Robert Brady

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5493) to provide that the usual day for paying salaries in or under the House of Representatives may be established by regulations of the Committee on House Administration.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5493 is a bill to address the frequency of staff pay periods in the House. It provides that the day for paying staff may be regulated by the Committee on House Administration. The House of Representatives currently pays the staff once a month. The executive branch, the Senate, and most private companies pay their employees twice a month or every two weeks. We are considering a change because once-a-month pay can be difficult for staffers budgeting on a tight paycheck. In addition, the committee's oversight experience with payroll software suggested adopting a more common approach will save money, reduce errors and increase efficiency. Unfortunately, the committee can't change the pay schedule for House staff until we change the law. This bill will give the committee the authority to change the date that staffers are paid. It won't change the pay schedule right away. Once this bill is enacted, the committee will adopt regulations that change the pay cycle. I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Ehlers, for cosponsoring this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this bill.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, would the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the concurrent resolution provides for the use of the Capitol Rotunda to award the Congressional Gold Medal, and I support the resolution. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Michael DeBakey is a pioneer in the field of heart surgery and research. Dr. DeBakey honed his skills as an Army doctor during World War II. While chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. DeBakey performed the first heart bypass surgery. He has saved countless lives. Dr. DeBakey has received a Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science, as well as awards from the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, and the Academy of Surgical Research. We are honored to authorize the use of the Capitol Rotunda to present Dr. DeBakey with the Congressional Gold Medal, and again, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his support.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to discharge the Committee on House Administration from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 71 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 1068 responds to a specific request from the liaisons who serve in each branch of the military and assist us daily in the House of Representatives. They have just a simple favor to ask that they be allowed to use the House staff gym since they work here far away from the ordinary military fitness facilities. In order to ensure that the military liaisons can maintain the physical fitness and readiness while they serve in the House, this resolution will allow them to use the House staff gym. The committee will adopt regulations for the use of this facility. We anticipate that the Armed Forces personnel who use the facility would do so consistently with military policy and, to the extent possible, during off-peak hours. Again, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), for cosponsoring this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this resolution.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in the Record on the concurrent resolution just considered.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement in March of 2008, I rise to thank Mr. Steve Mathis for 21 years of outstanding service to the United States Government, working at the House recording studio here in the U.S. House of Representatives. A native Californian, Steve graduated from San Diego State University in 1978. He then worked 5 years as a shift supervisor for KPBS-TV. Steve began his House career in the House recording studio's production department in 1980 when ``live'' House television coverage was only a year old. For the next 15 years, Steve was an indispensable member of the House's television floor coverage, recording studio, and radio production crew serving around the clock whenever House sessions required. After a detour as a production operator at CNN for 6 years, Steve returned to the House in 2002, becoming a television director for both studio shows and House floor coverage. Highlights have included directing the 2008 State of the Union broadcast along with working on numerous other joint sessions with world leaders. On behalf of the entire House community, I extend congratulations to Mr. Mathis for his many years of dedication and outstanding contributions to the U.S. House of Representatives. We wish him and his wife Paula many wonderful years fulfilling his retirement dreams of visiting every Major League ballpark in the country and taking bicycle trips throughout the world.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Senate Joint Resolution 25 would appoint John W. McCarter, Jr. as a citizen regent of the Smithsonian for a 6-year term. Mr. McCarter is currently the president and CEO of the Field Museum in Chicago, which is one of our Nation's great cultural institutions. Mr. McCarter has had a diverse background in government and business in addition to his role in heading one of the Nation's great museums. A native Chicagoan, he previously was senior vice president of Booz Allen & Hamilton, president of DeKalb Corporation, and was budget director of the State of Illinois under Governor Richard B. Ogilvie. He was a White House Fellow during the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. Mr. McCarter brings a wealth of useful skills to the board. As an experienced museum director, he may prove especially valuable in helping to implement governance reforms at the institution. Passage of this joint resolution would fill a vacancy on the Smithsonian Board of Regents that has lasted for nearly 1 year. It continues the necessary process of bringing new blood into the Smithsonian Institution. Passage now would allow Mr. McCarter to join the board in time for a vote to appoint a new Secretary, which is expected later this month. There is still one vacancy remaining among the citizen regents of the Smithsonian. I urge the board to send Congress a recommendation soon, so we can bring it back up to full strength. I urge approval of the joint resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 25) providing for the appointment of John W. McCarter as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the Record on this Senate joint resolution being considered today.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 307) expressing the sense of Congress that Members' Congressional papers should be properly maintained and encouraging Members to take all necessary measures to manage and preserve these papers.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. I thank the ranking member, Mr. Ehlers, for your cooperation. It is a pleasure working with you from day to day. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is very easy for Members to get caught up in the day- to-day responsibilities of their job. In between regular correspondence, speeches, and vote recommendations, Members accumulate a lot of paper. Most will not give consideration to the importance of this paper until the end or middle of their careers. The papers generated by Members while in office reflect the issues of the day and are of historical benefit to students, scholars, and citizens in understanding the role of the House of Representatives in the Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 307 is a concurrent resolution that reminds Members of the importance of maintaining and archiving their papers so that future leaders and citizens of history may learn and understand the decisions that we have made. I urge passage of H. Con. Res. 307. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in the Record on H. Con. Res. 307.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in the Record on H.R. 5159.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the legislation that I bring to the floor today is the end result of a long journey that goes back to the 104th Congress, when the Capitol Visitor Center, or the CVC, was first debated. Bills were introduced and none were passed. After the 1998 entry by a gunman into the Capitol and shooting of two Capitol police officers, money was appropriated in the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1999 for the planning, construction, and design of the CVC. While that bill provided for the bricks and mortar of the CVC, H.R. 5159, the Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008 is the administrative blueprint or framework for the day-to-day operation and management oversight of the CVC. H.R. 5159 defines the duties, responsibilities, and roles for a variety of administrative offices such as the Chief Executive Officer of Visitor Services, Office of the Capitol Visitor Center, and the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. The bill also provides for visitor center services, restaurants, and the gift shop. This bill does not affect or change staff-led tours in any way. H.R. 5159 is a bipartisan initiative that received unanimous support and was reported out favorably with an amendment from the Committee on House Administration. I would like to take this time to thank my colleague and cosponsor, the ranking member, Mr. Ehlers, for his assistance and cooperation. H.R. 5159 will be the first bill by the House to deal with the internal operations and organization of the CVC. H.R. 5159 is a necessary instrument to ensure that the CVC will be able to carry out its main objectives: security, visitor education and comfort. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for all of his cooperation on a day-to-day basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5159) to establish the Office of the Capitol Visitor Center within the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, headed by the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services, to provide for the effective management and administration of the Capitol Visitor Center, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 989. Madam Speaker, on February 12th the Committee on House Administration unanimously recommended dismissal of the election contest relating to the 13th Congressional district of Florida. The late Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald had established a task force to investigative this contest election in which over 18,000 ballots did not show a vote cast for the U.S. Congressional race in Sarasota County, Florida. Former judge, and our colleague, Representative Charles Gonzalez was appointed Chair, along with Representatives Lofgren and McCarthy as members of the task force. After the task force established the need to investigate, every vote to determine the scope and direction of the investigation was unanimous. The task force engaged the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to explore whether the voting machines used in Sarasota County contributed to the unusually high number of undervotes. GAO also was instructed to assess whether additional voting machines testing was needed. When GAO recommended further testing in October 2007, the task force directed the GAO to design and execute testing protocols to determine the reliability of the Sarasota County voting equipment. Last week, the GAO presented its findings and conclusions to the task force. They found that the Sarasota County voting machines did not contribute to the large undervote in the Congressional race for the 13th District of Florida. The GAO acknowledged that the undervote could have been caused by voters who chose not vote for that race, or by voters who did not properly cast their ballots because of poor ballot design. In any case, the machines were not the culprits. Since that time, some groups have attacked the GAO study as imprecise for a host of speculative reasons. However, the Contestant's central argument in the election contest before the committee was that voting machine malfunction caused the abnormal undervote, and GAO's focus of analysis was directed solely to the voting machine malfunction issue. Under the Federal Contested Election Act, a Contestant must submit allegations that, if proven, would have altered the election outcome. The task force and the Committee on House Administration have conducted a thorough investigation and believe that the findings of the GAO are compelling. Therefore, the Contestant's argument that malfunctioning electronic voting machines caused the 18,000 undervote in Sarasota County was not supported. For this reason, I urge members to support to passage of House Resolution 989 to dismiss this election contest.