Mandatory IDEA Full Funding Compromise Act

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell) and the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) for their input on this important bill. I would also like to recognize my colleague and friend who represents Long Beach with me, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and my dear friend who served with me as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert). All of us have come to honor Steve Horn.

Before I do that, let me congratulate also and be a part of the voices to congratulate Lance Armstrong who represents the best of America and has won his second championship in the Tour de France. We are all very honored that he is an American who represents us very well.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to offer the Stephen Horn Post Office Building Designation Act, H.R. 2309, today. The post office is located at 2300 Redondo Avenue in the city of Long Beach, in my district, in honor of our distinguished former colleague Steve Horn.

Before being elected to Congress, Steve Horn served in the world of academics. From 1970 to 1988, he served as the President of Cal State University Long Beach, and remained as a trustee and professor of political science at the university from 1988 to 1992. His distinguished academic career reads as follows: A Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and an M.P.A. degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University as well.

From 1960 to 1966, Steve Horn first began to mix his academic prowess with his politically inclusive sensibilities, serving as a legislative assistant to former California Senator Thomas H. Kuchel. From 1966 to 1969 he continued his academic pursuits as a senior fellow at the prestigious Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C.

From 1992 until his retirement in 2002, Steve Horn was a colleague and friend to many of us in Congress, and he remains a friend to us. His pursuit of good public policy and fairness consistently crossed party lines. As a colleague on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, it was my pleasure to serve with Steve Horn for 7 years, during which time we grappled with many challenges together, especially the 1998 transportation reauthorization bill, TEA-21.

I believe that I can speak safely for the members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in saying that his voice and perspective will be missed on our committee. The naming of this post office is a combination of Steve Horn's contribution as Congressman, former president of the Cal State University Long Beach, and as an honorable private citizen.

Specifically, the naming of this post office highlights Steve Horn's efforts to secure a separate ZIP Code for the city of Signal Hill. For years, Signal Hill city manager Ken Farfsing said the city and its 9,000 residents had had problems with higher insurance rates, misreported sales taxes affecting the city's revenue, and misapplied utility taxes by long-distance companies. Thanks to Steve Horn's tireless efforts, the city of Signal Hill finally received a separate ZIP Code in early 2002.

The length that Steve Horn went to secure a separate ZIP Code for Signal Hill is indicative of the passion and persistence he brought to his job as a Member of Congress. It is a great story. Some in Signal Hill might call it a great epic. It is worth repeating.

When Steve Horn came to Congress as Signal Hill's Representative in 1993, he made securing a ZIP Code for the city one of his top priorities. He met with city and Postal Service officials to try to address concerns raised by postal officials. In 1994, the Signal Hill City Council requested that the Long Beach postmaster place the Signal Hill Post Office on the 5-year capital improvement plan and that he complete the ZIP Code survey.

Early the next year, the Long Beach postmaster rejected Signal Hill's request, stating none of the existing facilities have the ability to house additional routes for Signal Hill. The city filed an appeal with regional headquarters, which was sent to the Postal Service Washington headquarters. A few months later, Postmaster General Runyon upheld the denial.

Postmaster General Runyon wrote Congressman Horn in June of 1995 stating, ``ZIP Code analysis for 20 years for code 908O4, 90806, and 90807 indicates that no additional ZIP Codes are required before 2014. The growth rate remains stable and the resultant density and mail volume will not require new ZIP Codes in the foreseeable future.'' However, Congressman Steve Horn met with the postmaster, who would not change his position.

This continued into 1996, as Postmaster General Runyon wrote letters to both Congressman Horn and Senator Barbara Boxer denying their request on behalf of the city of Signal Hill. In 1997, the Signal Hill City Council authorized a postal survey and retained the Economics Department of California State University Long Beach to review the Postal Service model. The completed survey found that 85.1 percent of residents supported a single ZIP Code. The survey was then sent to the postmaster and Congressman Horn wrote him as well, but again to no avail.

Frustrated with the lack of responsiveness on the part of the Postal Service, Steve Horn in 1998 introduced H.R. 4429, legislation requiring ZIP Codes for communities with 5,000 or more in population. In 2000, he introduced another bill, H.R. 3739, requiring single ZIP Codes for small cities split by multiple ZIP Codes. In that same year, he amended the Postal Service appropriation bill to require that the Postal Service report back by August 1 on the Signal Hill ZIP Code.

Finally, the Postal Service began to demonstrate some awareness of the problems created by the city of Signal Hill in being split into three Zip Codes. It began a study of the situation, and in August of 2000 began researching for a vacant property for the West Carrier Annex in the city. The next month, Congressman Horn, along with Signal Hill's mayor, Mike Noll, and City Manager Ken Farfsingm met with Long Beach Postmaster Jenkins and District Supervisor Shapiro to discuss the status of the annex.

In October, the Postal Service selected a site for the annex. Unfortunately, in March 2001, postal officials placed a hold on all capital projects. Six months later they indicated that all Postal Service projects would be indefinitely delayed due to the anthrax attacks that took place that fall.

At this point Congressman Horn met with the new Postmaster General to discuss the idea of using the existing postal facility in Signal Hill for the Signal Hill ZIP Code. In November 2001, the Postal Service mailed out a survey to residents completed the next January. Finally, in January 2002, with the completed survey showing two-thirds of the residents wanted a unified Signal Hill ZIP Code, the city got the good news it would receive the recognition desired for so long, its own ZIP Code.

This was vintage Congressman Steve Horn, passionate and persistent in making sure that this city, which deserved its ZIP Code, got it. Steve Horn's refusal to take no for an answer, his commitment to his constituents,

and his persuasiveness in pressing the argument with postal officials had enabled the city of Signal Hill to prevail.

I can think of no other appropriate recognition for Steve Horn than to name that post office after him. He is a rarity, Mr. Speaker, a bipartisan public servant. That is why I ask that this legislation receive prompt consideration and passage. I thank all of the gentlemen and gentlewomen who spoke on behalf of the Steve Horn Post Office designation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2309) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2300 Redondo Avenue in Signal Hill, California, as the ``J. Stephen Horn Post Office Building,'' as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2309.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2309, as amended, introduced by my distinguished colleague from the State of California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2300 Redondo Avenue in Long Beach, California, as the ``Stephen Horn Post Office Building.''

Mr. Speaker, this legislation would rename this southern California post office after one of our most distinguished former Members, Congressman Steve Horn. Congressman Horn retired this past January at the conclusion of the 107th Congress. He was one of the most intelligent, respected and admired Members of the House of Representatives, and we are all proud to have had an opportunity to serve with him and to recognize his service today.

Congressman Horn spent his entire professional life around or within the Federal Government. Along the way, he particularly studied and mastered the procedural details of succeeding as a legislator on Capitol Hill. He has viewed the legislative process from every possible perspective: as a congressional aid, an executive branch staff member, an academic, a writer and, ultimately, as an elected official.

Following his extensive education that includes a master's degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Stanford University, Steve Horn began his career in public service in 1959 as an aide to then-Labor Secretary James Mitchell in the Eisenhower administration. Within 2 years, Steve came to Capitol Hill for the first time as a legislative assistant to former California Senator Tom Kuchel. I first met him when he was an aide to Senator Kuchel when I was a young page over in the Senate back in the 1963-64 time frame, and I will never forget his replacement, when he left the Senator's office, who was a young man named Leon Panetta who also went on to serve and was distinguished in this body.

After stints as a senior fellow with the Brookings Institute and a dean of American University, Mr. Horn returned to California as president of California State University at Long Beach. From his studies and experience, he has written important books on congressional ethics, parliamentary procedure, and the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Professor Steve Horn left academia to make a run for the Republican nomination to the House of Representatives in 1988. Although he came up short in that race, he ran another campaign 4 years later in a different district in 1992 and won the Republican nomination. During the general election season, he based his campaign headquarters out of his son's apartment and mailed out nearly 50,000 15-minute videotapes to voters about himself. As a result of his efforts, Steve Horn was elected to the House of Representatives from the 38th District of California in November of 1992.

Mr. Speaker, once he was elected to Congress, Congressman Horn quickly became known as one of the most diligent Members of the House. He tirelessly chaired the Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations until his retirement, and I was very fortunate to have served on that subcommittee during his tenure. He held countless hearings that aimed to improve the accountability and effectiveness of the Federal Government. Specifically, he was a leader in encouraging Federal agencies to prepare their technology systems for the Y2K bug and worked on various government debt collection bills that aimed to allow the government to obtain outstanding debts.

Today, Congressman Horn lives in semi-retirement with his wife Nini in California. He continues his public service to this day, working in a consultative role with the National Academy of Public Administration.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 2309, as amended, that honors Congressman

Steve Horn for his 5 terms in the House and his service to the people of California and the entire Nation. He was a rarity, a very bipartisan Member of this body, looking not at interest groups, not at partisanship, but for what he felt would be the best result. I think this institution would be better served with more Members like Steve Horn. This is an appropriate acknowledgment of the service that he gave his country here in the Congress.

I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from California, for introducing this important measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender- McDonald) for introducing this important legislation. Steve Horn was not an athlete, he was not a recordholder, but he was in every sense a champion, a champion of good government and government efficiency and a champion for the American people.

I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 2309, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of and with gratitude to my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for her resolution honoring our colleague, now our retired colleague, Steve Horn, a colleague and a friend and a much- admired person here in Washington, D.C.

He is not a bicycle rider and he is not an Olympic athlete here, but I guess it is fitting for us to have the U.S. Post Office, which has sponsored one of our athletes, and today we are talking about the naming of a post office after Steve Horn. I cannot think of a better candidate than Steve Horn to name a post office after, especially on Signal Hill, California.

Steve Horn, of course, started out as an academic and ended up working for a United States Senator from California, Senator Kuchel, and later on became president of Long Beach State College. Let me note that I graduated from Long Beach State College and was part of the committee, elected by the students of Long Beach State College, to be part of the selection committee to find out who would be the president, and that selection committee ended up choosing Steve Horn to be the President of Long Beach State College, which later became Long Beach State University.

Steve Horn did a terrific job as president of that university. He was an incredible leader in the academic community. He was tough, but he was an intellectual and he was always very thoughtful. When he came here to Congress it was an interesting transition between the President of Long Beach State and coming to Congress. Steve and I actually ran against each other on my very first run for Congress. Steve was in the primary. It was a crowded primary of eight people, and I always thought of Steve as the one opponent I had in that primary who I dearly respected. He was such a thoughtful person.

I always thought of it as the Jeffersonians versus the Hamiltonians. As our country started out we had these two different groups vying intellectually, and Steve was definitely a Hamiltonian and I thought of myself as a Jeffersonian. Now he would think of that as a great compliment, even though in the end, the Jeffersonians won in the beginning of our country's history. They won the battles with the Hamiltonians in terms of the electoral process. But as any very thoughtful historian will tell you, it was the Hamiltonians that ended up having a dominant influence on the structure of our government.

Steve, of course, was someone who wanted to have an influence. He was someone who wanted to get tangible things done rather than talk about philosophy. He carried a book with him at all times, taking notes so he could have the details down on the things that he wanted to remember and to follow through on. He was a pragmatist of the highest order and someone who actually gives honor to that title of pragmatist because he wanted to make government work. He wanted it to work for the people, but, yes, work in its most efficient way.

He was on the Committee on Government Reform and he served on it after he was elected in 1992. He came here and ran again in 1992 and won and was here for 10 years as Representative of the 38th District. During that time period we faced the challenge that our computer system may go haywire, and Steve headed the subcommittee on technology and spent a great deal of time working with, of course, the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) and others to make sure that our country did not suffer horrible repercussions of being unprepared for the turn of the century that was going to make our computers all malfunction. With Steve's leadership, we were able to avert a great crisis at that time that probably saved our country billions upon billions of dollars and all sorts of disruption.

This was a man who was making things better by making government work. He was also on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on which he worked so diligently to make sure that our transportation needs, especially in southern California, were met.

So let me say again that even though Steve and I had been at odds, we had

run against each other and at times we had our disagreements, he was a person whose methodology in his own life demanded a certain degree of respect even for those who disagreed with him. And then when we did agree, it was such a pleasure to have someone as efficient as Steve on your side, who was focused on detail and getting the job done.

I think together in the Republican majority we were able to accomplish a great deal with Steve Horn and myself on the same team. And that is what the Republican majority, we hope, has been all about. We are missing Steve now and we wish him well. This post office that we are naming after him he fought long and hard to get a ZIP Code for in Signal Hill, so I think it is very, very fitting that we offer him this tribute by putting his name on that post office.

So I thank once again the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender- McDonald). This is a very nice bipartisan tribute to a man who really appreciated bipartisanship.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2309, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's legislation to name the post office at 2300 Redondo in Long Beach, CA, after our distinguished former colleague, Steve Horn.

Like Congresswoman Millender-McDonald, I am honored to now represent two cities, Bellflower and Downey, which Steve Horn represented with such distinction during his decade in Congress. Steve and I were elected in the same year, 1992, and I had the pleasure to work with him on behalf of a number of initiatives important to our communities and others in Los Angeles County and throughout Southern California.

Steve Horn was an accomplished legislator who achieved much in his time in Congress. Not only did he author a number of bills that have made a considerable difference in improving the way our government operates, but he also provided strong oversight as chair of the Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management & Intergovernmental Relations.

It was Steve Horn who first raised the public's consciousness regarding the looming Y2K problem. Through his work on his subcommittee, he played an essential role in encouraging federal agencies to take the necessary steps to upgrade their computer systems and forestall potential problems as we made the transition to the new century. His early efforts were the precursor of the new Homeland Security Department's focus on the potential cyber security threat.

The legislative legacy Steve Horn left behind following his retirement from Congress is substantial. Through his subcommittee, he initiated a number of other efforts to make the federal government run more effectively and efficiently, and to make it more responsive to the American public. He helped bring together the Los Angeles-area Congressional delegation to build the support needed to fund the Alameda Corridor and make it a reality. Today, the Corridor provides a direct rail connection from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the main inland east-west transportation links.

Steve and I worked together on numerous issues during our service in Congress together. Today I am proud to continue work on two of those critical projects in the City of Downey, the largest municipality completely in my district and one that I inherited from Steve. First is the Columbia Memorial Space Science Learning Center that will serve as one important piece of the multi-million dollar redevelopment project scheduled for the Downey site of the former space shuttle manufacturing plant, Rockwell International. I am working closely with Downey representatives in support of the redevelopment project, and I have introduced legislation that will name that space science learning center in honor of the Columbia Space Shuttle and its crew who perished in the shuttle's February 2003 crash.

Secondly, whether it was ensuring safe and reliable water to the Los Angeles area or cleaning up the storm water that runs into the Los Angeles River, Steve was always involved in the numerous bipartisan efforts regarding Los Angeles water. Along these lines, I am continuing the effort Steve and I began last year to mitigate trash that storm waters carry into the Los Angeles River.

Despite Steve's impressive legislative work, it is his strong, personal commitment to the people of the 38th District of California during his 10 years in Congress and his many years of dedicated community involvement service that makes this legislation on the floor today so appropriate. As Congressman, he was deeply committed to serving the needs of all his constituents. I regularly hear from his former constituents of the services he offered and the strong support he provided for all the communities of his district. Steve Horn was also actively serving his community long before he came to Congress. During his tenure as a professor and then President at Cal State-Long Beach, Steve and his wife Nini were deeply involved in a wide range of civic and cultural activities that enriched and improved their community.

And, as I know Congresswoman Millender-McDonald has noted in her statement, he refused to give in to bureaucratic resistance when the City of Signal Hill asked for its own zip code, rather than sharing three different zip codes with portions of the City of Long Beach, which adjoins it. The Redondo post office serve as the distribution center for the Signal Hill routes, so it is particularly appropriate that it is the one designated with Steve Horn's name.

I commend the Government Reform Committee and the House leadership for their expeditious consideration of H.R. 2309. And I thank Steve Horn for his friendship and for all he did--and continues to do--for his community. My best wishes go to Steve, Nini and their family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring our friend, former colleague, and my former neighbor, Stephen Horn, by naming the United States post office in Signal Hill after him.

Steve served in Congress with great distinction for 10 years. My friendship with him began in the 103rd Congress, the first Congress for both of us. Steve represented the 38th Congressional District, which included most of Long Beach and Lakewood, all of Signal Hill, Bellflower, Paramount, Downey, and a small portion of San Pedro, while I represented the neighboring 36th District.

Steve, of course, was a student of Congress. As a political scientist, Steve has written books on parliamentary procedures, the Senate Appropriations Committee and campaign finance. He worked at the Brookings Institution, was a dean at American University, and then from 1970 to 1988, was president of Cal State University at Long Beach.

Early in his career, he was appointed Administrative Assistant to Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell, followed in late 1960 with a move to Capitol Hill where he served as the

Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Thomas H. Kuchel (R-Calif.), one of the four leaders of the Senate. And, he was in Everett Dirksen's office helping draft the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

With his election to the 103rd Congress, Steve had an opportunity to put his love of politics and governing into practice. I am particularly proud that we worked together to lead a successful bi-partisan coalition that saved the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 program. Congress approved the multi-year purchase of this cargo aircraft, which employed 9,000 workers in our respective districts and, as demonstrated in the recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans, has proven to be one of the most versatile cargo aircraft in the military's inventory.

When his party took control of the House in 1994, Steve became chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations--a position which he used to improve government services, overhaul federal agencies' debt collection practices, and help prepare agencies to meet the Y2K problem.

Steve was also a leader of Southern California's effort to secure funding for the Alameda Corridor, a below-grade rail line linking the busy Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with the rest of the nation. He was also known for his advocacy of higher education and as a passionate supporter of the arts and I recall Steve's strong defense of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus.

Always the keen observer, Steve was known for the ubiquitous notebooks in which he detailed his daily activities, insights and observations while in Congress. Undoubtedly, these volumes help refresh the recollections which he now uses to teach others at Cal State Long Beach about politics, governance, and responsibility in a democratic society.

Mr. Speaker, never one to falter in his congressional duties or to toe the party line, Steve Horn served in Congress with courage and independence. I am proud to have served with him and to cosponsor and urge passage of this measure honoring him with the designation of J. Stephen Horn post office in Signal Hill, California.