Floor Statements

Let me thank the gentleman from Texas for his service and for his commitment to an issue that is so vital and important to the Nation, and that is, the protection of all Americans from domestic violence. There is a long history of the journey of this Congress to responding to the cry of women and men, both in the civilian life and in the United States military.

I rise today to acknowledge and commemorate Domestic Violence Prevention Month. I remember the journey that we took in getting to the Violence Against Women Act with our former colleague, the late chair of the Judiciary Committee, Chairman Hyde. I remember in the early stages of the 1990s the attempt to reauthorize this legislation.

The good news was that Chairman Hyde, a Republican, Ranking Member Conyers, and Senators on both sides of the aisle joined together in one big room to come together and acknowledge the importance of protecting women; and then, of course, to acknowledge that violence, domestic violence, is a disease, an epidemic that spreads beyond the question of whether you are male or female.

The loss of life that has come about because people have not found a refuge is staggering. And for those of us who have heard firsthand stories--as a member of the Houston area Women's Center, the board that, if you will, had supervision over local Women's Centers, where women could go. I have known and have seen stories that would argue so vigorously for more funding and more recognition and more laws that would protect these women.

So I am glad that even though the journey was even longer to get the Violence Against Women Act passed in the last Congress that we ultimately, after the many petitions that we were involved in, saw a bipartisan vote in the House and the Senate--much longer in the House-- that allowed it to go to the President's desk.

So my remarks, as I summarize, are to say that this is an ongoing cause. Domestic violence comes from tension and pressure, but it results in violence that culminates with the loss of life. Time after time, women and children suffer a loss of life through violence by a spouse or a loved one; and, of course, we know that it occurs with men. Time after time, women in the United States military suffer from the act of violence, domestic violence, or violence against women.

So I want to thank the gentleman for giving me the opportunity to at least acknowledge that this is a somber occasion, and there is great need for continued support.

My last sentence, Mr. Green: you mentioned resources. I hope as we leave this floor that we will all reinforce the elimination of the sequester and a budget process that will allow the funding of vital programs like the Violence Against Women Act.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, in about 2 hours today, in Houston, at the Lakewood Church, we in Houston will honor the famed, the humble, and the especially loved Oail Andrew ``Bum'' Phillips, our favorite coach, Coach Bum Phillips of the Houston Oilers, our friend, my friend.

We lost Coach Phillips October 18, 2013, at his home, his ranch in Texas. I offer to his wife, his son and daughters and grandchildren and great-grandchildren my deepest sympathy.

But I know, as he is honored this evening, there will be a celebration of his life; for Bum Phillips was the kind of character- building leader that led young men into the most winningest franchise of the then-Houston Oilers. He did it because he had a championship spirit, and he had the ability to add quips to anything that you would ask him.

When asked one time about Earl Campbell, he said, ``What kind of class is Earl Campbell in? He may not be in a class all by himself, but it doesn't take long to call the roll.''

When asked about the Dallas Cowboys as America's team, Bum said, ``The Dallas Cowboys may be America's team, but the Houston Oilers are Texas' team.''

Tonight I know there will be many who will celebrate his life and the service he gave.

I want to thank Mike Barber for organizing this great effort. I will miss being there, but Bum, I want to thank you. Coach Bum Phillips, I want to thank you for the joy you brought to Houston, the excitement of the team, the spirit of winning and losing, the fairness and the balance that you added to those young men that were under your tutelage.

You went on to coach the New Orleans Saints, but you will always be special in our hearts, and I hope this body will offer a moment of silence for our dear friend, the Nation's friend, Texas' friend, Coach Bum Phillips.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing this tribute on the floor to this great American, Coach Bum Phillips.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to former House Speaker Thomas ``Tom'' S. Foley, the 57th Speaker of the House of Representatives and a man whose love for this chamber and whose commitment to public service was unsurpassed. Speaker Foley died Friday, October 18, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 84 years old.

Tom Foley was in every sense of the word a gentleman. He believed in bipartisanship. He treated everyone equally and with respect. Upon relinquishing the Speakership, he left these parting words of advice to this successor, incoming Speaker Newt Gingrich: ``Remember, you are the Speaker of the whole House and not just one party.''

The environment of the House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Foley was marked by mutual respect and cooperation, which enabled the Congress to work with the President and pass legislation that made our country better.

During Tom Foley's speakership, the Congress passed, and the President signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991; the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT); the 1994 Crime Bill which put 100,000 new police offers on the streets and banned assault weapons and reduced crime rates by more than a third; and the 1993 Clinton Economic Plan that led to the creation of 22 million jobs, four balanced budgets, and the longest period of sustained economic prosperity in the post-war period.

Thomas Stephen Foley was born March 6, 1929, in Spokane, Washington. He attended a Jesuit preparatory school, where he acquired the nickname ``the senator'' for his intellect and the way he solved problems. He is reported to have overcome a lisp to excel in debate and to earn his baccalaureate degree from the University of Washington in 1951. Six years later, Tom Foley was admitted to the bar after graduating from the University of Washington School of Law. He practiced law in Spokane prior to becoming a prosecutor and later an assistant state attorney general.

In 1960, he joined the staff of his mentor, the legendary Senator Henry ``Scoop'' Jackson (D-WA), and moved to Washington, D.C., where he met his future partner in life, his beloved Heather, whom he married in 1968, and who remained by his side for the next 45 years and was with him when he died.

Mr. Speaker, in 1964 Tom Foley defeated an 11-term incumbent and was elected by the people of the 5th Congressional District of Washington to represent them in the House of Representatives. He was reelected to the next succeeding 14 Congresses.

Over those 30 years, Tom Foley compiled a truly impressive record. He sought and obtained a seat on the Agriculture Committee to advocate on behalf of his constituents in the wheat-growing region of eastern Washington.

Tom Foley was an accomplished legislator. One of his major achievements as a member of the Agriculture Committee was the grand bargain he crafted which led to the enduring partnership between conservative farmers and progressive supporters of nutrition programs.

Mr. Speaker, Tom Foley was an unwavering advocate for progressive policies and a formidable opponent of policies he believed were harmful to the interests of the poor, workers, or women. He supported President Johnson's Great Society Programs and voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. He also supported a strong national defense and sensible foreign policy, which is why he opposed the escalation of the Vietnam War.

After the watershed election of 1974, he was elected by his colleagues to chair the Agriculture Committee, a position he held until 1981, when he was appointed Majority Whip by then Speaker Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill. When Speaker O'Neill was succeeded by Majority Leader Jim Wright (D-TX), Tom Foley was elevated to the post of Majority Leader and served in that post until June 6, 1989 when he was elected Speaker of the House upon the resignation of Speaker Wright.

Tom Foley was Speaker of the House in 1991 when President George H.W. Bush launched Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the first Persian Gulf War. Thanks in large part to the spirit of bipartisanship that Tom Foley embodied, the nation remained unified throughout the Persian Gulf War.

Following Speaker Foley's service in the House of Representatives he served with distinction as U.S. ambassador to Japan during the second Clinton Administration. In recognition of his exceptional service to our country, in 2001 the federal courthouse in Spokane, Washington was renamed the Thomas S. Foley United States Courthouse.

Today, one of the things cited most as being what is wrong with Congress is the environment of hyper partisanship which is threatening the ability of the House to fulfill its function.

It is my hope that we all remember and learn from the example of Speaker Foley that civility is a virtue, that compromise is not weakness, and that it is possible for persons of goodwill to disagree without being disagreeable.

Thank you, Speaker Thomas S. Foley, for your service to our nation. You made the People's House a better place by promoting mutual respect and cooperation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to inform the House of the sad news that America has lost one of the most beloved, successful, and colorful coaches in the history of the National Football League. Oail Andrew ``Bum'' Phillips passed away last Friday, October 18, 2013, at his ranch home in Goliad, Texas. He was 90 years old.

The Houston Oilers was not a very good team when Bum Phillips was named head coach and general manager in 1975. In fact, they were one of the worst teams in the league. But within the space of three short years, Bum turned the Oilers into a powerhouse and transformed the downtrodden franchise into one of the most popular and entertaining teams in the NFL.

Along the way, Bum Phillips' mastery of the one-liner endeared himself to his fans and the media. He once quipped in response to a question about the Dallas Cowboys, ``that other team up North'': ``The Dallas Cowboys may be America's team but the Houston Oilers are Texas's team!'' On another occasion, when he was asked to describe the great Earl Campbell, his star running back, he said: ``He may not be in a class all by himself, but it don't take long to call the roll.''

As coach of the Houston Oilers, Bum Phillips was the winningest coach in franchise history (59-38 record), leading the team to the American Football Conference Championship game in 1978 and 1979 but losing each time to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Who can ever forget the sight of Bum Phillips patrolling the sidelines with his trademark buzz cut, decked out in work shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and white Stetson, which he wore except when the Oilers played in the Astrodome? Asked to explain why he did not wear his cowboy hat in the Astrodome, Bum replied: ``Mama always said that if it can't rain on you, you're indoors.''

Oail Andrew Phillips was born on September 29, 1923, in Orange, Texas, the son of a truck driver, also named Oail, which is pronounced ``Awl.'' He got his nickname when his younger sister, Edrina, tried to say ``brother,'' only to have it come out as ``bumble'' and later ``bum.'' In recounting the story, Bum remarked, ``I don't mind being called Bum, just as long as you don't put a `you' in front of it.''

Bum Phillips played football at Lamar College in Beaumont, Texas but left to serve in the Marines during World War II. Upon his return he played for Stephen F. Austin State College in Nacogdoches, Texas, graduating in 1949. He then embarked upon a career coaching high school football in Texas. In 1958, he was hired as an assistant coach by Texas A&M head coach Paul ``Bear'' Bryant, who would go on to become the legendary coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In 1962, Bum Phillips was the head coach of Texas Western University (now the University of Texas at El Paso).

Three years later in 1965, Bum Phillips made the jump to professional football when he was named defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. In 1967 he was hired by San Diego Chargers head coach Sid Gillman to be his defensive assistant and in 1974 followed Gillman back to the Houston Oilers as the team's defensive coordinator, replacing him as head coach the following year.

Bum Phillips' Oilers teams were known for their physical style of play and outstanding defense anchored by Robert Brazile and future Hall of Famers Elvin Bethea and Curley Culp. Bum was a ``players coach''; his players loved him because he kept them fresh by shunning overly long practices and encouraged camaraderie.

The unquestioned leader and star of the team was running back Earl Campbell, the 1977 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Texas and the first player selected in the 1978 NFL draft. The ``Tyler Rose,'' who still holds every major Oilers rushing record and is one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, also would go on to be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

About Earl Campbell, who ushered in the ``Luv Ya Blue!' era and dazzled a Monday Night Football national television audience with a breathtaking display of speed and power in rushing for 221 yards and leading the Oilers to a wild 35-30 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Bum Phillips once said: ``That young man is the difference between losing your job and winning the national championship.''

After 5 years as head coach of the Oilers, Bum Phillips was offered and accepted the head coaching job of the New Orleans Saints, whom he almost led to the playoffs for the first time in the history of that franchise. In 1985 he resigned as coach of the Saints but remained connected to the game by working as a TV and radio analyst for the Oilers. Asked what he planned to do in his retirement, Bum said, ``Nothing. And I don't start before noon!''

In addition to his wife Debbie, Bum Phillips is survived by his son, Wade, a former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills, and five daughters from a previous marriage, Susan, Cicely, Dee Jean, Andrea and KimAnn; many grandchildren and great- grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, more than three decades have passed since Bum Phillips strolled the sidelines of the Astrodome as the head coach of the Oilers and the beloved leader of ``Luv Ya Blue!'' Nation, but he will always be remembered as the man who put the Oilers on the map and embodied the spirit and civic pride of Houston, the greatest city in the greatest country in the only world we know.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence in memory of Oail Andrew ``Bum'' Phillips.

Luv Ya Blue!

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on Ms. Clarke's 1-minute speech.

Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in celebrating ``the people's Congressman.'' I am so delighted that we have the opportunity to share our friendship toward the late Congressman Major Owens, who loved his Brooklyn district and loved his family. My deepest sympathy goes to his wife Maria, and all of his family members.

Major Owens was truly someone who served the people.

I am reminded of a story that he told of when his family heard that FDR was providing opportunities for work in the 1940s. No one in his community was getting jobs, but his parents wrote to FDR, and all of a sudden things

changed. That is the kind of man Congressman Owens was.

He was a change-maker, educator, and librarian. He was always there to say that his district and America's poor people needed to be represented. He was, in fact, the people's Congressperson because he extended his hand. He loved the people. He provided resources and he fought the good fight.

I want to thank you, Congressman Major Owens, for being my friend and a friend of those in Congress, Republicans and Democrats. Most of all, I want to thank Congressman Major Owens for being the friend of poor people around the Nation who could not speak for themselves.

I am glad that his giant footsteps had a great impact on the congressional district he represented. More importantly, he had a great impact on America. He was a soldier on the battlefield for those who could not speak for themselves.

May he rest in peace. God bless him and his family.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a great American, a fighter for justice and equality, one of the most passionate advocates for educational opportunity, and a man who served in this body with distinction, Major R. Owens of New York. Congressman Owens died Monday, October 21, in Manhattan at the age of 77.

Major Owens was born June 28, 1936, in Collierville, Tennessee. He was educated at Morehouse College, from which he received his baccalaureate degree, and Atlanta University, from which he earned a Master of Science degree. Major Owens later moved to New York where he worked as a librarian before accepting an appointment from Mayor John V. Lindsay to serve as Director of the New York City Community Development Agency. He also served as a faculty member in the Department of Public Administration at Medgar Evers College.

In 1974, Major Owens was elected to the New York State Senate and was reelected to serve a second term in 1978. In 1982, Major Owens won a competitive primary to fill the seat of retiring Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm, the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman ever to seek the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

As the Member of Congress for the 11th Congressional District of New York, Major Owens represented a diverse district and eclectic district centered in Brooklyn, and including low income areas of Brownsville and parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the large Hasidic community of Crown Heights, the heavily Caribbean areas of Flatbush and East Flatbush, and the more affluent neighborhoods Park Slope and Prospect Park.

Affectionately known as the ``Education Congressman'' by his constituents, Major Owens fought tirelessly throughout his twelve terms in Congress to protect and expand educational opportunity for all Americans, especially those from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds. As he often reminded his colleagues in the House, education was ``the kingpin issue.'' In an article he published in Black Issues in Higher Education, he wrote: ``We have to believe that all power and progress really begins with education.''

Major Owens served on the House Committee on Government Reform and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. As the Ranking Member on the Education and Workforce Subcommittee for Workforce Protections, Congressman Owens helped lead the fight for minimum wage increases, blocked the attempt to eliminate cash payments for overtime, fought against efforts to roll back or repeal Davis-Bacon and to weaken the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

As Chairman of the Education Subcommittee on Select Education and Civil Rights (1988-94), Congresswoman Owens was one of the earliest and strongest supporters of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which was enacted into law in 1991. In recognition for his yeoman work to pass the ADA, Major Owens was awarded an honorary degree by Galludet University, the world's premier higher education institution serving deaf and hard of hearing people.

Major Owens loved serving in this body and he was a valued member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus. As Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Task Force on Haiti, he led the successful three-year fight which restored the democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Madam Speaker, Congressman Owens was a legislator's legislator. Our prayers and condolences go out to his wife Maria, his sons Chris, Geoff, and Milard; his grandchildren; and to all his friends and loved ones. Major Owens touched so many lives in so many helpful ways that he will always be remembered by people he served so ably and selflessly for more than thirty years.

Madam Speaker, a dear colleague has fallen. We are all saddened at the loss but overjoyed to have had the honor of serving with the distinguished gentleman from Brooklyn, New York, the honorable Major R. Owens.

I thank the gentleman from New York. It is a pleasure to be able to join you and my colleagues today, and I thank you for beginning your remarks today, continuing the tribute that we have given to Congressman Major Owens. He would be proud that we were here tonight speaking for the voiceless, speaking for the poor, speaking for those who need educational dollars, speaking for those who, with a little investment, would, again, be able to reach for and grab the American Dream.

I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries) for again bringing us together. We all have different responsibilities, Judiciary, Homeland Security. We are all concerned about comprehensive immigration reform, border security. It is important, however, that we give a challenge and a charge to those individuals who will be gathering to reform the budget, and I cannot thank you enough for your timeliness and your leadership on these issues.

So I rise today, joining my colleagues, and adding, again, my appreciation to the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Fudge, who, in a day or two, will be joining the Ag conference and will be raising her voice for individuals who simply want a good and decent meal. I want to thank her for her leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus.

I will repeat the words of my colleagues, and those words are that we remain, I believe, the heart and conscience for the American people whose voices, again, and whose issues may be lost in the conflicts of partisanship. The Congressional Black Caucus speaks clearly and loudly to the issue of pain suffered by so many that are poor in this country.

So tonight I want to give a sense of urgency, and I want to raise the siren. I want to have a clanging bell, a loud noise, a banging of the drums, a call to the town by the town crier that we just can't live, we cannot suffer anymore in budgetless, fundingless government that we are now in.

The President of the United States has called on Congress to do its job. The President provided great wisdom and leadership in the first beginning stages of his administration in 2009 when he wisely, through great sacrifice and criticism, presented the stimulus package to the Congress and infused needed and important dollars to create growth and jobs, some 3 million-plus jobs, closing the gap on some of the bleeding that was going on. Having built on the restoration of the auto industry, President Obama continued to build on the restoration of Wall Street. All of the prime industries that were crying out to this Nation, our President, along with the Democrats, sacrificed to do what is right for this Nation.

And, of course, as many know, it was a sacrifice for the Congressional Black Caucus, because at the same time, we knew that there were people who were suffering, but we looked to the greater good. And now we have come to ask, Is there anyone listening to the greater good?

We don't have to go very far to look and see that the size of the middle class that my friends on the other side of the aisle-- Republicans--keep talking that they are for the middle class, and all we need do is to look and to be able to see its decline. The percent of households with an annual income within 50 percent of the median, they don't need any more cuts. They need dollars into education. They need dollars into R and D, research and development. They need to be able to ensure that the transportation and infrastructure of America is funded. That creates jobs. They don't need any more sequesters.

So the budget that we are about to engage in, the conference, should be a serious conference about ensuring that there is investment, because what we are suffering in the backdrop of mindless sequester continues on and on because we cannot get our friends to come to the table.

The Nation has been operating on a shrunken budget, slashed $80 billion in forced spending cuts since March 1. And in the course of that, and while the middle class is gone, 57,000 children have been taken off the rolls of Head Start, and the numbers are growing. Poor families and working families that fall into the middle class are trying strive to the middle class.

The cuts have also cut into public defenders and have cut into the justice system. The cuts have caused layoffs of lawyers. It has caused, in essence, an overturning of liberty justice.

And so in those ways, we can see pointedly the loss of the growth of the middle class.

Sequester is an across-the-board cut that does not allow the dream of Major Owens and the Congressional Black Caucus, the infusion of dollars into higher education, Head Start, pre-K, primary, and secondary, title I funding. All of these fundings that are considered discretionary are slashed and burned. I want to see the growth of the American public-- training for nurses, more training for medical professionals. All of that gets slashed in the sequester.

So, Mr. Speaker, you would wonder, what has America become? And I want to thank Mr. Garamendi from California for sharing this poster. What has America become?

Like the ``Tale Two of Cities,'' they have not listened to the thoughtfulness of the Congressional Black Caucus budget that actually focuses on getting rid of the sequester so that we can not have a tale of two Americas. It hurts my heart to know that there are people in this country that are not benefiting from the greatness of the Nation.

Let me pause for a moment to make a simple statement: America is not broke. I am tired of people talking about how America is broke; a $4 trillion economy, a larger economy than the European Union that includes many countries.

The ability to service our debt, let me just say to you: I don't like debt. I don't like the deficit. But, in actuality, in a capitalistic system, part of what churns the economy is the servicing of the debt. How do you have the money to service the debt? You infuse more capital, more dollars into the economy. You begin to sensibly talk about tax reform. You raise the revenue. You pay your bills. You build new roads. You help higher education. You pay for the military. You create opportunities for people to invent and build businesses. You create access to credit. You build more homes. That is how you turn the economy.

And so, tragically, from 2009 to 2012, the fraction of economic growth for the top 1 percent--not the 99ers, but the top 1 percent-- according to this resource from the University of California, 95 percent went to the top 1 percent. They were growing beyond imagination.

Let me defend the top 1 percent to say that there are people in the top 1 percent that want to give back to the Nation. Warren Buffett wants to invest back into this country. Yet the economic structure of 2009-2012, when my Republican friends were in charge, was 95 percent going to the top 1 percent.

The preceding President, President Clinton, had an economy that included a sacrificial budget, that actually had a budget that did tax reform and revisions and had revenue. Thank goodness it was at least fair. The 1 percent were getting 45 percent and the bottom 99 percent were getting 55 percent.

What is the configuration now? I might venture to say, Mr. Jeffries, that the 99 percent are getting zero and

the top 1 percent may be right now at 100 percent.

So I am asking for the conference to go and work for America, not this configuration; to grow the 99 percent investment in America to be able to take the CBC budget and look at some of the tax reforms that could be utilized, to look at our job creation, which would include the maintenance and repair of public transit, highways, airports, ports, railroads, and bridges.

The Houston Metro would appreciate having the opportunity to expand and create jobs, from those who had worked on the rail lines to those who would build the railcars to those who would run it, and the opportunity for people going to work to ride on it.

Workforce development programs such as the Workforce Investment Act, programs and legislation that I have introduced in times of high unemployment to actually give those unemployed a stipend while they retrain and retrofit themselves into new jobs; veterans programs, which provide for investment in our veterans. One of the greatest gifts we could have given to the second generation of veterans was a second GI Bill that Democrats passed for the returning Iraqi and Afghan veterans. They provided opportunity.

So I simply come today with a number that, as I close, I wanted to leave. Maybe my friends in Texas will understand why this is so drastic. Because we are losing out of the gross domestic product in Texas some $15.2 billion. We are losing 153,541 jobs in the State of Texas alone, someplace where they are celebrating that they are creating jobs and the economy is growing, but the sequester is causing the loss of jobs across America.

Tomorrow, we will be standing against the SNAP cuts that will be coming on November 1. Through Mr. Obama's and the Democratic Caucus' support, we passed stimulus that gave more food money to those who are in need. Why couldn't we simply keep that going? On November 1, because we have not acted, this Congress will shut down the food for those who have gotten just a little bit to feed their families.

So I am hoping that when they go to conference, what will be on their minds as they are pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America is not the 1 percent, but the 99 percent, and that we will come back out of this economy and there will not be a tale of two Americas, but one America, where everyone has an opportunity, and that the model of America--united--is an investment into more than just a few people, but to a lot of people, giving them the opportunity to build this economy.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my constituents in Houston for understanding and recognizing that we must work together to build a better Houston, a better Texas, and a better America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support, and as an original co-sponsor of H.R. 3302, which the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bay Pines, Florida, as the ``C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.''

I thank the Chair and Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Mr. Miller of Florida and Mr. Michaud of Maine, for working together to expedite the consideration of this fitting tribute to one of the most beloved members to serve in this body.

Mr. Speaker, this is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest champions of the men and women who don the uniform in defense of our nation, the late C.W. Bill Young of Florida, who died last Friday, October 18, 2013, at the age of 82.

Mr. Speaker, Bill Young was more than a great legislator. He was a good man. Virtually every member who served with Bill has a story about how the gentleman from Florida lent his ear or helping hand to help advance a critical project or further a legislative priority. I am no exception.

Earlier this year, Chairman Young worked with me to win inclusion in H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act, of my amendment providing increased funding and support for medical research related to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Chairman Young also helped me to $10 million in increased funding to support work to assist service members suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). This act of kindness on the part of Bill Young is changing lives in my congressional district, which is home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of veterans suffering from PTSD. Bill's compassion for our veterans and his colleagues knew no limits.

Bill Young was born December 16, 1930 in Harmarville, Pennsylvania. A flood washed away his home at age 6 where he lived with his single mother. An uncle had a hunting camp in Florida, so the family moved there when he was 16. Young dropped out of St. Petersburg High School to support his ill mother, Wilma M. (Hulings). He joined the Army National Guard and served from 1948 to 1957.

In 1960 Young was elected to the Florida Senate, where he served from 1961 to 1970, and was minority leader in that chamber from 1966 to 1970. Until 1963, Young was the only Republican Senator in Florida.

From 1999-2005, Congressman Young served as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, overseeing the entire federal discretionary budget. In fact, the last time the United States had a balanced federal budget was under his Chairmanship.

Throughout his service on the Appropriations Committee, Young has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of the men and women who serve and who have served in the military. He regularly met with enlisted personnel and officers to assess their needs, and as a result, Congress has invested in improved base housing, better medical care, increased pay, and more modern equipment for the military.

Young has also been a leading advocate for increased biomedical research. During his Chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, he successfully led the effort in Congress to double federal medical research funding over five years. He has likewise led the fight for federal funding for a variety of medical issues, including an increased immunization rate for preschoolers, improved public health programs nationwide, and cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases.

Throughout his career of public service, Young has been a strong advocate for the needs of Pinellas County. Among other issues, he has worked to ease congestion along U.S. Highway 19; attract high-tech jobs to St. Petersburg; improve health care for low-income children and families; protect the neighboring MacDill Air Force Base; build a state of the art medical center for veterans at Bay Pines; ensure a steady supply of water for the Tampa Bay area; and offset the effects of erosion on the area's beaches.

For nearly two weeks Young had been hospitalized with back problems that stemmed from a 1970 small plane crash. Despite the circumstances, Congressman Young vowed to beat his illness and battled valiantly until the very last day, when he finished his journey on earth and ascended to the heavens.

Congressman Young was the longest serving Republican member of the House and respected by all who knew him. He served over 50 years in public office and worked with 8 presidents of the United States. His presence will be forever missed and we all mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

But Bill Young's good work lives on. And in renaming the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Bay Pines as the C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, we consecrate a monument to a remarkable public servant that exists to carry on the work to which Bill Young dedicated his life: serving those who risked their lives to keep us free.

Mr. Speaker, none of us who knew and admired Bill Young will ever forget him or the way he brightened the lives of all the people he served. He was one in a million and he will be deeply missed. He will never be replaced. He was an American original. He was my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support, and as an original co-sponsor of H. Res. 384, which expresses the condolences of the House on the death and recognizes the extraordinary contributions to our nation of Congressman C.W. Bill Young of Florida, who died last Friday, October 25, 2013.

I thank the bipartisan leadership of the House and the Chair and Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee for working together to expedite the consideration of this fitting tribute to one of the most beloved members to serve in this body.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 384 recognizes the extraordinary contributions of Bill Young to public life in Florida and the United States. It is both fitting and proper that the People's House pay this tribute to a pioneering and path breaking man who devoted his life to serving the people.

Mr. Speaker, this happy moment stands in stark contrast to the sorrowful evening of October 18, 2013, when we learned that our dear friend and colleague, the great Bill Young, had lost his life.

Mr. Speaker, Bill Young was more than a great legislator. He was a good man. Virtually every member who served with Bill has a story about how the gentleman from Florida lent his ear or helping hand to help advance a critical project or further a legislative priority. I am no exception.

Earlier this year, Chairman Young worked with me to win inclusion in H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act, of my amendment providing increased funding and support for medical research related to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Chairman Young also helped me to $10 million in increased funding to support work to assist service members suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). This act of kindness on the part of Bill Young is changing lives in my congressional district, which is home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of veterans suffering from PTSD. Bill's compassion for our veterans and his colleagues knew no limits.

Bill Young was born December 16, 1930 in Harmarville, Pennsylvania. A flood washed away his home at age 6 where he lived with his single mother. An uncle had a hunting camp in Florida, so the family moved there when he was 16. Young dropped out of St. Petersburg High School to support his ill mother, Wilma M. (Hulings). He joined the Army National Guard and served from 1948 to 1957.

In 1960 Young was elected to the Florida Senate, where he served from 1961 to 1970, and was minority leader in that chamber from 1966 to 1970. Until 1963, Young was the only Republican Senator in Florida.

From 1999-2005, Congressman Young served as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, overseeing the entire federal discretionary budget. In fact, the last time the United States had a balanced federal budget was under his Chairmanship.

Throughout his service on the Appropriations Committee, Young has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of the men and women who serve and who have served in the military. He regularly met with enlisted personnel and officers to assess their needs, and as a result, Congress has invested in improved base housing, better medical care, increased pay, and more modern equipment for the military.

Young has also been a leading advocate for increased biomedical research. During his Chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, he successfully led the effort in Congress to double federal medical research funding over five years. He has likewise led the fight for federal funding for a variety of medical issues, including an increased immunization rate for preschoolers, improved public health programs nationwide, and cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases.

Throughout his career of public service, Young has been a strong advocate for the needs of Pinellas County. Among other issues, he has worked to ease congestion along U.S. Highway 19; attract high-tech jobs to St. Petersburg; improve health care for low-income children and families; protect the neighboring MacDill Air Force Base; build a state of the art medical center for veterans at Bay Pines; ensure a steady supply of water for the Tampa Bay area; and offset the effects of erosion on the area's beaches.

For nearly two weeks Young had been hospitalized with back problems that stemmed from a 1970 small plane crash. Despite the circumstances, Congressman Young vowed to beat his illness and battled valiantly until the very last day, when he finished his journey on earth and ascended to the heavens.

Congressman Young was the longest serving Republican member of the House and respected by all who knew him. He served over 50 years in public office and worked with 8 presidents of the United States. His presence will be forever missed and we all mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

None of us who knew and admired Bill Young will ever forget him or the way he brightened the lives of all the people he served. He was one in a million and he will be deeply missed. He will never be replaced. He was an American original. He was my friend.

Mr. Speaker, it is always good to have a number of good news stories for my colleagues and the American people, and I am delighted to have a good news story, which is that the Affordable Care Act is rolling along. I recognize that the most important aspect of this law is that Americans, like Kendall Brown in Oklahoma City, are having their lives changed in front of their eyes.

She writes to the President that she has Crohn's disease and she has already benefited from the Affordable Care Act by being able to stay on her parents' insurance, but now she is able to enroll. And she wrote in this letter that as individuals are debating to delay the individual mandate--she said:

Mr. President, if they do it, then this is the last letter

that you will receive from me because I will be dead by the

time I am 27 years old.

So the good news is, my friends, enroll. You can use 1-800-318-2596-- 30,000 calls and only 20 seconds in wait time. You can use the navigators. You can use the outreach efforts. You can even get on the Web and be educated. 1-800-318-2596.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida, the manager, for yielding the time. He knows how important this whole bill is to the Texas gulf region.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that there are many things we would like to fix in this bill, but I know that there are many Texans who are waiting for this bill to pass; and I was delighted to work with the Texas delegation to strengthen the bill by encouraging non-Federal entities to invest in their harbor maintenance and step in when the Army Corps of Engineers cannot. I am also delighted that we have addressed the question of dredging, and we should do it even better.

I thank the Rules Committee for consenting to my amendment that deals with consultation, with stakeholders and water districts, local city, county government. I know my local governments are waiting to have the Army Corps of Engineers actually listen to them as well as Historically Black Colleges and minority institutions.

I am also looking forward to making sure that the $20 billion in projects in the DeFazio amendment is included and not rejected.

And finally, I hope that we can work together, Mr. Speaker, on ensuring minority- and women-owned businesses and the billions of dollars that are used by the Army Corps of Engineers are actually getting the opportunity to work. I ask my colleagues to recognize the importance of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Chairman and the Ranking Member for bringing this important legislation to the House floor. Smart investments in water infrastructure are critical to the Nation's economic well-being. Water infrastructure is vital to my home State of Texas.

For example, waterways and ports support 207,970 Texas jobs. Additionally, it generates $34 billion dollars in economic activity to the Texas economy. As the Representative of the 18th Congressional District, which is adjacent to the Port of Houston, I understand how critically important it is to make smart investments to create jobs and keep our economy growing.

Texas's commercial deepwater ports connect 152,000 miles of rail, 460,000 miles of pipelines, and 45,000 miles of interstate highways. In addition, the State of Texas has 11 deepwater ports, but hurricane damage and age threaten their ability to handle the next generation of post-Panama vessels.

Mr. Speaker, over half of Texas port facilities require maintenance to fully accommodate the next generation of maritime shipping vessels. Without these investments, Texas and the Nation will be at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy. That is why I support

Mr. Chair, a water resources bill in 2013 is critical to the success of America, and crucial to our economic growth and job creation. The last water resources bill was signed into law six years ago, making this one long overdue. I would like to thank Mr. Shuster and Ranking Member Rahall for their leadership in moving this legislation forward.

American international trade accounts for more than one quarter of our Gross Domestic Product. More than 99 percent of our overseas trade moves through America's seaports. Cargo moving through our seaports is responsible for more than 13 million American jobs and generates in excess of $200 billion annually in federal, state, and local tax revenues. We need to keep America's economic recovery moving forward by ensuring that when American workers make products, we can efficiently move them through our ports to overseas markets.

To that end, I hope my colleagues across the aisle will support the WRRDA bill so that our navigation channels and ports are operating at their optimal levels. Of all U.S. overseas exports, 99.4 percent are waterborne and go through ports.

For America to remain on top the global economy, we need to be competitive internationally so that global consumers increasingly purchase American-made goods.

This bill takes an important first step in addressing an issue of key concern to not only the Port of Houston and Galveston in Texas, but to all of our nations' ports, the collection and use of the federal Harbor Maintenance Tax. The WRRDA bill also includes numerous reforms to help meet the maritime transportation needs of our nation today and in the future.

America's public ports and their private sector partners plan to invest more than $46 billion in seaport infrastructure in the next five years. It is important that we pass this historic legislation by investing in America's transportation infrastructure. Maintaining America's link to the global marketplace by creating and maintaining modern and efficient seaport and waterway infrastructure will provide significant benefits to our nation's economic vitality, job growth, and international competitiveness, as well as create sizable tax revenues from cargo and trade activities.

Ports serve as America's gateway to the global economy. The nation's economic prosperity rests on the ability of containerized and bulk cargo arriving unimpeded at U.S. ports to support the ``just in time'' delivery system that underpins the manufacturing and retail sectors.

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), ports, waterways, and vessels are part of an economic engine handling more than $700 billion in merchandise annually, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and an attack on this system could have a widespread impact on global shipping, international trade, and the global economy. The Port of Houston houses approximately 100 steamship lines offering services that link Houston with 1,053 ports in 203 countries. It is also home to a $15 billion petrochemical complex, the largest in the nation and second largest worldwide.

As a result, it is an ideal port for examining security practices in the maritime environment. At the Port of Houston, and other ports across the country, balancing security concerns with the need to facilitate the free flow of people and commerce remains an ongoing challenge for both the public and private sectors.

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member Rahall, Chairman Gibbs and Ranking Member Bishop in working with the Texas Delegation on behalf of our constituents to strengthen the bill by encouraging non-federal entities to invest in their harbor maintenance and step in when the Army Corps of Engineers cannot.

This legislative provision particularly benefits ports like the Port of Houston which have invested substantial amounts of their own funds to complete critical infrastructure in order to provide for safe navigation of larger vessels, and to assure its terminals remain competitive in the world market. This success complements my efforts to secure necessary funding for harbor dredging in the FY' 2014 Energy and Water Appropriations Act.

Furthermore, I would like to thank the Committee leadership for supporting the Jackson Lee Amendment #9 on the roster and including the amendment En Bloc. This amendment

provides that in making recommendations pursuant to Section 118 of the Act, the Secretary shall consult with key stakeholders, including State, county, and city governments, and, where applicable, State and local water districts, and in the case of recommendations concerning projects that substantially affect underrepresented communities the Secretary shall also consult with historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority- serving institutions.

Mr. Chair, as you are aware, it is an essential tool in our desire to improve the lives of low income and minority communities as well as the environment at large.

I am sure we will never forget the critical impact from Hurricane Sandy that crippled the Northeast area from Massachusetts to North Carolina. And not long before Hurricane Sandy, as we were working to learn how to prevent another Hurricane Katrina that crippled the great City of New Orleans. Our nation was still healing from Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Rita which crippled Houston, Texas.

Thereby highlighting the importance of not only giving greater attention to our underserved communities but also how we can help our citizens by educating them on the areas in which they live. As my colleagues are aware, a healthy environment sustains a productive and healthy community which fosters personal and economic growth.

Consulting with key stakeholders, including State, county, and city governments, and, where applicable, State and local water districts, and in the case of recommendations concerning projects that substantially affect underrepresented communities the Secretary shall also consult with historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority-serving institutions is imperative to protecting sustainability and growth of the community and environment.

The coordination with the aforementioned groups is vital to ensuring that economically disadvantaged and minority groups are not placed at a disadvantage when it comes to the environment and the continued preservation of their communities as we look to environmental and socioeconomic resources located within the project area and the general locations of the alternatives under consideration. Further, any issues of concern regarding the potential environmental or socioeconomic impacts of the project, including any issues that may substantially delay or prevent an agency from granting a permit or other approval that is needed for the project study.

Through education about the importance of environmental sustainability, we can promote a broader understanding of our rivers and harbors of the United States, and how citizens can improve their surroundings.

I want to also acknowledge and recognize Congressman DeFazio of Oregon for offering an amendment, in which I cosponsored that conditions the application of Section 103 of the bill on a reduction in the backlog of Corps of Engineers projects to less than $20 billion in construction costs. This amendment highlights the fact that it is a lack of funding not the environmental review process that has led to a backlog of authorized projects that are not being constructed. We have spent enough energy arguing over the budget and the National Environmental Policy (NEPA) streamlining, but not enough time in making the hard decisions and investments that are going to create economic growth and create jobs. I urge Congress to support Rep. DeFazio's amendment #2.

Mr. Chair, I believe the WRRDA bill would have been stronger with the inclusion of an amendment I offered to the Rules Committee that directs the Secretary of the Army to encourage the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in such projects and requires the GAO to submit a report to Congress within 2 years on the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in such projects.

I recognize the value of a diverse supplier base and its impact on the community and population at large. Therefore, I will work directly with the Secretary of the Army to establish an opportunity for Minority and Women Owned Businesses to work directly with the United States Army and the United States Corp of Engineers on specific projects that will ensure that the United States Army and the United States Corp of Engineers continues to creatively seek new supplier sources to fulfill the business opportunities at a number of Ports throughout our great nation and that minority and women owned businesses are given the opportunity to compete for these specific project business opportunities.

In closing, it is important to note that since the establishment of our Nation, our inland waterways and seaports have linked America directly to the global economy. This remains true today. Goods from all over the world reach our store shelves after arriving here through our ports, and products grown and made in the U.S.A. get to market overseas using our water transportation network.

The importance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mission to maintain our port and waterways infrastructure will only increase with time. Expansion of the Panama Canal is expected to be completed in 2014, allowing more and larger ships to call on America's ports. Our trade volume is expected to double within a decade, and to double again by 2030. We have to be ready for this expected growth in order to remain globally competitive.

The economic benefits of the Corps' mission are not limited to navigation and commerce. Levees, dams, reservoirs, and other measures within the Corps' mission scope provide flood protection for homes and businesses, protecting property and life.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3080.

I thank the gentleman from Oregon. I thank the sponsors of this legislation, Mr. Blumenauer, and I am delighted, along with Mr. DeFazio, to be a cosponsor.

Mr. Chairman, I really just want to emphasize the core values of Mr. DeFazio's as to what this amendment represents. The fact is there is a lack of funding. For those of us who are around ports, who are experiencing extreme flooding, there is a lack of funding that the environmental review process has nothing to do with, and it has not led to the backlog of authorized projects that are not being constructed. I support the timely delivery of water resources projects, but I have concerns as to whether the changes made in this bill in the name of streamlining will actually achieve that goal.

So I ask and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment, which will make the construction of already authorized projects a priority, which clearly had no problems with the environmental review process, and I would argue the fact that we should be encouraged to make this truly a jobs bill and support the DeFazio amendment.

Mr. Chair, as a cosponsor to Rep. DeFazio's amendment, that would delay the application of the environmental ``streamlining'' provisions in Section 103 until the Secretary certifies that there is sufficient funding to reduce the backlog of authorized Corps projects to less than $20 billion in construction costs, I ask my colleagues across the aisle to support amendment #2.

This amendment highlights the fact that it is a lack of funding not the environmental review process that has led to a backlog of authorized projects that are not being constructed. We have spent enough energy arguing over the budget and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) streamlining, but not enough time in making the hard decisions and investments that are going to create economic growth and create jobs.

In short, while I strongly support timely delivery of water resources projects, I have concerns as to whether the changes made in this bill in the name of streamlining will actually achieve that goal.

Particularly given the real world funding issues that we face, and I remain very concerned about the impacts these changes will have on the public participation process and the assessment of impacts to the environment. I urge Members to support Rep. DeFazio's amendment which will make the construction of already authorized projects that clearly had no problems with the environmental review process a priority.

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the ranking member and the chairman for including the Jackson Lee amendment in the en bloc amendments and indicate that this is a bill long overdue. Just to acknowledge, 209,000 jobs, 970 jobs in Texas, $16.7 billion in direct business, $14.1 billion in personal income.

My amendment adds to this legislation by providing for the Army Corps of Engineers under section 118 to consult with key stakeholders, including State, county, and city governments where applicable; State and local water districts; and in the case of recommendations concerning projects that substantially affect underrepresented communities, the Secretary shall also consult with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, tribal colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions.

Mr. Chairman, we are all reminded of the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, of the tragedy of Tropical Storm Allison, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ike, and Hurricane Katrina. Universities and communities were impacted. The Army Corps of Engineers will be much better for the idea of being able to engage in those who are directly impacted.

Again, I ask my colleagues to support the amendment and support the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, as Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus and a proud co-sponsor of the legislation, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2083, the ``Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act.''

I support this legislation because it is a focused and targeted measure which ensures student safety in public schools against violent adults by implementing full background checks.

A deficiency in background checks for screening prospective employees poses a threat to the safety of children in schools.

Inconsistent state laws and regulations that do not require comprehensive background checks for all adults who have contact with children in schools has led to some districts unknowingly hiring offenders.

This is unacceptable. As a nation, we owe it to our kids and to ourselves to prevent our children from being exposed to an unsafe learning environment.

This legislation directly affects the communities I represent as 21% of all paroled sex offenders in Texas reside in Harris County. Failure to screen those we permit to interact with our children in schools allows violent or sexual predators the opportunity to abuse our children.

We have a responsibility to protect children and ensure them a safe, healthy learning environment.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2083 seeks to reduce the inconsistencies in state laws and regulations by requiring comprehensive background checks for all adults who have contact with children in schools.

The bill makes clear that best practices for reducing the prevalence of sexual and violent predators must include prohibiting public schools from hiring or retaining anyone who has been convicted of certain violent crimes.

Additionally, the bill requires periodic updating of background checks for all current employees, and ensuring that schools report to local law enforcement when offenders apply for a position.

Approximately 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been victims of sexual assault. Risks posed by predators on on campus put children at risk and are barriers to their academic and social growth and development.

Students have a right to feel safe, and parents have a right to expect that the individuals they entrust their children with will protect them from physical harm.

Mr. Speaker, my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, which I am proud to represent, understand the value and importance of a safe environment for students to learn and grow.

So do I. That is why I strongly support H.R. 2083. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation.

[From the Huffington Post, June 3, 2013]

Kelly Ann Garcia Allegedly Had Sex, Went to Sex Shop With Student She

Claimed To Be Mentoring

(By Steven Hoffer)

An English teacher in Texas is accused of having sex with a

pupil she claimed to be mentoring.

Kelly Ann Garcia, 29, appeared in court on Thursday to face

charges surrounding her alleged sexual relationship with a

16-year-old Hastings High School student, KHOU reports.

Police say Garcia would meet the victim after school

dismissal, despite not being her assigned teacher.

On March 21, Garcia allegedly took the victim to Starbucks

and revealed an erotic dream she had about her. One week

later, the Houston-area teacher texted the teen to say that

she had broken up with her boyfriend. The following day, the

pair met and ``kissed passionately,'' according to the New

York Daily News.

The intimacy of the alleged relationship escalated over the

following weeks. On one day, authorities say Garcia took the

student to a sex shop.

``The allegation is that they did in fact drive to a store

and purchase a sex toy and drive back to the defendant's

apartment where they engaged in sex,'' said prosecutor Markay

Stroud, according to KHOU.

The student bragged to classmates about her alleged sexual

encounters, which led another student to notify school

administrators, according to reports.

``She seemed nice at the time. She said she wanted to

mentor my daughter, and I took her for her word. Now I'm just

not as trusting in people,'' the teen's mother told KHOU last

week.

Garcia is charged with sex assault of a child and indecency

with a child, according to CBS Houston.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the managers of this bill, the gentleman from Washington and the gentleman from Texas, my colleague from, we would say on the floor, the great State of Texas.

This is a very important measure that I have had an opportunity to engage in. A couple of years back--I would say more years than I would like to remember--former Congressman Mike Andrews and myself were cochairs of the Foster Grandparents Program in Houston, and it drew me to the importance of both foster care and adoption.

I have also spent some time with Senator Mary Landrieu, who, as many know, is a very strong advocate of the idea of adoption and legal guardianship for children in foster care.

One of the new phenomenons that we are seeing more and more is the phenomenon of aging out for foster care children; and so I rise today to support H.R. 3205 and compliment the cochairs of the Foster Care Caucus, of which I am a member, Congresswoman Bass and cochair Marino, and really ask my colleagues to support this important initiative. I am very proud to cosponsor this legislation; and as a cochair and founder of the Congressional Childrens Caucus, now almost 20 years, I would like to say I strongly support it.

The more times that we can say something positive about children in a bipartisan way on the floor of the House, the more of a national statement and commitment is seen by those who are in the various venues in our States and county government and city government who work every day to protect our children. Foster care serves our children and families in a temporary placement by providing suitable, permanent living. Most children are placed in foster care temporarily due to parental abuse and neglect.

In Harris County, my county in Texas, 2,388 children were taken into protective custody in 2011. The average number of children in foster care each month in Harris County is 5,300. 2,440 children in Child Protective Service custody were placed in permanent living in Harris County in 2011.

This is the right direction to go. As of September 30, 2012, 1,740 children in the Houston region are still waiting to be adopted; and, on average, children stay in the system for almost 3 years before either being reunited with their families or adopted.

What a wonderful statement to know that there are families or adults that love you. Many times, those adoptions are amongst family members. Many times, the grandparents take the children. Let's thank them, because that was the program I was involved in, to give R and R, rest, to the grandparents who foster care for many, many children.

Frequent moves, different schools, our children need loving care. They need stability. Many times these foster parents provide that kind of stability. Many foster children have been separated not only from their parents, but from their siblings, and this can be very detrimental socially, emotionally, and psychologically.

So this legislation, which reauthorizes and restructures the Adoption Incentives Grant Program, will help enhance, cultivate, and advance the foster care system by making it a program that is beneficial.

Mr. Speaker, I was not able to come to the floor for H.R. 2083. I also, as a cochair of the Congressional Childrens Caucus, focusing on the abuse of children, want to salute and support the Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act and ask this floor to support both of these initiatives, because when we speak for children, we speak for America.

I hope that we will also see, soon, antibullying and prevention legislation on the floor, Mr. Speaker, to make that public statement.

I thank the gentleman for his yielding, and I want to salute Little Audrey's in Houston for the work they have done for the children in Houston, Texas. Thank you, Alma, very much for the work you have done.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Congressional Adoption and Foster Care Caucuses and as Chair of the Congressional Childrens Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3205, the ``Promoting Adoption and Legal Guardianship for Children in Foster Care Act.''

I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bill because it promotes adoption, protects children and provides grant funding for the foster care system.

Foster care serves our children and families as a temporary placement until a suitable permanent living arrangement is made that best fits the child.

Most children are placed in foster care temporarily due to parental abuse or neglect. In Harris County, 2,388 children were taken into protective custody in 2011. The average number of children in foster care each month in Harris County is 5,300.

In addition, 2,440 children in Children's Protective Service (CPS) custody were placed in a permanent living arrangement in Harris County in 2011. With court approval, 28.3 percent of the children were returned to their own families, 26.5 percent were placed with relatives, and 34.4 percent were placed in adoptive homes.

As of September 31, 2012, 1,740 children in the Houston Region are still waiting to be adopted (1,503 in Harris County).

On average, children stay in the system for almost three years before either being reunited with their families or adopted. Children have on average three different foster care placements.

Frequent moves in and out of the homes of strangers can be profoundly unsettling and quite difficult for children, and it is not uncommon to hear of children who have been in 20 or 30 different homes during their time in foster care.

Many foster children have been separated not only from their parents, but from their siblings, which can be very detrimental to a child socially, emotionally and psychologically.

Many children in foster care unfortunately have to undergo multiple placement changes several times while in foster care due to a wide range of factors such as licensing standards violations, court rulings, behavioral

issues, or changes in the foster home or facility.

In my home city of Houston, CPS does a remarkable job increase in providing placement options that will better match the needs of each individual child that goes through the foster care system.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3205 reauthorizes and restructures the adoption incentives grant program. These grant funds will help enhance, cultivate, and advance the foster care system by making it a program that is beneficial while effectively serving children. These resources will give children in foster care the opportunity to flourish in whatever living placement they are given.

Adoption is more than just a legal process, it is an emotional, social and psychological process in which children who have been removed from their biological parents become full and permanent legal members of another family. Adoption has many facets and touches people in different ways.

This bill promotes adoption and will help ensure that people who are willing and able to serve will have the necessary information and means to become legal guardians of foster children in need of placement.

Mr. Speaker, children are our hope for a better tomorrow, but it is up to us to promote adoption so that children may have legal guardians who will properly care for them and help them know the joy and security that comes with being a member of a loving family.

For these reasons, I strongly support H.R. 3205. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), and I would like to thank Chairman Miller--we have worked together. I thank the gentleman so very much. I want to acknowledge as well the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Mrs. Lowey. Thank you for allowing me to share with you this evening my comments, appreciation, and respect that I have for Bill Young.

First of all, I would like to say what everyone else has said. What a great American. What a great patriot. What a great public servant.

Bill, may you rest in peace.

Congressman Young, Chairman Young was on the floor of the House just a few weeks before he passed. I think that is important to note, that he was working every single day to make America better. He loved soldiers and veterans. He loved their families. It is highly appropriate for him to have his name so honored as a named veterans hospital.

I want to say that it is particularly important to note that Congressman Young was able to speak to kings and queens and generals and people of high places. But he was best when he was talking to everyday people, to the soldiers that he loved.

He came from humble beginnings. Starting with his mother, a single parent, losing his home early in life, living in a hunting camp. You would think that he would not be the generous-hearted person that he is today. But he was really what America is all about, the American Dream.

I remember his commitment to our soldiers and his easy ability to work across the aisle as someone who advocated for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. I want to let his family know how dedicated he was to providing extra resources to the thousands upon thousands of soldiers who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan who needed extra help with post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was very kind to those of us who were concerned about breast cancer and women in the United States military who may have experienced breast cancer.

I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Florida.

He has worked with me over the last two sessions, Mr. Speaker, in providing extra funding for post-traumatic stress disorder to a center that is in Houston, Texas, but also dealing with additional research on triple-negative breast cancer that might have an impact not only on the military population of women but also with women around the Nation. Bill was like that, if I might. Congressman Bill Young, Chairman Bill Young was like that, always extending, always sharing.

He has a special place in my heart because my late mother is from St. Petersburg, Florida. But I would say that he should have a special place in the hearts of all Americans because if you ever want to see exemplified a grand and stately gentleman who had nothing in his heart but the love and respect and admiration for this Nation, it was our dear friend, the Honorable Bill Young.

To his family, I say to them, we love him, and we extend our deepest sympathies. Thank you, my dear friend. You have served well. I hope that you will rest well.

May God bless him, and God bless his family.

Mr. Speaker, we are now on the precipice, moving toward a place that America should not be. I stood on this floor a few days ago and said, Mr. Speaker, we are facing a crisis; and for some, the argument is we haven't seen the market take a fall.

Let me suggest that we, as custodians of this great Nation--Members of the United States Congress--are like parents. Therefore, I ask any parent who is listening how long do they wait before they see a toddler fall, or do they leap toward that toddler so that they know the strength of that parent is always there.

We have an important challenge today. The headline of this newspaper says:

Senate Leaders See Deal on the Horizon.

And so I make a plea today, Mr. Speaker, that our Republicans, however distracted they may be, join Democrats so that the Senate bill will be on the desk of our President today before midnight. We are parents holding onto America.

I remind my friends of the words of Abraham Lincoln in his first inaugural address:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.

Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds

of affection.

We are close to breaking those bonds of affection because we have thrown the American people into a downward spiral. I hope that Members of Congress will join me on H. Res. 375 in which I have this House go on record to never, ever again tie a nongermane legislative matter into the budgeting process: ObamaCare.

The reasons are many. Oh, there is much talk about the challenges we are having with the technological infrastructure. I met with almost 40 members of navigators in my area. I will tell you, when I left the meeting, they were smiling and they were encouraged; they were ready to move forward. They know there are technological glitches, and we will fix those; but they also know there are stories that are important, such as ``ObamaCare Saved My Family from Financial Ruin,'' by Janine Reid:

House Speaker Boehner and his Tea Party friends shut down

the U.S. Government because of people like me. I am the

mother of an insurance hog, someone who could have blown

through his lifetime limit of health insurance by the time he

was 14. My son has managed to survive despite seemingly

insurmountable challenges, and he wears his preexisting

condition like a Super Bowl ring. Mason, now 16, was probably

born with his brain tumor.

It goes on to talk about, We discovered it 6 years ago through biopsies. Over and over again, he has had any number of surgeries until the point that he reached where he was reaching his lifetime caps. But yet Mason came up toward the Affordable Care Act, which lifted his lifetime caps. He is a young man now who plays basketball and argues with his siblings. ObamaCare saved Mason's life and will allow Mason to go forward.

Join in H. Res. 375, never again to be mired in the opposition of a legislative initiative that can go through regular order to be able to, in essence, stop and shut down the government.

This default, which can occur, which we shouldn't play with, some people are talking about it can be 2 weeks from now or we will pay the bondholders so other folk won't suffer. Watch my words: interest rates and mortgages go up; access to small loans, business loans will not be able to survive, and interest rates on credit cards. Working America will literally crumble before us.

I hope that we will take the words of Chaplain Black, a dear friend of all of ours and mine:

Gracious God, we praise You that although we have merely a

feeble hold on You, that You have a mighty grasp on us. Use

Your mighty hands to lead our lawmakers to Your desired

destination, making them instruments of truth and justice.

Mr. Speaker, there is a rum maker in Pittsburgh who was just getting his business together. After 2 years of work, he had lined up everything. He was ready to produce legally good rum in Pittsburgh, Maggie's Farm Rum. He was shut down because he could not get ATF, Alcohol and Tobacco, to come forward and be able to help him.

Mr. Speaker, the impact is egregious and horrific, and what I would just simply say to you is don't listen to those who are saying it is going to be okay. We have lost $22 billion already. I am asking--I am pleading--to put the Senate bill on the floor, to waive the rules and vote on this. Put it on the President's desk tonight. Don't let Fitch, S&P and others send us downhill. This is a great country. This is a great Nation, and we deserve to show America that we care for them.