Mac Collins

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, 170 years ago, while the manacles of slavery were still fastened on African Americans, twelve Christians--11 whites and a slave named Joseph--founded Columbus' first church, the Ephesus Baptist Church, which was renamed the First Baptist Church. This was in 1830, one year after Columbus, Georgia was granted its charter. Blacks and whites, slaves and free, worshiped God under one roof. In 1840, after construction of a new building, the First Baptist Church gave the old sanctuary to the mixed black and white congregation, who reorganized as the African Baptist Church. Today, one hundred and sixty years later, after war, reconstruction, oppression, economic depression, and hardships, the First African Baptist Church is still spreading the gospel in Columbus. This church has a long history of service to its community. Up to the advent of the Civil War, it had an ethnically diverse congregation. After the war, the church gave birth to three different churches: the Metropolitan Baptist Church in 1890, the Friendship Baptist Church in 1906, and the Mt. Tabor Baptist Church in 1908. The church sanctuary has changed four times. Today's main sanctuary was erected in 1915, when the church adopted its present name, the First African Baptist Church. The congregation of the First African Baptist Church has weathered many storms, but the worst may have been the Great Depression. In 1936, creditors foreclosed on the church. But all was not lost, because four trustees stood in the gap and pledged their personal property to pay the debts. These men were W.A. Talley, J.J. Senior, J.H. Williams, and G.F. Rivers. The congregation stood by these four men of faith and worked to raise the funds to retire the debt. Mr. Speaker, the First African Baptist Church congregation has been a force for good in Columbus. Under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Robert M. Dickerson Jr., it continues to play a key role in the city. Rev. Dickerson began the ``Gathering of the Children,'' and restructured the Youth Program. He reorganized the Christian Education ministry. He started the Tuesday noon Bible Study time, the Early Sunday morning worship services, and the Riverfront Easter Sunrise Service. He ordained 11 new deacons and established the Capital Improvement Fund for mid-range and long-range improvements. He also added three ministers to the Ministerial Staff. Additionally, Dr. Dickerson instituted the ``Pastor's Unsung Hero'' Award presented each November. He is continuing his work to add new programs to bring the word and comfort of God to the people of Columbus. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the First African Baptist Church of Columbus, its congregation and its leaders. They have been doing a great work in the city for 160 years, and I trust that, Lord willing, they will be spreading the Gospel a hundred years hence.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. The theme here from the other side is that we are harming Medicare insurance for our seniors. Well, as a Member of Congress and as an individual, that is the farthest thing from my mind. Good Lord willing, one of these days I will be covered under this Medicare insurance myself. Do my colleagues think I want to do something that will destroy it? Heavens, no. A lot has been said about the fact that this is going to take $117 billion over the next 10 years from the Medicare Trust Fund. It will not. The additional tax or additional income that was subjected to tax in the 1993 tax bill was an income tax. Income tax goes into the treasury, into the general fund. There was a provision in that bill at that time that required a like amount to be transferred to the Medicare trust fund account or credited to it. This does the same thing. The only thing this does, it repeals the provision of law that was implemented in 1993. But it still requires a like amount to go into the Medicare or credited to the Medicare account, not one red cent less. We are not taking anything from the Medicare trust fund. If I think back correctly about 3 or 4 years ago, the trustees of the Medicare trust fund stated that the trust fund would have problems in the year 2001, it would have deficit spending, begin to put out more money or pay more in insurance for seniors and money was coming in through the payroll tax and even through this additional fund here and then it is transferred in like amount to the trust fund. But thank goodness that the majority of this Congress saw that coming and made changes to the Medicare program and Medicare insurance that extended this solvency, the life of Medicare insurance for our seniors. Now those same trustees say 2015 before we begin to have a deficit in cash flow. No one on this side of the aisle, no one in this Congress from either side of the aisle, Mr. Speaker, wants to do anything that would jeopardize health care insurance for our seniors and the disabled. To stand here with all of this rhetoric is wrong, just trying to make political points. The fact is we believe in the Medicare insurance program for our seniors. We support. One of these days we will all be facing it, God willing.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, a very responsible Member.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery), a responsible member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, yes, I do.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth), one of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller), who has been responsible for bringing this very important piece of legislation to the Congress. (Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from northern California (Mr. Herger), another responsible member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp), another responsible member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Largent).

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is pleasing to hear Member after Member, no matter which side of the aisle they are from, standing and saying that we do need to give tax relief to the American taxpayer. There has been a lot of mention about Philadelphia and what the Republicans will do on their way to Philadelphia, upon arrival in Philadelphia. But I believe both sides of the aisle do have a convention coming up very shortly. I would request that the Democrat side of the aisle join us over here, and many will. They can also go to their convention and talk about how they did give tax relief to the American taxpayer. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of 144,000 married people in the Third District of Georgia, I am very pleased that we are finally coming to a conclusion on this bill. I am also very pleased that the conference members decided to make the effective date this taxable year so that we can give immediate relief, rather than waiting for the next taxable year, because families needs need to be met. The more that we take from that family budget through taxation, the less they have to meet those needs. Also, there are many families who would like, as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) said, put funds away for future years for family needs. There has been a lot said about, ``Is this fair?'' Mr. Speaker, is it fair to give the same deductions, the same standard deduction, to every eligible taxpayer in this country? I think so. Is it fair to increase the 15 percent bracket for every eligible taxpayer in this country? I say yes. Is it fair to ensure that those who have the opportunity can take advantage of the tax credits that this Congress has passed and the President has signed earlier, such as the child tax credit or the tuition tax credit? When it comes to the alternative minimum tax that they still will be eligible for, I say yes. Is it fair to expand the area of income for the EITC? Yes. What makes it fair, Mr. Speaker? Because there are other provisions of the Tax Code to take up the slack when it comes to those who say this is only going to the wealthy. Those are progressive tax rates. Thanks, too, to the 103rd Congress, when the majority then was from the other side of the aisle, there was an additional tax bracket added that takes into account the income from those in higher income brackets. Also, many of those in the higher income level lose their itemized deductions, which increases their tax contributions or tax liabilities. It is responsible that we do this bill. Another area of responsibility is in the area of the budget. By putting a 5-year sunset on this provision, on this measure, it will then revert back and hold down the actual reduction in the cash flow of the general funds. Personal responsibility is at play here. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Congress, when I am interested in a committee or a conference or any activity of the Congress, I feel it is my personal responsibility to inquire when those committees are meeting. Those who complain about not knowing, maybe they did not fulfill their responsibilities. I urge the Members of this House to pass this measure. I feel very confident that the President will sign it.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, Paul Coverdell's passing is a great loss to the United States, to the other Chamber, to Georgia, to his wife, Nancy, and his family. He was a hardworking, thoughtful legislator who possessed the rare gift of leadership and the even rarer gift of being a good man. The news of his death hit me hard, because I saw Paul as more than a colleague. I saw him as a true friend, and more than that as a mentor. When I was first elected to the Georgia Senate, he and I took a walk through his neighborhood to talk about the job that I would be facing. That was his style, quiet and purposeful. He was a teacher who was less concerned about who received the credit than he was of getting the job done. Mr. Speaker, many others in Georgia's Third Congressional District feel the loss of Paul Coverdell. I spoke with several this morning who worked with Paul to build the Republican Party in Georgia or who served with him in the Georgia legislature, people like Barbara Scruggs, chairperson of the Third Congressional District Republican Party. She said, ``I've known Paul since the first election he ran. I always admired how hard he worked for us. He was always quiet and unassuming and a great leader of the State of Georgia.'' Former Congressman Bo Callaway said this morning, ``This is such a shock to have Paul in his prime of life so suddenly taken from us. I really think the people of Georgia and America will never know how much we have lost, for Paul Coverdell was really on the way to becoming one of our great leaders. It will be hard to imagine going on without him.'' Ted Land, who served in Georgia's Senate with Paul, said, ``Paul Coverdell was a man of highest integrity. I never in my 10 years with Paul ever heard him speak a mean-spirited word about anyone on either side of the aisle. A man of boundless energy, he was totally dedicated to serving his State and his party. The void created by his death will be extremely difficult to fill.'' Former State Senator Arthur ``Skin'' Edge summed up Paul in one word: patriot. He said that as he heard of the death of Paul last night, the one thing that kept coming back to his mind is that Paul Coverdell is a 21st-century patriot. He stood for the principles that this country was founded on and fought for them all of his life. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Georgia's Third District, we mourn Paul Coverdell's death, and we cherish the memories of his friendship.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I thank him, too, for bringing this matter and this announcement before the House of Representatives. Paul Coverdell is a colleague, but most of all he is a friend, a friend for many years to many of us. In fact, Paul Coverdell has been a role model for many of us who followed him and served with him in the different bodies of the legislature. When we received the call on Sunday afternoon that he had been admitted to Piedmont Hospital, our prayers began immediately, because we understood the severeness of his problem. I hope and I pray that all of my colleagues would join us, join with the people of Georgia, the people of this Nation in praying for a speedy recovery and a full recovery of Paul Coverdell.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, like 144,000 other taxpayers in the 3rd District of Georgia, I wear a wedding band. It is a symbol of my marriage. But, due to the Tax Code, it is an excuse to raise more revenue, and that is not right. Under today's Tax Code, 25 billion married couples pay higher taxes as a result of saying, I do. Today's bill will change that. It will allow both wives and husbands to each take a full standard deduction, and it will broaden the lower tax bracket so that lower- and middle- income couples will not be punished or pushed into a higher tax bracket when their incomes are combined. The Marriage Penalty Tax Relief Act of 2000 will provide American families relief from the excessive taxation which has been caused by our government's excessive spending. Now that a balanced budget and reforms that the Federal Government has done in the past few years, we have a positive cash flow. It is time to reduce the tax burden on working Americans. Ending the unfair marriage penalty is an important step in that direction. Mr. Speaker, my hope is that we will not stop there. American families are also paying far too much for gasoline, which is a necessity for most households. My hope is that we will look at repealing some of the Federal excise taxes which contribute to the high cost of gasoline. But today, Mr. Speaker, we are considering relief from the marriage penalty. I had hoped that we would have made the tax relief in this bill effective for the tax year 2000 instead of the year 2001 so families could get immediate relief. Hopefully, in the conference we will be able to accomplish the change in the effective date for the taxable year 2000. Mr. Speaker, despite the delay in implementation, this is a good bill that will correct an injustice in the Tax Code. I urge the House to pass this legislation. I urge the President to sign this bill into law, and I call on Members of the House and Senate to resist the temptation to use tax relief for married couples as a pawn in some political game.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Fuel Excise Tax Relief Act (FETRA), for a moratorium on Federal fuel excise taxes until March 31, 2001. Fuel is not a luxury, it is a necessity for Americans. It is necessary for a dad commuting to his job or a soccer mom picking up her children. Higher fuel costs don't stop at the pump because the cost of shipping is built into the price of every product purchased by families and businesses across the country. There is not one Member in this Chamber whose constituents are not daily suffering sticker shock when they go to the gas pump, and wondering why, for the past 6 months, nothing has been done about gas prices. A few months, ago, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson admitted he had been asleep at the switch, and promised Americans that prices would soon decline, thanks to his arm-twisting of OPEC. Perhaps we should be asking if Mr. Richardson was twisting OPEC's arm the wrong direction and convincing the oil states to restrict production. Certainly, 3 months later, gas prices did not go lower, but went higher. These skyrocketing fuel prices are borne on the backs of working families across this country, because they have an impact on the cost of every product or service that depends upon transportation. I am concerned that high fuel prices could affect the economy, just as they did after the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979. Both resulted in higher interest rates and recessions. Congress must take both short-term and long-term action now. Presently, the United States is dangerously dependent upon foreign oil. We must work more aggressively with OPEC to increase supply. We must explore the use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to temporarily increase the supply. We should allow environmentally responsible oil drilling to increase domestic supply. We should also take steps to ensure that our environmental regulations protect the environment without driving independent producers and refiners out of business. When they are gone, competition decreases, and prices rise. We can also encourage the use of mass transit and build new systems. Tax and investment incentives will help further develop technology for fuel cells, electric cars, hybrid cars, and alternative fuel vehicles. All of these responses take a while to affect prices at the pump. But there is one act Congress can take to provide immediate relief to America's working families. This would be to pass the Fuel Excise Tax Relief Act (FETRA) which imposes a moratorium on Federal fuel excise taxes until March 31, 2001. 1 will shortly be introducing this legislation with several colleagues, and I invite your support. FETRA would provide relief to every American of every income strata. It would reduce transportation costs which affect the price of every good or service purchased by consumers. It imposes a moratorium on the federal fuel excise taxes: cutting 18.3 cents per gallon on gasoline, 24.3 cents per gallon on diesel, and 4.3 cents per gallon on aviation jet fuel. The FETRA tax moratorium will be effective upon enactment and end March 31, 2001. This will give the new administration and new Congress time to draw up something that has been lacking the past 8 years--a coherent energy policy. FETRA also holds the transportation trust funds harmless from any revenue shortfalls, and will make up the difference out of general funds. None of our infrastructure projects will be affected by FETRA. This tax relief is long overdue for American consumers. To ensure they get the benefit of this tax relief, FETRA directs the Comptroller of the United States to report to Congress on whether the tax cut is being passed through to consumers. Additionally, the act requires the Administration to prepare a report on changes in the prices of gasoline, diesel and other fuels over the previous 12 months, and the impact on prices of the reformulated gasoline mandate, and the feasibility and appropriateness of maintaining the reformulated fuel mandate. Mr. Speaker, The American people are looking toward Congress for leadership on this issue. I agree that we must work on long-term and medium-term solutions to high fuel prices, but FETRA is where we should start.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to note that the Committee has recognized the vital role the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in Griffin, Georgia plays in improving and sustaining the Southeast's food supply. I would like to specifically thank Chairman Skeen for his efforts in assessing the merits of this facility and am gratified he recognizes the importance of providing farmers and scientists with safe and accessible plant genetic resources. The Griffin campus is the headquarters of the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (PGRCU). As one of four working collections in the National Plant Germplasm System, the PGRCU conducts research critical to the national effort to develop plant varieties resistant to insects, diseases, and other pests. The work done at Griffin is especially important when one considers that many of the edible plants we take for granted in this nation have countries of origin outside the United States. The PGRCU stores and reproduces the genetic materials of these plants, in the form of seeds and vegetative tissue, for use in domestic food production and scientific research. The PGRCU was established in 1949 as a cooperative effort of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Southern State Agricultural Experiment Stations. Significant advances in genetic technology have been made over the last decade, and the PGRCU's collection of genetic resources has expanded. However, since 1989, funding from USDA has remained essentially constant at approximately $1,500,000. An increase in the operational budget is urgently needed to bring the genetic resource collection to an acceptable level of quality, and to provide the expected and necessary germplasm quality to users of the collection. As we continue consideration of Fiscal Year 2001 funding levels, I urge my colleagues to recognize the importance of the Griffin Agriculture Experiment Station to agriculture in the Southeastern United States. I hope we will be able to ensure the full funding request, as it is necessary to continue the Griffin facility's vital work.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this prescription drug bill for our seniors. It will be voluntary for our seniors. It will give them the freedom to choose as to whether or not to stay in a plan they may already be in or to choose this plan which they may need assistance for. It will assist low income. It will also assist those who have high drug costs and catastrophic coverage. Others it will assist in a different way. It will help reduce the cost of drugs by having the administration deal with drug companies. It is very similar to the way we do with the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, lowering the cost of those who have to pay the co-pay and those who would be between the low income and the catastrophic. It is not a one-size-fits-all; that is for sure. I respect those who have the program or the plan that one size does fit all. But we must be aware of their plan, because of the back-end costs of their plans. We must be aware of the costs of any plan because, under the pay-as-you-go system, those who work today will pay the benefits. It is not a perfect plan, but it is moving in progress, a work in progress.

Mr. COLLINS

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

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, in 1999, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the EPA had unconstitutionally usurped Congress' legislative authority in establishing strict new Federal air quality standards. Reasonable persons expected the agency to delay further implementation of these standards until the Supreme Court rules on the agency's appeal early next year. However, the EPA has decided to go forward with the process of designating hundreds of new areas in nonattainment status despite the legal uncertainty. This amendment is simple. It does not affect existing air quality standards, nor does it render judgment on new standards. It only requires the EPA to postpone further action until the Supreme Court issues its final ruling. The only common sense reasonable approach is to delay this process until the Supreme Court renders its decision in early 2001. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), cosponsor of this amendment.

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin). (Mr. TAUZIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).