Michael Castle

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3077, the International Studies in Higher Education Act. H.R. 3077 updates international and foreign language studies programs by ensuring these programs reflect the current international climate and national security needs. The bill also emphasizes coordination between these programs and homeland security interests, while ensuring the programs continue to enrich higher education by enhancing international knowledge. As a former Member of the Intelligence Committee I authored legislation encouraging American students to study foreign languages and join the federal government in national security capacities. It is vital to our entire national security that we address our foreign language deficiencies and support educational initiatives that amend this problem. Our lack of highly-trained linguistics experts seriously hampers our ability to fight the war on terrorism and this legislation provides incentive to focus these programs on the reality of the situations our men and women in uniform face overseas. It is important that we build a critical base of future leaders both in government service and in higher education who have cultivated international relationships and worked and studies alongside experts of other countries. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3077.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3076, the Graduate Opportunities in Higher Education Act. The Graduate Opportunities in Higher Education Act, H.R. 3076, builds upon the success of the graduate fellowship programs within the Higher Education Act (HEA). Because graduate education trains the faculty who train the teachers of tomorrow, the legislation recognizes subject areas in elementary and secondary education facing shortages, and places a priority on those subject areas, working to create a pipeline of highly qualified teachers to improve education at all levels. Since enactment of No Child Left Behind, this Congress, the administration and educators nationwide have recognized the importance of having highly qualified teachers in the classroom. We need to raise teacher quality standards in our education system, but also help our teachers find the means to meet these goals. H.R. 3076 is an important step toward this end. By expanding our graduate programs, we guarantee that our students will be educated by highly qualified teachers with an extensive knowledge base. It is a great step toward the betterment of our education system. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3076 as an important reform to our higher education system and ultimately to our Nation.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Pope John Paul II as the world celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ascension to the papacy. Born Karol Joozef Wojtylla in Wadowice, Poland in 1920, he entered the seminary in 1942 and was named Archbishop of Krakow in 1964. Three years later, he became a cardinal under Pope Paul VI. Karol Wojtylla was named Pope John Paul II on Oct. 16, 1978. Pope John Paul II means many things to many people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds throughout the world. Adoring crowds, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, meet him wherever he goes to hear his messages of peace and hope, especially during troubled times. As a child he suffered greatly from the death of his infant sister and mother before the age of nine, only to face the death of his older brother three years later. He musters strength, from these challenges in his childhood and an assassination attempt on his life in adulthood, to help others. Indeed Pope John Paul II is one of the most recognized people in the world for his work on human rights and humanitarian assistance. Growing up during the times of Nazi Germany, he witnessed the very real atrocities committed against Jews, and in Poland worked to end communism by sending messages and instructions with priests to imprisoned union leaders. He was the first pope to visit the memorial at Auschwitz to pay homage to the victims of the Holocaust. Pope John Paul II is often credited with fostering a greater understanding between Christians and Jews and he leads by example, being the first pope to ever visit a synagogue. Pope John Paul II is also the most traveled pope in the 2000-year history of the church--traveling to over 100 countries and speaking eight languages, he reaches out to families and citizens in need. Often we see pictures of the pope with sick children or ailing seniors and we hear his message of generosity and care towards others. He is a scholar. Pope John Paul II studied at an underground seminary to become a priest and is an accomplished author of two doctoral dissertations as well as numerous speeches. He taught at the Catholic University of Lublin--the only Catholic university in the communist world--and was later appointed to the Chair of Ethics at Catholic University before becoming an auxiliary bishop. Pope John Paul II is a pope of many firsts. He was the first non- Italian pope in 455 years and at age 58 was the youngest pope in 132 years. He met with Mikhail Gorbachev--the first meeting between a pope and a Kremlin chief--and also visited Cuba at the behest of Fidel Castro. As the world joins him in celebrating his 25th anniversary, I hope all of us can agree that Pope John Paul II is surely a man of great courage, conviction, bravery and integrity. He has positively impacted the world and the mark he leaves will surely inspire and teach generations to come.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. I do rise in support of the emergency spending measure that we have before us, and I do thank the members of the Committee on Appropriations and the chairman for their great work on this. I appreciate the scrutiny of the reconstruction request to fund the priority projects to continue the development of a stable and self- sufficient Iraq and to eliminate those which may not be necessary. The sooner we accomplish this, the sooner our brave troops can return home. A few days ago, several of my colleagues and I returned from a trip to Iraq where we gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges we face and the responsibilities we have. While there, we met with many American servicemen and -women representing us in Iraq. I felt their passion for the mission at hand and the pride they felt for making a difference in the lives of Iraqis. I met military men and women from Delaware who described building schools, developing access to water and electricity and talking with Iraqis who are discovering, for the first time, the opportunities that only come from being free. This trip also exposed me to the pain of this conflict, the senseless loss of life. While we were there, three U.S. servicemen were attacked and killed. Our troops in Iraq face serious danger every second of every day, but they remain committed to establishing a stable Iraq so we are not forced to send a future generation to deal with another Saddam Hussein. We can all agree that we want our troops home safe and as soon as possible. I believe the best way to do that is by sending them the funding necessary to hand Iraq over to a democratically-elected body that represents a thriving, multiethnic, self-sufficient nation. To prevent future vulnerability to terrorist attacks, the international community must be united. I have a great deal of pride in the leadership the United States currently provides in our stand against terror, but I support an immediate increase of involvement by the United Nations on the ground in Iraq and feel their leadership has long been overdue. The resolution just passed by the Security Council was altered in good faith for Russia, France and U.N. Secretary Annan, to include a loose time line for Iraqi sovereignty. A time line should be a goal, but real progress in Iraq depends on the drafting of an Iraqi constitution, free and fair elections and the establishment of an elected governing body. Access to water and electricity, police protection, judicial accountability, secured borders, an internationally recognized monetary system, viable economic structure and making sure Iraqis are getting paid for the work they are doing are all necessities for moving forward and continue to be priorities for the Americans in Iraq. In response to amendments attempting to shift grants to loans, I share their concern for our growing deficit. The fact is that we are the leaders of the governing body in Iraq. There is no government structure to guarantee repayment. Next week at the International Donors Conference in Spain, we will call upon France and Russia to forgive tens of billions of dollars in debt, request billions in aid and ask that other nations send their soldiers to join ours. I believe that all of us would prefer that the United States focus our attention wholly on our domestic priorities, but we do not have that luxury. Our responsibility is to make our world safer for generations to come and finish the job we started. I would encourage all of us to support the supplemental.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, during House consideration of H.R. 3108 I was in Iraq visiting U.S. troops and touring U.S. reconstruction efforts. Had I been here, I would have supported passage of H.R. 3108, the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2003. I support H.R. 3108 as a temporary response to a pressing issue that ultimately affects the retirement benefits of millions of American workers, their families, and beneficiaries. Today the House will protect the benefits of those workers who have a pension benefit under our defined benefit system. The Pension Funding Equity Act would replace the current standards that employers must use to determine their pension liabilities--the 30- year Treasury bond interest rate--with a corporate bond index rate for 2 years through December 31, 2005. The 30-year Treasury bond interest rate is set to expire this year, jeopardizing pension funds across the country. The bill gives the Treasury Department the flexibility to establish the discount interest rate based on a blend of corporate bond index rates. This change will provide employers with greater certainty and short-term funding relief and strengthen defined benefit pension plans workers in the short term while Congress takes a broader look at the defined benefit system as a whole and the issues that affect the retirement security of American workers. As we progress down the road of defining the long-term answer, the bottom line must be to enable businesses to fill their pension funds, and, more importantly, that they are fully funding them. As a Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as the House Committee on Financial Services, I have participated in hearings that highlight the plight of American workers, beyond defined benefit plans, who have suffered from a lack of retirement security. It has also become all too clear that addressing this issue is an extremely delicate and difficult task. It is imperative that this Congress work overtime to ensure today's workforce retire with the benefits they have spent their adult life building. I am committed to asking the difficult questions and pressing for the sometimes controversial answers. We are all aware of Enron and World Com, but we must look beyond these most recent crises. We must look at past documented instances of corporations using innovative ways to rob pension assets. For example, some have projected unrealistically high rates of returns to claim that the plan is overfunded, declare bankruptcy but set up a special bankruptcy-proof pension plan for top executives, and define employees as independent contractors. In asking these tough questions we will be able to give business the tools they need to create fair funds, absent any deceit. For the sake of the millions of workers who rely on the security of their retirement we must be tough on fiscal trickery and strong on pension protection.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the observance of National Fire Prevention Week beginning Sunday, October 5, 2003. Celebrated every year since President Calvin Coolidge's official proclamation dedicating this week to educating the public on the benefits of practicing basic fire prevention measures, National Fire Prevention Week has undoubtedly given many the informational tools essential to saving lives and preventing unnecessary fire damage. This week begins with the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland to honor those heroes that lost their lives in the line of duty. To honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice, I authored legislation, that became public law in 2001, to lower all flags on federal buildings to half staff on this day of remembrance. During National Fire Prevention Week we must all educate and learn to protect ourselves and others. I urge all individuals to take the proper steps to ensure the safety of their families and loved-ones by installing and routinely checking smoke detectors, developing and practicing home evacuation plans, and identifying potential fire hazards throughout the home. This year's National Fire Prevention Week theme is ``When Fire Strikes: Get out! Stay out!'' As a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I know the vital importance of this message. In the United States nearly 6,000 people die each year in their homes, nearly 80 percent of all fire fatalities. Tragically, many fires and can be prevented if only individuals practice the proper preventative measures. Mr. Speaker, I commend the National Fire Protection Association for their work each year in commemorating Fire Prevention Week. I also would like to thank the fine men and women of our fire and emergency services teams for the outstanding job they do in fighting fires and saving lives. I ask my colleagues to join me in urging all Americans to take the basic precautions that could save their lives.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a leader in the volunteer fire services community, Wayne A. Steen, Sr., of Delaware. This Sunday, October 5, 2003, Mr. Steen will be honored as part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Wayne passed away in September of 2001, due to complications from an aneurysm he suffered while responding to a fatal traffic accident in 1995. Along with his family, I am pleased that Wayne will now receive the national recognition that he deserves for his dedication to the fire services community and to public safety. Wayne dedicated 34 years of public service to the Mill Creek Fire Company where he held numerous offices before becoming Deputy Chief. Wayne was also an officer of the Delaware State Fire Chiefs Association and a life member of New Castle County Fire Chiefs Association, the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Delaware Valley Fire Chiefs Association. In 1996, Wayne was named Honorary Deputy Chief and given the President's Award by the Mill Creek Fire Company. Such honors serve as a testament to Wayne's selfless devotion to public safety, and it is fitting that the Nation now join his colleagues at the Mill Creek Fire Company in recognizing Wayne's exceptional leadership and service record. This Sunday, Wayne Steen, Sr.'s contributions to the fire services, along with those of 104 additional fallen firefighters will be memorialized at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and their names will be added to the roll of fallen heroes. His commitment to public service has earned him a place in our Nation's fire services' history. Wayne's selflessness and dedication to the safety of others will always remain in our memories.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a leader in the volunteer fire services community, Louis A. Rickards, of Lewes, Delaware. A tireless advocate, Mr. Rickards was a dedicated leader within the fire community. Tragically, on February 3, 2002, Louis Rickards passed away. This Sunday, October 5, 2003, Mr. Rickards' admirable life will be honored as part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Not surprisingly at the time of his death, Louis was on his way to a Delmarva Volunteer Fireman's Association Executive Meeting in Virginia, a lasting example of the dedication Louis gave to the firefighting community throughout his 39 years of service. His level of devotion to the community is exceptional among individuals, and his record of service is exemplary. Louis began his career with the Lewes Volunteer Fire Company at age sixteen as a volunteer firefighter, then rising in the ranks to serve as Fire Chief for seven years, and as the Company's President for thirteen terms until his death in 2002. His passion for the fire services extended beyond the walls of the fire house, and he shared this with others as the primary author of a book published on the 100th year anniversary of the Lewes Volunteer Fire Company. Louis further demonstrated his commitment to public safety as a member of the Delaware State police, retiring after 25 years of service. This Sunday, Louis Rickards' accomplishments, along with those of 104 additional fallen firefighters will be memorialized at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and their names will be added to the roll of fallen heroes. His commitment to public service has earned him a place in our Nation's fire services' history, and he remains in our memories as an example for those who wish to dedicate their lives to the safety of others.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, along with my colleagues, Representatives John A. Boehner, George Miller, and Lynn Woolsey, I am introducing legislation to extend for one year provisions in the Child Nutrition Act, the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, and the Commodity Distribution Reform Act that are vital to our Nation's effort to ensure that low income children have access to safe and nutritious food in school, after school, and during the summer months. Members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce are busy preparing legislation to reauthorize and improve all the child nutrition programs included in the Child Nutrition Act and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, including the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the After School Snack Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. I have been pleased with this effort and the progress made in preparing a bill for introduction. Despite our progress, Committee Members do not want to draft such important legislation in haste and so need additional time to ensure that any changes to the current law best serve the interests of the children whom these programs are intended to reach. Without the extensions included in this legislation, millions of needy children could lose access to healthy meals and snacks that are critical for their healthy growth and development and academic success in school. This legislation includes a very important provision that allows children of our Armed Forces to continue receiving free- or reduced- price meals at school if they meet eligibility requirements. Without this legislation, families living in privatized military housing could not exempt their housing allowance from the income amount used to determine their children's eligibility for free- or reduced-price meals, like those living in military-owned housing currently can. Taking school meal subsidies from children when many of their mothers and fathers are fighting for our nation's security at home and abroad would have a devastating effect on these families. Also included in this legislation is a provision that would continue the ability of for-profit child care centers to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. This program provides meals and snacks to children in for-profit centers when at least 25 percent of the children meet the income eligibility criteria for free- and reduced-price meals. Additionally, this legislation would extend the authority for schools, churches, and community organizations to operate Summer Food Service Program sites, and in 14 states, continue operation of special pilot programs that reduce paperwork requirements and thereby increase the number of low-income children who receive free meals and snacks during the summer months. Finally, this legislation ensures that until a child nutrition reauthorization bill is signed into law, commodity distribution to schools will be maintained at sufficient levels and that schools will have funds available to replace commodities that pose a potential health or safety risk to students. The child nutrition provisions that would be extended through this legislation benefit America's most vulnerable children. It is our duty as lawmakers to ensure that these at-risk children and their families can continue to receive the benefits for which they have been deemed eligible until the House and Senate complete work on legislation reauthorizing both the Child Nutrition Act and Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in their entirety.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the ``American Dream Downpayment Act.'' I thank Congresswoman Katherine Harris, Congressman Artur Davis, Congressman Mike Rogers and all the members of the Financial Services Committee for their hard work on this important bill. This legislation, which I am proud to have cosponsored, will help low and moderate income families purchase their first home. As Delaware's governor, I established a Housing Development Trust Fund that helped more than 5,400 low- to moderate-income families become homeowners. I am pleased to support this program which seeks to help more than 40,000 first-time, low-income families achieve their dream of homeownership. We can be proud of the historic levels of homeownership we have reached in this country, we must also recognize that the number of people who pay more than half of their income in housing is also rising. We need to make our existing government housing programs more efficient and expand them through responsible programs that will help our constituents realize their dreams of homeownership. Equity in a home is the primary asset held by most American families and the best mechanism that families have for wealth creation. I have maintained a longstanding commitment to affordable housing and expanding homeownership, this legislation is a positive step in furthering that goal. Thomas Jefferson once said the happiest moments of his life were those which he had passed at home in the embrace of his family. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased we are working to bring that sentiment to all Americans and I rise in support of this legislation.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act of 2003.'' This legislation will direct the Secretary of the Treasury to produce a limited edition silver coin to honor the many achievements of Ben Franklin and celebrate the anniversary of his 300th birthday in January 2006. Ben Franklin was one of the most remarkable of our founding fathers; he made historic contributions to our nation in a number of fields: government, business, science, communications, and the arts. Mr. Speaker, as I stand before you in the great halls of Congress, it is notable to recognize that Franklin was the only Founding Father to sign all of our nation's organizational documents. It is fitting to honor Franklin with a commemorative coin, as his role in the early years of currency cannot be overlooked. During the American Revolution, Franklin designed the first American coin, the ``Continental'' penny. He also played a major role in the design of the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the one dollar bill. Franklin was the printer of official currency for the colonies of my great state, Delaware, as well as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Furthermore, the official United States half dollar from 1948 to 1963 bore Franklin's portrait. Until 1979, Benjamin Franklin was the only non-president of the United States whose image graced circulating coin and paper currency. In 2002, the United States Congress passed the ``Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Act'' to create a panel of distinguished Americans to commemorate Franklin's 300th birthday in 2006. I am proud to serve as a member of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission which was created to honor a true American statesman. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation and look forward to working with the Financial Services Committee to bring this bill to the House Floor.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 13, the Museum and Library Services Act, which will reauthorize the library and museums program under the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The role our libraries and museums play in educating our students, adults and families is incomparable. The lifetime learning encouraged by libraries and museums across the country is something we should all support. I am particularly pleased that H.R. 13 raises the minimum State allotment. For smaller States like Delaware, this makes a huge impact. For example, with assistance from The Institute of Museum and Library Services, Delaware was able to set the model for evolving with growing technologies. Since 1996, DelAWARE, the Digital Library of the First State, has provided online information and services to all citizens with a library card. Delaware was also the first state to provide access for all its citizens to thousands of newspapers and periodicals in public libraries and remote access. The support for libraries in Delaware is seen across the country. There are more than 117,000 libraries in the United States, including public libraries and libraries in schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, law firms, businesses, the armed forces and more. In fact, a recent study found that the majority of Americans felt libraries play a unique role because they provide access to everything on the Web or in print, as well as personal service and assistance in finding it. The Institute for Museum and Library Services offers unique and vital educational services to all Americans. By funding libraries and museums, we improve access to information, improve care of collections and enhance community service. With the growing momentum and implementation of No Child Left Behind, I encourage my colleagues to recognize museums and libraries as supporting players in helping our young students and engaging their families.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today as a member of the Congressional Fire Service Caucus to honor and pay tribute to leaders and foundations in the firefighting community--The Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association. The members of both organizations are outstanding, dedicated and caring Delawareans who make great sacrifices for the well-being and safety of our great State. On behalf of myself and the citizens of the First State, I would like to honor these outstanding organizations and extend to them our congratulations on serving Delaware. Today, I recognize the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Ladies' Auxiliary for more than just the peace-of-mind that they bring us. I recognize the groups for being leaders in the community and pillars of strength and dedication. Family, friends and fellow firefighters should take a moment to truly appreciate the world of difference the Volunteer Fireman's Association and its Ladies' Auxiliary have made. In addition to the stature of the two organizations, their respective presidents also deserve our highest regard. President Jasper Lakey of the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association has served the Delaware City Fire Company for 54 years. In that time, beside the great feats and tireless dedication, he has served as Chief of the Delaware City Fire Company, Chief at the Texaco Refinery in Delaware City, President of the New Castle County Volunteer Fireman's Association and he served for 12 years as a member of the Delaware State Fire Prevention Committee. His undertakings and accomplishments are almost unmatched by anyone in his field. Pat McCall presides over the Ladies' Auxiliary and in this capacity she has served the organization extremely well. President McCall is a 47 year member of the Christiana Fire Company Ladies' Auxiliary and her husband Jim has served the Company for 43 years. He was also President of the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association in 1979. The prestige of Mrs. McCall's family, of course, does not end there. Her two granddaughters are now members of the Auxiliary and they have reached a tremendous milestone of 5 generations serving the Christiana Fire Company. With the leadership of Presidents Lakey and McCall, the Volunteer Fireman and the Ladies Auxiliary are certain to continue the great traditions of the volunteer firefighting community. Once again, I thank the Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Ladies' Auxiliary for the service they have provided Delaware over their many years. Their commitment to fighting fires and saving lives has earned them a permanent place in Delaware's fire service history.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished chairman of the committee and both the ranking member from Massachusetts for this good piece of legislation. Obviously I support the bill before us. This bipartisan legislation passed the House Committee on Financial Services by a vote of 61 to 3 in July of this year. We do not have a lot of votes with those kinds of numbers in it, an overwhelming endorsement which should obviously be noted by all of us. The legislation is a good, bipartisan bill. It is a result of six hearings, nearly 100 witnesses and months of deliberations. Through this very thorough process, the Committee on Financial Services has produced a bill that will protect the financial privacy and access to credit for all consumers, and it will help our economic recovery by ensuring businesses have access to accurate information which provides prompt credit to American consumers. As my colleagues know, one of the forces that has helped sustain our economy in recent years is consumer spending. A critical factor in enabling American consumers to purchase products when they need them and want them is our strong system of consumer credit. That system is supported by the Fair Credit Reporting Act which ensures the factual information is available on which to base the extension of credit. Virtually every business in this Nation and every consumer that has ever used credit depends on this system. One of my constituents, Michael Uffner, president, chairman and CEO of AutoTeam Delaware, testified before the committee this year. Mike Uffner stressed the importance of access to accurate credit information to serve customers in a timely and fair manner. Americans want to be able to walk into an automobile showroom and purchase an automobile that day based on a prompt approval of a loan based on their credit. In December, the national uniform consumer protection standards in the Fair Credit Reporting Act will expire. Without this legislation, there would be no national standards for consumer protections and credit availability. This will negatively affect consumer access to credit and the economy as a whole. A failure to pass this legislation would mean higher costs to consumers, who will be paying more for their credit without this legislation. In today's economy, in which we rely on instant credit available to us across the country, we need to have this legislation. This is uniformity, not a state-by-sate issue; and as Congress we must protect the consumers. Mr. Chairman, again, I want to express my strong support for this bill and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join the 63 bipartisan members of the House Committee on Financial Services who worked together to craft the bill to protect consumers and give confidence to businesses. This is a proper step to ensure that all of our constituents have access to fair and reasonable credit information.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I just think we really need to go back historically in this discussion and take a look at what we were dealing with. I actually hate to say it, but I remember what it was like back before we dealt with uniform standards on credit back when we first started this in 1970. Then in 1996 we went to pure uniformity. I remember trying to get credit and being told you are going to have to wait for a while before we can do that. I was not the only consumer. Probably 100 percent of Americans or probably 98 or 99 percent were being told they had to wait in order to establish whatever the credit was. Every place you went it was handled separately or differently or whatever. Congress did something right. Congress did something extraordinarily right when they passed the act initially and then went to the uniform standards with the usurpation of some of the State laws in 1996. I think that is one thing we simply do not want to back off of. Regardless of what is in the California statute, California is the most significant State we have in terms of people and in terms of financial interests, but the bottom line is that to impose the California standards basically on this country could be a problem. I might also note another reason to vote against this amendment to this legislation is that it states at the end of it: ``or the law of any other State that is similar to the California Financial Information Privacy Act.'' That is a damaging statement because I don't know how you measure ``similar to.'' Other States could come in and try to do something that would upset the uniformity of what we are doing at the Federal Government level. What we have done now here in Washington is given every single consumer in this country the opportunity to have a uniform plan so that we know how to get information right away. And with the use of technology that can be done. You can buy a car instantaneously, much less establish credit of a lesser nature some place else. I think California's attempt to impose restrictions in an area that is completely, totally governed by the FCRA's uniform national standards would be a tremendous error. We had extensive hearings. I think we need to remember that, too, as we make our decision on how to vote on this amendment. We had over 100 witnesses in very expensive hearings. The chairman and the subcommittee chairman did a wonderful job working with the majority party and our own majority party in terms of developing this legislation. It did pass overwhelmingly in our committee as everybody understood exactly what we are dealing with. In fact, at that committee another member from California offered an amendment to sunset FCRA's uniform national standards at the end of this year. And during that debate, a specific appeal to give California the ability to establish its own standards either through action by the State legislature or statewide ballot initiative came up. That amendment was defeated 56 to 6. So, clearly, the individuals in this body who have looked at this issue carefully understand that to undermine it by allowing States to start to opt out and to have different provisions with respect to the fair credit reporting that we have in the country would be an error. I would encourage everybody in this body to look at this carefully and to vote ``no'' on this amendment to make sure that we protect a very good piece of legislation.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong support for the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. This bipartisan legislation passed the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 61-3 in July 2003. An overwhelming endorsement which should be noted today. This legislation is a good bipartisan bill, it is the result of six hearings, nearly 100 witnesses, and months of deliberations. Through this very thorough process, the Financial Services Committee has produced a bill that will protect the financial privacy and access to credit for all consumers. Furthermore, it will help our economic recovery by ensuring that businesses have access to accurate information which provides prompt credit to American consumers. As my colleagues know, one of the forces that has helped sustain our economy in recent years is consumer spending. A critical factor in enabling American consumers to purchase products when they need them and want them, is our strong system of consumer credit. That system is supported by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which insures that factual information is available on which to base the extension of credit. Virtually every business in this Nation, and every consumer that has ever used credit, depends on this system. One of my constituents, Michael Uffner, President, Chairman and CEO, of Auto Team Delaware, testified before the House Financial Services Committee this year. Mike Uffner stressed importance of access to accurate credit information to serve customers in a timely and fair manner. Americans want to be able to walk into an automobile showroom and purchase an automobile that day based on a prompt approval of a loan based on their credit. In December, the national uniform consumer protection standards in the Fair Credit Reporting Act will expire. Without this legislation, there would be no national standards for consumer protections and credit availability. This will negatively affect consumer access to credit and the economy as a whole. A failure to pass this legislation means higher costs to consumers, who will be paying more for their credit without this legislation. In today's economy, rely on instant credit, available to us across the country. There is uniformity, this is not a state by state issue, as Congress we must protect consumers. This legislation has a number of consumer protections, it helps protect consumer credit while providing access to greater opportunities of credit nationwide. This legislation provides consumers with the tools they need to fight identity theft and to ensure the accuracy of their credit reports. Mr. Chairman, again, I want to express my strong support for this bill and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join the 61 bipartisan members of the House Financial Services Committee who worked together to craft this bill to protect consumers and give confidence to businesses. This is a proper step to ensure that all of our constituents have access to fair and reasonable credit and information.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. We had this discussion on this amendment before the Committee on Financial Services, and it did not make a lot of sense then; and, frankly, it does not make a lot of sense now, that we would even consider this amendment. Essentially, those who are issuing credit, particularly credit cards, that is their business, that is their product, that is what they do. And what they have to look to is the creditworthiness of any of us. We probably all in this room and most people in this country today are carrying some sort of credit card, and probably multiple credit cards in the cases of most individuals. And that is based on one's ability to be able to pay their debts and be able to manage their accounts. Obviously, the one account is not necessarily the whole answer. The whole answer is exactly where you are financially. They make a decision with respect to where you are in a circumstance, and they issue the credit based on that. With the Maloney amendment, we have a circumstance in which people will be informed that if, indeed, their creditworthiness is challenged, they may have to pay higher interest rates. The chairman cited a letter which I received on July 22, 2003, from Chairman Greenspan with respect to this issue, and I would just like to read a little further from that beyond what he had read. He said, ``Consumers' performance on credit accounts as well as the number and recency of certain types of inquiries to credit reporting companies are credit criteria that are statistically associated with creditworthiness in evaluative systems that are used for credit granting and pricing. Records of consumers' usage of, and payment performance on, credit accounts with other creditors are fundamental building blocks for evaluations of creditworthiness. For example, where a creditor commits to allow a consumer to make purchases or obtain cash advances from time to time on a revolving line of credit, the consumer's performance on other credit accounts can well presage the credit risk outlook for the creditor's own account,'' and it goes on from there. It is relatively simple. You are in a situation in which an individual has taken credit based on the circumstances of their own creditworthiness and then has gone out and established their creditworthiness as not what it should be. There are problems or circumstances. Frankly, the credit card companies and others dealing with this do not want to have to do this if they can avoid it because it is easier for them to deal with it on the levels on which it is issued; but there are circumstances in which this happens, or perhaps this discourages it from happening, that is your interest rates might be increased. So I think for all of these reasons, while this amendment sounds to be well-intended, ultimately would be extremely counterproductive in that I think a lot of the credit which is issued now, because people realize that this may be an outlet in order to make sure that people do not extend their credit otherwise, might in the future not be able to be granted, simply because the credit issuers are going to say this person has sort of a spotty history and yes, we would have done it if we had known we could have increased the interest rate if necessary, but in this circumstance we are not going to issue it. I think you are going to find a lot of people who marginally might have been able to receive credit before are not going to be able to receive it if this amendment were to be adopted. So I encourage the defeat of the amendment. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC, July 22, 2003. Hon. Michael N. Castle, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Congressman: This letter responds to your request of July 18, 2003, seeking my views as to whether proposed changes to the Fair Credit Reporting Act might affect the pricing of credit based upon risk or might potentially bear upon the safety and soundness of creditors. The proposed amendments referred to in your letter would limit use in credit evaluation systems of certain types of information, such as information regarding the number of inquiries about the consumer made to a credit reporting company, and would also restrict consideration of other types of information, such as information about the consumer's personal credit experiences with other creditors in credit decisions that involve the interest rate on an account. The information gathered by credit reporting companies on the borrowing and payment experiences of consumers is a cornerstone of the consumer credit system in this country. Experience indicates that access to the information assembled by these companies and credit evaluation systems based on that information have improved the overall quality and reduced the cost of credit decisions while expanding the availability of credit. Credit evaluation systems rely on information to measure the credit risk posed by current and prospective borrowers. In the process of credit evaluation, creditors seek to use information that helps them better distinguish between good and bad credit risks. The information items that receive positive and negative weights in credit evaluation systems are those that have demonstrated statistical usefulness in this process. Consumers' performance on credit accounts as well as the number and recency of certain types of inquiries to credit reporting companies are credit criteria that are statistically associated with creditworthiness in evaluative systems that are used for credit granting and pricing. Records of consumers' usage of, and payment performance on, credit accounts with other creditors are fundamental building blocks for evaluations of creditworthiness. For example, where a creditor commits to allow a consumer to make purchases or obtain cash advances from time to time on a revolving line of credit, the consumer's performance on other credit accounts can well presage the credit risk outlook for the creditor's own account. Similarly, an upsurge in recent inquiries could indicate that a borrow in financial distress is seeking to gain access to more credit. Thus, restrictions on the use of information about certain inquiries or restrictions on considering the experience of consumers in using their credit accounts will likely increase overall risk in the credit system, potentially leading to higher levels of default and higher prices for consumers. Even with higher prices for credit, elevated levels of default may raise risk levels for credit-granting institutions. In sum, in deciding whether to restrict the use of certain information in credit evaluations, the Congress should be aware that such restrictions are likely to diminish the effectiveness of statistical systems that have played a significant role in reducing the overall costs of credit and widening its availability. I hope these comments are useful. Sincerely, Alan Greenspan.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise to pay tribute to James H. Gilliam Jr. who passed away suddenly last week at the age of 58 after decades of outstanding service to the State of Delaware. Jim was a loving father, husband, and son, as well as a corporate attorney and investor, civic and business leader, philanthropist, and the first black Cabinet secretary in Delaware's history. The numerous accomplishments, recognitions, and admiration Jim has had in his lifetime are truly remarkable. Until 1998 Jim was the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Beneficial Corporation and a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of Beneficial, as well as Chairman of its commercial banking subsidiary, Beneficial National Bank. Before joining Beneficial in 1979, Jim served as Secretary of Community Affairs and Economic Development in the Cabinet of Governor Pete du Pont. Prior to that post he was an attorney with the law firms of Richards, Layton & Finger in Wilmington, Delaware and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City. A graduate of Morgan State University, Columbia University School of Law, and the Advanced Management Program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Jim also received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Morgan State University and Delaware State University. Serving as a board member and trustee for numerous corporations and foundations, Jim was a board member of the Delaware Community Foundation, a Trustee of Christiana Care Corporation, and Founding Chairman of Wilmington 2000, established to assist in redevelopment of the City of Wilmington. He was also Chair of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the United Negro College Fund Delaware Campaign, the Capital Campaign for the Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts Council, and the Walnut Street YMCA in Wilmington, among many others. Jim also gave back greatly to the legal profession as a member of the American Bar Foundation, as Chair of the Governor's Judicial Nominating Commission in Delaware, and as Secretary of the Board of Bar Examiners for Delaware. Jim received many awards that further point to his commitment to a life of service to his community. He was awarded the Helping Hand Award by the Delaware Chapter of the NAACP for his efforts to promote diversity in the legal community, as well as the Wilmington Branch NAACP Award for Advocacy in the Education and Civil Rights Arena for Over 25 Years. Jim was also named Outstanding Young Man of the year by the Wilmington and Delaware Jaycees and received the National Conference for Community and Justice/Delaware Region Brotherhood- Sisterhood Award for Leadership and Service toward building a just and inclusive community. I rise today to praise and honor James H. Gilliam Jr. for his contributions to the State of Delaware and its citizens. His achievements speak to the immense mark he has left on the community. His peers have described him as a great leader, a ``giant'' of the community, his friends speak of his loyalty, and his daughters speak of his encouragement and unconditional love. Delaware will remember James H. Gilliam Jr. for his great leadership and constant striving to do more for more people.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to some new Delaware heroes--The Naamans Little League All-Stars. The team impressed, inspired and awed Delaware through their dedication, hard work and immense talent. All these qualities impress but more importantly they helped the team succeed in reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, a feat unmatched by any other team in Delaware history. Jarad Carney, Kevin Czachorowski, Scott Dougherty, Cory Firmani, Danny Frate, Constantine Fournaris, Michael Julian, Zachary Lopes, Tim Marcin, David Mastro, Vince Russomagno, Kip Skibicki along with Manager Joe Mascelli, Coach Bob Waters and Coach H.J. Lopes all deserve our congratulations. There are so many great players, coaches and great teams in the Little League World Series and we are all so proud of our team for playing so well, playing so hard and making it so far. Each deserves recognition for his achievements. For those friends and family who couldn't travel with the team, it was certainly a great joy to watch them play on national television. It was an even greater joy to watch them win on national television. But winning is not the only pillar of success. Effort, sacrifice, enjoyment, and friendship are just as important. Even through our television sets we could see these crucial pieces of a great team. Mr. Speaker, Along with their friends and families, I wish to congratulate the Naamans Little League All-Stars for becoming the Mid- Atlantic Regional Champions. The past few weeks have been exciting, they have made us proud, they have taken a place in Delaware history and they have set a great standard not only for Little League baseball in Delaware, but for Little League Baseball throughout the country.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I too oppose this amendment, and I concur with those speakers who have spoken to that, and I will certainly support the amendment of the distinguished gentleman from New York State (Mr. Quinn). We have really in this country the time has come to start looking at our transportation systems. If we look at our airlines, if we look at our airports and the entire air systems, if we look at our roads, if we look at our ports, we are going to find that America is at least competitive, if not ahead, of every other single country in the world. If we look at our rail systems in the United States of America, we will find we are behind almost every highly civilized country in the world, the European countries, Japan and a lot of others. We have for years and years and years not funded rail to the extent that it is needed, and it is true that we fund it and it is true that it is so-called subsidized, but the bottom line is that we are dealing with tunnels going into Baltimore, built right after the Civil War, into New York City, or most close to that, and we are simply not making the improvements we have to make to get the speeds up to attract the ridership. In spite of that, we have more people riding the rails now from New York City to Washington than are taking airlines from New York City to Washington. We pour tremendous money into our other infrastructure and into the upkeep costs of other forms of transportation. Look at the air industry, for example. We pay, often locally and by States, we pay for the airports, a huge expense which is out there, and the FAA, we pay for the comptrollers. The Transportation Security Agency primarily is aimed at that. It cost billions of dollars to do all these things, much more than we are trying to put into rail, far more than we have ever put into rail before. The infrastructure is absolutely needed. Obviously we put a lot of money into the concrete of our roads. We do get a return as far as gas money is concerned. I drive from Wilmington, Delaware to here from time to time. It is incredible how crowded those roads are, but it is also incredible to see how crowded the trains are and how we could use more trains. So I will be the first to agree there need to be more efficiencies. I would just say this to my good friend, the gentleman from Colorado. I hope he will talk to David Gunn. I do not know if he talked to him or not. He is the new CEO, relatively new, in the last couple of years at Amtrak. He really has some good ideas. He really has some good strategies in terms of how to make Amtrak, and I am not going to call it profitable because I am not sure that is right, but to reduce the subsidies which are necessary to provide this very important form of transportation for at least portions of the United States of America, obviously the eastern seaboard, the region around Los Angeles and around Chicago and various other areas. I am not suggesting we need to go across the country and go for 4 days, whatever it may be, but the bottom line is this is an extraordinarily important mode of transportation, and I think we need to sit down and recognize that and do all that we can. I implore the White House, this committee, the Senate and everybody to try to do this. The Senate has spoken to this, at least to a degree. They have raised their amount in subcommittee which is looking at it to $1.34 billion; 218 Members, that is a majority of this House, have signed a letter requesting the $1.8 billion. There are many people who recognize what we have to do. I am, like everybody else, if there is fat there, sure, we want to squeeze that out and we want an efficient system, but we need a good rail system in America, and we cannot continue to underfund it so badly that we cannot make the capital improvements and do the other things which are necessary to keep it up. So I implore all of us to do this. I do not know where these amendments are going, but obviously at some point this is going to be in conference, and very important decisions are going to be made about the future of rail in America, and I hope when that happens that we put together a good plan that really works, we listen to Mr. Quinn and others who are vitally interested in that. I would encourage the defeat of the amendment. I would encourage support of the Quinn amendment, and hopefully when we get to conference we will really get the job done on rail in the United States of America.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, if he would yield to let me speak to this for a couple of minutes.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I do not want to wear out my welcome. I did speak to this just a few minutes ago, but there are a couple of additional points. Obviously I agree with the amendment of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn). We are not going to win this point. I understood the point of order of the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) and notice he is a good friend and a good chairman and is doing the best job he can with this particular bill, which is difficult. I just have to go back to what we are doing in transportation and just ask everybody in leadership and everybody that is going to be involved in the ultimate conference on this to really pay attention to what is happening to rail service in the United States of America and to other services in general. I have already indicated in our airports, for example, that we have the comptrollers, we have the TSA, and we have billions of dollars of expenses; we put $15 billion, $15 billion, after 9-11 into stabilization for our airline industry in this country. The request here is $1.8 billion for a significant industry to allow them to do the infrastructure which they would have to do in order to be able to carry out a proper transportation system. Let us look at what we have: not a single passenger rail system in the world which operates in a profitable way. Countries with well- developed rail systems with much smaller populations, such as Germany and Japan, invest $3 billion to $4 billion, while we are asking for $1.8 billion, $3 billion to $4 billion annually on passenger rail, which is over 20 percent of their total transportation spending. What happens to the roads there? The roads free up and people go with the rail systems. That is what we want to do here in the United States of America. I honestly believe if we give this a long-term approach, with the capital improvements, with the maintenance which is necessary running the systems where it should, and with the decisions for efficiency where it is needed, that we will have a system of rail in this country for which we can always be proud. But frankly, if we continue to try to keep nickel and diming this operation by giving them, say, $900 million when indeed they need twice that amount of money to run this, unfortunately we will never get to that point. We are not going to rescue this today. Unfortunately, we do not have a large enough body of votes here to be able to do that necessarily. But the bottom line is that at some point this Congress and this administration need to sit down and make that decision, and hopefully it will be a firm decision to make sure that rail is elevated so that it is at the point where it is absolutely competitive with other countries and other transportation systems in the United States of America. I do hope that we will be able to do that, and I would suggest that we would be best served if we did it, and the sooner the better. So I am in support of the amendment, but also I am in support of making sure we resolve this problem.

Mr. CASTLE

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), who is the former chairman of the State Board of Education and a tremendous asset to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment and claim the time in opposition.

Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes and 15 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), who probably has had more to do with increasing the emphasis on math and science education than anybody in the Congress and has indicated this is one of the most misunderstood bills he has seen in 10 years here.