Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, when I was elected to the Tennessee State senate, one of the first lessons that I learned was that the senate in Tennessee is a family. This week we have lost a member of that family. Ms. Marcelle Ann Morton Wilder left us this week at the age of 83 after a lifetime of dedication to her Lord, her State, and her husband, my former colleague in the Tennessee senate, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the State senate, John Wilder.

Ms. Wilder is an example of a life well lived, a life of grace and dignity. And her 63 years of marriage to Governor Wilder can only be described as a match made in heaven. He will miss his Ms. Marcelle. We will all miss her, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Wilder family.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

It is an amazing thing to join our colleagues tonight and to thank President Reagan and his family for their decades of service. And as I have listened to our colleagues tonight, I thought about the first time I had the opportunity to see and hear President Reagan, and this was back in the early 1970s, and he had come into Jackson, Mississippi, for a Republican Party event. And I attended that event with my parents and was absolutely amazed at several things as I listened to and watched Ronald Reagan. It was his warmth, his ability to communicate, the way he used simple words for a very strong message, one that really showed his principle and his commitment in those still convictions that never ever wavered.

And one of the things that really impressed me was that this was a man who really loved America. He loved everything that America stood for. And I think that it is fitting that we have a world that stands in awe today as they look back and they remember those commitments in and accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to return today with some of my colleagues from being in Normandy to celebrate and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day and the fight for freedom that was so important to our allies and also to our Nation, and to have an opportunity to share with so many of those individuals their love of President Ronald Reagan. And I think they all saw in him something that we appreciated and maybe could not always put into words. But he promised a renewal of American spirit for us, and by sheer willpower, he made that happen. And I think, yes, that he believed in us more than we believed in ourselves as he became the President of this great country, and he taught us how to enact that belief.

He also taught us that tax relief would make our economy boom, and that indeed happened with an unprecedented economic expansion. He also showed us how one could say, I am not going to hide behind diplomatic platitudes, and I am not going to allow the Soviet Union to slowly eat away at the West. He simply communicated the truth about communism and exposed it for what it was: a cruel system built by thugs and murderers.

And President Reagan truly was the quintessential American hero, the small-town boy with the can-do attitude who set out with a dream and ended up changing the world. He had courage, he had wisdom, and he believed in the best that there was with America. God bless, Ronald Reagan. He was a true American original.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 413. Today, we are honoring these millions of women who, although they have never been to a battlefield, they really served valiantly during some of our Nation's darkest hours. I think we have all heard stories from our moms and relatives and from individuals who really rolled up their sleeves and got to work to be of service to our Nation. Of course, there are women from all walks of life, all ages, and they really heeded the call of this Nation in shipyards, dockyards, steel mills, lumber mills, wherever they were needed. They worked in defense industries and support services to power the American productivity that helped win World War II.

The sight of women outfitted in overalls and wielding industrial tools was popularized in the 1942 song ``Rosie the Riveter.'' The image and the song created an instantly recognizable nickname for those homefront heroes. Today, that nickname and that image is still recognized and loved.

Mr. Speaker, these women demonstrated skill and dedication in difficult and often very dangerous jobs, but their work produced urgently needed military equipment at record-breaking speeds. They were efficient, and they defined many of the standards we hold today. The legacy of these Rosies is still seen across America. Their service on the homefront marked the start of an unprecedented entry of women into the workplace and created a lasting legacy of women leaders for us to look up to.

One such Rosie now lives on a 70-acre farm in my district in Tennessee. Lois Turner worked as a mechanic at Bell Aircraft in Niagara Falls, New York, from 1943 to 1945. She had many roles at Bell. She worked in machine gun manufacturing; and with her delicate hands, she was able to do much of the safety wiring in parts of our warplanes that most others could not reach. She spent 15 minutes at a time held upside down to reach those tight spots. Lois' skill and care helped keep our soldiers safe.

Mr. Speaker, the Rosies of World War II put heart and soul into their work because their work meant the safety and security of their loved ones on the battle front.

As many Members will recall, in 2000 Congress recognized the significance of America's World War II industrial achievements and the legacy of the women who helped make those achievements possible by establishing the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. It is a unit of the National Park System. As we did then, we pause again today to remember the women who have given so much to their country.

Their love of country, their hard work, their prayers for our soldiers were in the steel and plate of every American battleship. They were then, and remain today, deep in the soul of our war effort and a great victory for freedom and peace.

We should all thank our colleague, the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), for her leadership in honoring these women and for sponsoring this resolution, so that America will never forget these wonderful patriots.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).

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

I want to again thank the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) for her work on this legislation and for bringing forth the opportunity that we could all take a few minutes and say thank you to the women that we know, the Rosies, who have been here and who have worked.

I think that one of the things that they have done is that they set forth for us, as we have heard from so many of our speakers today, more or less a role model for how they lived patriotism, how they worked each and every day, and how they displayed that love of freedom. As some of our colleagues have talked, it was through victory gardens, it was through keeping other children, it was through enabling the women who could head into the factories and head into the workplace to be there and to do a great job. And, of course, they did change the face of the workplace.

But I think that, probably more than that, one of the things that they accomplished and did a tremendous job in accomplishing was giving us a peace dividend. That is something that their children and their grandchildren have enjoyed and continue to enjoy today, and it is because of the extraordinary effort of so many of the Rosie the Riveters. What a pleasure it is today for us to join together and to thank each and every one of them for those efforts.

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

Mr. Speaker, many of our immigration laws are no longer consistent with our national security and other vital interests.

The diversity visa or visa lottery system is one such example. The visa lottery was established by the Immigration Act of 1990 to offer the opportunity of immigration to individuals in countries that had been sending few immigrants to the United States.

Usually, immigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals that have an existing connection with a family member lawfully residing in the United States or with a U.S. employer. These types of relationships help ensure that immigrants entering the country have a stake in continuing America's success, and have the advanced skills necessary to contribute to the nation's economy. However, under the visa lottery program, visas are awarded to immigrants at random with no such safety precautions.

I have heard from immigrants who have legally come to the country, and they believe the visa lottery program is unfair to immigrants who comply with the United States' immigration laws. Also, the visa lottery program does not prohibit illegal aliens from applying to receive a visa through the program.

The program has many flaws. A recent report released by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that it is commonplace for foreign nationals to apply for the lottery program multiple times using different aliases and false personal information.

I support Congressman Goodlatte's bill, H.R. 775, The Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act, which would terminate the visa lottery. This piece of legislation is an important and positive step in immigration reform and it is my hope that the House considers it in the near future.

Mr. Speaker, here they go again. Candidate Kerry and the Democrats are trying to take a page out of President Reagan's handbook. Unfortunately, for the taxpayers, it is not a page dealing with tax relief. Kerry's consultants are telling Democrats to ask this question: Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?

Four years ago under a different administration, this Nation slept while al Qaeda plotted. We were deceived by a hollow technology bubble. Our seniors had no assistance with prescription drugs. And 4 years ago, Americans paid a marriage tax, a death tax, an estate tax, and across the board Americans paid higher income taxes.

President Bush has led us through some of the most challenging times in our Nation's history. Our economy is growing hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. More Americans are working than ever. More Americans own a home than ever. Our Armed Forces have terrorists on the run.

In Candidate Kerry's world, we would treat terrorism as a law enforcement issue. Mr. Speaker, I think those advisers need to go back to the drawing board.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank our chairman for his work on H.R. 2432, the Paperwork and Regulatory Improvements Act, and I rise today in support of this overdue legislation. I came to Congress to support small businesses, and this is a step in the right direction.

We have all heard the saying--the road to ruin is paved with good intentions. This is an appropriate statement to consider as we discuss the purpose of the original Paperwork Reduction Act. In 1980 this legislation was passed to ensure that government didn't place an undue repetitive and duplicative paperwork burden on the Nation's businesses. In 1995, Congress again took up the issue and amended PRA by establishing additional paperwork reduction goals. Unfortunately, the result has not been less paperwork.

Since 1995, the paperwork burden has consistently increased. In a 2002 report to Congress, OMB found that the Department of Labor alone imposed over 181 million hours of paperwork in FY 2001. And OMB estimated that processing the paperwork costs business $30 an hour--the Labor Department's regulations alone, at that rate, are costing American businesses $5.43 billion. And the total per-employee cost of regulation can be as much as 60 percent greater for small businesses.

Mr. Chairman, time and again, at town halls and business roundtables across my district, I'm hearing from business owners, small and large, that they are frustrated and, quite frankly, they are tired of the government costing them time and money for purposeless paperwork.

H.R. 2432 gives Congress the tools needed to effectively study and gauge the value of particular regulations and make informed, cost- benefit judgments on their worth. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me this time, who is truly a leader in this House on the issue of tax relief for hard-working Americans.

We are talking taxes today and this week. And because the Republicans are the majority here, we are talking tax relief, not tax increases; and the taxpayers need to be thinking about that. If the Democrats were running the show, we would be talking tax and spend and higher taxes. Republicans believe that the taxpayers ought to be keeping more of those hard-earned dollars. And we face a lot of opposition to that here in Washington. Too many times we have got liberals who would rather spend their money for them, and then they want to take the credit for it. It was President Bush and the Republican Congress who enacted historic tax relief that is fueling tremendous job growth in this country. We have created over 1 million jobs since last August; and there were a lot of naysayers that said it will never happen, it will never happen. One million jobs since August.

H.R. 4275 is a critical piece of legislation for 24 million lower- income Americans. If we do not pass this, their taxes are going to increase by 50 percent. We do not believe government is why America is strong. We think it is because of the people. It is Americans that make this country great, Americans that are making economic choices for themselves and their families, not having a government program taking away their checkbook. That is the Republican philosophy. We have led on this issue, and we are continuing to work to lower personal income tax brackets.

Time and again the American people are choosing to send Republicans to Washington because they want tax relief. I have said it in the past. Democrats only talk about tax relief in election years. Republicans talk about tax relief every year.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his excellent work on this issue for our Nation's small businesses.

We know that those small businesses fuel this economic growth in our country, and we appreciate their efforts; and we know that our small business employees are being burdened paying on average 17 percent more for their health benefits than their counterparts at large companies.

I recently held a small business health care roundtable in my district and talked with these small business employers about their desire to make better health benefits available to their employees and still stay competitive. This legislation is an opportunity that Congress has to help bring about that affordable health care to millions of employees.

AHPs would save the typical small business owner between 15 and 30 percent on health insurance and help make that coverage available. As our chairman said, too often regulations and mandates add to the cost burden.

Current law exempts large employers and unions from State mandates so that they are able to offer quality benefits across State lines. The Small Business Health Fairness Act will give that same opportunity to our small businesses in this country.

This is a benefit that will help them to be competitive in the world market. It is bipartisan legislation. It passed overwhelmingly last year, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation for our Nation's small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, America's health care system is facing a malpractice abuse crisis. This single issue has driven up costs, it has increased the number of uninsured, and it has forced health providers out of our rural areas. Doctors are facing mounting costs. The sky-high noneconomic damage awards, which end up lining the pockets of the powerful trial lawyer lobby, are responsible for many of the elements that are plaguing this system.

Most of our medical liability claims, up to 70 percent, do not result in any payments to the patients. The lawyers' fees account for 40 percent or more of these multimillion-dollar payouts. The effect is clear. The lawsuits and the trial lawyers force this situation with enormous insurance rates. They then charge you and me and businesses across the country higher prices.

Employers can attest to what the high cost of health care is doing to them. They hurt when they cannot afford to offer coverage to their workers. Our rural communities understand this issue. The family doctor who grew up with them there in the town is disappearing. They are being squeezed out by this vicious cycle. This should be an easy vote. It is common sense, and it is going to help save rural health care and save lives.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the long- standing commitment of the Tennessee Apparel Corporation to the people of Waynesboro and Tullahoma, Tennessee.

From this company's earliest days in 1901 when it was known as the Sanders Manufacturing Company through its 100-year anniversary and beyond, the Tennessee Apparel Corporation has been at the forefront of supplying our troops with the clothing they need. From dress uniforms to cold-weather gear, Tennessee Apparel has been there for our American fighting men and women. In the last 100 years, they produced nearly 50 million military items. With approximately 480 employees in middle Tennessee, the Tennessee Apparel Corporation provides a tremendous service to our State and our Nation. God's blessing on these fine men and women.

Mr. Speaker, I came to Washington to work on several issues, one of which is the sales tax deduction. Tennesseans know my record on tax fairness. I have been working with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady) to put that sales tax deduction issue on the map. I am glad to see that we have got some folks on the other side of the aisle that are coming in here and ready to help us with this debate. Like my mom always said, better late than never.

Unfortunately, true to form, their proposal, the Democrat proposal is a classic political bait and switch. They are talking about supporting a sales tax deduction while they are hiding the fact that their motion to recommit contains a tax increase. Tennesseans are not going to buy that kind of gimmickry. Whenever you make that kind of bargain, the end result is always higher taxes.

Today we are talking about the AMT, the alternative minimum tax. One of my Democrat colleagues said he never hears from constituents about the AMT, that they do not know what it is. He might be right. There are millions of middle-income taxpayers that do not know what is coming, that 11 million of them will be hit with an average tax increase of $1,520. So let us come back in a year and tell these people they do not know what the AMT is. They are going to know. They will know that they have been walloped with a $1,500 tax hike if we do not take action right now. They will be angry because people opposed the Republican plan that is supported today.

My friends across the aisle claim that their motion to recommit addresses the tax hike. Where were they when President Clinton raised taxes and failed to adjust the AMT for inflation? They had their chance to act then, and they failed. People back home need to ask themselves who do they trust on the tax policy; who has been consistently on the side of the taxpayer. It is an easy call. Democrats only talk about tax relief in election years. Republicans talk about tax relief every year.

Mr. Speaker, as part of National Teachers Week, it is so fitting that we commend our teachers for the work that they do. And I think it is particularly appropriate that America take time to thank the teachers and the school administrators at our military-impacted schools.

The 101 Airborne Division of the U.S. Army is stationed at Ft. Campbell in my district, in Montgomery County, Tennessee. There are 5,400 children who have at least one parent in the military and 1,700 children of civilian military employees attending the local Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools.

These schools play a central role in the lives of children whose needs are unique. As they adjust to their parents being deployed around the world defending America, the sacrifice that these children and their families make is enormous. And how fitting that we recognize that and that we recognize the teachers and the administrators who work with them teach and every day.

I know these children often have many things on their minds, many important and pressing issues on their minds, and the teachers at our military-impacted schools are important in providing a warm, friendly environment for these students.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the teachers and the staff at our military- impacted schools for their commitment to the children to their families and to our service members.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nevada for the wonderful work that he has done on this resolution and for his support of charter schools. I am pleased to join him in cosponsoring this legislation and serving as an honorary cochairman of the National Charter School Week. The growth of charter schools across our country in recent years has allowed us to see firsthand the difference that these schools can make in children's lives.

In 2002, while I was a member of the Tennessee State Senate, we passed legislation allowing for the creation of

public charter schools. That was signed into law in Tennessee that year. The legislation allowed for the creation of the first four public charter schools, which opened their doors in our State in 2003. These schools have had a great start, and I am looking forward to seeing the establishment of more charter schools in Tennessee.

Unfortunately, some traditional schools fail to serve some students, and charter schools have proven to be a great alternative for many of these students. Fifteen different studies show that students frequently enter charter schools significantly below grade level and then progress at or above the gains being made in surrounding districts and demographically comparable schools or with their State averages.

National Charter School Week is a great opportunity for us to talk about the success of charter schools and the success that they are having in meeting the needs of our children and their families and the success that they are having in encouraging children to become lifelong learners.

Mr. Speaker, this year the Franklin and Williamson County Chamber of Commerce gave three of our friends and neighbors the ``Legend'' award.

All three have worked to make our community a better place and they deserve thanks and recognition.

Louise Lynch has dedicated countless hours to saving the county's archives and preserving a historical record of Williamson County. Because of her many years of efforts, the Williamson County Archives is recognized not only as one of the best in the state but in the nation. Married to County Commissioner Clyde Lynch for 50 years, Mrs. Lynch is a sixth generation Williamson Countian. She previously earned the ``Lady of the Year'' award from Beta Sigma Phi; the Williamson Historical Society's Distinguished Service Award, and the Jane Langston Service Award for her preservation efforts.

Ronald Ligon has never wanted any credit for his work on behalf of Williamson County. While he would rather ``remain in the background,'' we could not fail to recognize him. In 1959 he established Christus Gardens of Gatlinburg and served as vice chairman of the board at Harpeth National Bank. His extensive volunteer community service includes Boy Scouts, Franklin Rotary Club, and Williamson Medical Foundation.

Roy Barker was awarded a Purple Heart as a result of his military service in the Battle of the Bulge. Upon returning to Williamson County after World War II, he entered the insurance and real estate business and gained respect as a business and community leader. He served in the Tennessee Constitutional Convention and the Tennessee House of Representatives.

These friends and neighbors are the reason Franklin and Williamson County are such wonderful places to live and work. We honor them for their dedication to our community.

Mr. Speaker, the Nashville Business Journal recently ran an article entitled ``Kerry Plan Would Cut 100,000 Government Contracting Jobs.'' This was reporting on John Kerry's plan to eliminate 100,000 private sector contractor jobs. Apparently, he does not feel that the private sector provides much bang for the taxpayer buck. His solution is bigger government, less competition.

According to the Professional Services Council, small businesses would bear the brunt of Kerry's return to big government. Last year, small businesses competed for and won $63 billion in government contracts, equaling more than 25 percent of the Federal Government's contracting budget.

Study after study has shown that contracting with our Nation's small business sector reduces the cost to taxpayers, conserving taxpayer dollars. That should trump favors to special interests and big business any day.

Mr. Speaker, those of us in touch with folks outside the Beltway know small businesses make this country run.