Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) in consideration of H. Res. 195, a bill congratulating Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for hitting 500 major league home runs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the author of this legislation.

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

As we have just heard, Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs entered the 1998 baseball season as a relatively unknown player. That is, until his riveting race with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals for the Major League single-season home run record. In 1998, Sosa finished second to McGwire with 66 home runs, five more than the previous record.

Sammy Sosa was born in the Dominican Republic in 1968. His mother raised him, his four brothers and two sisters after her husband died. Sosa recalls, ``We were poor. We definitely were poor.'' Sosa sold oranges for 10 cents, shined shoes for 25 cents, and worked as a janitor in a shoe factory to help with the family's finances.

In the spring of 1986, Sosa, who did not know how to speak English, came to the United States for the first time. Within 3 years, he was playing in the major leagues, appearing in 25 games for the Rangers in 1989, batting .238. Later that year, Texas traded Sosa to the Chicago White Sox. In 1992, the White Sox traded Sosa to the Cubs. I do not know why they did that. The White Sox are in my district and the Cubs are not; and perhaps had the White Sox not traded Sosa, their fortunes would have been even greater. But the rest is history in the making. On April 4, Sosa hit the 500th home run of his career, making him only the 18th player in Major League history to reach the mark and the first Latino to accomplish this outstanding feat.

He is indeed in the select company of great home run hitters, which includes Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, and fellow Cub Ernie Banks. Sammy Sosa is indeed a source of pride for his native country and is an inspiration to all Americans that with hard work and commitment, anything is possible. He demonstrates that it is not always so important where you come from in life, but what is really important is where you are going. He has gone to the top and is still climbing.

I join with my colleagues in commending and congratulating him.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1465, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4832 East Highway 27 in Iron Station, North Carolina, as the General Charles Gabriel Post Office, was introduced by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger) on March 27, 2003. It names a postal facility in Iron Station, North Carolina, after General Charles Gabriel. The bill has met the committee policy and has been supported and approved by all members of the North Carolina delegation.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Gabriel was a command pilot and the recipient of numerous military decorations and awards. He retired from the military in 1986. He is indeed one who is deserving of such an honor. I commend my colleague for seeking to honor General Gabriel in this manner.

I urge the swift passage of H.R. 1465.

Mr. Speaker, 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 in support of H. Res. 231, a bill supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day, and to indicate that I was pleased indeed to be a cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, in 1961, President John F. Kennedy requested that Congress designate May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls, Law Enforcement Appreciation Week. Since then, each May, police officers from the Nation's Capital to small communities across America pause to honor the sacrifices made by their fellow officers. This year, 377 names were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, including 148 who were killed in the line of duty in 2002. The death of a peace officer is a reminder of two things: one, the value of life; and, two, the high cost of peace.

More than 700,000 Americans serve as peace officers and put their lives on the line for us each and every day. To keep the peace, they go into the most volatile of situations. We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude for their service and valor.

The depth of their commitment and willingness to do the job is reflected in this police officer's prayer from the Ellis, Kansas, Police Department:

Lord, I ask for courage: Courage to face and conquer my own

fears; courage to take me where others will not go.

I ask for strength: Strength of body to protect others, and

strength of spirit to lead others.

I ask for dedication: Dedication to my job, to do it well;

dedication to my community, to keep it safe.

And please, Lord, through it all, be by my side.

This prayer reflects the danger, but also the commitment and dedication, the willingness to give of themselves, expressed by so many peace officers throughout the Nation.

I certainly would want to add a debt of thanks to the men and women, especially in Chicago, in Cook County and the surrounding areas where I live, for the outstanding work that they have done and continue to do.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), who has a tremendous amount of interest in law enforcement and has dedicated much of his life and work in that area.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, National Tourism Week was established in 1983 when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution designating the week to be celebrated in May of 1984. In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with the appropriate ceremonies and activities. Industry leaders and public relations professionals were the first volunteers to manage the annual event.

By 1986, industry leaders had formed a permanent coalition which later became the Tourism Works for America Council. They opened a full- time office and expanded the concept into a year-round tourism awareness program. By then, hundreds of communities across the Nation were participating in the celebration and more participate each year.

The message during National Tourism Week is, come to see America and celebrate its vistas, its heroes, its culture and its heritage. National Tourism Week also serves to promote a wider understanding of the importance of travel and tourism as a major U.S. industry that is vital to the economic stability and growth of our Nation.

The interesting thing about tourism, Mr. Speaker, is that no matter where you go, there is always some additional interest, there is always a place. I have been amazed that no matter where I have gone throughout this country or throughout the world, there was something to see, something to learn, something to know, something to better understand. So the promotion of tourism is not only an economic, but also an educational enterprise.

I commend the gentleman for introducing this resolution and urge its swift passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), a sponsor of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from California and say that I am sure that having a fistful of dollars would not hurt his town; and if we had more fistfuls, there would be more tourism. I think this is a great piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1170, the Child Medication Safety Act, and commend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns) for taking the initiative to introduce this resolution.

I also would like to most directly associate my remarks with those of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), who made what I think to be some real points relative to medication, the utilization of it, and really the relationship of the whole question of mental health.

Mr. Speaker, there are several studies over the last decade pointing out the fact that prescription drug abuse is on the rise in America. In 1999, an estimated 4 million people, 2 percent of the population, aged 12 and older were currently using certain prescription drugs nonmedically. The data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse demonstrates that the most dramatic increase in new users of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes occurs in the ages 12 to 17 and 18 to 25. This resolution will hopefully help this growing problem of addiction by giving parents a voice in whether their child should be medicated or not without the consequence of having their child removed from school.

Teachers and other school personnel will still be able to recommend to parents if they feel there is a medical problem with the child, be it a need for a hearing or vision test, or if there is concern that maybe the child should be seen by a physician for diabetes, epilepsy or attention deficit disorder.

Of course, our teachers and school personnel are with our children for a

longer period of time during the day and, of course, many may witness problems that parents may not see before or after school. But no parent or child should be forced to use prescription drugs to obtain an education. There is still something called patients' rights, parents' rights, children's rights; and certainly the parents of children should have the right to determine when and if their children should be medicated or not.

I think this legislation provides the opportunity for the kind of interaction between parents and teachers so that parents get the best information. They then can make a determination, and jointly the child's education can always be the first order of concern.

Mr. Speaker, I think this is an excellent piece of legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I also want to agree with all of those who have extolled many of the virtues of this legislation; who have talked about the need for it to be efficient and effective; who have talked about making sure that we protect all of our military personnel and be in a position to protect our citizens.

But I must confess that I do not believe in throwing out the baby with the bath water. When we talk about getting rid of the personnel system, when we talk about taking away the rights of workers to unionize, when we talk about taking away the rights of individuals to appeal, when we talk about individuals not having the right to discuss their grievances, then I think that

is going a bit far. I agree there is a tremendous need for flexibility, and I believe that there ought to be those moved out of civilian positions who are part of the military; but I do not believe that all of the years of developing workers' rights ought to be taken away in one fell swoop.

Quite frankly, Mr. Chairman, I do not even understand why those provisions are in the legislation. They simply are not needed, they are of no value, and I disagree with that part of it. If we cannot guarantee the rights of people who work, then what are we fighting for when we talk about protecting the rights of all the rest? I disagree with that portion of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1925, the Runaway, Homeless and Missing Children's Protection Act. I would like to commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner); the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller); Select Education subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra); and Select Education subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), for working together to produce a great piece of legislation. I also want to commend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) for his introduction of this legislation which reaches out to one of America's youngest hard-to-serve populations.

According to the second ``National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children'' released in October of 2002, it is estimated that there are approximately 80,000 children reported missing each year, which is 2,000 children each day.

The Illinois Coalition to End Homelessness estimates that of the 150,000 that are homeless in Illinois, approximately 12,000 are unaccompanied teenagers. This resolution reaches out to our young people who are in need and who are in some of the most desperate situations. Unfortunately, we cannot make street life disappear or even make it reach a level of utopia or have the sense of morality that we would seek, but we can ensure that there are services made available to help ease the stress and fear of not having the security of a home or family.

I am pleased to support this resolution because it will provide grants to support emergency centers, long-term residential supports, and street-based outreach and education to those individuals that have been victims of sexual abuse or are sexually active. The 19 percent increase over fiscal year 2003, bringing the funding total to $105 million, is very promising. And I believe that as a result of it we will save many young lives from violence, disease, and death. By reaching out to help these young people turn their lives around, we are really helping our Nation decrease the number of teens that will resort to violence, drugs, and sex for survival.

I believe that this is a seriously important piece of legislation. And, once again, I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) for his understanding and sensitivity in introducing it. I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner); the ranking

member, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller); and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for their leadership on bringing this to us today.

Mr. Speaker, come May 31, unemployment compensation benefits are going to run out or expire for over 1 million workers in America who have lost their jobs. Last week this House passed a whopping tax break for the wealthiest 5 percent in our country, but nothing for the unemployed.

If we really want to stimulate the economy, let us put some money in the pockets of laid-off workers. Let us put some milk in the baby's mouth and some bread on the table. Let us extend benefits for the unemployed.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I also am pleased to join with the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) in support of this important legislation. I commend them for bringing it to the floor.

I have always been told that we are what we eat. And I believe while it might appear that this legislation does not and will not go a great distance, I believe that children, like all of us, learn what they live. If they learn the importance of fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet, then I think they will end up making use of that. I think they will end up saying to themselves that they like it. They will end up saying that it makes sense.

We know that in the long run it is going to reduce illness. It will keep people away from the doctor's office, out of the hospital. It will cut down on our health care costs, which are rising all of the time at runaway speeds.

So I think this is a tremendous measure that will pay serious dividends. I am pleased that the Committee on Education and the Workforce has brought it to the floor, and I urge all Members to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1012, the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2003. I want to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for introducing this legislation, and I want to thank the committee for bringing it to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, Carter G. Woodson wrote once that his father told him when he was growing up and his father could not read and write that learning to accept insult, to compromise on principle, to mislead your fellow man or to betray your people was to lose your soul.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson has long been one of my favorite heroes. I first learned of him as a pre-teen, studying African American history at a small church in the little town where I grew up in Arkansas, to be a academician, teacher, lecturer, author and founder of what we now observe as African American History Month.

Mr. Speaker, I took a class in college titled Negro History. One of the books we used, which was required reading and a textbook, was ``The Negro in our History,'' written by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

Dr. Woodson is one of the most often-quoted authors that I have ever encountered. My good friend and mentor, noted journalist and lecturer, Lou Palmer, used to end many of his speeches and lectures by quoting Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Lou would often say that Dr. Carter G. Woodson, writing in his book ``The Miseducation of the Negro,'' said that ``if you control a man's mind, you don't have to worry about how he will act. If you control a man's mind, you don't have to tell him to go to the back of the bus or to the back door. If you control a man's mind, he will find his place and stay in it.''

Lou used to admonish us to never go to the back door and to never let mass

media or any other entity control our minds and to never let anyone relegate us to the back door. He would say that Dr. Woodson always wanted us to go through the front door, and, if it was locked, then we should get an ax or a hatchet and cut it down or kick it in.

He would also suggest to us that Dr. Carter G. Woodson did not want us to be content once we had gotten into wherever it was we were trying to go; that it was our duty and responsibility to reach back and help someone else to enter.

So it was his writings and establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History out of which has grown first Negro History Week and now African American or Black History Month.

Just think, that Carter G. Woodson never went to high school until he was 20 years old, 20 years old, and then went on to get a doctorate degree from Harvard University, a master's degree from the University of Chicago, turning out books and articles all the time, and he too wanted to reach back and help others; and through the establishment of Black History Month now people all over the United States and all over the world know of some of the attributes and contributions that African Americans have made.

Mr. Speaker, this is a great opportunity for me to simply say thank you to my friend Lou Palmer for really exposing me to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and for the Nation to say thank you, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and for me to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for introducing this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1000, the ``Pension Security Act.'' Last year, our country was in disbelief to witness the scandals that occurred in corporate America. We all heard the countless stories of workers who lost everything--from their jobs, their homes to their retirement savings. And then we heard the stories of the executives and the CEOs of the corporations who were still living in their million dollar homes with no change to their luxurious lifestyle.

Not only did America lose confidence in corporations or begin to question their employer, America began to lose confidence in the market, and our economy has paid the price. As Representatives of the American workers, we must ensure that this does not occur again. We must ensure that all of our workers are protected, especially our older workers. Older workers should not be penalized for their dedication and years of hard work. We also need to ensure that workers be active participants on their pension boards, receive independent investment advice, and should not have a significant wait period to diversify their own money.

We all know the Enron story, the Tyco story, the WorldCom story. And America knows of these stories, too. Let's show America that we are putting an end to these sagas! Let's stand strong in support of workers, in obtaining jobs for workers and putting in safeguards that would prevent our workers pensions from disappearing.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding to me and also for his leadership as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

We gather here this evening to mark the 49th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas. The question is, How should we take note of this date?

I would guess for many Americans living today Brown v. Board of Education is the best known, perhaps the only known, Supreme Court decision. The decision has achieved almost mythical status. For some, Brown was a statement on centrality of education.

Only this morning I had the opportunity to speak from this same well on Carter G. Woodson's observations about how, if you control a man or a woman's mind, you do not have to worry about how they will act. Brown, for me, was a step forward in freeing the minds of African- American children.

For others, Brown was a kind of milestone, a launching point, if you like, of what we like to call the civil rights movement, the civil rights era. Historians will argue about cause and effect, about the many other struggles obtaining that midpoint of the century. But there is no doubt that Brown was a powerful symbol, an impetus for the acceleration of the struggle for African-American equality.

For still others, Brown signaled the death knell for a system of de jure segregation which consigned African Americans to a life of separate and unequal. The death knell may have well been sounded by Brown, but vestiges of the institution of segregation and inequality remain even today, some in new mutated and perhaps even more malignant forms than those which existed 49 years ago.

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt Brown represents the power and potential of masses united in struggle for justice and equality. The larger question before us tonight is, has Brown achieved its goal of equality in education and educational opportunity for African Americans? The sad answer, after so many decades of struggle, remains: No.

In 1980, the typical African American school student attended a public school that was 36.2 percent white. In 1996, the typical African-American school student attended a public school that was 33.9 percent white. Segregation remains the norm for the typical African- American child. The percentage of 18- to 24-year-old African Americans who had completed high school in 1975 was 64.8 percent. In 1995, 76.9 percent.

The total number of doctorate degrees awarded in 1996 in the fields of geometry, logic, number theory, topology, computing theory, astronomy, astrophysics, acoustics, nuclear chemistry, theoretical chemistry, atmospheric physics and chemistry, meteorology, geology, geochemistry, paleontology, mineralogy, geomorphology, hydrology, oceanography, marine science, engineering physics, engineering science, nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, petroleum engineering, systems engineering, biophysics, plant genetics, bacteriology, endocrinology and zoology, the total number, was 1,605.

The total number of doctorates awarded to African Americans in these fields was zero. In 2000, for the sixth consecutive year, the number of African Americans earning doctorates reached an all-time high. That year, 1,656 African Americans received doctoral degrees. But this impressive string of annual increases in African-American doctoral awards came to a halt. In 2001, African-American doctoral awards declined to 1,604, a drop of 3 percent.

So tonight on the eve of the 49th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, equality or equal opportunity is beginning to diminish from what had even been achieved. Even in my State, the State of Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, there are school districts which spend almost three times as much money per pupil as other school districts because of the formula used to fund education. There is no way you could call that being equal.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for taking out this Special Order and again commend him for his leadership as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to join in supporting this legislation and also in paying tribute to Tony Hall. I knew Tony and knew of Tony long before I came to Congress. During the 1970s, I used to spend a great deal of time in the Dayton-Cincinnati- Columbus area, Xenia and all of those places, and got to hear of Tony Hall and the kind of person that he was, a man who would spend his time dealing with the issue of hunger, which is not necessarily one of the most popular issues that one can deal with in the House of Representatives. But Tony made it a hallmark, made it his business to continuously raise that issue while a Member, and now continues to do so as he goes to work with world hunger.

I think it is a tremendous testament to him. I am pleased to join with my colleagues in support of this resolution and urge its passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 985, legislation which names a postal facility in Bowling Green, Ohio, after Delbert L. Latta. H.R. 985, introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gillmor) on February 27, 2003, has met the committee cosponsorship requirement and enjoys the support of the entire Ohio delegation.

Delbert L. Latta is a former Member of Congress who represented the Fifth Congressional District in Ohio from 1959 to 1989. A native of ``Beautiful

Ohio,'' the title of the State song, Mr. Latta was born and educated in the State whose motto is, ``With God all things are possible.'' He went on to serve in the Ohio National Guard and the U.S. Marines before settling down and practicing law in Bowling Green.

Prior to his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Delbert Latta served in the State senate for three terms. In November of 1958, he was elected to the 86th Congress. During his 30 years in Congress, Representative Latta served on the House Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on the Budget, and the Committee on Rules. In 1988, Representative Latta decided not to run for reelection and returned home to Bowling Green, Ohio, where he is active in numerous community and civic organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gillmor) for seeking to honor former Congressman Del Latta in this matter, and I urge swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional 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, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Matthew J. Ryan, is well known throughout Pennsylvania as an advocate for welfare reform, tax relief and creating jobs.

Speaker Ryan served in the House for 41 years. During that time he served as Republican policy chairman and whip and for longer than anyone else who ever held office.

Speaker Ryan was the elected Speaker for the first time in 1981, and colleagues from both sides of the aisle lauded him for the nonpartisan way in which he presided over that session. Elected Speaker again in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, Ryan is respected by his peers as a caucus unifier, feisty debater, parliamentary tactician, government expert, Pennsylvania booster, and a committed leader who plays fair and with esprit.

A member of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts since 1995, Ryan founded Arts Education Day at the State capitol, an annual event that features hundreds of young performing and visual artists from across the State. For this and other support of arts education, in 2001 he received the Champion of Arts Education Award from the Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts Education.

In his 1981 acknowledgment speech, Ryan is quoted as saying, ``We representatives of the Pennsylvania House, honored by our special heritage and enabled by our unique tradition, have sworn our pledges to serve our Commonwealth, to serve our country, and to save the dream of William Penn, and this service begins when this day's meeting ends.''

Speaker Ryan served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania well, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I do not have any additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.