Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the members of the domestic copper industry and to thank them for the tremendous services that they are providing to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as the men and women serving in the United States military at home and overseas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Tim Friedman for his many years of heartfelt service and wish him best wishes on his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives and the House Democratic Cloakroom.

Originally from Lackawanna, NY, outside of Buffalo, Mr. Friedman began his career in the House of Representatives on July 19,1976 under the patronage of the Honorable Dan Rostenkowski of Illinois. He worked as a Doorkeeper from 1976 to 1982 under the Honorable James T. Molloy before transferring to the office of the House Sergeant at Arms in 1982. There he worked as an assistant to the Honorable Jack Russ.

In 1985, Tim Friedman was appointed as Assistant Manager of the House Democratic Cloakroom by the Honorable Thomas P. O'Neill, Speaker of the House. Tim married Colleen Early in 2003. He is retiring to Wallace, NC, where he plans to continue his love of golf.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to be able to recognize a man who has dedicated his life to serving the people of the United States. I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Tim Friedman on his many years of devoted public service and thank him for the many contributions he has made toward the well being of the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Chairman, I am greatly concerned about cuts that have been made to Farm Bill programs through this agriculture appropriations bill. I believe that using mandatory Farm Bill money to pay for an annual spending bill is unacceptable, and it's simply not fair to our farmers.

Appropriators and authorizers have long fought over mandatory and discretionary dollars; however, since 2004, we've seen a large increase in the amount of mandatory money used to pay for programs in the appropriations bill. We all worked very hard during the last Farm Bill. We agreed and put together a safety net for all farmers, and dedicated money to conservation, rural development, and other programs, but have since witnessed a significant portion of our annual funding be redirected.

With falling farm income because of higher energy and production costs, along with lower farm gate prices, now is the worst time to cut this funding for our agricultural producers. I'm worried about dropping the bottom out from underneath our agricultural producers and rural citizens through cuts to conservation and rural development programs, which have already taken disproportionate reductions in funding.

Conservation programs assist our farmers and ranchers in strengthening their environmental stewardship, which is so important for looking after land and water that we will pass on to our future generations. By investing in enhanced environmental protection of land and water, the public benefits from an overall improved quality of life; affordable food, cleaner, safer, and more dependable water supplies; reduced damages caused by floods and other natural disasters; abundant wildlife; scenic landscapes and an enhanced natural resource base. Cutting important conservation programs while we're facing a huge backlog of producers waiting to participate in these programs will hinder these efforts.

I am especially concerned about cuts to the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection program. Since 1996, the program, in partnership with state and local governments and nongovernmental organizations, has kept over 440,000 acres of productive farmland in agricultural uses. FRPP is an excellent way of preserving farmland for many years to come, and helps provide a means for maintaining a viable rural economy.

Additionally, rural development programs are vital to ensuring that our traditionally-agriculturally based communities do not simply vanish because of farm and job loss. I am concerned about cuts to an important rural development program that assists farmers in adding value to their products. Rural development initiatives help to advance our rural communities, develop new markets, and provide economic growth.

Mr. Chairman, I respect the appropriators in the difficult task they have been given in this tight budget climate, but I ask that they respect the funding amounts put forth in the Farm Bill, and not make cuts to mandatory programs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Rocky Santilli of Leesport Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, for his 2,000+ career wins as a fast-pitch softball manager, and his naming as the 2006 King of Baseballtown.

Mr. Santilli started his managerial career in 1959 with the Leesport- based Rising Sun Sunners, and has since amassed over 2,000 victories along with dozens of trophies and honors. With Santilli at the helm, the Sunners captured three Amateur Softball Association (ASA) national titles, a number of gold medals at the Olympic Festival, and a share of the International Softball Federation (ISF) Men's World Fast Pitch Championship.

Due to his impressive record with the Sunners, Mr. Santilli was honored with the opportunity to pilot the United States softball team four times at the Pan Am games. The U.S brought home silver medals in all four games, finishing just behind Canada.

In 1991, Rocky Santilli was inducted into the ISF Hall of Fame on behalf of his remarkable career. Two years later he was enshrined in the ASA National Hall of Honor and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998 Mr. Santilli returned to coaching and led the Schuylkill Valley High School girls' softball squad to a 64-67 record over 7 years. In 2004, Rocky Santilli retired as a legend.

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of meeting Rocky several years ago through Sheriff John H. Kramer, and it is an honor today to recognize such a talented and accomplished man who has brought pride and inspiration to the people of my district. I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Rocky Santilli on his 2006 King of Baseballtown award, recognizing his remarkable career in softball, and thanking him for the many contributions he has made toward the well-being of the citizens of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Richard E. Tomko of St. Clair, Pennsylvania for his many years of selfless and heartfelt service to the residents of St.

Clair Borough and the many contributions he has made to Schuylkill County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Tomko began his public life as committeeman for the West Precinct in St. Clair at the age of 21. Soon after, in 1970, he became the chairman of the St. Clair Republican Party, a position he holds to this day. At the age of 23, Mr. Tomko was elected to the St. Clair Borough Council and served 8 years, including 5 years as council president. In 1980, Mr. Tomko resigned from the council to become borough secretary until he was appointed to the Police Civil Service Commission where he served for 3 years.

In 1985, Richard Tomko was elected mayor of St. Clair. Mayor Tomko was re-elected four times, serving 20 years in the position. A high school government teacher, neighbor, and friend, Mr. Tomko continues to be a vital member of the community, also serving on my Military Academy Recommendation Board.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to be able to recognize a man who has dedicated his entire life to the borough of St. Clair, helping hundreds of people in my district, including myself. I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Richard E. Tomko on his many years of devoted public service and thank him for the many contributions he has made toward the well being of the citizens of St. Clair, Schuylkill County, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Frank D. Linn, Sr. of Lower Swatara Township, Middletown, Pennsylvania as he celebrates fifty years of selfless and heartfelt service to the children and families of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania as Santa Claus.

Mr. Linn has given of his time and effort making thousands of children happy as ``The Jolly Old Man with the Beard'' since 1955. Acting as Santa in a shopping center and at private home parties, he also spreads the spirit of the holidays making visits and toy deliveries to around seventy-five homes at Christmastime.

A graduate of Central Dauphin High School, Mr. Linn has been employed with the House of Representatives, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the past forty-three years serving as Specialist in Intergovernmental Affairs to the Speaker of the House for Speaker Matthew J. Ryan and currently Speaker John M. Perzel. He has also devoted his time to the Lower Swatara Lions Club and the Middletown Area Red Cross as well as multiple local athletic teams, boy scouts troops, and fire companies.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to be able to recognize a man who has been committed to bringing joy to the people of my district for fifty years. I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Frank D. Linn, Sr. on fifty years of devoted service as our local Santa Claus and thank him for the many contributions he has made toward the well being of the citizens of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize that on September 27, 2005, I voted ``yea'' on H.R. 438 (rollcall No. 495), which designates the United States Postal Service facility located at 2000 Allston Way in Berkeley, California, as the ``Maudelle Shirek Post Office Building.''

Ms. Maudelle Shirek was the former vice-mayor of the City of Berkeley and Member of Berkeley City Council from 1984 to 2004, between the ages of 73 and 93. She was one of California's longest serving elected officials.

For 60 years, Ms. Shirek has been campaigning for fair housing and civil rights for all Americans, especially the poor. Ms. Shirek helped found two Berkeley seniors centers. Until her health started slowing her down, Ms. Shirek helped deliver meals to shut-in seniors and did all the grocery shopping for lunches at the New Light Senior Center. In addition, Ms. Shirek received a Special Recognition Award in 1997 from the Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union for 55 years of tireless work in the credit union movement.

Before voting on H.R. 438, I was fully aware of the aforementioned efforts and achievements during Ms. Shirek's life. I found them reason to name a Post Office after her.

However, after I voted ``yea'' on H.R. 438, I was informed of Ms. Shirek's active support for the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a man convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer. Upon learning this, I could not, in good faith, support H.R. 438. Had I known this prior to voting on H.R. 438, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. I am pleased Chairman Hunter and Ranking Member Skelton were agreeable in adding my legislation to create the Combat Medevac Badge in the bill. I would also like to thank Congressman Geoff Davis for his support in offering my legislation as an amendment during mark-up.

Two years ago I was approached by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 542 in Central Pennsylvania, who told me great stories of heroism performed by DUSTOFF pilots and crews during the Vietnam War. But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots and medics.

Upon my meeting with the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 542, I introduced legislation to establish the Combat Medevac Badge to recognize these Medevac pilots and crews. Simply stated, my legislation would make any person who served in combat as a pilot or crewmember of a Medevac unit beginning June 25, 1950 eligible for the Combat Medevac Badge.

Current law provides for two honor recognitions, the Combat Medical Badge and the Combat Infantryman Badge. The basic eligibility standards for both of these awards were crafted during World War II, a time before helicopters entered the field of battle for rescue and medical evacuation purposes.

Non-Medevac pilots and co-pilots, who flew aircraft during the Korean War, and every war since then, have long been recognized with a Combat Badge. However, because of an omission in the statute, Medevac crews that operate rescue helicopters have never been eligible for the same recognition.

Last week, this omission was corrected during the Defense Authorization mark-up, when Congressman Davis offered an amendment to establish the Combat Medevac Badge, which was passed en bloc. I commend Congressman Davis for taking the lead in committee and bringing this long overdue award one step closer to fruition.

Mr. Chairman, I would again like to commend Chairman Hunter, Ranking Member Skelton, and Congressman Davis for their leadership in bringing forth this very good bill and including the establishment of the Combat Medevac Badge. I would also like to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania, Joe Pitts, for all of his assistance and hard work. Lastly, I would like to recognize John Travers and Mike McLaughlin of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 542 for brining this to my attention and for all of their time and dedication to the effort.

Medevac pilots and crews have performed heroically during times of military conflict. This long overdue award will acknowledge their service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the people of the State of Israel on the celebration of the 57th anniversary of its founding. Known in Hebrew as Yom Ha'atzmaut, this special day marks the historic date in 1948 on which the British Mandate over Palestine expired and the State of Israel was proclaimed.

Each year, this celebration comes on the heels of Yom Ha'zikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, when the nation expresses its eternal debt and gratitude to the more than 20,000 soldiers who gave their lives to secure the country's independence and defend its continued existence.

Israel and the United States have shared a special bond since the founding of the modern Jewish State in 1948. The United States was the first country to recognize Israel, only 11 minutes after it was officially created. Since then, our two countries have developed a rock-solid friendship that does not depend on the parties in power either in Washington or Jerusalem. Over the past half-century, bipartisan support for Israel has been a staple of every Congress regardless of which party is in the majority and which in the minority.

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, a region dominated by authoritarian and military regimes. Our two nations share the fundamental principles of freedom and equality. Both were established by immigrants, who sought freedom from oppression. Both stand as symbols of liberty and pluralism in a world still marked by authoritarianism and intolerance. Both have provided safe havens for oppressed people from all parts of the globe and both are rooted in the unshakable tenets of democracy, human dignity, individual rights, and religious freedom.

Once again Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my sincere congratulations to the people of Israel on this joyous occasion.

Mr. Chairman, coal is by far the largest domestic source of energy we produce. Here in the United States, we have between 250 and 300 years of a coal supply. That is more than the amount of recoverable oil contained in the entire world.

I am proud to represent the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania, which have the largest anthracite coal deposit in North America, arguably the largest deposit in the world. It is a high-Btu, low-sulfur fuel, and is considered the cleanest-burning solid fuel on the commercial market today.

But as we can see through rising fuel prices, we are too dependent upon foreign oil. In the United States, we consume about 20.5 million barrels of oil per day. That's about 7.5 billion barrels per year. Half of that is imported. And almost half of American oil consumption is for motor vehicles.

One of our priorities should be to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We should be increasing research and development into our fossil fuel program. With continued research of coal, the potential of the United States becoming energy self-sufficient in an environmentally friendly manner is enhanced.

For over 15 years, through the clean coal programs of the Department of Energy, the Federal Government has been a solid partner, working jointly with private companies and the states to develop and demonstrate a new generation of environmentally clean technology using coal.

One benefit of the clean coal programs takes advantage of a decades' old technology of converting coal and waste coal into clean diesel fuel. In Pennsylvania alone, there is an excess of 200-300 million tons of waste coal that has accumulated over the years. A company in Gilberton, Pennsylvania, in my district, is ready to do convert this waste coal to diesel fuel and electricity on a large scale. The plant has received support from DOE's Clean Coal Power Initiative.

Coal research and development provides huge benefits for the nation, and pay for itself many times over through taxes flowing back to the Treasury from expanded economic activity.

The clean coal programs are important for several reasons. They: Clean up the environment by burning waste coal; reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and air toxics; develop cleaner, more efficient power systems; sponsor promising technologies that are too risky for private industry to undertake alone; provide a model for future government- industry technology partnerships; and provide tremendous job opportunities in this country, not in the Middle East.

In 2002, President Bush said, ``We will promote clean coal technology.'' The President recently outlined four important objectives that need to be included in this energy bill. These objectives are all met by clean coal programs: Encourage the use of technology to improve conservation; encourage more production at home in environmentally sensitive ways; diversify our energy supply by developing alternative sources of energy and create more energy choices; and help us find better, more reliable ways to deliver energy to consumers.

We need to take advantage of our own natural resources. I encourage my colleagues to continue to support clean coal programs.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

I want to commend and congratulate the chairmen and the ranking members of the committee and subcommittee for their hard work on this legislation for the past 18 months.

As many speakers have said previous to me today, Mr. Chairman, we all on

this committee wish we could be at our original target of $375 billion, but it is important that we pass this legislation here today, and it is very important that we get to a conference with the other body as quickly as possible.

This legislation is important to all of our districts and all of our States. As my friend from Pennsylvania said two speakers previously, Pennsylvania has specific transportation needs. Pennsylvania has more road miles to maintain than our friends in New Jersey, New York and New England combined.

In addition to that, the majority of truck traffic travelling in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on our interstate system, particularly on Route 80, is not traffic that begins and ends in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania truly is the Keystone State when it comes to the economy of the northeast and of the Mid-Atlantic States. So this legislation is very important all across the country, but particularly to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

So I want to again commend the chairman and the ranking member for their hard work and look forward to a conference where we have as robust an investment as possible into our highway and transit systems.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John D.W. Reiley and to recognize the many contributions he has made to the city of Pottsville, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the world. He knows no limits in his service and commitment to the people and communities he has touched over the years.

John D.W. Reiley was born and raised in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where he still resides today. He is a graduate of Pottsville Catholic High School and Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia.

After serving with the United States Army in the U.S. and Germany, he was associated with Reiley's Stores, Inc. in Pottsville. In May 1976, he was named Secretary of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and he served in that capacity to the present time.

As a lifelong resident of Pottsville, Mr. Reiley has been active in the Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival, serving as its first president. A member of the Pottsville Lions, he is a past President and past District Governor. He is currently Co-Chairman of Pottsville Cruise Night and is a Director of the Union Bank and Trust Company, UBT Realty, and the Schuylkill County Motor Club, the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, and Penn Prime Insurance.

In 1969, he was appointed to Pottsville City Council. He was re- elected later that year and again in 1973.

He is also a member of Robert R. Wodbury Post #67 American Legion; Ancient Order of Hibernians, JFK Division (#2); Catholic War Veterans Post No. 1051; Knights of Columbus Council No. 431; Schuylkill Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame; and the Yorkville Hose & Fire Company.

Mr. Reiley is a past President of the Pottsville Merchants Association and past member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Retailers Association and the Pottsville Library.

In March 2000, he was appointed Mayor of Pottsville, completing the term of his son Terence, who lost a five-year battle with leukemia while in office. In November 2001, John was re-elected to a full term.

He is married to the former Agnes McGowan, and is the father of Hugh Reiley and the late Terry Reiley.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

I congratulate and thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Goodlatte) and our subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), for his hard work on this legislation. I would like to take a moment to congratulate and thank the ranking member of the committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), on an outstanding congressional career. As we all know, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) will be leaving us and not serving in the next Congress. But I just want to say to the gentleman that not only is the Committee on Agriculture going to miss his leadership; the entire agriculture community across the country is going to miss his guidance and his input. On a personal note I am truly going to miss his leadership, and I thank him for all of the help that he has given to me personally over the years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 2856, which will fix a problem with technical assistance funding for agriculture conservation programs. Our intent was to allow for farm bill programs to pay for themselves. However, due to different interpretations of the law and congressional rewriting, we are now in a situation in which major programs are paying for others.

There is a huge problem with donor programs such as the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Grassland Reserve Program, and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, providing technical assistance funding for the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program.

These donations continue to inhibit the implementation of these effective programs in the way that Congress intended. We must make sure that implementation reflects intent. It was never our plan to have key conservation programs act as donors for others. We

need to correct this problem, and that is exactly what S. 2856 will do.

In fiscal year 2003, there were significant contributions being made by EQIP, Farmland Protection, WHIP, and the GRP to the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program. EQIP donated $57.6 million, Farmland Protection donated $18 million, WHIP gave $5.6 million, and Grasslands Reserve gave $9.5 million.

In my home State of Pennsylvania, these conservation programs are extremely important.

In fiscal year 2003, Pennsylvania received $8.4 million to fund 293 contracts throughout the EQIP program. There were actually 1,238 unfunded contracts totaling $35.4 million. In 2004, Pennsylvania received $11.9 million, a significant increase, but not enough to fund all of the contracts that are on hold.

The problem is the same for Farmland Protection, which is critical to Pennsylvania. In 2003, Pennsylvania received $4.9 million to protect 6,266 acres. In 2004, the State received less, approximately $4 million for the program.

Allowing vital programs such as EQIP and Farm and Ranchland Protection to be donors for other conservation programs only makes the funding backlog worse.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2856 and implement technical assistance funding for agriculture conservation programs the way in which Congress intended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bob Marquette, the president and CEO of Members 1st Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Mechanicsburg, PA, on his recent election to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, NAFCU. Bob has been a vocal supporter of credit union issues at both the state and national levels.

Bob's election to the NAFCU board is just one more in a long list of accomplishments that has spanned more than 30 years of service in the credit union movement. Bob serves on the board of directors for both the Credit Union Campaign for Consumer Choice and the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation. Additionally, Bob serves on the Philadelphia Fed's Credit Union Advisory Council. Bob is a tireless advocate of the credit union movement and I am sure he will serve NAFCU, and the entire credit union community, well in his new position on the board of directors.

Under Bob's management Members 1st FCU has continued to flourish. Today, Member's 1st has 15 branches serving more than 93,000 Pennsylvanians living and working in the south central region of the State.

It is because of the good work of Bob and others like him that the credit union movement enjoys the success it has today. As the President/CEO of Members 1st, Bob has focused on ensuring his members receive helpful, personal service that caters to the needs of individual members and their financial goals. Such service is the hallmark of the credit union movement and Members 1st has exemplified that philosophy under Bob's tenure as president. I wish Bob good luck in his new role as a member of the NAFCU Board of Directors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Schuylkill Chapter 0413 of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees as it celebrates fifty years of distinguished service to Federal retirees, employees and their families in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

Originally chartered as Pottsville Chapter 413 in 1954, the Chapter made recruiting and retention a top priority. By way of free luncheons, speaker series, outdoor summer picnics, catered dinner meetings, and a recruiting booth at the Schuylkill County Fair, membership spread to many towns in the county. Area-wide recruiting success was achieved when the National Association of Retired Federal Employees authorized the Chapter's name change to Schuylkill Chapter 0413, allowing them to serve a greater number of citizens.

An association such as Schuylkill Chapter 0413 achieved success through the continued hard work of dedicated members and officers. Since its first meeting, the Chapter has stood as an integral facet of the community, working to meet the needs and concerns of the community in which it serves. As a member of Schuylkill Chapter 0413, I share the profound pride felt by my fellow members as our organization reaches this milestone.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to be able to recognize an organization that has been sustained for fifty years on its commitment to the people of my district and all of central Pennsylvania. I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Schuylkill Chapter 0413 of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees on fifty years of devoted service and thank them for the many contributions they have made toward the well being of the citizens of this great Nation.