Brian Bilbray

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Madam Speaker, I stand here today in support of this rule. I think it is a very fair rule. For those of us that want to introduce amendments, we have 7 to 8 hours to be able to improve this base bill. One of the things I would like us to take a look at that we have sort of forgotten over the last years is that, in 1996, we had an immigration reform bill, and there was a very heated discussion on this floor about the issue of should the Federal Government, should Congress mandate that local school districts had to educate illegal aliens, not the children of illegal aliens, but illegals. I think we came to a consensus one way or the other, some did not agree, that this was important enough to the national well-being to require that all school districts have to provide education to those who are in this country, legal or illegal. Now, I am going to introduce an amendment that will revisit that issue because I think it is only appropriate that, in a city that we say that we want the poor, we want the needy, we want the disadvantaged to have equal access, we also need to say that those working-class communities should have equal access to their tax money, and that the Federal Government should not be requiring the education of illegals at the disadvantage of the legal residents in those school districts. So all my amendment is going to say is, just as we recognize the Federal impact on local schools when the military goes into an area and requires education of military children, we also are going to now finally recognize the Federal impact on local school districts when we basically have illegal immigrants in the school districts and are requiring them to be educated. So what I am talking about right now, Madam Speaker, is the fact that it is time that Washington starts paying for the unfunded mandate that we clarified in 1996. And let me point out that that unfunded mandate does not impact the rich, powerful districts. It impacts disproportionately the poor working-class districts of color. This is an issue of fairness, that those who have the least are being required to pay the most for this problem, and it is time for us to address that. So I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle not to walk away from this issue. We made lofty statements and made a decision that we were going to mandate this service. Now it is time that we revisit it and say let us back up our kind words with dollars and cents and let us send the reimbursement to those working-class neighborhoods across America that are being asked to bear the burden of our mandate. I think we not only have a right to start paying for this expense, Madam Speaker, we have a responsibility to start paying our fair share.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Madam Chairman, I was not going to speak on this amendment. I am very sympathetic to the amendment, but I have to say quite clearly I was rather taken aback at a statement made by a dear, dear friend of mine from California; and the statement was made that somehow that we have got to be aware that when we vote against or for women we are voting for or against 50 percent of the voters, and I think that really, really is the kind of statement that Americans want to see less of from this House. I say this sincerely, because when we vote against or for women and/ or girls in this House, we are voting for or against our daughters, our mothers, our sisters and our grandmothers, not voters back and forth. We are here to serve, as my colleagues know, the people out there in the real world. And the political jargon, I think people are really, really tired of bringing it up; and I am sure that my dear colleague from California did not mean for it to come out the way he said, as if this was a political ball to be used in this amendment. Now I feel very sympathetic to this amendment, and I do see that we want equity, and I want to strongly make sure that when we implement our education strategies that we have equity. I have daughters and I have sons, and I would hope as a parent that every parent feels the way I do, that we want our children, no matter what their gender, to have access to quality education, to be able to achieve academically. Now frankly in my family it is the boys that have the problem academically, and I hope that when they have trouble that there will be the resources there to make sure that they get through. But my daughters happen to have the ability right now to be able to achieve. But, Madam Chairman, I just want to say clearly that I think that this is a well-intentioned amendment. I am not speaking in opposition to it, but I am speaking to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, that when we start using terminology here, let us remember that we are all working for our daughters and our sons and our granddaughters and our grandsons and try to bring it together; and I look forward to working with the sponsors of this amendment who are dear friends of mine at making sure that we implement a fair and equitable educational system in this country to make sure that our daughters and granddaughters and sons and grandsons all can work together for a better education.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I regretfully have to stand in opposition to this direction to the conferees. Let me just compliment the gentleman from North Carolina, because I think there is this issue of we need to start finding reasons to continue the issue of addressing illegal immigration and drug smuggling. The trouble is we can always find problems with implementing any program. I live and grew up within a mile of the largest port of entry in the world, the Tijuana-San Diego port of entry. Technology has been a major asset at not only controlling the immigration in the drug issue but actually encouraging the legal crossings. We have electronic systems there to where businesspeople and individuals who cross the border extensively can electronically tag in when they are coming and when they are going. There is a special lane set up for that. The fact is this technology should be applied universally, not just in San Diego, not just in Mexico but also at every entry. I ask that we continue with control of our borders, not retreat from them. Let us not retreat from our responsibilities at the border.

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, let me just sort of make an outreach to my colleagues along the Canadian border. I know their concern. I have business people that are concerned about the possible impacts of 110, and that is something we should work together to make sure does not cause a calamity, does not block commerce; but to retreat at this time from a commitment that we have made to the American people that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, that this country should know who is in the country and who has left the country and who has entered this country, that is not too much to ask for. Now I know the gentleman from Michigan is worried about this adverse impact of immigration control along the border, and I ask all of us to work together in addressing the issue that right now people get jobs, get social benefits, and can vote in the United States without ever having to prove that they are legally in the country or a U.S. citizen, and in fact there is no way for a local official to be able to check on that. Mr. Speaker, I ask for all of my colleagues along the Canadian border who are so upset about the possibility of border control to join with us at having some internal enforcement. But I am saying that our port of entry has problems. We have 45 minutes to an hour wait sometimes when it is outrageously during a weekend; but the fact is that technology is the answer in many of these situations and before, and I ask my colleagues the next time they drive to Dulles to look off to their right and see people driving through.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to honor and congratulate Bill Burke for the leadership and direction he has provided to the San Diego Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) over the last 23 years. As Chairman of AGC, his countless hours of persistent hard work have led to some great strides and advancements for general contractors in San Diego. During Bill's tenure he provided fundamental leadership that expanded the tasks of the San Diego AGC by moving them into a multi-dimensional organization that not only strives to accomplish the goals and achievements of the construction industry, but also provides apprenticeships, safety, and benefit programs. He has demonstrated great flexibility and creativity over the last two decades to keep ahead of the changing role of general contractors and the construction industry in San Diego County. At the end of this year Bill Burke will be retiring from his leadership position. He will remain a constant standard and hard act to follow for all future AGC Chairmen, his impact on the construction industry in San Diego county will be felt for many future generations. I thank him for all his efforts and congratulate him on his retirement and wish him the best of luck in all future endeavors.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to at this moment actually praise the gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), who came up and says he is going to oppose this bill. And I am praising him because at least he is going to oppose this bill for a concept and a reasonable concept that I think the American people could understand, and that is we are spending money on something that he has some concerns about. But at least the gentleman from Cleveland is standing up and saying that the bill is spending money that he does not want spent. In a time to where we are struggling to try to make sure we do not continue the crime of raiding the Social Security Trust Fund, at a time that we are trying to finally address the national debt, at a time to where we are finally trying to bring some fiscal credibility and live within a budget, at least the gentleman is coming forward and saying, ``I am opposing this bill because it is spending money.'' But there are speaker after speaker after speaker who will oppose this rule and then justify it because we are not spending enough money all over the world. The gentleman from Ohio at least is consistent at saying let us protect Social Security and stop spending here. The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), chairman of this committee, has come forward with a proposal that is moderate and reasonable. Let me say this to the gentleman and to the ranking member, thank you for taking the abortion issue out of this debate. It is something that a lot of us really hate every year. But now to oppose this bill and oppose this rule because we are not spending enough American money overseas is absolutely absurd. And some of my colleagues may not think the American people understand it, but it is their money. Can we not have a foreign aid policy that does not require us to take from our grandparents' Social Security or take from our children's future to be able to be an international leader? Do we have to buy our way into our standard as the world's superpower? Is this something that comes with a slip of paper and a little bill that says, Excuse me, American taxpayer, if you want to claim to be the greatest Nation in the world, you have to buy it year by year by sending your money out of Social Security or your money out of your children's savings account to another country that then God knows what happens to this money? Everybody knows that. Some may not believe that the American people understand foreign aid. And I think they respect a reasonable aid for a reasonable amount of time. But I think the American people are saying enough is enough. The time has come that we allow the world to grow up and start paying some of their bills and quit looking to Washington and quit looking to the United States to be the sugar daddy to pay for everything. We may be Uncle Sam, but we are not Mom and Dad to the world. But we are Mom and Dad to our children and our grandchildren, and we are the children of our parents who want our Social Security Trust Fund to be left alone. So, Mr. Speaker, I ask those who stand up to oppose this bill, I ask them to stand up and point up, as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) did, where they want the money taken out of this bill. But do not stand up and talk about how we need to spend more money overseas and then stand up tomorrow and talk about what are we going to do to protect the Social Security Trust Fund. There is an obligation here that when we come to oppose something that we also provide the answers. If we are not spending enough money where my colleagues want to spend it in this bill, show us where we take it out of somewhere else to move it over. I ask that we all have the fiscal responsibility that goes along with the privilege of being a representative of the House of Representatives. If Members want to spend the money, tell us where it is going to go, which committee it is going to come out of, whose trust fund it is going to come out of, and will the seniors or the children of America be asked to pay for a debt that we are incurring overseas because we do not have enough guts to tell the rest the world enough is enough. We are going to take care of our own first. Charity starts in America. Commitments start in America. Then and only then, after we have paid for our domestic commitments to our seniors and our children, will we be talking about making any new commitments to the rest of the world.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, the grant program included in Representative Johnson's amendment has broad bipartisan support of over 190 Members of the House, including the chairs, ranking members and other members of subcommittees and committees of jurisdiction--the Commerce, Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees. I am a proud cosponsor of Representative Johnson's related legislation and I look forward to the passage of this amendment. Children's Hospitals across this Nation, especially Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, are critical to the future of pediatric medicine and therefore to the future health of all children. Because of the inequity in our current federal GME funding structure, our Children's Hospitals are disadvantaged when compared to other teaching facilities. Because GME funds are based on the amount of Medicare patients in each hospital, and Children's Hospitals rarely treat patients that use Medicare funds as payments, these hospitals are treated unfairly compared to other teaching schools that receive funds allocated through the Medicare Program. The grant program in this amendment would provide $280 million in FY 2000 and $285 million in FY 2001. Since comprehensive GME reform will take more time to develop, this amendment would provide immediate financial assistance through a capped, time-limited authorization of appropriations. Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego is the region's only pediatric medical center, a 220-bed hospital offering comprehensive programs in diagnosis and treatment, research, rehabilitation, medical education, outcomes and community outreach and education. Founded in 1954 to treat polio victims, Children's has continually grown in direct response to the needs of the communities it serves through the San Diego and Imperial regions. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with Representative Johnson and my other colleagues on this issue because the education and training programs of these institutions are critical to the future of pediatric medicine and the health of our children.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to strongly support H.R. 2506, and let me just say as someone who has the privilege of representing the 49th District of California, one of the capitals of both public and private research, I want to commend the chairman and the ranking member for a cooperative effort here at really serving the American people. The concept of reform and change sometimes scares people in these chambers and they worry about what could go wrong, and I think we have to remind ourselves again and again that reform and change is also an essential step to improvement. And this bill will allow us to take that step towards an improvement of not only the cost effectiveness, the cost efficiency, but also the effectiveness of our total health care system through the information age. Mr. Chairman, 2506 will be that kind of step. And I hope that in the future we will be able to look back at H.R. 2506 and look back at the cooperative effort between the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking member of this subcommittee and say this was the beginning of a very productive relationship between both sides of the aisle and a productive relationship with the American people and their health care system. Mr. Chairman, I would ask all of us to support this bill and support the attitude that is behind this bill and to support the entire concept that Democrats and Republicans can work together for the good of the safety and the health of the American people.

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Jersey. The majority has had an opportunity to review the amendment which would require that, as the gentleman said, that the director maintain Internet linkages to appropriate sites and provide information on consumer satisfaction with health care and specifically health maintenance organizations, and we are prepared to accept the amendment.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, today we are not just taking a resolution, and I want to support this resolution, but it is not just about East Timor. As my colleague from California has pointed out in the past and the President has pointed out, the United States cannot be the policeman all over the world for everyone all the time. We cannot be expected to carry that responsibility, and we should not. This resolution recognizes, in my opinion, the new world order of peacekeeping that we need to look forward to going into the next millennium; and that is an order that says the United States will be involved anywhere and everywhere it can be, but the nations and the communities where the problems occur must take the lead, they must take the responsibility of being the regional leaders. Australia and her Asian allies have taken this responsibility and set an example for not only other countries in Europe and Africa, but also for us that we should be engaged; but we should also recognize that the responsibility of world peacekeeping, of human rights, is not just uniquely an American responsibility. It is time that we recognize that part of maturing as a society is to make sure that everyone participates. This resolution supports a strategy that shows that we are now participating with but not doing for the rest of the world what they need to do for themselves.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of California's 49th Congressional District, I would like to recognize the efforts of the 6,700 members of San Diego's Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse organization in promoting California's fourth ``Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week'' from September 20-24, 1999. Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is a respected and effective organization that works to educate consumers about the human and financial costs associated with frivolous lawsuits. This organization has led successful efforts to protect MICRA (the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act) in the State of California, to limit the liability of Y2K lawsuits, and to inform the public of the true threats of lawsuit abuse which burden our local economy. CALA in San Diego is recognized locally for their distinctive billboard signs, ``Gavel of Justice'' cable network program, and for providing crucial educational information exposing the true financial effects that lawsuits have upon each and every one of us--in the pocketbook through higher insurance and medical charges. I support CALA in their efforts to secure support for civil justice reform. I have been delighted to work with CALA in the past, and look forward to working with them in the future. Mr. Speaker, CALA should be commended during this important ``Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week''.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I regretfully have to stand in opposition to the substitute. I think the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle), my dear colleague that I have worked so closely with for so long, has come up with a lot of hard work and a total reform of the approach to campaign finance reform, and I have got to give him credit for that. He has shifted the whole perspective to a whole new view. We may be there some day, but the fact is today we have Shays-Meehan in front of us. We have a bill that tries to correct the problems of campaign finance reform that was passed in the 1970s. The proposal of the gentleman from California would totally approach the issue totally different than we have in the last 30 years. I would ask us to consider, let us see if we can fix the existing system before we try to replace the entire system with a whole new approach. Now, I happen to have had the privilege of serving as a county supervisor in California in a county of 2.8 million people with districts as large as congressional districts; and our campaign limits were $250 a person, no PACs, no corporate checks, no union participation. Let me tell my colleagues something: it works. I just ask, do not fear campaign finance limitations. It is an equal ground. Everybody plays by the rules, and we move forward. So I have to say, in all fairness, I think the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) may have a great argument, but my question is, before we try to scrap the old system and move on, let us try to fix the one we have in Shays-Meehan.

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise as a strong supporter of Shays- Meehan. I was one of the original cosponsors. I rise as a representative of all the people in the 49th District of California. The supporters of true campaign finance reform in my district have come to me and said they want Shays-Meehan passed, but they want a condition that says at least half of your money should come from your State. The fact is, these rules will apply to everyone equally in the district that is being run for. Now, there was a gentleman from Massachusetts who said, ``Why not make it district?'' My constituents would like to have it district, but this is a compromise. It is the minimum we can do. Let us do true campaign finance reform, pass Shays-Meehan, and require half the money to come from your State.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to point out as somebody who was almost born in Guam by a matter of days, I hear, frankly I want to strongly support the amendment. Let me point out, I appreciate my colleague, the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), articulating the position of birthright citizenship for United States citizens that parents who were obligated to loyalty and allegiance earn the right of automatic status as American nationals for people born in American Samoa or in other areas. This is something that I think we need to articulate and need to point out, that his constituents in American Samoa have permanent allegiant responsibilities to the United States not temporary, like resident aliens. Resident aliens still have obligations of loyalty and allegiance. They can be tried for treason, but the residents of American Samoa that fall under this category have permanent allegiance and can be tried for treason, can be drafted, and have obligations and with those obligations I think we all agree comes the rights and the rights that are articulated, at least from our point of view, and I think in this Congress, is the right to be able to contribute to their representatives.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I will have inserted into the Record at the appropriate place the letters from Mayor Williams, the American Heart Association, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and while introducing these letters, I am hoping that the Mayor is trying to introduce these issues and that he does not run into the opposition from organizations that claim they want to do everything possible to initiate this common sense approach, but mention that one little thing of saying that we will hold everyone responsible, and that individuals, even young people, have to be told quite clearly that they are going to be held responsible for staying away from tobacco products as much as possible. Mr. Chairman, I am speaking from a position as coming from a local government agency; but I think anyone in this House would realize no State, no jurisdiction is more anti-smoking than the State of California. Some of us call it zealous. Even restaurants and bars do not allow smoking in California. What we found in California was that when a city in my district started enforcing a law against minor possession of tobacco, they found out there was no such law even in California. So those of us in local government and State government looked around and said, while we have been so busy pointing fingers at others, we have not been asking ourselves what can we do in our jurisdictions. So that is why I am asking that we ask the Federal district to do this, the city council to do this. Mr. Chairman, I think that this will give us the chance to be able to set an example; and, hopefully today, while we are discussing this, there are mayors, council members and legislators out there who will ask, is it illegal in our jurisdiction; have we done as much to send a clear message to children as Washington, D.C. is committed to doing today? Mr. Chairman, I hope all of us will look at ourselves and ask what have we done to keep our children away from tobacco; and I think this amendment, when it is passed by the city of D.C., will send that message. Mr. Chairman, the letters referred to above follow herewith: July 27, 1999. Hon. Brian Bilbray, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Congressman Bilbray: Thank you for your July 8th letter regarding your continued efforts to fight the damaging effects of teen smoking and your continuing contact with my staff. While I appreciate and respect your concerns on this issue, and indeed share your goal of greatly reducing the consumption of tobacco by minors, I believe an amendment to the FY 2000 District of Columbia Appropriations would not be the appropriate vehicle. I am asking that you withdraw the proposed amendment and allow elected District officials to pursue the issues. As our offices have discussed we share a common goal of reducing teen tobacco consumption. In fact, I have often stated that the care and safety of the District's children is my top priority. To this end, I have spoken with Councilmember Sandy Allen, the Chair of the Human Services Committee, and she has agreed to hold a public hearing on the issue of teen smoking as soon as the Council convenes after its recess. In addition, I will introduce legislation that seeks prohibitions on teen tobacco consumption when the City Council returns. I look forward to your continued support and good wishes. I appreciate your willingness to work with local officials on this issue. Sincerely, Anthony A. Williams, Mayor.

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to consider my amendment out of order.

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

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this year, I reintroduced an amendment to the D.C. bill to specifically address the issue that Washington, D.C. has been and continues to be a sanctuary for underaged consumption and possession of tobacco. While Washington, D.C. has endeavored to reform and transform itself as quickly as possible on many fronts, it has not addressed the issue that it continues to be the only jurisdiction within hundreds of miles of the Capitol still allowing underaged individuals to consume and possess tobacco products. I was intending, Mr. Chairman, to ask for a vote on this amendment. The amendment passed overwhelmingly last year and I think sent a clear message not only to Washington, D.C. that this is wrong and inappropriate but to every jurisdiction in the United States and especially to the children of this city and to the children of America, that minor's possession and use of tobacco is not acceptable to this Congress. Mr. Chairman, I intend to withdraw this motion, and I intend to withdraw it because I have received, on July 27, a letter from Mayor Williams specifically committing to introducing legislation that seeks to prohibit teen tobacco use. I talked last night with the mayor, Mr. Chairman, and he personally committed to me that he will aggressively pursue this issue. He has stated that he thinks it is an outrage that Congress and Washington has not addressed this issue in the past and overlooked this issue, something that all of us could have done a long time ago. The mayor agrees with me that, if we are going to stand up and point fingers at businesses and individuals who continue to encourage individuals to smoke, then we have an obligation to point a finger at ourselves and say even those of us in Congress and those of us in Washington have not done our fair share of addressing this hideous problem. So, Mr. Chairman, I would ask that we give the new mayor of Washington, D.C. a chance to initiate this legislation locally and that we hold this amendment in abeyance for this year and give them the chance to do the right thing that should have been done a long time ago. I make a personal commitment that I will work with the mayor and the city council, but I also make the personal commitment that if Washington, D.C.'s local government agencies will not do right by the children of this city and by the children that come and visit the city, then I, along with the majority of this body, will take action to alleviate the problem. I think Mayor Williams has made a sincere request. As an ex-mayor myself, I cannot deny him this chance to make his contribution to eliminating smoking within Washington, D.C. and hopefully setting an example for those other States and other jurisdictions who have not done the same in their area. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I hope, as the Russians come and witness this action, they will be reminded by all of us that we are a constitutional republic, and that the Constitution specifically allows us to delegate authority within the Federal district that was formed by that Constitution, but does not give us the right to delegate the responsibility for what happens in this District. Mr. Chairman, I am rather concerned when I hear my colleagues talk about that the President will veto this bill if any of these amendments go forward. I cannot believe that William Jefferson Clinton would veto this bill just because we said that children in Washington, D.C. should not be possessing or smoking tobacco. I just cannot believe the President would veto the bill just because we want to send a clear message that minors should not drink and should not smoke. I just cannot believe that this president would veto a bill just to make sure that Washington, D.C. is not a sanctuary for underage consumption of tobacco. Today in Virginia, the law that I am proposing this week is the same law that Virginia has. Maryland does not allow minor possession, Virginia does not allow it. Over 20 States do not allow it. I think that after trying to work with the administration and the city, they have been so busy reforming other things that were very, very important to them that they have not gotten around in the year to addressing this issue. I just ask that we do not say that this president would kill an entire bill just because this president thinks it is outrageous for Congress to say minors should not consume tobacco. This is a resident issue, but it is also an American issue. We bring pages into this city. We bring our children into this city from all over the country. The message we send to our children and to our pages when we tell them do not go to Virginia and do not go to Maryland and smoke, but here in D.C., it is okay, I do not think anybody in Congress wants to take that responsibility. Mr. Chairman, I am sure that the President will not veto this bill if we outlaw minor possession and use of tobacco in D.C. I am sure the President will support us in sending a clear message, not just to the children of D.C., but the children across this country that minor use of tobacco needs to stop and start here. Mr. Chairman, I include the following letters for the Record: House of Representatives, Washington, DC, March 22, 1999. Hon. Anthony Williams, Mayor, District of Columbia, Washington, DC. Dear Mayor Williams: I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your recent election victory. As a part-time resident of the District and as someone who spent twenty years in local government, including two years as a councilman and six years as a mayor, I wish you the best of luck in your first term as Mayor of the District of Columbia. As you may already be aware, during the House of Representatives Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 appropriation process I introduced an amendment to the D.C. Appropriation Act (H.R. 4380) that prohibited individuals under the age of 18 years of age from possessing and consuming tobacco products in the District of Columbia. This amendment received strong bipartisan support and passed through the House by a 238-138 vote on August 6, 1999, but unfortunately it was not included in the final conference report. At the time I introduced this amendment only 21 states in the nation had minor possession laws outlawing tobacco, and my amendment would have added the District of Columbia to this growing lists of states. My amendment was very straight forward and easy to understand. It contained a provision to exempt from this prohibition a minor individual ``making a delivery of cigarettes or tobacco products in his or her employment'' while on the job. My amendment also contained a penalty section, which was modeled after the state of Virginia's penalty section for minors found in violation of tobacco possession. For the first violation, the minor would, at the discretion of the judge, be subject to a civil penalty of not to exceed $50. For the second violation, the minor would be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $100. For a third or subsequent violation, the minor would have his or her driver's license suspended for a period of 90 consecutive days. The 90 day suspension is consistent with penalties for minor possession of alcohol in the District of Columbia. Any minor found to be in possession of tobacco may also be required to perform community service or attend a tobacco cessation program. Each of these penalties are at the judge's discretion. I understand that the District of Columbia already has tough laws on the books to address the issue of sales of tobacco to minors. My amendment focused specifically on the possession of tobacco products by minors in order to put minor possession of tobacco with minor possession of alcohol. All three cities in my district have passed anti-possession laws, so that I am not asking the District to do anything my own communities have not already done. I was an original cosponsor of the strongest anti-tobacco bill in the 105th Congress, the Bipartisan NO Tobacco for Kids Act (H.R. 3638). The intentions of my amendment was to encourage youth to take responsibility for their actions. If individuals under the age of 18 know they will face a penalty for possession of tobacco, they might be deterred from ever starting to smoke in the first place. As we move forward in the 106th Congress I would like to know whether you plan to address this issue at the local level. I think it is important that all levels of government work together to help stop children from smoking. I also believe we should send the right message to our children, and the first step in this process would be for the District of Columbia to join Virginia, Maryland, and the twenty other states who have passed youth possession and consumption laws. I would appreciate knowing of your intentions, and to work with you and Members on both sides of the aisle in 1999 to make sure this important piece of legislation becomes law. Again, congratulations on your new position as Mayor and I look forward to working with you in the future. Sincerely, Brian P. Bilbray, Member of Congress.

Mr. BILBRAY

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire on how much time remains?

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I would like to thank the chairman for cooperating with us on this issue. This is good for the environment on both sides of the border, as well as on both sides of the aisle. It is time that Congress sends a clear message that we should do whatever we can to help the environment in the most cost-effective, reasonable, and intelligent way. All this says is let us do it the right way with the least amount of cost. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are talking about the basic decency of allowing our children and families not to have to face pollution and sewage closing our beaches, polluting our estuaries, and especially sewage that is not coming from our neighborhoods or our area. It is actually coming from a foreign country. Now, the Federal Government has finally awoken to the fact that we have a legal and moral obligation to address this environmental issue. This is a chance for both Republicans and Democrats to stand up to protecting American soil, making sure that the environment really does count, and also saving the taxpayers massive amounts of money. It is, I hate to use the cliche, a classic example of a win-win. I think that is why we see both the ranking member and the chairman of the committee supporting this, with such diverse political views as Mr. Filner and myself supporting this. It really comes down to the fact that those of us who have lived in this area have been suffering under huge amounts of pollution for decades. Sadly, my children are second generation sewage kids. It is time Congress sends a clear signal that this will come to an end now, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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