Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Delaware Community Foundation as it celebrates its 20th anniversary of unparalleled service to the State. The Foundation was created in 1986 to provide a lasting source of charitable funding by enabling donors and organizations to effectively support the causes that matter most to Delaware's citizens.

In the publication of its first newsletter in 1990, the Foundation noted that through its first grant making program it awarded roughly $60,000 in grants to six agencies for use in addressing homelessness. Other inaugural accomplishments included the creation of 8 new charitable funds, and a total fund balance of just over $6 million. Today, the Foundation manages nearly 600 charitable funds, gives from a total asset balance of more than $200 million, and has awarded more than $54 million in grants in its short 20-year history. This exceptional growth stands as a testament to the important work done by the Delaware Community Foundation and how much it is truly needed.

Through its strong community leadership, and both competitive and non-competitive grant programs, the Foundation is now able to adapt to the needs of the community as they emerge and evolve. In doing so, the Delaware

Community Foundation has been able to support hundreds of charitable organizations in Delaware who deal with a wide range of causes; such as the arts, education, environmental concerns, health care, substance abuse and violence prevention, affordable housing, social services, and other philanthropic and religious organizations.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank the Delaware Community Foundation for its hard work on behalf of our citizens, and for providing effective and responsible philanthropy that has enhanced the quality of life of many Delawareans; the Foundation's mission is truly inspiring. Like the hundreds of other community foundations throughout the United States, the Delaware Community Foundation continues to offer an invaluable service to our great Country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the deceptively titled American-Made Energy & Good Jobs Act, H.R. 5429.

Is this the answer to high gas prices and our dependence on foreign oil? I think not.

The Department of Energy says drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will do nothing to bring gas prices down. In fact, if we were to drill in this pristine wildlife sanctuary tomorrow, it would only lower gas prices by a penny per gallon and we would not even see the so-called savings for 20 years.

And, it will scarcely make a ripple on our dependence on foreign oil, nor will it increase our national security. Even by the most optimistic estimates, oil from the Refuge will never meet more than two percent of the energy needs in America.

Drilling in the Arctic Refuge should not be taken seriously as a band-aid for meeting our immediate or future energy needs.

Instead, we need to continue to use modern technology to make cars go farther on a gallon of gas; encourage the production and purchase of hybrid cars; develop innovative energy sources; and invest in clean energy.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose H.R. 5429.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I rise also in support of the Holt-Castle-Lynch amendment to increase funding for crucial intercity passenger rail transit and freight security grants. By transit, we are talking about subways and local trains.

Earlier this morning, as the gentleman from New Jersey just stated,

the northeast corridor came to a halt, and close to 70,000 commuters were effectively stranded between Boston and Washington, D.C., including several trains trapped in tunnels in New York City and Baltimore.

I was not on any of those trains, but that one stuck in Baltimore is the one that I could have been on very easily. While this frightening incident turned out to be the result of a power outage, it underscores the sheer panic and disruption that a terrorist attack on rail systems could cause in this and many other parts of the country.

In the wake of attacks on subway trains in London and on passenger rail lines in Madrid, it is clear that terrorist organizations are intent on disrupting surface transportation systems and mass transit around the world.

While the legislation before us provides essential funding for much needed aviation and port security programs, we still have not had success in developing a comparable strategy for securing our Nation's rail and transit systems.

Over the last several years, funding for rail and transit security grants has been stagnant at $150 million, and annual rail security spending for the Transportation Security Administration has been minimal when compared to the $20 billion that our government has spend on aviation security since 2001.

In fact, the 9/11 Commission characterized the Federal focus on aviation security following the 2001 terrorist attacks as ``fighting the last war'' and noted that opportunities to do harm are as great or greater in maritime or surface transportation.

Clearly, Congress must change course and get a few steps ahead rather than constantly reacting to incidents and attacks once they have already occurred. Over 9.7 billion transit trips are taken annually on all modes of transit service. And the American Public Transportation Association recently estimated that $560 million is necessary to begin securing rail and transit systems this year alone.

While our amendment is not a complete solution to this funding shortfall, it represents a responsible step forward to begin funding critical priorities. The Holt-Castle-Lynch amendment is fully offset. I realize it is offset from the same Office of the Under Secretary of Management that concerns Mr. Rogers and Mr. Sabo, but I am sure there are other oppositions because they were trying to protect the money for us in this particular amendment, and they will speak to that, hopefully, shortly to come later.

It would boost funding to add more police officers, K-9 teams, security cameras, fences and chemical detection systems at train stations and on subways and commuter systems across the country. We are very lucky that an attack has not taken place in the United States. And we now have a great opportunity to be proactive and begin adequately funding rail and transit security in this country.

This amendment sets forth the course for achieving this goal, and I ask my colleagues to support this critical provision to protect American travelers.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor and pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to State Representative Tina Fallon, who after 28 years of service, has chosen not to seek another term in the State House of Representatives. This extraordinary woman is certainly a valuable asset to the State of Delaware as well as being a friend to all. She has been described as not only a benevolent and accomplished citizen, but also an admirable leader. A fixture of her beloved Seaford-area district, she truly is a distinguished Delawarean.

In addition to raising four sons with her late husband, James Fallon, she spent three decades as a Seaford School District biology teacher. While there, she shared her love of education with young people. Upon her retirement from teaching in 1978, she turned her attention to politics, offering Delaware another three decades of amicable and selfless service. Additionally, she served as a member of the influential Joint Finance Committee.

After 14 consecutive terms in office, Representative Fallon is well recognized and respected by her constituents. She has received numerous honors during both her political and professional tenure. In 1998, then Gov. Thomas R. Carper declared her as the ``Travel and Tourism Person of the Year,'' honoring her dedication to promoting and developing the state's tourism industry. In that same year, the National Republican Association recognized her as a Legislator of the Year. Clearly, the service offered by Representative Fallon has been a vital attribute to innumerable causes.

I congratulate State Representative Tina Fallon for her years of remarkable service and countless contributions to the State of Delaware. I am sure that in retirement, she will remain a dynamic and influential member of the community. I would like to thank her for the many sacrifices that she has made for the State of Delaware.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Mary Campbell Center, a facility serving disabled people in Delaware. The Mary Campbell Center as been home to thousands of people, some of who have lived there since the 1976 opening. Whether the residents of the Center have been there for a long or short time, they share in their daily lives of eating, learning, working, exercising, and playing with each other, the staff, and friends.

The Center is located on ten acres in Wilmington, Delaware. Amos and Mary Talley Campbell originally owned the property and lived there with their daughter, Evelyn, who was born with Down's Syndrome. Upon Mrs. Campbell's death, Mr. Campbell donated the land so that a long-term- care facility for Evelyn, and other people with disabilities, could be built in his wife's honor. Helping these individuals achieve a higher quality of life remains the main purpose of the Center.

Since its inception, the Center, home to 65 residents, has grown in many ways. What began as one building, now is a state-of-the-art facility with an indoor swimming pool, learning center, greenhose, and an adaptive playground. These facilities help residents accomplish their dreams and keep in touch with family and friends.

I congratulate and thank those at the Mary Campbell Center for all they have contributed to the State of Delaware. Many disabled Delawareans and their families are grateful for them and I am pleased to be able to vocalize their appreciation. Thank you to those who have made the Mary Campbll Center what it is today and to those who will carry on this tradition into the future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for yielding to me, and I would just like to go through with him and for the edification of those who may not be that familiar with it, some of the negotiations that have been going on with respect to this.

First of all, there are those of us who were concerned about the President's budget, Mr. Majority Leader, and we called that to your attention early on. It is a little bit unusual to be dealing with this at budget time because we are basically with one of the appropriations. And I agree with you that the gentleman from Ohio has done a wonderful job on this. I don't always vote for his budgets, but he has certainly done a wonderful job dealing with this over the years.

But in this particular circumstance, what came down from the President was not satisfactory to some of us, and so I prepared an amendment to increase the Labor HHS Education allocation by $7.158 billion. We then entered into the negotiations.

I don't remember any time precedence for that in the time that I have been here which has happened at the level of dealing with a specific allocation when we are dealing with the budget. Basically, we were concerned about health accounts. We wanted them increased by $1.1 billion, education accounts by 4.6; LIHEAP by 1.3 was the primary focus here. I tried to bring it to 2006 funding plus 2 percent for inflation.

We had negotiations with you, sir; we had negotiations with the chairman of

the Appropriations Committee and other House leaders as well. And let me just thank you very much for that. That has not always been the case, and we are very appreciative of it.

Eventually, a decision was made by the leadership to transfer over $6 billion which was shifted from defense in foreign operations without raising the cap at all with respect to the 302(a) number and $4.1 billion of that went to Labor, HHS, Education, which is $843 million more than was received in 2006.

Obviously, this is an important budget to many of us because we are concerned about what happens at home. This relates to health research, which is vital to all of us I think, to IDEA, to Centers for Disease Control, after-school care, vocational education and the National Institutes of Health, just to name a few. And so we increased it by that particular amount of money.

In further negotiations with Mr. Lewis and with you, we also established some other areas of concern that would be addressed, that is, community development block grants, the Byrne and COPS grants all would be at the 2006 levels, and the President's competitive initiative would be funded at his requested level. So all this was arranged as a matter of negotiation.

There was actually another billion dollars to homeland security and approximately $500 million to agriculture and $500 million to energy and water as part of this.

This is probably not ideal. And I am sure there are those who would get up and say, well, gee, why didn't you get the whole loaf? Well, I frankly don't know of anyone who has ever gotten this kind of change made in the budget after the budget has been introduced in terms of building to that.

And more importantly, we have an assurance from you, for whom I have a great deal of respect and trust, having worked with you and listening to your word on the Education Committee all these years, that this will be done, that we'll eventually get to the $7.158 billion, that we may get to it before we actually vote on the Labor, HHS, Education bill in the House or perhaps later when it might come out of conference. And that is very important as well. That has been repeated again and again and I think needs to be reiterated here today.

Then that raises the question of if this is an assurance or a sense of Congress, versus real money, which is what it really is when you get right down to it. We have received commitments that that additional $3 billion will not come from mandatory programs that serve the people we are trying to help, like Medicaid and Medicare, food stamps, foster programs and others. We want to make sure that any offsets are carefully crafted and our group of about 20 people that has been involved with this has no intentions of supporting reductions which would adversely affect the neediest among us who we are trying to help by this. And I think it is very important that everybody understand that we have had that discussion as well in terms of where we are going as far as the future is concerned. So I would like to thank you for the negotiations.

With that, I do support the budget; and, sure, I would like to have the whole loaf, so to speak, if we could. But I understand why we are not there now, and perhaps there will be other changes actually before we vote on this. I don't know.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer a simple, but much needed amendment to the legislation before us today.

In an effort to encourage defense contractors to perform at the highest level possible, the Department of Defense often gives its contractors the opportunity to collectively earn billions of dollars through monetary incentives known as award and incentive fees.

Unfortunately, the Department's acquisition process has at times run into problems such as dramatic cost increases, late deliveries, and significant performance shortfalls--wasting billions of dollars in critical funding.

Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the Pentagon's current award and incentive fee practices do not hold contractors accountable for achieving desired outcomes and routinely undermine efforts to motivate contractor performance.

In its study, GAO noted that the Department regularly gives defense contractors multiple opportunities to earn incentive fees for work that at times only meets minimum standards and has wasted billions of dollars as a result of this incredibly flawed process.

The Pentagon has concurred with GAO's recommendations for improving this system, and while the Department's acknowledgment of the problem is an important step forward, the effectiveness of these changes will ultimately be determined by how well GAO's recommendations are implemented.

My amendment would ensure Congress performs appropriate oversight and would require the Department to develop a strategy for linking incentives to specific outcomes. such as meeting cost, schedule, and capability goals. It would also makes certain that appropriate approving officials are overseeing these decisions.

Cost increases and business management weaknesses damage our government's ability to provide our men and women in the military with the resources that keep us safe.

While we obviously have a lot of work ahead of us to improve the efficiency of military spending, I believe this amendment is a simple way to make certain that award and incentive fees are being used to maximize our return on investment and provide American soldiers with vital capabilities at the best value for the taxpayer.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to enter into a colloquy with the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Chairman King, I support your efforts to enhance security at our Nation's seaports. The Port of Wilmington in my home State of Delaware is among our Nation's busiest terminals, and this legislation truly is a comprehensive approach for improving port security. I commend your determination in taking on this challenge.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, we still have not had success in developing a comparable strategy for securing our nation's rail systems. In the wake of attacks on rail lines in London and Madrid, it is clear that terrorist organizations are intent on disrupting surface transportation and mass transit systems around the world.

Despite these continuing threats, we have not made adequate progress in developing a comprehensive national rail security plan. The Federal efforts to bolster rail security have been sporadic and unfocused, while funding for rail and transit security grants in the annual Homeland Security Appropriations bill have remained stagnant.

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, our government's transportation security efforts have consistently been described as ``fighting the last war.'' Clearly, Congress must change course and get a few steps ahead, rather than constantly reacting to incidents and attacks once they have already occurred. We are very lucky that an attack on rail systems has not taken place in this country, and we now have a great opportunity to be proactive and pass real rail security legislation before it is too late.

I have introduced legislation to begin the process of addressing rail security in this country, and I know we share an interest in fixing this extremely inconsistent and flawed system.

I would appreciate the chairman's thoughts on this.

I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman from New York for his comments. I appreciate his consideration of these very important and timely concerns and obviously share his determination to pass effective rail security legislation.

Since becoming chairman, the gentleman from New York has demonstrated strong support for surface transportation security; and I look forward to working with him on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 781, a resolution to recognize and congratulate charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the United States for their ongoing contributions to education.

The first known charter school opened in 1991, and in 1995 we had our first charter school in Delaware. Of the nearly 1.1 million children attending charter schools across the country, over 5,000 students attend one of our 13 charter schools in Delaware.

It is clear that everyone in this country is interested in closing what we know as the achievement gap that currently exists in our schools. There is not one solution to this problem. I do believe that one avenue is to encourage innovation, which is something that our charter schools embrace. A recent Delaware study found, for the second year in a row, that Delaware's charter schools are exceeding achievement levels, with the most dramatic results in grade 10.

The nature of charter schools--nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools--has enabled many schools in the Gulf Coast to reopen. The ``charter'' establishing each school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. I was able to see firsthand how important it is for these schools to reopen, and commend those schools for taking advantage of the charter avenue.

With this week being national charter schools week, it is therefore fitting that we recognize charter schools as another way to improve student achievement and increase parental involvement and satisfaction.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

I appreciate the opportunity to offer this amendment today with my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach). The amendment is simple, so I will be relatively brief.

Let me take a moment to thank the chairman of the Rules Committee for his tremendous work in preparing this ethics legislation. I know the process he has been through; I have been to a lot of the meetings. There is a lot of disagreement even within his own party, including me on some issues, and I realize the difficulty of putting this together. I would just like to thank him for his great work on this particular piece of legislation.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Chairman, maybe I should stop right there.

One way I think we can strengthen the laws governing gift giving from lobbyists to legislators and their staffs is to hold all individuals liable for knowingly breaking the law. Currently, Members and staff are responsible for making sure that they do not accept gifts or meals that violate the current gift limit of $50. Our amendment would also hold liable those individuals who knowingly offer gifts in violation of the law. It is simply common sense that anyone who intends to break the law should be held responsible. With this commonsense amendment, we bring intentional gift-giving violations under the civil penalties already established in the Lobbying Disclosure Act which are currently set at up to $50,000.

If there is a silver lining in the clouds surrounding the recent ethics problems in Congress, it is the opportunity to enact meaningful reform. Personally, I think the bill could go much farther by establishing greater disclosure and reporting requirements.

I firmly believe that full transparency has the potential to minimize abuses of the system. Unfortunately, an individual who wants to violate the law will usually find a way no matter what we do here today.

Regardless, we have a responsibility to pass the strongest bill possible here today, and I think this amendment moves us in that direction. Personally, I believe in transparency. I believe in the education of everybody including lobbyists, staff members and Members of Congress. In terms of ethics laws, I believe in enforcement of the ethics laws as it involves all of us. And that is simply what this amendment does, is move in that direction.

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

Mr. Chairman, I agree with the gentlewoman from California. She is absolutely right. The greatest responsibility, in my judgment, is on us, Members of Congress, or on staff people or whatever. And it probably is slightly redundant, too. That is probably also correct.

But the point I am trying to make here is that if everybody is educated and everybody is aware of this and everybody can be responsible for it, maybe we can prevent some of the problems from happening. Maybe we can't, but I just hope that we can.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the distinguished sponsor of the bill, the chairman of the Rules Committee, Mr. Dreier.

Mr. Chairman, finally, I would just say Mr. Gerlach and I presented almost identical amendments, and that is how it became the Castle-Gerlach, Gerlach-Castle amendment, because they were very similar.

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

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

I appreciate the opportunity to offer this amendment today. The way to prevent further abuses of power may not be readily apparent, but by adopting this commonsense amendment to require ethics training for lobbyists, we will be one step closer to achieving greater accountability and transparency.

My amendment would require that all registered lobbyists complete a mandatory 8 hours of ethics training each Congress. Ethics training would entail instruction by the Committee on Standards on the code of conduct and disclosure requirements applicable to Members, officers and employees of the House, including the rules relating to acceptance of gifts, travel and meals and financial disclosure requirements. Any registered lobbyist failing to complete ethics training each Congress would be subject to penalties.

If we have learned anything over these few years, we have learned that many people in many different capacities, from lobbyists to Members and even staff, abuse the laws and rules that govern this body. We are seeing high-level abuses of power, the exchange of favors and the neglect of basic ethical standards.

There is absolutely no reason that we shouldn't educate registered lobbyists on the rules and laws that we have written and adopted to govern the House of Representatives.

When a lobbyist registers, they are saddled with pamphlet after pamphlet of rules and regulations. What they can and cannot do is more often learned through word of mouth. Ethics training to clearly outline the rules would be welcome. With the adoption of this amendment, there will be no uncertainty about what the rules are and how to follow them.

Requiring ethics training for registered lobbyists helps us begin to repair a system that has failed to regain the confidence of the American people.

Mr. Chairman, I would just like to say, finally, before I yield to the chairman of the Rules Committee, that this just goes along with my whole thinking that if we can educate everybody as to precisely what these rules are, then maybe we can prevent some of the abuses. Some of them we are never going to prevent, but maybe we can prevent some of the abuses. And that is the reason for this amendment.

I yield to the chairman of the Rules Committee.

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

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

Let me just say at the outset that what we have just heard essentially is about an amendment that was not presented, not this particular amendment, and perhaps about the bill; and I appreciate the support of the amendment by both sides here.

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee, Mr. Dreier.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to Adrienne Jones, who was awarded the 2006 New Castle County Delaware Chamber of Commerce's William V. Roth, Jr. Citizenship Award. The late Senator Roth would have been extremely proud to see the award which bears his name go to such a deserving individual.

Adrienne has been described by her guidance counselor at A.I. DuPont High School in Wilmington, Delaware as ``scholarly, mature, focused and friendly.'' Senator Roth conducted his business in a focused manner but always went about it in a friendly way. This is why he was able to do so much for so many people across our great nation.

Adrienne has exhibited an excellent academic record in her high school studies. She possesses an outstanding work ethic and selected a quite rigorous college-preparatory curriculum including three advanced placement courses and eleven honors level courses. She also committed to the study of two foreign languages, Spanish and Latin. By the time she graduates, Adrienne will have completed seven years of foreign language study.

While maintaining a full study schedule, Adrienne finds significant time to contribute to her community. Senator Roth was well known in Delaware for his tireless work on behalf of his constituents. Adrienne has earned this award by dedicating herself to community organizations such as the A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, and the Delaware Community Foundation's Youth Philanthropy Board.

I congratulate and thank Adrienne for all she has contributed to the State of Delaware. She is an exemplary citizen and a proud American. Senator Roth would have been extremely pleased with the work Adrienne has done to help her fellow Delawareans, just as I am today.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to Donald Kirtley, who was awarded the 2006 New Castle County Delaware Chamber of Commerce's Wallace M. Johnson Community Service Award. Over the past 7 decades, Don

has been committed to providing better opportunities for children, improving healthcare, and expanding access to the arts for so many in the community.

Don donates his time to a variety of organizations in the State of Delaware, including a 20 year affiliation with the Boys and Girls Club and a 25 year affiliation with the Grand Opera House. He has been on the United Way of Delaware's Campaign Committee numerous times and is a founding member and chairman of the board of the Arts Consortium of Delaware. His resume is truly amazing and all Delawareans are thankful for Don's service.

A telling quote comes from Julie Van Blarcom, Chairwoman of the Arts Consortium of Delaware, who said ``He's an old-fashioned, committed volunteer.'' Don contributes countless hours to different causes and makes every organization he is involved with a top priority.

Currently, Don is in his 2nd year as the chairman of the board of the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF), an umbrella organization that oversees many of the community service organizations in Delaware.

I congratulate and thank Don for all of his contributions to the State of Delaware. He is an exemplary citizen and a proud American. I am pleased to call Don a friend and am impressed by his dedication to the causes in which he so strongly believes. Thank you, Don, for all you have done and continue to do for people of our State.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in strong support of H.R.

513, the 527 Reform Act of 2006. H.R. 513 takes an important step in closing a ``soft-money'' loophole by requiring 527 groups to comply with the same federal campaign laws that political parties and political action committees must follow.

In fact, the Federal Election Commission should have already done this. A federal district judge in Washington recently called for action, ruling that the Federal Election Commission had ``failed to present a reasoned explanation'' for not requiring 527 groups to register as political committees.

H.R. 513 will close this FEC-created loophole that has allowed 527 groups, of both parties, to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in unlimited soft money to influence presidential and congressional elections without complying with campaign finance laws.

During the last election cycle, 527 groups raised $426 million. Likewise, much of the soft money came from a relatively small number of very wealthy individuals. According to campaign finance scholar Anthony Corrado, just 25 individuals accounted for $146 million raised by Democratic and Republican 527 groups that spent money to influence the 2004 federal elections. And, we are already seeing an increase in the rate at which 527s are raising money this election cycle.

If the primary role of 527 groups is to influence federal elections, which it clearly is, they must play by the same set of rules that apply to other political groups whose purpose is to spend money to influence federal elections. There should be no exception.

At a time when the public is calling for transparency and accountability, no longer can we tolerate a loophole that allows this type of money from the wealthy few to unfairly influence the political process.

If you voted for the Shays-Meehan/McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform bill in 2002--and 240 of us did--it would be wholly out of step to not support H.R. 513.

I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 513.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to Tom Duffy, a tireless advocate for children in the State of Delaware. Since March of 2000, Tom has served as a court appointed special advocate in Delaware's Family Court. He has represented over 20 children from numerous families and works diligently to protect their best interests.

Tom goes above and beyond the call of duty by paying close attention to all aspects of a child's life, monitoring everything from safety to education. His top priorities are always happiness and safety for the child.

In a legal system often overwhelming to the children it serves, Tom is able to explain complicated situations in a gentle manner. His dedication and skill has eased the fears of many children over his years of service.

Tom has been recognized locally as a finalist for the Delaware Jefferson Award, an honor awarded annually by the American Institute of Public Service commending outstanding public service leaders within the community. He is one of five very admirable nominees, all making exceptional contributions to the State of Delaware. No matter who is chosen as the recipient of this award, they are each deserving candidates who demonstrate that one person can truly make a monumental difference.

I congratulate and thank Tom Duffy for all of his contributions to the State of Delaware. Many families are grateful and I am pleased to be able to vocalize their appreciation. He is an exemplary citizen and a proud American. Thank you, Tom, for all you have done and continue to do for the families of our State.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to Vincenza Carrieri-Russo, for her tireless dedication to eradicate our community of illiteracy. Vincenza has accomplished amazing things in a very short amount of time. As a high school senior, she co-founded Success Won't Wait, a statewide effort to improve literacy.

The program places children's books in everyday places such as doctor's offices, dance studios, auto repair shops, and hair salons. The idea is that when equipped with the proper books, these common waiting areas transform into environments where parents and children can share in the enjoyment of reading.

Since its inception, Success Won't Wait has continued to expand its mission with new projects. While continuing to place children's books in offices at no charge, the organization plans to expand existing libraries and their children's book collections as well as creating more ``Independent Libraries'' like the recent installation of over 1,000 books at the Bayard House in Wilmington.

Vincenza has been recognized locally as a finalist for the Delaware Jefferson Award, an honor awarded annually by the American Institute of Public Service commending outstanding public service leaders within the community. She is one of five very admirable nominees, all making exceptional contributions to the State of Delaware. No matter who is chosen as the recipient of this award, they are each deserving candidates who demonstrate that one person can truly make a monumental difference.

I congratulate and thank Vincenza Carrieri-Russo for all she has contributed to the State of Delaware. Thousands of children are grateful and I am pleased to vocalize their appreciation. She is an exemplary citizen and a proud American. Thank you, Vincenza, for all you have done and continue to do for the children of our State.