Julia Carson

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, the end of May brings us to Memorial Day, a time of national remembrance and honor for those who have passed on. Once known as Decoration Day, devoted to the decoration of the graves of veterans of service in the Civil War, in the years between its focus has changed. I rise to pay a special tribute to a man of vision and the company he leads in Indianapolis, Indiana, for their work this year to bring the Memorial Day tradition back to our minds and our hearts in a new and important way. Mr. Speaker, downtown Indianapolis is lined with stone memorials to the men and women in uniform who served our nation at war and at peace down through the years. Nearby, a memorial to the men of the USS Indianapolis marks their service. On Monument Circle, at the very heart of downtown Indianapolis, stands the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, standing nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty, a multifaceted recognition of the contributions of Indiana's Soldiers, Sailors and Marines from the Civil War through the Spanish American War, the Boxer Rebellion and our other foreign military engagements up to World War I. Across the street, facing the monument, is the corporate headquarters of IPALCO. Looking out upon that memorial are the offices of John Hodowal, President and Chairman of the Board. For many years, Memorial Day has been associated with a world-famous sporting event--the Indianapolis 500. In our hometown, the arrival of the weekend of the race is celebrated with a major civic event, the 500 Festival Parade, through our city's downtown, passing block after block of those memorials. Just last June, John Hodowal and his wife Caroline were reading an article in The New York Times about America's winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor. They learned to their dismay that, since the Civil War, 3400 heroic Americans had earned the honor but that there was no place in America devoted to their remembrance. Then came the glimmer of an idea. This year, thanks to the civic virtue of John Hodowal, and the civic enterprise of the corporation he leads, IPALCO Enterprises and the IPALCO Enterprises Foundation, something truly special is planned. While IPALCO deserves praise for leading the 500 Festival this year, there is more. The Hodowals' idea has produced a wonderful new memorial in honor of those special American heroes who, for military service above and beyond the call of duty, were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor down through the years of our history as a nation. In recognition of the valor of these American heroes and to commemorate IPALCO for its generosity, I have sponsored a resolution honoring these champions. This Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis, nearly 100 of the 157 surviving Medal of Honor recipients will be honored as special guests for the dedication of the memorial and will serve as honorary Grand Marshals of the parade. Our remembrance this day of those who earned our nation's highest military recognition by their heroism is a wondrous way to commemorate the service of all veterans. Mr. Hodowal's idea, expressed in glass and sound and light and stone, transcends and transforms the traditional notion of such honors in our city. This monument, reminding and inspiring all who walk by the bank of the canal in Military Park, is an important piece, a central place, for the eternal honor these heroes are due. For Mr. Hodowal, and for IPALCO Enterprises, this day is yours, as well. I am prouder than words can express to say that I know you. For this gift to the city and to the nation, for your civic service above and beyond the call, I salute you.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, Mother's Day just passed, a day for celebration for some and, unfortunately, a day of mourning for too many women who no longer have a child to call them mother. In Indianapolis, a young mother named Michelle Miller mourned her young son who was killed while playing with a loaded firearm. In Littleton, Colorado, 12 mothers mourned their children, killed by two teens who found access to deadly firepower all too easy. We have a number of good proposals pending before this 106th Congress on gun safety. I have a common-sense bill, H.R. 515, that has already been joined with 49 cosponsors, that will require child safety devices on handguns and establish standards for those devices. We can move now to enact common-sense gun regulations that does not violate anybody's constitutional rights to bear arms but does protect the lives of a lot of innocents. Mr. Speaker, let us celebrate Father's Day in a more profound way, by passing gun safety legislation.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, and early today, Wednesday, May 5, 1999, and as a result, missed rollcall votes 105 through 109. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote 105, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 106, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 107, ``present'' on rollcall vote 108, and ``no'' on rollcall vote 109.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick), in whose district Mrs. Parks is now a legal resident. (Ms. KILPATRICK asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank the other 329 Members of the 106th Congress who joined me in unprecedented numbers to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to the Honorable Rosa Parks, a human being extraordinaire. This is my first bill that I will pass from Congress, and there is no better way for me to inaugurate my service in the United States Congress than to introduce a bill that will give a Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. Her courage propelled her to great heights. She is profiled as the leader of the century by major news media universally. Her selflessness embraced the spirit of the British National Anthem: ``My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty.'' Mrs. Parks in Montgomery, Alabama, sought to, tried to validate this pledge of ours, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all people. Her steadfastness and unmovable decision revisited the words of Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator, in his Gettysburg Address, that we would have a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Mrs. Parks, thank you very much for watching this long-delayed honor by the United States Congress in celebration of your 86th birthday present. What a great present, Mrs. Parks, for the United States Congress to give to you in this particular way. I am grateful for your steadfastness, your perseverance, the kind of contribution that you made to America almost 44 years ago, and it is because of your good work and your determination, the fact that you sacrificed yourself and went to jail. And a woman that was not of color, Mrs. Virginia Foster Durr, who was known as the matron of the civil rights movement, bailed Mrs. Parks out, which underscored that there were people who were not people of color necessarily who came to the forefront to ensure that justice prevails. So, Mrs. Parks, while you watch this live from California and while both you and I are alive to see it pass, I want to publicly, for America, thank you very much, Rosa Parks. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez). Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Tavis Smiley, who is a great commentator across the country, said something last week that I will never forget. He said that each of us must live for a cause, and not just because. Rosa Parks emulates that spirit in a very profound way, and Tavis Smiley does, too. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of Texas (Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), a young man who has done so much in terms of aiding me in getting this to where we are. (Mr. Gephardt asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on Monday, April 12, 1999, and Tuesday, April 13, 1999, attending a family funeral, and as a result, missed rollcall votes 78 through 82. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote 78, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 79, ``yes'' on rollcall 80, ``yes'' or rollcall 81, and ``yes'' on rollcall 82.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to be here this afternoon speaking about a rich tradition and important part of Hoosier heritage, an element of life that the great State of Indiana continues to support and love, basketball, a game with which Indiana has become synonymous. Indiana's basketball is nearly unparalleled. The names from the State, John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, Chuck Taylor, Larry Bird, bring to mind all that basketball should and can be. The rivalries such as the one between IU and Purdue, and the stories of epic proportions such as the movie ``Hoosiers'' is what separates Indiana basketball from all the rest. These icons and ideals continue to be revered, inspire greatness, and offer a mystical and enriching quality to a game that continues to grow and captivate fans around the country, but remains in the heart of Indiana. It is my honor to acknowledge that this tradition of excellence and inspiration continues today. The sensational Lady Boilermakers of Purdue, and the coach of the boilermakers, enjoyed a story book season on their way to winning the NCAA National Championship, while North Central High School in Indianapolis played nearly flawlessly at the end of their season to capture their first high school 4A State championship. I would like to acknowledge a remarkable young woman, Carolyn Peck, who coached the Lady Boilermakers to an NCAA championship. Ms. Peck is the recipient of the 1999 John and Nellie Wooden Award, one of the most prestigious honors in college basketball. At the age of 32, she was the youngest coach in the Big Ten and has quickly risen to the top of women's basketball coaching circles. With her unmatched enthusiasm and grace, Ms. Peck is a leader, coach and motivator who is destined to become one of the greatest names in women's collegiate sports. In 1997-98, during her first season as head coach, the Purdue Lady Boilermakers finished with a 23-10 overall record, won the Big Ten Conference Tournament, advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and ranked number 11 in the final USAToday/ESPN poll. During this past season, Ms. Peck led the lady boilermakers to an NCAA championship victory and an amazing 32-1 overall record. Carolyn Peck, holding true to Hoosiers' reputation for great basketball, is undeniably a wonderful role model for young women everywhere. I would also like to congratulate a high school that is in my district, the North Central High School of Indianapolis. The North Central High School Panthers, led by coach Doug Mitchell, won Indiana's 1999 Division 4A State Basketball Championship and then defeated 2A champion Westview to win the Tournament of Champions. The Panthers' victory capped an outstanding season whereby the Panthers finished with an overall record of 25 wins and only 5 losses. The Panthers became Marion County's fifth champion in the past 11 years. The Panthers' run to the championship included a hard-fought 79-73 overtime win over then number one ranked Bloomington South. Trailing by 3 points with little time left on the clock, Jason Gardner, Indiana's Mr. Basketball, hit a clutch 3-point shot as time expired to send the game into overtime. The courage and commitment to excellence displayed by the Panthers are befitting for the champions of the most esteemed high school basketball tournament in the world. I would like to recognize Eric Chapman, Jason Gardner, Nick Gardner, Wegahta Ghebremichael, John Hayes, Max Matthews, Doug Moore, Lucas Query, Shawn Radford, Eric Rhodes, Zach Scott and Donald Yates. Mr. Speaker, each of these players understand the importance of teamwork and are worthy of being called champions. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention that I will probably be back on the floor in mid-June to congratulate another team from Indianapolis, the Indiana Pacers, who will have just won the NBA championship.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the American College of Sports Medicine on the completion of a vast new addition to its headquarters building in Indianapolis. In the early 1980s, Indianapolis' corporate leaders and city officials advanced a visionary plan to make the city the amateur sports capital of the Nation. We have had immense support from the corporate community in Indianapolis. On December 15, 1983, Mayor William Hudnut broke ground for the ACSM National Center, which has become one of the anchor projects of the Canal area redevelopment. He referred to it as ``A cornerstone in the Amateur Sports Capital.'' Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the American College of Sports Medicine on the completion of a vast new addition so that it would be able to advance the immense amount of work that it has done in terms of sports medicine.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule on the bipartisan Steel Recovery Act. Over the last several months, we have waged a battle on the issue of illegal dumping of foreign steel on American markets. I firmly believe that no American steelworker should have to sacrifice their job or their livelihood because of a foreign importer that breaks American trade laws. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand firm in support of U.S. steel, U.S. steelworkers and their families as the steel industry confronts an onslaught of unfairly traded steel imports. Collapse of demand in Asia, Russia and Brazil have resulted in historic global overcapacity. Foreign producers choking on a global steel oversupply are desperate to sell steel and are willing to dump it at whatever price possible, to whatever market is open to them; in other words, the United States. Last year alone, imports from Japan, Korea and Russia soared by nearly 170 percent, 137 percent and 70 percent respectively. Mr. Speaker, I urge full support of the rule and for the bill. As a result, the U.S. steel industry is in a fight for its life. Steelworkers in Utah, Pennsylvania, and Alabama have been the hardest hit with each State losing several thousand workers. In Indiana, the Nation's largest steel producer, providing 23 percent of the raw steel made in the United States, up to 3,000 of its 30,000 steel workers--10 percent--have had to accept shortened work weeks, lower-paying job assignments, or early retirement. The Department of Commerce recently reported that 11,000 steel workers have already been laid off. That's 11,000 x's the American families who now face uncertain futures because we did not take action when we could have. We must take all measures necessary to halt the flood of unfairly traded steel into the United States. Congress and the Administration must work together to enact stronger trade laws to prevent surges of dumped and subsidized foreign steel from devastating our workers and companies again. And, most immediately, Congress must act to slow these imports now before our steel industry is too seriously injured to recover. America's hard-working families are looking to us to be their voice. Mr. Speaker, I intend to stand up for them and vote for H.R. 975. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule and in favor of the bill.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the American College of Sports Medicine on the completion of a vast new addition to its headquarters building in Indianapolis. In the early 1980s, Indianapolis' corporate leaders and city officials advanced a visionary plan to make the city the amateur sports capital of the Nation. We have had immense support from the corporate community in Indianapolis. On December 15, 1983, Mayor William Hudnut broke ground for the ACSM National Center, which has become one of the anchor projects of the Canal area redevelopment. He referred to it as ``A cornerstone in the Amateur Sports Capital.'' Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the American College of Sports Medicine on the completion of a vast new addition so that it would be able to advance the immense amount of work that it has done in terms of sports medicine. The new wing will accommodate a video-conferencing center and more office space for the growing staff at the national headquarters of the world's premier sports medicine and exercise science organization. The ACSM is a worldwide leader in the advancement of sports medicine, exercise science, physical activity, and health. The ACSM works closely with diverse organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Heart Association, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The ACSM is an association of people and professions sharing a commitment to explore the use of medicine and exercise to make life healthier for all Americans. ACSM is an organization founded in 1954 and committed to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports-related injuries and to the promotion of physical activity. ACSM's mission is to promote and integrate scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life. ACSM is the largest sports medicine and exercise science association in the world. Its more than 17,500 members worldwide work in a variety of medical specialties, allied health professions, and scientific disciplines. College members are divided into the following three categories: medicine, basic and applied science, and education and allied health. The ACSM Board of Trustees was approached with a proposal to relocate its National Center from Madison, Wisconsin to Indianapolis. The Trustees agreed to move the American College of Sports Medicine to Indianapolis, lending the organization's considerable prestige to the city's growing reputation as the home of amateur sports in the United States. In October of 1984, the building was ready for occupancy, thanks to major contributions from Lilly Endowment, Krannert Charitable Trust, City of Indianapolis, William B. Stokely Jr. Foundation, Eli Lilly Company Foundation, The Quaker Oats Company, and Nautilus, along with those from generous ACSM members. In 1998, the College broke ground for a much-needed expansion to its Canal headquarters, dramatically increasing its programs and activities. The expansion, finished in January 1999, now houses a state-of-the-art videoconferencing center and several other amenities that support its worldwide reputation as the ``gold standard'' for sports medicine and exercise science. A 35-person staff and $6 million budget round out its Indianapolis presence. ACSM's important work and innovations have improved the quality of life for Hoosiers and all Americans. I congratulate the organization on all of its accomplishments and for the significant contributions it continues to make to the Indianapolis community.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support and sympathy for the family of John Stewart, a young Indianapolis man who promised to bring glory to the game of basketball. Unfortunately and most tragically, last Friday night he collapsed at a basketball game and died from an undetected enlarged heart. John Stewart just turned 18 years old, was an amazing young man gifted with enormous natural talent and he used those talents to the fullest. He was very friendly, had a good sense of humor. He was loved by both students and teachers at Lawrence North High School. He measured a full 7 feet tall and tipped the scales at nearly 300 pounds. From 1995 to 1997, John was a ball boy for the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers continued to provide John Stewart with shoes even after his days with the team because his feet were so large his family had a hard time finding shoes that would fit him. It was reminiscent of Shaquille O'Neal, who had given his shoes to a young man not because they could not afford to buy size 16-17 shoes but because in the marketplace those sizes were very difficult to locate. John Stewart had led Lawrence North 24 to 2, with 22 points and 13 rebounds. The third-quarter numbers were 10 points and 7 rebounds. The case of John Stewart reminds us how imperative it is to understand before kids enter the world of athletics, especially something as strenuous as basketball, that they have to have a thorough heart evaluation to forego a cardiac condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It is a disease of the heart that has some genetic tendencies. It causes a very enlarged heart. The normal treatment for that, of course, is to avoid strenuous physical activity. John Stewart was second-ranked Lawrence North's star center. He collapsed Friday during the Wildcats' Class 4A regional championship game with Bloomington South at Columbus. Unfortunately, he never regained consciousness. He had also been awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky during the next school season. So I wanted to say on behalf of the many people who will not have an opportunity to express their support for the John Stewart family, his mother, his father, his sisters, his brothers, his aunts and his grandparents, and to all of the students who are in shock and in bereavement at Lawrence North that there is a passage of scripture that often refers to a situation like this in that ``death has no democracy, it visits anyone regardless of what their ages are.'' But it could be that John Stewart's life was cut off prematurely to alert this Congress, this country, to the need for allowing children to have thorough heart examinations before they go in. The passage of scriptures says that perhaps John may have laid down his life so that others may live. In closing, Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, I would simply recall for the John Stewart bereaved family at this time the words that the poet who reminds all of us, ``for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows''; and certainly John Stewart has brought in the rain where a flower will grow, and said, ``somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows.'' John Stewart's remains will be laid to rest on Friday. And unfortunately, I cannot attend the Hershey event with my colleagues because I will be attending John Stewart's going home services if you will. But he does remind me that for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows and somewhere in the darkest night that a candle glows. I know wherever John Stewart's spirit is at this time, regardless of the pain that his departure has left, that his candle will continue to glow through the minds and the hearts of the John Stewart family and the Lawrence North High School community.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent on Wednesday, March 4, 1999, and as a result, missed rollcall votes 31 and 32. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote 31 and ``yes'' on rollcall 32.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Madam Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from Ohio for yielding. I rise as a proud person tonight in celebration of black history, because I am indeed a proud recipient of the achievements that we applaud during Black History Month. I rise today to celebrate black history in a way that was demonstrated by a woman named Rosa Parks who has become affectionately and reverently referred to as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks in her quiet courage on December 1, 1955, in the proud State that Mr. Hilliard represents now, in Montgomery, Alabama, launched a new revolution that opened doors a little wider and brought equality a little closer for all Americans in our Nation. In 1955, Rosa Parks touched off a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, when she was arrested for refusing to yield her seat to a gentleman there who was not of her own race. She was bone weary from a long day at work, she was on her way home, she was sitting in a colored section on the bus. But the law said that African Americans in that section had to yield their seats to people who were not African Americans if no seats were available in the white section for them. This was a visceral symbol to African Americans of their second-class citizenship that was continuing to be reinforced by those blatant segregation laws. The white section of the bus was full, and a white man demanded that Rosa Parks give up her seat. She refused and was subsequently arrested. Because Rosa Parks sat there with the dignity and the courage that she embraced, she sat there and the whole world stood up. And the name of Dr. Martin Luther King at that point came to the ears and eyes of America as the Montgomery bus boycott was created and launched and came to the ears and eyes of America. That is why I believe it is important, it is imperative for this body, the United States House of Representatives, to award Mrs. Rosa Parks a Congressional Gold Medal, a bill that I introduced on her 86th birthday, February 4. We have amassed some 127 cosponsors to that effort, and I would love to see all 435 Members join in this effort to ensure that while she yet lives that she will understand that the United States House of Representatives recognizes the achievement in terms of the movement that she created by virtue of the Montgomery bus boycott and that she will still be able to live and receive in person the Congressional Gold Medal. Mrs. Parks has established, along with her now late husband, an institute for self-development, a training school for Detroit teenagers. The legislation, H.R. 573, would authorize the President to award Mrs. Parks a gold medal on behalf of the Congress and, of course, as gold medals move through, it authorizes the United States Mint to strike and sell duplicates to the public. This legislation not only is symbolic, it is a very necessary action upon which the United States Congress should engage, because it bespeaks not only the character and the integrity but the courage and the perseverance of an incredibly fine woman. On the eve of the celebration of the International Woman's Year next month, national periodicals and publications across this land have identified Mrs. Parks as being one of clearly the dynamic women, if you will, of the century. I think that it would be extremely befitting for all Members of Congress to join in this noteworthy and vital effort to provide this Congressional Gold Medal. I appreciate very much your indulgence and your attention to this effort. When I first heard that Congress has never recognized Rosa Parks' role in the civil rights movement, I was astounded. We have gone 44 years without expressing our gratitude for her leadership. Rosa Parks is an outstanding American, the type of person for whom the Congressional Gold Medal was created. I urge all my colleagues to join the 122 bi-partisan co-sponsors in supporting this bill.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, due to official business in my district, I was unavoidably absent on Tuesday, February 9, 1999, and Wednesday, February 10, 1999, and as a result, missed rollcall votes 12-18. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote 12, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 13, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 14, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 15, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 16, ``no'' on rollcall vote 17, and ``yes'' on rollcall vote 18.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks is the Mother of America's Civil Rights movement. Her quiet courage that day in Montgomery, Alabama, touched off a new American revolution that opened new doors of opportunity and brought equality for all Americans close to a reality. In 1955, Rosa Parks touched off the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, when she was arrested for refusing to yield her seat at the front of the bus to a white man. Bone-weary from a long day at work, Rosa Parks was on her way home. The only seat available on the bus was in the ``white'' section. Outraged by her arrest, the black community in Montgomery launched a bus boycott demanding racial integration of the bus system. The bus boycott introduced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to America as a civil rights leader. Led by Dr. King, African-Americans took car-pools to their destinations in Montgomery and pushed the bus system to the brink of financial ruin. After months of running nearly-empty buses, Montgomery relented and agreed to integrate the system. For the first time bus riders, no matter what their color, could sit anywhere they wanted. The movement sparked in Montgomery culminated in the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and a new affirmation of the equal rights promised to all Americans by the Constitution. The quiet courage of Rosa Parks changed the course of American history and came to symbolize the power of non-violent protest. In the 44 years since that cold winter Montgomery day, the Nation has derived immense benefit from her leadership and that of those she inspired. Rosa Parks continues to dedicate her life to the cause of universal human rights and has become a living icon for freedom in America. My legislation will authorize the President to award Rosa Parks a gold medal, on behalf of Congress. It will authorize the U.S. Mint to strike and sell duplicates to the public. Today is Rosa Parks' 86th birthday. It is time for Congress and the entire nation to join me in recognizing Rosa Parks' significant and historic contributions to American society. February is Black History month. This is the time for us to finally give Rosa Parks the recognition she has so long deserved.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent yesterday, Tuesday, February 2, 1999, and as a result, missed rollcall votes 7 and 8. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote 7 and ``yes'' on rollcall 8.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, we have dispatched and asked some of America's women and men to place themselves in harm's way and degrade Saddam Hussein's capacities in weapons of mass destruction. Simultaneously, we placed the citizens of America in harm's way by utilizing political weapons of mass destruction to degrade and destroy the President of the United States. Lyndon Johnson said, ``The difference between Democrats and Republicans is that we don't hate your Presidents.'' Some say this is not about sex; it is about lying under oath. Lying under oath about sex is still about sex, and the only reason it is about sex is that our colleagues could not find anything else to get on him. Any extramarital affair, whether by a president or a Member of Congress, is lying under oath, the most sacred of oaths, the marriage vow. Any lie told by a president about the people's business is under oath, the presidential oath of office. It is not just one poll, but in all polls, by a two to one margin the American people say that when it comes to people's sex lives even presidents' sex lives, government should mind its own business.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent yesterday, Wednesday, October 14, 1998, and as a result, missed rollcall votes 530 and 531. Had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote 530 and yes on rollcall 531.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. I rise, Mr. Speaker, to make a point, all apart from the self-righteous rancor of our recent debates before we go out from here to our homes across the land. I am concerned about some recent horrors in our country, frightening to Americans of decency everywhere. I rise because I think there is something we can do and because this is the time to start doing it. This year, we have seen horrific hate crimes committed against innocent men. One man in Texas was brutally dragged behind a pickup truck to his death merely because of the color of his skin. Another young man was savagely beaten to death in Wyoming because of his sexual orientation. This was the third attack he had suffered in recent months because of his orientation. The FBI reported 7,947 hate crimes in 1995, and 11,039 in 1996. The vast majority of these crimes were based on racial prejudice. Only 33 of these cases were prosecuted by the Justice Department under existing hate crime laws. However, we also know that hate attacks are chronically under-reported by victims and law enforcement agencies. Attacks like the one in Wyoming are probably more widespread than we know. We must do more to prevent these kinds of outrages. I have cosponsored legislation, HR 3043, to require colleges and universities to collect and report statistics concerning the occurrence on campus of crimes arising from prejudice based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability. I also have cosponsored HR 3081, which would strengthen criminal penalties of those who commit violent hate crimes. Many states, including Wyoming, do not even have hate crime laws on the books. My own state of Indiana has no penalties on the books aimed at preventing hate crimes. These states need to act to do whatever they can to prevent crimes of hate. Here in Congress, let us dedicate ourselves to passing strong anti- hate crimes legislation before we adjourn this year. We in Congress and the states must do what we can to focus such attention on hate crimes that it may never be said that we did not act to help to prevent this great national shame.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra).

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, long ago, James Madison spoke of one of our most fundamental American propositions. That was liberty and learning, each leaning on the other. We cannot have a healthy democracy or any democracy without quality public education. It is our job to show that education can rely on democracy. Let us put 100,000 new teachers in our classrooms. This Congress has been one of the least productive in recent memory. While urgent, unmet needs confront American families in areas like education and health care, this Congress just dithers with inconsequential suspension bills and ideological dead letters like tax cuts that drain away the budget surplus. In the State that I represent, Indiana, Indianapolis specifically, 29 percent of public schools are in serious need of repairs and 67 percent have outdated or inadequate facilities. Back in January this year, Congressional Democrats and the administration laid out an extensive agenda to improve the quality of public education in this country. The Republicans spent the entire year blocking that agenda, preferring instead to focus on scandals that divert public attention. Now we are asking that as a bare minimum Congress begin providing funds to hire new teachers and to fix up our crumbling schools. By hiring new teachers, we will be able to reduce class sizes. Research in Indiana and the State of Tennessee shows that reducing class size to 15 students in the early grades improves student achievements, particularly among low income and minority students in urban areas. Public school enrollment in Indiana is expected to grow by almost 6 percent in the next decade. We desperately need more teachers to handle this growth. When I look at the overcrowding in the Indianapolis public school system, I can say the students there sure could use more teachers. The need is overwhelming but this Congress has turned a blind eye to that need. Only now, confronted with extraordinary demand by the voters for better education, are the Republicans grudgingly coming forward to agree to more school funding. Even now, though, they are dragging their feet. Rather than funding new teachers, the Republican leaders want to spend the money on other things like school administration. Mr. Speaker, we need teachers, not administrators; classrooms, not office complexes. Even worse, they tried to revive their anti-public school agenda. They want to use the District of Columbia as a guinea pig for experimenting with school vouchers. The D.C. public schools already are in distress but the Republicans want to drain away their funding and put it into private schools. The proposition about dollars for classrooms was indeed another cruel hoax. My State of Indiana, under that proposal, stood to lose $8.3 million in the process of a so-called block grant back to the State of Indiana. Instead of spending our taxpayers' money on private schools, we must invest it wisely in public schools, where the vast majority of our children get their education. Mr. Speaker, it is time for this Congress to get back to the business of helping to secure greater success for American families.

Ms. CARSON

Ms. CARSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me, and thanks to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) in whose district this young man that we pay special tribute today resides, and always to the honorable gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) who has the privilege of having a dear relative of one of the casualties of this very tragic situation who resides in her district and to Members of Congress all. Let me suggest to the House of Representatives today that when Hunter Scott first came to Washington in pursuit of justice, as my colleagues have heard described here today, that I met the young man at the airport when he first flew in from Florida because of my enduring appreciation for the young man and his good work. And we created a House bill, House bill 3710, that the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) and I co-authored, along with other Members of this distinguished body, asking for the relief, especially the memory, of the individuals who were aboard the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a city whom I represent and whom that ship was proudly named for, to try to vindicate in some way before the remaining 12 survivors went to meet their maker. When I met Hunter Scott at the airport and enjoyed and experienced all the enthusiasm that he had had for this project in terms of redemption, I was reminded of the great poet that said that the lion shall lay down with the lamb, and a little child shall lead them, and, as I have been here in this 105th Congress, I thought of Congress as being the lion and hopefully that this young man, this 12 year old, now 13 year old, would certainly be the child that would lead Congress in the right direction in terms of vindicating those aboard U.S.S. Indianapolis that was torpedoed and sunk just before the end of the war in the United States Navy's worst disaster at sea. The Navy, embarrassed by forces of great disaster, has never recognized heroism of the crew and instead court- martialed the captain Charles McVay. I, too, have a relative and a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis who still remains in Indianapolis, Indiana. My colleagues have heard the tragic subsequent events that followed the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the fact that America was so jubilant that the war was over they did not even discover the U.S.S. Indianapolis had not come to shore. And I think that this country and Old Glory that we salute here on this floor on a daily basis owes it to America and certainly owes it to Hunter Scott, who unfortunately is at camp at this time and unable to watch this personal salute that is given to him. But I would trust, as the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) has mentioned, that the 106th Congress would be about the very serious business of vindicating the survivors of U.S.S. Indianapolis, reversing a very bad item on the record of those who survived this ship and to give a very special salute to a young man who stands as a beacon for so many young people around this country in terms of what can, in fact, be accomplished if one holds fast the dreams and does not let dreams die.