Mr. Speaker, from hurricanes and floods in Latin America to earthquakes in Asia, natural disasters are increasingly becoming a regular feature of life for large numbers of people around the globe.

Starting before law school in 1970 and continuing until 1977 he worked as an assistant to the president of Portland State University. Following his time in the Oregon Legislature he served on the Multnomah County Commission from 1979 to 1986. At the time he was described as "the man who probably knows the most about how Portland works" but left local politics to run for Congress.

S. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Earl Blumenauer (born August 16 1948) is the U.