[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7] [Issue] [Pages 9463-9467] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 9463]] HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES--Friday, May 16, 2008 The House met at 10 a.m. and was called to order by the Speaker pro tempore (Ms. Hirono). ____________________ DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following communication from the Speaker: Washington, DC, May 16, 2008. I hereby appoint the Honorable Mazie K. Hirono to act as Speaker pro tempore on this day. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives. ____________________ PRAYER The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following prayer: As Your people, born into freedom, we stand humbly before You, our God, desirous to be in dialogue in search of truth. Attentive to Your Word and Your Spirit, we seek Your self-revelation, Almighty God. Lord, as the House of Representatives today is simply open to receive messages from the U.S. Senate and the President, we take this moment and realize that it will not bring determination but only a continuation of the work of government. Guide us in our efforts to be open to have dialogue to do what is best for this Nation. Free us and all governments of the world from manipulation of the truth or self-deception. Restrain us from any attempt to redefine reality by simply changing the meaning of words. Rather make us true instruments of justice and peace both now and forever. Amen. ____________________ THE JOURNAL The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair has examined the Journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the House her approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved. ____________________ PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will lead the House in the Pledge of Allegiance. The SPEAKER pro tempore led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ____________________ ADJOURNMENT The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the House stands adjourned until 10:30 a.m. on Monday next for morning-hour debate. There was no objection. Accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 7 minutes a.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Monday, May 19, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., for morning-hour debate. ____________________ EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS, ETC. Under clause 8 of rule XII, executive communications were taken from the Speaker's table and referred as follows: 6656. A letter from the Chief Counsel, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, transmitting the Department's final rule -- Final Flood Elevation Determinations -- received April 30, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Financial Services. 6657. A letter from the Chief Counsel, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, transmitting the Department's final rule -- Final Flood Elevation Determinations -- received January 4, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Financial Services. 6658. A letter from the Special Counsel Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Department of the Treasury, transmitting the Department's final rule -- Regulatory Review Amendments [Docket ID OCC-2008-0004] (RIN: 1557-AC79) received April 25, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Financial Services. 6659. A letter from the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations, NMFS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, transmitting the Administration's final rule -- Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Emergency Rule Extension [Docket No. 070510101-7101- 01] (RIN: 0648-AV57) received April 30, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Natural Resources. 6660. A letter from the Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of the Treasury, transmitting the Department's final rule -- Establishment of the Swan Creek Viticultural Area (2005R-414P) [Docket No. TTB-2007-0012; T.D. TTB-69; Re: Notice No. 63] (RIN: 1513-AB20) received April 28, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Ways and Means. 6661. A letter from the Chief, Publications and Regulations, Internal Revenue Service, transmitting the Service's final rule -- Special Rules to Reduce Section 1446 Withholding [TD 9394] (RIN: 1545-BD80) received April 28, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Ways and Means. 6662. A letter from the Chief, Publications and Regulations Branch, Internal Revenue Service, transmitting the Service's final rule -- Examination of Dividends received Deduction on Separate Accounts of Life Insurance Companies [LMSB Control No.: LMSB-04-0308-010] received April 28, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Ways and Means. 6663. A letter from the Chief, Publications and Regulations Branch, Internal Revenue Service, transmitting the Service's final rule -- Extension of Transitional Relief for Diversification Requirements for Certain Defined Contribution Plans [Notice 2008-7] received April 30, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Ways and Means. 6664. A letter from the Chief, Publications and Regulations, Internal Revenue Service, transmitting the Service's final rule -- Section 1274A.--Special Rules for Certain Transactions Where Stated Principal Amount Does Not Exceed $2,800,000 26 CFR 1.1274A-1: Special rules for certain transactions where stated principal amount does not exceed $2,800,000. (Also 483, 1274) (Rev. Rul. 2008-3) received April 30, 2008, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Ways and Means. ____________________ REPORTS OF COMMITTEES ON PUBLIC BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS Under clause 2 of rule XIII, reports of committees were delivered to the Clerk for printing and reference to the proper calendar, as follows: [The following action occurred on May 16, 2008] Mr. SKELTON: Committee on Armed Services. H.R. 5658. A bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for military activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2009, and for other purposes; with amendments (Rept. 110-652). Referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union. ____________________ PUBLIC BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS Under clause 2 of rule XII, public bills and resolutions were introduced and severally referred, as follows: By Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. Stark, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Neal of Massachusetts, Mr. Pomeroy, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Kind, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Altmire, Mrs. Boyda of Kansas, Mr. Cohen, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Ellsworth, Mr. Loebsack, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Welch of Vermont, Mr. Walz of Minnesota, Mr. Arcuri, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Becerra, Mrs. Davis of California, and Mr. Doggett): H.R. 6081. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide benefits for military personnel, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means. By Ms. DeLAURO (for herself, Mr. Carson, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Platts): H.R. 6082. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for expanded [[Page 9464]] coverage of paramedic intercept services under the Medicare Program; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. By Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas (for herself, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Hall of Texas, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Edwards, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Filner, Mr. Baca, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Wynn, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Norton, Ms. Kilpatrick, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. Rothman, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Brady of Texas, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Cazayoux, Mr. Watt, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Altmire, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Melancon, Mr. Towns, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Costa, Mr. Clay, and Mr. Bachus): H. Con. Res. 353. Concurrent resolution recognizing the 100th birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President, designer of the Great Society, politician, educator, and civil rights enforcer; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. By Ms. FOXX: H. Res. 1207. A resolution directing the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives to provide individuals whose pay is disbursed by the Chief Administrative Officer by electronic funds transfer with the option of receiving receipts of pay and withholdings electronically; to the Committee on House Administration. ____________________ ADDITIONAL SPONSORS Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions as follows: H.R. 5857: Mr. Tiahrt. [[Page 9465]] EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS ____________________ HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ANALY HIGH SCHOOL, SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA ______ HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY of california in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, today I rise with great pride to join in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Analy High School, located in Sebastopol, CA, and one of the most successful schools in my district. Prior to the founding of Analy High School, students from West Sonoma County commuted to Santa Rosa High School, travelling by train or wagon, or even boarding during the week in Santa Rosa. When the people of the Sebastopol area decided the student population was large enough to support its own school, the Analy Union High School District (now the West Sonoma County Union School District) was started. From its origins in 1908 with a student body of 37, Analy has grown to support more than 1,200 students this year. In 1910, five students received diplomas--the first graduating class of Analy High School. Since then, Analy High School has been named a California Distinguished School, and has graduated more than 30,000 students, including Dr. Willard F. Libby, the 1960 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry for his work in developing the process of carbon dating; actress Karen Valentine; Chicago Bears star tight end Jim Thornton; and numerous students who went on to become teachers, police officers, firefighters, business leaders, housewives, parents and grandparents of Analy graduates. Madam Speaker, Analy High has come a long way from the days when students rode to class on horseback. It has contributed an educated populace to Sebastopol, to Sonoma County and beyond. I am proud to have such citizens in my district, and I ask you to join me in congratulating Analy High School on the past 100 years and wishing them the best of luck and continued success for the next 100 years. ____________________ NATIONAL PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY ______ HON. ADAM H. PUTNAM of florida in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Speaker, a society cannot function properly without a means to enforce its laws and protect itself. However, we know all too well that safety and security does not come without a price. National Peace Officers Memorial Day was established to honor the men and women who have paid that price and I rise today to pay tribute to the one hundred and eighty-one federal, state and local law enforcement officers who gave their lives in 2007. Sadly, Florida lost sixteen officers last year, two of which were from central Florida. On April 13th, Lieutenant Delmar Teagan of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission died in an automobile accident in Polk County. Then, on August 15th, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Sergeant Ronald Harrison was killed by a gunman in Brandon, Florida. These officers provided communities with safety and security and we are indebted to their service. Like so many of our nation's law enforcement officers willing to work in harm's way, Lieutenant Teagan and Sergeant Harrison are true heroes. Since 1962, National Peace Officers Memorial Day has been observed on May 15th. This is a time when thousands of law enforcement officers descend upon our Nation's capital to remember and honor their fallen colleagues. Madame Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with these men and women as they gather to recognize the officers who died in the line of duty while serving the people of this great Nation. ____________________ TRIBUTE TO EXERCISE TIGER FOUNDATION ______ HON. JIM SAXTON of new jersey in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Mr. SAXTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Exercise Tiger Association, a National Commemorative Foundation. The Association bears the name of a little known World War II naval battle which claimed the lives of several hundred American servicemen. ``Exercise Tiger'' was originally a practice operation, preparing for the upcoming D-Day invasion. On the morning of April 28th, 1944, German submarines stumbled upon the operation, proceeding to torpedo the mostly defenseless landing ships. Three of the landing ship tanks were sunk and 749 servicemen lost their lives. The Exercise Tiger Association goes to great lengths to commemorate this engagement and honor the memory of the servicemen who lost their lives that day. The Association has a wreath tribute and ceremony each year. The annual ceremony recently became a national tribute, when wreaths were dropped simultaneously into both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, honoring veterans nationwide. Under the leadership of Walter Domanski, the National Director, this organization has also awarded veterans, servicemen, and other noteworthy individuals with numerous accolades, honoring service and sacrifice to our country. Madam Speaker, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Walter Domanski and the Exercise Tiger Association for honoring our Nation's brave men and women of the Armed Forces and for providing the opportunity to embrace the memory of the lives lost on that day in 1944. ____________________ HONORING OUR VETERANS BY EXPANDING THE GI BILL ______ HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS of arizona in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, I strongly support the passage of H.R. 5740, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by my friend and fellow Arizonan, Representative Harry Mitchell, modernizes the ``GI Bill'' and provides expanded educational benefits for our veterans. Let there be no doubt about our iron-clad resolve to support our troops. As a nation, we are acutely aware of the extraordinary sacrifices they are making. I have seen it first-hand in Baghdad and Bagram. We have a solemn responsibility to our service members, and one way to fulfill that responsibility is to help them prepare for life after they leave the military. The first GI Bill was enacted more than 60 years ago for World War II veterans. It paid for the full cost of attending a public college, including tuition, fees, book purchases, and a monthly living stipend. For example, in 1974, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bob Gent from Sierra Vista, Arizona, used his GI Bill benefits to obtain his B.A. from Arizona State University in math and computer science as well as a second degree 30 years later in astrophysics from the University of Texas. Like Bob, over 7.8 million Americans who served our Nation have received a college education thanks to GI Bill. Unfortunately, the current Montgomery GI Bill does not fulfill the original GI Bill's promise--it does not adequately cover of the cost of attending a four- year state college or university. In 2003, Former Marine Corps Sergeant Tommy Mendoza from Sierra Vista served as an Infantry Mortarman in support of Army Special Operation Forces in Afghanistan. When he re-entered civilian life, Tommy had a difficult time finding a competitive job. He exhausted all of his GI Bill payments on a community college education. The only option he has left is the Veterans Administration's Vocational Education and Rehabilitation Program. The current GI Bill fails to provide him adequate benefits to attain his college education. [[Page 9466]] Modernizing the GI Bill is an investment in our future. According to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, for every $1 the government invests in our veterans' education, approximately $7 is generated in economic growth. GI Bill benefits also play an important role in military recruitment. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act also creates a new program in which the government matches, dollar for dollar, any additional scholarships awarded to veterans from institutions within tuition costs above the maximum amount allowed by this legislation. In addition, veterans would have up to 15 years after leaving active duty, compared to ten years under the Montgomery GI Bill, to use their educational assistance benefits. By voting to pass this legislation, we are demonstrating our deep, unwavering commitment to the brave men and women who fight to preserve our freedom. ____________________ STATEMENT FROM WESLEY E. DAVEY, MASTER SERGEANT IN THE ARMY RETIRED RESERVES ______ HON. BETTY McCOLLUM of minnesota in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, while I was back in the Fourth Congressional District of Minnesota, I met with Wes Davey, a constituent and master sergeant in the Army Retired Reserves. He fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom and is concerned about the funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Congress begins to debate providing supplemental appropriations for these wars, I would like to enter Wes's thoughtful words into the Congressional Record. St. Paul, MN, May 2, 2008. Hon. Betty McCollum, Western Avenue North, St. Paul, MN. Dear Representative McCollum: The President has requested additional funding to continue the war in Iraq. Before the members of Congress approve this budget, they should consider doing three things. First, increase taxes in order to at least partially pay for the current and future war funding requests. If these wars are in our national interest as President Bush and others have often told us, we should be willing to pay for them; if these wars are not in our national interest, we should get out of both countries. It is wrong for our generation to pass off the entire Iraq and Afghanistan war debt to the future generations of taxpayers, and it is also wrong for President Bush and Congress to abrogate their fiscal responsibilities and expect future presidents and future members of Congress to sort out the funding mess from these wars. Second, the United States Treasury should sell war bonds (as we did during WW2) to finance the portion of the war costs not funded by increased taxes. We need to stop borrowing money from foreign countries to finance our wars. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and China are not loaning us money because they have America's best interest at heart, and their economic influence in our country is already too great. Third, Congress should set up a government internet website which explains in detail to the American public how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been and will be financed. More specifically, where the money has come from, be it China, Saudi Arabia, or other countries, how much each foreign country has loaned us, at what interest rates, and exactly when and how those loans will be repaid. Thus far in these wars, President Bush has done his very best to place an opaque window between war funding and the American public, which goes against the belief by the founders of our country that good government should transact its business in the open. Sincerely, Wesley E. Davey. ____________________ A TRIBUTE TO DR. ALFREDO QUINONES-HINOJOSA ______ HON. ANNA G. ESHOO of california in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of an extraordinary neurosurgeon, professor, mentor and hope-giver, Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa. The New York Times, May 13, 2008, carried a story which described Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa's incredible journey from Mexicali, Mexico, to the world-renowned halls of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His story is the story of America and what immigrants in every chapter of our history contribute to our Nation. Below is the full text of the article: A Conversation With Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa: A Surgeon's Path From Migrant Fields to Operating Room (By Claudia Dreifus) At the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Alfredo Quinones- Hinojosa has four positions. He is a neurosurgeon who teaches oncology and neurosurgery, directs a neurosurgery clinic and heads a laboratory studying brain tumors. He also performs nearly 250 brain operations a year. Twenty years ago, Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa, now 40, was an illegal immigrant working in the vegetable fields of the Central Valley in California. He became a citizen in 1997 while at Harvard. Q. Where did you grow up? A. Mexicali. My father had a small gas station. The family's stability vanished when there was a devaluation of the Mexican peso in the 1980s. My father lost the gas station, and we bad no money for food. For a while, I sold hot dogs on the corner to help. As the economic crisis deepened, there seemed no possibility for any future in Mexico. I had big dreams and I wanted more education. So in 1987, when I was 19, I went up to the border between Mexicali and the United States and hopped the fence. Some years later, I was sitting at a lunch table with colleagues at Harvard Medical School. Someone asked how I'd come to Harvard. ``I hopped the fence,'' I said. Everyone laughed. They thought I was joking. Q. After you crossed the border, what kind of work did you find? A. I was a farm laborer in the San Joaquin Valley, seven days a week, sunup to sundown. I lived in this little trailer I paid $300 a month for. It didn't take long to see that farm work was a dead end. After a year of it, I moved to Stockton, where I found a job loading sulfur and fish lard onto railroad freight cars. My eyes burned from the sulfur, and my clothes smelled from fish lard, but it paid me enough so that I was able to go to night classes at San Joaquin Delta Community College. There, I met this wonderful human being, Norm Nichols, the speech and debate coach. He took me into his family and mentored me. Norm helped me apply for and get accepted to the University of California, Berkeley. Once at Berkeley, I took a lot of math and science classes to up my G.P.A. Science and math are their own language. You didn't need to write in perfect English to do well in them. I pulled straight A's in science. In my senior year, someone told me to go see this guy, Hugo Mora, who helped Hispanics with science talent. I brought him my transcript and he said: ``Wow! With grades like these, you should be at Harvard Medical School.'' That's how I got to Harvard. All along, I had much luck with mentors. Q. Did you find Harvard tough? A. Not really. Compared to working in the fields, it was easy. The question was what kind of doctor should I become? For a while, I thought I'd be a pediatric oncologist, because I wanted to help children. But then I thought, I'm good with my hands. Maybe I should do surgery. One day, I was waltzing through Brigham and Women's Hospital and I saw Dr. Peter Black, the chairman of neurosurgery. I introduced myself, and he invited me that day to come to watch him do an operation. As it happened, he was doing an ``awake'' surgery, where the patient's brain is exposed and the patient is awake so that the surgeon can ask questions. As I watched that, I fell in love with brain surgery. Q. What about it spoke to you? A. Imagine, the most beautiful organ of our body, the one that we know least about, the one that makes us who we are, and it was in Dr. Black's hand. It was in front of me. It was pulsating! I realized I could work with my hands and touch this incredible organ, which is what I do now. I cannot conceive of a much more intimate relationship than that. A patient grants you the gift of trusting you with their lives, and there is no room for mistakes. Dr. Peter Black, he was a very humble person. And he took me under his wing. So here again, I was very fortunate with mentorship. Q. I'm told that you do something that not all surgeons do: you spend a lot of time with patients before an operation. Why? A. I meet them several times, and their families. They don't know if they are going to wake up after the operation. Not all the time am I successful. I do about 230 to 240 brain tumor operations a year. The majority make it. Some have complications. And some--2 to 3 percent--it takes a while for the patients to wake up. I need to meet everyone so that they know the risks. But getting to know these patients, it's the most painful part. I was at a funeral yesterday. This was a 21-year-old man with a young wife, pregnant. Three surgeries, and the tumor kept growing and growing. And he told me, ``There's no possible way I'll give up.'' He fought so hard. He trusted me with his life. Not once, several times. I owed him my presence. Q. How do you handle such losses? A. One of the ways I work it out is through research, the laboratory. I'm trying to learn [[Page 9467]] about the causes of these recurring tumors. The patients, they can donate tissue, which we will examine. My hypothesis is--and there are quite a few scientists who believe this--there are within these brain tumors a small subset of cells that can keep growing, even when you think you've taken them all out. We call them brain stem cells. They can keep making themselves, and they can make ``daughter cells'' that can become anything else in the brain. They have the ability to go to sleep for a little bit and then wake up and do it again. So we're trying to identify this small subset of cells we may be leaving behind when we make these beautiful surgeries. Q. Have you actually found them? A. Yes, but only in the laboratory. When we've found them, they may be a product of the experimental conditions of the laboratory. We haven't found them yet in live patients. The next challenge is to see if they truly exist in the human brain while the patient is alive. Q. When you hear anti-immigrant expressions on talk radio and cable television, how do you feel? A. It bothers me. Because I know what it was that drove me to jump the fence. It was poverty and frustration with a system that would have never allowed me to be who I am today. As long as there is poverty in the rest of the world and we export our culture through movies and television, people who are hungry are going to come here. There's no way to stop it. ____________________ IN RECOGNITION OF TREADWAY CREEK TRAIL IN OHIO ______ HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH of ohio in the house of representatives Friday, May 16, 2008 Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the dedication of the Treadway Creek Trail in Ohio's 10th Congressional District. On Friday, May 16, 2008, I will join with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Ohio Senator Shirley Smith, and Ward 15 Councilman Brian Cummins for the grand opening of this important natural and historic link along Ohio's Towpath Trail which will connect Cleveland with Akron, Canton, New Philadelphia, and all points between. Other partners in this project include the Old Brooklyn Development Corporation, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, the State of Ohio Clean Ohio Funds, Natural Resources Assistance Council of Cuyahoga County, the Ohio Canal Corridor, and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Association. Treadway Creek is a natural tributary to the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. With the opening of the Treadway Creek Trail, the people of Old Brooklyn and other neighborhoods nearby will have an important natural resource to enjoy and will ultimately have pedestrian and bicycle access to the Cuyahoga River and the Towpath Trail. The Treadway Creek Trail restores and preserves for future generations 21 acres of natural open space in an urban section of the 10th District. This includes a prime riparian corridor and wooded ravine, acquired through donations and conservation easements. Restoration elements include erosion and water quality improvements, invasive species removal, and plantings of native grasses and woodland wildflowers. The Treadway Trail provides public access to the ravine and connects the developing Towpath Trail at lower Harvard Avenue by incorporating retaining walls planted with native species, interpretive and directional signage, scenic overlook areas, custom benches, and handcrafted timber railings. The Towpath Trail, which links our state's history, culture, nature, and geography along 110 miles between New Philadelphia and Cleveland, will ultimately connect Akron and Canton with Lake Erie at Whiskey Island. With our continued stewardship of Treadway Creek, Old Brooklyn and the Treadway Creek Trail will be an important linkage in this web of urban, suburban, and rural trails which connect the people of Northeast Ohio with their history, culture and natural resources. Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing the beauty of Treadway Creek and the will of the people of Northeastern Ohio to protect this important piece of nature for the people's continued enjoyment.