Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of Mr. Perley Beane, Maine's Director of Economic and Community Development, for more than 40 years in public service at the federal, state and local level.

A graduate of Waterville High School and Thomas College, Perley's first job was as a teacher in Jackman. After working as a business manager, Perley was appointed as the first director of the Waterville Public Housing Authority. He also served as director of the Maine Affordable Housing Alliance at the Department of Economic and Community Development before being appointed to his present position in Madison, Maine.

Perley has dedicated his life to bettering his community. He has served as a board member for such organizations as The Salvation Army, the Waterville Housing Authority, the Somerset County Jail Committee, the Somerset County Rural Housing Replacement Committee, the Somerset County Economic Development Corporation, the Waterville Zoning Board and the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program.

Though Perley's retirement is well deserved and begins a new and exciting chapter in his life, it also signifies that Maine is losing one of its most valued service providers. His dedication to the people of Maine has been a blessing for our State, and has improved the lives of countless Mainers. I am both honored and privileged to pay tribute to Perley for his hard work and commitment to the people of Maine. I offer my sincere appreciation on behalf of the entire State.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker I rise in strong support of S. 2486, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004. I would like to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for their leadership on this legislation and my good friend and colleague on the Subcommittee on Benefits, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown). I have enjoyed working with him during this Congress.

I was proud to join Members on both sides of the aisle in introducing provisions to help our veterans and servicemembers and their families. It is good to see that work contained in this final bill.

This legislation demonstrates the bipartisan nature of the Committee on Veterans Affairs and our ability to work together for the good of our Nation's veterans. The Members and staff of both sides of the aisle also should be recognized for their efforts in putting legislation together.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the good work done by the other body. Senator Specter and Senator Graham and their staffs worked diligently to bring this bill forward. It has been a bipartisan and bicameral effort. Our Nation's veterans and their families would be better off with this legislation.

S. 2486 is a comprehensive bill drawn from a number of provisions that came before our committee. I would like to take a moment to point out just a few.

Many of the provisions in Title I, the Veterans Earn and Learn Act of S. 2486, are drawn from H.R. 1716. Title I will provide improved benefits and job assistance for future skilled workers as they leave military service. The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) introduced and I was happy to support a provision to extend eligibility of employer-sponsored health care coverage to Reservists who have been activated for up to 24 months of active service. This provision is found in section 201 of the bill.

Section 2111 drawn from a bipartisan H.R. 4173 provides for a report of employment placement, retention and advancement of recently separated servicemembers.

I am also pleased that the other body included provisions similar to H.R. 1750 to increase by $250 the amount of dependency and indemnity compensation benefits received by surviving spouses with children under age 18 for the first 2 years of eligibility. The ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), has been a long-time advocate for our Nation's disabled veterans and their families.

S. 2486 contains provisions drawn from the Evans bill, H.R. 4172, to codify certain disabilities as presumptive disabilities for atomic veterans and to provide an offset rather than a bar to benefits when an atomic veteran or survivor receives benefits under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

I would like to thank the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley) for the opportunity to join with him in introducing H.R. 2163 to equalize the position of surviving spouses who receive death pension benefits and who are also the beneficiaries of veterans' life insurance. The provisions of H.R. 2163 are contained in section 303 and 305 of this bill.

The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 includes a provision that is drawn from my bill, H.R. 2612, to allow veterans who have lost or lost the use of both arms at or above the elbow due to a service- connected disability to receive a special adaptive housing grant. This will provide needed assistance to those veterans currently being disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as veterans of former wars, such as James Moore of Lincoln, Nebraska, who contacted the committee concerning this issue.

The gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) has been a leader on our committee for veterans' housing issues, and her work is reflected in S. 2486. Section 103 is drawn from her bill, H.R. 4616, and provisions from the Senate to extend the authority for hybrid adjustable mortgages.

S. 2486 will also benefit Native American veterans in my State and across the country. The Pleasant Point and Indian Township Passamoquody Tribe of Maine has entered into a memorandum of understanding to participate in the VA's Native America Home Loan pilot project. The newest member of our committee, the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth), introduced H.R. 5153 to extend this program. That provision is included as section 406 of this bill.

The gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) has also been a leader in working to protect our most vulnerable veterans, and I was pleased to join her in introducing H.R. 4032 to improve protection and remedies in the event of fiduciary misuse. Many of the provisions of H.R. 4032 are included in Title V of the Veterans Benefit Improvement Act of 2004.

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, there has been a great deal of bipartisan support put together in this bill. S. 2486 will improve the lives of veterans of today and provide a sense of security for those servicemembers who are risking their lives all around the world. I urge all Members to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

(Ms. WATERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, before yielding to my last speaker, to thank our chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith); the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown); and our ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), as well as the committee staff on both sides of the aisle for all the hard work that they have done in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs over the last 2 years.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4658, the Servicemembers and Veterans Legal Protections Act of 2004. I want to thank our ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), and our chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for their leadership on this legislation, as well as my good friend and colleague on the Subcommittee on Benefits, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown).

I have enjoyed working with them during this Congress. Additionally, I would like to thank Members and staffs on both sides of the aisle who have contributed to this bill.

H.R. 4658 contains a number of provisions aimed at enhancing and improving the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and other matters which will improve the quality of life of our troops, veterans and military families. Today, men and women who make up the Armed Forces and their families are under tremendous strain. Laws concerning reemployment rights and legal and financial protections for our service members help them to focus on serving the country. When these laws are effectively administered and vigorously enforced, they help our service members and their families and assist in recruitment and retention efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased that we have included measures to improve certain sections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. These measures were brought to our attention by service members and military lawyers who experienced problems we had not anticipated when the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act was passed last year. H.R. 4658 solved these identified problems.

H.R. 4658 also makes improvements to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes measures to protect our most vulnerable veterans from financial abuse by those VA has authorized to handle their cash benefits. These provisions are drawn from H.R. 4032 which I joined the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) in introducing. Veterans and other VA beneficiaries who have their benefits paid to fiduciaries will have protections similar to those Congress recently afforded to Social Security beneficiaries.

Finally, I must express my deep regret that the majority leadership has rejected a provision in this bill supported by our committee. In response to a problem identified by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the administration proposed to permit VA to provide limited transitional care for newborns of veterans receiving maternity care from VA. Currently, VA is being charged high rates by hospitals who agree to provide contract maternity care to eligible veterans. Rates are excessive because under current law VA has no authority to pay for care of the newborn child after delivery. VA requested the authority to pay for newborn care for a maximum of 14 days in order to allow time to make other arrangements for newborns who would need ongoing care. The committee recognized that alternate payment sources such as private medical insurance may be available to pay for newborn care and therefore would have limited VA's liability to those situations where no other payment source was available. These provisions were rejected by the Republican leadership. VA will continue to have difficulty arranging for contract maternity care and will continue to be charged higher amounts. As a Blue Dog, I find this fiscally irresponsible.

I also believe we are sending the wrong message to servicewomen injured in Iraq or Afghanistan or otherwise disabled by military service. VA's failure to provide newborn care associated with maternity care is likely to alienate the increasing number of young women in our military. I will continue to push for reconsideration of this provision in the 109th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, the provisions in H.R. 4658 are of the utmost importance. We have an obligation to do all we can to ensure that service members and their families have peace of mind. Passing this legislation would be a strong step in the right direction. I urge all Members to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure that I rise in support of this joint resolution to congratulate and commend the Veterans of Foreign Wars for 105 years of dedicated service. These congratulations extend not only to the current members of the more than 9,000 VFW posts worldwide but to all members since the beginning of this accomplished veterans service organization who served in wartime overseas.

I would also like to recognize the contributions the VFW has made in my State of Maine. From Fort Kent in the north to Kittery in the south, the 13,500 members of the VFW located in 83 individual posts have always worked to improve the lives of veterans and our communities and I am honored to call many of them my friends.

The VFW's origins extend back to 1899 with the founding of the American Veterans of Foreign Service and the National Society of the Army of the Philippines, which merged in 1914 to form the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. Originally the organization was created to help secure rights and benefits for veterans of the Spanish- American War and the Philippines War. They succeeded then as they do now, speaking with a loud and clear collective voice to serve veterans. This organization is to be congratulated and commended. The authors of this joint resolution are also to be commended for their efforts to recognize this great service organization.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great reverence that I support this concurrent resolution for a minute of silence at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day. On Veterans Day we recognize the over 26 million veterans in our country. We remember those who have passed away, and we honor those who currently wear the uniform. They are inspiring stories of shared sacrifice that come out of every battle in every war and conflict, none more telling than the one of ``the four chaplains'' of World War II.

These four chaplains shall not be forgotten nor will the many veterans who go unlisted by name on Veterans Day. These stories will be remembered as just one example of all historic service members who have fought and died for the United States.

November 11 has been set aside as the day of tribute to these men and women who have answered the call to service for our Nation. A minute of silence at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day will give all Americans the opportunity to pause and remember all veterans of the United States who have given so much in service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I do want once again want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member, and the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) for all that they have done for the veterans of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Cary Medical Center not only for 80 years of community health care services to Aroostook County but for receiving the National Job Corps Association's 2004 Alpha Award in the Community Category.

The Cary Medical Center has played a unique and integral role in providing health services to the communities in Northern Maine. The Cary Medical Center offers a variety of excellent services to the people of Aroostook County. Its dietary department is one of the best in the country. Cary also has established itself as a leader in Community Health Education and Disease Prevention programs.

The Cary Medical Center also has superior veterans' services. The VA outpatient clinic was the first facility of its type in the nation, providing outpatient medical care for Aroostook veterans since 1987. It has over 6,000 patient visits per year.

The Cary Medical Center has been recognized by many organizations for its excellent service. In 1998, Cary Medical Center earned Accreditation with Commendation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, the highest rating attainable, placing Cary among the top 15 percent of hospitals in the nation in reference to nationally established guidelines on quality patient care.

More recently, the Center received the National Job Corps Association's 2004 Alpha Award in the Community Category. This is an extraordinary achievement: Cary Medical Center will be one of 6 winners out of 107 national nominations. The Alfa Award is given to individuals, organizations and employers who are dedicated to helping Job Corps students. CMC manages the Certified Nurses Assistant program for the Loring Job Corps. The hospital provides both classroom and clinical instruction for students who select the vocation.

Beyond excellent programs and the highest honors, perhaps the greatest achievement of all is the duration of service CMC has given to the community of Aroostook County. 80 years is a very long time to be serving people, and Northern Maine is surely a better place because of their contributions. I thank them for their dedication and service to the people of Maine, and commend them for this most recent award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the first annual Tribute to Seniors Day to be hosted by the Waldo County YMCA in the City of Belfast, Maine.

The focus of this important day is to honor the seniors of Waldo County and their dedication to their community and their families. This event will give important recognition to our seniors, and will include a health fair and other events and activities that will provide useful social services information.

Tribute to Seniors Day will be a fitting salute to a group that over the years has persevered and seen our country through hard and trying times, including those of the Greatest Generation who lived through the Great Depression and a World War. They were forged in the toughest trials of this century, and they remain community leaders to this day.

While the struggles this generation has faced over the years have changed, today the important fight is for affordable heath care and prescription drugs, and our seniors are leading the charge. There is no greater gift of gratitude that we can give to our seniors than to join them in this fight and improve Medicare in order to make prescription drugs affordable for all.

I am certain that this event will be a resounding success for years to come and will provide other areas with a model through which to recognize the lifelong dedication and service provided by local seniors. I encourage everyone in Waldo County to attend this important event and lend their support for their friends and family as we celebrate Tribute to Seniors Day.

To our seniors who have lived through and experienced so much, and who still remain pillars of our community, I salute you.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4608, a bill introduced by a former member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood) to rename the Peoria, Illinois, VA clinic after former Congressman Bob Michel. For 2 decades, Congressman Michel served Peoria as a Member of this body. In the last 6 years of his tenure, he was elected to serve as minority leader, a post he maintained until his retirement in 1995.

While I missed the opportunity to work directly with Congressman Michel, I understand he was an effective and highly respected leader who worked well with both sides of the aisle. He is remembered here for expert political insight, a congenial manner and being a true gentleman. I hope all Members will join me in supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) who has continually fought for veterans' issues.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the full committee, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), our ranking member, as well as our chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), for their work in bringing this bill before the House this afternoon.

H.R. 3936 will honor our veterans by supporting the establishment of a dedicated courthouse for the United States Courts of Appeal For Veterans Claims in the greater Washington, D.C. area. It is strongly supported by Members from both sides of the aisle.

H.R. 3936 shows support for our Nation's veterans, especially those who must avail themselves of a Federal court system in order to obtain the benefits that they have earned by military service. I hope that by establishing a separate, dedicated courthouse for veterans' claims, there will ease any confusion veterans may have about the role of this court as part of the Federal judicial system, and not part of the VA, and that this will streamline and facilitate the adjudication process.

The establishment of this courthouse will also improve the security of the court. The events of September 11, 2001, have made clear the need for appropriate security in government buildings. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is currently located above a parking area which creates a serious security risk. This bill recommends a location for the court on land near the Pentagon. I believe this is an appropriate site.

H.R. 3936 is a bill which deserves the support of all Members of this House, and I urge them to do so.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank once again the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith); the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans); and our chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), for their continued efforts to assure that our veterans' purchasing power is not decreased with the passage of time.

H.R. 4175, the Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Act of 2004, will help our service-disabled veterans and their survivors maintain the value of their compensation benefits despite any increase in the cost of living.

Although we will not know the amount of the increase until the consumer price index is computed this fall, I expect this bill will provide an increase in benefits for calendar year 2005.

No amount of money can adequately compensate for the loss of life or limb, but it is important that the compensation that is paid does not lose its value as the cost of living rises. This is particularly important in a rural State like Maine. Some labor market areas in my State have experienced double-digit unemployment. In one labor market alone last year, unemployment was as high as 32 percent.

Veterans benefits help veterans and their families in these areas make ends meet. I am also happy to note that the bill contains a provision adding osteoarthritis to the list of conditions that are presumptively service-connected for veterans who are former POWs.

I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 348, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), which contains this provision and more. I regret that the full bill cannot be considered because of the fiscal constraints.

I believe that when men and women suffer disabilities as a result of confinement as prisoners of war, this Nation should compensate them for all the disabilities that result. These disabilities are another cost of war, and they should be recognized and compensated as such. This provision is another small step in the right direction.

H.R. 4175 will receive my full support, and it deserves the support of Members of this House.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member of the committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth), who has shown her interest in veterans' issues and is very dedicated and will be a hard fighter for veterans' issues.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 308. This measure recognizes the members of AMVETS for their efforts on behalf of military families and service to our Nation.

During and following their military service, members of AMVETS have routinely worked to provide important services to their local communities and to their fellow veterans. They have truly been guided by the AMVETS motto: ``We fought together, now let's build together.''

This motto definitely rings true back in my home State of Maine, which is home to a very active and successful AMVETS chapter.

Madam Speaker, AMVETS has designated July 23 as its National Charter Day, with the goal to encourage public awareness of their commitment and service to veterans, their families and our country.

I commend and applaud AMVETS for their past, present, and future service. I am pleased to support House Concurrent Resolution 308, and I ask other Members to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In closing, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his continued fighting for veterans issues. Also, I want to thank staff on both sides of the aisle for bringing these bills before us today. The staff has done a tremendous job in making sure that we have these bills before us in the proper form.

Also, I want to thank the veterans and the VSOs for all their work in helping keep Congress's feet to the fire in supporting issues important to our veterans in this country.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am introducing two bills to designate the Edmund S. Muskie Memorial, located in Rumford, Maine, as a national monument. Surely, the incredible accomplishments of this distinguished American deserve national recognition.

Edmund S. Muskie was born March 28, 1914, in Rumford, Maine, the second of six children and the son and grandson of Polish immigrants. Ed Muskie attended public schools in Rumford, graduated as valedictorian of his high school and with cum laude honors from Bates College. After Cornell University Law School, he began practicing law in Waterville. In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a Lieutenant in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

Ed Muskie began his political career in the Maine House of Representatives, where he served from 1946-1951. Later he went on to be twice elected as Governor of Maine and then to the United States Senate, where he served for twenty-one years. During his tenure in the Senate, Ed Muskie served on the Foreign Relations, Governmental Affairs, and Environmental and Public Works committees, and was the founder and first chair of the Senate Committee on the Budget.

Joining Democratic Presidential nominee Hubert H. Humphrey, Ed Muskie ran for Vice President on the Democratic ticket in 1968, and then made his own bid for the Presidential nomination in 1972. After retiring from the Senate in 1980, he was made Secretary of State by President Carter, practiced law in Washington, D.C., and was named to President Reagan's Special Review Board to investigate the Iran-Contra affair.

Few people served this nation as long, or as honorably, as Edmund Muskie. His dedication to public service was obvious and his commitment to environmental issues ahead of his time.

I have introduced a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the memorial to Edmund S. Muskie located in Rumford, Maine, as a unit of the National Park System. I have also introduced a bill to then officially designate the memorial as a national memorial. I am hopeful that these bills can be considered and passed soon so that we can have a fitting, national tribute to Edmund Muskie.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Irvin Hamlin, M.D. of East Millinocket, Maine who is set to retire after practicing medicine for over 48 years in the Katahdin Region.

After serving his country as a medic in World War II, Dr. Hamlin returned to the states and attended Colby College in Waterville, Maine and completed his medical training at the Tufts University Medical School. Upon graduation from medical school, Dr. Hamlin had a brief internship in Springfield, Ohio and then moved to East Millinocket in 1955, where he has remained ever since.

Dr. Hamlin has always exemplified the qualities of superior citizenship; his dedication to his patients and his community should serve as an example to others. Always one to bring a smile to his patient's faces, Dr. Hamlin's good humor and practical jokes are renowned throughout the region; but his compassion is his most outstanding quality. I have felt this part of his caring in my life when he attended to my own father.

It is always with some lingering sadness that I pass along my best wishes for the retirement of an individual like Dr. Hamlin. Though his retirement is well deserved it also signifies that the Katahdin Region is losing one of its most valued and experienced physicians. While his presence as a physician will be sorely missed; the extra time to spend with his family and fishing in area lakes and streams is long over due. I only ask that he leave some fish for the rest of us to catch.

The Millinocket Regional Hospital for which he worked for so many years will honor Dr. Hamlin next Thursday, July 1, 2004. I am sure the people of the Katahdin region will turn out in droves to congratulate him and thank this wonderful man who has spent so many years serving them.

After 48 outstanding years of dedicated service, it is my great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Hamlin and thank him for his tireless service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill I authored that will create the Northeast Regional Development Commission. The Commission would be charged with investing federal resources for economic development and job creation in the most distressed areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

This is an idea whose time has come. Its roots can be traced as far back as 1965, when Congress approved the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). This unique Federal-State partnership was charged with promoting development in the depressed Appalachian area through regional planning, technical assistance, and funding of projects aimed at encouraging economic prosperity.

It was a bold idea, and it worked. According to the National Association of Development Organizations, since its creation, the ARC has reduced the number of distressed counties in their region from 219 to 100. It has cut the poverty rate from 31 percent to 15 percent, and helped 1,400 businesses create 26,000 new jobs in the region since 1977.

With a record like that, other regions began to look at this model, and realize that they needed the same thing in their own area. Over the past decade, this has led to the creation of three additional commissions and proposals for two more.

When I arrived in Congress and saw these proposals, it became clear that other regions were catching on to a good idea, but that the Northeast could be missing the boat. There is currently no single body focused on the need for jobs and economic development in the Northeast region.

The Northeast has a clear, compelling case for coordinated federal investment. Compared to the counties of some of the other regions that have an existing or proposed commission, a sample of Northeast counties along the Northern border showed higher unemployment, much higher outmigration, and extremely similar, and low, household income. All of these measures were far worse than the national average.

Creating a regional commission would give us the chance to look at economic development in a whole new way: as a challenge that we can tackle together as a region. Together we all face declining natural resource industries, aging infrastructure, and youth who are leaving to seek opportunity elsewhere. But together, we also still possess abundant resources, a good geographic location with opportunities to ship our products to the world, and a trained workforce that is ready to take on new challenges.

The Commission created in my bill would utilize the successful ARC approach where local development districts and other non-profit organizations bring project ideas and priorities to the Commission from the local level. Because local plans are approved by the state, no state would have mandates thrust upon it from outside.

Whether the need is new irrigation systems for agriculture, land and forestry conservation to maintain productive traditional uses, investment in our fishing infrastructure, new roads, or health care facilities--a Federal commission can play a key role in investing in our economy. Our region needs this kind of investment.

Already, the interest that this proposal has generated among many diverse groups has been a step in the right direction, as it has helped to bring people together from many different sectors to think creatively, constructively, and cooperatively about our future. We are off to a good start, and now there is a lot more work to be done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 460 and the principles it supports.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people has been a long and terrible blight in our shared human history. The harm this conflict has caused spreads far beyond the borders of Israel and it is incumbent upon all who support freedom and peace to resolve this situation.

I am strongly committed to the security and well-being of a Jewish state, and like President Bush, I do not believe lasting security and peace will come to the region until a two-state solution is achieved and the Palestinian people and surrounding nations actively pursue an end to terrorist organizations. Sadly, currently Israel has no partner for peace within the Palestinian leadership. As a result, both Israel and the Palestinian people are left to suffer.

Israel has a right to defend itself and its people from violence and the threat of terrorism. To further the security of Israel, Prime Minister Sharon will initiate a plan to withdraw all Israeli villages and military personnel from the Gaza Strip as well as other villages and military personnel from the West Bank and extend a temporary security fence. Like the resolution we now consider, I fully support ``efforts to continue working with others in the international community to build the capacity and will of the Palestinian institutions to fight terrorism, dismantle terrorist organizations, and prevent the areas from which Israel has withdrawn from posing a threat to the security of Israel.''

Like so many on both sides of this conflict and throughout the international community, I remain hopeful that peace can and will be achieved. My district is home to Seeds of Peace, which brings young Israelis and Palestinians together. I believe this is an extremely important program, and I believe we must continue to support and encourage both diplomatic and personal dialogue between Israel and Palestinians.

Mr. Speaker, again I would like to voice my support for H. Con. Res. 460, for lasting security for the state of Israel and for peace in the Middle East.