Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join with my colleagues tonight in celebrating the life, and mourning the loss, of an exemplary public servant, Al Davis.

Al was the embodiment of the concept of public service. He possessed an encyclopedic understanding of the tax code and was committed to the promotion of truth and honesty in American tax and budget policy. In fact, if there was one word synonymous with Al, it would be ``honesty''. Members and staff on both sides of the aisle expected nothing but the raw truth from Al, and they were never disappointed. It was the core of his being.

Armed with a keen sense of American history, a quick mind and sharp wit, and the passion of his convictions, Al would cut through the political rhetoric to translate complex technical data into readily understandable facts. While the Congress may be diminished by his physical absence, his commitment inspires us to continue the fight for better government.

Al, you will be missed both personally and professionally. But as you look down on us from a better place, we will be inspired by your example and the sense of purpose you set in the fight for a better life for the working people of our country.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, let us talk for a moment about deficit and debts. I am willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt when he first proposed that huge tax cut in the year 2001. Maybe we did not quite know where the economy was going. We certainly did not know about September 11 and the impact that would have on the economy. But we know where we are today.

Last year we had a $159 billion budget deficit. According to the President's own numbers, this year we will have a $347 billion deficit, the biggest in the history of the country. Next year $385 billion, then the biggest in the history of the country. The following year $295 billion. Do the quick math. Over the next 3 years a trillion dollars added to an already existing $6.4 trillion in national debt upon which we paid $332 billion in interest last year.

Let us stop mortgaging the future of our children and our grandchildren. This must stop. Reject this bill.

Always remembering the famous words of my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), when he said, Down where I come from, you find yourself in a deep hole, the first rule is stop digging.

Mr. Chairman, I thank and compliment my friend and neighbor from New York, Mr. Boehlert, on his leadership and foresight in shepherding this landmark legislation to the floor today.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 766, the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003. I urge my colleagues to support it as well.

The science of nanotechnology--the study of materials at the scale of a single molecule--is still in its earliest stages, but its promise and potential are already well known and well documented.

I am confident that further research and development in the science of nanotechnology will continue to bring about new products and processes that will benefit our lives and society for generations to come.

I am also confident that passing H.R. 766 and reaffirming our commitment to nanotechnology will create jobs and help stimulate the economy. Mr. Speaker, we're talking about an industry that could reach $1 trillion annually in market size by the year 2015.

I am pleased to report that the State of New York has become a hub of hi-tech industry, particularly nanotechnology. I am proud of the commitment we've put forth--and the results that have been achieved--in the 17-county region in the eastern third of New York State known as, ``Tech Valley.''

In 2001, as part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the National Science Foundation established six nanoscale science and engineering centers at research and learning institutions of the highest caliber. Mr. Speaker, three of these centers are located in New York State--at Columbia University, Cornell University, and at the Nation's oldest engineering university, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located in Troy, and in New York's Tech Valley.

In fact, New York's Capital Region is home to not one, but two state- of-the-art nanotechnology research and development facilities.

On the opposite side of the Hudson River from PRI's Nanotechnology Center sits Albany NanoTech, on the campus of the University at Albany, part of the State University of New York.

Like the RPI facility, Albany NanoTech is a global research, development, technology and education resource supporting commercial applications in advanced nanotechnology.

Together, Albany NanoTech and the Rensselaer Nanotech Center at RPI have Federal, State and private investments totaling nearly $1 billion. They have established relationships with hundreds of industrial partners from all around the world. They will play integral roles in major Tech Valley initiatives such as Sematech North, the IBM Partnership and the Tokyo Electron Partnership.

I'm most pleased to report that both of these stellar facilities are located in my congressional district.

Mr. Chairman, the work being undertaken at these two world-class facilities is nothing short of amazing. I'd like to offer the following sample of cutting-edge nanotechnology research projects underway at the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center and at Albany NanoTech.

Researchers are adding ceramic nanoparticles--particles 100 times smaller than a human hair--to existing plastic materials, modifying their chemical and physical properties in an effort to make them exponentially stronger, and make them insulators, rather than conductors, of electricity. These adaptations dramatically increase the commercial value and viability of the resulting nanocomposite materials, which will be used to develop products such as scratch- resistant medical imaging film coatings and energy-efficient insulation for electrical power distribution cables.

Scientists at the Rensselaer Center have used nanotechnology to incorporate enzymes into surfaces to produce coatings that protect things such as the hulls of ships, implanted medical devices, even personal protection equipment--helping to safeguard individuals against chemical and biological agents.

Research in nanotechnology is also leading to significant breakthroughs in biomedicine. For example, nanostructured materials have been found to mimic natural bone, causing a specific response in living cells to enhance bone growth and regeneration in humans.

The final project I will mention developed a relatively simple assembly of carbon nanotubes--which are basically rolled up layers of carbon that can be used like chopsticks or placed in a row--to discover methods of filtration that can efficiently purify water in a manner that could help solve many of the world's potable water problems.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Mr. Chairman, we are entering an exciting new era of technology. H.R. 766, the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, is essential to provide further momentum to the breakthroughs brought about in the past 4 years by the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

I am truly excited that New York's 21st Congressional District, the heart of New York's Tech Valley, is already one of the world's primary centers for nanotechnology and other hi-tech industry. These industries will continue to spur economic growth and development not only in New York's Capital Region, but also all across the United States in the years to come.

Mr. Chairman, let us continue to lead the world in this important endeavor. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 766.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join with my colleagues, the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Hoyer, and the gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Skelton, in solemn observance of National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.

At this hour, thousands of brave young Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States are carrying out a dangerous yet necessary mission in Iraq. Like many Americans, I hoped and prayed for a diplomatic settlement to the crisis posed by Saddam Hussein's refusal to disarm. Unfortunately, 12 years of diplomacy did not produce the desired result. With all other options exhausted, we were forced to proceed with the action that should always be reserved for last--the use of military force.

Our troops have heroically responded to this call to arms with unyielding courage, devastating efficiency, and unparalleled concern for the safety and well being of countless thousands of Iraqi civilians. I continue to pray for a swift end to this conflict, and to hope that our military personnel will come home soon and safely, having liberated the citizens of Iraq from the nightmare they have endured for a quarter of a century.

Despite the unprecedented success of our military forces, Mr. Speaker, scores of American families have already had to come to terms with the horrible and irrevocable reality of war. Nearly 100 brave soldiers have been killed in action. They were mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and lifelong friends, and my heart goes out to all those who loved them.

My family knows the pain of war. On August 9, 1970, my brother, H.M. 3 William F. McNulty, a medical corpsman in the Navy, was in the field in Quang Pam province, patching up his buddies. He stepped on a land mine and he lost his life.

But his body was recovered. And he was brought back home, and we had a wake and a funeral and a burial. Our family suffered a tremendous loss, our small village of Green Island, New York, suffered a tremendous loss--but we had some closure.

Mr. Speaker, the families of seven American serviceman and women currently listed as prisoners of war, and the families of eleven soldiers listed as duty status unknown, or missing in action may never enjoy this sense of closure. Just ask the families of the 1,887 Americans still missing and unaccounted for from the war in Vietnam.

I have always wondered how terrible it must be for an MIA family, never exactly knowing what happened to their loved one--not for a day, a week, a month or a year, but for decades.

Every once in a while, this profound sense of frustration and loss is interspersed with joyous news of rescue and heroism. By now, we are all familiar with the story of Pfc. Jessica Lynch. Pfc. Lynch was captured with 11 other American soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company but was later rescued from a hospital in Iraq on April 2, due in no small part to the superior skill and preparedness of our Special Forces, as well as the courage and humanity of an Iraqi civilian who risked his own life, and the lives of his family, by walking 6 miles to inform coalition forces of Pfc. Lynch's location. Thanks to these efforts, Pfc. Lynch escaped further torture and abuse at the hands of Iraqi forces, and lays tonight in an American military hospital in Germany, enjoying the company of her family.

Mr. Speaker, we pay tribute tonight to courageous American heroes like Pfc. Lynch. She and so many other former prisoners of war suffered through the atrocious coditions of capture and internment, sacrificing so much of their freedom in defense of the citizens of this nation and the world.

In the name of all former POWs, I pledge to continue to work to ensure that future generations understand the courage of these heroes, and that our government follows through on all promises made to former POWs--and all veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I join today with many of my colleagues in remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide. April 24 will be the 88th anniversary of this human tragedy.

From 1915 to 1923, the world witnessed the first genocide of the 20th century. This was clearly one of the world's greatest tragedies--the deliberate and systematic Ottoman annihilation of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children.

Furthermore, another 500,000 refugees fled and escaped to various points around the world--effectively eliminating the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire.

From these ashes arose hope and promise in 1991--and I was blessed to see it. I was one of the four international observers from the United States Congress to monitor Armenia's independence referendum. I went to the communities in the northern part of Armenia, and I watched in awe as 95 percent of the people over the age of 18 went out and voted.

The Armenian people had been denied freedom for so many years and, clearly, they were very excited about this new opportunity. Almost no one stayed home. They were all out in the streets going to the polling places. I watched in amazement as people stood in line for hours to get into these small polling places and vote.

Then, after they voted, the other interesting thing was that they did not go home. They had brought covered dishes with them, and all of these polling places had little banquets afterward to celebrate what had just happened.

What a great thrill it was to join them the next day in the streets of Yerevan when they were celebrating their great victory. Ninety-eight percent of the people who voted cast their ballots in favor of independence. It was a wonderful experience to be there with them when they danced and sang and shouted, ``Ketse azat ankakh Hayastan''--long live free and independent Armenia! That should be the cry of freedom- loving people everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, one of our nation's most vital and successful programs for equal opportunity for women has been under review. Rod Paige, Secretary of Education, recently assembled a commission to investigate the effectiveness of title IX in the Civil Rights Act. The mandate of the ``Commission on opportunity in Athletics'' is to investigate ways to enforce title IX efficiently.

The Commission has concluded its investigation and issued its findings. Secretary Paige said that all of the recommendations to which the Commissioners initially agreed would be treated as ``consensus'' recommendations. The minority report, filed by commissioners and former Olympians Donna de Varona and Julie Foudy, strongly disagree with two specific Commission recommendations, and express serious concerns about the others.

The dissenting Commissioners strongly believe that many of the Commission's ``consensus'' recommendations are worded so ambiguously that they could be interpreted in such a way as to undermine equal participation opportunities and scholarship dollars for women, as well as other title IX protections. Without clarification, say these distinguished athletes, there is no true ``consensus'' with in the Commission.

I find it troubling, Mr. Speaker, that the minority report is not included in the Commissions report, thus excluding the serious objections raised by some during deliberation of the Commission. Secretary Paige submitted the majority report alone--without first discussing his decision with the Commission. Not surprisingly, a number of those on the panel have expressed their unease about the lack of a final meeting. They are concerned that areas of genuine consensus in the report have not been identified, and I certainly share their concerns.

I am a long time supporter of title IX and the opportunities it creates for women. I am a cosponsor of H. Res. 137, a bipartisan resolution to maintain the integrity of title IX of the Civil Rights Act. This resolution sends the message that we are committed to protecting title IX, and that the fight to save title IX is not over.

Over 70 percent of the country supports title IX in its current form. With such overwhelming support, we must recommit to enforcing the current standards. While gender equality in athletics still does not truly exist, we have taken great strides over the first 30 years

since the enactment of title IX. Girls' high school athletic participation increased by 847 percent, and women's college athletic participation increased four fold. This progress was achieved even though two dollars are spent on men's collegiate sports programs for every dollar spent on women's collegiate sports programs.

Title IX is a basic question of equality. Equality of opportunity should not be compromised. I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 137.

Mr. Speaker, during this time of war, our thoughts are constantly with our active duty military personnel overseas, and also with all of the men and women who wore the uniform of the United States military through the years. One of those veterans is my friend Lou DiNuzzo of Watervliet, New York, an Air Force lieutenant during World War II. Thankfully Lou returned home safely, and with his wife Edna raised a beautiful

family to carry on in their fine traditions. Lou rendered outstanding community service for many years as a member of the Watervliet City Council, and for the past 15 years has served as an unpaid volunteer in my Albany congressional office. Lately, Mr. Speaker, Lou DiNuzzo has faced very serious health challenges. He has met those challenges with the same courage and grace with which he has faced all of the other challenges in his life.

Members have heard me many times on this floor say that my first two priorities when I get up in the morning are to thank God for my life and veterans for my way of life. Mr. Speaker, when I said my morning prayers today, I was thankful for a great many things, but first and foremost on this day I am grateful that Lou DiNuzzo is my friend.

Mr. Speaker, the American people join with the people of Greece in celebrating the 182nd anniversary of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire.

The bedrock of our close relationship with Greece is our mutual devotion to freedom and democracy and our unshakable determination to fight, if need be, to protect these rights.

Greek philosophers and political leaders--Cleisthenes and Pericles and their successors--had great influence upon America's Founding Fathers in their creation of these United States.

We, as a nation, owe a great debt to Greece. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, as we know it.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``To the ancient Greeks, we are all indebted for the light which led ourselves (American colonists) out of Gothic darkness.''

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were an attack on democracy and freedom--not just against our people, but also against all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. The Greek people understand this.

I congratulate the people of Greece and wish them a Happy National Birthday.

Mr. Speaker, today our Nation is at war. I know the pain of war. On August 9, 1970, my brother William F. McNulty, a medical corpsman, was in the fields of Quang Nam Province in Vietnam patching up his buddies when he stepped on a land mine and lost his life. My family has lived with the pain of that loss every day since then, as have the residents of our small community of Green Island, New York.

It would be my hope that no other family would have to endure that kind of pain, but that would be unrealistic. Some will. All I can do today is hope and pray for the swift success of our troops in their noble mission. May they return home soon and safely, knowing that they have liberated the people of Iraq from a reign of terror which they have endured for more than a quarter of a century.