Ken Calvert

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin, the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Science, for yielding me this time. I would like to recognize also the efforts of my close friend, colleague and neighbor in California George Brown, who recently passed away, for all of his efforts on the Committee on Science and we certainly miss him. Mr. Chairman, as the chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Science and the author of this legislation, I am proud to speak in support of H.R. 1655. My bill, H.R. 1655, authorizes civilian energy and scientific research, development, demonstration and related commercial applications of energy technology at the Department of Energy for fiscal years 2000 and 2001. But before I go on, I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for his hard work and leadership in bringing this important bill to the floor and certainly congratulate the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) taking over as the ranking member and also thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment for his leadership on his side of the aisle. While we do not always agree on the issues at hand, we certainly agree it is very important to pass H.R. 1655 before 2:45 this afternoon. Without getting into the statistics of this, we increase outlays for various renewable energy and other types of technology, certainly nuclear which is necessary, core scientific research, including high- energy physics and fusion energy. The budget funds these areas of big science that legitimately are in need of basic government support. It breathes new life into the fusion energy sciences program which has been struggling to stay afloat for a long, long time. I believe that H.R. 1655 promotes the committee's priorities for the future. The bill provides strong support for solar and renewable energy and nuclear power R&D that is critical to the United States. I am happy to support this. This is a tremendous display of how much can be accomplished when we work in a bipartisan fashion. I ask my colleagues for their support on this important authorization bill.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to introduce the Shaw-Calvert-Gallegly amendment. It is a simple reform that would make candidates 100 percent accountable to the people they represent by controlling the source of campaign funds. Unfortunately, some of our colleagues from Florida, including the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw), have hurricane-force winds bearing down on their homes. Our prayers are with them and their constituents as they brace for Hurricane Floyd's impact. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw) requested that I offer this amendment in his absence. Too many candidates take their show on the road and sell themselves to the Americans all across this country. This practice comes at the expense of the people the candidate is supposed to represent. When a candidate has to primarily rely on money from people outside their home State, they no longer need to listen to the needs and concerns of their own constituents. This amendment requires candidates to raise at least half of the money for their campaigns from their home State. Through this simple requirement, we give all Americans a greater voice in the political process. I introduced a similar amendment last year that received 147 votes. My colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw), also submitted a similar amendment last year that garnered 160 votes. We brought the best of both bills together today, working with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw) and our colleague from California (Mr. Gallegly). We combined my language with the amendment of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw) to address the concerns of Members about the constitutionality of its provisions. I also heard from a number of Members who are concerned about the wealthy candidates abusing these provisions for their own advantages. These are valid concerns, and we have amended the language accordingly. Should a candidate face an opponent that uses more than $250,000 of their own funds in a campaign, all candidates would be exempt from this amendment's provision. This amendment is common sense electoral reform, and I hope that every Member will support it. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, in closing, it is constitutional, it is common sense, it is constructive. I have been for this since I have been in Congress. I am in my fourth term. I was for this in my first term, and I am still for this. It is a good idea. Give your citizens a greater voice and vote for this amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray.)

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds to answer the concern of the gentleman. My amendment probably will not even impact most candidates. According to the Congressional Research Service, in 1996 only 8 percent of total known receipts raised by Democratic candidates for the House came from outside their State. A similar figure for House Republican candidates was 7 percent. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to my good friend, the gentleman from the State of Michigan (Mr. Smith). (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English).

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support passage of this bill. H.R. 1442 will amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to extend authority for transfers to State and local governments of certain property for law enforcement and emergency response purposes. I introduced H.R. 1442, the Law Enforcement Public Safety Enhancement Act of 1999, to permanently extend the pilot program that has become an important tool for local law enforcement and public safety officials. Without the help, leadership and support of the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn), my good friend from Long Beach, California, chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology, this legislation would never have come to the House floor. I owe a debt of gratitude to him for helping to find the offsets necessary for this bill to conform to budgetary constraints. I would also like to thank the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform as well as the ranking members of the full committee and subcommittee for their efforts. As we all know, one of the keys to crime prevention is a well-trained local police force and public safety officials. My bill will strengthen law enforcement and emergency management training, while saving these organizations thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars. When the Federal Government declares real property as a surplus, various local entities may apply for the property on a no-cost basis if they use the property for some valid social purpose. To obtain the excess Federal property, the local entity must apply to a Federal agency to sponsor the no-cost transfer. My bill would permanently extend this 2-year-old authority to allow local agencies the ability to apply for surplus property at no cost for the purpose of law enforcement and emergency response training. Due to the efforts of the Riverside, California, Sheriff's Department to create a comprehensive multijurisdictional training center, the need for this legislation became clear. In 1997, Congress passed legislation to create a 2-year pilot program to allow the Department of Justice and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to sponsor local law enforcement and emergency management response entities for a no cost transfer. The results of this 2-year program are startling. Twenty-one separate local agencies in 11 States applied for this program. Their applications are in various stages of the process. Without this legislation, these projects will be stopped in their tracks. I would like to encourage all of my colleagues to support this pro- law enforcement legislation and give back to the men and women that battle on our streets every day.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of normal trade relations with China and in opposition to this resolution of disapproval. I have grave concerns about the Chinese Government. Their policy and practice include religious persecution, stealing our national secrets, unfair trade practices, and military intimidation of their neighbors. Let us be clear. The Chinese government is no friend of the United States or democracy. However, I would subscribe to Ronald Reagan's philosophy on dealing with potential adversaries: contain them militarily, engage them diplomatically, and flood them with Western goods and influence. Sadly, the Clinton-Gore administration has failed on the military front, is suspect on the diplomatic front; yet on the trade front where Congress has a say, we should not fail. Maintaining normal trading relations is important to the Chinese people, but it is also important to California farmers. These hard-working farmers support 1.4 million jobs in California, have led the Nation in production since 1948. California's agricultural exports to China have risen nearly 50 percent since 1993 and now total over $2.4 billion annually. With all these exports to China, California sent an equal amount of American ideals, moral values, and capitalism.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2605, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. First, I would like to thank Chairman Packard for his hard work and dedication in crafting a balanced bill. I would also like to commend Chairman Young for his responsible leadership in ensuring that these necessary spending bills are delivered on time and at the levels required under the budget resolution. As a member of the southern California delegation, I understand the importance of preserving our water resources and protecting citizens from flood damage. This bill appropriates vital funds for watershed management, flood control, environmental enhancement, water conservation and water supply, and building dams which will save many lives downstream. This bill will help protect vulnerable communities. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. I also urge my colleagues to vote against the Visclosky amendment. Under current law, if the Corps of Engineers determines that no wetlands exist on a piece of property, a third party can file suit in court. But, if the Corps determines that wetlands do exist, then the landowner is forced to go through the entire permitting process before he or she can go to court. Mr. Speaker, current law puts the hard-working citizens at a disadvantage to extreme environmental groups. This bill will allow landowners the same right to appeal a decision in court, the same right that any interested third party currently enjoys. It's only fair and I urge my colleagues to oppose the Visclosky amendment.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Financial Freedom Act of 1999. This is a common-sense piece of legislation which would provide broad based tax relief to individuals and families. For forty years, the Democrats had control of Congress and practiced their policy of, tax, tax, spend, spend. Now that Republicans have been in the majority for more than 4 years, we have balanced the budget, agreed to set aside all Social Security surplus funds for social Security and Medicare, and still have an excess of funds. Not surprisingly, the Democrats would prefer to keep these funds in Washington and create new and unneeded programs. The Democrats are acting as if they found a wallet full of money with no ID. They want to take the money and run with it. But this wallet does have an ID. It belongs to the American taxpayer. It is our moral obligation to return their money. Mr. Speaker we have these excess of funds because our economy is booming. And, the economy is booming because of the hard-work of the American people. Mr. Speaker, what has Congress contributed to the GDP? Nothing! We have no right to keep this money in Washington. We should return this money to the people who have worked long and hard for it. The Financial Freedom Act is a solid piece of legislation and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, after rising yesterday to honor the passing of one of America's greatest space hero's, Pete Conrad, I happily return to the floor to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of man landing on the moon. Last night, I memorialized one of the many heroes involved in the arduous task of sending man from Earth to the moon. Tonight, I would like to recognize all of the men and women that were responsible for one of the single greatest scientific and technological accomplishments in history, man walking on the moon. President John F. Kennedy challenged the men and women in our nation's space program to accomplish a goal that most believed was unachievable. This goal was the singular focus of a small group of American leaders in space for nearly a decade, a small group that would eventually become international heroes. Heroes, not because they simply went to the moon, but because they set out an impossible goal, dared to dream when they were on the short end of logic, inspired a nation and the world. These men and women worked feverishly for nearly a decade and committed their lives to the program. Some men even gave the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives chasing this goal. To every child in America, I hope that you will take the time to learn of the thrilling story of the men and women involved in Apollo 11's ultimate success. It is a story about working to achieve success against long odds. I am proud to have been alive during this great accomplishment and to know the story behind the men and women who dedicated their lives to ensuring the dream of all mankind was achieved. Mr. Speaker, I would like to give one last salute to Captain Pete Conrad and congratulate all of the men and women who helped our nation and perservere against impossible odds, and land a man on the moon.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H.Res. 225) and I ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the sad occasion of the recent loss of a great American hero. Pete Conrad truly embodied our Nation's preeminence in space exploration and the progress of our Nation's space program. As a lifetime fan of space exploration, I have been inspired by Captain Conrad's achievements in space and devotion to building America's space program. I recently had the honor of meeting this great man, a brief meeting that I will never forget. In the short amount of time we spent together, I sensed the passion and dedication he held for our Nation's space program. As I shook his hand to say goodbye, I knew that I had just met a true American hero. Captain Conrad's memorable career as an astronaut is very well documented. He was the third man to walk on the Moon. He was aboard four missions to space. He set numerous records for space travel, including the endurance record for an individual in space and the world space altitude record. His achievements helped pave the way for our Nation's success in space exploration, which have recently included the early stages of the International Space Station and the successful mission to Mars. For these heroic efforts, he received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor among his other distinguished career awards and medals. Not so well known, however, were his activities following his retirement from NASA and the Navy. Pete Conrad continued his dedication to our Nation's space program by promoting America's commercial activities in space. Throughout his 20-year career at McDonnell Douglas, Captain Conrad led many efforts to advance our Nation's emergence in space exploration. During this time, he earned the reputation as a leader in private space industry. More recently, through his establishment of a group of companies called the Universal Space Lines, Captain Conrad continued his activities to ensure that America would remain the preeminent Nation in space. The continued development of commercial activities in space will be the lasting memory of Captain Conrad. I believe Pete Conrad was intricately responsible for our Nation's long-standing posture as a leader in space. As we develop commercial space activities and benefit from them, we should remember that without the leadership, dedication, bravery, and ingenuity of Captain Pete Conrad, these would not have been possible. I send my condolences to Pete's family, friends, associates. Pete, thank you for inspiring me and our entire Nation. When I think of Pete's lifetime achievements, I get inspired to gleefully exclaim the first word he spoke as he took his first step on the Moon: ``Whoopee'' . Godspeed, Pete. I will remember you always. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wholeheartedly endorse the Financial Freedom Act of 1999, legislation sponsored by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Archer) to provide broad-based tax relief to help individuals and families make ends meet. This is common sense legislation that will not only bring tax relief to all Americans but also prevent special interests in Washington from spending the budget surplus on a myriad of unnecessary new government programs. I particularly support the inclusion of death tax relief. The death tax has robbed millions of Americans, especially our Nation's farmers, of their hard-earned money and their ability to leave a legacy to their children and grandchildren. The death tax unfairly punishes those who have worked hard their entire lives to achieve the American Dream and provide a safe and secure environment for their families. Death tax relief also will allow family businesses and farms to remain in the family, ensuring that both the business and the jobs it provides continue to live on for the next generation. The bill of the gentleman from Texas also incrementally decreases the tax burden, eliminating it over the next 10 years. This balanced and fair approach will provide immediate relief in the short term, while not making unreasonable demands on our budget surplus. Americans currently pay the highest taxes since World War II, and for the first time in a generation, we have the financial strength to safely return a portion of our surplus to hard-working Americans. This is solid legislation, and I urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, today I am dropping the fourth in a series of single-issue bills to make common sense corrections to the Endangered Species Act. My bill, the Direct Review of Protected Species Act, would amend the ESA to provide for the review and recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences of species that should be removed from the list of endangered and threatened species. During ESA's 26 years, over 1,154 animals and plants have been listed as endangered or threatened, yet only 27 species have been removed from the list. 27! That is a recovery rate of 2 percent, which leads me to believe that either the Fish and Wildlife Service is not keeping up with their mandate to review the list every five years and remove recovered species, or their best efforts to conserve habitat at the expense of billions of dollars to taxpayers are failing. Either conclusion is unacceptable. The DROP Species Act would take the de- listing process out of the hands of politicians and place it in the hands of a well-respected, independent panel of scientists. I'm unhappy with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Mr. Speaker. So unhappy that I will introduce one ESA reform bill every week until the Resources Committee field hearing in California on July 9. The agency has a responsibility to balance the rights of species with the rights of taxpaying citizens. This is a call to common sense.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was well-intentioned legislation. But the Fish and Wildlife Service, especially in California, is working outside of the ESA and undermining its original intent. Today, I am dropping the third in a series of single-issue bills to make common sense corrections to the ESA. My bill would prohibit the use of any information obtained by trespassing on privately owned property without the consent of the owner. This bill would restrict Fish and Wildlife from using any information that was illegally obtained to declare habitat or otherwise administer the Endangered Species Act. It is common sense that trespassing is illegal. We all know that. Yet I continue to hear, over and over, that Fish and Wildlife is using information that was questionably obtained to administer the ESA. Mr. Speaker, the Fish and Wildlife Service is not above the law. While Fish and Wildlife employees may or may not be the ones doing the actual trespassing, they have continually shown a disregard for how information was obtained, thereby encouraging trespassing. In May, the Resources Committee held a hearing with community officials and landowners to outline the problems they are having with Fish and Wildlife's implementation of the ESA. Every member of Congress needs to sit up and take notice and talk to their local officials. This is not just a problem in California, but in places as far east as North Carolina and as far north as Washington. I'm frustrated, Mr. Speaker. So frustrated that I will introduce one ESA reform bill every week until the field hearing on July 9. This is a call to common sense.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, due to a scheduling conflict of official congressional business, I was unable to register my vote on H.R. 1400, the Bond Price Competition Improvement Act of 1999. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the bill.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, on May 26, 1999, the City Manager of Corona testified that the City of Corona has been forced to buy new land for the government in order to maintain and operate existing levees, flood control, streets, parks, and airport protection zones, which translated means clearing out trees in front of the runway that have been there for over 30 years and continually maintained. That is right, Madam Speaker, Fish and Wildlife wants to mitigate for ongoing safety programs required by the FAA. All of the mitigation required by Fish and Wildlife on this project were for existing projects, not for new ones. However, Fish and Wildlife Director Jamie Clark stated in that same hearing that requiring retroactive mitigation is not allowed. Today I will introduce legislation that would prohibit mitigation and extraction for impacts that have occurred in the past. This is just common-sense legislation.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. Finally, would the gentleman comment on what role he thinks the Reserve units will play in our military's air mobility capacity?

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I would like to engage in a colloquy. It is my understanding that the Department of Defense has been authorized to purchase a total of 120 C-17s as a follow-on aircraft to the C-141, which is in the process of a complete drawdown. It is also my understanding that the C-17 aircraft is a key component for modernizing our Nation's Active Duty and Reserve component's air mobility resources. I ask the chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), what is his opinion of the effectiveness of the C-17 aircraft, especially during the current high level of operations.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I certainly support the intent of this amendment. It is a good amendment. There is some language that I would like to work with the gentleman from Illinois prior to going to conference. There are some concerns regarding fines and how it affects the taxpayers of California because the University of California and other public institutions. I would like the assurance of the gentleman that we will work together to come to some agreeable language that will work for everyone concerned.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support this important amendment. I hope that it sends a wake-up call to both the leaders of the People's Republic of China and our current administration. I am shocked and dismayed by the casual attitude of our current administration to the efforts of the Chinese Government to infiltrate our Nation's political and military infrastructure. I do not take these actions against our Nation lightly, and I hope my colleagues will not either. I thought it was a proper course of action in 1989 when President Bush suspended joint training exercises following Tiananmen Square. Given the findings of the Cox report and our administration's admitted failure to respond to massive security breaches, I believe we should suspend all joint military exercises with China at once. I believe that someday a peaceful Chinese nation can contribute positively to the international community. But at the present time, it is very difficult to place trust in the Chinese Government and expect a change in our current administration's seemingly willful acceptance of China's deceptive tactics and aggressive posture. I think that our current policy toward China should mirror that of President Reagan's engagement with the Soviet Union by containing their military aggression, preaching the moral superiority of freedom, and influencing the ideas of their people through trade and exposure to western political values. Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment. Stop joint military activities with China until their leaders are willing to participate as an honest world power and until our administration is willing to make our national security a top priority.