Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, organizations like the Boy Scouts embody the spirit of our Nation--giving to others, selfless sacrifice, and patriotism.

A group of young men in my district recently demonstrated the highest ideals of our nation when faced with a difficult situation. The Scout pledge includes a promise to ``help people at all times'' and these young men demonstrated that. They didn't stop to help in order to get attention, but to do what was right, to do to others as they would have done to them. And the result was a heroic effort that saved lives.

While on their way away from a Scout camp on their night off, these young men witnessed an accident on the road just behind them, and instead of leaving it to someone else to help and heading on to dinner, they stopped to help.

One of the cars involved was already on fire when the Scouts jumped into action, as some of the young men began directing traffic around the scene as others began rescuing children from the burning car. They stabilized the injured children, assessed the immediate injuries, and worked to find a fire extinguisher to get control of the fire.

When paramedics and other first responders from Pike County arrived, they worked hand-in-hand with the Scouts in taking control of the scene. The Scouts also assisted in clearing an area for a LifeFlight helicopter to land to transport the most seriously injured.

These young men, Chris Henry, Paul Hutchens, Neal Wilson, George Boggs, Zack Deckner, and Joseph Fernander, demonstrated the highest ideals of American and Boy Scout values by stopping to help those in need. They sacrificed their time, and used their skills bravely, and saved lives.

Although tragically, Mrs. Christy Redenz and her 5-year-old daughter died at the scene, the Scouts' quick action and training resulted in the other children being safely airlifted to local hospitals.

Many people in this life look for opportunities to be heroes, to be something great; but the greatest heroes are those who accomplish great things while doing their duty in the small things.

These young men are true heroes, and I am honored to bring their actions to the attention of this House. President Reagan once said something that is very appropriate in this situation--``Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference . . .'' In the case of these brave young men, they don't have that problem.

Mr. Speaker, the light of the United States of America will continue to burn brightly as long as we have young men like these surrounding all of us and leading the way.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3673, the Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005.

Along with the other members of the House, I have been shocked and saddened to watch the devastation that has been caused by the Hurricane in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I have also been encouraged by the heroic efforts both of private individuals and our military in saving the lives of many people, and evacuating those who simply could not get out of the affected areas.

This has also been a time for Americans to draw together--donations to private relief agencies are more than $500 million in just the first week after the tragedy, and organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army have been right at the forefront in providing relief to the people affected.

I strongly supported the efforts of Congress in allocating the initial $10 billion in immediate relief to keep the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Army Corps of Engineers functioning to assist in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane and flooding. However, I rise in opposition to this $51.8 billion relief package. I do not oppose all funding for the emergency, but one of my major concerns with the government response to disasters in general is the tendency to throw money at problems with very little accountability on how that money is being spent.

The $51.8 billion we are about to spend is nearly three times the entire annual State budget of my home State of Georgia, the ninth- largest State in the country with a population of 8.8 million people, and will be spent in about five weeks from what we are being told. According to the Office of Management and Budget, we are spending money at a rate of $2 billion a day, and yet we in the Congress do not have many details at all on how that money is being spent.

I strongly support continued government funding of relief work in the affected areas, but the legislation we are considering is sorely lacking in effective accountability. The legislation allocates funds to Federal agencies with barely any explanation, except for one thing we know--that not a dime of the $51.8 billion will be spent on reconstruction in the affected

areas. The funding is only for immediate response over and above the $10 billion we are already spending. This legislation holds no one responsible, and I cannot in good conscience allow such a tremendous amount of taxpayer's money to be spent without holding someone accountable for its disbursement. The legislation does provide for the inspector general to oversee the funding, but even that is after-the- fact as the money is being spent.

The more than $60 billion Congress will have allocated after this legislation passes is enough to give every family of four affected by the hurricane a cash payment of $120,000, and yet none of that $60 billion will be spent to actually rebuild anything in New Orleans, Mississippi, or Alabama.

We need time to absorb information about what is happening. We know more today than we did yesterday, and we will know more tomorrow than what we know today. We do not need more knee-jerk reactions of spending money to fix problems. There are only three ways to pay for hurricane relief--raising taxes, which will stifle the economy; cutting Federal spending to offset the money; and passing the cost along to our children and grandchildren by increasing the deficit. We need to carefully consider this spending, and work diligently to ensure that the funds are being spent wisely.

I have personally donated to the Red Cross and Salvation Army, as has my staff, and I will continue to support relief efforts. I would prefer that the votes in Congress on spending these disaster dollars take place in $10 billion installments, where we can see how effectively the money is being used. This is an extremely difficult time, and I applaud the leadership both of our President and other government agencies, along with the military, who have acted so decisively and effectively to alleviate suffering.

We are a great nation, and we will continue to be great and rise above the challenges we face. May God continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 29, and Thursday, June 30, I was attending a hearing of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in the state of Georgia regarding the proposed base closures and realignments for the southeastern states. I had the opportunity to testify on the importance of bases in Georgia, and particularly how vital Fort Benning is to my district and to our national security.

Due to my efforts in fighting for bases in the state of Georgia, I was unable to vote on some of the amendments proposed to the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development FY06 Appropriations legislation (H.R. 3058).

On the amendment of Mr. King of Iowa, rollcall Vote No. 341, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On the amendment of Ms. Herseth of South Dakota, rollcall Vote No. 342, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On the amendment of Ms. Hooley of Oregon, rollcall Vote No. 343, had I been present, I would have ``no.''

On the amendment of Mr. Souder of Indiana, rollcall Vote No. 344, had I been present, I would have voted yes.

On the amendment of Mr. Davis of Florida, rollcall Vote No. 345, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On the amendment of Ms. Lee of California, rollcall Vote No. 346, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On the amendment of Mr. Sanders of Vermont, rollcall Vote No. 347, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On the amendment of Mr. Rangel of New York, rollcall Vote No. 348, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On the amendment of Mr. Souder of Indiana, rollcall Vote No. 349, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.'' I strongly support Second Amendment rights, and the ensuring that the people have the right to personal protection. I strongly support allowing the people of the District of Columbia to defend themselves, and the crime prevention results it will bring. I applaud Mr. Souder for bringing this amendment, and its passage will be helpful to the people of the District.

On the amendment of Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, rollcall Vote No. 350, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

On the amendment of Ms. DeLauro of Connecticut, rollcall Vote No. 351, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) for his leadership in the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the fact that he has been able to pass reasonable legislation that not only helps the employee but the employer and gives us a better business atmosphere in this country. I would also like to thank my friend and fellow Georgian (Mr. Norwood) for his leadership in fine-tuning our occupational safety and health laws. The gentleman from Georgia has waged a years-long effort to improve the relationship between small businesses and the Federal Government's regulatory agencies, and for that I thank him.

Madam Speaker, I am a small businessman. I started my own construction business 25 years ago, and that is how I supported my family until my recent election this year to Congress. OSHA regulations are not just an interesting debate topic for Washington dinner parties. For me and the millions of other small business owners, they are tough rules with real consequences. No one wants to regress to the days when workers had few rights and worked in ridiculously dangerous situations with little or no regard for their safety.

In the end, good precautions are good for workers, good for businesses, and good for the economy as a whole. We are not keeping OSHA from enforcing Federal safety regulations with this legislation. We are just ensuring that regulators are fair and reasonable when enforcing regulations.

In the construction business, I worked closely with subcontractors who were small business owners themselves. One of them, a good friend of mine, ran into trouble with OSHA over this very rule that we are debating today in the Small Business Day in Court Act. He and an employee were digging a hole for a septic tank. They made a mistake during the process, and it was a mistake with horrible consequences. The walls of the hole caved in, killing the employee. While my friend was recuperating from and dealing with all the painful consequences that come with the death of an employee when you are a three-or four- man business, OSHA gave him a summons. I think everyone would agree that during those 15 days after the accident, responding to an OSHA summons should not and could not be at the top of his priority list. He missed the deadline; and, of course, under OSHA rules he was not given another chance to defend himself.

This legislation will help small business owners such as this, who run small shops but who employ the vast majority of American workers. They cannot employ full-time OSHA compliance officers and most owners are not going to be experts on the fine print of Federal regulations. When it comes to our Nation's job producers, we should not be tying their hands. We should be giving them a hand up.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, H.R. 739.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Title II of H.R. 458. This provision protects our service men and women from the predatory practices of high cost military lenders. Companies such as Pioneer Financial have demonstrated the need

for increased lending restrictions due to their avaricious behavior.

Pioneer Financial has realized that it can prey on military customers by charging unjustifiable rates, high fees and selling them expensive and often unnecessary credit insurance, and then refinancing the loan within a year to generate more fees. Some military customers have found alternatives to Pioneer's costly loan products, and because of this Pioneer has fought back and launched a targeted campaign to pass legislation that cripples its payday lender competitors and stops them from being able to sell to our military personnel.

Mr. Speaker, no one deserves to be taken advantage of, and it is despicable that someone would specifically target the very people that are protecting the freedoms that allow us to participate in commerce at all. That is exactly why I support this bill.

H.R. 458 protects and balances military borrowers' responsibilities and rights. It is important to note that the bill applies not only to payday advance lenders, but also to other higher-cost creditors like Pioneer, small loan companies, title lenders and finance companies.

This legislation also ensures that military borrowers are given additional warnings and special protections if their lender targets military personnel and charges higher rates. In particular, borrowers are protected from garnishment and other collection activities while on active military duty. Further, H.R. 458 takes care to maintain access to many types of credit. By doing so, this bill provides both choice and protection for our service members.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of the Financial Services Committee for addressing these abusive lending practices, and for protecting those who risk their lives to protect us every day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of the House a momentous occasion occurring in the Eighth District of Georgia--the one-year anniversary of the new sanctuary of Rock Springs Church in Milner, Georgia which will be celebrated on August 14 of this year.

The ministry of Rock Springs is an amazing demonstration of the faithfulness of God in the lives of His people. The church has been a lighthouse for more than 150 years, faithfully calling on people in Georgia to follow the Lord in accordance with His Word.

It was 1852, when some of the first Congregational Methodist churches were being formed, that Rock Springs first began. The church began serving the area immediately, and moved into its first sanctuary in 1855.

From that point, a number of faithful men served in the pulpit, proclaiming God's Word to all who came to hear, and going out into the community to spread the message of truth.

The church has continued to grow, and now Dr. Benny Tate leads the work that has been carried on by so many before him. Dr. Tate's vision of ministry for the community has continued to grow, and the church stands as a lighthouse, true to the Word of God.

Dr. Tate's messages on the importance of Christian involvement in government have been an encouragement and challenge to me, and I appreciate his vision for Christians serving all throughout the halls of government. But true Christian statesmanship involves a deep commitment to living out the truths of the Bible, and that is the message that comes out loud and clear from the people of Rock Springs.

One year ago, Rock Springs dedicated the new church sanctuary, as Solomon dedicated the temple, to the glory of God. This is the base of operations for ministry to the community. But the building itself is not the church. As we celebrate this new sanctuary, dedicated to the worship of God, the equipping of His people, and the evangelization of the lost, we also thank God for the people of Rock Springs and the testimony they are to a watching world around them.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to lay before this House the ministry of Rock Springs Church, and pray God's richest blessings on the ministry there as they look back on the past year of the new sanctuary, and look forward to many, many years of ministry in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on my colleagues in the House to support the continued operation of the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

If it is proven that detainees have suffered abusive treatment, we should take corrective action, but continue to operate the detention facility.

I ask my colleagues, what good does it do to simply move to a different location? The fact is, we have to put these enemy combatants somewhere. What better place than a heavily guarded island?

Mr. Speaker, the detainees at Guantanamo are not there for jaywalking or stealing a Snickers bar from the 7-Eleven. They are well-trained, hate-filled jihadists inflamed by an anti-American ideology. If they were released back into the wild, they would not return to a quiet family life of shepherding in the mountains of Afghanistan. They would simply take up arms to fight Americans again.

Already we have recaptured combatants on the battlefield who had been released from Guantanamo. We should learn a lesson from that. Let us make sure they stay there.

Mr. Speaker, in fairness to Members of this body who have been subjected to a cloud of suspicion over ethics allegations, I rise today to call for the House to disband the current Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and reconstitute it as a panel that can convene and hear the cases pending before it.

A report in the Washington Post today says the committee may be inactive for months and it may not take up politically charged accusations against a high-ranking leader until next year, which just happens to be an election year.

The Post says, ``Democrats are hoping to gain political advantage from investigations into DeLay's activities and overseas travel and his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.''

Even the Democratic-friendly Washington Post sees the political calculations behind the minority's tactics.

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is stalled by a partisan logjam, and I see only one way to unplug it: reconstitute the panel with Members resolved to work together so that it can move forward with its work. If this good-faith effort fails again, the House needs to install a Republican majority on the committee so that the wheels of good government can turn once more.

Mr. Speaker, this body rescinded the ethics rules passed earlier this Congress to appease the minority's demands. Yet, the minority party continues to obstruct the objectives of the Ethics Committee at every turn.

I believe the Republican majority should pass whatever rules necessary so the committee can and will act fairly to hear the pending cases before it--cases that involve both Republicans and Democrats.

Members accused of violations deserve a chance to make their cases and perhaps clear their names.

Mr. Speaker, during an amendment vote on H.R. 1817, the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, rollcall Vote 184, Representative Hooley's Amendment, an amendment numbered 13 printed in part B of House Report 109-84 to prohibit any of the money in the DHS authorization bill to come from an increase in airline ticket taxes I inadvertently voted ``no'' when I meant to vote ``yes.'' I would like to add this statemnt to the Record to reflect this.

Madam Chairman, I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding me this time to talk about an issue that is extremely pressing to the citizens of the 8th district, and I rise in support of the Norwood amendment.

Illegal immigration is a difficult issue, but it is one that Congress must address and address it now. We have seen the ineffectiveness of border security and how the addition of more eyes can make a difference. There are now more ropes in the net helping stop our porous borders.

During my most recent time in my district, nearly all the questions I received related to the issues of immigration. It is extremely important. Right now it does not make sense to prevent law enforcement officers from protecting the people of the United States. There are about 700,000 State and local police officers, compared with only about 2,000 Immigration and Customs enforcement officers.

Our ICE agents are wonderful, but simply do not have the physical ability to be in every place to work on enforcement all throughout the interior of our country. In contrast, our police officers encounter illegal immigrants every day, whether it be through a traffic stop or serving a warrant. It does not make sense to stop them from helping enforce our immigration laws.

This amendment takes a baby step toward the goal of better interior enforcement by clarifying the legal authority of local officers and giving them some real training on the issue. It simply does not make sense for us to ignore the eyes and ears of hundreds of thousands of local officers.

Madam Chairman, I urge the adoption of the Norwood amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share good news with the American people. We are beginning to see signs that the economy is clearly on the road to recovery. In fact, since May 2003, more than 3 million Americans went back to work. We have had 22 straight months of job growth. Last month alone, more than 110,000 Americans found jobs.

Clearly, the economy's growth is a direct result of the pro-growth agenda of the President and this Republican Congress. By holding the line on fiscal responsibility in the budget and passing pro-growth bills such as the death tax repeal and the bankruptcy bill, Republican Members continue to show their commitment to America's economy.

However, other steps must be taken to ensure our economy continues to grow. Today I urge my colleagues in the Senate to give Americans some relief at the pump by passing the energy bill, which would create 500,000 new jobs and begin the end to our dependence on foreign oil. It has programs that allow us to depend on our own resources, and that is the American way.

Over the past 100 days, House Republicans have demonstrated that we are dedicated to promoting policies that better the economy and help families out there who are counting on us. I hope that we can count on our friends in the Senate to follow our lead.

Mr. Speaker, while I was with my son and daughter- in-law during the birth of their daughter, the House considered an important vote on the ethics rules governing the House. Being with my family during the birth of Kate was a thrilling experience, and I am grateful for the blessing she has already been to our extended family.

Had I been present for Rollcall Vote #145, I would have joined my 20 colleagues in opposing the change in the rules. The changes

proposed at the beginning of the 109th Congress made sense, and should have been implemented.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support for the Small Business Bill of Rights (H. Res. 22).

I think it is time we help small businesses so they can in turn help themselves. Small business owners desperately need our help in ensuring they can provide their employees with the best possible benefits.

What better time to consider this bill than on National Small Business Week. I would be remiss if I did not mention that last year's Small Business Person of the year was from Columbus, Georgia. Sheree W. Mitchell started with an SBA loan in 1989 and turned her day care center business, Growing Room Inc., into a $5 million per year enterprise. I think Sheree should be a poster child for small businesses. She has proven that with persistence and entrepreneur thinking it is possible to build a successful enterprise from scratch.

I also want to congratulate the 2005 SBA Award winners for the state of Georgia: Tom Eaves, President and CEO of Star Software Systems Corporation in Warner Robins, Georgia--Small Business Person of the Year; Win Roshell, Minority Small Business Champion of the Year; Mountville Mills, Inc., Family-Owned Small Business of the Year; Amanda Rodriguez, Young Entrepreneur of the Year; C. Vance Leavy, Small Business Journalist of the Year.

These folks know what it takes to successfully run a small business and they should be recognized and praised for it. They were selected to be honored based on their record of stability, growth in employment and sales, financial condition, innovation, response to adversity, and community service.

I am strongly supporting H. Res. 22 for people like those I've just named. This piece of legislation clarifies Congressional support for seven key issues importance to every small business. As a former small business owner, I can testify to the importance of each one of these. These seven issues are: reducing health insurance costs through Association Health Plans, ending frivolous lawsuits, red tape relief, tax relief, increasing access to capital, opening access to government contracts and reducing energy costs.

These issues are commonsense rights every small business owner deserves and I hope the passing of this resolution will bring awareness to the seven areas this resolution addresses.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to co-sponsor and vote for the Small Business Bill of Rights.

Mr. Speaker, during my absence for the birth of my granddaughter, Kate, the House considered a motion to instruct the conferees on the budget resolution, H. Con. Res. 95.

On rollcall vote No. 134, I would have been proud to join my colleagues from Georgia, led by Mr. Deal of Georgia, in opposing the motion to instruct. One thing I have learned about Washington during my time here so far is that a ``cut'' is actually not a cut at all--it is merely a reduction in the rate of growth. When we have so many programs driven by formulas that continue to grow year after year, the way to deal with the problem is not by denying any problem exists, but by taking steps to deal with the underlying issues that created the problem.

The House Leadership has taken admirable steps to deal with the problems of continued growth in mandatory spending, and I am thrilled that we are moving forward with reductions in mandatory program spending. These are not cuts, but are commonsense steps to manage the people's resources wisely.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my Special Order at this time.