Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on May 28, the Republic of Azerbaijan will celebrate its 93rd Republic Day, as well as the 20th anniversary of its freedom from the Soviet Union and the start of diplomatic relations with the United States.

Located between Russia and Iran in the strategic region between Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is a stable and secular country, and is one of the few places in that part of the world where Muslims, Jews and Christians live together in peace.

Additionally, Azerbaijan has always been a great ally of the United States, offering assistance after the attacks on 9/11, and supporting action in the Middle East to protect the United States and the world from the threat of terrorism.

My colleagues are encouraged to join me in honoring Azerbaijan on the occasion of its 93rd Republic Day and celebrating the continuation of the great United States-Azerbaijan relationship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the victims of a notorious concentration camp in Omarska, located in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the summer of 1992, Omarska was the site of murder, torture and other mass violations of human rights. It is thanks to the courage of the British journalists Ed Vulliamy, Penny Marshall and Ian Williams and their brave reporting, that the world learned about the horrors of Omarska in the last decade of the 20th century.

As we remember the victims of Omarska, let us reinforce the significance of remembrance and the right of the survivors and families of the victims to mark this tragic chapter in the history of Europe.

I'm delighted to be here today because this is a good moment for our intelligence community that we are going to pass an Intelligence bill.

You've heard it said it has been 6 years since there has been an authorization for these people. They are out there every single day in every single agency doing what they do so we can be here to be able to discuss this on the floor and to live freely in this country and around the world. It's extremely important that they have the knowledge and security of knowing that what they do is approved of and authorized by this committee in the House.

It has been good to have a bipartisan agreement in the sense that we worked very well together. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ruppersberger worked extremely well. Myself and Mr. Thompson, who chair one of the committees, work very well together. The committee members do. And so it's encouraging that we're able to move forward in a way that's very positive for the people of this country relative to their national security.

So I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 142, on agreeing to the Carney of Delaware Amendment, No. 241--H.R. 1: Making appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a tragedy that occurred 19 years ago in Azerbaijan.

Between February 25-26, 1992, hundreds of innocent civilians were killed in what's known as the Khojaly Tragedy. During this tragedy, ``. . . it is widely accepted that 200 Azeris were murdered, as many as 500-1,000 may have died,'' according to a report released by Human Rights Watch in 1993.

Azerbaijan is a strong ally of the U.S., especially during this time of uncertainty in the Middle East. We grieve with its people as we remember the victims of the Khojaly Tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, for almost a half a century, Betty Davis-- affectionately known as Miss Betty--has been serving the community at Queens University in Charlotte. Having been at Queens for nearly a third of the university's history, she's its longest serving employee, and everywhere you look, you can see Miss Betty's influence.

She began working at Queens in 1962 as a housekeeper in one of the residence halls. She then became a housemother, saying recently in an interview that the girls in her houses respected her because she respected them.

It's her respect for those around her that has made Miss Betty more than just a friendly face on the Queens University campus--she's someone that students, faculty and staff know they can turn to at any time.

In 1978, university President Dr. Billy O. Wireman took notice, and asked Miss Betty to be his personal assistant. She says that she became like family with Dr. Wireman. He presented her with the Honorary Alumna Award in 1988; she sat with his family at his funeral in 2005.

Close to starting her 50th year at Queens, Miss Betty has recently been named the doyenne of the Queens dining hall. When she's not caring for what she calls her ``Queens children'' during the school year, she's often spotted around Charlotte--whether shopping or walking around Freedom Park. She's a celebrity-type figure, and anywhere you go around town, you're sure to find someone who knows Miss Betty.

In an article recently published by the Queens University Magazine, Miss Betty recalls a piece of advice her friend and mentor Dr. Wireman once told her: ``Gal, don't ever say no. Say you'll try your best.'' And that's exactly what Miss Betty has been doing for Queens University, her family and the Charlotte community for five decades. We appreciate her service to generations of Charlotteans, and look forward to many more years of her guiding influence.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a truly inspiring student in my district--Manasvi Koul of Waxhaw. This week, Manasvi was honored with the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

Manasvi, a senior at Marvin Ridge High School, founded the LIVEbeyond Foundation, a nonprofit organization that educates people about becoming bone marrow donors. Through the LIVEbeyond Foundation, more than a hundred people have registered with the national Marrow Donors Program, and even more volunteers have signed up to help recruit and register potential donors.

Her mission is a personal one--four years ago, Manasvi needed a bone marrow transplant to fight an aggressive form of cancer. Unable to find a match, she had to undergo a long and risky alternative treatment program, which ultimately proved successful. Today, she recruits and trains volunteers in chapters both in the United States and in Canada in the hope that others will not have to go through the struggle she did.

Nobody chooses to get cancer, but with Manasvi's leadership, hundreds of people are choosing to be a part of the cure. Seeing such dedication and selflessness from our country's young people truly gives me hope for the future. Manasvi's commitment to helping those with cancer is nothing short of inspirational, and it is my honor to recognize her today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor both a colleague and friend--Mr. John Emerson--who is retiring from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration after 30 years of Federal service.

John began his career in public service as a volunteer fireman on Long Island. He then worked as a Border Patrol Agent for the Immigration and Naturalization Service where he protected our borders from illegal immigration and drug smugglers.

He joined the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1984. He worked in New York, Los Angeles, Bolivia, and Virginia before being named the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for North Carolina. In all of these posts, he was instrumental in successfully fighting drug trafficking.

The work that John has done to combat illegal drugs in our state is immense. For example, under his leadership and tireless work with local law enforcement, over 70 clandestine methamphetamine laboratories were discovered in Western North Carolina. Since then, lab seizures in Western North Carolina have dropped by over fifty percent.

He was also a vital proponent of having our area labeled as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Under this designation, our local and state law enforcement agencies will have access to the resources they need in order to fight drug trafficking in our state.

As a mayor of Charlotte, I've seen firsthand the negative effect that drug dealers and drug trafficking can have on a community. John has spent his life going after dangerous drug smugglers in order to keep communities across the globe safe. His work cannot be understated--his career is one that has truly made a difference.

Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to recognize Mr. John Emerson's service to his country today, and I'm proud to say that our area is a safer one because of his work.

Mr. Speaker, more than a week ago, a coalition led by the terrorist organization Hezbollah caused the crumbling of the Lebanese Government. Hezbollah is now seeking to form a new cabinet where the organization and its allies would control many crucial Lebanese ministries--including defense, interior, foreign affairs, and the finances of the country.

This is an unprecedented power grab by a terrorist organization, which has a global reach in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and even on our southern border and perhaps inside the United States itself. Hezbollah is the proxy army of Iran, and Iran has made it into the most well-trained and well-funded terrorist group in the world. The situation in Lebanon, and the growing global power of Hezbollah, should be a great cause of concern to Americans.

The people of Lebanon, particularly the Lebanese youth, have been demonstrating in the streets of Beirut, Tripoli and other areas, sending America a clear message about their rejection of Hezbollah. For some time now, Lebanon has been under the threat of Hezbollah's powerful militia, which has thousands of rockets and missiles, and whose members--according to media reports--are likely to be indicted in the 2005 terror assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Hezbollah is using this militia to threaten and bully Lebanon so that it can create a new government that would become a puppet of the Iranian regime, much like the Syrian regime. We must not let Iran gain further influence in the Middle East.

I ask Congress and the President to declare its solidarity with the Lebanese people and to reject any recognition of a Hezbollah government. I also call on the President to ask the United Nations to implement UNSCR 1559, which calls for disarming of militias in Lebanon, which are a threat to all of its peace-loving people. I also ask my colleagues in Congress to issue strong statements of support for the Cedars Revolution and to the people of Lebanon as they face the takeover of their country by terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Mr. Speaker, we oppose this health care law for many reasons. I'm especially concerned about the negative effect it may have on the ability of our doctors to care for their patients as they see fit.

It creates well over 156 bureaucracies, programs, and regulatory systems which will further regulate and control the way medicine is practiced, paid for, and allocated. Doctors who practice medicine as small business owners are already forced to dedicate significant resources and manpower to keep up with the bureaucracy of reimbursement alone.

This law does nothing to slow the growth of Medicare and Medicaid programs--we know those are two huge problems we have to deal with--but it will surely add to the regulatory burdens faced by doctors, patients, and, most importantly, the American people, who are going to have to foot the bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

I think like everyone else who is here, I'm here today in support of this resolution, not only because it recognizes what happened in that tragic situation that just shocked and saddened all of us on Saturday, but I think most people in America were really just in a state of shock and not actually knowing what to do at that time when we saw what was happening, not just to our friend, Gabby Giffords, who is a friend with everyone here, but also to all of the other families that were touched by this.

It goes so deep in the Tucson community when you look at the six people who gave their lives and the people who are still in the hospital fighting for their lives and all the heroes of that day. We keep hearing story after story after story of the heroes that emerged, just ordinary, everyday Americans who do what we do in situations like that. We don't think about ourselves, but we come forward to help the other person. And there were so many people like that who literally saved lives, Gabby's staff members, who were so heroic at this time, and just the shock that all of them I know are still going through. But I know that they are really heartened by the fact that most people in America are just reaching out to them, and people are saying, what can I do, how can I help, where can I be of service to this situation?

And that's what we do in America is we come together. We pull together. We say, okay, we need to be Americans and Americans first. And I think that's what we're seeing out of this. And I just hope that we, throughout this country, can continue to maintain that feeling of goodwill toward one another, of wanting to help one another, of wanting to reach out to one another and wanting to work together no matter where we are in the country, because that's what makes us great.

So our prayers and our support are with Gabby and with the others, and they will continue to be. The reports appear to continue to be good, which is so gratifying and so heartening to all of us. And we all look forward to the day when she's back here standing on this floor with the rest of us.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 627, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass--H.R. 6412, Access to Criminal History Records for State Sentencing Commissions Act of 2010--I would have voted ``aye.''

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

November 29, 2010

Rollcall vote 581, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass--H.R. 5877, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 655 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, as the ``Lance Corporal Alexander Scott Arredondo, United States Marine Corps Post Office Building''--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 582, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 771, Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day--I would have voted ``aye.''

November 30, 2010

Rollcall vote 583, On Agreeing to the Resolution--H. Res. 1736, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 4783) to accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Chile, and to extend the period from which such contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti may be accelerated--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 584, On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendments--H.R. 4783, To accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Chile, and to extend the period from which such contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti may be accelerated--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 585, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--H. Res. 1585, Honoring and recognizing the exemplary service and sacrifice of the 60th Air Mobility Wing, the 349th Air Mobility Wing, the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, and the 615th Contingency Response Wing civilians and families serving at Travis Air Force Base, California--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 586, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1740, Recognizing and honoring the National Guard on the occasion of its 374th anniversary--I would have voted ``aye.''

December 1, 2010

Rollcall vote 587, On Ordering the Previous Question--H. Res. 1742, Providing for consideration of S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 588, On Agreeing to the Resolution--H. Res. 1742, Providing for consideration of S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 589, On Agreeing to the Resolution--H. Res. 1741, Providing for consideration of H.J. Res. 101, Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011, and for other purposes--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 590, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Con. Res. 323, Supporting the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust survivors in the United States are able to live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining years--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 591, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1735, Condemning North Korea in the strongest terms for its unprovoked military attack against South Korea on November 23, 2010--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 592, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--H. Res. 1430, Honoring and saluting golf legend Juan Antonio ``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez for his commitment to Latino youth programs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute--I would have voted ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate one of the most hard-working and inspirational people I've ever had the honor of knowing.

Last month at the U.S. Powerlifting Championships, Boyd Huneycutt, after an 18-year break from competing, set the national and world record in his weight class.

But what makes his story unique is that Boyd was born prematurely with numerous birth defects, and given 72 hours to live. 50 years later, Boyd is still touching lives and inspiring those around him.

You see, Boyd only has two fingers on one hand. And one on the other. He has metal braces on his legs. In his lifetime, he's had 72 orthopedic surgeries. The obstacles he's faced in his life are many, and may have stopped others.

But Boyd lives by the motto ``Never Compromise, Always Improvise''. And improvise he did.

He set his first North Carolina state record in 1989. He won his first state championship in 1990. In 1992, he won gold in his weight class while representing the United States on the U.S. national team.

And to top it off, he's undefeated. In more than two decades of competing, nobody has ever beaten him, and I doubt that anyone ever will.

It's because of his work ethic, determination, and refusal to take ``no'' for an answer that Boyd Huneycutt has become a world class athlete and world champion. I'm honored to know him, and look forward to many more national and world records to come.

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate Gastonia, NC--one of the recipients of the 2010 All-America City Award from the National Civic League. Gastonia, for the third time, has achieved this honor, which highlights the innovation, inclusiveness, civic engagement, and cross sector collaboration of this unique town.

This year, representatives to the competition highlighted two of Gastonia's most important civic programs. The first is The Shelter of Gaston County, a transitional home for battered women. The second is ``Run for the Money,'' an annual fundraiser that has raised more than $9 million for non-profits in our area.

It was clear that Gastonia made quite an impression--they were one of only two in the entire competition to receive unanimous support from this year's judges.

Not only was Gastonia recognized with this honor, but Gastonia team member Luis Rios, president of the Mayor's Youth Leadership Council, won the inaugural All-America City Teen of the Year Award.

In addition to the hard work of the people of Gastonia, I would also like to extend special congratulations to Mayor Jennie Stultz. A native of Gastonia, Mayor Stultz provides the leadership necessary for the City of Gastonia and its citizens to live up to their fullest potential--with great gusto.

It is truly a privilege to represent Gastonia in Congress. Gastonia is well-deserving of being named an All-America City, and I commend the city for the commitment it shows to its citizens and the dedication it has to the traditions and values that make Gastonia so special.