Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time. I want to really applaud the gentleman from Michigan for putting together a truly bipartisan amendment that not only put together a broad coalition of Members in this House, including the chairman of the subcommittee, who has accepted the amendment, to stop this blending regulation.

We all saw when Milwaukee dumped over 4 billion gallons of sewage into Lake Michigan just last year and an incredible rise in the number of beach closings along the Illinois shoreline: Nine in Glencoe, 12 in Wilmette, 34 in Winnetka, a rising tide of dirty water that would have been increased with this.

But what this bipartisan amendment has done is it has backed down the EPA. Thanks to his work and Members on both sides of this aisle, the EPA has largely accepted what this amendment would have already laid out and have stopped this regulation. It is going to listen to the Congress on environmental protection, and I really want to thank my subcommittee chairman for accepting this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Terrorist Rewards Enhancement Act. This bill will assist in our fight against terrorism around the globe. Currently, the terrorist rewards program run by the State Department assists in our hunt for terrorists by promising a cash reward or other type of reward for information leading to the arrest of some of the world's most deadly terrorists. This program has been very successful in the past in apprehending key people including Mir Amal Kansi, a terrorist who had murdered two CIA employees and injured three others in a 1993 shooting outside CIA headquarters in Virginia.

Under current law, the U.S. may not pay a reward to an officer or employee of another government. In January I traveled to Pakistan, where I meet with a number of government officials. At the strong suggestion of Pakistan's ISI and IB Intelligence and Police bureaus, I believe the President should be able to pay such a reward to anyone having information leading us to the greatest terrorists. If there is anyone, anywhere, even if they work for a Pakistani government agency, who has information about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, we should be doing all we can to apprehend him.

With the capture of AI-Qaeda's number three man, Abu Farraj al-Libbi, last week, we are closing in faster and stronger than ever in the Wazaristan region of Pakistan. We need to provide our State Department and intelligence officials with all the possible tools to aid in the capture of the world's number one terrorist. The Terrorist Rewards Enhancement Act will provide one more of these tools.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time; and I commend my colleague, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), for offering this resolution commending Rotary on its anniversary, headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, on Chicago's North Shore.

In 1905, in Chicago, Illinois attorney Paul Harris invited three friends to dinner. He envisioned a new kind of group of professionals that would meet to cultivate their civic ties. The group met regularly, became the Rotary Club of Chicago, and changed its focus to community service.

We have come a long way since 1905. Now, with 400,000 Rotarians, like the Highland Park Morning Rotary Club that I belong to, and over 7,000 clubs throughout the United States, they are fighting poverty and hunger and illiteracy and working to support the environment. But Rotary should be known especially for one project, Polio Plus.

It is with this privately funded and organized group that dedicated itself to wiping out a disease from the face of the planet, building on the precedent of wiping out smallpox, Rotary chose to wipe out polio which crippled our President Roosevelt and many other Americans. With this massive immunization program, joined in with the United Nations and the U.S. Government, Rotary's vision has now led us to a world where 99 percent of polio has been eradicated. In just a few years' time, Rotary is going to give a great gift to the world. It is a world without polio. It embodies Rotary's motto, Service Above Self, giving a victory and a gift to all future generations.

The House here commends Rotary and I commend my colleague for bringing this, headquartered on Chicago's North Shore, embodying the great American civic spirit.

Mr. Speaker, as Congress moves toward passing the fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget, I would like to address my thoughts and concerns on two aspects of this proposal.

First, this budget will reduce the deficit. The resolution caps discretionary spending at $843 billion and cuts the deficit in half over the next 5 years. We will reach our deficit reduction goals through a combination of policies that encourage economic growth and fiscal discipline that slows the growth of mandatory spending by 0.1 percent over five years. Without this restraint, the federal deficit would continue to grow.

I am very disappointed with one aspect of the budget agreement. The original House passed budget did not include language to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil and gas exploration, while the Senate's budget did. The Concurrent Budget Resolution deleted the Senate language. Several weeks ago we debated the Energy Bill (H.R. 6). On April 20, 2005, the House considered the Markey amendment that would have protected ANWR from oil and gas drilling. I voted for the Markey amendment to protect the wilderness. When the amendment failed, I voted against the House Energy Bill. I will continue to oppose proposals to open the Refuge to drilling.

This Budget Resolution includes reconciliation instructions for the House Resources Committee to find $2.4 billion in savings from programs under their jurisdiction. The Resources Committee should find savings from programs outside the ANWR. They can do this and should not rely on the speculative revenues of oil yet to be discovered.

Since my election to Congress, I have voted consistently to protect ANWR from oil and gas exploration. I have voted to protect ANWR for two main reasons. First, ANWR is among the last untouched natural landscapes in the entire United States. Once ANWR is open for exploration, its natural landscape will be changed forever. Second, any oil found in ANWR will not put the United States on a path to energy independence or lower gas prices one cent. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the supply of oil in ANWR is totally inadequate to meet our nation's growing energy needs. More importantly for the current energy debate, oil from ANWR is more than 10 years away from hitting domestic markets. ANWR will not solve our domestic energy issues.

Mr. Speaker, the budget is not the forum for a debate on ANWR--its main purpose is to cut the deficit.

I will support the budget because it moves us toward a balanced budget by reducing spending by 1 percent. And I will continue to oppose legislation that opens ANWR to drilling.

Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing the Coral Reef and Coastal Marine Conservation Act of 2005. This bill will credit qualified developing nations for each dollar spent on a comprehensive reef preservation or management program designed to protect these unique ecosystems from degradation. This bill builds on the model of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, expanding it to include coral reefs.

I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Alcee Hastings) for being the lead cosponsor of this bill. This very same bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 382-32 on October 16, 2001.

It is said that coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean. Although they occupy less than one-quarter of 1 percent of the marine environment, coral reefs are home to more than one-quarter of all known marine fish species.

Coral reefs are among the most biologically rich ecosystems on Earth. About 4,000 species of fish and 800 species of reef-building corals have already been identified. However, scientists have barely begun to catalogue the total number of species found within these habitats. Their scientific value cannot be underestimated. Yet, they are disappearing at an alarming rate.

According to a 1998 study conducted by the United Nations and various international environmental organizations, 58 percent of the world's reefs are potentially threatened by human activity. These activities include coastal development, overfishing, marine pollution, and runoff from inland deforestation and farming.

More than one-quarter of the world's reefs are at risk. Predictions made in 1992 were that 10 to 20 years from now, another 30 percent of the world's coral reefs could be effectively destroyed, adding to the 10 percent that already were destroyed.

While these numbers sound alarmist, figures today show that they are conservative. Most Caribbean and South Pacific mangroves have disappeared, while India, Southeast Asia, and West Africa have each lost about one-half of their mangroves.

Almost a half a billion people, 8 percent of the world's population, live within 100 kilometers of a coral reef. A decline in the health of coral reefs has implications for the lives of millions of people who depend upon them. Coral Reefs are the basis of subsistence for the local-market fisheries in 100 countries, providing the protein for more than one billion people worldwide.

The burden of foreign debt falls especially hard on the smallest nations, such as island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific. With few natural resources, these nations often resort to harvesting or otherwise exploiting coral reefs and other marine habitats to earn hard currency to service foreign debt. At least 40 countries lack any marine protected areas for their coral reef systems.

This legislation will make available resources for environmental stewardship that would otherwise be the lowest priority in a developing country. It will reduce debt by investing locally in programs that will strengthen indigenous economies by creating long-term management policies that will preserve the natural resources upon which local commerce is based.

The Tropical Forest Conservation Act has set a path for debt-for- nature swaps, and the United States has an important role to play in assisting in the protection of the world's natural resources. This bill extends the support from forests to the oceans, and critical countries like Jamaica, Belize, Dominican Republic, the Philippines, and Thailand could benefit from this legislation.

Under President Bush's Enterprise for the Americas Act, the United States sponsored many debt-for-nature swaps to protect rainforests. It is now time to expand these successful programs to cover critical coral reef habitats.

Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, April 24, 2005 marked the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Beginning in 1915, an estimated one and a half million Armenians were systematically murdered over the next eight years.

There were nearly two million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire on the eve of W.W.I. In an organized campaign of ethnically motivated genocide, the Ottoman Turks deported a million Armenians, separating families and destroying livelihoods. Hundreds of thousands more were murdered. They did not lose their lives, as common nomenclature refers to the situation. They were murdered. Many others died of starvation, exhaustion, and epidemics which ravaged the concentration camps.

On this 90th Anniversary, I join with my colleagues in Congress and the Armenian community worldwide in commemorating this solemn day of remembrance. In particular I commend the Armenian-Americans from my district who departed from the All Saints Community Center in Glenview, IL, to join dozens of Armenians from the Chicago area to peacefully protest at the Turkish Consulate in Chicago. This sort of activism is an important step to finally gaining official recognition of the genocide.

This anniversary serves as a reminder of the horrible campaigns of genocide that occurred in the past, from the Holocaust, to Rwanda, to today's atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. We must uphold our duties as global defenders of human rights and give the Armenian community, as the victims of the 20th Century's first genocide, the recognition they deserve.

Mr. Chairman, I am concerned this bill will not clear the Budget responsibility.

H.R. 6 technically does not violate the Budget Act because it is an unreported bill, and Budget Act points of order generally only apply to reported bills. The bill generally is inconsistent with the 302(a) allocations for both the 2005 and House-passed 2006 budget resolutions. Section 2053 of the bill does, however, create a new entitlement program outside the budget window (specifically, FY 2016). It uses a portion of outer-continental receipts to fund new mandatory state-run conservation, education, and infrastructure programs. Estimates indicate that the annual cost of this provision could be in the range of $1.75 billion. If H.R. 6 were a reported bill, such a provision might subject the bill to a section 303 point of order.

We just passed a Budget only after clarifying a point of order would defeat any Appropriations bill over Budget.

It appears that we have to expand this point to protect against bills like this.

Mr. Chairman, I believe that this amendment actually saves American lives. Mr. Chairman, there is no better way to look at this issue than through the eyes of a young soldier stationed in the Middle East.

One of the reasons why we pay so much attention to the Persian Gulf is that the economy of the West is totally dependent on oil from this region. We must station forces there to make sure that nothing happens to our supply of energy.

And nothing can change this situation right now. But this amendment can change this situation for the future. By adopting CAFE standards, we will make the Persian Gulf much less important. We will reduce the need to ever deploy young Americans into harm's way. Look into the eyes of a 10-year-old American and think of him or her, and vote for policies which will make it much less likely that any President would ever ask them to return to harm's way in the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to vote in favor of S. 256, The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. This important bill brings needed reforms to our nation's bankruptcy system. The legislation reduces the unfair disparity of treatment in the bankruptcy system by establishing more uniform and predictable standards.

I am particularly pleased to note the compromise reached on healthcare and employee benefits. This legislation takes great strides to protect patients' rights, and it encourages debtors and trustees to consider patients' interests when administering healthcare bankruptcy cases. Patients are given a voice through the appointment of an ombudsman, who advocates for the confidentiality of patients' records and ensures patients are transferred to appropriate facilities. These are critical provisions that protect the rights of those with failing health.

I would like to commend a constituent from my district for his contributions to this legislation, Keith J. Shapiro, Esq., of Northbrook, Illinois, and his colleague Nancy A. Peterman, Esq. Mr. Shapiro testified in support of these patient health provisions before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts on June 1, 1998. The passing of this legislation marks the culmination of Mr. Shapiro and Ms. Peterman's tireless efforts to protect patients' interests in bankruptcy cases. On behalf of my colleagues in Congress, I offer my sincere gratitude for their dedication to fair bankruptcy policy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the efforts of schools in the Tenth Congressional District of Illinois who together raised over $600,000 for tsunami victims halfway around the world.

Student councils, community service clubs, entire students bodies from all around our district have held fundraising events and collections in ongoing efforts to benefit the American Red Cross, UNICEF and countless other relief organizations.

I want to highlight the work of Dan Klein, who attends St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, who set out modest goals for his work. Daniel took $300 of his own money and with some help from his parents ordered 1,000 red rubber bracelets with ``Students for Relief'' embedded on them. Thinking he could send a small donation to the battered region from bracelet sales, Daniel's efforts led to anything but small. He has sold over 450,000 bracelets via his Web site, www.studentsforrelief.com, and raised over $500,000 for tsunami victims.

Many other young people across my district exemplify American generosity. Prospect High School students in Prospect Heights raised over $500,000 to help rebuild Nagapattinam, a small shoreline town in Southeast Asia where their school custodian is from.

Students at Loyola Academy and Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette raised a combination of $14,000 for their relief efforts.

Deerfield High School students raised $3,500 for the American Red Cross through bracelet sales.

Student council and Model U.N. organizations at Fremd High School in Palatine raised over $500 for UNICEF.

Highland Park High School's Key Club and Transitional Program of Instruction raised $570 for UNICEF.

Students organizations from Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook organized a 2-day fundraising drive that raised $10,000 for the American Red Cross.

Students from Glenbrook South High School in Glenview raised over $8,000 for the American Red Cross.

The Service Over Self Club at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights raised $1,500 for the Red Cross.

The student council and Red Cross Club at Lake Forest High School organized homeroom competitions and a number of themed events and dances raising $5,000 for the Red Cross.

The Student Council at Libertyville High School raised nearly $5,400 for Oxfam USA/International.

New Trier High School in Winnetka initiated a bracelet, pizza and bake sale, along with a study-a-thon netting over $10,000 for relief efforts.

At Rolling Meadows High School the student council, National Honors Society, and Students Of Service raised $2,000 for the Red Cross during their 2-week fund raising effort and also collected clothes, blankets, and other essentials.

In Lincolnshire Stevenson High School, they had a Penny Wars competition among freshmen, sophomore, junior, and seniors classes who collected $5,300 for the American Red Cross.

Vernon Hill High School raised $3,500 for efforts with Best Buy matching their donation with $7,000 more.

In Gurnee, Warren Township High School's student council sponsored two fundraisers netting $400 for the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, CARE International.

Elementary school children in my district also made substantial contributions.

First through eighth graders at Holy Cross School in Deerfield raised $2,000 for tsunami relief efforts in conjunction with Catholic Charities Week.

Ariana Michel and Gabrielle Feldman of South Park Elementary School in Deerfield raised $2,000 themselves in just 2 days selling bracelets.

In Northbrook, Westmoor, Greenbriar and Meadowbrook elementary schools raised over $2,000 for the Red Cross.

Northbrook Junior High School students raised $5,000 for the tsunami efforts.

Students at Wescott School in Northbrook raised $2,700 for UNICEF.

Countryside Montessori School in Northbrook raised $1,200 for the American Red Cross through a coffee and bake sale.

Eighth grade classes at Field School in Northbrook raised $1,000 for the American Red Cross.

Elm Place School in Highland Park collected school supplies to fill 166 bags sent to students in Phuket, Thailand.

Fifth graders at Lincoln School in Highland Park organized a bake sale netting $900 for the relief effort.

Jefferson School in Hoffman Estates raised $2,200 from a wristband sale for tsunami victims.

In Libertyville, Copeland, Highland, Adler, Butterfield and Rockland elementary schools raised $1,500 for relief efforts.

Winkleman Elementary School in Glenview raised $2,000 through a rummage sale that will go to Heifer International. In addition, third grade classes at the school raised $780 for the American Red Cross and made 45 fleece blankets for orphanages.

Kindergarten, first, and second grade classes at Lyons School in Glenview collected $3,200 for the American Red Cross.

Students at Hawthorn Schools in Vernon Hills organized a district- wide bracelet sale raising $12,000 for tsunami victims.

Deerpath Middle School in Lake Forest raised over $1,600 for the American Red Cross.

The Lake Forest Country Day School held a dance marathon raising $6,000 for the tsunami relief.

In addition, students Ian and Lane Mankoff of Lake Forest raised $15,000 for the relief effort through a hot chocolate fundraiser.

St. Theresa School in Palatine raised $6,400 for tsunami victims.

Mr. Speaker, the schools and students I mentioned have taken up the challenge of service with honor while representing their communities with distinction. I am honored to represent these schools that have shown the desire to make a difference in the lives of those ravaged by the tsunami. They not only represent the best of our communities, but they are what makes our country strong. Thank you for the opportunity to recognize these outstanding student and schools of the 10th district of Illinois.

All of these efforts I think exemplify the best that is in the American spirit. And it is so heartening to see the youngest Americans giving the most, showing people across the world that they have never met what Americans can do.

Mr. Speaker, more than 400 Marines serving with the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment will be arriving home in Chicago on April 9, 2005, concluding their 9-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a hero's welcome at the Allstate Arena. Many organizations, businesses, and families affiliated with the 2nd Battalion will come together to show their support, appreciation to these citizen soldiers who served their country by championing the cause of freedom in Iraq.

The 2nd Battalion of the 21st Marine Regiment was activated on June 1, 2004, to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The mobilization brought together the Headquarters, Echo, and Weapons Companies, forming the battalion. The unit deployed to Iraq in September 2004 and began conducting support and security operations in northern Babil Province, Iraq.

These dedicated marines operated out of an abandoned chicken processing plant many described as resembling a police station. Their formula for success was to blend their superb military training with many years of law enforcement expertise by their commanding officer. Lieutenant Colonel Mark A. Smith was an Indiana State police. Nearly every platoon included two or three policemen by trade, which proved invaluable in the work of the unit. The battalion used police procedures in its intelligence work, comparing anti-Iraqi forces to criminals back home.

The combination of marine training and police experience allowed the battalion to capture more than 200 insurgents during their deployment. Because of their successful nighttime raids, 2nd Battalion 24 Marines earned the nickname ``The Mad Ghosts'' from the insurgents operating in Babil Province. Like other U.S. forces operating in Iraq, these marines truly owned the night, and their operations continued until 2nd Battalion was relieved by elements of the U.S. Army in March.

Unfortunately, some of these brave marines made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country. Thirteen marines perished during this mobilization and deployment, 12 as a result of hostile action. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the following marines who will not be returning home with their colleagues this weekend: Corporal Brian Prening, Corporal Robert Warns, Corporal Nathaniel Hammond, Corporal Peter Giannopolos, Lance Corporal Branden Ramey, Lance Corporal Daniel Wyatt, Lance Corporal Richard Warner, Lance Corporal Travis Wichlacz, Lance Corporal Shane O'Donnell, Private First Class Ryan Cantafio, Sergeant Matthew Adams, Lance Corporal Andrew Nowacki, and Private First Class Brent Vroman.

Mr. Speaker, these brave marines, their families and their employers back home all made sacrifices to support freedom and human rights and tolerance around the world. During their service in Iraq, Iraq became the United Nations' newest democracy. We celebrate the citizen soldiers who wear the uniform so proudly to protect their great nation.

To the men and women of the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment, to the unit based in Waukegan, Illinois, we offer you our heartfelt thanks for your service and sacrifice. We thank your loved ones for their sacrifice and support. Welcome home, and most importantly, Semper Fi.

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

Mr. Speaker, when the World Bank was founded in 1944, its official title was the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the IBRD. The reconstruction of Europe and Asia was the primary mission of the World Bank, and reconstruction has always been central to the Bank's mission.

Since 1944, the Bank has helped Germany and Japan rebuild. It was then crucial to the reconstruction of South Korea and played a key role in the renaissance of Eastern Europe after the fall of communism. Today, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and many Eastern European nations have now become donors to the Bank, supporting its work, rather than recipients.

As of today, I am the only Member of Congress who has served in the World Bank, and it is a noble institution, with thousands of professional staff helping people in poorer nations rise up to realize their full potential. The challenge before the Bank today has been the reconstruction of Iraq. Republicans and Democrats by wide margins agree that the international community should do more through multilateral institutions in helping the people of Iraq build greater incomes and more security and do it in cooperation with other nations.

But there is a problem. There is a very disappointing record of the World Bank in Iraq. The World Bank promised Iraq $387 million in cash to be contributed for the benefit of the Iraqi people, and as of just 6 months ago the Bank has committed only $43.6 million for the reconstruction of Iraq, about 13 percent of what was actually promised. Now, 2 years later after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the problem is worse because the pace of World Bank funding for projects in Iraq is extraordinarily slow. As of just 6 months ago, there were only nine postings for projects in Iraq funded by the World Bank.

This is an institution which not only promised $387 million from its own account but also led a pledging conference, putting together $32 billion in pledges for the people of Iraq. To compare, the United States pledged $18.4 billion for the reconstruction and has already obligated 7 billion of that. Of the 32 billion, only a tiny percentage has been completed.

Much of the fault of this very slow progress is at the hands of the current President of the World Bank, President Wolfensohn. President Wolfensohn to date has not allowed any World Bank staff to be stationed in Iraq. Despite the presence of hundreds of international staff working for a wide variety of international development organizations, President Wolfensohn will not even allow staff of the World Bank to volunteer to do the important work of helping the Iraqi people build a new democracy and create higher incomes for Iraqi working families.

That is why it was such good news to hear that Paul Wolfowitz will be named as the United States' new nominee to take over the World Bank in July. No one more than Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz knows how important it is to set a new example of helping the international community to help a democracy rise in Iraq.

We have seen great changes in the Middle East of late, in Syria and in Egypt and in other places, just sponsored by what has already happened in Iraq. Think if we could actually have a president of the World Bank put to use the $32 billion in international funds or at least the $387 million promised by World Bank to actually help the people of Iraq. From my view, we could not have Secretary Wolfowitz take over the leadership of the Bank faster. Under President Wolfensohn we are mired in the mud, unable to move very much assistance, and unable to do what on a bipartisan level so many of us want to do, to get the international community involved in the reconstruction of Iraq and the building of a new democracy.

I am very happy with this new nomination. I think Secretary Wolfowitz as an Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as our Ambassador to Indonesia, and as someone who has provide a leadership role in the Department of Defense, can make a real difference. With more aid to Iraq and more reconstruction, we can bring the troops home faster.

Mr. Speaker, for almost two decades, Congress has unsuccessfully grappled with the challenge of assuring fair and timely compensation to workers who have become sick after being exposed to asbestos fibers. The pioneering work done by litigation reform advocates like Rep. Henry Hyde laid the foundation for ongoing negotiations in the other body that may finally result in legislation that assures compensation to sick plaintiffs and allows defendant companies to move beyond the uncertainty of decades-long mass tort litigation.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush told us, ``Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.'' It is time for the House to enter the debate.

Many of you have heard how asbestos litigation reform has hurt workers and our economy. Over 8,000 defendants must spend time and money responding to asbestos lawsuits. Since the mid-1980's, 730,000 asbestos claims have been filed--and over 100,000 asbestos suits were filed in 2003 alone. Defendants point to examples of clever attorneys ``working the system'' to benefit certain plaintiffs, escalating the cost of litigation beyond reliable measure. For example, in 1998, a Fayette, Mississippi, jury awarded $2 million each to five plaintiffs who had been exposed to asbestos fibers but had little or no symptoms of illness. In 2003, the Supreme Court has upheld a $5.8 million award to plaintiffs with lung x-rays showing evidence of asbestos exposure, who successfully argued that they deserved compensation for living with fear of contracting an asbestos-related disease--or ``asbestophobia,'' as some call it. The uncertain cost of asbestos litigation has driven at least 74 companies into bankruptcy. Employees of these bankrupt firms have watched the value of their 401(k) accounts drop by 25 percent. As many as 60,000 workers have lost their jobs.

This focus on numbers can make us forget that asbestos litigation reform is about people:

Mary Lou Keener watched her father die painfully from mesothelioma, a cancer he contracted from asbestos exposure while he served in the Navy during World War 11. He filed legal claims years before he died, yet his widow has received almost nothing.

Workers who are sick from years of exposure to asbestos while working for Johns Manville Corporation might be told that approved compensation for their mesothelioma is $700,000; however, since the bankruptcy trustee pays only five cents on the dollar, their claim is worth $35,000.

David Coleman, exposed to asbestos as an infant when he inhaled fibers embedded in his father's work clothes, died of mesothelioma in 2002, at the age of 19. His family's lawsuit sits on the court docket in Cuyahoga County, along with another 34,000 claims.

Children who grew up in the asbestos mining town of Libby, Montana, breathing in asbestos fibers stirred up by the street traffic as they road buses to school, now, as adults, are experiencing asbestosis symptoms. Under the current system, they have no hope of compensation.

Ron Huber, who worked 35 years in a steel mill, joined an asbestos suit in 1995 although he had no symptoms of asbestos related illness. His attorney accepted a small settlement which, according to Huber, was wholly applied to legal costs. By 2002, he was truly experiencing symptoms of asbestos-related disease. He is suing the only person not released by settlement of the 1995 case--the attorney who recruited him for that suit.

Drew Anders, who spent 15 years working for a company that was forced to declare bankruptcy in reaction to growing asbestos litigation, watched his $50,000 retirement account fall to $1,500.

A small business owner in Louisiana who never manufactured anything containing asbestos once used a asbestos-threaded nut in a piece of machinery. Although there is no evidence that this nut causes asbestos related disease, this man's company pays $75,000 to $100,000 a year in asbestos-related claims.

A research company that released one of the first studies establishing the health risks of asbestos--a report that saved lives and improved working conditions--is named in over 60,000 cases every year. The principals of this firm, which never used or manufactured asbestos products, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in settlements.

Today, I am introducing the FAIR Act of 2005. This bill is based on bipartisan asbestos trust fund negotiations carried out during the last months of the 108th Congress. It puts patients ahead of plaintiffs and would dramatically reduce the cost of asbestos litigation. I call on us to work together and pass a bill that helps victims and companies affected by asbestos litigation, while benefiting the economy and boosting the stock market.

Mr. Chairman, democracy is sweeping the world and we should be proud that our country has become the greatest force for dignity of men and women in history. But if you look back at history, at past democracies, you will see that many collapsed because they voted by majority to go into debt. Athenians and the French republics, the budding democracies in Latin America, all collapsed in debt, which led to dictatorship. But that should

never happen here. This is a hard line budget, because the threat to freedom is also overspending, debt and instability.

In America, the Federal Government made a basic promise in the 19th century to provide for the common defense. In an age including the War on Terror, this promise to defend America is very expensive. It is expensive to send armies to Afghanistan or to stand watch across the demilitarized zone in Korea. But we must do this, and we must fully support Americans in uniform.

In the 20th century, the Federal Government made a second promise, to ensure retirement security for Americans who worked hard and played by the rules. The Social Security and Medicare programs face real challenges as the baby-boom generation retires. We are now expecting the number of people under Social Security and Medicare to rise from 40 million to 90 million.

Social Security recipients used to live, when Roosevelt created the program, an average of only 11 months, but now people are on Social Security on average 22 years. So the size of meeting the retirement security promise is extremely large, in fact beyond the current means of this government.

We are commanded to be fiscal conservatives to meet the needs of our common defense and the 20th century's promise of retirement security. We cannot start new programs, because we should honor these promises first.

Some say we should borrow more, but we already borrow too much and we have seen past democracies drown in debt. Some would like us to raise taxes, killing economic growth, but we cannot kill economic growth. Our growing economy right now is already yielding more tax revenue to meet the Nation's needs, but for the foreseeable future those new dollars should be used to support Americans in uniform and to already honor the retirement security promises that the Federal Government has made.

Our chairman has done a good job, a budget that stands for restraint, that continues the course of a free people being free, that grows our economy. We could say yes to everyone. We could say yes, and then we would be much more popular in the short run. But in the long run there would be more debt, a smaller economy, a smaller future for our children.

I am for less debt, rather than more. I am for more economic growth, rather than less. I am for honoring the basic promises the Federal Government has made to provide for the common defense and the retirement security of older Americans.

That should not be done on borrowed money, on borrowed time. It should be done with a growing economy. It is under this restraint, with this discipline, that this budget comes before the House, and we should honor that work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Winnetka Park District on 100 years of service to our community.

In 1904, a group of concerned citizens wanted to restore a piece of land in front of the village train station, which had been strewn with debris from the local livery stable. This small band of citizens came together and collected the $8,548.30 needed to purchase what is now Station Park.

From those humble beginnings, the Winnetka Park District has developed into 28 park sites that represent more than 244 acres of land. The lands under the control of the Park District include some of the most beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan. And from the initial investment of $8,548.30, the district now boasts a $9 million annual operating budget.

Through these 100 years, with the needs and desires of the public in mind, the Winnetka Park District has added new facilities to meet the continually growing population. Now, nearly 14,500 citizens enjoy the Park District's facilities, which include an 18-hole championship golf course plus a par-3 course, the first indoor tennis facilities in the Chicago area, platform tennis courts, an indoor ice arena, two outdoor rinks, four public beaches, a skate park, and a 142-acre expanse of playfield.

The Winnetka Park District also runs hundreds of recreation programs, from day camps, to athletics, to classes. The district plans special events throughout the year, and thousands partake annually in skating, tennis and golf lessons.

For one hundred years the Winnetka Park District worked to provide a balance of quality recreational and leisure opportunities to a growing community, while protecting the natural resources and open spaces for the benefit of future generations. I hope that the next hundred years is as successful.