Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Cesar Chavez on his birthday. I ask the members of the House to join us in paying our respects to a man who brought awareness of farm labor injustices to national light, and who made a path for all those who came after him.

Chavez's legacy continues to live on today. His influence can be seen in the legislation that comes to this very floor. Recently, Leader Pelosi and I have joined national civil rights leader John Lewis, in introducing H.R. 3809, the FAIRNESS Act, comprehensive civil rights legislation that will protect workers from discrimination and workplace abuse.

We also continue the fight to ensure that in today's world, the rights of workers are still protected. That is why those of us who work daily on the issues of fairness, justice and equity know that even though we have been fighting these battles for more than half a century, we have not won the war and discrimination still exists. That is why it is important to ensure our laws stay current with the times. We cannot allow loopholes to create a situation where it is legal to discriminate against segments of our population. Under the Fairness Act all workers--and that is a very important point--all workers may obtain relief for unfair labor practices.

As you know, Democrats in Congress have advocated on behalf of immigrants for years to help them earn status as lawful permanent residents, secure a path towards citizenship, and pursue opportunities in higher education.

Mr. Speaker, we must keep in mind that immigrants make indispensable contributions to our economy. They compose an increasingly essential proportion of our workforce. Their tax payments help finance government programs, of which they are both users and beneficiaries. Making immigrants true stakeholders in our society means not only bringing them out from the shadows of the undocumented, but also providing them access to lawful permanent residency status. Ultimately, the value of immigrants to our society should not be valued just in dollar terms. Rather, we should measure the enrichment to our culture and the overall vitality immigrants bring to American society.

I remain committed to improving the lives of all immigrants in this country, and I will continue advocating for programs that offer immigrant workers meaningful access to permanent legal status and a clear path towards citizenship. Today we can still hear Mr. Chavez say his chant of encouragement, pride and dignity: ``Si, se puede!''--yes, it can be done.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for letting me address the House of Representatives today to honor Mr. Chavez on the occasion of what would have been his 77th birthday.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman of the CBC for yielding me this time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong opposition to the House Republican budget resolution and a hardy support for the Congressional Black Caucus's alternative budget.

As a former teacher and a principal, I understand how important quality education is for all Americans. Unfortunately, the Republican budget fails to fund this national priority of public education. Republicans leave the No Child Left Behind Act $9.4 billion short of promised levels. They shortchange the title I funding by $7.2 billion, denying nearly 5 million disadvantaged children of educational services. The Republican budget freezes the maximum Pell grants for the third year in a row, while college tuitions continue to rise.

However, on the other hand, the CBC budget fully funds the No Child Left Behind Act, fully funding the promise Congress made to our Nation's schools. The CBC alternative also funds school construction to provide safe and quality learning environments.

Mr. Chairman, our national budget should be like our family budget, a reflection of our priorities and values. It should be a budget based on making the right choices. Do we make room for more expensive tax cuts or provide quality education for our Nation's students?

I believe our choice is clear. Please support the CBC's alternative budget.

Mr. Speaker, while I am a staunch and unwavering supporter of our Nation's troops, I must rise in opposition to this resolution.

One year ago, the United States invaded Iraq, a unilateralist strike approved by Congress because President Bush told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was prepared to use them.

The Bush administration, in fact, assured the country that we faced imminent danger.

Today, we know that President Bush and his advisors made dozens-- perhaps hundreds--of misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq. Yet H. Res. 557 makes no reference to weapons of mass destruction, the leading justification for our supposed `'preventive'' strike at Saddam Hussein, other than to mention the use of such weapons some 16 years ago.

This is an attempt by the Republican Party to rewrite history and avoid accountability for their false claims about the nature of the Iraqi threat. Nobody from the Democratic side of the aisle was allowed to provide input on the resolution.

Let us remember: CIA Director George Tenet has admitted that U.S. intelligence never told the White House that Iraq posed an imminent threat; former Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix has stated that President Bush disregarded any evidence suggesting that Iraq lacked weapons of mass destruction; even David Kay, the Bush administration's hand-picked head of the U.S. post-war weapons inspection effort, has stated that the Iraq war ``was not worth it'' and recognized that weapons of mass destruction `'don't exist.''

But instead of taking responsibility for its repeated deception, Republicans now want to avoid any accountability for this misguided war by claiming to honor our troops.

More than 550 Americans have been killed in the Iraq war and occupation, and thousands more wounded, yet the Bush administration and the Republican congressional leadership refuse to admit that they were wrong.

I call for a full accounting of the events leading up to the war in Iraq. Until then, the American people cannot fully trust what their President tells them--especially when it comes to life and death decisions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of our armed forces, but stand opposed to this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia and the gentlewoman from Michigan for this opportunity to sort of crow a little here. I rise today to congratulate an extraordinary team on a successful season through H.R. 475.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, November 23, 2003, the San Jose Earthquakes became the second team in Major League Soccer history to win the Major League Soccer Cup a second time. The Earthquakes' 4-to-2 victory over the Chicago Fire showcased the team's explosive talent and demonstrated why soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in America today.

The Earthquakes' rise to the MLS championship game provided soccer fans with endless drama and excitement, including a five-goal comeback against the Los Angeles Galaxy, and a 3-to-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards.

In the championship game the Quakes showed a capacity crowd in Carson, California, four goals, one saved penalty kick, and 90 minutes of world class soccer. Throughout the game and throughout the season, this team played exciting soccer to the delight of San Jose's growing legion of fans.

Soccer is perhaps the world's most beloved sport. From Latin America to East Asia to Europe and Africa, indeed all the world's cultures play this great game. It therefore comes as no surprise that a community of San Jose's multicultural and multinational makeup should produce a soccer team of such prodigious ability.

In Latin America, soccer is called ``la pasion de multitudes,'' and the San Jose Earthquakes have shown us why this is truly the ``passion of people.''

While the Earthquakes' recent performances have been impressive, their greatest success may be the team's contribution to the sport of soccer here in America. In particular, the sportsmanship and gamesmanship of the Earthquakes have helped make Major League Soccer a hit. Although it is barely 8 years old, Major League Soccer has already captured the hearts and imaginations of fans around the country and around the world. The MLS also has served as a training ground for some of the world's best players. Many of those players were instrumental in bringing the United States to the quarter finals of the 2002 World Cup.

Now approaching its ninth successful year, and bolstered by the inspiring play of teams like the San Jose Earthquakes, Major League Soccer is stronger than ever. The fact that 20 million fans have attended MLS matches during the league's first eight seasons is a testament to the enormous popularity of the beautiful game here in the United States.

In addition to their on-the-field performance, I would like to thank the Earthquakes for their off-the-field dedication to the San Jose community. At a time when there seem to be too few positive role models in professional athletics, the Quakes have proven themselves not only as great athletes, but good people. Players from this team have repeatedly lent their celebrity and talent to numerous local organizations.

In 2003 alone, the Quakes have made appearances at the Muscular Dystrophy Association's summer camp, conducted free soccer clinics for local youth, raised money for numerous local charities, and supplied free tickets to disadvantaged youth through the Kick for Kids Program. It is deeply rewarding to witness this team's commitment to its community, and in particular, to San Jose's youth.

As a member of the San Jose community and a soccer fan, I look forward to watching the Quakes provide us with even greater inspiration in the years to come. The San Jose Earthquakes are the pride not only of the Bay Area in California, but also of America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 2003 Major League Soccer champions, and I congratulate the San Jose Earthquakes on a fantastic season. And to the soccer moms and dads of this country, there is a place for youngsters to go after they play their local teams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 56, a resolution I introduced last year on behalf of the Japanese-, Italian- and German-American communities to establish a National Day of Remembrance for the restriction, exclusion and internment of individuals and families during World War II. I thank the House leadership as well as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for their leadership in steering this measure to the floor today. While the resolution addresses events from our past, it does more than honor victims. It reminds us and our constituents that past national mistakes must not be repeated, even during times of great uncertainty.

To achieve these goals, we must first recognize the magnitude and severity of our Nation's injustices during World War II. In 1942, the U.S. Government rounded up and incarcerated approximately 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent, primarily from the West Coast, tearing families apart and forcing these hardworking people to sell their businesses and their personal properties for pennies on the dollar. Many literally lost the fruits of a lifetime of work due to Executive Order 9066 signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942.

I know firsthand the pain inflicted on those families incarcerated because I spent part of my childhood at Amache internment camp in southeast Colorado. My family was uprooted from our home and community and sent hundreds of miles away from our homes and communities for no other reason than our ancestry. There can be no confusion. The decision by America's political leaders in 1942 to intern Japanese Americans was signed, sealed and delivered not out of concern for national security or for the safety and security of Japanese Americans. This executive order was based on neither reason nor evidence but on fear and panic. The U.S. Government acknowledged as much in 1982 under Carter when the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians concluded that military necessity did not justify the exclusion and detention of these groups. Instead, the government's decision-making was driven by race prejudice, war hysteria and the failure of political leadership.

As the commission's report points out, ``A grave personal injustice was done to the American citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry who, without individual review or any probative evidence against them, were excluded, removed and detained by the United States during World War II.''

In 1988, Congress finally redressed these wrongs by formally apologizing and providing compensation to those unjustly relocated during World War II. It is a true testament to our Nation's values and democratic process that our Nation has been able to look back and admit errors from its past. I can think of no greater evidence to demonstrate why the United States, with all its flaws, is still looked to worldwide as the nation with the strongest and fairest form of government.

But it is not enough to admit our wrong and compensate those persecuted. It is equally important that today we endeavor to educate the public about the internment of Americans to avert the execution of federally sanctioned discrimination and maltreatment in the future. It is critically important more than ever to speak up

against possible unjust policies that may come before this body. It is critical that we educate all Americans of the Japanese-American experience during World War II as well as the experience of other groups like the Japanese Latin Americans.

These people were extricated from Latin America, brought over here, and had their documents taken away from them, thus becoming individuals without a country to be used as pawns in exchange for POWs in the Pacific Theater. As this resolution does, we must also remember the experiences of the German and Italian Americans who were also victimized.

Having recognized this, many members of those communities have suddenly realized that they were wrong, that they were not criminals; and because of the recognition, this awful burden of guilt has been lifted from their shoulders and from the communities.

As a teacher, I feel this point is especially timely and pertinent. In today's war against terrorism, we must be especially cognizant of the adage that those who do not learn from their past mistakes are doomed to repeat them.

Since World War II, our civil liberties have not been as much at risk as they are today. Even while we prosecute the war against terrorism, we must protect all innocent Americans from prejudice and xenophobia.

Today, Mr. Speaker, a person with my face, my background, and being a third-generation American of Japanese descent, standing in the Halls of Congress under the dome of the greatest capitol of this Nation, of this world, I have learned one lesson. And bringing together all of our experiences from our various communities during that time of trauma, the lesson that was learned, and it is an American lesson, is that the Constitution is never tested in times of tranquility. Rather, our Constitution is sorely tested in times of national tension, trauma, tragedy, and terrorism; and that we as Americans, in order to address our future, must internalize the principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

So I would like to conclude my remarks by honoring all those Americans who suffered on the homefront during World War II, and I hope this resolution will provide additional healing for those of our Nation. It takes enormous maturity for our Nation to admit its wrongs.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday January 27th, Wednesday January 28th, and on Tuesday February 3rd, I was unavoidably detained due to family matters I had to take care of in California and was not present for rollcall votes on those days.

Had I been present I would have voted the following:

Rollcall No. 6, to extend the provision of title 39, United States Code, under which the United States Postal Service is authorized to issue a special postage stamp to benefit breast cancer research, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 7, the Medical Devices Technical Corrections Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 8, on the Baldwin Substitute Amendment, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 9, on the motion to recommit with instructions, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 10, on final passage of S. 1920, a bill to extend for 6 months the period for which chapter 12 of title 11 of the United States Code is reenacted, I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall No. 13, on the motion to instruct conferees, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 14, expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the anniversary of the accident that cost the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia their lives, and extending heartfelt sympathy to their families, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 15, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding several individuals who are being held as prisoners of conscience by the Chinese Government for their involvement in efforts to end the Chinese occupation of Tibet, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 16, recognizing the 93rd birthday of Ronald Reagan, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I, Ms. Lofgren, and Ms. Eshoo rise today to commemorate the life and many accomplishments of Mr. Loyd Williams, who passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2003. Mr. Williams will long be remembered for his integrity and dedication to the welfare of all people in his community, and for his advocacy and hard work on behalf of the members of the United Association (UA) of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Refrigeration Fitters Local 393 and the entire labor movement.

Loyd Williams was born in El Morro, NM on April 15, 1941. At the age of 2, he and his family moved to San Jose, CA, where he attended Cambrian Elementary School and then Camden High School. Mr. Williams had his first experiences with the labor movement and its concerns while in his early school years, working as a prune harvester and later becoming a harvest contractor. During which, Loyd fired his own brother for poor job performance. Consequently, he learned a valuable lifelong lesson when Loyd's father later advised him that his brother was not properly trained. Instilled with his father's wisdom and insight, Loyd became one of the most respected labor leaders by modeling and teaching what he expected of others. After graduating from high school in 1959, Mr. Williams became an apprentice plumber and was elected president of his apprenticeship class. In 1964, he became a journeyman plumber and was active for 8 years in UA Local 393. Loyd Williams was elected business agent in 1973 and served continuously until he became business manager in 1992.

Loyd's 43-year dedication to UA Local 393 was not merely confined to his role as a business manager. He gladly took on many other responsibilities within the union and the community. Recently, Loyd Williams chaired the UA Local 393's Centennial Committee, organizing the Union's 100th Anniversary Celebration on January 24, 2004. He also chaired the Board of Trustees for the UA Local 393 Pension Fund, served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Western States Pipe Council, and acted as delegate to the Santa Clara/San Benito Trades Council, the South Bay Labor Council, the California State Pipe Trade Council, and the UA National Convention. Mr. William's coworkers fondly remember his outspokenness and willingness to fight for labor rights. Members of the community recall his many other contributions that included helping to establish the South Bay Children's Urgent Care Center and participating in the Christmas in April program.

Loyd Williams was characterized by his fervent advocacy on behalf of laborers and his continuous belief in the inherent goodness of people. His own life not only had taught him the values of hard work and perseverance, but also the need for cooperation in order to achieve common goals. Mr. Williams will always be remembered as one of the most dedicated and successful business managers of the UA Local 393. His life constitutes a wonderful example for many young people today who wish to engage in the labor rights movement and who want to actively support their communities.

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, Carolyn, of 37 years and his son, Jonathan. Also, he is fondly remembered by his siblings Oren, Bill, and Linda Fanelli. The entire community of Santa Clara County gives thanks and commemorates the life and many accomplishments of Mr. Loyd Williams.

Mr. Speaker, we extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Williams' family and friends. Please join us in honoring Mr. Loyd Williams, a truly exceptional individual who dedicated his life to the service of others.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start out my comments with a quote. ``See, I ran for office to solve problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future generations.'' President Bush at a fund-raiser in Oregon, August 21, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, I believe our national budget should reflect a community's values and priorities. It should reflect the needs of the American people, including good jobs, safe community, quality education, and access to affordable health care.

In my home district in Silicon Valley, we understand the value of investment. This means crafting budgets based on right choices. Do we fund a trillion dollar tax cut or do we provide after-school programs for our children? Do we give away billions to HMOs or do we help seniors afford their prescription drugs? Do we increase tax breaks for the businesses that ship jobs overseas, or do we work to recover the 2.6 million manufacturing jobs lost in the past 3 years?

Unfortunately, the budget submitted by President Bush fails to fund priorities important to middle-class Americans. President Bush's budget has a different set of priorities: budget-busting tax cuts, fiscal irresponsibility, overpayments to HMOs, and reduced funding for important domestic programs.

President Bush's budget lays out $1 trillion for tax cuts but provides $9.4 billion less for education than was promised in the No Child Left Behind Act. In California alone, this will result in $897 million less for school districts through the title I programs and $105 million less for children with disabilities through the IDEA program. President Bush is eager to make his tax cut permanent and even make new ones. But he cannot seem to deliver the funds promised when he signed the No Child Left Behind Act nearly 3 years ago.

President Bush's budget includes $46 billion in overpayment for HMOs as a part of the Republican Medicare plan but it does nothing to lower the price of senior citizens' prescription medication.

President Bush has claimed for 3 years that his economic program would create jobs. But in that time the U.S. has lost nearly 3 million jobs. The President asserted in the State of the Union address that additional tax cuts would create jobs, but the numbers do not support this claim. This is not even a true budget because it will miss the costs of ongoing military operations in Iraq.

The budget also avoids long-term reform of the alternative minimum tax, even though the AMT will soon force millions of middle-class families to pay more taxes. And this is in direct contrast to the original intent of AMT. A recent estimate by the Congressional Budget Office put the full price tag of AMT reform at over $500 billion, a cost not factored in by the President's budget.

If this budget reflects President Bush's priorities, then it is clear where his priorities lie. President Bush has chosen the interest of an elite few over the needs of the many. I urge my colleagues to align their priorities with those of the American people and oppose the budget proposed by President Bush. That budget reminds me of Swiss cheese. It is full of holes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the eight years of service Paul Igasaki provided to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Mr. Igasaki's tenure as a commissioner and Vice Chair of the EEOC started in 1994, when he was nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the United States Senate, and his second term began in 1998. During his nearly 1 year as acting Chair, Mr. Igasaki convinced Congress to pass one of the largest increases in funding for the EEOC. This increase allowed the perpetually underfunded agency to fill staffing needs throughout its regional offices, implement mediation programs, extended outreach to underserved communities and begin creating a national networked information system.

At the EEOC, Paul Igasaki was one of the architects in creating the EEOC's more strategic approach in taking on cases, which prioritizes the most egregious cases as well as those that may prevent future cases of employment-related discrimination. Mr. Igasaki's recommendations to overhaul the EEOC's case processing system and create the National Enforcement Plan helped reduce the agency's backlog of cases by 70 percent.

The EEOC was extremely fortunate to have someone with Paul Igasaki's experience serve on the Commission. As executive director of the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, one of the Nation's premier Asian American and Pacific Islander legal advocacy organizations, Mr. Igasaki spent several years handling issues such as employment discrimination and sexual harassment cases, as well as wage and hour issues, hate crimes, voting rights, housing, immigration and immigrant rights and other civil rights concerns. Litigating these issues at the Asian Law Caucus prepared him for the work that he would do with the EEOC.

Mr. Igasaki enhanced his Congressional advocacy skills with the Japanese American Citizens League serving as their Washington, D.C. Representative. Clearly, the major legislative victory for the Japanese American community was the passage and signing into law of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. This measure provided an apology and symbolic payments from the U.S. government to Japanese Americans for the wrongful deprivation of their civil liberties during World War II.

Serving as Washington Representative, Mr. Igasaki advocated for the appropriations to fund payments promised in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Without these symbolic payments to individuals who suffered the loss of their civil liberties, many would view the Civil Liberties Act as a hollow gesture. Among other critical issues, Mr. Igasaki also worked with Congressional offices, the Department of Transportation and the White House to resolve unequal enforcement of antiquated maritime law against Vietnamese American fishermen in California.

While I think of my friend Paul Igasaki as a Californian, he truly learned the art of politics and its role in improving people's lives in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. In the Windy City, he served as executive director of the Commission on Asian American Affairs; prior to that position, he was legal counsel and advisor to the Mayor on Asian American community affairs.

After receiving his Juris Doctor, from University of California, Davis and his Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University, Evanston, Mr. Igasaki was the first staff director of an American Bar Association project that increased private sector civil legal services to poor clients in Chicago. This service came at a time when federal funding for such services was greatly reduced.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to my good friend Paul Igasaki for his great service to this nation and look forward to his continued success in the fight to protect our civil rights and civil liberties.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an extraordinary team on an extraordinary season. On Saturday, November 23, 2003, the San Jose Earthquakes became the second team in Major League Soccer history to win the Major League Soccer Cup multiple times, thrilling soccer fans around the country and around the world.

The Earthquakes' 4-2 victory over the Chicago Fire showcased the team's explosive talent and demonstrated why soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in America today. This match featured more goals than a Major League Soccer championship has ever seen, including two from two-time U.S. National Team Player of the Year and MLS Cup MVP Landon Donovan.

The Earthquakes' rise to the MLS championship game provided soccer fans with endless high drama, including a five-goal comeback against the Los Angeles Galaxy to advance to the Western Conference final, and a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards, in which Landon Donovan sealed the championship birth with a golden goal in the 117th minute of play.

In the championship game itself, the San Jose Earthquakes showed a capacity crowd in Carson, California and a national audience four goals, one saved penalty kick, and 90 minutes of world-class soccer. Throughout that game, and throughout the season, the Earthquakes played aggressive, attacking, exciting soccer and delighted San Jose's growing legion of fans.

The sportsmanship and gamesmanship of the Earthquakes have helped bring success to Major League Soccer. Only eight years old, this league has already captured the hearts and imaginations of soccer fans around the country and provided the United States with some of the world's best players--many of whom were instrumental in bringing our country to the quarterfinals of last years World Cup, held in Japan and Korea.

Today, the Earthquakes are the pride, not only of San Jose, but also of America's entire sports community.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 2003 Major League Soccer Champions, and I congratulate the San Jose Earthquakes on a fantastic season.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 189, the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. I thank the distinguished leaders of the Committee on Science, the gentleman from New York (Chairman Boehlert) and the gentleman from Texas (Ranking Member Hall) for working with me on the House version of this bipartisan bill, as well as Senators Allen and Wyden for their leadership on the Senate version of this legislation.

I would also like to thank my personal staff and the committee staff for all their hard work in ironing out the differences with the other body that has allowed us to get to where we are today on this important legislation.

Nanotechnology, which is the ability of scientists and engineers to manipulate matter at the level of single atoms and molecules, can be revolutionary because it is an enabling technology and fundamentally changes the way many items are designed and manufactured. Most Members of this body had probably never heard of the word ``nanotechnology'' before we first considered legislation in May, but their support for the bill then and in the following months suggests that they have come to appreciate the impact this field will have.

The long-term, sometimes high-risk nature of the research that will be needed to bring nanotechnology to maturity requires the support of, and significant investment by, the Federal Government. This bill provides three things. It puts the National Technology Initiative into law and authorizes $3.7 billion in spending over the next 4 years for the program.

This investment in the future is critical because experts agree that investing in innovation is the key to a vibrant U.S. manufacturing base and continued generation of new jobs. Nanotechnology is one of the areas of innovation most worthy of investment, as it has the potential to create entirely new industries and radically transform the basis of competition in others.

The bill also contains a number of other provisions to make improvements in our national technology initiative. It requires the creation of research centers, education training efforts, research into the societal and ethical consequence of nanotechnology, and efforts to transfer technology into the marketplace. Importantly, the bill includes a series of coordination offices, advisory committees and regular programming to ensure that taxpayer money is being spent wisely and efficiently.

This is an excellent bill that I am proud to have had the chance to work on, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Once again, let me again repeat my gratitude and thanks to the leadership of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), our chairman, and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), our ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the current health disparities as they relate to minority health care. More importantly, I want to talk about the solution, the Health Care Equality and Accountability Act.

My district, alone, of Santa Clara County, California, is extremely diverse. Mr. Speaker, 30 percent of my community are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 17 percent are Latinos, and 34 percent are foreign born, 43 percent speak a language other than English.

Despite the increasing diversity of our Nation, our health care system is not meeting the needs of our community, and our racial and ethnic minorities are too often denied the high-quality health care that most Americans receive.

According to the 2000 census data, the number of individuals who speak a language other than English at home has reached almost 45 million, and 19.5 million speak English less than very well, an increase of 40 percent from 1990.

There are two important things about our communities: number one, this bill and the solution codifies existing standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, authorizes a new center in the Office of Minority Health to assist in cultural and language services, and increases Federal reimbursements for these services.

Another area is data collection. Data is a crosscutting issue. Lack of data impacts our understanding of the health problems in our communities as well as the problems in access and quality. Adequate data collection continues to be a challenge for APAs. Though often mistaken to be a homogenous group, the Asian Pacific group encompasses 49 ethnicities speaking over 100 languages.

Aggregating such a large and diverse group makes it difficult to understand the unique problems faced by the individual ethnicity it encompasses.

So what do we need to do? We need to be able to provide health insurance coverage; increase workforce diversity; reduce disease complications; provide cultural and linguistic services; attain quality data; strengthen health institutions to all minorities, Asian and Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians.

Mr. Speaker, in solidarity with the Democratic leadership and minority caucuses, we call on our colleagues and the Chief Executive in the White House to help enact the solution for minority populations across this great Nation, the Health Care Equality and Accountability Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my opposition to the conference report on H.R. 2115, the FAA reauthorization bill. This conference report is an affront to the proper legislative procedures of this body and, worse yet, a threat to our Nation's stellar aviation safety record.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I know firsthand that our committee developed strong, bipartisan legislation that this House almost unanimously passed 418-8 last June. Yet today, we debate a controversial FAA reauthorization conference report that has sparked heated opposition. Why? The answer is simple. By bowing to industry pressure and Bush administration demands and by shutting Democrats out of conference deliberations, Republican leaders have crafted a report that compromises the safety and security of the flying public. In fact, this conference report is proof that the lessons of September 11 have been forgotten. Republican leaders have forgotten that on September 11, air traffic controllers safely landed 4,482 planes within 2 hours without one operation error.

This is a system to protect, not endanger. Yet this conference report does just the opposite.

By allowing for further privatization of the air traffic control system, which is really silent on it and the wording previously was ``prohibit,'' Republican leaders wish to put air safety in the hands of the lowest bidder. That model did not work for airport security, and it will not work for our air traffic control system. In writing this conference report, Republican leaders have also forgotten the September 11 lesson that flight crews are a critical line of defense in aviation security. This report drops a House-passed provision that would require TSA to issue security and antiterrorism training guidelines for our Nation's flight attendants. By making these guidelines optional, the Congress is effectively rejecting calls by flight attendants for greater security training to protect themselves, airline passengers, and the American public.

I cannot in good conscience support this conference report. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, my colleague Eddie Bernice Johnson and I would like to pay tribute to the memory of our dear friend and a remarkable woman from Dallas, Dr. Suzanne Insook Ahn.

Dr. Suzanne Insook Ahn was born in Pusan, South Korea and raised in the United States. Dr. Ahn's beginning was very humble. Her father, Chai Ho Ahn, had been scratching out a living for his wife and children. Their community was so impressed with his intellect they collected $143 to send him to a local college to start him on his way to become a doctor. The family patriarch never forgot his neighbors and friends, and until his retirement, he oflen returned to the village loaded with donated pharmaceuticals to treat patients.

Dr. Ahn joined her father a few years later in the U.S., and quickly acclimated to her new home, learning to speak fluent English just eight months after her arrival. She was the top student in her class through junior high school, and participated in many activities including the school debate team. She became an accomplished pianist, and at age 17, she entered the North Texas Beauty Contest and won first alternate. Upon graduation from high school, she decided to pursue pre-medical studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She was also a graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Dr. Ahn was a co-inventor of 23 U.S. medical patents. She was the founder of a medical division of a Hi-Tech start-up, and served as its president for three years. She was the founder and president of Dallas Summit, a group of Dallas women in decisionmaking positions. Dr. Ahn served on many boards, including the Texas Air Quality Board, National Board of Girls Inc., Women's Center of Dallas, DeGolyer Library of Women of the Southwest, and the board of the Hockaday School.

Dr. Ahn has made it a habit throughout her life to demonstrate that Asian Pacific Americans are not ``foreigners,'' but proud Americans. She especially believed in the democratic process, supporting candidates in their elections and developing close long-lasting relationships with them.

Former Texas Governor Ann Richards appointed Dr. Ahn to the Air Control Board during her governorship. Dr. Ahn also became the youngest person, and only the second woman, ever to be appointed to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners in its 100-year history.

Dr. Ahn also knew too well about the negative side of political participation. When President Clinton ran for his second term of office, the Republicans accused the Democrats of illegal campaign contributions, specifically from China. Auditors questioned any contributor with an Asian-sounding surname, including Dr. Ahn, about their contributions. She was infuriated and let her feelings be known to the national media.

Appearing on ABC's Nightline, Ahn recounted her own experience: ``The questions that [the auditor] asked were: one, what is your reported income on your tax statement; two, what are your assets; three, are you an American citizen?''

The questions came with threats. The auditor told Ahn that if she did not tell them everything that she would be listed as uncooperative and her name would be released to the press.

``When white men violate campaign finance rules,'' she pointed out, ``they pay a fine and nobody gets hurt. There is no maligning of the entire race. I think there is an incredible double standard here.''

Last year, Ahn made a surprise appearance at the Asian American Journalists Association's national convention meeting in Dallas, where she presented the group with a $100,000 endowment, the largest gift the organization has ever received.

Friends and family will miss Dr. Ahn. She leaves behind her husband, Dr. Steven Hays, a nephrologist, their 17 year-old son, Foster, and 14 year-old daughter, Kimberly.

We are privileged to have had the opportunities to work with Dr. Ahn. What was most amazing about her was the hard work and determination she had in helping others. Her unmatched passion and love for public service will be missed by many. We join the residents of the Dallas/Ft. Worth community in extending our condolences to her family. The Great State of Texas was fortunate to have had Dr. Ahn, and we all have been greatly touched by her courage and life's work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express how thrilled I am to honor the immigrant workers for making their courageous journey across the country to fight for equality and civil rights. Modeled after the 1961 Freedom Rides of the U.S. civil rights movement, today's Immigrant Workers Freedom Riders are converging in Washington, D.C., after having visited cities and towns across America to raise awareness about the plight of immigrant workers.

This country was founded and built by immigrants. They are still the backbone of our country and we must continue to fight for their civil rights and immigration reform. Like countless Americans throughout our history, the Freedom Riders visiting our nation's capital today are seeking to fulfill their American Dream. They work hard and contribute tremendously to our country, and to our economy. They deserve fair and equal treatment.

We must come together to continue to educate our communities about the plight of these workers, and to end the injustices and indignities these immigrants face daily.

The Immigrant Worker Freedom Ride is sponsored by a large coalition of religious groups, labor unions, immigrant advocates, and civil rights organizations. State legislators and political leaders across the country have endorsed the Freedom Ride, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Black Caucus.

There are many members of Congress like myself, who support efforts for meaningful and long overdue reforms such as: Providing a ``Road to Citizenship'' for immigrant workers, reuniting families in a timely fashion by streamlining our outdated immigration policies, and protecting and restoring workplace rights for immigrants.

Together, we will ensure that our message of equality and human dignity is heard. We will educate other members of Congress, and convince them to join our efforts.