John Dingell

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of the time to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields]. (Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Payne]. (Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Hefner]. (Mr. HEFNER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Levin].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Gejdenson].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 406.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Watt].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia [Ms. McKinney].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Portman].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Ford].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde]. (Mr. HYDE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel]. (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Shays].

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman for yielding to me. I want to commend her for having this special order to celebrate the life and the contributions of a great and patriotic American, our now deceased Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, who in a tragic event about 2 weeks ago lost his life with more than 30 others in a tragic air crash in Bosnia. In the days that followed it became very clear to our citizens how much Ron Brown had accomplished in a very short time at the helm of the Commerce Department. To those of us who serve in the Federal Government, Ron Brown is a well-known figure, a symbol of what is best in our Nation. When you work hard and strive for excellence, you attain it. I had the privilege of serving with him in matters of concern when he was at the Commerce Department and when his agency was answerable to the Committee on Commerce of which I was at that time chairman and then more recently ranking member. He had a distinguished career that included military service, served at the Urban League, served at the Democratic National Committee. He was successful in the practice of law and advising heads of state. And he proved time and time again that skill, adroitness, energy, dedication can be an enormous asset in getting the job done. I will be inserting into the Record a number of quotes of distinguished Americans and American businesses about his contribution to our Government. I also want to make the observation that he was one who understood what the Department of Commerce should do. It was his function, as he saw it, not only to provide extraordinary leadership to that agency but also to see to it that it functioned to the fullest and that it dealt with the promotion of trade, jobs, market openings and expansion of opportunity for Americans through the business of exports, because that is where economic success for this country lies. He was a great human being, a dear friend, and his wife Alma and he were dear friends of my wife Deborah and I. We shall miss him. We shall pray for the repose of his soul, and we shall understand that he brought excellence to the Department in the great tradition of others who had preceded him, first the distinguished Secretary Malcolm Baldrige, who was a great friend of mine and also a distinguished public servant, as also was Secretary Mosbacher, who was a leader of great quality in that agency. We shall miss Ron. We can dedicate ourselves to carrying forward the practices and principles in which he believed, that market opening and trade, that opportunity for Americans lies in the success of that Department. I want to thank the distinguished gentlewoman for yielding to me and for holding this special order. Mr. Speaker, our Nation suffered a severe blow almost 2 weeks ago when it was learned that Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and more than 30 others lost their lives in a tragic air crash in Bosnia. In the days that followed, it became very clear to our citizens how much Ron Brown accomplished in a very short time at the helm of the Commerce Department. To those of us who serve in the Federal Government, Ron Brown was a well-known figure, a symbol of what is best about our Nation: when you work hard and strive for excellence, you attain it. Brown had a distinguished career that included military service. During his tenure at the Urban League, at the Democratic National Committee, practicing law or advising heads of state, Ron proved time and time again to be an invaluable asset to getting the job done. Over the past year, many working Americans wrote to me about Ron Brown's work at the Commerce Department to promote exports, combat unfair trade practices by our international trade competitors, speed the dissemination of advanced technologies, and conduct research vital to understanding our climate, our weather, and the environment. Bissell, Inc. in Grand Rapids, MI wrote that his company frequently used the Commerce Department's export programs, and that, ``they have proven to increase export sales and thus help the economy of our country.'' Viatec, Inc. in Hastings, MI said that, ``This invaluable program is an INVESTMENT that produces returns to the American taxpayers with more high-paying jobs, taxpaying citizens, and U.S.A.-purchased materials.'' A research group in Ann Arbor said the Advanced Technology Program is, ``important in transferring the results of fundamental research into practical products.'' Monroe Auto Equipment in Monroe, MI, said that Ron Brown's ``aggressive trade promotion policies of our government add value to my company's efforts to compete in worldwide markets.'' Perhaps Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer said it best: ``The Department of Commerce has been a job-creation machine for the State of Michigan and our cities.'' The last time that Secretary Brown appeared before the Commerce Committee, he said the following about his Department: ``I am anxious to work very closely with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to make sure we do what is best for the country, to make sure we do what is best to assure long term economic growth and creation of high wage, high quality jobs for our people. I think that no department in government does that more effectively than the Department of Commerce.'' Mr. Speaker, today Ron Brown is gone. But his life was one which touched many people, both here and abroad, and his work has left a legacy of accomplishment about the strength of a government that serves its people well. We will miss Ron Brown greatly. But his was a life that mattered, and his legacy lives on.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California [Mr. Becerra].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Pete Geren. (Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Skelton].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California [Ms. Waters].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey]. (Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas [Mr. Doggett].

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I will vote for the conference report today for three reasons. The first is that the context is relatively balanced and sound. The second, it is consistent with similar legislation which I have supported over the years. Third, it represents a complete and utter repudiation of the extremist Republican agenda, which included tacking on to the original House bill a host of special interest amendments stripping average Americans of the traditional legal rights for the benefits of the wealthy and the powerful few. I take some measure of pride, Mr. Speaker, in having launched the original product liability reform movement in the Congress back in the late 1970's. So it is as one who is no John-Dingell-come-lately to this issue. I am pleased today for those people in America's manufacturing community who have worked with me for many years on this issue. I particularly want to single out one individual for special thanks, Dr. Victor Schwarz, an attorney, professor, casebook editor, and nationally renowned expert on tort law who, for nearly 20 years has helped guide this movement and its supporters in the Congress with sound advice, good judgment, and personal integrity. But I have trouble mustering any great enthusiasm for today's events. The reason is simple. The process leading up to our having this legislation on the floor today has been an utter disgrace. The conference on this bill was a complete sham. At the one and only meeting which the conferees held in December, we were told that the conference would be open and bipartisan. Nothing was further from the truth. Instead, precisely the opposite occurred. The House Republicans proceeded to cut a secret deal in closed meetings with no participation by anybody else. There was no discussion, no consultation, and no conference meeting after that time. Our staffs were presented with the final conference report on a take- it-or-leave-it basis late one evening after the Members had gone home. We were not even given the courtesy of being able to review the documents overnight. This is apparently the Republican definition of open and bipartisan. It may be open and bipartisan on the other side of the aisle, but it is not open and bipartisan, nor is it a process which follows the traditions of this House or which takes into consideration the concerns of the American people that the matters of this Congress should be done in an open and honorable fashion. The House Republicans not only excluded Democratic conferees from all discussions and decisions, but they ignored the will of the House on one very important issue. Last year the House voted to include a provision ensuring that foreign companies that sell defective products to American consumers are treated the same way as American corporations. That amendment was adopted under the leadership of the distinguished gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers]. The House recently reaffirmed that commonsense position by voting to instruct the House conferees to insist on this provision in the conference. Despite two overwhelming and bipartisan votes, I note, the Republican conferees dropped the provision entirely. To my knowledge, the Republican Members never even raised this issue in the secret backroom discussions on this legislation. I note that all eight House Republican conferees voted against the original amendment on the motion to instruct. Those few Members are entitled to their views, but those views get preferential treatment to foreign corporations to the disadvantages of American corporations. But that should not empower them to so brazenly disregard the expressed will of the House, the expressed will of the American people as clearly expressed by this House. The Republicans say they want to reduce Federal power, yet last year they were busy sticking the Federal snout into dog bite cases, accidents, and slip and fall disputes. The bill that passed last year as a part of the contract on America amounted to a wish list of all manner of scoundrels and wrongdoers. That legislation protected drunk drivers, sexual predators, scoundrels, and others who prey upon the weak, defenseless, and infirm, and those who intentionally inflict great harm and damage. They treated cases involving intentional and gross misconduct as though they were simple negligence cases. Fortunately, they are not going to get their way. I do not believe that the Republican leadership ever wanted enactment of this bill as public law. If they did, they would not have allowed it to languish for the best part of a year before even asking for a conference. If they did, they would not have included in the process a system which systematically excluded House Democrats like me who have for years supported product liability reform, and they would not have conducted the overall matter in the way in which they did. Instead, this will get what they really want, not a law, but a campaign issue. We have reached the bottom of the barrel when for pure partisan games, Republicans will not let Democrats who agree with them work with them or participate in the legislative process. Once again, we have seen, as it has happened so many times in this Republican Congress, the constituents who need real action are getting just promises and press conferences and not real action. They will be the losers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 4 minutes. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)