Shelley Berkley

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, a flood damage assessment team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in my hometown of Las Vegas this afternoon. It may be a bit strange to many of my colleagues to hear the words ``flood'' and ``Las Vegas'' in the same sentence. People usually do not think of flooding as a problem that happens in a desert environment. But the potential for flash flood disaster constantly lurks in the summertime in southern Nevada. I have lived in Las Vegas for 38 years, and I have seen a lot of flash floods. But last Thursday brought rain and flooding like I have never seen before. We were hit with what weather experts called the 100-year flood. With more than an inch of rain falling per hour, rivers of water swept across the Las Vegas Valley. The metropolitan area was brought to a standstill. Many neighborhoods were under several feet of water. Heroic rescue crews from our police and fire departments and other agencies saved dozens of people, men, women, and children who were stranded in high waters with frighteningly strong undercurrents, in many cases, danger of being swept to their death by the raging waters. Sadly two people did die. Helicopter rescue teams crisscrossed the valley, hoisting to safety people who could not escape the onslaught of water and mud that swept down from the surrounding mountain sides. One security officer, Cornell Madison of Las Vegas, repeatedly waded into high waters to rescue trapped motorists. He is one of many, many people who disregarded their own personal safety to help others. The waters subsided rapidly, and our tourism services were back in full swing within a day. But things did not turn out so well for hundreds of residents whose homes were heavily damaged or destroyed. Many small businesses also suffered heavy losses. In some parts of the city, the devastation was overwhelming, as flood channel banks were ripped apart by fast-flowing run-off waters that were over 10 feet high. Homes were literally torn from their foundations and dumped into the torrent. Residents were able to flee in time to save their lives, but they had to return to find themselves either homeless or facing massive repair and cleanup expenses. There is also damage to public infrastructure totaling many, many millions of dollars. I personally helicoptered over the Las Vegas Valley to see firsthand the devastation below, and I went to the worst affected area, the Miracle Mile Mobile Home Park, rolled up my pants legs and went to talk to those residents who had lost everything. I greatly appreciate FEMA's decision to send in damage assessment teams to help the local governments in my Congressional District identify the losses and advise on how the damage can be mitigated. They will be in the field tomorrow and I will be in communication with them. I also appreciate the interest and responsiveness of the Small Business Administration in the wake of this disaster. I know that our Federal disaster relief agencies will quickly act upon any requests from local and State officials for assistance. And as representative for the areas that were the hardest hit by this devastating flood, I will continue to communicate the needs of the Las Vegas community to Federal agencies. The people of Las Vegas have banded together to help one another during this time of dire need for many of our residents. Now is the time for our Federal Government to come into Southern Nevada and lend a helping hand to a community ravaged by flood.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to America's working men and women. I come from a working family. I come from a union family. I know what it is like to worry whether one's paycheck is going to stretch to the next one. I know what it is like to be laid off. I strongly support organized labor because my father was able to put a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, a good car in our garage, food on our table, and two daughters through college and law school because of the union wages he earned in Las Vegas. Madam Speaker, 37 years ago my family arrived in Las Vegas with all of our possessions in a U-Haul hooked up to the back of the car. My dad joined the culinary union and landed a job as a waiter at the old Sands Hotel on the Las Vegas strip. That union job was the greatest break my family ever received. It opened the doors to opportunity for all of us. I am the first person in my family to go to college. I worked my way through college and law school. I waitressed at the Sands Hotel, ran keno at the Desert Inn, and cocktail waitressed at the Hacienda, the Aladdin and Holiday Casino, all on the Las Vegas strip. Each of these union jobs contributed to my ability to put myself through college and law school. Let me tell my colleagues, I am just one of hundreds of thousands of fellow Nevadans who have benefited from the positive influence of organized labor in my town. Almost without exception, the major employers of the thriving resort industry in Las Vegas have recognized that their industry and the entire city has grown strong because of good wages and good working conditions that good labor contracts have created. The prosperity of Las Vegas, built by the strong minds and backs of working men and women, can serve as a model for other parts of the country. First and foremost, trade unions build strong families. America needs families earning a decent living, wages good enough to afford that home, that car, and an education for their children. That is how we grow the American economy. Madam Speaker, I want our workers to have jobs free from the threats of raids on our family leave and our medical leave, free from raids on Social Security and Medicare, and free from raids on the right of every worker to collective bargaining. This country is better off for a 5-day work week, overtime pay, paid holidays and vacations, health insurance, child labor laws, and a minimum wage, all won by organized labor. Organized labor is vital to the well-being of our country, our families, and our communities. It makes a positive difference for all of us, and that is why, that is why I join in this week's celebration of organized labor.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, the President of the Republic of China recently made a statement which I believe would be of interest to my colleagues. On June 7th, President Lee Teng-hui announced that the Republic of China will donate US $300 million to help Kosovar refugees rebuild their homes. More than 782,000 ethnic Albanians have been forced to leave Kosovo since Yugoslav troops began ethnic cleansing in the region. Among them, 443,000 refugees fled to Albania and some 247,000 swarmed to Macedonia. The aid package will include emergency supplies for Kosovar refugees and contributions to long-term reconstruction efforts by the international community in Kosovo now that a peace plan has been accepted. Moreover, it also offers to arrange for Kosovar refugees to receive short-term technical training in Taiwan. Mr. Speaker, I commend the Republic of China as a member of the world community for their continued commitment to protecting and promoting human rights. The announcement was both timely and insightful, fully demonstrating the ROC's concern for peace in the world. I submit the text of President Lee Teng-hui's statement to be printed in the Record. Presidential Statement Regarding Assistance to Kosovar Refugees The huge numbers of Kosovar casualties and refugees from the Kosovo area resulting from the NATO-Yugoslavia conflict in the Balkans have capture close world-wide attention. From the very outset, the government of the ROC has been deeply concerned and we are carefully monitoring the situation's development. We in the Republic of China were pleased to learn last week that Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milosevic has accepted the peace plan for the Kosovo crisis proposed by the Group of Eight countries, for which specific peace agreements are being worked out. The Republic of China wholeheartedly looks forward to the dawning of peace on the Balkans. For more than two months, we have been concerned about the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Kosovar refugees who were forced to flee to other countries, particularly from the vantage point of our emphasis on protecting human rights. We thereby organized a Republic of China aid mission to Kosovo. Carrying essential relief items, the mission made a special trip to the refugee camps in Macedonia to lend a helping hand. Today, as we anticipate a critical moment of forth-coming peace, I hereby make the following statement to the international community on behalf of all the nationals of the Republic of China: As a member of the world community committed to protecting and promoting human rights, the Republic of China would like to develop further the spirit of humanitarian concern for the Kosovar refugees living in exile as well as for the war-torn areas in dire need of reconstruction. We will provide a grant aid equivalent to about US $300 million. The aid will consist of the following: 1. Emergency support for food, shelters, medical care, and education, etc for the Kosovar refugees, living in exile in neighboring countries. 2. Short-term accommodations for some of the refugees in Taiwan, with opportunities of job training in order for them to be better equipped for the restoration of their homeland upon their return. 3. Furthermore, support the rehabilitation of the Kosovo area in coordination with international long-term recovery programs when the peace plan is implemented. We earnestly hope that the above-mentioned aid will contribute to the promotion of the peace plan for Kosovo. I wish all the refugees an early return to their safe and peaceful Kosovo homes.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time. We are in the middle of a historic national dialogue on how to reduce violence in our society and make America a safer place for children to grow up. I believe that the more this dialogue is about finding solutions, and the less it is about fixing blame, the more productive the dialogue will be. Simply blaming the entertainment industry for youth violence is not productive any more than simply blaming schools or blaming young people in general is productive. Our job is to find practical, effective solutions to the problems of youth violence. The debate today has largely focused on movies, television, and the Internet and video games. Yes, we should encourage the entertainment companies to take any and all steps to prevent objectionable, violent material from getting into the hands of children. Certainly we should support policies that empower parents to know the contents of movies and video games and help them to steer their kids away from violent, debasing entertainment and towards wholesome and productive pursuits. But we must not fail to address issues that I strongly believe strike nearer to the root of the problem of youth violence. I am deeply saddened that the Committee on Rules struck down an amendment that would have made a giant step in the right direction. I join my fellow Democrats in urging that the juvenile justice bill do more to help our local communities and local districts to help our kids keep out of trouble when they are most at risk, immediately after school. Yet the Republican leadership said no to providing the resources that will help our kids by providing wholesome and productive after-school activities for our children. Democrats called for tripling the amount of Federal support for after-school programs, including tutoring and mentoring and healthy recreational activities. We called for filling in the risky hours of the days, the hours after school while the opportunity for more youngsters to improve their schoolwork, grow as responsible citizens, learn values, and build stronger minds and bodies. To me, that seems like a practical and effective solution to the pathology that leads to youth violence. But the Republican leadership said no. Now I fear that we are on the verge of a marathon demonization of the entertainment industry, a tactic of limited value, especially compared to the real-world practical and effective strategies such as tutoring and mentoring, counseling, and wholesome recreation. We can rest assured that if we do not make it a national priority to provide for our young people activities that are wholesome and necessary for them to grow into strong, healthy adults, that they will be prey to the temptations of the streets and to other destructive influences. I urge my colleagues to rein in the urge to simply assess blame to the entertainment industry. Let us all work together as parents. Let us instead focus on protecting our youth by providing the resources they need, especially in the high-risk after-school hours.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of the McCarthy amendment to preserve the Second Amendment.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the Dingell amendment and in support of the McCarthy and the Campbell-Conyers amendment. Extension of the 3-day background check to guns purchased at gun shows is fair and sensible and will close a glaring loophole in our gun laws.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Chairman, I am not opposed to this amendment, but I ask unanimous consent to be recognized to control debate time.

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) for offering this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Goss amendment to provide additional judgeships for Florida, Arizona, and Nevada, clearly the three neediest States in the country. As the representative of southern Nevada, I stand before you today to demonstrate how great our need is for more judges. Nevada is ranked second out of 94 in the Nation for caseload per judge and first in the Ninth Circuit. Nevada is third in the Nation for growth of civil cases per judge and eighth for felony cases. In 1998 a total of 863 cases were filed in Nevada, almost double the national average of 467 cases. Nevada is fifth in the country for pending cases. If a constituent in my district files a lawsuit today, that case will not be heard until January of the year 2002. Other citizens across the United States have only to wait 9 months for justice. The reason for this delay in Nevada is that we do not have enough judges for this extraordinary caseload. And justice delayed is justice denied. The Goss amendment would give much needed relief to our overworked system. The two judgeships provided for Nevada would be the first additions to our judicial circuits since 1984. While Nevada has not seen an increase in the number of judges in its Federal courts in 15 years, Nevada's population has almost tripled. It is imperative that our judicial system is expanded to handle this explosive growth. With 5000 new residents pouring into southern Nevada every single month with no end in sight, this crisis in our judicial system will only get worse if we do not address it today. Because of the dynamic commercial development in southern Nevada we have some of the most complex and difficult cases in the Nation. Southern Nevada is truly a microcosm of our Nation's judicial system. Whatever can be found in the United States will be found in my district tenfold. As an attorney I can tell my colleagues that our judges handle complex antitrust cases, intricate security litigation and a wide array of employment discrimination cases and civil rights cases. They also hear an unusually high number of fraud and criminal cases. We need these additional judgeships. Mr. Chairman, this is an emergency amendment to handle an emergency situation. If Members review the facts, they will see that there are solid reasons why Florida, Arizona and Nevada are distinguished from the other jurisdictions. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to provide this relief. Let us pass the Goss amendment and ensure that our judicial courts can continue operating with the goal of protecting all of our citizens.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge that the administration immediately move forward to establish a United States embassy in Jerusalem. It has been 4 years since Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. That act requires that the U.S. embassy must be moved to Jerusalem from its current location in Tel Aviv no later than May 31, 1999. That deadline passed last week. It is most regrettable that the administration is in the process of considering exercising its waiver option to again delay moving the embassy to Israel's capital city. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Around the globe, it is the policy of the United States to place its embassies in capital cities. But Israel is the glaring exception to this policy. There is no plausible reason for this glaring exception. It is vitally important that the administration act now to move the embassy, because the final status negotiations of the Middle East peace process which are in their initial stages will include talks about Jerusalem. It is imperative to establish now the U.S. conviction that realistic negotiations must be based on the principle that Jerusalem is the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and must remain united forever. If the embassy remains in Tel Aviv, it would encourage the Palestinians to persist in unrealistic expectations regarding Jerusalem and thus reduce the chances of reaching an agreement. I urge the administration to follow the lead of Congress and establish the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem where it rightfully belongs now.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of Las Vegas' most outstanding physicians and community leaders, Dr. Rachakonda D. Prabhu, on the occasion of his knighthood by the Order of St. John, a leading ecumenical organization that provides charity worldwide and whose members are descendants of royalty and nobility. Born in Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Prabhu is the first Asian American to receive this prestigious honor. Dr. Prabhu earned this high honor because of his dedication to the field of medicine. Among his numerous contributions, Dr. Prabhu is, most notably, the founder of the Lung Institute of Nevada. In addition, Dr. Prabhu has operated a successful private practice for the past twenty years and has served as assistant professor of medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He is also a fellow of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and serves on the government liaison committee of the American College of Chest Physicians. Over the years, Dr. Prabhu has also proven a tireless advocate of the sick and leader in the community by offering free health clinics in various parts of Southern Nevada. He is truly a hero to many in my district. I am pleased to report that on April 16, 1999, the honor of knighthood was bestowed on Dr. Prabhu by Prince Henri Constantine Paleologo of Cannes, France, the Imperial and Royal Highness of the Order. The ceremony took place at the order's annual Imperial Byzantine Ball in the Montego Room of the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. At this time, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this extraordinary American who sets the standard for civic virtue, not only in Las Vegas, Nevada but throughout our Nation.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, every Member of Congress knows firsthand the control that money has over our electoral process, and what is worse, the American people know firsthand the control that money has over our electoral process. The money spent on last November's election totaled $1 billion. This is an outrageous sum that hurts our democracy and it hurts our constituents. If voters are disgusted and turned off by the excesses in campaign financing they will not vote, and make no mistake, voters are disgusted. They are turned off and they are not voting. Our constituents deserve better. The American people deserve better. Let us ban soft money and stop the attack ads disguised as issue advocacy soft money pays for. Let us strengthen the Federal Election Commission and give it the teeth it needs to enforce campaign finance laws. This Congress must act to restore confidence and participation in our electoral system. Last month my colleagues and I signed a discharge petition to demand that Congress take up the important issue of campaign finance reform. The very fact that as Members of Congress we must petition our government speaks volumes and is a testament to the control money has over our electoral process. We must prove to our constituents that we are serious about real reform. We must make sure that our political system represents everyone, not just those that can afford it.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am dismayed about the news articles this week erroneously reporting on the gaming industry. For the benefit of my colleagues, I want to set the record straight. I offer my comments on behalf of the more than 700,000 Americans who are employed by legal and well-regulated gaming. One recent article alleged that the gaming industry has caused major problems in our society and that it exploits the public. Another article includes the allegation that the only people who go to casinos are elderly Social Security recipients. These unfounded and outrageous allegations are a product of what objective researchers call the circle of disinformation about the gaming industry, disinformation spawned by a clique of antigaming zealots. Unfortunately, this disinformation finds its way into the press, misleading the public and hurting the reputation of each of the 700,000 Americans employed by the industry. Gaming must be the most studied industry in the United States, and study after study shows that the industry's customers come from all age groups, all geographic areas and from all walks of life. They choose legal gaming as a part of their leisure activities. And study after study shows that, by a large margin, Americans firmly believe that people should be allowed to participate in gaming if they so choose to do so. Academic studies also show that legal gaming does not cause society's problems. To the contrary, the research on the benefits of the industry to the communities are lengthy and convincing. Tens of thousands of gaming employees are in good jobs rather than being on welfare and on food stamps. Two-thirds of the gaming employees report they have better health care because of their jobs in gaming. More than 40 percent say they have better access to day care as a result of employment in the gaming industry. The industry has a payroll approaching $9 billion, generating tremendous community economic benefits. Gaming employees buy houses and cars and appliances. In many areas, they have ignited economic booms. For example, my hometown of Las Vegas now ranks in the top three best cities to start up a business because of favorable taxes, a lower crime rate, job growth and recreational facilities and civic pride, all stimulated by a robust gaming economy. I encourage my colleagues to look closely at the well-documented facts about the gaming industry, rather than being influenced by the distortions that come from a circle of disinformation. I can use myself as an example, having been raised in Las Vegas. My family moved there 38 years ago. My dad was able to get a job and, because of the robust economy that the gaming industry provided Las Vegas, he managed to put a roof over our head, food on the table, clothes on our back and two daughters through college and law school. The reason for that was a robust economy fueled by the gaming industry. I ask my colleagues to look to me as an example, look to my family, look to my parents, and look to my children as cited as examples of what good community gaming can foster.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, not only are the nuclear power industry lobbyists trying to conquer common sense with dollars in Congress, they are trying to do the same thing to the entertainment industry. I was shocked and dismayed to read in The Washington Post TV column that NBC has caved in to nuclear industry pressure and politely changed the name of the atomic train's cargo from nuclear waste to hazardous materials. What semantic nonsense. If anyone is able to tell the difference between the two, it would be the people of the State of Nevada, who are fighting a bill that would dump all of the Nation's nuclear waste in our backyard, 77,000 tons of it. This just is not Nevada's fight. Most of America would be put at risk by H.R. 45, the Nuclear Waste Transport bill. On April 28 I sent a ``Dear Colleague'' letter to my fellow Members of Congress, pointing out that although the movie is fiction, the threat is real. Let me ask my colleagues this: When the first inevitable crash occurs, where would they want to be living? Would they want to be living in that neighborhood? I challenge NBC to stand up for public health and safety rather than caving in to the nuclear power industry lobbyists.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts with him for Tourism Week. I represent the most unique district in the United States. I represent the City of Las Vegas. It is the fastest growing community in the United States. I have got the fastest growing school age population, the fastest growing senior population, the fastest growing veterans population. I have got the fastest growing Hispanic population, the fastest growing Asian population, and the fastest growing Jewish population in the United States. The reason that thousands of people, that is, 5,000 new residents a month are pouring into Las Vegas is because of the incredible strength of our economy, and our economy is based on one industry, the tourism industry. In my home State of Nevada tourism is the very life blood of our economy. We owe our incredible quality of life and our thriving economy to one industry, and that is the tourism industry. More than one-third of our jobs in Nevada, over 315,000, are created by tourism. In addition to gaming, world class hotels, spectacular entertainment, fine dining, and the wonders of the Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam and the Red Rock Canyon, visitors to Las Vegas have the opportunity to experience the majesty of the Grand Canyon by taking air tours that depart from my district. Without air tours, many of these travelers who come to Las Vegas solely to see the Grand Canyon would never have the opportunity to experience the grandeur of the Grand Canyon due to a disability or some other constraint which would prevent them from viewing the Grand Canyon and enjoying its splendor. Yet the air tour industry could be put out of business if an ill-advised provision of H.R. 1000 is passed. It would force the industry to meet impossible sound standards for no good environmental or esthetic reasons. I urge the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) to join me in opposition to this provision so that travelers may continue to enjoy the Grand Canyon from the air, in addition to all the other wonders that my great district has to offer. And I want to thank the gentleman from Florida, and I will be glad to share with him any other thoughts that he would like me to on this issue.

Ms. BERKLEY. Well, as my colleague knows, a very interesting statistic: In 1900 the census showed that there were 30 residents in the Las Vegas Valley. Now we boast of 1.2 million. It has been a remarkable, remarkable growth area, and that is primarily because our area is for tourism, it is a destination resort area, and the tourism industry has played an incredible and indispensable role in making Las Vegas what it is today. And when we have 30 million visitors a year coming to Las Vegas to enjoy what we have to offer, we invite the rest of the country to come to Las Vegas and enjoy the wonderful scenery that we have, the magnificent hotels that we have. And as my colleague knows, if he comes to the Las Vegas strip he can see pyramids, he can see the City of Paris, he can see the City of Venice, he can see medieval castles and New York, New York, a replica of the City of New York, the City of New Orleans. It is just the most spectacular place. And I will boast this: Our pyramids, our medieval castles, our City of Paris, our City of Venice, and New York, New York are better than the originals. So I invite my colleague to come out and see it for himself.

Ms. BERKLEY. Well, if I can share something with my colleague for one half a minute more, Las Vegas has not been known as a cultural Mecca; however, with the addition of the Beloagio Art Museum I can tell him that it has added significantly to our culture. And my own children, who have studied art in school, we took them to the Beloagio Art Museum, and as soon as my children walked into the facility they were able to pick out Monets, Picassos, Renoirs, and they never would have had an opportunity to see these magnificent works of art up close and personal if not for the Beloagio bringing them to our fair city. So I invite my colleague from Florida to come out and not only see all those other wonderful things, but see a wonderful art collection as well.

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, that is very true, and I grew up in Las Vegas. My family moved there 38 years ago, and I have two wonderful children that are also growing up in Las Vegas. When I first moved to town, Las Vegas was a destination where many families did not think of coming. But today I can tell my colleague it is an entirely different environment. We have some of the most magnificent hotels in the world that cater to children, cater to families and have made our community family-friendly, and I can tell my colleague that when it comes to my children, my parents who also live in Las Vegas, when they take the grandchildren for an afternoon, most times they take them to the Las Vegas strip so they can enjoy the many attractions that are designed specifically for children and for families who come to my wonderful community.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of Las Vegas' most outstanding seniors on the occasion of her 78th birthday. Ms. Pauline Goldmann and her husband Bill retired to southern Nevada in June 1978. Although Bill died in 1991, Pauline remains one of the most active and influential seniors in Las Vegas. Throughout her life, Pauline has been a tireless advocate for working Americans. Among their many accomplishments in the battle for workers' rights, Pauline and Bill's first fight succeeded in allowing auto workers the right to leave the assembly line to use the restroom. Believe it or not, this was an unprecedented victory for auto workers. Pauline also organized the United Auto Workers Retirees Council, which remains one of Las Vegas' most vibrant and active senior groups. In addition, Pauline was instrumental in organizing the Paradise Democratic Club and the National Council of Senior Citizens, and she was a founding member of Seniors United. With all of these commitments, Pauline still finds time to be an active member of the Nevada Senior Coalition, the Executive boards of the Nevada State Democratic Party, and the UCLA Genealogy Board. Pauline was also appointed by Governor Bob Miller to serve on the Silver Haired Legislative Forum. This group, comprised of seniors from all over the state, makes recommendations to the State Government regarding senior needs and services. Pauline has been recognized by the AFL-CIO for her political volunteerism, as well as being named the Outstanding Grass Roots Democrat of 1991 by the Paradise Democratic Club. Pauline was also honored as the Family Care Giver of the Year in 1991 and was appointed to the White House Conference on Aging in 1995 by U.S. Senator Richard Bryan. At the age of 78, Pauline is one busy lady, attending meeting after meeting in Las Vegas. She is well- respected and sets the highest standards of civic participation. Time and again, Pauline has proven her dedication to working families and seniors. Southern Nevada has the fastest-growing seniors population in the country, so, to all the new seniors moving to Las Vegas, I would like to say one thing--you could not be luckier to have someone as devoted as Pauline working on your behalf. At this time, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this outstanding senior who sets the standard for civic virtue, not only in Las Vegas, Nevada but throughout our Nation.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, this Congress is on the verge of making a monumental mistake. As we speak, the House Committee on Commerce is trying to pass legislation that would dump more than 70,000 tons of lethal nuclear waste just 90 miles from my hometown, Las Vegas, home to over 1 million men, women, and children. What is worse, this bill proposes to move this waste on our Nation's highways and rail lines through 43 States through the backyards of 50 million Americans. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that this mobile Chernobyl will create between 200 and 400 potential deadly nuclear accidents. I ask my colleagues if such an accident occurred in their district and they voted for this legislation, what possible explanation could they give their constituents? Who would they send to clean up the radioactive mess, or care for the radioactive injured? There is an alternative. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has come up with a good plan to keep the deadly radioactive waste off our Nation's highways and railways. He wants the Energy Department to take control of nuclear waste at our Nation's reactor sites. Please vote against this horrible mobile Chernobyl before it causes a nuclear accident.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, when I last rose to speak, I told you a little bit about my district. I represent southern Nevada which is Las Vegas, Nevada. I represent the fastest growing district in the United States. I have the fastest growing veterans' population. I also have the fastest growing population of women seniors in the country. Women comprise over 60 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries. Therefore, women in Nevada would feel significantly the impact of any changes to the current Social Security system. It is my job, it is my responsibility to ensure that their financial security is not undermined. Instead, that it is strengthened. Like most Nevada women, I fear that privatization of the Social Security system would risk the retirement benefits of millions of female beneficiaries throughout the country. As an example, I would like to profile someone that I have known since I was a young girl, a woman that I represent who lives in Las Vegas. Mrs. Lois Olsen is currently existing on her and her husband's Social Security benefits. Sadly, her wonderful husband Fred is suffering a life-threatening illness, a toxic reaction to his medication. He is in the hospital as I speak. During this difficult time, Mrs. Olsen is thinking about how she would live if she were to lose her husband and half of her benefits. Will she be able to afford the upkeep of her mobile home? Will she have to choose one day between buying food to eat or prescription drugs to live? While these are agonizing concerns, Mrs. Olsen knows that the current Social Security system will not allow her to plummet into poverty. Mrs. Olsen, however, is not so sure about the future, not so sure how privatization of the Social Security system would affect her daughters and her granddaughters. She fears privatization, because it lacks the built-in protections for women that our current system now has. There are reasons why our Social Security system is the most successful social insurance program in the world. It provides a guaranteed benefit that lasts as long as you live. It is a guaranteed benefit that is risk-free. And it is a guaranteed benefit that is annually updated based on the cost of living adjustments. Strengthening Social Security based on these fundamental components may not be easy, but the majority of southern Nevadans believe that a risk-free, guaranteed benefit is worth fighting for. It is worth working for. They all cannot be here to fight for this issue and to work for this issue. They have sent me here as their voice. That is why what we do not want to happen is have a privatization solution that puts women in particular in uncertain and unstable situations during their senior years. There are substantive reasons why women fear privatization. Women earn only about 74 percent of what men earn. Based on this factor alone, women like Mrs. Olsen would have much less to invest than any other Americans. We also know that women spend roughly 11.5 years out of the workforce caring for their children and their families. This reduces retirement benefits once again. Finally, it is well known that women live an average of 7 years longer than men. These factors dictate that women would receive far smaller monthly retirement checks should we privatize the Social Security system. Without Social Security benefits, the majority of elderly women in our great Nation would be plummeted into poverty. At this time, when Congress is considering Social Security reform, it is important that we remember the spirit and the reason for which it was created. It is a guaranteed benefit to ensure that when someone like Mrs. Olsen retires, she will not live in poverty. It is a guaranteed benefit to ensure that when heart-wrenching circumstances like death and disability, when they occur, and they unfortunately do, that the surviving spouse will have means to survive. I urge my colleagues to stand firm, to protect and strengthen our current Social Security system that President Franklin Roosevelt vowed would defend Americans against a poverty-ridden old age. When one realizes that two out of every three seniors depend on Social Security for more than half of their income, it is easy to understand why we must strengthen this program. It is our Nation's most successful social program. It is worth saving. It is worth protecting. It is worth fighting for. Let us prove to all of our constituents, to all Americans, that we can work together for the common good. Let us protect women, seniors, the disabled and our children, all of whom depend on this very important program. The people of my district, the people from Las Vegas, like to gamble. We are used to it. But Social Security is an issue that they are not willing to gamble with. Privatization of the Social Security system would be like playing Russian roulette with their lives. Their lives are important enough and valued enough for us in this country that we must not play Russian roulette with them. My constituents have sent me a message loud and clear. They tell me, Do not privatize Social Security. Do nothing that will take the ``security'' out of Social Security.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the veterans in my district, Congressional District 1 in the State of Nevada. I represent Las Vegas, Nevada. Let me tell my colleagues a little bit about it. I have got the fastest growing district in the United States. I have the fastest growing veterans population in the United States. There are only three States that have an increasing veterans population in this country: Florida, Arizona and the State of Nevada. A preponderance of those veterans that are moving to those three States are coming to the State of Nevada. Let me tell my colleagues what the problems are. First, I will tell my colleagues during my campaign the veterans took me under their wing and educated me about the problems that they are facing. We developed a relationship that transcends politics, and we become very close family, we become friends, and I have come here to be an advocate on their behalf. In the State of Nevada, in southern Nevada, we have a wonderful new veterans' clinic, we have a wonderful new hospital, we have wonderful state-of-the-art equipment, and we have a brand new cemetery. Let me tell my colleagues what we do not have. We do not have enough doctors, and there is not enough funding to hire doctors. I have got incidents after incidents of older veterans who come to the clinic because they have medical problems and they cannot get in to see a doctor. I have one incident of a veteran that has a lump, and when he went to the veterans' clinic to have a biopsy, he was told that he could not see a doctor, he could not get that biopsy for 5 months. Nobody, nobody, should have to go through the pain and anguish of not knowing what their medical condition is, particularly a veteran who has given so much and sacrificed so much on behalf of this country. We do not have enough nurses in Nevada. I do not have enough technicians to work that wonderful new equipment. So the medical equipment that would help these veterans sits idle because there is no one that knows how to work the equipment. I have a wonderful new cemetery, as I stated, but let me tell my colleagues I do not have enough equipment and there is not enough personnel to bury those veterans that are dying in southern Nevada, and as our veterans population ages, as those veterans keep coming to retire in southern Nevada, what am I to tell those families that are suffering because they have just lost a loved one? Do I tell that family during their most horrible time of need that we cannot bury their loved one because we do not have enough personnel at the cemetery? We do not have enough equipment to do this last act of honor for this great veteran? I cannot in good conscience do that. Mr. Speaker, I do not have enough money for counselors, so when I have veterans that are coming to southern Nevada that need counseling because they have got a drug abuse problem, because they are suffering from alcoholism or they are roaming the streets of southern Nevada, downtown Las Vegas, because they are homeless that we do not have enough caring in this country, we do not have enough concern for these veterans to make sure that we do not have adequate counseling and help in their time of need? The President's flat line budget that he submitted to Congress was wholly inadequate to serve the needs of the veterans in this country. I am opposed to it, but I fear that the meager increase that we have proposed here in Congress is also inadequate to meet the needs of our veterans in this country. The $1.9 billion that has been passed by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, a committee that I sit on and am honored to serve on, will not begin to make a dent in the problems that we are suffering and we are facing in southern Nevada. I ask all of my colleagues to join with me to vote in favor of the alternative proposal, one that is supported by all of the veterans groups across our great country, to add $3.2 billion to the President's budget so that we can finally provide the services that our veterans justly deserve, that we have a responsibility to provide and one that all Americans who owe these great veterans our lives, our liberties and our American way of life. Let us unite together and help our veterans in their hour of need.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk a little bit about the district that I represent. I represent southern Nevada, which is the fastest growing district in the United States. I have 5,000 new residents pouring into southern Nevada every month. We have the fastest growing school-age population in the United States. We need to have school construction in order to keep up with the unprecedented growth. We have 1,200 students for every school in southern Nevada. That is twice the national average. We have 210,000 people in our school district. These students are being educated in trailers, they are being educated in portables. I say, Mr. Speaker, that this is not an appropriate place for our students in America to be educated. They are crying out for better educational opportunities. I believe education is a nonpartisan issue and should be approached in that manner. Our goal should be to prepare our students for the next millennium, for the great challenges that lie ahead in our global economy. I ask the people on the other side of the aisle to join with us in order to do what is right for our American students.

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. We are doing some, but not half enough. And if we could get some help from the Federal Government in order to do that, that would be absolutely wonderful. Another important thing is, of course, the summer school programs. Because the very students that need the summer school programs are often those who can ill afford them, and if they have to pay for the summer school program then those students who actually need it might not have the opportunity. Those are the issues that I find very, very important and compelling; and those are the reasons that I came to Congress, in order to make sure that the people of southern Nevada are protected. Mr. Speaker, if I may have one more minute, the education that I received in southern Nevada was wonderful. It was wonderful for the life that I am leading today. It will be obsolete for the life that my children are leading. It is important for us as the leaders of this country to make sure that the students that are going through school now will have the tools and the opportunities that they need in order to succeed in the 21st century. We have a golden opportunity in this country to make a difference, make a difference in the lives of millions of children that are crying out for help, crying out for quality education, crying out for a good life. I, for one, am going to join with the gentleman from North Carolina to do everything I can to make sure that these students are taken care of so that they can take our places in the 21st century and lead this country to a new horizon and new beginning and greater heights.

Ms. BERKLEY. Interestingly enough, I go home every weekend. Last weekend I was home, and I had an opportunity to read. It was Reading Readiness Week, and, of course, in Las Vegas we are working very hard to read to our children and give parents an opportunity to read to our children as well. I was one of those people who went into the classroom to read to a group of kindergarten students, and I can say that not only were the kindergarten students absolutely superb to read to, but I was particularly impressed with their teachers and the amount of training necessary in order to be able to pass on the skills that these children are going to need. So, Mr. Speaker, I am very, very excited. When I look at those kindergartners, when I look at my own children, I can only imagine what a magnificent life they have ahead of them. But before they can have any life at all, we need to make sure that they have the tools to prepare them to lead the life that they are going to be leading in the 21st century. And as the gentleman has so correctly demonstrated in his comments, that technology component is so vital. In order to not only succeed in the 21st century, but merely to survive in the 21st century, they are going to need to have those skills. And if we do not give them to our students while they are in school now, I am afraid they are going to be terribly disadvantaged and unable to compete in the global world that we now live in.