Several months ago, one of my constituents contacted me with a great idea on how America can pay tribute to our military heroes. He encouraged me to introduce legislation requiring every government building to display the American flag at half-staff when a member of the U.S. Armed Forces is killed in the line of duty. This idea is the perfect way to pay our respect to America's military and ensure that we never forget the loss that comes with freedom. By enacting this legislation, we can ensure that America has a visual reminder of our men and women in uniform who are serving their country thousands of miles from home. I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort so that every time we see the American flag flying at half-staff over a federal office building, a post office, or even a national park, we never forget the tremendous sacrifice that makes this country great.

Every year since 2003, Reps. Hinchey, Rohrabacher, Paul and I have brought an amendment to the House Floor that causes our opponents to accuse us of trying to legalize pot or provide unfettered access to street drugs. The truth is very different of course. In fact, our amendment is ultimately about protecting states rights, specifically the rights of citizens in states that have chosen to legalize the medical use of marijuana.

Often people joke about marijuana, but due process and respecting state laws are serious issues. Medical marijuana is about health care, under a doctor's explicit direction, and compassion for persons suffering from chronic pain or terminal illness - in short, it's about regulated, controlled access. The Hinchey- Rohrabacher-Paul-Farr Amendment to the SSJC Appropriations bill is NOT about legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. It was simply an attempt to say our federal agents don't need to be in the business of arresting terminally ill patients obeying state laws.

Eleven states and millions of American citizens have voted to make it the law in their states that marijuana is available through prescriptions for health care purposes. Though our amendment received more "aye" votes than ever before, it failed by a vote of 163-259. When we bring it up again next year, hopefully more of our colleagues will stand with us in recognizing the validity of states' rights.

The complexity of the Republican prescription drug program has left many of America's seniors and people with disabilities without access to affordable prescription drugs. This week, House Democrats announced a plan that will change the confusing Republican drug plan by bringing affordability, simplicity, and reliability to the benefit. As part of our New Direction for America, the Democratic Prescription for Change will make prescription drugs more affordable by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices and using those savings to close the donut hole; providing seniors with the simple and reliable option of a plan administered by Medicare; and ensuring reliable and uninterrupted access to prescription drugs by stopping drug plans from increasing co-payments and creating burdensome bureaucracy. Democrats stand united to provide these commonsense improvements. Working together, we will put seniors and people with disabilities first.

As we leave here for this recess, Republicans have failed to pass an increase in the minimum wage. They have failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform. They have failed to pass lobbying reform. They have failed to pass a budget. They have failed to pass the Voting Rights Act. They have failed to pass the 9/11 Commission recommendations. They have failed to pass legislation to protect the privacy of our veterans. Democrats are here to say that in every respect, the Republican Congress is falling short. Our nation is going in the wrong direction, and over two-thirds of the American people have stated that. Congress is recessing while the urgent needs of Americans remain unmet. It is time for a new direction.

Learn more about the Democratic Prescription for Change: http://www.housedemocrats.gov/news/librarydetail.cfm?library_content_id=797

The Bush-Oman Free Trade Agreement is a rotten deal for American working families.  The Bush-Oman deal follows in the bad tradition of deals like CAFTA, which have caused millions of American jobs to disappear to countries where employers can pay much less and pollute much more.

Even worse - and I can't emphasize this enough - entering a free trade deal with a country that has an abysmal record on human trafficking is a betrayal of the American commitment to freedom.

I don't understand how President Bush can make campaign speeches calling for freedom everywhere, and then reward a country that fails to stop the trafficking of people into forced labor.

There should be no underestimating the significance of the change or the impact the absence of non-discrimination will have on the Internet as we have come to know it. Allowing network operators to discriminate against specific websites and Internet content will change the very nature of the Internet forever. I am disappointed by the committee's vote, but I am committed to restoring the non-discrimination principle that has guided the Internet since its inception, and hopeful we will continue to make progress.

The amendment Senator Dorgan and I offered yesterday during the Senate Commerce Committee's consideration of the Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 would have simply ensured all Internet users have an equal ability to view the content and applications of their choice. Net Neutrality is not a government regulation, but rather a restoration of the guarantee to unfettered, unfiltered, collection and dissemination of ideas and ideals on the Internet. The misunderstanding of this issue can be countered with information, discussion, and the facts.

Yesterday the Commerce Committee, which I am a member of, passed the most comprehensive telecommunications bill in a decade. This legislation addresses many issues and fixes many problems consumers have faced ranging from how we communicate with one another to how we will view television. I was very pleased with how the members of the committee worked together in order to create a piece of legislation that will help our nation move forward in the area of telecommunications.

One area of this bill I would like to comment on is language I added to protect children. This language requires operators of pornographic websites to have a homepage that contains no pornographic images or material. This will prevent children from stumbling across obscene pictures without restricting access by adults. Many times pornographic websites use web addresses which are very similar to other, non-pornographic websites. When a child, for example, accidentally types in a .com instead of .gov or .org, sexually explicit photos would appear on the screen. As we offer legislation to move our nation forward into new territories dealing with telecommunications, I want to ensure we protect our kids from dangers that may come their way.

Japan’s Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Bush is a timely opportunity to talk about my bill blocking imports of Japanese beef if Japan doesn’t lift its unfair embargo on U.S. beef. Because the beef industry can’t tolerate this unfair ban much longer, I’ll push my bill forward to block Japanese beef imports until Japan fully resumes beef trade. This is an issue of fair trade, in principle and practice, and Nebraska’s significant beef industry deserves fairness.

Japan’s embargo on U.S. beef products over the last three years has cost the Nebraska beef industry $875 million and cost Nebraska 1300 jobs. I believe the ongoing embargo is unfair and the cumbersome Japanese bureaucracy is moving too slow to reinstate beef trade with the United States. I’ve expressed my frustration and have been in constant communication with Japanese officials, including Japan’s Ambassador to the United States, Ryozo Kato, trying to work out a solution to the trade impasse. I’ve always maintained that U.S. beef is the safest, highest quality beef in the world. And once Japan ends this unfair and bureaucratic embargo, I’m sure they’ll recognize the safety and quality of U.S. beef as well.

Social Security should be a guaranteed benefit, not a guaranteed gamble. It must be reliable, undeniable, and inflation-proof. I am alarmed to see that a budget will come to the floor next week that could be a backdoor way of privatizing Social Security.

Under the guise of empowering an unelected commission, they would have the authority to cut benefits to turn it over to Wall Street where seniors would have to rely on the political promises and fear the bear of a market. We cannot let this happen.

I think it's ironic that people who call for a "moral agenda" waste taxpayer money on mismanaged Katrina relief and on operations in Iraq, while cutting back on children's assistance.

They need a good look in the mirror.