Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lary Burgett for receiving the 2006 Isaac M. Cline Award from the National Weather Service. The Cline Award is the highest honor the National Weather Service can bestow upon its employees. Mr. Burgett is the third local recipient of this award since the Huntsville Weather Forecasting Office was established in 2003.

The Isaac M. Cline Award is presented each year to individuals and teams that have made significant contributions in support of the National Weather Service's strategic and operational plans. Mr. Burgett was awarded the Cline Award for maintaining a high level of performance in North Alabama throughout the year.

Madam Speaker, the Tennessee Valley has a weather pattern much different from the rest of the nation. In 2002, the National Weather Service established a Weather Forecasting Office in Huntsville in order to track and predict this region's volatile weather systems. Mr. Burgett is one of the original employees of Huntsville's WFO who also worked at the previous Huntsville Weather Service Office. His knowledge and experience was critical during the transition and start-up of our WFO. He has continued his level of professionalism for over twenty-nine years.

Madam Speaker, the employees of the Huntsville Weather Forecasting Office are gathering today to recognize and celebrate Mr. Burgett for receiving the 2006 Isaac M. Cline Award. I rise today to join in their celebration and to congratulate Lary Burgett on this honor.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on behalf of this project that Mr. Flake has attacked here. I'm the offerer of this project, the Huntsville Museum of Art, located in the city of Huntsville, Alabama, the largest city in my congressional district. This is a museum project that I think is very appropriate to the economic development initiative account.

This museum chose to locate in the downtown area of the city of Huntsville some years ago. In the 1950s, early 1960s, the city of Huntsville's population was around 30,000 people. Currently its population is close to 200,000 people, but like many downtown areas, our downtown had deteriorated. It was a target for crime. It was a target for all kinds of movement there that would not have been in the best interests of the core of a city of this size.

The Museum of Art chose to locate its new facility there. It partnered with the community. It raised $8 million to build this facility that it's in. It is now in another expansion because of the success of the downtown area, because

of the momentum that it helped create. Students are coming into the downtown area. People are coming into there from the region 100 miles around the area, and it's really caused the city of Huntsville to renovate and revise its downtown area. Business is coming back, and I think in terms of economic developments issues, it's accomplishing just what it should accomplish.

So I'm eager to defend this amendment and say that currently the $200,000 that we've been able to achieve through the economic development initiative, through this committee, and I thank the chairman and the staff and the ranking member and the staff for considering this project, will go along with another $8 million that will be raised from the community so that we can create exhibition space, so that we can create meeting space. This is not a routine museum expansion that this $200,000 will go toward. It's a small amount of money that will be pooled with another amount of money to renovate a downtown area that is in much need of renovation.

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

Mr. Chairman, just briefly in close, this is a modest economic development initiative. It's very appropriate under this account, and it will allow this museum project to revitalize an area of downtown that is in much need of revitalization.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a friend and North Alabama community leader, former Muscle Shoals Mayor Charles Mitchell.

Madam Speaker, some of our colleagues may remember Charles Mitchell. Before his election as Mayor, he served over fourteen

years as an aide to Senator Howell Heflin. He also worked for Senators Lister Hill, James Allen, and Maryon Allen before joining Senator Heflin's staff in 1978.

In 1992, the City of Muscle Shoals, Alabama reorganized its government into the current mayor-council structure that it utilizes today. Mayor Mitchell was elected as the city's first mayor.

During his two terms as Mayor, he worked to change the face of the city through numerous building campaigns, including a new high school, a modern library, recreational facilities, and a post office. He also successfully worked to establish an early warning system and address the city's flooding problem.

Madam Speaker, Mayor Mitchell passed away last Saturday. He is survived by his wife Betty and daughters Leslie Ann and Carrie, stepdaughters Kim, Shannon, and Laurel, as well as five grandchildren and step-grandchildren.

Mayor Mitchell was a good friend, community and civic leader that will be missed in both Alabama and Washington. His willingness to help others and dedication to his community is an inspiration for all in North Alabama and across the country to follow. I rise today to celebrate his life and honor his achievements.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and celebrate the life of Huntsville businessman, Mr. William Kling, Sr.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Kling and his wife Margaret Anne ``Peggy'' Rothschild moved to Huntsville in 1950 and formed the Valley Pride Packing Company. Prior to his retirement in 1966, Mr. Kling served as president of the Alabama Meat Packers Association and as a member of the board of directors for the Alabama Cattlemen's Association and the American Meat Institute.

In addition to his leadership in state and local business communities, Mr. Kling shared his kindness and vision to help nurture the cultural development of our region. After his retirement, Mr. Kling became the first individual to serve 3 consecutive years as president of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the Von Braun Center, a world-class concert hall and entertainment center, was constructed. For more than 25 years, the Von Braun Center has hosted numerous internationally acclaimed musical performances and events.

Mr. Kling also served as a member of the first Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority. During his time with the authority, he played an influential role in the establishment of the Huntsville International Airport. This airport has since become an economic engine for north Alabama and it continues to support our region's remarkable growth.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Kling passed away in November 2006. He was a successful businessman, humanitarian, and civic leader. His willingness to help others and dedication to his community is an inspiration for all in north Alabama and across the country to follow. I rise today to celebrate his life and honor his achievements, which continue to have a profound impact on north Alabama today.

Madam Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2082, and I want to compliment the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that I have worked with for a number of years to make sure that we give the intelligence agencies the resources and the balance that they need to do the job that we want them to do.

I am sorry that my colleagues from across the aisle can't support this bill.

I am proud to represent an area of the country that has given much to the defense of this country including to the intelligence agencies. My district is the home of the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, known as MSIC, and MSIC is a key DIA facility that helps our country understand and prepare against the threat from missiles from foreign nations.

Now, this bill today, H.R. 2082, is a well-crafted bill. It strengthens our national security by authorizing the largest amount of funding ever for the intelligence community. Let me say that again. This bill authorizes the largest amount ever for the intelligence community.

But it is not just the amount that is important. We have got to make sure that we perform oversight of the agencies that we give these resources to, make sure that the distribution is balanced between the needs to be addressed today and the needs that will be faced in the future.

Specifically, this bill provides our intelligence professionals with the resources to deal with the immediate threats that we face in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the emerging challenges from dangerous regimes around the world, particularly in Iran and North Korea.

I also support this bill because it recognizes that simply giving the intelligence community considerable resources and hoping for the best is not enough. Congress must conduct effective oversight, and this bill accomplishes that.

Now, Chairman Reyes, as you know, we have worked hard to make sure that we continue the bipartisan approach that this committee has a history of being the best at, and I think this bill is a product of a bipartisan effort to fund our intelligence priorities and strengthen our oversight.

To the ranking member, in the last Congress, we established, I believe, set up, the Oversight Subcommittee that Mr. Thornberry chaired and I was the ranking member of. I think that subcommittee did an excellent job, drafting reports, holding informal hearings, making visits out in the field both in this country and out of this country, to make sure that together we got off to a better start of performing oversight. And I think this bill today continues with that effort.

We drafted a report on the standup of the DNI in the last Congress. We made sure that we let them know that we were there to give them the resources that they needed but to hold them accountable for what they did as well, and I think this bill strikes that appropriate balance between strengthening national security and performing effective oversight.

I urge support of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007. I applaud our leadership's efforts to lower the price of drugs for seniors and other Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

In addition to achieving the lowest possible costs for drugs, I strongly believe Medicare should ensure seniors have access to the drugs they need. Therefore, it is critical that price negotiations by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services not lead to government price controls, or any restrictive formularies that could limit seniors' access to critical medicines.

Further, we must not take action that hinders medical research and development by the biotechnical and pharmaceutical industries. Government price controls could potentially lead to fewer breakthrough treatments for diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, and other devastating diseases.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the members, staff, volunteers, and patrons of the Theatre Huntsville during their decennial season. The 2006-2007 season will include performances of Noises Off, Proof, Romeo and Juliet, Crossing Delancy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nunsense, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Theatre Huntsville is the second-oldest performance organization in the city of Huntsville, presenting its first performance in 1950 as the Huntsville Little Theatre. In 1979, the Huntsville Little Theatre merged with the Twickenham Repertory Company to form today's performance group.

Mr. Speaker, Theatre Huntsville strives to foster, encourage, and strengthen interest in the dramatic arts. In addition to its yearly performances, the Theatre's volunteers mentor others in the community in areas of acting, directing, and all other aspects of community theater through discussions, lectures, workshops, apprenticeships, and tutorials.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the 2006-2007 season, Theatre Huntsville will celebrate their decennial season. I rise today to join in their celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to LTG Larry J. Dodgen, Commanding General of the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/United States Army Forces Strategic Command. General Dodgen is also the Commander of the Joint Functional Component Command--Integrated Missile Defense.

General Dodgen, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, began his military career after graduating from Louisiana State University in 1972. Over the last 34 years, he has received numerous decorations and awards for his distinguished duty, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to work with General Dodgen during his 2-year tenure as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, which is located at Redstone Arsenal in North Alabama. He served in that capacity from September 2001 through December 2003. During his tenure in North Alabama, General Dodgen worked to ensure that the entire North Alabama defense community was engaged in efforts to meet the future needs of the Army and the warfighter. Our work together continued after General Dodgen assumed the Command at SMDC. I applaud his commitment to the Army, Redstone, and to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, after 34 years of honorable service in the U.S. Army, Lieutenant General Dodgen is retiring from active duty. On November 30, 2006, the North Alabama community held a celebration in his honor. I rise today to join them in their tribute and to thank him for his many years of service. I wish General Dodgen the very best for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Alabama State Senator Tommy Ed Roberts. Senator Roberts has represented Limestone, Madison, and Morgan Counties in the Alabama State Senate since 1994 and served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1974 through 1982. Senator Roberts recently announced his retirement from public service and in April concluded his final legislative session.

I consider it a privilege to have worked with Senator Roberts on a wide variety of issues facing Morgan County. He has done a great deal to help further the quality of life for all individuals in our community.

During his many years of service in the State Legislature, Senator Roberts' peers elected him to numerous legislative leadership positions. He served as the Chairman of the Senate Business and Labor Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

Senator Roberts' well known legislative accomplishments include his work to create Alabama's identity theft protection laws and his bill to allow Morgan County to give a portion of its sales tax to help fund volunteer fire departments.

In addition to serving Morgan County as a State Legislator, Senator Roberts was a champion of economic development and expansion. He served as Executive Director of the Morgan County Industrial Development Association and the Decatur-Morgan County Port Authority for many years and is credited with helping to create over 14,000 jobs. He played a large role in successfully recruiting the Boeing Delta IV Rocket Plant and Nucor Steel plants to Decatur, Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, Senator Roberts is well respected throughout our local community and the entire State of Alabama. On Saturday, September 23rd, the North Alabama community will gather to honor and celebrate all of Senator Roberts' achievements. I rise today, to join in their celebration and to thank Senator Roberts for his many years of dedicated service.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the alumni, students, faculty, and friends of Alabama A&M University, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Robert Jennings on his inauguration as the University's tenth President.

Alabama A&M is a prestigious 131-year old land-grant university located in Normal, AL. Its faculty and students are nationally recognized for their work in and out of the classroom.

A&M selected Jennings as President in January of 2006. A graduate of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, Dr. Jennings is a Fulbright-Hays Fellow and a highly respected and accomplished professor and administrator.

Prior to his appointment at A&M, Dr. Jennings served many years as a professor and administrator at Atlanta University Graduate School. Dr. Jennings has also held positions at Norfolk State University, Albany State University, and North Carolina A&T State University. Most recently, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Wake Forest University's Future Focus 2020, a program designed to encourage urban communities to more actively participate in discussions about the future of the country.

In addition to his impressive academic record, Dr. Jennings is a distinguished diplomat and civil servant. In 1999, he represented the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. State Department as a consultant and trainer at the University of Naimey in Niger, Africa. He also previously served as a Loaned Executive to the Office of the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as an Equal Opportunity and Employee Development Specialist and Lead Trainer for the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission.

Mr. Speaker, during the week of September 11th, the Alabama A&M community is celebrating Dr. Jennings' inauguration. I believe that his impressive resume and numerous academic accomplishments have more than prepared him to lead Alabama A&M University to new heights. I look forward to working with him and all of the faculty, students, alumni, and staff to build on the University's proud tradition of excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor one of my constituents, Ms. Anne-Marie Gnacek upon her retirement after 50 years of managing, designing, and developing simulations to evaluate our Nation's ability to intercept and destroy foreign missiles.

Beginning in 1956, Ms. Gnacek worked for a variety of defense related engineering companies. With the exception of choosing to stay at home to raise her two sons in the 1960s, she has worked continuously on developing software simulations to help develop our Nation's space and missile development programs, including the Navy's Polaris missile and the development of our National Missile Defense initiative.

Most recently, Ms. Gnacek was involved in the independent verification and validation testing of the Ground Based Midcourse Defense System's Battle Management Command and Control and In-flight Interceptor Communications systems, and development of simulation training aid for the soldiers who will operate the system.

Ms. Gnacek also led a team of engineers that developed real time simulations of mission experiments and activities to train astronauts for NASA's SPACELAB 1 and 2 shuttle missions.

Mr. Speaker, this month, Ms. Gnacek will retire after 50 years of exceptional service. Throughout her career, she has devoted herself towards improving our Nation's space and missile development programs and has diligently worked to enhance these vital systems to meet the ever-changing needs of our country.

I rise today to join her colleagues, family, and friends in congratulating her on a job well done. I wish her and her family the very best for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and thank Dr. Richard Amos, Deputy to the Commanding General of the Army Aviation and Missile Command, for his continued service to the defense of our country.

Mr. Speaker, the contributions of the Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) at Redstone Arsenal cannot be overemphasized. As a leader in defense technology research and development, the Command has been on the forefront of new and emerging technology for our armed services. It has done a great deal to ensure that the men and women on the battlefield have the most up-to-date war fighting capabilities and the tools they need to safely accomplish their mission. Dr. Amos, a native son of Huntsville, has been the Deputy to the Commanding General of AMCOM since 2004.

Earlier this year, Dr. Amos was awarded the 2005 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive for his work as Deputy Commanding General. This was a much-deserved honor as he has diligently led efforts with Redstone's Commanding General James Pillsbury to ensure that Redstone and the entire North Alabama defense community are continuously evolving to meet the demands of today's warfighter.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Amos' dedication and leadership is well respected throughout the North Alabama community. On behalf of the United States Congress and the people of North Alabama, I proudly rise today to commend him on his service and wish him the very best for the future.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents in North Alabama, I rise today to pay tribute and thank Redstone Arsenal's Commanding General, Major General Jan1es Pillsbury, on the service he continues to provide to our national defense.

General Pillsbury was named Commanding General of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as the Army Aviation and Missile Command, which is located at Redstone, in December of 2003. In addition to the Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone is the home of, among others, the Missile Munitions Center and School, the Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC), and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

As Commanding General, he has worked to ensure that the entire North Alabama defense community is engaged in efforts to meet the future needs of the Army and the warfighter. In addition, he and his wife Becky, have established a non-profit organization, Still Serving Veterans, which continues to recognize the sacrifice and look for ways to repay the numerous veterans living in North Alabama for their service. The Pillsburys' community outreach and dedication to the entire region have made the North Alabama community a better place to work and live.

Mr. Speaker, the Army has rewarded General Pillsbury's leadership and commitment at Redstone with an extension on his service in North Alabama. His contributions have prepared our community for additional roles and responsibilities. I rise today to commend him on his service and wish him the very best for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I too stand in strong support of this bill. I want to compliment the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for giving us this opportunity. My colleague, Mark Foley, who just spoke, he and I cochaired the Caucus for Missing and Exploited Children.

Prior to my time here in Congress, I was a district attorney, and I saw too many children victimized by predators that had slipped between the cracks, predators that lived in neighborhoods. Neighbors didn't know it. Schools didn't know it. We can tighten this net of safety around children and families, but only through this bill can we do that.

I joined with John Walsh in the early 1980s in an effort to form a stronger network of child abuse intervention programs that we built around the country called the National Children's Advocacy Center programs. They exist in 700 or 800 communities around this country, and they are one-stop service centers where child abuse victims and their families can come to get help and support.

But in establishing centers like this, in bringing network teams together in communities, we found out that that safety net to protect those children and families simply did not exist, and that was because the registration and notification system was practically nonexistent. And even though we, from the 1990s forward, have done everything we can to improve that, we still kept the notice factors in that too private, too available to only a certain select few so that neighbors and communities and schools did not know what they needed to do.

I want to congratulate John Walsh and his wife, Reve, as well for making sure that they are establishing the next chapter in honor of Adam Walsh. John and Reve have given so much to the rest of this country in making sure that children are protected.

We need to pass this bill today in Adam Walsh's memory.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the organizers, participants, and patrons of the 25th Annual W.C. Handy Music Festival, which begins on July 21 and lasts until July 30.

The W.C. Handy Festival is named after Florence, Alabama, native William Christopher Handy. Mr. Handy, who is remembered today as the ``Father of Blues,'' was born in 1873 in a log cabin that his grandfather built. He left Florence in 1892, settling in Memphis, Tennessee, where he penned his most recognized composition, ``St. Louis Blues.'' Before his death in 1958, W.C. Handy wrote over 150 songs and his widespread appeal is credited with popularizing blues music into America's cultural mainstream.

Mr. Speaker, beginning with the birth of Mr. Handy and continuing today, the Shoals Region of Northwest Alabama has a storied musical history. The Shoals area is also the birthplace of the ``Father of Rock and Roll'' Sam Phillips, who discovered artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The region is also the home of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, as well as generations of musicians, composers, songwriters, and internationally recognized recording studios and producers. Over the last 50 years, musical legends such as Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, and some of today's musical superstars have recorded many of their biggest hits in the area.

Each year, the Music Preservation Society organizes this unique festival to pay tribute to W.C. Handy's legacy and the area's rich musical heritage. Thousands of musical patrons are entertained through more than 200 events at locations throughout the Shoals. Musical acts range from a wide variety of blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, soul, and country acts. The artists perform live in local restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, parks, libraries, art galleries, churches, malls, museums, and street corners throughout the region.

The Festival, which began in 1982 featuring jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, has continued to grow each year. Past headlining acts have included Clarence Carter, the Manhattan Transfer, and Percy Sledge. In its 25-year history, National Geographic, the Southeast Tourism Society, Travelocity.com, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel have recognized the festival as one of the top events in the South.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to congratulate and applaud the efforts of the Music Preservation Society Board of Directors and staff, and the festival's volunteers and musicians who make this celebration of the cultural heritage of northwest Alabama a reality each year.