Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding me the time and also my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their hard work to bring this legislation to the floor. It is important, it is bipartisan. We had the hearing in which were present the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi), the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson). It was the first hearing that we could find in the history of the House actually held on the tribal ground.

When we also looked in the subcommittee at the issues for people to be able to get a house, can you imagine if you had to wait 1 or 2 years to get your title? I think the interest rates had probably changed by that time.

I applaud the work that you have done, Congressman Renzi, on that issue. It is so important because of the conditions for native Americans in the housing, and, again, very proud of the work that you have done, Congressman Renzi, and the bipartisan effort by our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help people who really need the assistance.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 633) honoring Helen Sewell on the occasion of her retirement from the House of Representatives and expressing the gratitude of the House for her many years of service.

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

I am not going to be lengthy in my comments because I know our ranking member is going to say something, and then I am going to yield a lot of time to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who has asked for this resolution, and rightfully so to ask for it.

When I came to the House around 11 years ago, I guess, one of the first persons I ever met was Helen Sewell. And I soon found out she is probably one of the most important people, in fact, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, a lot of the public would not be aware unless they had the chance to be here on the floor, but in back of the Chamber on one side is the Democrat Cloakroom and on the other side is the Republican Cloakroom. And of course I have been over in the Democrat Cloakroom. They have got good sandwiches over there, too, which you can buy. And in our Cloakroom on the Republican side, Helen runs a little counter and we call it Helen's Cafe. She makes sandwiches and of course the Members buy those sandwiches or soup, and she has been doing that for such a long time. She is just a fine woman who always has a pleasant smile, always has a good word constantly to say when she was here.

And as many people in the country know, if they watch C-SPAN of course,

that we will be voting sometimes till 2 and 3, in fact probably this morning we will be voting until 4 a.m. And if in fact we are here voting at 4 a.m. and if Helen were here working, she would be back there still providing people, you know, with pop and water and sandwiches and different things, because you cannot get out of the building at that time to go find something to eat and you are sitting here long hours. So she did that. She provided that nutrition for everybody.

But, again, she always did it with such a pleasant smile. Helen is a lovely woman who really gave, frankly, great service to her country by doing what she did; and for that, Helen, on behalf of the House, we think the world of you. We wish you the best in your retirement. And we send all our love to Helen.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), and I want to thank him for bringing this resolution to the floor. This was his idea on behalf of the House to do it, and we certainly appreciate it.

(Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).

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

Mr. Speaker, I am just going to conclude by thanking the Members for being here today, our ranking members. This could not have happened without Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald being here and taking her time to give tribute, and, of course, the other Members, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee and Congressman Gilchrest. Especially, of course, I want to thank Congressman Weldon of Pennsylvania for doing this, for giving Helen the honor that she so deserves.

Obviously, from everything that we have heard today, I think the whole Nation can understand the feeling we have for Helen and how we miss her being here. Of course, when I conclude, I am going to ask for the Record to be kept open because Members are going to want to submit statements for the record to Helen to give her the honor she so deserves. So we wish Helen the best.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 633.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of her retirement on January 16, 2006, we rise to thank Ms. Cathy Brickman for 25 years of distinguished service to the United States House of Representatives. Cathy has served this great institution as a valuable employee of House Information Resources, in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.

Cathy began her tenure with the United States House of Representatives in November of 1980 as an applications analyst in the House Information Systems group. Cathy's potential and drive were recognized early in her career, resulting in her steady progression to positions of increasing responsibility. During the first 15 years of her career she developed the requirements for the House's first Correspondence Management System and led the development of the House's first local area network. She was also detailed to the Speaker's Special Task Force on the Development of Parliamentary Institutions in Eastern and Central Europe. On this detail she worked in country in the Parliaments of 11 Eastern, Central European and Baltic countries and Russia to implement information technology systems.

Her last 10 years were spent as team leader, Network Configuration Management for House Information Resources and she continued to be a key member of many important information technology projects in the House. During this time she supervised a team of 17 network communications specialists responsible for configuration and support of the House's large, enterprise data communications network consisting of 20,000 network devices. She was the Contracting Officer's representative for all of the House's Wide Area Network--Internet-- communications services and in this capacity she authored multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts. Cathy also managed the expansion of the House's Flagship Frame Relay service and started the implementation of Gigabit Ethernet replacement for the legacy ATM campus data network.

Cathy's leadership while serving the United States House of Representatives has been superior. During the October 2001 anthrax incident, as House Members and staff were forced off-site, Cathy was a key contributor to the efforts to ensure alternate site data networks were rapidly set up. Her standard of excellence, dedication to passionate customer service, organizational skills, professionalism and ability to get the job done earned Cathy the Distinguished Service Award, the Chief Administrative Officer's highest honor, in September 2003. Cathy is admired by the people she led and appreciated by those she served.

On behalf of the entire House community, we extend congratulations to Cathy for many years of dedication and outstanding contributions to the United States House of Representatives. We wish Cathy many wonderful years in fulfilling her retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of her retirement in October 2005, we rise to thank Mrs. Sherri Savercool for 25 years of outstanding service to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sherri began her career at the House working as an Administrative Specialist and shortly afterwards she was promoted to a Technical Support Specialist. For the past 25 years Sherri has served this great institution as a valuable employee of House Information Resources (HIR) within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.

During her career Sherri held many positions of increasing responsibility, requiring her to learn new and evolving computer technologies. She worked in the Customer Services Group providing technical customer support and training to Members of Congress and their staffs.

In the early 1980s when the House began using personal computers, Sherri was there helping both Member and Committee offices with the integration of their office automation requirements and procedures. She continuously expanded her technical expertise to help House staff in their use of personal computers and a wide range of desktop software. Over time she began supporting more complex hardware and software technology projects as well as managing the Office Management Demonstration and Training Center. There she was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Center that provided equipment demonstrations and consulting services for all House staff. Sherri participated in past Congressional transitions for many years, playing an important role ensuring that Members made a seamless transition.

Since 1995, Sherri has been a valuable member of HIR's Client Services Group where she has provided direct technical support and training to all House Staff. Sherri has been very customer oriented, displaying great passion for her work and maintaining excellent relationships with her customers. As a result of this dedication, each of her customers received the best available and most cost-effective office automation services and training.

On behalf of the entire House community, we extend congratulations to Sherri for her many years of dedication and outstanding contributions to the U.S. House of Representatives. We wish Sherri many wonderful years in fulfilling her retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement in December 2005, we rise to thank Mr. Bill Foulois for 6 years of outstanding service to the U.S. House of Representatives. His service to the House culminates a career of more than 37 years of service to our country.

Over the past 6 years, Bill has made significant contributions to the improvement of the

operations of the office of the Chief Administrative Officer, CAO. When Bill came to work for the House in October 1999, he immediately began working on the reorganization of the former Office of Media and Support Services, MSS, into what is today House Support Services, HSS. Bill's leadership eliminated the duplication of activities between the individual offices of MSS and changed the culture from an inward- focused organization that waited for the customer to come to them to an outward-focused organization that attempts to anticipate the customer's need. Bill's work with the reorganization of HSS was the first step in the direction of the major cultural change that is taking place within the CAO organization. Therefore, it was only logical that Bill be asked to lead the effort in developing the implementation plan for the CAO Customer Solutions Delivery Model. For the past 6 months, Bill has led the team that is developing this new CAO-wide model of customer service that will expand upon, and improve, the underlying tenet of the HSS reorganization: providing outstanding service to the U.S. House of Representatives.

On behalf of the entire House community, we extend congratulations to Bill for his many years of dedication and outstanding contributions to the U.S. House of Representatives. We wish Bill many wonderful years in fulfilling his retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement in December 2005, we rise to thank Mr. William Norton for over 27 years of outstanding service to the United States government, most recently here in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bill began his legislative career as a Senate intern while attending Georgetown University. Following his graduation in 1973, he served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Bill Brock of Tennessee, before attending law school at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

During and after law school, Bill worked in the Congressional offices of Representatives Paul Trible of Virginia, John Rousselot of California, and Jim Jeffries of Kansas, in positions ranging from caseworker to Legislative Counsel.

In 1983 Bill began a series of increasingly responsible positions as an appointee in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He served in the General Services Administration, the President's Commission on Executive Exchange, the Office of Personnel Management, and concluded his tenure as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Force Management and Personnel during a period that included the Persian Gulf War. There he received the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the second highest medal for which Air Force civilians are eligible.

Bill returned to service here at the House in 1995 within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, being sworn into office on the first day of that organization's existence. He played a key role in establishing the new Office of Procurement and Purchasing where he served in a management capacity, including a year as Acting Associate Administrator. The House has seen major changes in its acquisitions process in the ensuing years including actions such as the privatization of House Postal Operations and the conversion of its purchasing system from a paper based one to an electronic one. With Bill's help, we have been able to build a procurement system that is fair, open, competitive, auditable, and which has resulted in millions of dollars in savings to the taxpayers.

On behalf of the entire House community, we extend congratulations to Bill for his many years of dedication and outstanding contributions to the U.S. Government, and in particular to the House of Representatives. His wit, his counsel, and his expertise in the procurement policies and procedures of the House will be missed by his colleagues. We wish him many wonderful years in fulfilling his retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard H. Shapiro, Executive Director of the Congressional Management Foundation, CMF. Since 1988, Rick has tirelessly provided important and needed services in support of the institution of Congress. As Executive Director, Rick has become a leading expert on improving operations in the U.S. Congress. He has utilized that expertise in support of individual Member offices, in the training of literally thousands of Congressional staff, in providing research and best-practices information to House Administration, Committee and Member offices, and in writing landmark books and studies on Congressional management.

Mr. Speaker, Rick's involvement with Congress began in 1978, when he was a staff investigator at the former U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. While investigating Department of Defense procurement practices, Rick came to understand the importance of Congressional oversight. Effective oversight requires effective management, and as Rick came to understand this relationship, he came to appreciate the importance of good management in Congress.

Following graduate school, Rick returned to Congress as the Staff Director of the former House Post Office and Civil Service Subcommittee on Investigations, and subsequently as Staff Director at the House Small Business Subcommittee on Regulation and Business Opportunities. In those positions, he managed congressional staff and workload, laying the groundwork for his move to the Congressional Management Foundation as Deputy Executive Director in 1988. One year later, he became its Executive Director.

Rick is a management consultant with unparalleled expertise in how to provide management and leadership assistance in the unique environment of Congress. He conducts organizational assessments for individual offices, committee offices, leadership organizations and ultimately for Congress itself. He prepares and conducts surveys in support of change processes for congressional organizations; facilitates strategic planning sessions and develops written organization plans; facilitates group problem solving for House and Senate offices; and provides individual assessment and coaching to senior managers and Members of Congress. During his tenure at CMF, Rick has delivered dozens of training programs to address the needs of legislative and support staff. He has authored and supervised the production of several books and reports, including the biannual House and Senate Staff Salary Surveys, Frontline Management, a guide for state office staff, and Setting Course, A Congressional Management Guide, which most new members of Congress find an absolutely indispensable tool as they face the daunting task of setting up their offices after being elected. Most recently, Rick and CMF have gotten deeply involved in information technology related issues, such as website design and managing internet communication.

Mr. Speaker, CMF is not a large institution, nor is it a well-endowed one. It is, in fact, a small group of dedicated people whose sole goal is to help Congress become a more productive and effective institution through good management practices. There is a great deal of work to be done toward that end, and the staff at CMF, led by Rick, works very hard at reaching that goal. Under Rick's leadership, the range and quality of services CMF provides has grown significantly, and the institution of Congress has benefited greatly from this growth.

Mr. Speaker, for 16 years, Rick has worked tirelessly with staff on both sides of the aisle to improve the management of Congress. I believe that his contribution to the functioning of this body has been extraordinarily valuable, and my purpose in rising today is to express my appreciation for his years of good work.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to recognize one of the most important contributors to the effective management of Congress, Mr. Richard H. Shapiro.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 4145) to direct the Architect of the Capitol to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the United States Capitol in National Statuary Hall, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 4145, a bill to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the United States Capitol in National Statuary Hall.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Rosa Louise Parks is widely recognized as the mother of the civil rights movement. She did the unthinkable on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on that bus in segregated Montgomery, Alabama. However, it was this simple act that inspired a young reverend, Martin Luther King, Jr., to lead a 381-day boycott of that city's bus system, thus providing the spark to ignite the civil rights movement.

Before she provided the inspiration for the civil rights movement, she was already working to break down the decades of Jim Crow laws by being an active member in the local Montgomery chapter of the NAACP. In 1992, she explained why she did not give up her seat that day. ``The real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long.''

In the aftermath of the boycott, Mrs. Parks and her husband found it difficult to find work and endured a hostile environment in Alabama. Therefore, she and her husband Raymond Parks moved north to Detroit in 1957. A year after my colleague from Michigan, Representative John Conyers, was first elected to the House, he made the brilliant decision to hire Mrs. Parks as a legislative aide. She worked for him until her retirement in 1988. By then she had founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. This nonprofit organization is committed to working with Detroit's youth to build leadership skills and inspire them to continue her work on civil and human rights. She spent the remainder of her life's work focusing on this organization.

In 1999, the United States Congress first honored Mrs. Parks in the Rotunda of the Capitol by awarding her with the Congressional Gold Medal, our Nation's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Just 2 weeks ago, the United States Congress honored Mrs. Parks in the Rotunda again by allowing the Nation to pay its final respects to this great and unique American by allowing her remains to lie in honor in the Rotunda. The United States Congress should eternally recognize the significant contribution she made in advancing civil and human rights in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I can think of no better way than by commissioning a statue of Mrs. Parks and placing it in National Statuary Hall. I want to commend Jesse Jackson, Jr., of Illinois, Mike Rogers of Alabama, and all the Members that have signed on to this important house resolution. I want to thank our ranking member, Juanita Millender-McDonald of California, for her work on this to expedite it and the Speaker of the House and his staff and the staff of House Administration on both sides to make sure that this moved as fast as it could here. It is important, because I think that Rosa Lee Parks did something for every American in this country that day. I think it is something that we all recognize changed the entire nature of the country. I think that placing the statue in Statuary Hall is a great and deserving honor. Again I want to thank Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Mike Rogers for this fine resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to say again thank you to everyone, George Shevlin, Paul Vinovich of our staff, Ted Van Der Meid and also to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) for doing this and, of course, to our ranking member.

We have had a lot of firsts recently in the short tenure of our ranking member. We have had the African American Museum. We have had the portrait of Mr. Ray, and we are about to embark on some other portraits, and also the first female Member and the first Hispanic Member. I think it is commendable to the House to look at the great diversity of our country.

Another thank you tonight. Thank you to Rosa Parks for what she did for this Nation.

I just want to close my comments with when I studied African American history, I can remember a quote that I had learned and I used it for years in many events and occasions because it fits in with just about anything you do, whether you are a soldier fighting or somebody struggling for civil rights. It is by Langston Hughes, a great African American poet and author, who said, ``Dream your dreams but be willing to pay the sacrifice to make them come true.''

Rosa Parks was a little woman with a big ball of thunder that day and courage, and she dreamed her dream of an America that cared about all its people in an equal way, and she paid a sacrifice to make that dream come true.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4133) to temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the national flood insurance program.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my support today to Congressman Fitzpatrick's efforts to increase the borrowing authority for the National Flood Insurance Program through H.R. 4133, the additional borrowing authority for the National Flood Insurance Program.

Last month in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I introduced H.R. 3669, the National Flood Insurance Program Enhanced Borrowing Authority Act of 2005. That piece of legislation increased FEMA's borrowing authority for flood insurance by $2 billion, which went a long way in helping the Department's flood insurance response at that time.

The Fitzpatrick bill would provide an additional $5 billion in borrowing authority to help ensure that the NFIP has sufficient funding on a cash basis in the short term. This bill would allow FEMA to continue payment of the initial claims resulting from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, while the administration further evaluates the extent of the damage and the most potential means to cover all potential claims.

Last month, the Housing Subcommittee received testimony from the director of National Flood Insurance Program, who estimated that Katrina and Rita flood insurance claims could exceed $22 billion. These claims from those whose homes or businesses have been damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and now Wilma, are not a new obligation. I would like to stress that it is not a new obligation. They are the result of a legal promise that we, the United States Government, have made to these homeowners and business owners when Congress passed the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and subsequent revisions.

Homeowners and business owners agreed to pay premiums, communities agreed to adopt building codes to mitigate flood dangers, and the Federal Government agreed to provide insurance coverage to policyholders after a disaster.

Every single one of these claims represents someone who has taken the responsible course of action by purchasing flood insurance and paying premiums to the United States Government. We not only have a legal obligation, Mr. Speaker, to honor our commitments but we have a moral obligation to provide the coverage we have promised to provide to these citizens who have been through so much in their lives.

The Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity already held four hearings this year on this important program, including an August field hearing in rural Ohio.

As the damage assessments and insurance claims begin to come in from the gulf coast region, we will continue our oversight of course of the NFIP. The National Flood Insurance Program is a valuable tool in addressing the losses incurred throughout this country due to floods. It ensures that businesses and families have access to affordable flood insurance that would not be available on the open market.

It is a pleasure to be here today with my friend from Georgia (Mr. Scott). I would like to commend the Members who have supported this bill and give due diligence and a real thank you to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), who has stepped up to the plate to carry this bill and do the right thing to help people that are in very severe trauma right now in their lives.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).

(Ms. HART asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, let me again thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the staff of the minority and the majority for their fine work on this and, of course, gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) who has shown great interest in these issues, again helping people in his area and across the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4133.

Mr. Speaker:

Whereas, John Benson was nominated by Dr. David Mitzel; and

Whereas, John Benson had an experience on Christmas morning in 1989 that touched him so deeply he helped establish the ABC Wilson Fund in memory of 3 children whose lives were senselessly lost; and

Whereas, John Benson has worked diligently with the help of others to make the ABC Wilson Fund an endowment that is saving lives across Muskingum County by providing smoke detectors to all in need.

Therefore, I join with family, friends and the entire 18th Congressional District of Ohio in congratulating John Benson and thanking him for his generosity to the people of Muskingum County.

Mr. Speaker:

Whereas, Dr. William Lofty was nominated by Donnie Loubiere of the Belpre Area Community Development Foundation; and

Whereas, Dr. William Lofty was a man dedicated to his community, his church and his God; and

Whereas, Dr. William Lofty selflessly gave of himself to provide scholarship aid to local students and gave them an inspiring figure to look up to.

Therefore, I join with family, friends and the entire 18th Congressional District of Ohio in congratulating Dr. William Lofty and thanking him for his generosity to the community.

Mr. Speaker:

Whereas, Verda Jones was nominated by Ms. Susan Urano of the Athens Foundation; and

Whereas, Verda Jones saw what the potential of the goodwill from a few dedicated citizens could lead to; and

Whereas, Verda Jones inspired many to contribute to what would eventually become the Athens Foundation, an endowment for the benefit of Athens.

Therefore, I join with family, friends and the entire 18th Congressional District of Ohio in congratulating Mrs. Verda C. Jones and thanking her for her generosity to the Athens community.

Mr. Speaker:

Whereas, Steve Vincent was nominated by Dr. David Mitzel; and

Whereas, Steve Vincent had an experience on Christmas morning in 1989 that touched him so deeply he helped establish the ABC Wilson Fund in memory of 3 children whose lives were senselessly lost; and

Whereas, Steve Vincent has worked diligently with the help of others to make the ABC Wilson Fund an endowment that is saving lives across Muskingum County by providing smoke detectors to all in need.

Therefore, I join with family, friends and the entire 18th Congressional District of Ohio in congratulating Steve Vincent and thanking him for his generosity to the people of Muskingum County.