Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Friday, November 14, 2003, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, November 17, 2003, for morning hour debates.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, November 19, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 2 o'clock and 6 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Friday, November 14, 2003, at 2 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

First of all, let me say it is a great day in the House, it is a great day in the United States Senate and it is a great day in the United States of America. I say to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence), as we have said and talked about on many occasions, a lot of times we hear the courts speak on different issues. Well, today we have had an opportunity to hear the people speak, that this is an issue that we should not put up with in this Nation.

I believe we will be judged by how we treat those who are the most vulnerable in society. For that reason, it is especially exciting to be here on the

Floor of the United States House of Representatives in the United States Capitol when this legislation has passed.

Certainly, I was pleased to join 161 of my house colleagues in cosponsoring this legislation. This is the fifth Congress during which this debate has taken place. I am thankful we have done the right thing to outlaw this procedure once and for all, and look forward to President Bush having a signing ceremony and inviting all the Members of Congress that are very interested in this issue to be there, because I think this will be a great day for America and I think it will be a great day for not only this administration when he signs that, but also the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, June 7, 2003 the City of Fayette, the Fourth Congressional District and the State of Alabama lost three public servants in a senseless act of violence. Officer Arnold Strickland, Corporal James Crump and Dispatcher Leslie Mealer. These men were performing their duties inside the Fayette Police Department when they were tragically struck down.

Arnold Gunther Strickland was a veteran law enforcement officer with twenty-three years of experience with other departments in West Alabama and nearly three years with the Fayette Police Department.

James Eddie Crump was a 1994 graduate of the Tuscaloosa Law Enforcement Academy and had served in law enforcement for nine years, including over six years with the police department in his hometown of Hamilton and nearly three years in Fayette.

Leslie Franklin Mealer, better know as ``Ace,'' had a fifteen year association with law enforcement in Fayette County. He served as a Reserve Deputy for the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, Reserve Officer with the Town of Berry Police Department, Dispatcher for the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and Dispatcher for Fayette County

Mr. Speaker, today we are considering, as has already been said, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. I have joined with 161 Members in cosponsoring this legislation, and I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for bringing forward this legislation. This is the fifth Congress during which this debate has taken place, four of which I have been a part of, and I believe an overwhelming majority of Americans hope this will be the last and that we will pass this bill and have it sent to the President and signed into law.

I know that it has been repeated time and time again here on the floor of the House, but this afternoon I think it is important to remind my colleagues of the details of this deplorable procedure. Partial-birth abortion is a procedure in which the mother's cervix is forcibly dilated over a 3-day period. On the third day the child is pulled feet first through the birth canal until his or her entire body, except for the head, is outside the womb. While the fetus is stuck in this position, dangling partly out of the mother's body and just a few inches from taking its first breath, the physician inserts and opens scissors into the base of the baby's skull, creating a hole in the baby's head.

The physician then either crushes the baby's skull with instruments or suctions out the baby's brain. With the head now small enough to slip through the mother's cervix, the physician pulls the now-lifeless body the rest of the way out of its mother, and discards the baby's body as medical waste.

Today you will hear some supporters of partial-birth abortion claim this procedure is a critical alternative that must remain legal to protect women's health. However, the medical profession offers no support for such claims.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill to protect the most vulnerable in our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 187 I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to rise and introduce our guest chaplain for today, the Reverend Riley P. Green III. Riley Green is an ordained minister and a graduate of Beeson Divinity School, as well as Samford University where he received his master's in theological studies. He is currently working on his doctorate in education. He is a member of Hunter Street Baptist Church and serves as the director of administration of the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries.

The goal of Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries is to protect, nurture, and restore children and families through Christ- centered services. Over 110 years ago, a Southern Baptist preacher affectionately known as Father Stewart wanted to help widows and orphans. His desire became a reality in 1891 with the establishment of the Louise Short Baptist Widows and Orphans Home in Evergreen in southern Alabama. From that one facility has grown to be Alabama's most diverse child and family care agency.

Riley lives in Birmingham with his wife, Yvonne, and their three sons, who are with him here today. Riley's mom is in the Chamber today as well. He is a friend whom I have known for many years and someone I know has a heart for seeking and doing the will of God. I thank him for his inspiring prayer this morning. We appreciate him taking his time to come and lead this Nation in a time of prayer, especially when our troops are at war.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 522 which merges the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, and which updates a successful program by increasing the standard maximum deposit insurance limit to $130,000 and indexing it every 5 years for inflation, doubling the new coverage level for certain retirement accounts and increasing the coverage amount for in-State municipal deposits.

The FDIC deposit insurance system has served a critical role in the stability of our Nation's financial system. The reform to increase deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $130,000 will provide American savers the ability to better secure their nest egg while ensuring ongoing consumer confidence and the stability of the banking system. At an earlier time in history, a person may have felt it better to put their money in a metal box underneath a loose floor board in the house. At the other end of the spectrum would be the

venture capitalists. They take risks, but that is their choice.

The FDIC deposit insurance system creates some stability for the average person looking to secure some of their savings, not only for their retirement but for education and family needs as well. The increase in protection for retirement funds is significant not only for the overall picture, but also it is important that we pass this as reported out by committee.

The image of a metal box brings up another point. If that money is in a bank as opposed to underneath a house, it obviously becomes part of the Nation's overall cash flow and investment system. This bill updates, at even less than the rate of inflation, the deposit insurance amount. That allows depositors who wish to put their funds in local independent banks to do so with confidence. In turn, those banks are able to approve loans related to local projects.

I think even opponents of this bill in its current form would agree that competition is indeed good. For Congress to keep this amount of $100,000 is a not a harmless action. Not increasing the insurance amount in the face of 21 years of inflation in effect makes Congress a partner in the erosion of the ability of local communities to compete fairly with larger banks.

References to the savings and loan crisis have to be weighed in the context of the actions taken after that situation by both government and industry.

This bill passed last year by a vote of 408 to 18. I urge support today for this bill as reported out of committee and a ``yes'' vote on final passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of a great American, Phyllis Schlafly. Mrs. Schlafly was named one of the 100 most important women of the 20th century by the Ladies' Home Journal, and has been a national leader of the conservative movement since the publication of her bestselling 1964 book, A Choice Not An Echo.

Mrs. Schlafly has been a leader of the pro-family movement since 1972, when she started her national volunteer organization now called Eagle Forum. In a ten-year battle, she led the profamily movement to victory over the principal legislative goal of the radical feminists, called the Equal Rights Amendment. An articulate and successful opponent of the radical feminist movement, she appears in debate on college campuses more frequently than any other conservative.

Mrs. Schlafly's monthly newsletter called The Phyllis Schlafly Report is now in its 36th year. Her syndicated column appears in 100 newspapers, her radio commentaries are heard daily on 460 stations, and her radio talk show on education called ``Phyllis Schlafly Live'' is heard weekly on 45 stations. Both can be heard on the internet.

In addition, she is the author or editor of 21 books on subjects as varied as family (The Power of the Positive Woman) and feminism (Feminist Fantasies), nuclear strategy (Strike From Space and Kissinger on the Couch), education (Child Abuse in the Classroom), and child care (Who Will Rock the Cradle?). Her recent book, Turbo Reader, is a system to enable every parent to teach his child to read.

Mrs. Schlafly is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington University, received her J.D. from Washington University Law School, and received her Master's in Political Science from Harvard University. She is a lawyer who served on the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution appointed by President Reagan, has testified before more than 50 Congressional and State Legislative committees on constitutional, national defense, and family issues.

The mother of six children and an Illinois Mother of the Year, Mrs. Schlafly is America's best-known advocate of the dignity and honor that we as a society owe to the role of fulltime homemaker.

Phyllis Schlafly was honored in 2002 by Focus on the Family as the Mother of the Profamily Movement, and in 2003) she was the honoree at dinners hosted by the Council for National Policy and the Conservative Political Action Committee. She has since 1972 traveled at least annually to Alabama to debate and speak eloquently on issues that affect the family.

The Alabama Policy Institute, Christian Coalition of Alabama, and the Southeast Law Institute have joined the Eagle Forum of Alabama to honor Mrs. Schlafly and express their admiration, appreciation, and affirmation of her exemplary service to God, family and country. As President Ronald Reagan said: ``Our nation needs the kind of volunteer service you and Eagle Forum have demonstrated . . .'' And as American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene said in a statement this year about Mrs. Schlafly: ``If there are giants among us, you are certainly one. The movement of which we are all part would never have achieved the successes it has without you . . . you had the courage to be `conservative before it was cool'. . . the fact that so many young people are attracted to our banner today is a tribute to your work.''

I stand with these groups and individuals to honor Phyllis Schlafly for her service to our country and culture, and her commitment to conservative family values.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, let me thank the full committee Chair for his support for this amendment. We think this is certainly important, and it speaks well of him and his committee for accepting this amendment, support of it.

I am proud to stand here today in strong support of this amendment offered by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence), my good friend and colleague. Passage of this legislation represents a positive step towards protecting our children from pornographic Web sites.

As the dad of a 3-year-old, I know personally that there is no substitute for parental supervision when it comes to the safety of our children. This bill does not assume to be the solution to parents who make the Internet a baby-sitter for their kids. Instead, this is meant to be a tool in the arsenal of responsible parenting. I believe this is why the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is supporting this amendment.

The purpose of this bill is to punish those who use misleading domain names to attract children to pornographic Web sites. These sites use legitimate-sounding names to lure children to view pornographic material. This amendment, as has been cited, would authorize punishment of up to a quarter million dollars and imprisonment to 4 years. I would urge my colleagues to support this amendment and support final passage.

Mr. Speaker, on March 5 a year ago, President Bush boldly gave temporary trade relief to our domestic steel industry. I believe his plan is succeeding.

It is my understanding that since 1973, Alabama's steel industry had steadily lost 16,000 employees, or about half the labor force. We needed a bold plan.

I am proud to have supported the President and his initiative to stop the illegal dumping of foreign steel in the United States. His proposed Section 201 trade relief over three years was also intended to leverage negotiations to address the root cause of the world's surplus capacity, what the President called a ``50-year legacy of foreign government intervention in the market and direct financial support of their steel industries.''

Well, a year later, some of our steel companies, including those in Alabama, are actually rehiring workers as domestic steel prices have firmed up, although they are still below the level two years ago. Also, to the best of my understanding, the critics' predictions of hefty price increases in consumer goods proved mistaken. And I am pleased that international negotiations are underway, thanks to the leverage of the Section 201 tariffs.

The results of the President's leadership on steel look good so far. I urge him to finish his program on schedule.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H. Res. 47), and I ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 15 minutes a.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Tuesday, February 4, 2003, at 4 p.m.