September 13, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1509 

The veterans will return to Mobile Regional 

Airport that evening, where some 1,000 people are expected to greet them. 

Mr. Speaker, the September 19, 2012, journey of heroes from South Alabama is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank 

them—and all of the soldiers who fought in 

World War II. They collectively—and literally— 

saved the world. They personify the very best 

America has to offer, and I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to 

their selfless devotion to our country and the 

freedoms we enjoy. 

I salute each of the veterans who made the 

trip to Washington. May we never forget their 

valiant deeds and tremendous sacrifices: Hector Anderson, Eason Andrews, Robert Andry, 

Charles Baggett, James Ballard, Robert 

Barnes, Edward Beasley, Tommie Beasley, 

Joseph Betbeze, Jr., William C. Betbeze, 

Elmore Blake, Floyd Bivens, Nolan Black, 

Robert Bock, Richard Bolks, Samuel Branch, 

William Branscomb, Bernard Bringhurst, Wilton Brunson, Benjamin Canavello, Millard Carter, William Chapman, John Cherry, John 

Clark, Joseph Collie, William Colvin, O.S. 

Conerly, Jr., Benjamin Cooper, Bob Copley, 

Quincie Curtis, James Dailey, Carroll Darby, 

James Daves, John Davis, Perry Davis, Jeffrey Davis, Glenn Dehlin, William Douglas, 

Robert Drollinger, Robert Eastburn, Russell 

Faulkner, William Fox, Frank Frith, Aubrey 

Fulford, Luther Fuller, William Gilly, Edward 

Gold, Schauss Greben, Horace Gray, Doyle 

Griffiths, Michael Guarino, Nathan Gulley, 

Lawrence Hansen, Joe Harris, Jr., Thomas 

Harris, Jr., William Hatter, Benjamin Hays, Jr., 

Felix Hills, Jr., George Holladay, Robert 

Hughes, James Hummer, Alfred Hyde, Willard 

Johnson, Junior Keller, Roger King, Albert 

Kinnison, Joseph Knapp, Fred Levin, Lonza 

Lewis, Bernard Losse, Marjorie Markert, 

George Massengale, Jr., James Mathews, Jr., 

Elbert McCall, John McClelland, Eugene 

McGuire, Amy McHenry, Harold McLain, Olen 

McManus, Cecil McMullan, Bert Milling, Douglas Modling, Roland Montalvo, John Motes, 

Norman Mullen, Lloyd Mullen, Arthur Perez, 

Jr., Riley Pettis, Hiram Phillips, Rufus Pinkerton, Charles Reaves, I.G. Reeves, Hilburn 

Richards, James Robertson, Rudolph Rolison, 

Sr., Will Sawyer, Herman Shaddix, Dayton 

Shell, John Sheppard, John Shiver, Jr., William Smith, William Spaulding, James 

Stapleton, Preston Stengel, Ross Street, Robert Tanner, Donald Thomson, Shelby Trice, 

Alexander Trione, Etheridge Turner, John 

Vickers, Ray Wadsworth, Robert Wallace, 

Thomas Warner, Jr., Ennis Warren, Harold 

Watters, Jr., Billy West, Sr., Vernon Whiteside, 

Lavaine Williams, Walter Williams, and Ross 

Wingo. 

f 

COMMENDING PRESIDENT 

NURSULTAN NAZARBAYEV AND 

THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN 

FOR LEADING THE WAY ON 

GLOBAL NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT 

HON. ENI F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA OF AMERICAN SAMOA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise 

today to enter into the CONGRESSIONAL

RECORD my recent speech before the international conference From a Nuclear Test Ban 

to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World held in 

Astana, Kazakhstan on August 29, 2012. 

For historical purposes, I am also including 

a parliamentary appeal for nuclear abolition as 

well as a news article dated August 30, 2012 

announcing Kazakhstan’s launch of the ATOM 

project to support the global movement 

against nuclear tests. 

The ATOM project, an acronym for ‘‘Abolish 

Testing. Our Mission’’ is an international petition campaign designed to unify public opinion 

against nuclear weapons testing. The ATOM 

project is the initiative of the Nazarbayev Center, and I encourage any person who opposes 

nuclear weapons to sign this online petition to 

the governments of the world calling for the 

permanent step to stop nuclear testing. Interested persons may sign the petition at 

www.TheATOMProject.org. 

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ENI F. H. 

FALEOMAVAEGA BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCE FROM A NUCLEAR TEST BAN TO

A NUCLEAR-WEAPONS-FREE WORLD HELD IN

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN ON AUGUST 29, 2012 

Distinguished Guests: 

On December 2, 2009, the United Nations 

General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution 64/35 which declares August 29 the 

International Day against Nuclear Tests in 

recognition of President Nursultan 

Nazarbayev’s historic decision in 1991 on August 29 to close down the world’s second largest nuclear test site and dismantle the 

world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal at 

Semipalatinsk. 

The resolution—which was initiated by 

Kazakhstan and sponsored and cosponsored 

by many other governments—calls for increasing awareness and education ‘‘about the 

effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or 

any other nuclear explosions and the need 

for their cessation as one of the means of 

achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free 

world.’’ 

In 2011, we commemorated the 20th anniversary of President Nazarbayev’s courageous act and, on March 7, 2012, the people of 

the Republic of the Marshall Islands through 

their Nitijela at its 33rd Constitutional Regular Session passed a resolution calling for 

President Nazarbayev to be awarded the 

Nobel Peace Prize in tribute to victims and 

survivors of Cold War nuclear testing. 

The President of the Marshall Islands, the 

Honorable Christopher J. Loeak, noted that 

the Committee has only recognized those 

who have inspected nuclear test sites or 

talked about the need to cooperate. At no 

time has the Committee bestowed the award 

for the actual abolishment of nuclear weaponry. So I join with the people and parliament of the Marshall Islands, and urge 

you to do the same, in calling upon the 

Nobel Peace Prize Committee to honor 

President Nazarbayev for promoting peace 

by changing the course of world history for 

the better. 

Unlike any other government, the Republic of the Marshall Islands shares the same 

history and experience as Kazakhstan, having also been used as a nuclear testing 

ground during the Cold War. From 1946–1958, 

the United States began testing nuclear 

weapons in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and, during that period, the United 

States conducted 67 nuclear tests with an 

equivalent yield of 7,000 Hiroshima bombs. 

On March 1, 1951, the United States detonated a 15 megaton hydrogen bomb codenamed BRAVO in the Marshall Islands. The 

bomb was equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima-sized 

bombs and was acknowledged as the greatest 

nuclear explosion ever detonated. The 

BRAVO test evaporated six islands and created a mushroom cloud of 25 miles in diameter. 

On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear explosion codenamed ’First Lightening’ at the 

Semipalatinsk Test Site in eastern 

Kazakhstan. From 1949–1989, the Soviet 

Union conducted 456 nuclear tests in 

Semipalatinsk and the cumulative power of 

those explosions is estimated to be equal to 

the power of 2,500 Hiroshima-sized bombs. 

As a result of Soviet nuclear testings more 

than 1.5 million Kazakhs were exposed to nuclear radiation. As a result of U.S. testings, 

the people of the Marshall Islands were also 

exposed to the horrific effects of radiation 

poisoning. Neither the Soviet Union nor the 

U.S. have fulfilled their obligation in cleaning up the mess they left behind as a result 

of their Cold War arms race. Instead, they 

turn a blind eye to the human suffering that 

carries forward today. 

This is why I will continue to speak out 

and praise President Nazarbayev for his 

choice to renounce nuclear weaponry. My position regarding this matter is no different 

than the position the United States took 

during a joint meeting between President 

Obama and President Nazarbayev on April 

11, 2010 when President Obama stated that 

‘‘the US. appreciates the leadership of President Nazarbayev and the contribution of 

Kazakhstan to nuclear disarmament and 

nonproliferation.’’ 

While I applaud President Obama for stating on April 6, 2010 that ‘‘the United States 

will not conduct nuclear testing and will 

seek ratification of the Comprehensive Test 

Ban Treaty (CTBT)’’ which bans all nuclear 

explosions in all environments, I believe, as 

the theme of this conference suggests, it is 

time to move from a nuclear test ban to a 

nuclear-weapons free world. 

After all, the CTBT, like the Nuclear Non 

Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is based on a 

flawed and outdated premise. The NPT asserts that only five nations—the nuclear 

weapons states—namely, the United States, 

Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and 

China (which also happen to be the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council)—will pursue nuclear disarmament and share their technology for 

peaceful purposes if non-nuclear states agree 

never to acquire nuclear weapons. The NPT 

also states that only the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and France 

are permitted to own nuclear weapons because only they possessed nuclear weapons 

at the time the treaty was open for signature 

in 1968. 

The world has changed since 1968. No 

longer can non-nuclear states support the 

outdated premise of the NPT and none of us 

should settle for what the CTBT offers, particularly since the signatories of the NPT 

are among the worst violators of the nuclear 

code. 

From 1949–1990, Russia conducted over 700 

nuclear tests. In roughly the same time period, the U.S. conducted over 1000 nuclear 

tests. Since 1964, China has conducted more 

than 43 nuclear tests. Between 1960 and 1991, 

France conducted more than 200 nuclear 

tests and, in 1996, despite being a signatory 

of the NPT, France broke a world moratorium conducting 6 more tests at Moruroa 

Atoll in the South Pacific while the Nuclear 

Suppliers Group (NSG) silently consented. 

It is time for all of us to say enough is 

enough. It is time for the world to follow 

Kazakhstan’s lead and begin the process of 

dismantling. If Kazakhstan can dismantle a 

nuclear arsenal which was larger than the 

combined nuclear arsenals of Great Britain, 

France and China combined, then certainly 

the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China can also do what is 

right. 


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E1510 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 13, 2012 

Some twenty years ago, President 

Nazarbayev emerged to champion the cause 

of a nuclear weapons free world, and no other 

leader before or since has done what he has 

done to advance the rights of the human person by promoting nuclear disarmament 

among possessor states and preventing proliferation to new states. 

As President Loeak stated, ‘‘Had 

Kazakhstan retained the nuclear arsenal it 

inherited after achieving independence and 

following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 

1991, Kazakhstan could have altered the fragile peace brought about by the Cold War. But 

knowing the price Kazakhs and Marshallese 

paid to preserve international peace, President Nazarbayev chose to renounce and disarm.’’ 

For this, the man deserves to be commended again and again. I commend President Nazarbayev for his initiative to move 

the world from a nuclear test ban to a nuclear-weapons free world, and for and on behalf of the people of Kazakhstan—and the 

Republic of the Marshall Islands—and all 

others now and yet to come—it is my sincere 

hope that we will hold together and stand 

firm in our support of this great cause. 

PARLIAMENTARY APPEAL FOR NUCLEAR ABOLITION: FROM A NUCLEAR TEST BAN TO A NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE WORLD ADOPTED IN

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN 29 AUGUST 2012 

Parliamentarians, mayors, disarmament 

experts, and civil society representatives 

meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan at the international conference ‘‘From a Nuclear Test 

Ban to a Nuclear Weapons Free World’’ held 

on the International Day Against Nuclear 

Tests 29 August 2012, make the following appeal to parliaments and governments around 

the world: 

Legislators and governments have a responsibility to protect the security of citizens living within their jurisdictions and to 

protect their respective localities and the 

global commons for future generations. 

The catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences from the nuclear 

tests in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan—and 

from other nuclear test sites around the 

world—demonstrate that the effects of any 

use of nuclear weapons are uncontrollable in 

time and space. 

The possession of nuclear weapons generates a threat of their proliferation and use 

that pose risks to current and future generations that are unacceptable, unnecessary, 

unsustainable and contrary to basic ethical 

considerations and international humanitarian law. 

The approximately $100 billion spent annually on nuclear weapons by a few States consumes intellectual, scientific and financial 

resources desperately required to meet the 

environmental, social and human security 

needs of the 21st Century. 

Some nations, like Kazakhstan, have decided to unilaterally abandon the possession 

of nuclear weapons and achieved greater security and prosperity as a result. Many nations, including all those in the Southern 

Hemisphere and a number in the Northern 

Hemisphere such as in Central Asia, have enhanced their security through establishing 

regional nuclear-weapon-free zones. 

The United Nations General Assembly and 

the States Parties to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have called on States to establish the framework for a nuclear-weapons 

free world through negotiations on a nuclear 

weapons convention or package of agreements. 

United Nations Secretary General Ban Kimoon has circulated a Five-Point Plan for 

Nuclear Disarmament which includes a 

Model Nuclear Weapons Convention as a 

guide to such negotiations. The UNSG’s plan 

has been supported by unanimous resolution 

of the Inter-Parliamentary Union representing over 150 parliaments and by various resolutions in national parliaments. 

We commend President Nursultan 

Nazarbayev and the Republic of Kazakhstan 

for leadership in the global nuclear disarmament process including the closure of the 

Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on 29 August 

1991, and the decision to voluntarily renounce the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in 

the world. 

We also commend Kazakhstan for initiating the UN International Day Against Nuclear Tests, which was established by unanimous resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, with the aim to contribute to 

the goals of nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, a worldwide ban on nuclear 

tests, and a world free from nuclear weapons. 

We welcome moves by the Nuclear Weapon 

States to complete the ratification process 

for the protocols to nuclear weapon-free zone 

treaties, as steps to significantly strengthen 

the architecture of regional and international security. 

We welcome in particular the negotiations 

between the Central Asian States on one 

side, and China, France, Russia, the United 

Kingdom, and the United States on the other 

side, on the protocols to the Central Asian 

Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, and call for its 

early completion. 

We support the new initiative of President 

Nazarbayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan 

for the adoption, within the UN of a Universal Declaration on the achievement of a 

nuclear-weapon-free world, as another important step towards the adoption of a nuclear weapons convention. 

We are strengthened in our resolve to advance nuclear disarmament measures, by 

having visited the former Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, where Soviet nuclear weapons were tested for more than forty years. 

468 surface and underground nuclear tests 

were conducted from 1949 to 1989. One 50 

megaton test alone was several thousand 

times more powerful than the bombs dropped 

on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The tests have 

caused immeasurable medical and economic 

related suffering and death to millions of 

people. 

Further progress needs to be made with 

concrete actions to achieve the abolition of 

nuclear weapons, according to a multilateral, transparent, irreversible and verifiable 

schedule. 

Therefore, we call on parliaments and governments to: 

(a) maintain existing moratoria against 

nuclear tests, and fully support the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, including full ratification and entry-into-force, financing and support for the international 

monitoring network; 

(b) halt any further production of nuclear 

weapons; 

(c) operationalize the reduction of the role 

of nuclear weapons in their security doctrines; 

(d) establish prohibitions against nuclear 

weapons through action in their own legislatures; 

(e) establish guidelines that prohibit investment of public funds in enterprises engaged directly in manufacturing nuclear 

weapons or their delivery systems; 

(f) establish additional regional nuclear 

weapon free zones, as appropriate, especially 

in the Middle East, North East Asia and the 

Arctic; 

(g) commence preparatory work to build 

the framework for a nuclear weapons free 

world including through negotiations on a 

nuclear weapons convention or package of 

agreements. 

We all stand united in our common determination to build nuclear-weapons-free 

world. 

We pledge to act on and share this Appeal 

with legislative forums, decision makers and 

society. 

Adopted in Astana on 29 August 2012. 

[From the Astana Times, Aug. 30, 2012] 

KAZAKHSTAN LAUNCHES ATOM PROJECT TO

SUPPORT GLOBAL MOVEMENT AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS

(By Galia Nurzhanova and George D. Gleboff) 

ASTANA.—President Nursultan Nazarbayev 

announced the launch of The ATOM Project 

in connection with the UN International Day 

against Nuclear Tests at a major international conference in Astana on August 29, 

2012. 

The conference, ‘‘From a Nuclear Test Ban 

to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World’’, brought 

together hundreds of government and parliament leaders, former heads of state, nuclear disarmament experts, leaders of international organizations and anti-nuclear activists from more than 70 nations. 

Under the project, any person who opposes 

nuclear weapons can sign an online petition 

to the governments of the world calling for 

the permanent stop to nuclear testing and to 

achieve the early entry into force of the 

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. 

The ATOM Project—based at 

www.TheATOMProject.org—is an international petition campaign designed to unify 

global public opinion against nuclear weapons testing. The ATOM Project went live in 

late August with international television 

and social media campaigns. 

The project is an initiative of the 

Nazarbayev Center, whose mandate, in part, 

is to continue and broaden Kazakhstan’s legacy of fighting for a world free of nuclear 

weapons and weapons testing, to promote 

nuclear responsibility, nuclear disarmament 

and nuclear nonproliferation according to 

the vision of the Kazakhstan President. 

The ATOM Project, whose name is an acronym for ‘‘Abolish Testing. Our Mission’’, will 

tell the tragic and hopeful stories of survivors of nuclear testing from the region of 

Semey, Kazakhstan, the site of more than 

450 Soviet-era nuclear tests. The survivors 

and their children and grandchildren continue to suffer from illness, disease and severe deformities caused by exposure to nuclear radiation during and after the testing, 

which took place 100 miles outside of the 

city, then called Semipalatinsk. 

‘‘We have an opportunity to once more remind the world about tragic consequences of 

the nuclear testing, and push the global community towards more decisive actions to 

achieve final and definitive ban of such testing. In this regard, Kazakhstan launches 

today the International campaign, The 

ATOM Project,’’ President Nazarbayev said 

in his speech. 

‘‘Under the project, any human being on 

Earth, who stands against nuclear weapons, 

can sign an online petition urging governments of the world to abandon nuclear tests 

forever and ensure early entry into force of 

the Comprehensive Nuclear Ban Treaty. I 

urge the participants of the conference and 

all the people of the goodwill to support the 

ATOM Project and to make the creation of 

the non-nuclear world our main goal,’’ the 

President added. 

Speaking at the conference, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle thanked 

President Nazarbayev for launching the 

Project and firmly supported it. 

Karipbek Kuyukov, the famous second-generation survivor of the nuclear tests who was 

born armless and went on to become a famous artist inspiring many with his life example, became an honorary ambassador of 


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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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