Ken Calvert

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1776, the American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000. This is an important housing measure being debated before us today. My personal background in the real estate industry, I believe, has given me an insider's perspective on this issue and I am confident that this bill will significantly increase the affordability and accessibility of housing. I understand the importance of affordable family housing to the American dream. Every American family should be given the ability to purchase and own a safe, well built home. I don't think anybody in the chamber would disagree that homeownership is a fundamental component of the American dream. H.R. 1776 will make that American dream a reality for thousands of families. One issue of great importance to my constituents in southern California, and others throughout the nation, is that alternative affordable housing be made available. An excellent example of just that has been manufactured housing. These factory-built homes are every bit as reliable as site-built homes, and are becoming increasingly the choice of many Americans. As cochair of the Manufactured Housing Caucus, I am happy to see the provisions in this bill that seek to update and improve the housing regulations applied to manufactured homes. Particularly, the creation of a consensus committee--comprised of consumers, manufacturers and other housing industry partners--to make sure that the concerns of all parties are addressed. H.R. 1776 will improve the installation standards that protect consumers and provide a dispute resolution program for consumers at no cost. Mr. Chairman, these new regulations allow the manufactured housing industry to compete fairly and continue to grow. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1776 and homeownership.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to introduce legislation that will assist in establishing an interpretive and cultural center in the vicinity of the Diamond Valley Reservoir in southern California. This center will preserve, protect and make available the extraordinary discoveries that were uncovered during the construction of the Diamond Valley Reservoir to all citizens of the United States. During the past five years, the construction of the Diamond Valley Reservoir outside of Hemet, California has been the largest, private, earth moving construction project in the United States. The Reservoir is now the largest man made lake in southern California. It covers 4,500 acres, is 4.5 miles long and 2 miles wide and is 160-250 feet deep. The cost of $1.8 billion for construction was totally borne by the residents of southern California. The reservoir will provide a desperately needed emergency supply of water for the city of Los Angeles and the surrounding area. During the construction and excavation of this massive project, extraordinary paleontology and archeology discoveries were uncovered. Unearthed were 365 prehistoric sites, pictographs, petroglyphs, stone tools, bone tools, and arrow heads. In addition, a preserved mastodon skeleton, a mammoth skeleton and a 7 foot tusk and bones from extinct animals previously unknown to have resided in the area including the giant Long-Horned Bison and an enormous North American Lion were discovered. In addition, the construction of the Diamond Valley Reservoir unearthed the largest known accumulation of late Ice Age fossils known in California. The scientific importance of this collection may now rival California's other famed site, the La Brea Tar Pits. It is my honor to introduce legislation which will be the first step in preserving this world class collection of archaeological, paleontological and late Ice Age fossils for future generations.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, as the chairman of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, I am pleased that we are considering H.R. 1753, the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000. My friend and colleague on the subcommittee, Mr. Doyle, introduced H.R. 1753 in May 1999, and last October 26, the House unanimously approved a similar version of the bill. The Senate amended the House-passed bill last November, and this revised version of the bill represents a bipartisan agreement with the Senate. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct pleasure of serving on both the House Science Committee and the Resources Committee which shared jurisdiction on this bill. I want to thank my friends on Resources for all their hard work in getting H.R. 1753 to the floor. I would especially like to thank Chairman Young and Congresswoman Cubin for their willingness to work with me and the chairman of the Science Committee on this important piece of legislation. Methane hydrates are ice-like substances found in undersea sediments and in Arctic permafrost. These hydrates will one day provide an abundant supply of clean natural gas if science can discover practical and environmentally sound extraction methods. However, much more research is needed before we can attain that goal. H.R. 1753 brings us closer to the day when we can safely and effectively begin to use this abundant, new source of energy. This legislation will make funds available to continue research into extracting this clean and bountiful potential source of energy. It also seeks to better coordinate the research efforts of the Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Navy, the Minerals Management Service, and NOAA. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, which will help secure our energy future. I thank the Chair.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I honor an individual whose dedication to the community and the overall well-being of the 43rd Congressional District is notable. On April 1st, Mr. Richard Roth, will step down as the Chair of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce--a day that also marks Chamber's 100 year anniversary of service to the community. My district has been fortunate to have dynamic and dedicated community leaders who willingly give their time and talents to promote the businesses, schools and community organizations. Mr. Roth has proved himself one of these individuals again and again. Richard Roth has a long and commendable history of serving Riverside County. Currently, he is a member of the Inland Empire Board of Directors for the Employer's Group, the civically minded Monday Morning Group and the Raincross Club. Additionally, in the past, he has selflessly served as Vice Chair of the Parkview Community Hospital Board, Vice Chair of the March Field Museum Foundation Board of Managers and member of the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Center of Riverside. Richard Roth is a Managing Partner of the Riverside County law firm of Reid & Hellyer. He is also involved in the community as an adjunct instructor in Labor and Employment Law at the University of California at Riverside, Graduate School of Management and in the University Extension Division. In addition to his private practice of law, Richard Roth is a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve. In this position, he presently serves as the Mobilization Assistant to the Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters Air Mobility Command and Reserve Advisor to the Chief Counsel, United States Transportation Command. In 1987, Richard Roth received the Reginald C. Harmon Trophy as the Air Force Outstanding Reserve Attorney and in 1992 he was named California Air Force Association Reserved Man of the Year. Richard's outstanding accomplishments make me proud to call him my friend, community member, and fellow American. I thank him for his contribution to the betterment of the community and I look forward to continuing to work with him for the good of Riverside County.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in proud support of a responsible Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Resolution put forth by this Republican Congress. This budget provides the blueprint to do great things this year, including: Balancing the budget for the second consecutive year, eliminating the public debt by 2013, safeguarding Social Security, increasing defense spending, setting aside $40 billion for Medicare reform and prescription drug coverage, increasing elementary and secondary education funding by more than 9 percent and much more. The Clinton-Gore administration's budget, submitted to Congress on February 7 this year, increases discretionary spending by over $39 billion. That is an increase of more than twice the rate of inflation-- evidence that the Clinton-Gore-Gephardt alliance continues to support a ``government on autopilot'' approach. Mr. Chairman, that is simply irresponsible. There is plenty of fat that can still be trimmed off Uncle Sam. Just because we have increasing surpluses does not mean all Government spending is responsible or justified. We need to continue to address the billions of dollars lost on waste, fraud, and abuse. We need to eliminate those programs that don't work and are a burden to the American taxpayers. This budget resolution will do that by restraining federal spending, setting aside funds for paying down the debt and saving Social Security. This budget resolution will allow Americans to keep more of their hard earned dollars and allow us to keep our promises to the nation's youth, small businesses, parents and seniors. In closing Mr. Chairman, I strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Resolution.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Rotary Club of Riverside's 80th anniversary. From their very conception on April 20, 1920, when they received their charter from Rotary International, the Club has enriched the Riverside community by observing the Rotary motto, ``Service Above Self.'' Members of the club include community leaders in business, trade, professions and government. The Rotary Club of Riverside has given to the local community by sponsoring projects to aid Riverside youth through the sponsorship of Bryant Elementary School; through an annual awarding of scholarships to deserving Riverside high school seniors, from the $200,000 John Cote Scholarship Fund; through the establishment of a vibrant Interact Club at Riverside Poly High School; and through contributions to the establishment of the Riverside Youth Museum. On an international basis the Rotary Club of Riverside has contributed and supported the Rotary International Polio Plus program to eradicate polio in developing countries and regions worldwide; and a little closer to home, through materials, gifts and caring to the children of orphanages in Tijuana, Mexico, in partnership with the Rotarian of Centenario Rotary Club of Tijuana. The Rotary Club of Riverside will officially observe its anniversary with a Picnic Celebration on April 2, 2000, in Riverside, CA. It will be attended by the club's members and their families, guests and dignitaries, including: the Honorable Ronald Loveridge, the mayor of Riverside; the Honorable Tom Mullen, chairman of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors representing the 5th county district; and the Honorable Rod Pacheco, California Assemblyman representing the 64th assembly district. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Rotary Club of Riverside on its 80th anniversary and commend its local community and international service.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. I rise today in strong support for the amendment offered by my good friend and colleague on the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the Science Committee, Mr. Gary Miller. The price of gasoline in my home state of California is already over $2 per gallon. Instead of investing in this great nation's plentiful domestic energy resources, this Administration has been ``asleep at the fuel pump.'' We are now more dependent on imported oil than at the height of the Oil Embargo Crisis of 1973. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, we have just completed two authorization hearings on this Administration's Budget Request for the Department of Energy. This Administration's requests for Petroleum, Natural Gas Technologies, Other Fossil Energy R&D and Nuclear Energy are, in general, below last year's funding levels. R&D and production of these major and fundamental domestic energy resources should not be short-changed. The Secretary of Energy finally went on his diplomatic mission to beg for increased production from OPEC and some of the more notorious OPEC members have only thumbed their noses at his request. Last week on the House floor, I talked about the Administration's ``F'' for failure on oil diplomacy and domestic oil production. We still don't know whether OPEC will agree to step up production to reduce prices--we are at OPEC's mercy once again. On the domestic production side, the Administration has discouraged-- in every way--the opportunity to take advantage of this country's domestic oil resources and I would like to add coal and nuclear energy to the list. It is time for us to seriously develop our great country's domestic oil reserves--we know we have the oil--it's time to produce it--of course, in an environmentally sound way--so that the American people will no longer be dependent on OPEC's whims. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2372, the Private Property Rights Implementation Act. As a Member representing California, as well as a member of the Western Caucus, I am acutely aware of the need for legislation to protect private property owners. H.R. 2372 addresses unequal and unfair treatment of property right claims. It simply allows property owners, injured by Government action and excessive regulation, equitable and simplified access to the federal courts. Currently, 83 percent of Federal property claims are thrown out of the court before their merits can be debated. With a statistic like that, no one can argue that the current process is fair. It also levels the playing field for small and middle class property owners. Unfairly, private citizens find their pocket books disportionately strained by the cost of defending their fifth amendment property rights. No matter what reason the Government has for restricting private property use, and there are some legitimate reasons, there is no excuse for denying landowners their day in court. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose all amendments which threaten to gut H.R. 2372, especially Mr. Boehlert's amendment. This amendment would eliminate the bill's provision which allows landowners to take their appeals to federal court. This is not an issue about taking power away from the States and localities, it is about the rights of property owners to have their claims considered fairly and in a timely manner. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2372. To support the Fifth Amendment right of all American citizens.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue my critique of the Clinton-Gore Administration's role in the recent surge in gasoline and home-heating oil prices. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the Administration must shoulder much of the responsibility because they ignored the ``two D's''--domestic production and diplomacy. The United States imports around 55% of its petroleum requirements largely because it is so difficult to produce petroleum in this country. Mr. Speaker, the Administration imposes serious limits on exploration, drilling and refining oil through a Byzantine permitting and regulatory scheme. These regulations force many facilities to shut down when oil prices are low and make it uneconomical to reopen when prices rise. This takes us to the second D--diplomacy. The Administration knew one year ago that these prices were coming down the pipeline. Unfortunately, Energy Secretary Richardson was preoccupied by a major spy scandal at DOE--as he himself said on February 16th, ``It is obvious that the federal government was not prepared. We were caught napping. We got complacent.'' The Administration was unable or unwilling to convince our friends in OPEC and other oil-producing countries to keep the spigot turned on. It is this lack of effort that brings us to where we are today--gasoline prices racing towards $2.50 a gallon. The only thing that saved our seniors in the Northeast from freezing recently was the arrival of warmer weather. Now those living on fixed incomes will face exorbitant prices at the gas pump. That is the legacy of Clinton-Gore. Mr. Speaker, I give this Administration's ``two D's'' and an ``F.''

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue my critique of the Clinton/Gore administration's role in the recent surge in gasoline and home heating oil prices. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the administration must shoulder much of the responsibility because they ignored the ``two Ds,'' domestic production and diplomacy. The United States imports the majority of its petroleum requirements largely because it is difficult to produce petroleum in this country. Mr. Speaker, the administration imposes serious limits on exploration, drilling, refining through an incredible permitting and regulatory scheme. These regulations force many facilities to shut down when oil prices are low and make it uneconomical to reopen when prices rise. This takes us to the second D, diplomacy. The administration knew 1 year ago these prices were coming down the pipeline. Unfortunately, Secretary Richardson was preoccupied by a major spy scandal at the DOE. As he himself said on February 16, ``It is obvious that the Federal Government was not prepared. We were caught napping. We go complacent.'' Mr. Speaker, this administration gets ``two Ds'' and an ``F.''

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I am a former small business owner. I understand what overregulation does to small business. I understand what overtaxation does to small business. I understand what too much litigation does to a small business. I understand what happens when the Government increases the cost to stay in business. And I know that a lot of businesses do not stay in business. A lot of small businesses are not in Silicon Valley; they are in our hometowns. They are our local dry cleaners, our local drive-thru restaurants, the local carryout. These are not big corporations. These are small mom and pop businesses. Matter of fact, two-thirds of the job creation in this country is by small businesses, and we need to help them. We need to help them stay in business because, without some of these minor changes in the Tax Code, they are not going to be around. What is wrong with allowing small businesses an opportunity to deduct their health care expenses? What is wrong with some changes in the death tax, which everyone agrees is a disgrace? We should not have a death tax in this country, a tax of up to 55 percent of the value of one's estate, when they have paid taxes all of their lives. Small business is important. And as one of the few people in the House that actually operated a small business, I would like to see it stay around, so I am hoping my colleagues will get together and vote on this and vote to support this Tax Relief Act.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my chairman, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), for introducing this visionary piece of legislation. It was passed out of the Committee on Science with unanimous bipartisan support. I would also like to honor our former colleague, the Honorable George Brown, who put a lot of work into this bill, and the continuation of George's work by the gentleman from the great State of Texas (Mr. Hall), our ranking member. The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act, H.R. 2086, is truly a visionary piece of legislation. I am proud to stand here today with my colleagues as an original cosponsor. H.R. 2086 is about one simple thing, access to information. A major component of access to information is the continued development and expansion of information-technology. I find it distressing today that we are forced to bring people in from outside of the United States to fill the employment needs of our IT companies. The average annual wage of technology workers in the Silicon Valley is $72,000 a year. Quite simply, our work force pool lacks the experience and knowledge to fill a lot of these high-paying jobs. We must begin to focus on this problem, and this IT bill does just that. The businesses in my home State of California exported $105 billion in products in 1998. Twenty-eight percent of those exports were in the electrical and electronics realm alone. Mr. Speaker, in 1999 California had the largest State economy with an estimated gross State product of over $1 trillion. The importance of H.R. 2086 to California alone is enormous. This bill ensures the United States and California continue to lead the way in information technology way into the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our future in the global economy, support the generation's participation and the information technology community.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, the issue before us today is a fundamental question, should the Internal Revenue Service tax the institution of marriage, not the other issues that were spoken about earlier. The answer to that is no. In my district alone, 54,000 couples will feel the pain of paying higher taxes, just because they are married, than single people. This is an issue beyond just money, it is an issue of fairness and what is right in America. Americans know what is fair and what is not fair, and this marriage penalty is not fair. This marriage penalty is also anti-woman. Presently, the Tax Code taxes the income of a second wage-earner, usually the wife, at a much higher rate than if she were taxed as a single person. That is wrong. We should not let some antiquated budget law get in the way of equality for working moms. Finally, the marriage tax penalty punishes working couples by pushing them into a higher tax bracket. Of these couples, middle-aged families and seniors are hit the hardest. Mr. Speaker, let us do the right thing. Let us pass this and move on.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1838, the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, which was passed out of the Committee on International Relations with bipartisan support. I believe that some day a peaceful Chinese nation can contribute positively to the international community, but at this time it is difficult to place trust in the Chinese government, given their aggressive posture toward Taiwan. Mr. Speaker, I have been to China; and I have been to Taiwan. As a visitor, the first observable difference between the two is the mainland Chinese fear of speaking freely. Taiwan, however, reveals a different story. Free trade and travel with the global community have led to the importation of the United States' most precious principle, democracy. Mainland China has never known such a freedom and has a long road to travel. Taiwan, I believe, provides mainland China a road map for progress. They are a shining light in a troubled region. We must make sure that Taiwan is given the chance to continue their progressive trek. The Taiwan Security Enhancement Act ensures that progress. This bill helps to foster a policy towards China similar to that of President Reagan's towards the communist Soviet Union: contain them militarily, engage them diplomatically, and flood them with Western goods and influence. It worked for Russia; it could work for China.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, throughout towns and cities across our nation there are individuals who are willing to step forward to dedicate their talents and energies to making life better for their friends and neighbors. The citizens of Corona, California, are fortunate to have such an individual in outgoing Mayor Jan Rudman. Mayor Rudman's involvement with Corona city government, and community, began in 1994 when she was first elected to the Corona City Council. As a councilwoman she represented the community's concerns, set priorities for projects and plans of action, allocated funds, and made decisions essential to the future of Corona. Her energy seems endless, with the long list of her business and community involvements including: Circle City Rotary, 1993 Mayor's Task Force, Navy League, Corona Chamber of Commerce and First Congregational Church. In 1998, the Corona, recognized her leadership and commitment and elected her mayor. Since then, she has accomplished many goals which have improved the community. One of her greatest accomplishments as mayor was the implementation of the ``Partners in Community Service'' program, implemented to recognize the many volunteer groups and organizations who have given back to the Corona community so graciously. Mayor Rudman has made a lasting and positive impact in the Corona community. Her involvement and leadership has established a path for those individuals following in her footsteps. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mayor Rudman for her dedication, influence and involvement in our community. She has served as an outstanding representative of municipal government. It is a great pleasure for me to congratulate Mayor Rudman for the outstanding job she has done as Mayor of Corona.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentleman for yielding. George Brown. I am a conservative. George was an unabashed liberal. We were opposites in this business. But most importantly, George was my friend. I certainly put forth my sympathy to the family, Marta, everyone that is here today. I have got to talk about my first memory of George Brown. I was in our family restaurant in Corona, California. George was our Congressman. I think I was probably 11 years old or so at the time. He was sitting there with my father having a drink and smoking a cigar, arguing the issues of the day, very passionately. George was a very passionate person, someone who believed very strongly in what he believed in and would advocate those issues and beliefs very ably here on the floor. As I mentioned, he was my Member of Congress since I was a young boy and all through high school. As a young Republican campaigning for people against George in the early days, I remember one time George giving me a call one time and we had an opponent running against him. He called me up and he said, ``Can you get that guy to run against me one more time?'' He always had a sense of humor. He always participated in debates. I have got to admit, one time we had a debate and he came up to the podium, and he looked over at the audience and he said, ``Look. I'm overweight, I probably smoke too much, I don't dress as well as I should.'' Everybody looked at him aghast. He looked over at his opponent and said, ``I just thought I'd point that out before my opponent did.'' He had a great way about him. He endeared himself to all of us. George, most importantly, was known for the business that he conducted here in the House. Certainly he was a chairman of the Committee on Science, was known as Mr. Science. He had a deep love of science and the institutional framework for science and technology in this government. In the mid 1960s and again in the 1980s, he led an effort to restructure and strengthen the National Science Foundation, moving the agency into a much more active role in engineering, science education and the development of advanced technologies. He developed legislation shaping the permanent science advisory mechanism in the Executive Office of the President, which was established in 1976 as the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He was a strong proponent of environmental preservation and of science and technology in the service of society. I would like to think that George would be very interested in what we are trying to do in technology advancement for clean air, especially as regards components such as sulfur and other issues that we are advocating today in this House. George championed the establishment of the EPA and the Office of Technology Assessment in the early 1970s. He helped advance initiatives for energy and resource conservation, sustainable agriculture, national information systems, advanced technology development, and just so much more in the integration of technology in education. He enthusiastically supported both manned and unmanned space exploration. What an advocate on the floor. We worked together as Californians for the space program and he was an excellent advocate for space. His reputation on the Committee on Science helped him bring NASA participation and support for schools and businesses throughout the Nation and his district. On a personal level, we put together a Salton Sea Advisory Committee. Five of us originally, myself, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), Sonny Bono, George, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter). I remember one meeting that we had in Sonny Bono's office, this was in December, just before Christmas, we were all talking about what we were going to do to save the Salton Sea. This was something that was so passionate to George. He loved the sea. He was raised there by the sea, in Imperial County, and wanted to see something done for future generations for the sea and for the environment around the sea. Shortly thereafter, Sonny was gone, and now George. So two out of the five original members of the Salton Sea Advisory Committee are gone. But now we have new Members. Mary Bono is working hard to see the future of the sea and the rest of us. It is, I think, our responsibility in George's memory to make sure that we do the right thing and to make sure that the Salton Sea is something that everyone has a pleasant memory of in the future. In his memory, we are renaming the Salinity Laboratory on the UCR campus the George Brown Salinity Laboratory. It is just one small example of his work but one that really shows his devotion to science and his love of what we are trying to do in this country to make it a better country for all of us as Americans. Mr. Speaker, with that I would like to say I am going to miss George, I am going to miss seeing George right over here on the House floor on a daily basis and going over and having our daily chats, chitchatting about what is going on at home in the Inland Empire and working with him to make the Inland Empire a better place. But I will work hard to make our area a better place for our constituents. It is going to be more difficult without George.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Social Security Number Confidentiality Act of 1999. In a time of increasingly easier access to personal information by people other than the owner of that information, ``Identity Theft'' is becoming more and more of a problem. Given this significant problem, I found it alarming to learn from senior citizens in my district that the Social Security Administration openly displays a recipient's Social Security number, name and address in the window of the envelope. This same envelope makes its way through the United States Postal system. By simply taking a quick peek in a mailbox, or in a pile of mail left in a person's car, anyone could obtain the information needed to steal someone's identity. The open display of such private and confidential information is an invitation for scam artists to rip off our senior citizens. As I investigated this situation, I found that the Social Security Administration knowingly continues this practice. At the same time they advocate the need to keep Social Security numbers confidential. Ironically, in the July/August issue of Social Security Today, the agency advises us that, ``All the information Social Security collects about you is kept confidential: it's protected by law,'' and reminds us to ``protect your Social Security number. Be careful how you use it and keep it confidential whenever possible.'' Mr. Speaker, this is a glaring inconsistency that requires immediate attention. My legislation will prohibit the appearance of Social Security numbers on or through the window of unopened Social Security checks. It will allow the Social Security Administration to practice what they preach--that we all need to be careful and keep our Social Security numbers private and confidential. In all fairness, the checks are printed by the Department of Treasury, and my legislation will direct them to change their procedures. In closing, I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting the Social Security Number Confidentiality Act of 1999. This important legislation protects our senior citizens from scam artists and maintains the privacy and confidentiality of our Social Security numbers.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, my district in Riverside County depends on a number of facilities to provide quality health care to its residents. Many of these facilities have been hit hard by the restrictions that were imposed after enactment of the Balanced Budget Act. This legislation would increase reimbursements to Skilled Nursing Facilities with patients that have medically complex conditions, provide flexibility in staffing and procurement priorities at rural hospitals, ensure the availability of home health care, and restore funding lost from some of the BBA reforms. With these new provisions, we will be able to continue to reap the benefit of the savings provided by the BBA reforms without driving critical healthcare facilities out of business and deteriorating our healthcare infrastructure. I support this important bill and would have voted for the bill. Unfortunately, I have conflicting responsibilities in may congressional district. Specifically, I have been asked to participate in the dedication of the National Medal of Honor Memorial at Riverside National Cemetery. While I regret having to miss this vote, I look forward to honoring the recipients of the Medal of Honor at this dedication. We enjoy freedom and liberty today because of their dedication and sacrifice for our country.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I take the floor today to recognize the outstanding career of John Moramarco, who is retiring as Senior Vice President and General Manager at Callaway Vineyard and Winery in Temecula, California--after 30 years with the winery. John comes from a long history of vintners. In fact, he started his career at the family's Old Mission Winery in Los Angeles as a young boy, and continued the family tradition as an 11th generation viticulturalist. Years in the family business allowed John to learn the basics of the business, and the finer points and finesse of making great wine. It was his love of wine, and know how, that John applied to the Capistrano Winery and Vineyards in Fontana, California, which he and his brother, Mike, established. John became the vineyard's manager from 1945 to 1967, and put into place the lessons learned from his youth-- grape growing, wine producing, marketing and sales techniques. He also continued to supervise the family's vines and those of several other wineries. In 1969, Ely Callaway hired John Moramarco to plant and supervise his new vineyard in the small, rural Riverside County town of Temecula. In this position, John was instrumental in Callaway's vineyard and wine development. Only recently have I had the privilege of working with John, and observing his talent, first hand. Wineries in Southern California are currently facing an unfortunate situation with a disease that kills grapevines and has no cure. But, John's life-time devotion to the industry has made the California Wine Industry better prepared than they may have been. John's progressive work with professors from both the Universities of California at Davis and Riverside, gives the wine industry a relationship that they can now draw upon to solve this crisis. The industry is indebted to John's work with the universities and his willingness to devote vineyard blocks to the universities for their experiments. Those experiments have resulted in improved rootstocks, fertilizers, herbicides, mildew resistance, grafting and pruning, techniques now standard practice in California, and will give the industry the greatest chance of surviving their current crisis. I know that I speak for everyone in the wine industry when I say, ``John will be missed.''

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin, the chairman of the Committee on Science, for yielding me this time. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Science, I am pleased we are considering H.R. 1753, the Gas Hydrates Research and Development Act of 1999. My friend and colleague on the subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Doyle), introduced H.R. 1753, which we marked up and passed by a voice vote on May 12. I am happy to report the final version was approved overwhelmingly by the full committee on September 9. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct pleasure of serving on both the House Committee on Science and the Committee on Resources, which shared jurisdiction on this bill, and I would like to thank my friends on the Committee on Resources for all their hard work in getting H.R. 1753 to the floor. I especially would like to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin), who now ably chairs the subcommittee which I once chaired and whose willingness to work with me and the chairman of the Committee on Science on this important piece of legislation is much appreciated. I also again would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello), who worked hard to make sure that this bill moved forward. Gas hydrates, as has been described here earlier, are an ice-like substance found in the undersea sediment in the Arctic permafrost and other locations throughout the world. These hydrates one day will provide an abundant supply of clean natural gas if we can only figure out a way to get it out. So that is what this is all about. Much more research is needed before we can attain that goal, and 1753 brings us closer to the day when we can safely and effectively begin to use this abundant new source of energy. This legislation will make funds available to continue the research into extracting this clean and bountiful source of potential energy gas hydrates. It also seeks to better coordinate research between the Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the United States Navy. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation which will help secure our energy future.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague Congresswoman Mary Bono, with a heavy heart to pay tribute to a fallen deputy sheriff from Sun City, California. Deputy Sheriff Eric Andrew Thach died Friday in the line of duty for his Riverside County community. We send our condolences and prayers to his family, neighbors and the community. Eric Thach was 34 years of age and employed with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for three years, since September 1996. He leaves behind his young wife, Evelyn, and daughter, Shana. He also leaves behind neighbors and a community that will miss his constant self- sacrifice, generosity and quiet demeanor. And, now those left behind must pull together to support and strengthen each other during the coming months and years as they heal. ``Deputy Sheriff Eric Thach lived his life with strength and courage. He was a good man, taken from us too soon . . . He will live on in our memory and in the many respects paid to him by the community,'' stated Riverside County Sheriff Larry D. Smith. Eric Thach's sacrifice will be further remembered as his name is engraved next to the names of three fellow officers, also felled in the line of duty. The marker sits outside the Riverside County Sheriff's Department as a reminder to us all of the selfless duty for law enforcement officers assume as they protect the people or Riverside County--a sacrifice that we often take for granted. As Madam de Stael once said, ``We understand death for the first time when he puts his hand upon the one whom we love.'' The National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial, though, says it the best, that ``it is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.'' Many of us can not truly understand the latent danger associated with the day to day routines of our law enforcement officers. They put themselves in the line of danger everyday as they stop a vehicle, respond to an incident or a suspicious circumstances-- like Deputy Thach. The danger and violence they face day in and day out is very real and it is times like these--sadly--that make us stop and honor our law enforcement officers. We hope that they be given such honor, respect and thanks always--not only when life's fragile nature is revealed. Deputy Eric Thach lived his life with this constantly in the forefront and his memory can be best served by us all doing the same. Mr. Speaker, we ask that you and our colleagues join us today to remember this fine deputy. On behalf of the residents of Riverside County, we extend our prayers and most heartfelt sympathy to his family and loved ones.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding me the time and for his decisive action in moving this important legislation through the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and to the House floor. Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 1663, the National Medal of Honor Memorial Act of 1999, to honor the sacrifice and bravery of 3,417 Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor is the highest honor given by Congress for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life beyond the call of duty. H.R. 1663 would designate three sites as National Medal of Honor Memorials, the Riverside National Cemetery memorial in Riverside, California; the White River State Park memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana; and the U.S.S. Yorktown memorial in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. My bipartisan bill has the Medal of Honor Society's endorsement and does not use taxpayer money for the construction of the three memorial sites. I am also happy to report that the companion legislation to H.R. 1663 has been introduced in the Senate. I know that the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford) will speak about the sites within their districts; therefore, I want to speak about my own Riverside National memorial site in Riverside, California. Riverside National Cemetery is presently the final resting place for two Medal of Honor recipients: Staff Sergeant Ysmael Villegas, United States Army, awarded posthumously for actions in the Philippines; and Commander John Henry Balch, United States Navy, awarded for action in France. The memorial will name 3,417 Medal of Honor recipients. For each Medal of Honor recipient, an Italian Cyprus tree will be planted. These trees live in excess of 100 years, grow well in southern California, and require minimal maintenance. The monument itself will include a walled area which will surround a pool and a miniature waterfall. The Riverside memorial site will bring honor to our Medal of Honor recipients in a solemn manner appropriate to its place in a national cemetery. The memorial site will be dedicated in November as the Medal of Honor Society convenes their 1999 convention. In closing, I wish to encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1663 and the Medal of Honor Society's mission to serve our country in peace as we did in war, to inspire and stimulate our youth to become worthy citizens of our country, to foster and perpetuate Americanism.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Hass Avocado Promotion, Research & Information Act of 1999. This legislation will provide California's 6,000 avocado growers--who produce all of the Hass avocados in the United States--with a new self-help mechanism to enhance their national marketing efforts. The Hass Avocado Promotion Act will allow avocado growers to fund and operate a coordinated marketing effort to expand domestic and foreign markets. The maintenance and expansion of existing markets, and the development of new markets, is critical to preserving and strengthening the economic viability of the domestic Hass avocado industry. This legislation will not be funded by taxpayer dollars--the bill would simply create a mechanism for Hass avocado growers to assess themselves. In addition, importers of Hass avocados into the United States would be assessed. Thus, importers would pay their fair share in helping to expand the consumer market that they share with domestic growers. At present, the national marketing of avocados is paid entirely by California avocado growers through assessments collected by the California Avocado Commission. Therefore, this bill offers a win- win proposition for domestic growers and importers to work together to increase the market for avocados and avocado products. The bill contains an up-front referendum, giving avocado growers a voting process to formally decide whether to implement this new national promotion program. In this referendum, growers and importers will determine whether or not they choose to assess themselves 2.5 cents per pound to fund a national promotion program. The funds generated will be administered by an 11-member Hass Avocado Board that would be comprised of domestic grower and importer representatives. I am happy to offer this bipartisan legislation, with my colleague from the Agriculture Committee, Representative Condit, aimed at helping our Hass avocado producers and importers help themselves. I ask my colleagues for their support in advancing this vital legislation for Hass avocado growers and California agriculture.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. When I was in the restaurant business, Mr. Chairman, I had to work hard to get the lowest prices, the best workers, and the most bang for my buck. If I was not competitive I risked going out of business, plain and simple. This is the American way. H.R. 1402 would revert us back to a dairy market system that is quite simply anti- American, anti-business, and anti-consumer. I have some of the most efficient and successful dairy farmers in this country, probably the largest dairy district in the United States. They watch their expenses, they make a great product, and if given the chance, they would be highly successful in an unregulated market. We are just talking about a modest change here today, Mr. Chairman. We are just trying to change a system that prices milk based upon the distance from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. What business in America would do that? I would encourage all Members to take a close look at this. With current technology and transportation, it has changed this country and we no longer need to run a system that way. Oppose H.R. 1402 and let us get back to the American way.