September 13, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1511 

the project. He gave an emotional speech at 

the conference which he concluded by saying: ‘‘Let us not repeat the mistakes of the 

past! I call on all the people to help stop the 

nuclear weapons testing around the world! 

Nuclear test sites must be closed! Let our 

sky be clean and our children be healthy! I 

do not have arms to hug all of you and to express my gratitude for participation in this 

conference, but I have a heart and it belongs 

to you! Let your families live in peace and 

serenity!’’ 

According to its organizers, the ATOM 

Project seeks to affect real and lasting 

change by engaging millions of global citizens to stop nuclear weapons testing by joining together to show the world’s leaders that 

its citizens deserve and demand a world safe 

from additional nuclear weapons testing. 

Meanwhile, participants at the conference 

included politicians and experts from both 

nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states: Valentina Matviyenko, President 

of the Federation Council of the Russian 

Federation; Miroslav Jenca, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General who 

read a message from the UN Secretary General; Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, U.S. Congressman (D–American Samoa); Douglas Roche, 

the founder of the Middle Powers Initiative 

and the founding chairman of the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and 

Disarmament; Gareth Evans, Co-chair of the 

International Commission on Nuclear NonProliferation & Disarmament and former 

Australian Foreign Minister. Parliamentary 

leaders in attendance included speakers, 

chairmen of committees and legislators from 

the parliaments of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, 

Bulgaria, Canada, India, Iraq, Israel, New 

Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, the 

United Kingdom, and dozens of others, as 

well as members from the European Parliament. 

The conference objective was to create an 

additional momentum for the global nuclear 

disarmament movement, and to mark the 

United Nations International Day against 

Nuclear Tests on August 29 which aims to 

raise public awareness on the effects of global nuclear weapons tests and highlight the 

importance of banning such tests as a step 

towards achieving a safer world. 

The timeline of implementing the anti-nuclear initiatives pursued by Kazakhstan indicates that the country is steadily moving in 

the direction of disarmament, non-proliferation and nuclear-weapons-free-world. 

On August 29, 1991, President Nazarbayev 

of the then Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, defying the pressure from the Soviet authorities, shut down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in eastern Kazakhstan. In the 

early 1990s, Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced nuclear weapons, the world’s fourth 

largest nuclear arsenal, inherited from the 

former Soviet Union, and by 1995 fully rid 

itself of the nuclear weapons. 

In 2000, the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site 

was completely closed and its infrastructure 

dismantled, and in 2006 a nuclear weapons 

free zone in Central Asia was established 

under the Treaty of Semipalatinsk. 

In 2009, the UN General Assembly voted 

unanimously to designate August 29 the 

International Day against Nuclear Tests. 

In addition to the fact that anti-nuclear 

initiatives pursued by Kazakhstan have become important prerequisites for political 

and economic development for the country, 

they have created a favorable environment 

for the continuous improvement of its status 

in the international arena. 

Kazakhstan has remained a steadfast activist in the area of nuclear disarmament 

and nonproliferation given the legacy of nuclear weapons testing and the effect those 

tests had on the more than 1.5 million people 

in eastern Kazakhstan. 

The ATOM Project is seen as a logical next 

step in the country’s efforts to achieve the 

goal of building a nuclear weapons free 

world. 

f 

REAUTHORIZING CERTAIN VISA 

PROGRAMS 

SPEECH OF

HON. ELTON GALLEGLY OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, S. 3245 extends for three years the authorization of the 

E–Verify program, the EB–5 Regional Center 

Program, the Special Immigrant Nonminister 

Religious Worker Program and the Conrad 

State 30 J–1 Visa Waiver Program. While 

these are all important programs, I want to 

speak specifically about E–Verify. 

There are currently 23 million Americans 

who are unemployed or are looking for work. 

This lack of jobs is causing almost unimaginable hardship for millions of Americans and 

their families. And each month more people 

become discouraged and give up even trying 

to find a job. 

Making sure that Americans have every opportunity to find work is more important than 

ever. One important way to achieve this goal 

is to reduce the number of jobs that go to illegal immigrants. The E–Verify program helps 

do just that. 

E–Verify allows employers to check the 

work eligibility of new hires by running the employee’s Social Security number or alien identification number against Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records. 

In 1995, I chaired the Congressional Task 

Force on Immigration Reform. We published a 

200–plus page report with more than 80 specific recommendations. One of those was for 

an electronic employment eligibility verification 

system, which was included in Chairman 

Smith’s 1996 immigration reform bill. That system is now known as E–Verify. 

The program is currently voluntary for most 

of the almost 400,000 employers who use it. 

It is free, Internet-based and easy to use. And 

the employers who use it agree. 

E–Verify has proven to be such an effective 

tool in preventing the employment of those 

who are illegally in our country that it should 

be used by all employers to check the employment eligibility of their new hires. It is the easiest way to help make sure U.S. jobs go to 

Americans and legal immigrants. 

Short of requiring all employers to use E– 

Verify, at the very least we must ensure that 

the program remains in place for the 400,000 

employers who depend on it. S. 3245 does 

just that by providing for a 3-year extension. 

So I urge my colleagues to support the bill. 

f 

HONORING MR. JAMES FLOYD 

CLEVELAND 

HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER OF LOUISIANA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 

to honor the life of Mr. James Floyd Cleveland, who passed away on July 31 at the age 

of 88. 

Mr. Cleveland was a truly wonderful example of a man who lived the American dream. 

Born on December 17, 1923, he was a cultivator of corn, cotton, soybeans, hogs and cattle on his family farm for over 60 years. He 

was widely known to have the best okra and 

mustard greens in town. Moreover, many 

deemed him the ‘‘Historian’’ for his long life 

and incredible ability to bring oral history to 

life. 

Having accepted Christ at an early age, Mr. 

Cleveland was baptized in 1939 and dedicated 

much of his time to good works, notably as an 

active member of St. Matthew Benevolent Society and Secretary of the Lily Lodge number 

5911 in Rapides Station, Louisiana. 

Mr. Cleveland enjoyed 57 years of married 

life with Bernice Jones. Mrs. Cleveland preceded him in death on January 6, 2011, but 

not a day went by that he didn’t speak lovingly 

of seeing her again. Their union produced a 

daughter, Sheila Joyce Bryant, who married 

Arthur R. Bryant. His two granddaughters, Rachel Joyce and Bathsheba Felice were the 

joys of his life. 

As a leader in his community, he strived to 

make life better for others. He rose to the occasion after the 1965 United States Voting 

Rights Act and was instrumental in ensuring 

African-Americans registered and cast their 

votes for the first time. He was appointed to 

the Rapides Parish Election process and 

served as Key Custodian from 1991 to 2006, 

always going above and beyond in his civic 

duty. 

We all have much to learn from the life and 

legacy of Mr. Cleveland, who lived a quiet and 

honorable life as one of the farmers who feeds 

America. To say that Mr. Cleveland left his fingerprint on the world is an understatement. He 

was a friend to many and an example for all 

who had the good fortune to know him. 

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me 

in paying tribute to the late Mr. James Floyd 

Cleveland. 

f 

LEONEL MANZANO OLYMPIC 

MEDAL 

HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

congratulate a local hero in the 11th District of 

Texas, Leonel Manzano. Leo won the Silver 

medal in the Men’s 1500 Meter race in the 

2012 Olympic games, sealing his place in 

Olympic history and becoming an iconic figure 

in our district. 

An Olympian is more than just an athlete— 

they are a representative of our nation. For 

the last four years, our athletes have invested 

blood, sweat, tears, and an extraordinary 

amount of time in the journey to become the 

best they can be. In a greater notion, this journey is what America is all about: the opportunity for all to achieve the highest echelons of 

success. And Leo, as a Silver Medalist, has 

proven an excellent representative of our District, state, and what our nation represents. 

Leo rose from humble beginnings and from 

an early age, he demonstrated his athletic 

prowess. This did not go unnoticed. Soon, he 


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