To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1 Marble Street in Fair Haven, Vermont, as the "Matthew Lyon Post Office Building".

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 10 a.m., to mark up S. 418 ``Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act,'' as amended by the committee print; S. 811 ``Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act,'' and to vote on the nominations of Ms. Sheila C. Bair, of Kansas, to be a member and chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Ms. Kathleen L. Casey, of Virginia, to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Mr. Robert M. Couch, of Alabama, to be President of the Government National Mortgage Association; Mr. Donald L. Kohn, of Virginia, to be vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and Mr. James B. Lockhart III, of Connecticut, to be the Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. Immediately following the mark up, the committee will meet in open session to conduct a hearing on ``FASB's Proposed Standard on `Employers' Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans.' ''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 14, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing on ``Extension of HUD's Mark-to-Market Program.''

Mr. President, I would like to ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to hold an oversight hearing on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. to consider whether potential liability deters abandoned hard rock mine clean up.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 10 a.m. for a business meeting to consider pending committee business.

Agenda

Legislation

1. S. 2145, Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005;

2. S. 1554, a bill to establish an intergovernmental grant program to identify and develop homeland security information, equipment, capabilities, technologies, and services to further the homeland security of the United States and to address the homeland security needs of Federal, State, and local governments;

3. S. 1741, Disaster Area Health and Environmental Monitoring Act;

4. S. 1838, Federal and District of Columbia Real Property Act of 2005;

5. S. 2068, a bill to preserve existing judgeships on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia;

6. S. 2146, a bill to extend relocation expenses test programs for Federal employees;

7. S. 2296, Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act;

8. H.R. 3508, 2005 District of Columbia Omnibus Authorization Act.

Post Office Naming Bills

1. S. 2228/H.R. 4456, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 2404 Race Street in Jonesboro, Arkansas, as the ``Hattie W. Caraway Station;''

2. S. 2376/H.R. 3934, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 80 Killian Road in Massapequa, New York, as the ``Gerard A. Fiorenza Post Office Building;''

3. S. 2722, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 170 East Main Street in Patchogue, New York, as the ``Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy Post Office Building;

4. H.R. 4108, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 3000 Homewood Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``State Senator Verda Welcome and Dr. Henry Welcome Post Office Building;''

5. H.R. 3440, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 100 Avenida RL Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, as the ``Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa Post Office Building;''

6. H.R. 4786, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 535 Wood Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as the ``H. Gordon Payrow Post Office Building;''

7. H.R. 4561, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 8624 Ferguson Road in Dallas, Texas, as the ``Franciso `Pancho' Medrano Post Office Building;''

8. H.R. 4688, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1 Boyden Street in Badin, North Carolina, as the ``Mayor John Thompson `Tom' Garrison Memorial Post Office;''

9. H.R. 4995, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 7 Columbus Avenue in Tuckahoe, New York, as the ``Ronald Bucca Post Office;''

10. H.R. 3549, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 210 West 3rd Avenue in Warren, Pennsylvania, as the ``William F. Clinger Jr. Post Office Building;''

11. H.R. 2977, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 306 2nd Avenue in Brockway, Montana, as the ``Paul Kasten Post Office Building;''

12. S. 2690, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 8801 Sudley Road in Manassas, Virginia, as the ``Harry J. Parrish Post Office;''

13. S. 3187, a bill to designate the Post Office located at 5755 Post Road, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, as the ``Richard L. Cevoli Post Office;''

14. H.R. 5245, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1 Marble Street in Fair Haven, Vermont, as the ``Matthew Lyon Post Office Building.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 374, the Tribal Parity Act and S. 1535, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2005.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Judicial Nominations'' on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Witness list:

Panel I: The Honorable F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. and The Honorable William Kovacic, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission, Washington,

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 14, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed business meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 10 a.m. on Alternative Energy Technologies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5245, a bill I introduced to rename the Fair Haven, Vermont, post office in honor of Matthew Lyon, an American patriot and staunch defender of First Amendment rights.

I would like to thank Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Waxman for their help in moving this bill through the Government Reform Committee. I would also like to thank Jeffrey Schulz, the Fair Haven Town Manager, and the Fair Haven Select Board for supporting this legislation.

Matthew Lyon was born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 14, 1749, and immigrated to colonial America in 1765 as an indentured servant. In 1774 he purchased land in the area of the Hampshire Grants now known as Wallingford, Vermont, and soon after joined Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys militia where he led his own unit in defending their land from competing claimants as well from British attacks from the north. In Vermont, he was involved in encouraging the formation of citizen committees across the state to discuss national and state issues, meet with their elected officials, and ensure that their government was being operated in the best interest of all citizens.

In 1783, Matthew Lyon founded the town of Fair Haven. He served in the Vermont State Legislature for 14 years before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to serve as Vermont's Congressional representative from 1797-1801. Interestingly, he also represented the State of Kentucky in the U.S. House from 1803-1811.

Matthew Lyon, however, is perhaps best known for being the first person to stand trial and be convicted under the 1798 Sedition Act-- sweeping legislation passed during a period when America was engaged in hostilities with France. As we're all aware, the purpose of the legislation was to curtail dissent from citizens and members of the press who opposed President John Adams' foreign policy toward France. The legislation was unquestionably a direct attack on rights explicitly protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

For violating provisions of the Sedition Act, Matthew Lyon was convicted and sentenced to four months in jail, required to pay the cost of his prosecution and a fine of $1,000. His only crime was writing a letter to the editor critical of President John Adams' foreign policy toward France and submitting another person's similar writings to a local newspaper that published them. Although he was jailed, he continued to exercise his Constitutional rights by expressing his views and actively opposing the Sedition Act's anti-free speech provisions. He was even re-elected to Congress from prison in December of 1798.

Eventually, the Sedition Act was allowed to sunset according to its terms and President Thomas Jefferson pardoned those still serving in prison under the Act and remitted their fines. Decades later, Congress passed a law that reimbursed Matthew Lyon's heirs and representatives for the fines he was forced to pay under the Sedition Act.

This remarkable story is not only one that makes the citizens of my state proud but also represents an event of national historical significance. Too often today, we forget the struggles that many who came before us undertook to preserve freedom of speech, the press, and the right to assemble. This post office will serve as a reminder to Vermonters, the nation, and all those who visit Fair Haven, of the heroic efforts made in the past to protect the rights of all to speak freely, no matter what political viewpoint or ideas they may have.

At a time when we find ourselves struggling to balance the security of our nation with the liberties we cherish, I can think of no better time to honor one of our nation's champions of the First Amendment's right of free speech. Naming the Fair Haven Post Office in honor of Matthew Lyon would be a fitting tribute to him and his fight for liberty, and would serve as a reminder of Fair Haven's connection to this great American patriot.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill; to honor Matthew Lyon, a patriotic American who through his actions more than 200 years ago, reminds us of the importance of freedom of speech in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5245) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1 Marble Street in Fair Haven, Vermont, as the ``Matthew Lyon Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, born in County Wicklow, Ireland, Matthew Lyon was a printer, farmer, soldier and politician who came to America as an indentured servant at the age of 14 in 1764. During the Revolution, Matthew Lyon fought with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga. He later resigned from the Army in 1778, and became a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1779 to 1783.

During this time he built and operated various kinds of mills, including one to manufacture paper. He also established a printing office in 1793 and published the Farmers' Library. In addition, he created the Fair Haven Gazette, a weekly newspaper, and served as publisher and editor while using the paper to express his political opinions in the early years of our Republic.

Lyon was elected as a Republican to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses, but was not a candidate for renomination in 1800. He then went on to relocate to the State of Kentucky in 1801, and settled in Caldwell County, now Lyon County, and became a member of the House of Representatives of Kentucky in 1802.

He was then elected to the Eighth Congress and to three successive Congresses until he was unsuccessful in seeking reelection in 1810. He is certainly one of our Founding Fathers, and it is long overdue for him to be recognized with this post office.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption and yield back.

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

As a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 5245, legislation naming the postal facility at 1 Marble Street in Fair Haven, Vermont, after Matthew Lyon. This bill, which was sponsored by Representative Bernard Sanders of Vermont, was unanimously reported by our committee on May 4, 2006.

Matthew Lyon was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, and in 1764, at the age of 14, emigrated to the United States as an indentured servant. It was not long before he was a free man and fighting alongside Ethan Allen and others in the famous battle of Ticonderoga. Lyon went on to settle in Vermont, founding the village of Fair Haven and later representing Vermont in Congress for two terms.

Lyon was a fierce Jeffersonian Republican and a staunch opponent of the Sedition Act. Lyon's public opposition to the Sedition Act led him to be the first person arrested under the guise of the act. A dubious honor to some, perhaps, was a badge of honor to this protector of free speech and liberty. Lyon would serve a 4-month prison sentence and become a champion of the movement opposed to the Sedition Act.

After serving two terms as the Representative for Vermont and one term in the Kentucky State legislature, Lyon was elected to Congress again, this time as a Representative for the State of Kentucky, becoming one of

only three people elected to Congress from two States.

Mr. Speaker, this is certainly a great deal of historic as well as patriotic value, and I would urge swift passage of H.R. 5245 which seeks to honor the life of a true American pioneer, Matthew Lyon.

I yield back the balance of my time.