A bill to extend the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 227: H. Res. 159. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable vote on rollcall No. 228: H. Res. 195. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 229: H.R. 1465. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 230: S. 222. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 231: S. 273. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 232: S. 763. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 233: H. Amdt. to H. J. Res. 4. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 234: Final passage of H. J. Res. 4. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 235: Motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 231. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 236: on agreeing to H. Res. 257. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 237: Motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 177. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 238: Motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 201. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 239: H.R. 1954. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 240: H. Amdt. 154 to H.R. 760. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 241: Motion to Recommit to H.R. 760. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 242: final passage of H.R. 760. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 243: On Ordering the Previous Question for H. Res. 256. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 244: H. Res. 258. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 245: H. Res. 258. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 246: on passage of H.R. 1474. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 247: S. 222. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 248: S. 273. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 249: H.R. 1610. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 250: H. Con Res. 162. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 251: S. 763. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 252: H. Res. 263 to H.R. 2143. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 253: H. Res. 263 to H.R. 2143. Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 254: H. Amdt. 159 to H.R. 2143. Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 255: Passage of H.R 2143. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 256: H. Res. 252: Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 257: On ordering the previous question for H.R. 2115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 258: On agreeing to the rule for H.R. 2115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 259: On passage of H. Con. Res. 110. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 260: On passage of H.R. 1320. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 261: H.R. 2350. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 262: H. Amdt. 5 to H.R. 2115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 263: H. Amdt. 4 to H.R. 2115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 264: On passage of H.R. 2115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 265: H. Res. 269 to H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 266: H. Res. 269 to H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 268: H. Amdt.

168 to H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 269: H. Amdt. 169 to H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 270: H. Amdt. 170 to H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 271: Motion to Recommit to H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 272: Passage of H.R. 1115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 273: H. Res. 270 to H.R 1308. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 274: Rule for H.R. 1308. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 275: Motion to Instruct Conferees H.R. 1308. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 276: H.R. 2254. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 277: H. Con. Res. 220. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 278: S. 703. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 279: H. Res. 276. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 280: H. Res. 171. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 281: Passage of H.R. 658. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 282: S. 342. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 283: Passage of S. Con. Res. 43. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 284: Previous Question to H. Res. 281. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 285: H. Res. 281 to H.R 8. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 286: Approving the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 287: H. Amdt. 171 to H.R. 8. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 288: Passage of H.R. 8. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 289: H. Res. 283 to H.R. 660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 290: H. Res. 283 to H.R. 660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 291: H. Amdt. 172 to H.R. 1528. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 292: Motion to Recommit H.R. 1528. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 293: Passage of H.R. 1528. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 294: Kind amendment to H.R. 660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 295: On motion to recommit with instructions to H.R. 660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 296: On final passage to H.R. 660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 297: H. Res. 264. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 298: H. Res. 177. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 299: H. Con. Res. 209. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 300: Passage of H.R. 2465. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 301: Previous Question to H. Res. 293. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 302: Agreeing to H. Res. 293. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 303: Passage of H.R. 923. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 304: H.R. 1460. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 305: On sustaining the ruling of the chair on H.R. 2555. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 306: Sustain ruling of the chair on H.R. 2555. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 307: H. Amdt. 176 to H.R. 2555. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 308: H. Amdt. 183 to H.R. 2555. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 309: H. Amdt. 188 to H.R. 2555. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 310: Passage of H.R. 2555. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 311: Passage to H.R. 1416. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 312: S. 858. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 313: H.R. 2474. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 314: H. J. Res. 49. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 315: H. Con. Res. 49. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 316: H. Res. 199. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 317: H. Res. 294. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 318: On the Hastings amendment to H.R. 2417. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 319: On the Kucinich amendment to H.R. 2417. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 320: On the Lee amendment to H.R. 2417. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 321: H. Res. 299 to H.R. 1 and H.R. 2596. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 322: H. Res. 299 to H.R. 1 and H.R. 2596. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 323: H. Res. 297 to H.R. 1 and H.R. 2596. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 324: Ordering the previous question on H. Res. 298. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 325: Passage of H.R. 2559. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 326: Passage of H. Res. 277. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 327: On approval of the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 328: H.R. 2596. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 330: H. Amdt.

197 to H.R. 1. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 331: Motion to recommit with instructions to H.R. 1. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 332: Final passage of H.R. 1. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, due to family reasons, I was unable to vote on Rollcall No. 333: On passage of H.R. 2417. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 858) to extend the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Advisory Commission of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, I am proud the House is considering this legislation. This commission was established by Congress through the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act in 2000 through the 106th Congress.

The commission works to honor President Lincoln's momentous legacy by educating the general public on his unequaled contributions to our great Nation. It can be a universally celebrated event of racial reconciliation. It can be a time and an example for unifying America, increasingly diverse with many different populations, about the importance of having a united Nation and a united America.

This bicentennial can also highlight the unique American experience of being able to rise up from growing up in a log cabin, people of diverse backgrounds being able to rise to the very top of positions of power in America.

I am pleased that this bill will extend the commission until 2010, which will allow it to continue its valuable work through the upcoming celebration of the 200th anniversary of President Lincoln's birth in 2009.

I am pleased the other body has already passed this bill that honors perhaps our Nation's most extraordinary and cherished President. I congratulate the accomplished members of the commission for their work. We look forward to the commission's final report that will be due to Congress on April 30, 2010, if this bill is passed.

Mr. Speaker, therefore, I urge all Members to support the passage of S. 858, and I thank the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) for introducing this important measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the distinguished sponsor of the original legislation that established the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, as well as a cochair of the commission, without whose work this would not have occurred.

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

One of the other things I would like to add to the record about the extraordinary President Abraham Lincoln are that he gave two of the most outstanding speeches of all time in American history, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural.

In the book Lincoln at Gettysburg by the gifted writer Gary Wills, he points out an extraordinary point that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) just referenced, and that is that the President did not directly address the biggest issues of the day. He indirectly tried to build a coalition to unite our Nation.

As Gary Wills points out, the Gettysburg Address does not mention Gettysburg, nor slavery, nor, more surprising, the Union or the South or the Emancipation Proclamation. Wills refers to it as a transcendental declaration. He laid the groundwork behind uniting America in a union where we would stand together, and in the opening phrase, taking out a few words of it and putting it down in its core form, we are engaged in testing whether any free Nation can survive, and that is what his message of the Gettysburg Address was.

His Second Inaugural speech, which many feel was his greatest speech, also subject to a second book by Stephen White, he pointed out that that was a brilliant theological address, stunned Congress, stunned the press of the United States because it was very short. Here they were very near the end of the Civil War, at a time when people wanted an address from their President, celebrating victory or talking about how things were going to work, and he made a seemingly impersonal address.

Nine straight Presidents did not serve a second term. He was the first President in 10 to serve a second term. Yet in his Second Inaugural he never said anything about that. He made it sound like it was kind of an accident he was there, because what his purpose was was to give a theological address on why both sides argued in the name of God, both sides thought that they were trying to do that, some people thought it was fatalistic, but he actually laid a theological argument out as to why we fought a Civil War, why it was important that we fought that Civil War and God's role in human history.

He may have been raised as a simple country boy, but he wrote and personally edited, and we can see all the notes as he worked through the speeches, two of the most powerful and enduring documents in world history. In the Hoosier State, with all due respect to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), we have an expression, Abraham Lincoln grew up in Indiana. He is our most famous Hoosier. We say Indiana made Lincoln. Lincoln made Illinois.

Lincoln epitomizes the American dream, that he grew up in a log cabin in Kentucky where he was born and the first few years of his life. Then he moved to Indiana as a very young boy, grew up in multiple log cabins there in Indiana. He largely educated himself, moved to Illinois, taught himself the law, ran for office, losing more than he won. He participated in arguably the most famous of all American debates, the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He eventually rose as a compromise candidate for President, was trounced on the first ballot but came out as a compromise President, but almost every American will agree it is a classic example of the right man in the right place at the right time.

This is important for the rest of the world because Abraham Lincoln epitomizes the American dream. The four of us who spoke here, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood) and myself, all come from different backgrounds. None of us were probably born in a log cabin, and our Speaker, who is a super Lincoln fan, who has turned his conference room into the Lincoln Room with paintings and statuary and other things of Abraham Lincoln, he himself grew up in small town Illinois. He would have liked to have been born in a log cabin, but he was not.

But he grew up in Illinois and prides himself on rising up like others in the American Dream.

Abraham Lincoln is an example to us of racial reconciliation, of united nations, of rising up in the American Dream; and that is important in understanding why, like during the 10 years of this commission, we continue to develop at the grass roots level, the same way this commission has started to do, innovative ideas, bubbling up in community after community of how we can recognize those things that unite us as a Nation and to build on that so we do not come apart at the seams like we have seen in many nations around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I do not have any other colleagues who want to speak on this, but I want to thank, again, the Senator from Illinois in the other body, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) for supporting this, and I urge all Members to support its passage.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 10 a.m., on Media Ownership, in SR-253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a hearing on Iraq Stabilization and Reconstruction: U.S. Policy and Plans.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 10 a.m., in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on the Status of Telecommunications in Indian Country.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a mark up on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in Dirksen Room 226.

I. Nominations: Michael Chertoff to the U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; David G. Campbell to the U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona; Robert D. McCallum to be Associate Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice; Peter D. Keisler to be Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice; R. Hewitt Pate to be Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice; and David B. Rivkin to the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.

II. Bills: S. 554, A bill to allow media coverage of court proceedings [Grassley/Cornyn/Craig/DeWine/Graham/Schumer]; S. 1023, A bill to increase the annual salaries of justices and judges of the United States [Hatch/Chambliss/Cornyn/Durbin/Feinstein/Kennedy/Leahy]; S. 858, A bill to extend the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and for other purposes [Durbin/Bunning]; S. Res. 136, A resolution recognizing the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and congratulating members and officers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for the union's many achievements [Kennedy/DeWine]; S. Res. 92, A resolution designating September 17, 2003 as ``Constitution Day'' [DeWine/Hatch]; S. Res. 145, Designating June 2003 as ``National Safety Month'' [Fitzgerald/Feinstein]; and S. Res. 133, A resolution condemning bigotry and violence against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, South-Asian Americans, and Sikh Americans [Durbin/Biden/Chambliss/DeWine/Feingold].

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Judicial Nominations'' on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 2 p.m., in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Panel I: [senators].

Panel II: Richard C. Wesley to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit.

Panel III: J. Ronnie Greer to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee; Thomas M. Hardiman to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Mark R. Kravitz to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut; and John A. Woodcock, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maine.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Communications be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 22, 2003, in Rural Wireless Broadband, at 2:30 p.m. in SD-562.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Competition, Foreign Commerce and Infrastructure be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., on NHTSA Reauthorization, in SR-253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Economic Policy of the

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 22, 2003, at 10 a.m., to conduct an oversight hearing on ``Jumpstarting the Economy: Increasing Investment in the Equity Markets.''

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

Mr. Speaker, President Abraham Lincoln is considered by many to be the most outstanding President this country has ever had. As a matter of fact, many have suggested that he was courageous, often misunderstood, renowned in his ability to see situations and then move on them. So I am pleased to join with my colleague from Indiana in consideration of Senate bill 858, a bill to extend the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to plan the national observances of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 2009. Fifteen Americans were named by the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate to work together to propose and craft programs of celebration and education.

S. 858 would extend the authorization for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission through the bicentennial year of 2009. Under current law, the commission would pass out of existence in 2004, 5 years before the event it is supposed to commemorate. In addition to the requirement that the commission submit an interim report in June of 2004, S. 858 also requires that a final report be issued in 2010 after the conclusion of bicentennial festivities.

Obviously, Mr. Speaker, this legislation has tremendous support, and I would urge its passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), a Lincoln scholar, a civil war era buff, and a great historian who has studied and written extensively about this period.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and though I do not have any additional speakers, I will close by simply saying that I grew up an Abraham Lincoln fan as a little boy. My mother, who did not have much formal education, nor did my father, they were both Abraham Lincoln fans and they

told us stories about Abraham Lincoln. This obviously whetted my appetite, and I became an Abraham Lincoln guy who read everything that I could get my hands on about Lincoln.

It is obvious from all of the comments that we have heard that Indiana, Illinois, and I guess we have to add Kentucky, have great memories and great fondness for the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, who would probably be considered a great communicator. We did not talk so much about people being communicators then. Now we talk about communication skills and abilities; but I guess he could communicate so much in just a few words, in things like the Lincoln Gettysburg Address and other comments that he made.

The one quote that I often like to suggest that Lincoln made was about education. He said that ``education makes a man easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.'' So as we put resources into budgets for education, I always try to remember Abraham Lincoln.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Indiana for his comments.

I rise in support of the Senate bill 858, a bill to continue the important work of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. I encourage all of our colleagues to join with me in voting for this fitting tribute to our greatest President. I want to thank Senator Durbin for getting this through the United States Senate, and I want to thank the majority leader's office for scheduling this for consideration today.

It is my honor to serve as cochair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission along with Senator Durbin of Illinois and Mr. Harold Holzer of New York, a noted Lincoln scholar.

Created by Congress, the commission has 15 members and is charged with planning and organizing the national celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday on February 12, 2009. Current plans for the bicentennial include a joint session of Congress, educational initiatives throughout the country, a new Lincoln penny, film projects and much more.

In celebrating Lincoln's birthday, we honor not just the memory of one man but also the promise of America's freedom. The ongoing struggle against tyranny abroad and the continued fight for racial justice at home both find their inspiration in the life and work of Abraham Lincoln.

Last year, the commission appointed an executive director and moved into offices in the Library of Congress. We have held meetings in Illinois, Kentucky and Washington and will travel to Indiana next year and will also be in Vermont this year.

Through our Web site, www.lincolnbicentennial.gov, we have already received countless suggestions from the public about how best to celebrate this important national event.

This year, the commission celebrated Lincoln's birthday by gathering together our distinguished advisory committee. Made up of scholars, business people and artists, we asked for their help in planning for the bicentennial. That evening nearly 500 people and many more watching C-SPAN witnessed ``Lincoln Seen and Heard'' in which the acclaimed actor Sam Waterston gave a dramatic performance of Lincoln's speeches, while Harold Holzer provided the accompanying images and narration.

Through events like this, we hope to raise the profile of the commission and prepare the public for the important occasion of Lincoln's 200th birthday, which we hope to celebrate nationwide and around the world.

It is vital that this important commission be allowed to continue its work through the actual bicentennial celebration. This bill would simply extend the life of the commission through the bicentennial year and require a final report so that future generations will have a record of how we celebrated the life of the foremost champion of human liberty.

Therefore, as the representative of the same District that sent Abraham Lincoln to Congress and as cochair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, I urge my colleagues to support S. 858. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for the time.