Roy Blunt

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to publicly congratulate the board of directors, administrative staff and employees of the Citizens Memorial Health Care Facility in Bolivar, Missouri for their outstanding vision, dedication and effort in attaining Merit Status in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program. The 111 bed licensed skilled nursing facility located in Missouri's Seventh Congressional District joins over 400 other businesses in our nation in participation in this program. However this recognition is unique because this is the first skilled nursing care facility in the Nation to achieve this high level of safety compliance. The designation was granted after an intensive 15 month-self study by employees at all levels followed by a rigorous five day comprehensive review visit by OSHA inspectors who found the facility to be fully in compliance with all regulations. According to OSHA this designation means that the health and safety practices and procedures developed by CMHCF are models within the nursing care industry, and that the facility is preparing itself for even higher levels of health and safety compliance. I would also point out that this outstanding achievement is the result of a cooperative effort between public and private entities rather than a unilateral regulatory effort on the part of a lone federal agency. To quote OSHA ``This concept recognizes that compliance enforcement alone can never fully achieve the objectives of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Good safety management programs that go beyond OSHA standards can protect workers more effectively than simple compliance.'' This commitment to excellence in the care of its patients and employees is part of an overall culture of caring that is being recognized by a variety of outside agencies. For example, CMHCF is only one of seven facilities in the state that the Missouri Division of Aging has found to be deficiency free for six years or longer. I express my appreciation, and that of all my colleagues, to Board President Dave Strader, Executive Director Don Babb, and Facility Administrator Jeff Miller for their leadership in bringing this national recognition to Bolivar Missouri and the Seventh Congressional District.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, senior citizen centers are fairly recent to our culture. Many of the centers that exist today were created in the early 1970's with the help of federal grants. Strong local leadership transform these centers into places many older citizens now depend on for warm wholesome meals, fellowship and recreation and a way to support the maintenance of an independent life style. Twenty-seven years ago, using a $25,000 budget provided by a ``model grant,'' Winston Bledsoe started the first agency in Southwest Missouri to organize and open senior centers. The Southwest Missouri Office on Aging grew out of that effort and opened nine senior centers in six weeks in 1973. Today, the agency that Bledsoe helped create provides services and a daily meeting place for more than 40,000 seniors a year. The Southwest Missouri Office on Aging has 38 centers and a budget of more than $6.8 million providing individual social services, transportation, meals, recreation and homemaker care. Bledsoe encouraged seniors at each center to own their own building, thereby reducing the government's role in the future of the facilities in case federal aid was ever curbed or interrupted. Dorothy Knowles, who was Bledsoe's chief lieutenant over the last quarter century and the new agency director, calls Winston a visionary, who was ``dedicated to the lowest cost of keeping older people independent.'' For most people, quality of life is defined by their degree of independence. Bledsoe has been a tireless advocate for seniors and group who serve them. He has often battled bureaucrats, politicians, and local opponents. He has not always been diplomatic but he has never forgotten who he serves. The interest of older Southwest Missourians are always foremost in his efforts. Winston, at age 70, retired as the director of the agency this year. A former insurance salesman and football coach, his third career will leave a legacy cherished by every senior in Southwest Missouri who finds friends, support and nourishing meals at one of the centers that Bledsoe nurtured.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an aviation pioneer and the community in Newton County, Missouri where he grew up. From Neosho, Missouri, Hugh Robinson entered the annals of aviation history, especially as it relates to the military. He is credited with making the third successful aircraft flight in 1907. From there he created a series of first flights that may be unequaled in history. He was the first pilot to execute a right turn. Prior to this, it was believed that a plane would be torn apart by the force of such a maneuver. In 1911 he made the first authorized air mail flight; the first medical flight by carrying a doctor to a sick patient by airplane; the first to fly a hydroplane and the first pilot of a monoplane. He also helped design and build the first commercial airplane. Robinson trained the first military test pilots for the United States, as well. Perhaps he is best known as the inventor of a simple device that still makes even the modern wing of the U.S. Navy possible--the tailhook. Hugh Robinson wasn't satisfied though. He created his own career in the circus. He developed the ``Globe of Death'' where he rode, first a bicycle, and later a motorcycle at 60 miles per hour inside a giant globe. His death-defying act, developed in Neosho, made him the highest paid circus act in America. This 4th of July weekend was chosen as the appropriate time to pay tribute to Robinson and his contributions to aviation and his service to country. The Neosho Municipal Airport will be named in honor of Robinson in ceremonies this weekend. The Neosho Hugh Robinson Airport as it will be known has just finished several important improvements. The approaches to the runway had obstacles that left several hundred feet of the 5,000 foot surface unusable. Those obstacles have been removed, with crucial aid from federal sources, and now the airport can accommodate larger aircraft for a local firm that overhauls jet engines. The road leading to the airport was relocated as part of the improvements. It will be named for Neosho Police Officer Terry Johnson who was killed earlier this year in a flying accident at the airport. The celebration in Neosho will be marked by hot air balloons, a Civil War living history display, an air show, ground displays of the Confederate Air Force and military aircraft, and, naturally, fireworks. Music, crafts and lots of friendly Ozarks people should make this a wonderful weekend to visit Neosho and to honor the work of Hugh Robinson. (1882-1963)

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dwain Hammons who retires this week from Hammons Products Company in Stockton, Missouri, as the chief executive officer. Hammons Products Company known at one time as ``Missouri Dandy,'' has for the past 53 years bought, shelled, and sold Eastern Black Walnuts. In just a little over half a century, Hammons Products Company has become the world's foremost supplier of the Eastern Black Walnut. This becomes even more significant when you realize they created a market that at the time was virtually non- existent in the sale of Eastern Black Walnuts. Hammons Products Company began as a dream of Dwain's father, Ralph, in 1946, when he was a local grocery store owner in Stockton. Ralph's dream eventually became a reality that Dwain has never lost sight of as he has continued building their business year after year. Dwain has led his family and the business through the changing of the times in the past 50 years. Although Dwain deserves much of the credit for the success of the business, he rarely accepts it. Instead he gives the credit to his father, Ralph, who urged him to always be willing to advance and modernize the company. He also credits the employees, who he will tell you have been a steadfast example of the company's mission statement, ``To lead and grow the Black Walnut nut industry, and to excel in providing quality nut products and superior service with strong business integrity enhancing the economic well being and quality of life for owners, employees, customers, suppliers, and our communities.'' An example he is quick to give is how they helped to invent the companies first walnut shucking machine. For everyone who knows Dwain and has worked with him, they will quickly tell you he is an example of the mission statement and deserves recognition as he has worked consistently year after year to ensure the Black Walnut will be here for years to come. It is in that effort he has established the Tree Research and Management division to study the Black Walnut tree. Dwain is also a conscious conservationist and has allowed nothing to be wasted when it comes to the walnut itself. After the walnut is shucked, it is then ground into six different sizes where it can be used as a cleansing and polishing agent for jet engines, electronic circuit boards, and jewelry. It is also used in oil well drilling, water filtration systems, soaps, cosmetic and dental cleansers. Dwain is more than just a successful businessman. He is a servant to his community, State, and Nation in many different roles. In the community of Stockton, he served on the Board of Alderman for six years and as town mayor for four. He is a life member of the Stockton Lions Club and has served as their president. He is also a member at the United Methodist Church in Stockton where he has been a member of the choir for over 40 years and served as its director for over 20. He has been active in the Boy Scouts at the local, district, and council levels. In the State of Missouri, he has served on the Governor's Task Force on Rural Economic Development, a member for six years on the Missouri State Chamber of Commerce, Executive Board and on the Advisory Board of the University of Missouri School of Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife. These are just to name a few. At the national level he was awarded the Meritorious Service Award from the National Walnut Council and is also a lifetime member. The National Association of Marketing Officials awarded him the National Marketing Award. In 1992 he was awarded by President George Bush and this body the Teddy Roosevelt Conservationist Award. And, while it is most important to recognize his achievement in those areas, I would be remiss not to note how he has always been devoted to his family first. I think it shows as his son Brian is ready to take the reins of the business and lead it into the twenty-first century. Although Dwain will be missed on a daily basis at Hammons Products Company, we all know he will not be far away because his love for the Eastern Black Walnut will keep him close by. So remember, the next time you enjoy the rich, distinctive flavor of the Eastern Black Walnut that you did not have to crack yourself, to be sure to thank Dwain and know he will be thanking you. Thank you, Dwain, for your commitment to your family, the business, and being so willing to give of your time and talents to your community, State, and Nation. Your involvement and self-sacrifice is an example we can all follow and live our lives by.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to call the attention of my colleagues to the special connection that the Seventh District of Missouri, and especially Springfield has to a highway known both as the Main Street of America and as The Mother Road--Route 66. We will be voting later today on an act to preserve portions of this unique part of our history. Traversing almost 2,500 miles, 8 states and three time zones from the windswept shores of Chicago on the north and east to the sun drenched shores of Santa Monica on the south and west, route 66 cut across America's heartland beginning an era of transcontinental automobile and truck travel that has continued for 75 years. Although conceived by Congress with legislative action in 1925 as a national highway and commissioned in 1926, Route 66 began with only 800 miles of paved road. Almost 1,700 miles of the trip was over gravel and dirt roads. It was not until 11 years later that paving was completed. Route 66's connection to Southwest Missouri is far more than it's strategic geographic placement across the breadth of the district. It is far more than linking this strong agricultural market in the 1920's and 30's with expanded outlets throughout the nation. The dream of an inter-regional link between Chicago and Los Angeles is ascribed to Cyrus Avery of Tulsa Oklahoma and John Woodruff of Springfield Missouri. These two men understood the importance of transportation of this country and were willing to invest of themselves in this effort. Historians say that as result of Woodruff's work the decision to name this new route--Route 66 was actually made in a meeting in Springfield. Woodruff later served two terms as President of the Route 66 association. Woodruff was also a promoter of Springfield and the Ozarks who understood the importance of public and private partnerships. He raised funds to buy the land so that the state of Missouri would create what is now Southwest Missouri State University. He traveled to New York City and secured a grant from Andrew Carnegie to help fund Drury College. Years later he also raised funds to purchase the land for the U.S. Federal Medical Center. And the former railroad attorney was instrumental in getting the city's first airport. Route 66 is not just a story of creating a unified ribbon of concrete and asphalt from one great metropolitan center to another. It is the story of linking urban, suburban and rural together. It is the story of making travel accessible to millions. It is the story of what we sometimes refer to as an American dream--a country where two men with a vision and who worked hard enough, can literally change the course of a country.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership in this effort. And he has already recognized one of his colleagues here on the floor who, from the first day he joined us this year, came up to me and said, ``Dairy is important in my district. I want to be involved in getting this legislation passed.'' If the proposed option would go into effect, the average herd of 100 cows, that family would lose $6,000 to $15,000 a year depending on other price factors. Most of us would not want to take a $6,000 to $15,000 a year family pay cut. That is the difference in these options. That is why we are supporting 1-A. That is why it is going to be marked up in committee tomorrow. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood) has been an advocate of this policy since he got here and has been working hard to see that we get to this point of reversing this decision, passing 1-A. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, one of the ways that I like to drive to Washington is through Pennsylvania. Before I was in Congress, when my family and I would come to Pennsylvania, when my children and I would come to Washington when my children were growing up would be through Pennsylvania. One of the things, as a person who was born on a dairy farm, that we enjoyed the most was that roadside view of those great dairies. I notice that there are fewer of those dairies. And dairies that we used to look at and admire the cows as we were driving by and the painted buildings and the white fence and all the things that went along with those great dairy farms, many of those that I see now do not have that. I know one of the people that has been concerned about that in the Congress as we have dealt with those issues is the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Klink), and I would like to yield some time to him to talk about this very important issue to Pennsylvania and really to all of the States of the country. I think what the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) said about the struggle that dairy farmers are having everywhere is something that we all want to keep in mind as we deal with this legislation.

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for being here and for his comments. Certainly, as he pointed out, in the milk marketing order, there are some significant revisions of this map. The two directives from the Department of Agriculture, and there were only two directives in this regard, were to create a new consolidated set of orders that reduced from the 31 that are in place today to no more than 14 or less than 10. They came back with 10 orders, basically, that does reflect some of the transportation, refrigeration, the other elements. But this is, as the gentleman knows, a highly perishable product. There is a particular, I think my colleagues would probably call it junk food, but I like it, that I will not mention the name that I like to buy. The shelf life is forever. It does not matter how long it takes to get to the store where I buy it. It does not matter how long I keep a box of this particular item at my house. It is going to be just as good, I guess, 10 years from now as it is today. My wife would argue about the quality of my product choice there. But we do not have a forever life with this product. And keeping that supply reasonably close, and we are saying now that it is with three times as easy to get that product to the store on the store shelf as it was when the milk orders were first designed, so we are going to 11 helpful milk orders. That was one requirement. The other requirement was that if the State of California wants to be exempted and have its own order, they would be allowed to do that. As the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) knows, Mr. Speaker, those were the only two requirements that USDA had. There was no requirement to eliminate the policy. There was no requirement that fresh milk would no longer matter after 1999 or 2002 or any other date. Those are the requirements. This order reflects that. And of course this is a product that, in its fluid form, that we really do not have extra days. When we look at that date on the carton when we buy it at the store, it is not months or years in advance, it is just a few days in advance. And a week or a day or two days off the life of that product makes a big difference in the quality of the product and whether somebody wants to rush back to buy another gallon or half gallon or pint of that product.

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. And on his comments about competition, I think one of the things that the gentleman sees, and I saw when we served on the Committee on Agriculture together, was the constant concern about concentration in beef and pork and poultry and the many problems that relate to concentration. This legislation is focused on continuing competition. It is focused on continuing to have people producing that product. The gentleman mentioned the very young and the very old. As a former chief state school officer, I think the gentleman would appreciate the other day when I was at Stadly Elementary School at Carthage talking to 4th graders, and one question was, ``Do you know President Clinton?'' And I said, yes, I had been in a meeting with President Clinton the week before when we were in the middle of Kosovo. And the next serious question from the next 4th grader at Stadly Elementary School was, ``Did you know Abraham Lincoln?'' So the very old is sort of a relative term. I had to allow that I was a pretty old guy, but I had not been around quite long enough to know Abraham Lincoln, and so I could not admit to that, but I said I admired Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Speaker, when I am going to a dairy meeting, as I think about the complexities of the problem, the formula involved, the different categories of this product, and my staff would be one of the first to say this as well, one of the early questions I ask before I know just how well prepared I have to be is, is the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) going to be at the meeting? And if the answer is yes, I heave a little sigh of relief because I know I do not have to be quite as well prepared as if the gentleman from New York were not going to be at the meeting. The gentleman from New York understands these issues, he cares about them, he can debate anybody anywhere in the country and particularly anybody from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the fine points of dairy policy. And here we are talking about a policy that is the difference in staying in business and not staying in business for many of the dairy farmers both he and I represent. And with real appreciation for his understanding of this issue, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).

Mr. BLUNT. I thank the gentleman from New York. One of the things to point out here too is that as these dairy farms are lost in areas, that jobs that relate to that are lost. The State of Missouri, in the last few years, we have lost two fluid milk plants, we have lost 11 plants that process dairy products, because we simply do not have the production that we used to have to justify those jobs, those off-farm jobs, that did not relate necessarily to producing milk on the farm, but certainly are not there any longer when that milk is no longer produced on the farm. So it does matter. As the gentleman from New York said, Mr. Speaker, we have had already this evening people like me from Missouri and my colleague the gentleman from an adjoining district in Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson), from Maine and from New York. One of the people that is always in that room when dairy policy is discussed too is our colleague from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), to go to another area of the country. I would like to go to him right now. I certainly appreciate all that the gentleman does, not only being one of the original cosponsors of this bill, but also the leadership that you play as a member of the Committee on Agriculture where this bill will be marked up tomorrow. I would like to yield to the gentleman.

Mr. BLUNT. I think all of the studies indicate that in fact maintaining competition is what maintains not only a good product but a low price. There is no study that indicates that the price that consumers pay is affected in any significant way by what we are proposing. What we are proposing is to continue to have a product that it takes a while to get to the market. You do not just decide in the spring to be a dairy farmer and harvest a milk crop in the fall. It is a different commitment than that, it is a different time commitment than that. We think this bill really creates the relative assurance in a very difficult economic environment on a dairy farm, the relative assurance that producing that product is still going to be profitable for your family. One of the leaders, Mr. Speaker, in this whole area of milk in the Congress for years and dairy policy was the gentleman from New York, the outstanding chairman of the Committee on Rules, Mr. Solomon. When he left the Congress at the end of last year, he was replaced by somebody who has very much taken that heritage of being concerned about dairy farming families to heart and certainly has become a real leader in this issue. I would like to yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney).

Mr. BLUNT. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Speaker, for his comments. Certainly in virtually every district, and I know every district of Members on the floor, and there are 228 cosponsors of this legislation as of today, in virtually all of their districts, in virtually all of their States, dairy farmers and dairy farming families have declined and declined dramatically. This option, Option 1-A, really does create the difference. Somebody in a hearing the other day said, well, it is only pennies a gallon. Anybody who knows anything about dairy knows that pennies a gallon is the difference between whether you continue to milk those cows or you stop. Most dairy farmers, as much as they love the dairy farm, do not do it solely for their health, they do it because of the necessity to feed their families, to make a profit, and those pennies make a difference. In fact, this option alone in Missouri, in the Seventh District, if we went to Option 1-A rather than Option 1-B that the administration, that the Department has proposed, there would be almost $2 million of additional income every year to southwest Missouri dairy farmers. I can guarantee the Members that that is the difference in whether you divide that up into profit among the hundreds of farm families we still have, or you simply create a situation where there is no profit and we go out of business.

Mr. BLUNT. One of the things I might mention while that chart is still up there, Mr. Speaker, is that farm prices have stayed the same, have taken dips along the way, but the retail price has increased. One of the things the studies show on this proposed Option 1-A is that it does have benefits for farmers, but the benefit for consumers is the benefit of a fresh product being available, there continues to be competition in production, and consumers continue to have not only a good product but they have a competitive price, because we do not see this continued consolidation that we are seeing and that all projections would show that we would see under the other options being proposed. Any time we have met with the Secretary of Agriculture, people from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on this issue, one of the people that has been in the room has been the gentleman from Maine. I yield to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Baldacci) on this topic.

Mr. BLUNT. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney).

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk tonight with some of my friends who I see are already here on the floor about dairy legislation. June is National Dairy Month. We are coming to really a fateful decision on dairy policy. The Secretary of Agriculture has proposed an option for dairy policy that really does not work for most of the country. In fact, I have a chart here, Mr. Speaker, that shows the impact of this policy if it had been in existence over the last 5 years. There would only have been 1 year where America's dairy farmers would have been above the line of break even. The average for those 5 years would have been a loss of $196 million. Dairy farming families certainly cannot continue to stay in business with those kinds of statistics and those kinds of odds. We are really in a process here where, after some time, I would have thought adequate time for study and lots of impact from Members of Congress, we came up with a very disappointing result. Tomorrow in full committee markup H.R. 1402 will be marked up by the Committee on Agriculture that really follows a policy that a majority of the Members of the House and Senate have advocated. The bill, H.R. 1402, has 228 cosponsors. Last year, as this policy was approaching a decision by the administration, by the Secretary of Agriculture, 238 House Members and 61 Senators wrote to Secretary Glickman asking that Option 1-A, a continuation of an option with a more consolidated, more effective, more updated series of marketing orders, would become the dairy policy for the country. So we are here tonight to talk a little about this, and National Dairy Month, as dairy farmers all over the country are having a harder and harder time making ends meet, having a harder and harder time breaking even. One of the leaders in this debate has been my friend, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson), from my neighboring district in Arkansas. My district is in Southeast Missouri, and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson) represents northwestern Arkansas. Both of those districts have been great dairy districts over the years, but both of those districts have seen a significant decline in the number of dairy farms and dairy farmers. In fact, in my district in southwest Missouri, at one time the eighth biggest dairy-producing district in America, and we do not rate nearly that high now, and we have been losing our dairies at the rate of about 8 percent a year. Northwest Arkansas has been a great dairy area, and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson) has been a real advocate for dairy farmers and dairy farming families. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson).

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29, 1999, for morning hour debates.

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. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding me this time. I want to join with my colleagues in encouraging support of this bill. This bill really provides significant transition that is not readily there for foster kids who, by the time they reach 18, have, on many occasions, if not most occasions, faced more adversity than most of us face in a lifetime: the insecurity of the life as a foster child, the not knowing the situation with one's parents, the not knowing what may come next. In fact, statistics show that foster kids do have greater problems as adults with alcoholism, with homelessness, with crime, with poverty. This bill helps give that independent living transition the leg up that is needed. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) just talked about the importance of continuation of health insurance. Many, many kids in our society have health insurance from 18 to 21, or maybe even 18 until 23 because they are continuing their education, and their parents are able to extend their coverage to them. That is not available to foster children. So foster children, during that time of transition, during that decision about further schooling, have to deal with this critical question of health care and insurance as well. This helps bridge part of that gap. This is a bill that really does address the needs of foster kids. This Congress needs to be committed to foster care. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the majority whip, is a foster parent. He and his wife have foster children. Others in this body have really been leaders in trying to extend to foster care and foster children the care that is missing in their life. This Congress can show we care today about these kids. We care about what happens to them as they make that transition often, and most often without the benefit of that parental involvement in their life, the transition to the work force, transition to adult responsibility, a transition to taking care of themselves. This bill helps make that happen. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H. Res. 223), and I ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, on an evening when our rivalries on the floor are transferred to the baseball diamond, I want to talk for a minute about sports. Seldom are we allowed to see deep into a person's mind, but last week in Springfield, Missouri, native Payne Stewart let us see deep into his. Standing on the green of the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open, Stewart needed to make a 15 foot putt to win the championship. Despite the enormous pressure involved and knowing that the world was watching, Stewart stepped to the ball and sank the seemingly impossible putt for the tenth PGA Tour victory of his career. As the rain fell, Stewart and his caddy celebrated with a jumping embrace on the 18th green in Pinehurst, North Carolina. With this win, Stewart also earned himself a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. However Payne Stewart says that no other tournament he ever wins will be bigger than the 1982 Quad Cities Open championship. That was the only tournament victory his father, a golf pro in Springfield who taught him to play golf, ever saw him win. So on Father's Day 1999, with his wife at his side and his children watching from home, Payne Stewart proved not only to be a great golfer, but also someone with strong family values. These are the attributes we should all strive to maintain no matter what profession we choose to pursue. A hearty congratulations is in order to Payne Stewart for the winning of his second U.S. open and third PGA major of his career. I thank Payne for setting a good example for families across America. Fellow southwest Missourians are proud of him.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Chairman, the entertainment industry and the academic community in study after study really documents this problem. There is no disagreement that this is a problem. I think this debate has been helpful today, and what it calls attention to is the interest of the Congress in seeing the industry do something about the facts they have. We could give all sorts of studies that show that youth violence does increase, aggressive behavior does increase when viewing, or a preference for violent television alone is part of their lifestyle. According to the national television violence study funded by the cable TV industry itself, who really with that report say to the country, we have a problem here, TV violence has continued to grow, since 1994, violence has increased in prime time broadcasts and basic cable programs. They also say that the way TV violence is depicted encourages children toward aggressive behavior. Sixty-seven percent of the programs carried by the network programs in prime time for cable included violence; 64 percent of those programs included violence in the 1996-1997 season. That violence is often glamorized. As my good friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) said, our business here should be about children, and however we solve this, it should be with the best interests of the children in America. According to a 1995 Mediascope study, perpetrators of violence go unpunished 73 percent of the time. The consequences of the violent action are almost never apparent. Thirty-nine percent of the time violence is depicted as part of humor. The facts can best be changed by the industry itself. That is what the gentlewoman from Missouri's amendment says. The best solution here is not a government solution, if the industry will take their steps to solve this first. This resolution calls on them to do that. I call on them to do that, and I ask my colleagues to include this important resolution in the legislation that we vote on today.

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Chairman, I want to join with my colleagues here in encouraging the efforts of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) in dealing with this question. It does give school districts, school boards, school administrators the flexibility they do not have right now. As the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) just said, when we talk to people in schools, whether they are teachers, whether they are administrators, whether they are school board members and say, what is the single biggest problem with the Federal Government, we really do not even need to ask that question. I now ask what their second biggest problem is with the Federal Government because they all have the same single biggest problem. It relates to this topic. It makes evenhanded, fair discipline at school impossible. It creates an atmosphere that leads to all kinds of situations. It needs to be part of this legislation. It is an important addition to this legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote for it.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Leadership Training Institute of America (LTI). LTI is reaching out to the youth of this country to inspire them to become the best they can possibly be. The Leaderhip Training Institute of America is educating our youth in principles and values that have made America the proud leader of the world. These principles and values are the traditions of our American forefathers who believed that respect for life, property and individual freedom are foundational to America's greatness. They believed in personal responsibility, compassion, and doing good to others. They believed in the work ethic that has produced in America the most competitive achievements the world has ever known. The Leadership Training Institute of America is dedicated to inspiring tomorrow's leaders through the example of yesterday's leaders. The United States Congress promotes such endeavors and desires to encourage all of our youth to be founded in the traditions that have proven to make great leaders. I salute the efforts of the Leadership Training Institute of America to instill in America's youth the values and lessons of self- government, patriotism, moral character and education. As we have learned from the tragedies on our high school campuses this year, our youth need this kind of instruction. To the staff of the Leadership Training Institute, I say thank you and God bless you. May your efforts and influences increase among our youth.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this very important legislation. We are well beyond the time to think about the future of social security. We are well beyond the time to determine if we can do the very first thing that determines whether we are in fact serious about the future of social security. We hear about having a plan in place. We hear about the importance of knowing what we are going to do in 2024 or 2035, or whenever it might be. The key thing we need to be able to do right now is make a commitment to stop spending the Social Security funds that come to the Federal Government. That is pretty easy for us to say, but it is awfully hard for us to do. In fact, it is so hard for us to do, we have not saved a single penny of Social Security until last year for the last 2 years. If we cannot put the money aside, if we cannot hold on to those resources, it does not matter what kind of reform plan we come up with. Our first challenge is this challenge. Our first challenge is to stop spending the money. It is to stop calculating the money in the funds available to the Federal Government for general spending. An important part of this whole concept is quickly moving away from even calculating the Social Security funds coming in as income, to stop calculating them as income, to stop calculating them as funds available to be spent, to truly take them off the table. We are not just going to lock them in a box that does not pay interest. We are not going to lock them away and not use them in the way that we should use those funds for the future of Social Security. We are going to lock them away from the spenders in Washington, D.C. who have enjoyed the ability since 1969 to spend this money, who have enjoyed the ability to make the deficit appear that much smaller, who have enjoyed the ability to come up with new programs on top of the programs we have had, to act like we had the money available to pay those, to not be willing to go to the American people and say we are spending your Social Security funds because we were counting those funds just like we count any other funds that come in to the Federal Government. These are not like any other funds. They are Social Security funds. They are about the future of this system. They need to be set aside for the future of this system. We need to take a critical step to do that today. I urge support of this legislation.

Mr. BLUNT

Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I know this bill is to reauthorize the Customs Service, and I know the Customs Service has a difficult job. One of the jobs I wanted to just mention to my colleagues as we are debating this bill involves a company in my State that imports lots of items that are under the classification of festive items, Christmas items. Those items have a different tariff duty than other items do, and just so the House is aware, recently one of their items, an item that was an inexpensive music box that played Silent Night, the Customs folks would not classify that a ``festive item'' because, they said, it was a music box and because, they said, it played Silent Night instead of Jingle Bells, I am not sure which. But the code is specific. It tries to set aside that type of item. Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if we could not ask the Customs Service to be more reasonable in applying those laws. This is not an expensive thing; it is not a musical instrument. It is a one-time-a-year use that happens to play a religious Christmas-type of song.