Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday the world marked the 60th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. President Bush, Queen Elizabeth, and other world leaders were there, but the true heroes were those whose sacrifice is reflected by the sea of white

crosses, and the surviving veterans who returned to France some six decades later. Glen Dunlap, 86, of Chardon Township was one of those veterans to return to Normandy.

Glen Dunlap served as a U.S. Army staff sergeant in World War II. There were a number of young guys who served from our area, and from Hambden and Concord townships, particularly. Even though Glen was in his early 20s, Mr. Speaker, he was considered the elder statesman of the group. The local guys actually called him ``Pop.''

Glen Dunlap worked hard, put his own life in danger every single day, and had his men's backs. He was the guy who made sure that supplies got from the factory to the foxhole, and he's part of what Tom Brokaw calls ``The Greatest Generation.'' Glen was away at war for 2 years, and left behind his wife, a daughter and his two boys. When he returned home, he resumed his life and work, raised his family, and never once complained. He felt blessed to have survived when so many didn't.

On Saturday, Glen and 99 other Americans who traveled to Normandy were awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal, which is akin to our Congressional Medal of Honor. It is the highest honor bestowed by the French government and rarely is given to foreigners.

No one is more deserving of this award than Glen Dunlap, who fought for the survival of democracy. On behalf of the 14th Congressional District of Ohio, I thank Glen Dunlap for his service to our country, and congratulate him on receiving the Legion of Honor Medal. May God bless Glen Dunlap and his family, and may He bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the distinguished ranking member of our full committee for making this the subject of the motion to instruct conferees, and it is a tribute to not only him but the bipartisan nature in which this committee works to build America's infrastructure, and it continues his vision and the vision of those that worked back with him in 1991 when they created ISTEA and continued through TEA-21 and now moves forward into TEA-LU in that it recognizes that there needs to be intermodalism and there is more to transportation than just concrete, asphalt and moving people in their automobiles.

The Safe Routes to School program is something that has worked very, very well; and by expanding it to a national level and asking our friends in the Senate in this motion to instruct to accede to the language that we have included in the bill is exactly the right thing to do, and I give the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) a lot of credit for again making this the point that we are talking about today.

It is a great day for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and it is a great day for the Nation that we are moving this process forward. There have been some fits and starts on this bill. We had some differing levels when it came to funding. We had a little tip from the White House over what that funding should be, but only when we get in a conference and are able to talk with our friends and colleagues from the United States Senate about what divides us on the bill and engage the White House can we hopefully convince them that, as the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) indicated, this is a jobs bill. This bill is critically important to not only relieving congestion; it is important to make sure that men and women in this country are working.

The great thing about working is that these are jobs that cannot be outsourced. There has been a lot of talk about outsource. These are American construction jobs that are going to take place in American cities and American towns all across the country.

So I am very pleased that we are at this stage today, and I want to go back to this motion to instruct to conclude.

Sometimes around here we name things in a way that sounds nice, but they are really not good programs. That is not the case with Safe Routes to School. It is a good program, and it deserves our support; and I hope we are able to convince our friends in the Senate to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, when we are all here on the floor, there are often calls for regular order. The fellow who has kept regular order has been Charlie Johnson during my 10 years.

A lot of platitudes have been spoken and they are all well deserved. I want to extend my voice in saying thanks for giving me the guidance when I have had the honor of presiding over the House from time to time.

I do want to tell just one quick story in the minute that I have been given because the majority leader made sort of a joke about the 3-hour vote on prescription drugs and some Members in the House, when they scream regular order, because we are all busy, we do not take time to read the rules, do not know that the votes are a minimum of 15 minutes and not a maximum of 15 minutes.

But I can recall during a rather contentious vote the Republicans were up 206-204 and time had expired. A rather excited Member from the West Coast, California, came running up, it was not the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), and said, ``You've got to close this thing down. We have to win this vote. You need to shut it down.''

We looked and saw that earlier in the day 420 Members had voted, we were about 10 Members short; it was late in the evening, everybody was out having dinner, coming back; it was raining in the Capital. Charlie Johnson then said, ``When you're in the minority, you understand that you're not going to win a lot of votes here, and when you're in the majority you can and probably should win most votes, but what you can't do when you're in the majority is steal a vote. We need to keep this vote open to make sure that those 10 Members who voted just a half an hour ago have the opportunity to be here and cast their ballots.''

We wound up winning and the Member on that occasion who was excited came up later and apologized for screaming. Charlie Johnson has been fair, fair to the Republicans, fair to the Democrats, and I shall miss him very much.

Mr. Speaker, I was honored to visit Arlington National Cemetery this

morning for the dedication ceremony for the Pyramid of Remembrance Living Memorial. It was a privilege to be in the company of a group of amazing young people from Painesville Township, OH, who have shown compassion and integrity beyond their years.

The idea for the Pyramid of Remembrance Living Memorial originated in a classroom at Riverside High School in Painesville Township, OH, and was sparked by the sight of a U.S. soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. That horrible image was seared into our Nation's consciousness, and in the classroom of Dr. Mary Porter it spurred discussion of other worthy sacrifice that is regrettably overlooked.

The students decided then--more than a decade ago--that a memorial should be erected in our Nation's Capital to honor the forgotten ones-- those killed in circumstances other than declared wars, including training accidents, humanitarian efforts, peacekeeping missions and terrorist attacks. The students envisioned a large memorial, possibly near the Mall, but ran into many stumbling blocks because such memorials must honor those who have died in declared conflicts.

They could have gutted the intention and heart of their memorial to make it fit the stringent confines of law, but the entire purpose of this endeavor was to honor those whose sacrifice doesn't fit in one tidy category. They persevered.

Twice, legislation I introduced to create the memorial was passed by the House of Representatives, but never with enough time left in a congressional session for the Senate to take it up. The students have been to Washington several times in the last decade, and have testified before both the House and Senate, and the National Capital Memorial Commission. They brought with them letters of support from former President Bush, former Secretary Cohen, and others. They were patient as one Congress faded away and another began, and held out hope each time Senator Voinovich and I introduced legislation--this might be the time we'd get it done.

At every turn and by everyone they encountered, the students were praised. ``This is a wonderful idea, but . . .''

If you hear someone say, ``This is a wonderful idea, but . . .'' enough times, some might be inclined to give up and chalk it up as a great idea that was never actualized. Not this group.

Last summer, a last-ditch meeting was held in my office, and this time we had the ear of the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, John C. Metzler, Jr. Superintendent Metzler was candid and told the Senator and me that we couldn't build a memorial of the scale the students wanted in Arlington due to limited burial space. In fact, he told us that if the memorial before us was one-inch larger we'd need an act of Congress to approve it. He offered an alternative to accomplish the students' noble goal.

Five years ago, Arlington discontinued its program of living memorials because there were already 174 such memorials throughout the cemetery. But Superintendent Metzler graciously made an exception for the students of Riverside High School so their dream could become a reality. I want to give special thanks to Superintendent Metzler and Arlington National Cemetery Historian Tom Sherlock for their unwavering efforts on behalf of the school.

Though some might argue that the living memorial we dedicated on this glorious May morning is not as grand in scale as the students initially envisioned, it is every bit as grand in purpose. Every person who visits Arlington National Cemetery from this day forward--more than four million people a year--can take comfort knowing that this living memorial will honor not only those killed in the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the USS Cole, but also those who lost their lives in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Panama; during the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut: during the failed rescue attempt of American hostages in Iran; and in the far too many deadly training accidents that occur on land, in air, and at sea, so that our forces can be ready for combat.

Throughout our land, our military bases are named for those who died so that our troops are ready for war. Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio is named for Lt. George Kelly, the first Army pilot to lose his life piloting a military aircraft on May 10, 1911. Hill Air Force Base in Texas is named for Maj. Ployer ``Pete'' Hill, who was killed October 30, 1935, while test flying the first B-17 at Wright Field in Dayton. Even Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in my state of Ohio is similarly named. The Wright portion comes from the Wright Brothers, of course. The Patterson is 1st. Lt. Frank S. Patterson, who died in a training accident in Dayton on June 19, 1919, while testing newly installed machine guns in his plane.

Those who are honored by this living memorial have perished in non- declared war situations. The list is long and incomplete, and the sacrifice is often not given the recognition it deserves.

Earlier this year, I attended the funeral of Sean Landrus of Thompson, OH, a father of three who died in Iraq after major combat ended. In the month of April alone, more than 136 U.S. troops died in Iraq, nearly a year after the end of declared combat. At least 13 were teenagers.

Just two weeks ago, three soldiers from Ft. Bragg died when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise. One planned to retire in a few months, another had just married on Valentine's Day. One commander remarked: ``To lose someone on a training flight as opposed to in combat makes no difference.'' He is right.

We should not judge or quantify the sacrifice of those who serve for and die for their country.

This morning, I was humbled that so many attended our dedication ceremony, including Senator Voinovich and his wife, Janet; Superintendent Metzler; Lt. Gen. Richard A. Cody; Col. Ricky L. Rife; former Congressman Michael P. Flanagan; Col. Glenn Lackey; Lt. Col. Steve Geise; Dr. Mary Porter; and of course the nearly 60 guests from Riverside High School and Painesville Township.

I was also privileged to present the students with greetings from Secretary Anthony J. Principi of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Chairman Duncan Hunter of the House Committee on Armed Services, and Vice President Dick Cheney, who told the students: ``The ranks of the United States military have been filled with men and women of honor who place duty and country above self-interest. Whenever a service member is killed, our country mourns its loss. We also rededicate ourselves to continuing the tasks to which they dedicated their lives--to the defense of our country and to the lasting security, and peace of the world. Thank you again for establishing this fine memorial. It will always stand as a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives while in the service of our great Nation.''

I am incredibly proud of the students of Riverside High School for their idea and their tenacity, and their desire to share this memorial with the Nation. Visitors to Section 55 of Arlington National Cemetery will find a beautiful Southern Magnolia tree and a red granite base with a bronze marker. They will notice that many words are engraved on the marker, but not the name of Riverside High School.

The students' gesture to make the Pyramid of Remembrance Living Memorial a gift from America's youth is incredibly selfless, thoughtful and mature. On behalf of all Americans, I thank you and honor you.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to recognize my friend and a true public servant William ``Bill'' Donovan for 25 years of service here in Washington with the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU). I know that many of my colleagues here today--both past and present--have had the opportunity to meet and work with Bill, and I hope they have enjoyed that opportunity as much as I.

Bill currently serves as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NAFCU. I came to know Bill early in my career as he and I and my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Kanjorski, worked for the passage of the Credit Union Membership Access Act in 1998. Following the passage of that historic legislation, Bill delivered a picture to my office with my head mounted on Mount Rushmore. Looking back at those years, it should have been Bill's head mounted on Mount Rushmore instead of mine, as no one was more instrumental in making sure that legislation passed than Bill Donovan.

In his 25 years of service to NAFCU, Mr. Donovan has been a tireless advocate and a leading voice for the credit union community on Capitol Hill. Just as amazing as his work for NAFCU is his commitment to family-life outside of work. Mr. Donovan and his wife Donna have seven children, and he has remained an active member of his church for many years.

I congratulate Bill on all of his fine work throughout his illustrious 25 years at NAFCU. I have enjoyed working with him on issues that are important to the credit union community, and I look forward to continuing to do so in the future. Congratulations on your 25th Anniversary at NAFCU, Mr. Donovan.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2523) to designate the United States courthouse located at 125 Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia, as the ``Tomochichi United States Courthouse''.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2523 was introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), a distinguished member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, and it designates the United States courthouse located at 125 Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia, as the Tomochichi United States Courthouse.

Tomochichi was a Creek Indian leader, living in what we now know as the Savannah River basin in the early part of the 18th century. In 1733, when General James Oglethorpe arrived leading a group of English settlers at what was to become the new colony of Georgia, they were offered friendship by the Creek chief and assistance in the creation of the new English colony of Savannah. In 1734, Tomochichi traveled with Oglethorpe to England to approve a treaty between the Creek and the English. The friendship between Oglethorpe and Tomochichi endured until Tomochichi's death in 1739 and is regarded by historians as being the key reason for the survival of the Savannah colony. Tomochichi was laid to rest in what is now Wright Square in the city of Savannah.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution honoring an important person in the history of Savannah.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), the author of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this important resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2523.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 389) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the D.C. Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

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

House Concurrent Resolution 389 authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the 19th Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run which benefits the District of Columbia Special Olympics. The torch will cross the Capitol grounds on June 4, 2004.

For 31 years, Special Olympics D.C. has provided sports training for citizens with developmental disabilities. Athletic competition provides athletes with increased confidence and self-esteem and allows them to demonstrate courage and experience the joy of sport. There are now more than 2,000 Special Olympics athletes in the District of Columbia. This event is the largest public awareness campaign for the Special Olympics. Last year over 85,000 law enforcement officers from 35 countries participated in the torch run. It is my hope that this trend will continue. The sponsors of the event work with the Architect of the Capitol and the United States Capitol Police to comply with all applicable regulations relating to the use of the Capitol grounds.

I encourage my colleagues to join the law enforcement community in supporting the Special Olympics and join me in supporting this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the concurrent resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 389.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the distinguished ranking member of the full committee for his remarks and his observations. I would agree with most of them. I have had the pleasure of serving with the gentleman from Minnesota for 10 years now, and his institutional knowledge, not only about transportation issues but all issues that come before this body, is second to none; and I have nothing but the greatest respect for him.

I do have to tell him, however, that the distinguished subcommittee chair indicates that Ronald Reagan actually said ``There you go again,'' not ``Here we go again.'' But other than that, it was exactly right and on point.

I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, this is an embarrassing time for members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure because a bill that is supposed to improve traffic is now stuck in traffic. In Ohio, where I am from, we always joke about the fact that our State flower is the orange barrel or the orange cone. We do not have that going on in Ohio now, but construction projects all across the country are stuck in traffic.

The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) have correctly stated all the statistics and figures about why this is an important bill to keep America moving, why it is important for jobs.

The last time we did this extension I talked about that AASHTO came up with an estimate that if we had done our work and if this bill signed into law before the last bill, TEA-21, expired on September 30, we would have 90,000 jobs in the economy already, we would have $2 billion of investment, and every extension that we have to come to the floor and ask for continues that.

This committee did its job. This committee adopted the Department of Transportation numbers indicating that we need $375 billion of highway investment over the next 6 years to keep America moving.

Now, I know that the leader of this House, the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), is committed to getting this bill done; and I hope and pray, I read in the newspaper there is going to be a meeting tomorrow, I would hope that the wisdom descends upon all those participating in this meeting and we get this bill done, we get Americans to work, we build roads and that the orange cone State flower of Ohio blooms again in May.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1904) to designate the United States courthouse located at 400 North Miami Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the ``Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse.''

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

Mr. Speaker, S. 1904, similar to H.R. 2538, which was introduced by our friend and colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek), designates the United States Courthouse located at 400 North Miami Avenue in Miami, Florida as the ``Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse.''

Wilkie Ferguson was born in Miami, Florida in 1938 to Bahamian immigrants and raised in the Liberty Square public housing project. Despite being raised in an environment of discrimination and segregation, Wilkie Ferguson attended the then segregated Miami Public School System and, upon his graduation, attended Florida A&M.

After graduating from Florida A&M with a Bachelor's Degree in business administration, Wilkie Ferguson entered the United States Army, where he served as a First Lieutenant for 3 years, and then for another 2 years as a Captain in the Army Reserve.

When he left the Army, Mr. Ferguson attended and graduated from Howard University Law School. His legal career began with Legal Services of Greater Miami. He also worked as a staff attorney for the Miami Dade School Board of Education before entering private practice.

In 1973, his judicial career began when he was appointed a Judge of Industrial Claims, and later as a Judge on the Circuit Court for the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, and then the Third District Court of Appeals for Florida.

In 1993, Judge Ferguson was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a post which he held until his death.

This is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his life to helping the poor and the disenfranchised. I support this measure and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would advise my friend, the gentleman from California, that we have no additional speakers and would reserve our time subject to closing.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and 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. 376) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

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

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 376 introduced, once again, by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soapbox Derby on June 19, 2004.

In sort of a parenthetical, I would not only commend the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) but last year when we had similar legislation introduced by the gentleman, he was detained by his other very important duties as the minority whip; and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) and I spent about 20 minutes on the floor thinking about great things on the soapbox derby to breathlessly await his arrival. I am grateful that the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) is with us today.

These races, which will be held on Constitution Avenue, allow young people from the Greater Washington Metropolitan area to compete with one another for the honor of representing their district at the National Soap Box Derby competition to be held this summer in the city of Akron in the great State of Ohio.

Participants, who range in age from 9 to 16, compete in three different divisions, based upon experience. In preparing for these competitions, participants must construct their vehicle, with limited assistance, from stock supplies. The Soap Box Derby teaches the value of hard work, dedication, and ingenuity, and shows them the joy of a job well done.

This race has been held for over 50 years in the Washington area. I am pleased that once again we can offer our support for this worthwhile event.

The sponsors of this event have agreed to work with the Capitol Police to ensure the enforcement of all applicable regulations, and the event will be free of charge and open to the public.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2043) to designate a Federal building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the ``Ronald Reagan Federal Building''.

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

Mr. Speaker, S. 2043, introduced by Senator Specter of Pennsylvania, is similar to House bill H.R. 3923, which was introduced by the gentleman from the Ninth Congressional District of Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

This bill designates the Federal building located at 228 Walnut Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the Ronald Reagan Federal Building.

Many times I have come to the floor to honor Americans, politicians, judges and other great leaders. Perhaps no other American, however, has been as honored or as deserving of an honor as the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, in 1911. His early years are a model that we can all be proud of. The son of working-class parents, he attended the public schools in Dixon, Illinois, and then worked his way through Eureka College where he was on the football team and an actor.

One story that I think does not get told enough about Ronald Reagan is before President Reagan had an impact on the lives of billions, he had a more direct impact on the lives of people in his community of Dixon, Illinois. While growing up, Ronald Reagan earned extra money working as a lifeguard at Rock River. Over the course of 6 years, then- lifeguard Reagan pulled 77 swimmers out of the water who were struggling in the notorious swift current and were in need of assistance.

During his time in public life, Ronald Reagan always worked to improve the lives of everyday Americans, from his Economic Recovery Act, which he worked to pass even after an assassination attempt, to the 1986 tax bill which reduced the burdens of taxation on all Americans.

In foreign policy, he pursued a policy of ``peace through strength,'' a policy that brought about the end of the Soviet empire, bringing freedoms to millions in Europe and Asia.

This legislation bestows an appropriate honor to one who has given so much to his country.

I support the legislation, and I urge our colleagues to do the same.

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

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. 388) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, as amended.

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

It is my pleasure to bring to the floor a resolution authorizing the use of the

Capitol Grounds for the 23rd Annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service. This service will honor the memory of 148 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty during 2003. This service will also honor a number of law enforcement officers killed during other years, who, for a variety of reasons, have not yet had their names inscribed on the wall of honor at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial located at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial here in Washington.

This service comes as part of Police Week, a week-long festival of events that remember those members of law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Police Week includes events such as the annual Law Ride, a Police Unity Tour, Honor Guard competition, Blue Mass, and Candlelight Vigil.

Since the first official memorial service was held in 1982, over 3,000 officers have been honored. Since that first service, the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary have served as hosts and sponsors of the event.

This service, as are many of the events encompassing Police Week, is open to the public and free of charge.

I support this resolution, which will allow the use of the Capitol grounds for this important service in honor of the men and women who keep us, our families, our communities, and the Nation safe and secure. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

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 S. 1904, H. Con. Res. 376, S. 2043, and H. Con. Res. 388, as amended.