Howard Berman

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, it is my understanding that presently before us is the Smith amendment, the Campbell-plus amendment will be offered as a substitute to that amendment, and the time limit is for the two amendments together, three 20-minute segments.

Mr. BERMAN. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I am.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chairman, my colleague from California, the author of the substitute which we are now considering, made the essential point. It is counterproductive, it is wrong to seek language which would restrict the disbursement of contraceptive services in the name of opposition to abortion when the consequence of that very conduct will be to increase abortion. That point needs to be made over and over again. I want to just take what little time I have yielded myself to point out the other language in the amendment of the gentleman from California. There is a clear prohibition on the use of U.S. funds to pay for abortions or for abortion counseling in any foreign country except in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the mother is in danger. No U.S. funds will be used for these purposes. The goal of the Campbell amendment is to free up family planning funds and contraceptive services so that people can make their decisions about how to avoid the problem of having to have abortions. It also prohibits lobbying on the issue.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes on behalf of the Campbell-Greenwood-Lowey amendment to the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Woolsey].

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Pelosi].

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey].

Mr. BERMAN. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Chairman. Presently before us is the Smith amendment?

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Tom Bradley, Dolores Huerta, and Abe Levy, who this year are each receiving awards from the Jewish Labor Committee, western region. It is impossible to exaggerate the impact Tom, Dolores and Abe have had on the lives of working men and women. They are three people who truly made a difference. I have been fortunate to benefit from their friendship and learn from their efforts. As an attorney, Abe Levy has fought for the rights of workers and their unions throughout the legal system, including arguing before the Supreme Court. He has also appeared on their behalf before the National Labor Relations Board, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, and the Railway Labor Board. Abe has devoted his professional life to fighting for decency and justice in the shops, factories and workplaces. Abe also had the great wisdom to hire me for his labor law firm--and the patience to keep me. As time goes by, Tom Bradley's many accomplishments seem even more impressive. His first successful campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles, in 1973, was a model effort which brought together people from all races and ethnic groups in pursuit of a common goal. It is the rare politician who can reach across communities and transcend barriers as effectively as Tom. I have worked with my dear friend Dolores Huerta for over 20 years. When I think of Dolores, words such as courageous, compassionate, and determined come easily to mind. As a member of the California Legislature, we worked closely to create the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. For the first time, farmworkers were given the right to organize and vote for a union. This remains among my most cherished political memories--in no small part because of Dolores. Our collaboration continued when I went to Congress. Literally since the moment I arrived in 1983, we have worked together to fight continual attempts by growers to bring back the bracero program, or to create a new guest worker program. Dolores simply never lets up in her efforts to improve wages and working conditions for farmworkers--the poorest workers in the country. I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Tom Bradley, Dolores Huerta, and Abe Levy, who have dedicated themselves to bringing a sense of dignity and a feeling of hope to those in need of both. Their lives and achievements inspire us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I missed the vote on rollcall No. 163, the Paul of Texas amendment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment Offered by Mr. Stearns

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. If the situation were not so tragic, it would be humorous. We are watching the Republican majority with the presentation of this bill snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory on two of the issues they have fought the most for over the past 2\1/2\ years. First is the foreign aid authorization bill. After 3\1/2\ or 4 days of relatively amiable discourse, reasonably intelligent debate, a bipartisan consensus was formed that passed out an authorization bill that supported much of the administration's key priorities and at the same time dealt with many of the strong concerns of the Republican majority on the committee, a vote that included every single Democratic member of that committee and the vast majority of the Republican members of that committee, in marked contrast to the way the process had transpired 2 years before, a process which produced veto and veto and veto and no law. From that bill, which by the way, lest my colleagues think this was tilted too much to the minority or too much to the administration, that bill, which came out of committee, was referenced in the letter signed by Henry Kissinger, James Baker, General Colin L. Powell, George Shultz, Lawrence Eagleburger, Brent Scowcroft, and Alexander Haig, key national security advisors and Secretaries of State for the last three Republican administrations. What they said to the chairman of that committee who worked hard to produce this bipartisan majority was: ``We commend you,'' and I am talking here about seven key Republican Secretaries of States and national security advisors. ``We commend you and your committee colleagues for having the courage to authorize adequate funding for the international affairs programs of the U.S. Government. We realize that funding these programs is rarely popular, but there are times when our political leaders, whether in the Congress or the Executive, must do what is best for the country, no matter what the popular view. This is one of those times. This post- Cold War era is a time of great opportunity. It is also a time, if we act irresponsibly, that can lay the groundwork for instability and conflict for generations to come. Without American leadership in the years ahead, instability and conflict are certain. A creative U.S. foreign policy demands an efficient and effective foreign affairs establishment. H.R. 1486,'' the bill that we passed out of committee, not the bill we are considering now, ``will give us that instrument.'' Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Colin Powell, George Shultz, Lawrence Eagleburger, Brent Scowcroft, Alexander Haig. Instead, we have a truncated bill that removes all of the authorizations in the foreign assistance program, much of the language dealing with critical issues like how we should be dealing with the former republics of the Soviet Union, what we should be doing in terms of development assistance in Africa that authorized the funding for our key priorities in the Middle East, including support for Israel and support for Egypt and the other countries in that region. And we are left with a bare-bones State Department authorization bill, a bill that unilaterally was changed by the Republican leadership that I can only believe did not want to see a bill that had too much Democratic support for fear that somewhere, someone would come and attack it just for that reason. This is not the way to move ahead on a bipartisan foreign policy. But this is not the only area where they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. For 2 years the Republican priority has been to reorganize our foreign relations agencies. Many of us opposed them on that over the past 2 years. The administration opposed them. Finally, and I think my colleagues can perhaps fairly say kicking and screaming, the administration turns around, agrees to merge two of its international relations agencies, the USIA and the arms control and disarmament agency into the State Department to require the Agency for International Development to report to the Secretary of State, not to the President, to cover all of the major priorities that the Republicans in both the House and the Senate had been screaming about. So what did the Republican majority try to do? Instead of letting that process, which has been announced and developed, take fold, work with the administration to do the necessarily implementing legislation, unilaterally the Republicans are proposing a substitute in this bare- bones bill that no longer has any of the bipartisan elements that caused us to all support the bill in the beginning, to ram through a unilateral partisan, never-before-seen in a committee anywhere proposal to reorganize on their terms. That will defeat the reorganization effort, that will cause the administration to back off, that will cause this bill to become veto bait once again. So both in terms of the bipartisanship on the aid and the achievements in the reorganization, everything is at risk. I think it is a terrible mistake and I urge that the bill be defeated. Mr. Chairman, I include for the Record the letter referenced earlier in my remarks. May 20, 1997. Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, Chairman, Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives. Dear Ben: We are writing to express our support for the bill your Committee has reported, H.R. 1486, the ``Foreign Policy Reform Act''. We commend you and your Committee colleagues for having the courage to authorize adequate funding for the international affairs programs of the U.S. Government. We realize that funding these programs is rarely popular. But there are times when our political leaders, whether in the Congress or the Executive, must do what is best for the country no matter what the popular view. This is one of those times. This post Cold-War era is a time of great opportunity; it is also a time--if we act irresponsibly--that can lay the ground work for instability and conflict for generations to come. Without American leadership in the years ahead instability and conflict are certain. A creative U.S. foreign policy demands an efficient and effective foreign affairs establishment. HR 1486 will give us that instrument. We also support your intention to amend your bill on the House floor to abolish two agencies, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency, and to consolidate the functions of the these agencies, as well as some functions of the Agency for International Development, into the Department of State. Reorganization and streamlining of our foreign affairs agencies is long overdue. With your continued leadership, we can build on America's victory in the Cold War and make sure that in the next century our nation does not repeat past mistakes. We must learn from history. Sincerely, Henry Kissinger. George P. Shultz. Alexander M. Haig, Jr. James A. Baker, III. Lawrence Eagleburger. General Colin Powell. Brent Scowcroft.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to El Centro de Amistad, which this year is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Now led by Angel Perez, El Centro has established an impressive record of providing help to at-risk youth and their families in the San Fernando Valley. Anyone who wants to see young people off drugs and away from gangs is grateful to El Centro for its efforts. Founded in 1977, the original advisory board worked directly with the agency responsible for its development, the San Fernando Community Mental Health Centers, Inc. Seven years later the advisory board assumed the role of governing board, and El Centro de Amistad was born. A bilingual/bicultural nonprofit organization, El Centro offers health, mental health, education, and community action services. Many of its clients are poor Latinos, and many of these are recent immigrants. El Centro focuses on reducing risk factors that can lead to violence, school failure, gang affiliation, and child abuse. The organization offers youth counseling, afterschool tutoring, and summer activities/ youth job placement as healthy alternatives to destructive behavior. In 1996 El Centro provided direct services to 13,000 clients and an additional 10,000 family members. It's numbers such as these that vividly illustrate the importance of El Centro to the entire San Fernando Valley. In 1989 El Centro opened a satellite center in the city of San Fernando to address the needs of an overwhelmingly Latino population. Eight years later, the San Fernando Satellite Center is an unqualified success. Among its many important duties, the Satellite Center has provided psychological counseling to residents in the aftermath of the devastating Northridge earthquake. I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting El Centro de Amistad, which has made a difference in the lives of so many people. Its dedication to making this a better world inspires us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Mr. Sherman, and I are honored to pay tribute to Leo Dozoretz, who this year is receiving the inaugural David Ben Gurion Award for outstanding service and commitment to the United Jewish Fund. He is being honored by the Jewish Federation/Valley Alliance. Leo is an ideal choice for this award. Indeed, we can think of few people as dedicated to the Jewish people and the UJF as Leo Dozoretz. Many of Leo's good deeds have been undertaken in the San Fernando Valley, where he resides. For years he has been heavily involved with the Jewish Federation/Valley Alliance Major Gifts Campaign for the UJF, personally raising more than $500,000 in campaign contributions every year. Leo has also chaired numerous UJF campaigns for the Jewish Federation/ Valley Alliance, raising money to support vital social services in Los Angeles, Israel and 60 countries around the world. In the early 1960's Leo chaired the building fund at Temple Adat Ariel, where he was a member, that resulted in construction of the Temple sanctuary and the first Jewish school in the San Fernando Valley. Leo also has a distinct way of combining his professional life, his social life and Jewish causes. For example, as a charter member of the El Caballero Country Club he has chaired an annual gold tournament to raise money for the UJF. A longtime employee--now retired--of Willamette Industries, Leo was instrumental in getting the company to expand its matching gifts program. A number of non-profit organizations, including the UJF, benefitted as a result. Leo and his wife, Elaine, have been active members of two grassroots community support groups--``The Society of Individual Responsibility'' and the Brunch Bunch--for more than 30 years. We ask our colleagues to join us today in saluting Leo Dozoretz, whose dedication, humanity and compassion are examples to us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in commemoration of the Armenian genocide. The atrocities committed against the Armenian people in the late 19th century and the early 20th century ranks among the worst such occurrences in human history. As the 19th century drew to a close, authorities in the crumbling Ottoman Empire decided to crack down against a growing movement for Armenian autonomy. After enduring brutal persecution, the Armenians refused to pay the taxes levied by their oppressors. As a result, thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives and thousands more witnessed the destruction of their homes--all because the Ottoman Government wanted to teach them a lesson. When the Armenians sought to publicize their plight by seizing a government building in Constantinople, government forces instigated a vicious pogrom during which over 50,000 perished. Several years later during the First World War, Armenian service in the Allied cause prompted the Turkish authorities to order the deportation of almost the entire Armenian population from their homeland to two distant provinces of the Turkish Empire, Syria and Palestine. Well over one million died during this long forced march, many thousands at the hands of government soldiers and many more from disease and malnutrition. It is unfortunate that we have not managed to escape the consequences of these atrocities. The legacy of bitterness is readily observable in central Asia, where memories of past injustice have complicated the search for peace and stability in Nagorno-Karabakh. As the horror continued, thousands of Armenians came to this country. Many of their heirs now live in my own State of California, where they have established an enviable record of prosperity and service to the United States. California is home to the largest Armenian-American population in the United States. The California State Assembly designated April 24, 1997 as ``California Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915-23, and for the Victims of the Sumgait Pogroms of 1988 and Baku Riots of 1990.'' The resolution notes that Armenians in Nagorno Karabagh remain at risk until a peaceful resolution to the Karabagh conflict is reached that guarantees the freedom of security for these people while supporting their right to self-determination. We join Armenians around the world as we remember the terrible massacres suffered in 1915-23, among one of the worst tragedies to befall a group of people. Even though this is a day of commemoration for the thousands who perished in the Armenian genocide, we must not forget the great duty of those now living to prepare a better world for generations to come.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John J. Mance, who officially retired from the NAACP on February 15 of this year. The tenure of Mr. Mance with the NAACP parallels the rise of the civil rights movement. He joined the organization in 1944, and became president of the San Fernando Valley Branch in 1959. That same year he met Dr. Martin Luther King at the NAACP Convention in New York City. John Mance was an active participant in the events that finally brought legal segregation to an end in the American south. Much of his work was done in the San Fernando Valley, educating local residents to the need for change. For example, he organized demonstrations in support of the Southern College student sit-ins, stopping street traffic and halting business at Woolworth, Kress, and Grant's stores for several weekends. It is because of people like John Mance that the civil rights movement was such a success. And it is because of people such as John Mance that we all recognize the work that remains to be done. He has set a wonderful example for the next generation of community leaders to follow. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John J. Mance, along with his wife, Eleanore, and sons Rick and David. John's tireless dedication and profound sense of justice serve as examples to us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago this month the Santa Monica Mountains Planning Commission produced its comprehensive plan. There are few dates more important in the history of the environmental movement in southern California. The plan that commission produced had many valuable components, including calling for the establishment of a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. As a member of the California Assembly, I carried the bill that implemented the plan and established the conservancy. In the past two decades the performance of the conservancy has exceeded even my high expectations. Anyone who cares about the environment and the need to maintain the natural beauty of southern California is in the organization's debt. While I do not necessarily subscribe to the ``Great Man'' theory of history, it seems evident that the conservancy would not have come this far without the superb leadership of Executive Director Joe Edmiston. I have known Joe a long time, and count him as one of my close friends. Putting aside friendship, however, I can say without bias that Joe knows how to get things done and get them done right. His utter commitment, his boundless energy, his no-nonsense style and his clear sense of direction have provided guidance to the conservancy and are responsible in large measure for its success. Indeed, the conservancy has many accomplishments in which its friends and supporters can take pride. For example, the organization administers programs designed to serve minority and disadvantaged groups and those who otherwise can never get to southern California's mountains. The quiet, cool and serene setting is a welcome contrast to the often grim realities of urban living. The conservancy has also acquired over 21,000 acres of parkland in 20 years, which has increased the opportunities for people of any background to enjoy nature. The work of the conservancy to preserve the environment, especially in an area growing with the speed of southern California, is of monumental importance. I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting the 20th anniversary of the Santa Monica Mountain comprehensive plan, which has proven to be a most effective weapon in the arsenal of environmentalists. I applaud the conservancy's efforts, and wish it the best of luck for all the decades to come.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Yakov and Sylvia Yellin, who this year are recipients of a special award from Shaarey Zedek congregation in north Hollywood. As members of the congregation, the Yellins have taken the lead in the construction of a new building at Shaarey Zedek, which is the largest Orthodox shul in the San Fernando Valley. Indeed, Yakov Yellin recently completed a highly successful 2-year term as synagogue president. Yakov's dedication to Shaarey Zedek is no surprise; he is a rabbi who spent 5 years as head of a congregation in San Jose, CA. He also spent nearly 2 years as Post Jewish Chaplain at the U.S. Army Base at Fort Sill, OK. Shaarey Zedek is fortunate to have someone of such stature in its congregation. Sylvia Yellin, the child of Holocaust survivors, has a similar commitment to Orthodox Judaism. She attended Hillel Academy elementary school in Denver and graduated from Esther Schoenfeld High School in Brooklyn. She has served on several synagogue boards, and headed the chaplain's wives' club at Fort Sill. Somehow the Yellins are able to balance their commitment to Shaarey Zedek Congregation with full professional lives and parental responsibilities. Yakov is vice president-counsel at the Walt Disney Co., a job that requires his intimate involvement in all aspects of litigation. He has also traveled around the world lecturing on ethical standards and legal compliance matters. For her part, Sylvia is vice president of Adams Speciality Shop. The Yellins have five children, who range in age from 10 to 24, one grandchild and another on the way. I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Yakov and Sylvia Yellin, whose spirituality, selflessness, and devotion to family is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, last week an extraordinary event took place here in the United States. The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Viktor Chernomyrdin, was the special guest of a dinner hosted by the Russian Jewish Congress and attended by business and political Jewish leaders all across America. During the ceremony, Prime Minister Chernomyrdin was presented an award from the president of the Russian Jewish Congress, Mr. Vladimir Goussinsky, in recognition of his commitment and efforts to insure religious freedom and liberty in today's Russia, particularly the 1.5 million Jewish citizens now living in that country. Many of my colleagues in the Senate and House also attended the dinner. Congressman Tom Lantos who moderated and offered some poignant remarks about his own experience as a survivor of the Holocaust, was also presented an award along with former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. For many of us in Congress who attended the event and have been actively involved in Soviet Jewry over the years, this was a long- awaited and richly satisfying moment. It was not expected in our lifetime to see the establishment of a Russian Jewish Congress in Moscow, nor did we ever expect to see a Russian Prime Minister on our soil proclaiming support for the fundamental rights of the Jewish inhabitants of that country. Mr. Speaker, the Russian people and their leaders are coping with the challenges and even hardships inherent in forming a democracy and market economy. It is not a pretty picture, to be sure, by what we see in the daily press. We know democracy is in its infant stage and largely untested as is the economy, which is undergoing a painful transformation and still lacks full public support. However, Russia has made surprising strides in respecting the inalienable rights of its citizens. Where once there was suppression of religious beliefs, we now see churches and synagogues being restored. The old state prohibition on immigration has been replaced with relative freedom of movement both inside and outside Russia. The Russian Jewish Congress choose to publicly recognize Mr. Chernomyrdin's record in full view of United States Congressmen and high ranking officials and business and organizational leaders and present an award to him for his public commitment to preserving Jewish culture and rights in that country. In presenting the special award, Mr. Goussinsky made reference to a recent event which took place at a sacred Site, which is the burial place for the millions who perished in what is in Russia called the Great Patriotic War. At this place a new synagogue has been built and at the commemoration ceremony, Prime Minister Chernomyrdin laid the first stone and concluded his remarks with the word ``Shalom.'' Mr. Goussinsky also noted that in today's Russia there are still different opinions and attitudes and the fact that Prime Minister Chyernomyrdin would make such an appearance carried historic importance. Mr. Speaker, I would like to add a second historic event, which is the establishment of the Russian Jewish Congress in January 1996. At the urging of Jewish leaders in the United States and Israel, Mr. Vladimir Goussinsky assumed the leadership for its formation and is now serving as its first president. As such, it is the first attempt to unite the country's foremost Jewish business, public, religious, political, academic and cultural leaders and will also give identity and purpose to the Jewish culture, which has so long been repressed in that nation. The congress has approximately forty branches throughout the Russian Federation that contribute to their own communities. During 1966, the congress launched the construction of a Holocaust memorial synagogue as part of the national World War II Memorial Park in Moscow. The Congress held the ground-breaking ceremony for the Holocaust memorial synagogue in October of 1996, which was attended by Viktor Chernomyrdin. It was the first Jewish event in Russian history attended by a Russian Prime Minister. I applaud Mr. Goussinsky, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt and other leaders in Russia for their efforts to create self sustaining, proud and independent Jewish communities in Russia, just as they exist all over the world.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Jo Kaplan, who has devoted her legal career to representing the poor, the underprivileged, and children. As both a member of the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office and a lawyer in private practice, Jo has dedicated herself to helping those members of society who are desperately in need of help. Through her tireless efforts and selfless ways, she has made life better for so many. Jo's husband, Larry Feldman, is a close friend of mine, and I know how proud he is of his wife's accomplishments. There is so much to tell. For example, since graduating from UCLA Law School in 1968, Jo has been a leader in getting more humane treatment for juvenile prisoners. She began by working in the public defenders office and later with then-Los Angeles County Supervisor Jim Hayes on ways to improve the lot of children held in detention. This included advocating a right to treatment for incarcerated youths, meaning the State had an obligation to try to give them ameliorative treatment while they were in custody. After leaving the public defenders office, Jo established her own practice, quickly becoming a recognized expert in juvenile law in Los Angeles County. During this period she continued to work for better conditions for juveniles housed in mental hospitals, camps, group homes, and local county-run detention facilities. In recent years, Jo has broadened her area of advocacy to include reasons why children turn to crime. She concluded that almost all her clients started out as abandoned, abused, and/or neglected children. She has represented both parents and children in Los Angeles County Dependency Court with the idea that the parties need help, not punishment. Since 1990, Jo has been head of one of the law firms of Dependency Court Legal Services. Currently, her firm represents over 10,000 children, ranging from infants born with drugs in their system to legally orphaned 19-year-olds who have been raised in our foster care system. I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Jo Kaplan, whose dedication to the rights and well-being of children is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to San Fernando High School, which this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary. I know of few high schools in southern California with such a long and rich history. One way to judge a school is by its alumni. Using that criterion, San Fernando High School receives high marks. For example, Hawley Bowlus, the man who supervised the construction of the Spirit of St. Louis, Charles Lindbergh's plane, was a graduate of San Fernando High. Another alumnus, Denny Crum, is today one of the top college basketball coaches in the country. A third, Jimmy Velarde, is a four-time Emmy winner and producer of shows such as ``Culture Clash.'' The school has also had its share of sports glory. Two of the greatest running backs in USC history, Anthony Davis and Charles White, attended San Fernando High. Fifty years earlier, in 1925, San Fernando produced its first championship football team. Other sports fared well; the school has produced champions in baseball, track, and basketball. San Fernando High School today has many reasons to be proud. The school commonly graduates 675 seniors out of a class of 700, and is virtually free of the crime, drugs, and gangs that unfortunately plague many urban high schools. I have attended several events at the school, and have always admired the spirit of its students and the commitment of its faculty and staff. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting San Fernando High School, an excellent institution with a proud history. Congratulations to all on this special anniversary.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Sara and Simha Lainer, close friends of mine for more than 40 years and people passionately dedicated to the welfare of the Jewish community of Los Angeles. This year the couple are receiving the Lifetime Humanitarian Achievement Award from the West Coast Friends of Bar-Ilan University in Israel. I cannot think of two more deserving recipients. Sara Lainer, a distinguished author of scholarly articles, has been an active volunteer on behalf of Hadassah, Pioneer Women, General Israel Orphans Home, the Yiddish Culture Club, and many other organizations. She continues to lecture in Hebrew and Yiddish to groups in Los Angeles, and she holds an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew Theological College, Jewish University of America. Her commitment to the intellectual and spiritual components of Judaism is extraordinary. Simha Lainer, who ran a successful real estate business in the San Fernando Valley, is a strong supporter of, and a dedicated volunteer with, the University of Judaism, the Jewish Community Foundation, the ADL, and West Coast Friends of the Hebrew University. Anyone who cares about the Jewish community of Los Angeles owes a huge thanks to him. In 1989, the Lainers established the Simha and Sara Lainer Fund for Jewish Education, which has thus far awarded $290,000 in scholarships to 400 children around the city. I can think of nothing more important than ensuring Judaism remains vibrant and alive in Los Angeles. Simha and Sara raised three sons, Mark, Nahum, and Luis, who have followed in the tradition of their parents in working hard on behalf of their community. I am indeed lucky to be good friends with all three, as well as their wives, Ellie, Alice, and Lee. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Sara and Simha Lainer, whose tireless efforts to make this a better world inspire us all.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Irwin Rosenberg, who for the past 8 years has played Santa Claus at the Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center's Christmas party. I have not met many Santas named Rosenberg; then again, I have not met many people like Irwin. A successful businessman, Irwin somehow finds the time to remain active in many organizations and on behalf of numerous causes. Like few others, he is there for his community. Irwin is irrepressible. Not only does he immerse himself in outside activities, more often than not he ends up in a leadership role. For example, he is the past president of the Granada Hills Little League; past president and past chairman of the Government Relations Committee, San Fernando Chamber of Commerce; commissioner of the Los Angeles County Private Industry Council; and senior vice-chairman of the board of directors of New Directions for Youth. There is hardly a sector of the San Fernando Valley that has not been the recipient of Irwin's time and efforts. In honor of his many charitable and civic contributions, Irwin has been the recipient of numerous awards. In 1989, he was given the California Association of Physically Handicapped's Humanitarian of the Year Award; in 1990, he was named Kiwanian of the Year (San Fernando); 2 years later he received the J. Leo Flynn Citizen of the Year Award from the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce. Of all his civic and professional duties, I know that nothing gives Irwin more pleasure than being Santa to many underprivileged kids every year at the PCYCC Christmas party. He is every bit as happy to see the kids as they are to see him. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Irwin Rosenberg, whose tireless work in the community is a shining example to us all. I am proud to be his friend.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on September 26, the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency [ACDA], celebrated its 35th anniversary. I am proud to have been one of the architects of the Arms Control and Non- Proliferation Act of 1994 which underscored the necessity of maintaining bipartisan support for a revitalized ACDA to address the immense arms control agenda facing the United States in the post-cold war world. The arms control agenda remains a vital issue, one which demands our continued vigilance and support. On September 24, President Clinton because the first world leader to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty [CTBT] at the United Nations--a commitment from virtually all the world's nations to end nuclear tests for all time. The greatest danger to our security is from a nexus of new threats-- rogue states, terrorism, international crime, drug trafficking, and weapons of mass destruction. We must seize every opportunity for more people to enjoy peace, freedom, security, and prosperity, while at the same time, moving strongly and swiftly against the dangers they face. The CTBT is the shared work of hard negotiation. The signature of the world's declared nuclear power--the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom--along with those of the vast majority of its nations, will immediately create an international norm against nuclear testing. In light of these global realities, proponent of ACDA's disappearance or absorption by the Department of State seem grossly out of step with reality. ACDA brings to the table an expert and independent arms control perspective, one which often differs from the viewpoint of the Department of State. That is why ACDA was created. For example, in the 1960's, ACDA pressed for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The State Department initially opposed the original negotiation. ACDA's independent voice, then and now, serves to ensure a policy that is more fully informed and better framed to serve arms control and nonproliferation. ACDA has had a major impact. Allow me to enumerate some examples. ACEA insisted under the Salt I agreement that the Soviet Union be held to precise numerical limits on Backfires Bombers. In developing the INF Treaty, ACDA argued successfully for the development of irrefutable evidence of the nuclear capabilities of Soviet SS-23s in Eastern Europe. It was ACDA that provided the analysis that the Soviet Krasnoyarsk radar was in violation of the ABM Treaty, ultimately leading to its dismantlement. The same agency demanded the preservation of the Cobra Dane ground- based phased array radar at Shemya, Alaska, an asset essential for verifying Russian compliance with the START Treaties. The U.S. needs this radar to determine independently whether or not the Russians are testing new or modified missile systems. ACDA provided the positions leading toward a comprehensive test ban, including opposition to a ``peaceful nuclear explosions'' loophole, a zero-yield threshold, and no-first-test policy. The agency successfully retained the proper interpretation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, which was, in turn, instrumental in facilitating negotiation of the START treaties. ACDA is responsible for the present U.S. policy regarding landmines and their use. The decision to press for an effective, verifiable, and complete ban on chemical weapons, resulting in conclusion of the worldwide Chemical Weapons Convention in 1992, came about thanks to ACDA. Now, it remains for the Senate to ratify the convention. It should do so immediately. ACDA spearheaded U.S. Government efforts to conclude a ban on biological and toxin weapons in the early 1970's, followed in the 1990s by negotiations to enhance transparency and strengthen compliance with that ban. Since ACDA's initiation under President Eisenhower and its founding under President Kennedy, Republican and Democratic administrations have recognized that, to pursue arms control effectively, an independent, expert agency is essential. That consensus is now reflected in the number of arms control agreements painstakingly achieved by both Democratic and Republican administrations. For example: Start I--negotiated under President Reagan, ratified under President Bush, implemented by President Clinton; Start II, Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, Intermediate Nuclear Forces agreement, Conventional Forces in Europe agreement, and the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Let me add to that list the Chemical Weapons convention. This treaty has been ratified by 63 countries and, if the Senate does not move to ratify it, is likely to go into force without U.S. participation. The convention bans the production, sale and possession of poison gas weapons and requires signatory nations to destroy their existing stocks. It was negotiated under President Reagan and signed by President Bush. President Clinton has given the convention his full support. The remaining step is ratification by the Senate. Why is the convention so important? After the gulf war, we underestimated Saddam Hussein's ability to develop chemical weapons. It does not take a missile to bring about destruction. One person with a small vial can do that. Witness the impact of a small amount of Sarin gas in the Tokyo subway. We must not be lulled into thinking that arms control implementation and compliance can take care of itself or that the dangers of proliferation are overblown. We must continue to support a strong, independent, streamlined and effective Arms Control Disarmament Agency to pursue one of the Nation's most urgent missions in a transformed world.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Lois and Dick Gunther, dear friends who this year are being given the Jewish Family Service's FAMMY Award. This award honors their outstanding community leadership and continuing devotion to Jewish Family Service. I cannot think of two more deserving recipients. The Gunthers have a long and distinguished history of involvement in philanthropy and public service. For example, Dick is a cofounder of the Jewish Federation's Urban Affairs Committee; chaired and helped develop a community outreach Mid-Life Program at Cedars-Sinai Hospital; along with the American Association of Retired Persons created the Legacy Award, where cash awards go to senior citizens who are performing extraordinary services in their communities; and has been on the board of directors of public television station KCET for 28 years. Lois has been just as active. Several decades ago she became a participant in an interracial, interreligious panel of women called Portraits of American Women. She later turned her attention to the Jewish community, serving on the board of directors of Brandeis-Bardin Institute for many years, as well as on the advisory committee of the School of Jewish Communal Service of Hebrew Union College. The Gunthers are also passionate about politics, contributing time and effort to a variety of causes and candidates. Dick was even included on President Richard Nixon's infamous Enemies List--a sure sign that he was doing something right. With all their community and professional activities, somehow the Gunthers found the time to raise three sons and dote on four grandchildren. There is nothing more important to Lois and Dick than family. I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Lois and Dick Gunther, whose selflessness and dedication are a shining example to us all. I am proud to call them my close friends.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify two issues. No. 1, the administration wants the provision in title V that reimburses hospitals, public and private, nonprofit and proprietary, who treat illegal immigrants in emergency care. They want that reimbursement. They think that is the Federal obligation and they support it. Let there be no more fuzzing over that issue. Second, before we all get too high and mighty about what is happening, remember the Republican conference committee, where no one was allowed to offer an amendment, where the bipartisan relationships in both the Senate and House to put together a bill that passed the House and Senate were totally violated, where months went by without a conference committee, where things were changed so far beyond the scope of either House's bill that the Committee on Rules had to grant a waiver of that and where no amendment was made.