Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1716) to amend the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007, to strike a requirement relating to forage producers.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of S. 1716, legislation that would ensure that U.S. livestock producers will be able to utilize the vital disaster assistance recently approved by this Congress.

The effect of this bill is essentially identical to an amendment last week by my colleague and friend from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) to the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act, which I supported and which was unanimously accepted.

This legislation is critical to deliver on the promise we made to American livestock producers just this past May. After more than a year's effort and despite several veto threats from the President, we were successful in passing much-needed disaster assistance through this Chamber and enacted into law. Then, several months after the bill's passage, the Secretary of Agriculture determined that a certain phrase in the bill effectively denies aid to all livestock producers that didn't participate in the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance program or a crop insurance pilot program for rangeland.

I assure my colleagues that this was not the intention of this Congress and, regardless of the accuracy of USDA's legal interpretation, we need legislative action to fix it. This bill simply strikes the one sentence in the disaster bill that is causing the problem.

I appreciate the leadership of the Agriculture Committee in working with me to find a solution to this problem, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to offer this legislation. I also shared this problem with the leadership of the Appropriations Committee to ensure that this year's Agriculture appropriations bill contains language to address this as well, and I am pleased to report that it does. That would be unnecessary, however, if we can pass this stand-alone legislation and get it directly to the President. Doing so will solve this problem in time to prevent any delays in delivering much-needed assistance to American producers. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished ranking member of the full Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Goodlatte, for his support of this bill. We have Senate colleagues who we have served with here in this body previously who have already been working hard on this legislation. I am pleased that we have bipartisan agreement on our intention in providing this disaster assistance and certainly acknowledge and agree with the gentleman from Virginia's statements as it relates to future disaster assistance and the importance of further developing the pilot project programs for livestock producers to have adequate coverage for their losses

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill just adopted.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding.

I rise today to express my strong support for Senate bill 975. As the chairwoman of the subcommittee, Ms. Zoe

Lofgren, and the ranking member, Mr. Cannon, have described, this important legislation stands to provide immediate assistance to wildfire-fighting crews in South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Passage and enactment of S. 975 is the final step in the fire compacting process, which allows States covered by the compact to more effectively share firefighting personnel and equipment in response to wildfires. The compacting process begins with State approval but also requires consent from the Congress. Further, this legislation enjoys the support of South Dakota's Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune, as well as the entire Colorado and Wyoming Senate delegations. Companion legislation that I introduced in the House also enjoys similar support from the congressional delegations within the compacted States.

The need for this legislation is underscored each fire season as we undoubtedly watch communities struggle to cope with forest fires. In my own district, I recently visited areas devastated by the Alabaugh Canyon fire near Hot Springs, South Dakota, which consumed over 10,000 acres and destroyed more than 30 homes. Tragically, one man lost his life. Only the tireless and professional work by emergency response staff in South Dakota with the help of volunteers across the State and region stopped this fire from becoming even worse.

The fire season is, however, far from over, and I am pleased that the passage of this bill in the House today will be the final legislative step towards enacting this important bill into law. The new authorities contained in the bill will let compacted States work directly with each other increasing the efficiency and, most importantly, the speed with which firefighting crews in South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming can mobilize resources in response to fires. The compact also leaves space for North Dakota to join at a later date.

Finally, I would like to thank Chairman Conyers and his staff for their swift consideration of this bill and their willingness to work with me to bring it to the House floor this evening. Their work, and a joint effort from State officials in South Dakota and the State's entire congressional delegation, has facilitated this progress. I stand in strong support of S. 975 and urge my colleagues to join me.

I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding for the purpose of a colloquy.

Chairman Peterson, as you know, I have introduced legislation with the support of over 50 colleagues to fund the reduced-price school meal pilot, authorized in the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act through the efforts of the Education and Labor Committee.

My legislation also enjoys support from a broad range of organizations that feel, like I do, that many low-income children across the country aren't participating in the school nutrition programs because they cannot afford the reduced fee. My legislation would provide the resources needed to test the effectiveness of harmonizing the WIC income guidelines, which are 185 percent of poverty guidelines, with the free school lunch guidelines, thereby eliminating the reduced-price meal category and expanding eligibility for free school meals.

While this proposal wasn't included in the committee bill due to its cost and committee jurisdictional concerns, I would welcome the opportunity to keep working with you and see how we might accomplish the objective of the legislation.

I thank the gentleman very much for his commitment and support for this initiative. It will obviously be very helpful going forward.

Madam Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding.

I rise in strong opposition to this amendment because it eviscerates the safety net for my constituents and destroys the delicate balance achieved in the committee bill which reflects significant and meaningful reform and is supported by the broadest coalition of stakeholders.

I believe that the bill has been unfairly characterized by the gentleman from Wisconsin in a number of ways, but just as one example, how can there be no reform in the commodity title when in this bill, the committee bill, there's a 43 percent reduction in the commodity title and a 32.3 percent increase in the commodity title?

But if you don't believe me, consider who has endorsed this amendment offered by Mr. Kind and Mr. Flake: Club for Growth, long advocated to eliminate farm payment programs and destroy the safety net; and the Bush administration, who long opposed disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers devastated by natural disaster, long opposed the mandatory country of origin labeling program. Both Club for Growth and the Bush administration prioritize multinational corporations' international trading interests just like the administration is now supporting foreign companies who avoid paying U.S. taxes over my constituents.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendment.

Madam Chairman, I rise today to support this amendment offered by my colleague and friend from Oklahoma. This amendment is critical to deliver on the promise that we made to American livestock producers this past May. After more than a year of effort--and despite several veto threats from the President--we were successful in passing much-needed disaster assistance through this Chamber and enacted into law.

Then, several months after the bill's passage, the Secretary of Agriculture decided that a certain phrase in the bill effectively denies aid to all livestock producers that did not participate in the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program or the crop insurance pilot program for rangeland. I assure my colleagues that this was not the intention of Congress and, regardless of the accuracy of USDA's legal interpretation, we need to fix it.

I have worked with Agriculture Committee leadership to find a solution to this problem and I am pleased this amendment was made in order. I also have shared this problem with the leadership of the Appropriations Committee to ensure that this year's Agriculture Appropriations bill contains language to address this as well, and I am pleased to report that it does. Using this dual-track approach, I am confident that we can solve this problem in time to prevent any delays in delivering this much-needed assistance to American producers.

This amendment will enable us to deliver on the promise we have made to deserving and distressed ranchers across this country, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I regret that I was unable to participate in votes on the floor of the House of Representatives on July 11, 2007. I was absent to attend a military funeral and to be present for a major announcement from the National Science Foundation in South Dakota. I submit this statement today to establish for the record how I would have voted had I been present for these votes.

On the morning of July 11, 2007, the House of Representatives held four votes for which I was absent.

The first vote was a motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule. Had I been present, I would have voted `yea' on that question.

The second vote was on the H. Res. 531, a Rule Providing for the Consideration of the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007. Had I been present, I would have voted `yea' on that question.

The third vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and agree to the H. Res. 526, supporting home ownership and responsible lending. Had I been present, I would have voted `yea' on that question.

The fourth vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and agree to the S. 1701, a bill to provide for the extension of transitional medical assistance (TMA) and the abstinence education program through the end of fiscal year 2007, and for other purposes. Had I been present, I would have voted `yea' on that question.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, this is a bipartisan amendment that is cosponsored by my colleague and good friend from Virginia, Mr. Goodlatte, as well as Mr. DeFazio of Oregon, Mr. Lamar Smith of Texas, Mr. Sherman of California and Mr. Tancredo of Colorado.

The amendment is simple and straightforward. It would prohibit the use of funds in the bill to implement the Diversity Visa Program otherwise known as the ``visa lottery.''

The visa lottery program was established in 1990 and awards about 50,000 permanent-resident visas to foreign nationals by conducting a random lottery. In the last Congress, the State Department's inspector general testified before Congress that the Office of the Inspector General ``continues to believe that the Diversity Visa Program contains significant risks to national security from hostile intelligence officers, criminals and terrorists attempting to use the program for entry into the United States as permanent residents.''

If for no other reason, national security is too important to allow this institutional randomness in our immigration policy. The visa lottery injects a level of unnecessary and responsible uncertainty into the immigration process. Our amendment is a practical provision that will make our Nation safer.

When the House considered its immigration bill in the 109th Congress, the gentleman from Virginia and I joined together to offer an amendment eliminating the visa lottery program, and it passed with strong bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues to provide similarly strong support to this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

Offered By: Ms. Herseth Sandlin

Amendment No. 27: At the end of the bill, before the short

title, insert the following new section:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation honoring the life of Eleanor McGovern by officially designating the post office in her home town of Woonsocket, South Dakota, as the Eleanor McGovern Post Office.

The wife of Presidential nominee and United States Senator George McGovern, Eleanor made headlines of her own while campaigning solo across the country for her husband. Eleanor engaged crowds on the campaign trail with her eloquence and frequently participated in network television and radio discussions concerning national and international policy. Her high profile helped transform public perception of the role and value of women in politics.

Aside from politics, Eleanor worked as a tireless advocate for children and families. She served on the boards of directors for Dakota Wesleyan University, the Psychiatric Institute Foundation, the Child Study Association, the Erickson Institute of Chicago and Odyssey House of New York. She founded the Martha Movement and was a development officer for the Child Development Associates Consortium. Eleanor and her family also established the McGovern Family Foundation in Washington, DC, to raise funds for alcoholism research.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of this legislation that honors the life of Eleanor McGovern.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I do rise in strong support today of H.R. 1470.

I want to thank Chairman Filner for introducing this important bill and for his efforts to advance it through committee. I also would like to thank Ranking Member Buyer and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michaud for their work and support in moving the bill through each step in the committee process.

Chiropractic care has been shown to be a valuable and cost-effective health care approach, which benefits millions of Americans. Passage of this bill is an important step in our efforts to broaden veterans access and options for health care services.

Currently the VA is only required to provide chiropractic services on a limited basis to veterans in each geographic service area. For veterans in rural parts of the country, as Mr. Moran was explaining, whether it's in Kansas or my home State of South Dakota, limited access to chiropractic care has forced many veterans to either drive several hours to a VA medical center that offers chiropractic services, or to not receive the chiropractic care that they need.

So it's important that veterans be granted the same health care options as the rest of the American population, including the availability of chiropractic services.

I look forward to continue working with my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee to provide veterans with chiropractic and other health care services that they've earned and deserve.

I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 1470.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2199, the Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act. I would like to thank the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee, Mr. Michaud, for introducing this important bill, and to thank Chairman Filner and the ranking member for their support of this legislation.

Among other provisions, H.R. 2199 requires screening of veterans for TBI, establishes a comprehensive program for long-term TBI rehabilitation to be located at the polytrauma centers, and creates TBI transition offices at each of the polytrauma network sites. In addition, the bill creates an advisory committee on rural veterans. These are important steps toward helping the young men and women who have suffered traumatic brain injury, and ensuring the needs of our rural veterans are addressed.

Working closely with a National Guard soldier from South Dakota who suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq, and having visited him and his family at the Minneapolis polytrauma center, I witnessed both the good and the bad of the VA's efforts to deal with these wounded servicemembers. While we have made remarkable strides in treating veterans with brain injuries, there is much room for improvement, especially when it comes to the long-term support of these servicemembers.

I believe the Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act will tremendously improve the services available to veterans suffering from TBI. I look forward to continuing working with my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee to address these and other issues related to treating veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury.

Again, I thank Representative Michaud for introducing and advancing this bill, and I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2199.

Mr. Speaker, again I thank the chairman for yielding.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2239, the Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits Act.

I want to thank the ranking member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, my good friend and trusted colleague, Mr. Boozman, for introducing this important bill and for working with me prior to the committee markup to strengthen the bill. I also want to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for their support of the bill as well.

While current law requires servicemembers to be discharged from active duty prior to applying and receiving benefits from the VA, H.R. 2239 would extend vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are determined to have a disability of at least 10 percent or more, incurred or aggravated while on duty, and likely to be discharged from service due to that disability.

This important legislation would help veterans begin their rehabilitation earlier and could be very beneficial for those who are in extended convalescence, which may last more than a year for some servicemembers. As the chairman explained, today we do find that a major factor for new veterans dropping out of the VR&E program is the immediate need to financially support the family. We can reduce the risk of these individuals dropping out of the program prematurely if we extend the benefits while they are still on active duty.

Now, in some cases, due to the severity of their injuries, a number of veterans may likely experience a drop in pay after their discharge and when they enter the civilian workforce. However, if a veteran begins his or her rehabilitation immediately, he or she may be able to enter the job market much earlier with a level of readiness and a set of skills to command a higher-paying position than otherwise might be obtained.

I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan manner with Mr. Boozman on the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee to ensure Federal services are available to help our fighting men and women successfully transition to civilian life.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2239 so that we may ensure our servicemembers are more readily afforded the benefits they need to heal and succeed after their service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the name of Congressman James Moran of Virginia as a cosponsor to H.R. 1649, who was added inadvertently as a cosponsor to that bill.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation to provide desperately needed disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers across this country who are suffering from natural disasters.

Over the past several years, large swaths of my home State of South Dakota have experienced persistent, severe, devastating drought. It has been particularly hard on livestock producers in my State. Its epicenter has been across central and western South Dakota, some of the Nation's prime cattle and sheep grazing land.

The drought worsened dramatically early last summer. Customary spring rains never came. By June, we were seeing temperature records being broken weekly and water holes going dry. The landscape was brown. By August it was black; bare, parched Earth where we usually have lush green grass.

Ranchers in my State had two options, purchase and haul feed and water at substantial cost to their cattle, or sell or dramatically cull their herds. Many of them chose the latter because of the persistence of this drought. Livestock auction markets across the region reported record sale numbers. Many producers were, in essence, selling their factories.

This is particularly hard on younger ranchers. So many of these ranchers now don't have adequate breeding stock to produce the calves today that they would have sold this fall. Thus, many of the real economic impacts are still to come. Once a ranch family leaves the land, they are gone forever. Small towns and local businesses suffer, schools and churches suffer, the very fabric of our communities is torn apart.

As devastating as this drought has been to our economy, the lack of appreciation for its seriousness among some who don't come from rural America has been equally frustrating. Many of my colleagues and I have been trying for almost 2 years to get this done. The administration has threatened to veto the assistance for the past 2 years through today. We filed a discharge petition at the end of the last Congress which nearly every Democratic Member and a handful of Republican Members signed, but Republican leadership failed to take action.

Supporters of this necessary relief have been criticized by some for trying to attach it to the emergency supplemental. Well, because the last Congress couldn't get its work done last year, this is all we have. We make no apologies for it. We have been forced to wait until today, and suffering U.S. farmers and ranchers have been forced to wait until today too.

The economic and psychological damage that these droughts cause is just as real as that caused by hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. This bill can alleviate some of that pain. Let's pass it tonight and get this assistance out to those throughout rural America, those who are quietly suffering on the land.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman Napolitano for her support of this important legislation to my constituents and for her leadership on the subcommittee.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 487, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2007. This legislation is the result of a collaborative effort between the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the South Dakota congressional delegation, the House Natural Resources Committee and the Department of the Treasury. I am very pleased to stand before my colleagues in the House today and urge final passage of this important bill.

The need for this legislation began more than 50 years ago with the construction of a series of dams and reservoir projects along the upper Missouri River basin. One of those projects, the Oahe Dam and Reservoir, caused flooding on over 100,000 acres of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in north central South Dakota. The loss of these lands was particularly devastating to the tribe and included some of their most important cropland, wildlife habitat and spiritually significant places.

Though the tribe did receive some initial compensation for this loss, the amount was woefully inadequate and did not reflect the magnitude of the loss imposed on the tribe. In 2000, Congress recognized this injustice when it passed legislation to provide additional compensation for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and created a trust fund for additional tribal development. Unfortunately, the 2000 legislation was incomplete and flawed, requiring a number of amendments to the underlying law.

In addition to several technical changes advocated by the Department of the Treasury, H.R. 487 will allow for the immediate capitalization of the trust fund and also give the tribe the authority to redirect a limited amount of the fund towards private tribal landowners. Many of the 100,000-plus acres that were inundated due to the dam were actually privately owned by tribal members. Now tribal elders, these individuals have been waiting decades for fair compensation and will finally have that opportunity.

Not only will H.R. 487 capitalize the fund to allow immediate implementation of the tribe's poverty reduction program, it will help to right a historic wrong and ultimately saves the Federal Government approximately $9 million.

The merits of this legislation are clear, both through its history and the spirit of bipartisan collaboration that brought it to the floor today.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 487.