Saxby Chambliss

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) for his kind comments about my good friend and constituent, the Honorable Sam Nunn. Senator Nunn distinguished himself not only in this body that we serve in now, the United States Congress, but from his early days as an All State basketball player at Perry High School in Perry, Georgia; through his days of law practice in Perry, Georgia; and through his days of service to the State of Georgia in the House of Representatives and of course his days in the United States Senate. He is now distinguishing himself as a very fine lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it was about 25 years ago along about this time of the year that a fellow walked into my coffee club in Bull's Restaurant in Moultrie, Georgia and introduced himself as Sam Nunn and said he was running for the Senate. Nobody knew who Sam Nunn was in our part of the world at that time. In fact, I myself was supporting another Democratic candidate in the Democratic primary. But it was not long until everybody in the State recognized the qualities of the young man from Perry, Georgia. He went on to get the nomination and of course to win in the general election in November, and he served 24 years with honor in the United States Senate. Sam Nunn succeeded another honorable man, the Honorable Richard B. Russell, and Sam always admired and was inspired by the service of Senator Russell and looked up to him in a way that a lot of us now look up to the service that Sam provided to our State. Sam was well-known, as the gentleman from Ohio said, on a number of issues, primarily in the area of national security and defense. But his ideas and his thoughtfulness on every single issue that came before the United States Senate was well thought out and well respected by his colleagues. In fact, Senator Nunn was way out front on the balanced budget issue before it was fashionable on the Hill to talk in terms of balancing the budget of this country. Today he continues that fight. He serves as cochairman of the Concord Coalition, and one of the main points that he advocates is continuing to hold our feet to the fire to ensure that we do continue along the lines of balancing the budget of this country to make this country a better place for our children and our grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to rise today in support of this bill naming the Federal building in Atlanta, Georgia, after the Honorable Sam Nunn, my constituent, my colleague for 2 years, and most importantly, my friend.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct provilege today to honor a remarkable woman and the newest president of Wesleyan College in Macon, GA, Dr. Nora Kizer Bell. On December 23, 1836, the Georgia legislature ratified the charter of the Georgia Female College and empowered its president to ``confer all such honors, degrees, and licenses, as are usually conferred in colleges or universities''--making it the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. The college was founded through the efforts of a group of Macon citizens and the Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, expressing their commitment to the higher education of women. The Georgia Conference assumed responsibility for the college in 1843, and by an act of the state legislature changed its name to Wesleyan Female College. The ``Female'' was eliminated from the name in 1917, but Wesleyan has remained a women's college throughout its history. Wesleyan is also the birthplace of the first two Greek societies for women, the Adelphean Society in 1851 (now Alpha Delta Pi) and the Philomathean Society in 1852 (now Phi Mu). In 1928 the Liberal Arts College was moved from its original College Street site to the new Rivoli campus in north Macon. The historic College Street building continued to house the School of Fine Arts, which consisted of the Conservatory of Music and the departments of art, theatre, and speech. In 1953 the School of Fine Arts, too, was moved to the present campus. This is the extraordinary history of the institution that is about to inaugurate an extraordinary new president. In 1997 Wesleyan College named Dr. Bell its twenty-third president, to succeed Robert Kilgo Ackerman. Dr. Bell is a Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman's College. She earned the master of arts from the University of South Carolina and the doctor of philosophy from the University of North Carolina. In 1998, one hundred sixty-two years after the college's founding, the president who confers degrees on the graduates of Wesleyan will also be the first woman to serve in that capacity. This is a great day for post-secondary education, women educators, Wesleyan College, and the City of Macon. I am proud to represent Wesleyan College and I commend Dr. Bell and her faculty and administration on their commitment that Wesleyan College continue to provide the best education for tomorrow's leaders.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, the United States had just come out of two world wars and was on the brink of a new era. The future was boundless. The military had discovered the value of a new technology, a technology that demanded a new branch of our Armed Forces. Fifty years ago, on September 18, 1947, Stuart Symington took the oath of office as the first Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, thus the beginning of a golden legacy. For the last 50 years, the men and women of the Air Force have carried on the dreams and vision of millions of aviators who have gone before them. It is for these aviators that I would like to take this opportunity to not only recognize this golden anniversary, but to thank those who have helped us come this far. It is hard to believe in today's skies where our planes fly over Bosnia, Iraq, Korea, and the world that the first aviation occurred 89 years ago. The Air Force roots go deeper than the National Security Act of 1947. They extend all the way back to 1907. That year the Army Signal Corps formed an aeronautical division. In 1908 the first military aviation flight occurred at Fort Myer, VA, just miles from this very spot. The Wright Brothers delivered their first plane to the aeronautical division that next year. On July 18, 1914, Congress ordered the Army to establish an aviation section of the Signal Corps. A few weeks later, Europe erupted into World War I. In response to criticism of the American aircraft effort, President Woodrow Wilson created the Army Air Service and placed it directly under the War Department on May 24, 1918. By the time of the armistice in November 1918, the Air Service had grown to more than 19,000 officers and 178,000 enlisted men. American industry had turned out 11,754 aircraft. It took World War II to prove the importance of air power to the defense of our Nation. In 1920, the Army Reorganization Act made the Air Service a combatant arm of the Army. The Air Corps Act of 1926 adopted the name of the Army Air Corps. Two years after Hitler launched World War II by invading Poland, the War Department created the Army Air Forces as its aviation element. By the last year of the war, the quantity and quality of Army Air Forces aircraft and airman dominated the skies over both Germany and Japan, all but paralyzing their war economies. Based on the Army Air Force's wartime achievements and future potential, the U.S. Air Force won its independence. The National Security Act of 1947 created the U.S. Air Force as a separate branch of the armed services. This secured the Air Force's full partnership with the Army, Navy, and the Marine Corps. The creation of the Air Force signaled America's commitment to the dominance of the skies. And I am proud to report that commitment is being honored today in skies all around the world. From that first military flight in 1908, what has come from now a golden legacy is moving toward a boundless future. This future knows no limits, as it moves toward new horizons. As the 20th century has worn on, our military focus has increasingly shifted into a third dimension--the vertical. This is the realm of air and space forces. When we dominate the third dimension we control both the horizontal and vertical battlefield. In conflict, superiority is not enough: air and space dominance must be our objective. It is with these challenges in mind, that the Air Force commemorates its 50th anniversary looking firmly to the future while remembering the lessons and achievements of the past. In this spirit, we honor the sacrifices and contributions the brave men and women of the Air Force have made. In commemoration of this anniversary, the Air Force has been busy indeed. The Air Force launched several events to celebrate its first 50 years on September 18, highlighted by the Air Forces Annual Convention in Washington. The U.S. Postal Service issued the first Air Force stamp. That same day, a wreath was placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. And the Air Force proudly dedicated its site of the Air Force Memorial at Arlington while the President led a cake cutting ceremony at the Pentagon. In communities all over this great Nation, local Air Force associations sponsored road races, participated in school festivals, and other community activities. I am proud to say that I and many of my fellow members of the Congress participated in the many events to help celebrate this momentous anniversary. It is my honor to further recognize the U.S. Air Force, and on behalf of the Congressional Air Power Caucus and the U.S. Congress, I wish the Air Force God's speed as it presses on toward it boundless future.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to pay tribute to my good friend, Maj. Gen. Rondal H. Smith, who is retiring next week from his post as commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia. As one of our country's leading experts in logistics, he assumed the command at Robins in June 1995 and has led Robins through what could probably be the most challenging 2\1/2\ years in the ALC's history. His commitment to top quality work and community support was no more evident than when Robins Air Force Base was awarded the C-5 contract. General Smith, aided by the talented folks at Team Robins, put together an innovative bid which will save American taxpayers over $190 million while ensuring a bright and productive future for the Robins Air Logistics Center and the Warner Robins community alike. As General Smith says goodbye next week to the Air Force he has so faithfully served, he can leave knowing that America is a safer and better place because of his distinguished career. I thank Ron for the contribution he has made to his community, his State, and above all, to his country. It has been a great honor to have worked with him over the last several years. He should know that he will be deeply missed, and I wish him and Debbie the very best as he enters the world of civilian life.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to rise in strong support of the Forage Improvement Act. Mr. Chairman, I come at this bill from a little bit different perspective than most folks that will be here speaking today because I am from the Southeast, I am not from the West. But my perspective is to ensure that the rights of hunters and fishermen all across this country are protected in this bill. And I will say to the critics of this bill who believe that it does not protect hunters and fishermen that they are wrong. As vice chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I am one of the strongest advocates of multiple use of Federal lands. I want to make sure that our sportsmen and sportswomen have the opportunity to hunt and fish on Federal lands. The compromise that the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith], my chairman on the House Committee on Agriculture, has struck ensures that multiple use is protected. By working with the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith] on this issue, we have made sure that this bill is sound legislation for all of our sportsmen here to support. There is no better evidence of that than the chairman himself, who is an avid sportsman, an avid hunter and fisherman. I urge my colleagues on the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus to support this bill. I would say to my other colleagues, if they support farmers and ranchers and they support sportsmen and sportswomen in America, support this bill.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to take a moment to compliment the gentleman from South Carolina, Chairman Spence, on the expertise that he has shown and the leadership he has shown in bringing a very complex and complicated bill to the floor. This bill deals with issues ranging from procurement of sophisticated weapons systems all the way to the quality of life issues that are so important to our men and women in our armed services. We deal with everything from the purchase of F-22s and FA-18s to a 2.8 percent pay raise for our military men and women. Without that 2.8 percent pay raise, the 11,000 members of our armed services who today are on food stamps will not get off of food stamps. Mr. Speaker, we need this bill enacted into law. We need it passed today, and we need it signed by the President. It is a good bill for the men and women of our Armed Forces, and it is a good bill for America. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman for bringing this bill to the floor in its current form.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Green], my partner on the basketball court, and I would congratulate your Houston Astros also. They have had a great year this year. We look forward to them coming to Atlanta. I hope they are unhappy when they leave Atlanta, but we sure look forward to a great series. I think five of them have been one-run games, two of them have been extra inning games. It is going to be a great series. We look forward to it.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to express my strong support for H.R. 595, the William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. This is an issue of great importance to me, as well as the citizens of Macon, GA. On February 5, 1997, I introduced this legislation in the House of Representatives. H.R. 595 is similar to a bill I introduced in the 104th Congress, H.R. 4119. H.R. 4119 passed in the House by voice vote, but unfortunately was vetoed in the U.S. Senate along with many other naming bills. H.R. 595 passed in the Senate on June 12, 1997, and I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation in the House and send this bill to the President for his signature. This courthouse is vital to judicial proceedings in the State of Georgia. It serves as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia which covers much of the territory of Georgia's 8th Congressional District which I represent. Mr. Speaker, there is not a more deserving individual to name this building and courthouse for than Judge Bootle and the current judges of the court wholeheartedly agree. Judge Bootle received his undergraduate and juris doctor from Mercer University located in Macon. He was admitted to the bar of the State of Georgia in 1925. Judge Bootle honorably served the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia for a number of years. Upon his appointment by President Eisenhower, Judge Bootle served as district judge from 1954 to 1961 before serving as chief judge from 1961 to 1972. Moreover, he served the Middle District as assistant U.S. attorney and as U.S. attorney from 1928 to 1933. Judge Bootle also served the Macon community as dean of Mercer University's School of Law from 1933 to 1937. His distinguished service is admired, appreciated, and recognized throughout the State of Georgia. Upon Judge Bootle's appointment to the bench as the judge for the Middle District of Georgia in 1954, the chief judge was ill and remained so for an extended period of time, and until 1962 when another judge was appointed, Judge Bootle handled all six divisions of the middle district of Georgia which included the Athens, Macon, Columbus, Americus, Albany, and Valdosta Divisions. Those six courthouses covered 71 counties in Georgia. Judge Bootle was also responsible for the admittance of the first black students into the University of Georgia. I would like to take this opportunity to quote from a book written by Frederick Allen entitled ``Atlanta Rising.'' This book deals with a lot of history which took place in the Atlanta area during the years of the civil rights era. The two black applicants who were denied admittance into the University of Georgia were Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes. They filed suit in the middle district of Georgia, and quoting from this book, I read as follows: Two black applicants, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, went to the court attacking the welter of excuses University of Georgia officials had concocted to keep them out. The two made a convincing case that the only reason they had been denied admission was segregation, pure and simple. In a ruling issued late on the afternoon of Friday, January 6, 1961, Judge William A. Bootle ordered Hunter and Holmes admitted to the school, not in 6 months or a year, but bright and early the next Monday morning. Judge Bootle has dedicated himself to years of service as a humble steward of justice, his community, the State of Georgia, and the United States. Due to this level of commitment, all of these societies are better places. Naming the courthouse the ``William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse'' is an appropriate way to ensure the judge's efforts will always be remembered. Again, I would like to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of naming the Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Macon after this honorable, deserving individual.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 595, the William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse naming bill. This is an issue of great importance to me as well as all the citizens of Georgia and in particular, Macon, GA. On February 5, 1997, I introduced this legislation in the House of Representatives. H.R. 595 is similar to a bill introduced in the 104th Congress which was titled H.R. 4119. H.R. 4119 passed in this House by voice vote, but unfortunately was submarined in the U.S. Senate, along with a number of other naming bills. H.R. 595 passed in the Senate on June 12, 1997, and earlier today, this bill was debated in this body. I look forward to its passage tomorrow so it can be sent to the White House for the President's signature. The courthouse houses the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, which covers much of the territory of Georgia's Eighth Congressional District, which I represent. Mr. Speaker, there is not a more deserving individual to name this building and courthouse for than Judge Bootle, and the current judges of the court wholeheartedly agree. Judge Bootle received his undergraduate and juris doctorate degree from Mercer University in Macon, GA. He was admitted to the bar of the State of Georgia in 1925. Judge Bootle honorably served the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia for almost 25 years. Upon his appointment by President Eisenhower, Judge Bootle served as district judge from 1954 to 1961 began serving as chief judge from 1961 to 1972. Moreover, he served the middle district as assistant U.S. attorney and as U.S. attorney from 1928 to 1933. Judge Bootle also served Georgia's legal community as dean of Mercer University School of Law from 1933 to 1937. His distinguished service is admired, appreciated, and recognized throughout the State of Georgia. Upon Judge Bootle's appointment to the bench as judge for the Middle District of Georgia in 1954, the chief judge was ill and remained so for an extended period of time, and until 1962 when another judge was appointed, Judge Bootle handled all six divisions of the Middle District of Georgia, which included 71 of Georgia's 159 counties. Judge Bootle served this country well during the very emotional and precarious time of desegregation in the South. Judge Bootle was responsible for the admittance of the first black students in the University of Georgia. I would like to take this opportunity to quote from a book written by Frederick Allen, which is entitled, ``Atlanta Rising.'' This book deals with a lot of history which took place in the Atlanta area during the years of the civil rights movement. Two black applicants who were denied admittance to the University of Georgia filed suit in the Middle District of Georgia, and quoting from this book, I read as follows: Two black applicants, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, went to the court attacking the welter of excuses University of Georgia officials had concocted to keep them out. The two made a convincing case that the only reason they had been denied admission was segregation, pure and simple. In a ruling issued late on the afternoon of Friday, January 6, 1961, Judge William A. Bootle ordered Hunter and Holmes admitted to the school, not in six months or a year, but bright and early the next Monday morning. In the 1960's in Georgia, folks, that took great judicial integrity. Judge Bootle has dedicated himself to years of service as a humble steward of justice, his community, the State of Georgia, and the United States. Due to this level of commitment, all of these societies are better places. Naming the courthouse the William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse is an appropriate way to ensure the judge's efforts will always be remembered.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, let me just very quickly respond to my good friend from Wisconsin who I agree with on so many issues but on this one I must disagree with him very vehemently. I look at the jar of peanut butter that you hold up and you say that the peanut program adds 33 cents to the cost of that peanut butter jar. Let me tell you that the amount of peanuts that goes to the farmer that is in that jar of peanuts is 43 cents. So if your amendment reduces the amount of money by 33 cents, then the farmer is going to get 10 cents out of that peanut jar. So somewhere along the way the figures have been skewed. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Norwood].

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. We have heard from the proponents of this amendment two things. First, we need to outlaw tobacco companies from producing tobacco that is harmful to Americans. Second, we need to keep children from smoking. This amendment has absolutely nothing to do with either one of those two issues. I have 5,000 small family tobacco farmers in my district. This particular amendment penalizes those 5,000 farm families who work hard every day to produce a living for their family growing a legal crop. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, my friend from Texas held up his M&Ms awhile ago. We share a very favorite candy here and a hope folks eat a lot of it because it contains good American peanuts. I went back and bought this bag of candy a minute ago in the cloakroom. I did not get as good a deal as my friend from Texas. I paid 75 cents for this. But I asked Helen back there, I said, Helen, we reduced the price of peanuts 10 percent last year. Has the price of candy gone down any to you from last year? She said absolutely not. It is the same price. But here we are arguing again that this support price program inflates the cost of products to consumers. It is just not true, Mr. Chairman. The average peanut farm in Georgia is 98 acres. That is not the big corporate farm, the big rich farmer that lives out of State that my friend from Pennsylvania has reference to. In fact, in last year's farm bill, we produced a no net cost program, a program that is more market oriented because we eliminated all those out-of-State quota holders. They are no longer going to be eligible to participate in the program. At the same time we provided a safety net for our farmers, the small farmers in my area which number about 7,500 plus the other small farmers throughout the South that depend upon the peanut program. We made a deal. We made a deal in April 1996 with the 1996 farm bill. It expires in 7 years. Let us let it work.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my good friend Peggy Young, who is retiring tonight as the museum director at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, GA. When Peggy retires this evening, she will leave as her legacy an aviation museum that ranks as the second largest in the Air Force, a far cry from its humble beginnings only 15 years ago with no building, two aircraft, and only $20 in the bank. Under Peggy's leadership, the Museum of Aviation has grown into a world-class museum complex that covers 43 acres, has over 85 aircraft on display, and hosts nearly a half million families, historians, and aviation enthusiasts each year. As Peggy says good-bye tonight to the museum she literally helped build from the ground up, she leaves behind a living testament to her personal character and professional abilities. Congratulations to Peggy, and her husband Bob, on a job well done. Thanks for your contribution to your community, your State, and your country.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, one of the great privileges of serving on the Committee on National Security is the opportunity to meet and work with people who have dedicated their lives to their fellow Americans. Today General Fogleman, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, will preside over the retirement of one such person, Gen. Charles D. Link. With his retirement from active duty, the military loses a true strategic, out-of-the-box thinker, a visionary, and a warrior. With his work on the Roles and Missions and the Quadrennial Defense Review, General Link has outlined the path the Air Force will follow for the next several years. This then is his legacy. But General Link is not to be one easily forgotten. He has been an inspiration to the troops and a respected leader within the service. From his days as a 17-year-old enlisted person fixing jets to his days as the commandant of the Air War College, he has mastered and mentored the art of war from the air. In the last several years he has been rightfully acknowledged as the strongest and most articulate proponent of air power. An exemplary accomplishment and, as is his way, a magnificent example of a life well-lived. Those who have taken up arms in the fight for and defense of this Nation are the ones that have delivered us our Constitution and the way of life that it has provided. Chuck Link is a shining example of this proud American spirit. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing General Link a long and prosperous future as he ends his 40 years of military service to a free and prosperous United States of America.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, my perspective on this is a little different from most of these folks that have been up here tonight. I come from the Southeast, but my district is the second largest timber producing district in the country. And whether one is in the Southeast or the Northwest, the issue is the same when it comes to proper forest management. In order to have proper forest management, we have to have control of burning and we have to have the removal of dead and diseased trees. In order to get those dead and diseased trees and to control burning, we have to have access to those forests. Without the construction of roads, we do not have that access. It is a very, very simple issue. Once those roads are constructed, they are not only used for removal of these trees and controlled burning, they are used by hikers, by campers, by bird watchers, by hunters, by fishermen; all folks ought to have access to public lands. If this amendment passes, every single Member of this House will have constituents that are negatively affected. I urge a no vote on the Kennedy-Porter amendment.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Unlike my friend from Minnesota for whom I have such great respect, I do support privatization. I think we have got to look for areas of our operation of the Federal Government to seek to privatize in ways that we can save money. But I do not support privatization when it affects the readiness of our military might, nor when it injects politics into an issue which must not be political if it is going to work, such as the BRAC process. Now, the Everett amendment is about two issues. The first issue is whether or not privatization in place should be allowed at Kelly Air Force Base and McClellan Air Force Base, and whether or not that was provided for in the BRAC process. Last year, during the defense authorization bill, the current Secretary of Defense, the Honorable William Cohen, who was a Senator at that point in time, a gentleman who was a great Senator and who is doing an excellent job as Secretary of Defense, stated the following in the Record, and I quote. ``The BRAC did not recommend or authorize privatization in place at Kelly or McClellan.'' He is right. He is absolutely right. It is not authorized. Second, this amendment is about one other issue: Does privatization in place save the taxpayers money? In December 1996, the General Accounting Office did a report; this is it right here. In this report it cites the Air Force's own numbers wherein the Air Force has stated itself that the privatization in place initiative that the administration supports at Kelly and McClellan will cost the American taxpayers $700 million a year. Folks, we are in tight, tight times with respect to budgets. We have been arguing about balancing the budget around here for the 2\1/2\ years that I have been here. We cannot afford to spend $700 million on politics. $700 million will buy us somewhere around 8, 9, or 10 F-22's. $700 million will add a lot of pay increases for our military personnel. That is where the money should be spent. I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I have many fond memories of my close personal friend and colleague, Bill Emerson. Probably one of my fondest memories is of the very first day that I was sworn in as a Member of Congress in 1995. My wife and I attended the Speaker's prayer service that morning, and Bill stood up and he said something that I will never forget. He introduced us freshman Members to the prayer breakfast that is held by Members of the House every Thursday morning and he said, ``If you attend that prayer breakfast and you pray with your colleagues on both sides of the aisle, when you disagree with those colleagues on the floor of the House, you will do it in a much more civil manner.'' Bill Emerson was right. As we are starting off here today, it looks like it is one of those days that, if Bill were here, he would remind us of that. Bill represented in this body everything there is about honesty, decency, and integrity. There are only two things that Bill loved better than this House, and that was his God and his family. I thank God that Bill Emerson served in this body, and I thank Jo Ann and the girls for sharing Bill with us. This great country that we live in is a much better country because Bill Emerson served with us.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, as vice chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, it is my pleasure to join in introducing the sportsmen's bill of rights in the House of Representatives. Our goal is to assure the same kind of access to Federal public lands and waters for tomorrow's hunters and anglers, that present and past generations of hunters and anglers have known. From a young age, I learned to value and treasure the outdoors. I have also had the enjoyment of passing this love of the outdoors onto my son and hope one day to pass it along to my grandson. I am an original sponsor of the sportsmen's bill of rights because I want to ensure that future generations will not be denied the opportunity to enjoy similar experiences with their families and friends. Government's involvement with promoting America's outdoor heritage dates back to the days of Teddy Roosevelt, and the sportsmen's bill of rights is a continuation of that relationship. This proconservation and prooutdoorsman legislation will strengthen hunters' and anglers' ability to hunt and fish on Federal public lands, while requiring Federal agencies to defer to State management authorities in most instances. Not only does the legislation encourage local stewardship, but it also maintains all current land management mandates and priorities established by law, so not to disturb current and successful conservation practices. The primary focus of the sportsmen's bill of rights is to restore equity to public land use by providing reasonable access to America's outdoorsmen and women. In fact, this common-sense measure will give hunters and anglers the ability to utilize public lands that all taxpayers should have the ability to enjoy. After all, it is our tax dollars that pay for the maintenance and upkeep of public lands--with much of that tax revenue being generated from sportsmen's activities. In my home State of Georgia alone, the expenditures of sportsmen account for $88 million in State and Federal tax revenues. By passing the sportsmen's bill of rights, Congress can send a message to the American public that the environment is too important to be left to extreme special interest groups or big government bureaucrats. This measure will unlock America's beautiful lands for all to enjoy, whether it is the type of folks who enjoy fishing with their children on a cool Saturday morning or those who can only go out once a year with their old hunting buddies.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in order to recognize the Rev. Samuel P. Lamback, Jr., who served as guest Chaplain this day in giving the Chamber's morning invocation. Originally from Macon, GA, Reverend Lamback was born and raised in my congressional district. After serving with distinction in the U.S. Army, he and his wife, Ginni, have returned to middle Georgia where Reverend Lamback now lives in Byron, GA, and serves as pastor of the Byron United Methodist church. Reverend Lamback has devoted his life to serving others. Following his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where I might add he was under the tutelage of our own chaplain, the Rev. Jim Ford, he served his country and fellow servicemen for 30 years as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. Rev. Lamback represents the finest aspects of American culture he has led a life of excellence and obedience in serving his God, his church, his beliefs, and a grateful Nation. It is truly an honor for me to recognize a constituent who has served both his country and his Creator with honor and dignity.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, it was my original intention to offer an amendment tonight that would rescind $689 million from Air Force procurement accounts and direct that these savings go to debt retirement. This figure represents the amount of money that currently is being wasted by the United States Air Force, according to its own reporting, by not implementing the dictates of the 1995 BRAC commission. During the BRACC process in 1995, the five Air Force depots were thoroughly reviewed by the BRAC commission. The BRAC commission directed that two of those depots, namely Kelly Air Force Base in Texas, McClellan Air Force Base in California, be closed because they were creating an inefficiency problem within the five Air Force depots. I have in my hand a GAO report dated December 19, 1996, from which I wish to quote. This report said as follows: ``Air Force Materiel Command analyzed potential savings from workload consolidation, including how increasing the efficiency of underused military depots would lower fixed overhead rates. This analysis showed that annual savings of $367 million can be achieved through consolidation of workloads and remaining DOD depots. Further, an additional $322 million can also be saved by relocating workload to depots that already have lower hourly rates.'' Instead of following the directives of the BRAC commission, the President moved to privatize these depots in place, thereby, simply stated, wasting taxpayers' money. There are things that we should and could do to encourage public- private partnerships in order to increase efficiency of our maintenance structure, but privatization for the sake of politics is not the answer. In the next several days the Secretary of Defense will be putting out the Quadrennial Defense Review. He will recommend further base closings and reforms in our maintenance system in an effort to fund badly-needed modernization. Meanwhile, past savings from these initiatives are unknown in many cases, and in many cases, overstated. Mr. Chairman, we simply cannot proceed with further base closings until the BRACC process of 1995 is completed. We must not further waste taxpayer money by continuing these bases to remain open.

Mr. CHAMBLISS. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, I do intend to withdraw my amendment. amendment offered by mr. sam johnson of texas

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and to congratulate the Reverend Nehemiah Collins and the members of his congregation at the Antioch Baptist Church in Macon, GA as this weekend they celebrate the 125th anniversary of their church. Antioch Baptist Church was founded in 1872 in a place in Bloomfield, which is a portion of Macon, then called Forks Creek. The church was later moved to the present location on Antioch Road. This church has been a beacon light of hope throughout the community in striving to influence others to accept Christ as their personal saviour and to live an exemplary life as we walk among others who have already confessed Him as their saviour. Antioch Baptist Church has made great strides during these 125 years in the spreading of the good news to mankind. One thing that is extremely unusual about Antioch Baptist Church is that though it has been in existence for 125 years, it has only had 5 pastors. The current pastor, the Reverend Nehemiah Collins, is entering his 26th year as pastor of that church. However, he is not the longest serving pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, for the Reverend E.W. Hoyt, the third pastor of this great church, served his congregation for a total of 52 years. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize not only Reverend Collins but Deacons Joe Heggs, Sorrell Acree, B.T. Reid, James Wimberly, Harold Murphy, and all the members of the congregation of this fine religious organization on the 125th anniversary. I will be very pleased on Sunday afternoon to participate in the service at Antioch Baptist Church, and I want to enter into the Record a proclamation that I will be delivering Sunday afternoon. This is addressed to the Reverend Collins. It is indeed an honor for me to personally deliver greetings to the Greater Antioch Baptist Church congregation on this most historic day, the church's 125th anniversary. Since its founding in 1872 at Forks Creek in the Bloomfield area of Macon, Greater Antioch Baptist Church has served as a beacon light of hope throughout the community in striving to influence others to accept Christ as their personal saviour. The church has made great strides during its 125 years. The accomplishments you and the 4 previous pastors have made to the church and the Macon/Bibb County community are far too extensive to recount here, but rest assured that they are widely known and universally appreciated. My wife Julianne and my entire family join me in extending to the entire Greater Antioch Baptist Church community our very warmest congratulations and best wishes.

Mr. CHAMBLISS

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, today is National Agriculture Day across this country. It is fitting on such a day to thank the farming families who work hard every day to make the finest food and fiber in the world. Our country's entire farming community deserves a pat on the back for a job well done. Just think, how often in your occupation does your paycheck depend on whether or not we get enough rain. Probably never. But for our country's farming families, it is a genuine concern every single year. Georgia's farmers not only help America produce the safest, highest quality and most affordable food supply in the world, but their contribution to our local economies is overwhelming. The revenue our farmers receive from their labors is pumped back into local economies where everyone from barbers to bakers benefit. As you sit down over supper tonight, take a moment to thank the folks that made it possible, the American farmer. They deserve it.