Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, later this month, the U.S. will welcome President Note of the Marshall Islands as he visits our country. His visit here will coincide with the Bush Administration's transmittal to Congress of the document that governs the bilateral relationship enjoyed by our nations. This little known treaty embodies the best of U.S. diplomacy and strategic policy in recent decades. Ronald Reagan was President and the Democrats controlled both House of Congress when a bipartisan majority of both Houses approved the Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and two Pacific island micro-states.

The treaty of free association between the United States, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia ended more than four decades of United Nations trust territory status for the islands, and these new nations, under new flags, themselves then became members of the United Nations. Not only was this a good model for decolonization of dependent territories, but the compact also preserved U.S. strategic interests in the islands. Under the treaty, an area of ocean as large as the continental United States, with strategically located islands stretching from the mid-Pacific to the Asian rim, remains foreclosed in perpetuity to the military forces of any nation other than the United States.

U.S. strategic interest in the Marshall Islands began in 1946 when the U.S. conducted its first atmospheric nuclear weapons test at Bikini. During the next decade over 67 tests were conducted, leaving a legacy of injuries to people and contamination of homelands that is still being resolved through claims settlement proceedings authorized by Congress under the compact. Amazingly, the islanders suffered greatly but consider themselves survivors rather than just victims, U.S. allies rather than just a subjugated people.

In addition nuclear test sites in the islands, Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands was perhaps the most vital facility in the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile development program, a centerpiece of U.S. nuclear deterrence that prevented the Cold War from turning into nuclear winter. Renamed the U.S. Army Ronald Reagan Missile Test Range, Kwajalein played an indispensable role in the Strategic Defense Initiative that helped bring about disarmament and end the Soviet empire.

To preserve the compact's success and the underlying strategic interests, Congress has to renew the economic assistance provisions of the compact that expires this year. The Bush Administration has consulted with Congress about renewal terms in a bipartisan spirit, and has addressed concerns raised by GAO about fiscal accountability for the island governments, as well tightening up controls on migration between the islands and the mainland.

Free association is based on separate sovereignty, nationality and citizenship, and is free because any party to the compact can terminate it in favor of full independence at any time. Thus, it is not some screwy scheme of co-mingled nationality or neo-colonial entanglement. Indeed, the whole point of free association is that it continues as long as it serves the mutual interest of the parties. Clearly, from a strategic point of view alone, U.S. interests preclude letting the compact lapse.

Moreover, the islands have been good allies, reliably voting with the U.S. in the U.N. on important issues. Under the compact, islanders are eligible for service in the U.S. military, and both Marshall Islanders and Micronesians have fought with the 3d Infantry in the streets of Baghdad as comrades in arms with American soldiers.

This is an alliance that represents the best of American diplomacy, and the compact also demonstrates that America deals honorably with small nations that share our values. Obviously, there are other priorities, but the Administration should send the treaty renewal agreements to Congress without further delay, and Congress should renew the Compact of Free Association before it expires, thereby sustaining a bipartisan foreign policy and national security success story.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Jerry ``Ace'' Miller, the long-time supervisor of boxing for the City of Knoxville, Tennessee, in my District.

Ace Miller is one of the most respected people in East Tennessee. He is part of a very influential group in our area called the ``Burlington Boys,'' and we share many mutual friends.

Ace Miller has devoted his life to underprivileged young people by inspiring them to be the best that they can be no matter what they have to overcome in life. He has made a difference in the lives of many young men around the region.

Ace is widely regarded as a boxing expert all over the country and has made many friends around the Nation. He has long been associated with the Golden Gloves Charities and will continue to be the general manager of this great organization after his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, Jerry ``Ace'' Miller is a fine American who has touched the lives of countless young people. His dedication to the sport of boxing serves as an example for people all over our country. This Nation would be a much better place if there were more people here like Ace Miller.

I would like to congratulate Ace Miller on a tremendous career, and I urge all of my colleagues and other readers of the Record to read the fine article about him that was published in the Knoxville News- Sentinel.

[From the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Mar. 20, 2003]

Ace Miller Retires as Knoxville's Supervisor of Boxing

(By Chuck Cavalaris)

Ace Miller wanted to try and keep news of his retirement

quiet.

You might as well ask someone to bang a drum softly--for 33

years.

It just isn't going to happen.

Miller retired as the City of Knoxville's supervisor of

boxing, effective Feb. 27. He survived everything from three

heart attacks in a matter of hours in April 1999 to floods

and personal threat at the gym. Miller was hired in 1970 by

former mayor Kyle Testerman and will continue to be the

general manager of Golden Gloves Charities.

``This is just a particular time in my life when I am not

so sure what the future holds,'' said Miller, who is known as

``The Colonel'' and will be 64 on March 31. ``We've had

disasters galore, but the greatest tragedy is losing some of

the great volunteers who have been a part of this program.''

It was a huge loss when his sister-in-law, Shirley Eckard,

lost a battle with cancer in the 1980s. Bobby Mills died

several years earlier. Cotton Jackson will never be replaced.

Nor will Skinny Miller, Don Marshall or former State Rep. Ted

Ray Miller, who was Ace's big brother. Others come to mind,

such as Jim Brown, Norman Anderson and Raleigh Johnson.

On the other hand, someone like Stan Hamilton remains a

vital part of a model program. He just happens to be one of

the most-respected boxing referees in the world. Dr. Robert

Whittle has been a Hall of Fame volunteer, working alongside

Con Hunley, Gene Limbaugh, Glenn Allen, Max Witt and Joyce

Spraker. Longtime City Council members Jack Sharpe and Larry

Cox have provided advice, along with friendship.

``No one person could possibly accomplish what we have

accomplished,'' said Miller, whose group raises almost

$100,000 a year. ``It takes a team effort and I am fortunate

to have a family who has been a big part of my passion for

doing this.''

The team he was referring to includes assistant coach Steve

Whitt, Regina Sams Odom, Tracy Miller Davis, Dusty Miller

Graves, Jerry Miller, Ellen Luttrell and, of course, his wife

Lady Di, or Dianna the Great.

``My time with the city has ended,'' Miller said, ``but my

time in the gym is not over. The floor needs to be mopped.

Then somebody has to sweep it.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me this time.

I understand that we are trying to use some time while we wait for the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), and I will say that I have had the privilege a few years ago of attending the soap box derby in Knoxville; and I have seen firsthand the excitement and the interest and, really, the educational value that is given to many young people around the country through this nationwide program.

I have been asked to give this statement on behalf of the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), the chairman of the full committee, and myself. So I will say on behalf of Chairman Young and really speaking, I think, for the full Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I rise today to offer my full support for House Concurrent Resolution 53, which authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the 62nd Annual Greater Washington Soap Box Derby to be held on June 21, 2003.

This event, which is open to the public and free of charge, gives young people from around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area an opportunity to not only showcase their talents of building a vehicle that will perform at high levels, but also the opportunity to realize the rewards of a job well done. Participants will compete in three open divisions based on their experience in building their vehicles. This event is currently one of the oldest of its kind in the country, having taken place for over 60 years. The winners of these events will go on to represent the Washington area at the national competition to be held in Akron, Ohio, later in the summer.

I would like to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for introducing this resolution and all of my colleagues who have spoken previously and for their continued support for this very worthwhile program. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this worthy legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 866) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to enhance the security of wastewater treatment works.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 866, The Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2003.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, made the identification and protection of critical infrastructure a national priority and taught our Nation to take a broader look at our vulnerabilities. A good deal of planning and protection of our Nation's critical infrastructure is now under way as a result of these tragic events. But only limited attention has been given to security issues associated with our Nation's wastewater treatment plants.

Sewer pipes form a vast underground network that could provide a terrorist with access to many public buildings, urban centers, private businesses, residential neighborhoods, military installations, and transportation systems. A wastewater treatment system itself could also be a target of an attack with significant public health and environmental impacts.

H.R. 866 will help communities across the country address these security concerns by authorizing, first, $200 million for grants to wastewater utilities to conduct vulnerability assessments and implement security enhancements at their facilities; secondly, $15 million for technical assistance to small wastewater facilities on security measures; and, thirdly, $5 million for the further development and refinement of vulnerability self-assessment methodologies and tools for use by wastewater facilities.

These authorizations are designed to help wastewater treatment utilities take immediate and very necessary steps to improve security at their facilities and to fill a remaining major security gap within our Nation's critical infrastructure.

These authorizations do not create a new, ongoing infrastructure assistance program or create any new Federal mandates. The Association of Metropolitan sewerage agencies and the National Rural Water Association strongly support this legislation, as do utilities from cities throughout the Nation.

This is the same bill the House passed by voice vote in the last Congress. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act on it.

I urge all Members to support this very important and very bipartisan bill to improve our Nation's security.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello) for his work on this legislation. The ranking member, as he said, is a very good friend of mine and he is a pleasure to work with on this subcommittee.

This bill, as I mentioned in my first statement, is strongly supported by wastewater utility systems all over the entire Nation. This Nation has 16,000 wastewater utility systems. These grants would probably be most applicable to the 2,000 larger utilities. There is a $150,000 cap per grant in this legislation and that is so a small handful of cities cannot gobble up all of this money and so it will be spread very effectively throughout the Nation to do this very important security work.

This bill provides for 75 percent Federal share of this money and then, of course, there would be a local participation for the remainder of the amount, and the total authorization of the bill, as both I and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello) have noted, is $220 million, $15 million of which would go for technical assistance to the smaller utilities.

We have written this legislation so that there is no Davis-Bacon issue or any other controversial issue, and I think this legislation has strong and broad bipartisan support, strong support from both sides of the aisle. It is cosponsored both by the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and myself and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello). I think it is a measure that deserves and can justify and merit the support of all Members of this body.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Coach Doug Dickey upon his upcoming retirement as the Men's Athletics Director at the University of Tennessee, UT. Throughout his impressive career, Coach Dickey has set an example of leadership and service not only to the University of Tennessee, but also to the entire State of Tennessee and Volunteer fans around the Country.

Although Coach Dickey will soon be retiring, the legacy of excellence he has so well established will continue to inspire the University and its athletic programs for years to come. I am proud to call Doug a personal friend, and I join the entire UT community in wishing him the very best in his future endeavors.

Doug has been Athletic Director at the University of Tennessee for the past 17 years, but his support of collegiate athletics includes time spent as quarterback for the University of Florida's football team, an assistant coach, head coach, as well as, administrator.

During his tenure as the Men's Athletic Director for the University of Tennessee, Doug has raised the standard of excellence for all UT athletics. During the past several years alone he has seen the school earn the National Championship in football, go to the College World Series in baseball, reach the NCAA finals in tennis, become the NCAA champions in track and field to name only a few.

In addition to the remarkable leadership he has brought to UT athletics, Doug has been recognized nationally for his abilities by being asked to serve on numerous collegiate athletics boards and committees. More lasting than titles and athletic accomplishments, however, Doug has provided consistent and exceptional leadership for his coaches and players.

This Nation is a better place today because of the work he has done for the University of Tennessee and, more importantly, the inspiration and guidance he has given to so many young people who are still doing good and great things for this Country.

Each Member of this body has a favorite collegiate athletics program, but I believe we can all agree that it is the caliber of individuals like Coach Dickey that makes these programs the success they are. To Doug I say congratulations on your retirement, and on behalf of UT fans everywhere I say thank you.

Mr. Speaker, on March 22nd, 2003, Tennessee lost one of its finest soldiers. Colonel Russell Austin Newman (ret.) was a man who spent his life dedicated to serving and protecting Tennessee and its citizens.

Colonel Newman was born in Knoxville, TN on December 9th, 1929. He grew up there and attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration in May of 1953. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army from

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) for yielding me this time.

I will not take the full 5 minutes, but I do rise in the spirit of good sportsmanship that we see exhibited in our wonderful system of collegiate athletics on almost a daily basis to offer credit where credit is due and congratulate the great women's basketball team at the University of Connecticut on their victory over my own hometown Lady Vols.

I have had the privilege on two occasions of being Pat Summit's honorary assistant coach, and my collegiate coaching record is two and zero, I am proud to say, because Coach Summit has been certainly one of the most outstanding coaches in the history of basketball, having led her teams to six national championships. But certainly our number one rival in women's basketball has been the great teams and program that Coach Geno Auriemma has established and built at the University of Connecticut. And those University of Connecticut women certainly showed in every way that not only were they talented athletes but they were wonderful young women as well and outstanding examples for young people all over this Nation.

Unfortunately, I do wish that I was on the other side of this resolution and that I was offering it, and that my friend the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) was up congratulating me. I do now, unfortunately, owe him some Tennessee country ham and some honey, that I will bring following the recess.

Mr. Speaker, I will simply end by saying once again, congratulations to a really outstanding team and also by saying, wait until next year.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, I did say some good things about Pat Summitt; and I do want to say that I am really very, very proud of my Lady Vols, because coming in second in the entire Nation is really a great, great accomplishment. I wish we were number one, but number two is not bad at all, and I am very, very proud of my hometown Lady Vols.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the inspirational accomplishments and remarkable example set by Darrell Bowles, II. Darrell, who was born in Knoxville, TN and raised in nearby Blaine, was recently named a Tennessee recipient of the ``Yes I Can!'' award, given by the Tennessee Federation Council for Exceptional Children. This award recognizes outstanding achievement by students receiving special education services. I might add that Darrell was among the top five nominees at the National level.

Born weighing only 1 pound, 7 ounces at 26 weeks, Darrell suffered blindness shortly after birth. Despite this challenge, Darrell has continually proven that with steadfast determination each of us can achieve excellence in what we set out to do.

Now in the ninth grade at the Tennessee School of the Blind and Educational Resource Center for the Visually Impaired, Darrell excels in technology and computer studies. He has become an expert in specialized technology and is an advocate for the continued advancement of new software and hardware that further enables visually impaired individuals to excel in both the academic and business community.

Beyond his technological capabilities, however, Darrell's spirit of optimism and determination should be an example to each of us. In a recent news report, Darrell is quoted as saying that his inspiration to give his very best comes from God. He is quoted as saying, ``I didn't ask for this, but I am following His will for me.''

When speaking to people who have become discouraged or frustrated he said he likes to tell them that, ``When God opens a door, its there. Go in before it closes.''

Regardless of where we are in life or what challenges we face, I believe the advice of Darrell Bowles should apply to each of us.

I also want to commend the loving family members and dedicated teachers who have supported Darrell's efforts. I am sorry to say that Darrell's mother has passed away, but the love she shared with him continues to be a driving force in his life.

I am proud to be Darrell's Congressman and on behalf of this body, I want to thank Darrell for the example he continues to set for so many, and to wish him the greatest success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a tribute to one of Knoxville, Tennessee's finest citizens. Many in this body and around the Country will not recognize his name, but when Mr. Robert Coulter ``Dink'' Eldridge, Sr. passed away at the age of 85 on February 21, 2003 this Nation lost a great American. Many Knoxvillians join me in mourning his death.

Dink Eldridge graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1940. During his final years at the University, he managed the Volunteer Football team as they went undefeated in regular season play and participated in the Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. More than victory marked his time with the Volunteers however. Those who knew him at this time also remember his dedicated leadership and desire to see every athlete reach his fullest potential.

In addition to his time managing the Volunteers, Dink managed the East Army All Star football team at Yale University with the great General R.R. Neyland.

In 1942 Dink Eldridge was called to serve his Nation in the United States Army where he served with distinction as a second lieutenant in the Tank Corps. Here again, Dink proved his willingness to serve his fellow man and was awarded both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star medal for his efforts. After a brief period away from the military, Dink was called on again, this time in the Korean War.

During his professional career, Dink demonstrated a deeply held commitment to excellence. Following his early days as a lineman for Bell Systems, Dink steadily rose in his career. While his supervisory work for Bell took him to cities across the State, Dink was eventually able to return to Knoxville where he served as District Engineer until his retirement in 1971.

Like many leaders, Dink was unable to remain retired for long. In 1986, he was named president of the Concord Telephone Exchange. Dink provided steady leadership to this organization during a period of tremendous growth and remained president until his second retirement in 1993.

With this said, Dink is possibly best known to the people of East Tennessee for his dedicated work in the community. His generosity of time touched countless lives. Through his work on the executive board of the Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America and as President of the Bearden Little League Baseball league alone, Dink passed his love of Country and community onto a generation of young people.

In everything Dink did, he strove for excellence in himself and sought to inspire the same in those around him. I am proud to have known Dink for many years, but I am even more proud to have called Dink Eldridge a personal friend.

To his wife Anna Yvonne I say thank-you for being such a supportive and loving part of his life and to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I simply say continue carrying the banner of service your father and grandfather held so high.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that today, Chairman Don Young and I are introducing the ``Water Quality Financing Act of 2003.''

As many members know, the American Society of Civil Engineers recently graded the condition of the infrastructure throughout the country. Wastewater infrastructure received a ``D.''

Nearly half of sewer pipes in American cities are over 50 years old. Some are over 100 years old. Treatment plants built in the 1970's need to be upgraded. New mandates to manage municipal stormwater runoff have gone into effect. And water quality must be improved.

As a nation, we are not investing enough in our wastewater treatment infrastructure to ensure that we will continue to keep our waters clean. Unless we act, we could lose the significant gains in water quality that have been achieved over the last 30 years.

There are multiple reasons for our current situation.

The Federal government has redirected local resources by imposing unfunded mandates on our communities.

Some State and local governments have chosen other local priorities before maintaining wastewater infrastructure because it was ``out of sight, out of mind.''

But, instead of assigning blame, we need to work together to solve these problems.

We must breathe life into partnerships using the resources of Federal, State and local governments, the private sector and local ratepayers. No one sector will be able to carry this responsibility alone.

We also must meet the challenge of finding more efficient and less expensive ways to address our wastewater treatment needs.

According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the gap between current spending and needed investment could be over $200 billion over the next 20 years. The actual amount of needed future investment depends heavily on the actions of Federal, State and local governments.

If we can achieve a greater environmental return on our investment with alternative treatment systems and can increase efficiencies through partnerships, regionalization, and improved operation and maintenance, we can cut the gap between current spending and needed investment in hall

This means we need to both increase investment and take action to reduce costs.

The ``Water Quality Financing Act of 2003'' addresses these issues by:

(1) Authorizing $20 billion over five years in Federal assistance through State Revolving Loan Funds;

(2) Encouraging innovative and alternative approaches to solving water quality problems and financing infrastructure improvements;

(3) Encouraging appropriate management of infrastructure assets, including planning for the payment of the costs of repair and replacement; and

(4) Increasing support for small and disadvantaged communities through funding, technical assistance, and increased subsidies.

There are a variety of competing policies that continue to be discussed as we update this program. In crafting this bill we have looked at the national goal of improving water quality, the current demands on the Federal budget, and the responsibilities of local communities to provide municipal services and maintain their local wastewater systems.

We have worked closely with members on both sides of the aisle and the various stakeholders to advance the goal of improving the infrastructure in the most cost effective manner. We have received favorable feedback from diverse parties. The Water Quality Financing Act of 2003 embraces innovative solutions for these competing interests and I urge members to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, in these challenging economic times it is important to recognize individuals and companies that invest in our future. Last month, I helped celebrate just such an investment in my district--the state-of-the-art office and production facility for the Knoxville News Sentinel, East Tennessee's largest newspaper.

This paper has been based in downtown Knoxville since its first issue in 1886. It now educates and informs more than 400,000 people every week and supports a wide variety of local civic, charitable and education organizations.

The News Sentinel has taken its community involvement a giant step further by building its $50 million headquarters in a formerly underserved part of Knoxville's city center and by bringing on-line one of the most sophisticated printing presses in the United States. The paper's parent company, E.W. Scripps, also bases its highly successful cable networks and Internet services in Knoxville.

East Tennessee is one of the best places in our Nation to do business. I applaud the News-Sentinel and E.W. Scripps for having the foresight to invest in this dynamic community.

Mr. Speaker, our trade deficit reached an astounding figure of over $400 billion last year. This means we are still losing millions of jobs to other countries. Now in today's Washington Post, there are headlines saying ``White Collar Work a Booming U.S. Export'' and ``More White Collar Work being Shipped Overseas.''

According to this story, one study says by 2015, 3 million white collar jobs and $140 billion in wages will have shifted from the U.S. to other nations. Another headline in today's Post says ``U.S. Manufacturers Cut Back in March.''

The disciples of high tech told us not to worry about losing factory jobs, but now we are losing these economy jobs to China, India, and elsewhere. Is it any wonder that college graduates cannot find good jobs and are going to graduate school while working as waiters and waitresses?

We need to start putting U.S. workers first and end trade agreements and government regulations that force more jobs to other countries. If we do not, Mr. Speaker, the standard of living for most Americans is going to go down, down, down.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes we lose sight of what is really important in life. That is why I want to congratulate a former Tennessee State Senator, Danny Wallace, for the balance he is achieving in his life.

He has successfully operated the Halls Cinema in Knox County for the past 20 years. Small businesses are the backbone of our entire economy, and yet a very high percentage fail within the first five years.

Mr. Wallace has succeeded in an industry where it is very difficult for an independent operator to survive.

More importantly, he is putting his family first, foregoing opportunities in politics to spend more time with those who are most important to him.

I want to congratulate Danny Wallace on the 20th anniversary of the Halls Cinema and urge all my colleagues and other readers of the Record to read the fine article about him, his family, and business that was published in the Halls Shopper newspaper.

[From the Halls Shopper News, Mar. 31, 2003]

20 Years for Halls Cinema Seven

(By Sandra Clark)

Sometimes life gets in the way of politics.

Danny Wallace, a state senator at age 33, was a fund-raiser

for Phil Bredesen in last year's election. You might have

expected him to land a job in Nashville--perhaps even become

a commissioner like his dad, J.D., in the Blanton

Administration. But Danny works the ticket booth at Halls

Cinema Seven and goes to ballgames with his 12-year-old son,

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 57) recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Runaway Prevention Month''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 57.

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

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 57, introduced by my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from the City of New York (Mr. Israel), recognizes and supports the goals and ideas of National Runaway Prevention Month.

Mr. Speaker, we all want every child in America to grow up in a safe, loving home and to realize his or her full potential in life. However, the plight of children who run away from their homes continues to plague American families. Sadly, the factors that prove to increase the chances that children will leave their homes seem so preventable. These factors include drug and alcohol abuse by a family member, severe neglect or mistreatment, and serious family unrest. I remember hearing after one of the school shootings a couple of years ago the national head of the YMCA on the CBS national news who said children were being neglected in this country like never before.

Even in this compassionate Nation, the challenges that today's youth face are many. But so too are the responsibilities that all Americans have to be aware of the conditions that encourage children to run away from home, and to address those conditions where they exist.

Hopefully, all Americans will pay more attention to the serious problem of runaway children. We can each act to enrich the lives of children in our communities by volunteering at a local school, or in a child-mentoring program, or in a faith-based organization that works with children or families. And in the most unfortunate cases in which children have left their homes, for whatever reason, it must be a priority of all Americans to work together to reunite parents with their runaway children.

Since nothing is more important than the safety and stability of the lives of our Nation's children, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 57.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) for introducing this worthwhile measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

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

I will simply close by saying that I would also like to commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

The scope or magnitude of this problem is simply staggering. The gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) mentioned that there are 1.3 million children on the streets, either because of running away or because of homelessness. Probably the most conservative study I have seen on this says there are a minimum of 450,000 children who run away from homes all across this Nation each year.

As I mentioned in my opening statement, I was so amazed when I heard, as I was driving to the airport one afternoon here in Washington, I heard on the CBS National Radio News that the national head of the YMCA said children are being neglected in this country today like never before. Unfortunately, children have more material wealth today than probably ever before, but there are also many, many, many children who are growing up without the love or discipline that they had in past years or, perhaps because of broken homes or parents working long hours, they are not getting the attention that they need and deserve.

I have said before that children today would be far better off with a few less toys and designer fashions and another brother or sister, or certainly more attention from their parents.

So this resolution is a small, but important, step in trying to do something about a very serious national problem; and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 44) to express support for the celebration in 2004 of the 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 44, introduced by our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), expresses support for the celebration in 2004 of the 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854.

Mr. Speaker, during the summer of 1854, the Chicago Tribune sponsored a trip for around 1,000 well-regarded east coast journalists, artists, businessmen and others to visit the great Midwest.

The Tribune wanted to expose this influential group to American culture west of the east coast.

These people traveled through Chicago and on to Rock Island, Illinois, by train, and then boarded a steamboat to head to the Twin City area of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. This event, called the Grand Excursion of 1854, is credited with having massively impacted the development of the Upper Mississippi River Valley and greatly promoted westward expansion in the United States as a whole.

Many communities and organizations in the Mississippi River Valley have celebrations planned for the summer of 2004 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of this momentous event. Therefore, I urge all Members to join in this tribute by supporting the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 44. I thank our colleague, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), for introducing this important measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).

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

Mr. Speaker, I will simply close by saying that my mother spent all of her life from her birth to the end of her college years, in Iowa. I still have relatives in the great State of Iowa. Thus, it has been an honor for me to help bring this resolution to the floor, along with the chief sponsor, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), and to recognize a very important part of this great Nation.

I urge all Members to support this resolution.

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