Floor Statements

I thank the chairman of the subcommittee.

I have been a member of this subcommittee since the subcommittee was formed, and I was a member of the VA-HUD Subcommittee before then. And, as a matter of full disclosure, I come from an area that has one of the NASA centers, the Marshall Space Flight Center.

But the gentleman's amendment is not well designed. This would kill, this would kill the core of NASA. This would redefine what NASA is all about, and I urge the Members to oppose this amendment.

We have balanced carefully, the chairman and the ranking member of this subcommittee, within the confines of this budget, to order what we could do for NASA versus what we could do for COPS programs, Justice programs, and NOAA and other programs in here. This is a good debate to have, because we don't have enough money and we don't have enough room in this budget.

But this is a bad amendment, and I urge the Members to oppose it.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for this time. I am a member of his subcommittee, and I appreciate his leadership and the leadership of the ranking member as well.

I rise in opposition to this amendment, and it troubles me to do that. I was a district attorney prior to my time in Congress, and so I know a little bit about law enforcement and what law enforcement needs.

These programs that are the object of the Weiner amendment, they are important programs, there is no doubt, but the chairman and the ranking member have worked together in a bipartisan manner to restore $1.1 billion in proposed cuts to State and local law enforcement programs.

Now, that is not as much as it should be, but that is a good-faith effort within the budget allocation to get money here. This is the wrong offset. Please vote against the Weiner amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Scottsboro Police Chief Keith Smith, who recently announced his retirement after 35 years of public service.

Chief Smith started his career in law enforcement as a Military Police Officer in the United States Army in 1966. After serving 1 year in Vietnam, he was honorably discharged before joining the Scottsboro Police Department in 1971. He was named the Chief of Police in 1980 and has served in that position ever since.

Mr. Speaker, as Police Chief, he continually modernized and upgraded the department's technologies and methods of crime prevention. Through his leadership, the City of Scottsboro has maintained a low crime rate and has established itself to be a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

I consider it a privilege to have worked with Chief Smith on a variety of issues facing the City of Scottsboro and all of Northeast Alabama. His unique ability to serve the public and work with a number of elected officials over his unprecedented 26 year term is quite remarkable.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Smith is well respected throughout our local community. On Sunday, June 25th, the Scottsboro community will gather to honor and celebrate all of his achievements. I rise today, to join in their celebration and to thank Chief Smith for his many years of dedicated service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. I do rise in support of the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006.

I want to make a statement on behalf of the farm families of this country. When I came to Congress in the early 1990s, my farm families told me stories over and over again of their problems encouraging the next generation to farm the land that they farm. This is not a rich person's estate tax bill. This is a reasonable compromise.

A lot of us on this side of the aisle have worked long and hard in a bipartisan effort to make sure we had an opportunity to bring that voice of those farmers, to bring the voice of small businesses in this country into alignment with the Federal Government so we could pass for them estate tax reform, estate tax relief that will give them some permanency.

We made a step toward that, but that step has a huge gap in it. It is not permanent. So we have done something of a helping hand, but we have also made this a lawyer's mecca here. Estate tax planning is something they cannot do because they don't have the ability to know exactly what is going to happen.

Is everything in this bill that I want in this bill? No. And there are a lot of Members who didn't get everything in this bill that they want, but this is a reasonable compromise.

I have cochaired a coalition of folks who want to eliminate the death tax, but I am here to say this is a reasonable alternative, and Members should support it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend from Florida; and I want to say to my colleagues, while this sounds like a complicated issue, this really is not a complicated issue.

I rise in strong opposition of the Deal amendment; and, first, I want to congratulate the chairman and the ranking member of this subcommittee and say that the language that you have put in this bill is fair. What we are after here today in Alabama and in Florida and in those other States as well is fairness.

What we want is the opportunity to settle this dispute. We are in court. The court knows that we have been in court. The corps comes in with a last-minute attempt to revise their manual, asking for money to do that at the same time that the court is taking this very issue up.

That is not the way to do it right now. The President's budget did not include money for this. The chairman and the ranking member saw fit, in fairness to both sides, to keep this language in here.

So what we are asking today is defeat the Deal amendment and support the base bill itself.

If current conditions are used by the corps, if this amendment were to be allowed and current conditions are used to revise this manual, then that is being done at a time that would be of great disadvantage to the parties involved here.

So this issue is very critical to Alabama and to Florida. We must defeat the Deal amendment.

I thank my colleague from Alabama and also my colleague from Texas.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Tierney-Holt Amendment. I do so reluctantly, because I respect the two gentlemen, and we serve on the House Intelligence Committee together as well.

This amendment would reduce the Missile Defense Agency's $9.38 billion roughly by half. And now is not the time to do that, to say the least. We have been involved in sensitive briefings lately on the Appropriations Committee and the House Intelligence Committee that talk about the threats that we have got to invest our technology in.

In 2005, there were 60 launches that involved short-range ballistic missiles, 10 involved medium- and intermediate-range missiles, and about 10 involved long-range ballistic missiles. We have already invested heavily in several key programs to defend against this threat, and the programs are just now providing the kind of technology that has got to be refined in order to defend us.

We have got sensitive intelligence issues, sensitive defense issues against this country. The negative impacts that this amendment now would have on the budget cuts would be drastic.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Judge David Bibb, of Morgan

County, Alabama. Judge Bibb recently retired as Morgan County District Judge on April 21, 2006.

After a successful law career with A.J. Coleman and David Cauthen, Judge Bibb was appointed to the Morgan County District Court in 1981. He subsequently won election to the bench in 1982 and he continued to serve in that capacity until his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, throughout Judge Bibb's judicial career, he was well respected in the local community and the entire State of Alabama. He was known for being a fair judge who worked diligently to uphold the law, making our community an even better place.

He has remained active in the Morgan County community, serving on numerous advisory boards and task forces. Most notably, he is a member of the Morgan County and Alabama State Bar Associations, the District Judge Association, and a member of the Alabama Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He has also been a lecturer at the Alabama Judicial College and for the Alabama Child Support Association.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, April 21, Judge Bibb's family and friends gathered to celebrate his long and distinguished judicial career. I rise, on behalf of everyone in North Alabama to thank him for his service and join his colleagues, family, and friends in congratulating him on a job well done.

Mr. Chairman, I now yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ruppersberger).

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from California, and I want to congratulate you on your leadership in this committee, along with the chairman as well. I have been on this committee for several terms now, and as the chairman stated and the ranking member stated, we bend over backwards to work in a bipartisan way. This hasn't been easy, and this hasn't been an easy year. And I say to both of you, congratulations for trying to help us work through this very difficult year.

This is not a perfect bill, and I am disappointed that several of the amendments were not allowed in order. I think the chairman is, too. I think there are some of the issues that were ruled out, particularly Mr. Boswell's issue, that we can work through together, and so I look forward to the chairman and ranking member's leadership.

I do stand in support of H.R. 5020. This bill does address many of the issues surrounding the way in which the intelligence community is being restructured. I say to my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry), thank you for the leadership you have enjoyed with me and with this full committee over the Oversight Subcommittee. We haven't always had an Oversight Subcommittee, and this makes sense that we now have the opportunity, particularly as we have stood up the DNI, to engage the new people at the DNI, the new leaders at the DNI that we are looking to to lead this country into a new era of intelligence management that we haven't had. This is our opportunity to hold their feet to the fire.

The stand-up of the DNI has been slow, and it has been frustrating, but we have been working together, Mr. Thornberry and I, to bring information back to the full committee from the DNI and the relevant agencies. We have taken on the tough issues, interrogation, detention operations, information sharing, overall management structure of the DNI, and we have done this in ways that the committee hasn't worked before. We have done it by having briefings; we have done it by going to their turf, their sites, sitting with their personnel, leaving the country, talking to our people in sensitive parts of the world that are doing brave and noble things for this country, and then we have brought that information back into the subcommittee and into the full committee as well. This is the way I enjoy working.

Also in this bill there is an investment in an analytical initiative that draws on the expertise resident at three centers, the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, which just happens to be in Huntsville, Alabama, my home district; the National Air and Space Intelligence Center in Dayton, Ohio; and at the National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. These centers collaborate and they

work to analyze weapons that we bring back that could be threats to this country and to our aircraft and to our personnel as well. So those people in those locations get a reinvestment in their work through this bill.

All in all, I think this is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a point for the benefit of the members of the committee. Mr. Thornberry and I have been aggressively involved in standing up to DNI and we have been concerned, the committee has been concerned, that we do not establish a new set of regulations and reporting requirements for our intelligence agencies.

Would your amendment have that kind of impact? Could you explain that to us?

If you would continue to yield, I think you clearly raise issues that we need to continue to address, and this is information that we should continue to have. I would support your amendment and would urge my colleagues in the committee to do the same thing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Reverend Dr. Joseph E.

Lowery for his instrumental role in assuring equal rights for all Americans. Dr. Lowery, who has been called the ``dean of the Civil Rights Movement,'' was the cofounder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Dr. Lowery was born in Huntsville, AL, on October 6, 1921. During the 1950s, he led the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, an organization dedicated to the desegregation of buses and public places. In 1957, Dr. Lowery joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders from throughout the Southeast to organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization renowned for its nonviolent approach to ending segregation. He would eventually lead the SCLC from 1977 until 1997.

Dr. Lowery also organized and led the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March. This march was a key moment in the civil rights movement and a strong influence on the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Dr. Lowery's work and influence spreads outside of our country as well. He led a group that began protesting the South African Apartheid in the 1970s and continued until the successful election of Nelson Mandela in 1994.

Although officially retired, Dr. Lowery remains active and is an influential voice encouraging African Americans to vote.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, December 16, through Sunday, December 18, Dr. Lowery will be honored by his hometown community, with the placement of a historical marker near the site of his childhood home. I rise today to join in that celebration and to thank Dr. Lowery for all he has done on behalf of all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 798, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act.

I am a member of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamines and an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Before coming to Congress, I was the District Attorney of Madison County, Alabama.

It was in that capacity that I learned that meth is not only a danger to adults who use the drug, but also a great danger to people who live in the homes where meth is used or manufactured, especially children.

Unfortunately, the effects the exposure to meth is something that we are still learning more about.

I support today's legislation because I believe it is important for our communities to understand these residual effects.

H.R. 798 addresses the environmental and second-hand impacts of methamphetamine abuse.

It specifically establishes research programs through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to: identify the harmful chemicals associated with meth labs; discover the impact exposure to these chemicals have; and identify any residual effects of methamphetamine labs.

Additionally, this legislation creates guidelines for the clean up and decontamination of contained meth lab sites.

It also requires NIST to develop and standardize methamphetamine detection methods.

I would like to thank Congressman Gordon for his leadership in addressing this often-overlooked battle in the fight against methamphetamines.

I encourage my colleagues to approve this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Frank Collazo and all of the employees of the COLSA Corporation on the company's 25th anniversary.

Mr. Collazo founded the COLSA Corporation in his home in Huntsville, Alabama. Today COLSA has locations in Huntsville; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Orlando and Shalimar, Florida; San Diego, California; and Washington, D.C.

Mr. Speaker, COLSA has been recognized as a leader in the defense industry. It works with a number of governmental agencies including NASA, AMCOM, SMDC, MDA, MSIC, the NSA, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.

COLSA's employees provide a wide variety of services to its clients including IT Services, Complex Systems Integration, Software Engineering and Analysis, Business Management Solutions, and Modeling and Simulation. They also provide Test and Evaluation Support, Security Solutions, Intelligence Support, Advance Algorithms Services, and Engineering Services.

Despite its short history, COLSA has received the Department of Defense's Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year, the James S. Cogswell Award for Security Excellence, and the American Business Ethics Award, among others.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Frank and the entire COLSA team for their hard work and dedication towards strengthening our military and intelligence capabilities and I congratulate them on 25 years of service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives and everyone in North Alabama, I would like to thank the COLSA Corporation for its commitment to the war fighter and the security of our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Amy Burks for receiving the 2005 Newton B. Powell Award. This award is given by the Morgan County Democratic Party for dedication and leadership within the party.

Mrs. Burks is the Alabama representative to the Democratic National Committee Executive Committee and has been active in Alabama Democratic Party politics for more than 40 years. Additionally, Mrs. Burks has served as vice chair for the Alabama State Democratic Party since 1991, and is also the senior Vice President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs. She also serves on the Morgan County Executive Committee.

In addition to her work with the Democratic Party, Mrs. Burks has had 19 years of experience as a teacher, working with students at Madison Cross Roads and Hazel Green and was the assistant principal at Madison Elementary. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, where she is responsible for overseeing the institute's comprehensive education and rehabilitation system that serves children and adults who are deaf, blind, and multidisabled.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Burks has done a great deal to help strengthen and grow the Democratic Party throughout our State, our Nation, and our community. She has been a helping hand and an integral part of many of our democratic colleagues' campaigns in Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join her husband Larry, daughters Lisa and JoLynn, and the entire North Alabama community in congratulating Amy on this much deserved award and to thank her for all that she continues to do on behalf of Morgan County and the State of Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Alabama State Representative Tommy Carter. Representative Carter has represented Limestone County in the Alabama State Legislature for thirty-six years. He plans to retire from public service at the conclusion of his current legislative term in 2006.

I consider it a privilege to have worked with Representative Carter on a wide variety of issues facing Limestone 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, Representative Carter was elected by his peers to numerous legislative leadership positions. Most notably, he served as the Chairman of the House Rules Committee for over twelve years. Representative Carter currently serves on the Education Finance and Appropriations Committee and the Agriculture and Forestry Committee.

Mr. Speaker, Representative Carter is well respected throughout our local community and the entire State of Alabama. He is a past recipient of the Athens Limestone County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award and was the Conservationist of the Year Award winner in 1978. Representative Carter is also a former Scout Master and member of the Alabama National Guard.

After he steps down from the Alabama State Legislature, he will continue to serve on the Board of Directors for Community Bank and Athens State University Foundation Board.

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, October 27th, the North Alabama community gathered to honor and celebrate all of Representative Carter's achievements. I rise today, to join in their celebration and to thank Representative Carter for his many years of dedicated service.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize one North Alabama's most compassionate citizens, Mrs. Rosetta James. Mrs. James, who is celebrating her 80th birthday in Huntsville, Alabama has done a great deal to help further the quality of life for all individuals in our community.

Mrs. James was born in Akron, Alabama After 27 years in the State of New York, she returned to her home State in 1973, and has spent the last 32 years serving in various community, church, and civic roles.

Among her many accomplishments, Mrs. James has served her community and her State as the Alabama Democratic Conference Chairperson from 1992 to 1996. Additionally, she was appointed by Governor Fob James as the first volunteer Deputy Registrar in Madison County, has served on the Huntsville City Schools Advisory Council, the Family Service Center Board, and has volunteered with the Madison County Board of Volunteers and Corrections, the NAACP, and many more.

Furthermore Mr. Speaker, Mrs. James continues her extraordinary work throughout the community today. Currently, she volunteers at two community schools to help children learn to read. Mrs. James also continues to inspire others to take an active role in the community. In addition, she works to organize voter registration drives and absentee ballots for people who cannot go to the polls.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. James has had a tremendous positive impact on our community in Huntsville. On October 21st, Mrs. James' family and friends are gathering to celebrate her 80th birthday with a surprise party. I rise, on behalf of everyone in North Alabama to thank her for everything she has done for the area and to wish her a happy and healthy 80th year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 441, congratulating the NASA STS-114 team on the successful completion of the historic test flight to the International Space Station.

I join my colleagues in applauding Commander Eileen Collins and her crew on the outstanding job they did onboard the Shuttle Discovery. This 14-day journey was one of the most complex space missions in the history of our Nation's space program. The crew successfully completed three spacewalks, and accomplished the first in-flight repair of the Shuttle's heat shield. They replaced a failed gyroscope onboard the Space Station, helping restore the capability to control the Station's position in orbit. The crew also successfully utilized the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System for the first time. This boom system gives NASA an unprecedented ability to examine the condition of the Shuttle once it reaches orbit. And after an extended grounding of the Shuttle fleet, the Discovery crew delivered more than 12,000 pounds of much needed supplies and equipment to the Station. Discovery and its crew also returned about 7,000 pounds of Station material back to Earth. All of us are very proud of their heroism and resolve during their mission.

I also congratulate the NASA team on the ground who worked day and night to ensure that this mission was a success, and as safe as possible. In Congress, I have the privilege of representing NASA employees and contractors at the Marshall Space Flight Center. I am proud of their hard work and dedication to making this Discovery flight as safe as possible.

Mr. Speaker, STS-114 was the first of two Return-to-Flight test flights. And NASA collected an unprecedented amount of test data from this flight. NASA will build on what it has learned from this Discovery mission as it prepares for the second test flight. There is much work yet to be done, but I believe that under the leadership of Administrator Mike Griffin, NASA is moving along the correct path.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to remember the brave crewmembers of the Shuttle Columbia. Discovery's successful mission, and the ongoing work towards the second Return-to-Flight test flight, represents our nation's ongoing commitment to the Columbia crew's spirit of exploration.

I strongly urge my colleagues to adopt this resolution.