Judy Biggert

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Madam Chairman, I question whether this amendment is needed. But I do want to express my strong support for H.R. 2, the Student Results Act, which includes a provision that will have a direct and positive impact on the estimated one million homeless children and youth in our Nation. Being without a home should not mean being without an education. Yet, that is what ``homelessness'' means for far too many of our children and youth today. Congress recognized the importance of education to homeless youth when it enacted in 1987, the McKinney Education Program. But despite the progress made over the past decade, we know that homeless children continue to miss out on what often is the only source of stability and promise in their lives, school attendance. H.R. 2 strengthens the McKinney program by incorporating the innovative provisions contained in my legislation, the McKinney Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act. This bill will ensure that a homeless child is immediately enrolled in school. That means no red tape, no waiting for paperwork and no bureaucratic delays. It gives a homeless student the choice of enrolling in the nearest school or in the school he or she attended before becoming homeless. It also improves the way the Department of Education collects its data so that we no longer use unreliable figures that likely underreport the numbers of homeless students. It allows States to select a homeless education ombudsman whose sole job is to help homeless children and youth. And lastly, it authorizes the McKinney program for another 5 years. Homelessness is and will likely be for the immediate future a part of our society. But being homeless should not limit a child's opportunity to learn. I commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) as well as the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for understanding this and for addressing in the bill before us the needs of homeless children. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Student Results Act.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2000 District of Columbia Appropriations Act. I also urge President Clinton to take a firm stand against illicit drug use by signing this legislation into law when it arrives there. Drug users today are no longer strangers relegated to dingy houses and back alleys. Drug users are too often our friends, colleagues, and family members. The Congressional Research Service estimates that 11 million Americans purchase illegal drugs and use them more than once a month. The FBI estimates that State and local authorities arrested roughly 1.5 million individuals for drug-related crimes in 1997. What is more, drug use is often a factor in cases of domestic abuse, child abuse, and mental illness. Given these troubling numbers, I believe the President's decision last month to veto this legislation set an extremely bad precedent. While overcoming the challenge of drugs is a formidable task, it can be done. It will take resolve. It will take tough choices. It calls for bold leadership on the part of our political leaders. I urge my colleagues to vote to send this bill to the President.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, starting today, the men and women and children of Chicagoland can breathe easier, thanks to the innovative and cooperative efforts of BP Amoco and General Motors. These two responsible corporate citizens today will announce that cleaner burning, low-sulfur gasoline will be distributed by Amoco and BP service stations throughout the Chicagoland area. The resulting emissions reductions will be equivalent to removing 70,500 cars from Chicagoland's highways each day. That is more than three times the number of cars that enter Chicago on the Kennedy Expressway each day during the morning rush hour. BP Amoco and GM are not waiting for government mandates, they are not waiting for consumer demand, they are not waiting for someone else to take the lead, and they are not waiting for air quality in Chicago to get better on its own. To top things off, BP Amoco will continue to use ethanol in the Chicagoland area. They have chosen to support the farmers of America's heartland while improving the air quality of our cities. Thanks to their innovative corporate partnership, BP Amoco and General Motors are working to address air quality issues using new and creative approaches.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2990, the Quality Care for the Uninsured Act. Reducing the number of uninsured Americans is one of the biggest challenges facing this Congress. My predecessor, Harris Fawell, worked tirelessly toward expanding access to care for those who are currently uninsured. Congressman Fawell's good work continues with this bill, H.R. 2990. By combining free market reforms with health care tax provisions, this bill expands access to affordable insurance for individuals and small businesses across the country. We in Congress have a responsibility to make it easier, not more difficult, for small businesses to offer health insurance. H.R. 2990 will go a long way towards reaching this goal. Mr. Speaker, we should not let this opportunity pass us by. I ask all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2723, the Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Act. Mr. Chairman, I have heard much talk in this chamber about what is wrong in the area of private health insurance. Members from both sides of the aisle have concentrated on what is wrong with HMOs and ignored the many good things that have happened and are happening in private health care. What I think we are forgetting is that employers are voluntarily providing health insurance coverage for their employees. What we are also forgetting is that our employee-based system of health care has been the best in the world and most employees are pleased with their care. Mr. Chairman, I fear that what we are doing today will jeopardize millions of employees who are satisfied with both the cost and protection offered by their plans. Employers throughout my district tell me the risk of liability will drive them out of the health care business. They will simply give their employees a check. Who loses then? Employees. Without the ability to negotiate the lower rates secured by their employers, employees will be forced to pay rates double or triple for the same coverage. Mr. Chairman, the challenge we face today is encouraging more employers to offer health insurance, not fewer. We need access and accountability, but reform should preserve our ability to offer more cost-effective quality health care, not less. I am afraid the bill offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) will produce the latter. I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 2723.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, a report released in August by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General revealed hundreds of cases in which Federal inmates used prison telephones to commit serious crimes, including murder, drug trafficking, witness tampering, and fraud. Although the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been aware of this problem for some time, it has not taken sufficient steps to address the abuse of Federal prison telephone systems. To help the Bureau undertake immediate and meaningful action to correct these problems, I am introducing the Federal telephone abuse reduction act. My bill requires the Bureau of Prisons to implement changes to efficiently target and increase the monitoring of inmate conversations. It will also refocus officers to detect and deter crimes committed by inmates using Federal telephones. I urge my colleagues to join me in squarely addressing what appears to be widespread inmate abuse of prison telephones and cosponsor the Federal telephone abuse reduction act.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lewis).

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), my friend and colleague and sponsor of this important legislation.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1451, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act, sponsored by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood). H.R. 1451 authorizes a 15-member commission to begin national planning for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of our Nation's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. This commission would be authorized for 4 years and is charged with developing and reporting to Congress recommendations on activities that appropriately honor this great man and his accomplishments. Let me borrow from a line from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and say that it is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. It goes without saying that Abraham Lincoln was one of our greatest, if not the greatest, Presidents of the United States. Lincoln led our country through its most challenging time, the Civil War. He was a man who sought to unite rather than to divide, urging a nation battered by war to ``bind up its wounds.'' Perhaps most importantly, he was a man who stood on principle and believed in the greatness of this Nation and its people. Abraham Lincoln's every word and action were based on the founding principle of our Nation, that all are created equal, and none can be denied their natural rights by government or unjust laws. This principle, which forms the basis for our Declaration of Independence and the moral foundation for our Constitution, lives on today and continues to serve this country well. Mr. Speaker, Abraham Lincoln described the nobility of our experimental form of government more eloquently than any other national leader. He did so in a matter of moments on the battlefield at Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Address was a reaffirmation of the principle that no person can rightfully governor others without their consent. It was also a testimony to the greatness of our form of government and to the American people. Through his famous debates with Stephen Douglas, Lincoln reminded the citizens of my home State of Illinois, as well as those residing in other parts of the country, that there are limits to any form of government, even the democratic principle of majority rule. Lincoln opposed the doctrine of what was then called ``popular sovereignty.'' In contrast to Douglas, Lincoln recognized that a too narrow interpretation of the doctrine of majority rule could lead to the misguided conclusion if one man would enslave another, no third person should intervene. Lincoln also recognized that a house divided against itself cannot stand. He stood tall, fighting for what provided the American people a new birth of freedom. Just before an assassin ended his life, Lincoln outlined the approach to Reconstruction that would proceed, ``With malice toward none, with charity toward all.'' His spirit defines the best of the American experiment and appeals to the better angels of our nature. As we approach the new millennium, it is entirely fitting that Congress adopt this commission bill now. The principles that our declaration established and that Lincoln led us to sustain are truly timeless. Congress authorized a similar commission nearly 100 years ago. It was the recommendations of that commission that created the Lincoln Memorial which stands so prominently today in our Nation's Capital. This same commission also approved the placing of Lincoln's image on a stamp and made the day of Lincoln's birth a national holiday. H.R. 1451 carries the spirit of this commission. The commission called for on this bill will provide recommendations that will help this body recognize Lincoln's birth as well as the greatness of the man well into the next millennium. Let me add that the manager's amendment we are considering today amends the bill that was unanimously approved by the Committee on Government Reform. It authorizes four additional members of the commission, adding two each from Kentucky and Indiana. Given that Abraham Lincoln was born in Harding County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, and spent formative years in Indiana, this is an appropriate change, and I urge its adoption. This manager's amendment has also been modified to address concerns about the authority to accept gifts, bequests, and donations that have been included in the bill marked up by the Committee on Government Reform. The Committee on Ways and Means expressed concerns about that provision, and we have deleted such authority since it is not necessary to the commission's authority to make recommendations for further action. I am proud to offer this legislation, and I am proud that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood) gave me the chance to manage this bill and to be a cosponsor of the bill, and I encourage the support of all Members. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 1451.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1451) to establish the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, as amended.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1451 provides a means to begin this national period of reflection and recognition. I thank my colleagues for their eloquent and elegant words on behalf of Abraham Lincoln. I appreciated working with the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), with the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) from the minority, and my colleagues from Kentucky and Indiana to strengthen this legislation. I am proud to have brought this legislation to the floor, and I ask for the full support of all Members.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1760.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding me this time. I too would like to commend my friend and colleague the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) for her work on this bill. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 202. This bill takes a very successful program, section 202, and makes it more cost effective, easier to administer and more supportive of a good quality of life for older Americans as they age in our senior facilities. When I meet with seniors back home in Illinois, many say that the issue that concerns them most is housing and the fear that at any time it can be taken away, that they will be forced to leave their familiar surroundings. This bill attempts to lessen that fear by discouraging for-profit owners from opting out of the section 8 program, by protecting elderly and other residents, and by providing the resources States need to preserve the existing supply of affordable housing. The desire to remain in familiar surroundings does not diminish with age. H.R. 202 will help ensure that comfort and peace of mind. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 202.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, being without a home should not mean being without an education. Yet, that is what homelessness has meant for far too many of our children and youth today; red tape, lack of information, and bureaucratic delays that result in their missing school and missing the chance at a better life. That is why I rise today to introduce the McKinney Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 1999. This legislation reflects the best ideas of some of the most dedicated people throughout Illinois and nationwide: homeless advocates, educators and experts at the U.S. Department of Education. When we say the word ``student,'' what kind of individual do we envision? More than likely, the images of a youngster sitting at a desk, taking an exam, or sitting at the kitchen table doing his homework. What we do not imagine is a student who is homeless, living in a shelter or living in a car. Yet, an estimated 1 million children and youth will experience homelessness this year, a situation that has a devastating impact on their educational advancement. Congress recognized the importance of school to homeless children by establishing in 1987 the Stewart B. McKinney Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program. This program is designed to ensure that homeless children have the opportunity to enroll in and attend and succeed in school, and it has made a positive difference. Yet, today, more than 10 years after the passage of that important program, inadequacies in the Federal law inadvertently are acting as barriers to the education of homeless children. There is no better time for Congress to renew our commitment to homeless children. As the 106th Congress pushes to reauthorize our federal K through 12 education programs, we must act to ensure that all homeless children remain in school so that they acquire the skills needed to escape poverty and lead productive lives. This legislation will incorporate into federal law provisions and practices that remove the educational barriers faced by homeless youth. Several of these provisions are derived from the Illinois Education for Homeless Children State Act, which many consider to be a model for the rest of the Nation. This bill will ensure that a homeless child is immediately enrolled in school. Our bill helps to ensure that red tape does not make children miss school. The bill also allows homeless children to remain enrolled in the school they originally attended or to enroll in the one that is currently nearest to them. Homeless families move frequently because of limits on length of shelter stays, extended searches for affordable housing or employment, or to escape an abusive situation. It allows the States to select a liaison to provide resource information and resolve disputes relating to homelessness. Because many schools do not currently have a point of contact for homeless students, these children frequently go unseen and unserved. Finally, this bill strengthens the quality of local programs by making subgrants more competitive and by enhancing State and local coordination. This bill also strengthens the quality and collection of data on homeless students at the Federal level. This is particularly crucial as the lack of a uniform method of data collecting has resulted in unreliable national data and a likely underreporting of the numbers of homeless students. Mr. Speaker, Congress must take advantage of this window of opportunity to renew its commitment to helping provide homeless children with a quality education. I am a strong supporter of local control of education and believe the McKinney Homeless Education Improvements Act of 1999 meets this principle while making the best use of limited federal resources. Regrettably, homelessness is and will likely be for the immediate future a part of our society. However, being homeless should not limit a child's opportunity to learn. In closing, let me take a moment to thank Illinois State Representative Cowlishaw, as well as Sister Rose Marie Lorentzen and Diane Nilan and the Hesed House in Aurora, Illinois for bringing this issue to my attention and for their tireless work on behalf of the homeless. I also want to thank Barbara Duffield with the National Coalition for the Homeless for her help in putting together this bill; and the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), the gentlewoman from New York, (Ms. Slaughter), and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), my friends and colleagues, for being original cosponsors. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I insert the following letters for printing in the Record. Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD, August 20, 1999. Hon. Judy Biggert, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Biggert: I am writing to support your efforts to strengthen the McKinney Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act by amending it to include provisions from the Illinois State Education for Homeless Children Act. In particular, the Illinois provisions relating to the immediate enrollment of homeless children and youth, clarification of responsibilities for transportation, and the application of the Act to cover the entire duration homelessness, would be of great benefit to homeless children in Maryland. These issues still challenge our public schools as they try to meet the educational needs of homeless children and youth. A stronger federal law based on the Illinois law would assist the efforts of schools, service providers, and families in Maryland to ensure homeless children and youth's access to and success in school. In Maryland, The State Board of Education will publish on August 27, 1999 in the Maryland's Register, a set of regulations to cover programs for Homeless children. These regulations provide a standard that all school systems in Maryland must follow. I thank you for your leadership on this critical issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or need more information. Sincerely, Walter E. Varner, Specialist, Homeless Education and Neglected and Delinquent Programs, State Coordinator for Homeless Education.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my warmest congratulations to the city of Naperville and its two public libraries. For the second year in a row, the Naperville Public Libraries have been named the number one public library system in the United States when compared with other facilities of comparable size. The ranking revealed in a recent article in the magazine ``American Libraries,'' looked at factors such as collection turnover, materials expenditure per capita, periodicals per 1,000 residents, cost per circulation and circulation per full-time employment staff hour. It's time that public libraries receive more recognition. They are the great equalizer in our society as they ensure free and unlimited access to invaluable educational resources for anyone who simply has the desire to learn. Librarians and employees continually go above and beyond the call of duty with their exceptional service and commitment to provide enriching and enlightening information to everyone in the community. Libraries enhance our knowledge of ourselves and the world around us. Great libraries, like Nicols and Naper Boulevard, deserve our highest praise and recognition. Congratulations to the Naperville Public Libraries--the very best in their class

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, amid debates about urban sprawl and highway widenings, and conflict over flight patterns and regional metropolitan planning authorities--in short, while struggling against all the demands that growth makes of us--it is altogether too easy to forget the lessons of a public commons. Fortunately, it is not always so. Later this month, I will have the pleasure to participate in the groundbreaking of a wonderful new park in one of the fastest growing communities in America. Romeoville, Illinois, lies in one of the most vital centers of development anywhere. Industry, commerce and families are attracted to Romeoville. It is no wonder. The village is minutes away from major roadways and yet tightly bound in a spirit of cooperation and community. Century Park will become the village's first new community park in 25 years. It will offer baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, paths and playgrounds, picnic shelters and gazeboes, and an educational nature center. Century Park's nature center will include an educational facility that will teach children about the environment. The parks of Romeoville, though teach even more. They show how important community is to the people of this village. Though not a large city, Romeoville supports 17 parks and a large recreation center. Two years ago, a unique Park Watch program was established. Now, working together with the park district, dozens of volunteers-- including many teenagers--give time and money to help make sure their public commons remain safe and beautiful. They plant flowers, pick up garbage, even help cut the grass. Families coming together as a community: That is what the people of Romeoville will celebrate--and the lesson they will teach--when they join to dig up the first dirt of their new public land. I hope you will join me in congratulating the people and community ledaers of Romeoville as they break ground on Century Park.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell you about a celebration. This is no ordinary get-together, though. It is Celebration 2000 and it will take place at the turn of the Millennium in what I must immodestly report is one of the most vibrant communities in America-- Naperville, Illinois. Celebration 2000 will be three days of fun for the people of Naperville. This event will honor the past, while it imagines the future. The activities include fireworks, parades, banquets, dancing, theater, music, spiritual gatherings, sports and games, writing and visual arts contests, and a torchwalk to recognize each of the past ten centuries. But what will heighten the joy of the event is the community spirit that is making it happen. Naperville is the fastest growing city in America's heartland. Too often, such rapid change stretches and tears the fabric of a community. But not Naperville. This city has developed one of the liveliest downtowns you will find. It has nurtured a riverwalk that has been called the most beautiful mile-long stretch in Illinois. It has one of the best school systems anywhere. A national research group recently named Naperville as the best city in America in which to raise a child. It is truly a big city with a small town atmosphere. As you can imagine, Celebration 2000 is a gala for, by and of the people of Naperville. Next month, the names of those who made the celebration a reality will be inscribed on a beautiful millennium labyrinth and wall. These will include Mayor George Pradel and Councilwoman Mary Ellingson, the remarkable co-chairs of the Celebration 2000 committee. Along with the Naperville Millennium Tower and Carillon, which I told this House about recently, these festivities will ring in the new year with the sounds of community, abundance and joy. It is no wonder that the White House Millennium Council has designated Naperville as one of fewer than 20 cities in the entire nation as a model for others to follow. For three days, the people of Naperville will rejoice in their blessings and generosity. I know you will join me in standing to wish them all the best of happiness.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, there is growing evidence that individuals are using the Internet to trade and collect child pornography. In my district alone, police in Naperville, Illinois have made over forty Internet-related sex arrests in the past eighteen months. Although current law requires Internet companies like America Online to directly report to law enforcement incidences involving child pornography, the law is unclear as to which law enforcement agencies should receive these reports. This amounts to a scattershot approach to attacking the problem. What is needed is a central clearinghouse to ensure that all reports are acted upon swiftly. Fortunately, such a clearinghouse already exists--it's called the CyberTipline. Created by Congress, the CyberTipline gives citizens a single location to which they may report child pornography cases. Launched in 1998, the Tipline has received over 10,000 tips from the general public, leading to dozens of arrests. I believe the Internet community should fully utilize this important public service. To that end, I have introduced H.R. 2708, which allows America Online and others to use the CyberTipline when reporting incidents of child pornography. This bill has the support of law enforcement agencies, as well as the leading Internet trade association. Mr. Speaker, the best way to protect the positive, unfettered use of the Internet is to ensure that it doesn't become a sanctuary for those who prey on children. Requiring the use of the CyberTipline is a step in that direction. I urge my colleagues to join me in the fight against child sexual exploitation on the Internet and support H.R. 2708.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the community of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, as it commemorates its 75th anniversary. Clarendon Hills has accomplished much in the past 75 years, creating a congenial community that exemplifies the finest traditions and values of the American people. I, for one, take great pride in the legacy of Clarendon Hills and wish to share some of its history with you today. The legacy of Clarendon Hills extends far beyond its 75-year history, and as all those who live in close-knit communities can appreciate, the strongest roots always run deepest. This town of nearly 7,000 originated from the far-sighted endeavors of ambitious men and women as early as the 1850's, seventy years before its incorporation as a village. Clarendon Hills emerged in progressive times, and the echoes of those times resonate today within the community. Just as every New England town is centered around a church, every midwestern town is born of the railroad. As the railroad moved west of Chicago, men and women established Clarendon Hills as their home. They were people on the move, people looking to move westward, to create, and to progress. Clarendon Hills was not simply ``settled.'' It was nurtured and molded into the town we know today, one of the towns I am honored to represent in Congress as a Representative from the 13th District of Illinois. The earliest inhabitants did not wish merely to live on the land we now know as Clarendon Hills. They made the land their own not by tilling fields and cutting trees--though farming and lumber were two of Clarendon Hills' industries. Instead, this town's earliest residents fostered the sense of community we enjoy today by sowing fields and planting trees. Henry Middaugh, who arrived in 1854, did both. As streets were designed to wind with the controus of the land, Middaugh planted 11 miles of trees, which now support children's swings, shade our streets, and grace our homes. Middaugh was also unintentionally responsible for the origin of Clarendon Hills Daisy Days. He ordered fine grass seed for his field and got daisies instead. Middaugh no doubt initially was disappointed, but, true to the spirit of those pioneers, he turned adversity into a blessing. Clarendon Hills is a community that turns peat bogs into parklands-- such as Prospect Park. It is a community that retains its small, locally owned businesses--with mom and pop stores as well as chain stores. It is a community that celebrates its distinctiveness together year-round--be it during the festive Christmas Walk in December or the carefree Daisy Days in July. Those who call Clarendon Hills ``home'' are at once blessed with the atmosphere and fellowship of a small town and the vitality, creativity, and enthusiasm of a major city. It is the home of young and older families who live together, work together, and volunteer together. The best example of its public spirit comes at the Christmastime Lumanaria, where over 20,000 candles are lit, producing such brilliance that they are clearly seen from airplanes flying overheaded. People drive from distant communities to see this show of lights. The celebration, however, is more than just a display of civic pride. The town raises over $200,000 for the Chicago Infant Welfare Society through the sale of the candles. And through it all, the Burlington Northern Railroad rushes by daily; and Henry Middaugh's mansion still overlooks the meandering shaded streets. Its been said that Middaugh would stand on his cupola and look out over the town. Were he to do so today, there is no doubt in my mind that he would be proud of what he would see. As we observe the 75th anniversary of Clarendon Hills, let us remember where it began. Let us remember the many challenges and successes that formed its history. And finally, let us remember the progress of Clarendon Hills--its collective history and its shared future. This town's roots run deep, and I have no doubt that, like Middaugh's legendary daisies, Clarendon Hills will continue to grow and flourish for many years to come.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, H.J. Res. 58 is the wrong direction for us to take today. Who is hurt if we pass this resolution today? We are. It is the wrong direction for U.S. farmers and manufacturers who will not have a level playing field when they compete with their European or Japanese counterparts in Vietnam. It is the wrong direction for our joint efforts with the Vietnamese to account for the last remains of our soldiers, and to answer finally the questions of their loved ones here. And it is the wrong direction for our efforts to influence the Vietnamese people, 65 percent of whom were not even born when the war was being waged. Let us not turn the clock back on Vietnam. Let us continue to work with the Vietnamese, and in so doing teach the youthful Vietnamese the values of democracy, the principles of capitalism, and the merits of a free and open society. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to oppose the resolution revoking Normal Trade Relations for China. Many of my colleagues have said that this body should signal our disapproval of Chinese policy by denying NTR. I would caution those who seek to send such a signal to first answer one very basic question: Will your vote to revoke NTR for China today actually change the behavior of China tomorrow? Think about it. Will ending NTR free the political prisoners, reverse the abuse of human rights, and stop the persecution of religious groups? Will denying NTR teach the youth of China the values of democracy, the principles of capitalism, and the merits of a free and open society? Make no mistake; ending NTR for China will not achieve these goals. It will portend, however, the end of U.S. trade with China and the end of our influence in China. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to retain our influence and our trade relations with China by voting against the resolution today. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote against the resolution to revoke Normal Trade Relations (NTR) for China. Many of my colleagues have said that this body should signal our disapproval of Chinese policy by denying NTR. Mr. Speaker, I would caution those who seek to ``signal'' China by ending NTR to think for just one moment today about the likely consequences and first answer one very basic question. Will your vote to end NTR for China today actually change the behavior of China tomorrow? Think about it. Will ending NTR free the political prisoners, reverse the abuse of human rights, and stop the persecution of religious groups? Will denying NTR bolster the moderates or will it strengthen the hands of the hard-liners as they struggle to control the future course of China policy? Most importantly, will revoking NTR teach the youth of China the values of democracy, the principles of capitalism, and the merits of a free and open society? Mr. Speaker, if I thought that ending NTR would achieve these goals in China, I too would cast my vote of disapproval today. But make no mistake: denying China NTR denies the U.S. the ability to influence China's workers, China's human rights policies, China's politics, and perhaps most importantly, China's future. Make no mistake: ending NTR for China will effectively end all hope of gaining WTO accession. It will end our best hope of getting China to open its markets and live by the world's trade rules. And it will effectively put an end to our trade with China. In short, revoking NTR for China will send much more than a signal: it will portend the end of U.S. trade with China, and the end of our influence in China. I urge my colleagues to vote to retain our influence--and our trade relations--with China by voting against the resolution today.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for introducing this legislation and working to bring this bill to the floor. I also want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Service, for his strong support; the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton) of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight; and the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member who deserve our thanks for expediting House consideration of H.R. 457. The Organ Donor leave Act is an important step forward in making the Federal Government a leader by example and encouraging our citizens to become organ or bone marrow donors. I urge all Members to vote for 457 and make it easier for Federal employees to help save a life through organ donation. The Congressional Budget Office has determined that this bill will not have a significant impact on the Federal budget. I urge all Members to strongly support H.R. 457.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 457) to amend title 5, United States Code, to increase the amount of leave time available to a Federal employee in any year in connection with serving as an organ donor, and for other purposes.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 457.