young people. JFF's success confirmed that given an opportunity, many gang members are eager to leave the dangerous and destructive life on the ``streets.''

In 1992, Father Greg launched Homeboy's first business enterprise called the Homeboy Bakery. After 17 years, the bakery continues to provide training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side. The success of the Homeboy Bakery created the groundwork for additional businesses, thus prompting JFF to become an independent non-profit organization, Homeboy Industries, in 2001.

Today Homeboy Industries' nonprofit economic development enterprises include Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy Maintenance, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, and HomegirlCafO. Homeboy Industries, now located in Downtown Los Angeles in my district, serves thousands of young people each year, and has become a model for other organizations across the country.

It is currently enlarging its pilot Solar Panel Installation Training Program, where young men and women are trained and certified in this rapidly growing field. Father Greg remains a visionary, tapping into the green jobs and green economy movement and proving once again that we should invest in jobs, not jails.

As Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, Father Greg has become a nationally recognized expert on gangs and intervention approaches. Father Greg and several ``homies'' were featured speakers at the White House Conference on Youth in 2005, and he was a member of the California delegation to President Clinton's 1998 Summit on Children in Philadelphia. Father Boyle is a member of the National Youth Gang Center Advisory Board and was a member of the State Commission on Juvenile Justice, Crime and Delinquency Prevention. Father Greg has received the California Peace Prize, the Lifetime Achievement Award from MALDEF, the ``Humanitarian of the Year'' Award from Bon AppOtit magazine, the Caring Institute's Award, the Civic Medal of Honor from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the James Irvine Leadership Award. The Los Angeles Headquarters Association honored Father Greg this year as one of the city's leading visionaries responsible for changing the face of Los Angeles.

The reach of Father Greg's work also extends to our nation's capital. As recently as March, I had the privilege of meeting with Father Greg in my Washington, D.C. office on a trip he made to lobby members of Congress about the need to support federal efforts to help at-risk youth and former gang members lead crime-free and productive lives.

Madam Speaker, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the late Father General of the Jesuits, stated that the paramount objective of Jesuit education was to create ``men for others.'' To all who know him, Father Greg embodies this objective as he truly has conducted his ministry and lived his life as a ``man for others.'' I am honored and blessed to be among the many in our community who consider him a friend.

As we celebrate Father Greg Boyle's 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood in the Society of Jesus and his 21st Anniversary of leading Homeboy Industries, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Father Greg--or G-Dog, as he is affectionately known to his homeboys and homegirls--on these milestones. Above all, we thank him for continuing to call us all to--as he says--stand with those whose dignity has been denied, to embrace the poor and powerless and voiceless, to stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop, and to create a community of kinship.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. Prior to elected office, I worked in alcohol and drug prevention programs and saw firsthand the power and the destructive nature of drug addiction. I saw it destroy the life of the user, and I saw the agony it caused families. I would never support a measure that encourages or contributes to the use of illegal drugs.

Chairman Obey's leadership in eliminating the ban on Federal dollars for needle exchange programs is based on sound scientific research that tells us these programs are a valuable HIV prevention tool that does not increase drug use.

Mr. Souder's amendment reinstates this ill-advised ban and returns us to a practice of allowing personal belief rather than science to direct our Federal funding decisions.

The science is clear. When addicts have clean needles available, the incidence of HIV infection declines among users.

Furthermore, needle exchange programs provide a critical portal to treatment and are an important part of our efforts to reduce the HIV epidemic.

I urge my colleagues to follow the science and to join me in voting ``no'' on this amendment.

Chairman Olver, I am honored to serve as a member of the Transportation-Housing Subcommittee, and I thank the gentleman for his leadership on the many housing and transportation challenges facing our Nation.

I understand that among the elements of the Olver amendment is additional funding for railroad research and development. As the chairman is aware, our Los Angeles community suffered a tragic rail accident when a commuter passenger train collided head on with a freight train last year. It is widely believed that this accident could have been averted and 25 lives saved had positive train control technology been in operation on the system.

I would like to clarify that it is your intention that positive train control is one of the technologies that is funded under the research and development account.

I thank the chairman for this clarification, and I look forward to working with the gentleman on this and other issues as the bill moves forward and we continue to address safety in all modes of transportation. I appreciate the gentleman's tireless work and that of the subcommittee staff on the many complex issues under this bill's jurisdiction.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize SRO Housing Corporation, a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to building a vibrant community for homeless and very low- income individuals in the Central City East community of Downtown Los Angeles in the 34th District, an area more commonly known as ``Skid Row.''

Skid Row is home to one of the largest populations of homeless persons in the nation. To address the needs of this vulnerable population, the late James M. Wood, who served as the Chairman of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, pursued a vision in the late 1970s to include in the revitalization of Downtown Los Angeles a plan to redevelop the Skid Row area and address its rampant homelessness.

In 1977 that plan began to take form as the City of Los Angeles adopted a redevelopment plan for the Downtown Los Angeles Central City East area to preserve and expand the single room occupancy hotels in the area. To acquire and rehabilitate the hotels, the Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Housing Corporation was founded in February 1984 by the Community Redevelopment Agency under the leadership of James Wood.

Through the development of thousands of affordable housing units, the SRO Housing Corporation provides a full continuum of emergency, transitional, and permanent housing for Skid Row residents. This month's grand opening of the James Woods Apartments, at 408 E. 5th Street and 506 S. San Julian Street, is the most recent shining example of its successful efforts to develop clean, safe and affordable housing units. The project involved converting two decaying parking lots into a 5-story building containing 53 studio apartments with private bathrooms and kitchenettes.

The corporation also offers a wide array of supportive services for its clients, including food services, case management, transportation, support groups and referrals. Every week, SRO Housing serves nearly 4,000 meals in its emergency shelter and senior meal program as well as delivering over 8,000 pounds of food and fresh produce to all permanent-housing sites. This critical service ensures that very low- income individuals, who are attempting to sustain themselves on a fixed income, receive nutritious foods that would otherwise be absent from their diets. In addition, SRO Housing provides its residents with a way to regain basic living skills through classes in cooking, laundry, and money management.

The SRO Housing Corporation also works to build a sense of community belonging for its residents. It manages two public parks--the San Julian Park and Gladys Park--and operates the James Wood Community Center where area residents can socialize and have fun in safe, clean and public areas located in their own neighborhood.

With 25 years of experience, SRO Housing Corporation has a unique insight into the needs of the Skid Row community. More than 40 percent of its diverse and multi-cultural staff is made up of formerly homeless individuals, residents and community members whose history and life experiences are a source of inspiration to others.

Madam Speaker, on the occasion of SRO Housing Corporation's 25th Anniversary and the Grand Opening of its new James M. Wood Apartments, I join today with my congressional colleagues in recognizing all of the many dedicated people who make this fine organization the beacon of hope that it is today. I especially commend Anita Nelson who works day in and day out to keep James Wood's memory and mission alive as the corporation's Chief Executive Officer. I also pay tribute to the SRO Housing Corporation's community partners, supporters, invaluable volunteers, its entire staff and, most of all, the residents of the Skid Row community. Thousands of lives have been transformed and positively impacted through the wonderful work of SRO Housing Corporation and I wish everyone involved with this fine organization many more years of continued success.

Mr. Polis, I share your concerns about the financial cost of detention, and I am also distressed by the impact our current policies have on families and communities.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of noncriminal immigrants are held in detention. Many of these immigrants are detained for months or years in one of several hundred detention facilities in the country. They often face significant challenges like inadequate access to medical care, legal assistance, and other necessary resources. Separated from their families and communities, they may languish in isolation and fall into depression. In some cases, entire families are held in prison-like conditions. I believe we can do better and have introduced legislation to address many of these concerns.

I commend Chairman Price for recognizing the importance of funding alternatives to detention, a major step towards reforming our detention system.

Madam Chair, I rise today in strong support of the fiscal year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

One of our government's foremost duties is to protect the American people.

Fulfilling that critical mission falls to the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security and, as Members of Congress, we have an obligation to provide them with the resources they need to meet the challenge of defending our nation.

Ably led by Chairman David Price and Ranking Member Hal Rogers, the Homeland Security Subcommittee has crafted legislation that does just that. It allocates more than $42 billion to equip our Border Patrol officers, baggage screeners, customs agents and Coast Guard captains to successfully combat the threats America faces.

Like President Obama, we understand that even in a tough fiscal environment, with so many pressing priorities competing for the same scarce tax dollars, the Department deserves funding that reflects the scale of its responsibilities.

Of course, our success in meeting America's security challenges depends on more than the size of the Department's annual appropriation. Just as important is the strength of its planning and the effectiveness of its leadership.

Accordingly, the bill provides a sound blueprint for responsibly managing an organization that encompasses more than 200,000 employees at 22 different agencies. Drawing on the expertise of GAO, the DHS Inspector General and stakeholders both in government and private industry, the legislation successfully matches resources and risks, ensuring a balanced approach to protecting our most sensitive infrastructure. For example, in the wake of the London and Madrid bombings, it will ensure that our vulnerable transit systems are no longer neglected by providing $103 million for surface transportation security.

Just as importantly, the bill also takes meaningful steps to address the injustices inherent in our broken immigration system.

Under the previous administration, instead of pursuing violent felons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, elected to fill its arbitrary quotas by seeking out working immigrants who posed no threat to their communities. Since 2002, the deportation of non-criminals has increased by 400 percent while criminal deportations are up only 60 percent. This bill sensibly shifts ICE's primary enforcement target from families to felons.

In addition, the bill responds to reports of asylum seekers denied medical attention and children subjected to lonely nights in border jails by imposing stronger oversight on detention centers and expanding alternatives to incarceration for vulnerable immigrants.

These provisions are vitally important and they point to perhaps the bill's greatest strength: the recognition that we can protect the American people without violating their rights or compromising our ideals.

I thank the Chairman and his staff once again for their excellent work on this crucial legislation and urge its swift passage.