Charlie Bass

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Hinchey- Frelinghuysen amendment. Mr. Chairman, before I begin, let me say that I don't doubt the sincerity of any Member's commitment to our veterans. The increase in veterans health care and service funding that this appropriation provides is truly historic. I commend Chairman Walsh and the members of the subcommittee on their work and dedication to the budget resolution's priorities. Earlier this year, each Member should have received the 1999 VERA allocations book. It states on page 9 that ``A major premise of VERA is that networks receiving relatively fewer funds will adjust by becoming more efficient--not by reducing services or numbers of veterans served.'' If you consider that many of the networks in the Northeast and the Midwest are already among the most efficient providers of veterans care in the country, then you can clearly see the problem with this premise. For these networks, there is no way to adjust without reducing services or numbers of veterans served. The facts are clear. The quantity and quality of the health care services in the Northeast and Midwest have declined. These veterans deserve better. VERA was supposed to improve care, not harm it. VERA was supposed to tailor the allocations to each of the 22 networks based on the region's labor costs, veteran population, patient classification, facility condition, and other factors. Instead, it has led to a veteran against veteran, region against region competition. It has to stop. Since fiscal year 1996, VISN 1, the network for all of New England, has faced an 8 percent reduction in resource allocations. During the same time, Congress has increased the total allocation by over 5 percent. Congress and the VA should work together to find a better method of providing this critical care and determining resource allocations. I urge support for this amendment.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, and I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley), chairman of the Committee on Commerce, and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary, for their good-faith efforts to work on this amendment with me. Mr. Chairman, this amendment addresses a problem that is needlessly affecting the telephone service of millions of Americans. Year after year, new area codes are created, and they are created unnecessarily. One of the reasons for that is that the FCC has allocated telephone number blocks in blocks of 10,000 rather than 1,000. So the result is, if one has a central exchange in a small town or small area, one uses 9,999 numbers, and one only has a couple of hundred telephones. What this amendment does is force the FCC to solve this problem by the end of March of next year so that we do not have a situation where, in 22 different States across the country, new area codes are assigned needlessly. Mr. Chairman, this is not an issue of political philosophy. It is not an issue of partisanship. It is an issue of dealing with the bureaucracy. I urge all of my colleagues who support this amendment that it will save countless thousands of dollars to small businesses and families who have to adjust to new area codes needlessly because the FCC has not moved rapidly enough on their rulemaking proposal to support this amendment and move forward. Mr. Chairman, I also want to recognize and thank the chairman of the House Commerce Committee, Mr. Bliley, and the chairman of the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Subcommittee, Mr. Rogers, for their good faith negotiations on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, a serious problem is needlessly affecting the telephone service of millions of Americans. Year after year, new area codes are created and imposed on consumers and businesses across the country. We could all understand and accept new area codes if we actually ran out of numbers in the old ones. The truth, however, is that more phone numbers in each area code are stranded by bureaucracy than ever get assigned to a residential or commercial line. One of the main problems is that phone numbers are distributed in blocks of 10,000--without regard to demand. That means that there are thousands of phone numbers in many area codes that never get used and are wasted. This amendment would require that phone numbers are allocated in blocks of 1,000. Therefore, if a location only needs 2,000 numbers then they can get 2,000 numbers--and not tie up the full 10,000 numbers. The FCC has been working on the problem now for well over a year. Meanwhile, millions of Americans have had their area code changed. Sometimes new area codes are added geographically. A state gets split in two--half keeps the old code and half gets a new code. Sometimes new codes are overlaid on top of the existing code, where you would keep the area code you have for existing phone numbers, but would use the new area code for new numbers. Sometimes you get a combination of these solutions. Almost one-third of the 215 area codes in the United States are likely to be exhausted within two years. California, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, and Virginia each have at least two area codes that are in extreme jeopardy and require immediate action. Another 11 states, including my own state of New Hampshire, have at least one area code that will be exhausted within the next 16 months. This bipartisan amendment would require the FCC to address this problem by March 31, 2000. This amendment also provides states that have been determined to be in jeopardy by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator with limited flexibility to conserve their current area codes. Again, this state jurisdiction would only be provided to states that are in jeopardy. Because we allocate phone numbers so inefficiently, we will exhaust the remaining pool of area codes by 2008. To fix this could cost up to $150 billion and would have to add at least one additional digit to all phone numbers in America. We know this problem is coming. Let's act before it becomes another crisis that could have been avoided. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to yield 2\1/2\ minutes of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) for purposes of control.

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time, and I want to urge all Members of Congress to support this important amendment. If the issue is cost, no cost is greater than the unnecessary addition of an area code versus what might have been easily avoided in States all over the country. I know that if there are any concerns that have been voiced on the part of the Committee on Commerce we can work them out in conference. We need to move now because many States across the country are going to get second or third or fourth or fifth area codes within the next 12 months and it will be totally needless. So I urge support of the pending amendment.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on the FY00 Defense Appropriations Act and to express my support for the Air Force's F-22. I wish to commend the distinguished gentleman from California, Mr. Lewis, for producing a bill that addresses the serious and evolving challenges facing our military. Under his guidance, the Subcommittee has worked very hard to promote our national security within a constrained budget, and I believe the bill before us goes a long way toward addressing many of our most urgent military requirements. I am, however, troubled by the Subcommittee's recommendation to cut $1.8 billion from the F-22 program. I certainly appreciate the Subcommittee's concerns about the program and am fully aware of the substantial challenges it faced as it sought to reconcile military requirements with available resources. Nevertheless, I believe that the F-22 remains critical to maintaining the air superiority that has proven invaluable to the United States to date and will continue to be fundamental requirement in the future if our interests are to be protected. Indeed, the F-22 program is the Air Force's number one priority. Mr. Chairman, although I support the bill before us on the whole, I look forward to working with the Subcommittee Chairman and other members of the Committee to ensure that the F-22 is fully funded in the final bill.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on the FY00 Defense Appropriations Act and to express my support for the Air Force's F-22. I wish to commend the distinguished gentleman from California, Mr. Lewis, for producing a bill that addresses the serious and evolving challenges facing our military. Under his guidance, the subcommittee has worked very hard to promote our national security within a constrained budget, and I believe the bill before us goes a long way toward addressing many of our most urgent military requirements. I am, however, troubled by the subcommittee's recommendation to cut $1.8 billion from the F-22 program. I certainly appreciate the subcommittee's concerns about the program and am fully aware of the substantial challenges it faced as it sought to reconcile military requirements with available resources. Nevertheless, I believe that the F-22 remains critical to maintaining the air superiority that has proven invaluable to the United States to date and will continue to be a fundamental requirement in the future if our interests are to be protected. Indeed, the F-22 program is the Air Force's number one priority. Mr. Chairman, although I support the bill before us on the whole, I look forward to working with the subcommittee chairman and other members of the committee to ensure that the F-22 is fully funded in the final bill.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to recognize a gentleman from Goshen, New Hampshire, who has dedicated fifty-eight years of his life to the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department. Mr. Arthur Nelson, ninety-two years young, has been associated with the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department since 1941. In addition to fighting fires in Goshen for decades, Mr. Nelson was also a Forest Fire Warden for fifty years and is an active member of his community. Mr. Nelson has served on the Goshen Conservation Commission, the Board of the Historical Society, and as a town selectman. He also remains a dedicated member of the Goshen Community Church. On July 10, the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department will celebrate its 60th Anniversary. As part of their celebration, they will be recognizing Mr. Nelson's unparalleled service to the Department and the community. Arthur Nelson's commitment to the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department for nearly six decades exemplifies the importance of volunteerism and serves as a tribute to himself and the Town of Goshen. I would like to congratulate the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department on their 60th Anniversary and thank Mr. Nelson for his years of service protecting the citizens of Goshen, New Hampshire.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate New Hampshire's participation in the 33rd Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival beginning tomorrow on the National Mall. This festival is a celebration of the history, heritage, and culture that makes the Granite State one of a kind. More than 140 participants will be in the national spotlight exemplifying what has made New Hampshire such a beautiful, important, and unique State for the past 23 years. The spectacular event will also include a celebration of New Hampshire's political history, as well as its essential role as the traditional host of the first-in-the-Nation Presidential primary. Over the next 2 weeks, more than 1 million people will join representatives from New Hampshire, South Africa, and Romania in showcasing their traditions and customs through expeditions of music, dance, food, crafts, storytelling, and art. I am extremely proud to have my home State represented here in the Nation's Capital, and I encourage everyone to find their way down to the National Mall to help New Hampshire celebrate its proud history and culture.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of the prostate cancer awareness resolution. I wish to thank the minority for allowing this to be expedited through the committee process, and as I said a minute ago, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), as well as the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), and the rest of the House leadership. This is a very important resolution to not only myself, but many hundreds of thousands of other men around the country who may be affected by prostate cancer. Now, last week during National Men's Health Week, which concluded on Father's Day, there was a lot of discussion about the most serious of health issues facing men, and one of them at least is prostate cancer. This year 180,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer; and, as the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) mentioned, 40,000 will die of the disease. Prostate cancer, in fact, is the second leading cause of cancer among men, second only to skin cancer; and it is the second leading cause of cancer death among men. This cancer can often be treated successfully if it is detected early, but most symptoms are nonspecific and there are very few reliable risk factors. Therefore, two of the most important weapons against prostate cancer are education and timely testing. The American Cancer Society recommends that men 50 or over talk with their health care professionals about having annual exams and tests for prostate cancer and that African-American men and men with family histories of prostate cancer, who are at higher risk for the disease, should consider taking steps at an earlier age. This House, as an institution, and we, as Members of Congress, are in unique positions to support efforts against prostate cancer. This resolution expresses the sense of the House that, firstly, all men should take an active role in the fight against prostate cancer and by all the means that are available to them; secondly, that the role of national and community organizations and health care providers in promoting awareness of prostate cancer and in providing related information, support, and access to services should be recognized and applauded; and lastly, that the Federal Government has the responsibility to continue to raise awareness, fund research, and consider ways to improve access to and the quality of services for detecting and treating prostate cancer. I hope that all of my colleagues will join me today in supporting this resolution, working in our districts to get out the word, not only on Father's Day but every day, that prostate cancer is a killer. We need to educate. We need to talk to our doctors. Timely treatment is what counts. I urge support and adoption of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Sergeant Bob Bryant and Luc Couture of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and more than 550 friends and neighbors who searched the woods of Berlin, New Hampshire, through the early morning hours on May 25 to find 3-year-old Cameron Patry. Sergeant Bryant and Mr. Couture found the young boy after he had been lost for more than 20 cold and rainy hours in the dense woods. These 2 State of New Hampshire employees, along with hundreds of volunteers who helped with the search, best exemplify our community's spirit, camaraderie, compassion in New Hampshire and all of America. Although cold, wet and tired, young Cameron was found in good shape and returned to his worried parents. To Sergeant Bryant, Mr. Couture and all those who gave their time, prayers and comfort to the Patry family I would like to express my sincere appreciation, as does the grateful State of New Hampshire and Congress.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding this time to me. Mr. Chairman, enplanements, people getting on to airplanes, rose from 514 million to 642 million passengers per year. That is an increase of 128 million people a year, 25 percent. Total Aviation Trust Fund income in 1992 was $5.9 billion, and it rose to 8.7 billion in 1998. That is an increase of over 31 percent. Did the money go into airport infrastructure improvements? No. The Aviation Trust Fund expenditures in 1992 were 6.637 billion, and in 1998 they were 5.7 billion. That is a decrease of 14 percent. Now in 1998 the FAA experienced 101 significant system outages, and one of them lasted for more than 5 days. I would only suggest to my colleagues, Mr. Chairman, that the 642 million people who found themselves in the air in 1998 had no higher priority than taking the Aviation Trust Fund off budget.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to pay tribute to a recipient of the distinguished 1998-1999 White House Fellowship Program--Lieutenant Commander Mark Montgomery of Sunapee, New Hampshire. Established in 1965, the White House Fellowship program honors outstanding citizens across the United States who demonstrate excellence in academics, public service, and leadership. It is the nation's most prestigious fellowship for public service and leadership development. Each year, there are 500-800 applicants nationwide for 11 to 19 fellowships. Past distinguished U.S. Navy White House Fellow alumni have gone on to become exceptional military leaders and I have no doubt Commander Montgomery will be successful in his future endeavors. This award is well-earned by an individual who carries himself with great professionalism and distinction in the finest traditions of our country's military history. Lieutenant Commander Montgomery was most recently Executive Officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Elliot. He was one of only a handful of liberal arts majors to complete the naval nuclear power program. Lieutenant Commander Montgomery has completed two overseas deployments on the nuclear powered cruiser U.S.S. Bainbridge. He also led a team of thirty Bainbridge sailors to provide disaster relief on the island of St. Croix after Hurricane Hugo. He later was assigned as Operations Officer of U.S.S. Leftwich and then to the reactor department of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, where he was deployed to Bosnia during air strikes. Commander Montgomery will be Commissioning Commanding Officer of U.S.S. McCampbell. In addition to his military service, Commander Montgomery is involved with the Big Brother organization. Commander Montgomery's distinguished military career made him a perfect candidate for his current White House Fellowship assignment with the National Security Council. In this capacity, he manages the operation for the Critical Infrastructure Coordination Group, which is responsible for implementing presidential decision directives on critical national infrastructures. He also coordinates the interagency development of a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan, which formulates the Administration's efforts to protect our government and private sector infrastructures from terrorist attack. Commander Montgomery was a member of the U.S. delegation that traveled to the United Arab Emirates on a mission regarding security cooperation. Other responsibilities include working on the Counter-Terrorism Security Group and coordinating NSC policy on international Y2K issues. The people of this nation can feel secure in the knowledge that individuals like Commander Montgomery are working for them. For his efforts, and in recognition of the well-deserved honor of serving as a White House Fellow, I am privileged to commend and pay tribute to Commander Montgomery.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment. This is the same amendment that we passed on a Friday and then defeated on a Monday with a few phone calls having been made over the weekend. I hope Congress would have the opportunity to vote again and be on record and pass this amendment this time. It has been said that this is a very important program. From my perspective, I think it is a waste of money. The program does not work. It essentially is money from the taxpayers' pockets to private landholders to control predators on their own property. But what is sad about it is that the program seeks to spend $20 million to solve a problem that only costs private landholders $7.2 million per year. Nothing in this amendment, nothing in this amendment will affect in any way the programs for technical assistance or for bird control at airports. I serve on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and on the Subcommittee on Aviation. I am an instrument-rated pilot. I have flown all over the country. I can assure the Members I would do nothing that would affect the safety of our Nation's airport. This would carve out cleanly a subsidy to private individuals to control predators in a situation whose effectiveness is clearly under considerable question. It is true that some of the resources for this program do go to other parts of the country, but 95 percent of the funds for this program go to these western States and to these large ranchers to use for predator control. I would suggest that we can save money by passage of this amendment. We can eliminate a practice that by even the best of interpretations is neither effective nor seemly, and I think it is an entirely inappropriate use of Federal funds. Although I have enormous respect for all of the Members of the Committee on Appropriations who have supported this amendment, I think it is time that we eliminated this unnecessary funding from the Federal government.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I want to say that I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration both on a professional and personal level for the distinguished chairman of the agriculture subcommittee, as I do for every other member of the Committee on Appropriations. I have watched with amazement as the gentleman from Oklahoma has withstood the most withering criticism from other Members of Congress, not so much for the content of the amendments that he has offered, but for his insistence upon exercising his right as a Member of this body to question the product that has been produced by a committee of this House. I think it is regrettable that Members of Congress get up and imply that a Member's right to debate line items in the budget is somehow an insult to the Committee on Appropriations or any other committee of the House. In fact, in my opinion it is an opportunity for individual Members of Congress to state their views and positions on issues, regardless. They may seem trite and unimportant and wrong to some Members of Congress, but they are important for other Members of Congress. And it may take a few hours to get through the agriculture appropriations bill, and I have no doubt that we will pass a fine product in the end. But I hope this body will give every Member of Congress the tolerance that we should exercise in allowing everybody the opportunity to debate their amendments. Because remember, you will be the person at some future date that will want to have that same respect shown for you. Scrutiny is painful, but it is good for the process. So I commend the gentleman from Oklahoma for what he is doing, and I rise in support of this amendment.

Mr. BASS. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in the National Association of Letter Carriers annual food drive in my district. The seventh national ``Stamp Out Hunger'' event was sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers and was held in 10,000 cities throughout the United States. One of these cities was Nashua, New Hampshire, where myself and Postal Carrier Doug Mercier traveled throughout his Postal Route #26 collecting donated, nonperishable food items. Although I was only along the route for a little less than two hours, I was absolutely amazed by the amount of generosity that was shown by the dozens of individuals who donated food. Not only did many people donate food, but some selflessly donated more than one item. The impact of this event was obvious to me when I found out that the residents of Nashua had succeeded in donating more than 36,000 pounds of food. That is 18 tons of donated food collected in one city, in one day! Needless to say, I was extremely impressed with the effort, organization, and effectiveness of the National Association of Letter Carriers food drive in Nashua and its success throughout the country. I would like to commend the National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service for their commitment to collecting food for the hungry and lending a helping hand to those who need it most. The food that was collected will help feed nearly 30 million needy people throughout the country. It is initiatives like this food drive that encourage people to participate in their community and assist those in need. I would encourage all of my colleagues, if they have not already done so, to participate in the national Stamp Out Hunger food drive next year. I know that I am already looking forward to participating again and I am greatly encouraged by the generosity and goodwill that I witnessed this past weekend.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) for this very timely motion. I see this as a motion to support our conferees, to give them the kind of support that they need dealing with what is, in effect, a pork fest going on over in the Senate. It is a question of priorities. Are we for saving Social Security? Are we for tax relief for working Americans or eliminating the marriage tax penalty? Are we for tax dividend, or all the other issues that we have been dealing with? Are we for special education funding, these types of priorities? Or are we for a system that sets caps that are possibly unreasonably low, and then have individual Senators come in with their own pet projects in the name of an emergency in order to boost the budget? Is that the way we are going to set priorities in 1999? Shame on the process for doing that. I would suggest to the Congress that if we cannot move forward on this emergency supplemental as it has been sent to the Senate, that we throw it out and we start all over again because there is no way that we are going to accede to an emergency supplemental that contains 99 and counting pieces of special legislation for Senators. If this is the charade that we have to play in the name of looking like budget hawks, I do not want to have any part of it. So I commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) for his courage in bringing this motion to our attention. I hope it receives a unanimous vote.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to The Keene Sentinel. 1999 marks the bicentennial of The Sentinel, the oldest newspaper in New Hampshire, and the fifth oldest paper in the nation to be published continuously under the same name. Under the guiding hand of publisher John Prentiss, the first edition of the New Hampshire Sentinel was issued in Keene on March 23, 1799. After 89 years as a weekly paper, The Sentinel began daily publication in 1890, and became a seven-day publication with the launch of a Sunday edition in 1996. With the exception of 30 years in the 1800s, The Sentinel has been owned and operated by only two families: John Prentiss and his descendants, and then the Ewing family, which acquired the newspaper in 1954. The paper has enjoyed local and independent ownership throughout its 200 years. Mr. Speaker, The Keene Sentinel, based in Cheshire County, serves the many communities of the Monadnock Region in southwestern New Hampshire. During the last two centuries, The Sentinel has chronicled the cultural, economic and social history of the region. When John Prentiss first began publishing the paper in 1799, he had just one assistant. As Keene and the towns in the surrounding area have grown, the newspaper has expanded to meet the needs of the community. Today, with a circulation of 15,000, The Sentinel employs more than 100 people. The Keene Sentinel has become a force in the community, advocating for open government, land use planning, and environmentally sensitive economic development in the Monadnock Region. Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the institutional history of The Sentinel as well as the service the paper has provided to the community during the past 200 years.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to recognize several small business leaders from my home state of New Hampshire. As we all know, small businesses in the United States serve as the backbone of our economy, accounting for more than ninety-nine percent of America's employers and employing fifty-three percent of America's workforce. The role of small businesses, especially in New Hampshire, is essential in strengthening our economy, expanding opportunities for employers and employees, and providing goods and services that are second to none. This year, five individuals from New Hampshire have been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for their exemplary contributions to small business in New Hampshire. In addition, 1999 marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the fifteenth anniversary of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center. At the annual ``New Hampshire's Salute to Small Business'' dinner and awards ceremony, these two groups and the following individuals will be honored for their overall promotion of small business and for their individual successes during the past year: Frederic A. ``Rick'' Loeffler, CEO of Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse in Manchester, will be presented with the New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year Award; Christine Gillette, business and economic development editor of the Portsmouth Herald, will be presented with the Media Advocate of the Year Award; Jeffrey M. Pollock, president of the New Hampshire Business Development Corporation in Manchester, will be presented with the Financial Services Advocate of the Year Award; Arlene Magoon, owner of American Nanny & Family Care Services in Amherst, will be presented with the Woman in Business Advocate of the Year Award; and William T. Frain, Jr., president and chief operating officer of the Public Service Company of New Hampshire, will be presented with the Special New Hampshire District Advocacy Award. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely pleased that Rick, Christine, Jeff, Arlene, and Bill have been recognized for their contributions to small business in New Hampshire. As a small business owner myself, I clearly understand how necessary small business is to our economy, our community, and, most important, to our way of life. New Hampshire is indeed fortunate to have individuals of this exceptional caliber as members of the small business community. I hope that the House will join me in extending our congratulations to this year's small business award recipients.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution before us today which is essentially the same as one which I introduced last year which passed by voice vote, and I certainly hope we have a recorded vote on this resolution this time, and I would like to say that I support it for four reasons: Number one, it is plain good education policy to provide full funding for special education. Secondly, it is meeting the worst unfunded federal mandate that this government currently has, 10 percent of a 40 percent obligation. Bearing in mind that it is up from 5 percent 4 years ago, still 10 percent is not acceptable. Thirdly, it is an issue of local control, local control of education, letting local school boards make decisions for themselves whether they are going to have new teachers, build new classrooms or spend the money on other areas. The Federal Government should make this a top priority. Lastly, this is an issue that is extremely important for disabled individuals, for families, for school boards, for administrators. If my colleagues want to do something for education in 1999, support this resolution, and then move forward and fully fund special education.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution that is before us today. It is not an easy vote for me, but it is one that I must cast. I do so because failure to support this resolution, by failing to vote for this resolution, we are in effect saying that what has happened over the last 30 days in the Balkans is okay; that the administration's failure to define what we are trying to accomplish or to change that definition practically on a day-to-day basis, that that activity is okay; that the administration's failure to define the military means that we should use to achieve that as-of-yet undefined objective is okay. We started in the air. We then went to close-in air. Now we are bombing civilian infrastructure, and unfortunately, I think that we are going to be looking at the introduction of ground troops in the near future. Mr. Speaker, absent some control of Congress, I am certain that this war will escalate to a point where we will no longer be dealing with $4 billion, $6 billion or $8 billion, but $10 billion, $20 billion, $30 billion, $40 billion or $50 billion. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the pending resolution.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of discussion today about the issue of flexibility. We have heard speakers who oppose allowing the localities to make the choice as to whether to spend money on hiring new teachers or for IDEA, that this is somehow a superfluous amendment. Nothing could be less superfluous than this amendment. This is a very important issue for every school board in this country. We have heard discussion about the issue of let us pick or we should not be picking. We are not making the choices here in Congress, nor should we be making the choices. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, that we should give local school boards the right to decide whether they need to reduce class size or whether they need to provide more funding for IDEA. I support full funding of IDEA, but I am willing, if you will, to put my money where my mouth is and to say in this forum here that we should give local school boards every opportunity they possibly can to put scarce resources into IDEA. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, a vote for this motion is a vote to deny local school boards that option. It does not pit one group against another. What it does is it gives the local school boards the opportunity to do what is best for their own constituencies. If class size is not the top priority for a local school board, then it should be something else. I think IDEA should be the highest funding priority for this Congress. So, Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition of the motion to instruct. I support very strongly the Lott amendment. It provides local school districts with an additional $1.2 billion, yes, to hire more teachers if they choose, and, yes, to provide more money for IDEA. Please oppose this motion to instruct and send this bill to conference so that we can include the Lott amendment in the final of the version of the bill which we send to the President.

Mr. BASS

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the White Mountain Regional High School Class M Champion Girl's Basketball team. On Saturday, February 27, 1999, the Regional Girl's Basketball team capped what can only be described as a perfect season. It was perfect not only because the team won the first Class M Girls Basketball Title in the 30 year history of the regional high school, but because they did so by going an impressive 22-0 over the course of the entire season. It should be said, however, that the climax of this spectacular season was not a fluke, as they say, but, instead, the result of years of practice, preparation, and commitment. In particular, the dedication of the team's coach, James Haley, has been instrumental to the success of the team over the last several years. Coach Haley revitalized the girl's basketball program by instituting summer programs and traveling teams that developed the girls' skill on and off the court. The results for Coach Haley have been obvious. Over the last four seasons, the White Mountain Regional Girl's Basketball program has amassed a record of 79 wins and only 6 losses. Coach Haley deflects any praise he receives to his talented team and players. A few highlights from this team include all six seniors being selected for the 1999 Class M All-Academic Team. Senior Becky Hilton broke the her own school record for the most 3-point shots made during a season. Senior Jennifer Martin scored her 1000th high school career point during the team's quarter final game against Mascoma, which is a tremendous achievement for any high school basketball player. Mr. Speaker, I would like to list all the coaches, members, and managers of the 1999 Class M Champion Girl's Basketball Team: Coach James Haley, Coach Adrianna Champney, Captain Jennifer Martin, Captain Becky Hilton, Stephanie Wallace, Kris Odell, Keira Russell, Liz Ehlert, Jaclyn Comeau, Kerry Brady, Jessica LaPlante, Becky Quay, Martha Harris, Amanda Kay, Gail Snowman, Adriane Kilby, Liz Samson, Manager Christi Nugent, and Manager Emily Tenney. Mr. Speaker, the White Mountain Regional Girl's Basketball Team's coaches, team members, fans, family, and school should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. Through no small effort are state championships won, and for 1999 the Class M Girl's Basketball Championship is going home to the White Mountain Regional High School.