Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, due to an official congressional delegation trip to Afghanistan, I was unable to cast votes on rollcall Votes 29, 30, 31, and 32. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 29, ``nay'' on rollcall 30, and ``yea'' on rollcall 31, and ``nay'' on rollcall 32.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Mary Harris, who recently retired from Greater Boston Catholic Charities. In her 31 years of service Ms. Harris worked tirelessly to better the lives of those around her.

During her tenure at Catholic Charities, Ms. Harris worked with children in day care, foster care and adoption. She also worked with families wishing to adopt and families interested in foster care. For the past 12 years she served as the Director of the Eastern Middlesex County Foster Grandparent Program. This program has a multitude of benefits for both seniors and children. Seniors volunteer in schools and daycare centers, help with fundraisers, promote the Foster Grandparent Program, and learn about children from a variety of educators. Seniors also gain the knowledge that they are needed and can make a difference in the lives of children. The children get the privilege of having more people in their lives who care about them and are exposed to different perspectives and wisdom.

Ms. Harris has not only administered the program, but also shown the participants how much she values them. She makes sure that ill Foster Grandparents are taken care of, helping however she can. She often helps with shopping and getting medications.

Running the Foster Grandparent Program is not all Ms. Harris does for her community. She also manages the St. Gerard Thrift Store in Somerville and worked to make the holiday season more pleasant for families in need. She worked with the Christ Child Society to purchase over 100 jackets for children. She also helped to put together food baskets for needy families and distributed Christmas toys.

A lifelong resident of Cambridge and Somerville, Mary Harris is a true credit to her community and to the 8th District. Her work has improved the lives of both young and old. Her dedication is worthy of praise and her works of heartfelt appreciation. People like Ms. Harris are examples to others and proof that one person can make a difference. I wish her a relaxing and fulfilling retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Round II EZ/EC Flexibility Act of 2003, bipartisan legislation I introduced today with my colleague from New Jersey, Mr. LoBiondo.

The bill we introduced makes a number of small changes to the EZ/EC program that will provide these communities with greater flexibility in administering their economic development plans. Specifically, the bill authorizes $100 million in appropriations for each of the fifteen urban Empowerment Zones, $40 million for each of the five rural Empowerment Zones, and $3 million for each of the twenty rural Enterprise Communities.

The legislation also ensures that Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities that apply for one of the new Renewal Community designations will continue to receive the EZ/EC funding they were promised in 1999. Finally, the bill allows these communities to use their funding as the local match for receiving grants from other federal programs. This will help EZ/EC communities leverage additional resources to undertake economic development initiatives and provide job training and other vital social services.

Mr. LoBiondo and I have worked hard over the last several years to secure funding for the communities across the nation that were designated as Round II Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities. We both know first hand the successes of the EZ/EC program, and we will continue to work together in a bipartisan manner to ensure that these communities are allocated the resources they need to bring economic opportunity to all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a moment of tremendous historical significance to our great country. January 1, 2003, marks the 227th anniversary of the raising on Prospect Hill, Somerville (then in Charlestown) the first flag of the United American Colonies. It is also the 100th anniversary of the building of the monument on Prospect Hill to recognize this event.

On January 1, 1776, General George Washington authorized that the Grand Union Flag be flown to celebrate the formation of the Continental Army. Thus, the Grand Union Flag, also known as the Great Union Flag, the Continental Union Flag and the Congress Flag, was raised at the fort sited on Prospect Hill. The brigade of Continental troops commanded by the legendary General Nathaniel Greene stationed at Prospect Hill produced a rousing cry and fired a salute of thirteen guns as the flag proudly flew on that cold winter's morning. Washington himself fondly recalled the scene, writing in a letter to his friend Colonel Joseph Reed, ``we hoisted the Union Flag in compliment to the United Colonies.''

Our first flag itself bears only a similarity to our current flag, although, surprisingly, it bears a strong resemblance to the flag flown during the 18th century by the East India Company. The Grand Union Flag was an alteration of the British meteor flag. It featured thirteen alternating red and white stripes to signify the thirteen American colonies. A contemporary British Union flag--the red cross of St. George and the White cross of St. Andrew on a blue background--formed its canton. It was felt that this combination aptly reflected the unity the colonists felt in their struggle and the loyalty many still felt to England. While the Continental Congress never passed a resolution recognizing the Grand Union Flag as the official American flag, it was used until mid-1777 by the Continental Army and is considered the first flag of the United States. I am proud that it was first raised on Prospect Hill, Somerville, in what is now the 8th Congressional District of Massachusetts.