A bill to designate the State Route 1 Bridge in the State of Delaware as the "Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge".

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 7, 2005 to conduct a Business Meeting on the following agenda:

Resolutions

To authorize alteration of the James L. King Federal Justice Building in Miami, FL.;

H.R. 483, to designate a United States courthouse in Brownsville, TX, as the ``Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse'';

S. 1140, to designate the State Route 1 Bridge in the State of Delaware as the ``Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge'';

S. 1017 To reauthorize grants for the water resources research and technology institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984;

S. 260 Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program;

S. 858 NRC Fees/Reform Bill;

S. 865 Price Anderson;

S. 864 Nuclear Security.

The hearing will be held in SD 406.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday June 8, 2005, at 10 a.m., to hear testimony on ``The Tax Code and Land Conservation: Report on Investigations and Proposals for Reform''.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 at 9:50 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 8, 2005 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a briefing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet, Wednesday, June 8, 2005 from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. in Dirksen G50 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Disaster be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 8, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., on Research and Development to Protect America's Communities from Disaster, in SR-253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 8, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. on Current Challenges that Confront American Manufacturers, in SR-253.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1140) to designate the State Route 1 Bridge in the State of Delaware as the ``Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge''.

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

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

This bill will designate the State Route 1 bridge in the State of Delaware as the Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge.

Senator Roth began his public service when he was elected to the House in 1966. He served two terms in the House before being elected to the Senate in 1970, where he served for 30 years. During that time, Bill Roth rose to the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Roth was a well-known fiscal conservative who is probably best known outside his home State of Delaware as the creator of the individual retirement account that bears his name, the Roth IRA.

I would note that the Senate passed this bill by unanimous consent last year, and our colleague, Representative Mike Castle, has introduced an identical bill here in the House. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S.

1140. Naming this bridge after Senator Roth is a fitting tribute to his many years of public service.

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

I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1140, legislation to name the State Route 1 Bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in Delaware after the late Senator William V. Roth, Jr.

S. 1140 passed the Senate unanimously in June 2005, and as the sponsor of the House companion, H.R. 2800, I am pleased to join Senators Carper and Biden in offering my full support for S. 1140 and to encourage its adoption by the House today.

A leader and dedicated public servant, Senator Roth served honorably during his years in Congress and set a tremendous example for future generations of Americans. Best known for creating the successful ``Roth IRA,'' Senator Roth also fought hard in Congress to improve the quality of transportation in the State of Delaware. In the early 1990s, Senator Roth played an important role in helping to build the State Route 1 Bridge in New Castle County, Delaware.

Senator Roth was first elected to the House in 1966, serving two terms, before being elected to the Senate, where he served for 30 years. He also won the Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army during World War II. He died in 2003 at the age of 82.

Nothing in my mind would serve as a better tribute to Senator Roth's many years of dedicated public service than to rename this bridge, a true architectural gem in Delaware, in his honor.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 1140.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I too rise in support of S. 1140.

I appreciate the clear analysis from my friend from Wisconsin. I would have just one other element to add, and that is that I think it is particularly fitting and appropriate for our committee to advance this and to commemorate Senator Roth. He was keenly interested in environmental protection in the course of his career and was one of the most aggressive and active supporters of Amtrak, at a time when, as my colleague and friend mentioned, Senator Roth was a fiscal conservative to the bone.

But he was very clear that investment in a national rail passenger service, Amtrak, was good sound fiscal investment. It was good for the environment. It was good for transportation. I am only sorry that it is not a railroad bridge that we are naming after Senator Roth, but I am proud to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.