[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 129 (Wednesday, November 15, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H8660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 22 REMAINS FAITHFUL TO CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES

  Ms. SEKULA GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my 
Special Order at this time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from 
Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SEKULA GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, Congressional District 22 in Texas 
remains faithful to conservative principles.
  I am Dr. Shelley Sekula Gibbs, and I am the newly elected Member of 
Congress from Congressional District 22. The people in my district are 
hardworking individuals who believe in conservative principles, such as 
the sanctity of life; traditional marriage between one man and one 
woman; the right to bear arms; smaller, more efficient government; 
making tax cuts permanent; winning the war on terror; and opposing a 
cut-and-run strategy; and stopping illegal immigration while 
streamlining legal immigration.
  The families in Congressional District 22 of Texas want better 
transportation options, a solid energy policy with energy independence, 
affordable health insurance, and lower health care costs through the 
free market. They want affordable, quality education for their children 
from pre-K to college that is under local control, and strong homeland 
security to prevent terrorist attacks on our home soil.
  One of my district's primary ways in which to prevent a terrorist 
attack is to be a hard target. The Houston area has all major assets 
that are attractive to terrorists to attack, as identified by the FBI, 
including petrochemical facilities that produce 50 percent of the 
petrochemicals in our Nation and 25 percent of our country's gasoline. 
The Port of Houston is close to our area and in the city. It is close 
to our district and in the city, and it is the largest foreign tonnage 
port in the Nation.
  We have NASA's Johnson Space Center there, which is the home of 
manned space flight. We rely on the 147th Texas Air National Guard with 
its squadrons of F-16s at Ellington Field to maintain our air defense 
and make us a hard target. Passing a military appropriations bill today 
helps us secure our defense, but the fate of the 147th Texas Air 
National Guard remains uncertain but of critical importance to the 
people in my district.
  Terrorists must not be given an opportunity to bring our great 
country down, and we must maintain our vigilance. In the BRAC process, 
some communities were awarded more military infrastructure while others 
were reduced. Some have turned down those military assets. Florida 
recently was unwilling to accept naval facilities from Virginia Beach, 
Virginia. But we in Houston, we hope that our F-16s will be replaced by 
newer, more technologically advanced jets, and that our squadron will 
not be relocated. We are eager to maintain the Texas Air National Guard 
and look for support on this issue.
  In other words, Mr. Speaker, the people in my district want our 
country to be faithful to the principles that you and the leadership of 
the Republican party have promoted through your years as the Speaker of 
the House of this auspicious body.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for your guidance, your patience and 
your rock-solid commitment to conservative values on behalf of our 
great country. And I want to thank you and my colleagues for an 
appointment to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and to 
the Workforce and Education Committee. I commit to working very hard 
and rolling up my sleeves for our great district and our great country.
  May God continue to bless the United States of America, and our men 
and women in uniform.

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