Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Roybal family I sincerely thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano), and my colleagues for tonight's special order and for their kind words about my father, former Congressman Edward R. Roybal.

I thank the President and Mrs. Bush for their considerate letter of condolence, the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) for his graciousness in presenting my mother the flag flown over our Nation's Capitol in my father's honor, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for sharing his special memories of my father on the Senate floor.

For their kind and eloquent words during the memorial services in Los Angeles, I thank my colleagues, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Minority Leader, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the chairman of the Rules Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), my father's good friend and colleague, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra).

The Roybal family is also extremely grateful to my father's former chiefs of staff and Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, and his staff for providing so much help and support during this difficult time. My family also send a heartfelt thank you to my many colleagues, constituents, and friends who gave their condolences, attended the services and/or sent flowers.

Mr. Speaker, my father Edward R. Roybal loved our country and this House of Representatives where he served proudly for 30 years. During the past weeks we have heard stories of my father's many legislative accomplishments and oftentimes lonely battles on behalf of the sick, the elderly and the disadvantaged. As one of the 13 cardinals of the House Committee on Appropriations, colleagues from both sides of the aisle have related to me stories of his fairness and ability to work in a bipartisan way on behalf of his constituents and our Nation.

We have also heard about his many tributes, including the naming of the Atlanta campus of the Centers for Disease Control in his honor, and the recognition received for his lifelong leadership when he was awarded our Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Citizens Medal.

I would like to end this special order, Mr. Speaker, by talking about Edward Roybal, the father, from the personal experiences of his three children. As many families do in such times of sadness, my brother, sister and I sat and talked about our memories of Dad or ``Pop'' as we lovingly called him.

We recalled how deeply he loved our mother and his wife of 65 years, Lucille Beserra Roybal. Always by his side, her hard work and devotion was the glue that held our family together and provided the strength and support that helped to make possible our father's many accomplishments, which started when he was only a teenager, successfully leading the fight against discrimination at a local swimming pool and continued when he was a public health educator in the State of California.

We remembered his strong belief in the value and strength of family and how he, with my mother, shaped our values and modeled for us deep personal integrity.

He taught us faith in God, the value of family and friends and the importance of giving back to one's community. And, without a doubt, he taught us the importance of participating in the political process.

My sister Lillian, my brother Ed and I remembered how we never sat down to dinner at a normal hour with just the immediate family but always surrounded by our political family and friends. We remembered how at any time our house could fill with people and another emergency meeting would be convened, for our house was always the gathering place. We remembered triumphant elections, painful defeats, high expectations, and fearful realities.

The fearful realities were particularly vivid during the forties and fifties when we were young children growing up in the Boyle Heights community of Los Angeles. During that time in our city's history, Mexican Americans and other minorities were not welcomed in many parts of our city. Therefore, one can well imagine the reception my father received in 1949 when he was the first Latino to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council in the 20th century. The racial slurs and not-so- quiet whispers directed at him and our family when we attended events and dinners remain vivid in our minds today.

But equally as vivid is the strength and the courage he demonstrated as many in our society tried to humiliate and intimidate him to give up his cause. Giving up was something he would never consider, because he clearly understood and reminded us often that the struggles and the victories were not about him and our family but about creating a foundation of opportunity for future generations of Latinos and other disenfranchised Americans and community.

In the midst of all of the political turmoil, we also remembered that there was laughter and fun, and we always knew we were loved. We remembered family gatherings when Dad played his guitar and sang with our mother. We remembered his love for his sons-in-law, Michael Rose and Edward Allard, and the deep love and pride he had for his grandchildren, Lisa Elliott, Ricardo Olivarez, Michael Rose, Loushana R. Rose and his great grandchildren Emily Rose, Diego, Santiago, and Lourdes Olivarez and Mason Elliott.

The void my father leaves behind will always be filled with these and many more fond memories and values he left with us as part of his legacy. We miss him, and he will always be in our hearts with great love and pride.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Roybal family, I again thank my colleagues for tonight's special order and for sharing their thoughts and special memories of my father, Congressman Edward R. Roybal.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Roybal family I sincerely thank my colleagues for tonight's Special Order and for their kind words about my father former Congressman Edward R. Roybal.

I thank the President and Mrs. Bush for their considerate letter of condolence, Speaker Dennis Hastert for his graciousness in presenting my mother the flag flown over our Nation's capitol in my father's honor, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for sharing his special memories about my father on the Senate floor.

For their kind and eloquent words during the memorial services in Los Angeles, I thank Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader, Congressman David Dreier, Chairman of the Rules Committee, Congressman Solomon Ortiz, my father's good friend and colleague from Texas, Congressman Xavier Becerra, from California Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Supervisor Gloria Molina of Los Angeles, Judge Harry Pregerson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles County, Councilman Alex Padilla, President of the Los Angeles City Council, Antonia Hernandez, Dan Maldonado, Evelyn Verdugo-Tabarez, Brenda Sutton-Wills, Ricardo Olivarez, Eloise Sotello, Linda Newton, and Manuel Gonez.

The Roybal family is also extremely grateful to my father's former Chiefs of Staff, Ed Avila, Henry Lozano, Dan Maldonado, Jorge Lambrinos, Harry Pachon and the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa and his staff, for providing so much help and support during this difficult time.

My family also sends a heartfelt thank you to my many colleagues, constituents and friends who gave their condolences, attended the services, and/or sent flowers.

Mr. Speaker, my father Edward R. Roybal loved our country and this House of Representatives, where he served proudly for 30 years.

During the past weeks, we have heard stories of my father's many legislative accomplishments and often time's lonely battles on behalf of the sick, the elderly, and the disadvantaged.

As one of the 13 cardinals of the House Appropriations Committee, colleagues from both sides of the aisle have related to me stories of his fairness and ability to work in a bi-partisan way on behalf of his constituents and our Nation.

We have also heard about his many tributes, including the naming of the Atlanta campus of the Centers for Disease Control in his honor.

And, the recognition received for his life-long leadership when he was awarded our Nation's highest civilian honor: The Presidential Citizens Medal.

I would like to end this Special Order Mr. Speaker, by talking about Edward Roybal, the father, from the personal experiences of his three children.

As many families do in such times of sadness, my brother, sister and I sat and talked about our memories of Dad or Pop as we lovingly called him.

We recalled how deeply he loved our mother and his wife of 65 years, Lucille Beserra Roybal.

Always by his side, her hard work and devotion was the glue that held our family together and provided the strength and support that helped to make possible our father's many accomplishments, which started when he was only a teenager, successfully leading a fight against discrimination at a local swimming pool and continued when he was a public health educator in the state of California.

We remembered his strong belief in the value and strength of family.

And how he, with my mother, shaped our values and modeled for us deep personal integrity.

He taught us faith in God, the value of family and friends, and the importance of giving back to one's community.

And without a doubt, he taught us the importance of participating in the political process.

My sister Lillian, my brother Ed and I, remembered how we never sat down to dinner at a normal hour with just the immediate family, but always surrounded by our political family and friends.

We remembered how at any time our house could fill with people and another emergency meeting would be convened. . . . for our house was always the gathering place.

We remembered triumphant elections, painful defeats, high expectations, and fearful realities.

The fearful realities were particularly vivid during the forties and fifties when we were young children growing up in the Boyle Heights community of Los Angeles.

During that time in our city's history, Mexican Americans and other minorities were not welcomed in many parts of our city.

Therefore, one can well imagine the reception my father received in 1949, when he was the first Latino to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council in the twentieth century.

The racial slurs and not so quiet whispers directed at him and our family when we attended events and dinners remain vivid in our minds even today.

But equally as vivid is the strength and the courage he demonstrated as many in our society tried to humiliate and intimidate him to give up his cause.

Giving up was something he would never consider because he clearly understood, and reminded us often, that the struggles, and even the victories, were not about him and our family, but about creating a foundation of opportunity for future generations of Latinos and other disenfranchised Americans and Communities.

In the midst of all the political turmoil, we also remembered that there was laughter and fun; and we always knew we were loved.

We remembered family gatherings when Dad played his guitar and sang with our mother.

We remembered his love for his son-in-laws Michael Rose and Edward Allard.

And the deep love and pride he had for his grandchildren Lisa Elliott, Ricardo Olivarez, Michael R. Rose, Loushana R. Rose and his great grandchildren Emily Rose, Diego, Santiago, and Lourdes Olivarez and Mason Elliott.

The void my father leaves behind will always be filled with these and many more fond memories and values he left with us as part of his legacy.

We miss him and he will always be in our hearts with great love and pride.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Roybal family, I again thank my colleagues for tonight's Special Order and for sharing their thoughts and special memories of my father, Congressman Edward R. Roybal.

Mr. Speaker, due to the illness and passing of my father and his subsequent funeral, I was not present for rollcall votes 521 to 569 from October 17 to November 4, 2005.

Had I been present and voting I would have voted in the following manner:

Yea on rollcall 521, yea on rollcall 522, yea on rollcall 523, no on rollcall 524, yea on rollcall 525, yea on rollcall 526, yea on rollcall 527, yea on rollcall 528, no on rollcall 529, yea on rollcall 530, yea on rollcall 531, yea on rollcall 532, no on rollcall 533, no on rollcall 534, yea on rollcall 535, yea on rollcall 536, yea on rollcall 537, yea on rollcall 538, no on rollcall 539, yea on rollcall 540, no on rollcall 541, no on rollcall 542, no on rollcall 543, no on rollcall 544, no on rollcall 545, yea on rollcall 546, no on rollcall 547, no on rollcall 548, yea on rollcall 549, yea on rollcall 550, yea on rollcall 551, yea on rollcall 552, no on rollcall 553, and yea on rollcall 554, yea on rollcall 555, yea on rollcall 556, yea on rollcall 557, yea on rollcall 558, no on rollcall 559, yea on rollcall 560, yea on rollcall 561, no on rollcall 562, yea on rollcall 563, no on rollcall 564, no on rollcall 565, no on rollcall 566, no on rollcall 567, yea on rollcall 568, yea on rollcall 569.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take a few moments to honor my cousin, Carmen N. Ciqueiros Tafoya Perkins Mullaly, from Long Beach, California, whose life was cut short on September 11, 2005.

Carmen was born in Los Angeles, California on September 17, 1926 and was always a proud Angeleno. She attended Hammel Elementary School and Belvedere Junior High, and graduated from Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles.

Early on in life, Carmen developed a belief in the principles of the Democratic Party. An active member of the League of Women Voters, Carmen never missed voting in a single election. My cousin's enthusiasm for Election Day was an inspiration to all those around her, as she often opened her own home to serve as a polling precinct for primary and general elections.

In addition to her allegiance to the Democratic Party, Carmen loved being an Anaheim Angels fan. Carmen enjoyed cheering her favorite team on to victory over the years at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Carmen was beloved by our large family, and we all miss her since her passing. I know that my father, former Congressman Edward R. Roybal, will especially miss his cousin.

Carmen is survived by her children: Virgilia Goodwin of Aurora, Colorado; Jack Perkins of Huntington Beach, California; Dwight Perkins of Woodburn, Oregon; Gayle Rex of Walla Walla, Washington; and Patrick Mullaly of Kennewick, Washington. She is also survived by her sister, Geraldine Overton of Lakewood, California, and by her stepchildren, Tom Mullaly of Irvine, California; Cindy Mullaly of Chicago, Illinois; and Scott Mullaly of San Diego, California. Carmen is also survived by a niece, Geraldine O. Wiese of Cornwall, England. Carmen was preceded in death by her stepson, Mark Mullaly, and her husband Thomas J. Mullaly.

Although my family and I mourn Carmen today, we are also grateful for the many happy moments she brought into the lives of those around her. Today we mourn her death and celebrate her abundant life.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to join the many Armenian Americans whom I represent in welcoming His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to California's 34th Congressional District on October 14, 2005. The pontiff is visiting California at the invitation of His Eminence, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.

His Holiness is one of the most prominent Christian leaders in the Middle East and a spiritual leader for hundreds of thousands of Armenians around the world. The pontiff presently serves as the moderator for the World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches represents over 400 million Christians throughout the globe, and is comprised of more than 340 churches from different cultures and countries. Currently serving his second term, His Holiness is the first Orthodox and the youngest person to be elevated to moderator. As the moderator of the World Council of Churches, the pontiff has led the way to build bridges between people of faith.

On this special day, His Holiness will meet at Los Angeles City Hall with a number of local, State and Federal public officials who represent the nearly 400,000 Armenian Americans who live in and around southern California. His Holiness will also present the main address at a symposium to be held at the University of Southern California that will focus on how Christians respond to violence.

I am confident that when he delivers his address on October 14 entitled, ``Christianity in the Middle East--Challenges Facing Inter- religious Dialogue'' at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Armenian Americans and Los Angeles residents will hear a valuable message.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that His Holiness has included a visit to California's 34th Congressional District during his upcoming visit to

California, The main theme of his pontifical visit, ``Towards the Light of Knowledge'' is a welcome reminder of the powerful role a good education can have in promoting a better and more peaceful world. I know that my colleagues join me in recognizing His Holiness Aram I, a man who has been a strong voice for mutual understanding among religions, cultures and civilizations; a true spiritual leader committed to peace, justice, and human rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant support of the conference report on H.R. 2360, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006.

My support is based on the fact that it is the only vehicle available at this time to fund critical homeland security efforts.

While this bill makes some progress over last year's funding levels, we are far from where we need to be to adequately respond to a terrorist attack or natural disaster. I am disappointed and concerned that the bill before us falls short of addressing the weakness and lessons learned from September 11, Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London.

H.R. 2360 unfortunately is a status quo homeland security appropriations bill with only modest improvements over the previous year's bill.

My first concern is that the Republican leadership would not accept a Democratic motion to delay Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoffs proposal to reorganize the Homeland Security Department until a thorough investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, could be undertaken.

Such an investigation would provide us with the necessary information to determine how best to organize FEMA including the advisability of consolidating FEMA's existing preparedness functions under a new Preparedness Directorate and limiting FEMA's functions solely to recovery and response.

Second, I was disappointed that Republican conferees did not accept the Obey-Sabo-Byrd amendment that would have provided an additional $1.7 billion in investments in emergency

disaster planning, grants to first responders, transit, port and chemical security, and additional border security. These are critical programs that help communities prepare for a disaster and help bring relief following a catastrophe.

Third, I am concerned that the conference report actually cuts funding for several programs that are of particular concern to urban areas such as my Los Angeles district. For example two programs that provide essential funding for first responders, the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the State and Local Grant Program are cut below their current year funding by 50 percent and 20 percent respectively. I am also alarmed that grants for high-threat, highly- populated urban areas will suffer a 15 percent cut and that grants for firefighters to buy needed safety equipment are cut by 8 percent. Lastly, I am troubled that funding for FEMA to perform its limited functions has been reduced by 11.5 percent.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I will support this bill to provide critical resources to help make our country safer. However, fully addressing our critical national security concerns in light of recent events requires resources that the Administration simply did not support and which the Republican majority did not provide in this bill. While this bill is an improvement over the Administration's request, unfortunately critical homeland security needs will still go unmet despite the probability of disasters lurking in the not so distant future.

Madam Speaker, thanks to the passage of the Violence Against Woman Act in 1994, domestic violence is recognized as a crime committed by the abuser, and not the fault of the victim.

However, neither our federal laws nor the laws of many of our states offer victims of domestic violence some of the protections they need to leave their abuser.

Congressman Poe and I had three amendments to address these critical issues.

The Violence Against Women Act made it possible for victims of domestic violence to get protective orders and move to safe shelters.

Yet victims who take time off from work to attend to such matters are often fired or demoted.

One of our amendments would have allowed a victim of domestic violence to take time off from work, without pay, and without penalty, to make necessary court appearances, seek legal assistance, and get help with safety planning.

Our second amendment would have allowed states to provide unemployment benefits to victims who are fired due to circumstances stemming from domestic violence.

This would help victims who find themselves with the unconscionable choice of returning to an abusive home or becoming homeless.

Finally, victims of domestic violence report rampant insurance discrimination based on their status as a victim of domestic assault.

Insurance providers frequently use information about the abuse history of an applicant--including medical, police, and court records-- to deny health coverage.

And our third amendment would prohibit insurance providers from basing coverage decisions on a victim's history of abuse.

Unfortunately, because the Republican leadership has decided on a restrictive approach to reauthorizing VAWA Congressman Poe and I have been prevented from presenting these amendments.

For that reason, I oppose the rule, and will work with Congressman Poe to include these amendments in the final version of the House bill in order to help victims of domestic abuse successfully and safely escape their abuser.

Mr. Chairman, after years of hard work on both sides of the aisle to create a Head Start reauthorization bill that treats our Nation's neediest children fairly, it is with a heavy heart that I must oppose the final passage of H.R. 2123.

Head Start is designed to ensure that all children--regardless of their family's income, race, or ethnic background--are able to enter kindergarten ready to learn. The Boustany amendment, which promotes discrimination on the basis of religion for faith-based organizations, destroys the principle of fairness that I believe is central and crucial to the success of Head Start. It is for this reason that I cannot support final passage of the bill.

I have long been a supporter of the Head Start program because each and every year I witness the dramatic positive impact that early intervention services have on children's lives in my congressional district. My district includes many children who are in desperate need of Head Start services, especially those Hispanic children who depend on Head Start services to learn critical early literacy skills. These skills are doubly important now to meet the rigorous requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Latino children currently make up more than one-third of all eligible Head Start children, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education is home to the largest Head Start program in the Nation, serving more than 24,000 children. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, I have continuously supported strong and sustained funding for the Head Start program.

During consideration in the Education and the Workforce Committee this year, Democrats and Republicans worked constructively together to improve the delivery of Head Start services to the target populations. The product of this collaborative process was a bill that contained several forward-looking provisions that would help the overall administration and accountability of the program. In particular, I highlight the reauthorization bill's provisions to ensure that Head Start teachers possess at least an associate's degree in early childhood education within three years of the bill's enactment. In addition, I applaud the provision that would allocate 5 percent of total funds toward programs that support the children of migrant and seasonal workers, an easily-overlooked populace that is disproportionately Latino.

It is important to note that I and my fellow Democrats recognize and appreciate the wonderful work that faith-based organizations do to support the mission of Head Start. Faith-based groups have and should continue to play a critical and respected role in the education of our Nation's youngsters.

While the participation of faith-based groups is respected and valuable, however, the Boustany amendment would seriously damage the mission of Head Start, which is to ``level the playing field'' when it comes to early childhood education. It is essential that faith-based groups respect the civil rights of the thousands of Head Start teachers and volunteers who are committed to improving the lives of children, regardless of their personal religious beliefs. There are many faith- based groups that

work to prepare preschool-aged children for school without federal funds, and it is entirely permissible for these groups using private funds to hire their teachers based on religious grounds. What the Boustany amendment would allow, however, is for faith-based groups to ignore civil rights precedent and discriminate on the basis of religion when those programs are supported by public funds.

It is important to note that not all faith-based organizations support the discrimination practices supported by the Boustany amendment. In fact, many religious organizations specifically oppose discrimination in hiring based on religion, including: American Jewish Congress, Church Women United, Interfaith Alliance/Foundation, Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries.

Although the Boustany discrimination amendment has forced me to oppose H.R. 2123, I remain committed to the Head Start program and the services the program provides to our country's underserved children. I can only hope that the Republican leadership will come to its senses during the conference of this bill with the Senate and move to eliminate this discriminatory provision so that Head Start can once again go forward with the universal support that it has earned and that it deserves.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the supplemental appropriations bill for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.

My heart goes out to the people of New Orleans, and to all the families affected by Katrina in States across the gulf coast. The huge path of devastation Katrina left behind has horrified us all. And we have been equally horrified by the conditions and difficulties confronting the affected families as they struggle to meet life and death challenges brought each day since the hurricane.

As I have, the entire world has been moved by the resiliency and fortitude of these stalwart Americans and their ability to pick up the pieces and move forward. I know that State and local officials in Louisiana and all the affected States take enormous pride in their people and appreciate the outpouring of assistance that has been rendered to those in need by police, emergency personnel, religious organizations, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, our military, National Guard, and the community at large.

Tragically, this administration failed to meet its responsibilities, and the Republican leadership in Congress, which oversees our Federal agencies, must share the blame for the terribly inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina by the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Repeatedly, the Republican leadership has cut critical funding and personnel for FEMA. The Federal response along the gulf coast was poorly planned, inadequately coordinated, and just plain late, leaving hundreds of thousands to endure prolonged peril.

In addition to my concern about the human welfare of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, I am also concerned that the inadequate response to this emergency has exposed weaknesses that indicate we may not be adequately prepared to meet the challenge of a terrorist attack or future national disasters. It is essential therefore, that we carefully scrutinize what went wrong. Not to point fingers or place blame, but to identify and to correct our mistakes, and fortify our weaknesses in order to assure the American public that things will be different in the future.

I support this funding bill today, because clearly it is needed. However, I am deeply disappointed in the Republican leadership's current approach to address this disaster and the weaknesses it has uncovered. With little consultation with Democrats, Congress has already given nearly $60 billion to FEMA, an agency universally recognized to have failed in its mission on the gulf coast. Rather than work in a bi-partisan way to address the weaknesses in FEMA and require accountability for the millions of appropriated dollars, the Republican leadership has unnecessarily rushed through two appropriations bills with little debate and no opportunities for amendment by the House.

Meaningful corrections to our emergency response capabilities will take time and careful consideration by both parties in Congress working together on behalf of the American people. Yet the Republican leadership, again without consulting Democrats, has moved forward with a partisan proposal for oversight hearings controlled by the very same congressional leadership responsible for lack of oversight and inadequate funding of FEMA in the first place.

If we are genuinely interested in getting to the root of the problem, a ``no holds barred'' analysis of FEMA's shortcomings is critical. The most effective way to meet this objective is through an investigation conducted by an outside, nonpartisan panel of experts, such as the 9-11 Commission, which shed so much light on our intelligence shortcomings. Even while we are stunned by the devastation of Katrina and know that FEMA and the administration should have done better, we should not shy away from taking a hard look at what went wrong and how we can correct it. Again, such evaluation does not constitute finger pointing--it is clearly the responsible thing to do. It is a responsible act in order to be adequately prepared for a future crisis or disaster. We owe no less to those who have suffered and lost so much during this disaster and we owe no less to the American people.

I will support this necessary funding today. In the future, however, the Appropriations Committee must be given the opportunity to perform its mission to scrutinize requests carefully. And the House must be allowed the time to debate and amend the bill as necessary.

Mr. Speaker, many have already commented that the response to this national tragedy differs significantly from the bipartisan conduct and unified feeling we had after the

terrorist attacks on September 11. Let's again resolve to proceed in a bipartisan manner to address the underlying problems of our national disaster response as we continue to supply the necessary support to the people of New Orleans and the gulf coast to enable them to put their lives and their communities together again.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate famed architect Frank Gehry for having his building, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, included in the U.S. Postal Service's 2005 Masterworks of Modern Architecture series. The hall is one of 12 modern structures in the nation--and the only one on the West Coast--featured in the postal stamp collection now on sale at post offices throughout the country.

As part of this series, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is among a distinguished collection that includes the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Hancock Center tower in Chicago and the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Located in my congressional district in downtown Los Angeles, the Walt Disney Concert Hall draws national attention to Los Angeles and serves as the centerpiece of downtown's successful revitalization that includes showcasing the area's diverse artistic and cultural offerings.

Occupying a full city block on the historic Bunker Hill, the concert hall serves most notably as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its 3.6 acre site also includes California's smallest state park. Traveling at the intersection of First Street and Grand Avenue, passersby quickly take notice of Mr. Gehry's stunning design. The hall's bold eye-catching exterior is comprised of enormous curves made of stainless steel. Its expansive transparent doors and windows stretch along Grand Avenue and welcome the public to come inside. A futuristic- style external aerial walkway begins on Grand Avenue, and lifts visitors up and across the front of the venue, offering views of City Hall and beyond, and eventually winding around to the garden level on the other side of the building.

The interior of the hall is just as original. Acoustically designed by the world-renowned Yasuhisa Toyota, the hardwood-paneled main auditorium is lauded as state of the art. Even the seating arrangement is insightful. Theatergoers are seated on all sides of the orchestra and the absence of private boxes--common in most concert halls--adds a unique element to the experience.

The history of the origin of this national landmark is as inspirational as Mr. Gehry's creative genius. In 1987, Walt Disney's widow Lillian Disney gave a $50 million gift to the community to build the concert hall as a way of paying tribute to her late husband's lifelong commitment to the arts.

Sixteen years later, when the building opened its doors in 2003, the completed Walt Disney Concert Hall stood as a proud collaboration of effort, talent and vision. There are many to thank for helping to make the Walt Disney Concert Hall a reality, including, but not limited to, the ironworkers who built the hall's exterior and the many financial sponsors who worked with The Music Center, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the County of Los Angeles and the Disney family to obtain the funding needed to complete the project.

It is truly because of their devotion and hard work that so many visitors from all over the world have had the opportunity to enjoy Mr. Gehry's architectural masterpiece that stands today.

On behalf of all Angelenos, I congratulate Mr. Gehry for being recognized in this special way by the U.S. Postal Service and, above all, I thank him for giving Los Angeles a cultural and architectural jewel that will surely be enjoyed for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist temple and its members as they celebrate their Centennial Anniversary. The temple is located in downtown Los Angeles in my 34th Congressional District.

The Temple, which began in 1905 in Little Tokyo on Jackson Street and Central Avenue, was established due to the strong and faithful desire of the followers of the teachings of Buddha to have a place to congregate after emigrating from Japan. The Issei (first generation) pioneers brought with them their Japanese culture, traditions, customs, and their Buddhist religion.

In 1925, a new temple was built on the corner of First and Central streets. The Temple, fondly called ``Nishi'' by Buddhists in Southern California, is currently housed in a traditional Japanese-style temple building on First Street in the eastern sector of Little Tokyo. Nishi is one of sixty temples around the United States that make up the Buddhist Churches of America.

Since its inception, Nishi has continuously served its members and the Little Tokyo community. Even during World War II, when the Temple was used as an initial assembly site for many of the 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans who were evacuated from the west coast of the United States to internment camps, the Temple provided the evacuees a haven to safely store their belongings until after the war. Throughout their internment, Nishi ministers continued to administer to the faithful Buddhist members.

Today, the Temple offers Sunday services, as well as services for weddings, funerals, and family memorials. Nishi also provides a children's day care center, and community programs for youth and adults, such as sports and cultural activities.

The Centennial Anniversary Celebration commemorates the dedication and commitment of the Issei pioneer members that laid the foundation of the Temple. It also commemorates the hard work of succeeding generations that built the Temple as it stands today. The addition of the new Wisteria Chapel and the Muryo Koju-do (nokotsudo-columbarium) were built as a centennial project to commemorate the pioneering members and to continue the legacy of the Issei for future generations. The Dedication Service of this new addition to the Temple will be part of the Centennial Celebration weekend of August 27-29, 2005. Nishi members will also conduct a memorial service in honor of past members and ministers and host an evening banquet.

I congratulate the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and its members on reaching this historic milestone, and I join them in celebrating their 100th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John and Mary Carol England on the occasion of their 70th birthdays.

John and Mary, or ``Jack'' and ``Carol'' as their family and friends know them, have been married to each other for 43 years and have lived in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania for 48 years.

The elder son of John England and Ruth Hines-England, Jack was born near our Nation's Capital in Baltimore, Maryland on September 2, 1935. Carol, the first of two daughters of Walter G. Holden and Isabel Bolan- Holden, was born in the Nation's heartland in Sioux City, Iowa on September 12, 1935. They were born only 10 days apart, yet the

worlds of their early childhoods could not have been farther apart given the differences been urban and rural America during the Great Depression.

Their families weathered the difficult times of the Depression and World War II, and both Carol and Jack enrolled in college at American University in Washington, DC in the early 1950s. It was while studying at the university that they met and began their courtship.

Following their graduation from American University in 1957, Carol and Jack continued their graduate education separately. Carol earned a master's degree in sociology from Columbia University in New York City. After completing her graduate degree, Carol served as Associate Dean of Students at Plattsburgh State University in New York and later worked in human resources for the Woodard & Lothrop Department Stores for several years in the Washington, DC area.

Meanwhile, Jack entered the United States Air Force and earned a master's degree in hospital administration from the George Washington University.

On January 27, 1962, Jack and Carol were married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Bethesda, Maryland surrounded by family and friends. During Jack's service in the Air Force, the young couple had three sons--William, John and Andrew--who were born in Maryland, Texas, and Massachusetts respectively. Their youngest son, Thomas, was born in Washington, DC when the family settled in the Maryland suburbs after Jack completed his service in the U.S. Air Force in 1971. The young boys kept Carol busy at home as a full time homemaker.

After separating from the Air Force, Jack continued his work in hospital administration and served as assistant administrator at the Washington Hospital Center. In 1978 he accepted a position as administrator at the Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania and he and Carol moved their young family to the neighboring community of Lower Burrell in October. In 1998, Jack retired as President and CEO of the hospital, where he served for 20 years of his 27 years in civilian hospital administration.

In retirement, Carol and Jack have taken courses from the Pennsylvania State University, New Kensington Campus where Jack also served on the advisory board. They are both avid fans of the performing arts, and they travel regularly to Niagara-on-the Lake in Ontario, Canada for the Shaw and Shakespeare festivals. Carol and Jack volunteer at both the local library and their parish church of St. Margaret Mary, and Jack is the secretary for his local Rotary. However, without a doubt, their favorite pastime is visiting with their young granddaughter, Sarah Elisabeth England and their daughter-in-law, Lorie Slass.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my best wishes to Jack and Carol England on the occasion of their 70th birthdays on September 2, 2005 and September 12, 2005 respectively, and I salute their continued active involvement and commitment to their family, community, and church. I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to their sons on their parents' many accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate famed architect Frank Gehry for the selection of the Walt Disney Concert Hall as one of the Masterworks of Modern Architecture for this year's United States postal stamp collection. The Walt Disney Concert Hall stamp will be part of a collection of twelve masterworks of modern American architecture that includes Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum, the concrete Yale Art and Architecture Building, the Chrysler Building in New York, and the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is the newest structure in this series and the only architectural masterpiece from our country's West Coast to receive this honor.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located in my congressional district, at the intersection of First Street and Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. This beautiful masterpiece, situated on historic Bunker Hill, is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The hall's bold and unique exterior is comprised of enormous curved shapes of stainless steel. The magnificent and magical architecture of the exterior is matched by that of its interior. The hardwood-paneled main auditorium, designed by world-renowned expert Yasuhisa Toyota, has been lauded for its state- of-the-art acoustics. In the auditorium, guests sit on all sides of the orchestra. Private boxes, typically present in concert halls, do not exist.

The Disney Concert Hall further welcomes a community atmosphere with its expansive transparent doors and windows that stretch along Grand Avenue. Occupying a full city block, the 3.6 acre site is also home to California's smallest state park.

Frank Gehry's Disney Hall masterpiece has drawn national attention to Los Angeles and has served as the centerpiece of successful efforts to revitalize downtown L.A. and its diverse artistic and cultural offerings.

This landmark project began in 1987 when Walt Disney's widow Lillian Disney gave a $50 million gift to Angelenos to build the concert hall and to demonstrate Walt Disney's commitment to the arts. Mr. Gehry was selected as its architect the following year. Construction on the hall began in 1999 and the Disney Concert Hall opened its doors in 2003.

The building of the Walt Disney Concert Hall was a collaboration of efforts throughout the County of Los Angeles. Talented ironworkers crafted the remarkable exterior. Corporations, foundations, and individuals, in conjunction with the State of California and the Disney family, partnered to provide the funding for this incredible undertaking.

Open daily to the public, Angelenos and visitors alike now enjoy an internationally renowned architectural masterpiece and one of the most remarkable concert halls in the world. Since its opening, the Walt Disney Concert Hall has had more than 450,000 visitors.

Frank Gehry's masterpiece is a fitting contribution to the U.S. Postal Service's collection of the Masterworks of Modern Architecture. On behalf of all Angelenos, I congratulate him and all who helped to make the Walt Disney Concert Hall a reality, worthy of this prestigious honor.

Mr. Speaker, 45,000 adult Americans die every year from infectious diseases that could have been prevented by a simple vaccination. Tragically, 40 percent of adults in our country are underimmunized for preventable diseases such as influenza and hepatitis B. The consequences are unnecessary pain, suffering, and loss of life at a cost of more than $10 billion a year to society.

To address this tragedy, I am introducing the THRIVE Act of 2005 with the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker) as part of National Immunization Month. The THRIVE Act authorizes CDC to develop immunization guidelines and increase patient outreach and provider outreach. It directs the Secretary of HHS to launch a national media campaign about the value of adult immunizations, and it establishes a pilot project to distribute influenza vaccine for uninsured, at-risk adults.

The THRIVE Act of 2005 is a critical step towards reducing vaccine- preventable deaths in our country, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3045, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). I am a supporter of trade when it is used to help lift developing countries out of poverty and when it provides jobs with fair wages and protections. However, as negotiated, the CAFTA fails on both counts.

On May 15, 2003, I joined colleagues of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick regarding concerns we had about the direction the Administration was taking during its negotiations of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. As a signatory to that letter, I urged Ambassador Zoellick to negotiate to strengthen the enforcement of internationally recognized labor rights, such as freedom of association, the right to organize, and to bargain collectively. I regret that U.S. negotiators ignored this critical request and finalized the CAFTA without strong and clear language that would hold the CAFTA countries accountable to such internationally recognized core labor rights.

There are many other concerns I have with the trade agreement that is before us. For example, I am troubled by the fact that the CAFTA does not adhere to the provisions of the 2002 Trade Promotion Authority, which requires that new U.S. trade agreements not provide greater legal rights to foreign investors than to U.S. investors. Under CAFTA, foreign investors have the right to challenge U.S. laws and regulations if they believe the law negatively impacts their ability to conduct trade. As a result, a foreign investor can seek financial compensation from the U.S. by going through an international arbitration panel. Congress was clear in its opposition to this continued foreign investor overreach of power, and it is disturbing that the Administration has not done a better job of protecting U.S. interests.

In addition, I oppose the provisions of this agreement which would impede access to safe and affordable prescription drugs for patients throughout Central America and the Dominican Republic. Specifically, CAFTA would block governments from approving the sale of generic drugs for at least five years after a new drug is introduced in each market, even if the drug's patent has already expired. The agreement would also block the approval of generics unless drug regulators can prove that the drug's patent has expired. These obligations create additional burdens on CAFTA countries that need to focus their limited resources on monitoring the safety and efficacy of their pharmaceutical products. Furthermore, it is unconscionable that we would place the financial interest of large multicultural drug companies above the health needs of families in developing countries.

In conclusion, I continue to express my support for a U.S. Central American Free Trade Agreement that would protect U.S. interests and create economic opportunities for workers, businesses, and farmers here and in Central America. Such an agreement would help break the cycle of poverty in Central America and serve as a model for hemispheric trade. Unfortunately, the agreement your office has negotiated falls far short of meeting these goals.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3199, the reauthorization of 16 expiring sections of the PATRIOT Act, which weakens the safeguards currently in place to protect innocent Americans from sweeping searches and surveillance by the government.

I am not opposed to the original PATRIOT Act. In fact, I supported the original bill passed in 2001 because it included provisions which were legitimately needed by law enforcement in order to better pursue terrorists. Commonsense improvements have been made to update our intelligence and law enforcement capabilities, and to reflect modern- day realities. These will remain intact, and today's vote will not affect such core provisions of the PATRIOT Act. Whether or not H.R. 3199 passes, 90 percent of the PATRIOT Act will continue to be enforced.

My objection, however, is that H.R. 3199 retains numerous objectionable provisions of the PATRIOT Act that intrude on our privacy and civil liberties, have been subject to repeated abuse and misuse by the Justice Department, and have little to do with combating terrorism. This legislation does nothing to address the many unilateral civil rights and civil liberties abuses by the administration since the September 11 attacks. Nor does the bill provide law enforcement with any additional real and meaningful tools necessary to help our Nation prevail in the war against terrorism.

Since 2002, 389 communities, including Los Angeles, have passed resolutions opposing parts of the PATRIOT Act, representing over 62 million people. This outcry from America is due to the repeated and serious misuse of the legislation by the Justice Department. Consider that the PATRIOT Act has been used more than 150 times to secretly search an individual's home, with nearly 90 percent of those cases having had nothing to do with terrorism. It was used against Brandon Mayfield, an innocent Muslim American, to tap his phones, seize his property, copy his computer files, spy on his children, and take his DNA, all without his knowledge. Furthermore, because of gag restrictions, we will never know how many times it has been used to obtain the reading records of average Americans from libraries and bookstores.

H.R. 3199 also extends or makes permanent 16 provisions of the PATRIOT Act concerning the government's expanded surveillance authorities, which are otherwise scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2005. It is simply irresponsible to make these provisions permanent when there continues to be wide spread concern that these sections of the PATRIOT Act can lead to violations of individual civil liberties, as well as tread on our country's professed support of basic civil rights for all individuals. Preserving a 4-year sunset for these 16 provisions in the PATRIOT Act is one of Congress's strongest mechanisms for maintaining oversight and accountability over expanded government controls that could potentially undermine civil rights and civil liberties. We are talking about critical issues that will set the precedence for the rights of people in our country for many years to come.

The Intelligence Committee tried to offer sensible amendments to the bill, but was denied by the Republican-controlled Rules Committee. One amendment would have tightened the ability of the FBI to conduct roving wiretaps to ensure that only terror suspects--not innocent Americans-- are wire-tapped. Another amendment would have included the sunset provisions originally in the PATRIOT Act to promote accountability and congressional oversight. A final amendment would have prohibited the FBI from using the broad powers to get bookstore or library documentary records about any patron.

Even though some in our government may claim that civil liberties must be compromised in order to protect the public, we must be wary

of what we are giving up in the name of fighting terrorism. Striking the right balance is a difficult, but critically important task. History has taught us to carefully safeguard our civil liberties-- especially in times of fear and national outrage.

The lessons of September 11 are that if we allow law enforcement to do their work free of political interference, if we give them adequate resources and modern technologies, we can protect our citizens without intruding on our liberties. We all want to fight terrorism, but we need to fight it the right way, consistent with the Constitution, and in a manner that serves as a model for the rest of the world. Unfortunately, H.R. 3199 does not meet those tests and, without the critical safeguards of sunset provisions, does not warrant reauthorization.