Jo Ann Emerson

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to address the issue that the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) spoke about and say I brought this up earlier. Yesterday the Supreme Court refused to grant certiorari to Smith Kline Beecham on an appeal because they were concerned that FDA was allowing a generic drug company to copy their labels. The Supreme Court would not take the issue. Basically, I will read the judge's ruling. It says, ``We hold that Hatch-Waxman amendments to the existing Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act require generic drug sellers to use labeling that may infringe the copyright in the label of the pioneer drug. We further hold that, as a result, copyright liability cannot attach to Watson's use of Smith Kline's label.'' Therefore, allowing the copying of the label. And in the language that we have in the legislation, there is broad enough language giving the Secretary and the FDA the discretion to require this.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to say that I rise in support of this legislation, and I want to thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen) for the tremendous leadership he has given all of us over the last several years, fighting hard for our producers, helping us deliver emergency and disaster aid. I do not know anyone who has worked as forthrightly and on a consensus basis as the gentleman from New Mexico has, and I want to thank him. We will miss him tremendously as our leader next year, but I do thank him. I also want to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for the excellent work she does and for her dedication to supporting American agriculture as well. I want to say that this is a great bill. I wish in a couple of instances we could have done more, particularly on the issue of agriculture embargoes, which the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt) has championed so well. But even though it does not go quite as far with regard to Cuba, let us not forget that we are also dealing with four other countries against whom we have had sanctions on food and medicine, and this represents a $6 billion market potential for our producers. We are all so caught up in the emotion of Cuba that we forget, quite frankly, that it is the other countries that present the biggest opportunity for our producers, and I did not want to let that go without mentioning it. I also am very pleased that we have included in the emergency assistance package a piece that is very similar to the stand-alone legislation that the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) and I introduced, doubling the loan deficiency payment, particularly when our farmers and ranchers are in such dire straits for the third year in a row. But let me end by addressing the entire issue of reimportation once again, and say that all of the loopholes that have been recognized on the part of my colleagues on the other side are loopholes that really will not exist if in fact we are determined to work closely with the Food and Drug Administration to make this legislation work. Number one, dealing with the issue of labeling. Let me reiterate again that the President said he liked the language in the Jeffords bill that passed the Senate. This is the exact language on labeling which is in the Jeffords bill. The President urged the Senate to send him the legislation so he could sign it, as long as the appropriate money was there to implement it. We have, in fact, included $23 million that the FDA requested for this year to do just that. On the issue of contracts. Let me say once again that while we have not included the exact language that the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) wanted, we have in fact included language that does prevent a manufacturer from limiting or entering into any kind of contractor or agreement that prevents the sale or distribution of covered products for reimportation purposes. So all in all I think this is an excellent bill and I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I again thank the chairman for the great job that he has done.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to respond to what my dear friend from California said. Following the section that he read, there is then language that gives the Secretary very broad discretion in adding countries as she, or he in the future, whatever, may desire, subject to safety standards.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Representative Blunt, Representative Clay, Representative Danner, Representative Gephardt, Representative Hulshof, Representative McCarthy, Representative Skelton, Representative Talent and me, I submit the following in the Congressional Record in honor of a Missourian whose career deserve recognition. Cara L. Detring is about to become the first woman president of the American Land Title Association, and this distinction merits notice in the Record for the 106th Congress. The American Land Title Association membership is composed of 2,000 title insurance companies, their agents, independent abstracters and attorneys who search, examine, and insure land titles to protect owners and mortgage lenders against losses from defects in titles. Many of these companies also provide additional real estate information services, such as tax search, flood certification, tax filing, and credit reporting services. These firms and individuals employ nearly 100,000 individuals and operate in every county in he country. Cara's rise does not surprise me or others who know her. A former municipal judge for the city of Farmington for eight years, Mrs. Detring has never shrunk from leadership. As a second-generation title person and a third generation attorney from both sides of her family, Cara currently is President of Preferred Land Title Company, one of the premier title insurance agencies in Missouri with six offices in Farmington, Cape Girardeau, Potosi, Fredericktown, Desloge, and Perryville. Cara is also chairman of the Board of Directors for Metro Title, Inc., President of Preferred Escrow Company, and she still maintains her private law practice focusing on estate planning and real estate law. Cara Detring is a member of the Legal Education Committee of the Missouri Bar Association and was a director on the Board of Meramec Legal Aid Corporation for eight years. And as an example to women, she was named Woman of the Year, 1990, by Women of Today. In 1991, Cara received the ``Title Person of the Year'' award from the Missouri Land Title Association. As a title agent, Cara's responsibilities include assurance through diligent searches of the public record that properties consumers buy come with all ownership rights intact; in other words, come with ``clean'' title. When purchasing a home or other real estate, one actually doesn't receive the land itself. What is acquired is ``title'' to the property--which may be limited by rights and claims asserted by others. Problems with title can limit one's use and enjoyment of real estate, as well as bring financial loss. Title trouble also can threaten the security interest your mortgage lender holds in the property. Protection against hazards of title is available through a unique coverage known as title insurance. Unlike other kinds of insurance that focus on possible future events and charge an annual premium, the insurance is purchased for a one-time payment and is a safeguard against loss arising from hazards and defects already existing in the title. Some examples of instruments that can present concerns include: deeds, wills and trusts that contain improper vesting and incorrect names; outstanding mortgages, judgments and tax liens; and easements or incorrect notary acknowledgments. In spite of all the expertise and dedication that go into a search and examination, hidden hazards can emerge after completion of a real estate purchase, causing an unpleasant and costly surprise. Some examples include a forged deed that transfers no title to real estate; previously undisclosed heirs with claims against the property; and mistakes in the public records. Title insurance offers financial protection against these and other hidden hazards through negotiation by the title insurer with third parties, payment for defending against an attack on title as insured, and payment of claims. As President-elect of ALTA, Cara wants to continue to build the educational, legislative and networking success already achieved by the association. In education, Mrs. Detring wants to make more education and information available at their website, www.alta.org. Legislatively, Cara wants to build on the relationships between title professionals and members of Congress and the agencies. And with respect to networking, Cara wants to make sure that the association has relevant meetings, where vendors and customers can interact and find out the latest way to provide high quality, low cost goods and services in the title insurance and settlement services industries. Cara will rely in part on her experience as president of the Missouri Land Title Association from 1987 until 1988. Not only is Cara president-elect of ALTA, but she also is a member of its Government Affairs Committee, the Finance and Nomination Committees. Cara chairs the Committee on Committees and the Planning Committee. For eight years Cara chaired ALTA's Education Committee. Ms. Detring is a regular speaker and panelist at national and state trade associations, and for 21 years she has served as an instructor at Missouri Land Title Institute (for which she contributed as author of Course I and Course II correspondence courses). Cara is a trustee and member of the Executive Committee for Mineral Area College Foundation, and she instructed Mineral Area College in short courses. Cara's own education included a B.A. in 1972 from the University of Missouri and a J.D. in 1976 from that same school's law school. Apart from ALTA, Cara is involved in the medical field. She is a trustee on the Board of Trustees of Mineral Area Regional Medical Center. Cara received the Excellence in Governance Award in 1999 from the Missouri Hospital Association. She is a Director of Mineral Area Regional Medical Center Foundation Board, member of the MARMC Home Health Board of Directors, and Chairman of the Board and President of HospiceCare, Inc. She served as chairman of the Board of Presbyterian Children's Services. Cara's deep involvement in a wide variety of endeavors testifies to her spirit of charity. In fact, in 1992, Cara received the Good Neighbor Award given by the Farmington Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Detring is married to Terry Detring, an accountant, and they have two children ages 23 and 15. They live on a 320 acre farm in Farmington. I am pleased to submit this statement for the Congressional Record, and I wish Ms. Detring good luck during her term as ALTA President and beyond.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take this opportunity to show my commitment and support to the children's health bill before us today. This comprehensive children's health legislation was cultivated out of several individual bills, including the Healthy Kids 2000 Act that I introduced last year with my colleague Senator Kit Bond. It was a tremendous pleasure working with Representatives Bilirakis and Brown in developing the first version of this comprehensive children's health legislation, and I applaud their dedication and commitment to seeing the important issue of children's health addressed this year. Specifically within this bill, there are three key components that I am especially proud of the conferees for including. The first provision is with respect to safe motherhood. Most Americans are surprised to learn that total maternal mortality has not declined in the United States since 1982. Between 1982 and 1996, the national maternal mortality ratio has remained approximately 7.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Additionally, the CDC estimates that of the 10,000 women who give birth in the United States every day: 2-3 women die from pregnancy-related conditions; 2,100 women experience major pregnancy related complications before labor; 2,500 women have Caesarean section delivery; 2,600 women experience severe labor-related complications. These rates of mortality and morbidity are simply unacceptable. Fortunately, with passage of the children's health bill today, the CDC will now have the ability and resources to increase surveillance research on maternal health issues, and also implement additional prevention and maternal health promotion programs nationwide. A second provision I was pleased to sponsor and support earlier this year with my colleague Representative Lucille Royball-Allard was the folic acid education initiative. This bill contains the authorization of a comprehensive national health education campaign promoting folic acid to prevent serious birth defects. In 1991, research proved that the B vitamin folic acid could prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine, known as neural tube defects [NTDs]. Spina bifida and anencephaly are two common NTDs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] has stated that if all American women of childbearing age consumed 400 micrograms of the B vitamin folic acid each day up to 70 percent of all cases of neural tube defects could be prevented. However, this scientific breakthrough has not been translated into a reduction in neural tube defects because millions of women are not aware of the role of folic acid in preventing NTDs. While public awareness is improving, a majority of women are uninformed about the benefits of folic acid and they are not consuming the recommended daily amount. According to a June 2000 March of Dimes national survey conducted by the Gallup Organizations, only 34 percent of women of childbearing age reported taking a multivitamin with folic acid on a daily basis. The survey also found that 9 out of 10 women do not know that folic acid must be consumed before pregnancy to be effective, and that only 1 in 7 know that folic acid prevents birth defects. This provision outlines the components of a comprehensive national campaign that would enable CDC to assist states and others to develop and implement programs to reduce the incidence of neural tube birth defects which effect an estimated 2,500 babies each year. Lastly, I want to take a moment to express my support for title XXII of the bill, which directs the National Institutes of Health to develop a more coordinated research strategy with regards to muscular dystrophy, giving particular attention to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This form of the disease is the most common and most devastating of the muscular dystrophies. One in 3,500 male children born worldwide will be born with Duchenne and will lose the ability to walk by age 10; however, most children are diagnosed between the ages of two and three. Muscle deterioration will continue in the back and chest making it more and more difficult to breathe. The deterioration process will continue until it takes the life of a child some where in their late teens or early twenties. This is a process that no family should ever have to undergo, and I am happy to see that the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke has been challenged with the task of ensuring a stronger federal focus at NIH towards finding a cure and alternative treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I applaud and thank my colleagues for pushing NIH to take a more responsible role in finding a cure for this devastating disease, and for their commitment to ensuring passage of this important legislation impacting the lives of millions of children throughout the country.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 491, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, on Monday September 18, 2000 1 was unavoidably detained in Southeast Missouri. I was reviewing a critical flood control project with the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Dr. Joe Westphall. Had I been present I would have voted aye on roll call votes 477 and 478.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, PFC Wilson's biography reminds us who fights our nation's wars. They are men and women, from all walks of life, who answer the call to service and, in too many cases, make the ultimate sacrifice. Richard Wilson grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in a family of seven children. He was a good student, a Boy Scout, a football talent, and a Golden Gloves boxer. He took an interest in military service and sought to enlist as soon as he could. On August 19, 1948, on his seventeenth birthday, he enlisted in the Army. Shortly thereafter, he reported to Fort Sam Houston for medical training. He subsequently volunteered for airborne school and reported to Fort Benning, Georgia for training. He was then assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky in a medical company of the 11th Airborne Division. In June of 1950, war broke out in Korea. By late July, Wilson's unit was on alert to deploy to Korea. A final weekend at home on the Fourth of July was his family's last time with him. However, Richard Wilson wanted to marry his sweetheart before he shipped out for the Pacific. So, on August 28, 1950, three days before his departure, PFC Wilson married his sweetheart, Bonnie. He pulled duty during the day and shared a guest cottage at night until his unit shipped out. Bonnie was present to bid him farewell as his train pulled out. Shortly after the Allied landings at Inchon and the liberation of Seoul, Wilson's unit arrived in Korea. His regiment participated in one of the largest airdrops in history on October 20, 1950. The 187th regimental combat team, of which he was a part, dropped behind enemy lines, 30 miles north of Pyongyang to cut-off retreating North Korean Army units. It was a beautiful fall day as they made their landings among rice paddies and took up positions to block retreating enemy units. The afternoon and night of October 20 were quiet. The next day, however, Wilson's unit came under heavy fire from a vastly superior enemy determined to break through and escape to the north. The 187th regimental combat team's mission was to ensure the high ground north of the town of Opari. On the morning of October 21, 1950, as the unit conducted a reconnaissance in force, it was flanked on three sides and forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy casualties. During this action, PFC Wilson rendered life-saving aid to numerous casualties. As his unit prepared to withdraw further, Wilson noticed that one casualty that had been presumed dead was still alive. Despite the orders to withdraw further, Wilson moved to aid and comfort the casualty. As he administered morphine and prepared to dress the casualty's wounds, he was killed by point blank enemy fire. On August 2, 1951, his widow was presented with the Medal of Honor by General Omar Bradley, in recognition of PFC Richard G. Wilson's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. PFC Wilson volunteered to serve his country. He did so honorably. He came to us as a product of a principled family with strong values. He made remarkable contributions to the proud legacy of Army medicine. He bore great burdens with dedication and selflessness. And he was taken from us too soon.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, today I commend the courageous actions of a group of my constituents over the August recess. The Mingo Job Corps Center of Puxico, Missouri sent four crews out West to help fight the forest fires during what has turned out to be one of our nation's worst fire seasons ever. These brave men and women went through intense training, and jumped in with both feet to help put out fires that have engulfed much of the Rocky Mountains. They spent time in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. The Mingo crews, who are between the ages of 18 and 24, never knew the people whose homes and livelihoods they were protecting, yet they spent several weeks risking their lives on their behalf. A few of these folks even went back a second time when they had the opportunity. I commend the following people for their bravery: Bob Waldner, Nicholas Copeland, Wendell Clinton, Grant Potts, Ronnie Coates, Brad Cason, Dewayne Bell, Todd Simpson, Joe King, Chris Kerr, Terrance Cooper, John Thomas, Amber DeWalt, Justin Armstrong, Brian Foster, Kendall Monroe, Chris Elam, William Arnold, Bryan Meyer, Chad Curtis, Craig Tash, Tom Galvin. Sunni Lawson, Jerl Henry, Nathan Zimmerman, William LaChance, Darrell Reynolds, Dana Nimrod, John Bressler, James Parker, James Brantley, Robbie Parratt, Jacob Wegenka, Ivie Rush, Vincent Dawson, Kathleen Knowles, Jesse Horn, Scott Clayton, Steven Yokel, Bridget Jackson, Daniel Sneckenberg, Brandon Keyser, Pam Denkins, Sarah Degrande. David Hogue, Robbie Parratt, Jason Wilhite, James Brantley, Don Riggle, Neil Ayers, David Grobe, Ryan Simino, Willie Jones, Douglas Phillips, Franklin McLean, Anthony Neal, Lori Moore, Keith Colville, Justin Shields, Jerermy Thompson, Angie Hammond, Billy Pratt, James Fritts, Jonathan McClenton, Gary Pogue, Rob Barth. Thank you for your courageous and selfless acts. I salute you.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, today I salute Zion Lutheran Church in their 135th year of service to the community of Gordonville, Missouri. Zion Lutheran Church was organized in 1865 by a group of local farmers who were German immigrants. They secured their first pastor, Reverend Polack, who led the church through the early years. Their first church building was erected soon after the official organization of the church on August 13th. The earliest recorded minutes date back to 1870 where the evidence of the congregation's German heritage was strong. The founders often kept the church records in German or a mix between German and English. And why not, since the services were in German through the first 50 years, and the congregation was filled with mostly German immigrants. However, even a church is affected by war, and the pressure to speak English during World War I caused the church to adapt. Until 1920, Zion maintained its strong ties to the German homeland, but the congregation knew times were changing when its first English confirmation service was held. Today, services are held in English, but the church seal and an inscription on the church bell, still in German, remind them of their long and storied past. In the neighboring cemetery, many of Gordonville's German immigrants were buried, and their descendants remain members of the church to this day. I commend Zion Lutheran Church for its strength and longevity, and expect this church may be recognized sometime again in this body many years from now.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I want to rise today in support of the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government appropriations bill. I really want to congratulate the chairman and ranking member, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), and their staffs for the incredibly hard work they have done on getting this bill to the House floor today in not the most easy of circumstances, but they have really shown what teamwork is like and working together across the aisle to try to achieve the best results with resources that are scarce. I want to also say that this bill goes a long way towards tightening our borders, making our streets safer, and fighting the war on drugs. It takes important steps towards these goals by increasing the budgets of the Customs Service, the Secret Service, and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas. I think the legislation continues to show Congress's strong commitment toward winning the war on drugs. Through the funding of HIDTAs and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, we are making a strong statement that we will not give up on this fight and that we will take any and all steps necessary to make sure that our children and our Nation are drug free. I just want to say that, coming from a very rural area in southern Missouri, I know firsthand the problems that drugs and specifically methamphetamine can cause for families for a region and for a State. We are currently in the midst of a methamphetamine epidemic, Mr. Speaker. It endangers our children both from its use and from the violence associated with it by endangering our youth; then meth endangers the very future of Missouri and of our very Nation. I must say that our local law enforcement officials have their hands full and are looking for any additional resources to assist them in stopping the spread of this awful drug. With 1.1 million acres of the Mark Twain National Forest, I can tell my colleague it is a haven for methamphetamine production. Anything we can do to put funds toward more law enforcement to monitor this area would be very, very helpful. I really do think the HIDTA program has been a key factor in assisting our law enforcement officials to get this problem under control. I think that this is one of the most important programs that we fund in the Treasury-Postal bill. I would hope that if any additional resources come our way that we could revisit the HIDTA appropriation at some time. And I am hopeful that that will be done. I again want to thank the chairman for his hard work and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for his hard work, and I look forward to working with both of them through the process.

Mrs. EMERSON. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. I commend the gentleman and appreciate very much his explanation of the whole issue of safety, because we have got to get a handle on this issue once and for all, and I cannot bear to tell my constituents one more time that if they go to Canada or if they go to Mexico, they can get this drug for one-third to two-thirds less than they would pay here. It is not fair for those people, and it is not fair that our American consumers are subsidizing the rest of the world. I thank the gentleman and I urge, again, strong support for this amendment.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment, as well. It is really critical that we do something about the discrepancy in prices of prescription drugs in Mexico, Canada, and even in Europe as far as the prices that our senior citizens in rural Missouri are getting. We do not live close to any of the borders, just like the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) said. However, I have got more constituents than I can mention, and one comes to mind whose son has a very severe case of epilepsy. The only way she can afford the epilepsy medicine is to go to Canada to get it. It is a big problem because she is always scared of being punished by this government for having to do that, but she wants her son to be well, and she otherwise could not afford the drugs. So this is very important. This is very similar to the legislation that the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry), the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) and I introduced, the International Prescription Drug Parity Act, which would allow wholesalers, distributors, and pharmacists to reimport drugs back into the United States, subject to FDA safety regulations. It is very important because we must deal with the issue of price before we deal with the issue of prescription drug coverage. I think most people would agree with that. I do, however, want to ask the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) a couple of things, particularly with regard to the safety factor, because I cannot tell from the way his amendment is written if it is as tough with regard to safety as our legislation is. Would the gentleman tell me about how the FDA would oversee or regulate the drugs that are reimported back into the United States, if he would?

Mrs. EMERSON. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I was attending my daughter's high school graduation and missed the following recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``no'' on rollcall vote 292, ``no'' on rollcall vote 293, ``no'' on rollcall vote 294, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 295, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 296, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 297.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, let me close by commenting on the remarks of our colleague, the gentleman from Colorado. As the cochairman of the Rural Caucus with my very dear friend, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), I am a little taken aback. It strikes me as something that is very important to say, because everywhere I go in rural America, it does not matter, in my district, which is 26 counties of very, very rural and somewhat remote areas, the economic prosperity that seems to be pervasive in the suburbs and in some of the cities is nowhere to be found. The Federal government reimburses our hospitals for Medicare at a fraction of what the cities get. We have hospitals closing right and left. We have folks in my district who cannot get local TV, who cannot get cable TV, who have no means by which to find out what happens in an emergency. Education funds are lacking, infrastructure funds are lacking. Everything that we want to do to preserve our heritage, to preserve the very heart and soul of the country, is what my colleagues are all talking about. I would ask our colleagues to please make sure that we defeat the amendment offered by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley).

Mrs. EMERSON. I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I want to rise in support of this bill today and thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen) for his strong leadership on issues of importance to America's farmers and ranchers. My friend, the gentleman from New Mexico, has been a great champion of agriculture as chairman of this subcommittee, and it has been an honor for me to serve with him, as it is for me to serve with the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), our ranking member. She has done an extraordinary job as well, and that not only shows in her dedication to the support of American agriculture. Mr. Chairman, this is an extraordinarily difficult time for America's farmers and ranchers, as everyone who has spoken today has said. We are in the midst of our third straight year of low commodity prices and third year of financial hardship on the farm. And when we factor in the other challenges that our producers are facing, agricultural embargoes, consolidation of big agribusiness companies, punitive and heavy-handed overregulation by the Environmental Protection Agency and Fish and Wildlife, it is really very clear that farmers and ranchers have their backs up against the wall. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) recognizes the problems in farm country and the legislation that is before us today represents a lot of hard work by the entire committee. But it does not do everything I like. I particularly want to associate myself with the words of the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) with regard to the issue of agriculture embargoes which the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt) has championed so well. I just pray that our leaders follow through on their commitment to us, all of us, to make sure that that part of lifting of sanctions gets put into legislation and gets passed by the Congress this week. I do have to say, though, I think that this bill is an important step forward and it does a pretty good job of balancing all of the different needs of agriculture. I am particularly pleased that the bill fully funds the TEFAP program. It increases funding for rural America through the Rural Community Advancement Program, so very, very important for rural America. It also maintains a firm commitment to agriculture research, which obviously is very, very important to the long-term productivity and profitability of our producers. Mr. Chairman, in short, I have to say, while we all would like additional funds for our agriculture programs, and I include myself among that, this bill does do a lot of good for American agriculture and moves the process forward. So, I would urge a ``yes'' vote on the legislation.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for those kind words. I want to say for the record that I hate this rule. I hate the fact that all of us have worked so hard and passed something that would mean a great deal to the American farmer, and still will mean a great deal to the farmer; but I have to say, too, that it is important to move to process forward. Let me just digress for a minute here. This evening the Faith & Politics Institute held the first-ever Bill Emerson-Walter Capps Civility Lecture Series, and we asked George Mitchell to come and address the group tonight to talk about the peace process in Ireland. He was incredible and so eloquent, and he talked about how it took a year and a half, a year and a half, before he got any movement at all. He sat in a room that long. Now, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt) has done a magnificent job talking and working hard on this issue, as have the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), as well as all of our Democratic friends. There is so much passion about this, as there was so much passion with the British and the Irish in those rooms with Senator Mitchell. And he got them to move forward, as they did. Not in a perfect sense whatsoever, because it took a year and a half. We have spent maybe tens of hours talking, and we have gotten a compromise that gives something to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), and it gives an awful lot to our American farmers. It is not perfect, but it cracks the door open. And if we can just crack the door open a little bit, other things will follow. So as much as I would love to vote against this rule, I am not going to do that because I think it is more important to not only follow through on our commitment, that when we give our word, as the Speaker and the leadership have given their word to us, we will in turn give our word to them that that is the most important thing and that this will happen. I would ask my colleagues who are not as happy about this to remember that little baby steps make a big difference in the long run, and that while we cannot get everything we want today, it does not mean that we will not tomorrow.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Personal point of privilege, Mr. Speaker.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, is that poster eligible to be displayed on the House floor? Can the Speaker answer my question as to whether or not the quote that is in poster form on the other side of the Chamber is going to be allowed in the Chamber here to be shown to everybody? Because if the Speaker is going to allow that, then I would like to make a clarification on one point in that quote.

Mrs. EMERSON. Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker.