Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Requesting Member: Congresswoman Sue Myrick

Bill Number: H.R. 1105

Account: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, International Trade Administration

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: North Carolina State University and [TCY]

Address of Requesting Entity: Contracts and Grants, Administrative Services Building III, Raleigh, NC 27695; and 211 Gregson Drive, Cary,

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Today is an important day for anyone who has ever lived through the nightmare of an adult loved one who has gone missing. The National Silver Alert Act will reauthorize Kristen's Act as part of that and give these people hope. Kristen Modafferi disappeared shortly after her 18th birthday. And after visiting her family and hearing the detailed account of their nightmare, I introduced Kristen's Act in 1999, and it was successfully signed into law in 2000. It reauthorizes funding to maintain a national clearinghouse for missing adults whose disappearance is determined by law enforcement to be foul play. It expired in 2005 and then was reintroduced in the 110th and the 109th Congress. But the efforts weren't successful. Today with the help of my friends on both sides of the aisle, we honor the efforts of so many and pay tribute to mournful families by ratifying this bill.

Kristen Modafferi disappeared in 1997. She was a bright, hardworking young college student, and she attended North Carolina State. She had just finished her freshman year. And like so many young people, she decided she wanted to go to another city to spend the summer, work and have a new experience. So she moved to San Francisco and had just enrolled in classes at Berkeley and got a job at a local coffee shop. She began settling in and making friends. On Monday, June 23, when she was just a mere 3 weeks short of her 18th birthday, she left her job at the coffee shop, headed to the beach for the afternoon, and has not been seen since. When her panicked parents called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they heard these unbelievable words, ``I'm sorry, we can't help.'' They were shocked to discover that because Kristen was 18, the center could not place her picture or story into its national database or offer any assistance whatsoever. In fact, there is no national agency to help locate missing adults.

Unfortunately, the Modaferris are not alone. The families of thousands of missing adults, almost 51,000 as of last year, have found that law enforcement and other agencies respond very differently when the person who has disappeared is not a child. It's a very traumatic experience which I know personally in dealing with the Modaferris. But having to do a search on your own without any skills or resources is very unjust. Kristen's Act sends a message to these families. They deserve help in locating endangered and involuntarily missing loved ones.

Endangered adults, no matter what their age, should receive not only the benefit of a search effort by local law enforcement, but also an experienced national organization. With this bill, families will never again have to hear they cannot be assisted because a loved one is too old.

I urge my colleagues to support the act.

I rise today in tribute to Lance, Inc., a snack food company that is based in my district. Lance is the number one seller of peanut butter crackers in United States grocery stores. It operates manufacturing plants in seven States. The company's products are in grocery stores, convenience stores, hospitals, schools, and vending machines all across the country, and they have not been affected by the nationwide peanut butter recall caused by the salmonella outbreak.

Lance self-manufactures 100 percent of the peanut butter for all of its products, which include eight varieties of peanut butter and snack crackers. Their manufacturing process is held to the highest standard, and the company regularly tests its products to assure continued consumer health and safety. Lance has also been reviewed and okayed by the Food Safety Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to ensure utmost quality and safety.

Parents pack Lance crackers in their kids' lunches every day, and every day countless people grab a handful of Lance crackers as an on- the-go snack. This company is a trusted one because it has built its reputation on putting the consumer first.

The safety of Lance has not been compromised by this recall, and I urge consumers to continue to enjoy all of their favorite Lance products.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very simple. Any company that accepts or has accepted TARP funds would be prevented from outsourcing any new customer service or call center jobs to a foreign company.

I'm not aware of any companies that have participated in the TARP that have entered into any new contracts with foreign-based customer service centers, but I do know that our constituents have a great deal of skepticism about the TARP program and how their money is being spent. And if a company that has been propped up with taxpayer dollars were to outsource these types of jobs, it would create further cynicism.

I understand this is a global interconnected economy. However, given the amount of Federal dollars pouring into U.S. companies from TARP and given the fact that the U.S. unemployment is now above 7 percent, I don't think it's unreasonable to demand that American workers are used to fill any new customer service jobs for the companies who are assisted with American taxpayer dollars.

I urge support of the amendment.

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

I understand the gentleman's concerns regarding the WTO, and I know there are concerns there with what's been done with the automakers, too, so this isn't the only one.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hostelling International USA for 75 years of service to intercultural understanding and youth travel.

Hostelling International USA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1934 to promote hostels and hostel-related programs in the United States, especially among youth travelers. In doing so, it promotes cultural exchange through travel and supports tourism for local economies.

The North Carolina Council of Hostelling International USA promotes hostelling in North Carolina by offering workshops on world travel and intercultural understanding at local venues, including NC college campuses and through local Girl Scout troops. During the past year, the NC Council funded overnight stays for 51 young people and their group leaders, allowing them to stay at hostels in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Philadelphia's Fairmont Park, and Washington, DC.

I congratulate Hostelling International USA for its 75 years of service to our country and our state.

Madam Speaker, the Safran Group Company, Turbomeca Manufacturing, celebrated its grand opening on September 25, 2008. This company proudly manufactures the engines that power the U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Search and Rescue Helicopter fleet and that of the U.S. Army Light Utility Helicopter fleet.

Turbomeca Manufacturing provides resources, jobs and business growth to the city of Monroe, North Carolina, and has shown tremendous commitment to the community. This 100,000 square foot factory plans to reach a production capacity of 200,000 hours per year by 2010, and will encompass a team of approximately 180 employees.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that I honor and recognize this company in my district for the economic opportunities that they create and the outstanding community presence they provide.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks I received as part

of H.R. 2638--the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act:

1. Bill Number: H.R. 2638 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009.

Account: OPN Budget Activity 01, Line #19, Items Less than $5 million.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: IMO Pump.

Address of Requesting Entity: 1710 Airport Road, Monroe, NC.

Description of Request: Provide an authorization of $4 million for the procurement and installation of Canned Lube Pumps (CLP) on four LSD-41/49 Class amphibious ships. This funding will purchase 16 CLP units to complete the LSD-41 class. Approximately $400,000 is for technical support for installation; $2.8 million for the CLP units and installation; $600,000 for battle spares; $200,000 for prototype ship board test for LHD class. The Navy has indicated that the total savings over the life of the LSD 41/49 class from installing the CLP is over $33.1 million, and the return investment to the Navy is 394 percent. This funding will complete the procurement and installation of the Whidbey Island Class. A $2 million add was included in the final bill for this project.

2. Bill Number: H.R. 2638 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009.

Account: RTD&E, Army.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: DSM Dyneema, LLC.

Address of Requesting Entity: 1101 Highway 27 South, Stanley, NC.

Description of Request: The funding will be used to develop a helmet capable of providing 7.62-mm small arms protection, resulting in increased protection and a potential decrease in fatal and non-fatal injuries associated with 7.62-mm threats experienced in theatre. Funding will be used to support ongoing efforts to develop and test a superstrong polyethylene fiber that offers maximum strength combined with minimum weight. The final bill provides $1.44 million for this project.

Thank you, Mr. Deal, for yielding.

I am very pleased to speak on behalf of this bill and excited that it has come this far, because it is going to further progress breast cancer research as it relates to the environmental factors.

Nita Lowey has worked on this for I think 10 years. I have been at it for at least 7 years. I don't know how long it has been, Nita, but it has been a long, long time. We are both happy to be at this point, because I think it will breathe new life into the effort of what we are doing at the NIH for the potential triggers of breast cancer.

Lots of thought has gone into this, a tremendous amount of work on both sides of the aisle. I want to commend Mrs. Lowey for all of her work, Chairman Dingell and Chairman Barton, and all the staff members who made this compromise possible, because this has been a long time coming. We are just grateful we are at this point today.

Mr. Speaker, Today is a very important day for anyone who has ever lived through the nightmare of an adult loved one gone missing. The National Silver Alert Act will reauthorize Kristen's Act and give these people hope. Kristen Modafferi disappeared shortly after her 18th birthday. I asked the family how I could help. After visiting with them and hearing a detailed account of their nightmare, I introduced Kristen's Act in 1999. It was swiftly ratified in both the House and Senate before being signed into law by President Clinton in 2000.

Kristen's Act reauthorizes funding to maintain a national clearinghouse for missing adults whose disappearance is determined by law enforcement to be foul play. As with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, this bill provides assistance to law enforcement and families in missing persons cases of those over the age of 17. Kristen's Act expired in 2005. I introduced a reauthorization in the 109th Congress, unfortunately my attempts to get it passed were unsuccessful. Today, with the help of my friends from across the aisle, we honor the efforts of so many and pay tribute to mournful families by ratifying this bill.

Kristen Modafferi disappeared in 1997. She was an extremely bright, hard-working young lady and attended North Carolina State University. She had just finished her freshman year; and like so many other college students, she decided she wanted to go to another city to spend the summer and work and have a new experience. So she moved to San Francisco. She enrolled in photography class at Berkeley and got a job at a local coffee shop. She began settling in and making friends.

On Monday, June 23--which was just a mere 3 weeks after her 18th birthday--she left her job at the coffee shop and headed to the beach for the afternoon. She has not been seen since.

When her panicked parents called National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they heard these unbelievable words, ``I'm sorry-- we cannot help you.'' They were shocked to discover that because Kristen was 18, the Center could not place her picture and story into its national database, or offer any assistance whatsoever.

In fact, there is no national agency in the United States to help locate missing adults.

Unfortunately, the Modaferris are not alone. The families of thousands of missing adults--50,930 cases as of last year--have found that law enforcement and other agencies respond very differently when the person who has disappeared is not a child.

Coping with the disappearance of a family member is a traumatic experience--and I know personally what the Modaferris went through. But to be forced to conduct the search on their own without any skills or resources is simply unjust. Kristen's Act does send a message to these families that they deserve help in locating endangered and involuntarily missing loved ones.

Endangered missing adults, regardless of their age, should receive not only the benefit of a search effort by local law enforcement--but also the help of an experienced national organization.

By approving this bill, families will never again have to hear they cannot be assisted because a loved one is too old.

Madam Speaker, when the first rays of daylight broke on the Lexington Green on April 19, 1775, ``the shot heard round the world'' was fired as British soldiers and American patriots clashed and sparked the war for American independence. A month later, on May 20, 1775, delegates of the citizens of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, adopted their declaration of independence that ``Resolved, That we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country, and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, and abjure all political connection, contract, or association, with that Nation, who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.''

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress declared American independence on July 4, 1776, by stating that ``these colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States'' and in support of that declaration mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. General George Washington led an army of American patriots through the American Revolution. This army lacked everything but courage, shouldered every burden and adversity, and persevered for 8 long years to secure blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity.

The liberty of our Nation was supported by the largesse of France's King Louis XVI and Spain's King Carlos III and secured by the daring of Europe's elite military officers, including La Fayette, Rochambeau, von Steuben, Pulaski, Galvez, and others.

The surrender of British forces under the command of General Lord John Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781, to the allied forces under the command of General George Washington and General Comte de Rochambeau set the stage for peace initiatives abroad. As such, Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay to represent the United States and David Hartley was appointed by Great Britain's King George III to negotiate terms for peace.

On September 3, 1783, the peace commissioners of the United States and Great Britain

signed a Treaty of Peace in Paris which recognized American independence and boundaries and declared the intention of both parties to ``forget all past misunderstandings and differences'' and ``secure to both perpetual peace and harmony.'' Great Britain also signed treaties of peace in Paris on September 3, 1783, with France and Spain and provisionally with the Netherlands to bring a cessation of hostilities between the nations.

Therefore, I call upon Congress and the American public to recognize the 225th Anniversary of the Treaty of Paris that took place on September 3, 2008. We should remember and honor the men that served in the revolution; American, French, and Spanish. And we should recognize the enduring friendship between the United States and its first allies--France and Spain.

We should also recognize that it is the 225th anniversary of relations between the United States and Great Britain. While we fought many battles against each other in America's early years, we have fought side by side in far greater battles since those times. The Treaty of Paris 225th anniversary should therefore reaffirm the value of the deep friendship that has developed between America and Great Britain since that time.

History teaches us to hope. So let us recognize this date and hope that in the next 225 years America is stronger and more prosperous than it is now, and that its friendships with Spain, France, and Great Britain are as strong as they are today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in order to honor a great man and a dedicated Member of this body. Today Howard Coble has become the longest serving Republican Member from North Carolina in the history of the House of Representatives. Howard has been a credit to the North Carolina delegation since 1984 and I wish to thank him for his service and his wonderful work on behalf of the people of our State.

It should be remembered that Representative Coble's dedication to service did not begin with his election to Congress. Before he ever came to this Chamber Howard had already spent 5\1/2\ years on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard and another 18 years as a reservist. He had served as an Assistant County Attorney for Guilford Co., an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Beyond these roles he had served his community through 5 years of work in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Since coming to Congress Howard has represented the sixth District of North Carolina with a dedication and ability that has endeared him to his constituents. I have been honored to serve with him and to call him a friend. And now that those same constituents have kept him in Congress longer than any other Republican from North Carolina in history, I congratulate him on this milestone and I look forward to continuing to serve with Howard in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I bring a message from the American people. They don't like us. They viewed Congress as a body that's comprised of individuals that they elect and expect to reason together in the best interests of America and Americans. They don't see that happening. They insist they have had it with the politics itself and party.

Americans are hurting because of fuel costs which are pushing up all other costs, including food. Winter is approaching, and the pain will grow much worse.

This crisis is seriously threatening our national security. We are sending more money to foreign nations than ever before, many of whom don't like us, to put it mildly. We, in government, refused to get our financial House in order. We are forcing our Nation to depend on foreign oil.

Oh, and in an aside, emptying our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is not a solution. What if we are attacked, disaster? That's why reserves are called strategic. Politicians since, and including Jimmy Carter, have promised energy solutions.

Well, where are they? Under Carter we imported about 24 percent of our oil, and now we import about 70 percent. The American people are tired of hollow promises. They are demanding action now, now, not after the election, now. They demand plans for eliminating our dependence on oil, beginning with foreign oil, plans to use our own resource from offshore drilling to sugar cane conversion, all the while putting advanced batteries, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear and any other realistic alternative on a critical fast track.

Of course, we must do everything we can to protect our environment if for no other reason than we all must breathe clean air, consume safe food and water, and, of course, protect God's creatures.

The people know it's their government, and they intend to take charge. Simply put, they are mad. Those before us, as well as many selfless heroes today, have and are now paying grievously. For this great opportunity that we call home, this America, the American people worked very hard to keep our Nation strong and productive. They do their jobs. The very least we can do as U.S. Congress is do our job.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I support this bill, and if there is a problem with speculators, yes, we need to get to the bottom of it, but we also need to look at our supply and start using our own resources. Yes, it may be a stopgap to take us on to alternatives, which I totally support because there are a lot of things out there that will work and will stop our dependence on foreign oil. This is a national security issue, and that's what bothers me so much because right now, we are totally dependent on people who don't like us for our oil. And what that does is put money in their pocket that they are using against us to finance terrorism. It makes no sense. We have to look at supply, and we have to look at our own supply.

I have a bill that is the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act, and very simply, it allows us to drill off the Outer Continental Shelf because it's estimated there is a lot of supply out there. And it lets the States decide if they want to do it, and they share in the revenue.

We have got to get serious about this, and we need to get moving now, not wait. There are a lot of bills out there that could be on the floor, but we need to ensure our energy and national security with serious bills. Supply, we need to look at nuclear, and expand that.

We need all the alternatives on the table because that's the only thing that's going to solve the problem. We can't just put band-aids on it. We have to address it in a serious manner.

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

June 9, 2008:

Rollcall vote 388, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 1225, expressing support for designation of June 2008 as ``National Safety Month''--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 389, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 1243, recognizing the immeasurable contributions of fathers in the healthy development of children, supporting responsible fatherhood, and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their children, especially on Father's Day--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 390, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 127, recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State--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:

May 13, 2008: Rollcall vote 306, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 1181, Expressing condolences and sympathy to the people of Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 307, on motion to suspend the rules and pass--H.R. 6022, Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 308, on motion to suspend the rules and pass--H.R. 4008, Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act of 2007--I would have voted ``aye.''

May 14, 2008: Rollcall vote 309, question of consideration on the role--H. Res. 1189, providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act-- I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 310, on ordering the previous question on the rule--H. Res. 1189, providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 311, on agreeing to the resolution--H. Res. 1189, providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 312, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 1134, Supporting the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 313, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 1176, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Train Day--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 314, on motion to recommit conference report with instructions--H.R. 2410, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 315, on agreeing to the conference report--H.R. 2410, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 316, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to, as amended--H. Res. 1133, Congratulating Winona State University on winning the 2008 Division II men's basketball championships--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 317, on ordering the previous question--H. Res. 1190, Providing for the adoption of the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 70, the Congressional Budget Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 318, on agreeing to the resolution--H. Res. 1190, Providing for the adoption of the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 70, the Congressional Budget Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 319, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to--H. Res. 1173, Recognizing AmeriCorps Week--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 320, on motion to instruct the conferees on--H.R. 4040, Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 321, on motion to instruct the conferees on--S. Con. Res. 70, the Congressional Budget Resolution--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 322, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to, as amended--H. Res. 789, Honoring public child welfare agencies, nonprofit organizations and private entities providing services for foster children--I would have voted ``aye.''

May 15, 2008: Rollcall vote 323, on ordering the previous question-- H. Res. 1197, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2642, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 324, on agreeing to the resolution--H. Res. 1197, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2642, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 325, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended--H.R. 5614, Original Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Ultra-High Relief Palladium Bullion Coin Act--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 326, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended--H.R. 406, Alice Paul Women's Suffrage Congressional Gold Medal Act--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 327, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended--H.R. 5872, Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 328, on agreeing to the Senate amendment with amendment No. 1--H.R. 2642, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act--I would have voted ``present.''

Rollcall vote 329, on agreeing to the Senate amendment with amendment No. 2--H.R. 2642, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 330, on agreeing to the Senate amendment with amendment No. 3--H.R. 2642, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act--I would have voted ``nay.''