Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the anniversary of the Lansing Civic Players, a community theater in Lansing, Michigan, as 2004 marks their 75th year of continuous operation.

After three-quarters of a century enduring trials and tribulations, the Lansing Civic Players still continues to achieve the goal they set out for: To provide the people in the Lansing area with good community theatre.

In the fall of 1929, two amateur theater productions were established in the Lansing area: The Players Guild, started by Elva Schell and the Civic Theatre, created by August Fischer. In October 1929, the two groups decided to join resources, and the Lansing Civic Players Guild was born.

The first years were a struggle for the group. The members of the Lansing Civic Players Guild performed all necessary functions. They were the actors, the ticket salesmen, and the set builders. They did it all. They had very little money, but they had a determination to bring quality theater to the Lansing area. The group began work on their first play, ``The Trial of Mary Duggan.'' It was at this time the royalties for the show were pulled, and the Lansing Civic Players Guild was left without a play. But as they say in show business, the show must go on. The group rushed to find a new production, and on May 24, 1930, they performed ``Captain AppleJack.'' This performance had over 1,000 people in attendance, including the Governor of the State of Michigan, and is still a record setting attendance to this day for the theater.

Today, the group operates their business, the building, rehearsals, and costume shop out of a fire hall which they acquired in June, 1977. The Lansing Civic Players have performed at three area high schools since inception, and currently perform at the Hannah Community Center. They have received awards for longevity from the Community Theater Association of Michigan as well as the Lansing City Council.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 75th anniversary of the Lansing Civic Players and the impact they have made on mid-Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, on the legislative day of Thursday, March 18, 2004, the House had a vote on H. Con. Res. 364, a resolution that would express Congress' recognition of more than 50 years of strategic partnership between the United States and the Marshall Islands. On House rollcall vote No. 71, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3926) to amend the Public Health Service Act to promote organ donation, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 3926.

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

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3926, the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act. This legislation, introduced by the Subcommittee on Health chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), and I pause here for a moment, Mr. Speaker, to commend the gentleman from Florida's (Mr. Bilirakis) effort on this particular bill. He is such a distinguished Member of our body, respected by both sides of the aisle, and his compassion for those in need is unparalleled, and I would hope that we could note for the record his great effort in this particular cause.

This bill reflects a great bipartisan effort and one that passed the Senate late last year. I hope that all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this important legislation.

As most of us know, there is a great unmet need for donated organs and tissue right here in the United States. According to the United Network of Organ Sharing, there are 84,138 people who currently are waiting for transplant, while only 12,133 individuals had donated their organs between January and November of 2003; 23,387 individuals did receive a transplant within that

same time frame, but close to 6,000 individuals died while waiting on the list.

H.R. 3926 responds to this public health crisis by effectively targeting our limited Federal resources towards areas we think will do the most good. This legislation authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for the purposes of covering travel and subsistence expenses incurred by living organ donors. Hopefully, this assistance will help ensure that no potential living organ donor is prevented from donating simply because they cannot afford the associated travel costs.

Additionally, H.R. 3926 includes a new grant program that will help to replace organ donation coordinators in hospitals and organ procurement organizations in an effort to increase donation rates. Finally, the bill provides the Secretary with $15 million in new resources to help State governments and public and nonprofit private entities develop innovative new initiatives designed to increase organ donation rates, including living donation.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3926 enjoys strong support within the transplant community and will help us in our efforts to ensure that every American has access to a donated organ or tissue when they need it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the other side of the aisle for moving this bill so quickly, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 522) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there is a critical need to increase awareness and education about heart disease and the risk factors of heart disease among women.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 522.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 522 to express the sense of the House of Representatives that there is a critical need to increase awareness and education about heart disease and the risk factors for heart disease among women.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women, killing almost twice as many as all forms of cancer. Yet according to a recent survey conducted by the American Heart Association, only 13 percent of women consider heart disease their greatest health risk. Lack of knowledge and awareness of symptoms of heart disease is dangerous and can be easily addressed.

This resolution goes right to this point. It encourages all women to recognize the dangers of this disease and take steps to make healthy choices that can reduce the risk of heart disease in the first place. Men and women alike are far more likely to make sound life-style changes when they are educated about the risks of heart disease.

This resolution also commends First Lady Laura Bush and the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for the fantastic work they have done in this area to raise public awareness about this disease. The First Lady and the NIH have taken a creative approach with this public education campaign using a variety of different media to get the word out about heart disease. I applaud the work that they have done to heighten awareness of this issue. I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas, as well, for bringing this to the people of America's attention. It is an incredibly important health risk for women that has gone unnoted for far too long. I thank the gentleman for bringing this important piece of legislation to the forefront and for getting that message out. I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) for his cooperation today in reaching across the aisle, really on two pieces of legislation today that will have a positive impact on the health of Americans around the country.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, on the legislative day of Tuesday, February 24,

2004, the House had a vote on S. 714, legislation that would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to convey land to Douglas County, OR. On House rollcall vote No. 27, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership on this for the millions of seniors who today have no access, no access to prescription drugs that will have that when this bill is signed into law. I thank him for each and every one of them.

For the purposes of colloquy, it is certainly not the chairman's intent that the cuts to oncology practices across the country would go below such a level that would cause practices to close, thus jeopardize access to care for thousands of cancer patients, and should we see that CBO's projections were wrong and that oncologists were found not to be made whole for their drug reimbursement under the new Average Sales Price that we would swiftly reverse this payment methodology?

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for clarifying.

In addition, it is not the chairman's intent that small rural cancer centers across the country would be detrimentally impacted under the new Average Sales Price reimbursement method for their drugs based on their inability to buy in volume like their suburban

neighbors. And if we found that to be the case, we would swiftly review the specific impact such a payment methodology had on access to care in these rural areas.

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his attention on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the compassionate actions of two Michigan businesses for reaching across the globe to touch the lives of orphaned children living in an Iraqi orphanage.

Leaders at Meijer Inc. and United Parcel Service learned that soldiers in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne stationed near Mosul, Iraq, were helping nearly 70 children in a nearby orphanage.

Meijer, a large supermarket/department store, immediately agreed to donate several large cartons of toys for the children. United Parcel Service supported the project, providing additional funds for toys.

In September, the toys were shipped to soldiers at the 101st mobile military hospital near the orphanage and this past week, they were distributed to the children.

These two generous organizations are to be commended for their efforts that not only help the individual children but also impact the relationships our military men and women are building with the citizens of Iraq.

The long-range impact of this compassionate act by Americans is immeasurable. As these children grow up, they will remember the care and love of Americans who came to free their nation from tyranny and give them a future with hope.

Mr. Speaker, we wish to extend congratulations to Meijer Inc. and United Parcel Service for their generosity and for being willing to reach across geographic and cultural borders to express their care and concern for children in need.

We are honored to recognize their accomplishments and ask that our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives join in recognizing these Michigan businesses for their humanitarian efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding efforts of the National Association of Broadcasters for their partnership with the Armed Forces Relief Trust Fund. The Armed Forces Relief Trust Fund serves as an umbrella organization incorporating the four Military Aid Societies from the Army, Navy- Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard collecting and distributing donations that help reduce the burden on families of our military men and women. The partnership with National Association of Broadcasters will help create and broadcast public service announcements to encourage Americans to donate to the Armed Forces Relief Trust Fund.

While our military men and women are serving our country, it is paramount that the American people band together so that we can ensure that no family incurs hardships while their loved one is away. Military aid programs, funded by private donations, provide services like college tuition for children and health care for pregnant wives, services that could have been provided if their family member had not been called to duty. Last year alone, the four military aid societies provided over $109 million in grants and interest free loans to 145,000 families.

I am confident that with the help of the National Association of Broadcasters the Armed Forces Relief Trust Fund can far exceed the number of families it was able to help last year. As an increasing number of Americans answer the call to duty, more and more families will be asking the Armed Forces Relief Trust Fund for help. The public service announcements developed by The National Association of Broadcasters will help to increase donations and insure that the trust fund has the solvency to answer this call.

Mr. Speaker, the continued support of the brave men and women serving this country is extremely important to me. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking the National Association of Broadcasters and the Armed Forces Relief Trust Fund for their assistance to our troops.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my strong support for the Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act. But before I begin I would be remiss if I did not thank my good friend and colleague Representative Pete Hoekstra for introducing and working so hard to pass this important measure.

Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1829 levels the playing field and lets private sector businesses compete for Federal Government contracts. Specifically it eliminates the mandatory contracting requirement that Federal agencies are subject to when it comes to products made by the Federal Prison Industries (FPI).

In a misguided policy, Federal agencies are currently required to buy only from FPI. This requirement has transformed FPI from a small program focused on rehabilitation into a virtual monopoly power in the Federal marketplace. Providing over 300 products and services and generating $678 million in sales last year.

We in Michigan have a keen appreciation of the impact of FPI because nearly 35 percent of these sales represent office furniture products that are competing directly with the many furniture makers in my home State of Michigan. In fact, approximately 5,000 inmates in 17 factories within the Federal Prison System are building furniture today. Without this bill, FPI will be able to continue its mission creep into new marketplaces directly competing with struggling private manufacturers.

Mr. Chairman, the private marketplace has consistently shown that they can provide higher quality products quicker and cheaper than the FPI. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill and support American manufactures.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English) for his efforts on this.

Coming from a State that depends on manufacturing, and we have lots of small manufacturing in our great State, this is one hurdle that they cannot get over. They are frequently talkers. When I get these small manufacturers, 50, 75, 100 folks in these small manufacturing facilities who talk about and embrace the ideas of free trade, they do not want to back away from that. They think it is good and it is helpful and it will produce jobs in America. But it has to be fair.

One of the things that we have seen is that China is not willing to embrace the tenets of fair trade. Currency manipulation is the greatest of all of its evils standing up front. What it does is it artificially leaches off the value of the dollar, automatically making any deal put together by an American manufacturer uncompetitive. That is unfair. What they are saying is, hey, don't do away with free trade, but let's embrace the tenets of fair trade and help us eliminate those artificial barriers, and we will compete with our great labor force.

I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.

As the gentleman may understand, there is a greater circumference of competition in every business and it means more than just labor costs. It is all of the costs that go in, including the quality of the production. When you talk to American manufacturers, they will tell you they can compete if these artificial barriers are gone. We ought to stand tall. I appreciate the administration's efforts to this point. We appreciate the things that they are doing. This resolution is an important step, by saying, we are going to give you every tool in the tool box. We are not going to tell you which one, but we are going to give you all of the tools to go after unfair barriers, just like currency manipulation.

Let us stand tall for what the administration is doing and what we can do when we stand together for embracing jobs and competitiveness in American manufacturing.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time, and I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) for cosponsoring this legislation, working in a bipartisan way to recognize a very powerful tool that many do not know even exists.

Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons for this resolution is to remind many Americans that there is a possibility that you can save and compound and fight the rising costs of getting your children a quality education.

I remember in Michigan we started something like this where it is tax-free in and tax-free out in a 529. You do not pay Michigan income tax if you get into one of these education funds. At the announcement, a woman brought a jar full of pennies. She was so excited, she said, ``You know, no longer do I have to fill this jar with pennies. I can put it somewhere where these pennies will become dollars and hundreds of dollars for my child to have and get a chance at a quality education in America.'' How true that was, and how inspiring it was for that woman to recognize that this is such a powerful instrument for parents all across this great country, to have the benefits of a tax-free way to save and compound for offsetting these rising costs of getting that education.

Mr. Speaker, 86,000 people since the introduction of this bill, in Michigan alone, have signed up and are putting $25, $15, $10 or $100, as much as $5,000, away in these funds and watching it grow, tax-free, certainly at the State level, and tax-free at the Federal level, thanks to all the Members of this Chamber, when you withdraw it for your child's education. You can start to fight back the cost of books and computers and room and board, and, certainly, that cost of tuition through these funds.

I want to, again, thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for working in such a great, bipartisan spirit to reach a very laudable goal, and that is quality, accessible, higher education and vocational training for every American. This certainly empowers hundreds of thousands of them to do that right here at home.

Mr. Speaker, as the sponsor of H. Con. Res. 270, I rise in support and wish to thank Chairman Davis for bringing it to the floor today and to thank Congressman John Tierney for joining me in sponsoring this resolution. H. Con. Res. 270 recognizes September as College Savings Month in conjunction with the National Association of State Treasurers and the College Savings Plan Network in order to raise public awareness about the need to save for educational expenses.

Since 1980, the rate of increase of the cost of postsecondary education has exceeded the rate of increase of inflation, public assistance to students and family income. This rapid rate of increase poses serious threats to the ability of parents to save for and individuals to access postsecondary education.

Given that it is in our Nation's best interest to have a highly educated population and to encourage parents to save for their educational expenses, many States, like Michigan, offer tax incentives to encourage their citizens to save for educational expenses. As a State senator, I sponsored legislation to develop a 529 plan that provides tax-free contributions and withdrawals made to an education savings account. Soon after becoming a Congressman, I introduced legislation to make distributions from State-sponsored prepaid tuition or college savings plans tax free. I was pleased when this provision was included in the 2001 Economic Stimulus legislation that was signed by the President. Education savings accounts are one way that we can ensure that individuals at every income level have the ability to contribute to their child's or a relative's or even their own postsecondary education.

I realize many working families are trying to save for college and it would be ideal if no student had to take out a student loan. But for those who do incur debt, we need to make sure every student loan borrower has a real opportunity to borrow at the lowest rate possible. In order for borrowers to reach the lowest rates possible, there must be competition in all aspects of the student loan program, including consolidation loans.

In order to ensure that we instill such competition, we will need to make sure that we repeal the single holder rule during the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which is currently moving through the Education and the Workforce Committee. I want to thank my colleagues, Chairman Boehner and Congressman McKeon, for their efforts to keep college costs under control. It will be part of my commitment to them as well as students and families everywhere that they can have the benefit of competition from the more than one thousand qualified lenders in the program when they consolidate their loans and, thus, allow them to further reduce their debt burden by taking advantage of historically low fixed interest rates, just as other borrowers are able to do every day.

In conclusion, I encourage my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 270 and the goals and ideals of College Savings Month.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for all that she has done to get this bill on the floor and her leadership, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris) very much for taking charge of this bill this session and getting it to where it was.

It was a little bit over a year ago that I stood in Detroit, Michigan, celebrating the 100th Habitat home going up with Secretary Martinez, and it was a great day for us. It was kind of a little bit chilly, a little bit rainy, but the excitement, the joy, even the tears about having that key go in that door and turning that knob was exhilarating and exhilarated a whole community as we stood under that tent together opening the door of that new home for that family. In that same crowd, there were dozens of folks who were there who had a little bit of hope to experience that very same exhilaration by sticking that key in that door and calling it theirs, calling it their home. We all know that there is a difference between a place to live and a home.

That day, that particular house, built by volunteers and the family that was going in, became a home in a community that needed all the help it could get. It had a very low homeownership rate, and what we found is that as we increased these number of homes, truancy went down, crime rates went down, investment in the community, the school overall performance went up, and that is what this bill is about, and we should not forget it.

It is about minority ownership coming up to where it needs to be, but it is about the very gift to the very family who is playing by the rules, getting up

every day, doing the right thing, paying all their bills, putting shoes on their children's feet, making their rent payments, making their utility payments, and this is the one hurdle, the very one hurdle that stops them, that puts them in the back of the tent watching somebody else put that key in the door.

For all of my colleagues that helped do this, I thank them very, very much. This will be a profound impact on thousands and thousands of American families. This is an investment in our future. I want to thank all of my colleagues for their commitment to this. I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney). I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris) for her leadership and Secretary Martinez for championing this cause.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished FBI Special Agent from the Bureau's Detroit Division on the occasion of his retirement. On February 5, 1970, Joseph F. Finnigan entered on duty as a clerk for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On March 15, 1971, in response to a call from Director J. Edgar Hoover for an additional 1000 agents, Joe was sworn in, sent to new agents training class, and began what proved to be an exemplary career as a Special Agent.

From June, 1971 until August of 1972, Special Agent Finnigan was assigned to the Chicago Field Office and investigated a variety of criminal matters. It was during this period that Joe first began investigating organized crime, a pursuit that would become his specialty and career highlight in later years. In August of 1972, Director Hoover transferred Joe to the Detroit Field Office where he served for over 31 years.

In 1986, Joe joined the management ranks when he was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) and placed in charge of the Great Lakes Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force and in 1988 he became the supervisor of the Organized Crime squad, the post from which he made what are perhaps his most significant contributions, the post from which he retires on September 30, 2003.

During his tenure as the SSA of Detroit's legendary C-8 squad, Joe supervised the organized crime investigation code named ``GAMTAX''. His supervision and direction of this long and arduous investigation resulted in some of the most significant organized crime convictions and forfeitures in the history of the FBI. This investigation focused on the Detroit Family of La Cosa Nostra, an extremely active criminal enterprise for at least 30 years with criminal roots going back to the Prohibition era. The information developed during the course of this massive investigation allowed agents to prevent several murders and assaults. Supervisory Special Agent Finnigan met face to face with LAN Boss Jack Tocco and told him that he would be held personally responsible for any harm caused by him or his mob associates.

In 1996, a Michigan Federal Grand Jury charged the entire hierarchy of the Detroit LAN with 25 counts of racketeering. ``Capo'' Vito Giacalone became the first member to publicly acknowledge his LAN membership and the existence of the Detroit LAN when he pled guilty to the charges. ``Capo'' Anthony Giacalone, one of two people Jimmy Hoffa was supposedly waiting to meet when he mysteriously disappeared was also indicted, but died of kidney disease before being brought to trial. LAN Boss Jack Tocco, whose only previous conviction was for attending an illegal cockfight, was convicted of racketeering and extortion and sent to prison.

SSA Joe Finnigan has received letters of commendation from every FBI Director, consistently received top job performance reviews, and has garnered many letters of appreciation from the United States Attorney's Office and the United States Department of Justice. He has earned and kept the respect of his law enforcement colleagues and has diligently protected the citizens of the great State of Michigan and the citizens of this great Nation with enthusiasm, dedication and pride.

Supervisory Special Agent Joseph M. Finnigan has exemplified the very finest traditions of the FBI by adhering to the traits that make up the Bureau's motto: ``Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity.'' Mr. Speaker, I ask that my Colleagues join me in recognizing Joe for his service to our country and offering our best wishes on the occasion of his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Lansing City Rescue Mission for its service and devotion to the less fortunate people in my district. For over ninety years, the City Rescue Mission has been providing warm meals, warm beds and warm hearts to the people of Lansing who are unable to provide for themselves.

The Lansing City Rescue Mission opened its doors in November of 1911 and while finances were tight, the mission still managed to provide warm clothing to the needy and wholesome meals to the hungry. During the depression, the mission opened a soup line to serve the many hungry men and women who were without job, or a home. After several location changes, the mission settled in its present location in 1949. That same year, the mission was incorporated and a board of directors was selected. Throughout the 1950's, the newly incorporated mission continued to expand; and by 1960 the mission could sleep thirty-seven and feed forty-two. Today, the Lansing City Rescue Mission continues to serve the Lansing area with distinction. The mission has grown to 12 separate buildings and serves almost 1,500 needy individuals each year. In 2002, the mission provided almost 19,000 clean beds and over 53,000 nutritious meals.

In 2002, President Bush asked all Americans to devote themselves to the cause of community service and volunteerism. Mr. Speaker, The Lansing City Rescue Mission has been answering this call to service since 1911; and thanks to generous donations and hardworking volunteers, the Lansing City Rescue Mission will continue to serve for many years to come. On behalf of my constituents and the nearly 1,500 people served by the mission every year, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Lansing City Rescue Mission.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Durand Union Station as October 4, 2003 will mark its historic birthday. In the last century, Durand Union Station has survived fire, neglect, dilapidation, and even the wrecking ball. Over the years, the proud citizens of my district have banded together to restore and preserve this local treasure.

In 1903, construction began on Durand Union Station, at a cost of $60,000 the rail depot was an architectural marvel. The Chateau Romanesque style depot was constructed of Missouri granite brick with an interior of oak woodwork and wainscoting of Tennessee marble. However, just eighteen months after its construction, fire tore though the boiler room of the station in April of 1905. Firefighters had the blaze contained until the Eastbound train forced the firefighters to pull their hoses back across the tracks and allow the train to pass. The fire of 1905 destroyed nearly all of Durand Union Station.

After being rebuilt, Durand Union Station served the people of Michigan until 1974. Unfortunately, the struggling railroad industry forced Grand Trunk Western Railroad to completely abandon the building in 1974. Consequently, Durand Union Station was stripped, gutted, vandalized and ready for demolition. But, state and local officials along with the citizens of Durand determined to restore the building were able to save Durand Union Station at the demolition zero hour.

Today, Durand Union Station has been preserved and restored by Durand Union Station, Inc., a nonprofit corporation founded to manage the historic building. The Michigan Legislature has designated Durand Union Station as the natural site for the Michigan Railroad History Museum and Information Center. Under the leadership of Durand Union Station Inc., the station is slated to undergo nearly $4 million in improvements and expansion.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the one hundredth birthday of Durand Union Station. Over the past one hundred years, the station has become a monument to the American spirit. The people of Durand, Michigan have overcome numerous setbacks in their quest to preserve this wonderful Michigan landmark.