Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 5938) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide secret service protection to former Vice Presidents, and for other purposes

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill is being returned to us from the Senate with an additional title added. The House of Representatives passed the Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008 under suspension of the rules in June, as a much-needed permanent solution to reauthorize the protection of former Vice Presidents and their families.

As amended by the Senate, the bill now also includes a new title addressing the problem of cybercrime. These additional provisions provide needed tools to law enforcement to address the growing and evolving crime of identity theft, as well as other types of cybercrimes in several critical aspects.

First, the bill allows victims of identity theft to seek restitution in Federal court for the loss of time and money spent restoring their credit and remedying the harm caused by this crime. This helps ensure that identity-theft victims will be made whole financially.

Second, the bill updates criminal laws with respect to identity theft schemes so that they reflect current technologies, and can therefore better respond to the sophisticated aspects of these crimes. For example, to address the increasing number of computer hacking crimes that involve computers that may be located within the same State, the bill removes the current proof requirement that a computer's information must be stolen through an interstate or international communication. The fact that you are using Internet will still satisfy the interstate commerce requirements of the Constitution.

In addition, the bill addresses the increasing number of attacks on multiple computers by making it a felony to employ spyware to damage 10 or more computers. The new tools provided in this bill should be of significant help to law enforcement in providing a more effective deterrent against identity theft and other computer crimes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, to agree to the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I reserve the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will allow the protection of former Vice Presidents, and as the gentleman from California has indicated, the Senate under their rules, not our rules, has added another provision, an important provision, that apparently there is no controversy on addressing the problem of cyber crime. I would hope that we would accept the Senate amendment and pass the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6064) to encourage, enhance, and integrate Silver Alert plans throughout the United States, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their marks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, thousands of vulnerable older adults go missing each year as a result of dementia, diminished capacity, foul play, and other unusual circumstances.

For example, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America estimates that more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease. It is estimated that 60 percent of these men and women are likely to wander from their homes. If they do, the disorientation and confusion may keep many from finding their way back home. Their safe return often depends upon them being found quickly. If not found within 24 hours, roughly half risk serious illness, injury, or death.

Three Members of Congress, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick), and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), individually introduced legislation to address this serious problem in separate bills. H.R. 6064 combines the best parts of these bills into one.

Title I, the National Silver Alert Act, establishes a national program patterned after the successful Amber Alert program for children.

It creates a national Silver Alert coordinator responsible for developing voluntary guidelines, standards, and protocols for States to consider in the creation of their local Silver Alert plans.

It establishes the Department of Justice grant program to help States develop and implement local Silver Alert programs.

And it establishes the Sammy Kirk Voluntary Electronic Monitoring Program which will provide grants for voluntary electronic monitoring services for elderly individuals.

Title II reauthorizes the Kristen's Act which expired in 2005. That act provides for competitive grants to both public and nonprofit private agencies for a national resource center, information clearinghouse, and database for tracking missing adults, training and other related activities.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Doggett, Mrs. Myrick and Mr. Bilirakis for their hard work and bipartisan efforts to address this critical problem of missing adults.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume simply to thank our colleagues for working cooperatively together. I hope we pass the legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2352) to enhance the safety of elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2352, the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2008, is a vital piece of legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of the students in our Nation's schools.

Over the last decade we've seen horrific school shootings and violence in at least 27 States. Ensuring the safety of our students and teachers at all levels is obviously a priority.

Sponsored by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman), H.R. 2352 addresses this problem by providing increased funding for improving school security and making the grant program more accessible to schools in poor communities.

Specifically, the bill raises the authorization level of Federal grants from $30 million to $50 million for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010. It also decreases the matching non-Federal funds requirement from 50 percent to 20 percent, raising the Federal portion from 50 percent to 80 percent. This change in funding ratios brings the percentage more in line with the traditional split for school grants, and would bring much-needed help to many schools.

Finally, the bill amends the Higher Education Act to require participating institutions to conduct annual campus assessments and develop and implement a campus emergency response plan. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate everyone working together on this legislation. Schools will be safer if the bill passes. I would hope that it would be the pleasure of the House to pass the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6855) to extend the authority for the United States Supreme Court Police to protect court officials off the Supreme Court grounds, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6855 extends for 5 years existing authority for the Supreme Court Police to protect the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Court, as well as officers and employees of the Supreme Court who are performing official duties while they are away from the grounds of the Supreme Court building.

When the Supreme Court first moved to its own building just over 70 years ago, we sent them a small contingent of Capitol Police officers commissioned as ``special policemen'' for the protection of the Court. It wasn't until 1982 that Congress provided the force with statutory recognition as the Supreme Court Police. That statute also gave them authority to patrol the Supreme Court buildings and grounds, make arrests, carry firearms, and protect the Chief Justice and any Associate Justices, official guests, and employees of the Court while performing official duties.

In that statute, the Congress also expanded the Supreme Court Police force's authority in a way very similar to what we had granted the Capitol Police the previous year. In 1981, we authorized the Capitol Police to provide protection to individual Members and officers of Congress, as well as their families, on or off the Capitol grounds. Likewise, in 1982 we authorized the Supreme Court Police to protect the Justices and the employees of the court while they're away from the court building anywhere in the United States.

When we first gave this authority to the Supreme Court Police in 1982, it was subject to a 3-year sunset provision. Since then, we have extended this authority 7 times, and this bill will continue that tradition.

In the 26 years since this authority was first granted, threats to all three branches, from terrorists and others who want to disrupt our government, have only increased. That is why it is imperative that we should not allow the authority of the Supreme Court Police to sunset at the end of this year.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation so that the Supreme Court Police can continue to perform their critical mission effectively.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and am prepared to close if the gentleman will yield.

Mr. Speaker, I would be willing to work with the gentleman to make it permanent. But this is what we have at this point for 3 years. So I would hope we pass this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 410) recognizing the FBI on their 100th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extent their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 410 recognizes the great accomplishments, sacrifices, and service of the men and women of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the occasion of the Bureau's 100th anniversary.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt and Attorney General Charles Bonaparte established a new Federal investigative agency consisting of a small force of special agents to assist States in combating crimes occurring across State lines. Little could they have envisioned that their idea would have evolved into one of the most foremost investigative agencies in history. It is fitting that we honor the men and women who have brought the FBI that stature.

Over the course of its existence, the Bureau's men and women have proven time and again that when the Nation calls upon them, they are ready to meet any challenge. They have worked tirelessly to stem foreign threats against the United States during two world wars and the Cold War by investigating espionage and sabotage on American shores. The FBI helped to keep our Nation safe, and over the course of time became one of the foremost professional espionage investigative agencies in the world.

The FBI's been called upon on numerous occasions to protect the civil rights of Americans and to bring justice to those who violate them. Today, the FBI remains the foremost Federal law enforcement agency for investigating serious civil rights violations.

The FBI has been called upon to investigate various types of violent crime, organized criminal enterprises, international fraud schemes, and financial and other forms of white-collar crime.

Today, as the Internet has so vastly expanded and transformed the world communication and commerce, we have tasked the FBI with protecting us against cyber-based attacks and high technology crimes. The Bureau, for example, investigates computer fraud, child pornography, theft of intellectual property, and worldwide computer intrusions.

The FBI has responded to threats to public safety posed by violent extremist groups, both domestic and international, tirelessly working to prevent crimes of terrorism against Americans at home and abroad. Their accomplishments are nothing less than extraordinary.

Sadly, Mr. Speaker, these accomplishments have not been without a tragic cost. Since its inception, 34 FBI special agents have made the ultimate sacrifice: giving their lives in the line of service. Every day, FBI special agents face the risks and endure the hardships to make our Nation safe. They truly personify the Bureau's motto: Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity.

So it is fitting that we congratulate the men and women of the FBI on the 100th anniversary of the Bureau. We honor their heroic commitment and sacrifices and thank them for their past and continued efforts to keep America safe.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Gohmert, the sponsor of the resolution, the committee chairman, Mr. Conyers, and the committee ranking member, Mr. Smith, for their leadership on this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1425) honoring the life and music of the late Isaac Hayes, a passionate humanitarian, whose music laid the foundation for many musical styles, including R&B, disco, and rap.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, today we honor the life and musical legacy of Isaac Hayes, a passionate humanitarian, whose prolific songwriting and distinctive baritone were loved across generations and around the world.

He overcame humble beginnings and personal obstacles to make excellent contributions in many endeavors. He was a true Renaissance man, an extraordinary singer, songwriter and music producer who also achieved success as a pianist, saxophone player, cookbook author, radio show host, and television and motion picture actor.

Born in Covington, Tennessee, tragically orphaned as an infant, and raised by his maternal grandparents, Isaac Hayes came to know the pleasures of country life but also the hardships of rural poverty.

Shortly after his family moved to Memphis for the greater opportunities in the ``big city,'' his grandfather passed away. To help his family survive, Isaac Hayes worked in cotton fields, cut lawns, and cleaned bricks at two cents apiece, all while going to school. He even shined shoes on Memphis' famous Beale Street.

Despite experiencing rural, and then urban, poverty, he found ways to bring music into a central role in his life. At the age of five, he began singing in his local church and before long had also taught himself to play the piano, electronic organ, flute and saxophone.

He dropped out of high school for a time, but never lost sight of the critical role that education plays in improving one's life. He returned to school and proudly graduated at the age of 21.

After graduating, he played piano for Floyd Newman, a saxophonist bandleader. This work led to his becoming a studio musician for a new label called Stax Records, where his first paid sessions were with Otis Redding. These sessions were so successful that he became a ubiquitous presence at Stax.

While at Stax, he met David Porter, who became a long-standing friend and collaborator. As a result of their collaboration as songwriters and producers, they made more than 200 songs, including such classics as ``B-A-B-Y,'' ``Soul Man,'' and ``Hold on, I'm Comin'.''

Perhaps the musical accomplishment that Isaac Hayes is best known for is the groundbreaking score and theme song that he wrote for the movie ``Shaft.'' His smooth baritone vocals and iconic style carried that song to the top of the charts, nationally and internationally.

During his life, he received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Grammy Awards, the NAACP Image Award, and the Edison Award, which is Europe's highest musical honor. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.

He was not content to rest on his musical laurels, probably because of his roots in both rural and urban poverty. A passionate humanitarian concerned about the underprivileged throughout the world, he saw education and literacy as the keys to freedom and prosperity.

Based on that belief, he founded the Isaac Hayes Foundation, whose mission

it is to promote literacy and education and other programs throughout the world.

The foundation, among other endeavors, built an 8,000-square-foot education facility in Ghana, West Africa, and supported education efforts in Tennessee. In recognition of his humanitarian work and educational and economic contributions, in 1994 Isaac Hayes was crowned a king in Ghana.

Last year, Isaac Hayes and David Porter came to Capitol Hill to speak to Senators and House Members about the importance of protecting the intellectual property rights of their fellow songwriters and performing artists.

He was an excellent advocate for his fellow songwriters and vocal artists. He was humble, well-spoken, and passionate about protecting creative works, not just for the benefit of artists, but also for the benefit of our national economy.

There is so much more that I could say about this man, but for time's sake, I'll just end with this observation.

Isaac Hayes' achievements and influence made him a cultural icon, and his humanitarian work also made him a great human being. With the fatal stroke that took his life at the age of 65, Isaac Hayes leaves behind a legacy of monumental significance.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleagues from Tennessee, Mrs. Blackburn and Mr. Cohen, for their leadership on this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume just to thank our colleagues from Tennessee for working together on this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6503) to amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6503, the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization of 2008, helps to address the serious problem of seniors who go missing each year as a result of dementia.

The Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program was created in 1994. While Congress has continued to support and fund it, its formal authorization expired in 1998. This legislation, sponsored by the gentlelady from California (Ms. Waters), will reauthorize the program.

It authorizes the Attorney General to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for the planning, establishing, and operating locally based programs to protect and locate missing persons with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other problems.

This is an excellent measure that responds to a critical problem. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will yield the balance of the time to the gentlelady from California (Ms. Waters), a member of the Judiciary Committee and the author of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5167) to amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to remove the authority of the President to waive certain provisions, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Justice and Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act, introduced by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak), will enable American POWs and civilians to hold the Government of Iraq liable for the physical and emotional injuries they sustained while held captive by Iraqi officials during the Gulf War.

During the Persian Gulf War, American pilots captured by Iraq were brutalized in horrendous ways. They were starved, exposed to extreme temperatures, severely beaten, and subjected to mock executions.

Because Iraq believed that these pilots had more sensitive information, they were subjected to especially brutal treatment. They sustained long-lasting physical and emotional injuries.

American civilians who had the misfortune of being held in Iraq at the time it invaded Kuwait were held hostage as ``human shields,'' used as leverage to interfere with the campaign to liberate Kuwait and defeat the Iraqi forces. These civilians were held in cruel and degrading conditions and forced to live in constant fear.

While Congress has supported giving terrorism victims the right to obtain effective relief, the executive branch has allowed State Department sensitivities to overshadow the fundamental rights of these victims to fair redress.

In amending the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in 1996, Congress intended to create a Federal statutory cause of action for American victims of terrorism, so that they could hold foreign States that commit or provide material support for terrorist acts accountable in United States courts.

Congress reaffirmed that intent last December in the National Defense Authorization Act. Unfortunately, the President vetoed the bill on that basis and insisted that the Congress give him waiver authority for Iraq, which he promptly exercised, once again placing relief out of reach for these victims.

In its introduced form, the bill simply rescinded that waiver authority. It has now been amended, with the assistance of the sponsors, as well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), working with the victims and their families.

The bill we are considering today would give the Iraqi Government 90 days after enactment to satisfactorily settle the claims of American victims to prevent the waiver authority from being rescinded.

The waiver authority would also survive if the President certifies that Iraq has no settlement claims of non-Americans that are similar to the claims of the POWs and human shields and has not settled commercial debts to foreign corporations.

The amended bill also specifies limits on the damage awards, to remove any argument about potentially open-ended liability. The specified amounts are a fraction of the outstanding judgment awards and pending claims.

Under this proposal, the Iraqi Government would be required to pay approximately $415 million. The amount of recovery sought is de minimis relative to the 20 to $32 billion in commercial claims that Iraq has reportedly settled with the corporations in Japan and Korea. It also amounts to perhaps 1 percent of the Iraqi Government assets held in United States banks.

I believe that holding Iraq accountable is an essential element in its full rehabilitation in the community of nations. This holds true to well-settled international law, as well as the Geneva Convention.

I commend my colleagues, Mr. Braley and Mr. Sestak, for their leadership and unwavering dedication in bringing this important legislation forward. I also commend the Judiciary Committee ranking member, Mr. Smith, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for their leadership in making this a bipartisan effort.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to one of the sponsors of the bill, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak), an original sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his cooperation in this bipartisan effort, and I hope that we pass the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was in my district this morning and was unable to return until after votes were called on rollcall 576, 577, 578, and 579. I would have voted ``yea'' on all of those bills.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4081) to prevent tobacco smuggling, to ensure the collection of all tobacco taxes, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act, or PACT Act, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner), strengthens our law enforcement capabilities against the illegal smuggling of tobacco products.

Every year, billions of cigarettes are illegally smuggled across State lines. This fraudulent activity not only harms the public health but deprives State and local governments of sorely needed tax revenues.

In fact, tax evasion is a chief motivator for cigarette smuggling. Buying cigarettes in a State where the cigarette tax is low and selling them in a State where the cigarette tax is high allows the trafficker to sell the cigarettes at a discount and still turn an illicit profit.

States lose $1 billion in uncollected taxes each year as a result of illegal cigarette smuggling. The illicit profit also helps finance other criminal activity which creates a revenue stream for organized crime.

Because of the scope and interstate nature of this activity, States cannot adequately address it on their own. It has long been recognized as a Federal concern.

With the existing Federal statutes, the Jenkins Act, which requires reporting interstate cigarette sales to tax officials in the buyer's State, and the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act, which prohibits knowingly dealing in contraband cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, those two statutes are simply not up to the task in the Internet age.

The Internet, in particular, makes it possible for today's tobacco smugglers to be even more mobile and invisible and to operate with near impunity. Even when the smugglers can be identified and pursued, they can simply shut down operations and quickly reappear under a new name and Web site.

The PACT Act addresses the shortcomings in the current law by targeting the delivery systems for illegal Internet tobacco sales: the postal system and commercial delivery services.

With limited exceptions, sending tobacco products through the United States mail will be criminally prohibited. And vendors using commercial delivery services for retail sales will be required to notify the tax authorities in the receiving State, conspicuously label all tobacco products, verify the purchaser's age, and keep careful records of all sales.

The bill raises cigarette trafficking from a misdemeanor to a felony. And it authorizes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to inspect the premises and files of sellers of significant quantities of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.

H.R. 4081 enjoys support from a diverse spectrum of entities, including the National Association of Convenience Stores, Altria--the parent company of Phillip Morris--the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Wholesale Marketers Association, and the National Association of Attorneys General, among others.

I commend my colleague, Mr. Weiner, for his leadership on this important legislation. I also commend the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Conyers, and the ranking member, Mr. Smith, for their leadership in making this a bipartisan effort.

I also want to thank the other committees whose jurisdiction has touched on this bill for working with us to bring it to the floor today.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation

and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC, September 8, 2008.

Hon. John Conyers, Jr.,

Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Conyers: I write to you regarding H.R. 4081,

the ``Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2008''.

H.R. 4081 contains provisions that fall within the

jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure. I recognize and appreciate your desire to

bring this legislation before the House in an expeditious

manner and, accordingly, I will not seek a sequential

referral of the bill. However, I agree to waive consideration

of this bill with the mutual understanding that my decision

to forego a sequential referral of the bill does not waive,

reduce, or otherwise affect the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure over H.R. 4081.

Further, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

reserves the right to seek the appointment of conferees

during any House-Senate conference convened on this

legislation on provisions of the bill that are within the

Committee's jurisdiction. I ask for your commitment to

support any request by the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure for the appointment of conferees on H.R. 4081

or similar legislation.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure's jurisdictional interest in the Congressional

Record during consideration of the measure on the House

Floor.

I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass

this important legislation.

Sincerely,

James L. Oberstar,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner), who is a distinguished member of the Judiciary Committee and sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for his hard work on this bill. He mentioned many others that have been working on this. He has worked so well; he had broad bipartisan support. So I hope it will be the pleasure of the House to pass the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to rise in support of S. 2403, a bill to designate the new Federal Courthouse, located in the 700 block of East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, as the ``Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr. United States Courthouse.''

The Commonwealth of Virginia has a rich history of contributions in the founding of this country and in the establishment and development of our legal system. Virginia practitioners such as George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, James Monroe, and Henry Clay have all profoundly shaped and molded our country's legal traditions. In fact, the first law school in the country was our own College of William and Mary located in Williamsburg, Virginia.

It is therefore fitting that we would name the new Federal Courthouse in our State's capital after two distinguished jurists, Judge Spottswood W. Robinson III and Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr., whose exemplary careers under the law displayed the best ideals and principles of our Constitution and legal traditions.

Spottswood William Robinson III was born in Richmond, Virginia, on July 26, 1916, and passed away in his home in Virginia on October 11, 1998. He attended Virginia Union University and then Howard University Law School, graduating first in his class in 1939 and serving as a member of the faculty until 1947.

In 1964 Judge Robinson became the first African American to be appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Judge Robinson the first African American to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On May 7, 1981, Judge Robinson became the first African American to serve as chief judge of the District of Columbia Circuit. Judge Robinson served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and as dean of the Howard University Law School.

In addition to these exemplary and groundbreaking roles, Judge Robinson is probably best known for his role as one of the lead attorneys with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1948 to 1960 and specifically for his representation of the Virginia plaintiffs in the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, which declared ``separate but equal'' schools unconstitutional and is one of the landmark cases in our Nation's history.

Judge Robert R. Merhige was born in New York, New York on February 5, 1919, and passed away in Richmond on February 18, 2005. He attended High Point College in North Carolina where he received his undergraduate degree in 1940. He then earned his law degree from T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond from which he graduated at the top of his class in 1942.

From 1942 to 1945, during World War II, Judge Merhige served in the United States Army Air Force as a crewman on a B-17 bomber based in Italy. After the war he returned to Richmond where he practiced law from 1945 to 1967. During that time, Judge Merhige established himself as a formidable trial lawyer representing a wide variety of clients.

In August of 1967, Judge Merhige was appointed U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, where he served for 31 years. While on the Federal bench, Judge Merhige presided over some of the most important and complex litigation in United States history. He ordered the University of Virginia to admit women in 1970. In 1972 he ordered the desegregation of dozens of Virginia school districts. As a result of his decision, he and his family were victims of threats and violence, and he was given 24-hour protection by U.S. marshals. His judicial courage and independence in the face of strong opposition is a testament to his dedication to equal justice under the law, and I believe his example is as pertinent today as it was then.

The new Federal Courthouse in Richmond is under construction and nearing completion. I believe that naming it after these two exemplary jurists will not only serve as a tribute to their fierce adherence to the Constitution and to their legacy of equal justice under the law but also will serve as a reminder of their contributions to ensuring a fair and just legal system for all people.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Senator John Warner and Senator Jim Webb for introducing this bill in the Senate, as well as the support from the entire Virginia delegation. I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar and Chairwoman Norton, Ranking Members Mica and Graves, Representatives Carney and King, and both the Democratic and Republican leadership for the swift passage of this measure.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2135, the Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008. S. 2135 amends title 18 of the United States Code to create a criminal provision under U.S. law aimed at those who recruit or conscript children under the age of 15 into armed conflict. It establishes criminal penalties for up to 20 years in prison and up to life imprisonment if death results from the crime.

The bill also makes it a violation of immigration law for any person seeking admission to the United States to have committed such acts.

Finally, the bill would extend United States jurisdiction to perpetrators of this crime who are present in the United States, regardless of their nationality or where the crime takes place, so that those who commit these crimes cannot use this country as a safe haven from prosecution. This type of jurisdiction exists for similar crimes such as laws on torture and genocide, which allow for extraterritorial jurisdiction for crimes committed outside of the United States.

In at least 18 countries around the world, children are utilized as direct participants in war. Many of these children soldiers, some as young as 8 years old, are abducted or recruited by force and often compelled to follow orders to participate under harsh duress. And girls make up more than 30 percent of child soldiers and participate in many conflicts. Oftentimes, they are abused and raped. Once recruited, these children, boys and girls, participate in all forms of combat, even wielding AK-47s and M-16s as portrayed in the media.

There is international opposition to recruiting and using child soldiers. Over 110 countries, including the United States, have ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the recruitment and use of child soldiers under the age of 18. Nevertheless, the prevalence and nature of the child soldier problem is not going away. It continues to plague the international community. For example, in Uganda, the rebel group has abducted at least 20,000 children and has forced them to work as laborers, soldiers, and sex slaves. We hear about the ongoing persecution and atrocities in Burma, but what has escaped media attention is the use of child soldiers there, as the government has recruited up to 70,000 children, more than any other country in the world.

Recruiting and using child soldiers does not currently violate United States criminal law. S. 2135 was introduced by Senator Durbin and Senator Coburn to correct that problem. We overwhelmingly passed the Genocide Accountability Act last year to end the immunity gap in genocide law. By this bill, we seek to do the same thing for those who maliciously recruit and use innocent children in warfare. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, on the passage of S. 2403, I was unavoidably detained. I would like the Record to reflect that had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and work of a treasured citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Madam Annie B. Daniels. The year 2008 marks the 50th year Madam Daniels has operated her business on Chestnut Avenue in Newport News. In recognition of both this anniversary and her many civic accomplishments, I would like to say a few words about this remarkable woman.

Annie B. Daniels was born in Grove Hill, Alabama. At an early age, Madam Daniels had the desire to become a hairdresser, having been inspired by her great aunt Lady Bell Pugh, a local hairdresser. Madam Daniels began her formal beautician training at the Barnett Institute in Grove Hill and continued at the Freeman Beauty School of Savannah, Georgia. She moved to Newport News, Virginia, and enrolled in the Spratley Beauty College. Upon graduation, she worked in privately owned salons until she opened her singularly owned and operated beauty parlor on 1309 30th Street in 1948.

Although the ability to operate her own salon was empowering, Madam Daniels was unsatisfied with her first business and in 1958 she established the Madam Daniels' Salon at 2901 Chestnut Avenue. A year later she added an educational component to the salon and the Madam Daniels' School of Beauty Culture was born. Starting with just four students and a basic course of study, the school has grown tremendously in both enrollment and curriculum. Madam Daniels' School of Beauty Culture is a fixture of the southeastern Newport News community, and its graduates have gone on to make their mark in the beauty industry around the world.

Hand in hand with her entrepreneurial work, Madam Daniels has been an important advocate for civil rights and social justice in Virginia. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia, becoming the first fully paid female life member of the Newport News branch of the NAACP. For over a decade she chaired the local life membership committee, and through her efforts to increase life memberships, the branch was nationally recognized.

Madam Daniels's civic engagement has been recognized by the City of Newport News, the NAACP, Hampton University, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, the Peninsula Chapter of 100 Black Men of America, and the Virginia General Assembly. Her advice and counsel are actively sought by local mayors, city council members, and state and national representatives, including myself. I congratulate Madam Daniels on her 50 years as a successful entrepreneur and for her 50 years of commitment and service to her community, state, and country.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank and commend Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, Chairman Hinojosa, and Ranking Member Keller for their hard work on this bill.

This bill contains many important provisions that will make college more affordable for our students, particularly the Pell Grant and loan forgiveness provisions.

It also has many provisions helpful to institutions of higher learning, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities which have been funded for new master's programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions.

It also, as the Chairman has indicated, has a new program to help the rapidly growing field of modeling and simulation.

Mr. Speaker, there is new language in the bill dealing with the accreditation of colleges, and it is important to explicitly note that this new language does not adversely affect or change anti- discrimination provisions.

The bill also contains a direction to the Department of Education to reword the financial aid application to make it clear that students can get financial aid, even if they have a drug offense.

We have worked long and hard on this bill, and for the foregoing reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, it has been ten years since the Higher Education Act has been reauthorized and I am pleased that we will now make many

needed updates to this law. I would like to commend Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, Chairman Hinojosa, and Ranking Member Keller for their work on this bill. I would also like to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committee, Senators Kennedy and Enzi. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude to Senator Mikulski for all her efforts in Senator Kennedy's absence. I would also like to thank the House and Senate Committees' staff; we could not have reached this point without your hard work and dedication.

This bill contains many important provisions that will help make a college education more affordable for student and their families. I am particularly pleased with the increase in the authorization of the Pell grant and the loan forgiveness provision that will aid students who give back to their community if they enter a profession in an area of national need, including mental health professionals and child welfare workers.

The legislation also specifically assists minority students in several ways. For example, it contains a provision to promote cultural diversity in the entertainment media industry. It will also require that a study be conducted on whether race, ethnicity, or gender biases exist in the design of standardized admission tests used by higher education institutions. The information collected for the study is intended to be made available to the public--except in cases where the entity providing the information shows good cause or in the case where the information is proprietary--so that if such biases are found we can work to correct them.

The bill requires the Department of Education to conform hate crime reporting requirements to FBI guidelines to more accurately report incidents of hate crimes on our campuses. This will result in consistent and accurate reporting of crimes against persons and crimes against property. In addition, improved data will give parents and students a more accurate sense of campus safety and education institutions a better picture of their campus climate.

The legislation also contains many provisions helpful to institutions of higher education. The Secretary will now be required to develop and maintain a plan to help schools cope with natural and man-made disasters. The bill also creates an Education Disaster and Emergency Relief Loan Program to provide emergency loan funds to schools after a federal declared major disaster or emergency, including those schools affected by the 2005 Gulf Hurricanes. Additionally, the bill includes a provision which significantly helps schools affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by holding them harmless for purposes of Title III funding.

This bill also does a great deal to help the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The authorization levels for HBCUs have been increased to $375 million dollars, which is almost three times the amount that is in the current Higher Education Act. The amount for the Historically Black Graduate Institutions program has significantly increased as well. The bill also provides funding for Masters programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions that focus on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health and other fields in which Blacks are underrepresented.

The legislation strengthens and develops college-level programs in the rapidly growing field of Modeling and Simulation. This is a field of study that refers to replicating a system on a smaller scale or on a computer for extensive examination. There is not a single field of study or profession that cannot benefit from this type of analysis including urban planning, medicine and national security.

This legislation includes several positive changes to the TRIO programs, which provide assistance to low-income and first generation college-going students. The bill eliminates the Absolute Priority conditions imposed on Upward Bound programs by the Department of Education without requiring a recompetition. In addition, the bill creates an appeals process for TRIO programs to ensure that the grantmaking process is as fair and transparent as possible.

Mr. Speaker, there is a clarification that I feel must be made with regard to new language added to an existing accreditation provision. Current law requires that accrediting agencies or associations apply and enforce their standards in a manner that respects the missions of institutions of higher education. This bill states that respecting missions of institutions of higher education includes religious missions. It is important to explicitly note what is and is not intended by the new language. Pursuant to the House Report filed by the House Committee on Education and Labor on December 19, 2007 (H. Rept. 110-500, Part I), it is important to make clear that this new language does not affect or change nondiscrimination provisions. The House Report states in relevant part:

``The new language requiring accrediting agencies or associations to apply and enforce their standards in a manner that respects the missions of institutions of higher education, including religious missions, reflects Congress' belief that accredited institutions should be allowed to choose their own missions rather than having them imposed or regulated by accrediting bodies. In response to concerns raised by Representatives Robert C. Scott (D-VA) and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) about whether the amendment would harm the ability of accreditors to enforce nondiscrimination provisions, the author of the amendment, Representative Timothy Walberg (R-MI), explained that the provision would not affect nondiscrimination provisions and instead would require accreditors to respect the missions of schools, including when the missions are religious.

``It is the intent of the Committee that this amendment does not change or alter current accreditation requirements, and the exemptions included in those requirements (such as those allowed by the American Bar Association and the American Psychological Association), for the enforcement of nondiscrimination provisions. The Committee also notes that this provision does not alter title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 or other federal antidiscrimination statutes, which remain applicable to institutions of higher education to the same extent as before. The Department of Education shall not promulgate any regulations that provide any new exceptions to current nondiscrimination provisions.

``It is also the intent of the Committee that this amendment does not change or alter current accreditation requirements, and the exemptions included in those requirements, for training professionals in the practice of medicine and other health care professions.''

Similarly, the Senate report that accompanies S. 1642 (the companion bill to H.R. 4137) filed by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on November 15, 2007 (Report No. 110-231) confirms this position. The Senate report states in relevant part:

``Accrediting agencies or associations recognized by the Department of Education are invested with a public trust and perform an important public function. Congress expects that those receiving Department recognition will perform those functions with the same diligence and competence as would be provided by any public body and that their procedures will be conducted with the same level of transparency, due process, and accountability that would apply to the Department if it performed this function itself.

``The new language requiring accrediting agencies or associations to apply and enforce their standards in a manner that respects the missions of institutions of higher education, including religious missions, reflects these goals. It is not intended to allow an institution to deny a person participation in, the benefits of, or to subject a person to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance under existing laws, including those with respect to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability; or because the person has not complied with a standard of the institution that requires the person to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.''

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to highlight a provision included in the Statement of Managers to the Conference which I feel is extremely important. Currently, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is written in a way that misleads many students to believe that if they have been convicted of a drug offense, they do not qualify for financial aid. In the Statement of Managers, Conferees encourage the Department to reword the FAFSA to more accurately reflect the ways in which students who have been convicted of drug offenses can obtain financial aid.

Mr. Speaker, we have worked long and hard for a comprehensive, bipartisan bill. While not perfect, I believe this bill goes a long way towards making college more affordable for students and their families and towards helping our institutions and higher education provide a quality education to our nation's youth. For the foregoing reasons, I support the bill and urge my colleagues to support it.