Jo Ann Emerson

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).

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

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I would like to ask my good friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan), one question, please. If soft money is so corrupting, why then does the gentleman allow any soft money to be legal in this bill?

Mrs. EMERSON. Yes.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the tremendous chairman of the Committee on House Administration.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In November of 2000, on the night of my reelection, I told my constituents that I firmly supported meaningful campaign finance reform. That position has not changed and it will not change. I know how hard the sponsors of this bill have worked, and I want to commend them for it; but if our goal is to reduce the influence of soft money, this bill does not go far enough. This bill is not true campaign finance reform. This bill is campaign finance hide and seek. The fact of the matter is soft money will seek a place to hide, and there is a place to hide in this bill, dark enough and big enough to provide cover for mountains of soft money. This bill provides that cover for obscene amounts of money without Federal disclosure, without Federal reporting and in total darkness. This is hide and seek at its best or its worst. In my home State of Missouri, it means for example that 10 corporations and 10 unions could give over $10 million of soft money to each party each year. If creating that loophole were not bad enough, Shays-Meehan creates an even bigger loophole by allowing Members of Congress, us, to raise unlimited soft money from 501(c) tax-exempt organizations. That is an outrage and even Senator McCain did not support that loophole. Labor unions worry that corporate soft money is killing our political system, and business interests worry that unions and union soft money is killing our political system. In fact, the fact of the matter is that the flood of soft money from both sides, from both sides drowns out the only voices which are important. Those are the voices of the American people. The only way to allow the voices of the American people to be heard is to totally ban all soft money. Let us support true campaign finance reform, reform that closes all the loopholes. Let us get rid of the Levin loophole. Let us get rid of the midnight loophole to solicit 501(c) organizations, and let us ban all soft money. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. EMERSON. I hate soft money.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment as the designee of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey).

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, how much time do I have remaining?

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the remaining time. Back a couple of amendments ago, I heard the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan) talk about the corruption of soft money and how we do not have a prescription drug bill for senior citizens because of soft money, and his bill does not ban it. In the gentleman's bill there are big huge loopholes for obscene amounts of money from pharmaceutical companies, from unions, from whomever to keep us from doing good legislation. If we are really serious about this, we will ban all soft money now and forever. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. EMERSON. Wait, stop, everyone.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I would like to just have a very short answer from the gentleman.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, earlier this fall I was invited to share a Red-Ribbon Week Message with students in Missouri's Eighth Congressional District. Although my congressional responsibilities required me to remain in Washington, I wanted to share with our students why I believe its so important to learn from your parents, teachers, community leaders and your peers about the danger of drugs and why you should stay away from drugs--now and forever. I know that it seems like parents, educators, and grownups have been telling you forever that drugs lead you one way--the wrong way. You might even think that you've heard it all before and that we are nagging you because we keep bringing it up. I mean you get it from everywhere right? Your parents tell you at the dinner table about the dangers of drugs. Your teachers tell you at school that drugs lead you to a life of loss and destruction. And others, like your local law enforcement officers tell you that drugs lead to death and destruction. Well, you know that? They are all right. And believe it or not, they aren't hollering at you just because they have to, they are hollering at you because they love and care about you and they want you to have productive, happy and healthy lives. Now, even though I think parents, teachers, and other grown ups are doing a good job of warning you about the dangers of drug use, I believe kids can help keep other kids from using drugs. In fact, I think that each of you can lead the way in the fight against drugs by teaming up and sending the rest of America a message. The message is this--not everyone is trying drugs and using drugs is not normal. And to prove that point, you aren't going to use drugs--and neither are your friends. It works like this. Imagine that you are at a party or just hanging out with a group of kids after school. Someone, maybe even another student, starts smoking marijuana. They ask you to join in. They tell you it's great, that it won't hurt you and that you are a loser if you say no. What would you do? You know deep down that the best thing to do is say no and walk away. But as a mom, and believe it or not, someone who was once a kid, I know that it's really tough to be the only one that says no. You feel alone and you feel like everyone else won't think you're very cool. But you know what? If you, as friends make a pact to be a team--to say no and leave--then you have made a real statement. Not only are drugs not okay for you, but they aren't okay for your friends either. These tips and suggestions were developed by students like you. They call it, ``keepin it REAL.'' And for them, REAL stands for: R. Refuse--a simple ``no'' goes a long way--but it goes even further when you all say ``no'' together. E: Explain--You can say, ``I am not that kind of person, or that is not for us.'' And if you are forceful, your ``no'' will go a very long way. A: Avoid--You know just as well as the police and others, that there are places where the likelihood that drugs are around is more prevalent in some places than others. If you know where those places are, then you'll know to avoid them. In other words, stay away. L: Leave--Like the story I mentioned earlier, you can leave--and you should leave. You can keep it real, and you can get some of the support you need in that effort from your parents, your teachers, your teammates and others in the community. One of the organizations in your area that is helping out is PAWSPT/Narc with a Bark. PAWSPT or Prevention Awareness With Students, Parents and Teachers is a unique program using trained canines to sniff out drugs in your school. They also come into your schools to teach you about the danger of drug use. The program is run by Rosa and Doug Wallis and is a great effort on their part to open up the lines of communications about drugs and drug use prevention. I encourage every one of you to learn more about what they've been doing to help keep drugs out of your schools. Mr. Speaker, before I go, I want to leave the children of Missouri's Eighth District and the children of our Nation with one more thought. You students are the most valuable and important resource that we have--you are the future leaders of our country. But this year, more than 2.4 million students just like you will try drugs. But if you all team up and stand together to refuse, explain, avoid, and leave drug- related situations, then you have a REAL chance to have a wonderful life full of promise, hope and success. I believe you can do it and so do your teachers, parents, and your community leaders. We're depending on you and if you need help, then I hope you know, you can depend on us.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, H. Jackson Brown Jr's book On Success reminds us to ``remember that overnight success usually takes about fifteen years.'' Well, if that is the case, then Mary E. Bess is an overnight success and then some. Having served the Madison Medical Center in Fredericktown for 25 years, Mary is retiring and leaving her position as Chief Financial Officer of the Center. As Mary retires and leaves the day to day work at the Madison Medical Center, she leaves an indelible mark on the entire Madison County region. For 25 years she has dedicated her professional life to improving health care affordability, accessibility and service. Her contributions have been a source of great pride and satisfaction for the Madison Medical Center and have resulted in such community-wide recognition as the Administrative Management Award for her hard work as a health care provider in Madison County. There is no doubt that Mary, a graduate of Greenville High School, who has spent a great deal of time and energy helping others, will not simply rest on laurels now that she is retiring. Instead, I'm sure that she will spend time on both new activities and favorite pastimes. Specifically, I am referring to enjoying time with those people who mean the most to her--her husband Hershel and her children, David and Dennis. But most of all, I am certain that those individuals who will benefit the most from her retirement will be her four grandchildren: Mallory, Chelsea, David Scott and Dustin. It's often been said that success is not measured by great wealth or material treasures. Instead, success is measured on the person you are, the life you live, and how your life influences the lives of others. If that is true, and I believe that it is, then we are all richer for knowing Mary Bess. While Mary may be leaving the Madison Medical Center, her contributions to the organization are timeless and will endure. She leaves the Madison Medical Center far stronger, smarter and richer than it was when she joined it and that is a legacy for which she can be proud. Mr. Speaker, on this very special occasion, I ask that all of my colleagues join me in congratulating Mary on this milestone and wish her every happiness for the future.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I feel very strongly about everything the gentlewoman is proposing. Perhaps in conference or in the Senate, perhaps someone can help us find the extra money. At this time I am afraid that I would not be doing right by my farmers, but I appreciate it.

Mrs. EMERSON. I am feeling guilty. Mr. Chairman, I totally agree that we have to make a much larger monetary investment in rural America, but beyond the traditional commodity programs that have been a staple of our farm bills in the past, because it is critical that we develop a lasting infrastructure.

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I want to take a few minutes here to commend my fellow co-chair of the Rural Caucus for her incredible work on this amendment, as well as my colleague and other fellow member of the Rural Caucus, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson). This is very, very important; and it is particularly important because I do not think that the current farm bill or the newly written Farm Security Act, while substantially increasing the funds for rural development, quite frankly, they do not go far enough. As one who represents the largest district geographically in the State of Missouri, the poorest district, and one which is heavily reliant not only on agriculture but also on tourism, mining, and the forest products industry, we are seeing very tough times in rural America. Not only do we need access to the Internet; we have a desperate need for critical health care services, for a transportation system that is safe and reliable; fundamental needs, as the gentleman from New Jersey was stating, like safe drinking water. These are basic things that folks in suburban areas are very accustomed to, but we do not have them in the rural parts of this country. In saying that, I know that the Clayton-Peterson amendment commits substantial amounts of money to infrastructure. I would like to ask the gentlewoman from North Carolina to elaborate a little bit on that.

Mrs. EMERSON. I thank the gentlewoman, and it is kind of like a quiver through my heart when I say to her, what about all of my farmers who have large, or not large, but medium-sized farms by, I guess, Western standards? The part that worries me about that, I think the amendment is tremendous, but it is costly. I worry about my rice farmers, my cotton farmers, people who are hanging on by a little thread, and the extra money we would have to take away with that. I want desperately to be able to support this, Mr. Chairman.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. I want to thank Chairman Combest and Ranking Member Stenholm for working endlessly on the Farm Security Act of 2001. I want them to know that I think they have done a superb job. I think it is an excellent bill. The producers in my district think it is an excellent bill, in spite of what some other people might say. I sincerely appreciate their efforts to include the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program in the trade title of the farm bill. Missouri's own Harry Truman joined 20,000 Americans on May the 8th, 1946, in sending food donations to victims and survivors of World War II. Many of these recipients were children. And when the packages reached the port at LeHavre, France, it was clear that the folks in the U.S. had joined forces to help those in need, something that Americans have always done at home and abroad. We are fortunate to have overcome the scars of starvation experienced in World War II here in this country, but the battle against hunger and for survival still exists today. We know the school lunch program here in America has made a genuine difference in the lives of hungry children; but, unfortunately, children in other countries are still starving. Three hundred million poor children are undernourished, and 35,000 children die every day from hunger-related disease and illness. A hungry child cannot learn. I am very, very proud of the bill that my colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), and I introduced, the George McGovern and Bob Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Act of 2001, which is loosely based on our American School Lunch Program, which was originally sponsored in the United States Senate by Senator Dole and Senator McGovern, who are known worldwide for being champions of ending hunger. Now, the Food for Education Act would make permanent a pilot program for commodity donations that was established during the 106th Congress. This is truly a win-win endeavor for the United States. Not only are we able to feed children here at home and in poor countries, but we also use surpluses from our farmers and producers, and that helps strengthen their bottom lines at a time when our farmers are truly hurting. Additionally, it strengthens farm prices, and we all know that aid does lead to trade. So I just want to thank the chairman and the ranking member once again for including this very, very important piece of legislation within the bill.

Mrs. EMERSON

Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the unanimous consent request just agreed to, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 225) expressing the sense of the Congress that, as a symbol of solidarity following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, every United States citizen is encouraged to display the flag of the United States, and ask for its immediate consideration.