Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I missed one vote on May 3, 2006. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on H. Res. 781 (Rollcall 120).

Mr. Chairman, this bill represents a missed opportunity for the House to address lobbying and ethics reform in a responsible manner. Our ethics process in the House of Representatives is broken, and the actions of some members and lobbyists have brought discredit to the reputation of this body. That is why I am so disappointed in the response of the House leadership in bringing this extremely weak bill to the floor today, using a partisan process which deliberately shuts out debate on the most pressing reform issues before this House.

I served on the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct from 1991 to 1997. I served as the ranking member of the adjudicative subcommittee that investigated and ultimately recommended sanctions against former Speaker Gingrich. In 1997 the House leadership appointed me to serve as the Co-Chairman of the House Ethics Reform Task Force, with my colleague Bob Livingston from Louisiana. Our bipartisan task force came up with a comprehensive set of reforms to overhaul the ethics process. We created a bipartisan package to change House and committee rules which the House adopted. This was the last bipartisan revisions of House ethics procedures.

Our bipartisan legislative package in 1997 also included a provision which authorized non-members to file complaints against members, provided that the complaints were in writing and under oath. Unfortunately, the full House rejected this proposal, and for the first time the House closed its doors to the receipt of outside ethics complaints. In March I testified before the Rules Committee and urged them to allow consideration of my amendment, which I subsequently filed with the Committee. I am disappointed that the Committee would not even allow my amendment to come up for a vote in the full House, and that it also refused to allow the House to consider the alternative approach offered by Mr. Shays and Mr. Meehan to create an independent Office of Public Integrity (OPI) to receive and investigate complaints from non- members.

Our ethics process has broken down in the past. Indeed, when our task force was meeting and deliberating in 1997, the House took the extraordinary step of imposing a moratorium of the filing of new ethics complaints.

I am afraid we have reached a similar crossroads in the House today. Some members have recently talked about ethics ``truces'' in which the political parties have voluntarily agreed to place a moratorium on filing ethics complaints, regardless of the merits of the charges. The Chairman of the Ethics Committee was removed from his position, perhaps as retaliation for agreeing, on a bipartisan basis, to repeatedly admonish the former House Majority Leader for ethical misconduct and transgressions. Outside good government groups have repeatedly called for non-members to be permitted to file ethics complaints. In December 2004 the Congressional Ethics Coalition, a nonpartisan group which included Common Cause, Democracy 21, Judicial Watch, and Public Citizen, issued a statement which called on Congress to authorize non- members to file ethics complaints against members of Congress.

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is the only committee of the House with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. The Committee can only work effectively in a bipartisan manner. In March the Senate passed strong ethics and lobbying reform legislation by a vote of 90 to 8, and I am disappointed that the House is not given the similar opportunity today to pass a strong bill. I will support the Motion to Recommit which would substitute the text of H.R. 4682, which I have co-sponsored, which would strengthen our ethics and disclosure standards.

I urge my colleagues to reject this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Matrys' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, which memorializes the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis during their campaign of genocide in World War II. We mourn the innocent lives lost and vibrant communities destroyed while the world shamefully stood silent, and honor those heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto who faced certain death when they refused to submit to the Nazi's planned extermination of their community.

To this day, Mr. Speaker, many European countries have failed to right the past wrongs of the Holocaust by failing to adequately redress the wrongful confiscation of property by the Nazi and communist regimes. These seizures took place over decades; they were part of the modus operandi of repressive, totalitarian regimes; and they affected millions of people. The passage of time, border changes, and population shifts are only a few of the things that make the wrongful property seizures of the past such difficult problems to address today.

While I recognize that many obstacles stand in the way of righting these past wrongs, I do not believe that these challenges make property restitution or compensation impossible. On the contrary, I believe much more should have been done--and can still be done now--while our elderly Holocaust survivors are still living.

Today I also want to sound the alarm about a disturbing trend that Jews face today: a rising tide of anti-Semitism throughout the world.

I serve as the Ranking Member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, CSCE, commonly known as the Helsinki Commission. In 2004 I traveled as part of the U.S. Delegation, with former Secretary of State Colin Powell, to attend a special conference in Berlin addressing anti-Semitism, held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE. The OSCE is a 55-nation regional security organization which promotes democracy and human rights in Europe, Central Asia, and North America.

Before traveling to Berlin, I made a point to visit Auschwitz for the first time. I was shocked and stunned to see how efficient the Nazi operation was: they wanted to maximize the number of individuals that could be killed.

Seeing the remains of that factory of intolerance, hate and death, it reaffirmed how we must continually stress the importance of advancing understanding throughout the OSCE region and the entire world. We must tirelessly work to build understanding and respect between different communities to prevent future acts of prejudice and injustice.

At the Berlin Conference, I had the privilege of participating as a member of the U.S. delegation, and I gave the official U.S. statement in the session on tolerance. The meeting ended with the issuance of the Berlin Declaration of Action.

The Berlin Declaration laid out a number of specific steps for states to take to combat the rising tide of anti-Semitism, including: striving

to ensure that their legal systems foster a safe environment free from anti-Semitic harassment, violence or discrimination; promoting educational programs; promoting remembrance of the Holocaust, and the importance of respecting all ethnic and religious groups; combating hate crimes, which can be fueled by racist and anti-Semitic propaganda on the Internet; encouraging and supporting international organizations and NGO's; and encouraging the development of best practices between law enforcement and educational institutions.

As we commemorate Yom Hashoah, let us honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust by pledging to fight intolerance, hate crimes, and violence in our community and around the world. We shall never be silent again.

Madam Speaker, let me thank my friend for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, I agree with many of the comments that have been made on this floor about the dilemma we have now in Iran as a result of our policies in Iraq. I opposed the U.S. involvement in Iraq. I thought it was wrong. And as one of the consequences, it has caused us to lose focus on our war against terror and to make it more difficult for us to deal with Iran.

Having said that, I think this is an important bill that we need to move forward. It is an important effort to make it clear that Iran cannot be permitted to become a nuclear weapons power.

Madam Speaker, let me point out some of the proudest moments in U.S. history have been the use of sanctions. I think back about U.S. leadership and imposing sanctions basically against the Soviet Union which allowed people to be able to leave that country.

I think back about the U.S. leadership in South Africa when it was an apartheid country and how we imposed sanctions against South Africa and were accused of causing problems in doing that. But what we did was bring down the apartheid Government of South Africa without the necessary use of force.

So I think it is critically important that we stand united in our efforts to impose sanctions against Iran to make it clear that we cannot allow Iran to become a nuclear weapons power. Make no mistake about it, Iran is trying to do that. We know Iran is trying to do that. We know about the vote of the IAEA of 27-3 that referred Iran to the Security Council, that they are enriching uranium clearly to develop a nuclear weapon, that they have supported terrorist organizations, the Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad. The Iranian President has made it clear that he wants a world without the United States and he wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map. These are serious threats that we need to take seriously.

Therefore, we need effective sanctions against Iran so they change their way. This legislation is an effort to strengthen the sanctions against Iran by removing the sunset, by taking away some of the discretion and removing the sanctions unless Iran changes its way.

Madam Speaker, I look at this as a way to engage the international community to work with us. We did not do that in Iraq, and that was one of the fatal flaws of our policy in Iraq is that we did not engage the international community.

This legislation says, look, we have a chance with Iran to get them to change their ways through the imposition of sanctions and isolating the country, but we do need the help of our friends around the world. We do need them to work with us. It is in the interest of the civilized world to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons power. We need their help. Working with them, we can add another proud history to America in its international leadership of saying yes, we are going to use our international power, our diplomatic skills, to change the direction of a country that otherwise would become even a more dangerous risk to the United States and the civilized world. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 282, the Iran Freedom Support Act. This bill strengthens U.S. sanctions on Iran, and requires that they remain in place until Iran has dismantled its chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs.

Iran is actively seeking weapons of mass destruction, which poses a threat to the national security of the United States and to the world. Iran has repeatedly violated its obligations to the international community, specifically the 1973 Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 2002 the world learned that Iran was illegally continuing to develop a secret nuclear program, which has led to years of negotiations with the international community. Last August, however, the Iranian government resumed its conversion of uranium. In February the IAEA voted 27 to 3 to report Iran to the United Nations Security Council for further action. In March the U.N. Security Council directed Iran to its nuclear activities. Iran defied the United Nations, and made an announcement that it had enriched uranium to reactor-grade levels, which is a precursor to the development of a nuclear bomb. This week the U.N. Security Council is meeting to evaluate Iran's behavior, and I urge the Security Council to use all the tools at its disposal to pressure Iran to meet its commitments to the IAEA.

I am pleased that the legislation today establishes mandatory sanctions for contributions to development of weapons, limits the President's flexibility to waive sanctions, authorizes funding to promote democracy activities in Iran, and supports efforts to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Finally, this bill eliminates the sunset of sanctions against Iran, and requires them to remain in place until the President certifies that Iran has dismantled its WMD programs.

I am pleased that the United States has continued to work closely with the international community--including the European Union, Russia, and China--on this urgent matter. I urge the President to keep Congress fully and current informed on this matter, as called for in this resolution. I urge the international community to impose economic sanctions designed to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

We cannot allow a rogue nation such as Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Iran has actively supported terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran has funded suicide bombers in Israel and militant organizations elsewhere. Many of these terrorist groups are seeking weapons of mass destruction (WMD) so that they can kill or injure thousands or even millions of people. The Iranian President has publicly expressed his hope for a world without America, his desire to wipe Israel off the map, and has denied the existence of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Dick Davidson, President of the

American Hospital Association, who has announced that he will retire on January 1, 2007.

I have been privileged to know Dick Davidson for decades, since he headed the Maryland Hospital Association and I was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. During his 22 years as the first president of MHA, Dick believed strongly in the shared obligation between state government and hospitals to ensure that communities' health needs are met, and he put that belief into practice. MHA was a proactive partner with the Maryland state government in creating innovative approaches to issues of health care costs and quality, most notably the Health Services Cost Review Commission, and the MHA Quality Indicator (QI) Project, the largest national and international effort to measure and compare indicators of hospital performance. More than 1,900 health care organizations in the United States and abroad now participate in the QI Project. I am pleased to note that the tradition of collaboration established by Davidson continues at MHA today.

In 1991, Dick Davidson was named President of the American Hospital Association, which represents 4,800 hospitals and health systems throughout the nation. At AHA, he continued to foster the tenet that hospitals and the federal government could together create ways to better serve the health needs of their communities. He assembled what is often considered the finest team of policy professionals and advocates in Washington. Davidson's tenure will also be remembered for promoting diversity in health care leadership. In 1994, AHA founded the Institute for Diversity in Health Management to expand leadership opportunities for ethnically, culturally, and racially diverse individuals, and increase the number of these individuals entering and advancing in the field. Over the past decade, the Institute has awarded more than $110,000 in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students, and placed candidates in residencies and fellowships at health care organizations across the country.

Among health care providers, payers, analysts, and policymakers, there is strong consensus that Dick Davidson's leadership has contributed to the improvement of the quality of health care across America. For that, the health care community and, indeed, our nation are grateful.

I also want to congratulate Dick's wife Janet, who will undoubtedly be able to spend much more time with him beginning in 2007. Janet was herself a fixture in the Maryland state house for many years, having worked for current Senate President Mike Miller and former Senate President Steny Hoyer, among other distinguished elected officials. I would ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in wishing the entire Davidson family--including their three sons--Mike, Andy, and Rick--all the best as the Davidson era at the American Hospital Association draws to a close.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Earth Day 2006, which was celebrated last Saturday, April 22.

Earth Day was established in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who firmly believed that education was the key to changing public attitudes about the environment. Since then, Earth Day celebrations have spread throughout America and to the rest of the world, with more and more people getting involved in efforts to clean and nurture the environment.

Despite Earth Day's popularity and the many programs that were created to improve the planet's health, our world is still wrought with environmental problems. We still face many pressing issues, such as protecting coastal waters from offshore drilling, preserving the Alaskan Tongass Rainforest, the Redrock lands in Utah, and resources in the Rockies.

Closer to home, we must continue to focus our efforts on restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The Bush Administration's budget proposes drastic cuts to vital initiatives, including the Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watershed Grants Program, the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program Office, and several Farm Bill Conservation programs that help farmers reduce nutrient runoff entering the Bay. Last year, I was pleased to participate in the Living Shoreline Grants program, which involved growing seagrasses in my office that I later planted in Annapolis' Back Creek. I am also pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Enhancement Act, which will reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program and implement new water quality standards for the Bay's tributaries.

I have long supported a comprehensive, long-term, more environment- friendly energy policy that places emphasis on increasing the availability and use of renewable energy, as well as promoting greater energy efficiency that new technologies can provide. The United States needs to utilize new technologies that focus on renewable energy sources to reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil and high gasoline prices.

Earth Day celebrations serve as important reminders that we cannot take America's natural resources for granted. I urge my colleagues to join with me in doing our part to preserve, protect, and restore our planet's natural treasures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham on her appointment as the new Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Higginbotham has long been a valued member of my Health Advisory Committee, where she has demonstrated remarkable leadership abilities.

Dr. Higginbotham received her S.B. and S.M. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her M.D. from the Harvard Medical School. In 1994, Dr. Higginbotham was appointed as Chair of the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Department at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, becoming the first woman in the United States to head a university-based ophthalmology department. Previously, she served on the University of Illinois faculty as Chief of the Glaucoma Clinic and an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Higginbotham has also served on numerous boards, including those of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Helen Keller Foundation. Her strong commitment to improving health care is evident from her work with the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation, where as Director of Outreach Services she established a program through which medical students screen patients in their communities for glaucoma. The program, Student Sight Savers, has been a great success and is currently in operation at more than thirty medical schools nationwide.

Throughout her career, Dr. Higginbotham has received numerous awards and honors, including the AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award in 2004. She has received the Suzanne Veroneaux-Troutman Award and the Roman Barnes Achievement Award. She has consistently been listed among the Best Doctors in Baltimore and America for over a decade.

The Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is an historically black institution established to recruit and train physicians, scientists, and public health professionals committed to primary health care. Founded in 1975, the Morehouse School of Medicine admitted its first class in 1978, became an independent, four-year medical school in 1981, and was fully accredited in 1985. Since its founding, it has graduated 602 physicians, 68 percent of whom are primary care practitioners and 84 percent of whom practice in economically depressed areas. I am confident that Dr. Higginbotham will help continue and further shape the legacy of the Morehouse School of Medicine as it works to fulfill the needs of America's under served communities.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Higginbotham is both a renowned expert in her field and an outstanding public servant. I urge my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to congratulate Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham on her new role as Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. This week, Maryland's loss is Atlanta's gain, and I wish to stand with the many Marylanders who are grateful to Dr. Higginbotham for her tremendous service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to America's working men and women. These are the mineworkers, firefighters, nurses, janitors, postal employees, and hundreds of other workers who often are exposed to serious injury or even death while on the job. Friday, April 28, is Workers Memorial Day, a time when we remember the thousands of Americans who have been killed or injured while doing their jobs.

I also want my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me today in taking a moment to remember Jeffrey Wroten, a Maryland Division of Correction's officer who was killed in January while guarding a hospitalized patient.

This also has been a deadly year for coal miners. In January, 12 miners died during the Sago Mine tragedy, and, Nation Wide, 24 coal miners have lost their lives this year. For the first time since 1994, there has been an increase in workplace fatalities. In 2005, more than 5,700 workers were killed on the job and more than 50,000 Americans died from occupational diseases.

We pledge to them that we will rededicate our efforts to fight for safe working conditions; we pledge to them that we will fight for decent wages; and we pledge to them that we will make sure they have good pensions and health care benefits.

I also want to commend the many unions throughout the Nation that work everyday to protect American workers. The best way to help ensure worker safety is to make sure workers have the freedom to join unions so they can fight for their rights.

I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in honoring America's working men and women by ensuring they have the rights and protections they need to stay safe on the job.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recount a story of hard work and dedication, a story of perseverance in the face of daunting odds, a story of achieving what once seemed impossible. In short, Mr. Speaker, I want to recount a story of how the University of Maryland Women's Basketball Team defied all expectations to claim the 2006 NCAA Basketball championship. Go Terps!

Mr. Speaker, this is a David and Goliath story. Duke has performed well in the NCAA tournament, having reached the Final Four in three out of the last five seasons. The team's starting line-up consists of numerous seniors, including 6-foot-7 center Alison Bales. The Terps, by contrast, have never competed in a national title game. The Terps' starting line-up has no seniors and two freshmen, including 5-foot-7 guard Kristi Toliver.

Mr. Speaker, last night's game was the stuff of legends. The more experienced Duke took immediate control of the game, and built a 13- point lead with less than 15 minutes left in the game. Rather than succumb to frustration, the Terps patiently chipped away at the lead, with tough baskets from forward Laura Harper and freshman Marissa Coleman. With just seconds left in regulation, the Terps managed to cut the deficit to three points, setting the stage for the game's electrifying conclusion.

Mr. Speaker, with 6.1 seconds left, Toliver dribbled around two screens and then nailed an audacious 3-pointer right over Bales. The shot capped the Terps' 13-point comeback and sent the game into overtime, where the team sealed its stunning 78-75 victory with confident free throws from Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman.

Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my congratulations to each of the members of the Terps Women's Basketball Team for their outstanding performance last night and all season long. The members of the 2005- 2006 Maryland Terps championship team are: Charmaine Carr, Marissa Coleman, Shay Doron, Kalika France, Laura Harper, Crystal Langhorne, Christie Marrone, Ashleigh Newman, Aurelie Noirez, Jade Perry, Angel Ross, Kristi Toliver, and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood.

The fact that 5 players on the team averaged more than 10 points per game this season exemplifies the Terps' selfless and team-oriented approach to the game. Last night's performance exemplifies their ability to play with grace under pressure.

Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my congratulations to Coach Brenda Frese who, in only her fourth season as head coach, guided this splendid team to last night's remarkable victory. I also want to extend my congratulations to Assistant Coaches Jeff Walz, Erica Floyd, and Joanna Bernabei, as well as to Director of Basketball Operations, Mark Pearson.

Finally Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not put other collegiate sports teams on notice for the future: Fear the turtle!

Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct.

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

Mr. Speaker, people of this country are looking to our leadership for change. They want us to move in a different direction. They are tired of our spending money and going further into debt. They want to see us do something about the national debt and the deficit here in Washington. They want us to stop digging the hole deeper. They want to see a commitment to reduce the debt. They want to see tax fairness. They understand that the tax bills that we have passed in recent years provide average tax relief for those under $50,000 of $435 a year while those between $500,000 and $1 million enjoy $22,000 of tax relief. They want to see tax fairness.

They want economic opportunity so this economy can grow. They know that the R&D tax credit that allows companies to invest in the future needs to be made permanent. And they certainly want to see more savings in America. They understand that we have a negative saving rate. We know that young people and people of modest income have a very difficult time putting any money away for their retirement savings and too many companies do not offer incentives for their employees. They want to make sure that we extend the saver's credit that allows them to put money away.

Mr. Speaker, my motion to instruct the conferees on H.R. 4297 deals with these opportunities.

When I noted this motion last night, I was not aware that the conference is close to an agreement, and I use that word reluctantly because, as I understand it, there has been no conference. It is basically the Republican members of the conference committee have been negotiating; and according to the most recent Congressional Daily, tax writers are within striking distance of a reconciliation deal.

We have received a red alert from the Concord Coalition. The Concord Coalition, which is a nonpartisan body whose sole purpose is to try to bring some sense in this Congress in dealing with the deficit, says watch out. The deal that is being struck, ``instead of choosing among competing priorities,'' and I am quoting from the Concord Coalition, ``identifying revenue offsets or otherwise scaling back the cost of the tax cuts to comply with the budget, Congress is considering gimmicks and legislative maneuvers to circumvent budget limits and increase the deficit even more than the budget already allows. Evading the limits in the budget resolution would make a bad budget worse.''

I could not agree more with the Concord Coalition.

So what does my motion do with the tax legislation that is in conference? It provides for four instructions to our conferees:

First, it says to the maximum extent possible within the scope of conference, insist that a conference report will neither increase the Federal budget deficit nor increase the amount of debt subject to the debt limit. I would think that every Member of this body would endorse that instruction to our conferees.

I was just listening to the debate on the budget resolution and heard how we need to rein in the deficit. Well, this is our opportunity to act on that intent. This motion makes it clear that we want to rein in the deficit and the debt to the maximum extent possible. The 2006 budget had a deficit of $371 billion. The 2007 presented budget will increase the deficit by $423 billion, and I am not even counting the surpluses from Social Security that should not be counted in this.

According to the Joint Tax Committee, the conference may very well bring out a report that could increase the deficit by another $80 billion.

Enough is enough. Let's make a commitment to America's future. Let's recognize how dangerous this deficit is to America's future. Let's understand that in order to pay our bills, we have to ask foreign governments to buy our bonds, governments that don't agree with our foreign policy, who buy our bonds not because it is a good investment, but because they want to make sure that the exchange rate between their currency and ours is favorable so they can send more products into America, taking more jobs away from America.

Yes, this is a matter of national security, and that is why this motion speaks to this bill that could make the circumstances much worse. Let's tell our conferees not to do that.

The second part of the motion to instruct deals with two very important tax credits that are scheduled to expire. One is the savers credit. The other deals with the R&D credit. I mention both of those because it is important that we deal with these two credits that are scheduled to expire.

My motion tells us to take the longer period that the other body agreed to. Let's extend for 3 years the savers credit. I want to make it permanent. At least let's make it 3 years. The R&D that allows businesses to reinvest to create jobs, we should make it permanent. Let's make it at least 2 years.

But, Mr. Speaker, let me tell you my fear. I would urge my colleagues to support this motion. Let me tell you my concern. The Concord Coalition is admonishing us that they believe that we will be keeping these politically popular tax cuts hostage to new legislation, that it won't even be in this legislation, in this conference. Instead, we are going to put it in another bill to make the deficit even greater.

This should be our priority, extending these tax credits. This may be our last opportunity to speak to that. So I urge my colleagues who profess to support the savers credit and R&D credit to support this motion.

This motion also deals with the Alternative Minimum Tax, to make it clear we need to extend the Alternative Minimum Tax. If we don't, taxpayers will soon be getting information from the IRS, instructions to let them know that their taxes for 2006 are going to be substantially higher than they are for 2005. For you see, Mr. Speaker, if we don't correct the alternative minimum tax, and let me remind you the bill that passed this body did not include that, if we don't include it at this stage, because this is the bill that is going to be on the way to the President, we are going to find in excess of 15 million of our constituents across the country are going to wake up and find they now have tax liability they didn't expect, not because they are trying to avoid taxes, but because of action taken by us which increased liability for the Alternative Minimum Tax.

So it is critically important. This is our last opportunity to say before the conference is likely to take action that the Alternative Minimum Tax is our priority.

Then the fourth thing, Mr. Speaker, is that we have to make choices. We can't do everything. I was listening to the chairman of the Budget Committee tell us that we can't give everything to everybody that everybody wants. Well, I hope he will vote now in the first vote after his speech to carry that out. We can't do everything that everybody wants and still bring the budget deficit down.

The capital gains and dividend provisions, they are not set to expire until 2008. Let me remind my colleagues of that. We have plenty of time to take that issue up. So my instruction includes holding off on that issue so that in fact we can bring in a conference that is in compliance not only with the letter, but the spirit of our commitment to deal with the budget deficit.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this motion. I believe this is what almost everyone in this body has been speaking about. Now let's see how they vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds just to correct the record from my friend from Pennsylvania.

If AMT relief was a priority, you would have put it in budget reconciliation, because you know that is the only legislation that stands a chance of passage to the President. You have had 12 years to fix it and you have not. There is a statute of limitation on how long you can go back to when the Democrats were in control.

In regards to the $1,400 you referred to for families under $75,000, I question your numbers. I will tell you, their share of the national debt as a result of your fiscally irresponsible policies will far exceed the $1,400 in tax relief.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), my colleague on the Ways and Means Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to emphasize a point that Mr. Levin made.

There is no question that the overwhelming amount of relief provided by

the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 go to the highest income people. That is not tax fairness. There is modest relief that goes to middle income families, very modest relief. Every dollar and more of that will be eaten up by these increased debts and deficits. The interest costs alone, the share of the National debt all will make whatever relief is provided in here meaningless. And when you take a look at the impact that the deficits are having on our economy and you look at how middle income families are struggling in order to meet their needs, in order to be able to afford the increase in college education and energy costs and health care costs, they are falling further and further behind.

So for the sake of middle income families, I would urge my colleagues to support this motion in the conference to bring back a responsible product.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee who is known for his commitment to tax fairness and fiscal responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman).

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

Mr. Speaker, let me make it very clear. I offered this amendment not as a Democrat, and I don't ask you to vote for it because you are a Democrat or a Republican. I offer it as an American who is concerned about the debt of this Nation. I want to see this Nation change direction. I don't think we are heading in the right direction on our economic policies. I think this debt is very dangerous and I want to change direction.

Let me also just say to my friend from Pennsylvania, words have consequences, so please be careful obviously the words we use in this body. We have a responsibility. It is wrong to say that this motion increases taxes. You are using that because we don't extend in our motion a tax provision that will expire in 2008. Well, Mr. English, I could say that you are raising taxes by voting against it because you are only extending the R&D credit to 2007, where that is even shorter than 2008. And I would acknowledge to you that would be a wrong thing for me to say. So please be careful with the language you use. You know that this motion does not increase taxes whatsoever.

A question was asked: What is the appropriate level of taxation? Well, this motion asks: What is the appropriate level of debt? Is anyone going to be concerned about the bottom line debt of our Nation? Isn't there a limit? Now it is $8.9 trillion. Whether we lose revenues through taxes or spend it through the appropriation process, it costs the people of this Nation the same burden to their economy.

No, I am not happy about the economic progress that we have had over the last 5 years. I am not happy about our trade deficit of $720 billion. I am not happy about how many jobs we have exported to other countries. You look at the loss of jobs in America, good jobs, and you look at the job creation, and it is not equal. This has been the worst performance of any administration in modern times as far as the growth of good jobs here in America. So, no, I am not happy about our economic performance.

But what I do ask my colleagues to do is look at this motion that is before you. Read it. It says that we don't want to increase the debt. I would hope all my colleagues would agree with that. It says we want to extend the R&D and the saver's credit to the maximum extent possible. I would think, using my friend from Pennsylvania's argument, that voting against that you are voting for a tax increase. And I don't believe you are, but I just point out the illogic of that argument.

And then it says, yes, we have to make choices, and the Alternative Minimum Tax should be our top priority. Why? Because that expires this year. If we don't correct it in 2006, our constituents are going to have to be paying the Alternative Minimum Tax. And you can keep on saying you will pass legislation to do it, but you know if it is not in the budget reconciliation, if it is not protected by a point of order, we are not going to get it done. We know that. That is why we are saying let's put it in the bill that is going to make it to the President's desk that is going to be signed into law. Let's not play games with this. Let's do what is right for the people of this Nation.

So if you read this motion to instruct, you are going to find that if you are for reducing the debt, if you are for the saver's credit, if you are for the research and development credit, and if you really want to provide Alternative Minimum Tax relief, and then lastly, if you want to avoid a calamity that may in fact be happening if the reports are correct about what is happening in the tax conference, where it is even going to be worse than what we thought, that we are going to be using gimmicks and accounting procedures in order to say that we fit within the budget reconciliation when in fact we don't. I have been told one of the provisions is the RSAs, the retirement savings accounts, which is going to count money as had, even though we are going to lose revenue in the long term.

That is not what we should be doing here. Let's act responsibly. Let's act in the best interest of all the people in our community. Let's not just vote one way or the other because you are told that that is the partisan thing to do. Let's do what is right for this country. Let's speak out about this deficit. Let's speak to the priorities that should be in our Tax Code.

This is our opportunity to do it, and I urge my colleagues to support the motion.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support and as a co-sponsor of H.R. 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006.

Since February 2003, the Sudanese government--through its proxy, the Janjaweed Arab militia--has carried out a campaign to loot and burn African villages in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and over 2 million people have been displaced. This systematic pattern of attacks against civilians includes arbitrary killings, abductions, looting, torture, and rape, and such attacks are supported by air and land strikes by Sudanese government forces. Congress declared in the summer of 2004 that genocide was occurring in Darfur, and the administration followed suit in the fall of 2004.

This bill strengthens the Sudan Peace Act of 2004 by expanding sanctions, authorizing funding for humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts, and by taking additional steps to bring international attention to this conflict.

First, this bill specifically targets individuals in the government as opposed to punishing the coalition government as a whole. It holds Sudanese government officials and Janjaweed officers accountable for genocidal acts. The bill also targets oil revenues of the Sudanese government by denying access to U.S. ports to any ships involved in the Sudanese arms or oil industries. It is important that we force those responsible for the violence to account for their actions and that we prevent the Sudanese government from continuing to profit while thousands are being killed.

Second, the bill increases humanitarian aid to southern Sudan and other marginalized areas, which are currently under the control of the Sudanese government and thus sanctioned. With this provision, our aid will more efficiently reach those in need, even if they live under the coalition government. In this way, we can hope to protect those who have lost their homes and their livelihoods to the violence of the region.

Third, the bill reinforces the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) in order to protect civilians and carry out humanitarian operations. Currently, the African Union Mission in Sudan consists of only a few thousand troops, and AMIS will require a significant number of supplies and additional troops to effectively carry out its mission. The United Nations Security Council should also consider authorizing a separate, more robust peacekeeping force under U.N. auspices.

I was pleased that the House appropriated $500 million last month in emergency assistance to southern Sudan and Darfur. I urge the House to adopt this legislation today, which takes important steps to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw) in introducing this resolution we are considering today. As Mr. Shaw pointed out, last year the United States negotiated a bilateral trade agreement with Saudi Arabia which paved its admission into the WTO in December.

A key commitment as part of the United States' agreement with the Saudis was that they would not have any further boycott with Israel, either primary or secondary. It was also clear that they would not invoke the nonapplication provision of the WTO agreement, meaning that it agreed it would treat all WTO members, including Israel, equally.

Yes, the primary responsibility was to eliminate the secondary boycott; but in not invoking the nonapplication provision, it agreed to treat all WTO countries equally, including Israel. This was a key commitment for the United States' approval of an agreement that paved the way for the Saudis entering the WTO.

Unfortunately, the Saudis' action in recent months appears to fly in the face of that commitment. In December, Saudi officials were quoted in the press as insisting that Saudi Arabia would continue its participation in the primary boycott against Israel which prohibits imports of Israeli goods. Saudi Arabia's continued participation in the boycott conflicts directly with the country's commitment as a WTO member to treat all nations in a nondiscriminatory manner.

What is even more disturbing is that Saudi Arabia has not only continued to participate in the boycott, but Saudi Arabia has helped to promote it. In March, Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference, an international organization with 57 member countries. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss strengthening the Arab League boycott against Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the United States must not stand silently while the Saudis disregard the commitments that it made to us and the WTO to treat all countries equally. We must insist that the Saudis live up to their commitments.

I urge President Bush, the U.S. Trade Representative and all members of the administration to call upon the Saudis to adhere to the commitments that they made to us, that they made to the WTO. It is time for them to end their boycott against Israel, not just the secondary but the primary boycott. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

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

Let me just say that this is an important resolution because I think all of us believe that for peace in the Middle East it is important to open up economic opportunity within the entire region. This administration has put a priority on moving forward with free trade agreements in the Middle East with the support of both Democrats and Republicans. Because we do believe in commerce, there is an opportunity for better understanding in that region of the world.

We have concluded free trade agreements with other countries and we have made it clear that the boycott against Israel must be eliminated. Not only eliminated, but the country must reach out so there is full participation among all of the countries of the region so they all can benefit economically from commerce within that region.

Saudi Arabia is a major country in the Middle East. They need to exercise leadership in the Middle East. And in doing that, they must join us in our fight against terror and our fight against terrorism. They also must join us in making it clear that all countries in the Middle East need to be included in economics and commerce. They need to eliminate their boycott against Israel.

We thought we had an understanding when we entered into an agreement that led to their accession into the WTO. Clearly the Saudis are not living up to that commitment. I think it is extremely important that this country make it clear that we cannot tolerate that type of conduct by the Saudis. It is time for them to end their boycott against Israel and exercise leadership in the Middle East so we can move forward with peace in the Middle East. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, under rule XXII, clause 7(c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 4297, the tax reconciliation conference report.

The form of the motion is as follows:

I move that the managers on the part of the House at the

conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the

Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 4297 be instructed--

(1) to agree to the provisions of section 102 (relating to

credit for elective deferrals and ira contributions), and

section 108 (relating to extension and modification of

research credit), of the Senate amendment,

(2) to agree to the provisions of section 106 of the Senate

amendment (relating to extension and increase in minimum tax

relief to individuals),

(3) to recede from the provisions of the House bill that

extend the lower tax rate on dividends and capital gains that

would otherwise terminate at the close of 2008, and

(4) to the maximum extent possible within the scope of

conference, to insist on a conference report which will

neither increase the Federal budget deficit nor increase the

amount of the debt subject to the public debt limit.

Mr. Speaker, today, on the 38th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I urge my colleagues to join me in remembering this solemn day. Yet while we reflect on Dr. King's death, we should also celebrate his legacy of service and justice--for he was ever hopeful about the future of our nation.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929. He was one of three children of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and Alberta Williams King, in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King graduated high school two years early and went on to study at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University. He began his career as an assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

During his time leading the civil rights movement, Dr. King was arrested on more than thirty occasions for doing the right thing. He served as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association during the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. He founded and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1957 until his death in 1968. He led the March on Washington in 1963, delivering the ``I Have A Dream'' speech to thousands, and focusing the eyes of the world on the American civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King, Jr., worked tirelessly to promote the political, economic and social rights of millions of Americans, particularly those who felt that equal justice was beyond their reach. His passion was unmatched, his strength and perseverance were remarkable, and his enduring commitment to peace has provided an example to us all.

On April 3, 1968, Dr. King was in Memphis to support the striking Sanitation Workers' Union. The night before his assassination, Dr. King prophetically declared that the movement for racial equality may have to continue without him. That night, he and other civil rights activists stayed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

The next afternoon, April 4, Dr. King, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Memphis minister Rev. Billy Kyles, met at the Lorraine motel. The three of them spoke briefly before Dr. King and Rev. Kyles stepped out onto the balcony. His colleagues, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and the Reverend Andrew Young Jr. waited in the parking lot below with the car that would have taken Dr. King to his dinner. At 6:01 PM, a single shot rang out. One hour later, Dr. King, the icon of peaceful, nonviolent change, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital.

The following day, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Sunday, April 7 a day of national mourning. Attending his funeral on April 9 were nearly 100,000 mourners who had felt Dr. King's impact and had come to pay their respects. His coffin traveled through his hometown of Atlanta from Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College, his alma mater.

In the years since his death, his widow, Coretta Scott King, whom we mourned in January, carried on his work and his legacy. So many others who fought alongside Dr. King have also dedicated themselves to keeping the dream alive. I consider it an honor to serve on the Ways and Means Committee with my friend and colleague, John Lewis, who spoke so eloquently this morning of his friendship with Dr. King.

The anniversary of Dr. King's assassination should remind us that America has far to go in the struggle to recognize all its citizens as equals. I look forward to the vote in this chamber to renew the Voting Rights Act before its provisions expire in the summer of 2007, and I would hope that we would remember and honor Dr. King's commitment to end poverty and injustice in all our work in the House.

At Dr. King's funeral, former Morehouse President Dr. Benjamin Mays spoke these words: ``Martin Luther King, Jr., believed in a united America. He believed that the walls of separation brought on by legal and de facto segregation, and discrimination based on race and color, could be eradicated.'' Let us all share in Dr. King's beliefs and his dream for a better America.

Mr. Speaker, under rule XXII, clause 7(c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 4297, the tax reconciliation conference report.

The form of the motion is as follows:

I move that the managers on the part of the House at the

conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the

Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 4297 be instructed--

(1) to agree to the provisions of section 102 (relating to

credit for elective deferrals and IRA contributions), and

section 108 (relating to extension and modification of

research credit), of the Senate amendment,

(2) to agree to the provisions of section 106 of the Senate

amendment (relating to extension and increase in minimum tax

relief to individuals),

(3) to recede from the provisions of the House bill that

extend the lower tax rate on dividends and capital gains that

would otherwise terminate at the close of 2008, and

(4) to the maximum extent possible within the scope of

conference, to insist on a conference report which will

neither increase the Federal budget deficit nor increase the

amount of the debt subject to the public debt limit.