Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I continue yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone].

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent during rollcall vote 355. If present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 355.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent during rollcall vote 352. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall 352.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise not to praise a person, but rather the spirit of a group of people--the residents of the Bronx. My borough, where I was born, live and which I am proud now to represent in the House of Representatives, became a regular stop in Presidential politics as a symbol of inner city decay and was nationally televised during a World Series game as burning. The borough became an example of desolation for Hollywood. When people said Bronx Zoo they meant it as a term of derision, not the world famous facility it is. But throughout it all the people of the Bronx knew how to work with sparse resources, how to work together, and how to go the distance. Community groups joined to make the most of what was available. Through their perseverance they showed what could be accomplished by keeping their eye on the prize and not on the distractions. The hard work of our people showed they cared deeply about their home county. They worked on the problems that plague all American cities: crime, poverty, inadequate education, and homelessness among others. They worked for 20 years and their work has now been recognized by the National Civic League and the Allstate Foundation which named the Bronx one of 10 All American Cities. Now the world knows what we Bronxites have known for a while--the Bronx is back and better than ever. Being named an All American City is a cheer for the Bronx from the rest of the country which is richly deserved.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak in praise of a special woman whose life is an inspiration to others and who is a cornerstone of the African-American community in Yonkers. Because of this and for many other reasons, Mary A. Bunch has been named Grand Matriarch of the 1997 African-American Heritage Celebration. Mrs. Bunch was born in Florida in 1925 and knew at an early age that she wanted to serve people. While still young she was influenced by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Howard Thurman, two eminent educators who became her mentors. They encouraged her to pursue her education and after she graduated from the Brylin-Haven Christian School for Girls in Florida, she moved to the Bronx. There she married Thomas Bunch, now deceased, and they had four children. She was active in her children's education and worked in many areas with young girls, including the Girl Scouts, and also in the Salvation Army. In 1965, the Messiah Baptist Church was one of the first to host the Head Start Program and Mrs. Bunch was one of the first to work in it. She quickly rose to head teacher and was the first individual in Yonkers certified as a child development associate, someone qualified to teach with young children. She taught until her retirement 3 years ago. Even now she continues her good works at Rosary Hill with the incurably ill, with seniors at the Nepperhan Community Center, and at the Messiah Baptist Church School. For her many achievements, her basic decency and her inspiration to the young she richly deserves this honor.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the growth of our communities is accomplished through the good works of those people who give of themselves so earnestly and so well, whose contributions cover so many areas that they permeate the whole community. One of these rare people is Thomas Worrell who has been named the 1997 Heritage Celebration Grand Marshal by the Yonkers African-American Heritage Celebration. The reasons for his selection are obvious. Mr. Worrell is Great, Grand Exalted Ruler of the Terrace City Lodge of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World which has a long tradition of serving lunches for senior citizens and teaching responsibility to youngsters. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, being discharged in 1949. He married Gloria Dias and together they have six children. Mr. Worrell, who worked for a local trucking company, was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, serving for 15 of his 47 years in the union as a shop steward. He also joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to fight segregation. In his years with the Terrace City Lodge, Mr. Worrell helped it to grow from a storefront to the eminent institution it is today. He has passed his passion for helping to his two sons. Robert serves the Elks as Chief Antler of Council 57. Thomas III serves as president of the Samuel H. Dow Fife and Drum Corps. There are few as worthy as Mr. Worrell to be named Heritage Grand Marshal.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I want to add my voice to say good-bye, not really good-bye, but of course good-bye from Washington, to someone that I have worked very, very closely with. The gentlewoman from New York, Ms. Susan Molinari and I cochaired the Albanian Issues Caucus. We worked very closely together on a number of things. The gentleman from New York, Mr. Bill Paxon and I came to Congress together after serving in the New York State Assembly together. In fact, I served in the Assembly with Guy Molinari as well. We know Susan is a very, very special person. When we went to Kosovo together that first time, it was the gentlemen from New York, Mr. Bill Paxon, and Mr. Peter King, the gentlewoman from New York, Ms. Susan Molinari, and myself. When Sue and Bill said they were getting married, I wondered if it was the Moon over Kosovo that brought them together, or the time we were in that hotel and there was no heat or hot water, we figured that might have had something to do with bringing the two of them together. We are going to miss you, but we know we are still going to see you. I want to remind you, Susan and Bill, that when you announced that you were getting married, I said the Bible says be fruitful and multiply and that I wished you a number of children. I just want to remind everybody that I said my wish for Bill and Susan was that they would have many, many children and that their children would all grow up to be good Democrats.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. ENGEL. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I will not object, but I was here on the floor before and wanted to add just a couple of words to the tribute to Betty Shabazz. Betty Shabazz was my constituent for many years in Mount Vernon, NY, and was truly a friend and a great lady, and I stood up before, but I was not seen, and so I wanted to just very briefly say a few words on her behalf and ask that my words be put into the Record behind Mr. Rangel's remarks. I last saw Betty Shabazz in my district at a church in a celebration, a ceremony, dealing with United States and African relations and investment in Africa. I have known Betty for many years, am familiar with her work and education and caring about young people and caring about the future of this country. I want to say that Betty Shabazz was truly a woman of valor, truly a woman who was color-blind and cared about all Americans, regardless of race, creed, color, or religious origin. Her life personified, I think, what makes this country great, how someone can take adversity in their own personal lives and just move themselves forward, going to school and getting her doctorate and sharing what she knew with the community. I remember sitting next to her last year at the Democratic National Convention, and we chatted about all the things that she cared about, and I just wanted to add my voice to say that we truly miss her already. She was a great woman, but her legacy will live on. She cared not only about the people in my district again, but about all people, and I represent the communities of Mount Vernon, NY and Yonkers, NY in which she lived, and she really made us all proud.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment. Certainly the events of today have shown us that we need to have an amendment. What this simply does is it suspends aid to the Palestinian Authority for 90 days at which point the President has to certify that certain compliance is being met. I think it is fair and it is reasonable. If peace is going to exist, both sides have to fulfill commitments. Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian Authority cannot turn a blind eye to terrorism. They must make sure that terrorism is controlled by cooperation with the Israelis. This is a good step in that direction.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for putting forth this resolution with the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman]. All people of goodwill are outraged at the terrorist bombings that happened today in Jerusalem. All people of goodwill throughout the world cannot and will not tolerate acts of terrorism. Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian authorities have to understand that there is a limit to people's patience, that the United States supports and helps facilitate the peace process, but if all sides are not actively working towards peace, there unfortunately can be no peace. I think it is not a coincidence, Mr. Speaker, that as the peace process has seemed in the last few days to perhaps get back on track, American envoy Dennis Ross is going to the Middle East, it is not a coincidence that these bombings happened because the people that are doing this want to disrupt the peace process, they want to disrupt peace. They do not want to see peace happening. We cannot allow them to succeed. However, Mr. Arafat has to stop talking out of 16 sides of his mouth. He has to stop mouthing certain words and saying he supports peace while at the same time he and some of his ministers and some of the people in the highest ranks of the Palestinian Authority are fanning the fires of terrorism by winking, or looking the other way, or keeping the rhetoric going and showing that they are dissatisfied, and when the terrorist attack inevitably happens, they say, ``Well, it wasn't me. My hands are clean. It wasn't me.'' But what has Mr. Arafat done to prevent it? What has he done to try to stop terrorism from occurring? The Palestinians arrest people who they know are terrorists and then they release them. It is a revolving door system of justice. This has gone on and on and on for months and even years. So until the Palestinian Authority and Mr. Arafat and his people are serious about combating terrorism, terrorism will never be eradicated. The Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Netanyahu, said many, many times that the people of Israel do not expect 100 percent results in combating terrorism, but they certainly expect 100 percent effort. We in the Congress, we in the United States feel the same way. If the effort is not made, then terrorism will not be eradicated, and Mr. Arafat cannot have it both ways. We in the U.S. Congress provide a lot of funding. In MEPFA we provide money to keep the peace process going. I support the peace process very, very much, but I must say that our patience is wearing thin. We cannot keep saying and making excuses and saying, ``Well, OK, we're going to keep providing money, let's overlook this incident because it really wasn't Arafat's fault, and let's overlook that incident because it really wasn't his fault.'' How many times can we overlook it until we say enough is enough? So I would personally like to serve notice on Mr. Arafat and the PLO, and I think by this resolution we are serving notice, that our American patience is wearing thin and money will not continue to flow unless there is an absolute commitment to eradicating terrorism. Again, a 100- percent commitment, a 100-percent effort, not necessarily a 100-percent results, but if they have a 100-percent effort, they will approach a 100-percent results. But if they are not making the effort, they will never have the results. And so I think that we have to ensure that Arafat and his people go after the terrorists, stop the revolving door of justice. Enough is enough. Too many innocent people have been killed, men, women and children. Terrorism is never an acceptable vehicle for negotiations, and that is what the Palestinians are doing. They are using the spectrum of terrorism to kind of hold it over everybody's head and say that if we do not like what is happening, we are going to use rhetoric to say, ``Well, you know terrorism might happen because we don't like what the Israeli government is doing.'' That is what the Palestinians are saying. Well, terrorism is not acceptable, it never will be acceptable, we in the Congress will not accept it, and by passing this resolution we are sending word to Mr. Arafat enough is enough, our patience is wearing thin. My heart goes out to all those massacred today, to all those maimed today and to the Israeli people. The United States of America will stand by Israel and the fight against terrorism.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent during rollcall vote 307. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 307.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for House Concurrent Resolution 81, a resolution calling for an early initiative to resolve the longstanding conflict on Cyprus. Twenty-two years ago, Turkey invaded the sovereign Republic of Cyprus, capturing almost 40 percent of the island and driving more than 200,000 Cypriots from their land. Today, in one of the most heavily armed areas on Earth, more than 30,000 Turkish troops continue to occupy the northern part of the island. Congress, further, still awaits a report by the President on the fate of 5 Americans and more than 1,500 others missing in the wake of the Turkish invasion. The Presidential investigation and upcoming report are being prepared pursuant to a bill I authored in the 103d Congress. Clearly, the status quo on Cyprus is unacceptable. In 1995, the House of Representatives took an important step in the effort to promote a resolution of the long-standing Cypriot conflict. By passing a resolution which I sponsored calling for the demilitarization of Cyprus, Congress presented an option which would reduce tensions and help remove the oppressive Turkish troops. Today, Congress is again taking a leading role. In the important resolution now under consideration, Congress urges the President to launch an initiative, in coordination with the United Nations, the European Union, and interested governments to promote a speedy resolution of the Cyprus problem. President Clinton has already taken the first steps in this regard. By appointing former Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, who negotiated the Dayton Accord on Bosnia, to the post of Special Envoy for Cyprus, the President has selected one of the most able negotiators to handle one of the world's most difficult disputes. With the hopeful entry of Cyprus into the European Union and the recent meeting in New York between Republic of Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, it is my hope that a new, sustained effort to solve the Cyprus dispute will now help to bring this sad conflict to a just resolution. I commend Chairman Ben Gilman and Ranking Minority Member Lee Hamilton of the International Relations Committee for their fine work on House Concurrent Resolution 81 and urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent during rollcall vote 267. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall 267.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is with great enthusiasm that I recognize the efforts of a group of dedicated activists from Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties who undertook a 5-day bicycle trip from New York to Washington in support of the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act [ISTEA]. On June 4th this determined group of people, led by Greenburgh Town Supervisor, Paul Feiner, and joined by my constituent Leonard Morgenstern, arrived in Washington to bring the message of ISTEA to their national representatives. The message is clear: We must ensure that transportation alternatives and environmental quality initiatives remain fully funded in ISTEA reauthorization. The efforts of this group highlight the foundation of ISTEA which is the use of intermodal transportation. ISTEA funding has never been solely intended for highway construction. My own State of New York has been a leader in building a diverse infrastructure which enables our residents to use alternative transportation sources. In recognition of the efforts of those I have mentioned, as well as Gus DeSilva, David Kraker, Michael Ferrato, Joseph Ippolito, Carl Kulo, Lynn Gorski, Richard Sibley, Jeff Ziffer, David Gordon, I urge my colleagues to resolve that the reauthorization of ISTEA will maintain its dedication to environmental quality and transportation alternatives.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, for many years, a plan has been in development to build the Ellis Island Family History Center, a facility equipped with a data base which visitors of Ellis Island can access to learn about their immigrant ancestors. The Center would provide passenger lists and ship manifests for the millions of visitors who travel to Ellis Island searching for a piece of their past. Upon completion the Family History Center would contain almost 30 million records. This project has been listed by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service as one of their highest priorities, and it has been allowed to languish for too many years. Various groups, including the Ellis Island Restoration Commission, which has served as a consultant to the Department of the Interior, have compiled a data base of almost 8 million records. Yet, no action has been taken to put all of these records to any use. Some may wonder why this project has been delayed. The answer is this: Over the objections of many distinguished members of this body as well as some officials at the Department of the Interior, a contract was signed between the Department of the Interior and the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation for the construction of the Center. The foundation's employees have raised millions of dollars for this project. In fact, recent financial reports show the Statute of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation has almost $30 million in the bank, but the foundation has failed to present an actual plan which would justify their salaries. Why hasn't the Department of the Interior put pressure on the foundation to complete the Center? This very issue was addressed at a 1992 subcommittee hearing when representatives of the National Park Service testified, incredibly, that since its inception, the foundation had raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $360 to $370 million of or the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. However the National Park Service representatives also testified that ``[the National Park Service] has had to go hat-in-hand asking for dollars that are due the Park Service and due the project, simply because the structure of the Foundation, does not give us an opportunity to exercise oversight on the receipt or the expenditure of that money.'' That was 1992. It is now 1997 and the time has come for some action on this project. Our distinguished colleague in the other body, Carl Levin has been active on this issue and has contacted Secretary Babbitt asking for some assistance. The Secretary's reply, dated June 9, 1997 states: ``no formal plan exists'' for the project. By way of comparison I should inform my colleagues that, currently there is a photographic exhibit of the history of Italian-American immigrants being displayed a Ellis Island in cooperation with the Italian government. The Balch Foundation, which has compiled millions of immigration record for the National Archives, agreed to create a database of approximately half-a-million Italian American records for use in conjunction with the photographs. The time that it took the Balch Foundation from its first contact by the Italian Government to the installation of the database at Ellis Island for use in the exhibit was approximately 2 weeks. For millions of our Nation's citizens the search for their roots brings them to Ellis Island. The Family History Center would provide Ellis Island's visitors with a tangible link to their past. However, at the present pace it seems likely that this project will never be realized. I hope that the House of Representatives will work with me to have the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior to either urge the Foundation to act on the Family History Center or award the contract to an organization that will.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment. I was back in my office listening to the debate, and I really felt that I would not forgive myself if I did not come to the floor and add my voice to those who were saying that this is not an amendment that this House should vote for. I think this is a basic philosophical difference. Some of my colleagues, well-intentioned, have the attitude that any government is bad, that the Federal Government is bad, that somehow or other government and programs of government are inherently evil. I do not come from that perspective. We are one great Nation. We are 50 States, but we are one great Nation. And, certainly, the National Endowment for the Humanities teaches us that we are one great Nation, we have so much in common, that there is so much to preserve, that there is so much that we need as a Nation to bring us closer together. The National Endowment for the Humanities does that. It is the largest source of support for the humanities nationwide. Federal support is vital in order for the infrastructure of humanities to continue to exist. The next largest source of giving for humanities is the Mellon Foundation, which gives about $30 million annually, compared to $110 million for the NEH. Government is important when the private sector cannot do the kinds of things that we need it to do. The NEH, to me, is public and private partnership working at its best. It gives grants that stimulate various humanities projects. Without these grants, without the seed money, these projects would never come to fruition. We are one great Nation. We are a great country. We have a Federal Government. The Federal Government should be doing the kinds of things, in my opinion, that the National Endowment for the Humanities does. Now projects like collecting and editing the papers of the Nation's Presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Grant, Eisenhower, would more than likely stop production, many would close down all together if the NEH was abolished. NEH funding is often the lifeblood of support for such large, complex research undertakings. A half million American school children would be deprived of the benefits of being taught by the thousands of humanities teachers who each year refresh their knowledge and understanding of humanities in our great Nation by attending NEH-sponsored summer seminars and institutes. The NEH, as my colleagues have said, is a good buy. The cost to each American is only 42 cents a year, which is one one-hundredth of 1 percent of the Federal budget. The activities of the State humanities councils all across America would probably close, most would go out of business, if this amendment were to pass. Some of my colleagues might say, ``Well, so what? If it cannot be sustained by the private sector, let it close.'' But I think this is a very, very shortsighted attitude. If things can be sustained by the private sector, then they well ought to be. But, again, if we can have this public-private partnership that works, why would we not want to reward success? This is a program that has been working. It has not been a failure. Where there are Government programs that have been failures, we should eliminate them. When there is too much fat in the budget, we should cut the fat. But when there is a program that is working, like the National Endowment for the Humanities, we ought to be strengthening these programs, not cutting their legs out from under them. Access to humanities programming would be closed off to millions of Americans in rural areas who are less well off. I represent an urban area, and we would probably have these things continuing, but people in rural areas would not be able to do that. Without NEH, who else would have provided the vital seed money to nurture a landmark event in our Nation's cultural life like the Library of America series? Those of us who are familiar with that series know how important and vital it is and what a vital role the NEH played in that. So let me just say, in summation, that I think that this amendment is a very, very shortsighted amendment. Again, where there is fat in the budget, we ought to cut it out. Where the private sector can fill in, then Government ought not to do it. But when we have a public-private partnership that works, this kind of funding works, this Congress ought to be saying thank you and we ought to be strengthening it and nurturing it and, yes, even adding additional dollars to it, rather than trying to cut it out. I do not come from the philosophy that Government is inherently bad or evil. I think we need Government. We do not need too much Government, but we do not need too little Government either. And where Government provides vital resources such as the NEH, those resources should be supported by this Congress, not have the legs cut out from under them. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to speak out of order.) Legislative Program

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the rule and support the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA is a great investment for the American people and, quite frankly, I think that our time would be better spent debating an issue other than a program which costs each American a grand total of 38 cents a year. I would like to specifically highlight one of these propaganda newsletters that came to my office denouncing the NEA as ``offensive'' and ``elitist''. Imagine my surprise when I saw that one of these objectionable grants was Dances for Wave Hill a program which is held in my district. Most of the Members of this body may not be familiar with Wave Hill but the residents of the Bronx are proud of this facility which encompasses 28 acres of gardens and woodlands overlooking the Hudson River. Dances for Wave Hill is a series of outdoor performances produced by Dancing in the Streets, a group specifically founded with the intention of introducing dance to new audiences. You might wonder what is so objectionable about the program. Strangely enough, some groups are angry that there is no subway stop in the garden so they have labeled Dances for Wave Hill as an elitist program. It is time we took a good look at the campaign of misinformation which has been aimed at the NEA. The funding for the NEA is money well spent and I urge all of my colleagues to defeat the rule.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Towns].

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I join with my friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Paxon], in strong support of H.R. 2108. Let me say, as he has said, the five members of the Committee on Commerce from New York all strongly support the bill. Indeed, the Committee on Commerce passed the bill unanimously by voice vote. This, as the gentleman from New York said, would grant a waiver for the Better Health Plan from the 75-25 rule. The Better Health Plan covers people throughout New York State, mostly northern New York, but also in the city of New York as well, and the 75-25 rule states that any Medicaid HMO plan must have a minimum of 25 percent participation from non-Medicaid enrollees. This rule has been eliminated in the Medicaid portion of the budget reconciliation measure. However, as was pointed out, the budget plan has yet to be enacted and, because of that, Better Health must now begin disenrolling patients unless the bill before us is enacted. Better Health Plan is a Medicaid prepaid health services plan approved by the New York State Department of Health to operate in the State since March 30, 1994. At present, as I mentioned, the plan operates in the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Westchester County, which I also represent, and in 11 other counties, and serves over 41,000 enrollees, including 37,000 Medicaid recipients. Surveys conducted by the State of New York have not reported any quality of care deficiencies with Better Health. For the last 3 years, Better Health has operated under an exemption to the 75-25 rule that was granted by HCFA in June 1994. The waiver period ended last week on June 30 and Better Health will be required to send out notices of disenrollment to its enrollees unless this legislation is enacted. That is why it is so important we enact this legislation today. We must pass the measure before us today in order to ensure that the patients continue to receive the care they need. I also want to mention, Mr. Speaker, that in addition, there are two other plans in New York that are also requesting waivers and find themselves in the same predicament that Better Health has found itself, and these two other plans are Health First and Genesis, the latter of which is in my district to a very large degree. While both plans will not have to disenroll patients until later this year, because their waiver lasts a little longer, I would have preferred to see waivers granted for these plans also. I would have preferred to have seen it all in one bill. But should there be delays or problems arising in the future on the budget plan, I plan to work with my friend from New York, Mr. Paxon, and the Committee on Commerce should we need to address the situation later on in the year with regard to the other plans that I mentioned. So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague from New York, Congressman Lazio, to introduce a bill that calls on the President, on behalf of the United States Government, to formally acknowledge that the civil liberties of Italian-Americans were violated during World War II. In 1994, the American Italian Historical Association released a historical document entitled ``Una Storia Segreta,'' (A Secret History) that recounts the lives of Italian-Americans from 1939 to 1945. Many of its findings are disturbing. For example, on December 7, 1941, Federal agents, without regard for the basic constitutional right of due process, detained hundreds of Italian-Americans, classified them as ``dangerous aliens'' and shipped them to internment camps. By 1942, all Italian-Americans were forbidden to travel beyond a 5-mile radius of home and required to carry a photo ID. What was their crime? Suspicion that they might be dangerous in time of war because they were of Italian ancestry. Our Government owes it to the Italian-American community to heighten public awareness of this unfortunate chapter in our Nation's history. This story needs to be told in order to acknowledge that these events happened, to remember those whose lives were unjustly disrupted and whose freedoms were violated, and to help repair the damage to the Italian-American community. This legislation calls for the formation of an advisory committee to assist in the compilation of relevant information and urges the President and Congress to provide direct financial support for the education of the American public through such initiatives as the production of a film documentary. Most importantly, this bill requests the Department of Justice to prepare and publish a report detailing the United States Government's role in this tragic episode. The purpose of this report would be to compile facts and figures associated with the Italian-American community during the early 1940's including names of all Italian- Americans who were forced into custodial detention, prevented from working or arrested for curfew or other minor violations, and those prevented from working. Furthermore, the report would illustrate our Government's unfortunate policies and practices during this period, including an examination of the Government's apparent denial and disregard of due process and adequate legal protection to a large segment of its citizenry. Mr. Speaker, our legislation calls upon the President to formally acknowledge our Government's systemic denial of basic human rights and freedoms to Italian-Americans. By bringing to light this unfortunate episode we help to ensure that similar injustices and violations of civil liberties do not occur in the future. Mr. Speaker, I have attached the opening remarks by Hon. Dominic R. Massaro, Justice of the Supreme Court of New York, during the opening ceremony of the Storia Segreta exhibit in New York. His remarks accurately portray the injustices done to the Italian-Americans during World War II. I ask you to read the Honorable Massaro's statement and urge you to cosponsor this important piece of legislation. November 6, 1995: Opening Remarks by Hon. Dominic R. Massaro, Justice of the Supreme Court of New York, Opening Ceremony, ``Una Storia Segreta: When Italian Americans Were `Enemy Aliens,' '' Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York [CUNY], New York,