Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary organization based in my community: the California Strawberry Commission. Since 1994, the Commission's California Strawberry Scholarship Program has awarded numerous students with scholarships to show the industry's appreciation to the farm workers whose jobs are a vital part of the strawberry industry's success.

Students receiving a scholarship from the Commission are entering their first year in colleges and universities throughout the nation. To qualify, applicants must have at least one parent who has been employed as a strawberry farm worker for the past two consecutive seasons. The California Strawberry Scholarship Program has awarded over $183,000 to 264 children of strawberry farm workers, giving these students the opportunity to achieve their full potential. This year alone, they have awarded $32,500 to 34 high school seniors. Each student has tremendous potential and these scholarships give them the opportunity to excel as first-year students in colleges and universities throughout the nation.

In addition to the Strawberry Scholarship Program, in 1995 the Strawberry Commission implemented the California Strawberry Growers' Scholarship Fund. The California Strawberry Growers' Scholarship Fund is funded by California strawberry farmers and allied industry members to help children of strawberry farm workers to continue their college education. To date, the Fund has awarded over $349,000 to 165 students. This year 65 continuing college students were awarded a total of $68,000 by the California Strawberry Growers' Scholarship Fund.

Through the hard work of California's strawberry farm workers, generous contributions from strawberry industry leaders, and the commitment of the California Strawberry Commission, a new generation of students is able to achieve its dreams. Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honor to recognize the California Strawberry Commission today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Martha Herzog, who retired on June 3, 2005 from her position as Vice-Chancellor of Evaluation and Standards at the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center here in the 17th district of California which I represent. Within the executive branch of our government there are many employees who, through their actions and their leadership, have an enduring impact on the federal government, their organization and their fellow employees. One such person of outstanding talent and lasting achievement throughout her career is Dr. Martha Herzog.

Before beginning her 31 years as a federal employee, Dr. Herzog received her PhD in English from The University of Texas at Austin. She taught writing at that great institution and performed similar duties at the Austin Community College and the San Antonio campus of Webster University before beginning her career in 1974 as a Training Instructor in San Antonio, Texas at the Defense Language Institute, English Language Center. In 1977 she was promoted and transferred to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey, California. She initially assumed a position in the DLIFLC Testing Division and subsequent promotions led to her serving as the Dean of the School of Romance languages, the Dean of the School of Central European Languages and finally, the Dean of the DLIFLC Korean School. She also served as the Assistant Provost for Curriculum and Instruction. In 1998 she was promoted to her current position as Vice- Chancellor for Evaluation and Standards.

As an educator and a leader, she has been able to motivate those who served under her as well as those she served with. She was instrumental in creating greater awareness of different learning styles for each student and encouraging more professional training for the instructional staff as well as always providing an attentive ear to her subordinates. Perhaps one of her more enduring accomplishments was her work on creating the Faculty Personnel System at DLIFLC. Her efforts along with those of others, has enabled the establishment of a rank in person, merit-based pay system that rewards those teachers who make the greatest contributions to the DLIFLC mission.

In her capacity as the head of the DLIFLC test development and program evaluation, she revised the testing materials to meet the pressing needs of our military for quality linguists who must know a second or third language to carry out their duties. For the past ten years she has served on and headed the NATO Bureau for International Language Coordination working group for testing and assessment, involving over 30,000 military linguists each year. During this time she provided great leadership to that committee in revising the language descriptors for the NATO STANG 6001. Additionally, she designed and taught a two-week language-testing seminar for newly admitted nations to NATO. Furthermore, throughout her career, she has been an active contributor to her field's professional publications. She has written several articles and provided many papers to the American Council for Teaching Foreign Language, the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and the Defense Exchange Committee on Language Efforts. She also has given extensive and long-time service to the U.S. government's Interagency Language Roundtable.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to highlight Dr. Herzog's dedicated service to our country throughout the years. As she retires from active government service she shows all who know her a model of accomplishment and service. In all her service, she has given the very best of mature leadership, innovation, and concrete results. I join my colleagues in wishing her the best in her retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain William Michael Card for his 32-year career in civil service with the Capitola Police Department.

Captain Card is retiring as Police Captain to accept the Chief of Police in position in Sheridan, Wyoming. Captain Card moved to Santa Cruz with his family in 1957, and attended various local schools, eventually graduating from San Lorenzo Valley High School and continuing his education at Cabrillo Community College and the Monterey College of Law.

Captain Card's successful career was underlined by his commitment to open communication with employees, citizens and the media. Additionally, his foresight aided in the development of a positive police service image by implementing a community oriented policing philosophy. As Police Captain, Card developed and managed several community programs and activities. He has a successful management record of improving employee productivity, morale and organizational efficiency. He was elected as Capitola's Police Officer of the Year in 1986 after receiving many commendations from staff and citizens.

Aside from his duties with the Police Department, Captain Card worked as a consultant to Cyrun Corporation, aiding them in the development of a complete software system for policing agencies. He was also a Research Associate of the BOTEC Analysis Corporation where he managed a six-month study on crime and drug importation in Puerto Rico.

Mr. Speaker, I join the Capitola Police Department in thanking Captain William Michael Card for his years of dedicated civil service and wishing him the best of luck in his further endeavors.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to engage in a colloquy with the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla), chairman of the subcommittee.

I want to thank the chairman and the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), ranking member, for their work on this fiscal year 2006 agriculture appropriations bill. I appreciate what they have done with what they have had to work with. I also want to thank the professional staff: Martin, Maureen, Leslie, Tom, and Martha. They have done a tremendous job in putting together a balanced bill.

Mr. Chairman, under our tight budget constraints, we are happy to see that the USDA CSREES Integrated programs, such as the Section 406 Organic Transition Program, that were moved into the National Research Initiative are directed to be funded at last year's levels.

As a point of clarification, I would like to verify my understanding that the committee's intent is that the Organic Transition Program, although proposed to be funded through the National Research Initiative, will continue to be managed, as it was in fiscal year 2004 and fiscal year 2005, as part of the Integrated Organic Program. Specifically, that the request for proposals will continue to be issued jointly with that of the Organic Research Initiative under the management of USDA CSREES staff, including the Organic National Program leader.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the chairman for that clarification, and I appreciate the work he has done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend and former member of this House, Dr. Peter Smith. Peter represented the State of Vermont in the House between 1989 and 1993. He built a reputation during his time here as an insightful, effective, and respected member. Peter exemplifies the spirit of respect and comity that is so often missing in current House business.

In 1994, Peter moved to my Central California District to become the founding President of the newly created California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). CSUMB is a remarkable institution that has been carved out in the heart of the former Fort Ord, the largest military base closure in the US to date. While many of us on the Central Coast have played a part in the genesis and growth of CSUMB, nobody has put a more decisive stamp than Peter Smith on the thriving institution that CSUMB has become. What started in 1994 with 650 students gathered in a cluster of run down Army barracks had blossomed into a top flight University with a growing campus of newly constructed and restored buildings and 3,500 students. That's a record of which to be proud.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1945, Peter received a B.A. from Princeton and, two years later, he earned a M.A. in Teaching from Harvard University. In 1984 he received a Doctorate in Education, also from Harvard University, In 1970, Peter founded the Community College of Vermont, and served as its first president until 1978. In 1980, he served as a Vermont State Senator, and from 1982 until 1986 he served as Vermont's Lieutenant Governor.

Peter has devoted his life to improving the educational process, for the citizens of both Vermont and of the United Sates, and has received a number of awards for his achievements. One of his greatest awards is the National Council of Community Service and Continuing Education's Man of the Year award, which he received in 1976. In 1978, the University of Vermont College of Education and Social Services gave him their highest award for his contributions to elementary, secondary, and post secondary education in the State of Vermont. The Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education and the Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded him a Mina Shaughnessy Fellowship grant in 1980. The grant allowed him to interview sixty adults across the country for his book about adult learning beyond school, Your Hidden Credentials. Last year he published groundbreaking book titled The Quiet Crisis: How Higher Education is Failing America where he argues that higher education as a whole is not organized to truly educate its students.

Peter is now leaving CSUMB to take on the reins at UNESCO where he will become the first American to hold the post of Assistant Director General for Education. The UN leadership chose him after a worldwide search of candidates. Peter takes up his post in Paris, France, next month. We are sorry to see Peter and his wonderful wife, Sally, leave the Central Coast. But the Central Coast's loss will be the global community's gain. From his new perch, Peter will use the skill and wisdom that so enriched the CSUMB community and improve the future for millions of world's citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House when I offer our former colleague our sincerest thanks for his service to date and best wishes for his tasks ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the achievements of a news channel local to my congressional district. KSBW, as part of the Hearst-Argyle Television Inc., received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism for the third consecutive year this past March.

Frequently we hear that quality, unbiased journalism is a thing of the past. However, KSBW and Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. prove the critics wrong. The Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism is an award that recognizes the importance of good, unbiased political journalism. That some of the best minds in journalism would agree that KSBW and Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. deserve this award 3 years in a row is a testament to this station's high quality and merit.

This continued commitment to excellence in journalism serves as a model for all news organizations. I would also like to commend Mr. Joe Heston, President and General Manager of KSBW, for his management, vision, and interest in the community. Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join me in honoring KSBW and Hearst Argyle Television Inc.'s achievements and wish them continued success.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage with the gentleman from New York (Chairman Walsh) in a brief colloquy, if he would be so kind, on the subject of cleanup at closed bases.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to bring to the attention of the House a problem that desperately needs attention, which is cleanup at our closed military bases. I realize that in today's tight budget situation, we have difficult choices to make, but I think it is critical that the Members of this body realize that the issue of cleanup at military bases, both the active bases and the closed bases, but especially at those that are closed, is literally a time bomb.

Mr. Chairman, I know the gentleman from New York (Chairman Walsh) has tried to accommodate the cleanup needs of closed bases. Through the gentleman's efforts, this bill provides $377 million in BRAC money for previous rounds of closed bases. Most of this will go to cleanup, but that is far from enough to complete the cleanup and transfer this land to others so that economic growth can occur.

To my colleagues I say, if we are serious about BRAC, we have to get serious about cleanup. DOD officials claim that earlier rounds of BRAC have saved about $7 billion a year, but that is false savings when the Defense Science Board Task Force on UXO, unexploded ordnances, in February of 2004, put the cost of unexploded ordnance cleanup between $26 billion and $52 billion.

Just this past January, the GAO reported that $3.6 billion remains to be cleaned up at closed bases, and identified the base in my district, closed base Fort Ord, as having yet another $322 million in cleanup costs before the land can be transferred. This is on top of the $327 million that has already been spent on the cleanup at Fort Ord.

The scope of this problem is large, and Fort Ord is not the only problem. The same GAO report shows that Kelly Air Force Base in Texas still has about $209 million in cleanup costs outstanding. Seneca Army Depot in New York has $72 million in cleanup costs remaining. Savanna Depot in Illinois has $55 million, and the naval air station in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, has $39 million. The five bases cited carry a $697 million cleanup price tag, yet the bill is only able to provide $377 million for that purpose, less than half.

If, 10 years after the last BRAC round, we are still struggling to remove these bases from the Pentagon's inventory, but cannot because of cleanup problems, how are we going to cope with a round that was just announced a week ago?

BRAC has become all about disposal of military property. We have forgotten about the part of BRAC that is supposed to be about conversion of military property.

Disposal must contain a more aggressive component of cleanup so that conversion and, therefore, economic recovery can take place more quickly and more effectively.

I would suggest one option for us to consider is to rescind the MILCON money in this bill currently slated for bases that are on the closure list, and reallocate it to the BRAC cleanup. Closing bases do not need new construction, but they will need cleanup.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman. I appreciate his commitment to address this matter in conference and eagerly look forward to working with the gentleman on it.

I thank the chairman for engaging in this colloquy.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment to discuss it in a broad sense. I am also very supportive of our chairman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh). I am on the committee. But this is an opportunity for us to focus in on the need for base cleanup.

And it is an easy expression to say base ``cleanup,'' the word, but the process is elaborate because there are all kinds of cleanup. Essentially, the cleanup that most people know that would be in any city where you had a motor pool, where you had garages and fuel spent, all bases have that. Those are common kinds of industrial types of cleanup.

You have areas that most communities do not have, which are firing ranges. Most of that is lead cleanup. Those are not necessarily unexploded ordnances because you fire in for targets. You have cleanup because big bases have their own places that they dumped, in many cases, the old days they just dumped the fuel, poured it on the ground, but they also had solid waste sites. And as the rains came the leachates through the solid waste site get into the groundwater. So we have now ground water contamination. That is another cleanup.

And lastly and most elaborately, you have one cleanup that only the Federal Government does and only people that have been trained by the Federal Government, even though they may be in the private sector, are authorized to do. We do all the unexploded ordnance cleanup; nobody else in the world does that. And that cleanup is very specific because, as the chairman said, it is dangerous. It is unexploded ordnances that are in the ground and oftentimes buried. And it is slow.

But the fact of the matter is that if these were private lands, the private sector would have to clean it up. That is the law. And we know about Superfund law and things like that. When it is the government they can take more time and do it at their own pace, and particularly the military, because their mission is to go fight military battles.

The last thing that you want to do is spend a lot of money just trying to clean up the ground which is left behind. And on that ground, are some buildings that, I might add, are old buildings that have lead paint and asbestos in them which have to have certain protocols for getting rid of the lead paint and asbestos.

So unless this attention is given, what people do is they put this stuff on the back burner and say, that is expensive. Let us go at it slowly. We will not have to appropriate enough money to it. You have communities now coming and begging to the military saying, why do you not just give us the money. This is called a buy-out. I am working on this in my own district to see if you can buy a buy-out so that the government can put up the money and the community will accept the responsibility for getting it done. They may be able to get it done faster. They think they can.

So these are the kinds of issues that I think it is important that we focus on. I really applaud the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for not only bringing this amendment to the floor, but he has been doing this for years by trying to tweak the conscience of Congress to say these things are about cleanup. It is a responsibility that the private sector knows they have to do, and we in the public sector ought to be doing the same and particularly the military.

I might add, it is not all criticism of the military. Recently, since the environmental laws have come along, I found that the military has been a very good steward of these laws. In fact, now on all our ranges and all the things that the military does, they have reports of where every shell goes. They keep those reports. They know where the contamination is. They try to do cleanup as they go along, and they try to minimize any kind of adverse impacts on the environment. I applaud the military for that.

We have to be good stewards and good citizens of our communities where our military bases are and take the responsibility for cleaning up these extraordinary amounts of messes, particularly at a time when you want to use that land for economic recovery. And you cannot even get on the land; you cannot walk on it. They put a fence around it. That is the worst thing that can ever happen to a community and to closed bases.

I applaud this effort to bring attention to all of the Members of Congress that we have got a real problem here, and that we have got to focus some attention and figure out the resources that we need to get the job done. I applaud the chairman for his work and conscientiousness in trying to see that we might be able to go some money in conference to address this problem.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my support for two amendments to H.R. 1815, the Department of Defense Authorization Bill, which are critical to improving the health and welfare of our servicewomen at home and overseas. The Slaughter amendment would authorize funding for the DOD to provide better care to military victims of sexual assault. The Davis amendment would allow servicewomen overseas to use their own funds to obtain a safe abortion in military hospitals. I urge my colleagues to support both of these amendments.

Incidents of sexual assault in the military are unfortunately all too common and, despite this fact, DOD does not currently provide adequate training in evidence gathering and preservation for first responders to sexual assaults. In addition, many military healthcare providers are not familiar with the gathering and processing of rape kits and some facilities are not even equipped with rape kits. It is unacceptable that DOD has not provided more comprehensive resources for dealing with the problem of sexual assault in the military. The Slaughter amendment would authorize $25 million annually for training and resources for the DOD to improve the response to incidents of sexual assault. The amendment would also require the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to enhance accessibility and availability of supplies, trained personnel, and transportation resources in response to sexual assaults occurring in deployed units.

In light of DOD's inability to protect servicewomen from sexual assault, and to provide comprehensive health care after a sexual assault, it is even more important that we support the Davis amendment to ensure that servicewomen stationed overseas could receive a safe abortion, paid for with their own private funds, in a military hospital. Currently, servicewomen and female military dependents are prohibited from using their own funds for abortions at overseas military hospitals. Military women should be able to depend on their base hospitals for all their health care services, but instead they are forced to compromise their medical privacy and wait for space on a military transport, or to seek an abortion in a foreign hospital. It is unacceptable to endanger the health of our servicewomen by denying them safe and timely medical care. This amendment would not require the government to pay for abortions, and it would not force medical providers to perform abortions, but it would allow military women and military dependents stationed overseas to exercise the reproductive rights they are entitled to as Americans.

American servicewomen dedicate themselves to defending our constitutional rights and civil liberties; they should not have to worry about receiving inadequate healthcare for sexual assault, or sacrificing their constitutional rights and civil liberties simply because they have chosen to serve their country. I urge my colleagues to support both the Slaughter amendment and the Davis amendment.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to ask for the gentleman's help to make military golf courses accessible with specialty golf carts for veterans community and disabled golf patrons. Our Nation's disabled military personnel and veterans have paid a great debt to their country. We have an obligation to make their reintegration into society as seamless as possible, and one way is to make it easier for them to resume recreational activities like golf.

And I would ask the chairman if he would agree that the committee should explore the feasibility of the cost of providing specialty carts for disabled golf patrons at military golf courses with DOD and the services.

I thank the chairman. I look forward to working with the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, a safe and democratic Iraq is a goal I share with every American. Congresswoman Woolsey's amendment is critically important for reaching this goal. The amendment urges the administration to lay out a plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. This amendment does not demand the U.S. troops be withdrawn from Iraq immediately or prematurely. It simply requests that the President establish a plan for when he will begin to bring our soldiers back home.

The best way to make Iraq a strong and democratic country is to give Iraqis the training and education necessary for them to assume responsibility for their own security needs and to develop their civil society infrastructure. Iraqis yearn for freedom and democracy, and ownership of their own country. American soldiers, sailors and marines want to return home to be reunited with their families. A withdrawal plan is in the best national security interests of the United States and in the best interests of a democratic Iraq.

I urge my colleagues to support the Woolsey amendment.

Madam Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to both the Peterson Amendment and the Istook Amendment. If passed, these amendments will trample on a longstanding bipartisan moratorium on offshore oil and gas development that was initiated by former President Bush, continued under President Clinton, and endorsed in President Bush's FY 2006 budget. Given this legacy of strong bipartisan support, I am simply amazed that the OCS moratorium is under such assault.

However, this is exactly what we face today with these amendments. Mr. Peterson's amendment strikes liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the moratorium while Mr. Istook's amendment calls for the entire moratorium in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, on both oil and gas, to vanish--poof-- when the United States meets an arbitrary percentage of crude oil imports, 66.7 percent.

Every year since 1982, Congress has included language in the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill to prevent the Department of Interior from using funds for leasing, pre-leasing, and related activities in sensitive coastal waters. Mr. Speaker, some might wonder why so many coastal areas stand firmly behind the OCS moratorium. I answer with tourism, tourism, and more tourism. Tourism is not just a major industry for coastal states or a mere staple of their coastal economies. It is, along with recreation, the fastest growing sector of the ocean economy according to the President's own U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's Final Report. The money spent by tourists pay the bills and put food on the table for the people living in these communities. Offshore oil and gas drilling directly threatens this economic engine and the people of these communities know it.

By removing LNG from the moratorium, Mr. Peterson's amendment ignores the many concerns being raised about all phases of the LNG process-- from exploration all the way to arrival at our ports. These concerns must be considered with more than a few minutes of discussion.

As for Mr. Istook's amendment, we had an opportunity one month ago with H.R. 6 to set a strong and visionary national energy policy to reduce our dependence on imported oil, and yet we did not take advantage of that opportunity. And so today, his amendment attempts to make coastal communities pay for that lack of vision.

Madam Chairman, I cannot accept these amendments because they are short-sighted and fail to uphold decades of bipartisan agreement on protecting our coastlines from oil and gas drilling. At their core, they fail to honor our communities and our environment. In conclusion, Madam Chairman, the Peterson and Istook Amendments should be defeated and I urge a ``no'' vote on both of them.

Madam Chairman, I come to the floor today in strong support of Slaughter amendment to the FY06 Interior Appropriations Act that will increase funding for the National Endowment of the Arts by $10 million and for the National Endowment for the Humanities by $5 million. Even with these increases, the funding level for the NEA will still be $40 million below the FY 1994 level, and the funding level for the NEH will be $30 million below the FY 1994 level.

This amendment is needed to continue the critical work of the NEA and the NEH in providing Americans with access to the arts, and an understanding of American culture, legacy, history, and civics. By funding the arts and humanities in every congressional district and giving priority to rural and underserved communities, the NEA and the NEH ensure that Americans across the country can discover and share these treasures while instilling a sense of historical and cultural heritage in their children. These funding increases will help ensure that future generations continue to have the opportunity to explore the creative worlds of arts and humanities.

In addition to providing important cultural experiences nationwide, the NEA and the NEH also support economic growth and tourism nationwide. The non-profit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity, supporting $4.85 million full time equivalent positions. In my district there are 1,801 arts related businesses which employ 5,370 employees. Many of these businesses receive grants from the NEA and play crucial roles in increasing tourism in my district. Events like the Monterey Jazz festival and the Cabrillo Music Festival bring tourists to my district to enjoy these cultural experiences, and our local businesses directly benefit from this influx.

I urge all of my colleagues to support increases in funding for the NEA and the NEH and to oppose any proposal to cut these valuable programs.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage in a brief colloquy, if you will, on the subject of the proposed USGS laboratory in Santa Cruz, California.

I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. Chairman, as the chairman is aware, I have raised concerns about the plans to build a new USGS laboratory in Santa Cruz. Actually I am thrilled to have USGS moving into my district, but the USGS will benefit greatly from the synergy of other local marine science facilities in the area, including the University of California's Long Marine Lab and the United States Government's National Marine Fisheries Service Lab.

With USGS collocated near these other facilities, I believe the United States will have the best marine science information anywhere. But in the development of the plans for the lab, we run into contradictory budget numbers and laboratory configurations that have dogged final approval for getting this project off the ground, and it has really been a problem. And I appreciate your consideration of being willing to work with me to facilitate the meeting of the principals involved in this project and resolve some of these questions once and for all.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this amendment offered by Mr.

Norwood. This amendment would essentially force local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws.

The enactment of this amendment would strain already scarce state and local resources by creating an unfunded mandate, in addition to dividing communities around the country.

Coercing state and local police into becoming federal immigration agents does not benefit anyone involved. In addition to their other duties, local law enforcement officials and local and state administrators would be bogged down by determining criminal's immigration status. Community members will be hesitant to cooperate with local law enforcement for fear of ramifications against them and their family.

According to the Department of Justice statistics, violent and property crime rates have been falling steadily for at least the last 10 years. I have no doubt that this is largely due to community policing. This amendment would take away that idea. Our communities are better served by a police force that focuses on robbers, murderers and terrorists, as opposed to immigration status.

I do not support illegal immigration and believe that anyone who enters the U.S. in violation of U.S. immigration laws should be penalized. But that doesn't mean police who should be arresting drug dealers and breaking up gang activities should now be federally mandated to track down illegal aliens.

To me, this amendment is another example of the desperate need for an honest and comprehensive debate on immigration law in this country. Piecemeal ideas, such as this one, are detrimental to our communities at a microlevel. Our country is in need of an immigration policy that accounts for the fears 9/11 instilled, in addition to the hope that immigrants bring to our nation.

This amendment is ineffective and unnecessary policy and I urge my colleagues to cast a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Paige Peterson, an 11- year-old girl who passed away November 8th, 2004 after a long and valiant battle with cancer.

Like most 11-year-old girls, Paige Peterson loved to dress-up, dance, ride horses and spend time with her family and friends. But, unlike most little girls, Paige spent years battling neuroblastoma, an aggressive and deadly cancer.

Sustained by her extraordinary faith and spirit, Paige breathed life into the community of young cancer sufferers as a spokesperson for the Children's Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition. In her own words, she was proud to be a ``guinea pig'' in several clinical trails with the hope that one day one of these trials would find a cure for neuroblastoma.

Driven by her desire to proffer the message that ``kids get cancer too,'' Paige met with First Lady Laura Bush, Congressman Sam Farr, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and hundreds of other individuals and organizations across the country. In the end, she left behind a legacy of compassion and courage and a challenge to Congress to enact healthcare policies which honor the unique needs of children with life-threatening conditions and their families, thus enabling children like Paige to live well and die gently surrounded by those they love.

Mr. Speaker I wish to honor this young girl for her strength and courage in battling this ill-fated disease and speaking about her experience in order to generate positive change for future young cancer sufferers. Her attitude and goodwill have proven to be an example for us all. I join Paige's mother Suzanne Peterson, her father Scott Peterson, and members of the Children's Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition in honoring and remembering this heroic girl for her achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 40th anniversary of the Monterey County Head Start Program. The program provides a comprehensive child development program to preschool children whose families live below poverty level. The Monterey County Head Start Program is dedicated to serving and supporting the communities of Monterey County through educational development of children that fully prepare them for school and their experiences in life.

The Monterey County Head Start Program originated in Castroville in June 1965 with the help of the Community Action Agency. The program expanded to Salinas and Seaside in 1975 with grant support from the Monterey County Office of Education. Now, the Head Start Program operates 26 preschool centers in Monterey County, providing services to well over one-thousand children and their families. Their goal to provide the highest quality program for the children and families in the county has been very successful.

Every child in the Head Start Program is provided the highest quality child development program based on the internationally acclaimed, research-based High Scope Curriculum. Physical and dental examinations are given to each child, as well as an individualized educational program to suit each child's needs. The program also offers the Early Head Start Program which is designed to provide assistance to qualifying pregnant women, infants, and toddlers; as well as parent education for nutrition, first aid, and self-sufficiency skills. Truly, this is an inclusive program that has enhanced the lives of so many residents in the 17th district.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate the Monterey County Head Start Program for forty years of outstanding service. The Head Start staff performs an exceptional job daily facilitating school readiness for children and fostering lifelong independence and personal responsibility for low-income families. The Monterey Head Start Program provided services to over thirty-thousand children and families in the rural and urban communities of Monterey County, and our community is immensely grateful for their contribution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of California Highway Patrol Officer John Pedro, an influential member of the Santa Cruz community. On June 3, 2002, Officer Pedro was tragically killed in a traffic collision that occurred while attempting to overtake and initiate an enforcement stop on a vehicle. Officer Pedro is survived by his wife Colleen, daughter Sara, mother, Kay and sisters, Kathy and Tammy.

Officer Pedro was born in Watsonville, CA on June 17, 1965 and graduated from Watsonville High School in 1983. He obtained an Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts and Music. Officer Pedro joined the United States Military as an Army Reservist in 1989. He subsequently transferred to the Air Force Reserves in 1991. While playing trombone for the Air Force Band, he met the love of his life, Colleen. Officer Pedro married Colleen on March 27, 1993. They were soon blessed by the birth of their daughter, Sara, on March 19, 2000.

Officer Pedro entered the California Highway Patrol Academy on July 31, 1989 and graduated on December 21, 1989. His first assignment was with the San Jose CHP. He also worked in the Redwood City CHP, Hayward CHP, Coastal Division, Gilroy Inspection Facility, and Santa Cruz CHP. Throughout his career as an officer, Officer Pedro had always expressed a desire to develop his expertise in the field of commercial vehicles, specifically focusing on highway safety and enforcement.

Mr. Speaker, I am joined by Officer Pedro's family and fiends to honor his life and contributions to the community. In appreciation for

his duty, the California State Senate via Concurrent Resolution No. 67, officially designated the location of State Route 1 between Harkins Slough Road and the Pajaro River Bridge, in Santa Cruz County, as the ``CHAP Officer John Pedro Memorial Highway''. Through this dedication, our community will eternally remember the sacrifices made by Officer Pedro and others who have laid down their lives to fulfill a pledge of unwavering dedication to the people of the State of California

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and memory of Margaret Hummer May, a devoted wife, mother, teacher and political activist. She spent her life working to make her community a better place to live in. Margaret is survived by her 5 children, Monica May, Irene Lawler, Robert P. May, Theresa May Duggan, and Joanne May White as well as her 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Before meeting her late husband, James T. May, she received a Bachelor's Degree with honors from the University of Utah and served as Home Service Director of the Salt Lake Chapter of the Red Cross. Margaret and James lived in Alisal and Salinas for over 50 years where she was involved at Sacred Heart Church and volunteered for the State Mental Health Program. She eventually received her teaching credentials from UC Santa Cruz and taught in bilingual pre-schools in the Salinas Elementary School District.

Margaret was devoted to the ideals of social justice and world peace which is apparent though her political activism as well as through her numerous volunteer activities. Margaret showed her dedication to her community through her involvement in local politics. As a lifelong Democrat, she was an active member of the Democratic Women's Club of Monterey County and she also worked for various political campaigns.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring this amazing woman. Our community has lost a dedicated public servant but her legacy will live on through all she has achieved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend George Couch for his tremendous commitment to education in general, and to the Latino youth of my district in particular. This coming Saturday, May 7, 2005, the San Benito County Mexican-American Committee on Education (MACE) will recognize George for his tremendous help in making educational opportunities available to young people in San Benito County.

George graduated from Stanford University and followed that up with an MBA from Harvard. He has used this education and his business smarts to build several successful companies in the Monterey Bay Area. These include Triad Broadcasting Company in Monterey which operates 49 broadcast radio properties nationwide, and Couch Distributing Company in Watsonville which has retail beverage customers throughout the region.

George is a lion of a man who cares deeply about righting wrongs. He does not seek out the limelight, but rather looks for quiet ways to make a big impact. That theme of making an impact and getting results underpins all of his community and philanthropic work. George serves as a Trustee of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation; trustee of the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy; member of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County; member of the Governing Board of Cabrillo College in Aptos; member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California; and member of the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz county Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

George Couch's work with MACE certainly follows this pattern of service. As an organization, MACE offers scholarships to Latino youth in San Benito County to further their education beyond high school. Over the years MACE has helped dozens of San Benito County students achieve their goals. The financial and moral support offered by MACE has been instrumental in their success. This achievement is in no small part due to the efforts of George Couch whose steadfast support and guidance of MACE over the last 19 years has played a central role.

Mr. Speaker, I know that I speak for the whole House when I congratulate Mr. Couch on this well deserved recognition. His service stands as a beacon to others. I am pleased to have this opportunity to honor Mr. Couch and express the gratitude of MACE and the broader community for the results that flow from his selfless leadership.