Michael Castle

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 714) honoring Sandra Feldman on the occasion of her retirement from the presidency of the American Federation of Teachers for her tireless efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to commend Chairman Bonilla and Ranking Member Kaptur for including a strong commitment of funding in this bill for the implementation of the Low Path Avian Influenza program at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This $23 million in funding will allow APHIS to promptly address the repeated and diverse outbreaks of avian influenza that have occurred in several states including my state of Delaware. This additional funding is necessary to respond to the many needs confronting this vital industry including: Expanded monitoring of avian influenza, increased surveillance of the live-bird markets and distributors, advanced research on and implementation of fast and economical tests, and confirmed identification and tracking of avian influenza sources. The presence of avian influenza presents an immediate threat to the U.S. poultry industry. It constitutes a significant danger to the national economy and potential serious burden on interstate and foreign commerce. As you know, in early February, two flocks of chickens in Delaware were confirmed as having H7N2 low pathogenic avian influenza, and roughly 83,000 birds were promptly depopulated. Isolated avian influenza infections were then identified among chickens in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Later in the month, officials determined that a flock of 7,000 broilers in Southeast portion of Chairman Bonilla's home state of Texas tested positive for a highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza. The most recent case came when a flock of chickens in Pocomoke City, Maryland, tested positive for the H7 avian flu, which led to more than 300,000 birds and chicks being depopulated on three farms. The infections discovered this year follow past outbreaks of low pathogen flu in Virginia, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The USDA response to the outbreaks occurring this year has been prompt and the assistance provided to the state Departments of Agriculture and the poultry industry has been instrumental in helping to identify, contain and eradicate the avian influenza outbreak--but there is still much that needs to be done. Even before the recent infections, the Administration recognized the expanding need to implement a comprehensive strategy to battle avian influenza by including $12.7 million in funding in the APHIS FY'05 budget request for the Low Pathogen Avian Influenza (LPAI) program and recently transferring $13.7 million in FY'04 funds into the program. This builds on the close to $1 million provided in FY'04 that is scheduled for implementation at the end of this month. I believe it is critical that APHIS receives the proper amount of funding to maximize the resources at its disposal to strongly address this serious problem. Low Path AI is capable of mutating into highly pathogenic forms. The occurrence of HPAI in Texas led Secretary Veneman to declare an Extraordinary Emergency earlier this month. A healthy and vital poultry industry is a major contributor to the recovering economy of this country, and the finding of AI, particularly the highly destructive High Path AI, represents a major threat in this regard. Moreover, the multi-billion dollar poultry export industry is put at risk by the avian flu discoveries. Many of our trading partners continue to impose import bans on U.S. poultry products. While some of these importers have set restrictions on products from specified states, others have taken the more drastic step of banning importation of poultry products from our entire country. We need to give our trade negotiators the necessary support in the form of these AI surveillance and control efforts, to allow them to negotiate with our foreign trading partners and convince them to re-open these markets. Again, I commend Chairman Bonilla and Ranking Member Kaptur for providing APHIS with the critical resources it needs to address this threat to our poultry industry.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this legislation.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis), the sponsor of this resolution before us.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1914, the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003, introduced by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis), and ask for its immediate passage. The legislation authorizes the minting and sale in 2007 of gold $5 coins and silver $1 coins commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding in 1607 of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent European colony in the United States and the capital of Virginia for 92 years. The economic, political, social and cultural institutions that developed in the Jamestown Settlement, which brought together people from throughout the Atlantic basin, left profound effects on the United States, establishing the traditions of English common law and the English language, as well as cross-cultural relationships. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Virginia, whom we will call on to speak here in moment, because it is all of her work with the planning committee that made all this possible. Madam Speaker, this legislation was passed by voice vote in both the subcommittee and the full Committee on Financial Services, and I do ask for immediate passage of this important legislation, which I am pleased to cosponsor. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1914) to provide for the issuance of a coin to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, as amended.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time and encourage all of the Members to vote aye in support of this legislation.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2768) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Chief Justice John Marshall, as amended.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, but I would like to do something. The sponsor of the legislation could not be here tonight, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus), and was very interested in being able to speak, and I will submit for the Record those remarks.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I do rise in strong support of this legislation, the John Marshall Commemorative Coin Act, authored by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus), and urge its immediate passage. The legislation directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and issue, in 2005, silver one-dollar coins with a design emblematic of Chief Justice John Marshall, denoting the 250th anniversary of that great man's birth. Proceeds from the collection of surcharges on the sale of the coins will go, after matching funds are raised, to benefit the work of the Supreme Court Historical Society. I would like to note that in addition to the broad bipartisan support for this legislation, in this Chamber and in the other body, we had a rather remarkable witness in the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy at a March hearing on this bill. For the first time in my memory, a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court testified before a committee other than that of the Committee on the Judiciary. Chief Justice Rehnquist gave a learned and enthusiastic presentation on behalf of the legislation. Madam Speaker, John Marshall, known as ``the Great Chief Justice,'' served as Chief Justice of the United States for 34 years, from 1801 to 1835. Born in the Blue Ridge hills of Virginia, he had little formal education but served as a captain of an artillery company in the battles of Brandywine and Monmouth and spent the winter with General Washington at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War and briefly studied law after the war before being elected a Member of Congress from Virginia. At the time of his appointment as Chief Justice, he was Secretary of State to President Adams. As Chief Justice Rehnquist reminded us, due mostly to Chief Justice Marshall, the Federal judiciary headed by the Supreme Court is regarded as a coequal branch of the Federal government, but in the first decade of this country the judiciary was much a junior partner. Chief Justice Marshall is best known as the author of the Court's opinion in the famous case of Marbury v. Madison decided in 1803, known as the fountainhead of all of our present-day constitutional law because it established the doctrine of judicial review, the authority of the Federal courts to declare legislative acts unconstitutional. Ultimately, Chief Justice Marshall wrote more than 500 opinions and, as Chief Justice Rehnquist reminded us, Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, ``If American law were to be represented by a single figure, skeptic and worshipper alike would agree without dispute that the figure could be one alone, and that one John Marshall.'' Madam Speaker, this legislation is supported by more than 300 bipartisan cosponsors and the full Committee on Financial Services by voice votes. I urge its immediate passage. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3277, as amended.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3277, the Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act, authored by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), himself a Marine, and ask for its immediate passage. Madam Speaker, this legislation authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and issue in 2005 $1 silver commemorative coins in observation of the 230th anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps, which will be celebrated November 10, 2005. The corps of Marines was create in 1775 by the Continental Congress even before the formal creation of the United States to provide a landing force for the evolving country's fleet. Moving forward from that tradition of service on land and sea, the Marines have played pivotal roles in every major conflict in which the United States has been involved, often taking the most grueling tasks with pride. Madam Speaker, proceeds from surcharges on the sale of the commemorative coins will be applied after the raising of the matching funds towards the construction of a Marine Corps Heritage Center being built at Quantico, Virginia, by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. The foundation is dedicated to the preservation and chronicling of Marine Corps history through scholarly research, education and outreach efforts detailing the Marine Corps' contributions to the Nation. The center is scheduled to open on the 230th anniversary of the founding of the corps. Obviously, the Marine Corps, with its storied tradition, has played an important part in the defense of this country and our values, and I believe the Marine Corps is a distinguished group of men and women worthy of a commemorative coin and the heritage center is a fine endeavor to receive the funds raised. It is my understanding that some of the artifacts that will be in the center now are housed in a World War II-era Quonset hut, and I think we can all agree that a better environment to preserve and teach about these important artifacts is necessary. Finally, Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), as I mentioned, himself a Marine, for his diligent and tireless work on behalf of this legislation, which is supported by more than 300 bipartisan cosponsors, myself included. I would also like to recognize, in addition to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), the five Members of the United States House of Representatives who served in the United States Marine Corps: the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline), and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder). We thank these gentleman and all the men and women of the United States Marine Corps for their service to our country. Madam Speaker, I ask for immediate passage of H.R. 3277, which was approved on voice votes in both subcommittee and the full Committee on Financial Services. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, in yielding back, let me just thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) for his service to this country on a couple of fronts, obviously, here in Congress and as a Marine, and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) for his touching speech for the Marines, for whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude. I urge everyone to support the legislation.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3277), to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 230th Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps, and to support construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Centers, as amended.

Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to strongly support this legislation. The Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DEMEP) has been part of the national MEP program since 1994 and in 1999 it entered into a partnership with the Delaware Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware State Technical and Community College, and the Delaware Economic Development Office. The Federal funding they receive through the national MEP program has helped them to develop the resources to be able to reach the small and medium-sized manufacturers in their delivery area. Delaware MEP has 3 locations in Delaware and is currently assisting 1,100 Delaware manufacturers. Delaware MEP is showing a greater than 8 to 1 impact in terms of economic impact per every Federal dollar spent. The manufacturing sector in Delaware is dealing with the same burdens that are affecting all U.S. manufacturers--among them are the rising costs of labor, health care, energy, and regulatory costs. These obstacles contributed to the October 2003 statistics shared by the Delaware Department of Labor that measured 3,900 manufacturing jobs lost in the last 12 months. The Delaware MEP exists to strengthen local manufacturers by assisting them in dealing with these issues. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Delaware MEP, a strong Federal, State, and industry partnership. For 10 years, they have successfully strengthened competitiveness, improved productivity, and increased profits for Delaware manufacturers by guiding them in the implementation of best practices. Programs such as Lean Manufacturing and Quality Management Systems have helped companies record significant improvements in productivity and profitability. ILC Dover, Inc., a manufacturer of protective equipment and engineered inflatables for NASA shuttle astronauts and other industrial customers, reported production improvements gains of 41 percent in 6 months from use of the Lean Manufacturing program. Many other Delaware manufacturers have increased their productivity and decreased waste, thanks to this program. Allied Precision Inc., a Newark-based manufacturer of precision components for the aerospace, automotive, and military industries, risked losing a major client unless they adopted international standards of quality. They turned to the Delaware MEP quality management program for assistance to meet those standards and were able to gain international registration for meeting those standards and are now competing for and being awarded foreign contracts. The Delaware MEP will continue to access its many local, regional and national resources to bring innovative programs to Delaware manufacturers to serve their competitive needs and help companies compete and prosper. Mr. Chairman, this bill will be a key driver in supporting the Delaware and the U.S. manufacturing sectors and help them create jobs to further strengthen our economy. Support this legislation.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word, and I rise to enter into a colloquy with the chairman, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf). I rise today on behalf of myself, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson) to request that as the gentleman moves forward with this appropriation bill, he will work to include language in conference with the Senate that will instruct the Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation with the Secretaries of Energy and Labor, to study the economic impacts of rising natural gas prices on energy-intensive industries in the United States and potential market adjustments, including energy-intensive industries shifting operations overseas. We are concerned about the growing imbalance between natural gas supplies and the ever-increasing demands of this fuel source. The goal of this study would be to better understand what effects the volatile rise in natural gas prices and decreases in domestic supply have had on U.S. energy-intensive industries, including how they operate their facilities in the U.S., reducing United States production, postponing plant expansions, and shifting work to parts of the world where energy prices are lower. The U.S. today has the highest natural gas prices in the industrialized world, forcing companies to shift jobs overseas to countries with greater supply and lower energy costs. U.S. chemical companies have lost an estimated 78,000 jobs since the natural gas shortage began in 2000. Mr. Chairman, these economic numbers are alarming, and we need to take a closer look at how these energy costs are affecting our country's economic recovery. We hope Chairman Wolf will support this request as he undergoes the difficult task of guiding the fiscal year 2005 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary appropriations bill through this process. We thank the gentleman for his leadership on these important economic issues.

Mr. CASTLE. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Chairman. Amendment Offered by Mr. Crowley

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Georgia for yielding time to me. I would just like to take my time here to discuss an amendment which I am afraid I cannot write so it would be germane to the legislation that will be before us for which this rule has been written, but it does pertain to Commerce-Justice-State, and it pertains to something that is happening in this country. On September 13, the automatic assault weapon ban is going to expire. If I looked at my calendar correctly, that is 17 legislative days from now. This is a ban which has been in effect for a period of 10 years now in this country. It is supported by the President of the United States, that is, the extension of it. It is supported by both Presidential campaigns; and in my judgment, it is very, very important that we bring this, however we possibly can. We are talking about semiautomatic weapons. In this case, we are talking about the AK-47, Uzis. We are talking about high levels of ammunition, depletion of guns in rapid time, various aspects that have frankly caused every law enforcement entity that I know of in the United States of America to support this ban. We also know that there has been a reduction in crime with the use of these weapons since the ban has been in effect. In fact, that reduction has been more than 65 percent since the ban went into effect in 1995. So we now have a situation in which we have proven, I believe, that the assault weapon ban is something that actually makes sense as far as the safety of Americans is concerned. As far as the right to bear arms and the rights that are prevalent, I believe in those. I believe they should be continued, but I do believe that the assault weapon ban needs to be continued as well. It also shows that most Americans believe this. If one looks at polls, they virtually in every category, or 75 percent or more of Americans believe that we should continue this assault weapon ban. I have legislation introduced, and that legislation would do that for 10 years. It does not change another word. It just extends it for 10 years because I believe it has worked well. My concern is are we going to be able to bring it to the floor in a reasonable period of time that will allow a debate, that will allow a vote on this so we can consider it before the House of Representatives, a piece of legislation which seems to be so supported by so many individuals living in America today. I would encourage the leadership to consider this. I do not frankly think it should be an amendment to an appropriation bill, or an amendment to anything. It should have its own set of committee hearings, its own time on the floor of the House of Representatives and the opportunity to vote for it. So I will not introduce an amendment. I do appreciate a great deal the time yielded to me by the gentleman from Georgia to discuss this. I would encourage the leadership of the House and the Senate to take a good look at this legislation and make absolutely sure that that date does not come and go without us doing anything about it.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a brave young Marine who was accidentally killed while performing guard duty at Camp Bulldog, Bagram Air Base on Sunday, June 20, 2004. United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal Russell White was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was part of a brave unit sent to Afghanistan to track down Osama bid Laden. Lance Corporal White was a Sussex County native, attended Indian River High School in Frankford, Delaware, where he played football, and enjoyed hunting, skiing and the outdoors. He hoped one day to run his father's home building business and make Sussex County his permanent home. His family and friends describe him as loyal, determined, ambitious and fiercely passionate about defending the security of our nation. When terrorists struck our great nation on that fateful day in 2001, Russell White was only in high school, yet felt determined to help. He eventually joined the Marine Corps where the values he held true were exemplified in his brave service in Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Corporal White chose the daily rigors of military service because he valued the well-being of others. And he felt that by working to track down the terrorists who were responsible for killing so many Americans, he would be able to contribute to our nation. That is an extremely brave attitude for a young man of only 19 years of age. His friend Matthew Mitchell remarked, ``He was proud of himself and we were proud of him. He's braver than any of us.'' What a true statement that is. Lance Corporal White will be missed tremendously by his family and friends, who will remember a courageous, young man who willingly took on the role of a U.S. soldier during a time of war. Mr. Speaker, it is my sincere privilege to honor the life of a proud Marine and heroic representative of the State of Delaware. Lance Corporal White deserves our gratitude and respect.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I disagree with the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina on the basis of what I have seen here in the years that I have been here. I have a great deal of faith in the Committee on the Budget. I have a great deal of faith in the gentleman as the ranking member and the chairman, but I have seen this process literally almost collapse in recent years. My judgment is that the transparency that the gentleman requests is not there and that the reality is that the Committee on the Budget's responsibility is to do something which we have not been doing which is to make sure that we are managing within the dollars that we have and setting parameters around those particular dollars but should not carry over to the functions of how the individual amounts of money are going to be spent. In addition, we do not necessarily match up the appropriations with the various designations in the budget resolution which we have. It is my sense we need to break that impasse in some way or another so that we have some sense of the dollars we are spending in the House and the Senate and be working together in order to advance as far as the future is concerned. I reiterate what I have already stated, and, that is, that I think we need to start moving in that direction. But I would also point out to the gentleman, and I think this is important, that this amendment does not disallow doing as much as the Committee on the Budget wishes to do. They could still do what they have done before. It just will be a simplification methodology which could be used in case you cannot come to agreement on that or for whatever reason we are not able to get the budget resolution passed and it has to be simplified. That is what it is all about, trying to give more power to the Committee on the Budget to make sure we do have a budget in place that we have all voted on, shaken hands on and that we all are going to live under. I am trying to give flexibility to it, not a limited solution to the problem of not being able to get a budget done. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.