Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, National Peace Corps Day, on February 28, recognizes the important role the Peace Corps has played over the last 42 years and reaffirms our country's commitment to the mission of the Peace Corps, as vital today as it was over 40 years ago.

The first Peace Corps volunteers were sent to Ghana in 1961. When the Peace Corps celebrated its 40th anniversary 2 years ago, the United States also celebrated an important 40-year relationship with Ghana. Today, Ghana is the leading developing nation in west Africa, and thousands of Ghanians now have personal relationships with Americans which they would not have had without the Peace Corps.

Loret Miller Ruppe, the Director of the Peace Corps under President Ronald Reagan, was an impressive visionary and leader. She had the first vision of doubling the number of Peace Corps volunteers, In the army, a division consists of 10,000 soldiers. We now have 12 divisions in the U.S. Army. Loret Ruppe believed we should have at least one division in the Peace Corps. This vision of expanding the Peace Corps was renewed by President Clinton and reaffirmed by President Bush.

I want to commend the new direction of the Peace Corps for working to recruit not just the 22-year-old volunteers, but increasing the number of volunteers who are in their forties or fifties and choosing the Peace Corps as their second or third career. This new type of volunteer brings years of his or her technical expertise to places around the globe which need it most.

The Peace Corps has successfully altered its programs and the countries in which it operates to adapt to our changing times. Most recently the Peace Corps has expanded into Central Asia and the Balkans continuously working to improve the lives of countless people, while also working to improve U.S. relations with these emerging democracies.

National Peace Corps Day recognizes all Peace Corps volunteers, past and present. I would like to express my gratitude to those who have served overseas, committing 2 years of their life to their country and to democracy around the world. I would specifically like to recognize the 38 current volunteers from my district who are serving in six continents around the globe.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time, and rise in support of the Greenwood substitute because it honors our tradition of medical science.

Medical achievement is part of America's birthright. In the last 50 years we have won more Nobel prizes than England, Germany, Russia, France, Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Japan and Switzerland combined. Six out of 10 Nobel prizes in medicine come just to America.

Part of our achievement is due to Congress because we have supported medical research. Republicans and Democrats joined to double biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health. But part of our achievement is also because Congress did not impede research. Unlike Iran, we follow the guidance of doctors, not doctrines.

America's medical leadership conquered yellow fever, diptheria, cholera and smallpox and polio; and words like ``gout,'' describing excess uric acid, or ``consumption,'' describing tuberculosis, were commonly used by our grandparents but are now aliens outside our children's vocabulary.

We stand on the edge of new victories. AIDS is no longer a death sentence in America, and peer-reviewed scientists predict that Americans are in their last decade of diabetes. In my district, we are building a human kidney using stem cells, an achievement that would cause the word ``dialysis'' to drop from the English language.

Parkinson's and Alzheimer's will one day make their last stand against the tide of American research. And think of it: a world without diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or dialysis.

It is our duty to honor the American tradition of medical science to hasten the day when these diseases no longer plague our mothers and fathers. In the Navy, we say, ``Lead, follow, or get out of the way.'' I urge Members to support the Greenwood substitute: Lead, follow or get out of the way.

The Greenwood language continues America's leadership. Other countries will continue to follow us, and at the very least, it gets Congress out of the way of future cures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Impact Aid program. Earlier today, along with 30 bipartisan cosponsors, we introduced my Government Reservation Accelerated Development for Education, or GRADE-A, bill from the 107th Congress.

This bill was intended to fulfill an obligation of the Federal Government made in 1950 when Congress passed, and President Truman signed into law, the Impact Aid program.

Impact aid was created by Congress recognizing the obligation of the Federal Government to assist school districts and communities that experience a loss in their local property tax due to the presence of the Federal Government. Between 1950 and 1969, the impact aid program was fully funded by the Congress. But since that time, the funding level has not kept pace with the amount required to cover the Federal Government's obligation.

As we prepare for war and deploy troops overseas, I can think of no better time to support our military personnel and their families. This support should begin with ensuring our soldiers that their children are receiving a quality education. There are 15 million school children in this Nation who are eligible for impact aid. Enrolled in one of 1,331 eligible school districts, these schoolchildren depend on their schools to provide them with an education, and their parents depend on the schools to act as a community of support when they are deployed in our Nation's defense.

In my congressional district, 36 percent of all students attending North Chicago's School District 187 are impact aid military children. School District 187 spends an average of $6,500 per pupil on education. And herein lies the problem. The North Chicago School District receives only $3,250 per pupil from the Federal Government for their military impact aid children. With over 1,400 impact aid students, District 187 finds itself over $4.5 million short in funding levels. This shortfall creates a huge financial strain on the school district overall, decreasing the quality of education for every child in that school district.

Mr. Speaker, the quickest way to take a soldier or sailor's mind off their mission is to have them worrying about their children's education back home. Kids from military families come from some of the hardest working, most patriotic families, but the schools they attend sometimes face bankruptcy because they lack the tax revenues from the military housing where the kids come from. We need to fund our Nation's schools. Impact aid honors our commitment to military families and families of Native American Indians. It guarantees those families who serve to protect our freedom that they are in turn protected by the Federal Government.

Our Constitution commands that the first job of the Federal Government is to ``provide for the common defense.'' As we improve the pay and benefits of our men and women in uniform, we must also support their kids and the local schools they attend. This may take many years to accomplish, but the time is now, especially now, to support schools that educate the children whose parents wear our Nation's uniform. Let us recognize our duty to America's children and to our military and support the GRADE-A bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act. We have do-not-call lists now in 21 States, but we seem to have the calls only increasing in frequency. The fact that these calls seem to occur at the most inopportune times and, thanks to predictive dialing software, often result in an immediate disconnection only adds to the frustration of consumers.

I am very pleased that the Federal Trade Commission is amending the telemarketing sales rules to create a central do-not-call registry. As a new member of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Federal Trade Commission, I am committing my efforts to make sure that this effort is fully funded so that we can implement this needed legislation.

I want to commend Chairman Tauzin, Ranking Member Dingell, and

also subcommittee Ranking Member Schakowsky for her efforts on this. I think working together in a bipartisan way, we will ensure that the Federal Trade Commission not only has the underlying legislation but also the appropriations to make sure that every person's castle can be a quiet home and that we do not have to worry about the telemarketing barbarians at the gate every single evening.

Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges Secretary Powell faces is the growing isolation of Germany and France from their European allies.

NATO nations voted 16 to 3 to support the defense of Turkey, our democratic ally. I worry about Germany's growing anti-Turkish policy, first to oppose Turkey's EU membership and now to oppose defending the Turkish democracy.

I worry for France. Tens of thousands of Britons, Canadians, and Americans fought to free France. Now France stands for the principle that democracies should be distracted from dictators.

The French Government, one wag said, they are always there when they need you.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to say a few words about the life of Julian Francis DePree, Jr. (Jeff) who died suddenly over the weekend from natural causes. He proudly served his country, was a successful and ethical businessman, a loyal husband, and a devoted father.

Jeff DePree, in the eyes of his family and friends, had a ``larger than life'' personality, but, first and foremost, he was a caring father to his four children and a devoted husband to his wife Joan. Jeff was born on March 9, 1944, in Mt. Kisco, New York. He later graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and received his Masters degree from Columbia University in New York City.

Jeff served his country in Vietnam as an Intelligence Officer in the 199th Infantry Brigade. He survived two tours of duty and was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service as well as an Air Medal. Jeff was also an avid sportsman and conservationist enjoying golf, boating, fishing, and racquet sports, a love for which he passed onto his children.

Jeff was also a keen businessman. He was co-founder of a financial services company that specialized in leasing and equity financing for major industrial projects. He became an industry leader among structured finance specialists and advised many of the nations largest finance companies on their investments. Jeff was very active in local community affairs, having served on the Lake Forest Hospital Board, as well as the City's Cemetery Commission.

Most of all, Jeff brought great fun to everyone. He was an excellent storyteller, singer, guitar player and dancer. When in the company of Jeff, his engaging and entertaining personality was infectious. Jeff was indicative of thousands of Americans who quietly go about their daily lives contributing to the greatness of our nation through their personal character and conduct.

Jeff's passing is an immense loss to his family and his community. His life was cut short, but I am certain his children will carry on his legacy in a way that would make their father very proud. I offer my condolences to his wife Joan, and his children Katie (Jess), Austin, Randy, Spencer and his grandson, William. May they take comfort in knowing they have been blessed to have had such a wonderful person in their lives. He will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, as Americans celebrated a season of renewal and the coming of the new year, many from northern Illinois observed the holidays with heavy hearts. In the days before Christmas, State Representative Timothy Osmond was taken from his family, friends and constituents by a sudden heart attack.

It is my honor to call Tim both a colleague and a dear, dear friend. His advice was valuable to me and to his fellow members of the Illinois General Assembly. Tim approached public service with the same gentlemanly spirit with which he built his insurance business in Antioch, Illinois. As a businessman, he built a reputation as someone his customers could count on, someone who was a problem solver, and someone you knew would always give you a straight answer.

In 1989, Tim was elected an Antioch Township Trustee, and went on to serve as Township Supervisor, before being elected to the Illinois House in 1999.

In Springfield, Tim made friends quickly. One thing I appreciated most about Tim was that he thoroughly researched legislation, reading the full text of most bills. He was down-to-earth, a sincere and genuine man. It was that demeanor that defined his approach as a legislator. He saw every constituent as a neighbor, a customer and a friend, deserving his every effort, every day. That is why many constituents who never knew Tim personally felt touched by his service to the people of Illinois.

Of course this loss is most deeply felt by the Osmond family. Tim's wife, JoAnne, and their children, Michael and Colleen, shared Tim with the community. This is the often unseen sacrifice of the spouses and children of those who serve in elective office. As the Osmond family bears this heartfelt loss, they can take solace in the respect and admiration Tim earned in public life, and the way in which he touched so many lives. I count myself among those helped by Tim. And while I will always be grateful for all Tim's professional help, it is our friendship I treasure most. He will be deeply missed.

I offer the condolences of the Congress to his family. Local leaders honored his memory by appointing his widow to serve out his term in office. We wish JoAnne well and know that she, better than anyone else, will continue Tim's work.