Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to commend a distinguished career of public service. On February 1, LTG Robert Ord will be retiring as the Dean of the School of International Graduate Studies at the Naval Postgraduate School.

After 34 illustrious years in the U.S. Army, culminating as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific, Bob Ord joined the faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School, bringing his wealth of military experience and relationships from the halls of the Pentagon to one of the most significant graduate military education programs in the Nation. The School of International Graduate Studies addresses current and emerging global security challenges by providing U.S. military and international students with a graduate education in foreign policy, international relations and security cooperation.

Having been a former Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1964-66, I have a deep appreciation for the programs in the SIGS department that focus on the need for capacity building. Two programs of special interest to me are the Leader Development and Education for Sustained Peace and the Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies. Both of these programs address a gap I identified while serving in the Peace Corps--the need to have greater cross-cultural awareness in our security building programs; and, the importance of bringing stabilization and reconstruction stakeholders together in the classroom before they work together in an operational environment. Along with the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, the only Department of Homeland Security-sponsored master's degree program, SIGS is at the cutting edge of 21st century security and homeland defense challenges.

Since February 1, 2008, General Ord has served as the first Director of the Global Center for Security Cooperation, located at the Naval Postgraduate School. The Center ensures the Secretary of Defense is knowledgeable about all the Department of Defense international education providers. Supporting the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review and the Defense Security Cooperation Guidance, the Global Center coordinates, integrates and deconflicts international education providers' activities and programs. In his capacity as the first Director, Bob Ord's dynamic leadership and breadth of experience has enabled him to stand up a highly resilient organization that can quickly respond to OSD priorities for global international education. The success of the Global Center for Security Cooperation is a lasting tribute to LTG Robert Ord.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to call Bob Ord a friend and I wish him well in the next chapter of his storied life.

Madam Speaker, I want to commend the Santa Cruz County Participants of ``Follow the Women--Pedal for Peace''. This year's participants are Jane DeJarnette, Janet Fogel, Lilly Ann Popken, JoAnn Smith, Marilyn Marzell, and Elizabeth Schwartz. The objective of the ride is to raise awareness of violence in the Middle East and its affects on women and children, who suffer the most as a result of the

conflict. The women from Santa Cruz County will be joining women from 40 other countries.

Created in 2004, the ``Follow The Women'' annual bicycle ride is the brainchild of 2001 European Woman of the Year and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Detta Regan. In April 2004, she gathered together 270 women from all over the world, including the United States, Palestine, Britain and Iraq, to bike across Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to campaign for peace and an end to violence in the region. Traditionally throughout the Middle East, women do not ride bicycles making the ``Follow the Women--Pedal for Peace'' ride extraordinary. It brings much attention to the worthy cause of promoting good relations between different cultures and ethnicities.

``Follow the Women'' has held several different events in addition to the annual bike ride. In 2007, they distributed medical kits in Gaza throughout the conflict. That year, they also held a youth exchange to explore and share the experiences between different cultures. The participants gained a better understanding of themselves and others.

``Follow the Women'' has also helped fund a counseling project in Ramallah. The aim of this project was to offer support to children and their families who were suffering following the conflict in the Middle East. This year, ``Follow the Women--Pedal for Peace'' hopes to raise enough funds to build a playground or possibly two for the children of Gaza.

Madam Speaker, I congratulate Follow the Women and especially wish to recognize the riders from Santa Cruz. I wish them much luck in their annual bike ride.

I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1717.

This bill authorizes funds to lease 15 major medical facilities across the country. These are facilities that the VA desperately needs to meet the growing demand for outpatient health care, for veteran health care. In my district alone, hundreds of veterans are forced to drive up to 2 hours to a VA hospital in Palo Alto for outpatient care. I know that many of these districts share the same situation. The bottom line is the VA is unable to meet our current needs through its traditional construction system. We must take action to ensure our veterans are receiving the health care they deserve.

The leasing program in this bill allows funds known as the Health Care Center Facilities program to use private-sector money. This innovative approach to funding construction and maintenance of VA hospitals is just the type of idea we need to plug these holes in service. In some ways the lease program builds off a similar program that the armed services use for residential community housing, essentially housing for men and women in uniform. The lesson from these programs is clear: we need to leverage private-sector investment for government benefits.

The health care needs of our returning and aging veterans will only continue to increase, and it is essential for the VA to meet this demand with modern, efficient, and accessible veterans' health facilities. In my district I have been working with the VA and with DOD, Department of Defense, officials to build a joint outpatient clinic for veterans and active and retired military servicemembers. This bill contains the lease authority for that joint VA/DOD clinic at the former Fort Ord. This clinic will serve more than 80,000 veterans and active and retired military servicemembers on the Monterey Peninsula.

There is a glaring need to provide care for our veterans. This bill will accomplish that. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, to thank those that have been involved at the committee level to bring it to the floor, and to expand health care options for all our veterans.

Thank you very much, Mr. Blunt, for yielding and for the nice comments. I co-chair, as Mr. Blunt said, the Travel and Tourism Caucus. This is a caucus that is essentially looking at how we can increase the usage of travel and tourism in the United States. The travel and tourism industry is the biggest industry in the United States--in fact, the world.

If you really look at this bill, it's called the Travel Promotion Act, but this is really about jobs--jobs and jobs. It's about understanding the United States of America and its territories. It's about peace, because it's about people. I think it's especially about jobs everywhere, because every part of the United States has something special to offer. Yet, we never take the advantage of telling anybody overseas about that. We have never done that.

You watch television today and there's countries all over the world advertising for you to come there. We're not doing that. This allows us to do that, but with private money, not taxpayer money. So it's a paid- for bill.

If anybody has been watching the Ken Burns series on the national parks, the comments I've heard and I felt were, Wow, I'm really proud to be an American. That is a beautiful series about the United States. That's not shown overseas. People don't know about all these assets that we have.

This act is going to allow that process to attract people. So, in a way, it is the biggest job promoter that we do, because it's the biggest industry, and it's everywhere.

The average international visitor spends $4,500 per visit. That's more than we spend when we're traveling around the United States.

So I think this is good for America, it's good for the world, it's good for peace and understanding. But, most of all, it's good for putting people back to work in the United States of America. Please support this act.

I thank the chairwoman for yielding time to me.

I rise in strong support of the Agriculture appropriations conference report. I'm really proud that I think I'm the only member of the committee who sits in the Western United States, where an awful lot of our agriculture in this country comes from. And one of the things I've learned about being on this committee, in the regular authorization committee, is that there is probably no other subject matter that touches every part of the United States as much as the Department of Agriculture. One of the oldest departments in government, essentially touching all the cultures and all of the qualities of rural America.

And in a very urbanized country right now, it's important that we think about rural America because that's the part of America that feeds us and in many cases feeds much of the world. The food and fiber produced in this country is the lifeblood of our Nation. This bill continues the focus on the needs of all Americans, both rural and urban.

Just a few of the things I am very keen on is that I don't think we can stay ahead of the rest of the world in any field unless we commit our best brains and talent to it. The best resources of America are intellectual resources. So you apply those intellectual resources to research, staying ahead of the curve. I am fortunate to represent ``the salad bowl of the United States,'' the Salinas Valley in Monterey County. The production of agriculture there in just one county is about $4 billion, and it's about 85 different crops. And those crops are what we call fresh crops. That means they go from the field to your fork. And we need to make sure we have all the research that's necessary to make those things fresh and safe for you.

I am also keen on this committee because this is the committee that's in charge of putting the funds in for school nutrition programs and all the other kinds of nutrition programs, food stamps and the WIC program, Women, Infants, and Children. And these are the nutrition programs that are so essential to getting the right start and a healthy start not only in the beginning of life but for every day in our schools. And we have a lot of work to do in that area.

I'd also like to thank the chairwoman because she has been very involved in plusing-up the Buildings and Facilities Account in order to advance some of these important construction projects that would allow research to continue. I have a very active agriculture research station in Salinas, and it's leading the way on crop improvement protection.

So I appreciate what both Mr. Kingston and Ms. DeLauro have done in bringing this bill and the conference report to us today, and I would strongly urge that all our Members support this. This is going to appropriate money to keep the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug and safety going for another year with conditions that I think are very meaningful for this year in the United States.

It's a good bill and it deserves support. A lot of hard work went into it, and I thank them for their leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Agriculture Appropriations Conference Report for fiscal year 2010.

Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Kingston are to be commended for the product they helped craft. As a member of the Subcommittee I know that there are differences in ideas and I appreciate the Chairwoman's efforts to have open debate.

Mr. Speaker--the food and fiber produced in this country is the lifeblood of our nation. This bill continues to focus on the needs of all Americans, both rural and urban.

It is imperative that we continue to fund priority areas such and research, food safety, nutrition programs and pest detection--just to name a few--that are important to the nation as well as my constituents on California's Central Coast.

I am fortunate to represent the Salad Bowl of the World, the Salinas Valley in Monterey County, that has a production value for agriculture of almost $4 billion last year, according to Eric Lauritzen, our County Agriculture Commissioner.

We grow primarily for a fresh market, and the investments made in this bill for research, pest detection and food safety are paramount to the growers because without them they couldn't do business.

Agricultural research is an everyday job for many in the Salinas Valley, and the Agriculture Research Service's Research Station in Salinas is leading the way in crop improvement and protection.

Every day, the station's researchers are making agriculture better for all of us. From organics, verticillium wilt and vine mealy bug research to methyl bromide alternatives and treatments for postharvest pest control on perishable commodities, Salinas is leading the charge to keep our food supplies healthy and safe.

The Chairwoman and I have discussed at length many times the need to plus-up the Buildings and Facilities Account in order to advance some of these important construction projects.

I appreciate the gentlewoman's efforts to increase the B&F this year and look forward to working with you in the future to find a solution so we can get shovels in the ground for many of these vital research facilities.

Having the largest fresh production capacity in the world, my growers know how important food safety is. They have already invested millions of dollars in their own resources to provide safe and wholesome food to the nation and the world.

I also appreciate the gentlewoman's efforts to help FDA improve the safety of domestic and imported food by adding $306 million above the investment we made 2009.

It is time that FDA receives necessary resources to perform time- critical inspections when dealing with the fresh market.

No less important than food safety is pest detection. I am especially glad this conference agreement bolstered the APHIS account in this area. We have in recent outbreaks that strong pest detection program that prevent outbreaks of invasive species in the first place is the most cost-effective way to deal with pests and diseases that are not native to our country.

Finally I would be remiss not to mention the investment made in this conference report for nutrition. In a country as bountiful as ours, it is unacceptable that so many still go to bed hungry.

This conference report includes a one-year extension for the child nutrition program authorities and has reinvested $150 million in savings back into the child nutrition programs to fund select administration and committee priorities for reducing childhood hunger and improving child nutrition, building program capacity and improving program access and program performance.

Thank you Chairwoman DeLauro for crafting another outstanding bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this conference report.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the 7th Annual Sea Otter Awareness Week, September 28-October 3, 2009, sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife. This week-long event provides the opportunity to educate the broader public about sea otters, their natural history, the integral role that sea otters play in the near- shore marine ecosystem, and the conservation issues they are facing.

In the early 1700's, before wide-scale hunting began, sea otters ranged across the North Pacific rim from Japan to Baja California. The worldwide population estimates for that time range from the hundreds of thousands to possibly a million or more. Before the hunting began, there were approximately 16,000-20,000 along California's coast. Killing these animals for their fur brought down their numbers until they were thought to be extinct off California by the early 1900s.

But they were not driven completely to extinction. In the 1930's a small population, of less than 100 animals that had escaped the hunt, was discovered in a remote cove on a coastal ranch in Big Sur, on the Central Coast of California. Since that time, groups such as Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter, and Ocean Conservancy have raised public awareness and helped protect this important species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. The presence of the California sea otter has become an icon of the state's coastal environment and culture, and these charismatic animals bring significant tourism revenue to Californian coastal communities.

The three year population average, counted by the U.S. Geological Survey this year, totals only 2,813 animals, a decrease of half a percent and the first such decline in over a decade. These numbers are significantly less than what is necessary to consider the population decline in recent years is highly concerning. Researchers are beginning to identify indirect hazards for sea otters such as non-point source pollution, pathogens, and entrapment in fisheries gear that are causing their population growth to reverse. Such realizations support the need for continued research and preventive measures to respond to these issues, while continuing to ward against the direct killings/takings that still occur.

The decline of Southern Sea Otters off of the California Coast not only impacts the species itself, but it affects other marine populations and the surrounding ecosystem because Sea Otters are what scientists refer to as a keystone species. This means that they are integrally important to the ecosystem in which they live. The demise of sea otters allows their prey, sea urchins, to proliferate unchecked leading to the alarming overgrazing of kelp beds--one of the oceans nursery grounds for many marine animals. Research shows that the absence of sea otters has a direct link to the sharp decline of kelp along portions of California's coast. Further, the Sea Otter is also what scientists refer to as a sentinel or an indicator species. In this way, the

Sea Otters are the canaries in the coal mine for our coastal health. The Sea Otters are all too effective at monitoring toxins and diseases in the marine environment, which can affect the health of humans and other wildlife.

California took the first step toward addressing these emerging concerns by signing into law California Assembly Bill 2485, establishing a state fund for sea otter conservation: again this year Californians had the option of donating a portion of their tax returns to sea otter conservation. I want to emphasize that this means that Californians voluntarily pay a little more on their tax return to help protect these animals. Even during these trouble economic times, more than $220,000 has already been raised this year.

However, this is a federally protected species and California cannot go it alone. In addition to continuing to work with my colleagues to secure Federal funds to support a continued and complete recovery of the population, I am proud that H.R. 556, The Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act was passed by the House of Representatives this past July. This tremendous success was buoyed by the support and devotion of many people. We are one step closer to making the act into law and bringing needed resources to this threatened species.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the many accomplishments of Defenders of Wildlife, who carry out the important mission to preserve our nation's wildlife and habitat. I also applaud the other nonprofit environmental organizations, working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, researchers, fishermen, state and federal agencies, schools, and many other institutions and individuals, who devote tremendous effort to protect and recover the southern/California sea otter. Sea Otter Awareness Week is just one of their many activities geared towards honoring and saving this species, and I am proud to be associated with this vital work.

Madam Speaker, Members of the House, I rise to commend an era that many Members of this body fondly remember.

It was the 1950s. This year, the last class of that era, students of the class of '59, celebrate their 50th high school reunions. I am one of those students, and I would like to submit for the record the thoughts of a classmate--Lucinda Lloyd--on those formative years. It was a historic and poignant time for all of us.

Carmel High School Class of '59. That was our identity.

After leaving Sunset School, we entered the hallowed halls

of Carmel High School as timid Freshmen. Progressing through

the awkward Sophomore stage, we survived being Juniors until

we ruled the school as mighty Seniors.

Ours was an age of innocence and happy days, unbeaten

athletic teams, and scholastic success. We rocked around the

clock, danced cheek-to-cheek to Unchained Melody, hung out at

Konrad's, wore Bass Weejuns or Spaulding oxfords, congregated

at the Youth Center, cheered our teams to victory, occupied

the Senior Steps and looked forward to years of

accomplishment. After all, we were told that the world was

ours, all we had to do was go for it.

Leaving Carmel behind to forge our paths in the Big World,

we attended colleges and universities, went to MPC, joined

the military or began another career. Or we got married and

had children. Some of us got divorced, while other marriages

survived. Some of us distinguished ourselves in careers and

chosen fields of work. And some of us died.

Our common bonds of shared childhood experiences glued us

together, more as cousins than classmates. Today we

anticipate our 50th reunion with mature interest, warmed by

the knowledge that we've softened the sharp edges that may

have separated us, that we are more alike than different,

that we can laugh at ourselves and with each other.

We've made it! We're adults with grown children who have

children. We no longer care if our hair styles droop or frizz

in the fog, that our loose clothing covers softened curves,

or if we have a date for Saturday night. Accepting ourselves

as we are has allowed us to accept everyone else, no matter

what.

With warmth in our hearts, smiles on our faces and arms

ready to hug, the Class of '59 reunites to remember old

times, renew bonds of friendship and forge closer

relationships for the coming years. The longer we live, the

more we need one another.

Ours was a magic time in a magic place. It is with the

perspective of age that we finally realize how lucky we were,

how lucky we are. Let us give thanks and enjoy our time

together. God bless America.

Go Padres! Forever friends, Class of '59.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Salinas Public Libraries in Salinas, California. In 1907, the Salinas Civic Club received $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie to create a public library. Over the next 2 years they raised another $4,000, purchased a site and collected books from the Odd Fellows, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and Daughters of the American West libraries. On September 5, 1909, the doors opened for the first time to the Carnegie Public Library.

A city-wide financial crisis in 2005 threatened closure of the library. This very real danger was nationally publicized and was featured in the movie The Hollywood Librarian. The residents of Salinas passed a measure to fund all library operations for 10 years. Today the Library Commission and Friends of the Salinas Public Library raise thousands of dollars for children's programs, and partner with other community organizations and foundations to ensure that the libraries remain open, giving needed services to the community.

All through this year the library celebrated the rich history of the people of Salinas, gathering and displaying over 5,000 historic photographs, paintings of old Salinas adobes, oral histories of prominent residents, historical papers, and other documents. The anniversary was the catalyst for public programs and exhibits of the memories of the people and places of Salinas. The Centennial voices of children, youth and adults became part of the new collection of voices in the Library.

Madam Speaker, the three branches of the Salinas Library--John Steinbeck, Cesar Chavez and El Gabilan--encourage reading, and provide materials and services to help members of the community meet their personal, informational, educational, and cultural needs. This is the mission statement of the library, and the 42 dedicated employees more than live up to this goal. I know I speak for the whole House in saluting the community of Salinas on this joyous occasion.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the community-based Life Lab Science Program for their 30 years of work in the field of science and environmental education. The Life Lab Science Program is committed to environmental stewardship by promoting science and garden- based education for all learners. Since its inception in 1979, the Life Lab has supported science and garden-based education through publications, professional development, and innovative programs. Through the efforts of the Life Lab Science Program, thousands of educators and youth have developed gardens, while simultaneously learning about food, health, the interrelationships of the natural world and environmental sustainability.

Today, the Life Lab Garden Classroom is a two-acre interactive and educational garden which receives over 15,000 visitors each year. Using the Life Lab garden and farm, in cooperation with the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food systems, the Life Lab Garden Classroom teaches environmental science, garden-based nutrition and effective outdoor education pedagogy to children and adults alike. It offers guided garden-

based field trips for elementary school classes, a variety of workshops for teachers, and an opportunity for the public to learn about ecological concepts in a hands-on, living laboratory.

The Life Lab Science Program also works with schools in Santa Cruz County to make a positive impact on the environment through an intensive waste reduction program, called Waste Free Schools. Along with gaining a deeper understanding of educational issues related to waste reduction, each participating school organizes a Community Outreach event. These events educate the greater community about resource conservation and the school's waste reduction efforts. Currently, Waste Free Schools conducts assemblies and in-class presentations that reach over 8,000 students each year.

Another significant contribution of the Life Lab Science Program is the Monterey Bay Science Program, which provides professional development services to teachers in order to bring all learners into the mainstream of academic literacy. This award-winning program hosts teacher workshops on how to use scientific concepts from the physical, earth and life sciences.

Programs such as the Life Lab Garden Classroom, Waste Free Schools, and the Monterey Bay Science Program serve to educate the youth of today about the importance of environmental sustainability and waste management. The Life Lab Science Program is a rare gem, teaching people of all ages about the unbreakable bond between humans and the beautiful environment in which we live. The efforts of the Life Lab, and others like it, better our chances at some day achieving a sustainable future, in which all citizens truly appreciate the plentiful gifts we reap from the land.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the Life Lab Science Program's efforts to promote environmental sustainability and education in an interactive living laboratory. Its dedication towards environmental education is one that ought to be mimicked across the nation, as the effects of unsustainable practices and environmental degradation begin to be felt by our generation and those to come. I know I speak for the entire House when I congratulate the Life Lab Science Program for its 30 years of commendable community service and extend our wishes for many more to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Billy Post, a remarkable American who died last Sunday after nearly 89 years in Big Sur. He was a renaissance man, who both helped build Big Sur into one of the planet's premier visitor destinations, and preserve its wild landscapes, vibrant community, and unique history. But over and above all of his life's accomplishments, he stood out as a profoundly humble and gentle man with a keen sense of old fashioned sense of courtesy and manners. All of us who had the pleasure of meeting Billy came away awed by this man of history.

Billy Post was born in Big Sur before the highway was built that connected Big Sur to Carmel. His great-grandfather, William Brainard Post, came from Connecticut as one of the first American settlers of Big Sur in the 1860s. His great-grandmother, Anselma Onesmio, was a native Costanoan from Carmel Valley. I once heard Billy tell the story that his great grandmother's great grandmother had seen the first Spanish ships to approach the Monterey Bay and thought they were giant white birds. Billy Post grew up on his family's original homestead ranch, rising every morning at 4:00 to tend livestock and milk cows before heading to school. He attended UC Davis for a time but WWII cut short his dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Billy joined the Marine Corps and spent time in the Pacific at Okinawa, Saipan, Tinian, and was one of the first Americans to see Nagasaki following the atomic bomb attack.

Once Billy Post returned home he helped build the Rancho Sierra Mar cafe and campground that his family ran on the ranch. He also worked many years for Caltrans as a highway electrician, paying close attention to the natural world around him, the wild creatures and plants and especially horses. He combined these passions by offering pack trips on horseback into Big Sur's wilderness backcountry. He married in his mid thirties and had two daughters named Gayle and Rebecca. His marriage later ended and he raised his two daughters as a single father. In 1969, Billy married Luci Lee, the love of his life and mother of two daughters from a previous relationship. Together, they built a life with their four girls, and eventually moved into a new house on the Ranch nearby.

Over the years, it grew difficult to hold onto the old style of ranching. In the early 1980s, Billy and Luci entertained the idea of converting the ranch into a full service inn that would preserve the integrity of his family's ranch and the region's history. A handshake and a glass of Jack Daniels sealed the deal. Since Billy Post had operated heavy machinery almost all his life and could fix just about anything, he did much of the initial grading work for the new Inn. Opened in 1992, the Post Ranch Inn has developed into one of the top spa resorts in the world known particularly for its innovative architecture that embraces the dramatic beauty of its coastal Big Sur setting. Much of this grew from Billy Post's own personal vision. To the end of his life, he remained a regular fixture around the Ranch grounds, making it a point to join guests at breakfast at the Inn's Sierra Mar restaurant several times a week to share lore about Big Sur's land and people.

He was preceded in death by his daughter Nancy Downing. He is survived by his beloved wife Luci, three daughters, Linda J. Lee, Gayle Forster, and Rebecca Post; seven grandchildren, Pamela Patterson, Gregory Paley, Anna Vargas, Gabriel Forster, and Richard, Shane and Daniel Forster; and seven great grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I would like to extend our nation's deep gratitude for Billy Post's brave service to the United States Marine Corps, and to his own community. I know I speak for every Member of Congress in offering our condolences to Luci, his three surviving daughters, his seven grandchildren, and all Post family members and friends upon this great loss.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with mixed emotions but in support of the rule. I represent the Salinas Valley, which is one of the most productive agricultural regions of the world. We are the ``Salad Bowl Capital'' of the world. And when you produce fresh produce, for example, lettuce, you don't have a kill step. You can't boil it before you eat it, so you have to be very careful about how you grow this material--lettuce, broccoli, brussels sprouts and all of those things--so you don't have contamination coming from the field.

We have had recalls, the E. coli recall, a very serious recall, and the difficulty we have had over the years is that essentially the Federal responsibility for food safety is in the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA. The responsibility for poultry inspection and meat inspection is in the Department of Agriculture. So you have a split responsibility in this country, and it has been that way for a long, long time.

What you hear in this bill is we need to have some national standards. The authority for those standards lies, for other than meat and poultry, with the Food and Drug Administration. So if you are going to get these standards and get some national credibility and an equal playing field, then you are going to have to work on the food safety for agriculture and organic and all of those others in this legislation.

We have been trying to do that, and the author of the bill, John Dingell, has been a tremendous help in trying to understand the nuances of small farmers, of organic farmers and others that are selling to farmers' markets.

But I hear from all my ag folks that they may not want the FDA, who don't know much about growing practices, to be out there. They do agree we need to have these national standards, that this is the only way we are going to ensure that all food we serve in this country, which has the safest food in the world, is going to be even safer.

So I share the concerns raised by the minority, but I think that the best answer to the problem is to work in a constructive way so that we can develop constructive regulations that benefit everyone, and that is an equal playing field, not a split between the USDA and the FDA.

I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to engage in a colloquy with my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell).

We are passing an historic food safety measure today, and I truly appreciate the effort that you and committee staff have made to move this legislation to the floor today. As a Member of Congress who represents the Salad Bowl of the World, Salinas Valley, I feel landmark legislation is long overdue and look forward to working with my colleague as the process moves to the Senate and to the conference committee.

Also as a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Committee, I look forward to working with the gentleman to allocate the resources necessary to make the safest food in the world even safer.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my concerns with the fee structure in this measure, and I appreciate the effort by the chairman and the committee, and it's my preference to find a more equitable fee that does not inhibit our farm families from taking advantage of new markets. As a member of the Organic Caucus, I have concerns about the interplay between this bill and the National Organic Program.

It is my understanding, Mr. Chairman, that this bill would not establish any requirements for organically produced or processed products which are in conflict with the requirements established in the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and USDA's National Organic Program regulations.

Thank you. And would this bill necessarily require small farms to participate in the expensive and unworkable electronic traceability system that FDA will set up?

I yield to Mr. Blumenauer from Oregon, who has worked with Ms. Kaptur and myself to make sure that the organic and small growers and processors' concerns have a voice.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I really appreciate that.

Mr. Speaker, the southern sea otters are a keystone species, as the chairwoman pointed out. That means that if they break the chain, the whole ecological system falls apart. And essentially, what you find in the oceans are the sea urchins are kind of like the snails of the ocean. They eat the seaweed. And if the sea urchins go unchecked, you'll clearcut the oceans and have no habitat for all the fish and other things that live in the kelp beds.

So the sea otters, by eating urchins--and frankly, we have a big urchin industry in California as well--have been compatible for years and years. The problem we have with the southern sea otters is that it's a remarkable recovery, and it's a tribute to Federal law that listed them, because they were less than 100 animals, and now they're up to about 2,000.

But guess what? They're not growing and there are less than there were a few years ago. So there is something happening to this species that nobody can understand. And that's why you need specific legislation to try to get--as the bill points out, it's a research bill.

And I want to point out to the ranking member, Mr. Hastings, that where he pointed out that we shouldn't have these management sort of by single caveat, although we have done, in law, the African Elephant, the Bald and the Golden Eagle--and I know those are important to you in your district--the Tule Elk Preservation Act, the Fur Seal Act, the Crown of Thorns Starfish Act, the North Pacific Halibut Act, the Salmon Conservation Act, and the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation; those are just 8 which I could quickly find, and I'm sure there's a lot more.

I think that the crisis here of the sea otter, and, frankly, it's a big economic issue, too, because those of us who live along the central coast of California, it is a big draw for tourism, and that's why the Monterey Bay Aquarium, their single-most looked at and visited exhibit is the sea otters.

So this bill came about with a lot of work from a lot of organizations. There's 13 organizations that have gone in support of this bill and brought these issues to us, including the Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter, The Humane Society of the United States, the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, the Natural Resources Defense Counsel, Oceana, and many others, and they represent about 14 million members.

So I'm pleased that we were able to work out this bill with the committee and bring it to the floor and hopefully get it adopted so that we can figure out why this canary species, if the sea otters are dying, then something else is happening that is very keen to the coastal and near-shore environment that affects the well-being of mankind.

So I would appreciate your support on this bill. It is important to good science and to the preservation of our marine ecosystem.

Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to some of the false statements of my colleagues. It has been said repeatedly that the American people are suffering and job losses are at an all-time high and that this is the Democratic response--to debate a bill about horse welfare. But this bill will actually save taxpayer money. It reforms an inefficient program that wastes taxpayer dollars, and makes it a fiscally responsible program.

My colleagues also say that this bill will cost $700 million or more. This is unequivocally false. This is simply fear-mongering. The truth is that the bill promotes on-the-range management and reduces the number of horses in costly short-term and long-term holding facilities, partly through more widespread use of fertility control. In FY 2008, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) spent $36.2 million on its entire wild horse and burro program and the cost of holding wild horses and burros in its facilities exceeded $27 million--more than two-thirds of the BLM's total budget. The current program is a train wreck, and H.R. 1018 addresses the core problems of this program. By implementing herd reduction with birth control, the U.S. Geological Survey says H.R. 1018 will save taxpayers $7.7 million a year and the Journal of Wildlife Management says it will save ``$6.1'' million a year.

In addition, it has been said that the management of wild horses and burros only affects western states. This is simply ridiculous because every American, not only those in western states, pays tax dollars to a fiscally irresponsible program to manage these horses. H.R. 1018 will save all American taxpayers money by increasing the efficiency of the BLM program.

I have also heard arguments that no one is talking about slaughter and that it should not be a part of the debate. However, it is a fact that the BLM was going to slaughter 30,000 completely healthy horses, not terminally ill ones, because there was not enough space for them. H.R. 1018 will prevent this from happening.

The status quo cannot be allowed to continue. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 1018 and no on the Hastings amendment.

I hear from the other side that government takes over health care. I'm just wondering which one of you Members is going to give up your Navy doctors downstairs to take care of you. Which one of you is going to give up your Federal health care plan which insures all the members of your family? Which one of you is going to give up Medicare for all of your constituents? Which one of you is going to give up the veterans' care in the veterans' clinics that are in your districts? Which one of you who loves the military that is doing such a great job of defending our country in Iraq and in Afghanistan is going to take away the military TRICARE program?

Yes, government is involved in health care. It sure is. That's what our country is surviving and living on. Let's make this work and stop attacking each other.