Jimmy Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 3183, ``Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Project Amount: $500,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: NTRCI, 2360 Cherahala Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37932 Description of Request: NTRCI will conduct over-the-road, heavy vehicle testing and research to validate the benefits and reliability of the Legacy rotary engine to demonstrate the capability of the Legacy engine to deliver greater fuel efficiency and thus lower consumption and reduced emissions for the $7 billion Class 8 heavy vehicle engine market.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to an exemplary public servant from my District in Tennessee. Fred Nelson recently retired as the General Manager of the Lenoir City Utilities Board in Lenoir City, Tennessee. His career is a testament to the American dream and community service. Fred began working at the Lenoir City Utilities Board in an entry- level position for $1.90 per hour. More than four decades later, he retires following a successful tenure as General Manager. Dedicated public servants such as Fred are the seeds of any great community, and I only hope that more people follow in his footsteps. Like many of his generation, Fred also served his country admirably in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. We owe a debt to Fred and many others who selflessly put their community and country before themselves. Recently, the News-Herald in Lenoir City published an article commemorating Fred's service, which is reprinted below. I gladly bring the service of Fred Nelson to the attention of my colleagues and other readers of the Record, and I wish him all the best in his much-deserved retirement. [From the Lenoir City (TN) News-Herald, Sept. 23-24, 2009] Nelson Set To Retire (By Greg Wilkerson) After a more than 43-year career with Lenoir City Utilities Board, General Manager Fred Nelson announced his retirement Monday, effective Jan. 22. ``It's been my life,'' Nelson said as he reflected on his long career. Nelson got his start with the utility after leaving the Marine Corps in 1966. He said his plan had been to make a career in the armed forces, but his mother did not want him to return to Vietnam, so he left to start a civilian career. He considered a position he was offered in Florida within the space program, but ultimately decided to come to Loudon County because of an offer to work at the Hosiery Mill. That job paid $1.80 an hour and the LCUB job paid $1.90 an hour and he's been working there ever since. ``I think the Lord's led me and actually guided me in ways I needed to go,'' he said. ``It's always been right.'' Nelson said health concerns were a major factor in his leaving. Doctors have encouraged him to retire for years because of advanced artery disease in his heart and he said he recently had his sixteenth and seventeenth stints put in. ``I'm going to start walking on the trail and try to lose weight and hopefully play golf,'' Nelson said. He also said he plans to do more travelling and see more of his out-of- town friends. When Nelson started with LCUB he worked for about six months as a groundman before starting a four-year apprenticeship to become a lineman. He said he still pays his lineman dues to stay a part of their union. ``There's not much I haven't got to do here,'' he said. His career has included the title of foreman, assistant superintendent, superintendent, manager of operations and in 2004, general manager. ``It's been a wonderful ride,'' he said. He said he will miss the employees the most. ``We have a great bunch of employees and everybody is very friendly,'' Nelson said. He recognized there have been disagreements through the years but everything always gets worked out. ``If somebody was to need something, the employees are always ready to help,'' he said. ``Since I came to work at LCUB in 1966, 46 people have passed away that I worked with. I have a lot of good memories with all of them.'' Nelson was quick to thank the board for giving him the opportunity to be general manager and said he was proud of the accomplishments of the utility in the five years he's been in charge. He also attributed much of the success to his department heads. ``We've built five new substations in the last three years and we paid for them in-house without having to borrow any money,'' he said. They also haven't been to the bond market since 2001, and Nelson said they used to go every three years. ``We've really tried to buy the best equipment you can get,'' he said. ``We've had an excellent safety record.'' Nelson's wife, Judy, retired from Y-12 two years ago. They have two daughters and five grandchildren, all living in Loudon County.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, Bjorn Lomborg, one of the world's leading environmentalists, wrote in Monday's Washington Post these words: ``Today, coal accounts for almost half of the planet's electricity supply, including half the power consumed in the United States. It keeps hospitals and core infrastructure running, provides warmth and light in winter, and makes lifesaving air-conditioning available in summer. In China and India, where coal accounts for more than 80 percent of power generation, it has helped to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. ``There is no doubt that coal is causing environmental damage that we need to stop. But a clumsy, radical halt to our coal use--which is what promises of drastic carbon cuts require--would mean depriving billions of people of a path to prosperity. ``To put it bluntly: despite their good intentions, the activists, lobbyists and politicians making a last-ditch push for hugely expensive carbon-cut promises could easily end up doing hundreds of times more damage to the planet than coal ever could.'' I wish we would heed those words of this environmentalist because if we drastically cut back on coal, we're going to hurt millions of poor people in the process.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, my grandmother taught for 40 years and my sister Beverly, taught for over 30 years in the public schools of Tennessee. I am proud of both of them. In Tuesday's Knoxville News Sentinel, there was an interview with Woody Watson, whom I have known since high school. Mr. Watson has now taught in Knox County Tennessee where I also am from, for 41 years. Very few people teach for that long, and those who do should be highly praised. I admire and respect Woody Watson for his many years of dedication to the young people of east Tennessee. I would like to call to the attention of my colleagues and other readers of the Record, the News Sentinel interview with Mr. Watson. [From knoxnews.com, Sept. 29, 2009] 40 Years of Educating: Watson and Anderson (By Jessica Boyd) Editor's Note: The News Sentinel will profile two local teachers who each have about 40 years of education experience within the community in this twice monthly series. Woody Watson, 41 years Woody Watson, 62, says a smile and a kind word goes a long way when dealing with students. He should know since he's been smiling and speaking kindly to them for 41 years. The Knoxville native taught eighth-grade science at Karns Middle School for 23 years before he spent nine years at Northwest Middle School teaching the same thing. He's been back in action as a seventh-grade teacher at Karns Middle since 2001. ``I always tell people, I taught eighth grade for 32 years,'' the University of Tennessee graduate in natural science said before he laughed. ``And then I got demoted.'' Why teaching? ``I liked the subject matter, and I like being around young people, they keep me young at heart. I just couldn't go sit at a cubicle and do the same thing every day.'' What techniques do you use to teach? ``I like to have students get involved and be hands on in the science lab to help them understand the world they live in.'' Do you have a favorite year? ``I think that would probably be 1986. The highlight of that year is we took a trip to New Orleans for a long weekend, and (the students) learned about the history of the area.'' What has changed for better since you've been teaching? ``Our class averages were lowered. State law has limited that to 30 in seventh and eighth grade . . . It really makes a difference to have five or six fewer kids in a class.'' What has changed for worse since you've been teaching? ``When I came to Karns, it was a small farming community. Of course now the farms have been sold off, and it's wall-to- wall subdivisions, so just the lack of the community closeness and the breakdown of the family.'' What's been the best advancement in education? ``Probably all the information available online . . . I think Karns Middle was one of the first schools to have a computer lab when the first Apple computers came out back in the 80s. That area of technology has made a lot of opportunities for our students. It also presents some problems if the parents don't monitor what the kids are doing.'' Do you have any words of wisdom for teachers just starting out? ``Be patient, keep up with your paperwork, and try not to be overwhelmed with all the things you have to do that's not related to the teaching of students.'' Archie Anderson, 42 years Archie Anderson, 65, taught for 26 years at Maryville Middle School before he made the big switch to administration. For 12 years, he was the assistant principal of the middle school before he made an even bigger switch. Now he's in charge of transportation and attendance for Maryville City Schools. Archie graduated from Maryville College and received his master's degree at Tennessee Tech. What do you do now? ``I come up with bus routes, and I work with the bus owner. I'm kind of a trouble shooter. I handle all parent and or school complaints and try to resolve all those.'' What did you teach before you moved into administration? ``I taught P.E. I coached football, basketball and track for about 26 years.'' Did you have a favorite year when you were teaching? ``I enjoyed the early years because being a younger guy, it seemed like I had better relationships with kids. As you get older and your hair's grey and you have more wrinkles, kids are more standoffish.'' What's the coolest technological advancement you've seen? ``Computers in the classroom and access to the internet. Everything you want is there. The negative part is we've got text messaging and cell phones in the classroom. So (technology) is not all good. That's a daily struggle.'' Do you miss teaching? ``I miss the relationship with the students. I don't get to know the students as well as I used to. I have gotten to know the staff better . . . I've really gotten to know the administrators of the schools.''

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. I want to speak very briefly to say that the Republicans want--or that our health plan is to hope that all of the people die quickly is--I have been here 21 years, and that is about the most mean- spirited, partisan statement that I've ever heard made on the floor of this House. And I, for one, don't appreciate it at all, and that brings the debate on this important issue to about the lowest level of any debate I've heard since I have been here.

Mr. DUNCAN. If the gentleman will yield.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, Billy Stokes is the founder and senior partner of the law firm of Stokes, Williams, Sharp and Davies in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was one of the highest-ranking state officials during the administration of former Governor Don Sundquist. Like most Americans today, he is worried about our Country's future. He has given a lot of thought to where we are and where we are headed as a nation, and he has written to me with a proposal for a ``Bill of Rights for the New Millennium.'' Bill of Rights for the New Millennium I. We the People of the United States: This means all of us; II. In Order to Form a More Perfect Union: We pledge to cooperate and communicate with members of the opposing party to address and to resolve issues affecting our Nation in a civil manner; Communication and cooperation does not require abandoning our core principles; The Federal Government will not impose its will on state and local governments; III. Establish Justice: The right of the people to seek redress and remedy in the Courts will not be impeded; Those who seek to demean or simply profiteer by abusing our judicial system through frivolous lawsuits will not be tolerated. IV. Insure Domestic Tranquility: Lines of communication from the citizenry to the Goremment will be open and welcome; Citizens will not be intimidated or insulted for petitioning the government through their elected representatives, to be heard; V. Provide For the Common Defense: The greatest and most honorable military in the history of the world will be maintained and supported; We will use our might to protect our freedoms and will protect the USA from enemies of such freedoms, state- sponsored or otherwise; foreign or domestic, by all means necessary; VI. Promote the General Welfare: We will see that access to adequate healthcare is available to all Americans; The helpless will be helped; Meaningful opportunities for success will be open to all who are willing to work; VII. Secure the Blessings or Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity: We will support the principles of hard work that this Nation is built upon; While taxes are necessary, hard work and success will not be punished by attempts to redistribute wealth gained thereby; We cannot and will not pile debt upon our children and grandchildren; VIII. WE WILL DEFEND AND PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AT ALL TIMES.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I had the privilege of going earlier today to the flag ceremony at the State Department for Victor Ashe who is retiring as our ambassador to Poland. Victor Ashe is a longtime friend of mine, and in fact, we roomed together in San Francisco where we were attending the 1964 Republican National Convention. I was between my junior and senior years in high school and at the time was an honorary assistant sergeant at arms at the convention. I don't suppose you can get any lower than being an honorary assistant, but it got me in the door. And Victor that summer had just completed his first year at Yale, and I'm sure had a much more important position. In the years since then, Victor Ashe has had one of the most distinguished careers of anyone from our State. He was elected to the Tennessee State House at the age of 21, the minimum age for service in that body. He began his service in the Tennessee State Senate at the age of 30, also the minimum age required. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate and then spent a year and a half as the executive director of the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors. In 1987, he was elected as mayor of Knoxville, eventually serving for 16 years and becoming the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. In that position, he achieved national recognition by being named president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Five years ago, President George W. Bush named Victor Ashe as our Ambassador to Poland, where he served longer than any other U.S. ambassador to that country. Political appointees usually become our very best ambassadors, and that was certainly true in the case of Victor Ashe. He visited approximately 200 villages, towns and cities in Poland, covering almost every nook and cranny of that country. He hosted receptions and parties for over 28,000 people and had 320 overnight guests at the ambassador's residence. Showing that he never forgot where he came from, most of his overnight guests were from the Knoxville area. I had the privilege of leading a congressional delegation of 11 Members to Poland; and Ambassador Ashe and his wife, Joan, went far above and beyond the call of duty in hosting us at that time. In addition, I had several Members of Congress who had met him on other trips, and they always came back singing the praises of our great ambassador. I have met many U.S. ambassadors and ambassadors from other countries during my time in Congress. I have never met, heard of, or read about anyone who has worked as hard or has spent as much time going around the country getting to know people from all walks of life. I want to commend Victor Ashe for all his service to the people of Tennessee in the State house and senate and as mayor of Knoxville. But tonight I especially want to salute him for his great service as the 24th U.S. Ambassador to one of our strongest allies, the nation of Poland. Having summed up his distinguished career thus far, I also want to commend him for continuing to advocate good things for our Nations. James Morrison, a friend of mine, writes the ``Embassy Row'' column for the Washington Times. This past Friday, most of his column was about the farewell message Victor Ashe posted on the Web site of the U.S. embassy in Poland. In that message, Ambassador Ashe criticized the construction of ``fortress-like'' American embassies throughout the world. He pointed out that these fortresses have been built even in countries where Americans face little danger of terrorist attacks. Going ridiculously overboard on security causes two very serious problems. One, it sends an unfriendly message from our diplomats, who are supposed to be trying to make friends; and, two, it has cost U.S. taxpayers many unnecessary billions all over the world. Ambassador Ashe wrote: ``The design of many of these buildings quite often creates a fortress-like atmosphere, and the impression given to host nations can be less than friendly, not the warm, welcoming impression we should offer as Americans.'' He complained that the State Department is imposing security requirements and design elements for all new U.S. embassies, regardless of the threat posed in more peaceful nations. ``Given different security situations in virtually every nation, wide flexibility in construction design and location is needed, as opposed to the one-size- fits-all approach,'' Mr. Ashe said. ``As such, different sites and designs can be adopted at less cost and with greater architectural warmth.'' I agree with Victor Ashe and congratulate him on his outstanding service to our country.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, over the last few days, thanks to Sean Hannity, millions of people have seen or heard about the plight of farmers and farm workers in central California. In some areas, over 40 percent are unemployed and many thousands are having to stand in food lines so their families can have something to eat. Farms have dried up because the Federal Government has cut off their water to save a 2-inch minnow elsewhere. This will drive up food costs elsewhere. What many do not know is that the House voted on this issue twice, on June 18 and again on July 23. On the first vote, 171 Republicans voted for the farmers, 215 Democrats voted for the minnow. On the second vote, 176 Republicans, all but one, voted for the farmers. All but three Democrats voted for the fish. Unfortunately, neither vote was close. Wealthy environmentalists won. The farmers and farm workers lost.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding me this time. First of all, I want to say that I certainly agree with and support the comments that he made on this legislation a few moments ago. I find myself in the same position, and I certainly want to thank him for the great leadership he has given me in his position as the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I want to commend our great chairman, Chairman Oberstar, because all of us, Chairman Oberstar, Mr. Mica, myself, Chairman DeFazio of our subcommittee, we all would like to stop these extensions. Nobody wants a 3-month extension or any kind of extension. What we all want is to pass a major reauthorization bill. I am in my 21st year in the Congress. I have been here for all of the major highway bills since I first was elected in 1988, and those bills have always passed with overwhelming margins and strong bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle, almost unanimous support. Today, what you have, you have the Chamber of Commerce wanting a bill, you have the National Association of Manufacturers wanting a bill, you have the American Trucking Association wanting a bill, you have labor groups wanting a bill. I could give a whole long speech just naming all the different groups and people across this country that want a bill who say that we need it, especially with the economy in the situation it is in now. So it is unfortunate that we have to talk about a 3-month extension or a 6-month extension. What we really need to be talking about is a strong, bipartisan highway reauthorization bill to help get this country moving once again and do all of the projects that have been getting backed up and are causing problems and delays all over this country.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee lost a great citizen and community champion recently. Wallace Baumann was a longtime friend of mine and a tireless contributor to the arts in East Tennessee. His family is an institution in Knoxville, and the building that housed their business has been a fixture in downtown Knoxville since just after the Civil War, when Wallace's grandfather Captain W.W. Wooddruff opened the hardware and furniture store. The store remained open through most of the 20th Century, being passed down through the generations and standing out as a downtown staple even during difficult economic times. Although the business is now gone, the unique building which housed it remains with the family name still attached. I could not imagine downtown Knoxville without this landmark. Wallace never stopped serving his Country or his Community during his 84 years. He served during World War II in the 10th Armored Division, surviving the Battle of the Bulge. He was also a member of many boards and organizations throughout Knoxville, most notably serving on the Knoxville Symphony Society Board. Wallace could often be found at the Tennessee Theatre, and he even personally financed the restoration of the Theatre's historic organ. Wallace's life is a living history of Knoxville, Tennessee that I hope will not soon be forgotten. Recently, the Knoxville Publication Metro Pulse wrote of this great loss to our community, recounting how Wallace was there to see John Barrymore and Glenn Miller perform at the Bijou Theatre and witness Ingrid Bergman plant a tree on Market Square. Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to call to the attention of my colleagues and other readers of the Record the article by Jack Neely in Metro Pulse, which is reprinted below. I thank Wallace Baumann for his dedication and love of East Tennessee, and I will greatly miss my friend. [From the Metro Pulse, Aug. 19, 2009] Wallace Baumann, 1925-2009--A Memory of a Surprising Philanthropist (By Jack Neely) Wallace Baumann died last week. I'd seen him a few times this summer, and he seemed more or less the same as he did when I was first aware of who he was, sometime in the '60s. Cheerful, well-dressed, and with a cogent remark about the last issue of Metro Pulse. He didn't look 84, or even 74, as several people have observed this week; some who hadn't known him for long had assumed he was 20 or even 30 years younger. Wallace may have been evidence of a paradoxical truth, that while young men look older when they wear a jacket and tie, old men look younger. I never in my life saw Wallace without a jacket and tie, and with prominent horn-rimmed glasses, he looked like an executive in one of those business-office comedies of the '60s. For the last couple of years, there's been a big portrait of him in the Tennessee Theatre in the landing of the right stairway up to the balcony. He was in recent decades the theater's biggest supporter. He directed much of the recent painstaking restoration of the theater; he was three when it was built, and remembered it in its earliest days. But many weren't aware of the extent of his personal investment in the place. Baumann was a merchant, by trade. He was, for some decades, the president of Woodruff's Furniture, the Gay Street institution his great-grandfather, William Wallace Woodruff, founded at the end of the Civil War. About 20 years ago, when downtown retail was widely reputed to be deceased, Woodruff's was an extravagant exception, this multi-story emporium with inventory that seemed fresh and up-to-date. The last time I was there--it was the early '90s, we'd just had a second kid and needed a kid-proof dining table--I found a plausibly trendy one at Woodruff's. It was the last time I saw a representative of a bygone profession in my home town: Wallace may have been our last merchant to employ elevator operators. The place is now the Downtown Grill and Brewery. The last time I talked to Wallace about it, he hadn't been inside to see his great-grandfather's building renovated as a popular restaurant and brewpub. He seemed all right with the fact of it, but didn't feel an urgency to look. The family name is still on the building; Woodruff was Wallace's middle name. Wallace and I had some sharp disagreements about some downtown issues, but stayed friendly, and he was my handiest resource for certain questions about the past of our shared hometown. A lifelong bachelor, he lived alone in Sequoyah Hills and was usually there to answer his phone. For a guy in my position, it's been handy to have the phone number of a person who remembered going to see John Barrymore get off the train for his show at the Bijou, 70 years ago, and who recalled both of Glenn Miller's shows at the Tennessee as if they were last Tuesday. (``Wallace never said, `Ah, it was a long time ago, I just don't remember.' '') A few months ago, when I heard an implausible story about Ingrid Bergman planting a dogwood tree on Market Square 40 years ago, I was pretty confident Wallace would know something about it, and sure enough he was right there beside her, and had a funny story about it. He was also an authority on architecture, though I don't think he would have claimed to be perfectly objective on the subject. The Baumann family, German immigrants who arrived in East Tennessee in the mid-19th century, was arguably Knoxville's first architectural dynasty, dominating local commercial and institutional architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wallace was a Baumann who didn't design buildings, but he was a champion of the Baumanns' architecture. Wallace's father, who died almost half a century ago, was the last of them. (Wallace once corrected me, rather sternly, when in a column I referred to his father as Albert B. Baumann Jr. That was his given name, maybe, but Wallace told me no one ever called him anything but ``A.B.'') Baumann was a great supporter of several civic organizations, especially the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and he could be counted on to attend each performance with a lady friend. Even if you'd known him for decades, as I did, you might not gather, in conversations with this elegant gentleman in the lobby of the Tennessee, that he was a combat veteran of World War II, a member of Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division, one of the first to breach the Siegfried Line. He spent much of 1944 in a foxhole near Bastogne with an M1 for company. He hardly spoke of the war. I never even knew he'd been in the service until he was invited to write an article about his wartime memories, in an especially interesting collection of memoirs of members of First Presbyterian Church, called We Were There. It's characteristic that in his description of the Siegfried Line, he mentioned that he'd previously known it only from newsreels at the Tennessee Theatre. (That book, by the way, is as good a collection of local memories of that war as I've seen. Bill Tate, another contributor to that book, a B-17 navigator who was shot down over Germany, and a survivor of a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp, also died last week.) Back in 2001, Baumann personally financed the complete restoration of the theater's original Wurlitzer organ; they sent the organ away to one of the world's top organ technicians. Today it's said to be one of fewer than 20 concert-grade organs in America which are installed in their original locations. Wallace was proud of that fact. The bill came to $180,000. Wallace was a private man, and during his life didn't want that detail to be known. I hope it's okay to mention it now.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I submit the following. Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: OP--Army Project Amount: $5,000,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: TN Army National Guard, Houston Barracks, 3041 Sidco Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37204 Description of Request: The funding would be used to allow Army National Guard trainers (both fielded and yet-to-be procured) to network together on a Combined Arms virtual battlefield.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I submit the following. Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: RDTE--Defensewide Project Amount: $2,000,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Lentix, 800 South Gay Street, Suite 1625, Knoxville, Tennessee 37929 Description of Request: The funding will be used for the development of a very high resolution benchmarking vision system for long-range surveillance with focus on SOCOM and Navy tracking needs.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 3326, ``Making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: RDTE--Air Force Project Amount: $2,000,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of Tennessee, 328 Ferris Hall, 1508 Middle Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 Description of Request: The funding will be used for design, testing, and evaluation of systems needed for the harvesting and storage of green energy. The need for the nation to design, implement, and test systems and processes capable of producing renewable energy at a large scale is vital for the U.S. military and the nation as a whole.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, in the early 1990s, I went to a reception in Lebanon, Tennessee, and the doctor who delivered me came and brought my records. I asked him how much he charged back then, and he said he charged $60 for 9 months of care and the delivery if they could afford it. Before the Federal Government got so heavily involved in medical care, medical care was cheap and affordable by almost everyone, and doctors even made house calls. Then the Federal Government got into the business and costs exploded. In fact, the predictions on Medicare and Medicaid, it costs about 10 times more after 25 years than what was predicted. The same thing will happen on the health care plan that is before the Congress today. The costs will far exceed the predictions. Medical care will become even more expensive and more unaffordable. In fact, Mark Levin, the radio commentator, said a few nights ago that it will put massive costs over onto the States to expand their Medicare programs, and then States like mine of Tennessee, which don't have an income tax, will be forced into having one. This plan is not good, especially for the poor and lower-income people.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 3293, ``Making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Department of Education--Higher Education Project Amount: $300,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Maryville College, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, Tennessee 37804 Description of Request: The funding will be used to prepare increased numbers of talented students for professional lives as research scientists and educators. Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health Facilities and Services Project Amount: $350,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: UT Medical Center, 1924 Alcoa Highway, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920 Description of Request: The funding will be used for renovation and expansion of the Family Medicine Building and Clinic at the UT Medical Center. Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health Facilities and Services Project Amount: $200,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Clinics of Hope, USA, 1064 Hayslope Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919 Description of Request: The funding will be used to develop three free medical clinics in Knoxville, Tennessee. The clinics would serve those who are under two-times the federal poverty level. The requested funds will be used for initial start-up of the three clinics and for the first year of operation.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I have the greatest respect and admiration for those involved in the Girl Scouts of America, and I have always attended as many Gold Award Gala ceremonies as I am able in my District. These programs prepare our girls for the challenges of higher education, employment, and adulthood, and their experiences in the Girl Scouting program open many doors for them throughout their lives. In my hometown of Knoxville, TN, there is one name that is the gold standard for devotion to the Girl Scouts: Lucille Griffo. Lucille has devoted her career--and her life--to enrich the lives of girls in East Tennessee, and they could not have had a better mentor. With the Girl Scout Promise as her guide, Lucille has been an ambassador for the values and leadership that Girl Scouting teaches. After graduating from Jacksonville University in 1969, Lucille set out to conquer the business world, but time and again she was told by companies that they did not hire women for management. When a recruiter sent her to a job interview with the Girl Scouts, she thought her gender had type-cast her to a life of arts and crafts. For more than 40 years, she has steered countless young girls through a transformative time of increasing opportunity for women. As she told the Knoxville News Sentinel recently, ``Girls haven't changed--just society around them.'' Her job was much more than arts and crafts. As CEO of the Tanasi Council, Lucille was responsible for a multi-million dollar budget and 13,000 Girl Scouts and volunteers in 16 East Tennessee counties. Lucille began her career much before her role in Girl Scout management. At age 7, she became a Brownie, and it is an experience she describes as sending a shy little girl through a ``journey of self-confidence.'' It would be hard to count how many girls have benefitted from her leadership and example, but I can say that East Tennessee is a much better place because of Lucille Griffo's devotion to our youth. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate Lucille Griffo on her recent retirement as CEO of the Tanasi Council Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee and bring her remarkable career to the attention of my Colleagues and other readers of the Record. I encourage everyone to get involved in Girl Scouting programs and help shape our next generation of youth. As Lucille would say, ``We need Girl Scouting now more than ever.''

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 3288, ``Making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Federal Highway Administration--Surface Transportation Priorities Project Amount: $750,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Blount County Highway Department, 441 N. Hall Road, Alcoa, Tennessee 37701 Description of Request: The funding will be used to improve 2.23 miles of Morganton Road in Blount County, Tennessee. Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Federal Transit Administration--Buses & Bus Facilities Project Amount: $1,250,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Knoxville Area Transit, 1135 Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37917 Description of Request: The funding will be used to replace an aging bus fleet and bus facilities. Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Federal Transit Administration--Buses & Bus Facilities Project Amount: $500,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, P.O. Box 51650, Knoxville, Tennessee 37950-1650 Description of Request: The funding will be used to purchase vehicles in order to provide reliable transportation to the residents of Knox County.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 3170, ``Making appropriations for financial services and general government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Small Business Administration--Salaries and Expenses Project Amount: $100,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Alcoa, 223 Associates Boulevard, Alcoa, TN 37701 Description of Request: The funding will be utilized to develop infrastructure servicing the new Pellissippi Research Centre on the Oak Ridge Corridor. The vision embraced by a regional partnership is the creation of a world-class community aimed at attracting research and development firms.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 3183, ``Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Project Amount: $500,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: NTRCI, 2360 Cherahala Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37932 Description of Request: NTRCI will conduct over-the-road, heavy vehicle testing and research to validate the benefits and reliability of the Legacy rotary engine to demonstrate the capability of the Legacy engine to deliver greater fuel efficiency and thus lower consumption and reduced emissions for the $7 billion Class 8 heavy vehicle engine market.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, this is a bill to name the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the William C. Tallent Veterans Outpatient Clinic. I first want to thank Chairman Filner and Mr. Boozman, the gentleman from Arkansas, for bringing this legislation to the floor today and for their assistance and for the help of the staff on both sides in regard to this bill. In East Tennessee, Mr. Speaker, there is perhaps no person better known for devotion to area veterans than Bill Tallent. While the story of his service in World War II reads like a Hollywood script, his lifelong dedication to fellow veterans, his humble demeanor and his career as a public servant make him the perfect candidate for the naming of the Veterans Outpatient Clinic in Knoxville. Following his capture by the Nazis during the Battle of the Bulge, Mr. Tallent spent 6 months as a prisoner of war. At his capture, notorious Nazi General Josef Sepp Dietrich lined him and his fellow soldiers up against a wall and ordered their execution; but through the grace of God, a fellow soldier persuaded the general to spare them and, instead, ship them to a prisoner of war camp. Mr. Tallent survived long enough to engineer an escape 6 months later with one other soldier, the only one willing to risk certain execution if captured. As he made his way across Germany, wearing tattered clothes and sleeping in graveyards at night to avoid Nazi troops, Mr. Tallent and his fellow soldier searched for the American front line. One day, while on a scavenger trip into a nearby German town and while looking for food, a Buick carrying an American general came speeding down the street. Bill Tallent jumped in front of the car and gave a salute. He was rescued. His bravery, determination and sacrifice during this experience earned him two Purple Hearts and one Bronze Star. While Bill Tallent's prisoner of war story is legendary, so is his service to veterans. Mr. Tallent founded the Smoky Mountain chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War, where he served as its commander. During his tenure, he helped compile the prisoner of war stories of other members, and he gave the publication to the Knox County Public Library for posterity. He has spoken to many civic clubs and to other groups about his experiences and about his dedication to veterans and to this country. He was also appointed by the Governor to serve on the Veterans Administration Home Policy Board, where Mr. Tallent was instrumental in bringing a veterans' nursing home to Knoxville. Bill Tallent's lifelong service to veterans also includes serving as commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, chapter 356; as a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, chapter 173; and as a member of the Disabled American Veterans, chapter 26. In addition to his service to veterans, Mr. Tallent devoted his professional career to the public good, serving as Knox County Commissioner of Finance from 1953-1980, being reelected to that position several times. Mr. Speaker, there is, perhaps, no greater sacrifice an American can make than that of serving his country during a time of war. Bill Tallent not only answered that call but did so with courage and humility. In 2003, he told the following to my hometown newspaper, the Knoxville News Sentinel: ``I would not go through what I went through again if you paid me $1 million a day to do it. But I would do the same thing again, without compensation, just for the privilege of living as a free American.'' Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree we need more Bill Tallents in this world. I appreciate this opportunity to honor Bill Tallent, and this country is a better place today because of him and because of his service to this country. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to name the Veterans Outpatient Clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee as the William C. Tallent Veterans Outpatient Clinic.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 2997, ``Making appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture--SRG Project Amount: $1,000,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of Tennessee, 114 Morgan Hall, 2621 Morgan Circle, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996. Description of Request: This funding will be used for producing crop plants that can be used directly as early-warning sentinels for the detection of plant diseases.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, there is perhaps no greater sacrifice an American can make than serving their Country during a time of war, and one of my constituents--William Churchhill ``Dobber'' Doyle--has quite a story to tell. At 90-years-old, Billy--as he is known to many--loves to share his tale with anyone who will listen. Like many from the ``Greatest Generation,'' his time during World War II reads like a Hollywood script, but to the humble man who lived it, the sacrifice was his duty. Billy was assigned to a supply unit and stationed at Camp Forrest in Tullahoma, Tennessee in December 1941. On December 6, he was told to get ready to be deployed, and he boarded a troop train to the west coast on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His first step on foreign soil was on his birthday on November 19, 1942, in North Africa. He would eventually pass through sites like Casablanca and Cairo and make his way to Europe, crossing through Italy, Germany, and France. As Billy told the Knoxville News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee, ``Every time the front moved, we had to move.'' As part of a supply unit, Billy was one step behind General Patton throughout the war, tasked with keeping him supplied and always at risk of attack. He was part of one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war to establish a beachhead in Italy. 3,000 troops died in the effort, and his 30-member unit lost two in the battle. Billy demonstrated his true character after breaking his nose in the field. He refused to seek treatment because that would mean having to leave his men. His favorite moment of the war was when a group of French citizens called him a liberator. He learned of the end of the war in Lyon, France while listening to the radio. As he told the Knoxville News Sentinel, ``The town went crazy, especially the girls.'' Throughout his life in Tennessee after the war, Billy has selflessly given his time back to the community. He is known as the ``Bread Man'' around his hometown of Vestal, and donates his time to the Vestal United Methodist Church Food Pantry and Center of Hope Ministry. He is loved and respected by everyone who is fortunate enough to know him. Madam Speaker, I have known many members of the Doyle family, and they are one of the most respected and prominent families in South Knoxville. I gladly bring this story of William Churchhill ``Dobber'' Doyle to the attention of my Colleagues and other readers of the Record, and I hope this tale of the ``Greatest Generation'' inspires the next.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I have noticed that most environmental radicals come from very wealthy or very upper-income families. Perhaps they do not realize how much they have hurt the poor and the lower income and the working people by destroying jobs and driving up prices. Now, those who seem to be the loudest in saying they are for the little guy are about to pass a bill that is going to hurt the little guy most of all. This cap-and-trade bill is going to drive up prices for gas, utilities, and especially costs for small businesses and farms. Businesses in China and India will probably jump for joy because this will give them even greater advantages. And college graduates all over this country wonder why they cannot find good jobs and have to keep working as waiters and waitresses because this bill will drive even more jobs to other countries. I hope everyone who is undecided on this bill will vote for the little guy instead of the big money environmental groups and the very big businesses which will benefit from this very costly bill.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure information for project requests that I made and which were included within H.R. 2996, ``Making appropriations for the Department of Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010.'' Requesting Member: Congressman John Duncan Account: National Park Service, Save America's Treasures Project Amount: $200,000 Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Blount Mansion Association, 200 W. Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902 Description of Request: This funding will be used to upgrade and improve the National Historic Landmark.