Mark Foley

Mr. Speaker, let me join in the moment of remembrance of Curt Gowdy. I had a chance at Christmastime to spend the evening with Curt and his family in Palm Beach. I have known the Gowdy family for many, many years. As some know, he was the voice of the Red Sox. My godfather, Jimmy Piersall, played for the Red Sox back in the fifties.

When the Red Sox won the World Series, I asked the White House if I could bring a few guests, one being Jimmy Piersall, the other Dom DiMaggio, both constituents from Florida, and, of course, Curt Gowdy. Curt's wife, Jerre, called me the day of the White House celebration and said Curt wasn't doing well, but he would have loved to join in the honor of greeting the Red Sox at the White House.

From a personal aside, I had many, many years to interact with Curt Gowdy. He was a phenomenal man, a humble, humble, wonderful, generous man. The Boy Scouts of America, I could name numerous charities where Mr. Gowdy went out of his way not only to lend his beautiful voice, but his integrity and his name, which was known universally.

It is just an incredible honor that you all have chosen his wonderful State of Wyoming, which was something we discussed on one of his last nights on Earth. We discussed Wyoming, fly fishing and games gone by and his struggles at that time with leukemia. His doctor happened to be there that night.

Curt never lost his enthusiasm or zest for life. Even in the days before he was to pass this godly Earth, he never lost his love of this country, his love of our Nation, his love of the pastime of baseball, and to the very end, love and devotion to his family. I salute Mr. Gowdy and appreciate the recognition he is being provided today.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the chairman and ranking member for bringing the resolution to the floor. I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 471, a bill congratulating the Professional Golfers Association of America on its 90th anniversary and commending the members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America and the PGA Foundation for the charitable and economic contributions they provide all across our Nation.

As you may know, the PGA is a nonprofit professional organization with a membership of 28,000 golf professionals. The PGA is best known for conducting tournaments, such as the Ryder Cup, which was just played this last weekend, PGA championships, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, and the Senior PGA.

However, it does much more. In 1954, the PGA created a charitable foundation to help provide the resources and professional expertise to make golf accessible to the community by offering free golf programs for youth, the disabled and underserved. In fact, many of my colleagues participated recently in the Breakfast for the First Tee. We were joined by golfing legend Jack Nicholas, where they talked about providing for children in all walks of life a chance to play golf, learn the sport and become successful.

The PGA and PGA Foundation strive to serve the community in a number of ways. For example, they offer Play Golf America Days for youths involving free instruction, skill competition and equipment demonstration. They partner with Special Olympics International to make golf an official Special Olympics sport, and with the National Amputee Golf Association to offer golf programs for wounded military servicemembers.

The PGA of America hosts and sponsor the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship to provide opportunities for students at predominantly minority colleges and universities to participate in collegiate golf championships, career awareness programs, and employment recruiting.

In addition to the charitable contributions, the golfing industry adds $62.2 billion to our economy and employs tens of thousands of people across the country. In my district alone, the PGA Village, the largest PGA facility in the country, employs over 300 people. Their national headquarters is located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the district of my friend Clay Shaw.

I want to thank chairman Tom Davis, Mr. Waxman and Mr. Clyburn, who is cosponsor of the resolution from South Carolina, who knows well and spoke with me the other day about the vital importance of golf in South Carolina, for their efforts in moving this resolution so quickly to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, again I want to congratulate the PGA on its 90th anniversary and thank all of its members for making such a difference in people's lives all around the country.

Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the bill as well, H.R. 503, the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. As a cosponsor of this bill, I believe this legislation is necessary to prevent the inhumane disposal of beautiful animals.

Horses hold a special place in this country. They were vital during our settlement, allowing us to travel great distances quickly and providing the necessary strength for farming. Today, we are able to appreciate their grace and speed in a variety of different venues from racing to recreational horses. They are all part of America.

The fact, though, is important to underscore. We don't allow horse meat to be eaten in this country. To allow the shipment of meat overseas is a bit hypocritical. While some may have expressed concern about the cost of disposing of sick horses, the fact is, according to the USDA, 90 percent of horses arriving in slaughter are in good condition.

There are many alternatives other than horse slaughtering, and among those options are horse welfare associations and equine sanctuaries. The bill responds to a strong American concern about the treatment of horses, in addition to prohibiting the trade and transfer of live horses intended for human consumption

H.R. 503 lessens the USDA's workload by reducing the number of animals requiring inspection.

I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.