Tom DeLay

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding. We are hoping to go to conference and name conferees on Monday, if we can get the papers from the Senate. Right now we could have done it today, but we are waiting for the papers to come over from the other body, and they tell us it will be very difficult to get those papers to us by Monday. But if we can get everything straight, then we will go to conference on Monday. If not, we will have to wait until Tuesday.

Mr. DeLAY. I thank the gentleman for his comment, Mr. Speaker. We want to make sure that the minority protects their rights and reserves their rights to proceed to a motion to instruct. My assumption is that we will have what we need to go to conference on the floor of this House no later than Tuesday, and we have every anticipation that we will be going to conference on Tuesday, but we would like to go a day earlier. As the gentleman knows, there is a lot of legislation we would like to do in the next 2 weeks, and floor time is at a premium.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Speaker, we will inform the leadership of the minority as soon as we know. We are urging the other body to move quickly, and we will keep the leadership of the minority informed at every step of this process so their side will have plenty of notice. Hopefully, we will have this decision done by tomorrow, and the gentleman will have plenty of time to do his planning.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, that is correct, unless we try to go to conference on the budget. We would have a motion to instruct.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield, Mr. Speaker, I would suspect that certainly, with the gentleman's agreement, that we could start the process around 5 or 5:30 and wait on the votes until we have finished voting on the suspensions; or we could start the debate on the motion to instruct after the vote on the suspensions. We will be glad to work with the gentleman on how we do that, whatever is most convenient to the Members.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct, the Committee on the Judiciary reported this legislation out early this week. We would like to consider this bill in the very near future, but, as I mentioned earlier, over the next 2 weeks floor time is going to be at very much a premium. We would like to do it, but it looks like in trying to assess what the needs of the House are for the next 2 weeks we are not going to be able to get to this bill before the Easter break. It is more likely that we will consider the bill in May.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield, Mr. Speaker, he may remember that last week during our discussion I mentioned that we are trying to move forward on a product under a very tight time frame that all Members could support. We really would like to see this bill come to the floor in a bipartisan way. I understand the gentleman from Louisiana (Chairman Tauzin) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), have had daily, if not hourly, discussions on this legislation and at times have become very close to a compromise that all Members could likely support. The bill was pulled from consideration this week primarily because the interested parties believe that the differences on the issues are minimal now and that more time could in fact yield a reasonable compromise. I would just note for the gentleman that this is a relatively small authorization for a fund that would serve a very targeted community, and usually the House considers legislation of this nature under suspensions of the rules. I would hope that we could bring this bill under suspension as soon as possible.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Speaker, I do understand his concerns. We are working very, very hard on this bill. I think we can bring this bill to the floor. It is needed. Frankly, we have been working on it for way too long. It should have been passed weeks ago. I have every confidence that we can bring a bill to the floor that will get an overwhelming vote by this House.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman knows we are sort of at the mercy of the other body. The quicker we can complete a conference report on the budget, the quicker we can move the economic growth package. We are working as hard as we can to convince the Committee on the Budget, the budget committees of both houses, to work through the weekend, work all through next week, so we can bring the conference report to the floor. If that happens, then we know what we have to deal with; and I would hope that this House could bring the economic growth and jobs creation package to the floor before the Easter break.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, March 31, for morning hour debates.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for bringing this to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I would hope that there would not have been a day that we had to bring a resolution like this to the floor. I rise today in strong support of this resolution. Frankly, I am just so outraged at the inhumane treatment of American POWs by Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. I am really fighting to hold down a deep anger at these purveyors and practitioners of torture and terror who have been wickedly exhibiting their captives over the last few days. There is no doubt that war is brutal, and it is a terrible situation; but there are rules of engagement, and there should be some basic human decency. The actions of this regime, including abusing our POWs and using civilians as human shields, serves to remind the world what a vicious, ruthless dictator we are dealing with. One thing is certain: this is an immoral, immoral regime. These oppressors have made it clear that they have no regard for human life. But they should bear this in mind: our POWs are not faceless victims. They will return home, and those responsible will have to answer to a higher power, and they will answer to one on this Earth, as well. We have a Member of this House who was once a prisoner of war, my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). On February 13, 1973, the gentleman from Texas boarded a plane at Hanoi's airport and returned home after spending 7 years as a prisoner of war at the hands of the North Vietnamese. He endured unspeakable torture, lived in primitive conditions, and suffered from malnutrition. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) serves as an inspiration to every Member of this House and to the people of this country. These captured members of our Armed Forces will soon serve as an inspiration to all Americans. In the meantime, we pray for our unselfish heroes, and we eagerly await their return home. Today's effort will help Americans keep our POWs in our hearts and remember them in our prayers. Nothing is more fitting at this time than honoring those who are sacrificing their liberty in the defense of our freedom.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 14, to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for all the hard work that they put into this important piece of legislation. I truly want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) for the work that he put into this in working with Members on both sides of the aisle. He has crafted a piece of legislation that will be meaningful to the children of this country. The work that he put in is exemplary; and most importantly, what he did is he put the best interests of the child forward in writing this legislation. So many times we forget the child when we put legislation in, and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) did an outstanding job, and we appreciate it. Mr. Speaker, the dimensions of child mistreatment and child murder are staggering in this country. Sadly, each day four children die from child abuse and neglect. The rate of infant murder has doubled over the last 30 years. Almost one infant homicide per day was reported in the year 2000. Incredibly, half of all the infant murders took place before the baby even reached the fourth month of life; and tragically, the risk of infant homicide is highest on the day that the child is born. The impact of child abuse goes way beyond the 1,200 children that lose their lives each year. The consequences are far reaching and devastating, resulting in permanent disabilities, juvenile delinquency, teenage drug addictions, and prostitution. Today's abused children, if they live long enough, grow up to become tomorrow's murderers and perpetrators of violence. Seventy percent, 70 percent, of adult male prisoners in this country convicted of felonies report a history of child abuse. Mr. Speaker, in the fall of 2001, The Washington Post ran a series of articles describing the deaths of infants born addicted to drugs or alcohol in the District of Columbia. Over a period of 7 years, 11 newborns died right here in our Nation's Capital because they simply got lost in the system. The bill before the House today offers hope. H.R. 14 will ensure that when an infant is born drug exposed, procedures will be put into place at the hospital to identify the fragile newborn and provide services to the mother. In addition, H.R. 14 strikes the appropriate balance between ensuring a child's safety and protecting the individual rights of parents accused of child maltreatment. The committee heard testimony describing numerous cases of innocent families, many of them home schoolers, being aggressively investigated for child abuse, and then allegations were proven to be false. When this happens, not only do the families lose, but abused children lose as well, because precious time was lost. This bill does two important things: one, it will improve public education on the role of the caseworker in investigating complaints of child abuse; and, two, it will increase training on appropriate reporting of suspected child abuse. I believe that these two things will significantly decrease the incidence of false reports that tie up the system, leaving real abused children uninvestigated. In short, Mr. Speaker, I believe that H.R. 14 will make our children safer, and there can be no higher goal.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, this week is Children's Week, and the House will consider four bills designed to make our children safer. We are reminded this week that a society that does not keep its children safe is failing its most basic duty. A reading of the titles of the bills before the House reveals the circumstances experienced by too many American children today: The prevalence of child abuse and neglect, the significance of runaway prevention, and the importance of preventing child abductions and sexual exploitation. These bills stand as a stark reminder that our children need special protection because they are children and therefore simply vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. We will have two bills on the suspension calendar that are designed to increase public awareness of the problems of child abuse and runaway prevention. Mr. Speaker, the problems of child abuse are staggering. It is estimated that every year in our country more than 1,200 children die as a direct result of being abused and neglected. Some studies suggest that as many as 2.8 million children run away from home to escape abuse, age out of foster care or are thrown out of their homes and live on the streets. Both the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 and the Child Abduction Prevention Act will be the subject of debate and floor consideration this week. The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act reauthorizes and modifies the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and related measures to prevent family violence, to assist abandoned babies and to promote adoption. The bill emphasizes the prevention of child maltreatment and family violence before it occurs, puts in place procedures to care for infants born drug-exposed, and ensures that parents investigated for child abuse be fully informed of the specific allegations made against them. Finally, the House will consider the Child Abduction Prevention Act with the purpose of preventing child abductions and putting in place the necessary enforcement tools to assure that child abductors will not escape justice. This bill offers a comprehensive package of child abduction prevention tools that make severe child abuse and torture a capital crime, that provides stronger penalties against kidnapping and sexual trafficking, that keeps child kidnappers behind bars until trial and that puts a ``two strikes you're out'' law in place. After all, how many children's lives do you have to ruin before you should be locked up for life? Additionally, it keeps all the safeguards in place for wiretapping, but creates four new circumstances to allow better monitoring of criminals' abuse of children's chat rooms. We used to be able to keep an eye on our children at the playground in order to keep them safe. Chat rooms pose a dangerous new challenge that we must confront. In addition, the bill would extend the Justice Department's Amber Alert system to a nationwide program and authorizes funds to enhance communication systems along highways to support the Amber Alert communications plans. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the child-related legislation that the House is set to move this week shows the American people that our children are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and that the House is committed to ensuring that more of our children are protected and made safe.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) for bringing this resolution to the floor. Even though the hour is late, Members are willing to stay here because it is so important for the House of Representatives to express our support for our men and women in uniform, our troops in harm's way now, and as the minority leader said, those troops anywhere in the world and at home. And also to support their families for the sacrifices that they are making. It is tough on the families, probably tougher on the families than any other people. We are also here to commend the President for his strong leadership in bringing us to where we are today. Our men and women in uniform need to understand why they are fighting and why they are risking their lives, and understand that this House supports them in that because in order to risk their lives, they have to understand that they are doing it for the right reasons. Last night began a challenging time for our country as our Armed Forces went on the march against tyranny. It also signaled the time for our country to come together with singleness of purpose and speak with a single voice. Under our Constitution, America speaks through the United States Congress, and last year we spoke out boldly and strongly from both political parties. We let the world know that the defenders of freedom are not going to allow the world's leading purveyor and practitioner of terror continue to spread his grip of fear. Today, Congress is set to speak again for the American people. We want to honor the men and women of our Armed Forces who are conducting their mission with the utmost honor and courage as they defend our democracy. We salute every person taking risks to confront terrorism and tyranny to expand the frontiers of freedom, and we salute the President for showing the world the power of strong, moral leadership. We know that Saddam Hussein is seeking the means to murder millions in just a single moment, and he is consumed with hatred for America. We know that the war on terrorism will be fought here at home unless we summon the will to confront evil before it attacks. Free democratic nations must be willing to stop his evil aspirations. He is not a man with whom we can confer, consult, or convince. He is not a man we can trust. He has violated 17 United Nations resolutions. He is in material breach of multiple U.N. resolutions, and he has ignored the final ultimatum by the President of the United States. Saddam Hussein once agreed to end his missile program. He agreed to stop building chemical weapons. He agreed to stop developing biological weapons. He agreed to end his nuclear weapons program. He agreed to stop brutalizing and oppressing his people. He agreed to do many, many other things; but every promise he made was a lie. Every agreement was a devious swindle. Every commitment was an expedient falsehood. It was all a devilish strategy designed to escape accountability for past crimes and to buy the time to develop weapons for even greater crimes against humanity. He turned the regime's resources to the awful purpose of developing terror weapons to spread the cruelty and oppression beyond his own borders. He welcomes terrorists to sanctuary and support within his own borders. During the years that Saddam Hussein slow-walked the United Nations through his series of deceptions, his regime systematically brutalized the Iraqi people. He tortures children to punish their parents. He executes members of his government to enforce obedience. We can never know how many faceless victims have screamed out their last words to the uncaring ears of Saddam Hussein's torturers. As a member of England's Labour Party recently laid out in chilling detail earlier this week, Saddam Hussein is a diabolical prodigy in the craft of evil. This member spoke of Iraqi citizens who witnessed men being forced into a machine intended to shred plastic. The men who went in head first were, in a tragic sense, the fortunate ones. The men who were sent to their death feet first, their final words were anguished screams for mercy. She told of women raped as Saddam Hussein's torturers made their husbands watch. This is wickedness that by the grace of God the people of America will never know. We have not cornered the market on morality, but our policy of intervention to force an end to this evil is clearly a just cause, a worthy war and a principled stand. Fortunately, President Bush is proceeding with courage and boldness. He is leading with moral clarity. He is fighting principled battles, and he is not backing down. We have to give President Bush our full support as he confronts this evil, and our men and women in uniform as they confront this evil. This vote to support our Commander in Chief and our courageous troops in battle sends the right message that we are denying Saddam Hussein the power to take additional lives. We believe that in the teeth of terrorism, America must continue exporting the values, democratic institutions, and patterns of conduct that have built the strongest and fairest system of government and the most free society the world has ever seen. We feel very deeply for all of the people trapped within autocratic regimes and born with repressive governments. And as defenders of freedom, we also owe the besieged people of Iraq the same hope we supplied to the people of Germany nearly 6 decades ago. In the battle between freedom and terrorist tyranny, there is no middle ground. We look to the day, far off though it may be, when every person comes into this world with the full promise of their God-given rights upheld by the government of their birthplace. This is a bold vision and a noble goal, but the potential of the American people is not constrained by the timid boundaries of conventional thinking. We are called to far more than that. And due to the excellence and patriotism and bravery of our soldiers and their families, and the courage of the President with moral purpose, the liberation of Iraq has begun. May God bless our President, may God bless our troops, may God bless our Nation.

Mr. DeLAY

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

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have to say that I no longer have to whip these folks like the gentleman does, and our whip was really working hard tonight and did a great job. I appreciate the gentleman from Maryland yielding to me, Mr. Speaker. If the gentleman would continue to yield, the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills will be sent to Members' offices early next week. Any votes called on these bills will be rolled until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we expect to consider several additional bills under suspension of the rules before moving to legislation to create a compensation fund for first responders who receive the smallpox vaccine. While this legislation has not yet been introduced, I tell my friend from Maryland the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Education and the Workforce have been working diligently to arrive at a compromise that I believe all Members will be able to support. On Thursday, we will consider two bills addressing child abuse, as we head into April, which is designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month. H.R. 1104, the Child Abduction Prevention Act, would extend the Justice Department's Amber Alert system to a nationwide program. It also eliminates the statute of limitations for child abduction and sex crimes, prohibits pretrial release in cases of rape and child kidnapping, provides for a mandatory minimum sentence for child kidnapping, and establishes a two strikes and you are out requirement for child sex offenders. H.R. 14, the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act, will reauthorize and modify the Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act and related programs to prevent child abuse and family violence, and to protect and treat abused and neglected children and victims of family violence. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I will be happy to answer any of his questions.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman would yield, the gentleman is correct. I failed to say that we have completed the work of the House for the week and will not return until Tuesday.

Mr. DeLAY. No, we do not expect to be in session on next Friday.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman would continue to yield, the Committee on Ways and Means, as the gentleman knows, has held a series of hearings on various components of the President's economic growth package. Now that the House has passed the budget resolution, I expect that the committee will move forward very soon in this important legislation, and I would certainly like to have it considered by the House before the Easter recess.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman would continue to yield, as the distinguished minority whip knows, the proposal that the House passed in the last Congress had provisions from more than half a dozen committees. We are again working to coordinate the work of various committees to ensure that we can quickly get a bill through the House. At least one committee began the markup process for that bill last week, and I know the others are moving forward as fast as they can, and many of them are marking up next week. I would hope that all the committees involved in this important legislation on energy would complete their work in time so that we can have the bill on the floor prior to the Easter recess.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. on Monday, March 24, 2003.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Monday, March 24, that it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2003, for morning hour debates.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. DeLAY

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