we are considering another tax cutting scheme aimed at benefiting only the wealthiest Americans and does little to help the working families in my district. The scheme we are looking at now will benefit 5 percent of the wealthiest…

I have to admit, we do not have any farmers in urban Houston, but we do grow our backyard gardens, we have tomato plants and peppers, but with this heat, they are all dead now. But I think the graph and the distribution that our colleague…

I join my colleagues, and I appreciate the work of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs. This is money well spent, because if we do not deal with tuberculosis nationwide, literally in Texas, we are…

life is about choices and priorities. Like a lot of Democrats, and I am not one of those 48 and I am proud of it, that supported the Republican plan, I do support eliminating the marriage tax penalty. But there is a reasonable way to do…

I am a cosponsor of Aimee's Law legislation, and I rise in support of the bill, although I share the concern of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that the bill should have come through committee and we should have had the committee…

the reason this evening that I am asking for a 5-minute special order is to talk about some legislation that I have been working on and we have a great many cosponsors, H.R. 1323. As I begin to talk about it, Members need to understand…

I think what the House passed the week before the 4th of July was a travesty. It was something that the seniors can see through, and we said that on the floor. That is why I think it only passed by three votes as the gentleman from Texas…

yesterday we witnessed one of the biggest legislative shams of the 106th Congress. This Congress did not pass a prescription drug benefit to help our seniors; we passed an insurance policy. From the Patient's Bill of Rights to education…

Because of the committee's efforts, the Houston-Galveston Navigation Project is appropriated the full $53.5 million needed to maintain the optimal construction schedule for the deepening and widening of the Houston Ship Channel. This…

Again, section 317 funding increase is supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and this increase is also supported by the Association of Maternal…

I know in my own district in Houston, our population turns so quick, that we may do a great immunization program 2 or 3 years ago, but we have so many new children who are coming in to urban areas in our country that this money, this…

I stand here today and see a bill that would do little for the educational system of our country. This is a result of the budget that the Republican majority has given us. It emphasizes cutting taxes, but it hurts the future of our Nation…

it is hard to believe that, here in the world's richest country, one in seven American children does not have health insurance. Yet, in the midst of our Nation's longest and strongest economic expansion, the health of over 11 million of…

As a cosponsor of H.R. 3916, the Telephone Excise Tax Repeal Act, I am proud to not only support it, but also be a cosponsor. It adds $6 billion annually to our bills and about $2.00 a month to our constituents' phone bills. While this tax…

I rise in opposition to permanent normal trade relations with the People's Republic of China. Over the last few months, I have felt that the progress of China on both the social and economic front have evaporated compared to when I was…

I find myself in kind of a unique position on this issue, one, because 10 years ago, I was at the same place my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) is in; I was a State senator, and Metro in Houston was proposing a heavy rail…

I believe Congress is well-intentioned today by not allowing the FCC the ability to impose per minute charges on Internet access services. We all know that per minute access would devastate the Internet. The explosive growth in data…

I have followed this story and the tragic fires in my colleague's district in northern New Mexico that has disrupted the lives of thousands of citizens of New Mexico, and we have shared the anguish of their families who have lost their…

I rise to talk about the decision this Congress must make regarding extending Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to China. Over the last several months I worked the 29th district and talked to people who have varying opinions both for…

all of us share in the loss of Cardinal O'Connor, even though we are not from New York. Mr. Speaker, last evening, the House of Representatives was spammed. Spam is unsolicited e-mail that can be sent in such a large volume that it…

during this last Easter weekend, several Members of the Texas delegation, led by our U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), the gentleman from Texas (Mr…

most Americans are surprised to learn that in some States one in four children are not receiving the immunizations they need to prevent disease and death. Yet despite gains in recent years, we are still not doing enough to make sure that…

I rise tonight with a great deal of sorrow and concern because yesterday an explosion and fire occurred at Phillips Petroleum Company plant in Pasadena, Texas, which is part of the district that I represent. This tragedy resulted in the…

My Republican colleagues may bring to the floor a budget resolution that their own colleagues say is foolish and spendthrift. The Republican budget resolution, at least as we see it now, but I understand that it may be changing, does…

I proudly stand in support of a minimum-wage increase. The original bill, H.R. 3846, falls short of meeting the needs of the American family and that is why the Traficant-Martinez amendment is needed. A full-time, year-round minimum-wage…