Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to first take a minute to thank my colleague Congressman Alcee Hastings from Florida for working with leadership to this important legislation to the floor.

background on the legislation

In 2003, The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act, MMA, was signed into law having a significant impact on Medicare beneficiaries and State Medicaid programs through changes affecting those dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. The purpose of the section was to:

1. Provide a concise summary of the key provisions affecting those dually eligible and the States, and

2. Provide details of the demographic and Medicaid expenditure characteristics of the dually eligible, using data from ten States.

The MMA used to require that States take a practical new look at their programs in order to better prescription drug spending. Beginning in 2006, States will no longer provide and manage drug coverage for patients that currently represent, on average, about 50 percent of the State's Medicaid spending for drugs. This significant shift would have required that States reassess available resources and the most cost- efficient ways for employing those resources.

A determination of excess general funding, as required by Sec. 801 of P.L. 108-173. the MMA, is issued if general revenue Medicare funding is expected to exceed 45 percent of Medicare outlays for the current fiscal year or any of the next six fiscal years. If the determination is issued for two consecutive years, a warning is issued requiring certain presidential and congressional action (Sec. 802-Sec. 804 of

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the National Bar Association that will hold its 83rd national convention in Houston, Texas. Many of its activities will be in the 18th Congressional District. The National Bar Association was formulated when its membership or its members were rejected in their attempt to be members of the American Bar Association.

Out of that creation came the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of civil rights legislation and litigation.

I want to salute the Houston Lawyers Association, salute the past presidents, the president and board of directors, and particularly I want to salute the National Bar Association for its enormous history of civil rights fighting, fighting for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Lawyers of the National Bar Association are patent lawyers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and most of all, the holders and protectors of the Constitution. They have fought the cases in desegregating schools. They have provided opportunities for those who have sought equal employment. Yes, Mr. Speaker, they are in fact the conscience holders of the legal bar because the National Bar Association continues to stand for justice and equality and opportunity.

I am so proud that they are coming to Houston, Texas, to celebrate the 83rd annual convention, an organization of lawyers that have put forward the cause of justice. I salute them and congratulate them.

I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Florida for her leadership and yielding to me. I thank the chairman of the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are asking this Congress to do the

right thing. They are certainly not asking us to blame them for the crisis in the mortgage foreclosure market.

And as a member of the Judiciary Committee, I know the number of bankruptcies of hardworking Americans. This bill provides a refundable first-time home buyer credit, $7,500. It provides a temporary increase in the low-income housing tax credit. And it does not bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

It is simply a guarantee to protect the American consumers and taxpayers. This Congress will make sure you are protected. All it does is says the Secretary of the Treasury can provide a guarantee if necessary. Then, of course, it buys back all those foreclosed homes on your block that keeps your house from going down in value. This is a bill that is needed.

I support the rule and the underlying bill. The American people are asking this Congress to do the right thing, and this Democratic Congress is going to do the right thing on behalf of the American people.

The people of Houston Texas, the 18th Congressional District, need this relief. We will vote on it today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3221, the ``American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008''. This momentous legislation will jump-start the market for mortgages by establishing a true market value for the securities backed by these loans. H.R. 3221 responds directly to the current housing crisis facing this country, while providing the tools to prevent a repeat of these problems. This will help families facing foreclosure keep their homes, help other families avoid foreclosures in the future, and help the recovery of communities harmed by empty homes caught in the foreclosure process.

This legislation provides mortgage refinancing assistance to keep at least 400,000 families from losing their homes, to protect neighboring home values, and to help stabilize the housing market at no cost to American taxpayers. This legislation also protects taxpayers by requiring lenders and homeowners to take responsibility. This is not a bailout; in order to participate, lenders and mortgage investors must take significant losses by reducing the loan principal.

This legislation contains critical protections for taxpayers' dollars, including higher refinancing fees that establish a new FHA reserve to cover possible losses from defaults on these government- backed mortgages. I support this legislation because only primary residences are eligible: NO speculators, investment properties, second or third homes will be refinanced and it provides $180 million for financial counseling and legal assistance to help families stay in their homes.

H.R. 3221 gives the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to increase the already existing line of credit to Freddie and Fannie for the next 18 months, as well as giving the Treasury Department standby authority to buy stock in those companies to provide confidence in the GSEs and stabilize housing finance markets.

While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both now meet the capital and liquidity requirements set by their regulator, given the severe turmoil in the markets, the standby authority is needed to increase market confidence and enable both enterprises to continue to raise capital and maintain the availability of mortgage credit. This bill requires the Treasury Secretary to make an emergency designation before using the authority--certifying that he is acting to provide stability to financial markets, prevent disruptions in the availability of mortgage finance, protect the taxpayers, and facilitate an orderly restoration of private markets. No spending would occur unless the Secretary certifies that there is an emergency that requires immediate action. However, if those conditions are not met, there would not be any increase in the deficit as a result of this legislation.

I support that this legislation provides $4 billion in emergency assistance (CDBG Funds) to communities hardest hit by the foreclosure and subprime crisis to purchase foreclosed homes, at a discount, and rehabilitate or redevelop the homes to stabilize neighborhoods and stem the significant losses in home values of neighboring homes. This legislation establishes a nationwide loan originator licensing and registration system that will set minimum standards for loan originator licensing substantially improving the oversight of mortgage brokers and bank loan officers. It also establishes improved mortgage disclosure requirements that will help ensure that mortgage borrowers understand their mortgage loan terms.

This legislation preserves the American Dream for Our Nation's Veterans. It increases the VA Home Loan limit, helping returning soldiers avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. This legislation requires the Department of Defense to establish a counseling program for veterans and active service members facing financial difficulties and provides a moving benefit to servicemen and women who are forced to move out because their rental housing was foreclosed on. It also increases benefits paid to veterans with disabilities, such as blindness, to adapt their housing and allows the Veterans Administration to provide for improvements to homes of veterans with service-connected disabilities.

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated in 1933, ``the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.'' We must do just that. We must move forward and that is exactly what H.R. 3221 seeks to do.

This legislation will begin to repair, not bailout, the economy, by restoring confidence in the markets, limiting the damage to families and neighborhoods, and rejuvenating the communities with new affordable housing. Ironically, we celebrate the bailouts of yesteryear, when we believed that the power of the Federal Government was needed to get the country out of the Depression.

Were the banking reform laws, emergency relief programs, work relief programs, and agricultural programs, the Social Security Act, and programs to aid tenant farmers and migrant workers--were these bailouts? Many of the New Deal programs under President Roosevelt were considered bailouts at that time. And yet, these programs brought our country out of the Depression, rejuvenated out economy, and gave hope as we sought to deal with the War overseas.

Texas

Texas ranked fourth behind California, Florida, and Illinois in pre- foreclosures. Last year, Texas held the top seat for active foreclosures.

H.R. 3221 helps homeowners and only homeowners, not speculators or lenders. We cannot continue to stand by as things get worse. Texas reported 13,829 properties entering some stage of foreclosure in April, a 16 percent increase from the previous month and the most foreclosure filings reported by any state. The state documented the Nation's third highest state combined foreclosure rate--one foreclosure filing for every 582 households.

Many homeowners in my district are worried about missing their next house payment or their next home equity mortgage, or their interest rate going up. These families are under stress and in constant fear of losing their homes.

While this bill should not be the last word in housing legislation, it is a great beginning. This bill coupled with Congresswoman Maxine Waters's bill, H.R. 5818, the Neighborhood Stabilization Act, provides a good starting point in providing Americans with relief.

Texas and what HUD is Doing

In March, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced the Texas State Program and the cities of Houston and New Braunfels will receive a total of $234,868,077 to support community development and produce more affordable housing. HUD's annual funding will also provide down-payment assistance to first-time homebuyers; assist individuals and families who might otherwise be living on the streets; and offer real housing solutions for individuals with HIV/

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2565 to establish an awards mechanism to honor exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty by Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers. This bill will provide a mechanism to honor exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty by Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers. In sum this bill provides a mechanism to honor for their service and bravery.

There are more than 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers serving in the United States; the highest figure ever. On average, more than 56,000 law enforcement officers are assaulted each year, resulting in over 16,000 injuries with an average of 150 of those injuries sustained by Federal law enforcement officers. While members of the military receive the Purple Heart when wounded or killed, most Federal law enforcement officers receive no such commendation for their sacrifice. In fact, of the over 70 Federal agencies that employ Federal law enforcement agents, only two agencies award medals and commendations for physical injuries.

This must change. Both the military and our law enforcement officers protect the citizens of our great country every single day. If we can acknowledge the sacrifices made by the military, we can recognize those made by law enforcement.

It is time for all of our law enforcement officers to receive the recognition they deserve. This bill authorizes the Attorney General to award a Congressional Badge of Bravery to a Federal law enforcement officer who sustains a physical injury in the line of duty and to

award a State and Local Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery to a State or local law enforcement officer who is cited by the Attorney General for performing such an act of bravery while in the line of duty.

I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation and support the law enforcement community. I would also note that this bill has support from both the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and the Fraternal Order of Police, organizations with over 26,000 and 325,000 members, respectively. These men and women serve our country every single day, working to keep us safe from threats ranging from terrorists to petty thieves. It is our duty to see that they receive the recognition they so rightly deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6531, the Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2008. This bill amends the United States Code, in the section relating to the vessel hull design protection, to clarify the definitions of a hull and a deck.

Industrial designs, like other forms of intellectual property, originated in Europe and have a long history. The objective of industrial design protection is similar to other intellectual property protections: promoting the creation of new, unique, and appealing designs for products by granting exclusive economic rights for a limited time. Many countries have established industrial design laws that are separate and distinct from other forms of intellectual property rights. The United States provides protection for industrial designs through design patents, trade redress, copyright and vessel hull design protection.

There have been several efforts to provide a sui generis form of protection for industrial designs at least since the 1976 Copyright Act. However, it was not until 1998 that some limited success in these efforts took the form of the Vessel Hull Design Protection Act. This Act was passed as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. While the scope of protection in the Act was limited to vessel hulls, the act took much of its language and structure from previous legislative proposals establishing a general design right.

The Vessel Hull Design Protection Act grants exclusive rights to the design of an original vessel hull. To be original, a vessel hull design must be a non-trivial variation over prior vessel hulls, which is the result of the designer's creative endeavor and is not copied from another source. The Vessel Hull Design Protection Act does not provide any protection to non-original designs, staple or commonplace designs, and designs dictated solely by utilitarian function. The Vessel Hull Design Protection Act defines a ``hull'' as the frame or body of a vessel, including a deck.

Significantly, H.R. 6531, makes changes to this Act and excludes ``deck'' from the definition of a ``hull''. By H.R. 6531, ``hull'' is simply defined as the exterior frame or body of a vessel, exclusive of the deck, superstructure, masts, sails, yards, rigging, hardware, fixtures, and other attachments. The ``deck'' is defined as the horizontal surface of the vessel that covers the hull.

This refined definition should add more clarity to vessel hull protection. To secure vessel hull design protection, an application for the design must be submitted to the Copyright Office that sets forth the salient features of the design. According to the Copyright Office, applicants generally provided only a minimal description and rely heavily upon references to photographs they provide in their applications to define the designs they want protected. The Copyright Office must then decide whether the application, on its face, appears to be subject to protection. The definitional change provided by H.R. 6531 should simplify this process.

The Copyright Office's review focuses upon on making sure formal requirements are met, such as ensuring that the subject is a vessel and not a car, for instance. The review does not, however, look at the compliance with substantive requirements such as determining whether the design is original.

A registered vessel hull design gives the designer exclusive rights to make, sell, import, or use in trade, vessel hulls embodying the design. Certainly, the definitional change will make it easier to determine the design of the vessel and to ascertain whether any infringement has occurred. An infringing hull design is one that has been copied without the consent of the designer. A vessel hull design will not be considered copied if it is original and not substantially similar in appearance to a protected vessel hull design. When infringement is proven, a vessel hull designer may seek injunctive relief and either damages adequate to compensate for the infringement or the infringer's profits.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6531 because it simplifies the definition of a hull and makes it easier to determine whether there has been infringement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4049, the Money Service Business Act. This Act eliminates the regulatory burdens imposed on insured depository institutions and money services business and enhances the availability of transaction accounts at depository institutions for such businesses, and for other purposes. I support this bill and I encourage my colleagues to do likewise.

Check cashers, money transmitters, and other legally authorized and regulated money transmitting businesses (also designated as money services businesses) provide a wide range of necessary financial services and products to customers from all walks of life, including the under-banked and urban communities. Those services include domestic and international funds transfers, check cashing, money order and traveler's checks sales, and electronic bill payments.

Regulatory guidance issued by, and expectations of, the Federal banking agencies and the Secretary of Treasury urge insured depository institutions to conduct reviews of money services businesses' anti- money laundering compliance programs, placing such depository institutions in the position of quasi-regulators. Consequently, many insured depository institutions have refused or closed money services businesses' accounts in order either not to incur the burden, risk or potential liability for undertaking a de facto regulatory function, or else to avoid supervisory sanctions for not exercising such oversight. This trend endangers the existence of legitimate, regulated money services businesses industry and the ability of such businesses to deliver financial services and products. Loss of depository institutions accounts by money services businesses threatens to drive the customer transactions of such businesses underground through unregulated channels, including bulk cash smuggling or other means.

It is critical to the interests of national security that transparency of money services business transactions be maintained by ensuring such businesses have a reasonable process to demonstrate to insured depository institutions the compliance by such businesses with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations. Money services businesses are subject to Federal money laundering and terrorist financing control programs and reporting requirements as enforced by State and Federal regulators. These entities are authorized to conduct compliance oversight and to impose sanctions through licensing, registration or other powers.

These State and Federal regulators have committed to coordinate their supervision and enforcement of such money services business obligations.

Insured depository institutions and Federal banking regulators should be able to rely upon a regulatory process for conducting oversight of money services businesses' compliance. Accordingly, to eliminate regulatory burden imposed upon insured depository institutions and promote access by money services businesses to the banking system and to give full recognition to Federal and State agency authority to supervise and enforce money services businesses' compliance with anti- money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations and their implementing regulations, it is appropriate and necessary to provide for self-certification process established pursuant to this Act.

I support this Act and encourage my colleagues to support it also.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee for bringing recognition to a group often forgotten in this racial and ethnic melting pot known as America.

This legislation does more than recognize Caribbean-Americans or as many are called West Indians, it recognizes and celebrates diversity. Unfortunately, this country has not always celebrated its diverse roots. It has faltered at times in remembering that the differences can be celebrated as much as those things in which we share--like humanity, like faith in a higher power, like democracy.

Even now as I stand and address the House floor, I am reminded that we have yet to pass comprehensive immigration reform. We still watch the television and see commercials using words like illegal and alien, with people that are from our southern borders of Mexico or our coastal south like Haiti or Cuba. Sadly, these commercials prey on the fears of an America in an economic crisis. These commercials speak to fear of other cultures, other religions, and other ways of doing business.

What they do not show is the thousands upon thousands of new immigrants who make their home here and work from sun up to sun down to build a better tomorrow for their families. What the commercials do not speak to is the thousands of immigrants who come from our northern borders or from Europe. More importantly, these commercials do not speak to the foundation of one land made up of many.

This resolution reminds us that although many in this country were born elsewhere or have parents who were born elsewhere they are very much Americans.

Thank you, Congresswoman Lee, for reminding us to celebrate our diverse population by celebrating Caribbean-Americans. Each Caribbean country has shared her native children with these United States. From the classic actor and activist Sidney Poitier to the former Army general and Secretary of State Colin Powell, from the charismatic Celia Cruz to the hard-rocker Lenny Kravitz, and so many more--Caribbean- Americans honor both their past and their present.

Many of the Members on this very bill have parents or grandparents from the West Indies. Thank you for celebrating them and for celebrating what makes America beautiful--her diverse people.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank all of those who strive to see an America made up of a diverse group of people. Many of them have given up not only their country of birth but their loved ones, to cross into an unknown land to build a dream. Let their love for America not be doubted because they also celebrate their native Jamaica or Bahamas or Dominican Republic or Trinidad--let it be a lesson that you can love your past, while you celebrate your future. I urge my colleagues to support a resolution that is about the celebration of diversity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 6545, the National Energy Security Intelligence Act of 2008, introduced by my distinguished colleague from Louisiana, Representative Don Cazayoux. This legislation is an important step in ensuring that rising energy costs do not endanger American lives.

It is obvious that the steep incline in energy prices that has been plaguing our citizens cannot be tolerated much longer, as it has led to rising food costs, transportation costs, and inflation. In addition to these economic issues, energy prices also negatively impact national security.

One key step in managing this situation is assessing the future supply and demand for crude oil, natural gas, and alternative fuels. By doing so, we limit the unpredictability of the energy market and its impact on daily lives. This will prevent energy and food crises like the one we are currently experiencing from occurring in the future.

Additionally, investigating the effects that rapidly escalating energy costs and extreme price fluctuations could have on national security is absolutely crucial. The possibility of energy sales being used to fund terrorist organizations or other adversaries of the United States, cannot be ignored. Americans cannot allow the money we spend on travelling to work or school everyday to end up in the hands of those who mean us harm. This is why we must know the implications of increasing funding through energy revenue to potential adversaries of the U.S., and we must also understand the intentions of key energy- producing and exporting nations with respect to energy production and supply.

This legislation will allow us to decide which countries are trust- worthy business partners, and which countries we must limit our energy trade with. It is also necessary to examine the national security implications of America's dependence on international energy supplies in order to further determine the benefits of exploring alternative energy supplies.

By requiring the Director of National Intelligence to submit to Congress a national intelligence assessment on national security and energy security issues relating to rapidly escalating energy costs, H. Res. 6545 assures that these issues will be examined and addressed.

As Members of Congress, and representatives of the people, it is our duty to ensure the safety and well-being of Americans. I urge my fellow Representatives to join me in support of H. Res. 6545, which is an essential step for national security.

Mr. Speaker, HASC Chairman Ike Skelton submitted H. Con. Res. 377 last month to authorize the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the beginning of the integration of the United States Armed Forces. Specifically, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948, which provided for equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.

The resolution commemorating this event was overwhelmingly adopted by the House, with the Senate concurring, and tomorrow's ceremony is the result. Significant House leadership (bipartisan) is expected to attend, among them Speaker Pelosi, Leaders Hoyer/Boehner, Chairman Skelton and many Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. All U.S. Senators have been invited--Leaders Reid and McConnell have accepted; numerous Senators are also expected to be in attendance. Executive Branch invites were also extended. I would like to thank Congressman Elijah Cummings for leading this special order and for his leadership on this issue.

The integration of the armed forces was a momentous event in our military and national history; it represented a milestone in the development of the armed forces and the fulfillment of the democratic ideal. The existence of integrated rather than segregated armed forces is an important factor in our military establishment today. Also we must continue to promote the promotion to office for these minority soldiers and women soldiers.

The experiences in World War II and the postwar pressures generated by the civil rights movement compelled all the services--Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps--to reexamine their traditional practices of segregation. While there were differences in the ways that the services moved toward integration, all were subject to the same demands, fears, and prejudices and had the same need to use their resources in a more rational and economical way. All of them reached the same conclusion: traditional attitudes toward minorities must give way to democratic concepts of civil rights.

If the integration of the armed services now seems to have been inevitable in a democratic society, it nevertheless faced opposition that had to be overcome and problems that had to be solved through the combined efforts of political and civil rights leaders and civil and military officials. In many ways the military services were at the cutting edge in the struggle for racial equality.

The 60th anniversary of the integration of the U.S. armed forces reflects the quarter century that followed America's entry into World War II, beginning with reluctant inclusion of a few segregated ``Negroes'', to African-American service men and women's routine acceptance in a racially integrated military establishment.

In the name of equality of treatment and opportunity, the Department of Defense took a long time to adequately challenge racial injustices deeply rooted in American society.

Clearly, it was a practical answer to pressing political problems that had plagued several national administrations. In another, it was the services expression of those liberalizing tendencies that were pervading American society during the era of civil rights activism.

Sadly, just as Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of affecting the establishment with financial boycotts because it was easier to change laws than to change hearts; to a considerable extent the policy of racial equality was more a response to the need for military efficiency than a belief in true equal opportunity.

Men like Walter F. White of the NAACP and the National Urban League's T. Arnold Hill sought to use World War II to expand opportunities for the black American. From the start they tried to translate the idealistic sentiment for democracy into widespread support for civil rights in the United States.

The became readily apparent during President Truman's years in the White House, that winning equality at home was just as important as advancing the cause of freedom abroad. As George S. Schuyler, a widely quoted African-American columnist put it: ``If nothing more comes out of this emergency (World War II) than the widespread understanding among White leaders that the Negro's loyalty is conditional, we shall not have suffered in vain.''

The NAACP spelled out the challenge even more clearly in its monthly publication, The Crisis, which declared itself ``sorry for brutality, blood, and death among the peoples of Europe, just as we were sorry for China and Ethiopia. But the hysterical cries of the preachers of democracy for Europe leave us cold. We want democracy in Alabama, Arkansas, in Mississippi and Michigan, in the District of Columbia--in the Senate of the United States.''

The administration began responding to these pressures before America entered World War II. At the urging of the White House the Army announced plans for the mobilization of African-Americans, and Congress amended several mobilization measures to define and increase the military training opportunities for African-Americans.

The most important of these legislative amendments in terms of influence on future race relations were made to the Selective Service Act of 1940. The matter of race played only a small part in the debate on this highly controversial legislation, but during congressional hearings on the bill African-Americans testified on discrimination against Negroes in the services. These witnesses concluded that if the draft law did not provide specific guarantees against it, discrimination would prevail. Luckily, Congress agreed.

On July 26, 1948, President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ordering the racial integration of the Armed Forces, declaring that, ``there is equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.'' The policy was to be put into effect, ``rapidly as possible, having due regard to the time required to effectuate any necessary changes without impairing efficiency or morale.''

Unfortunately, the all-black 24th Infantry was the only black active duty regiment left intact after WorId War II. The 25th Infantry Regiment was also still on active duty, but its battalions were split and attached to various divisions to replace inactive or unfilled organic elements. The all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were reactivated in 1950 as separate tank battalions--keeping full integration still in the distant future.

In February 1946 The U.S. Navy published a circular letter making black sailors ``eligible for all types of assignments in all ratings in all activities and all ships of naval service. Yet it was a full 3 years later before the first military service group, the Air Force integrated under the executive order.

The true fulfillment of the entire scope of Executive Order 9981-- equality of treatment and opportunity--actually required an additional change in Defense Department policy which did not occur until July 26, 1963, 15 years to the day after Truman signed the original order.

This major about-face in policy issued by Secretary of Defense Robert J. McNamara expanded the military's responsibility to include the elimination of off-base discrimination detrimental to the military effectiveness of black servicemen.

As of 2008, the Department of Defense has a total of 1,375,105 service members serving on active duty in the Armed Forces. Minorities serve in senior leadership positions throughout the Armed Forces, as commissioned, warrant and non-commissioned officers, evidence that the integration of the Armed Forces has enhanced the combat effectiveness of the military 60 years ago and still holds true today.

There have been more than 1,754,900 service members from this volunteer force that have fought in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/ Operation Enduring Freedom, of which more than 20 percent are minorities, evidence that the United States could not maintain an all- volunteer force without the service of and critical role played by minorities.

The Armed Forces has been lead in creating opportunities for no matter the national origin, religion nor race. Making equal opportunity not just a slogan but a way of life. It is a place where regularly minorities serve as leaders, companies, battalions, divisions. It also serves a great opportunity to grow morally, ethically, and professionally.

The United States Military Academy--West Point, (USMA) currently has the highest enrollment percentage (24.1 percent) of minorities

for graduating classes of 2007-2011. The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is at a close 22.7 percent and has seen a steady and consistent increase in enrollment of minorities well over 20 percent graduating classes of 2007-2011.

The USNA has the highest enrollment number for females (20 percent), with the USAFA close behind--19 percent. USMA has the highest number of African American enrollment, however it is important to note that the enrollment numbers for West Point are about 90-100 students more than the Naval Academy and about the same enrollment numbers for the Air Force.

Current Active Duty Flag Officer statistics throughout the Department of Defense:

4-Star Generals, 1 is an African American (General ``Kip'' Ward)

137 3-Star Generals, 8 are African American

279 2-Star Generals, 17 are African American

444 1-Star Generals, 24 are African American

TOTAL: 899 General Officers, 40 are African American--4.4 percent of General Officers on Active Duty.

I am also lucky to serve with several Congressional Black Caucus Members that have served in our Armed Forces including:

Charles Rangel (NY) Served in the Korean War in United States Army during the period of 1948-1952; Purple Heart and Bronze Star Recipient

John Conyers Jr. (MI) Served in the United States Army during the Korean War

Bobby Rush (1st IL) Served 5 years in the United States Army

Edolphus Towns (10th NY) United States Army

Robert ``Bobby'' Scott (3rd VA) United States Army

I am proud to stand here today and honor the many African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Europeans, and all the other ethnic groups that make up our armed forces. No matter their race or national origin they have but three things in common--their desire to champion the ideals of democracy, their willingness to give the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and their compelling devotion to duty.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from the great State of West Virginia, I thank you for your leadership.

Mr. Chairman, speaking of history, I just want to make mention of the fact that we have many Americans that care for it.

I am delighted that some 23,000 women from Alpha Kappa Alpha are here, Americans who are believing in their government and asking for change and asking for the leadership that is here on the floor of the House. To them, I believe we have an obligation to all Americans. It's important to know that I come from oil country. I represent large numbers of energy companies in the City of Houston. I practiced oil and gas law and have the experience of stripper-well legislation or litigation, if you will, worked on take-or-pay and curtailment.

I know very well about the Alaskan pipeline because it was being worked on in the 1970s, so we do have a right in this legislation, H.R. 6515, to ask that the Alaskan pipeline for natural gas for Americans be utilized, be put in place. It might be time now to declare a national emergency and take control of that pipeline and get it working.

But what this bill stands for is for working men and women, families. What it says is we are simply asking for due diligence, and that is to come to the National Petroleum Reserve and go ahead and acknowledge the fact that there are 22.6 million acres that can be leased. Only 3 million acres have been leased, and only 25 exploratory wells have been drilled.

We are simply saying that this is part of the larger piece, the drilling off the gulf of Texas and Louisiana, of which we in those areas applaud and salute. They have been done environmentally safely.

I ask the energy companies, of whom I am inviting to sit down in Houston in a roundtable and begin to engage in the process of doing what the building trades have said. Let us address the question of affordable energy and national security. This is a national security issue.

The question has to be if we have Federal lands, we need to be able to drill. This legislation says so. We need to be able to have due diligence, and we need to come together to provide the kind of energy policy that is for national security.

Today, Mr. Speaker, we addressed an enormously important issue, and that is how to give relief to the American people on these soaring energy prices, small businesses, teachers and bus drivers, families who are carpooling, others who are trying to get to work. We owe them our collective minds to be able to ensure that we have a combined philosophy and program as it addresses the question of affordable energy and protecting our national security.

So I do believe there is a right way of drilling. I do believe we should go into the National Petroleum Reserve, and frankly I believe we should release gallons of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve so the American people can have immediate relief. I also think it is extremely important that we conserve, and we look at solar and wind.

And as it relates to the 23 million leases that are there, only 3 million are used, let us delegate from those who may own them, let us set aside some opportunity for minority and women-owned businesses and small businesses to be able to engage in that. Let's have a collective effort.

Let me thank my colleague Mr. Green for his outstanding leadership on the Financial Services Committee in the management of this bill.

Let me also thank his co-manager on the floor as well, and I'd like to thank the chairman of the Financial Services Committee and his ranking member. Chairman Frank has been a champion of this legislation. His staff and the Financial Services Committee has been a supporter as we have made our way from the House, through the committee process, through the Senate, back to the House, and now back to the Senate.

I think it's important to note that the House has the ability to legislate on revenue matters, and it is important as we pass this legislation for it to pass quickly in the Senate in order for this very worthy acknowledgment of the NASA 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act.

I'm delighted to be the original cosponsor and author of this legislation, joined with my colleague Congressman John Culberson. I want to congratulate him and congratulate his staff. He has worked over a number of sessions, and we have collaborated on an institution that we've seen grow and thrive and improve over the years.

This particular legislation is a commemoration of the 50 years of NASA. The year 2008 will mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA. This important legislation celebrates NASA's 50th birthday with a commemorative coin. The legislation also honors extraordinary partnerships between NASA and its 10 space and research centers.

As a long-standing member of the Science Committee, I had the opportunity to visit most of NASA's space and research centers, and I hope as we stand on the floor today, each and every one of them, wherever they are located, will view this as a special tribute to them.

This reflects the distinguished history of NASA. The United States of America won the race to land a man on the moon and subsequently had the opportunity to have women in space. And thanks to the courage, dedication and brilliance of NASA, America has continued to lead the world in the exploration of the solar system and the universe.

On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration began operation. At the time, it consisted of only about 8,000 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. Over the next 50 years, NASA had been involved in many defining events which helped to shape human history. We consider the astronauts our heroes. And I've always enjoyed saying that at my annual Christmas party with 3,000 youngsters, the astronauts are more popular than Santa Claus.

Many of us remember how inspired we were when on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed, ``I believe this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.'' We all know the phenomenon of ``The Right Stuff,'' the courageous men who first went into space. ``No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish'' as President Kennedy said as he referred to landing a person on the moon.

Always at the forefront of technological innovation, NASA has been home to countless ``firsts'' in the field of space exploration, from the 1958 launch of Pioneer 3, the first U.S. satellite to ascend to an altitude of 63,000 miles, to the January 1998 signing of the International Space Station agreement between 15 countries, establishing the framework for cooperation among partners on the design, development, operation and utilization of the Space Station.

Over the past 50 years, NASA's accomplishments have included many. I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, to note that many who have gone to the Space Station--and I'm putting in my reservation--have indicated that it is massive, it is enormous, it is powerful, it is impressive, it is as large as a football field. That is the genius of America. And this is the genius that we celebrate by this commemorative coin.

I note, very briefly, on February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to circle the Earth.

Briefly, on April 6, 1965, the United States launched Intelsat I, the first commercial satellite.

On November 13, 1961, the United States launched Mariner 9, the first mission to orbit another planet, that was Mars.

On April 12, 1981, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Columbia.

On January 18-24, 1983, NASA launched Space Shuttle Challenger!.

On July 22, 1999, Space Shuttle Columbia's flight was led by Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a shuttle mission.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin made the first lunar landing mission while Michael Collins orbited overhead in the Apollo command module.

On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space.

So many firsts, but yet, of course, there were tragedies. And today, as we commemorate this coin or pass this legislation, we also acknowledge the fallen heroes in Columbia and Challenger, and the others who have found their dream of going into space shortened by this tragic incident.

It is not safe, it is not easy, it is risky, but there are men and women, Americans, who are willing to go into space to be able to push the envelope to ensure that humanity has the kind of health resources or health research in HIV/AIDS and stroke and heart attacks to be able to move this Nation and humanity around the world to its highest level.

I'm very pleased that we, in the Houston area, celebrate the Johnson Space Center, representing so many space centers around the world. I am even more pleased to have the opportunity, on more than one occasion, to welcome home the astronauts as they've landed at the Johnson Space Center. What a remarkable experience to hear their stories, to see their eyes light up as they express what it's like to be in space, to take a space walk. As our most recent mission evidenced, how important it is that space has reflected the diversity of America--Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, Caucasians, men, women, people from all over this Nation, and yes, our international partners from Japan, from Russia, from many places around the world.

And what will this coin do? And we encourage, if I might, for everyone to be excited about this coin. I'm hoping that you will commemorate the passage of this legislation by securing to you the value of the NASA coins. You can say this on the floor of the House, we're not marketing, but we think it will be an outstanding and special historical artifact that you will really want to have. But it also serves to further the dream, the dream of space, the dream in the hearts and minds of young people.

In this very important legislation the proceeds of the sale will benefit the life and legacy of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a friend, a neighbor, a member of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church; the late Dr. Ronald E. McNair whose Educational Science Literacy Foundation is strengthening the connection of minority youngsters to math and science. It will also help the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, for the purposes of creating positive learning experiences using space science as a theme that raise student expectations of success.

All of this will be, as well, celebrated by adding dollars to the NASA Families Assistance Fund, and that is, of course, the fund that provides for those who have lost their loved ones in the course of this historic opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, let me acknowledge Jonathan Obee of the Financial Services Committee on this legislation. I also wish to pay tribute to Yohannes Tsehai of my staff, as I've indicated, again, to the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Frank, and of the subcommittees, and the ranking member of the full committee. I also want to acknowledge, as I indicated before, the manager of the bill from Houston and the manager from the minority who is managing this bill.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me say this, that coins may represent some symbolism, but in the spirit of what NASA has meant to America, it is more than that. It is simply to say thank you; thank you to the brave men and women who are willing, yes, to sacrifice their life so that humanity can be lifted to a higher level.

Learning what happens in space can improve the quality of lives of all Americans. And I hope this coin will remind young people today of the importance of math and science and pushing their own envelopes. I want to see more astronauts and more astronauts, more exploration, if you will, and the understanding of science to improve the quality of life of all of America and around the world.

With that, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation and I thank Mr. Green for his time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6455, the NASA 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act. I was pleased to introduce this bill and I thank my colleague, Mr. Culberson, who joined me in introducing this legislation, and Chairman Frank of the Financial Services Committee, for his excellent leadership in shepherding this historic legislation to passage on the House floor.

The year 2008 will mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This important legislation celebrates NASA's 50th birthday with a commemorative coin. The legislation also honors the extraordinary partnerships between NASA and its 10 space and research centers.

Mr. Speaker, NASA has a distinguished history. The United States of America won the race to land a man on the moon and, thanks to the courage, dedication, and brilliance of NASA, America has continued to lead the world in the exploration of the solar system and the universe.

On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration began operation. At the time it consisted of only about 8,000 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. Over the next 50 years, NASA has been involved in many defining events occurred which have shaped the course of human history and demonstrated to the world the character of the people of the United States.

Many of us remember how inspired we were when on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed: ``I believe this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.''

Always at the forefront of technological innovation, NASA has been home to countless ``firsts'' in the field of space exploration, from the 1958 launch of Pioneer 3, the first U.S. satellite to ascend to an altitude of 63,580 miles, to the January 1998 signing of the International Space Station agreement between 15 countries, establishing the framework for cooperation among partners on the design, development, operation, and utilization of the Space Station. Over the past 50 years, NASA's accomplishments have included:

On 20 Feb. 1962, John Glenn became the first American to circle the Earth, making three orbits in his Friendship 7 Mercury spacecraft.

On 6 Apr. 1965, the United States launched Intelsat I, the first commercial satellite (communications), into geostationary orbit.

On 13 Nov. 1971, the United States launched Mariner 9, the first mission to orbit another planet (Mars).

On 12 Apr. 1981, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Columbia on the first flight of the Space Transportation System (STS-1).

On 18-24 Jun. 1983, NASA launched Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-7) carrying three mission specialists, including Sally K. Ride, the first woman astronaut. In another historic mission, two months later, NASA launched STS-8 carrying the first black American astronaut, Guion S. Bluford.

On 22 Jul. 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia's 26th flight was led by Air Force Col. Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a Shuttle mission.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin made the first lunar landing mission while Michael Collins orbited overhead in the Apollo command module. Armstrong set foot on the surface, telling the millions of listeners that it was ``one small step for man--one giant leap for mankind.'' Aldrin soon followed him out and planted an American flag but omitted claiming the land for the U.S. as had routinely been done during European exploration of the Americas. The two Moon-walkers left behind an American flag and a plaque bearing the inscription: ``Here Men from Planet Earth First Set Foot upon the Moon. Jul. 1969 A.D. We came in Peace for All Mankind.''

On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space aboard the STS-31 mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The Hubble has revolutionized astronomy while expanding our knowledge of the universe and inspiring millions of scientists, students, and members of the public with its unprecedented deep and clear images of space.''

Mr. Speaker, in addition to these historic events, NASA has greatly contributed to our understanding of our universe. In 1968, Apollo 8 took off atop a Saturn V booster from the Kennedy Space Center for a historic mission to orbit the Moon. As Apollo 8 traveled outward, the crew focused a portable television camera on Earth and for the first time humanity saw its home from afar, a tiny, lovely, and fragile ``blue marble'' hanging in the blackness of space.

This transmission and viewing of Earth from a distance was an enormously significant accomplishment and united the Nation at a time when American society was in crisis over Vietnam, race relations, urban problems, and a host of other difficulties.

The success of the United States space exploration program in the 20th Century bodes well for its continued leadership in the 21st Century. This success is largely attributable to the remarkable and indispensable partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and its 10 space and research centers. One of these important research centers is located in my home city of Houston. The Johnson Space Center, which manages the development, testing, production, and delivery of all United States human spacecraft and all human spacecraft-related functions, is one of the crown jewels of NASA and a lodestar in the Houston area. The other nine research and space centers are:

1. The Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley provides products, technologies, and services that enable NASA missions and expand human knowledge in areas as diverse as small spacecraft and supercomputers, science missions and payloads, thermal protection systems and information technology.

2. The Dryden Flight Research Center, the leading center for innovative flight research.

3. The Glenn Research Center, which develops power, propulsion, and communication technologies for space flight systems and aeronautics research.

4. The Goddard Space Flight Center, which specializes in research to expand knowledge on the Earth and its environment, the solar system, and the universe through observations from space.

5. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading center for robotic exploration of the Solar System.

6. The Kennedy Space Center, the gateway to the Universe and world leader in preparing and launching missions around the Earth and beyond.

7. The Langley Research Center, which continues to forge new frontiers in aviation and space research for aerospace, atmospheric sciences, and technology commercialization to improve the way the world lives.

8. The Marshall Space Flight Center, a world leader in developing space transportation and propulsion systems, engineers the future to accelerate exploration and scientific discovery.

9. The Stennis Space Center, which is responsible for rocket propulsion testing and for partnering with industry to develop and implement remote sensing technology.

NASA's stunning achievements over the last 50 years have been won for all mankind at great cost and sacrifice. In the quest to explore the universe, many NASA employees have lost their lives, including the crews of Apollo 6, the Space Shuttle Challenger, and the Space Shuttle Columbia.

The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a coin commemorating the contributions of NASA will generate valuable funding for the NASA Families Assistance Fund for the purposes of need-based financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties. And equally important, proceeds from the sale of commemorative coins will also benefit the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Educational (D.R.E.M.E.) Science Literacy Foundation, which is dedicated to improving and strengthening the process of teaching and learning science, math, and technology at all educational levels, elementary through college through the promotion of innovative educational programs.

This legislation also benefits the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, for the purposes of creating positive learning experiences using space science as a theme that raise student expectations of success, fostering a long-term interest in mathematics, science, and technology, and motivating students to pursue careers in these fields. The remainders of the proceeds, after distribution to the NASA Families Assistance Fund, the DREME Foundation, and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, are slated to go to the Smithsonian Institution for the preservation, maintenance, and display of space artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum (including the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center).

Mr. Speaker, in the centuries to come, when space travel will be commonplace and America will have successfully led the way for humanity to utilize the resources of other planets, these first 50 years of NASA's existence will be remembered as the most significant era of human space exploration. It is, therefore, important that we commemorate the great achievements of NASA's first 50 years.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me also thank Jonathan Obee of the Financial Services Committee on this legislation. I also wish to pay special tribute to Yohannes Tsehai of my staff. Without their valuable contributions this significant legislative achievement would not have been possible. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this historic legislation.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas as well.

I'm very pleased to add to the debate on the floor of the House and how far-reaching NASA has come as it relates to all academic institutions. I'm very proud of the partnership that NASA has had with Texas Southern University, one historically black college located in the 18th Congressional District, as well as Oakwood College located in Huntsville, Alabama. But there are many, many colleges that NASA has collaborated with. It's been a particularly important partnership with historically black colleges and Hispanic-serving colleges. As it relates to Texas Southern University, they've worked on aeronautics. They have, in fact, engaged in fellowships with young people to be able to expose them to the importance of the work that NASA has done.

I think even more so, it is important for the American people to know that the payload that the astronauts have taken to the Space Station and actually worked on includes the work of elementary, middle school and high school students. What better way for there to be an excitement about space and what we enjoy but doing it in that way.

I'm delighted that my colleagues have joined in discussing the broadness of our energy policy. I think in the passing of Dr. DeBakey we should make note of the great medical research that goes on with NASA. And as I've indicated with HIV/AIDS, with heart attacks or heart disease or stroke, it is not known to most Americans how much medical research is done on the Space Station and how many different countries are there and the medical doctors that go into space as well.

I know that we will work for a unified energy policy that involves, if you will, all of the elements, including conservation and wind and solar--Texas being the largest State with wind power. And I look forward to us having a fossil fuel, wind, solar, conservation, and we will do that as we move together.

NASA is so much a part of this extended research on climate change. And these commemorative coins will celebrate the diversity of NASA, how valuable it is for us. I hope my colleagues will enthusiastically support this particular legislation that will cause us to make sure that we are reminded of the great work of this great organization, serving all of the people of the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of overriding President Bush's veto of H.R. 6331, the ``Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008.'' I would like to thank my colleague from New York, Chairman Charles Rangel and Congressman Dingell for their leadership in this important issue.

This legislation could not come at a more crucial time. Americans are in need of support. Rising gas prices, food costs at an all time high, and a rocky housing market has pushed this great Nation toward an economic downturn. Families are clinging to basic necessities and quality healthcare is own of those essential needs.

I am pleased to see that there is no language that inhibits physician ownership of general acute care hospitals. I have worked tirelessly with members of leadership and with the Texas delegation to support general acute-care hospitals and their future development. Physicians who have decided to build in areas where often no other hospital will-- should not be penalized for their commitment to work on the clinical and business side of health care.

General acute-care hospitals still need to be able to:

Maintain a minimum number of physicians available at all times to provide service;

Provide a significant amount of charity care;

Treat at least one-sixth of its outpatient visits for emergency medical conditions on an urgent basis without requiring a previously scheduled appointment;

Maintain at least 10 full-time interns or residents-in-training in a teaching program;

Advertise or present themselves to the public as a place which provides emergency care;

Serve as a disproportionate share provider, serving a low-income community with a disproportionate share of low-income patients; and

Have at least 90 hospital beds available to patients.

This issue is of the utmost importance to me because I, like others in the Democratic Caucus, have hospitals and hospital systems such as University Hospital Systems of Houston in my district that would have been greatly affected by this provision.

For example, 2 years ago St. Joseph Medical Center, downtown Houston's first and only teaching hospital, was on the verge of closing its doors. However, a hospital corporation in partnership with physicians purchased it, and as a result of proper and responsible management, has made it the premier hospital in the region, with a qualified emergency room responsive to a heavily populated downtown Houston. St. Joseph Medical Center is also in the process of reopening Houston Heights Hospital, the fourth oldest acute care hospital in Houston. This hospital will be serving a large Medicare/Medicaid population.

I am committed to this issue and to the issue of health care for all Americans. Provisions that could end the expansion of truly compassionate hospital care in places like Texas, Maryland, New York, and California have no place in health care legislation.

What I do support is legislation that seeks to aid our elderly, our disabled, our veterans, our children and our indigent populations. I stand here today to show my support not only for the physicians and medical care providers of Houston, Texas, but for all of our health care providers across this country. We need them to continue to be able to care for our underserved and elderly--this bill allows them to do just that.

This bill provides a delay of 18 months for the competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment (DMEPOS). It also prevents the 10.6 percent pay cut to physicians that is scheduled to take place on July 1, and provides a 1.1 percent update starting January 1, 2009.

This bill also includes important beneficiary improvements such as Medicare mental health parity, improved preventive coverage, and enhanced assistance for low-income beneficiaries.

It contains provisions that will protect the fragile rural health care safety net. In my home state of Texas, we have not only great urban areas such as Houston, Dallas and

Austin, we have over 300 rural areas in Texas with cities such as Rollingwood and Hamilton.

Our rural health care providers are scheduled to receive steep cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates on July 1 unless we take action now. Such cuts are catastrophic in rural America, where a disproportionate number of elderly Americans live. These seniors are, per capita, older, poorer and sicker (with greater chronic illnesses) than their urban counterparts. Additionally, recruitment and retention of providers to much of rural America is often daunting. Provider shortages are rampant throughout many rural and most frontier regions.

Additionally, H.R. 6331 also includes several other critical provisions for rural providers which, cumulatively, create a rural package that will help protect both the rural health safety net and the health of tens of millions of seniors who call rural America home.

H.R. 6331 focuses on strengthening primary care and takes significant strides in protecting rural seniors' access to care by correcting certain long-standing inequities between rural and urban providers.

Thank you both for your continued concern for the health of rural Americans. So many enduring inequities in health care must be faced by rural patients and providers daily. H.R. 6331 offers critical assistance and will go far to improving the health of millions of rural Medicare beneficiaries.

Quality measures must continue to be adequately funded in order to promote quality, cost-effective health care for consumers and employers. The uncertainty of Medicare payments makes it increasingly difficult for surgeons and their practices to plan for the expenses that they will incur as they serve their patients.

The provisions included in H.R. 6331 would enable surgeons and surgical practices to plan for the rising costs that they will continue to face over the next year and a half.

By addressing payment levels through 2009, Chairman Rangel has given us more time to study the payment issues surrounding Medicare and allow us to look at the systemic reforms needed to preserve access to quality surgical care and other physician services.

As a longtime advocate for universal health care, I believe we must continue to support our essential medical providers so that they can focus on patient care. We need more physicians as we seek to expand health care for all Americans. Yet, how can we expect to grow that workforce when we continue to cut their reimbursement levels? We must support our physicians so that they may support and care for their patients. We have to continue to look at how we can save Medicare and expand it to care for those who need it most. Finally, with the recent passing of Dr. Michael E. Debakey, I hope his life and legacy will inspire the Congress to continue to build up the system of the health in America for all Americans.

I urge my colleagues to join me in overriding the President's veto of this very important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Michael E. DeBakey on the eve of his funeral in Houston tomorrow.

We lost Dr. DeBakey just a few days ago. Many of us have come to know him as a major force in medical science for almost 100 years. He died at 99 years old, still, however, before his illness, going to his office, going to the medical center, and being a counsel

and a resource for any number of doctors, thousands upon thousands of doctors of which he had the privilege of training.

Dr. DeBakey was a great researcher, a great scientist, a great physician, a great surgeon. He was a great teacher, and he founded the MASH unit that has helped us save so many lives. He loved veterans. He served in World War II. He was the father of the Veterans Administration Veterans Affairs Department. He created the concept of medicine for the veterans of this Nation.

We are so grateful that, among other things that he was named after, the Veterans Hospital in Houston, which I carried the legislation, his name was given to the Michael E. DeBakey High School that has helped train so many young people who have a desire for a medical profession.

Tomorrow he will be paid tribute to by so many in Houston. Mr. Speaker, today we honor him as we have been given a great gift--his life, his service, his ability to cure, his love of saving lives. May he rest in peace, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, an icon, a giant, an American hero, and we will never forget him.