Tom Davis

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 788) to provide for the conveyance of the excess Army Reserve Center in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, as amended.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1766) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4270 John Marr Drive in Annandale, Virginia, as the ``Stan Parris Post Office Building.''

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the bill's sponsor, the inspiration for this legislation and a gentleman who served with Mr. Parris in the House for many years.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran), who succeeded Mr. Parris here in the House.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2133, the bill under consideration.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is my pleasure to rise in support of H.R. 2133 introduced by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Ryun), which would establish a commission to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown versus Board of Education decision. This bill passed the House on June 27, 2001, under suspension of the rules by a vote of 414 to 2 and passed the Senate on August 3 with some amendments. These amendments change how the commission would be formed and who would make the recommendations for commission members. Mr. Speaker, May 17, 2004, will mark the 50th anniversary of this landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. This legislation would establish a Federal commission to provide for and encourage the commemoration of that anniversary. The Brown decision, as studied in law schools across the United States, is remembered for its definite interpretation of the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution. The Court stated that the discriminatory nature of racial segregation violates the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws. On a human level, the Brown decision has had a dramatic impact on families, communities, and governments by outlawing racial segregation, meaning an end to legal discrimination on any basis. Today, we take it as a given that, as the Court opined at that time, separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Cheryl Brown Henderson, of the Brown Foundation, had the idea to establish a commission to prepare for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of this decision. Seeing the educational value this commission would bring, my colleague, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Ryun), followed through with legislation to establish it. The commission would work in conjunction with the Department of Education to plan and coordinate public education activities and initiatives through its 10 regional offices. Activities such as public lectures, writing contests, and public awareness campaigns will be included. The commission is to be comprised of 22 members, including representatives from the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, the NAACP, the Judicial Branch, the Brown Foundation, and the Brown v. Board National Historic Site. In addition, Members of the Senate and House of Representatives from the States in which the lawsuits were originally filed, Delaware, Kansas, South Carolina, and Virginia, and from the State of the first legal challenge, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia would recommend individuals to the Speaker of the House and minority leader and the majority and minority leader in the Senate for the commission. Ultimately, we hope that this commission will educate Americans about the far-reaching historical impact of this decision and what it has done for this country. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Ryun), the sponsor of this bill, to speak on behalf of it.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2833, the Viet Nam Human Rights Act of 2001. As an original co-sponsor of this landmark legislation, I believe passage of the Viet Nam Human Rights Act will send a strong message to the Hanoi regime and to its victims that expansion of trade relations does not imply approval of or complacency about the continuing pattern of severe human rights violations in Vietnam. As an ardent supporter of human rights and a strong proponent of free trade, I want to stress that the Viet Nam Human Rights Act is about aid, not trade. This legislation sends a clear message to Hanoi, and also to other interested observers including the Vietnamese-American community, that the U.S. is serious about our commitment to the principles of free speech, freedom of expression, and the freedom of religious exercise. As a founding member of the Congressional Dialogue on Viet Nam and a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, I am acutely aware of the Vietnamese government's human rights violations, including religious persecution and indefinite criminal sentences for political prisoners. On May 12 of this year, I attended a hearing which addressed the issue or religious suppression and persecution in Vietnam. My colleagues and I heard testimony from many religious Vietnamese- American leaders who shared their perspectives on this important issue. Many of them had suffered personally at the hands of the Vietnamese government. In July, I sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell before he went to Vietnam, asking him to raise these very issues with the government. This legislation sets a framework for an honest and detailed assessment of the human rights situation in Vietnam. It accurately identifies violations by the Vietnamese government against the rights of the Vietnamese people to exercise their freedom of expression, association, and religion, and the rights of workers, as well as persecution of religious figures and ethnic minorities including the Montagnards and other people associated with the U.S. prior to 1975. In addition, H.R. 2833 summarizes the history of U.S. policy towards Vietnamese refugees and of normalization of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic and trade relations. This legislation concludes that Congress and the American people are united in their belief that expansion of trade relations should not and must not be construed as approval of or ignorance about the Vietnamese government's human rights violations. Furthermore, we, the government and the American people, seriously believe that the promotion of freedom and democracy must be central to U.S. foreign policy. This legislation makes conditional any increases in foreign assistance, other than humanitarian assistance, to the Vietnamese government on a finding by the President that they have made substantial progress toward meeting certain human rights benchmarks, which include the release of all political and religious prisoners from all forms of detention including imprisonment and house arrest; respect by the Vietnamese government towards the right to freedom of religion, including the right to participate in religious organizations not connected to the Vietnamese government; respect for the rights of members of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands and elsewhere; and an end to government complicity in severe forms of trafficking in human beings, in particular, women and children. This bill will also require an enforcement of a provision of a current law designed to withhold non-humanitarian loans and other extensions of funds from international financial institutions to governments that consistently commit gross violations of fundamental human rights. This legislation will help to actively promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam by authorizing assistance to nongovernmental organizations committed to encouraging and advancing these principles in Vietnam. Additionally, this legislation declares it to be the policy of the United States to take such measures as are necessary to overcome the jamming of Radio Free Asia by the Vietnamese government. It requires periodic reports on efforts by the U.S. government to secure transmission sites for Radio Free Asia in countries near Vietnam. It also authorizes additional funding to enhance transmission facilities in order to overcome jamming. This bill seeks to ensure that U.S. educational and cultural exchange programs promote American values. It requires the U.S. State Department to take steps to make sure that U.S. cultural and exchange programs are open to people who share our values, not just Vietnamese government and Communist Party officials and persons close to them. Finally, this bill would declare it to be the policy of the United States to offer refugee resettlement to residents of Vietnam who met the statutory criteria for the Orderly Departure Program and other refugee programs, but who were incorrectly deemed ineligible for such programs or who, for reasons beyond their own control including but not limited to inability to pay bribes demanded by Vietnamese government officials, were denied access to U.S. programs in time for deadlines imposed by State Department officials. This legislation also requires the State Department to report on what steps it has taken to provide such persons with access to U.S. refugee resettlement. This bill does not affect any form of humanitarian assistance, nor does it limit assistance that is provided through nongovernmental organizations. Essentially, the Viet Nam Human Rights Act will require the Vietnamese government to make substantial progress towards the release of political and religious prisoners, and an end to religious persecution, respect for the rights of ethnic minorities, and elimination of trafficking in human beings before receiving any further increases in government-to-government U.S. aid. It is my strong belief that this is the least we can do for all those being oppressed by the Communist Government. For these reasons, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2833 so that we can hold the Vietnamese government accountable for the human rights abuses committed by their regimes and hopefully bring justice to the Vietnamese people. I commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and his staff for their hard work and commitment in bringing attention to this important issue.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4 contains provisions that would impose mandatory standards on the high-tech sector, a community that for 10 years has worked voluntarily with the Federal Government through the Energy Star program to achieve approximately 7,000 energy-efficient consumer products for more than 1,000 manufacturers. By imposing mandatory standards, we risk quelling innovation and, as a result, hindering growth. I am concerned that inflexible, mandatory standards, as they exist now, could stunt the technology engines of our economy and compromise our competitiveness worldwide. For this reason, I would respectfully ask the chairman to work with me as we address some of these concerns as we prepare to go to conference on this measure.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2603, the United States-Jordan Free Trade Implementation Act. Jordan is a small Arab country with abundant natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to put a hiatus on the International monetary Fund program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. However, the economy rebounded in 1992, thanks to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9 percent in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 2 percent during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King Abdallah of Jordan has undertaken some economic reform measures, including partial privatization of some state-owned enterprises. These actions culminated with Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTO). I have personally met with King Abdallah on several occasions. I was pleased to host the King and Queen in 1999, when they visited Northern Virginia to discuss possible investment opportunities in Jordan with regional high technology and telecommunications companies. The King and representatives from his government showed a keen interest in exploring trade opportunities with our technology sector. The attendees, which included CEOs and Presidents of national high-tech organizations and companies, were overwhelmingly impressed with the King's knowledge of the industry and his openness towards working with them. Mr. Speaker, I believe passage of H.R. 2306 will have significant and positive economic and political impacts for both Jordan and the United States. The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will increase levels of trade in services for both nations, boost the Jordanian economy, contribute to easing unemployment, attract foreign direct investments from both U.S. and other foreign-based companies, and reinforce momentum for additional economic reform in Jordan. In the year 2000, total bilateral trade between the U.S. and Jordan was approximately $385 million, with U.S. exports to Jordan accounting for about 80 percent or $310 million of this total. In the same year, U.S. imports from Jordan totaled $73 million and accounted for approximately 20 percent of total bilateral trade. The FTA builds on other U.S. initiatives in the region that are designed to encourage economic development and regional integration, including: the 1996 extension of the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement to areas administered by the Palestinian Authority; and the 1996 creation of Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ), which are areas under joint Israeli and Jordanian control whose exports are eligible for duty-free treatment in the United States. Once passed by the Congress and the Jordanian Parliament, the U.S.- Jordan FTA will be the first U.S. free trade agreement with an independent Arab country, and Jordan will be the fourth country in the world to have a bilateral free trade agreement with America-all of which reflects the close bond between the two nations, and reaffirms our commitment to this burgeoning relationship.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1499, the District of Columbia College Access Act Technical Corrections Act of 2001. Two years ago, I introduced the D.C. College Access Act of 1999 along with my colleague, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. The Act allows recent high school graduates in D.C. to pay in-state tuition at public colleges in Maryland and Virginia. It also provides tuition assistance grants for students attending private colleges in the District, Maryland, or Virginia. Since D.C. is not a state, the thousands of high school seniors who graduated from city schools each year had to pay out-of-state tuition rates when attending any public college or university other than the University of the District of Columbia. College-bound students in each of the 50 states have a vast network of state-supported institutions to attend. The D.C. College Access Act of 1999 has leveled the playing field for eligible D.C. residents. It gives D.C. graduates more choices, and provides an incentive for more families to remain in the nation's capital. Due to funding constraints, eligibility under the Act was limited. It was always our intention that all District of Columbia residents holding a secondary school diploma or the equivalent would eventually have access to this program. That is why I support H.R. 1499. The bill expands the application of the D.C. College Access Act of 1999 by opening the eligibility requirements to those individuals who graduated from secondary school prior to 1998 and also to individuals who enroll in an institution of higher education more than three years after graduating from a secondary school. This bill ensures that a greater number of D.C. residents are eligible to receive tuition assistance thereby broadening their educational opportunities at the undergraduate level. Therefore, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1499.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 55, Disapproving the Extension of Immigration Waiver Authority to Vietnam. The resolution on the House floor today addresses the issue of whether the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam allows free and open emigration for its citizens. In 1999, President Clinton granted Vietnam a waiver of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment on this condition. Unfortunately, little improvement has been made since. Boat People, SOS, an organization headquartered in my district, informed me that the official Communist government in Vietnam is still riddled by corruption. Additionally, the government continues to export thousands of political prisoners and former U.S. Government employees from participating in the U.S. refugee programs. Applicants, in some cases, are forced to pay $1,000 or more in bribes to gain access to these programs; this in a country where the average annual salary is $250. The corruption that exists in the Vietnamese Communist government also undermines U.S. exchange programs. Our programs offer exceptional Vietnamese students the opportunity to study in the United States. However, the Vietnamese government excludes those students whose parents are not members of the Communist cadre. Thus, many qualified students are denied the opportunity to study in the U.S. exchange programs simply because their parents are not card-carrying members of the Communist party. This bias is one of many examples of the apartheid system that the government has implemented to punish those who do not agree with their ideology. On the human rights front, the government has released some political prisoners, but many more individuals, including religious leaders, remain imprisoned indefinitely. Meanwhile, the government continues to arrest others who dare to speak out against them. The Vietnamese Communist government simply does not tolerate basic civil liberties, such as the right to free speech, the right to freely exercise one's religion, and the right to peaceably assemble. Reports reveal that the Vietnamese police have forced many religious groups who renounce their beliefs or face the threat of imprisonment, beatings, or torture. When I visited Vietnam in 1998, a Catholic priest told me the Communist government does not even allow him to wear his vestments in public. Even more egregious is the government's persecution of the Hmong. Over 10,000 of them have had to flee their ancestral lands in the north, traveling 800 miles in the south central highlands in Dak Lak Province because of government harassment and persecution. Many of them were arrested as ``illegal migrants'' or charged with practicing and ``illegal religion'' as part of the government crackdown on Hmong Christians. Mr. Speaker, I urge approval of the resolution. While the Vietnamese government may claim to have made strides, I would like to share with you evidence to the contrary. For example, four prominent individuals are presently imprisoned or under house arrest for practicing their religions. They are: Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam; the Venerable Thich Quang Do; Father Nguyen Van Ly; and Mr. Le Quang Liem of the banned Hoa Hoa Buddhish Church. In addition, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que a prominent prisoner of conscience who was released in late 1998, remains under house arrest in Saigon; while Professor Doan Viet Hoat and Mr. Le Chi Thien former prisoners of conscience who had been imprisoned for over 20 years for promoting democratic ideals, were forced to leave Vietnam as a condition of their release. Additionally, since the fall of Saigon, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has been systematically abusing the rights of the indigenous Montagnard peoples of Vietnam's central highland. There have been reports of summary executions, mysterious disappearances, arbitrary arrests, interrogations, beatings, torture, and forcible relocations of the Montagnard people from their traditional homes. In 1999, the Vietnamese Communist Government ordered and carried out the destruction of a sacred religious site of the Khmer Krom in the former city of Saigon. They destroyed the Pali School building, and desecrated the Bodhi Tree where the remains of Khmer Krom soldiers--who fought bravely with the U.S. Special Forces during the war--are buried. To this day, the Khmer Krom continue to be harassed and persecuted for their role in the conflict. In February of this year, thousands of Christian Montagnards peacefully demonstrated in the three of the four Central Highland provinces. In response, the Vietnamese Communist Government deployed military forces into the area, cutting off telephone communications, banning diplomatic international organizations from visiting the region, and terrorizing the Montagnard population. There have also been numerous reports of jungle executions. The situation in the highlands has deteriorated to the extent that many Montagnards are now fleeing into Cambodia. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Refuge International, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have all called for urgent action to protect them. Mr. Speaker, in light of these offenses, I believe H.J. Res. 55 is an important bill that deserves the support of every Member, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this resolution.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment and claim the time in opposition.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, I also want to pay tribute to my friend from Maryland, who I honor and look forward to working with; but on this issue we have to agree, this amendment is opposed by the ITAA, the American Electronics Association, the Professional Services Council, and, of course, the administration. What this does is expand what is currently reserved for commercial activities, to Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, to recompetes in many sources cases. This could grind outsourcing to a halt. That is our concern on this, that it is overly broad. I intend to work with the gentleman over the next year to try to get something workable on this. We have held hearings in our committee on this, but I think this amendment goes too far and it is not in the interests of the American taxpayer. So I have to urge my colleagues to disapprove it.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I certainly agree with some of the things my colleague said in terms of outsourcing and trying to make it so it is not uncontrolled and unpredictable. The difficulty with this amendment is that it does not just implement the FAIR Act, the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act. That act applied only to commercial activities. This act, if you read the language, says none of the funds made available may be used to initiate the process of contracting out, outsourcing, priva- tizing, converting any Federal Government services. This applies to IT functions, it applies to SEAT management, it applies to ship construction, it applies to Javits-Wagner-O'Day functions, engineering functions. What it does in these functions under the current regulations as they are written is we will have to use the A-76 process in terms of going out sourcing any of these. The A-76 process is used in only 2 percent of DOD contracts, and in almost no civilian contracts, because it is a 2-year process. This would basically freeze outsourcing in non-commercial areas, something the FAIR Act was not intended to apply to originally. This amendment, in my judgment, is going to hinder and possibly shut down segments of the Federal Government's operations because we do not have in many of these areas of high expertise information technology, engineering, the in-house capability to perform them. Last year Congress mandated that GAO create the Commercial Activities Panel to study the policies and procedures governing the transfer of the Federal Government's commercial activities from its employees to contractors. This panel is going to report back to Congress in May, next year, with recommendations for improvements. I believe that Congress should await the results of this review before we start to legislate on that issue. So it is for those reasons that I would urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the Pelosi amendment to provide some more emergency disaster assistance to El Salvador, but I want to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Kolbe) for putting $100 million in the current legislation before us to send down there. Two devastating and deadly earthquakes rocked the central American Nation of El Salvador on January 13 and again on February 13. The first quake measured 7.6 on the Richter scale and had a depth of 9.6 miles and occurred off the El Salvadoran coastline 5.6 miles southwest of San Miguel. The second quake measured 6.6 on the Richter scale, had a depth of about 20 miles, and occurred 48 miles east of San Salvador. Neighboring countries of Guatemala and Honduras also felt this quake. I visited El Salvador and personally saw the destruction these quakes left in El Salvador. Recently, I visited this proud country and had the opportunity to see firsthand the devastation and effect these quakes have had on the people. I met with many Salvadorans who shared with me their personal tragedies which resulted from the earthquakes. Crops have been ruined, homes destroyed, and families left destitute. I also met with the President of El Salvador, who shared his concerns about the fate of El Salvador and its people. This tragedy has directly affected hundreds of thousands of children, women, and men throughout the country. These devastating earthquakes were responsible for over 1,100 deaths and more than 8,500 injuries. In addition, the quakes damaged or destroyed over 330,000 homes. In total, over 1.5 million Salvadorans have been affected by these national catastrophes. The humanitarian needs of our neighbors in El Salvador are substantial. El Salvadorans need clean water, health care, homes, schools, crop assistance, and paved roads. These needs are compounded by severe poverty, particularly in the rural areas, which affects 63 percent of El Salvador's rural population. The damage assessments continue to rise. The United States Agency for International Development reports that the cost of rebuilding after the two earthquakes will be more than $2.8 billion. Adding to the devastation are the aftershocks that continue to occur in El Salvador. The United States Geological Survey reports that hundreds of landslides have occurred, making the roads impassible in some places around lakes, while debris flowing around such lakes have altered drainage patterns, which will cause sediment dams to form during the rainy season. In addition, many roads and bridges have been washed out or blocked by landslides and mudslides. Tens of thousands of people still lack adequate drinking water and must depend on clean water transported by trucks. Currently, UNICEF is organizing the distribution of water and working closely with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization. Mr. Chairman, I believe the Pelosi amendment is critical to provide much-needed funding for emergency international disaster assistance to El Salvador. The U.S. has been a leader and major contributor to relief of humanitarian disasters. For example, last year Congress provided $135 million in emergency funding for Mozambique and southern Africa. Two years ago, Congress provided approximately $621 million in emergency funding for Hurricane Mitch. USAID has rated the El Salvador earthquakes as the worst disasters in the region in over 50 years, dwarfing damage done by Hurricane Mitch to all of Central America. At this time, estimated costs of rebuilding El Salvador are substantial. Humanitarian needs are staggering. Efforts thus far to reprogram funds will not adequately address the needs of Salvadorans at this critical time. I believe this emergency funding is a necessary first step to address the needs of the rural poor and the areas hit hardest by the earthquakes. The $250 million in the Pelosi amendment would help to restore community infrastructure in housing, schools, health facilities, potable water systems, and municipal facilities. After years of brutal civil war and unrest, El Salvador has emerged as one of the most stable nations in Central America. Not only has El Salvador developed a thriving economy, but also it has instituted many significant democratic reforms. I am deeply concerned that the damage and human suffering caused by these earthquakes threaten the future stability and the economic success of this great country. I cannot stand by and allow this tragedy to result in sociopolitical backsliding. I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for raising this issue, and encourage the Congress to reexamine the possibility of providing much-needed additional emergency assistance to the people of El Salvador.

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a great lady, Katharine Graham, former chairman and CEO of the Washington Post Co., who passed away on Tuesday, July 17th, from head injuries sustained after she fell on a sidewalk in Sun Valley, Idaho. My heart goes out to Mrs. Graham's family and those who became part of her extended family. Mrs. Graham was a gutsy pioneer. She was not intimidated by power or titles and created, with the utmost integrity, her own fulcrum to help move the world. And the world came to know she was here. Katharine Graham found the best people and backed them to the hilt. In any controversy she always came down on the side of principle. And she did so with style, grace, and good cheer. ``Think no little thoughts, do no little deeds'' could have served as Katharine Graham's motto. When faced with tragic situations in her own life that would have destroyed most others, Mrs. Graham reached deep down and discovered strength. She could have lived a carefree life, going down an easy, well-traveled road. But by the sheer force of her indomitable will and genius Katharine Graham took the road less traveled. And she made it her own. Katharine Graham's passing saddens me in a very personal way--because she was so much a part of this town and this region. Her death leaves a void. When I say ``this town'' I mean this great city, the District of Columbia, our Nation's Capital, and the Washington Region. Most of the tributes to Mrs. Graham have properly noted her immense role in our great national adventure as a country, and her key part in the stewardship of one of the greatest newspapers in American history, The Washington Post. Those tributes are fully justified, as she breathed new life into the First Amendment, without which our democratic republic would be unthinkable. But the Katharine Graham I will always remember so vividly and personally is the Katharine Graham who loved this city and who soared above the crowd in her devotion to, and involvement in, the lifeblood of Washington, D.C. Less than 2 years ago I had the honor of being a guest in her home upon the occasion of congressional passage of the District of Columbia Tuition Act, landmark legislation I was pleased to sponsor as Chairman of the D.C. Subcommittee. Mrs. Graham and her son, Don Graham, took a keen interest in that legislation, which has provided unprecedented educational opportunities for D.C. students. Likewise with other local issues, Mrs. Graham as publisher of The Washington Post helped to insure that there would always be a very sharp focus on the real city that lies just beyond the Monumental Core of the Nation's Capital. So this week this town is in mourning. We grieve the passing of one of the most significant people ever to reside in our midst. Mr. Speaker, Katharine Graham's legacy is one of unshakeable courage and enduring accomplishment. Our institutions of freedom and fairness have lost a great friend. May God grant us others who emulate the shining example of Katharine Graham.