January 6, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E21 

has undermined the current system because 

employers find it increasingly difficult to establish the authenticity of documents presented 

by job applicants. As a result, too many employers have been either unable or unwilling to 

comply with the law. 

Our legislation adds new features to the Social Security card to deter counterfeiting and 

make it easier for employers to determine 

whether a card is genuine by including a 

digitized photo of the cardholder on the card. 

The improved Social Security card will also be 

encoded with a unique electronic encryption 

code to allow employers to verify each prospective applicant’s work eligibility status prior 

to hiring, through either an electronic cardreader or a toll-free telephone number. The 

Department of Homeland Security will be required to establish and maintain an Employment Eligibility Database with an individual’s 

proof of citizenship data, work, and residency 

eligibility information, including expiration 

dates for non-citizens. This database will also 

include information from the Social Security 

Administration that the Commissioner determines necessary and appropriate for the purpose of verifying an individual’s work eligibility 

status. Employers who hire an illegal immigrant or choose not to verify a prospective 

employee’s work eligibility will face stiff federal 

fines of $50,000 and up to 5 years in prison. 

The employer would also be required to reimburse the government for the cost of deporting 

the illegal immigrant. Moreover, this bill provides that no officer or employee of Department of Homeland Security shall have access 

to any information contained in the Employment Eligibility Database for any purpose 

other than the establishment of a system of 

records necessary for the effective administration of this Act, and will impose penalties of 

$10,000 in fines and mandatory-minimum sentence of 5 years in prison on anyone who misuses information on the database. 

With the improved Social Security card and 

national verification system, prospective employees will have no way of obtaining fraudulent identification documents. By improving the 

employment verification process, we can eliminate the supply of jobs for illegal workers and 

end the employment magnet that draws them 

here. Under this bill, legal workers will only 

need to update their Social Security card once 

to have their photo placed on the card and for 

other long-overdue anti-fraud measures to be 

applied. Moreover, a worker would only need 

the updated Social Security card when applying for a new job. I want to make it absolutely 

clear that this proposal does not represent the 

creation of a national identification card. This 

bill strictly prohibits the use of the Social Security card as a national ID card, and stipulates that the card not be required to be routinely carried on one’s person. Because Social 

Security cards are already required to be provided to new employers, the changes proposing in this bill take us no further down the 

road of creating a national ID card. It should 

also be noted that the government already has 

the information that would be contained in the 

Employment Eligibility Database. An individual’s eligibility to work under the law is dependent on whether they are a U.S. citizen, 

and if not, their immigration status. Finally, the 

Immigration Enforcement and Social Security 

Protection Act also puts teeth into the new enforcement procedures by calling for the addition of 10,000 new Homeland Security officers 

whose sole responsibility will be to enforce 

employer compliance with the law. These new 

agents will free up the rest of the Border Patrol to exclusively focus on border enforcement 

and terrorism prevention. 

This bill is in no way meant to send a message that we intend to limit opportunities for 

the American dream to be fulfilled. However, 

we are a Nation of laws and if individuals wish 

to pursue opportunities in the United States, 

they must play by the rules and we must 

make clear that there will be no economic opportunity for anyone who enters this country illegally. I look forward to continuing to work 

with my colleagues in this effort, and hope 

they will consider joining me as we take action 

on this vital national security priority. 

I would like to thank the original co-sponsors of this legislation, including, Mr. REYES of 

Texas, who began his career in public service 

with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization 

Service in the U.S. Border Patrol, where he 

worked for 261⁄2 years. I would also like to 

thank the original co-sponsors from my home 

state of California, including Mr. ISSA, Mr. CALVERT, the author of the Basic Pilot Program, 

and Mr. BILBRAY, the Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF THE SHARK 

CONSERVATION ACT OF 2009 

HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO OF GUAM

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, today I 

have reintroduced a bill to amend the High 

Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection 

Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to improve the 

conservation of sharks. In the 110th Congress, 

the House of Representatives passed this legislation, H.R. 5741 or the ‘‘Shark Conservation 

Act of 2008,’’ by voice vote under suspension 

of the rules. The Senate, however, was unable 

to take action on the bill received by the 

House or on its companion bill, S. 3231, before it adjourned. I have, therefore, reintroduced this bill today given the ongoing necessity for improved shark conservation and its 

benefits for ocean ecosystems. 

Sharks are long-lived apex predators, which 

breed slowly, making it difficult for them to 

maintain populations under fishing pressure. 

Sharks have been increasingly exploited in recent decades, both as bycatch in the pelagic 

longline fisheries from the 1960s onward, and 

as targets in direct fisheries that expanded 

rapidly in the 1980s. The rising demand for 

shark fins over past decades has also led to 

increases in the particularly exploitive practice 

of shark finning, where fins of sharks are removed and the carcass is discarded at sea. 

According to scientists, scalloped hammerhead, white, and thresher shark populations 

are each estimated to have declined by over 

75 percent in the past 15 years due in large 

part to these fishing pressures. Removing 

these top predators drastically changes the 

food web structure, marine diversity, and ecosystem health. Addressing the practice of 

shark finning is an imperative step toward the 

conservation of sharks and marine ecosystems. 

Congress recognized shark finning as an inherently wasteful practice in enacting the 

Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 (Public 

Law 106–557). This Act prohibits U.S. fishermen from removing the fins of sharks and discarding the carcass at sea, and from landing 

or transporting shark fins without the corresponding carcass. 

The Shark Conservation Act of 2009 includes several measures to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of that prohibition and would ensure that the intent of Congress is achieved. First, the bill eliminates an 

unexpected enforcement loophole related to 

the transport of shark fins by prohibiting vessels from having custody, control, or possession of shark fins which are not naturally attached to the corresponding carcass. This is 

intended to ensure that U.S.-flagged vessels 

are not traveling to the high seas and purchasing fins from fishermen engaged in shark 

finning and bringing them into U.S. waters in 

an attempt to skirt the finning prohibition. The 

bill further strengthens the enforcement of the 

existing ban on shark finning by calling for 

sharks to be landed with their fins naturally attached. This ‘‘fins-attached’’ landing strategy 

simplifies enforcement of the Shark Finning 

Prohibition Act. It is also consistent with the 

National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS, final 

rule, which took effect on July 24, 2008, and 

which implements the management measures 

described in the final Amendment 2 to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan and strengthens enforcement of 

existing law in U.S. Atlantic waters by requiring that sharks be landed with their fins attached. 

Finally, the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 

amends the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to allow the Secretary of 

Commerce to identify and list nations that 

have not adopted a regulatory program for the 

conservation of sharks comparable to the 

United States. This amendment promotes the 

conservation of sharks internationally and in a 

manner that is consistent with the expectations placed on U.S. fishermen. 

The bill is further consistent with the United 

States position in the United Nations relative 

to Resolution 62/177 that was adopted by the 

United Nations General Assembly on December 18, 2007, and which calls upon nationstates to take immediate and concerted action 

to improve the implementation of and compliance with national measures that regulate 

shark fisheries, including management efforts 

to require that all sharks be landed with each 

fin naturally attached. 

The Shark Conservation Act of 2009 reestablishes the intended protections for sharks 

under U.S. law. I look forward to working with 

my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 

again pass this timely and important bill in the 

House of Representatives. I also hope it will 

receive favorable action and consideration by 

the other body in the 111th Congress. 

f 

TERRORIST REWARDS 

ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2009 

HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Terrorist Rewards Enhancement 


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E22 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 6, 2009 

Act. This bill will assist in our fight against terrorism around the globe. Currently, the terrorist rewards program run by the State Department assists in our hunt for terrorists by 

promising a cash reward or other type of reward for information leading to the arrest of 

some of the world’s most deadly terrorists. 

This program has been very successful in the 

past in apprehending key people including Mir 

Amal Kansi, a terrorist who had murdered two 

CIA employees and injured three others in a 

1993 shooting outside CIA headquarters in 

Virginia. 

Under current law, the U.S. may not pay a 

reward to an officer or employee of another 

government. I have traveled to Pakistan each 

of the last 4 years, where I met with a number 

of government officials. At the strong suggestion of Pakistan’s ISI and IB intelligence and 

police bureaus, I believe the President should 

be able to pay such a reward to anyone having information leading us to the greatest terrorists. If there is anyone, anywhere, even if 

they work for a Pakistani government agency, 

who has information about the whereabouts of 

Osama bin Laden, we should be doing all we 

can to elicit that information. 

With the increasing number of cross-border 

incursions into Afghanistan coming from the 

Waziristan region of Pakistan, it is more important than ever to develop a complete picture of where al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists 

are hiding. We need to provide our State Department and intelligence officials with all the 

possible tools to aid in the capture of the 

world’s number one terrorist. The Terrorist Rewards Enhancement Act will provide one more 

of these tools. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF THE VETERANS 

HEALTH EQUITY ACT OF 2009 

HON. CAROL SHEA-PORTER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Madam Speaker, 

today, I introduced The Veterans Health Equity Act of 2009. This legislation requires the 

Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that 

every State has a full-service veterans hospital, or access to equivalent care in-state. I 

have been calling for the VA to provide fullservice medical care to New Hampshire’s veterans since October of 2007 and introduced 

identical legislation in the 110th Congress. 

New Hampshire has not had a full-service 

veterans hospital since 2001 and is the only 

State without a full-service VA hospital or 

comparable facility. While New Hampshire 

may be a small State, it has a veteran population over 130,000. 

Because we lack a veterans hospital, New 

Hampshire’s veterans are often forced to travel out-of-state for medical care. Veterans traveling from the most Northern parts of the State 

may have to travel three hours to Manchester 

and then may be forced to travel up to 2 hours 

to Boston, if they are referred there for their 

care. 

Unfortunately, this routinely happens—each 

year, hundreds of patients are referred to the 

Boston, MA or White River Junction, VT facilities. 

It is simply a matter of fairness that our veterans in New Hampshire be afforded the 

same services as veterans in every other 

State. Though New Hampshire may be a 

small State, even smaller States with fewer 

veterans have full-service care available. 

I am a realist, and a fiscal conservative. 

That is why my legislation does not require the 

VA to construct a full-service hospital in Manchester if it is not economically feasible. Instead, the Department could work with health 

care providers in the state to provide care 

through local hospitals. 

The Manchester VA facility has done a 

great job of reaching out to local partners and 

getting our vets access to as much local care 

as possible within their current restrictions. In 

fact, they have submitted a business plan that 

would allow them to contract with more local 

health care providers. I urge the Department 

to strongly consider this business plan. Its approval would make a big difference in the 

quality and accessibility of care for New 

Hampshire’s veterans. 

If the VA will not consider restoring Manchester to a full-service facility or ensuring that 

New Hampshire veterans have access to care 

in New Hampshire, Congress must do so. 

Our veterans, regardless of the services 

they need, deserve the same care their counterparts receive in every other State. It is unconscionable that we deny them this full-service care and instead offer them ad hoc services. 

I will continue to work with the Director of 

the New Hampshire VA and with the new 

Obama Administration to ensure that our veterans have care in New Hampshire. Last summer’s expansion of radiation services proves 

that the VA can work to ensure that local care 

is available. It is time for the VA to go further 

and for the government to live up to the promises we’ve made to those who have served so 

honorably. 

f 

HONORING FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES T. CANADY UPON HIS INVESTITURE AS 

A JUSTICE TO THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT 

HON. ADAM H. PUTNAM OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to pay tribute to a former member of this body, 

Representative Charles T. Canady on the occasion of his investiture as a Justice to the 

Supreme Court of the State of Florida. 

During his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Justice Canady served this nation and the people of the 12th Congressional 

District, which I now represent, with honor and 

distinction. His steadfast commitment toward 

upholding the laws and principles on which 

our nation was founded, will serve the people 

of the State of Florida well through his appointment as a Justice to the Florida Supreme 

Court. 

Born in Lakeland, Florida, Justice Canady 

earned his B.A. from Haverford College in 

1976 and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from 

Yale University in 1979. Thereafter, he practiced law in Lakeland at the firm of Holland 

and Knight and with the Lane, Trohn, Clarke, 

Bertrand and Williams law firm. In 1984, he 

was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served through 1990. 

In 1992, Justice Canady was elected to the 

103rd Congress and served four terms in the 

United States House of Representatives from 

January 1993 to January 2001. Throughout 

his tenure in Congress, Justice Canady was 

an active member of the House Judiciary 

Committee. For three terms from January 

1995 to January 2001, former Rep. Canady 

was the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. In this capacity, 

his efforts toward protecting and defending the 

laws of our nation made a lasting mark not 

only on this body, but on the American people 

for whom we are called serve. 

While a member of the House of Representatives, Former Rep. Canady worked with 

steadfast dedication and fortitude on the 

issues found at the core of our country’s belief 

system. Among his contributions include passage into law of the Religious Liberty Protection Act, which protects all citizens’ right to exercise their religious freedoms. He also championed the Civil Rights Act of 1997, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Religious Land 

Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, the Private Property Rights Implementation Act, 

Equal Opportunity Act, as well as the Family 

Caregiver Enumeration Act. 

Appointed as a House Manager to conduct 

the presidential impeachment proceedings, he 

worked to uphold the laws of our nation 

through his unwavering commitment to the 

principles of the Constitution of the United 

States and the governing rules of our country. 

Justice Canady kept his term limits pledge, 

and did not seek reelection to a fifth term in 

2000. After leaving Congress, Justice Canady 

returned to the practice of law, serving as 

counsel to Governor Jeb Bush. In 2002, Governor Bush appointed him to Florida’s Second 

District Court of Appeal. On August 27, 2008, 

Governor Charlie Crist nominated Justice Canady to the Florida Supreme Court. His nomination was confirmed and Justice Canady took 

his seat as the 82nd Associate Justice to the 

Florida Supreme Court on September 8, 2008, 

and was sworn-in through a formal investiture 

on December 3, 2008. 

Former Congressman Charles T. Canady 

resided until his appointment to the Florida 

Supreme Court in Lakeland, Florida, and is 

married to wife Jennifer and has two daughters, Julia and Anna. Charles T. Canady is the 

son of Charles and Delores Canady. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF THE 

AMERICARE HEALTH INSURANCE 

ACT OF 2009 

HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, it gives me 

great pleasure to reintroduce the AmeriCare 

Health Care Act of 2009. I have often spoken 

before this body about the great need to reform our health care system. For too long, we 

have been plagued with an inadequate patchwork system that today leaves nearly 46 million Americans uninsured. We spend more per 

person than any other country in the world, yet 

our health outcomes lag well behind that of 

other industrialized nations. 

The failing economy is even more proof of 

our need to act now. Our broken health system is a tremendous financial burden on our 


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