Wm. Clay

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I will continue to reserve.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6669) to provide that claims of the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt shall be treated as waived and relinquished in certain circumstances.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I rise today in support of H.R. 6669, which was introduced by Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand on July 30, 2008. This bill waives a government interest in certain records in order to allow private owners of some personal papers of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to deliver these valuable papers, called the Tully Collection, to the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York. The owners of the collection currently want to donate the papers to the FDR Library, but because the National Archives asserted a claim to a portion of the collection, the owners would be ineligible for a common tax deduction for the fair market value of the donation. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, first before I close, I would like to commend my two colleagues from Virginia, Mr. Goodlatte and Mr. Davis, as well as their two U.S. Senators for introducing this important piece of legislation and shepherding it through, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve. I don't have any other speakers.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I stand to urge the passage of S. 3477. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission is the grant-making arm of the National Archives and Records Administration. The NHPRC makes grants to help identify, preserve, and provide public access to records, photographs, and other materials that document American history. The grants go to State and local archives, colleges and universities, libraries, historical societies, and other nonprofit organizations throughout the country. This legislation provides that the Archivist, with the recommendations of the NHPRC, may grant money to eligible entities to promote the historical preservation of, and public access to, historical records and documents relating to any former President who does not have a Presidential archival depository currently managed and maintained under the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955. This bill also includes provisions that limit the tenure of members of the NHPRC and provides for their recusal from matters that pose, or potentially pose, a conflict of interest. The bill provides for online access to the Founding Fathers documents, establishes an advisory committee for the NHPRC, and requires that the Archivist develop a 10-year capital improvement plan with annual updates to Congress. Additionally, this legislation authorizes the Archivist to establish an electronically searchable national database consisting of historic records of servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction, including the Refugees, Freedman, and Abandoned Land Records, Southern Claims Commission Records, Records of the Freedmen's Bank, Slave Impressments Records, Slave Payroll Records, Slave Manifest, and others contained within the agencies and departments of the Federal Government to assist African Americans and others in conducting genealogical and historical research. None of the programs authorized in this act shall take precedent over existing programs funded by the Commission unless there is an increase in authorization of appropriations and an increase in appropriated funds to fund these programs. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 3477) to amend title 44, United States Code, to authorize grants for Presidential Centers of Historical Excellence.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 6834) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4 South Main Street in Wallingford, Connecticut, as the ``CWO Richard R. Lee Post Office Building,'' and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 1436 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Concurrent Resolution 378 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measures just considered.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 1262 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 1375) recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 245 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 3536) to amend section 5402 of title 39, United States Code, to modify the authority relating to United States Postal Service air transportation contracts, and for other purposes.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 6859) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1501 South Slappey Boulevard in Albany, Georgia, as the ``Dr. Walter Carl Gordon, Jr. Post Office Building,'' and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 1122 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Concurrent Resolution 429 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Honorable Alan Wheat, former Congressman who represented Missouri's 5th District from 1983 to 1994. Born to James Weldon and Emogene Wheat in San Antonio, Texas on October 16, 1951, Alan is one of three children. Congressman Wheat made history by becoming one of the Nation's first African-Americans to represent a district with a white majority. Although it was suggested that he would only support African-American issues, one-third of Wheat's vote total in the primary came from white voters. Throughout his career, Congressman Wheat earned the widely respected reputation of being a strong political leader and coalition builder. This well earned reputation led to him becoming the youngest member and only the third freshman Congressman in history to be appointed to the powerful Rules Committee. Dedicated to public service, Congressman Wheat ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994, won the Democratic primary and became the first minority candidate selected as a major party nominee for statewide office in Missouri. When Congressman Wheat made his bid for the Senate, he was described as ``a new kind of black candidate: not simply a representative of black America but a bridge-builder between black and white America.'' In 1995, Wheat became vice president of public policy and government relations for the CARE Foundation, an international relief and development organization, one of the largest of its kind in the Nation. In 1998, Congressman Wheat formed Wheat Government Relations. With his unparalleled knowledge of the legislative process and his reputation for promoting bipartisan support, Wheat Government Relations has established him as a successful, bipartisan liaison between the government and the private sector. Congressman Wheat holds a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College. He is married to Yolanda and has three children. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to induct Congressman Wheat into the Missouri Walk of Fame. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Congressman Alan Wheat for his commitment to the great state of Missouri.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to William Clay, Sr., my father, and a former United States Congressman from the 1st Congressional District in St. Louis, Missouri. Bill Clay has fought a long and historic battle in defense civil and human rights for all Americans throughout his life. His dedication and service to our Nation as a leader on education, labor rights and civil rights, aptly earns his place in the Missouri Walk of Fame and the privilege of being honored today before Congress. William Lacy Clay, Sr. one of six children was born on April 30, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri to Luella Hyatt and Irving Clay. He is happily married to his wife of 55 years Carol, and they have raised three children, Vicki, Michelle and William, Jr. When Bill Clay was elected to Congress in 1968, he was the first African American member elected from Missouri and one of only two African American representatives from states west of the Mississippi River. Throughout his 16 terms in Congress, he gained a reputation as an effective legislator. A staunch advocate for civil rights and social justice, he also served as one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus. From 1991 to 1995 he chaired the House Committee on the Post Office and Civil Service and served as the Ranking Member on the Education and the Workforce Committee until he retired. His success can largely be attributed to his belief that there were no permanent friends or permanent enemies in politics, just permanent interests. He was a true advocate for the people that he represented, and he served them well. He's been credited with turning back racial discrimination throughout his career and remains an outspoken leader in our community. An accomplished author, he has documented he history of not only St. Louis, but the political arena throughout the Civil Rights era up to and including the present. He worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised, always seeking to give them a voice in Congress. During his tenure he authored the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Act, which provided $375 million in federal loan guarantees for construction and renovation projects at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and played a key role in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including efforts to reduce early grade class sizes by hiring 100,000 teachers nationwide. Throughout his illustrious Congressional career, Clay co-sponsored 3,403 bills, of which 279 were enacted. Of the 248 bills that he sponsored, 16 were enacted. Bill Clay was the key sponsor of the transcendent Family and Medical Leave Act, the first bill signed into law by President Bill Clinton. This bill helped change the life of American families. He was instrumental in passing the Hatch Act which reformed the political activities of federal employees. He continues to contribute to the American political landscape through his work as a successful author. He has authored several works including Just Permanent Interests: Black Americans in Congress, 1870- 1991 (1992), which many view as essential American political reading. He continues to be a wonderful husband, loving father, and grandfather. Madam Speaker, my father is my hero and I am proud to salute him for his lasting contributions to both our local St. Louis community and to our Nation. His outstanding leadership and sincere commitment to justice make him more than worthy of receiving our recognition and I urge my colleagues to join me in commending Former Congressman William Clay, Sr. for his induction into the Missouri Walk of Fame and his legacy of serving our Nation.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, for 8 years, Washington Republicans have favored record profits for Big Oil while Americans are paying record prices at the pump. Congressional Republicans say they want an all-of- the-above plan, but their actions speak differently. Republicans have voted against every piece of legislation that would responsibly invest in renewable energy and would bring down gas prices for consumers. We proposed legislation to crack down on price gouging and curb excess speculation, but House Republicans said no. We proposed lowering gas prices immediately by tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which lowered prices by 33 percent when the President's father took similar action in 1991, but Republicans said no. We proposed legislation that would force Big Oil to drill on 68 million acres of land to increase oil production here at home. Again, House Republicans said no. This week, the Republicans will have the opportunity to support real reform and say yes.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6575) to require the Archivist of the United States to promulgate regulations to prevent the over-classification of information, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.