To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3903 South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, as the "Sergeant Henry Ybarra III Post Office Building".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1254) to amend title 44, United States Code, to require information on contributors to Presidential library fundraising organizations.

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. 1254.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I walked into the Capitol today, it was sunny outside, and one of the benefits of coming from Connecticut about 100 or so miles south a few days a week is, you might get a few sunnier days this time of year. And it is important, I think, on this day that there is some sunlight outside because beginning with the bill before us today, and following with pieces of legislation to come, we are going to start once again to open up this government to the people of this country. There is a sense, I think, over time that too much in Washington, D.C., gets done in back rooms and not enough gets done in the open daylight.

Today, we begin to open, again, this government to the people of this country.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 1254, the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2007, and I am grateful to do so through the benefit of work done before by Chairman Waxman, Congressman Emanuel, by Mr. Clay, and on the other side of the aisle, in particular, Mr. Platts and Mr. Duncan.

The legislation that they have worked on that is before us today is part of a larger effort by Congress to restore that honesty and accountability in the Federal Government. Simply put, this legislation would shine sunlight on donations to Presidential libraries.

Mr. Speaker, the Presidential library system was created by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt had an idea to create a repository to house his Presidential papers for the benefit of future generations of Americans; you could call it yet another successful New Deal program.

His idea was to raise private funds for the construction of a library facility, and then he turned the facility and his papers over to the Federal Government for operation by the National Archives. This model is still followed to this day.

But, like many things, Presidential libraries keep getting more expensive. They have become libraries in concept much more than in practice. They often include various facilities in addition to a repository, such as museums, conference centers, or classrooms.

The George H.W. Bush Library was reported to cost more than $80 million to build. The Clinton library and museum cost about $165 million to build. News reports have indicated that the fund-raising goal for President Bush's library and think tank in Texas is $500 million. One can only imagine how much his successor will have to raise.

The problem is that as these libraries continue to grow in size and scope, Presidential foundations need to raise more money to build them, and many of these organizations do so by selling access to the President while he is still in office while his power and celebrity are the strongest.

Under current law, there is no requirement to disclose the names of the donors and the amounts that they have donated, and there is no limit on the amount that can be donated. You don't need to be a political scientist to see the potential for abuse.

Today's bill simply requires that fund-raising organizations disclose information about their donors to Congress and the National Archives during the period of that most intense fund-raising, while the President is in office, and during the first 4 years after the end of his term.

The legislation before us, H.R. 1254, would require that all organizations established for the purpose of raising funds for Presidential libraries, or their related facilities, report on a quarterly basis all contributions of $200 or more.

Under the bill, Presidential library fund-raising organizations would be required to disclose to Congress and the Archivist the amount and date of each contribution, the name of the contributor, and if the contributor is an individual, the occupation of the contributor. The National Archives would be required to disclose this information through a free, searchable, and downloadable database.

Mr. Speaker, this is a nonpartisan problem, and what we have before us today is a nonpartisan solution. This bill does not seek to limit the amount a donor can contribute or the amount a foundation can solicit. It simply seeks to shed sunlight on the process.

Many of us came to Congress to bring government out of the back rooms and back into the open air. This bill, I believe, is an important step in that transformation; and I am honored to be able to stand on the work of colleagues who have worked on this issue over the years and to be able to present it to this body today.

Mr. Speaker, similar legislation has enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in the House in the past, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the distinguished chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay), the distinguished chairman of the subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself so much time as I may consume.

I want to thank both sides of the aisle, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Waxman and Mr. Clay, who have done such great work on this issue. They have constructed a bill which will allow the development of these facilities to move forward in an expeditious manner, but done so in a way that gives people faith in that process.

So much of our ability to build and rebuild faith in this government is connected to whether or not people believe that things we do here are done in the open light of day. Today is going to be a very good day to restore part of people's faith in this government, and this bill is an important first step.

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 Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in open and closed sessions to receive testimony on the current and future readiness of the Army and Marine Corps.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of the hearing is to evaluate the administration's proposal to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the President's proposed budget for FY 2008 for the Department of the Interior.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``The Administration's 2007 Trade Agenda.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 9:15 a.m. to hold a nomination hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 9 a.m. for a business meeting to consider pending committee business.

Agenda

Legislation

1. S. 4, Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007;

2. S. 343, a bill to extend the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999;

3. S. 457, a bill to extend the date on which the National Security Personnel System will first apply to certain defense laboratories;

4. S. 550, a bill to preserve existing judgeships on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Post Office Naming Bills

1. S. 171, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 301 Commerce Street in Commerce, Oklahoma, as the ``Mickey Mantle Post Office Building;''

2. S. 194/H.R. 49, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1300 North Frontage Road West in Vail, Colorado, as the ``Gerald R. Ford Jr. Post Office Building;''

3. S. 219/H.R. 335, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 152 North 5th Street in Laramie, Wyoming, as the ``Gale W. McGee Post Office;''

4. S. 303, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 324 Main Street in Grambling, Louisiana, as the ``Coach Eddie Robinson Post Office Building;''

5. S. 412/H.R. 521, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the ``Lane Evans Post Office Building;''

6. H.R. 433, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1700 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the ``Scipio A. Jones Post Office Building;''

7. H.R. 514, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 16150 Aviation Loop Drive in Brooksville, Florida, as the ``Sergeant Lea Robert Mills Brooksville Aviation Branch Post Office;''

8. H.R. 577, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 3903 South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, as the ``Sergeant Henry Ybarra III Post Office Building.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request for tribal programs.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 10 a.m. in room S. 216 of the Capitol Building.

I. Nominations

Beryl Howell, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission.

II. Bills

S. 316, the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, Kohl, Grassley, Leahy, Schumer, Feingold.

S. 236, the Federal Agency Data Mining Reporting Act of 2007, Feingold, Sununu, Leahy, Akaka, Kennedy.

S. 378, the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007, Leahy, Specter, Durbin, Cornyn, Kennedy, Hatch.

S. 442, the John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007, Durbin.

III. Resolutions

S. Res. 41, honoring the life and recognizing the accomplishments of Tom Mooney, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Brown, Voinovich.

S. Res. 47, honoring the life and achievements of George C. Springer, Sr., the Northeast regional director and a former vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, Dodd.

S. Res. 49, recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State, Stevens, Murkowski.

S. Res. 53, congratulating Illinois State University as it marks its sesquicentennial, Durbin, Obama.

S. Res. 69, a resolution recognizing the African-American spiritual as a national treasure, Menendez.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 15, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet Thursday, February 15, 2007, from 10 a.m. to noon in Dirksen 562 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the public's right to know. I rise in support of H.R. 1254, the ``Presidential Library Donations Reform Act of 2007,'' which requires the disclosure of donors to presidential libraries.

Mr. Speaker, Presidential libraries are built using private funds raised by an organization or foundation working on behalf of the President. It costs a lot of money to construct and endow a Presidential library. The first Presidential library, housing the papers of Franklin D. Roosevelt, cost less than $400,000 to build, about $5 million adjusted for inflation. But since that time, Presidential libraries have grown more and more ambitious and costly. The $26 million Carter library was succeeded by the $57 million Reagan library, followed in turn by the $83 million library complex for former President George H.W. Bush, and the $165 million Clinton library complex. George W. Bush's Presidential library complex may cost as much as $500 million.

To erect these major complexes is going to take more than the $25 to $50 donations that built Harry Truman's modest Presidential library. Donations from individual donors can and have amounted to several million dollars. Under current law, Presidents may raise unlimited funds for their libraries while in office, which raises concerns about conflicts of interest, corruption or the appearance of corruption. This is because donations for the Presidential library can be unlimited in size but are not required to be disclosed.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1254 greatly enhances the public's access to information because it requires that contribution information be made available in a timely manner on the Internet in a searchable, sortable, downloadable database, without any fee or access charges. This proposal would ensure, for the first time, the public knows the source of contributions to the Presidential libraries intended to serve them.

Typically, fundraising to construct a Presidential library is done through a nonprofit foundation or group, which is free to seek donations from corporations, individuals, even foreign nationals and foreign governments. Sitting presidents may be actively involved in soliciting these contributions. And there is no limit on the size of the donations, and no requirement that they be disclosed.

Mr. Speaker, a Presidential library complex has become one of the vehicles for Presidents to shape and perpetuate their legacy. They also provide a platform for Presidents to continue work on issues they care about. But if sitting Presidents are raising money in undisclosed, unlimited amounts for projects in which they are personally invested, wealthy special interests have unprecedented opportunities to seek access and influence at the White House and evade all public scrutiny. At the very least, the public deserves to know the amount of donations, the names, addresses and occupations of the donors, and the dates donations were made.

H.R. 1254 requires that all organizations established for the purpose of raising funds for Presidential libraries or their related facilities report on a quarterly basis all contributions of $200 or more.

Under H.R. 1254, organizations fundraising for Presidential libraries would be required to disclose their donations while the President is in office and during the period before the Federal government has taken possession of the library. The bill sets a minimum reporting period of 4 years after the end of a President's term.

The bill injects sunshine in government by making public information about donations to presidential libraries made during the term of the president in question. Under the bill, presidential library fundraising organizations would be required to disclose to Congress and the Archivist the amount and date of each contribution, the name of the contributor, and if the contributor is an individual, the occupation of the contributor. As noted previously, the National Archives would be required to make the information available to the public through a free, searchable, and downloadable database on the Internet.

For all of these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1254. As Justice Brandeis famously observed, ``sunshine is the best disinfectant.'' I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this important and necessary legislation.

I thank my colleagues for bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, today we honor a son of Texas, Sergeant Henry Ybarra III, born and raised in south Austin, and a member of the parish at San Jose Catholic Church. On September 11, 2003, he was killed in Iraq, the first of a number from our State capital in Texas to lose their life there.

I attended his rosary personally, joined by Marine Thomas Cruz, a member of my Congressional staff at that time. Today we honor Henry's sacrifice to our Nation by officially affixing his name to the post office on South Congress in Austin, the road that leads up to our State Capitol.

Henry long knew that he wanted to devote his life to service. His mother, Mary Jane, remembers it as early as age five. His father, a veteran of Vietnam, would find young Henry marching around in his dad's boots and cap. Henry wasted no time making that dream a reality, enlisting in the Army only months after graduating from Johnston High School. That father, Hank, is at this very moment still convalescing from both his own service in Vietnam and the impact of the loss of his son. We wish him continued progress in his recovery, and express our deep gratitude for what he has given personally to our country.

Henry's military career spanned a dozen years, earning numerous honors and awards. He met his wife, Lilian, while stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, and his career took his family with daughters, Alyssa and Gabrielle, and his son, Henry IV, as far away as Germany. His commanding officer described Henry's easy manner and said, I wish I had a troop full of soldiers with his attitude and outlook on life.

As Pericles once spoke of ancient Athens, so it is with our democracy today: ``If it should appear great to you, consider then that her glories were purchased by valiant men, and by men who learned their duty.''

With this bill, our Nation pays tribute to a valiant man, Staff Sergeant Henry Ybarra, and to all those valiant men and women who serve and have served under our flag. The veterans groups Tejanos in Action, the Catholic War Veterans Post 1805, the Knights of Columbus Council 10148, the American GI Forum, along with LULAC and other community organizations, have been strong supporters of the effort to memorialize Sergeant Ybarra by naming the South Congress station in his honor.

Tejanos in Action is a unique organization that addresses the needs of our Hispanic veterans, and by providing its services to our community, provides a meaningful tribute to Henry and others who have served our country. I salute Dan Arellano, the Commander of Tejanos in Action; Moses Saldana, who works closely with the Knights of Columbus at San Jose Church, and the Catholic War Veterans and all those who continue to serve and inspire our youth with their service.

Last year, I participated in the dedication of the Nicholas Perez Elementary School, as the Austin Independent School District recognized another brave son of south Austin lost in Iraq. Such memorials rightly honor men and women who have given their lives in service. They are daily reminders of both the valor of these young people and of our need to prevent war or its unnecessary escalation. With the death toll now rising towards 4,000 unique human beings tragically lost in Iraq, there may not be enough physical memorials to honor individually the sacrifice of all those who continue to fall.

For Sergeant Henry Ybarra and his friends and family, he will always be in their hearts. With this memorial naming, new generations will learn of Sergeant Ybarra's selfless sacrifice and be inspired by that service.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Connecticut and colleagues from California and Missouri and my other colleagues for their leadership on this legislation.

It is an important part of this legislation, like the other legislation we are doing on whistleblowers and protection for whistleblowers, as well as the no-bid contracts.

If you look at the Presidential library and the other two pieces of legislation, they all have a common meaning, to ensure that the public trust is protected from being bent for the private interest.

What we mean here is that, in making sure in the period of time in which

a President of the United States is raising money for their library, that at no time will their actions, or public actions, be influenced by those who are willing to support their library. In the same way that we are trying to make sure later this week when we vote on the no-bid contracts, that in no way should those contracts be renewed automatically for those who have gotten their business, no-bid contracts, and somehow had the influence to get that legislation, and the whistleblower legislation, all attempted to protect the public trust.

President Bush plans on raising about $500 million for his Presidential library. President Clinton's library has cost about $165 million, and President Bush's, the 41st President, library cost approximately $80 million, slightly more than that, and there are no questions asked about where the money comes from.

We do not know who is raising these funds, who is donating them, and if the donors are looking for any other favors in return. This process is overdue for sunlight, and we are reforming that practice here today.

I am proud to have worked with Congressman Waxman, Congressman Clay, Congressman Platts, and Congressman Duncan in drafting this bill, which would require the disclosure of any contribution of $200 and above for a Presidential library. This information will be available online so that every American can see who is sending money to the Oval Office.

Mr. Speaker, change is good. Last November, the American people voted for change and that is exactly what we are doing this week and this year. We are changing the way business is done in Washington and restoring integrity to government.

In the first weeks, when we were here, we initiated change on banning gifts, banning meals by lobbyists, making sure earmarks had reform, and this is part of that step-by-step process. You will not change the ways of Washington overnight, but you must have a dedicated step-by-step process to bring reform to the way business is done in Washington. This is an important step, as will be the whistleblower protection we take on today and vote on, and the no-bid contracts for those who are trying to enact contracting reform in the areas of Iraq, Katrina and other places.

As you just saw last week, the taxpayers are getting back only 40 cents on the dollar for the trailers they built for the protection of hurricane victims because we did not use it. We have got to reform the way Washington does work, and this is an important piece of legislation in doing that as part of our overall process.

I thank all my colleagues for their work on this legislation.