Jo Ann Davis

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3234) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14 Chestnut Street in Liberty, New York, as the ``Ben R. Gerow Post Office Building''.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3234, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) designates this U.S. Postal Service facility in Liberty, New York, as the Ben R. Gerow Post Office Building. All members of the New York State delegation have signed onto this legislation. Mr. Speaker, Ben Gerow spent his entire life living, working, and serving in the town of Liberty in the Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York State. Mr. Gerow was a respected State assemblyman, sheriff, firefighter, and businessman. Ben Gerow made a comfortable living for 30 years as owner and operator of his own automobile service station. He retired from his business at age 50 and entered the race for sheriff of Sullivan County, which he won. Three years later, he won another election, this time to a seat in the New York State Assembly. After serving a 1-year term in the legislature, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt selected him to be postmaster of the post office in Liberty, New York, where he served for 12 years. Ben Gerow passed away in 1961 at the age of 81. Passage of this meaningful bill will fittingly rename the post office in Liberty after Ben Gerow, the very post office at which he served as postmaster. Mr. Speaker, for all these reasons, I congratulate the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) for his efforts in shepherding H.R. 3234 to the floor, and I commend him for honoring Ben Gerow. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I fully support the supplemental for the conflict in Iraq and would wholeheartedly have voted in favor of the Pence amendment to grant half the funds for reconstruction and loan the balance once an Iraqi government was in place next year. Unfortunately this amendment was ruled out of order. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for his efforts.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this supplemental. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this supplemental appropriations legislation as a necessary component in our efforts to liberate the nation of Iraq and continue our successful fight against terrorism. Mr. Chairman, over the past month, the American people have been bombarded by a very negative portrayal of our efforts in Iraq. However, as we have heard from so many of our colleagues who have recently visited Iraq, these media portrayals are far from the truth. We are winning the war on terror, and we are setting people free. America is building a free Iraq, and this supplemental funding measure is part of America's exit strategy. A strategy that will see a new Iraq (founded on freedom and democracy) flourish in the Middle East. Mr. Chairman, I am a fiscal conservative, and the thought on spending $87 billion on anything gives me pause. The concept of turning some of this funding into a loan appears to be a sound one, but one we will have time to discuss as this debate continues. However, this spending measure is an investment in the peace and stability of our world. We cannot put a price tag on peace, and we cannot turn our back on freedom. Our own American history should be the book we study from. When President Harry Truman came to Congress with his Marshall Plan proposal, the price tag, for the times, was staggering indeed. However, it was not the price tag that Congress finally looked at--it was the mission at hand that drove support for this plan. It was the rebuilding of the post World War II world, in an effort to restore peace to the planet, that drove Congress to support this measure. Mr. Chairman, this Congress has a similar opportunity, to rebuild a nation that will represent freedom and democracy while bringing stability to a very tumultuous and dangerous part of the world. We have a very unique opportunity in front of us. We have the opportunity to invest in freedom, and to set men free. Most importantly, we can take proactive steps necessary to stabilize a region that presents a great danger to our Nation, and the well-being of our people. Mr. Chairman, we will be making history with this vote. We will be sending a message to terrorists that America has no intention of allowing the fight against terrorism to be fought on our streets and in our neighborhoods. We will also be sending a message to the world that we are a nation of peace, and Iraqi liberation in the pursuit of freedom is a component of our democratic principles. Congress has a responsibility to protect our people, and to promote freedom and democracy worldwide. This supplemental helps move these responsibilities forward, and it is our duty to approve this legislation.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my support of H.R. 2297. Coming from the First District of Virginia, where roughly 100,000 military veterans live, it goes without saying that this legislation is of enormous importance. For that reason, I want to commend Chairman Chris Smith, Ranking Member Lane Evans, and their hard-working colleagues and staff on the House Veterans Affairs Committee for getting this bill to us on the floor today. I would also like to share some observations about a few aspects of the bill. I am pleased that H.R. 2297 restores the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefit to those who wish to remarry after 55 years of age. As many of my constituents know, DIC is a monthly benefit paid to surviving spouses of uniformed service members who die either in the line of duty or from a service-connected disability. Until this bill reaches the President for enactment, eligible survivors who remarry after 55 will continue to lose this benefit. I am also pleased that H.R. 2297 restores some equity in education benefits for those National Guard members who are eligible for Title 38 survivors and dependents education benefits, bringing them in line with their Reserve counterparts. Presently, only Title 38-eligible Reservists, who have been activated post-9/11, have the end date of their eligibility extended by a period equal to the length of the call- up period plus 4 months. H.R. 2297 offers the same extension to eligible members of the Guard. Finally, I want to commend the committee for expanding Montgomery GI Bill education benefits for self-employment training for veterans and disabled veterans. H.R. 2297 would authorize educational assistance benefits for on-job training of less than six months in specified self- employment training programs. Under the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act (Public Law 106-50), Federal agencies are required to support self-employment for veterans directly and through partnerships with the private sector. H.R. 2297 would improve access to related training benefits. In the present atmosphere, in which many members are having the sincerity of their commitment to fairness for veterans questioned, it is reassuring to see that dedicated people like my colleagues, Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Evans, are bringing their efforts to bear on behalf of veterans in a way that should clearly have a positive impact. I now look forward to the Senate acting on this legislation to expedite its passage.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and I urge my colleagues to again support the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. I am pleased to stand here today on the brink of passage of this critical piece of legislation. In doing so, we reaffirm that partial- birth abortion is a heinous and unnecessary procedure that has already claimed the lives of too many innocent preborn victims. We already know in statements, such as those of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, that a ``partial-birth abortion is never medically necessary to protect a mother's health.'' Why then, Mr. Speaker, is there any question at all that this procedure needs to be banned? We must stop victimizing the women and children of America through partial-birth abortion. Mr. Speaker, the insanity of legalized murder will end with the passage of this long-awaited law. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and pass the partial-birth abortion ban.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 509 (H.R. 1308) and rollcall No. 510 (H.R. 1), I was detained in my district touring disaster areas from Hurricane Isabel and trying to obtain help from FEMA. Had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on both H.R. 1308 (rollcall 509) and H.R. 1 (rollcall 510).

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 978) to amend chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that certain Federal annuity computations are adjusted by 1 percentage point relating to periods of receiving disability payments, and for other purposes.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 978.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 978 is a great step towards reasonably assisting Federal employees. This legislation temporarily doubles the usual Federal employees' retirement system direct benefit of 1 percent of an employee's pay during a period of disability. The added percentage point offsets the reductions in Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan that would result from an employee's discontinuation of contributions while temporarily disabled. The Department of Labor, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Personnel Management support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, the inspiration of this bill is Mrs. Louise Kurtz, a U.S. Army civilian employee who works at the Pentagon. Mrs. Kurtz was tragically injured when terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the west side of the Pentagon. Mrs. Kurtz was at work at the Pentagon that day, and she was so severely injured that she remains in rehabilitation today for the burns that affected more than 70 percent of her body. Current law prohibits Mrs. Kurtz from contributing to her retirement program while she recovers and receives workers compensation disability payments. This reality will significantly delay the point at which she will be able to retire. H.R. 978 will allow Federal employees who are injured or otherwise unable to work for extended periods of time to retire on schedule. Mr. Speaker, the work of Federal employees has become even more critical in the 2 years since September 11. Each and every day, Federal employees protect our homeland, deliver our mail, teach our children, respond to emergencies, and perform countless other essential tasks. H.R. 978 is an opportunity for this House to effectively protect our hard-working Federal employees by addressing an inadequate component of the FERS system. Therefore, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 978. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at this time. I urge all Members to support the passage of this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to voice my opposition to an increase in Member's of Congress salaries. During these difficult economic times at all levels of government and with increasing federal deficits, I believe we should not be raising our own salaries. Yesterday the House considered the Rule for the Transportation and Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 2004. While this bill does not include any provision related to an increase in pay for Members of Congress (the Member COLA is automatic each year under existing law), by tradition when Congress has blocked the Member COLA, the blocking provision has been included in this bill. Because blocking the Member COLA would constitute a change in existing law, an amendment to block the COLA would be subject to a point of order on the floor, and therefore not allowed. Since the Rule does not permit a waiver from the point of order for such an amendment, the House in recent years has taken a vote on the previous question on the Rule. Yesterday I voted ``no'' on the previous question in an attempt to defeat the measure so that an amendment to the Rule to block the Member cost-of-living allowance could receive an up or down vote. Unfortunately, the measure passed and the rule was not therefore amendable. In light of various factors, most importantly a 4.1 percent pay raise for our civilian workforce and to remove Ghost Fleet ships in my District, I am left with no recourse except to vote for the final passage of the Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Act. If I had the opportunity to vote directly to eliminate this year's cost of living adjustments for Members, I would most certainly do so.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of the Smith-Oberstar-Hyde amendment to H.R. 1950. Madam Chairman, I am deeply troubled by the $25 million included in this bill for the United Nations Population Fund. The UNFPA has been proven to be an active participant in China's coercive population program. Secretary Colin Powell, following an investigation into the UNFPA's family planning programs, concluded that the ``UNFPA's support of, and involvement in, China's population-planning activities allows the Chinese government to implement more effectively its program of coercive abortion.'' Madam Chairman, by funding UNFPA, we are permitting women in China to be victimized through this policy of forced abortion and involuntary sterilization. Certainly these women deserve better than that. No woman, no woman should be forced to have an abortion. Yet this is precisely how the Chinese government enforces its population control agenda, with the assistance of UNFPA. Madam Chairman, we cannot support this egregious violation of human rights and violence against women. By permitting the Crowley provision to remain in this bill, we will allow U.S. taxpayer dollars to be used to support coercive abortion practices overseas. To me, this is unthinkable. U.S. funds should not be connected to any program that is at all involved in a coercive population program, whether directly or indirectly. Due to the clear evidence of UNFPA's involvement in China, we cannot allow our taxpayers to contribute to this organization. Madam Chairman, UNFPA fails women through its participation in China's policy of coercive abortion. Regardless, regardless of where one stands on the issue of abortion, I think we can all agree that no woman, no woman should be forced to abort her child. My colleague from Connecticut spoke earlier about denying women of Nigeria, Pakistan, Haiti, and so forth. But Madam Chairman, I do not want to deny the women of China the right to have their children. I urge my colleagues to protect the fundamental human rights of women and children and support the Smith-Oberstar-Hyde amendment.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, on rollcall vote No. 363 I was in a meeting with the Commissioner of the EU. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1472.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2631, a bill that has a simple, yet powerful, purpose: to protect the health benefits of our valued Federal retirees. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation, along with my distinguished colleagues from the Commonwealth of Virginia. One of the hallmarks of Federal service has been the government's commitment to providing health care for its retired employees, those public servants who dedicated their professional careers to protecting our shores, fighting disease, keeping our air and water clean, and upholding the laws of the land. We not only owe them our thanks, we owe it to them to keep our commitments. As the chairwoman of the House Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Civil Service, I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Tom Davis) for sponsoring this legislation and thank the leadership for allowing us to bring this important bill to the floor so quickly. H.R. 2631 guarantees that Federal retirees will have a prescription drug benefit that is equal in value to the one provided to active Federal employees. This legislation fulfills the promise of the Federal Government not to eliminate prescription drug coverage to its retirees once a prescription drug benefit is also available through Medicare, which the U.S. House of Representatives has wisely decided to add. This bill also ensures that there is no difference between the total amount of coverage offered to active employees and the coverage available to retirees. This is an important equity, one that we want to maintain. I want to emphasize that this legislation does not diminish the Office of Personnel Management's authority to negotiate health care benefits for Federal employees, but assures that drug benefits will still be available for retirees. Finally, this is a case of the Federal Government leading by example. If the U.S. Government were to cut benefits for its retirees, why would we expect the private sector to act any differently? I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Davis) for bringing this legislation to the floor, and I urge passage of H.R. 2631.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the substitute amendment to H.R. 760, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. The partial-birth abortion procedure is a brutal and violent act that kills a living baby just seconds before it takes its first breath outside the woman. We must call partial-birth abortion what it really is, the murder of a baby during delivery. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop has stated, ``Partial-birth abortion is never medically necessary to protect a mother's health or future fertility. On the contrary, this procedure can pose a significant threat to both.'' The substitute amendment being offered today includes a so-called health exception to the partial-birth abortion ban. Yet this broad definition, according to the Supreme Court, includes factors such as physical, emotional and psychological issues. All of these factors relate to health. Subsequent testimony has clarified that this health exception includes age, depression and even a fear of open spaces. Mr. Speaker, this substitute is a facade. It is a ploy designed to gut the intent of the ban on partial-birth abortion. The future of our Nation depends on decisions such as this. Does America have the moral and ethical fortitude to protect the most basic of human rights, the right to live? We as a civilized culture cannot stand by and allow defenseless, innocent children to be killed. We are not savages. We are not barbarians. We are human beings. Partial-birth abortion is insane, and this killing must end. I am proud to offer my support for the partial-birth abortion ban. I urge my colleagues to reject this substitute amendment and pass the underlying bill, H.R. 760.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1350 as I believe it will make many necessary reforms to better serve our Nation's special-needs students, but wish to makes my reservations known about funding levels for part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It is well known that Congress committed to contribute up to 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure of educating special needs children, and Congress' failure to achieve even half of that 40 percent promise is even more well known. In fact, in 28 years Congress has never contributed more than 17.6 percent, leaving local school districts with too heavy a burden to provide for their special needs children. Thus, I am currently cosponsor to H.R. 1094, legislation that would authorize appropriations to achieve the full, 40 percent funding for part B of IDEA by 2008. I believe it is imperative that the Federal Government keep its promise to our Nation's special needs children. While I am pleased that funding for IDEA has steadily risen in the last several years, Congress is long overdue in providing its promise of 40 percent. That said, I support H.R. 1350, although I realize that its funding levels for part B of IDEA are lower than those that would be authorized if H.R. 1094 were signed into law. While I realize this discrepancy, I do believe that H.R. 1350 puts forth a good-faith effort to dramatically increase the Federal Government's expenditure for special needs children. H.R. 1350 will set in motion a plan to finally achieve the 40 percent funding, and thus makes a statement that Congress realizes its current funding shortfall of IDEA. I will continue to fight for full funding for part B of IDEA in the budget for FY2004 and beyond.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise reluctantly to support the budget resolution before us today. While the budget before us makes great strides to control spending and reduce the deficit, I am afraid the Veterans Administration will not have the necessary resources to take care of our nation's veterans. I know that many of my Virginia congressional colleagues share these same concerns as well. While I fully recognize that no budget is perfect, I hope we can all agree that providing health care to our nation's veterans should be the last place we look to reduce spending. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for us to review our spending on foreign aid before we ask our veterans to sacrifice yet again for their country. At a time when our country has soldiers deployed in Iraq in defense of freedom, it is important that we do not leave behind the men and women who have served our country in the past. I will vote for this budget, however, because I believe it is vital that we keep the budget process moving. Further delaying the budget could negatively impact defense, homeland security, and other important government functions. As we all know, by failing to pass a budget resolution last year, the Senate caused a train wreck in the appropriations process. The House and the Senate never agreed on a common budget, which left the respective appropriations committees working from two different, irreconcilable sets of numbers. That resulted in Congress working on appropriations bills in January--bills that should have been completed last September. With America now at war, we cannot allow that to happen again. It is my hope that the final product will be improved, so that I will be able to support the final budget conference report.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of House Resolution 122 that the Clerk be authorized to make technical and conforming changes.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today honoring an exceptional public servant from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Mr. C.M. Williams. Mr. Williams has served in local government for 40 years and as Stafford County administrator, a county with a population of more than 100,000, since 1984. Mr. Williams has used his position well for the benefit of the Virginians that he serves. For example, he played a key role in preserving Virginia's historic treasures as executive officer of the George Washington Boyhood Home Foundation. Additionally, Mr. Williams was instrumental in obtaining funding for the Stafford Regional Airport, as well as in establishing the James Monroe Center for Graduate and Professional Studies at Mary Washington College. Mr. Williams has long been a notable public servant and citizen, even serving as president of the Virginia Association of County Administrators. I commend him for his dedication to Virginia and wish him well in all that he pursues as he steps down to enjoy retirement.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his yeoman's work in supporting our men and women in the military. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Joint Resolution 27, a resolution which expresses our support for our service members currently engaged in our global war on terrorism. Mr. Speaker, today I say thank you to these proud men and women in our Armed Services and to their families who bravely support them back here at home. Currently we have forces present in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Yemen and many other countries. They lay down their lives for us on a daily basis for our cherished freedoms. At this time we have over 200,000 troops serving in the Gulf region, a force which serves us, a force which protects us, a force which stands ready to implements 18 United Nations' resolutions. Mr. Speaker, as we approach what I believe will ultimately be the H- hour for our forces, let us bear in mind the sacrifices and service which these young men and women offer our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this measure before us. May God bless our troops and may God bless the United States of America.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule. In doing so, I would like to bring to light one of the most dangerous consequences of voting for human cloning, both reproductive and therapeutic. That is the exploitation of women. Women of lower economic means are particular targets for exploitation. Advanced Cell Technologies paid $3,500 to $4,000 to each woman who donated their eggs for the failed human cloning experiments. Because of the many risks associated with this procedure, it will mostly be women of little means who will volunteer to sell their eggs. In order to generate enough cloned embryos to carry out this research, thousands of eggs will need to be solicited from numerous women. It takes about 50 eggs to get one viable cloned embryo. Just to treat the 16 million Parkinson's patients, it is estimated that 800 million human eggs would be needed from a minimum of 80 million women of childbearing age. I implore my colleagues to vote for the health and well-being of women. Please vote for the rule and for the Weldon-Stupak bill.

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 36) encouraging the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery.