Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I mistakenly voted ``no'' on Rollcall Vote 523, the Shadegg of Arizona amendment to H.R. 2641. I should have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chairman, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 488, on agreeing to the Rogers (KY) amendment--H.R. 2638, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008--I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Rogers of Kentucky

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great couple who are a wonderful example of what is right with America. John and Joan Shamp just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! Sadly, in America, it has become a rare thing for two people to stay together this long.

They are the proud parents of five children and very involved in the lives of their grandchildren. They exemplify achieving the American dream through hard work, and they demonstrate the love of a strong family who are there to help each other and others daily. I wish them many more happy years!

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

June 12, 2007

Rollcall vote 461, on motion that the committee rise and leave as unfinished business--H.R. 2638, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008--I would have voted ``aye.''

June 13, 2007

Rollcall vote 462, on motion that the committee rise and leave as unfinished business--H.R. 2638, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 463, on motion that the committee rise and leave as unfinished business--H.R. 2638, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 464, on motion that the committee rise and leave as unfinished business--H.R. 2638, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 465, on motion that the committee rise and leave as unfinished business--H.R. 2638, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008--I would have voted ``aye.''

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

I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from New York, but we solved that problem in my community of Charlotte, North Carolina. We have a police department that has relationships with the people in their community, and they go out and deal with them; and the sheriff is handling our 287(g) program. We have one of the most successful ones in the country, and it is very simple. The misconception is out there of what the 287(g) program is really about. It is about people who have committed some kind of a crime, just like you and me, who are booked into the jail, and that is why it is perfect for the sheriff to handle it, because then they are booked into the jail, then the sheriff has the ability to check the national database and see if that person has any violations anyplace, anywhere else in the country. That is the beauty of the program.

We started it in our city. Our sheriff, Jim Pendergraff, has very successfully found ways to grow this program. And in the first few months, actually, we had over a thousand people who were removed and deported that were criminals on the street. It is working very well.

Again, I go back to the fact, and I thank the gentlelady from Virginia for this amendment because it is crucial we have these all over the country.

The Senate bill said there were only 50 programs going to be authorized. We have 3,200 jails in the country. That doesn't cut it. ICE can't do it all. They literally can't, and local law enforcement is in a perfect position to be able to help.

Since we started it in Mecklenburg County, all of the counties around us are also doing the same program because they have found that people are moving into their county to avoid being caught in Mecklenburg. So we have our surrounding districts who are applying, have applied or are now doing the 287(g) program in addition to Mecklenburg. It really works. It is a good program, and I totally support the efforts to see this come to fruition as an amendment.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

June 5, 2007:

Rollcall vote 426, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution H. Res. 397--Condemning violence in Estonia and attacks on Estonia's embassies in 2007, and expressing solidarity with the Government and the people of Estonia, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 427, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution H. Res. 422--Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to use its unique influence and economic leverage to stop genocide and violence in Darfur, Sudan, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 428, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution H. Res. 430--Calling on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 429, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution H. Res. 451--Directing the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to respond to the indictment of, or the filing of charges of criminal conduct in a court of the United States or any State against, any Member of the House of Representatives by empaneling an investigative subcommittee to review the allegations, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 430, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to the Resolution H. Res. 452--Raising a Question of the Privileges of the House, I would have voted ``aye.''

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

I am pleased to speak on behalf of this bill which does promote awareness about eosinophil disorders. These are little known disorders that are thought

to be both allergic and autoimmune in nature. The body produces white blood cells in higher than normal amounts, and it attacks food proteins and tissues as a result.

The patients who have this chronic disease suffer a variety of symptoms, and of course it is sometimes life-threatening. As of now, there's no known cure.

I know Mr. Larson is going to be speaking on this because he personally has firsthand knowledge.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I would like to inquire of the gentlewoman if she has any more speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jeffrey Shelton, an officer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina. Officer Shelton was fatally shot on March 31, 2007 while responding to a call with a fellow officer, Sean Clark.

Officer Shelton was on the force for more than six years before he was killed in the line of duty. The citizens of Charlotte will remember Jeff Shelton as a brave man, who gave his life in service to the city. He will be sorely missed by his fellow officers in the North Tryon Division.

To show their appreciation for Officer Shelton, thousands of Charlotteans gathered to watch his funeral procession in person on April 6, 2007. Citizens have since created a permanent memorial at the very spot where the two officers were killed. This site, near an apartment building in East Charlotte, has been dedicated to the memory of Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jeff's wife, Jennifer, and his family and friends at this difficult time. May the legacy of service and dedication that he leaves behind be a comfort to all those who loved him.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Sean Clark, an officer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina. Officer Clark was fatally shot on March 31, 2007 while responding to a call with a fellow officer, Jeffrey Shelton.

Officer Clark was on the force for just over a year before he was killed in the line of duty. He leaves behind his wife Sherry, his son Brayden, and a baby who is expected to arrive shortly. The citizens of Charlotte will remember Sean Clark as a brave man, who gave his life in service to the city. He will be sorely missed by his fellow officers in the North Tryon Division.

To show their appreciation for Officer Clark, thousands of Charlotteans gathered to watch his funeral procession in person on April 5, 2007. Citizens have since created a permanent memorial at the very spot where the two officers were killed. This site, near an apartment building in East Charlotte, has been dedicated to the memory of Sean Clark and Jeffrey Shelton.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Sean's family and friends at this difficult time. May the legacy of service and dedication that he leaves behind be a comfort to all those who loved him.

Madam Speaker, it's truly my honor to welcome Dr. Mark Harris of Charlotte, North Carolina, to the House of Representatives. He is a dynamic and a true leader in our city, and a graduate of Appalachian State University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Charlotte.

He is joined in his ministry by his wife, Beth, and their children, Laura, John and Matthew. Under his leadership, the church has become one of the fastest growing Baptist churches in our area.

He is very straightforward and powerful in his preaching, and he is always challenging his parishioners to rediscover the joy of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I thank him for being here today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Juanita Millender-McDonald, who bravely fought a battle with cancer

up until this past weekend. After a painful struggle, she's now at peace.

Juanita and I both came to Congress in 1995. While we were on different sides of the aisle, I always respected her passion for a host of issues, and her willingness to work with the other side to find solutions. At only 68 years of age, it seemed she had many more years of public service ahead of her, and I'm sorry for the loss of a friend and colleague.

Juanita became a good friend of mine back in 1999, when I was diagnosed with cancer. She made a point of reaching out to me to show her support, and I've always been grateful to her for going out of her way to lend a kind word and a compassionate smile.

Her passing is yet another reminder of how much more work is needed to continue our Nation's War on Cancer, in spite of the progress that's been made so far.

Today we mourn the loss of a friend, and our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband James, and her children and grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to be able to speak on behalf of this bill tonight in reauthorizing the Nation's breast and cervical cancer screening program in all 50 States.

Many women around the country work hard but are uninsured and don't qualify for Medicaid or other insurance assistance. This program helps to give them peace of mind when it comes to a disease that women often fear the most: Cancer.

Many hardworking women would like to be responsible and get preventive screenings. But, as we all know, it is very expensive to do so without insurance. And it is even more expensive for all of us if these women go without screening and an undiagnosed cancer is allowed to progress.

The early detection programs in our States and districts provide free and low-cost screenings, medical referrals, and education for women who may not otherwise have access to preventive tests. It is literally a lifesaver for women across the country, because breast cancer is still the most common cancer among women, and cervical cancer is very preventable. Thankfully, we continue to make strides against these diseases.

Millions of women have been screened; and at CDC's last count, they state the program has detected almost 30,000 breast cancers and over 1,700 cervical cancers.

As a breast cancer survivor, I know how scary it is to hear those words, ``You have cancer.'' I can't even imagine what it would be like to be told, ``But I'm sorry, I can't help.''

That is why a few years ago I introduced a bill that would allow State Medicaid programs to cover treatment costs for women who are screened through the program; and it passed the House with only one ``no'' vote in May, 2000. And of course 50 States do cover the treatment cost as well.

We all know prevention is the most cost-effective way to fight the war on cancer, and this screening program saves money by detecting those cancers early and steering women towards treatment options.

It is also, unfortunately, estimated that less than 20 percent of the eligible women in the country are served by the program; and so the bill today provides for enhanced preventive efforts and includes a structured limited waiver demonstration project through the Department of Health and Human Services to improve flexibility.

States that can prove that they can increase the number of women served may apply to use the higher percentage of their Federal funding for outreach, education, medical training and other services. So, hopefully, some of the most vulnerable women will be reached.

States must meet a series of requirements in order to apply for the waiver to ensure that the Federal dollars are spent as efficiently as possible.

Grantees across the country have effectively leveraged the private dollars with the Federal money they receive; and, as others have acknowledged, I am grateful, too, to Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society and other groups for their dedication to the screening program.

I am glad that this bill is on the House floor today; and I would like to thank the bill's sponsor, Representative Tammy Baldwin, for her hard work on this legislation. I would also like to thank Chairman Dingell and Ranking Member Barton for their prompt consideration of this bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1132.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor and recognize a true American hero, Fern Holland. Three years ago, Fern gave her life so that others might have a brighter future. One of my staffers was friends with Fern and wrote this tribute on the three year anniversary of her death:

On March 9, 2004, my friend, Fern Holland was killed--assassination- style--in Iraq. She, her colleague, and a translator were stopped at a checkpoint where they were shot by gunmen posing as Iraqi police. These gunmen riddled their car with AK-47 bullets and took her life.

Fern wasn't killed because she was a soldier. She was killed because she was someone cared about other people.

When Baghdad fell, Fern traveled to Iraq to work for USAID and then later served on the Coalition Provisional Authority as a women's rights specialist. It was this work that made her a target by extremists. You see, Fern worked tirelessly at setting up Iraqi women's centers around the country. These centers were places women could organize, learn political skills to participate in a democracy, and learn life skills. These centers were not welcome by many extremists for a variety of reasons, and Fern was an easy target because she was white and blonde and very outspoken in her quest for women's rights in Iraq.

While she was doing this work, even more important work came to the forefront. Fern, 33 from Oklahoma, was a lawyer by trade, and she helped draft the interim Iraqi constitution. It was Fern Holland who wrote the section of the constitution that got Iraqi women 25 percent of the seats in the national assembly.

On March 8, 2004, Iraqi leaders signed the interim constitution that included Fern's provision. Women in Iraq now had more than just a seat at the table, they had a say in Iraq's future. Fern was able to see her hard work come to fruition, but only for a day. Her work on behalf of people she did not know, and who did not know her, led to her death.

In February 2003, I met Fern. I was looking for a place on the Hill as a young staffer, and I wound up subleasing her room while she went to work on projects in Africa. She had worked previously in the Peace Corps in Africa and headed back to continue the work she had started when I took over her lease. Her work in Africa led to the establishment of a legal clinic for women who had been sexually exploited. At the time of her death in 2004, the clinic had handled 118 cases including rapes, sexual assaults, wife beatings, family abandonment and sexual exploitation.

From time to time, Fern would come back to the U.S. and would stop by the house to pick up her mail, chat about what she was doing, make sure her car was still working, and then would head back out into the world to battle for what she believed. Several months prior to her death we chatted and I took over her lease and paid for her desk and other items she had left in the room that I now use. From time to time, when I get a chance to slow down, I look around and think about Fern.

Today, three years later, I don't tear up as much as I once did, but the sadness is just as real, and my heart is just as heavy, as it was when I got the call about her death from my roommate Michael. Questions still flood my mind as to why such evil would happen to such a good person. . . . I often think in deep silence about the Iraq War and the sacrifices of Fern and those who serve there . . . I wonder why God allowed Fern and my path to cross--if only for a brief time--yet thank Him at the same time that I got to meet her.

Fern's life has taught me many things. I have learned to love people more. It is really easy to get cynical about work and life on the Hill when things move at a snails pace, or when you see that people's main motives are something other than helping people. But when I catch myself in a poor attitude or in a cycle of cynicism, I think of Fern and her sacrifices and realize there is more work to be done to help others. Fern's life also taught me my time is not my own. I constantly try to keep in contact with friends/family--and would do anything in the world for them--and I try to reach out to people in need. I have learned that the most important things in this world are the small things people often overlook. I learned that people need other people and so I take the time to speak with someone longer than I would normally, or return calls or emails when I am tired or would rather not. I invest in people because it seems friendships and helping others is the only return that makes me happy. I think that is the secret of life that Fern learned and shared with others.

Today has just begun, yet my thoughts are constantly bouncing back to Fern and to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that I can't get out of my head: ``A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.'' In one of Fern's last emails she wrote, ``I love the work and if I die, know that I'm doing precisely what I want to be doing--working to organize and educate human rights activists and women's groups.'' In a day an age where people think only of themselves, Fern was willing to die for something she believed in; people. And because of that, her life and work means something . . . it means others can live in a better world.

We tend to throw around the word ``hero'' alot these days. But I have learned that they are not on the sports field or on the TV or on the movie screen. They are the people who sacrifice for others; who die for others if need be. Fern Holland will forever be one of my heroes. And I wrote this today so that others might know the work she did, and the life she led, because Fern deserves to be remembered.

Today, I reintroduce the Scott Gardner Act. Tragically, Scott Gardner, who was a loving husband and father, was killed by a drunk illegal alien who remained in our country even though he had previous DWI convictions.

And we have had other constituents killed recently. Jasmine Lawrence and Min Chang were both killed in wrecks caused by drunk-driving illegal immigrants in Charlotte, North Carolina, area roads.

Most recently, 20-year-old LeeAnna Newman and her unborn child were killed just outside of my district after her car was struck by an illegal alien who later admitted to getting behind the wheel after drinking tequila. He had a previous conviction also in North Carolina.

This act will give our law enforcement and immigration officials the capacity and resources to deal with illegal aliens driving under the influence in a manner that fits the crime. It would make DWI grounds for mandatory detention and deportation of illegal aliens, and it would aid law enforcement and our immigration laws by requiring the sharing of information among Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, who would be required to collect this information during the course of their normal duties.

State and local law enforcement agencies would be given the resouces required to detain illegal aliens for DWI and immigration violations until they could be transferred to Federal authorities for deportation.

It is a travesty that our country allows illegal immigrants to remain after being found guilty of DWI.

We cannot prevent every instance of illegal aliens driving under the influence.

However, there is no reason we should not take every measure possible to remove habitual DWI offenders from our roads.

Our constituents expect us to ensure their safety and security.

The Scott Gardner Act will go a long way toward clearing our roads of criminal illegal aliens who represent a grave threat to the safety of our citizens.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as you have heard some of my other colleagues say, there were a group of us who came in in 1995 together with Charlie and got to know him very well and consider him a dear friend.

You have heard all the words, ``perseverance'' and ``doggedness'' and ``determination'' and ``stubborn'' and all those other things that describe Charlie, but there are also some other words that describe Charlie, and that was ``loyal'' and ``friend,'' because he was a friend to all.

Gloria and Charlie and I became very good friends early on. You could always count on him. There was never any question, if you needed Charlie, he was there if he believed in what you were doing; if he didn't, he would always forthrightly tell you.

He also displayed that big word ``courage,'' because we saw what he went through as he spent his last 3 years here, and he was always doing his job for his people. The other thing about Charlie was integrity. I think you have to look long and far to find someone who had more integrity than Charlie Norwood; if he gave you his word, he gave you his word.

All of our blessings go to Gloria and his family.