Tom Davis

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank my friend for offering his amendment. I am unable to support it, but I understand the spirit in which he is giving it to try to make this a better bill. This is a carefully crafted bill in which Republicans and Democrats have come together to try to work through a lot of issues, and moving one part out really jeopardizes the total package. The gentleman quoted the minority leader, or the minority whip, as saying, This is a good bill and it should be passed this year; and he understood that, but why would a Republican Congress do it. A Republican Congress would pass this bill because we do not want a 2-cent rate increase next January. The only way we can forestall that rate increase is by passing this legislation; and to pass this legislation, we need to work together with Republicans and Democrats. That means we give on some issues and we take on others. The question was raised, well, we ought to have a taxpayer on the board. I think everybody who is on the board is a taxpayer. The fact of the matter is, there are four members of the board who are management, but they are not postal management. There are two postal management members of the board, and this would reserve one for the unions to pick; and by the way, there are diversity among the postal unions. That is a tough job to pick somebody because of competing interests over mail handlers versus letter carriers and the like. But this is good legislation, and I am afraid that this amendment, in my judgment, despite I think the best intentions of its author, will upset that delicate balance that we have created to this point. It is not something that is new to corporate America to have a member of labor sitting on corporate boards. It is actually done quite frequently, particularly in the airline industry and a number of other industries where this is fairly common at this point. And since the postal workers have a lot to gain or lose by this as well, we think their voice can be very constructive at the end of the day. So for those reasons and the fact that this particular provision has been in the bill since its introduction 11 years ago, and until this amendment was filed, I do not think any objections have been raised. I understand where the gentleman is coming from; but for those reasons, I would ask my colleagues to reject the Pence amendment and to support the final passage. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition, and I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, the committee further expects that the Postal Regulatory Commission will distinguish carefully between abuses of the Regulatory Authority set out in section 404 and the legitimate exercise of managerial discretion by the Postal Service in its implementation of the complaint provisions contained in section 205 of the bill.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, please include the attached exchange of letters between Chairman Don Young of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. of the Committee on the Judiciary, Chairman Bill Thomas of the Committee on Ways and Means and myself. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC, April 25, 2005. Hon. Tom Davis, Chairman, Committee on Government Reform, Rayburn Building, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning the jurisdictional interest of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in matters being considered in H.R. 22, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. Our Committee recognizes the importance of H.R. 22 and the need for the legislation to move expeditiously. Therefore, while we have a valid claim to jurisdiction over certain provisions of the bill, I will agree not to request a sequential referral. This, of course, is conditional on our mutual understanding that nothing in this legislation or my decision to forego a sequential referral waives, reduces or otherwise affects the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and that a copy of this letter and of your response acknowledging our valid jurisdictional interest will be included in the Committee report and in the Congressional Record'' when the bill considered on the House Floor. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure also asks that you support our request to be conferees on the provisions over which we have jurisdiction during any House Senate conference. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Sincerely, Don Young, Chairman.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, we have tried on this legislation to not get into some of the specific shortcomings of Postal Service delivery on ZIP codes and the like, but I want to tell the gentleman that I have looked at this Taylorsville issue. I want to pledge to work with the gentleman from Utah and with the Postmaster General to make sure these needs are resolved and to support a thoughtful solution for the city of Taylorsville, and just assure the gentleman that that is a priority.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for his support of this legislation and his efforts. I think it is important, as he points out, that all of these different impacts are taken into account when the Postal Service undertakes the realignment and consolidation of postal facilities. I look forward to working with him and the Postal Service as these unfold.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment to the preamble.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 355) celebrating Walt Disney's contributions to our Nation, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to support H. Res. 355, which celebrates Walt Disney's contributions to our Nation. I want to thank my distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from California, for sponsoring and spearheading this resolution. As 2005 marks the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, now is an appropriate time to recognize the outstanding contributions of its founder, Walt Disney, to our Nation. Like so many American success stories, Walt Disney was a self-made man. In the 1920s he began by independently producing a series of animated comedies, starting with Alice's Wonderland in 1923. In 1928 Walt Disney figuratively struck gold when he created Mickey Mouse. Since then, he went on to create countless other memorable characters, too numerous to list here. In the process, he won 32 Academy Awards for his work. Nevertheless, the highest praise for Disney may lie in the sustained delight his creations have inspired in millions of Americans, young and old, for more than 70 years. Not content with just his screen creations, Walt Disney was inspired by his daughters to create a special place where adults and children could have fun together. In 1955, he realized this dream with the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. In the park's formal dedication, he expressed his hope that Disneyland would be ``a source of joy and inspiration to the world.'' It is no exaggeration to say that his dream has become a reality. Now, millions of people around the world benefit from his inspiration at Disneyland and the many other family-oriented Disney theme parks, cruise lines, and resorts. Much like his movies, a visit to Disneyland is a cherished memory of countless childhoods. Walt Disney was an unrivaled imaginative visionary. Through his gifted imagination, he has touched nearly all of us and left our culture far richer than he found it. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame Classic, held in Loudoun County, Virginia. The Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame Classic is a golf tournament that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since 1990, Bobby Mitchell and other Hall of Famers have donated their time every year to help raise needed funds to find a cure for leukemia and blood-related cancers such as lymphoma and myeloma. Since retiring from professional football after a successful 11-year career, Bobby Mitchell has dedicated his time to achieving his goal of defeating leukemia. Mitchell was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Washington Redskins for Ernie Davis, a Heisman Trophy winner. Unfortunately Davis was diagnosed with leukemia and died at age 23, never getting the chance to play a game of professional football. Davis' heartbreaking death motivated Mitchell to take up the cause and find a cure for the disease. This tournament is the nation's largest annual hall of fame reunion with more that 40 pro football and basketball legends present. Funds are generated by donations made through spectators, raffles and other contests. Mitchell and the fellow hall of fame participants are aiming to cross the $4 million threshold in funds raised for the charity. Funds from the tournament are donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to commend and congratulate the Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame Classic on 15 years of success. It has helped many lives, truly meriting recognition. I call upon my colleagues to join me in applauding Bobby Mitchell and the Hall of Famers' past accomplishments and in wishing them continued success in the many years to come.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. First of all, we should understand that the companies that are at issue here pay American taxes. They pay taxes on all of the income that is derived from Federal contracts that they are performing and on work done in the United States. Many of these companies are multinational corporations, and they may be headquartered in Panama or Bermuda for other reasons, and maybe how they treat their global income, but their American income is all fully taxed. We should not force companies to reincorporate in the United States; and, in the case of a company just mentioned here, it was never incorporated in the United States. They just happened, as a multinational partnership, when they decided to go as a corporation, to locate their headquarters outside the United States, but they employ tens of thousands of Americans who are paying taxes every day. Why do you want to put them out of business, particularly if they are providing a service to the American Government that is the best value for the American taxpayers? Why, if a company provides the best body armor or provides the best mechanics or the best service, are we excluding them and making the American taxpayer pay a higher rate for the same service that may be inferior? That is what this does. Our procurement system should be based on getting the best value for the American taxpayer. If you do not like the tax system, let us go back to the Tax Code. And as the chairman said, Congress addressed this issue of corporate inversion in the JOBS Act. The JOBS Act added a new section to the Tax Code which treats U.S. companies that complete inversion transactions as domestic, U.S. corporations for tax purposes. This amendment is not going to produce any more jobs, but it will produce higher costs for American taxpayers that buy goods and services. It will produce less of a marketplace that we can go out and shop and get the best value for our troops in the field and for government services. And for that reason it ought to be voted down. This is outdated in a global economy. I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.