ms. sanchez: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. sanchez: i yield two minutes to mr. reyes from the great state of texas who, by the way, has probably over 30 years of experience in the border patrol agency. mr. reyes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas for three minutes. mr. reyes: thank you, mr. speaker, i thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time and i thank you for your support of the men and women of the united states border patrol and the work you do through your chairmanship of the subcommittee that deals with border issues. i rise today in strong support of house resolution 498 a bill that honors and dodge great -- congratulates the border patrol on its 85th anniversary. i also want to thank my good friend and neighbor harry teague from new mexico, a gentleman that has sponsored this legislation, for his support of the united states border patrolmen and women. and the ranking member, thank you for your supp

ms. sanchez: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of house resolution 498, honoring and congratulating the united states border patrol on its 85th anniversary and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. sanchez: as the chairwoman of the committee on homeland security subcommittee for border, maritime and global counterterrorism, i have been fortunate enough to visit the border several times to see first-hand the good work of the border patrol. i have seen it not just on the southern border with mexico but also that with canada. these dedicated men and women patrol america's borders, often in harsh climates, in isolated conditions, under dangerous conditions in order to keep our nation secure. representatives of customs and border protection, the border patrol and its agents have also testified many, many times before our committee about the challenges they face, particularly the border -- pord board -- border patrol's rapid growth and i

ms. sanchez: thank you, mr. speaker. i recently learned of a situation concerning a constituent of mine, randy collins, whose ex-wife abducted their son and went to japan. the last time randy collins saw his son, christian collins, was on june 15, 2008. according to the united states state department's deputy assistant secretary for overseas citizen services, the united states received notices of 73 cases ofarental abductions involving 104 children just for the country of japan. unfortunately, many people are not aware of the severity of this situation and how it affects so many american lives. once taken to japan, american parents are unable to see their children because parental visitation rights are not recognized, they're not protected by japan, and abduction by one parent is not considered a crime. as an ally of the united states, i urge the government of japan to sign the 1980 hague convention on civil aspects of international children abduction and respect the rights of our american parents. the speaker pro tempor

ms. sanchez: madam speaker, it is of great sadness that i rise to pay tribute to sergean rowe, a devoted husband and father was a constituent of mine from whittier, california. this brave american was killed in afghanistan on may 26, 2009, on the 15th anniversary of his service in the military. sergeant rowe was killed by an i.e.d. the 33-year-old leaves behind his seven-year-old son and wife cindy. my thoughts and prayers go out to cindy and andrew and find some sole ace in the gratitude that our nation owes to sergeant rowe. he spent his entire adult life serving our country. he joined the army in 1994 and served in operation iraqi freedom. last july, he mobilized again for duty in afghanistan. he and his family have made the greatest sacrifice that one can make and we are forever in his debt. sergeant rowe whose life embodied the word patriot will be missed by family, friends and colleagues but his honorable deeds will not be forgotten. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: request permission to address the hou

ms. sanchez: thank you, madam speaker. today i come to the floor to honor an individual who has sacrificed over 42 years of his life for this great nation. brigadier general james p. coal ms has proudly and gallantly served his country on foreign so in the countries of vietnam, afghanistan, and iraq. he was appointed commander of our joint forces training base in california on november 1 of 2005. general colmes retired from federal service on october 1 of 2007. at which time governor schwarzenegger assigned him in a state active duty position to remain as the base commander. on july 4, 2009, in just a little over a week, general colmes will retire from the united states armed forces. on behalf of those who had the honor to serve with him and a grateful nation, i commend him on his numerous accomplishments, his outstanding leadership, and his incredible military career. brigadier general james p. colmes will always remain a soldier's soldier and a true american hero. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yie

ms. sanchez: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to commend my fellow democratic colleagues for their commitment, their commitment to reforming the health care system with the goal of reducing costs and improving access to quality health care for all americans. health care premiums are increasing at an alarming rate. in fact in the last 10 years they have doubled. and currently over $1,000 of the average american family's annual health care premium goes to support uninsured americans. and still we have over 46 million americans who don't have access to health care and 20% of them are children. i believe that we must work creatively to build on the best of what works in the current system while fostering competition among private plans and providing patients with quality choices. we can and we must ensure that all americans have affordable and quality health care and i urge all my colleagues to work together towards this goal. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from