Roscoe Bartlett

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, the President is today out in the heartland of America promoting his tax reduction plan, and it sparked a very interesting debate. Everybody agrees that the money is going to be spent. The only argument is who is going to spend it, the hard-working American taxpayer who earned it or the bureaucrats in Washington who have taken it from them in higher than necessary taxes. Mr. Speaker, the argument is very simple. There is going to be a lot of rhetoric about this, but cut through the rhetoric and listen to what they are saying. What they are saying is that you who earned it are too dumb to spend it wisely, so because they care so much for you, they are going to keep your money, rather than give it back to you, because if they gave it back to you, you would not spend it wisely and bureaucrats in Washington will spend it more wisely than you will. I do not think the average American believes that, Mr. Speaker, and I think that the proposed tax cut is even too small. It is going to leave too much money on the table. And if it is there, the bureaucrats in Washington are going to spend it, and we ought to give it back to the people. They earned it, and they will spend it better than we will.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that yesterday on the 90th birthday of one of my favorite Presidents, Ronald Reagan, I introduced legislation that will honor two of my most favorite Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. My legislation, the Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act of 2001, will accomplish two goals: first, my bill will correct a long-standing misconception regarding the Federal holiday honoring Washington's birthday, which in law is designated Washington's Birthday, but which is erroneously called President's Day by many since a 1971 Nixon proclamation. Second, my legislation urges our President to issue a proclamation each year recognizing the anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. Although this does not create a new Federal holiday, I believe it will serve to bring this great leader the recognition he deserves. At the present time, there is no official Federal recognition of President Lincoln's birthday. As I have always said, when you honor everyone, you honor no one. Simply celebrating a generic President's Day diminishes the accomplishments of great Presidents like Washington and Lincoln and rewards the mediocrity of others. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues on this issue and the passage of the Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act of 2001.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. 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. 5314.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 5314) to amend title 10, United States Code, to facilitate the adoption of retired military working dogs by law enforcement agencies, former handlers of these dogs, and other persons capable of caring for these dogs.

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

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5314 is a noncontroversial bill that helps facilitate the adoption of military working dogs at the end of their careers. This bill passed the House of Representatives on October 10, 2000, by a voice vote. When the bill went to the Senate, Senator Robb offered three amendments which are technical in nature and merely tighten the language in the bill which prevents Federal liability. These technical amendments were done at the request of the Department of Defense, and I concur with them. Concurring with these amendments today will move this bill to the White House for signature. I urge my colleagues to support the Senate amendments. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for his support, and I want to thank his wife for reinforcing that support. It is really a pleasure to work with the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie). He has been nothing but helpful.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, Republicans know that children are our top priority. We are working to get dollars directly to the classroom. We want to encourage greater accountability for schools to raise test scores and graduation rates. We want to maximize our education funding by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. Parents should have the right to save money for educational opportunities for their children, and they should be able to choose the school that best works for them. Even Democrats realize that there is growing frustration with the current state of education in America, and perhaps it is time for major reform. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government must continue to free States to use funds for proven State education programs. President Clinton and Vice President Gore want more Washington control. They think Washington knows best. We know that parents, teachers, and local school boards know better. There is no one-size- fits-all program for America's children. Some schools need more teachers, others need better teacher training, new computers or new buildings. Even the hardest working, best intentioned bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. cannot know what our needs are at home.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, 30 days have passed and there still has been no response or commitment from the Clinton-Gore administration to lock away 100 percent of the Social Security and Medicare surpluses and to dedicate at least 90 percent of next year's surplus to paying off the debt. We now have a real chance to do just that and President Clinton has failed to embrace it. Worse, almost every day the administration introduces a new last-minute spending request, further complicating debt reduction. The truth of the matter is that President Clinton is not part of the spending problem. He is the spending problem. It is time the President recognized that the surplus is not the Government's money; it is the people's money. Mr. Speaker, we have paid off approximately $354 billion in debt since taking majority control in Congress. The Republican Congress made tough choices necessary to get our Nation's book on track. The winners are the hard-working American people. Interest rates are low and the economy is booming. With continued discipline, things will only get better. It is time President Clinton stops playing politics by accusing Republicans of engaging in a spending spree and sign our letter calling on him to dedicate at least 90 percent of next year's surplus to paying off the debt while locking away 100 percent of the Social Security and Medicare surpluses.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. I yield to the gentleman from Missouri.

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

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

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say in closing that Federal law prohibits political activity on any Federal land, including military land. In Maryland, we can campaign within 100 feet of the polling place. If that polling place were on a military facility, it would be my understanding that we could not campaign within 100 feet of the polling place. I do not see voting as a partisan political activity, I see it as a patriotic activity. Campaigning for a specific candidate I see as partisan political activity, which I would not think would be appropriate to go on on a military facility.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

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

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the author of the bill.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today the House has a rare opportunity to correct a longstanding injustice and blemish in our Nation's history. H.R. 3621 would authorize the posthumous promotion of William Clark, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, to the grade of captain in the Regular Army. William Clark played a pivotal role in the expedition to explore the Missouri River chartered by President Thomas Jefferson. He shared command of the exploration party known as the Corps of Discovery with Captain Meriweather Lewis. In fact, Captain Lewis had handpicked William Clark to jointly command the expedition team with him. Captain Lewis believed he was conveying the promise to the United States Government and the Army when he offered William Clark an appointment in the grade of captain. Unfortunately, the Army was unable to make a place for William Clark as a captain, and he was confirmed by the Senate as a lieutenant. The fact that William Clark was not appointed a captain was the source of great embarrassment and disappointment to Captain Lewis. His response was to treat William Clark as a co-commander of the expedition, with equal authority. In fact, the two agreed at Captain Lewis' insistence that the members of the Corps of Discovery and any others that came in contact with the expedition would only know William Clark as a captain and co-commander. As a result, all the documentation dealing with the expedition and the Corps Discovery refer to Captain William Clark. For all practical purposes, William Clark deserved equal billing with Captain Lewis. He performed superbly as co-commander throughout the expedition and was a respected leader. William Clark played a key role and contributed immeasurably to the history-making exploration of the Missouri River that paved the way for the expansion of the United States westward. William Clark's place in history is secure. The only thing left to do is remove the cloud of uncertainty concerning his appointment as a captain. Mr. Speaker, I commend the author of H.R. 3621, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), for bringing this issue to the attention of the House. His commitment to this issue again proves that it is never too late to do the right thing. Mr. Speaker, William Clark earned the privilege to be called captain and the records of our Nation should document that honor. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 3621. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. 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. 3621.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3621) to provide for the posthumous promotion of William Clark of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, to the grade of captain in the Regular Army.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for his very kind remarks. I thank him very much for the comments. Mr. Speaker, now I would like to thank Mr. Philip Grone of our Committee on Armed Services for his considerable help. We had to spend a number of hours working out the details of this language to make sure that it was satisfactory to DOD in assuring them that they had no liability as a result of adopting these dogs out. This legislation would not have been possible without the considerable help of Mr. Philip Grone, and I am very appreciative of that help. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, an article was brought to my attention regarding the plight of one of our finest soldiers, the military working dog. The article delineated the Department of Defense policy regarding the fate of these valiant dogs after completion of service to their country. I learned that military working dogs remain in their assigned unit until they are 8 to 10 years old. Unfortunately, as the situation currently stands, there is no easy solution for these loyal dogs after their body is no longer able to sustain the workload of their mission. At this point, the future becomes bleak. In a best-case scenario, the dogs are sent back to Lackland Air Force base, their original training school, where they are used to instruct their human counterparts to become handlers after they have served this final duty, they are kenneled for an undetermined amount of time, and then put down. In some instances, military working dogs are caged as long as a year until they meet their final outcome. Equally as sad, if no kennel space is available, the less fortunate are terminated directly upon arrival to Lackland. After learning about the bleak future of military working dogs, not only did I become concerned for their final treatment, but I was also troubled by the fact that they were robbed of a quiet retirement. Why? Simply because the DOD policy prohibits the adoption of retired military dogs even by their handlers. My colleagues may be familiar with the plight of Robby, a professional military working dog. As an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois, he is no longer deployable. Suffering from missing teeth and arthritis, his ability to work at full capacity has been hindered. Common sense would say that Robby could now retreat to a quiet existence. On the contrary, Robby is to report to Lackland Air Force Base for one final deployment. Sadly, he will be caged and eventually euthanized. Last week I had the opportunity to meet Robby. I was able to pet Robby through the cage when I initially arrived. As a 3-time Pentagon champion, his body is showing the wear of a full military career. It was obvious to me that Robby is a dog who has faithfully served his country; however, now his physical body is failing to the point that he is hardly able to perform minimal responsibility necessary for completing his mission. It was also obvious to me that Robby has a special bond with his handler. Understandably so, as the two spent several years working side by side. The level of trust maintained between the two while in the line of duty is still present today. Robby's handler would like to spare his life through an adoption by either himself or another handler; however, the DOD would not allow it. In light of seeing Robby and his handler together, I feel that DOD's prohibition on handler adoption is pointlessly tragic. I feel, despite the dog's deteriorating health, he could still have the opportunity to experience the comforts and joys of normal companionship. Disallowing a handler the option to adopt their canine partner runs contrary to normal logic. Why should military working dogs be kept from a calm existence upon retirement when the only other alternative is more work before a final death? Upon further research, I learned that the 1949 Federal Property and Administrative Services Act enacted after World War II reclassified military working dogs as equipment. According to the military mentality, any piece of equipment no longer operable becomes a hardship to the unit and must be disposed of. In 1997, the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act was amended. At that time the act was altered to permit Federal dog handlers, such as those in the Drug Enforcement Administration, to adopt their aging canine partners. Oddly enough, the Department of Defense canine partners were the only Federal canine group not to be included in the modification. Again, I ask the question, why? Are these worthy canines any less deserving than people of living out the remainder of their days than other Federal working dogs? Clearly not. The bill I bring before the House today, H.R. 5314, makes the adoption of a retired military working dog a reality for the handler. I have labored hard to ensure that the language was constructed at the best vantage point for all parties involved. The decision to allow a handler to adopt their partner rests on the shoulders of those who know the dog best, the dog's last unit commander and the last unit veterinarian. Made on a dog-by-dog basis, the commander and veterinarian are obligated to give their consent before the adoption process can move forward. Furthermore, H.R. 5314 provides an additional safeguard at the Federal level. Upon receipt of the dog, the adopt handler waives all liability against the Federal Government. H.R. 5314 will effectively accomplish two goals. It offers the DOD a solution to their dilemma of maintaining aging canines and lifts the restriction that prohibits the adoption of military working dogs. Former dog handlers, individuals with comparable experience, or law enforcement agencies will be able to provide a loving home for such deserving animals. Through the passage of this legislation, not only will the military working dog be taken from caged status, but also the dog will be given the opportunity for a positive home environment. I know my colleagues will agree that after a lifetime of service, there could be no better reward for both dog and handler. In closing, H.R. 5314 has been endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, the Doris Day Animal Rights League, and the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Please join me in passing this positive measure which is a win-win solution for dog handler and the Department of Defense. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. 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. 5314, as amended.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to state my friendship for the gentleman from Washington, my respect for him, and I regret the fact that he has decided to retire and leave us. We will be diminished by the fact that he no longer serves his constituents and the country. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf), the author of this bill.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today the House undertakes a solemn task. House Concurrent Resolution 408 remembers the loss of 1,015 American soldiers who died when the British troop transport ship HMT ROHNA was tragically sunk off the coast of North Africa on November 26, 1943, during World War II. This resolution recognizes that the sinking of the ROHNA was a major catastrophic event of World War II. Mr. Speaker, this recognition is long overdue. We owe recognition to the men who gave their lives that day. We owe recognition to the men who survived the sinking and went on to fight bravely in the China- Burma-Indian theater and other combat theaters. We owe recognition to the families of both groups of men. The high price paid by families is often made worse by the absence of information about their loss caused by the demands for secrecy during war. The sinking of the ROHNA was just such a case. Many of the families of those killed were not aware of the details of the sinking until recently. When they asked for more information, they found that there were very few records available. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 408 puts the sinking of the ROHNA in proper perspective by outlining the details of the attack and rescue. The resolution then expresses the gratitude of the Congress and all Americans, recognizing the sacrifices of the men who died and the men who survived the horror of the sinking and went on to carry the fight to the enemy in other battles. The resolution also thanks the family members of both groups of officers for the sacrifice of their loved ones in the defense of freedom. Finally, the resolution thanks the crews of the U.S. French and British ships that endangered their lives to save the survivors of the ROHNA. Mr. Speaker, the sinking of the ROHNA was a horrific event that America must not overlook any longer. We owe this recognition to the men, both living and dead, who suffered during this disaster. They and their families deserve better. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on House Concurrent Resolution 408. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. 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 under consideration.

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