Jimmy Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, for several Congresses, proposals have been introduced to address real property management issues within the Federal Government, but have failed to become law. Today, however, I am pleased to be part of the bipartisan effort that we are discussing, the Federal Real Property Disposal Act, and am hopeful that this bill will be able to clean up the federal real property inventory. I would like to thank Representative Moore, Chairman Waxman and Senators Carper and Coburn for their work on this important issue. With all the talk of spending, this bill has the opportunity to bring about great savings for the American taxpayer. The Government Accountability Office has listed federal real property as one of its high risk issues since 2003 due to incomplete data and the numbers of excess properties and aging facilities. In 2004, President Bush issued an Executive Order to improve the management of federal real property. Since then $7 billion worth of unneeded assets and properties have been removed from the government inventory. The Federal Government has a goal of disposing of $9 billion in unneeded real property by the end of fiscal year 2009. Jim Nussle, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent me a letter last year endorsing a bill I introduced in the House and that Senators Tom Carper and Tom Coburn introduced in the Senate. Director Nussle wrote: ``To reach this objective, I believe we must improve and streamline the current process that Federal agencies face in disposing of real property assets.'' Some people never want the government to sell any property, and government at all levels continues to acquire more and more every year. But if we keep shrinking the tax base, schools and other agencies will have a much harder time in the future getting increases in their funding. In June of 2007, the Office of Management and Budget reported that the Federal Government owned over 21,000 excess properties and assets with a total replacement value of nearly $18 billion. That is more than the gross domestic product of over half the countries in the world. The bill that we are taking up today builds on a proposal that overwhelmingly passed the House earlier this year. Under the Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act, an agency would be able to retain a portion of the proceeds from a sale of a property deemed excess. This will provide agencies an incentive to get rid of unneeded properties and allow them to use the proceeds to maintain current property or prepare excess property for disposal. The reporting requirements in H.R. 7217 will provide what I believe will be very useful and valuable information, not only on the numbers and values of Federal properties, but on the costs of maintaining properties, like utilities, repairs, and janitorial services. Agencies spend well over $100 million dollars a year on the maintenance and upkeep of properties that are not even being used. H.R. 7217 will help agencies reduce these unnecessary costs. Madam Speaker, in closing, I believe that H.R. 7217 gives additional resources to those agencies that might not otherwise be able to prepare and dispose of properties the ability to reap the benefits and apply them toward mission-critical properties. It also saves hard-earned taxpayer dollars that could definitely be used more appropriately.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, we have no other speakers. I urge all of my colleagues to support this very fitting tribute to a great lady, our friend, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I then yield to the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, my good friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), such time as he may consume.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I didn't realize that we had any other speakers, so I would like to either reclaim my time or request that the gentlelady from California yield some time to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First of all, I want to commend the gentlelady from California (Ms. Richardson) for bringing this bill to the floor today. Certainly, it's a very appropriate bill because of all of the firsts that the gentlewoman from California has already mentioned and for many other reasons. I'm honored to support H.R. 4131. As has been stated, this bill would designate a portion of California's State Route 91 in Los Angeles County as the Juanita Millender-McDonald Highway. This is a very fitting tribute to our former colleague Congresswoman Millender- McDonald. Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for over 10 years. Beginning when she was first elected to Congress in April of 1996, she was a tireless advocate for transportation issues impacting her district, including projects related to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and the Alameda Corridor freight railroad project. She was also a leader on national transportation issues. She took her experience in dealing with freight mobility challenges in southern California and founded the Congressional Goods Movement Caucus. Through her position on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and in her role with the Congressional Goods Movement Caucus, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald promoted transportation projects necessary to facilitate interstate commerce while protecting communities from the adverse effects associated with freight movement. She rose to the level of being a full committee chairwoman in this Congress, and she was respected and admired on both sides of the aisle. More importantly than all of this, than all of her work in Congress, Juanita Millender-McDonald was just a good human being. She was a friend of mine, and I knew from discussions I had with her how much she loved her family and her friends. She was beautiful in appearance and was so dignified and professional in every way and set such a good example for all of us. She served the people of her district and this Nation well and with great honor and distinction. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill honoring a good friend, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas for yielding to me one more brief time. I rise to say it has been a privilege and honor for me to serve with the gentleman from Alabama who unfortunately is leaving the Congress this year. Bud Cramer and I have traveled many times together. We have become, I think, very close friends. It is interesting to me that our careers have been almost parallel. We were in law school at approximately the same time. We practiced law. He became a prosecuting attorney in his hometown of Huntsville when I was serving as a criminal court judge in my hometown of Knoxville. He came to Congress shortly after I did. He rose to become one of the senior members and one of the most powerful and influential members on the Appropriations Committee here in the Congress. I can tell you that I have respect and admire Bud Cramer more than almost anybody I know. He has been an outstanding public servant in every way, and this Congress will certainly miss the gentleman from Alabama when he leaves. I want to personally thank him for not only his friendship to me, but more importantly his service to this Nation.

Mr. DUNCAN. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas for yielding me this time. I rise in support of this resolution congratulating the Tennessee Valley Authority on its 75th anniversary. First, I want to commend my good friend the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Cramer) for bringing this resolution to the floor. He has served with great distinction as chairman of the TVA Caucus in the Congress. Since the Congress passed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933, TVA has played an important role, not only in the Tennessee Valley but in the course of the history of this Nation as well. TVA carries out its three-pronged mission of providing reliable electric power, economic development, and stewardship of the Nation's fifth largest river system by tapping into the talents of its 12,000 employees, many of whom live in my district. Right from the start, TVA tried to establish a problem-solving approach to fulfilling its mission of resource management for power production, navigation, flood control, malaria prevention, reforestation, or erosion control, and each was studied in its broadest context. TVA weighed each issue in relation to all the others. Today the Tennessee Valley is one of the most beautiful and fertile places in the Nation. With its beauty, hardworking people and abundant natural resources, the Tennessee Valley would have developed in a good and prosperous way without TVA, as did other areas of the South where there was no TVA. However, the establishment of the TVA led to the development of cutting-edge fertilizers and improved farming techniques and helped to revive the Tennessee Valley and forever changed its landscape. With the completion of dams, TVA brought electricity and flood control to the Tennessee Valley, providing stability and vital insect control programs that helped drastically reduce deaths caused by mosquitos and increase the quality of life. By the end of the 1930s, the Tennessee Valley was probably the most thoroughly mapped region in the country. Before long, however, TVA was called upon to use this expertise to provide then-General Eisenhower with the most detailed topographic maps of German-occupied France and, later, Japan during World War II. TVA played an important role in the Manhattan Project, the development of our first atomic bomb. At a time when the enrichment of uranium in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, consumed around 15 percent of the electricity of the United States, TVA rose to the occasion and met those power needs and helped end World War II. I am proud to say that TVA is headquartered in my congressional district. I am proud of TVA's president and CEO Tom Kilgore, and Chairman Bill Sansom, two good friends of mine, and of the leadership they provide to TVA in this challenging time for utilities across the country. I believe as we move into the future and look for more sustainable sources of energy, that TVA will continue to provide the leadership to help the valley become even stronger and more economically vibrant. I can tell you that my region has become one of the most popular places to move to in the entire country, and that is in no small part because of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the role it plays in the lives of our citizens. The citizens of the Tennessee Valley have been better off because of the work and historic mission of the Tennessee Valley Authority. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a newspaper and its editor that are woven into the fabric of one of this Nation's most remarkable and scenic communities. So often, citizens of smaller towns must sift through larger newspapers from nearby cities for news that is relevant to their lives. For the last 125 years, however, the people of the city of Maryville and Blount County have turned to the Daily Times for news coverage which focuses on their community. Support for the newspaper is strong, and the numbers prove it. The Daily Times has frequently ranked among the top three newspapers in the Nation in penetration of its circulation area and has been recognized as the fastest growing daily newspaper in Tennessee. In an era when newspapers continue to struggle to compete with the internet, the Daily Times remains strong with its focus on local culture and interests. The paper has won numerous awards from the University of Tennessee/ Tennessee Press Association statewide competitions and from the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors Association. Perhaps nothing illustrates the Daily Times' commitment to Blount County more than its editor, Dean Stone. Born in Maryville, Mr. Stone began working for the Daily Times 61 years ago as a sportswriter. While his professional success could have led him elsewhere, Mr. Stone stayed in Blount County, devoted to the Daily Times and drawn to the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mr. Stone is known well by the Blount County community for many reasons. Whether it is his photography, community service, or stewardship of the Daily Times, chances are he has touched the life of everyone in Blount County in some way. As an award winning author and photographer, Mr. Stone's Snapshots of Blount County History book series is a favorite among locals and praised by authors and journalists from all across the country. Madam Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues and other readers of the Record to join me in congratulating the Daily Times in Maryville, Tennessee, for 125 years of service to its readers and the achievements of the paper's outstanding and committed editor, Dean Stone.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve our time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, we continue to reserve.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I'm sorry. We didn't realize that Chairman Towns didn't have any other speakers. So I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 6406.

Mr. DUNCAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I'm honored to be on the floor on this legislation with my good friend, Chairman Towns, who is one of our great Members on the other side. Today we take up H.R. 6406 which elevates the Inspector General of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to an Inspector General position requiring a Presidential appointment and Senate confirmation, or, as some people refer to it, a PAS position. On behalf of Ranking Member Davis, I do want to express one concern, and that is that this legislation does not come to the floor through regular order, and while we understand the need to move quickly to ensure that we have solid oversight from an independent source at the CFTC, this bill could have benefited from a review by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Recommendation 6 of Paul Volcker's National Commission on Public Service issued in January of 2003 said, ``Congress and the President should work together to significantly reduce the number of executive branch political positions.'' The Commission noted that President Kennedy had 286 leadership positions to fill when he became President in 1960, and that by the end of the Clinton administration there were 914 principle leadership positions; and that in 2001, the new President, George W. Bush, at that time confronted a total of 3,361 offices to be filled by political appointment. The Commission pointed to several reasons for this, mostly due to a bad Federal management structure. But regarding Inspectors General, we believe much of this stems from an assumption that the PAS process generates a more professional and independent Inspector General. To our knowledge, no one has successfully demonstrated a nexus between the PAS process and professional excellence. And our fear is that a growing lag in the PAS process will cause even larger gaps in leadership during the Presidential transitions. With that said, however, on our side, we're inclined to support this bill given the current crisis that we face. And we know that the CFTC is a very important agency, particularly at this time. But we caution our colleagues to pay more attention to these ``elevation bills'' in the future and insist on a specific articulated need for any proposed change, and also, hopefully, full committee hearings. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I have a statement that I wish to place into the Record on behalf of Ranking Member Davis and myself in support of this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of this bill designating the facility of the United States' Postal Service located at 801 Industrial Boulevard in Ellijay, Georgia, as the ``First Lieutenant Noah Harris Ellijay Post Office Building.'' On June 17, 2005 First Lieutenant Noah Harris was conducting a mounted patrol in Baquba, Iraq, when enemy forces fired rocket- propelled grenades at his armored Humvee. Noah Harris died from the injuries on June 18, one week before his 24th birthday. By all accounts, Noah Harris was a remarkable person. While attending Gilmer High School in Ellijay Georgia, Harris was the captain of the football team, a state wrestling champion, and Honor Bar Thespian in the theater club. After graduating high school in 1999, Harris attended the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business, where he continued his involvement in the community and athletics. He was the captain of the cheerleading squad, a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and a volunteer for Watch Dawgs, an organization that works to prevent alcohol related accidents among students. In 2001, Harris was one of the first participants in the Leonard Leadership Scholars Program, a leadership development program for undergraduates by the Terry College Institute for Leadership Advancement. It was during that time, shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, that Harris first considered serving our country through military service and joined the ROTC. After graduation, Harris was commissioned as a second lieutenant and stationed at Fort Benning. To keep up morale among his soldiers' Harris began a pen pal program with family and friends. He also started ``Operation Noah's Dream'' by encouraging members of his community to send him beanie babies, which he passed out to children in Iraq. He was truly a person that strove to make a difference at home and Iraq. Tragically his life was cut short but his memory will live on and he will be greatly missed. With gratitude for his sacrifice to his country, I ask all members to join me in support of HR 6847, to name the 801 Industrial Boulevard Post Office in Ellijay, Georgia in his honor. At this time, I yield the balance of our time to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal).

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. The trucking and railroad industries have been hit especially hard by higher diesel fuel costs. The president of Burlington Northern and Sante Fe Railroad told me his company spent $1 billion on fuel in all of 2003, and spent over $1 billion on fuel just in the first quarter of this year. All of these costs are passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. The Air Transport Association says each one penny increase in jet fuel costs the aviation industry $200 million a year. Jet fuel has gone up far more than one penny, leading to much higher fares for the hundreds of millions who fly each year. The hoax of a bill that we consider today is not a good bill, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this very misnamed bill and the rule that brings it to the floor. First, it claims to be a comprehensive bill, yet it has nothing about nuclear energy, clean coal or increasing refinery capacity and halts much oil shale development. Second, and more importantly, it has no reforms or limitations on lawsuits by special interests environmental groups. Radical environmental groups have successfully used lawsuits, the courts and administrative procedures to stop or drastically slow down all types of energy production and have really shut down this country economically in many, many ways. They have opposed not only drilling for oil, but also digging for any coal, cutting any trees, or, heaven forbid, any new nuclear plants. They want to go to wind power, but they oppose putting up any windmills. I have noticed that almost all radical environmentalists come from very wealthy or very upper-income families. Perhaps they aren't hurt by high gas prices, high utility bills, higher prices for everything made out of wood and higher prices for everything. But almost all middle- and lower-income people are hurt by these higher prices.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, was quoted as saying, ``We are better off without cheap gas.'' Well, maybe the wealthy members of the Sierra Club aren't hurt by $4 gasoline and gasoline that will go much higher if we don't increase production, but many middle and lower income Americans are hurt by this, and we can't let radicals just put all types of energy production off-limits in this Nation if we are going to remain viable economically and not shut this country down from an economic standpoint. This bill has been described by several people as a hoax bill. The hoax bill that we are considering now claims to lift the congressional moratorium on offshore drilling. In reality, it would keep 85 to 88 percent of offshore oil production off-limits and really allow drill only where there is very little oil and oil that is very expensive to get. The hoax bill that claims to be a consumer protection act would raise taxes on oil companies by $17.7 billion. Well, who do you think pays these taxes? The consumer does, that is who. So the hoax bill protects consumers by passing on billions of new taxes to them. The hoax bill allows States to opt in by allowing oil drilling, but does not allow States to share in the revenue. That is giving States no incentive to allow for this drilling. The hoax bill does not even open up the 19.8 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where billions of barrels of oil could be produced. This is an area, Mr. Speaker, 36 times the size of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where over 9 million people visit each year. Only a few hundred visit ANWR, and where they want to drill is a frozen tundra, millions of acres without a tree or bush on it. I have been there twice. They want to drill on only 2,000 or 3,000 acres out of these 19.8 million acres. We passed this 12 years ago, but President Clinton vetoed it, thus stopping a million barrels a day for the U.S. every day since then. We were told then and several times since then that allowing more drilling wouldn't help immediately. But we said it would in a few years. If the Republicans in Congress had their way, we never would have seen $4 a gallon gas. Now Republicans have bills that are not hoax bills and that would do something for the middle and lower income people of this country. Mr. Speaker, finally, if we are ever going to lower the cost of gas and other forms of energy, we need to restore government of, by and for the people, and not government of, by and for wealthy environmentalists. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes at this time to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 6630 with Chairman DeFazio, Chairman Oberstar, and Ranking Member Mica; and I simply want to commend them for the work they have done on this legislation, along with the gentlewoman from Kansas. On September 6, 2007, the Department of Transportation began a 1-year cross-border demonstration project to open the Mexican border to truck traffic. According to the Department, they instituted this program in order to comply with the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Department announced on August 4 of this year its intent to extend the program for an additional 2 years. Like many other Members, I believe there are legitimate concerns about continuing this demonstration project, and many of those have been outlined by Chairman DeFazio here a few moments ago. The bill under consideration today terminates the demonstration project 1 year after it began, just as the Department originally intended, until certain information is provided to the Congress. Additionally, the bill prohibits the granting of new authority for Mexican trucks to operate beyond the commercial zone on the border without the express authorization of Congress, as I just mentioned. Last year, we took up consideration and voted overwhelmingly to pass a similar bill, H.R. 1773, the Safe American Roads Act of 2007. Like the bill under consideration today, H.R. 1773 barred Mexican trucks from operating beyond the border zone without Congressional action. That bill passed the Transportation Committee unanimously and then passed in the House--as Chairman DeFazio has mentioned, passed the House by a vote of 411-3. The House has expressed its feeling on this issue in a very strong and bipartisan way. Before the border is completely open to Mexican trucks, we must ensure the safety of motorists on our highways. No matter how much we want to have good relations and trade with our friends in Mexico--and we do--our first obligation is to the American people. I want to make clear, though, that this bill does not prohibit forever some type of border crossing in relationship with Mexican trucking companies. H.R. 6630 simply requires the Independent Review Panel established by the Secretary of Transportation and the Department of Transportation itself to report to the Congress on the effects that the demonstration project had on motor carrier safety. It also provides a requirement to submit other required information, such as enforcement costs and various safety violations and other things like that, of the companies that have participated in the demonstration project thus far. Once Congress receives this information, Congress could then act to allow Mexican domiciled motor carriers access to the U.S. This bill does not permanently prevent this type of program but ensures that the border will not be fully open without proper protections in place. H.R. 6630 will help ensure the safety of our Nation's highways, and especially--and this is so important to me and most Members on both sides--it will help protect our American trucking companies, our small businesses, and our truck drivers. Republicans and Democrats have come together in the interest of the Nation and produced a bipartisan bill that impacts the entire Nation. I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield for such time as he may consume to the distinguished ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price).

Mr. DUNCAN. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the centennial of an organization which is vital to our Nation and brings much honor to the State of Tennessee. The United States Army Reserve celebrated 100 years of service on April 23, 2008, and the history of its citizen warriors exemplifies what makes this Nation the greatest in the world. The security and strength of our republic has always relied on the readiness and fortitude of its citizens. When the drumbeat of revolution grew loud, it was an army of average citizens who answered the call and fought for our independence. This tradition continues today with the U.S. Army Reserve. Since its beginning as a 160-person medical corps in 1908, the U.S. Army Reserve has grown into a force which is the support structure for our Nation's armed forces. From World War I to the global war on terror, the soldiers of the U.S. Army Reserve have put their own lives on hold to serve their Nation. More than 26,000 U.S. Army Reserve soldiers have served in support of military operations since the September 11th attacks. This corps of citizen soldiers brings their expertise--providing half of the Army's combat support--to the front lines in defense of freedom. My home State of Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State. It is not a term we take lightly, and Tennessee's record of service demonstrates the character of its citizens. I am especially proud of the 505 soldiers assigned to the 844th Engineer Battalion, headquartered in my district in Tennessee. This battalion is responsible for heavy construction--including roads, living quarters, plumbing, electricity and other infrastructure, keeping our troops safe and more comfortable while serving abroad. Our Nation's military could not operate without the 844th Engineer Battalion or the United States Army Reserve. Madam Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to join me as I salute 100 years of the United States Army Reserve and the citizen warriors who stand ready to defend freedom at a moment's notice.