September 30, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1753 hearings served as the impetus for causing a special ceremony at the National Fire Acad- The Senate approved a $318 billion pack- the Department of Defense to seriously re-ex- emy. age. The House originally came in at $284 bil- amine and re-vamp its system of diagnosis, Today, let us take a moment and reflect lion, and recently the two chambers united upon Tom Kistler and many like him that serve around a figure of $284 billion in guaranteed treatment and compensation for Persian Gulf contracts plus another $15 billion in con- War veterans. I know that the work we did on our communities and our Nation, the folks that tracts that have yet to be carried out. that issue made a difference in the lives of make the personal sacrifices every day, not But politicians are playing election-year those service members who agreed to risk because they have to but because they politics, and, of course, nothing of substance their lives for us. choose to. They are the volunteers that make is getting done. However, our concerns about the health of our Nation strong, the people that make our As we pointed out a few days ago, no one veterans and active duty military members did communities special. can accuse this Congress of overwork—it’s not end with those hearings. We have worked America is still the land of the free and the only been in session roughly one day out of home of the brave—Tom Kistler helped make every three. together to craft a bi-partisan solution to pro- Sadly, lawmakers sent to the president vide members of the military with the ability to it so. only a fraction of the 13 spending bills nec- make informed decisions about immunization f essary to fund the government for the fiscal for anthrax and smallpox. The right to in- year that starts Friday. That includes the formed consent is enjoyed by every citizen, EDITORIAL FROM THE BECKLEY transportation bill to fund highway and except those in the military. If enacted, this bill REGISTER-HERALD transit projects for the next six years—vi- would prohibit the Department of Defense tally important to southern West Virginia. from mandating immunization against anthrax HON. NICK J. RAHALL, II The Mountain State faces unique chal- OF WEST VIRGINIA lenges when it comes to building highways. and/or smallpox if a soldier believes that the It can cost up to $20 million to build one IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES risk to his or her health status outweighs the mile of a highway here. benefit of immunization. Wednesday, September 29, 2004 This state relies heavily on the federal pro- Service members have experienced adverse Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, Congress was gram to build highways. A total of $2.2 bil- health effects from these vaccines including lion was secured for West Virginia in the supposed to reauthorize the major surface heart, respiratory, and skin problems. In one House version of the bill, $2 billion of which transportation and jobs bill, the successor to well-known case, a soldier died from the ad- are projects in southern West Virginia. TEA 21, a year ago. verse effects of a vaccine. Despite the known Interstate links developed here in recent Now, because of the indifference of the years have brought new jobs and the poten- risks, many soldiers have been required to Bush Administration and the Republican Lead- tial for attracting new businesses. These take these vaccines. As a result, many have ership in Congress, we are about to embark roads provide modern access and position decided to leave the service rather than run on the sixth extension of TEA 21, rather than West Virginia as a crossroads for business the risk of vaccination. Unfortunately, many completing work on a bill that would address developers looking for locations in the East. honorable soldiers have been punished solely They provide our families a safer means of our current and future infrastructure needs as for refusing to accept these vaccines. Our leg- getting to and from school and work. well as providing sorely needed jobs and eco- islation would assure that soldiers who want to Ordinary West Virginians can’t afford to nomic stimulus. see these opportunities go by the wayside, or serve are not faced with this agonizing choice. The House and Senate versions of transpor- Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to co- even delayed. We suffer while Congress en- tation and jobs bill passed both houses by gages in gridlock. sponsor this bill and join us in assuring that margins larger than is required in Congress for Enough is enough. Congress and the Bush members of our military have the ability to de- amendments to the Constitution. But the bill is administration need to get in gear and termine whether or not to take these vaccines. on a road to nowhere because the Cheney- produce a highway spending package that’s adequately financed. f Bush reelection bunch wants to make up for RECOGNIZING TOM KISTLER their Medicare debacle by trying to appear f tough on spending. Meanwhile, we have the SERGEANT RIAYAN A. TEJEDA HON. DARLENE HOOLEY votes in both the House and the Senate to POST OFFICE OF OREGON override a threatened presidential veto and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES pass a meaningful bill, but the Republican SPEECH OF House and Senate leadership are just caving Wednesday, September 29, 2004 into the Bush Administration’s reelection ef- HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, forts. In so doing, they’re failing to uphold the OF NEW YORK today I want to recognize and remember the Constitutional obligation of Congress. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES life of a local hero: Tom Kistler. Although Americans are crying out loud and Tuesday, September 28, 2004 Although it has been over a year, it is still clear for the need to reinvest in our country, Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak hard for those affected by this humble, quiet the Bush Administration and the Republican man to believe he’s gone. The residents of in support of H.R. 4046, calling for the United leadership don’t bother to listen. As an exam- States Postal Service located at 555 West Polk County, Oregon, know their neighbors— ple of what I’m talking about, I have an edi- and they look up to the firefighters who serve 180th Street in New York, New York, to be torial from a widely-read newspaper in my dis- hereby named the ‘‘Sergeant Riayan A. them. trict, the Beckley Register-Herald, which I Killed on his way to drill on March 29, 2003, Tejeda Post Office.’’ would like to submit for the record to accom- Staff Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda of the 3rd Tom Kistler died in the same way he lived— pany my remarks. Yesterday, in response to in the service of others. Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment was killed dur- Congressional inaction on the transportation ing combat operations in northeast Baghdad Captain Kistler was a volunteer firefighter for and jobs bill, the Register-Herald ran the edi- twenty-five years. He was proud of his time on April 11, 2003; he was 26 years of age. A torial appearing below: New York City resident, he lived in my district with the Independence (Oregon) Fire Depart- [From the Beckley Register-Herald] ment and Polk County Fire District #1. of Washington Heights on 180th Street until HIGHWAY BILL It was Tom that led the effort in fielding a graduation from Fashion Industries High water rescue/recovery team; it was Tom that While politicians play election-year poli- School in the Garment District, thereafter join- tics, W.Va. suffers. ing the Marine Corps at the age of 18. I intro- brought his peers together to raise funds for Heard the latest? A multiyear highway the annual Firefighter’s Christmas program for spending bill, crucial to progress here in duced this legislation because Sgt. Tejeda the local children; and it was Tom that was al- southern West Virginia, appears to be off was a hero in every sense of the word, a man ways ‘‘there’’ keeping his community safe. until after the election. born in the Dominican Republic who made the As if his service in the fire department The existing six-year highway and mass ultimate sacrifice for the United States. wasn’t enough—and it would have been—Tom transit spending bill, funded at $218 billion, After spending formative teen years meeting was also a thirty-year veteran of the Oregon ran out a year ago and has had to be pro- the challenge of growing up in the tough National Guard. longed by several short-term extensions be- streets of Washington Heights, Sergeant cause of differences over spending levels be- Tejeda joined the military with his hopes and For Tom Kistler, being a citizen meant ac- tween Congress and the White House. tion. It meant doing things. Citizenship was a The White House, citing the need for fiscal dreams of the future on the horizon. He joined verb. restraint, recommended $256 billion and the military to better himself and to serve our This week, brothers and sisters in service threatened to veto any bill that would add to country, later reenlisting after his initial term of will remember his life and his sacrifice during the deficit. duty had elapsed. VerDate Aug 04 2004 02:27 Oct 01, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A29SE8.066 E30PT1 E1754 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 30, 2004 Sergeant Tejeda was the first Dominican equate in terms of funding levels for various vote No.