Jimmy Duncan

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.

Mr. DUNCAN

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. DUNCAN. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is located in my district and my hometown in Knoxville, Tennessee. One of the main reason is that no college team in history, men's or women's, and no coach can claim the accomplishments of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team and head coach Pat Summitt. On April 8, 2008, as the gentleman from Illinois just mentioned, the University of Tennessee Lady Vols captured their second NCAA Division I national championship in a row, beating the Cardinal of Stanford University by a score of 64-48. It was their eighth national championship victory, cementing Coach Summitt's status as the Nation's all-time winningest NCAA basketball coach in both the men's and women's leagues. Coach Summitt, with 983 wins over 34 seasons at the University of Tennessee, is certainly a remarkable leader. Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her in person knows the depth of her character, and it shows both on and off the court. Her 2008 team continues a remarkable 100 percent graduation rate. Every student athlete since she became head coach has completed their eligibility at the University of Tennessee, either graduating or working toward the requirements for graduation within the required 6-year time limit set by NCAA rules. I have always said that the colors orange and white are almost as patriotic in my district as red, white, and blue. I doubt there is any community that shows more support for women's athletics than the people of Tennessee. The Lady Vols regularly attract huge crowds to watch them play, sometimes as large as 25,000 people. It is easy to become overwhelmed with statistics when speaking of the Lady Vols. They finished this season with 36 wins and only two losses, the second most wins in a single season in school history. I especially want to commend Candace Parker, who won back-to-back most outstanding player of the Final Four, and some people say that she is probably the greatest women's basketball player of all time. I also want to congratulate Shannon Bobbit and Nicky Anosike, who both also earned All-Final Four team honors, and Alexis Hornbuckle who played and started in her 21st NCAA tournament game. I want to also thank all the members of the Tennessee delegation for cosponsoring this resolution, as well as 16 other bipartisan cosponsors from across the country. I also want to commend the entire coaching staff, Pat Head Summitt, certainly the greatest head coach in women's basketball history; Joan Cronan, our great women's athletics director; and Holly Warlick, associate head coach; Dean Lockwood, assistant coach; and Nikki Caldwell, assistant coach, who is now moving on to become UCLA's new head coach. And I certainly appreciate the nationwide support for this resolution. And I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. And I thank the author and all of those who have brought this resolution to the floor here today. I rise only briefly to say that one of my constituents, Mr. Daniel Carter, who heads up an organization called Security on Campus, has been absolutely probably the leading person in this Nation in advocating more action and tougher action against crimes that are committed on campus. In my district of Knoxville, Tennessee, we have the 26,000 student University of Tennessee, and several other colleges that are also located in my district, so this is an issue of great concern to me. And I think this resolution will assist in calling attention to what has become a very, very serious problem in this Nation. Unfortunately, it was highlighted, as previous speakers have said, about the terrible tragedies that occurred at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech. And so I urge strong support of this resolution.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, Marvin Hammond, a longtime friend, has now retired for the second time, first from Knoxville Utilities Board, and now from the Hallsdale-Powell Utility District. I did all sorts of odd jobs as a boy--selling programs and refreshments at ball games, mowing yards--but my first hourly-pay job was as a groundskeeper at Holston-Chilhowee Ball Park in East Knoxville. I was 15, and I made $1.00 an hour. My first boss was a 19-year-old named Marvin Hammond. He worked under Coach Raleigh Johnson, but Marvin was the one who told me what to do. From that time in the early 1960s, I have thought of Marvin Hammond as one of the finest men I have ever known. He went from his job as manager of Holston High School athletic teams to a position as a trainer in the Cincinnati Reds Farm System and got to know many of the all-time great baseball players, such as Pete Rose and others. He spent most of his career as an executive with the Knoxville Utilities Board. He was one of the most popular and respected employees of KUB. I remember my first race for Congress in 1988 when he was driving me and some other people on a campaign swing to some distant parts in our district. One of the other campaigners, jokingly but pretending to be serious, complained about his ``huge'' utility bill. Marvin, very concerned, said, ``Lance, How much was it?'' When Lance replied ``$36,'' Marvin almost ran off the road. I remember another time when I was a judge, Marvin found that I was Cubmaster of a Cub Scout troop. He told me he could get several canoes from another church and he knew some people who owned a dairy farm 45 miles away with a big lake on it. He spent his whole day getting the canoes, helping the boys tour the farm, do the canoe rides, cook out, and then load everything back up for the return. When I was first starting my law practice and needing to make some money, Marvin told me he was head of off-campus instruction in Knoxville for Walters State Community College. He hired me, for $500 a semester, to teach political science, I believe for three semesters. Many of the students were police officers, which also helped me in my law practice. So, you can see, Madam Speaker, that Marvin Hammond has had a big influence on my life. I am very grateful to him. But he has helped so many people over the years, and I am certain he has made his community and the Nation much better by all he has done. Sandra Clark, another longtime friend and the publisher of the Halls Shopper News, has written a column in tribute to Marvin Hammond. I would like to have it reprinted in the Record and call it to the attention of my colleagues and others. [From the Shopper-News, July 21, 2008] Missing Marvin If ever there was a man who opted to wear out rather than rust out, it is Marvin Hammond. He's retired again, but don't count on it sticking with Marvin. A crisis in Maynardville left folks without water over the Fourth of July holiday. City officials asked Hallsdale-Powell Utility District for help, and Hammond was quick to respond. ``Hook them up,'' he said, ``and we'll work out the paperwork later.'' ``One man told me he had a shower for the first time in 10 days,'' Hammond said last week. Utility districts network in order to sell water across systems when necessary. Maynardville Utility District had not tapped into HPUD's new water plant on Norris Lake. There are issues with water pressure and leaks up there, but these are engineering concerns--fixable. Hammond had the vision to build a new water plant on Norris Lake and to expand the one on Melton Hill Lake. Hallsdale- Powell customers won't be running out of water. And Hammond leaves the district in a position to sell water to our neighbors. Hammond was named president of HPUD in 2000. He took the title president emeritus last week as Darren Cardwell was elevated to the top job. Cardwell is just the third leader of HPUD, the district built by general manager Allan Gill of Powell. Hammond, who earlier had retired from KUB, found a district with money in the bank and low rates; he left a district in debt with substantially higher rates. Construction foreman Greg McCloud said it best: ``Hallsdale was getting bigger (more customers), but we were not getting better.'' Hammond set out to improve customer relations and to build partnerships with regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. He replaced much of the 150 miles of 2-inch galvanized water line and looked for leaks that were draining off 39 percent of HPUD's treated water. He hired engineers and consultants to upgrade the wastewater system and put a halt to violations at the treatment plant. Engineer Nick Jackson said no violations have been reported for 25 consecutive months, and HPUD will receive the Water Environment Association operational excellence award this week at the WEA conference in Knoxville. The award covers a 2-state region of Kentucky and Tennessee. Hammond is credited with development of a long range strategic plan which includes expanding HPUD's service area. In 1999, HPUD served 21,780 customers with physical plant assets of $66 million. Today, the district serves 28,200 customers with physical plant assets of $144 million. Sometimes we just get lucky. Halls and Powell residents were blessed with the leadership of Allan Gill--a man with military bearing who brooked no nonsense and built a water system through grit and willpower. Likewise, we were blessed with the leadership of Marvin Hammond--a man with vision for the future and the courage to raise the rates to pay for progress.

Mr. DUNCAN

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

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Chairman, I have no other speakers at this point for our side and so I will reserve our time until Chairman Oberstar is ready to close from his side.

Mr. DUNCAN. I will say simply this, Mr. Chairman, that I was present in committee when Mr. Capuano first brought up his concerns and his desire to bring this type of legislation to the floor of the House, and the minority has no objection to this, and we support this. And I would be glad to, at this time, yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Yes, I'll be glad to yield.

Mr. DUNCAN. Thank you. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that I be granted the time in opposition to this amendment, but I will not oppose this amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to be given the time in opposition to this amendment; however, I will not oppose this amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. I rise simply to say that the minority will accept this amendment. No other country in this world has welcomed as many people from other nations as has the United States of America, and we're all proud of that. But certainly, the jobs that will be produced by this bill should go to American workers and certainly, above all, to people who are here legally, and not be given to people who are here illegally. And so the minority will very enthusiastically support this amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to this amendment, but I will say that the minority will not oppose the amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. The minority has reviewed this amendment, and we will accept it.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 3999 and encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this bill. It has been an honor and privilege for me to serve now 20 years on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In significant part, it has been an honor and privilege because of the opportunity to serve with a man like Chairman Oberstar, who certainly is the most knowledgeable person on these issues of anybody in the entire Congress. I can confirm that he has been speaking out on the need to do bridge maintenance and construction and repairs for all of that time, and not just after the terrible tragedy in his home State of Minnesota. It's also a privilege to serve with my boss, my ranking member, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) to whom I owe the privilege of serving as the ranking member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. This bill makes much-needed improvements to the existing Federal highway bridge program and to the regulations pertaining to bridge inspections. The bill incorporates a risk-based priority system for the replacement and rehabilitation of bridges to ensure that States are addressing their most urgent bridge needs in a timely manner. We haven't had this up until now. The bill also requires more frequent inspections of bridges that are classified as structurally deficient and strengthens the training and certification requirements for bridge inspectors. These changes to the existing Federal highway bridge program are designed to improve the program and should benefit all States. The bill also provides $1 billion for States to replace and rehabilitate highway bridges. This is a substantial sum of money, but the Federal Highway Administration estimates that it will cost more than $65 billion to address existing bridge deficiencies. This $1 billion is merely a start. It will only provide an average of about $20 million to each State to address bridge-related needs, barely making a dent in this problem. But I do have some concerns with a few aspects of this bill. I am concerned that the formula through which the funding in this bill will be distributed does not reward States for placing a priority on maintaining their bridges. Since funding is distributed based on the number of deficient bridges in each State, States that put an emphasis on maintaining their existing bridge inventory may get less under this formula than a State that has neglected their bridge needs. My home State of Tennessee has placed a priority on maintaining their bridges and as a result the number of structurally deficient bridges in Tennessee is about half of the national average. But instead of being rewarded for their responsible approach to maintaining their highway infrastructure, the State in a way will be penalized and will receive less than their fair share in funding from this program. I think we should have rewarded the States who have worked harder at this. I am also concerned that this bill practically eliminates any flexibility a State has to transfer funding from the bridge program to other Federal highway programs when there are urgent needs to do so. We are concerned about that. The flexibility provision in this bill eliminates flexibility for every State except for one, the State of Delaware. Despite these concerns, I do strongly support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Yes, I'd be glad to yield.

Mr. DUNCAN. I'd be glad to yield to the chairman.

Mr. DUNCAN. I thank the chairman of the committee, and I will say, once again, that the minority accepts this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Chairman, I rise simply to state that the minority accepts this amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to this amendment, but I will not oppose the amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I will simply say that I, too, urge support for this amendment. We do need to speed up bridge construction and do everything that Mr. Shays has just mentioned.

Mr. DUNCAN. I will simply say that this seems to be a commonsense amendment. My mother was from Iowa City and moved to Tennessee after college, and I still have many relatives in Iowa, so I watched with great interest the troubles and flooding that occurred in that State. I know that the gentleman from Iowa is trying to do what he can about that, and so the minority will accept this amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Chairman, the minority supports this amendment. We accept this amendment.