Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to override the Presidential veto of H.R. 810. The Senate's 63-37 vote yesterday to loosen the stranglehold on federally conducted stem cell research and set strict ethical standards for performing that research and the strong showing of support by the House in May of last year marked a triumph of science over politics.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the override of this veto.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a constituent of mine who passed away recently.

Born in South Africa, Dorothy Roth was an extraordinary woman whom I first met while canvassing her neighborhood in the city of Allentown 17 years ago. She immediately invited me into her home to discuss public policy and politics. Accepting that invitation would be among the best decisions I made in my public service life.

But that was by no means the last visit to Dorothy Roth's home by me. After I was in office, occasionally Dorothy would invite me over for a discussion over tea and hors d'oeuvres. Dorothy praised me when she thought I was doing right, and she never hesitated to admonish me when she thought I was wrong or wasn't helping enough to advance worthy ideas or issues. When Dorothy found a cause, there truly was no better champion.

Dorothy gushed with pride about her children and her grandchildren. She loved her country and her community. She expected a lot of us in public service, but she expected even more from herself.

Dorothy had a generous spirit and epitomized what a good citizen should be. More importantly, she was a great person.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of H.R. 4411, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that Lehigh University was mentioned. That institution is in my district.

And just to drive the point home, just in today's paper, the father of the young man who was alleged to have robbed a bank to support his gambling habit said that this bill was something that could have helped his son. He said this: ``He was addicted. He gambled 12 hours at a time. He gambled everything he had.'' The father went on to say, ``When he was out of money, he did what most addicts do when they are out of their supply. The Internet is flagrantly recruiting under-21-year-olds to gamble . . . This bill would have definitely helped my son.''

Finally, while Internet gambling is a $12 billion worldwide business, it is not by anyone's definition economic development. The revenue from these enterprises is not job-creating. Most Internet gambling funds are destined for locations that exist offshore.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong support of H.R. 4411, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act.

This legislation gives law enforcement the tools it needs to fight Internet gambling, which is already illegal in this country. Much Internet gambling originates from off-shore locations and thus is dependent upon the electronic transfer of money and wagering information between sites in the United States and these off-shore locations. Unfortunately, one of the major tools in this fight, the Wire Act, which is codified at title 18 United States Code Section 1081, was enacted in 1961, well before the establishment of the Internet or other forms of similar electronic communication. H.R. 4411 clarifies in statute that Internet communications made in furtherance of gambling transactions indeed fall within the scope of the Wire Act and are thus prosecutable.

H.R. 4411 also gives law enforcement some additional authority to block these transactions. It requires the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve to promulgate regulations aimed at preventing transfers of funds related to illegal Internet Gambling. It also gives law enforcement the ability to seek injunctions against those individuals who act to facilitate this gambling.

While Internet gambling is a $12 billion worldwide business, it is not, anyone's definition, economic development. The revenue from these enterprises is not job-creating; most Internet gambling funds are destined for locations that exist off-shore. Internet gambling is, instead, wealth transfer--in most cases, from many who can least afford it to very few who don't need the cash. The proliferation of gambling in America--whether it involves playing the slots at a local racetrack, betting on roulette at a tribal casino hundreds of miles from the nearest Indian reservation, or placing wagers on college basketball games with an Internet site headquartered in the Bahamas--has done nothing to make this a healthier, more productive nation. That is why I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I too today rise in strong support of the rule for H.R. 4890, and I would urge my colleagues to support this.

Some people are opposed to this bill and the underlying rule, because they fear that this rule gives too much power to the Executive. Well, I must respectfully disagree. This legislation is important because it forces Congress to be fiscally responsible. We simply must do a better job in reining in Federal spending.

The line item veto is nothing new to the American political system. Many States, including my own of Pennsylvania, allow the Governors the opportunity to reject individual spending initiatives that are brought within a comprehensive budgetary package.

Having served as a State representative and a State senator, I can assure you that the threat of an Executive's blue line, or blue pencil as we say in Pennsylvania, often forces smarter and more disciplined spending on the part of the legislative body. What is more, when the legislative body acts with greater fiscal restraint, the Executive is less likely to exercise that power granted under line item veto.

And if the Executive acts in an arbitrary or capricious manner, the legislative body knows how to respond and retaliate, if necessary, through the budget process. Thus, the legislature and the Executive act as potential deterrent to one another's spending proclivities. I have seen this happen many times.

This legislation as drafted does not, in my opinion, cede Congress' constitutionally mandated spending prerogative to the President. In this bill, the Chief Executive may designate for rejection up to five earmarks per spending bill, 10 in the case of an omnibus or reconciliation package. Congress, however, has the final say on those earmarks, as the legislation provides for an expedited process of returning them to Congress in order to have an up-or-down vote on those proposed rescissions. In this way, the spending proclivities of both sides are kept in check, and we will make important strides toward imposing a culture of fiscal restraint in Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 867) honoring the life and accomplishments of James Cameron, as amended.

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

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

James Cameron, thought to be the United States' last known survivor of a lynching in the early 1930s, fostered a lifelong commitment to civil rights that included creating America's Black Holocaust Museum. After an emotional 1979 visit to an Israeli museum that honors the memories of millions of people killed in the Holocaust, Cameron decided to create a similar memorial to pay tribute to the African American lives lost to lynching, slavery and other injustices.

June 19, 1988, also known as Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S., marked the grand opening of America's Black Holocaust Museum. The museum is housed in a 12,000 square-foot building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and features a permanent exhibit on slavery that includes a 15-foot reproduction of the cargo hold of a slave ship and a 45-foot enclosed mural depicting the journey from Africa across the Atlantic.

Cameron was also responsible for the founding of three NAACP chapters in Indiana in the 1940s, and he became the first president of the NAACP branch in Anderson, Indiana.

During the 1960s, Cameron participated in both marches on Washington, the first with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the second with Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

I urge all Members to come together to honor the life of a man who was a true survivor and who persevered above all to promote civil rights and equality.

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

Mr. Speaker, at this time I have no other speakers, and I will reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 867, as amended, to commemorate the extraordinary life of Dr. Cameron.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution.

Today, the global war on terror is being waged on two primary fronts, as we know: Afghanistan and Iraq.

In Afghanistan, a resurgent Taliban is attempting to undermine the efforts of the United States and our NATO allies. The threat from these murderous extremist terrorists remains real, and if one does not believe us, then I suggest reviewing the events of recent days in Canada, where the terrorists, motivated by Canada's participation in Afghanistan, unsuccessfully attempted to decapitate the Canadian government. Mr. Speaker, the United States and our NATO allies must remain resolute in Afghanistan.

In Iraq, which I visited last year, I believe it is important and imperative that this Congress must have a serious, sober discussion about the consequences of failure in Iraq and what that means for the future. Failure in Iraq means a more destabilized Middle East that will be manifested by increasing sectarian strife and a political vacuum that will be filled by murderers and anarchists who most assuredly are not committed to the rule of law.

What is worse, the war will continue, not only in a destabilized Middle East, but elsewhere and in places we would rather not fight. Our friends and allies will be at greatest risk and more exposed than is currently the case.

To be sure, mistakes have been made in Iraq, from pre-war intelligence to de-Ba'athification to the destructive events of Abu Ghraib, but these mistakes should not stop us from our goal: the establishment of a stable, representative, national unity government that can manage the security situation much better itself and that lives in peace with its neighbors.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to submit additional remarks for the Record detailing the efforts of the House Homeland Security Committee's contributions in fighting this global war on terror.

The Global War on Terror is, by virtue of its title, a war with world-wide scope. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am particularly concerned about the way in which this war can impact our way of life here, in these United States. And I believe that we have been doing a fine job of trying to make sure that terrorists or agents of foreign powers Do Not harm us on our shores.

Since September 11, the Homeland Security Committee has enacted or sponsored legislation designed to insure the safety of the people living in this country. In H.R. 1544, the Faster and Smarter First Responders Act, we tried to make sure that homeland security grant dollars are spent according to risk, and not with regard to political concerns. In H.R. 1817, the Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, we authorized the recruitment and training of 2,000 new border patrol agents to insure that terrorists are not able to penetrate our land borders.

As part of the Global War on Terror we have likewise worked hard to make sure that goods moving into this country are secure. In H.R. 4954, the SAFE Port Act of 2006, the Committee authorizes $821 million annually for port security programs. This bill further requires the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, to deploy nuclear and radiological detection systems at 22 U.S. seaports by the end of FY07, an action that will cover 98 percent of incoming maritime containers. Further, it makes sure that the people working at our port facilities are properly cleared and identified by forcing DHS to set deadlines for the implementation of the Transportation Worker Information Credential, TWIC, program, a biometrically-enhanced identification card system designed to make sure that those who would seek to commit acts of terrorism against us are Not allowed to work within the U.S. port system.

We have also worked hard to make sure that our transportation modalities are also protected in this Global War on Terror. In H.R. 5441, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which the House passed on May 25, 2006, we appropriated $2.05 billion for Coast Guard port and waterway security operations, $2.6 billion to screen airline passenger baggage, $13.2 million for rail security inspectors and explosive detection canines, and $458 million for biological, chemical, and explosives countermeasures to protect the Nation's critical infrastructure.

Of course, in addition to securing our transportation modalities, we have also taken steps to make sure that terrorists in the Global War on Terror are not able to access what they clearly would most like to get their hands on--nuclear materials. The SAFE Port Act codifies in law the establishment of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, DNDO. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit the DNDO facility in Nevada, and I am firmly convinced of the importance of maintaining the vitality of this organization. The DNDO has one of the most important missions within the DHS--the detection and identification of nuclear materials. During my visit, I observed first-hand the testing of nuclear and radiological countermeasures, including detection devices designed to identify vehicles transporting nuclear explosive devices, fissile material, and radiological material intended for illicit use. The SAFE Port Act further requires the DNDO to conduct testing of next- generation nuclear and radiological detection equipment and to put forth a timeline for completing installation of such equipment at all U.S. seaports.

Members of the Homeland Security Committee have worked hard to insure the safety of Americans, our commerce, and our infrastructure. Since September 11, we have not had a major terrorist incident in this country. And I believe that it is appropriate to attribute this positive development at least in part to the efforts of the leadership of this Committee, which is determined to make sure that the homeland is indeed a safe place.

Offered By Mr. Dent

Amendment No. 12: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, this amendment, which I do intend to withdraw, would prevent the Department of the Interior from using any appropriated funds to further the expansion of off-reservation gambling under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Casino gambling sponsored by Indian tribes is a multi-billion dollar business that today comprises some 23 percent of gambling revenue nationwide. Unfortunately, as these casino profits increase, so does the motive to use the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act as a vehicle not for promoting Indian culture, but only as a tool to spread casino gambling into places where tribes have no federally recognized historical presence.

Because profits in this industry are so high, many of these casinos are being established long distances, in some cases hundreds of miles, from existing reservations.

The residents of my district in Pennsylvania, where there are no federally recognized tribes, have felt the sting caused by the unbridled expansion of tribal gambling. Recently, the Delaware Nation, which is headquartered in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania seeking title to land in my district based on a conveyance that allegedly occurred in 1737.

This land is currently occupied by approximately 25 homeowners as well as commercial entities such as the Binney and Smith Corporation, makers of the world-famous Crayola crayons. These innocent homeowners and businesses have had to go to court to defend their title against this encroachment, and only after a couple years of litigation and attorneys' fees has the third circuit found in their favor.

This suit, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the preservation of Indian culture and everything to do with establishing a casino, represents just how out of control the pursuit of off-reservation gambling rights has become.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to take a moment to engage in a colloquy with my friend and colleague from California (Mr. Pombo).

Mr. Pombo, my specific question to you, I know you plan to advance legislation out of your committee that will deal with the issue of reservation shopping.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I yield 1 minute to my friend from Oregon (Mr. Wu).

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

Offered By Mr. Dent

Amendment No. 12: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:TITLE VI--A

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the efforts of the Hepatitis B Foundation, which is located in my state of Pennsylvania, as well as all the groups involved in the ``AIM for the B'' campaign which seeks to raise awareness for chronic hepatitis B. The ``AIM for the B'' campaign has been working over the past 3 years to encourage communities most impacted by the chronic hepatitis B virus, including Asian Americans, to seek treatment for the disease, and to prioritize the disease as a serious health issue in the U.S. and I commend them for this noble goal.

In the United States, approximately one out of every 10 Asian Americans is chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus, resulting in more than half of the chronic hepatitis B cases and half of the deaths resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection. Today, only a small percentage of diagnosed chronic hepatitis B patients are being actively managed for their disease. Every year, approximately one million people worldwide die from chronic hepatitis B because they are diagnosed past the point where medical care and intervention can be effective.

In December, I, along with Congressman Mike Honda, introduced H.R. 4550, the National Hepatitis B Act, which included strategies for expanded vaccination programs, primary and secondary preventive education and training, surveillance and early detection, and research. I want to thank Congressman Honda for his tireless efforts on behalf of this issue and my 21 colleagues who have already recognized the importance of this legislation and are currently cosponsors of this bill. I encourage my colleagues to be a part of the solution to this terrible and silent disease and sign on to co-sponsor this important legislation.

Today, Congressman Honda and I along with representatives from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), patient advocacy organizations, physicians and patients joined together at a Congressional Briefing in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the ``AIM for the B'' campaign to kick off National Hepatitis B Awareness Week. The week will educate communities, patients and families about chronic hepatitis B through events held across the country. The briefing was designed to increase knowledge of chronic hepatitis B as a serious health issue in the United States and to emphasize the importance of increasing diagnosis, screening and treatment. The briefing allowed us to communicate the potential consequences of chronic hepatitis B and to lay out actions needed to increase treatment rates for this extremely infectious disease.

I want to take this opportunity to especially recognize the Hepatitis B Foundation based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. As a representative of Pennsylvania, I am pleased to support this national non-profit organization solely dedicated to the global problem of hepatitis B. The foundation was founded in 1991, with the support of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus. In just 10 years, the Hepatitis B Foundation has grown from a grassroots effort into a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B.

As we begin National Hepatitis B Awareness week, I urge my colleagues to reflect on the severity of hepatitis B and take steps to educate, raise awareness about and put an end to this disease. Together, we can make a difference in addressing this U.S. and global public health issue.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

First, I thank Chairman Hunter and the ranking member, Mr. Skelton, for their leadership on this very important piece of legislation.

I rise today to offer an amendment to title XIV to H.R. 5122 that would ensure that the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security work together as part of a homeland defense-homeland security technology transfer consortium to facilitate the transfer of viable DOD technologies in order to enhance the homeland security capabilities of Federal, State, and local first responders.

The Department of Defense has been a leading developer of technology for years, and some of the innovations it has pioneered may have outstanding homeland security applications. These types of technologies include: unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs; ground sensors which help authorities monitor activities over vast expanses of terrain; biometric identification technologies which can assist in the creation of tamper- proof identity cards; radiological detectors which can monitor the transport of nuclear and other potentially dangerous materials; and sophisticated surveillance equipment, examples of which include night vision goggles and microwave and infrared imaging gear.

While these technologies have been helpful to our warfighters overseas, the Federal, State and local agencies charged with protecting us here at home could also make good use of these kinds of products. Unfortunately, the process of transferring these technologies from the military to the civilian sector has been a bit slow.

As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I would like first responders and other appropriate authorities to have quicker access to and to make good use of these technologies.

Accordingly, my amendment would provide for the creation of a homeland defense-homeland security technology transfer consortium that would facilitate this transfer. It specifically calls for the inclusion of the Department of Homeland Security, which is already in the process of developing and utilizing many of these technologies that I have just described.

Within this consortium, it also brings State and local first responders into the deliberative process. The consortium will be involved in integrating new technologies into appropriate first responder exercises, in promoting interoperability, and, of course, in identifying and developing those defense technologies that have the most promising applications for homeland security.

By facilitating these kinds of transfers, Federal, State, and local agencies can work better together and can function more efficiently and the homeland can be safer.

I thank Chairman Hunter and the ranking member, Mr. Skelton, for their leadership on this issue.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Armed Services.

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

I thank everybody involved for their support for this amendment. Its interdisciplinary approach is most appropriate. This transfer technology consortium is long overdue. As has been stated several times already, there is so much technology coming out of the Department of Defense that needs to be shared with the homeland security. Of course, this will also make its way down to our first responders, State and local first responders.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Inglis for his leadership on this very important issue.

Mr. Speaker, American economic success has been built on innovation and competition. By competing against one another to build a better mousetrap, so to speak, American entrepreneurs have developed many products, from early incandescent lights to the Model T automobile to sophisticated computer hardware and software products of today, that have certainly made our lives better and our quality of life better.

Today in an era of increasing fuel costs the drive to produce energy economically can be advanced through this same kind of innovation and competition. Fossil fuel technology was the impetus for 20th century industrial development, but today hydrogen holds out promise for being the driver of the economy of the future.

Of course, hydrogen is a fuel that can be produced domestically, thus limiting our dependence on foreign petroleum products. I mean, that is why I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006.

As a founding member of the bipartisan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, along with Mr. Inglis and Mr. Wynn and Mr. Larson, I certainly applaud Congressman Inglis' leadership on this issue.

I also wanted to point out, too, that in my district, headquartered, is the largest producer of hydrogen in the world, Air Products and Chemicals. They have told me on many occasions that they produce about 1.7 billion cubic feet of hydrogen per day, and they are producing that for refineries, for the U.S. Government, the electronics industries and other process industries.

But the bottom line is, they said that that 1.7 billion cubic feet is enough to power seven million cars, hydrogen cars on the roads. That is a lot of hydrogen, and we can do more.

The H-Prize Act, the H-Prize Act rewards those innovators and creative thinkers who develop innovative hydrogen technologies. It establishes four $1 million prizes, awarded every other year, to the best advances in hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization. It authorizes an additional $1 million to that person or group that develops superior hydrogen-powered vehicles or other hydrogen-based products. It establishes a minimum lump sum of a $10 million prize award for the best transformational changes in technologies for the production and distribution of hydrogen.

Now, as I speak these words today some scientist or engineer is out there thinking of new ways to employ hydrogen technology to better address our needs. It is my hope that these prizes will serve as an incentive to those bright people as they push forward and develop these products and thereby help relieve us from our dependence on foreign energy.

Mr. Speaker, that is why I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the rule and in support of the underlying bill, H.R. 4954, the SAFE Port Act of 2006.

This is a bipartisan bill, as has been stated, that takes a commonsense approach to improving the security of America's ports. The bill authorizes $821 million annually for port security programs. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to deploy nuclear and radiological detection systems at 22 U.S. seaports by the end of fiscal year 2007, an action that will cover 98 percent of incoming maritime containers.

Further, it makes sure that the people working at our port facilities are properly cleared and identified by forcing DHS to set deadlines for the implementation of the Transportation Worker Information Credential Program, or commonly called TWIC, a biometrically enhanced identification card system designed to make sure that those who would seek to commit acts of terrorism against us are not allowed to work within the U.S. port system.

Mr. Speaker, I am also happy to see that the bill codifies in law the establishment of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, or DNDO. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit the DNDO facility at the Nevada test site.

Mr. Speaker, I am firmly convinced of the importance of maintaining the vitality of this organization. The DNDO has been one of the most important missions within the DHS, the detection and identification of nuclear materials. During my visit, I observed firsthand the testing of nuclear and radiological countermeasures, including detection devices designed to identify vehicles transporting nuclear explosive devices, fissile material, radiological material intended for illicit use.

The SAFE Port Act requires the DNDO to conduct testing of next- generation nuclear radiological detection equipment and to put forth a time line for completing installation of such equipment at all US seaports.

Finally, I am grateful to Chairman King for his willingness to accept my addition to section 1812 of the act, which appears in the manager's amendment. My addition to section 1812 allows contract logistics providers to be eligible for inclusion in the Customs-Trade Partnership Act Against Terrorism, or commonly known as C-TPAT, an important tool in the public-private sector alliance designed to make sure that goods shipped by manufacturers internationally are safe.

Contract logistics providers manage the movement and warehousing of goods and have access to critical information about the status of shipments throughout the supply chain. Given our goal of securing the entire supply chain, it is logical that companies providing services critical to the overall movement of goods should be allowed to voluntarily seek membership in C-TPAT.

For all of these reasons, I support the rule and underlying bill,

Mr. Chairman, I, too, applaud Representative Gohmert for this amendment. This amendment does recognize that the American system of higher education is truly the envy of

the world, and just as importantly, it recognizes the role our independent colleges and universities play in that overall system.

Specifically, this amendment addresses the primary concerns of so many of the private and independent colleges about what they have seen as a genuine threat to their independence and their ability to fulfill their diverse missions.

I, like many others in this chamber, have spoken with a number of the presidents in my district and understand how deeply they feel about undertaking their responsibilities to their students without excessive and inappropriate Federal or State interference.

And for this reason, I offer my support for the Gohmert amendment which removes Federal intervention mechanisms while pushing schools to voluntarily rein in costs, and that is all included in this legislation. It also further eliminates the authority for States to become accreditors.

The other good thing about this amendment is disclosures are still in the bill, but the price controls essentially are out.

In terms of States as accreditors, the concern would be that any State higher education bureaucracy that wants to control the State's private and independent colleges can simply require State accreditation, giving the State control over its curriculum and mission. Although the intent of the provision is to offer more options to the institutions, the opposite may well occur. There is no way to anticipate all the ways in which a State might seek to control private institutions using its accreditation powers as leverage.

For all those reasons, I strongly support Mr. Gohmert's amendment and thank Chairman McKeon for his willingness to work with us on this matter.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Souder-Bishop amendment, and I want to associate myself with their comments just made.

This amendment by Mr. Souder would revise the transfer-of-credit provisions in this bill. The transfer-of-credit provisions in this bill have been made less onerous since the reauthorization bill was first introduced. The Federal Government as a matter of policy should not be involved in decisions about the awarding of credit which is an institution's essential product.

The Souder-Bishop amendment really takes an important step towards alleviating these concerns, relying instead on additional disclosures to help students better understand an institution's transfer policies.

Once again, I strongly support this amendment and urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4786) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 535 Wood Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as the ``H. Gordon Payrow Post Office Building''.

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 under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 4786 to honor H. Gordon Payrow, a man who was wise beyond his years. He was a man who challenged the process and brought new and innovative ideas and policies to his community. In his early years, he attended Bethlehem High School and Allentown Preparatory School. After graduation, he went on to study at Lehigh University where he earned a degree in business.

After his marriage to Dorothy Parker in 1943, he was elected to the Bethlehem City Council in November of 1951. It was not long after that he was elected as mayor and named the first ``strong mayor'' to emerge from the mayor-council form of government first authorized in 1957.

At his inauguration in 1962, Mayor Payrow declared: ``Today marks the end of the North Side, South Side, and West Side. From here on we will only think of Bethlehem,'' thus bringing together a melting pot of cultures and proclaiming a new unity for the city. Payrow was extremely popular with both Democrats and Republicans, which led him to hold office for three consecutive terms.

During his tenure, Mayor Payrow never retreated from tackling controversial issues. Under Payrow, Bethlehem hired its first female police officer and began the construction of a new city hall. He oversaw the creation of the city's Fine Arts Commission, the Beautification Committee, and the Environmental Conservation Commission. He was also instrumental in laying the groundwork for a massive revitalization of Bethlehem's downtown area.

Further, during his three terms, the mayor worked to construct several fire stations, to demolish blighted housing developments, and to oversee the replacement and construction of several bridges critical to the transportation infrastructure of the city of Bethlehem.

Gordon Payrow was a man of great integrity and skill who believed in his city and in his constituents. The city of Bethlehem is a better place because of his influence, and it is only fitting and proper that a postal facility in the city be named after him.

I urge all Members to join me in honoring a great man that promoted excellence in government by passing H.R. 4786.

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

Mr. Speaker, I too have no further speakers at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.