Roy Blunt

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a law enforcement leader in Southwest Missouri. John T. Pierpont has always had law enforcement blood running through his veins. John's personal experience with law enforcement began early in life; his father was Sheriff of Greene County. During the last two decades of the 20th century, the Sheriff of Greene County in Missouri was again a Pierpont, this time John. John Pierpont started his law enforcement career as the U.S. Marshall for the 66 counties of western Missouri, a job he held for eight years. In 1981 voters choose him to be sheriff and they re-elected him four more times. During that period, the facilities for law enforcement in Greene County underwent major transformation and the approach to fighting crime got a new more pro-active philosophy. John embraced public participation in crime prevention and quickly had in place a county wide series of ``neighborhood watch'' districts. The new sheriff also stepped up regular patrols to curb burglaries, thefts and vandalism. He made citizens partners with sheriff's office in the fight against criminal activity. Perhaps the most startling change guided by Sheriff Pierpont was in the Greene County jail. The old jail, built more than 40 years ago, housed a hundred inmates in 1981. Pierpont pushed for more facilities and new technology. The last of three major modernizations and additions were underway at the time of his retirement. The new jail will house five hundred inmates in the most secure environment available. John's leadership has also won him praise among his peers. He was elected President of both the Missouri Sheriff's Association and the National Sheriff's Association. John has been an active leader at home, in our state and for the nation. You would find him in the field working on major crimes, directing manhunts and making sure that investigators had the tools to be thorough and professional. It's been evident during his time in office, that John Pierpont has enjoyed being the Sheriff of Greene County. It is equally evident that John's leadership has provided the citizens of this county a higher level of safety, law enforcement competence and protection for the lives and property of the people he has served during his 20 years as sheriff. I know that my colleagues from Missouri join me in thanking John Pierpont for his years of making our state a safer place to live and wishing him well as he leaves the Greene County Sheriff's office and opens a new chapter in his life.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, during the last five weeks much of our national attention in the wake of the Presidential Election has been focused on the technology we use to cast our votes. Pundits and politicians have discussed the strengths and weaknesses of paper ballots, voting machines, punch cards, and optically scanned ballots. It's easy in this debate to forget that the real work of elections is not done by technology, but by tens of thousands of local election judges and election officials. Today I pay tribute to one of those election officials with whom I have had the pleasure of working over the years. I worked with Rosemary Kochner when I was Chief Election Authority of Greene County, Missouri, and later as Secretary of State. I benefited from her advice and example of dedicated service. Rosemary retires next month after 30 years of working for the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners. During that period, Rosemary has risen from being an Absentee Ballot Clerk to serving as the Republican Assistant Director of Elections in the largest election jurisdiction in the State of Missouri. Rosemary is one of a handful of election officials who are selflessly dedicated to doing all they can to ensure that every qualified voter has the opportunity to cast their ballot on election day and to do so in a way that it gets counted. It is her passion and her commitment to that ideal that makes her an inspiration to all around her. Those of us who know her will tell you that her real love has been working to see that the men and women of the Armed Forces who are registered to vote in St. Louis County are able to participate on Election Day regardless of where they are serving their country. But Rosemary has excelled in many areas. She is a recognized authority on Missouri Election Law. Rosemary served with distinction on the U.S. Bicentennial Commission. She is the recipient of the ``Federal Voting Assistance Award'' from the Department of Defense. I was pleased when as Secretary of State I was privileged to present her with the ``Rosemary Plitt Award'' from the State of Missouri for outstanding service during the 1988 presidential election. I know my colleagues from Missouri join me in thanking Rosemary for her years of outstanding service to her community and that her seven daughters and thirteen grandchildren join all of us in wishing her the best as she begins her retirement. I am sure we haven't heard the last from her.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I want to join others in giving credit to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) and the gentlewoman from Connecticut for really, in effect, working together to see that the purpose of this resolution has been achieved. I think that everybody is clear that this particular item will come out of the conference. So our effort here today to instruct the conferees will have incredible success, Mr. Speaker, since we know that this has already been done. But we have to be here today for some purpose as we wait for the President to come back from California, maybe in Florida next, but we are waiting for him to come back from California now. We are waiting for White House negotiators to reengage. We have to be here, so we may as well be here to talk about some issue. I have the highest, highest regard for the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell). It has been an honor to be able to serve with him on the Committee on Commerce, to see his great understanding of the rules and traditions of the House, and to try to, just by watching him, learn from some of that understanding of what we do and how we do it. I am sure he is also aware that we have not had a Republican President for the last 8 years. So how the energy policy of the country is still reflective of that is a surprise to me. But I was also surprised when the Department of Energy could not secure our nuclear codes. I was surprised when they could not maintain our most important and critical security information. So maybe I am just here to be surprised. I think taxpayers, voters, people who are at the gas pump understand that a Department of Energy that cannot watch those two briefcases is likely not to have its eye very closely on the price at the gasoline pump. That is what has happened there. While we are here, though, talking about issues that are already accomplished in terms of the additional money for LIHEAP, it is going to happen, I would like to take just a minute to talk about something that has not been done yet; and that is to encourage the President when he does return from California, and he does get the tax bill we passed this week, to sign that tax bill. That tax bill is likely to be, I would almost bet will be the last opportunity we have in this Congress to vote on tax relief, in all likelihood the last opportunity we have to vote on Medicare adjustments. How this President could let that tax bill go unsigned and even, in fact, veto the bill would be something hard for the American people to understand. The message we got on Tuesday, interestingly, did not use the word veto. In fact, it carefully did not use the word veto. When the bill was ready to be voted on on Wednesday, we get another letter that says, like all tax relief, it is just somehow not quite good enough. They were for all for these tax cuts in theory, but they are never for a single one of these tax cuts in practice. I hope the President carefully rethinks that, looks at the pension modernization and things that relate to both pensions held by union members, the 415 issue, small businesses that really are hampered today in offering pension protection to their associates and employees. This bill opens the door for small business to be able to compete with big business in offering pensions. It expands the IRA amounts in a way that begins to catch IRA contributions up with what has happened since IRAs were first enacted. In terms of Medicare, there is tremendous help for seniors in Medicare, more help for rural hospitals, more help for rural nursing homes, long- term care. Tax credits are given in this bill and should be extended to the American people. The Medicare provisions lower out-of-pocket costs. They put more doctors in emergency rooms, more ambulances in rural areas. I hope the President reconsiders his veto threat, looks at this bill again, and gives the kind of relief and kind of Medicare assistance this bill gives.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me and for taking the time today to honor the tremendous service of Chairman Archer. I very well remember the first meeting I had with him as a freshman. It is easy for me to remember that, because it was not that long ago. But he quickly responded to my request to come over and talk to him about a piece of the Tax Code that affected colleges and universities. I spent 4 years as a university president. I felt very comfortable about that part of the Tax Code. I went over and I found out, of course, in significant detail that the Chairman knew more about that very, very small part of the Tax Code than I did. But we had a great discussion. At the end of our great discussion, he had not changed his mind. He felt strongly that he saw this Tax Code and the way it affected Americans headed in a consistent direction; that was the direction toward greater simplicity, a direction toward greater fairness, a direction where he thought that American families would benefit more universally from the Tax Code, and trying to eliminate those parts of the code that only benefitted a few, instead of benefiting many. He has been consistent, he has been strong. He has devoted himself to an IRS that works better, to a Tax Code that is hopefully fairer and more easily understood. I know as he leaves here, he leaves here understanding there is still a lot of work to be done in that regard, and there will be work for Congresses to come to be done. But he has advanced the cause of a fairer, simpler Tax Code. He has been consistent in his approach to every Member. His door has been open, from the lowest freshman on the totem pole to every other member in this conference. He would take time to explain to you his point of view, even though on your point of view, by others, it could have easily been argued quickly, well, you have only been here for a short period of time, or you do not understand the last generation and how this debate has gone on. But in fact Chairman Archer was always willing to take time to explain that debate, explain how we got to where we were, and his vision for where we yet could go. I am hopeful that his service to America is nowhere near over. His legacy in this Congress will last for a long time, Mr. Speaker, but I think he has so much more to offer. I hope to see him willing to do that, and to continue to make the kind of significant contributions that he has made for a generation now in this Congress. He has stuck with his commitment that this would be the time when he should leave the Congress, a mark that he set half a dozen years ago; that he has decided to, absolutely, as he has done in every other instance, keep his commitments. This is the committed time in his mind to leave the Congress. I hope it is not a committed time in his mind to not be available to further service to Americans, because he has a lot of service, a lot of wisdom, a lot of history, a lot of heritage yet to share. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and for taking the time today to recognize the great work and commitment of Chairman Bill Archer from Texas.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for taking the time to come tonight. I also mention that we have a number of members of our committee and Members of Congress, Members from Virginia, who have left for the Record the comments they want to insert in the Record tonight from both sides of the aisle, and certainly I am grateful for the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) taking his time to be here. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce.

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, in spite of the great accent that the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) after all those years on the tennis court has managed to be able to emulate from our great chairman, the gentleman from Virginia, I saw a video the other night. I do not know that I ever saw a more accurate performance of the chairman than that of the great member of our committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey). It was an odd combination of a Bostonian reserve and southern charm when he had that bow tie on and was talking about our chairman. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) for all he has done for us taking the time and also for the great leadership he has shown on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and congratulate him on the legislation that was passed this week to deal with a significant problem of public safety that we have seen develop over the issues of tires and automobile safety in the last few months. I appreciate the gentleman's great leadership on this, bringing this bill to the floor and having it overwhelmingly adopted here on the floor. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin), my good friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection, a person who is knowledgeable in the intricacies of the many things we deal with in the Committee on Commerce.

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) for joining this special order and all he does to make our committee work, the way it works under the leadership of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley). Mr. Speaker, three Virginians decided to leave the Congress this year, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley), his good friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bateman), who last month we stood here on the floor in memorial remarks about the gentleman, we remembered his life and his great service, and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Pickett), who left a statement today, planned to be here today, but because of what appears to be the cowardly attack on our ship, the U.S.S. Cole, went back to his district, where that ship is based, to be with the families of the sailors who were on that destroyer as it was attacked in a terrorist manner today. And my colleagues know, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bateman), and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Pickett) all have served with the NATO parliament. And as the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) just mentioned, a group that the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) was chosen to be the president of this year, the president of the parliament organization of all of the NATO countries, maybe that in and of itself should suggest the esteem that the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) has held not only here on the floor of the Congress, not only here in the halls of the Congress, not only here in the Nation's capital, but in the capitals of our allies, in Europe, as he is now leading that organization, and will continue to lead it until the November meeting of parliamentarians from the NATO countries, and has brought honor to the United States in the way that he has led that group of parliamentarians. Here are just a few of the accomplishments during the watch of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) while on the Committee on Commerce, if I can mention them: the telecommunications reform, financial services modernization, FDA reform, modernizing securities law, securities litigation reform, the Safe Drinking Water Act, Internet tax freedom, Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act, the Child On-line Protection Act, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Improving the Food Quality Act, the Open Market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act, also known as ORBIT, the Balanced Budget Act, Medicare part B and Medicaid and Kids Care were refined and improved through the work of the Committee on Commerce, the necessary improvements on our efforts to balance the budget and the effects that it had on Medicare. Legislation that, maybe, made a difference for availability of mammography. Biomaterials Access Assurance Act, the Health Insurance Act, the Health Insurance Portability Act, the Assistive Suicide Restriction Act, the Nursing Home Resident Protection Amendments, the Year 2000 Readiness and Responsibility Act, the list goes on, the Wireless Communication and Public Safety Act, the Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act, the Chemical Safety Information Act, the Clean Air Act and its amendments, the Animal Drug Availability Act, the Electronic Signature Act. The breadth of what the Committee on Commerce deals with as well as the accomplishments in these many areas I think create a sense of just how big a job the job of the chairman of the Committee on Commerce is, and the accomplishments suggest how well that job has been done. Another area I want to mention as we draw to conclusion here is the chairman's efforts on behalf of adoption. The Blileys' children, Tom and Mary Virginia's children were adopted. He is a leader on adoption issues in the House of Representatives. He testifies before other committees. He testified just this year before the Committee on Ways and Means and in favor of adoption legislation. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) said ``I have been blessed'', and when he gave his testimony, ``I have been blessed by my experiences with adoption. So now I am doing what I can to help thousands of innocent children find a mom and a dad.'' He added that mom and dad are the greatest titles in the world. He led efforts to increase adoption counseling and to make the adoption tax credit permanent, and increased the cap for that tax credit from $5,000 to $10,000. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) is a man who has cared about the issues we deal with. He has cared about the jurisdiction of his committee, the efforts that that committee needed to make to see that the United States was at the forefront in commerce, the efforts that we need to see that Medicare works properly, the efforts that we need to make to see that we have safety in transportation and in commerce, that we have security over the Internet and in the changes in telecommunications. The gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Bliley) has done a tremendous job, a job that people in this Congress will remember and talk about for a long time. While people all over America may not talk about the legislation that has been passed for a long time, they will benefit from the legislation that has been passed and the leadership that has been shown for years to come, for decades to come, as we enter this new century, a century with limitless opportunity and a century that really defies the old definition of what was possible. The Committee on Commerce under the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) has been at the forefront of making it possible for us to be the incredibly competitive society that we are in America today. Mr. Speaker, it would be easy to overlook many of the accomplishments in this life and career. I am glad we had a chance to share some of those tonight. Others will be shared in the official Record of the proceedings today. But I am glad that we were able to be here, Members of the Committee on Commerce, the gentleman from North Carolina (Chairman Coble), and others who have submitted their remarks from many committees and from both parties, both parties here on the floor tonight, remembering the great work, the great leadership of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley).

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, before I get on with the business at hand, I would like to make some comments about the hour or so that we have just heard of facts that just simply do not bear up under the reality of what has happened in Texas in the last few years. Since 1995, Texas has led the country in reducing the release of disposal of toxic pollution and has led it by 43 million pounds of reduction. Since 1994, industrial air emissions in Texas have fallen by 11 percent. The EPA says that that is the fact. Under legislation signed by Governor Bush, Texas became the third State in the Nation to require pollution reductions and permits from grandfathered utilities, utilities that would not have had to meet these new standards. Governor Bush said they would have to meet these new standards. Under that plan, they will reduce nitrogen oxide pollution by 50 percent and sulfur dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2003. Governor Bush has been praised for his leadership in requiring air pollution reductions from these utilities, and the record is clear on that. The Wall Street Journal in September of this year said that no one in the Clinton administration has been willing to face this issue separately. I think what we see happening on the floor is a willingness to distort the facts. We see a willingness to talk about an America that Americans would not want to see happen in our country in terms of the kinds of solutions that have been proposed, but even those solutions, the gentleman from California talking to the gentleman from Oregon a minute ago, talking about electric cars, said that all this could be done today. Well, if it could have been done today, why has it not been done for the last 8 years? That was maybe the greatest condemnation of the point they were trying to make that was made on the floor today, but that is not the purpose of our order here tonight. The purpose of the order tonight is to talk about the 5 decades of service of the chairman of the Committee on Commerce, the oldest committee in the House, a committee that has such jurisdiction that approximately half of all the legislation that comes to the House comes through the Committee on Commerce, a committee for the last 6 years that has been chaired by the gentleman from Virginia (Tom Bliley). The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) began his political career, as others will talk about in a few minutes, when he was elected to the city council in Richmond, Virginia. He served as vice mayor, he served as mayor, and then in 1980, 20 years ago, he was elected to the Congress. He was elected in 1980. He had steered Richmond through some of its greatest challenges as the schools were desegregated, despite the unpopularity of the measures that were taken at the time. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) as the mayor said that ``This job will be done,'' and stepped forward and carried the load of seeing that that happened in his city. As chairman of the Committee on Commerce, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) led the drive to enact mammography quality standards, assuring the safety, accuracy, and overall quality of mammogram services for women. As chairman, he led the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which has unleashed many of the innovative forces and gains in efficiency that are driving our economy forward today. He spearheaded enactment of securities litigation reform, and a host of other reforms that my colleagues will talk about. They will also talk about their pride in being able to serve with him, a person who served 3 years in the Navy and left the Navy as a lieutenant; a person who the National Journal in a front page feature called ``Mr. Smooth'' because of the way he gets his job done. We will talk about his family: his wonderful wife, Mary Virginia, his two children, his grandchildren; about his commitment in his whole political career to always be sure that Sunday was reserved for family, a commitment that my wife has pointed out to me is something that I should emulate, and the absolute dedication of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) to preserving that time for church and family. He has done a great job. He has made many friends. His leadership will be missed on our committee. I do not know how his teammate on the tennis court will deal with that, or whether they have made plans about their continued competition. But I am glad to yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I am certainly grateful to be joined by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble). In spite of his totally erroneous perception of what happens in our conflict between the two committees, we all know who is truly at fault. The gentleman is outnumbered here today in a significant way, Mr. Chairman. He is a great friend of our chairman and he appreciates us.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, It would be easy to overlook many of the accomplishments of his life and career--I'd like to share some of the highlights of a lifetime of accomplishment. Tom Bliley represents the Seventh Congressional District of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. The Seventh District includes the western part of the City of Richmond as well as sections of Albemarle, Chesterfield, and Henrico Counties; it includes all of Culpeper, Goochland, Greene, Hanover, Louisa, Madison, Orange, and Powhatan Counties. Tom Bliley began his political career in 1968 when he was first elected to the City Council of Richmond, Virginia. He served as Vice- Mayor from 1968 to 1970, and then as Mayor from 1970 to 1977. He was first elected to Congress in 1980 and has been elected to each succeeding Congress. As a former President of Joseph W. Bliley Funeral Homes, he gained important business experience that has shaped his attitude towards problems facing small business owners. In Washington, Mr. Bliley is serving his third term as Chairman of the House Committee on Commerce, the oldest committee in the House. As Chairman, he is an ex officio member of the five Commerce Committee subcommittees: Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection; Finance and Hazardous Materials; Health and Environment; Energy and Power; and Oversight and Investigation. As Mr. Bliley plans the committee agenda and schedule hearings and legislation for the 106th Congress, he follows the same, time-tested principles that have made his committee one of the most constructive and successful in Congress: Promoting free and fair markets, standing up for consumer choice and common sense safeguards for our health and the environment, keeping an eye on the federal bureaucracy. In the 105th Congress, Mr. Bliley was instrumental in the enactment of the Food and Drug Administration and Modernization Act. New treatments will be available sooner for the seriously ill while expanding access to safe and effective drugs, devices, and food because of Mr. Bliley's efforts. Electronic commerce is the newest, fastest growing form of interstate and foreign commerce. Mr. Bliley was a leader in the enactment of a new law setting a three-year moratorium on certain taxes for Internet access or consumer purchases made via the Internet. Mr. Bliley also led the drive to enact the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1998. This legislation will assure the safety, accuracy, and overall quality of mammography services for women. This bill will help save lives by ensuring for the first time that all patients are directly notified of their mammogram results in terms they can understand. In the 104th Congress, Mr. Bliley broke up bigger monopolies than President Theodore Roosevelt. He tore up more federal regulations over American businesses than President Reagan. Mr. Bliley led passage of the Telecommunications Act and opened a trillion-dollar a year industry to fair, free, and open trade. He gave Americans peace-of-mind about the chemicals in the foods we eat, and about the purity of the water we drink when he successfully led bipartisan efforts to enact Food Safety and Safe Drinking Water legislation into law. Mr. Bliley also spearheaded enactment of Securities Litigation Reform, part of the ``Contract with America.'' When President Clinton vetoed that measure, Mr. Bliley led the House in the first--and only-- successful veto override of the Clinton Presidency. Under Mr. Bliley's leadership, the most comprehensive overhaul of the nation's securities laws in more than 60 years was achieved upon enactment of the Capital Markets legislation. Since his first election to Congress, Mr. Bliley has been recognized by many organizations for his work. He has served in various roles with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly--from November 1994-October 1998, he was Chairman of the Economic Committee, in November 1998, he became one of the four Vice Presidents; and, with the resignation of its President in May 2000, Mr. Bliley became the Acting President and will serve in this capacity until November 2000. His commitment to balancing the federal budget has earned him the National Watchdog of the Treasury's ``Golden Bulldog Award'' every year since 1981. He has been named a ``Guardian of Small Business'' by the National Federation of Independent Business. The Louisville Courier Journal called him ``the most powerful Virginian since Harry Byrd'' and the National Journal, in a front page feature, called him ``Mr. Smooth.'' Mr. Bliley has served on a number of boards and commissions including: National League of Cities; Children's Hospital; and, Metropolitan Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Bliley is a member of the Richmond Rotary Club and he currently serves on the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park Authority. In 1996, Mr. Bliley was named to the Board of Governors of the Virginia Home for Boys. Born in Chesterfield County, Virginia, Mr. Bliley is a lifelong resident of the Richmond area. He earned his B.A. in History from Georgetown University and immediately following served three years in the United States Navy rising to the rank of Lieutenant. He has recently received honorary doctorate degrees from Georgetown University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Christopher Newport College, Belmont Abbey College and University of Richmond. Mr. Bliley received the Beta Gamma Sigma Leadership Award from the University of Richmond's Robins School of Business. Mr. Bliley is married to the former Mary Virginia Kelley and is the father of two, Thomas J. Bliley III and Mary Vaughan (Bliley) Davies. The Blileys have two granddaughters, Jenny and Kathy Davies and two grandsons, Thomas J. Bliley IV and Shawn Bliley.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding time to me, and thank him and the ranking member for their support of this legislation. I certainly am appreciative that the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) saw this problem and drafted legislation, and I was glad to join him as one of the early cosponsors of this bill, H.R. 4441. This Motor Carrier Fuel Cost Equity Act is a bill that is really designed to bring temporary emergency relief to an industry that, maybe more than any other industry in the country, has been caught in a devastating situation by these rapid increases in fuel prices. This is an industry where the cost of fuel is everything, and it is an industry where so many trucks are operated by the people who own those trucks. Their entire livelihood is dependent on what happens in that truck that month. Their entire livelihood is dependent on what the repair costs of the trucks are, what the fuel costs, what the tire costs are. Many of these owner-operators, I see them in my district, are husband-and-wife driving teams, sometimes with a child that is not ready for school yet riding right along with them and seeing the country. But their plans were made, their bids were offered, their arrangements were entered into anticipating a much lower cost in the price of fuel, so we have seen this huge increase in fuel in the last several months. Over 70 percent of motor carriers have six or fewer trucks. These are men and women who haul almost all of our produce, livestock, consumer goods, building materials, raw materials. They are the indispensable engine that drives this economy. They fill in the gaps where people need a load taken here or taken there, where people have not really adequately planned to have everything they needed done done, but there is an independent owner-operator there ready to do that job. As they have seen these fuel prices go up 70 percent, reaching record high prices in just the last month, thousands of truckers have gone out of business. Fuel prices are only predicted to go even higher in the next few months, putting in peril the future of thousands of small businessmen and businesswomen. Safety is an issue as they are more and more stressed to pay the bills with the bids that they have out there. They have many problems. This bill helps small businesses at no cost to taxpayers. There is no Federal enforcement. It helps truckers cope with the high cost of diesel by ensuring that any fuel charge assessed is paid to the person who actually purchased the fuel. We need to end this series of bankruptcies among small truckers. We need to be sure that we keep competition in this marketplace. Competition is ultimately what keeps prices down and makes our economy work. I am wholeheartedly in support of this bill.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) for yielding. Mr. Speaker, like others today, I am here to recognize the tremendous contribution that Congressman Goodling has made to this Congress, to this country, and particularly to education. Bill Goodling spent his entire career with a focus on education. As a teacher, as a coach, as a guidance counselor, as a school administrator, and when he was elected to Congress by the people from the 19th district in Pennsylvania, he chose to go on the committee that focused on education. He became the chairman of that committee. He has been a tireless advocate for making public schools better through real reform. He has pursued full funding of IDEA, understanding that the Federal Government needs to first of all keep its word. As a former college president, I particularly appreciate all the chairman has done to substantially increase the Pell Grant funding. And during his leadership of that committee, Pell Grant funding has increased in a way that it has never increased before. There are really too many accomplishments to talk about all of them, certainly the signature piece of legislation, the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. This legislation gives more flexibility to school districts as they try to meet the needs of children, as they try to do what is best for the children of America. On behalf of America's students, on behalf of America's educators, as the cochairman of the Education Caucus here in the Congress, I just want to thank the chairman for his outstanding record of public service, for his commitment to education, for his great work for the people of Pennsylvania.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and the life of Reverend William F. Askew, a man whose life touched so many in southwest Missouri and around the world because of his dedication to serving others. In World War II, the Marine Corps taught him that duty, honor, country was more than a motto. It was a commitment to the ideas that he instilled in others as a drill sergeant and a commitment that followed him all his days. Coming back from the war and beginning a career in civilian commercial radio, he accepted Christ; and his faith became the driving center of his life. Service to others was natural for Bill Askew. He was a founding pastor of the Arlington Heights Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida; but he also found time to serve as the chaplain of the Duval County Fire Department. He sought opportunities to serve the spiritual and emotional needs of firemen from around Florida and the victims of the fires they fought. Service to others was his focus when he moved his wife, Doris, and seven of their nine children to Springfield, Missouri, in 1968, to help found the area's first Christian radio station. He served as general manager of KWFC serving portions of four States until his death last week. Despite the responsibilities he faced in running a radio station, he also committed to serving residents of northern Greene County as the pastor of the Noble Hill Baptist Church, often traveling back roads to meet the needs of a large rural area as well as those of the surrounding communities. Service was the keynote of his life, whether he was helping form the North Springfield Betterment Association or teaching classes at Baptist Bible College. Bill, or ``Mr. A'' as many of his friends called him, was dedicated to making a difference in the lives of those he served. Some of those now serve as missionaries, as business leaders, government officials; and they reflect his inspiration for their lives. He was a confidant, a mentor, an advisor, a friend to so many; and he often did it with so little fanfare. Bill Askew was a family man. Even though he gave much to others, he was happiest when surrounded by his children, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. He shared their joys and comforted their pain. Madam Speaker, with his passing, southwest Missouri has lost a great spiritual and civic leader, a friend and a guiding force for many in our community. I ask that God bless him and his family as we share in their loss.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding to me and for taking time to recognize the great service today of our friend, Herb Bateman. Herb, in so many ways, served our country so well, as a Member of the General Assembly, as a Member of the Congress, as a serviceman during the Korean War, and felt so strongly about our country and felt so strongly about his State and felt so strongly about our institutions. When Herb Bateman talked about the First District, he did not like to talk about Virginia's First District, he liked to talk about America's First District, as he really enjoyed the tremendous heritage of Newport News and Williamsburg and the great foundation building of our country. I was able to work with Herb as we worked hard to make some arrangements that helped preserve the original, the boyhood home of George Washington, Ferry Farm, in his district. Recently we were talking about what we could do to more appropriately honor the memory of James Monroe whose law office was in Fredricksburg in his district. I had a chance to be part of the delegation to the NATO Parliament with Herb Bateman, a group that is headed by the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Bliley) as the president of that group. Herb's support of our country was always so strong and so well presented in those forums where people from other countries came together. He was a man of gentle persuasion, but a man of strong feelings; and he was a man who enjoyed life. As we talk at my house about our good friends, Herb Bateman and Laura Bateman, we always talk about the superlatives he was able to use to describe almost every event or every day or every happening or every friendship. I do not know that I was ever around anybody who would more frequently use words like magnificent and fantastic and splendid to describe what we have as Americans or to describe his opportunities. I am glad to be able to join with those here today who remember him as we will continue to work for civil aviation and research and the military in his memory in the remainder of this Congress and the years ahead.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. I would not anticipate we would have any late nights next week. Of course, we do need to get our work done, and that would be subject to change, but at this point we would be looking at those votes after 6 p.m. on Tuesday and then no late evenings next week.

Mr. BLUNT. I think it is early to make that determination. We are still working with the White House and the committee chairmen on a number of different issues; of course working with the other body to get conference reports done as quickly as possible. I cannot say what we will be doing on Friday. I think we ought to prepare to be here on Friday, but certainly we could very well find out this time next week we are in the same situation we are in right now as we wait for these conference reports to reach some ability to get to the floor and to the White House.

Mr. BLUNT. I think we are anticipating that vote would be on Wednesday.

Mr. BLUNT. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. BLUNT. I would anticipate we would be out no later than 2 p.m. on Friday.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Wednesday, September 13, 2000, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, 2000.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it may be in order at any time on Thursday, September 14, 2000, for the Speaker to declare a recess, subject to the call of the Chair, for the purpose of receiving in joint meeting His Excellency Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister of the Republic of India.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Monday, September 11, 2000, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, 2000, for morning hour debates.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at noon on Monday, September 11, 2000.