Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of S. 867, legislation naming a postal facility after Ronald Reagan. S. 867, which was introduced by Senator Conrad Burns on April 10, 2003, was approved by voice vote in the Committee on Government Reform on July 10, 2003.

Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States. He served as President from January 1981 to January 1989. At 73, he was the oldest man ever elected President. He was well-known as Dutch, the Gipper, and the Great Communicator. An actor by profession, President Reagan served as Governor of California from 1966 to 1974. During his Presidency, his economic policies came to be known as ``Reaganomics.''

In 1994, former President Reagan announced that he was afflicted with Alzheimer's. And although a number of facilities have been named after him, schools, streets, highways, a postal facility in West Melbourne, Florida, and even the Washington, D.C. National Airport, a crowning achievement was when President William Clinton dedicated the Ronald Reagan Building in 1998. That building, located in the District of Columbia, houses an international trade center, international cultural activities, the Agency for International Development, and many other entities.

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed appropriate that we remember those who have led our country, and naming this postal facility after former President Ronald Reagan fits that description. I would urge swift passage of this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, Althea Gibson overcame unbelievable odds to achieve international acclaim and success. Her journey from Harlem to Wimbledon reveals her strength of character and her

remarkable composure in the face of racial prejudice. She built the foundation on which Venus and Serena Williams and Tiger Woods now stand.

The life of Althea Gibson is much more than a story about a successful tennis champion. It is a story about education, opportunity, hope, perseverance, and the responsibility we all have for helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in the small town of Silver, South Carolina. Her family moved to Harlem in New York City when she was 3. Her family was on welfare. She was a client of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She had trouble in school and was often truant. She ran away from home frequently.

Tennis, which first came to the United States in the late 19th century, by the middle of the 20th Century had become part of a culture of health and fitness. Public programs brought tennis to children in poor neighborhoods, though those children could not dream of playing in the elite tennis clubs.

Althea played paddle tennis in public recreation programs and became quite proficient. Musician Buddy Walker noticed her playing table tennis and took her to the Harlem River Tennis Courts, where she learned the game and excelled. By 1942, Gibson had won the girls' singles event at the American Tennis Association's New York State tournament, an all-black organization. She won again in 1944 and 1945.

In 1946, two tennis-playing doctors who were active in the black tennis community, Hubert Eaton of North Carolina and Robert Johnson of Virginia, took in Althea Gibson, Eaton during the school year and Johnson during the summer. Gibson, who had dropped out of high school, was made to finish high school and eventually graduated from Florida A&M University in 1953.

In 1950, when Gibson was 23 years old, she was permitted to play at the U.S. Nationals, becoming the first black to compete in the tournament. In 1956, Althea Gibson made history by becoming the first black person to win the French championships. The next year she made history by winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, the first black to win either. Althea won six out of a total of 11 Grand Slam events, including six doubles titles, on her way to the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Althea Gibson is quoted as saying, ``I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me.''

Though Arthur Ashe and the Williams sisters have met their own challenges, Althea Gibson was the first black person of either sex to break the color barrier in national and international tournament tennis at a time when prejudice and racism were far more pervasive in society and in sports. Althea Gibson was not only somebody, she was someone special.

So we celebrate the life of Althea Gibson by ensuring that our policies and laws lift up and assist the less fortunate among us so that they too may fulfill their dreams and their potential as Althea Gibson did. I commend the gentleman from New York for introducing this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 320 and commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney) for introducing this legislation.

Since March 26, 1903, when the first automobile race was held on a beach in Volusia County, Florida, motorsports races have been held in every American State. Millions of Americans enjoy the excitement and speed of motorsports brought to them by such organizations as the Championship Auto Racing Teams, Grand American Road Racing, Indy Racing League, the Sports Club of America, the National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing, and others.

The research and development of vehicles used in motorsports competition contribute to the improvement of safety and technology of motor vehicles used by the general public. Additionally, motorsports activities contribute millions of dollars to local and State economies as well as to the national economy.

As America continues to grow and develop and as we continue to exercise our creativity and ingenuity, and as we find additional ways for recreation, many people are beginning to view this as not only a spectator sport but also something that they would learn to participate in themselves.

Again I commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney) for introducing this resolution and urge its swift passage.

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

Few people realize that even before there was a Declaration of Independence or a Constitution, African-Americans could be counted among our most dedicated revolutionaries. In the fall of 1775, the Continental Army tried to appease large landholders in the South by barring all slaves and most freemen from enlisting or re- enlisting. But by the end of the year the war took a turn for the worse, and the order was rescinded. So on Christmas night, in 1776, African-American soldiers made that famous crossing of the Delaware River with Washington to help him capture the Hessians at Trenton. All told, some 5,000 African-Americans served for the cause of Independence, and their sacrifices have been little remembered but should never be forgotten.

There has never been any war fought involving America, whether in time of slavery or freedom, segregation or integration, that African Americans did not serve and become major contributors in serving their country. African American veterans have a long honor roll in serving America. During World War II more than one million African Americans in uniform distinguished themselves as P-40 fighter pilots and Navy Seabees, Sherman tank drivers, orderlies and engineers. Let us remember Dorie Miller, a steward aboard the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who saw his captain fall wounded and pulled him to safety and then despite the fire, he manned a machine gun and downed several enemy planes.

At the Battle of the Bulge the men of the 3496th Truck Company hauled weapons, soldiers and prisoners down roads that the rain

had turned into rivers of mud and ice. They unloaded their 2.5 ton trucks as mortars fell all around them.

Also, let us remember the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II who overcame resentment, suspicion and segregation to become the first African-American fighter pilots, and time and again they flew over 1,500 combat missions and never lost a single bomber under their escort on bombing runs into Germany. When African Americans broke the color barrier in the Marine Corps, they went to the frontlines of Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Although these are just a few instances of African Americans having courage, valor, bravery and commitment to the ideas in preserving and fighting for freedom and justice for all. We as a people have a long history of achievement in defending and protecting America's sovereignty. It was revealed in a few, even though many African Americans in earlier years were excluded from recognition due to pervasive racism, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Congressional Medal of Honor was approved by President Lincoln on December 21, 1861 for the Navy and July 12, 1862 for the Army, it is the highest American award for military valor.

There were 23 Congressional Medals of Honor awarded to African Americans for bravery and gallantry in the Civil War. Eight Medals of Honor for Naval service recipients from 1865 to 1898, 17 Medals of Honor during the Western Campaigns, 6 Medals of Honor for the Spanish- American War, one Medal of Honor to Corporal Freddie Stowers of the 370th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division which was awarded in 1991. Seven Medals of Honor for World War II African American veterans who were not awarded until 1997, when only one of seven--Vernon Baker-- was still alive (four of the seven were killed in action).

Today, I commend all of our veterans who fought and loss their lives to defend our country from the Revolutionary war of 1775 to 1781, the War of 1812, Civil War 1861 to 1865, Spanish-American War 1898, World War I 1917 to 1918, World War II 1941 to 1945, Korean conflict 1950 to 1953, Vietnam conflict 1960 to 1972, Persian Gulf War 1991, and our future veterans of the Iraq conflict. Thank you for your service.

Mr. Chairman, I have listened intently to this debate, and it is clear to me that there are a lot of people here who do not know much about what goes on in prison, and do not know much about what happens to people when they get out of prison. Most of the individuals who are incarcerated have no skills. As a matter of fact, most of them do not have a high school diploma. They are dropouts. Many of them have personal emotional problems and difficulties.

My mother always told us that an idle mind was a devil's workshop. I can tell Members if we do not provide an opportunity for individuals to learn and develop a skill, to come out so they are able to go in the marketplace and get a job, half of them will end up right back in the same prison. We will be paying for them and paying for them and taking care of them for the rest of their lives. If that is not utilization of tax money, then I do not know what is.

I agree with my esteemed colleague from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) when he wrote the op-ed opinion. It may not be the intent to have them breaking rocks, but the results will be that there will be nothing for them to do except break rocks. I have heard people talk about the training, all of the things that they are going to get. I do not know which prisoners these are, and I do not know which prisons these individuals come from. They sure do not come from the ones that I meet and know and see.

This legislation is not good even for small businesses. It is not good for the businesses that we intend to protect because any money that they can make they are going to have to plow it right back into taking care of the inmates who now cannot take care of themselves. I would urge that we vote this legislation down. It is not good for America.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, it seems to me that what we are debating is corrections policy. The United States of America, our country, has become the most imprisoned Nation on the face of the earth. Right now, we have more than 2 million people in jails and prisons. We have more than 630,000 people who return home to neighborhoods and communities each and every year. Some communities are impacted a great deal. Other communities are impacted not as much.

If one lives in inner city America where there is the greatest amount of impact, there are some neighborhoods where they will go into and find that almost a third of the men have some kind of prison record, have some kind of association with the criminal justice system. That sounds theoretical to people who do not experience it, but if one lives in one of those neighborhoods, then they have a large number of individuals who cannot get a job, who cannot be employed.

For example, in my State of Illinois, there are 57 job titles by license that a person coming out of prison with a felony cannot hold. As a matter of fact, they cannot be a barber. They cannot cut hair without a waiver. They cannot be a beautician. They cannot be a nail technician. They cannot work in any hospital or health care facility. They cannot wash dishes at a nursing home. They cannot work around a school. They cannot cut the grass. They cannot mow the lawn. They cannot wash the windows. They cannot be a butcher. And, of course, the professions, they cannot enter into those.

So these individuals then come back, and they cannot find anything to do. They do not have any resources. And before we know it, most of them are back on the streets hollering crack and blow, pills and thrills, whatever it was that got them there. As a matter of fact, 67 percent of them are more than likely to be rearrested within a 3-year period of time, 67 percent. Almost half of them will be back in jail or the penitentiary within a 3-year period, almost half, 45, 46 percent.

So any opportunity that exists for them to get trained is good, even if it is only the little bit that they get. As a matter of fact, we talk about the impact, and we do need a GAO study, because in one sense we are really talking about one-quarter of 1 percent of the procurement that we are talking about. That does impact some businesses.

I consider myself a serious proponent of small businesses. I am an advocate for small businesses, and I recognize that they need opportunities and agree that they should have them, but the Prison Industries really did not send the jobs to Mexico. They did not create NAFTA. They did not create GATT. They did not create free trade. They did not create any monopolistic trade. All these individuals are, are some individuals that have gone afoul of the law and are hoping that they would have some opportunity to reclaim themselves rather than be in and out of the penitentiary, the penitentiary that we pay for, $35,000 a year in many instances. If we can get an individual to get an individual to become self-sufficient, that is $35,000 that we could use for something else. Support the Green amendment.

Mr. Speaker, just as the seniors in Texas and all across the country are concerned about prescription drug coverage and the action of the conferees, so are those in Illinois. I met with a group of seniors on Saturday, and they are waiting in anticipation of a real plan, a real program, and they are saying, Mr. Speaker, that they do not want a watered-down version. They do not want a pig in a poke. They want something that is real, meaningful.

Please conferees, listen to the seniors. Let us come up with a real prescription drug plan.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) for yielding me this time. I also want to commend the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Kolbe) and the ranking member for the outstanding work that they have both done in shaping this legislation.

I rise in support of the Lowey motion to instruct conferees on the Foreign Ops appropriation bill to reflect the Senate version of assistance for the U.S. Agency for International Development, for child survival and disease programs for HIV/AIDS, polio, malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, including family planning and reproductive health programs.

I commend the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) for this motion because it reflects her keen insight and understanding and sensitivity to the health and medical needs of underdeveloped nations, especially in Africa.

Mr. Speaker, this motion is not a budget breaker. It is not a program alterer. It does not change any program, nor does it create any serious imbalances. It simply asks that the conferees support the other body's mark which is $1,726,000,000. It is not a lot of additional money between the two. But when we think of what a little bit of money can do in Africa, what it can do for individuals who are simply waiting to die, who have no hope, who have lost it all, given up, who have said that the only thing that they can do is wait and hope that something happens, well, this gives hope to those millions, this gives hope to those thousands, it is a very rational motion. I am pleased to support it.

Mr. Speaker, again, I commend both the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Kolbe) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ranking Member Lowey) for the outstanding work that they have done.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, at first blush, I thought that this was a good bill, good piece of legislation, that it made some sense. But then I thought about the fact that the goal of our prison system really should be to try and make sure that individuals are better off when they leave than they were when they got there.

If they cannot read, we need to teach them how to read; if they cannot write, we should teach them how to write; if they have got drug problems, we should give them counseling and treatment; if they do not have job skills, if they have never had a work ethic, then we ought to provide opportunities for them to learn what work is all about.

We ought to provide an opportunity for them to develop a skill, so that when they get out, there is something that they can do, other than stand on the corner and holler ``crack and blow,'' or ``pills and thrills.'' Any diminution of opportunity for these individuals to work is not in the best interest of America. It will cause recidivism, and those who get out will be right back. So I would urge us to look seriously.

I understand competition. I understand small business. I am an avid supporter of small business, but I believe that we would do much more harm than good by denying any single person incarcerated the opportunity to work and learn a skill.

I will vote no, and urge that we reject this rule and this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 425, introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, the fires raging through Southern California have killed 20 people, destroyed more than 3,400 homes, and scorched over 750,000 acres of forests. Most of the deaths and demolished homes were in San Diego County, where a 280,000-acre blaze was apparently started by a lost hunter who set a signal fire.

Every year, fires and other emergencies take thousands of lives and destroy property worth billions of dollars. Firefighters are on the front lines between the public and the devastation the fire can cause. Firefighters help protect the public interest from these dangers by rapidly responding to a variety of emergencies. Firefighting involves hazardous conditions and long, irregular hours.

Firefighters must be prepared to respond immediately to a fire or to any other emergency that arises. Because fighting fires is dangerous and complex, it requires organization and teamwork.

When fires break out in forests and parks, firefighters are brought in to suppress the blaze by using heavy equipment, hand tools, and water hoses. Forest firefighting is rigorous work. One of the most effective means of battling a blaze is to create fire lines by cutting down trees and digging out grass and all other vegetation, thereby creating bare land in the path of the fire that deprives it of fuel. Elite firefighters, called smoke jumpers, parachute from airplanes to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. This is extremely hazardous, because the crews have no way to escape if the wind shifts and causes the fire to burn towards them.

That is what firefighters do. They risk their lives for the public, and Steven Rucker was not any different. Steven Rucker died in the line of duty last week while battling the Cedar fire near the town of Julian in San Diego County. Steven Rucker and three other firefighters were battling to save a home as part of a strike team called in to battle the immense San Diego County blaze. The four men were working to save a structure when the swirling flames overwhelmed their position.

Rucker's colleagues, Captain Doug McDonald, Engineer Shawn Kreps, and Firefighter/Paramedic Barrett Smith were injured on the lines before the group was evacuated by helicopter from the scene.

We owe the California firefighters, and all firefighters, a debt of gratitude for what they do to protect us from the devastation of fires. That gratitude should be extended when the fire is blazing and when it has dimmed.

I support this resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the sensitive Democratic leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no greater gift that one can give than his or her own life. There is no greater service than

one can provide than looking after the needs of others while neglecting those of your own. I urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3379, and I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), the ranking member of the Committee on the Budget.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill), the sponsor of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indianapolis, Indiana (Ms. Carson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), the pride of northeastern Indiana, and my neighbor and friend across the water.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Democratic leader.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the Democratic whip.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

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

In closing for our side, I did not have the opportunity to serve with Representative McCloskey, but from listening to the accolades that have been given to him by his colleagues who did serve with him and know him, it is clear that he was not only honorable, but that he was also seriously committed to what he believed in even if, at the time, there was not the full level of support that one often looks for. I commend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) for introducing this resolution. I commend all of the members of the Indiana delegation, all of those who are supportive of this measure. I urge its swift passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the DeLauro motion to instruct conferees, and I commend the gentlewoman from Connecticut for introducing it.

H.R. 2660, the appropriations bill for the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, is underfunding our Nation's education system. Although this Congress made the promise to increase funding for education by $2.2 billion in the FY 2004 budget resolution, and then again in H.R. 1350, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, these promises do not appear in the appropriations bill. Instead, special education falls $1.2 billion short of the budget promise.

Due to the insufficiency of funding for local education, our local communities will need to absorb more of the costs for providing special education to 6.7 million school children. Ultimately, schools will be forced to cut essential programs or raise local taxes. That is why I voted against the appropriation resolution and why I voted against the IDEA reauthorization.

During discussion in the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I spoke to the need to fully fund IDEA, and even voted in favor of an amendment which did in fact fail. Now I am asking my colleagues in the House to follow suit with our Senate colleagues and fulfill the promise from the budget resolution and the Senate-passed bill, which included the bipartisan amendment to increase IDEA funding by $2.2 billion.

I believe that we have no greater responsibility as legislators than to fully fund education; to make sure that we have adequate buildings, schools, teachers, textbooks; and to help those children who have the greatest amount of need. No children have greater needs than those with disabilities. I ask that we support the DeLauro motion and support our children who need help the most.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I rise in support of H.R. 3166, legislation naming a postal facility located at 57 Old Tappan Road in Tappan, New York, after John G. Dow. H.R. 3166, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) on September 24, 2003, was unanimously approved by our committee on October 8, 2003. The

measure has met the Committee on Government Reform policy and has the support and cosponsorship of the entire New York State delegation.

Mr. John G. Dow was a former Member of Congress and a staunchly liberal New York Democrat from the lower Hudson Valley. One of the earliest congressional opponents of the Vietnam War, he died in March of this year at the age of 97. John Dow was born in New York City in 1905 and grew up in New Jersey. His family later moved to Kennebunkport, Maine. He graduated from Harvard University, became a businessman and began dabbling in local politics, serving as chairman of the Zoning and Appeals Board.

In 1964, Mr. Dow won election to Congress, representing Rockland County, New York. Representative John Dow served two terms before he was defeated. He later ran again and won his seat back, serving one term before being defeated by Representative Benjamin Gilman.

Mr. Speaker I commend my colleagues for seeking to honor the memory of the late Representative John Dow by naming a postal facility after him, and I urge swift adoption of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.

Turner) in support of H.R. 3029, legislation naming a Postal Service facility located at 255 North Main Street in Jonesboro, Georgia, after S. Truett Cathy. H.R. 3029 was introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) on September 5, 2003. The bill has met the Committee on Government Reform policy and has the support and cosponsorship of the entire Georgia delegation.

S. Truett Cathy is the founder and chairman of the third largest fast-food chicken chain in the United States. The first restaurant opened in 1967 in Atlanta, Georgia. As of February, 2003, there are more than 1,000 restaurants in 36 States and Washington, D.C.

Not content to be just a successful businessman, Mr. Cathy continues to give back to his community. He provides leadership scholarships to employees, scholarships to young people to attend college, sponsors long-term care for foster children, and a summer camp program to build self-esteem. He also sponsors golf and football sporting events.

Mr. Speaker, naming a postal facility after Mr. S. Truett Cathy continues the tradition of honoring dedicated and committed individuals who make a difference in their community and in our Nation. I am pleased to join in urging swift adoption of H.R. 3029.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott), the proud Georgian sponsor of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Mr. Cathy is indeed a remarkable man. I congratulate the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the Georgia delegation. I urge swift passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2438, legislation naming a postal facility located at 115 West Pine Street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, after Major Henry A. Commiskey, Sr. H.R. 2438, introduced by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) on June 11, 2003, was unanimously approved by our committee on July 10, 2003. The measure has met the Committee on Government Reform policy and has the support and cosponsorship of the entire Mississippi State congressional delegation.

Mr. Speaker, Henry A. Commiskey was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1927. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17 during World War II and participated in the 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima, where he earned the Purple Heart. He remained in the corps after the war, rose to the rank of staff sergeant to become a drill instructor at Parris Island, and then graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1949.

Henry volunteered for combat service at the outbreak of the Korean War and was presented the distinguished Medal of Honor by President Truman in 1951 for leading a charge up Hill 85 in North Korea and killing seven enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat on September 20, 1950.

Henry A. Commiskey obtained the rank of major before retiring from the corps.

Last year, the Hattiesburg City Council and the Board of Supervisors for Forrest County, Mississippi, passed official resolutions requesting the assistance of the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) in renaming the city's downtown post office after the late Major Henry A. Commiskey, Sr., a long-time resident of the community and Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War.

I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Davis) and the gentleman from California (Ranking Member Waxman) and the House majority and minority leadership for moving this bill to the floor so expeditiously. I also commend my colleague, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) for seeking to honor the tremendous sacrifice of Major Commiskey.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) has been trying to get here, but he has been traveling from Mississippi and has not made it yet. He wanted to be here to speak in favor of this legislation. Unfortunately, he did not make it. So I will insert his statement in the Record at the appropriate place, and I urge swift passage of this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the members of the National Association for Music Education, the offices of the Smithsonian Institute, and the members of the American Sportscasters Association have joined in the National Anthem ``SingAmerica'' project.

The ``SingAmerica'' project aims to restore the original Star Spangled Banner Flag and to renew national awareness of the patriotic musical traditions of the United States. The performance and singing tradition of patriotic music has served as a vital instrument for the recruitment and retention of the Armed Forces of the United States. Such patriotic music can be found on the SingAmerica! Patriotic Collection CD, which marks the first time all of the U.S. military bands: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been recorded on a single album.

The National Anthem and the Star Spangled Banner hold a special place in the hearts and minds of the American people as symbols of national unity, resolve, and willingness to sacrifice in order to preserve the Nation's sacred heritage of freedom. This resolution urges all Americans to assist, enjoy, and participate in the National Anthem ``SingAmerica'' project.

Sometimes, when you are listening to just the song, you can imagine that you see Francis Scott Key as he looked out and saw that the flag was still waving in the pitch of battle and was inspired to write the words ``Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light. What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.''

Or, you think of other patriotic songs like ``America, The Beautiful'' and ``God bless America.'' All of those symbolize what America has been, but also what America has the potential of being.

Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent project, and I would urge passage of this resolution.

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