Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, have a long record of supporting Israel and I have no intention of reversing course. My wish continues to be that Israel will one day soon enjoy a lasting peace with its neighbors.

The resolution before the House today is not an easy vote for me. I refuse to vote nay because I continue to support Israel's right to exist and to defend itself. But I cannot vote yea because in the midst of a humanitarian nightmare in Gaza, this resolution is silent on the need for an immediate cease-fire and the need to actively relieve human suffering.

The resolution is right to condemn the rocket attacks against Southern Israel. These attacks are crimes against humanity. The Hamas rockets endanger thousands of lives, terrorize the Israeli populace and deny the people of Israel and Gaza the peace they both deserve.

However, to introduce a resolution in the midst of a raging war that has the impression of assigning blame does not measure up to the moment.

We're watching another desperate episode in the cycle of Middle East violence, yet our call for a cease-fire is timid.

We're watching human suffering at a stomach-turning scale, and our call to relieve suffering is weak.

A spasm of violence is consuming lives and we're failing to do all that we can to be honest brokers of peace.

I agree with almost all the language in this resolution, so I cannot vote against it. However, I cannot vote in favor of the resolution because it does not do enough to set the stage for lasting peace. My conscience dictates a vote of present, which is the only vote for peace.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Enid Sales, a unique woman and a fierce fighter for historic preservation, who passed away at the age of 86. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 3, 1922, she moved to Carmel, California with her family when she was 10. She attended Reed College in Oregon and was married for awhile to jazz critic Grover Sales.

Enid operated a vineyard in Calistoga for 10 years. In 1962, she became the first woman in California to hold a state general contractor's license. In the mid-1970's she served as the head of the rehabilitation department of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. One of her most memorable accomplishments was organizing and moving 12 Victorian homes in a single night. She shut down the transit system and traffic lights and completed the entire job in time for the next morning's commute.

Enid moved back to Carmel in 1986. She was the first chairwoman of the city's Historic Resources Board and founded her own Carmel Preservation Foundation. She was also on the board of the Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists. Her ``roll up her sleeves and take no prisoners'' approach is credited with saving Carmel's Sunset Center and the George Marsh Building in Monterey, as well as many of the original cottages that define Carmel's charm.

Enid's legacy is to be seen in the recent upswing of interest in ``heritage tourism.'' It was her vision that preserving our historic buildings would make good economic sense, and not be done just for esthetic or sentimental reasons. Enid was a giant in the world of historic preservation. Few people can maintain such fierce tenacity to fight through to the end against all odds. Enid Sales had that fighting spirit, and she will be greatly missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Enid Sales for her dedication to preserving history. She is survived by her daughter Rachel Lopez, her grandchildren Esther and Valley, her sister-in-law Barbara Thompson, and her nephews Peter, Matthew, and John Thompson. We will all miss her dearly.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the career of a special friend, Rafael ``Feynner'' Arias Godinez, on this occasion of his 20th anniversary as a steward of the UC Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve in Big Sur, California. The Big Creek Reserve is operated by the University of California's Santa Cruz campus. The land was part of the Circle M Ranch until the ranch was broken up and sold; private owners, including my father, the late Senator Fred Farr, later granted the land to the university's Natural Reserve System.

Feynner Arias came to the United States from his native Costa Rica. He was born near the town of Parrita, Costa Rica. His family was very poor by American standards. Feynner's life in the jungles of Costa Rica is full of stories that books and movies are made from; learning to hunt and fish from his grandmother, his abuela, Elijia; battling school bullies who abandoned him in a well; overcoming deadly snake bites in the jungle; learning to survive with just a machete and his wits; and, as a sawmill child laborer having to remove saw dust from a fast moving sawmill blade. Through hard work and out of necessity, he developed a jungle reputation as a person who could track down anything; he could hunt and capture it for food or money to support his mother and seven siblings.

Feynner's vast knowledge of the land and animals drew wildlife scientists from around the world to hire him as a guide; his work helped to establish the Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Feynner often traded his guiding services for food. One of his clients was a woman PhD candidate at UC Berkeley. Together they lived in the rain forest studying ants. After she returned to California he received a letter asking him to come for a visit. He traded the gold that he had panned for in Panama for an airline ticket to the U.S., going from the rain forest of Cost Rica to the San Francisco Bay area. Soon married, he landed a job at the Big Creek Reserve. By a stroke of luck, the resident reserve manager at Big Creek had, many years prior, benefited from Feynner's guide services in Costa Rica and was well familiar with Feynner's wilderness experience and helped to guide Feynner through the bureaucracy of the university's hiring practices.

Today, the entire Big Sur coast and the UC Natural Reserve System have come to love and respect Feynner's knowledge of natural flora and fauna and the coast range. His stories of sleeping near the mountain lions, killing a wild boar with a small knife, rescuing lost and injured hikers, and leading fire crews to the best areas to fight raging fires are well known on the coast. Whether working with world- renowned academics or nondegreed people like himself, he is sought after like a celebrity. He is known locally as the person who can fix anything, build anything, or find anything. He is able to grow Costa Rican bushes in his home, spot wildlife and whales that others can't find, and to understand the natural world around him in ways that the more formally educated often can't. His understanding and appreciation of the world around him and us is unsurpassed.

Feynner is now celebrating 20 years with the Big Creek Reserve. Those who know and love him celebrate this uncommon immigrant who has captured their hearts and minds. We congratulate and celebrate his service to the people of California and especially to his friends and neighbors in Big Sur.

Madam Speaker, Speaker, I for one, will always treasure the Farr family good fortune to have known, laughed and learned from Rafael Arias. Gracias Amigo por todo!

Mr. Speaker, I rise to share the anger expressed by my constituents and constituents of many Members of Congress--anger over the financial mess that we are in, anger at Wall Street for the greed that got us there, and anger at the White House for the arrogance in asking Congress to authorize $700 billion without any conditions.

However, the public should not be angry that the Congress has tried to respond, not to the President's request but to the public's need for checks and balances. We wrote an entirely new bill, the contents of which are on every Member's Web site. It provides relief with checks and balances, oversight for taxpayer safeguards, and addresses obscene salaries and abusive golden parachutes. It is not a perfect bill, but it is a responsible bill.

The best thing that came out of the last 10 days is that the institutions of government became responsible for governing the affairs of this Nation in a bipartisan manner. Now let's hope that this House will follow the leadership of the Senate last night in passing a responsible recovery plan.

In the end, it is the institutions of government that have to regain confidence. Let's hope that this November election will elect leadership that can restore that confidence to the Nation and the world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an American hero, Maj. Gen. William H. Gourley, who passed away on August 25 this year. He will be greatly missed.

It is hard to condense the life of such a big man into mere words. His spirit and energy were indefatigable and inspired soldiers, family and friends alike.

I had the honor and pleasure to interview General Gourley shortly before he died in a retrospective look at his life. I did this as one way to pay tribute to General Gourley but also as part of the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project. Now General Gourley's story will be there for the generations to hear.

I got to know General Gourley when he retired to the Monterey Peninsula right about the time of the 1991 BRAC action which ended up closing Fort Ord in my district.

At the time I was serving in the State Assembly and was unaware that General Gourley, even then, was working behind the scenes to make sure the rank-and-file military was taken care of. General Gourley was fond of championing his own special commandments--his own 10 Golden Rules. When Fort Ord appeared on the BRAC list General Gourley worked his network in the Pentagon to make sure a portion of the base was dedicated to a VA clinic to serve the thousands of veterans living in the area. As his 10th Golden Rule says: ``Make a better Army and Corps for your subordinates to inherit.'' In working to make sure the former Fort Ord held a VA clinic--even a small one--he was leaving something better behind.

But that was typical of Bill Gourley. He was a get-it-done kind of guy. He recalled a time from when he was stationed in Korea and was ordered to evacuate all civilian Americans from a town. One person refused to go unless the Army Chief of Staff wrote the order personally. Gourley wrote the order, forged then Army Chief-of Staff Maxwell Taylor's signature and the recalcitrant civilian up and moved.

Now, 50+ years later, that almost sounds comical. But it was serious business at the time and Bill Gourley was a man determined to follow through. As important as getting the job done, however, was his commitment to the chain of command. He once told a story about working at the National Military Command Center as a part of the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff where he monitored cables from Asia. One evening then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara requested to see a particular FLASH cable, ``FLASH'' being a message relating to ground operations in Vietnam and of the utmost top secret nature and extremely urgent. Gourley searched the files for the communique and noted that it said ``For the Chairman's Eyes Only.'' He stalwartly told the Secretary of Defense he could not pass on the file to read because only the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs had the necessary clearance.

General Gourley was always all about the men and women of the Army. He tried to do right by them in every posting he had. When he was in command at the War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he insisted soldiers couldn't come to class unless they brought their wives. This was so spouses would come to understand the Army mindset and form a greater bond within the family around shared duty and sacrifice.

Not every task he undertook played out the way he thought. He was in charge of a task force assigned to approach Mrs. Julia Abrams, the widow of General Creighton Abrams, to discuss the possibility of naming a new Army tank after the late General. Gourley related how he and his staff gave a command briefing on the tank to Mrs. Abrams spending excruciating detail on the vehicle and praising its abilities. When they were exhausted from effort and turned to look to Mrs. Abrams for a reaction, she simply said, ``But General, is it a good tank?'' When Bill assured her it was, she said it was fine to name it the Abrams tank.

In relating all of this to you, Madam Speaker, I hope to portray the man behind the medals, for General Gourley was a ``soldier's soldier'' and loved the Army. He took up the military life early by joining ROTC in college. He flourished in ROTC and moved on to additional training over the years at the Infantry School, the Adjutant General School, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the United States War College. He served in Germany, where he shared MREs with Elvis Presley, Korea and Vietnam. When he returned from Vietnam he was assigned to the Pentagon and rose to serve on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff where he served for a time with Colin Powell. General Gourley retired from the Army on December 31, 1989 after 36 years of service.

Even in his retirement General Gourley did not leave behind the needs of the military. He was active in the community and worked hard on a number of issues relevant to the military, their families and veterans, like improving TRICARE service on the Monterey Peninsula; helping fashion a veterans cemetery on the old Fort Ord; establishing a health care consortium to provide more accessible and affordable health care to military retirees; and laying the groundwork for a joint DOD-VA health care clinic.

Earlier this year, General Gourley's beloved wife, Molly, passed away and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Bill, too, will be interred there on November 6. They leave behind a loving family: Michael their son, daughters Cecily, Carolyn and Mary Jane, and nine grandchildren, Lindsey, Scott, Allison, Michael, Andrew, Kathryn, Sean, Cole and Carlyanne.

Like General Gourley's last Golden Rule, he has left the place better than when he found it. I will miss his energy and his passion and his friendship. But short though our acquaintance may have been, I am proud to have known him and commend him for his service to the Army and to his fellow man.

Madam Speaker, it is with bittersweet emotions that I rise today to thank Dr. Clara Yu on her retirement as President of the Monterey Institute for International Studies.

Clara arrived on the Monterey Peninsula in 2005 and was inaugurated in January 2006 as the 12th president of MIIS, which had become affiliated with Middlebury College the year before. She literally hit the ground running and since that time, her persuasive personality and keen leadership skills helped MIIS reestablish itself both financially and academically.

At the time of her investiture, Middlebury President Ron Liebowitz explained to a rapt Monterey audience why he lured Dr. Yu out of retirement to take the helm at MIIS--because she had the leadership qualities and academic excellence to succeed. Clara was born in China and educated in Taiwan and the United States. In 1978 she received a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Illinois. She taught at Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland before starting an artificial intelligence consulting firm. During her decade at Middlebury as Vice President for Languages, she designed the prototype for its internationally acclaimed International Studies Major.

During her too brief tenure at the Institute, Dr. Yu led innovative programs such as the Academic Excellence Initiative and the innovations incubator program that strengthened and revitalized the school. She successfully guided the strategic planning process that completed the affiliation between MIIS and Middlebury that will ensure the academic excellence of MIIS for future generations. In her honor, MIIS has established the Clara Yu Fund for Innovation to provide seed funding for programs with the potential to continue to transform MIIS to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Madam Speaker, Dr. Yu's distinguished career includes many academic accomplishments and accolades, but I hope none as heartfelt as the sincere gratitude we express today to Clara for ``a life well lived''. Thank you for being my friend.

Madam Speaker, I along with Ms. Bordallo and Mr. Inslee rise to recognize and commend three extraordinary Members of Congress-- Tom Allen, Wayne Gilchrest, and Jim Saxton--for the leadership they have shown during their distinguished careers in this House to protect and promote the oceans.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton have been allies in the struggle to conserve and restore our oceans, coasts, and bays. They each have fought to ensure that our Nation, with the largest ocean territory in the world, will have healthy and productive oceans for generations to come.

We are honored to have served with them, to have learned from them, and to be able to call them friends.

We commend Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton for their tireless efforts over the years at shaping policy for sound stewardship of our oceans and our coasts.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton have been leaders in ocean conservation, science, and education as cochairs of the House Oceans Caucus and as active members of the National Marine Sanctuary Caucus.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton were instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the first comprehensive ocean study in 35 years.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton have led efforts to increase funding for ocean programs and for the ocean mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton have defended and strengthened the Coastal Zone Management Act and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act which are our country's cornerstones of ocean conservation and management.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton joined Mr. Farr to coauthor a comprehensive ocean management bill, H.R. 21, the Ocean Conservation Education and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act or OCEANS-21. With their support, passion, and input, OCEANS-21 was reported favorably out of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans and we are one step closer to having a national ocean policy and coordinated State and Federal management of our oceans.

Mr. Allen, Mr. Gilchrest, and Mr. Saxton were central to the negotiation and passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, which requires an end to overfishing in our Nation's oceans.

Our colleague Mr. Tom Allen is especially known during all six of his terms in Congress for his diligence in working to protect the oceans and the communities whose livelihoods depend on the oceans, particularly in the coastal communities of Maine.

Mr. Allen has led the House Oceans Caucus alongside Mr. Farr since they, along with Mr. Curt Weldon and Mr. Jim Greenwood, founded the bipartisan caucus for the oceans.

We are indebted to Mr. Allen for his long-standing commitment for the protection of the oceans, for his defense of the National Environmental Protection Act, his work to protect deep sea corals, and his fight to protect fishermen and end overfishing.

Mr. Allen introduced legislation to preserve access to coastal waters for commercial fishing operations, to prohibit the commercial harvesting of Atlantic striped bass in the coastal waters and exclusive economic zone.

Mr. Allen introduced and shepherded legislation to increase our understanding of the oceans and their role in global climate change: the National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observing System Act of 2007 and the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act to passage by the House of Representatives.

Mr. Allen authored and successfully led the effort in the House to incorporate key provisions to end overfishing, rebuild depleted stocks, create quota shares, and protect NEPA in the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Management Act--Mr. Allen's amendment became the Democratic en-bloc amendment during negotiations of the bill.

We will miss Mr. Allen's commitment to working for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, and we will miss his passion for those who rely on the oceans.

Our colleague from Maryland, Mr. Wayne Gilchrest has tirelessly fought for the environment and to protect and preserve the delicate environment of the Chesapeake Bay during his nine terms in Congress.

We have all received the benefit of Mr. Gilchrest's practice of reaching out to freshman members and reaching across the aisle to protect and conserve our waters, bays, coasts, and oceans.

Mr. Gilchrest has deep convictions about the need for conservation that were only increased when he and his family spent part of 1986, including the harsh winter, living in the Bitterroot National Forest in Idaho where he worked for the Forest Service. This conviction extended to his active role as Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, cochair of the House Climate Change Caucus, and as Founding cochair of the House Organic Caucus.

Mr. Gilchrest is a senior member of the House Natural Resources Committee on the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, which he chaired from 2000-2006. As chairman, he set a high standard for being fair, open-minded, diligent, and responsible in discharging the duties of the chair. Mr. Gilchrest took oversight seriously, always respected the science, and always listened.

We are indebted to Mr. Gilchrest for leaving a strong legacy in this House of the protection of the oceans and the environment. He sponsored for legislation preventing aquatic invasive species, providing a better understanding and protection of marine mammals, and to update and refine fisheries management.

Mr. Gilchrest sponsored legislation includes the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Enhancement Act of 2007 (and previously), a bill to establish a Task Force on Ocean Policy, the Coastal Ocean Observation System Integration and Implementation Act of 2005, the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005, the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 2005 (and previously), and the Multi-State and International Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 2006.

He introduced Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Amendments Act of 2006, and later continued negotiations to seek passage of a strong reauthorization. He fought for and won the inclusion of the provision in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 2006 that requires the United States to end overfishing.

We are saddened that as we lose Mr. Gilchrest, we lose a passionate fighter for the coasts, the ocean, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Our colleague from New Jersey, Mr. Jim Saxton has distinguished his 13 terms in

Congress by his commitment to the ocean and coasts and his work protecting and conserving their resources.

Early in Mr. Saxton's career, he was successful in stopping the dumpsites responsible for the hypodermic needles and other medical waste that ended up on the beaches of New Jersey. Since then he continued to strive for clean water, clean air, coastal and wildlife protection, and the creation of open space.

We are grateful for Mr. Saxton's thoughtful contributions on coastal and ocean issues before the Committee on Natural Resources, where he served as the Chairman of the subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans from 1994 to 2000 and as Vice Chairman from 2000 until 2006. Mr. Saxton has also been a cochair of the House Oceans Caucus since the 109th Congress, and is an active member of the National Marine Sanctuary Caucus.

While it is impossible to list everything that Mr. Saxton has done for the oceans, and we are humbled by the legacy of protecting the oceans that he has built. Mr. Saxton has worked to boost Federal efforts to protect sensitive coastal lands, to promote sensible fisheries management as well as for fishermen's rights, to support exploration and research for discoveries and better understanding of our oceans. He sponsored the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1996, Clean Air Act of 1990, the Oceans Act of 2000, the Striped Bass Conservation Act in 2000.

Mr. Saxton has been a leader on behalf of our National Wildlife Refuge System as a founding member of the National Wildlife Refuge Caucus and he authored the National Fish Hatchery System Volunteer Act of 2006, the National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Act of 2004, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998, and the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act, which recently passed the House.

We will miss the insight and the vision of Mr. Saxton, the elder statesmen of the oceans in this House.

Madam Speaker, it has truly been an honor to serve alongside Mr. Tom Allen, Mr. Wayne Gilchrest, and Mr. Jim Saxton, who have provided invaluable service in the House of Representatives. We will continue to draw on their passion to continue the fight to protect and conserve our oceans and environments: our greatest treasures. They will truly be missed by everyone in this House and by all those who fight for the ocean and the environment; we ask all of our colleagues to join us in commending these members of Congress.

Madam Speaker, I am proud today to rise to pay tribute to Dr. Scott Kennedy, a former mayor of Santa Cruz, CA. Dr. Kennedy has been named the 2008 recipient of the El-Hibri Charitable Peace Education Prize--which rightly recognizes his tireless, selfless and fearless promotion of peace and social justice in the Middle East and around the world.

It is with great pleasure that I call attention to Dr. Scott Kennedy's work to bring peace to the world over the course of his lifetime. He has been a Peace Educator for 40 years and was instrumental in pioneering educational delegations to conflict zones, now a widely practiced form of peace education. Scott has personally led more than three dozen delegations to the Middle East since 1979. He also helped establish Witness for Peace, which brought thousands of U.S. citizens to Nicaragua on short educational delegations.

Scott Kennedy co-founded the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, CA, which is one of the most active community-based peace education centers in the Nation. The Center has been host to world- renowned international speakers, workshops, and programs focusing on the need for peaceful and just resolution of conflicts both locally and

globally, and I have been privileged to be a participant in these activities.

Scott has actively served on the board of many organizations that teach and exemplify peace and empowerment, including the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Middle East Witness, Refuser Solidarity Network, Middle East Advisory Committee of the American Friends Service Committee, Isla Vista Youth Project, Thomas Merton Unity (Nonviolence) Center, the Isla Vista People's Life Fund, California Youth Advocate Program, National Youth Advocate Program, and the Interfaith Peace-Builders.

Madam Speaker, true men of peace grace generations and, in my lifetime, I have witnessed Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela. I am proud to commend Scott Kennedy as a true man of peace, and I am proud to call him my friend.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the service of a truly remarkable public servant. Assemblymember John Laird, who has represented the coastal portions of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in the California legislature for the last 6 years, will leave the legislature at the end of this current term as a result of term limits. I know I speak for the whole House, particularly my colleagues from the California delegation, in extending our gratitude and admiration to John for his Assembly service.

In 2002, John was first elected to represent the 27th Assembly District, which I represented during my tenure in the Assembly. His constituents, including me, returned him to the Assembly in 2004 and 2006 by overwhelming margins. Once in office, John quickly gained a reputation as a quick study of complex policy matters and a member who works with just about anybody in the Capitol. At the start of his second term in 2004, Mr. Laird joined the Assembly leadership team as chair of the Budget Committee, a position to which he won reappointment to in December 2006. As budget Chair, John was a key figure in working with the Governor and other legislative leaders in crafting the State's annual budget. Sometimes those other parties went along with John and the budget came in on time. Other times, those other parties departed from John's lead and delayed the budget's adoption. In each of these budgets, John left his stamp on the lives of Californians by fighting for reduced community college fees, K-12 education, and funding for transportation, park maintenance and foster care.

During Mr. Laird's tenure, he authored a wide range of bills that were signed into law--to establish the landmark Sierra Nevada Conservancy, restore community college health services, and to expand and clarify State civil rights protections. In the 2006 session, he successfully authored bills to provide new protections for sea otters, help build a new veterans cemetery at the former Fort Ord, provide pay increases for park rangers and fish and game wardens, and support local affordable housing trusts.

Raised in Vallejo and educated in Vallejo public schools, Mr. Laird's parents both were educators. They bequeathed to John a deep respect for public service and a passion for the Chicago Cubs. He graduated from UCSC's Adlai Stevenson College. He served on the congressional district staff of Congressman Jerome Waldie, was an analyst for the Santa Cruz County Administrative Officer, and was Executive Director of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project.

In 1981, Mr. Laird was elected to a seat on the Santa Cruz City Council where he served until 1990. He was elected by the City Council to one-year mayor's terms in 1983 and 1987, becoming one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States. He served as an elected member of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees from 1994 to his election to the Assembly in 2002. Thanks to the recent landmark decision by the California Supreme Court, John was able to marry his longtime partner John Flores.

Madam Speaker, I can think of no better argument against California's legislative term limits than John's leadership and record. On behalf of the House, I want to wish John and his husband every happiness and urge him to continue his great record of service.

Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus and an original co-sponsor of this bill, I am pleased to see The Travel Promotion Act (H.R. 3232) pass the House of Representatives.

This legislation will re-establish the United States as a premier destination for foreign travelers. Since September 11, the United States has seen a decline of more than 46 million overseas travelers costing our economy $140 billion. This bill will put us back on track.

H.R. 3232 creates a nonprofit corporation to promote the United States to international visitors--this is a public-private partnership with no cost to the American taxpayer. With the current level of the dollar, the United States is a travel bargain and that message needs to get out.

Nearly every developed nation in the world spends millions of dollars to attract visitors, an investment that pays big dividends. Overseas visitors stay longer and spend more. The United States is missing out on a large share of the global tourism market, and we will continue to lose out without this sensible investment.

Another benefit of this bill is the increased person-to-person contact that we will enjoy. At a time when our image abroad is tarnished, this is an opportunity to use our communities to serve as diplomats to the world. There are no better ambassadors than the American people.

I want to thank Congressman Bill Delahunt and Congressman Roy Blunt and for their leadership on this bill,

Additionally, I would like to thank my co-chair on the Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus, Congressman Jon Porter of Nevada, It has been my pleasure to work with him on his legislation and on many other travel-related issues. His tireless efforts for the travel community and the caucus are truly admirable.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. I rise in strong support of this bill.

Myself and my colleague on the other side of the aisle, Jon Porter, formed the Congressional Tourism and Travel Caucus. Jon Porter is an outstanding cochair of that Tourism and Travel Caucus, and we have worked very closely with the authors, because this is a totally bipartisan bill, with Mr. Delahunt and Mr. Blunt. It has been a work in progress for about the last 10 years, something the industry has really needed and America has really needed, particularly after 9/11, to try to expedite travelers coming to this country from especially those countries where we already have the Visa Waiver Program.

There is no taxpayer money in this. It is a congressionally created nonprofit corporation based here in Washington, D.C. It will have a 15- member directorate. They are not civil employees; they are not government employees. Those 15 members represent all aspects of American business, travel and rural areas as well, because, frankly, to boost the travel economy in this country boosts jobs in everybody's community. So this is one of those economic stimulus plans for America that has long been sought.

As you turn on the television and listen to these ads from other countries trying to woo Americans to travel overseas to their countries, to Australia, New Zealand, Europe and so on, we are going to be able to compete with that kind of travel promotion and really do what I think is so wonderful about promoting America, not a particular commercial destination, but just America as a country and a place to visit and see the wonderful people here. We will live that American Dream, with people seeing what an incredible country and what wonderful people make up this country.

So I am very excited about the opportunity to really boost tourism in America, to boost world understanding of American culture and Americans, and really I think this is a big step towards global peace, and it is good for business in this country as well.

Madam Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable man and my friend, Mr. John J. Robotti. Sadly, John passed away this year on May 6. I mourn him as does his wife, Marion; his sisters, Rose Carbo and Florence Stevens; his brother, William Robotti; and his many nieces and nephews.

I first met John through his wife, Marion, who is a community activist and all-around get-it-done kind of person. It came as no surprise to me that Marion would have married a guy like John--he also was someone who could not sit still. He just had to be doing something. But for him ``doing something'' was making a contribution to his family, his community, and his Nation.

In fact, John served 65 years in service to the country in one form or another. It started with his enlisting in the Army in 1941 and continued through 2006 when he finally retired from Federal service. If he wasn't serving in the public sector, he didn't feel like he was giving enough.

John entered Officer Candidate School in 1943. His tours of duty for the Army included Europe, Asia, and the United States. He was sent to Paris, France, and in 1950 he met his future wife Marion, who he later married in Palo Alto, California, in 1953. In 1960, he was selected as the executive officer of the Squaw Valley Olympic Games, which were enormously successful. In 1961, he retired with the rank of major from 20 years of active duty while stationed at Fort Ord, California. He also served as chief of the Consolidated Supply Section of G4.

As a civilian, John became a G4 logistical services officer at Fort Ord. Later, he was the administrative officer, chief of maintenance, and housing manager at Fort Ord. When he retired, John was the director of logistics at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. His civilian career spanned 45 years.

Throughout his years as a civil servant, John received many well- deserved honors. In 1991, he was given the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. In 1994 and 1995, respectively, he received the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and the Exceptional Service Award. In 1996, he was honored with a 55 Year Award for exceptional Federal service.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor John J. Robotti, a man who loved his country, his chosen field of endeavor, his home, and his family.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the 6th Annual Sea Otter Awareness Week, September 22-28, 2008, sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife. This weeklong 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 1700s, 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 1930s a small population, less than 100, was discovered that had escaped the hunt 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 The 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 spring census conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey this year counted 2,760 animals, down 8.8 percent from last year, and their range extends along the central coast from Half Moon Bay to Pt. Conception.

These numbers are significantly less than what is necessary to consider the population stable and their population growth in recent years is slower than their cousins in Alaska. 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 slow. 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 the California coast not only impacts the species itself, but it affects other marine populations and the surrounding ecosystem. They are what scientists refer to as a keystone species. This means that they are integrally important to the ecosystem in which they live. For example, the demise of sea otters allows their prey, sea urchins, to proliferate unchecked, which leads to the alarming overgrazing of kelp beds--one of the ocean's nursery grounds for many marine animals. In particular, research shows that the absence of sea otters has a direct link to the sharp decline of kelp along portions of California's coast.

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 has taken the first step toward addressing these emerging concerns by signing into law California Assembly Bill 2485, which establishes 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. To date, this has raised almost $270,000.

However, this is a federally protected species and California cannot go it alone. In addition to working with my colleagues to secure Federal funds to support a continued and complete recovery of the population, I introduced H.R. 3639, the southern sea otter Recovery and Research Act. Earlier this year, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans held a hearing about the southern sea otter and the management of these populations.

Dr. James Estes from the University of California, Santa Cruz; Andrew Johnson, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium; and Jim Curland from Defenders of Wildlife testified on the state of the sea otter populations. I and my colleagues have sought their knowledge and expertise, along with other Federal, State, and local experts and citizens to provide for research and recovery programs for the southern sea otter.

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 non-profit 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.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1907 the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation and Protection Act authored by my friend and fellow co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus from New Jersey, Mr. Jim Saxton.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for all that Mr. Saxton has done during his distinguished career in this House to help protect and promote the oceans. He has been a great ally in the fight to keep our oceans from harm and make sure that they will be healthy and productive for our grandchildren's grandchildren. Mr. Saxton joined me in coauthoring a comprehensive ocean management bill, H.R. 21, known as Oceans-21, that would create a national ocean policy and create coordinated State and Federal management of our oceans. I will continue the fight for the oceans but I will miss having the leadership, friendship, and vision of Jim Saxton next year.

The conservation of coastal habitat a necessary action identified in the final reports of both the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. Coastal areas are vitally important to our ocean health, since most of our use of the oceans, both recreational and commercial take place in the coastal zone. Estuaries provide even- more important services such as mitigating the impacts from runoff and are known to be the nurseries that support our country's fisheries.

This bill is necessary to authorize a coastal land conservation program and extend the utility of one of our best ocean management laws: the Coastal Zone Management Act. The Coastal Zone Management Act allows States and the Federal Government to cooperate in the management of the resources and environment of the coasts. States which have approved coastal management plans and National Estuarine Research Reserves will be eligible for grants to conserve coastal lands and estuaries that have significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values, or that are threatened by conversion from their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses or could be managed or restored to effectively conserve, enhance, or restore ecological function.

I also lend my support to this bill because I have seen the good that this program can do. The Elkhorn Slough, covering 1,330 acres in my district, is one of the relatively few coastal wetlands remaining in California. It became a part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System in 1979. The main channel of the slough, which winds inland nearly seven miles, is flanked by a broad salt marsh second in size in California only to San Francisco Bay.

Elkhorn Slough is home to more than 400 species of invertebrates, 80 species of fish and 200 species of birds. The channels and tidal creeks of the slough are nurseries for many species of fish and help support fishing off of the West Coast. At least six threatened or endangered species utilize the slough or its surrounding uplands, including peregrine falcons, Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders, California red- legged frogs, brown pelicans, least terns and Southern Sea Otters. The slough is also an important stop on the Pacific Flyway, providing feeding and resting ground for many types of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes a program that is necessary for the protection of our coasts and our oceans for future generations. I cannot emphasize enough the need for this Congress to provide for ocean stewardship now. I support the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation and Protection Act and I urge my colleagues to join me.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Joe Farrow, the esteemed commissioner of the California Highway Patrol. Farrow, appointed earlier this year by Governor Schwarzenegger, has taken the reigns of one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the nation. His fervent dedication is evident through the great strides he has made in insuring the safety of California's roadways, and his work is worthy of commendation.

Though Farrow is new to the leadership position, he is very familiar with the CHP's mission of safety, service, and security. Farrow began his career with the CHP as a cadet and has since worked his way through the chain of command, leaving his indelible mark every step of the way.

Having grown up in Pacific Grove, California, he is committed to connecting the local community with what many see as just another disengaged state government agency.

Farrow's ability to relate with both those he leads and those he serves has been a beneficial asset to the areas of California that have been damaged by the recent wildfires. When highways are temporarily closed due to the fires, the CHP has the duty of redirecting traffic to alternate routes. Farrow maintains an equal balance of good judgment and compassion for those people whose lives have been touched by the fires.

Before taking his post as commissioner, Farrow was instrumental in implementing several highway safety programs throughout California. Most recently, the Safety and Farm Vehicle Education (SAFE) program led to an immediate and drastic decrease in the number of farm workers' injuries or deaths resulting from unsafe transportation to and from the fields.

Madam Speaker, Farrow is deserving of recognition for his years of service with the CHP. Please join me in honoring Joe Farrow for his contribution to highway safety, as well as congratulating him on his new position as commissioner of the CHP.