Spencer Bachus

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order against the paragraph on page 33 lines 14 through 21. I also want to advise the Chair I will be raising points of order, three more points of order, against the paragraphs which follow this paragraph. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order against this paragraph in that this provision violates clause 2 of rule XXI because it rescinds $750 million in airport and airway trust fund contract authority, not general fund appropriations for aviation projects. Airport and airway trust fund contract authority, as with highway authority, which my next three points of order will deal with, while a form of direct spending, is legislative in nature, and rescinding such authority is not within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Appropriations but of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. This rescission constitutes legislation on an appropriation bill and clearly violates House rule XXI. This rescission constitutes legislation on an appropriations bill and clearly violates House rules.

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order.

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order against page 34, lines 1 through 6. The provision violates rule XXI in that it is an appropriation and should be under the purview of the authorization committee, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. BACHUS. All right. I thank the Chairman. Sequential Votes Postponed in Committee of the Whole

Mr. BACHUS. On all four points?

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order before the committee.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. If the gentleman will yield, Mr. Myers, I wanted to say to you, you and Mr. Bevill, and we said this on the floor of the House earlier this year, that when it came to protecting communities against floods, building levies, I do not think there is a district in the country that have a river that is not thankful to you for your many years of services on the House Appropriations Committee. A lot of people who do not know you, do not know your name, who may be viewing today, do not realize what a difference you have made in their communities. But I want to compliment again you and Mr. Bevill for your many years of service to the communities of our nation.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, on today's list of suspensions was House Concurrent Resolution 218 dealing with instructions to the President concerning pardons. Will that be on the list for tomorrow?

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I would urge the gentleman to consider that we work on this very important matter.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, this May, a Little Rock jury returned guilty verdicts on a total of 24 felony counts against President and Mrs. Clinton's business partners, James and Susan McDougal, and against his successor as Governor, Jim Guy Tucker. Earlier this week, many of us watched with great surprise as the President, on the news hour with Jim Lehrer, in a televised national broadcast, refused to rule out the possibility of pardons for these three Whitewater convicted criminals if he is reelected. Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I introduced a resolution that would declare that it is the sense of this House that President Clinton should specifically, categorically, and immediately disavow any intention to grant Presidential pardons for his former Whitewater business partners, or to former Governor Tucker. By passing this resolution before we leave this House, we send the right signal to the country that in this country no one is above the law and that convicted criminals do not walk free by virtue of having friends in high places. Mr. Speaker, the President's statement raising this issue on national TV was not the first time the President has held open the possibility of presidential pardons for Susan and James McDougal and for former Governor Tucker. About a month ago, in a televised interview on CNN, the President offered to use his considerable fund-raising abilities to raise money for these Whitewater defendants and for other individuals who had incurred legal expenses in connection with the Whitewater probe. He said that once he leaves office, whether that be in 1997 or 2001, he will dedicate himself to raising money on behalf of those whose activities are being investigated by the Whitewater independent counsel. Not surprisingly, the President's comments have been interpreted by many as a veiled promise to those implicated, convicted or otherwise, that if they will stand with the President, if they will stand tough this fall, that they will receive a pardon. The American people need to know, what is the President doing with promises of raising funds to pay their attorney's fees, and with indications that a pardon may be forthcoming. We are talking about an investigation that was started by the Whitewater independent counsel, who was appointed pursuant to the President's own Attorney General, Janet Reno. Ms. Reno charged the independent counsel to investigate violations of criminal law relating in any way to James McDougal, President William Jefferson Clinton, or Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton's relationship with Madison Guaranty Savings, or Whitewater Development, or Capital Management. The investigation has resulted in convictions. The investigation has shown that over $300,000 in taxpayers' money was stolen from the American people. This investigation has been at taxpayers' expense. For the President now to become directly involved and to hint that he may pardon those who directly benefit is nothing short of outrageous. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, the American people are entitled to an answer before this election occurs. All we are asking for is an answer. Bill Clinton should not, nor should anyone, dance around and waffle on this important question. We need an answer directly from Bill Clinton; not from Mike McCurry, but from Bill Clinton. Mr. Speaker, I will read a statement of President Clinton, made when he was the Democratic candidate for Congress in Arkansas's Third District back in 1974, when President Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. Back in 1974, when President Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Arkansas' 3rd District bitterly criticized the pardon, stating that it had ``undermined respect for law and order, prejudiced pending trials, and dealt another blow to that vast body of law-abiding Americans, whose faith in equal justice under the law has been shaken.'' In the intervening 22 years since he issued that stern pronouncement condemning the Nixon pardon, Bill Clinton's view of presidential pardons has apparently ``evolved.'' The President's refusal to rule out pardons for his personal friends and business associates found guilty on 24 felony counts by a jury of 12 Arkansas citizens is another example of the hypocrisy and ``situational ethics'' that we have come to expect from this administration. It is absolutely incumbent upon this President to assure the American people--before the November 5 election--that he will not abuse the presidential pardon authority to let the guilty go free. Democratic Theme: All President Clinton has said is that pardon applications submitted by the McDougals or former Governor Tucker will be treated like any others would be, pursuant to procedures established by the Department of Justice for processing such applications. To categorically rule out pardons for the McDougals and Jim Guy Tucker at this time would be an injustice to them, denying them a right that other Americans have to petition the President for executive clemency. One need look no further than the lead editorial in this morning's Washington Post for a rebuttal to the specious suggestion that the President should feel free to treat pardon requests by his convicted Whitewater business partners as he would any other request for clemency. The Post writes as follows: These Whitewater cases are not like any other, because those seeking pardons may have information bearing on Mr Clinton himself or his wife. Before the election, Mr. Clinton should make clear that, if reelected, he will not subvert the judicial process through attacks on the special prosecutor or by abusing the president's pardon power. That much should be obvious.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I joined 24 of my colleagues in opposing the fiscal year 1997 VA/HUD conference report. I want to be very clear that I strongly support our veterans. I voted for this legislation when the House passed its version earlier this year. But I could not, in good conscience vote for the conference report. I voted against this bill for one reason and one reason only--this bill hurt some of the accounts most critical to our Nation's veterans. The House Veterans' Affairs Committee worked long and hard to produce a budget that maintained or increased almost every major VA account. Unfortunately, the final conference product cuts the House request of two of the most critical veterans programs while increasing funds for nonveterans programs. The VA medical care account was cut by $55 million over the House- passed version. As the VA struggles to offer consistent quality medical care to veterans, I am angry that these dollars are being spent by Americorps--a paid volunteer program which received $400 million more than the House originally intended. Our veterans heeded the call of our country and risked their lives and their health in true service to the United States. They should not be asked to take a back seat to a program that has been criticized for mismanagement and waste. The VA medical research account was cut $15 million from the House passed legislation. Mr. Speaker, in addition VA's premier research efforts in areas such as spinal cord injury and blind rehabilitation, this cut hurts some of our newest and sickest veterans--those who have returned from Operation Desert Storm with bizarre service-connected illnesses ranging from chronic fatigue syndrome to cancer. On the heels of a long-overdue Pentagon admission that some of our troops were exposed to chemical weapons, we are trimming the very dollars that may have been used to improve treatment methods or quality of life for these soldiers. I am an original cosponsor of a bill introduced by my colleague, the Honorable Glen Browder creating an independent commission to study the use of chemical weapons in the gulf war. We must take the lessons of our sick veterans to ensure that future generations of soldiers are given the best opportunity to perform in an age of chemical warfare and still come home with their health. The priorities of this conference report are skewed. While I understand that overall VA funding is increased over fiscal year 1996 dollars, I am disappointed that VA's medical mission has been slighted in the process. The wishes of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee should have been given more, not less, consideration.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, this May, a Little Rock jury returned guilty verdicts on a total of 24 felony counts against President and Mrs. Clinton's Whitewater business partners, James and Susan McDougal, and the President's successor as Governor of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker. It must have come as great comfort to Susan McDougal and her codefendants earlier this week when, in a televised interview, the President refused to rule out the possibility of pardons for them if he is reelected. Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I am introducing today a resolution that would declare that it is the sense of this House that President Clinton should specifically, categorically, and immediately disavow any Presidential pardons for his former Whitewater business partners and to former Governor Tucker. By passing this resolution before we adjourn to go home and face our constituents, we can send the right signal--that in this country, no one is above the law, and convicted criminals do not walk free by virtue of having friends in positions of power.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Callahan. Mr. Cramer mentioned the Alabama delegation and what a special group I think we are. I think he said it better than I would have said it when he said that party labels come second. We put the interest of the State first. We have not had the partisan wrangling that we have sort of seen in this Congress in our delegation. We really like each other, we work well together, we cooperate together. It is the sort of bipartisanship that this country needs, and you see it in the Alabama delegation. And I think that the two gentleman we are here to give tribute to today are two of the big reasons for that. Glen Browder and Tom Bevill, you all were here before I came. You worked well together. You worked well with Sonny Callahan and Bill Dickenson, and you sort of established that tradition in the Alabama delegation, something that I benefited from, something that the State of Alabama has benefited from, our delegation, working together for the good of the State and for the Nation. And, first of all, I think that is a legacy that you all will leave with those who stay behind, that we will continue as an Alabama delegation to put aside petty politics and party labels for the best interests of our State. So I compliment you first for that. Second, I compliment you for the fact that you have been a good example to me, both of you. When I came here, I came into a Congress where I was a Member of a minority party. And probably the first month I was here, the first legislation that I decided to sponsor, a little piece of legislation, saved a little bit of money in the total picture, but I went to Tom Bevill. I am not sure at that time I appreciated that he was a powerful cardinal on appropriations. I probably did not even know that I was not supposed to be approaching him at the time, but I approached him and I asked him to cosponsor my bill with me. He could have said, I am not going to cosponsor a bill with you. You are a little Republican freshman and I am not going to give you the benefit of my reputation. It is too small a bill. It is just too inconsequential. I am working on important issues that affect this country every day. I do not want to give a young Republican Congressman anything that might give him an advantage. But, no, Mr. Speaker, he put all of that aside. He saw that it was good legislation, and he cosponsored it with me. I was able to get Members on both sides of the aisle to join with me in that legislation because Tom Bevill's name was on that legislation. I will never forget that, Tom. Mr. Rogers from Kentucky, his district and your district are very much alike. One is in Kentucky; one is in Alabama. But they are Appalachia. They are hard-working people. They are God-fearing people. And he much better than I could describe, he served with you here longer. He has known you and Lou, he and his late wife Shirley. You all were good friends. He knows you man to man. He can much better talk about your legacy than I can. I enjoyed listening to that. I can simply say that I second everything that he said in that regard. He certainly gave a wonderful tribute to you. I would only add to that by saying that I have been so impressed with your wife, Lou Bevill. She sort of, I guess if you pick out someone that you want your wife to sort of use as a role model, because she is here, she is up here and she, as my wife is, they are both here with us during the week. I am so impressed with her, her and Mike Heflin. It is hard to talk about Glen Browder and Tom Bevill without thinking about Senator Heflin because that is sort of a dynamic trio that we are going to be without. I am going to miss you; I am going to miss Lou. I am going to miss Senator Heflin, and I am going to miss Mike. It is hard to think of you without thinking of Lou. It is hard to think about Senator Heflin without thinking about Mike. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated her and her example. Mr. Everett mentioned the joke about every building in north Alabama having a Bevill center. I told you about a year ago at a reception that we had, I was actually trying to describe a town in your district to someone. And I described it as having a railroad that ran through it and about two traffic lights. It was on Highway 78. That really did not give them much of an indication. I remembered that there was a building in the town that said the Bevill Building. I said, it has a building named after Tom Bevill. And actually this person's remark back to me was, You have not eliminated one town on Highway 78 by saying it had a Bevill Building in it. So you have left behind in your district a better place and something that you can be proud of. They mentioned the University of Alabama. You have been committed also to our community colleges in Alabama. Even as a member of the State legislature, Glen and I preceded you several years later, but you were one of the first in Alabama to recognize that not everybody could go to the University of Alabama; not everybody could go 120 miles to Auburn University. So some people had to go in their communities. If they had to travel over 20 or 30 or 40 miles, they simply would not get an education. And you were one of the people in Alabama who led the fight for community colleges. Thousands and literally millions of Alabamians owe that part of their education to your insight and your wisdom and your participation in that. Glen Browder, I will tell you a tribute, once a man asked me if I would recommend him for a job. I said that I would recommend him because he had coached my little boy in Little League and he had done a good job. You learn something about somebody when they coach your son in Little League baseball. You get a real insight into them. And I remember that when I came up here and Glen Browder and I were going to serve together, I knew Glen, as we had been in the State legislature together. You had been a constitutional officer in the State. I had been. But I knew you as capable. I knew you as articulate. I knew you as a good man. But Randy Dempsey, one of my law partners, he had been in your class. You taught him at Jacksonville State. And you had evidently been a mentor to him and you had encouraged him. He shared with me what a fine teacher you were and how you really cared about your students and how your students really enjoyed your classes. You did a good job and you really cared about the students. Glen, that has always impressed me, that someone who was there in your classroom had such a wonderful opinion of you. Becky, your wife, people like Becky, people are impressed with Becky. There, again, both of you, you all have several similarities. One is that you are committed to your family. You are committed to your marriages. I commend you. You are a good example in that regard. Glen, you are going to leave a legacy to our gulf war veterans. That is something that I came about 25 minutes ago and I had not heard anybody mention. But I am not sure if you are not the first person to go over to the Pentagon and say, we have got people that have returned from the gulf war. They are sick.

Mr. BACHUS. I will simply say this, Glen. That is a devastating illness. You have been at the forefront of that and you are to be commended on that. And all our gulf veterans and all of us who support the military owe you a debt of gratitude for that.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, today I urge my colleagues to override President Clinton's veto of the most barbaric of abortion procedures. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act will end this most cruel practice--a practice that even the American Medical Association's legislative council has publicly stated is, ``not a recognized medical technique.'' They also called this procedure, ``repulsive.'' I call it a cruel inhumane act--unfitting of a civilized society. Abortion advocates argue that partial birth abortions are only used after 26 weeks of pregnancy in cases where the procedure is non- elective. But the abortionist's interpretation of non-elective has an enormous scope and includes: Severe fetal abnormality, Down's syndrome, cleft palate, pediatric pelvis--that is if the mother is under age 18, depression of the mother, and even ignorance of human reproduction. Today, those who would support this horrible procedure tell us that it is not a common practice. Can anyone really take comfort in debating the number of babies subject to his death? And newly released information indicates that in New Jersey alone, over 1,500 partial birth abortions are performed annually--over three times the supposed national total. Whether it is a few hundred or tens of thousands or even one, wrong is wrong and no argument on how many will ever change that. A single life being taken in this way is reprehensible. We as a society would not allow or condone the execution of a confessed, convicted mass murderer using this procedure. How could we in good conscience even consider its use against an innocent, unborn child. The House has come so close to having the two-thirds majority necessary for a veto override. I say to my colleagues who have opposed this bill in the past--look again, deeply into your hearts, and I am sure you will come to the same conclusion that I have and act to end this terrible procedure.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Callahan. Mr. Cramer mentioned the Alabama delegation and what a special group I think we are. I think he said it better than I would have said it when he said that party labels come second. We put the interest of the State first. We have not had the partisan wrangling that we have sort of seen in this Congress in our delegation. We really like each other, we work well together, we cooperate together. It is the sort of bipartisanship that this country needs, and you see it in the Alabama delegation. And I think that the two gentleman we are here to give tribute to today are two of the big reasons for that. Glen Browder and Tom Bevill, you all were here before I came. You worked well together. You worked well with Sonny Callahan and Bill Dickenson, and you sort of established that tradition in the Alabama delegation, something that I benefited from, something that the State of Alabama has benefited from, our delegation, working together for the good of the State and for the Nation. And, first of all, I think that is a legacy that you all will leave with those who stay behind, that we will continue as an Alabama delegation to put aside petty politics and party labels for the best interests of our State. So I compliment you first for that. Second, I compliment you for the fact that you have been a good example to me, both of you. When I came here, I came into a Congress where I was a Member of a minority party. And probably the first month I was here, the first legislation that I decided to sponsor, a little piece of legislation, saved a little bit of money in the total picture, but I went to Tom Bevill. I am not sure at that time I appreciated that he was a powerful cardinal on appropriations. I probably did not even know that I was not supposed to be approaching him at the time, but I approached him and I asked him to cosponsor my bill with me. He could have said, I am not going to cosponsor a bill with you. You are a little Republican freshman and I am not going to give you the benefit of my reputation. It is too small a bill. It is just too inconsequential. I am working on important issues that affect this country every day. I do not want to give a young Republican Congressman anything that might give him an advantage. But, no, Mr. Speaker, he put all of that aside. He saw that it was good legislation, and he cosponsored it with me. I was able to get Members on both sides of the aisle to join with me in that legislation because Tom Bevill's name was on that legislation. I will never forget that, Tom. Mr. Rogers from Kentucky, his district and your district are very much alike. One is in Kentucky; one is in Alabama. But they are Appalachia. They are hard-working people. They are God-fearing people. And he much better than I could describe, he served with you here longer. He has known you and Lou, he and his late wife Shirley. You all were good friends. He knows you man to man. He can much better talk about your legacy than I can. I enjoyed listening to that. I can simply say that I second everything that he said in that regard. He certainly gave a wonderful tribute to you. I would only add to that by saying that I have been so impressed with your wife, Lou Bevill. She sort of, I guess if you pick out someone that you want your wife to sort of use as a role model, because she is here, she is up here and she, as my wife is, they are both here with us during the week. I am so impressed with her, her and Mike Heflin. It is hard to talk about Glen Browder and Tom Bevill without thinking about Senator Heflin because that is sort of a dynamic trio that we are going to be without. I am going to miss you; I am going to miss Lou. I am going to miss Senator Heflin, and I am going to miss Mike. It is hard to think of you without thinking of Lou. It is hard to think about Senator Heflin without thinking about Mike. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated her and her example. Mr. Everett mentioned the joke about every building in north Alabama having a Bevill center. I told you about a year ago at a reception that we had, I was actually trying to describe a town in your district to someone. And I described it as having a railroad that ran through it and about two traffic lights. It was on Highway 78. That really did not give them much of an indication. I remembered that there was a building in the town that said the Bevill Building. I said, it has a building named after Tom Bevill. And actually this person's remark back to me was, You have not eliminated one town on Highway 78 by saying it had a Bevill Building in it. So you have left behind in your district a better place and something that you can be proud of. They mentioned the University of Alabama. You have been committed also to our community colleges in Alabama. Even as a member of the State legislature, Glen and I preceded you several years later, but you were one of the first in Alabama to recognize that not everybody could go to the University of Alabama; not everybody could go 120 miles to Auburn University. So some people had to go in their communities. If they had to travel over 20 or 30 or 40 miles, they simply would not get an education. And you were one of the people in Alabama who led the fight for community colleges. Thousands and literally millions of Alabamians owe that part of their education to your insight and your wisdom and your participation in that. Glen Browder, I will tell you a tribute, once a man asked me if I would recommend him for a job. I said that I would recommend him because he had coached my little boy in Little League and he had done a good job. You learn something about somebody when they coach your son in Little League baseball. You get a real insight into them. And I remember that when I came up here and Glen Browder and I were going to serve together, I knew Glen, as we had been in the State legislature together. You had been a constitutional officer in the State. I had been. But I knew you as capable. I knew you as articulate. I knew you as a good man. But Randy Dempsey, one of my law partners, he had been in your class. You taught him at Jacksonville State. And you had evidently been a mentor to him and you had encouraged him. He shared with me what a fine teacher you were and how you really cared about your students and how your students really enjoyed your classes. You did a good job and you really cared about the students. Glen, that has always impressed me, that someone who was there in your classroom had such a wonderful opinion of you. Becky, your wife, people like Becky, people are impressed with Becky. There, again, both of you, you all have several similarities. One is that you are committed to your family. You are committed to your marriages. I commend you. You are a good example in that regard. Glen, you are going to leave a legacy to our gulf war veterans. That is something that I came about 25 minutes ago and I had not heard anybody mention. But I am not sure if you are not the first person to go over to the Pentagon and say, we have got people that have returned from the gulf war. They are sick.

Mr. BACHUS. I will simply say this, Glen. That is a devastating illness. You have been at the forefront of that and you are to be commended on that. And all our gulf veterans and all of us who support the military owe you a debt of gratitude for that.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as cosponsor of H.R. 2951.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Mr. Goodling's amendment which advances the interests of both employees and employers, particularly as it will solve a major and unintended problem in the high technology industry. I am proud of Alabama's growing high technology industry especially in the Birmingham area. There, as elsewhere, many computer professionals are paid 6\1/2\ times the minimum wage which is currently $27.63 per hour. I don't believe it was the intent of Congress in raising the minimum wage by 90 cents for it to apply to these professionals who in many cases make $55,000 a year. Hence, I support decoupling the computer overtime exemption rate from the minimum wage increase. With this amendment, important professional work can be completed on time such as computer software and hardware design work done by computer systems analysts, programming modifications done by computer programmers, computer system documentation work done by computer technical writing professionals, and other similarly skilled workers. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for including this provision in the en bloc amendment and strongly support the other provisions included in the amendment.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL, one of the Nation's top liberal arts colleges, is observing the twentieth anniversary of Dr. Neal R. Berte as its President. Dr. Berte came to Birmingham-Southern on February 1, 1976 from the University of Alabama, where he was the Vice President for Educational Development and the Dean of the New College. Under Dr. Berte's two decades of leadership, Birmingham-Southern College has seen its enrollment more than double, its students' test scores rise to among the highest in the Southeast, its faculty size which includes some of the finest scholars in the country, increase more than 60 percent, its endowment grow from fourteen million dollars to more than eighty-two million dollars, the construction of seven new buildings with more planned, and its graduates accepted to the nation's top medical and law schools at rates far exceeding the national average. These achievements have not gone unnoticed. Respected publications such as U.S. News and World Report, Money, and The Princeton Review consistently name Birmingham-Southern College as one of the country's outstanding liberal arts colleges. Dr. Berte's untiring dedication to education has been recognized by many organizations, including the American Council on Education, which named him one of America's Leaders in Higher Education, and the Council For Advancement and Support of Education, which selected him as one of the 100 Most Effective College Presidents. Dr. Berte is also a respected civic leader in Birmingham who is dedicated to improving the quality of life for his city and state. He is chairman of Leadership Birmingham and the Birmingham Business Leadership Group, which is made up of the chief executive officers of 45 of Birmingham's largest businesses. Dr. Berte has served as chairman of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, and campaign chairman and president of the United Way of Central Alabama. For his civic and community leadership, he has received many honors, including being named Birmingham's citizen of the year and being inducted into the city's Distinguished Gallery of Honor. Working with Dr. Berte during his 20 years at Birmingham-Southern College is his wife, the First Lady of Birmingham-Southern, Anne Berte, a tireless civic and community leader in her own right. I want to congratulate Neal and Anne Berte on the outstanding job they have done at Birmingham-Southern College during the past 20 years, and I wish them continued happiness and success in the years to come.

Mr. BACHUS

Mr. BACHUS. I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, in conclusion, I want to warn the Members of this body, if you are concerned about those triple trailers, which in negotiations they are trying to turn loose on our highways, and they will kill our senior citizens, and if you are concerned about these string of trailers, if you want to do something about them, that is a highway activity. Read this amendment.

Mr. BACHUS. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I will simply close by saying read the amendment. It not only says highway construction projects, it says any highway activity, totally tying our hands to address important safety issues.