Floor Statements

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.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his work on this, as well as many, many others.

We know how we got here on this important bill, and it was the Dubai Ports deal. It shocked America, and it shocked me as a member of the Ways and Means Committee. Not that we were thumbing our noses at investors who would feel comfortable investing in the United States. That was not the question. It was not a question about our support for their efforts in the war on terrorism. We support their efforts.

But as was stated by Mr. Crowley, it was a foreign government, and foreign governments behave differently than foreign corporations. Corporations do not care about the politics. They care about the profits. Governments take a different view of the world and have to think of external and internal political calculations.

What startled me about the deal was the fact when then-Secretary of the Treasury, John Snow, appeared before our panel, when the news first broke about this transaction, when I asked him what was involved in the vetting process, he looked at me as if he had no idea about the transaction at all. Then we came to find out mid-level managers at the Department decided this on their own. They had not properly vetted it through the necessary agencies to ensure that we had covered the gamut of questions that may have arose from this transaction.

Fortunately, based on the leadership that has been displayed here in crafting this bill in a bipartisan fashion, we will now have a process by which we can analyze and investigate and give comfort to the American public that a transaction involving six strategic ports or any other facility will have the proper authorities reviewing the intricacy of the details.

They always say the devil's in the details. In this transaction, we knew very little about the intentions of the port companies, their expansion capabilities, their leasehold interests, how they may be transferrable to other entities. We had a blank slate on which to review this transaction.

This bill brings to the floor and to the process transparency, clarity and an ability to tell our constituents we know the transaction.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5682, the U.S. and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act. At a time when world energy reserves and production are just barely keeping up with current capacity, I believe that this bill is the right policy for both our countries.

India is currently the sixth largest energy consumer in the world and continues to grow exponentially in its population. With only 3 percent of India's energy consumption being derived from nuclear energy, it is depending heavily on foreign energy sources. By helping India with its civilian nuclear power industry, and thereby reducing its dependency on other fuel sources, Americans ultimately should experience lower energy costs as available fuel sources increase.

This bill also will further strengthen India's commitment to nuclear nonproliferation. India has committed to following International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, allowing for additional inspections, and has produced a plan to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities.

In this uncertain world, and with India in the middle of a volatile region, it is imperative that the world's largest democracy have access to a constant and inexpensive source of energy. Mr. Chairman, I believe this legislation will help solidify our ongoing and deepening relationship with our friends in India and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my strong support for the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

I remember that tragic day in Hollywood, Florida, when a young Adam Walsh hit the headlines, having been abducted from a mall in our State. Over 2 years ago, his father, John Walsh, and Ernie Allen approached me to discuss what they saw as a growing and dangerous threat to our children, sex offenders. We talked about the fact there were over 500,000 sex offenders listed on various State registries, but because of poor Federal and State laws, we were missing over 150,000 of them. Soon after that meeting, I began work on the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, which is contained in this bill today.

The Adam Walsh Act is the most comprehensive piece of child protection legislation this Congress has ever considered. The bill creates, among other things, new State and Federal regulations, community notification requirements, as well as new Federal criminal penalties for sex offenders. It also gives law enforcement new resources, including authorizing U.S. Marshals to go after missing sex offenders, 20 new task forces, 200 new Federal prosecutors, 45 new forensic scientists dedicated to investigating crimes against children.

It used to be that we tracked library books better than we do sex offenders, but this bill will even that score.

I am grateful to Chairman Sensenbrenner for his leadership and willingness to work with so many Members across the political aisle on this important issue. I want to thank the Speaker for keeping his word to get this bill to the President by July 27, the 25th anniversary of Adam's death.

Mr. Speaker, there are many people who made this day a reality, but the two people who should take the most credit are the parents of Adam Walsh, and that is John and his wife, Reve. It still amazes me to this day the way they were able to turn Adam's death into a lifelong crusade to protect our Nation's children. Their passion and commitment have led to the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and to the rescue of countless children.

John and Reve, our Nation thanks you for everything you have done.

I want to especially thank Bradley Schreiber, my legislative director; Michael Volkov; Phil Kiko; and Sean

McLaughlin of the House Judiciary Committee for their outstanding efforts.

Mr. Speaker, as Co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus and author of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and the Internet Safety Act contained in this bill, I rise to offer my strong support for the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and urge my colleagues to vote for it.

Over two years ago, John Walsh and Ernie Allen approached me at a missing children's conference I was hosting in Florida to discuss what they saw as a growing and dangerous threat to our children--sex offenders. We talked about the fact that there were over 500,000 sex offenders listed on the various state registries but, that because of the patchwork of federal laws on the books, we were missing over 150,000 of them. I also discovered--which was even more surprising to me--that there is a 200,000 person difference between all of the state registries and the federal National Sex Offender Registry. Soon after that meeting, I began work on the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act which is contained in the measure we have before us today.

The Adam Walsh Act is arguably the most comprehensive piece of child protection legislation that Congress has ever considered. The bill creates, among other things, new state and federal registration and community notification requirements, as well as new federal criminal penalties, for sex offenders. It also gives law enforcement new resources including: authorizing the U.S. Marshals to go after absconded sex offenders; 20 new Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces; 200 new federal prosecutors for prosecuting child sex offense; and, 45 new computer forensic scientists dedicated to investigating crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children and related offenses.

One of the basic tenets of the Due Process Clause is to give criminal suspects notice. So, for those pedophiles and predators across this country that have harmed a child or are considering harming a child let me tell you now that you are on notice. We will find you, prosecute you and monitor you--in some cases, for the rest of your life. Your days in the shadows are over and our children will no longer be your prey.

We used to track library books better than we do sex offenders, but this bill will even that score.

I am very grateful to Chairman Sensenbrenner for not only his leadership and his willingness to work with me on this issue but for the fact that he did not bend to the Senate and was able to produce the strong bill we are going to pass today.

I want to thank Speaker Hastert for keeping his word to get the Adam Walsh bill to the President by July 27th--the 25th Anniversary of Adam's death. I know that both John and Reve are truly appreciative for all that you have done.

I also want to thank Senators Hatch and Biden for their continued, unwavering commitment to protecting our nation's children. These two men have been associated with every major child protection bill in the past 20 years and I am very thankful that they took the lead on the Adam Walsh bill in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, there are many people to thank who made this day a reality. But the two people who should take the most credit are John and Reve Walsh. It still amazes me to this day the way they were able to turn Adam's death into a lifelong crusade to protect our nation's children. Their passion and commitment have led to the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Adam Walsh Center in Florida and to the rescue of countless children. John and Reve: our nation thanks you for everything you have done.

I also want to thank Mark Lunsoford and the other victim's families. It was their tireless efforts that broke the logjam in the Senate and got us here today.

I would also like to thank Ernie Allen, Robbie Calloway and Michelle Laxalt for all they did during the past few years helping me try to shepard this bill through Congress and working to keep this issue at the forefront of everyone's minds.

Last, but not least, I want to thank the staff who committed long hours and a great deal of their personal time to this bill. Phil Kiko, Sean McLaughlin, and Michael Volkov with Chairman Sensenbrenner's staff; Margaret Peterlin with Speaker Hastert's staff; Ken Valentine with Senator Hatch's staff; Dave Turk with Senator Biden's staff; Matt Miner, Todd Bruanstein and Brett Tolman with Chairman Specter's staff; Allen Hicks and Brandi White with Senator Frist's staff; Joe Matal with Senator Kyl's staff; Christine Leonard with Senator Kennedy's staff; Julie Katzman and Noah Bookbinder with Senator Leahy's staff; Nicole Gustafson with Senator Grassley's staff; and Sharon Beth Kristal of Senator DeWine's staff.

Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate everyone's efforts in making this day a reality.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and for my colleagues in their steadfast support of H. Res. 911, expressing our collective sympathy and outrage for the attacks on the good people of India and Mumbai on July 11, 2006.

It harkens back to that tragic day, September 11, when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. It harkens back to that brutal devastation of the Spanish train bombing that occurred shortly after. It renews the sense of outrage about the London subway attacks a year ago, and it reminds us of Khobar Towers, the two African American embassies, the USS Cole and so many other targets preyed upon by savage individuals who know no bounds of decency, but only know how to destroy the innocent.

To attack a train of peace-loving people on the way to or from work is an absolute atrocity, and so we join together with our good friend India, this strong partner in the global war on terror, a strong partner in our humanitarian ties to help other nations in their time of need, one of the world's largest democracies, who has been there through thick and thin to assist not only our Nation, but nations around the world to ensure that we will not stop until we fully prosecute those responsible.

As they investigate, we urge all international partners to assist in this investigation, to take these leads and follow the leads and find, apprehend, detain and sentence the very people who brought this devastating disaster to the fine people of India.

Our prayers are with you. Our support is with you, and it should remind the world for us all to open our eyes to the dangers that lurk among us. The sad reality is that terrorism has destroyed too many lives, and that as a world, not just the United States and Great Britain and a few others, we must stand united in our efforts to eradicate this scourge from our world.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. I rise in support of H. Res. 921, condemning the recent attacks against the State of Israel.

On June 25th, Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit was kidnapped and is still being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

On July 12th, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon killed three Israeli soldiers and took two others hostage and began bombarding Israel with rockets.

In the past week, over 700 rockets and mortars from Gaza and Southern Lebanon have hit Haifa (Israel's 3rd largest city) and numerous other cities and towns.

These unprovoked attacks appear to be coordinated by Iran and Syria-- probably to take the issue of Iran's nuclear development off the front burner.

When Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon several years ago, it did so with the understanding that the Lebanese Army would secure the area from Hezbollah. To this date, the Army has yet to move into the area and take control.

Some have suggested that the U.S. urge Israel to restrain itself-- that it should negotiate and stop their attacks. The problem is, as Amb. Bolton said today, there isn't anyone to talk to. The Palestinians are being governed by Hamas and Lebanon is still being controlled by Syria--both terrorist regimes.

Israel must take any action it sees fit to defend themselves and prevent the abducted soldiers from being taken to Damascus or Tehran.

Iran needs to be put on notice. We know what you are doing and it is not going to work.

I know that the Palestinian and Israeli people are committed to peace. The Hezbollah and Hamas scourge, who are the only ones undermining a long-term peace, must be wiped off this earth.

I pray that this situation resolves itself quickly and that we can continue to move forward with the Middle East peace process.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the Senate to please bring the Water Resources Development Act to the floor for passage before the August recess.

We passed WRDA, as it is known, the Water Resources Development Act, here in the House on July 14, 2005, almost a year ago. It still awaits action in the Senate. I am encouraged by recent reports that the parties over in the other body have agreed to a critical debate on this bill; yet we await a schedule.

Indian River Lagoon is one of the important projects contained in WRDA, helping the Indian River Lagoon, comprehensive Everglades restoration, helping reconstruct damage caused by dikes, levees and a number of other public works projects over 70 years.

The Everglades needs our help. It needs our help now. The polluted waters of Florida are in desperate need of rehabilitation. WRDA would solve many of these problems.

I urge Senator Frist to bring up WRDA, and hopefully it will pass so the House and the Senate can be on record of supporting the environment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I appreciate the efforts of both of my colleagues from south Florida, particularly Dade County, for introducing this resolution, H. Res. 887. I rise in strong support, and I want to congratulate the Miami Heat for winning the 2006 NBA championship.

As chairman of the Travel and Tourism Caucus, I would also like to signal a hearty good luck to the American Airlines arenas, hosting both the Mavericks and the Heat. They had the good fortune of having the naming rights on both of those facilities; so they too have benefited significantly from this. American Airlines is an important airline in Florida into the Miami market and to Latin America; so they too join in the celebration as well.

Since taking over the Heat a decade ago, owner Micky Arison has built the Heat into one of the NBA's marquee franchises. His steadfast leadership has now been rewarded with his first NBA championship.

I want to congratulate coach Pat Riley. As many of you know, Coach Riley returned to the Heat bench part way into the season and led his team to a successful regular season and to the NBA finals. He brought together a team of many different personalities, leading them as one cohesive unit.

I also want to recognize finalist MVP Dwyane Wade. Anyone watching could see that Mr. Wade elevated his game to another level during the finals. The Heat found themselves down two games to none and down by 13 points with only 6 minutes remaining in game three. This was when Mr. Wade took over and led the Heat to a roaring comeback before a cheering crowd at American Airlines Arena.

And we all know the Heat could not have done this without the outstanding effort and leadership of Shaquille O'Neal. When Mr. O'Neal was traded to the Heat in the summer of 2004, he promised he would bring a championship to Miami, and he held true to his promise.

I also feel special recognition is in order for veteran players Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning. This is a well-deserved championship for Alonzo as he has battled back from kidney disease and a kidney transplant to win his first championship.

This is a remarkable feat of accomplishment for any human being, much less a player of which so much is demanded on the court.

I commend all the players and everyone involved with the Heat organization, including such fans as my local supporter, Richard Bernstein, who was here in D.C. and decided to fly home during the finals to his regular seat in the arena. He has been a passionate advocate for the Heat. He has never given up on them, no matter how dismal the season; and, of course, his loyalty and steadfast determination to sit by the Heat players as they went season to season has been amply rewarded by this outstanding victory.

South Florida is thrilled. We will cherish and remember this 2006 world championship. To all the fans who have given loyal support to the team, we thank them as well. All Florida celebrates the Miami Heat's championship.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday this week I had a chance to go to Walter Reed to see one of my constituents who lost a limb in the fight in Iraq. I saw many of his comrades who were similarly situated, who had lost one, two or three limbs.

What I sensed from them was not only a sense of patriotism, but a love of this country. As we begin the debate today, and I know politics seems to permeate everything, I ask that we first think about those young men and women who have risked so much for this Nation, who have lost so much for this Nation, whose families are by their side today giving them the love and dedication they need to overcome this difficult struggle.

Mr. Speaker, they have given the full measure of devotion to this Nation and they deserve our thanks. The invectives and political discourse need to focus on their sacrifice and not on our political ambitions.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my support for House Resolution 729, a bill that I and Mr. Farr introduced recognizing the 23rd Annual National Tourism Week.

First established by Congress in 1983, this annual event gives us an opportunity to recognize the significant importance the Travel and Tourism Industry has on our economy.

The travel and tourism industry is the lifeblood of many states around the country--including Florida, California, New York and Nevada, to name a few. Every Congressional District is impacted--that is every district with a restaurant, hotel, museum, national park, stadium, theater, campgrounds and beaches.

Domestic travel and tourism-related spending has reached $1 trillion a year. There are over 8 million people in the food service, hospitality and travel-related industries that rely on America's vibrant and thriving travel industry.

As America's third-largest retail sales industry, nearly $100 billion dollars was generated in tax revenue for our local, state and federal governments in 2004.

In addition, international travel to the United States is now the largest service export with a generated trade surplus for 16 consecutive years.

For example, in my district there are visitors from all over the world who are drawn to our beautiful beaches, recreational lakes, habitat wildlife preserves and golf courses. In 2005, Florida collected over $3 billion in tourism and recreational sales, a reflection of $62 billion that went into the state's economy during the year.

So as some of us begin our summer travel, let us remember the tremendous impact the travel and tourism industry makes on all of our lives.

Madam Speaker, let me associate myself with the words of the gentleman from Virginia in strong support of our team leader, Coach Hastert, Speaker Hastert, a decent, honorable man who has led this Chamber in an incredibly fair and responsible manner. Shame on those false reports.

Let me also alert our colleagues--today is National Missing Kids Day. Every day, 2,000 children go missing. Even though many are returned home safely, many are still unaccounted for. Sexual predators roam free, foisting their sickness on the most vulnerable. Despite our success in recent years of tracking down our missing kids, much more needs to be done.

If you watched recent episodes of Dateline or America's Most Wanted, online predators have a pervasive and sickening impact on our children.

There are over 5,000 registered sex offenders in this country, and 150,000 of them go without any kind of checking in or any kind of tracking. We track library books better than our sexual predators. We have to stop playing Russian roulette with our children's lives.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 177 and 178 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on both measures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a heroic American that winters in my district and lives in Muskegon, Michigan. George Olson, a World War II veteran, has traveled here with his family to visit the long-overdue memorial dedicated to veterans of the greatest generation.

Sergeant Olson served in the European theater in the U.S. Army Air Force as a tail gunner in a B-17. His plane was shot down, he was held a prisoner of war for some 11 months. Mr. Olson was awarded the Purple Heart, among other commendations.

The sacrifice of those like Sergeant Olson ensured we could live in a free society as we do today, and they deserve every bit of gratitude we can offer.

Like so many silent heroes of his generation, Mr. Olson returned home,

married his sweetheart, Rose, and they had three children, Stuart, Garry and Lisa. Also with us today are his grandchildren, Katherine, Ryan and Kyle, Doug, Becky, Charlotte, Kelly, Jack, Nina, Kelly and Ken are also in the Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, I hope you will join me in acknowledging a great American, George Olson, today and wish him and his family well as they continue their visit to Washington, DC.

The sacrifices of his generation ensured we could live in a free society as we do today, and they certainly deserve every bit of gratitude we can offer.