District of Columbia Personal Protection Act

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 803, I call up the bill (H.R. 3193) to restore second amendment rights in the District of Columbia, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3193, and to include extraneous material thereon.

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

Today, we will be debating a bill that will go a long way in protecting the constitutional rights of the residents of the District of Columbia.

As all may know, currently in Washington, D.C., citizens are prevented from owning any handgun at all. I am bringing before you today a bill that would restore the second amendment rights of D.C. citizens. I think it is important to note that my bill would not repeal any provision of D.C. law that bans gun possession by criminals, or that punishes violent crime.

In 1976, 2 years after Congress had granted the District of Columbia home rule, the D.C. City Council passed a bill which repealed the handgun ban in the District. The handgun ban actually arrested progress. In the 5 years before 1976, when the handgun ban was put into effect, the murder rate in the District of Columbia had fallen to 27 per 100,000 from 37 per 100,000, according to researchers at the American Enterprise Institute. Five years after the ban, the murders had climbed back to 35 for every 100,000 residents. From that point, it became worse.

In the 13 years between 1987 and 2000, D.C. earned the dubious distinction as the murder capital of the United States. In 2002, it once again had the highest murder rate per 100,000 residents, making it the murder capital of the United States 14 of the last 15 years.

There have been a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunication about what this bill does and does not do. So I will address the bill's provisions in the order in which they appear in the bill.

First, the bill prohibits the District from prohibiting residents from possessing a firearm that is legal for them to possess under Federal law, while still maintaining the Federal ban on private possession of any firearm regulated by the National Firearms Act.

Second, the bill would bring the District's definition of a machine gun into conformity with Federal law and the laws of the States. Currently, the District defines the term machine gun to include firearms that fire only one shot when the trigger is pulled. That is not what a machine gun is, of course. A machine gun fires repeatedly when the trigger is pulled and held back. The District's definition is simply factually incorrect, and this bill will perform the necessary correction.

Third, the bill eliminates the District's firearms registration requirement and, logically, eliminates the penalty for the possession of an unregistered firearm. This does not, however, in any way change the Federal requirement that firearm dealers maintain records of firearm sales. Dealers will still be required to maintain Federal forms which identify the purchasers of firearms by name, address, date and place of birth, and other factors.

Fourth, the bill eliminates the District's ban on private possession of handguns and handgun ammunition.

Fifth, the bill eliminates the District's ban on the use of firearms for protection at home. Currently, the District prohibits a person from having even a lawfully owned firearm at home, loaded and assembled, and unlocked.

While some States have laws designed to have people keep firearms secured in a similar fashion when they are unattended, the District's law requires people to keep firearms unloaded and disassembled or locked even if a violent criminal is attacking them in their homes.

The U.S. Constitution, the constitutions of 44 States, Federal law, and the laws of all 50 States, and the vast majority of Americans recognize the right to use firearms for personal protection. Only the District of Columbia prohibits a person from having a firearm assembled and loaded at home for the purpose of self-defense.

That is why 229 Members of this body are not supporters of the bill, they are cosponsors of this bill. Forty-four of the cosponsors are Democrats. This is truly bipartisan legislation that has come up from the demands of the American people.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, facts are stubborn things, and the fact is that today D.C.'s murder rate is still 8 times higher than the national average.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).

Mr. Speaker, it would be illegal to shoot such a weapon now, and it would continue to be illegal to shoot such a weapon at an armored truck or anybody else under my legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler).

(Mr. HOSTETTLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), a distinguished member of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice of the Committee on Government Reform.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave).

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

One would think that the District of Columbia has a good record rather than eight times the national average, leading the Nation 14 of the past 15 years in the murder rate. As a former mayor said, ``Other than the killings, their crime rate is not too bad.'' ``Other than the killings'' is a relevant thing here. We are trying to make sure honest citizens can protect themselves, not just the criminals.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), a member of the Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Subcommittee, and a former judge.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the State of Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross), the lead Democratic cosponsor of this bill. We have 44 Democratic cosponsors, and I very much appreciate his leadership and help on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a series of stories of individuals who were terrified but defended themselves and could have been prosecuted under the D.C. law.

I will also include for the Record, what would the District of Columbia's gun laws look like after this law passes?

What Would the District of Columbia's Gun Laws Look Like After H.R.

3193?

Even if H.R. 3193 were signed into law in its present form,

it would leave in place an extensive set of laws governing

possession, sale and use of guns. District laws would still

be far more restrictive than the laws of most states:

It would still be illegal to carry firearms outside one's

own property, either openly or concealed. Violations would

still be punishable by a fine of up to $1000 or imprisonment

for not moire than one year for a first offense, and up to

$10,000 and 10 years' imprisonment, or both, for a second

offense or for any violation by a convicted felon. All

penalties are doubled for illegal carry in a ``gun free

zone'' within 1000 feet of a school, day care center,

college, or various youth recreation facilities such as

swimming pools and video arcades.

Possession or use of a firearm while committing a crime of

violence would remain punishable by up to 30 years in prison,

with a minimum of 5 years served before parole or probation.

Handgun possession would remain illegal for drug addicts,

convicted felons, and persons convicted of various public

order offenses such as vagrancy.

It would still be illegal to possess machineguns, sawed-off

shotguns or short-barreled rifles. The definition of ``sawed-

off shotgun'' is more restrictive than federal law.

It would still be illegal to manufacture firearms or

ammunition in the District.

Vehicles used to illegally transport firearms would still

be subject to seizure and forfeiture.

All these provisions are in addition to federal laws that

extensively regulate commerce in firearms, and which provide

strict penalties for gun possession by convicted felons and

other ``prohibited persons'' and for use of firearms in

violent crimes.

H.R. 3193 focuses entirely on restoring fundamental self-

defense rights to honest citizens, by repealing the handgun

ban, gun registration laws, and laws on carry and storage in

the home that prevent people from exercising those rights.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close.

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

In closing, I would just like to say that the citizens of D.C. have a right to defend themselves, a constitutional right to defend themselves. This has

been the murder capital of the United States for 14 of the last 15 years, currently is eight times the national average. American citizens have a right to defend themselves.

The only people who have a right to guns right now are criminals. They will still be punished. Anybody who violates the law will still be punished. Anybody who uses the type of weapons we have heard described away from their property are still going to be punished.

The question is, can law-abiding citizens defend themselves in their homes and in their businesses?

Mr. Speaker, I will insert for the Record at this time a list of the 229 cosponsors of this bill, including 44 Democratic sponsors.

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Office State Staff contact First contact R or D Govt. reform -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim Johnson.......................... IL...................... Erik Woehrmann.............. 3-Sep.................. R Jim DeMint........................... SC...................... Kara Borie.................. 3-Sep.................. R Joe Wilson........................... SC...................... Laurin Groover.............. 3-Sep.................. R Jo Ann Davis......................... VA...................... Jonathan Kidwell............ 4-Sep.................. R X Ed Schrock........................... VA...................... Cheryl Clark................ 4-Sep.................. R X Dan Burton........................... IN...................... Mary Valentino.............. 4-Sep.................. R X Pete Sessions........................ TX...................... Tucker Anderson............. 5-Sep.................. R Jeb Hensarling....................... TX...................... Derek Baker................. 5-Sep.................. R John Carter.......................... TX...................... Ryan Henery................. 5-Sep.................. R X Kevin Brady.......................... TX...................... Gene Irisari................ 5-Sep.................. R Sam Johnson.......................... TX...................... Spencer Ritchie............. 9-Sep.................. R Michael Burgess...................... TX...................... Stacey DeFino............... 9-Sep.................. R Dennis Rehberg....................... MT...................... Jay Martin.................. 9-Sep.................. R Lamar Smith.......................... TX...................... Allison Beach............... 9-Sep.................. R Randy Neugebauer..................... TX...................... Peter Andres................ 9-Sep.................. R David Vitter......................... LA...................... Greg Facchiano.............. 9-Sep.................. R Ron Paul............................. TX...................... Anamarie Pratt.............. 10-Sep................. R Terry Everett........................ AL...................... Jeff Rabren................. 10-Sep................. R Chris Cannon......................... UT...................... Trevor Kolego............... 10-Sep................. R X Butch Otter.......................... ID...................... Brandon Heiner.............. 10-Sep................. R Adam Putnam.......................... FL...................... Casey Welch................. 11-Sep................. R X Todd Platts.......................... PA...................... Nate Sloan.................. 11-Sep................. R X Joe Barton........................... TX...................... Joby Fortson................ 11-Sep................. R Candice Miller....................... MI...................... David Hemenway.............. 12-Sep................. R X Virgil Goode......................... VA...................... Ward Anderson............... 12-Sep................. R Phil Gingrey......................... GA...................... Jonathan Osborne............ 16-Sep................. R Barbara Cubin........................ WY...................... Brandi Ladd................. 16-Sep................. R Ron Lewis............................ KY...................... Josh Nacey.................. 17-Sep................. R X John Sullivan........................ OK...................... John Rainbolt............... 17-Sep................. R X Spencer Bachus....................... AL...................... Johanna Cole................ 22-Sep................. R Marsha Blackburn..................... TN...................... Mike Platt.................. 23-Sep................. R X John Duncan.......................... TN...................... Patra Stephen............... 23-Sep................. R X Bill Janklow......................... SD...................... Marshall Damgard............ 24-Sep................. R X Bob Ney.............................. OH...................... Greg Mesack................. 24-Sep................. R Nathan Deal.......................... GA...................... Todd Smith.................. 24-Sep................. R X Ernest Istook........................ OK...................... John Albaugh................ 24-Sep................. R John Mica............................ FL...................... Gary Burns.................. 24-Sep................. R X Pat Toomey........................... PA...................... Brain Wild.................. 25-Sep................. R Bob Goodlatte........................ VA...................... Branden Ritchie............. 25-Sep................. R John Doolittle....................... CA...................... Kara Dougherty.............. 26-Sep................. R Roscoe Bartlett...................... MD...................... Chris Tontz................. 26-Sep................. R Mac Collins.......................... GA...................... Shawn Friesen............... 26-Sep................. R Mike Rogers.......................... AL...................... Amy Albro................... 26-Sep................. R Jeb Bradley.......................... NH...................... Brien Miller................ 29-Sep................. R Wally Herger......................... CA...................... Dan MacLean................. 29-Sep................. R Thaddeus McCotter.................... MI...................... Patrick Rothwell............ 29-Sep................. R Steve King........................... IA...................... Brenna Findley.............. 29-Sep................. R Cass Ballenger....................... NC...................... Tim Linker.................. 29-Sep................. R Roger Wicker......................... MS...................... Susan Sweat................. 29-Sep................. R Duke Cunningham...................... CA...................... Katie Hanvey................ 29-Sep................. R Marilyn Musgrave..................... CO...................... Jacob Leis.................. 29-Sep................. R Ginny Brown-Waite.................... FL...................... Bob Honold.................. 30-Sep................. R Robin Hayes.......................... NC...................... Jon Causey.................. 30-Sep................. R Sam Graves........................... MO...................... Paul Sass................... 30-Sep................. R Trent Franks......................... AZ...................... John Graves................. 30-Sep................. R Tom Feeney........................... FL...................... Ryan Visco.................. 30-Sep................. R Jim Gibbons.......................... NV...................... Dan Waters.................. 30-Sep................. R Chip Pickering....................... MS...................... Mike Hurst.................. 30-Sep................. R Chris Chocola........................ IN...................... Rich Dunn................... 30-Sep................. R Steve Pearce......................... NM...................... Matt Meagher................ 30-Sep................. R Gresham Barrett...................... SC...................... Greg Thomas................. 30-Sep................. R Eric Cantor.......................... VA...................... Bill Doblow................. 30-Sep................. R Jeff Miller.......................... FL...................... Steve Holton................ 30-Sep................. R John Hostettler...................... IN...................... Erin Berry.................. 1-Oct.................. R Duncan Hunter........................ CA...................... Lorissa Bounds.............. 1-Oct.................. R Todd Akin............................ MO...................... Franz Kohler................ 1-Oct.................. R Jo Bonner............................ AL...................... ............................ 1-Oct.................. R Henry Brown.......................... SC...................... Joe Gleboki................. 2-Oct.................. R John Boozman......................... AR...................... Brian Bullard............... 2-Oct.................. R John Culberson....................... TX...................... Ellie Essalih............... 3-Oct.................. R Roy Blunt............................ MO...................... Amy Field................... 3-Oct.................. R Johnny Isakson....................... GA...................... Tucker Shumack.............. 6-Oct.................. R John Kline........................... MN...................... Jim McGuire................. 6-Oct.................. R Mike Simpson......................... ID...................... John Revier................. 7-Oct.................. R Rick Renzi........................... AZ...................... Joanne Keene................ 7-Oct.................. R Don Young............................ AK...................... Justin Sprinzen............. 7-Oct.................. R Todd Tiahrt.......................... KS...................... AmyClair Brusch............. 8-Oct.................. R Bill Shuster......................... PA...................... Alex Mistri................. 8-Oct.................. R Mike Pence........................... IN...................... Trip Radtke................. 8-Oct.................. R Jack Kingston........................ GA...................... Stephen Anderson............ 9-Oct.................. R Donald Manzullo...................... IL...................... Conor Brown................. 9-Oct.................. R Philip Crane......................... IL...................... Andrew Wankum............... 9-Oct.................. R Charlie Norwood...................... GA...................... Jason Paluskiewiz........... 10-Oct................. R Jim Ryun............................. KA...................... Marcus Friesen.............. 10-Oct................. R Rob Bishop........................... UT...................... Miriam Harmer............... 14-Oct................. R Richard Baker........................ LA...................... Scott Kirkpatrick........... 14-Oct................. R Joseph Pitts......................... PA...................... Cindy Diggs................. 15-Oct................. R Lee Terry............................ NE...................... Robert Stein................ 15-Oct................. R Mike Rogers.......................... MI...................... Mike Ward................... 15-Oct................. R Zach Wamp............................ TN...................... Alex Richard................ 17-Oct................. R Robert Aderholt...................... AL...................... Brian Johnston.............. 20-Oct................. R Jerry Weller......................... IL...................... Troy Babson................. 20-Oct................. R Jim McCrery.......................... LA...................... Bob Brooks.................. 20-Oct................. R Bob Beauprez......................... CO...................... Bruce Miller................ 21-Oct................. R Randy Forbes......................... VA...................... Andy Halataei............... 21-Oct................. R Henry Bonilla........................ TX...................... Patrick Anderson............ 21-Oct................. R Thomas Petri......................... WI...................... Elizabeth Foy............... 21-Oct................. R Melissa Hart......................... PA...................... William Rys................. 23-Oct................. R Billy Tauzin......................... LA...................... James White................. 27-Oct................. R Steve Buyer.......................... IN...................... Myrna Dugan................. 28-Oct................. R Deborah Pryce........................ OH...................... Peter Freeman............... 29-Oct................. R Fred Upton........................... MI...................... Charles Yessiaian........... 29-Oct................. R Thomas Reynolds...................... NY...................... Tina Mufford................ 30-Oct................. R

William Jenkins...................... TN...................... Megan Caldwell.............. 30-Oct................. R Steve Chabot......................... OH...................... Kevin Fitzpatrick........... 31-Oct................. R Wiliam Thornberry.................... TX...................... Trey Bahm................... 3-Nov.................. R Cliff Stearns........................ FL...................... Alan Hill................... 3-Nov.................. R Scott Garrett........................ NJ...................... Jay Fahrer.................. 5-Nov.................. R Ken Calvert.......................... CA...................... Deena Contreras............. 7-Nov.................. R Phil English......................... PA...................... Christine Rogala............ 12-Nov................. R Devin Nunes.......................... CA...................... Kedrin Simms................ 18-Nov................. R Max Burns............................ GA...................... Zach Procter................ 19-Nov................. R Tom Tancredo......................... CO...................... Mac Zimmerman............... 21-Nov................. R Jim Nussle........................... IA...................... Luke........................ 24-Nov................. R Tom Cole............................. OK...................... Chris Arnold................ 1-Dec.................. R Rick Keller.......................... FL...................... Mike Shutley................ 9-Jan.................. R Scott McInnis........................ CO...................... Jack Allen.................. 22-Jan................. R Walter Jones......................... NC...................... Anne Cassity................ 26-Jan................. R Sue Myrick........................... NC...................... Matt Priest................. 28-Jan................. R John Peterson........................ PA...................... Angela Ambrose.............. 29-Jan................. R Dana Rohrabacher..................... CA...................... Meredith Curcio............. 29-Jan................. R Mario Diaz-Balart.................... FL...................... Charles Cooper.............. 29-Jan................. R Paul Ryan............................ WI...................... Ryan........................ 4-Feb.................. R Joel Hefley.......................... CO...................... Larry Hoja.................. 9-Feb.................. R Nick Smith........................... MI...................... Alan Knapp.................. 26-Feb................. R Frank Lucas.......................... OK...................... Marna Harris................ 26-Feb................. R Darrell Issa......................... CA...................... Josh Brown.................. 9-Mar.................. R Gary G. Miller....................... CA...................... Sandra...................... 11-Mar................. R Jeff Flake........................... AZ...................... Margaret Klessig............ 12-Mar................. R Tom Latham........................... IA...................... Kevin Berents............... 22-Mar................. R Kenny Hulshof........................ MO...................... Shaun Duignan............... 25-Mar................. R Nicholas Lampson..................... TX...................... Aaron Schmidt............... 31-Mar................. R Gary Miller.......................... CA...................... John Rothrock............... 1-Apr.................. R Curt Weldon.......................... PA...................... Mary........................ 5-Apr.................. R George Radanovich.................... CA...................... Emma........................ 23-Apr................. R Sherwood Boehlert.................... NY...................... Sam......................... 23-Apr................. R Charles Taylor....................... NC...................... Adam Shepard................ 26-Apr................. R Dave Weldon.......................... FL...................... Eric........................ 26-Apr................. R Jo Ann Emerson....................... MO...................... Tony Eberhard............... 28-Apr................. R Greg Walden.......................... OR...................... Dallas...................... 28-Apr................. R Shelley M. Capito.................... WV...................... Adam........................ 4-May.................. R Richard Pombo........................ CA...................... Josh Rolph.................. 5-May.................. R Harold Rogers........................ KY...................... Ben......................... 12-May................. R Katherine Harris..................... FL...................... Stuart Mallory.............. 17-May................. R X Dave Camp............................ MI...................... Chris Wenk.................. 17-May................. R Jim Gerlach.......................... PA...................... William Tighe............... 19-May................. R Gil Gutknecht........................ MN...................... Ryan McLaughlin............. 19-May................. R Mark Kennedy......................... MN...................... Tim Morrison................ 1-Jun.................. R Steven LaTourette.................... OH...................... Ryan........................ 2-Jun.................. R X Anne Northup......................... KY...................... Brooken Smith............... 4-Jun.................. R Richard Burr......................... NC...................... Ricky Welborn............... 4-Jun.................. R John Shimkus......................... IL...................... Bill........................ 9-Jun.................. R Howard McKeon........................ CA...................... Brandi...................... 9-Jun.................. R George Nethercutt.................... WA...................... Rob......................... 9-Jun.................. R Don Sherwood......................... PA...................... John Ormasa................. 9-Jun.................. R Doc Hastings......................... WA...................... Jenny Gorski................ 9-Jun.................. R John McHugh.......................... NY...................... Melanie Turpin.............. 9-Jun.................. R X Jerry Moran.......................... KS...................... Jenny Guttery............... 14-Jun................. R Ed Whitfield......................... KY...................... Benjamin Beaton............. 15-Jun................. R Charles Bass......................... NH...................... Jennifer Warren............. 16-Jun................. R Tom DeLay............................ TX...................... Elliot Burke................ 16-Jun................. R John Linder.......................... GA...................... Mike Swansburg.............. 16-Jun................. R John Boehner......................... OH...................... Gary........................ 17-Jun................. R John Sweeney......................... NY...................... Jim Christopolous........... 17-Jun................. R Kay Granger.......................... TX...................... Darin....................... 17-Jun................. R Patrick Tiberi....................... OH...................... Adam (LD)................... 17-Jun................. R X Ed Royce............................. CA...................... Darin Schrader.............. 17-Jun................. R Ander Crenshaw....................... FL...................... Francis..................... 17-Jun................. R Paul Gillmor......................... OH...................... Andrew Beck................. 18-Jun................. R Joseph Knollenberg................... MI...................... Kelly Haskin................ 20-Jun................. R Michael Bilirakis.................... FL...................... Jerry White................. 20-Jun................. R Jerry Lewis.......................... CA...................... Arlene...................... 20-Jun................. R Lincoln Diaz-Balart.................. FL...................... Ceaser Gonzo................ 22-Jun................. R John Shadegg......................... AZ...................... Stephen Prather............. 22-Jun................. R Elton Gallegly....................... CA...................... Michelle M.................. 22-Jun................. R Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.................. FL...................... ............................ 6-Jul.................. R X Howard Coble......................... NC...................... Anna Sagley................. 15-Jul................. R Jim Kolbe............................ AZ...................... ............................ ....................... R Judy Biggert......................... IL...................... ............................ ....................... R Micheal Turner....................... OH...................... ............................ 8-Jul.................. R X Michael Oxley........................ OH...................... ............................ 21-Jul................. R Peter Hoekstra....................... MI...................... ............................ 21-Jul................. R Rob Portman.......................... OH...................... ............................ ....................... R Ralph Regula......................... OH...................... ............................ ....................... R --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the ``Rebuild

America Act of 2003,'' a bill to improve our national transportation

and water infrastructure and to stimulate economic growth.

This bill promises to do what the latest tax cut will not: provide an

immediate economic stimulus without increasing the Federal budget

deficit. Whereas the President's economic advisors have said that the

latest tax cut will create 1.4 million jobs by the end of 2004, at a

cost of $350 billion, this bill will create as many as 2 million jobs

at a tenth the cost.

These jobs could be created in as little as three months, as the bill

is specifically designed to fund transportation and water

infrastructure projects which are ready to go within 90 days.

Not only would those jobs bring some of the 9 million Americans who

are unemployed and seeking jobs back into the workforce, it would

generate long-term economic benefits from the increased productivity of

our transportation infrastructure.

This bill will do more to stimulate the economy at less cost than the

tax cut because it is directed squarely at our most urgent needs.

Unlike the recent tax cut, which largely benefits high income taxpayers

who are likely to save any windfall they receive, infrastructure

spending is necessarily injected into the economy.

According to the Department of Transportation, each $1 billion in new

infrastructure investment creates 47,500 new jobs: 26,500 direct jobs

for construction workers, engineers, contractors, and other on-site

employees, and 21,000 indirect jobs resulting from the spending

associated with the investment.

These are jobs our economy desperately needs, particularly in the

transportation and nonresidential construction sectors, which have been

hit hard by the recent downturn. While new home construction has

sustained the homebuilding trades, there are now 715,000 unemployed

private construction workers, most of whom were laid off due to a

downturn in nonresidential building. That represents an 80 percent

increase from three years ago.

As anyone who has taken a hard look at our transportation needs can

attest, federal funding for highways, transit, aviation, high-speed

rail, and ports, among other areas, remains inadequate.

Without those funds, we are on the verge of falling behind the rest

of the developed world in the quality of our infrastructure. I recently

visited the port of Hong Kong and was amazed by the automated

technology used to process thousands of containers each day with fewer

employees than would be required to move an equivalent amount of cargo

at even our most advanced ports.

And while many countries around the world, including France, China,

Germany, and Japan, now have operating MAGLEV train systems, the United

States does not have a single demonstration MAGLEV line operating

anywhere in the country.

Increasingly, global industry demands a level of efficiency and

reliability which requires substantial upgrades to existing

infrastructure. In California, where computer and electronic products

account for 51 percent of the State's manufacturing exports, the trend

is toward lighter, higher value shipments. Nationwide, shipments of

below 1,000 lbs accounted for 18 percent of total value in 1977, and 32

percent of value in 1997, a dramatic increase.

Those changes put a premium on speed and reliability, without which

``just-in-time'' manufacturing and lean inventory controls are

impossible. A company such as Hewlett Packard, which uses Intel

processors made in California in servers which it assembles in Texas,

must be able to ship processors without risk of even a 24-hour delay.

This bill takes a big step toward ensuring that level of speed and

reliability by dedicating $50 billion to infrastructure upgrades. And I

must stress the huge incremental value of that spending in the context

of reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st

Century, TEA-21, which is expected this year.

Reauthorization of TEA-21 will dedicate more than $250 billion toward

transportation projects over the next six years, but even that level of

funding will only allow us to tread water. Maintenance of existing

infrastructure will consume much of that spending.

To take one example, the Department of Transportation estimates that

$20.6 billion is needed annually to maintain and improve performance of

public transit systems alone.

The $50 billion provided by the ``Rebuild America Act'' will go

beyond current maintenance and actually improve overall productivity by

allowing substantial upgrades to go forward. Specifically, the bill

provides:

$5 billion in additional authority for Federal-aid highway

capital investments, drawn from the $19 billion surplus in

the Highway Trust Fund.

$3 billion in transit capital and operating grants, drawn

from the surplus in the Highway Trust Fund.

$3 billion in airport development projects, including $2

billion in airport improvement program grants to enhance

airport safety, efficiency, and capacity.

$14 billion of tax-credit high-speed rail bonds for

infrastructure construction and the acquisition of rolling

stock.

$7.5 billion for capital investment in passenger and

freight rail, including $2.5 billion for Amtrak.

$2.5 billion for port security grants to ports and marine

facility operators.

$11.5 billion for wastewater and drinking water

infrastructure, to be administered

through the existing Clean Water State Revolving Fund and

Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

$1.5 billion to fund investment in currently authorized

water resources infrastructure projects.

$1.5 billion in grants to economically distressed

communities for economic development.

$500 million for the repair and alteration of Federal

buildings.

In my home State of California, the infrastructure needs that could

be addressed by this bill are particularly great. Although the just-

completed BART link to San Francisco International Airport is a major

achievement, we still remain a long way off from the long-term goal of

ringing the Bay Area with BART stations.

And despite the recent economic downturn, California's economy

remains the engine of much of the country's economic growth, and

California's population continues to grow. That puts tremendous demands

on our roads, airports, and transit systems, and is one reason why Los

Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area are consistently ranked as the

top two urban areas in the U.S. with the longest annual delays per

rush-hour driver.

This bill will provide a total of $1.8 billion in new funds for

California transportation and safe drinking water infrastructure, and

more than $1.5 billion more for high speed and passenger and freight

rail. All told, the bill will create well over 100,000 new jobs in

California.

That could bring us farther toward fulfilling one of California's

most urgent needs, a high speed rail link from the Bay Area all the way

south to San Diego. Without high speed rail there is little hope of

taking some of the pressure off of California's over-burdened highways

and airports.

In addition to the transportation improvements contemplated by the

bill, I would like to say a few words about the need for additional

funds for port security and clean drinking water.

Since the attacks of September 11 it has become clear that our ports

should be one of the first lines of defense against attempts to bring

weapons of mass destruction into this country. And yet the funds we

have dedicated to securing our ports have been woefully inadequate.

Last year I introduced comprehensive legislation to improve security

at our ports, and to inspect more of the 16 million containers which

come through those ports each year. Currently, only one to two percent

of those containers are inspected, and the possibility of a dirty bomb

or nuclear device being shipped in via container remains alarmingly

real.

This bill provides an additional $2.5 billion for port security,

which would go some of the way toward meeting the $6 billion in

expenses the Coast Guard anticipates over the next 10 years for ports

to comply with security standards imposed under the Maritime

Transportation Security Act.

With respect to clean drinking water, a very different, but equally

important, priority, this bill provides $11.5 billion for wastewater

and drinking water infrastructure investment. That funding is important

because the Administration continues to insist on funding cuts for the

Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

Even level funding will not allow us to upgrade existing water

treatment facilities, many of which were built in the 1970s, when the

federal government first began to take a major role in the construction

of drinking water infrastructure. Many of those facilities will require

substantial improvements and overhauls over the next two decades as

pipes and equipment fall into disrepair.

In the West, the magnitude of water supply contamination by

perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, has only recently become

apparent. The costs of cleaning up perchlorate in California alone will

likely stretch into the billions of dollars, and some of those funds

must come from the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which

would receive $1.5 billion under this bill.

With the Federal budget deficit certain to top $400 billion this

year, and with the gross federal debt projected to increase by over $5

trillion by 2013, there is a real question as to where these funds will

come from.

I am glad to say, therefore, that this bill is fully offset and would

not add at all to our deficit. The bill uses three offsets to recoup

the $34 billion cost of the bill, two of which are designed to limit

corporate fraud, and the last of which extends customs user fees.

The bulk of the funds used to offset the bill are generated by

limiting the ability of large corporations to shelter income from

taxation. A recent report by the Joint Economic Committee on corporate

fraud at the Enron Corporation speaks to the magnitude of this problem.

For several years Enron reported huge profits to its shareholders,

while reporting little or no taxable income to the IRS. We now know

that Enron executives treated their tax division as a for-profit entity

within the company and set annual revenue targets for the division.

Between 1996 and 1999, Enron reported aggregate profits of $2.1

billion on its income statement, while claiming aggregate losses, for

tax purposes, of $3 billion. Some of that gap can be explained by the

massive tax deductions Enron took for employee stock deductions, and

the rest stemmed from the closely guarded tax-shelter transactions

designed for the company by banks, accountants, and legal firms.

This bill closes those Enron-specific loopholes, but also strengthens

a very simple provision which will have a big impact on shutting down

future loopholes.

The so-called ``Economic Substance Doctrine'' imposed by the bill

states that any transaction which has no material economic impact on

the business of the company, but which is purely designed for the

purpose of tax avoidance, shall be disallowed for tax purposes.

That will allow enhance the ability of tax courts to crack down on

companies that engage in off balance sheet transactions, artificial

income shifting, uneconomic financing transactions, and other tax

avoidance schemes which are not designed to provide any profit to the

company beyond a tax savings.

In the same vein, the bill puts an end to the practice of setting up

corporate headquarters offshore in order to avoid corporate taxes at

home. This practice is not only blatantly unpatriotic, but also creates

an imbalanced playing field for companies that abide by the spirit of

the law but are forced to compete with firms that don't.

This bill will require such corporate expatriates to continue to pay

U.S. taxes even if they move abroad. All told, these provisions fully

offset the cost of the infrastructure improvements included in the

bill.

Just about any American you talk to will tell you that our economy is

not in good shape. A quick look at the front page of newspapers shows

that our stock markets remain well below their 2000 high, that more

people face long-term unemployment than at any time in the past two

decades, and that businesses are not making new investments.

The tax cut which was recently signed into law is the wrong medicine

for our economy, and will do little to reverse our current course. In

fact, it may well increase uncertainty and act as a long-term drag on

the economy by increasing the federal debt and putting pressure on

long-term interest rates.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill as a much better means of

stimulating economic growth, and one which will pay long-term dividends

in terms of improved roads, railways, and water treatment facilities.

Rather than simply hand down a burden of debt to our children and

grand-children, this bill would create a lasting legacy of modern

infrastructure for their benefit.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am compelled to begin by noting the ludicrous logic on which this debate has already begun. The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), the prime sponsor, has just argued that gun safety laws cause murders by arguing the fallacious notion of causation. I am embarrassed for the statement.

Mr. Speaker, in my nearly 14 years in Congress, I have come to regard Members not only as colleagues but as friends. At the same time, I have seen various Members of Congress try to do some low-down, dirty, mean things to the people of the District of Columbia, all to promote their own political agendas against the will of the people who live here.

This bill to repeal the city's gun safety laws, when child gun killings have sharply increased, scrapes the bottom of the lowest level yet. As citizens, we in the District of Columbia do not take attacks on our all-American right to self-government lying down. I am grateful that these attacks occur less frequently today, and am particularly grateful to the appropriators who have

discouraged the use of the D.C. appropriation for such attacks.

Congress has seen that we are prepared to fight and fight hard, with D.C. appropriation fights in the past sometimes lasting 8 to 10 hours, with vetoes of our appropriation that we encourage to compel changes. And Congress has seen that we are always prepared to take the fight to the home district of a Member to let his own constituents know that their Member is taking time from their concerns to mettle in the local business of a local jurisdiction far from home.

Notwithstanding prior fights on D.C. matters, the attempt to repeal our gun safety laws is a brand new low for this body. That we are here discussing this matter is yet a new low. Repeal shows special contempt for the people who live here because the city has sharply reduced its homicide rate, now at a 20-year low, down almost 25 percent this year alone, and down 55 percent since the assault weapon ban and the Brady bill were passed in 1994. At the same time, the city is heartbroken that 16 children have been killed by gunfire, more than in any recent year.

Repeal advocates claim they want guns here to help people protect themselves. Can repeal help the children killed by guns in increasing numbers here in the Nation's Capital to protect themselves?

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the 16 names of the children killed by gunfire this year, and an article on Chelsea Cromartie, the youngest of these children.

More Guns Mean More Children Dying

Robert Adams, 16; Chelsea Cromartie, 8; Devaun Drayton, 17;

Javon Gaskins, 16; Timothy Hamilton, 15; Jahkema Hansen, 14;

Antoine Holroyd, 16; Myesha Lowe, 15; David McMorris, 16;

James Richardson, 17; Michael Simms, 17; Franklin Smith, 17;

Wardell Smith, 17; Michael Swann, 13; Roderick Valentine, 16

and Ashley Walker, 16.

D.C. Homicides Down 24% this year but, more children slain

by guns in the first 5 months of this year than in all of

last year and more than in any recent years.

Save Our Children.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member of the full committee with jurisdiction over this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I take the gentleman's suggestion that we can scare criminals away by yelling ``gun'' but not that we have guns in our own homes fully assembled, loaded and ready to go.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. Speaker, for the information of the gentlewoman, 100,000 guns are registered in the District of Columbia. We encourage people to use rifles for sports.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), chairman of the Committee on Government Reform.

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

My law-abiding citizens in the southeast and everywhere else in the District of Columbia have not elected this Member but only the Member before him. So I would appreciate the courtesy of his not telling me what the law-abiding citizens of the southeast want or need. They will get rid of me if I am doing the wrong thing today. They cannot touch him, unfortunately, if he does the wrong thing.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay).

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

Mr. Speaker, in all deference to the gentleman from Arkansas, handguns in homes in this town are not used by people. Those guns, according to the police chief, quickly make their way to the streets and do not stay at home. At home, however, they are overwhelmingly used for domestic violence.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record an article on al Qaeda seeking ties to local gangs that appeared in the Washington Times.

[From the Washington Times, Sept. 28, 2004]

Al Qaeda Seeks Tie to Local Gangs

(By Jerry Seper)

A top al Qaeda lieutenant has met with leaders of a violent

Salvadoran criminal gang with roots in Mexico and the United

States--including a stronghold in the Washington area--in an

effort by the terrorist network to seek help infiltrating the

U.S.-Mexico border, law enforcement authorities said.

Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, a key al Qaeda cell leader for

whom the U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward, was

spotted in July in Honduras meeting with leaders of El

Salvador's notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang, which immigration

officials said has smuggled hundreds of Central and South

Americans--mostly gang members--into the United States.

Although they are actively involved in alien, drug and

weapons smuggling, Mara Salvatrucha members in America also

have been tied to numerous killings, robberies, burglaries,

carjackings, extortions, rapes and aggravated assaults--

including at least seven killings in Virginia and a machete

attack on a 16-year-old in Alexandria that severely mutilated

his hands.

The Salvadoran gang, known to law enforcement authorities

as MS-13 because many members identify themselves with

tattoos of the number 13, is thought to have established a

major smuggling center in Matamoros, Mexico, just south of

Brownsville, Texas, from where it has arranged to bring

illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico into the

United States.

Authorities said al Qaeda terrorists hope to take advantage

of a lack of detention space within the Department of

Homeland Security that has forced immigration officials to

release non-Mexican illegal aliens back into the United

States, rather than return them to their home countries.

Less than 15 percent of those released appear for

immigration hearings. Nearly 60,000 illegal aliens designated

as other-than-Mexican, or OTMs, were detained last year along

the U.S.-Mexico border.

El Shukrijumah, born in Saudi Arabia but thought to be a

Yemen national, was spotted in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in

July, having crossed the border illegally from Nicaragua

after a stay in Panama. U.S. authorities said al Qaeda

operatives have been in Tegucigalpa planning attacks against

British, Spanish and U.S. embassies.

Known to carry passports from Saudi Arabia, Trinidad,

Guyana and Canada, El Shukrijumah had sought meetings with

the Mara Salvatrucha gang leaders who control alien-smuggling

routes through Mexico and into the United States.

El Shukrijumah, 29, who authorities said was in Canada last

year looking for nuclear material for a so-called ``dirty

bomb'' and reportedly has family members in Guyana, was named

in a March 2003 material-witness arrest warrant by federal

prosecutors in Northern Virginia, where U.S. Attorney Paul J.

McNulty said he is sought in connection with potential

terrorist threats against the United States.

A former southern Florida resident and pilot thought to

have helped plan the September 11 attacks, El Shukrijumah was

among seven suspected al Qaeda operatives identified in May

by Attorney General John Ashcroft as being involved in plans

to strike new targets in the United States.

Citing ``credible intelligence from multiple sources,'' Mr.

Ashcroft said at the time that El Shukrijumah posed ``a clear

and present danger to America.'' In August, an FBI alert

described him as ``armed and dangerous'' and a major threat

to homeland security.

Earlier this month, Mr. Ashcroft confirmed that U.S. border

agents and inspectors had ramped up efforts to find El

Shukrijumah amid reports that the al Qaeda leader was thought

to be seeking entry routes into the United States along the

U.S.-Mexico border.

Mr. Ashcroft noted that increased enforcement efforts were

under way in the wake of a rise of arrests of border jumpers

from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan,

the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Authorities said Mara Salvatrucha gang members moved into

the Los Angeles area in the 1980s and developed a reputation

for being organized and extremely violent. The gang since has

expanded into the Washington area, including Virginia and

Maryland, and into Oregon, Alaska, Texas, Nevada, Utah,

Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Georgia and Florida.

More than 3,000 Mara Salvatrucha gang members are thought

to be in the Washington area, with a major operation in

Northern Virginia. Other gang centers, authorities said,

include Montgomery and Prince George's counties and the

Hispanic neighborhoods of Washington.

Mr. McNulty, whose office has prosecuted Mara Salvatrucha

gang members, has described the organization as the ``gang of

greatest interest'' to law enforcement authorities. He said

gang members are recruited predominantly from Hispanic

communities and typically among juveniles, some as young as

13. Recruits are ``jumped'' into the gang by being beaten by

members while others count to 13, he said.

Gang rules, he said, are indoctrinated into new recruits

and ruthlessly enforced. Those who cooperate with law

enforcement are given the ``green light,'' he said, meaning

that the gang had approved their killing.

In March, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office filed an

injunction against Mara Salvatrucha, charging that the gang's

criminal activity constituted a ``public nuisance'' based on

the number of killings, robberies and drug crimes. The

injunction requires gang members, under public nuisance

statutes, to follow curfew rules and regulations and

prohibits them from associating, driving or appearing

together in designated areas of the city.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), a member of the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

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

In closing, I would just like to give the Members a sense of what this bill would do. If it passes, it would allow someone to carry a 50- caliber sniper rifle in one hand, armor-piercing ammunition, and incendiary combination ammunition in the other, and go into our Metro, so long as he, and let me read this to my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, as long as he was on his way to an informal target practice or a dog obedience training class.

Mr. Speaker, this is sheer lunacy. Save yourself from embarrassment. Save our children. Save our Nation. Save this Congress from looking like idiots and fools in the middle of an orange alert by bringing more guns into the Nation's capital. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 3193.

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

Mr. President, our Nation is facing an affordable housing

crisis. Recent changes in the housing market have limited the

availability of affordable rental housing across the country and have

dramatically increased the cost of those that remain. More families are

forced to pay more than 50 percent of their income for housing at a

time when Federal spending on housing programs are under attack. That

is why, along with Senator Chafee, I am again proposing to address the

severe shortage of affordable housing by introducing legislation that

will establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund and begin a

rental housing production program.

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund that is established in this

legislation would create a production program that will ensure 1.5

million new rental units are built over the next 10 years for extremely

low-income families and working families. The goal is to create long-

term affordable, mixed-income developments in areas with the greatest

opportunities for low-income families. Seventy-five percent of Trust

Fund assistance will be awarded, based on need, through matching grants

to States and local jurisdictions. The States and local jurisdictions

will allocate funds on a competitive basis to projects that meet

Federal requirements, such as mixed-income projects and long-term

affordability, and that address local needs. The remainder of the

funding will be competitively awarded by the Department of Housing and

Urban Development, HUD, to intermediaries, such as the Enterprise

Foundation, which will be required to leverage private funds. A portion

of the Trust Fund will be used to promote home ownership activities for

low-income Americans.

The Trust Fund would be paid for out of surplus revenue generated by

the Federal Housing Administration and Government National Mortgage

Administration after ensuring their fiscal safety and soundness. These

Federal housing programs generate billions of dollars in excess income,

which currently goes to the general Treasury for use on other Federal

priorities. It is time to stop taking housing money out of housing

programs. These excess funds should be used to help alleviate the

current housing crisis. According to current projections, approximately

$28 billion will be available for the Trust Fund between now and 2008.

The need for affordable housing is severe. Many working families have

been unable to keep up with the increase in housing costs. Today, for

many low-income families and their children, the cost of privately

owned rental housing is simply out of reach. According to the National

Housing Conference, more than 14 million families spent over half of

their income on housing in 2001. Today, working families in this

country increasingly find themselves unable to afford housing. A person

trying to live in Boston would have to make more than $35,000 annually,

just to afford a two-bedroom apartment. This means teachers, janitors,

social workers, police officers and other full-time workers may have

trouble affording even a modest two-bedroom apartment.

The cost of rental housing keeps going up. According to the Consumer

Price Index, CPI, contract rents began to rise above the rate of

inflation in 1997 and have continued every year since. Rental costs

have outpaced renter income gains for households across the board. Low

wage workers have been hardest hit by the increase in cost of rental

housing.

Because of the lack of affordable housing, too many families are

forced to live in substandard living conditions putting their children

at risk. Children living in substandard housing are more likely to

experience violence, hunger, lead poisoning and to suffer from

infectious diseases such as asthma. They are more likely to have

difficulties learning and more likely to fall behind in school. Our

Nation's children depend upon access to affordable rental housing.

At the same time the cost of rental housing has been increasing,

there has been a significant decrease in affordable rental housing

units. More than 1.8 million affordable housing units have been

demolished over the past decade. Making matters worse, many current

affordable housing providers are deciding to opt-out of their Section 8

contracts or are prepaying their HUD-insured mortgages. These decisions

have further limited the availability of affordable housing across the

country. Many more providers will be able to opt-out of their Section 8

contracts in the next few years, further limiting the availability of

affordable housing in our nation. The current decline has already

forced many working families eligible for Section 8 vouchers in Boston

to live outside the city because there are no available rental housing

units which accept vouchers.

The loss of affordable housing has exacerbated the housing crisis in

this country, and the Federal Government must take action. We have the

resources, yet we are not devoting these resources to fix the problem.

Despite the fact that more families are unable to afford housing and

there are fewer affordable rental housing units, we have decreased

Federal spending on critical housing programs. Between 1978 and 1995,

the number of households receiving Federal housing assistance was

increased by almost 3 million. From 1978 through 1984, an additional

230,000 families received Federal housing assistance each year. This

number dropped significantly to 126,000 additional households each year

from 1985 through 1995.

In 1996, this nation's housing policy went all the way back to square

one-- not only was there no increase in families receiving housing

assistance, but the number of assisted units actually decreased. From

1996 to 1998, the number of HUD assisted households dropped by 51,000.

During this time of rising rents, increased housing costs, and the

loss of affordable housing units, it is incomprehensible that we are

not doing more to increase the amount of housing assistance available

to working families. Yet in the face of these critical housing problems

and the effect it has on our children, the Bush Administration is

working to dismantle many federal programs that help Americans find

affordable housing. The Bush Administration has proposed to block grant

the Section 8 Voucher program, which I believe will reduce the number

of families with children eligible for Federal housing assistance and

increase housing costs for those families who remain. A recent Center

on Budget and Policy Priorities study that shows President Bush's

fiscal year 2004 budget request is inadequate to fund all Section 8

housing vouchers needed in fiscal year 2004. Specifically, the lack of

funding in the voucher program request means that approximately 184,000

vouchers now in use serving low-income families will not be funded. In

Massachusetts, this would mean a reduction of more than 6,000 vouchers

or nearly ten percent of the vouchers projected to be in use in October

2003. If the President's request is enacted into law, the Center on

Budget and Policy Priorities believes that it is likely that some

families that now rely on vouchers to help pay their rent will lose

assistance, placing these families at high risk of eviction and, in

some cases, homelessness. President Bush's fiscal year 2004 budget

request also proposes cutting an additional $2.45 billion from existing

housing programs and eliminating the HOPE VI program, which has helped

revitalize neighborhoods around the country. These cuts come on top of

an earlier Bush Administration action to abolish the Public Housing

Drug Elimination Grant program.

The Bush Administration changes in Federal housing programs mean that

the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and many other States will likely

receive a reduction in Federal housing funds in fiscal year 2004.

Almost every State is facing serious budget deficits and are forced to

dramatically increase spending on homeland security. Additional funds

are not available to make up the decline in Federal spending. The

future is even bleaker. These reductions at HUD follow the enactment of

two separate tax cuts, which primarily benefit the wealthiest in our

society, that will make it almost impossible for any significant

increases in the HUD's budget over the next decade. We need to bring

housing resources back to where they belong. The National Affordable

Housing Trust Fund will provide desperately needed funds to begin

production of affordable housing in the United States. Enacting the

Housing Trust Fund legislation is an important step in the right

direction to add resources to housing and to help begin producing

housing again.

We can no longer ignore the shortage of affordable housing in

America, and the impact it is having on families and children around

the country. It is still unclear to me why this lack of housing has not

caused more uproar. How many families are to be pushed out of their

homes and into the streets, before action is taken. I believe it is

time for our nation to take a new path--one that ensures that all

Americans, especially our children, has the opportunity to live in

decent, affordable and safe housing. Everyone knows that decent

housing, along with neighborhood and living environment, play enormous

roles in shaping young lives. Federal housing assistance, has assisted

millions of low-income children across the nation and has helped

develop stable home environments. However, too many children still live

in families that have substandard housing or are homeless. These

children are less likely to do well in school and less likely to be

productive citizens. Because of the positive effect that this

legislation would have on America's children, the Trust Fund was

included in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, a comprehensive proposal

by the Children's Defense Fund to assist in the development of our

nation's children.

I urge you to support this legislation to restore our commitment to

provide affordable housing for all families. We can no longer turn our

backs on those who struggle every day just to put a roof over their

family's head.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and this bill. The rule before us is a closed rule allowing only 60 minutes of debate and prohibits consideration of all the Democratic amendments offered to the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, this bill repeals District of Columbia's laws that ban the sale and possession of handguns and semiautomatic weapons that have been in effect for over three decades.

Our constituents expect us to work on issues of national concern.

They expect us to complete the annual appropriations process and avoid a government

shutdown. Yet, today, with the end of the fiscal year 2 days away, Congress has only managed to complete one appropriation bill.

They expect us to continue to provide States with Federal assistance to build and maintain the Nation's highways. However, Congress has not acted to renew authorization for billions of dollars for critical surface transportation projects that expire on Friday. They expect us to take up the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to make America safer. They expect us to enact legislation to create new jobs and address the plight of the unemployed.

They do not expect us to waste the little time remaining on a bill that the chief sponsor in the other body has all but abandoned hope of getting to the President.

Why on earth is this body squandering the little time remaining in this session on this bill? One word. Politics. Brazen, election-year politics.

With only 7 legislative days left in this Congress, I know that my constituents sent me here to vote on bills of more importance to their lives.

H.R. 3193 repeals several District of Columbia firearms laws and limits the authority of the District to enact new firearms legislation.

Specifically, the bill repeals the District's ban on the sale and possession of handguns, handgun ammunition and semiautomatic weapons.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where to begin in expressing my outrage about the legislation before us today.

The rule before us blocks consideration of meritorious amendments offered by my colleagues at Rules last night. These amendments would have reinstated the District's ban on semiautomatic assault weapons, reinstated the Federal ban on semiautomatic assault weapons, and reinstated the District's prohibition on the sale of armor-piercing bullets--the so-called ``cop-killer'' bullets.

I think the majority of our constituents would be appalled to learn that this bill exempts semiautomatic weapons that fire 12 or more shots without manual reload from the District's ``machine gun'' restrictions.

We should be here considering legislation to renew the national assault weapons ban that unceremoniously expired a couple of weeks ago--not making a mockery of DC's restrictions on semi-automatic weapons.

As DC Mayor Anthony Williams wrote to congressional leadership, ``It is unthinkable that while the Nation's capital is under alert, Congress should take action to expose more than half a million residents, almost 200,000 federal workers and 20 million tourists to greater danger.''

It is unthinkable to put our officers at greater risk at a time when Capitol Police--alone--are asking for $20 million to secure the Capitol Building for this year. The last thing they need to hear is that semi- automatic weapons can now be carried on the National Mall or cop-killer bullets are legal in the District.

It is worth pointing out the hypocrisy of my colleagues who support this bill by arguing that the District's gun laws infringe on DC citizens' second amendment right to bear arms.

While the bill changes the law to allow DC residents to carry pistols, open or concealed, in their homes and places of business, it does not repeal another DC gun law. The law we will not repeal today is the provision outlawing people from carrying or having readily access to a firearm ``upon the United States Grounds or within the Capital Buildings.''

So we will vote to approve guns in another person's workplace in DC, but not in our offices.

It is unthinkable that only 2 years after the Washington area was terrorized by snipers who killed 10 people in the region, and while the Nation's capital is still under a terrorist alert, Congress would take action on this bill.

We must not lose sight of the innocent victims of gun violence.

Yesterday, the front page of the Washington Post reported that a 13- year-old boy was fatally shot inside his apartment, the 21st child killed this year in DC.

When we voted on this same issue in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings, it failed by a vote of 175 to 250. I hope my colleagues remember their outrage to that senseless killing and recognize that this bill and the recent lapse of the 1994 Federal ban on semi- automatic weapons place our children in more danger.

So, Mr. Speaker, to recap, we are not considering bills to create jobs, we are not passing the budgets for Federal agencies and services, and we are not improving our homeland security. No, today we are debating legislation to allow more lethal guns and ammunition to be on the streets of our Nation's capital--in the hands of would-be terrorists, gang members, and other violent criminals.

Mr. Speaker, again, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this closed rule and to vote against the underlying bill.