Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, during the vote on amendments and final passage for H.R. 2829, the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act, I was away from the Capitol on business in my home State of Georgia.

On the Chabot amendment to H.R. 2829 (Vote #34), I would have voted ``yes.''

On the Hooley amendment to H.R. 2829 (Vote #35), I would have voted ``yes.''

On the Paul amendment to H.R. 2829 (Vote #36), I would have voted ``yes.''

On the Rehberg amendment to H.R. 2829 (Vote #37), I would have voted ``yes.''

On final passage, I would have voted in favor of H.R. 2829, to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act (Vote #38).

Offered By: Mr. Westmoreland

Amendment No. 19: Page 79, beginning on line 10, strike

section 3006.

Offered By: Mr. Westmoreland

Amendment No. 20: Page 35, line 21, strike ``That'' and all

that follows through the comma on line 24.

Thank you, Mr. Price. And I want to thank you, my friend from Georgia, for hosting this hour to highlight some of the truth.

I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that you know that the truth sometimes hurts. And so when you are exposing the truth, it might be even seen by some as being hurtful, but I believe Mr. Haley Barbour quoted, Mr. Speaker, that ``The truth is a lot of things to a lot of people. But in the end, the truth is the truth.''

I want to talk a little bit tonight about the success of the Republican economic policies and to expose the half-truths of our opponents who want to raise taxes on the American families.

Mr. Speaker, the evidence speaks for itself. Republican principles and action lead to economic growth, more jobs, higher standards of living and increased revenue to the Federal Treasury. Since 2003, the U.S. economy has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs while the unemployment rate has dropped down below 5 percent, which is an extremely low number by historical standards. The increases in employment and wages seen last year are also expected to continue, which will help consumer spending. Household net worth has risen for 12 consecutive quarters under the Republican administration and leadership of this House.

Wealth has not risen just because of housing. Checking accounts, savings accounts, and so on are at a record high and are a larger share of after-tax income than any other time since 1993. Economic activity had considerable momentum last year, and that will carry into 2006, 2007 and on. The Congressional Budget Office forecasted the real GDP will grow by 3.6 percent this year and by 3.4 percent in 2007.

With these numbers it is obvious that the tax cuts, passed and renewed since 2001, have bolstered the American economy even after the incredible cost of September 11, 2001, the terrible destruction caused on the gulf coast by the series of hurricanes that hit there, and the high price tag of the war on terror.

Despite many challenges, the state of our economy is strong. As our economy grows, as we create new jobs and as wages grow, more money comes into the Federal Treasury. That is right. Despite all of the belly-aching from the other side about the cost of the tax cuts, the Federal Treasury is taking in plenty of money. Last year the Federal Government took in $2.15 trillion, the highest dollar amount that has ever been received.

I would like to ask my friend from Georgia if he has got a chart there that shows the revenues that came in last year. I think it will show that we do not have a revenue problem. What we have here is a spending problem. And the chart will show you that the revenues will go up as the tax cuts go into full swing to a record high. So we do not have a revenue problem.

Because, Mr. Speaker and my friend from Georgia, people are reinvesting their money. They have more money to spend. That

is a direct result of the tax cuts. In fact, we need to make these tax cuts permanent; and I think the people of this country would like to see that also. Despite this growth in revenue, we have seen an even greater growth in spending, and this has got to stop.

The fact is we can and have cut back on discretionary spending in this Congress, but in order to really return our budget to fiscal sanity, we have no choice but to tackle serious entitlement reform.

On this floor, our colleagues from the Democratic Caucus, the other side of the aisle, complain about the deficit. Yet when this Republican Congress and our Republican leadership took a stand to modestly reform entitlements and modestly curb the rate of growth and spending in the Deficit Reduction Act, no Democrats voted for that bill.

Where were the so-called deficit hawks and the Blue Dog Democrats? Where were the Democrats in the 30-Something Group who say they would do a better job of taming the deficit?

When it came time to make the tough choices, their votes did not match their rhetoric on the deficit. In fact, when it comes to offering solutions, attacks and hollow rhetoric are all we hear from the other side. What we do not hear from the other side is a plan of action. What we don't hear from the other side is a set of principles. What we do not hear from the other side is a strategy for securing our Nation while expanding our economy.

These are truths, and sometimes the truth does hurt. Republicans, in contrast, have a plan for leading this Nation. The Republican Study Committee today released its proposal for balancing our budget, a recommitment to the contract on America. That budget recognizes that we must take serious steps to tame our budget deficit. If the Democrats had a plan, which they do not, their plan would include hefty tax hikes on American families and American job creators, and that is the only truth that can come out of that. You cannot be unwilling to cut spending and expect the deficit to go away.

Our budget recognizes that we do not need more revenue. We have never had more revenue. But we still have to make tough choices. In a world of tough choices we can raise the price of the buffet or we can curb our appetites. With our waistlines bulging, the choice is clear. We must go on a spending diet until our pants fit again.

We have a plan for trimming down the budget. We have a plan for continuing our economic growth. We have a plan for strengthening the economic security of American families. And I think that plan should include making these tax cuts permanent so people can afford to plan their future and to know what is ahead of them.

To my friend from Georgia, my mother always told me that actions speak louder than words. And anybody can go anywhere and say anything, but when you are given an opportunity to take those words that you spoke and put them into action, and for the American people to be able to see that you are sincere in what you are saying, your votes should match what your words are.

As we know, as all of us have been in politics, and I see the gentlewoman from Tennessee has joined us here, but in politics you can tell your constituents anything in the world, but they will know honestly how you feel when you vote. And that is what they should do and we should all be held accountable for our votes. And hopefully we will. Hopefully the truth will come out.

I just appreciate so much you taking the time to do this and all the efforts that you have put forward to get the good Republican principled message out: that we are about American families. We are about them having more money in their pockets that they can use on discretionary spending for their families and to be able to plan for their future. Thank you very much.

Do you think that after so long this money starts looking like play money and you start talking about billions of dollars and trillions of dollars and that is unrealistic to most people? I think when you start to think of a billion dollars is ten hundred million, and most of us will never know what a million dollars is. It is not just play money. It is money that has come out of the taxpayers' pockets and we have got to be accountable for it.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues a startling statistic--the 50 percent unemployment rate of people with disabilities in this country. For those with severe disabilities, the number is even graver at 70 percent.

It is easy to focus on the disability of a person, not the ability. But people with disabilities want to work, and can work. We must recognize the potential of all Americans, and provide the opportunities needed to allow people with disabilities to become self-sufficient, independent, tax-paying citizens.

To that end, I am proud to support employment opportunities for people with disabilities, particularly through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day, JWOD, Program.

The JWOD Program uses the purchasing power of the Federal Government to buy products and services from participating, community-based nonprofit agencies dedicated to

training and employing individuals with disabilities.

The people who are blind or who have other severe disabilities who work under the JWOD Program are given the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits and gain greater independence and quality of life. This program allows people with disabilities enjoy full participation in their community and can market their JWOD-learned skills into other public and private sector jobs.

In the United States, the program serves 40,000 people with disabilities and generated approximately $280 million in wages earned and nearly $1.5 billion in products sold. In Georgia alone, approximately 1,000 people with disabilities earned nearly $3 million in wages last year as a result of JWOD.

It is with great pleasure that I recognize the great contributions of American workers with disabilities and I encourage others to do so on February 23, which is National Disability Day. More importantly, let us all remember everyday that every person has ability. Everyone has something to share for the greater good. America truly works best when all Americans work. I commend the JWOD Program, its supporters, and its participants for making a difference where it is needed most.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to title VII of the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act.

Our Nation is facing a serious crisis with illegal immigration. Our Nation's national security along with our Nation's job security are on the line as we debate this bill.

I have spent my entire life prior to coming to Congress in the building business. I have worked with many people over the years that work hard to employ, to build infrastructure, to help their communities, and to provide for their families. They are usually small business people; but the way this legislation was originally drafted, it had the potential to turn many of the people I have worked with my entire life into Federal felons.

When I read title VII of the legislation, I was surprised. The criminal penalties were high, and in some cases the fines went up by 800 percent. Businesses are overregulated as it is, and government agencies tend to pile on penalties and fines for even the smallest infractions. I did not want this House sending a flawed bill to the Senate, and I think this amendment makes very important changes that are necessary to clarify some of the issues in title VII.

First, the amendment places caps on the monetary penalties laid out in section 7. Instead of just laying out high mandatory minimum fines, the amendment places upper limits on the fines so businesses will not be subject to unlimited liability.

Second, it provides for the relief from the civil penalties for a first offense under the bill if a business violates a particular rule regarding the employment checks as long as the employer acted in good faith. This will protect companies that are doing their best to follow this complicated new system, but miss some part of it one time.

Finally, the amendment provides a safe harbor for contractors who have a subcontractor that hires an illegal alien. This ensures that general contractors will not be held liable for the actions of a subcontractor when they are not aware that the sub is hiring illegals.

Mr. Chairman, the government requires that schools teach students whether they are legal or not. Hospitals are required to treat patients whether they are legal or not. Let us not make business the police of illegal immigration.

Right now we have laws and serious penalties on the books that prohibit people from entering our country, and that prevents businesses from hiring those here illegally. We need to be careful about requiring businesses to help us do our enforcement work. Enforcement of existing laws is absolutely necessary, but we need to make sure the government is doing its part. Many times partnering with business to help address the problem may be a better approach than imposing severe fines and ever-increasing penalties on business.

We have a problem with illegal immigration that has been decades in the making. Although this legislation is not perfect, we must begin addressing these problems before they grow even worse. True leadership sometimes involves doing things that may be unpopular, but they are right.

Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill.

I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

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

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

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

It is a shame that the gentleman did not read the amendment. It caps the penalties at $40,000. The maximum penalty that was on there was $20,000, and this just caps the penalties at $40,000, regardless of the occurrence. In some cases that could be up to 10 different occurrences.

What this does is it gives safe harbor for somebody who has made a good-faith effort in getting into the system. We are going to have an overburdensome system when this thing begins. This is an opportunity that if they made one error in filling out any of the paperwork or the procedure they go through, they have a safe harbor.

And as far as the contractor and the subcontractor goes, this is already existing law. This just restates that law, and puts it into this amendment.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, Mr. Sensenbrenner, for his hard work on this and the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. King. They have shown great leadership in us taking a first step towards this procedure. This is the first step down a long road of getting a handle on the Nation's immigration problems; and I am grateful for their leadership.

Mr. Chairman, I urge all Members to support the Westmoreland amendment to H.R. 4437.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3770) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 205 West Washington Street in Knox, Indiana, as the ``Grant W. Green Post Office Building''.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3770 authored by the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola).

Mr. Speaker, this bill would designate this post office in Knox, Indiana, as the Grant W. Green Post Office Building.

As the longest serving postman in Knox history, Grant Green served the people of Knox from 1920 to 1970. For more than half a century, he refused to let anything, ``neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night,'' keep him from his appointed routes. For 23 years, he delivered mail to all houses located north of the Nickel Plate Railroad tracks, which ran through the center of town. He spent the remaining 27 years of his career delivering mail

on rural routes at a time when most homes were located on dirt or gravel roads.

Grant Green moved to Knox as a young man to raise a family, but he quickly became the quintessential public servant: hardworking, passionate about his job, and dedicated to the people in the country in which he served. He was also extremely active in the community as a 70- year member of the local Masonic Lodge. Mr. Green passed away on December 29, 1990, but will be forever remembered as one of the most dedicated citizens of the community of Knox, Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to come together to recognize the vast dedication of Grant W. Green to public service in Knox, Indiana.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 3770, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3825) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Trumbull Drive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the ``Clayton J. Smith Memorial Post Office Building''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3825 authored by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy). This bill would designate this post office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the Clayton J. Smith Memorial Post Office Building.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 3825, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4053) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 545 North Rimsdale Avenue in Covina, California, as the ``Lillian Kinkella Keil Post Office''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4053 offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis). This bill would designate this post office in Covina, California, as the Lillian Kinkella Keil Post Office.

Lillian Kinkella Keil, a registered nurse, was one of the first airplane stewardesses hired by United Airways. Keil was happily attending to her passengers when the United States entered World War II. She decided to send a letter to the School of Evacuation in Bowman Fields, California, and within 2 weeks she was accepted. By the summer of 1943, she was in England pulling wounded and frost-bitten soldiers out of B17s returning from bombing raids over Europe.

Keil made 250 evacuation flights, including one to collect the wounded after the invasion of Normandy. Twenty-three of these missions were transatlantic, moving from one man to another, stopping blood flow, bandaging wounds, and giving medicine and comfort.

After World War II ended, Keil returned to the United Airways as an assistant chief stewardess, but her career was interrupted again by the dawn of the Korean War. In 1950, she returned to her duties as an Air Force flight nurse. During the next 16 months, Keil flew 175 air evacuations out of Korea, logging 1,400 hours of flight time.

Her experiences as a flight nurse were used as the basis for the 1953 Hollywood movie ``Flight Nurse'' starring Joan Leslie and Forrest Tucker. Her experiences in World War II and Korea ultimately resulted in her being one of the most decorated women in American military history. She was awarded 19 medals, including a European Theater medal with four battle stars, a Korean service medal with seven battle stars, four air medals and a Presidential Citation from the Republic of Korea. Lillian Kinkella Keil was a true American hero.

I urge all members to come together to honor this brave and patriotic humanitarian by passing H.R. 4053.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4053, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, Republicans are moving forward to protect one of the most foundational rights we cherish, the right to own private property. One of our great former Presidents, John Adams, said: ``Property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty.'' The first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said: ``No power on Earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent.''

We have seen our Supreme Court rule that property can be taken from one private owner and given to another. Republicans in Congress are taking action to fix this problem with legislation we will consider today on the House floor. Government should not and must not have the authority to take property away from private landowners for the sole sake of giving it to another private landowner.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the efforts of the majority in bringing forward this important legislation and look forward to supporting it on the floor this afternoon.

Mr. Speaker, in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to stop the systematic civil rights violations that were the status quo in my home State of Georgia and

various other States. In those dark days, the Federal Government rightly stepped in to extend the guarantees of our Constitution to every American, regardless of race.

Georgians have worked together closely for the past 40 years to heal the wounds of the past, and we have progressed tremendously. Black Georgians today are equal partners, not only in access to the voting booth but also to elected positions of power.

In the parts of Georgia that experienced the most oppressive and violent abuses of civil rights, that is in counties and cities where African Americans are a majority, black Georgians are now the leaders of those local communities. African Americans hold a significant portion of the seats in the Georgia legislature, where many have held positions of great influence. Nine of our 34 Statewide elected posts are held by African Americans, a percentage that comes close to mirroring their proportion of the State's population.

Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker is an African American who has twice won Statewide election to that post. Our Statewide elected labor commissioner is black, as are three justices on our State Supreme Court. Four African Americans hold seats in our 13 member House delegation. Two of those black members defeated white candidates in majority white districts.

African Americans have exercised their electoral muscle for decades now in Georgia. Blacks in Georgia have higher levels of voter registration and participation than do whites. In fact, blacks in Georgia have higher registration rates than do most blacks outside the South.

Furthermore, black and white candidates for public office draw comparable support from white voters. In other words, black and white candidates of the same party win or lose at the polls with similar vote percentages. No longer will Georgians vote against a black candidate simply because he or she is black.

With these facts in mind, I call on Congress to let Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act expire. Section 5 was implemented as a temporary statute to correct a specific problem. In the late 1960s, the Supreme Court ruled that Section 5 was constitutional only because it was narrowly tailored and temporary. Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to my colleagues here in the House that 40 years is more than temporary.

Now Congress is considering extending Section 5 for another 25 years, to 2030, without giving any consideration to the changes that have occurred since 1965. If there is a need for Section 5 today in Georgia, it must be needed everywhere.

If it is good for Georgia, it will be good for your State too. But if you do not think your State election laws should be subjected to Federal oversight, then I challenge each and every one of you to at least, Mr. Speaker, look at the facts of today's Georgia before casting a vote that does not affect your constituents, but does affect mine.

Georgia has fulfilled the vision of the Voting Rights Act and should be treated the same as every other State.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people are watching this debate; and if they are watching this debate on TV, I hope they have a video recorder, because they need to record this debate.

When you are talking in your church or in your home or where you work about high fuel prices, you can play this and let people see why we have the prices that we have right now; why they are going to be paying more for home heating oil; why they are paying more for gasoline, because this side of the aisle over here does not understand the problems that we have in this country.

Play it; listen to it. You are an individual out there. You can car pool if you want to. If you want to buy a car that gets 50 miles to the gallon, they make them every day. You can go buy them by the hundreds. If you want to buy a car that gets 10 miles to the gallon, that is up to you. You are an individual, and you have individual responsibilities.

Let us quit blaming the people who are trying to be leaders in this country and put us on the right track for an energy policy.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Georgia for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 178, bringing attention to the need to research and to find a cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I am one of more than 50 bipartisan cosponsors of this legislation.

I first learned that the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Norwood) had this disease a few years ago, and I was amazed to learn of its effects. There is no cure or treatment for IPF, and the disease continues to build up scar tissue in the lungs until fatality results in many cases.

More than 31,000 Americans are diagnosed with IPF each year, and the median survival rate is only 2 to 3 years.

Although IPF is three times more common than cystic fibrosis, it only receives a fraction of the research funding. This resolution does the right thing by calling attention to it and increasing public awareness. Increased awareness will also help the diagnosis process to help ensure that the disease is caught as early as possible. Many times the disease is misdiagnosed in the early stages and doctors do not even realize the effects the disease is having until it moves on to its later stages.

The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood), my friend, has been incredible in his strength and has been an example to me. He did not let the difficulties he faced prior to his lung transplant slow him down. And after the transplant, he continued to zoom around the Capitol, often quicker than I, as he has recovered. Even when he was still on oxygen full time, he was up speaking to this House and addressing the issues and concerns of his constituents. He did not miss a beat. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be able to serve with such a great American as the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

I ask for support of House Concurrent Resolution 178.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of a great American, John Stacy. It is my privilege to bring before the House of Representatives the occasion of his 60th birthday.

John Stacy was born on October 5, 1945 in Coleman, KY to his proud parents, John and Bertha Stacy. After he completed his education, he began serving his country, entering the United States Marine Corps in June of 1965. After completing the rigors of boot camp, he went on to serve in a number of capacities, including the area of Motor Pool Transport, as a colonel's personal driver, then as a career planner and a member of the Hostage Negotiations Team. Eventually he became an instructor for the Officer Advanced Course for Military Police.

He also served overseas on a number of occasions between 1966 and 1981, including a tour in Vietnam, two tours of duty in Okinawa, and time at Subic Bay in the Philippines.

During this time, John was continuing to rise through the ranks, achieving the rank of gunnery sergeant. But others saw the distinction he brought to his duties, and he was recognized as the Marine Corps Outstanding Military Citizen for Georgia in 1984.

In 1985, John retired from the Marines at his gunnery sergeant rank after 20 years of service to our Nation and to our freedoms.

That alone would seem to be enough to make a life worthwhile. But as those of us who have friends who are Marines know, a Marine never truly retires.

And John didn't retire either--he had begun working with the Boy Scouts of America before finishing his time with the Marine Corps, and his ``retirement'' from the Marines only meant he had more time to invest in the lives of others. He served with the Boy Scouts for a total of 10 years, working as a camp ranger and the program director of Camp Osborn. During that time, he had an active role in molding the lives of young men through the Boy Scouts, and led them by his example of service as he helped turn those boys into men.

But John wasn't finished yet. His experience in police duties and law enforcement led to the request that he serve as executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, GACP, the largest professional association for law enforcement administrators in the State of Georgia. In that role, he took an active part in ensuring law enforcement was effectively represented at the State Capitol, and that the more than 1,000 executives representing agencies from across the State had their voices heard. The position with the GACP also moved John and his family to Columbus, GA.

Soon John received another call to service, and saw his influence grow wider. Senator Paul Coverdell needed regional representatives as he sought to put his staff together to effectively serve constituents from across the State after his election in 1992. John served effectively in that position, representing the Senator, and serving people in need from around the area.

Tragically, however, Senator Coverdell passed away while in office after a stroke, and Zell Miller, a former Governor of Georgia, was appointed to fill the great void left by the death of Senator Coverdell.

After the transition was complete, Senator Miller asked John to stay on his staff, and he continued to serve as regional director, and eventually assisted in the opening of an office in Young Harris, the Senator's hometown.

John continued to serve with Senator Miller until the Senator's retirement at the conclusion of his term in January of this year. And, as my term in the U.S. Congress began, John came on to my staff as my district director. He has served with distinction already, and his knowledge of the people of the Eighth District has been invaluable.

But if you set aside all the things a person has done, you can always learn a lot about a man by his family. And John meets that test as well. During all of his service to our Nation and the great State of Georgia, John has been married to a truly wonderful lady, his wife Elaine. They have just celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. And John is the father of two children, Graham and Janet, who continue to carry on their father's vision of service to others.

And this great man, and great American, who has achieved so much, is now celebrating his 60th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I lay before you the life and achievements, so far, of a great American, and hope all the House will join me in wishing him the best birthday wishes as he continues to serve all of us in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the accomplishments of a great citizen of the Eighth Congressional District, Dr. Frank Brown.

Dr. Brown is best known to those of us from Georgia as the President of Columbus State University, and has served in that capacity since 1988. Dr. Brown has overseen the dramatic growth of the university, and worked closely with the City of Columbus to make the school a central part of the city.

But we were able to see another side of Dr. Brown last month, when he was awarded the Distinguished Citizen Award by the Boy Scouts of America, Chattahoochee Council. The Chattahoochee Council gives the award to recognize an individual or group that undertakes outstanding service to our nation, the state, or the local community. By presenting the award, the Chattahoochee Council calls attention to the honors the contributions and good works of individuals.

Dr. Brown is a worthy recipient, due to his commitment to his community. It is my privilege to lay such an achievement before the House.