Bob Etheridge

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, that number does not even approach the number, if we look at the houses that are lost, the businesses that are under water, and it is still rising.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a devastating storm that hit eastern North Carolina just in the last few days. People in North Carolina urgently need the help of this Congress to respond to one of the worst disasters to hit our State in recent memory. Hurricane Floyd devastated much of eastern North Carolina from I-95 east, and some even west of it. Much of it was in my district, but some was in four other congressional districts in eastern North Carolina. Tonight people are in shelters. Their homes are under water. For some of those people, they have lost everything that they own. Some of them are living on the edge. Others have lost their crops, all their crops for this year. I have had the occasion to visit farms. I went into homes today, I went into one home of a lady where everything she had was on the street. She was inside her house seated in a lawn chair. That was all she had left. She had lost everything she had. I went to a businessman who had worked all of his life, today. He had five feet of water from a stream that was not in the flood plain. He had paid his taxes all of his life, and tonight he has lost everything, but he was there cleaning out his business. It is time for this Congress to face up to our obligations. We have helped people around the world. We have helped others in America. We now call on this Congress to help the people in North Carolina and along the Eastern Seaboard who have suffered one of the worst disasters in recent years. Some parts of our State had as much as 20 inches of water. Tonight that water is still rising in eastern North Carolina. Some Members may have seen on national TV the carcasses of dead animals floating, and homes under water. It is not over. As many as 1 million poultry may be dead and floating, and they are saying now there may be 100,000 or more hogs. Some of the finest prime farmland in America is in eastern North Carolina. There happens to be a large portion in my district, and a large portion in the district of the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre) who spoke a few moments ago, and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones). Just yesterday we had the opportunity to travel over eastern North Carolina with the President and a number of his cabinet members, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), and others. We saw the utter destruction and the anguish on people's faces. Yet, they still have hope. They are waiting for us to act. The latest numbers I have show that we have over 40 people that are now known dead. Yesterday we heard, as the gentlewoman will remember, in one of the conversations that people went out in the boat checking houses and heard a knock on the roof. They cut a hole in the roof of a house and rescued 11 people and saved their lives. We may find many others who are dead. That is unfortunate, but the loss in agricultural commodities and to the farm life of our farmers is extensive.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, this photograph here I think is one of the photographs taken in eastern North Carolina. The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) is here with us, and she was with us yesterday as we went down to Tarboro. I went back today and visited Wilson, parts of Wilson, and into Rocky Mount again and Smithfield. But in Tarboro yesterday, it was heartening to see people's courage, but it was also heart wrenching to see what they had gone through, the whole town of Smithfield, Tarboro with no water, no sewer, no telling when it will be back up because water has not yet gone down.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, on the news this morning in Goldsboro, I heard this morning on the news along that point, 14 feet flood stage. The Neuse was supposed to crest today without any release of water right at 30 feet, more than twice flood stage. Water is everywhere. I agree.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman from North Carolina will yield just a moment on that point, not only are we getting tremendous help, but I think FEMA has done an outstanding job. I would echo that. James Lee Witt has been outstanding. All of our agencies at every level. But a lot of our individuals have come forth to do so much. I was in Rocky Mount, a district that the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and I share. Thirty of the public service people in Rocky Mount were out helping others. They had no home to go home to. They were out helping. Same thing was true in Tarboro yesterday. Two business people, Bob Barnhill who owns a construction company, and Steve Woodsworth, who has another business, they were there providing food and shelter and helping seniors, moving them out in Tarboro out of the Arbermal building when their homes had water in them. But they were there helping. People of North Carolina have responded, but we still have a long way to go before we are through this. As the gentlewoman said, people are in shelters, are going to be there for several more days before they can even go to temporary quarters.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my Democratic colleagues for joining me this evening as we take some time in this very late hour to talk about a very important issue, school construction and the companies that we are sending our children back to across this country. Because across America this week and next week and in the next several weeks to come, depending on where one might live, summer vacations are coming to a close, parents are shopping back-to-school sales, and teachers and students are gearing up for the coming year. In my home county and State, a lot of the schools have already opened and they are going to school. Unfortunately, in many of those schools, it is very hot, they are not air-conditioned the way they should be. But children are in school. In some communities, we find that children are not going to school in schools. They are in trailers. They are in closets. They are in basements. They are in hallways. And they are in anyplace that we can get children into because the crowding is so bad. Unfortunately, this Congress has failed to act to provide our local communities with any assistance with quality facilities for our children. I could not help but think earlier today we have passed foreign aid bills, we have passed emergency aid bills that we send overseas for foreign children to have decent places to go to school in in some communities; and yet, for our own children here in America, Members of the majority say it is not Congress's responsibility to get involved. It seems like I remember reading in my history books that that was not the responsibility of Congress when we needed water, sewer, rural electric power, and a whole host of long lists. And ultimately we got involved and provided electricity for rural America, the one thing that changed it. And the list goes on. Mr. Speaker, our schools are bursting at the seams. The communities throughout my district and throughout this country, the flood of student enrollments are swamping our ability and the ability of local communities and local taxpayers to meet the needs. It is time for this Congress to stop arguing and start acting. I have written legislation, H.R. 996, that will provide $7.2 billion in school construction bonds. On the Democratic side today we lined up to sign a discharge petition to bring the school construction bills to the floor so that we could take action and help children. I will talk more about that in a minute, but at this point let me yield to one of my colleagues from California, who is a real leader in this Congress on educational issues. Before she came to Congress, she was a school nurse. She knows about the issues teachers face every day, the issues children face. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) for comments on this issue as it relates to California and her district.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks, and let me just say to her that one of the things, without dwelling on it as we talk about school construction and the overcrowding and the problems, if we see it in the workplace for businesses, then we know what happens there. Defects of the product goes up. We have problems and a whole host of things happen; as my colleagues know, problems with the employees; and yet we hear people on this very floor clamor about why schools do not do better, why we cannot get better. They want to blame the teachers, they want to blame the system, and yet they turn their backs when it comes time when we can help. We just had pre-filed a tax bill for just a trillion dollars over the next 10 years, exploding to $3 trillion over 20 years when we could use some money, when a time we have resources to take care of Social Security and Medicare, and pay down the debt and make sure our children have a safe, secure and good environment in which to learn, and you talk about those trailers that are true all across this country, and one thing we need to remember, that when it rains those children get wet going to and from. They go to too small a cafeteria, too small a library, and then we wonder why they do not learn and education is not important to them. We sent a pretty powerful signal that it is not important to us when they do not spend the resources. Now let me yield to my colleague from California also (Mr. Sherman) who certainly has been a leader on this floor in working for education. He understands the tax consequences of when you do not spend your money wisely how you are going to pay a real price in the future.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gentleman. On that note, let me remind him and those who happen to be watching this evening that as school opens this fall, we will have showing up at the schoolhouse doors across America in the public schools more children than have ever been to public schools in America's history. Last year, as you remember, the secretary released his report on the baby-boom echo, which means all those baby-boomers after World War II now are having children and they are showing up. Tonight I can report to Members we have talked with the Department today, we do not have the report on the numbers, but there is one thing we can say from what we have heard, that what we saw last year was a ripple compared to what we are going to see when the report comes out very shortly, because those numbers are just absolutely exploding all across America. In my district, as an example, the baby-boom echoes, we have counties that are in double digits. You say well, there has to be a lot of economic growth there. Unfortunately, they happen to be counties adjacent to an urban center where they are getting a lot of residential growth, not a lot of economic-commercial growth. For instance, one county, Franklin, had 19.6 percent growth over the last 8 years. My home county, 18.9; Lee County, 17.1, Nash, 17.3. They are all rural counties in transition and property taxes are under a burden. Wade County, the capital county, right at 30 percent. They are welcoming anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 students this fall, and they have done it for the last several years. That is true across America. The pressure is getting so great out there, and this is a way we can be a help. Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership is putting the final touch, and as we heard already, has already put their touches on the final tax bill. We will find out tomorrow morning if they really care about making sure the children in this country have an opportunity for a decent place to go to school. Because if you are in a cold environment in the winter and a hot environment in the summer, and the building roofs leak and the wind blows through the walls, you can talk all you want to about quality education, and then we wonder why we cannot recruit teachers and retain teachers. You do not have to be very bright to figure that out. Business figured that out a long time ago. They provide a good environment for their employees and quality training. We can do something about it. It is within our goal. We stood in line today to sign the Rangel bill to make sure we got a discharge petition. Today my colleagues are working on it. Mr. Speaker, I know our time is about to expire. Let me thank my two colleagues from California for joining me this evening. On behalf of the children of America, who only have us to speak for them, because they do not vote, and some of their parents do not take the opportunity to vote, I thank you for coming this evening and sharing and getting into the record the importance of school construction and opportunities for our children.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call on this Congress to reverse course and pass fiscally responsible legislation to provide targeted tax relief for America's families. Mr. Speaker, the people of North Carolina sent me to this House to work to put our Nation's fiscal house in order, honor our values and invest in our future. Last Congress, I proudly voted to balance the Federal budget for the first time in a generation and I continue to support fiscally responsible tax relief for middle-class families. But the tax bill the Republican leadership rammed through this House last week is a massively irresponsible gamble with our Nation's future and our economic prosperity. The Republican bill would cripple our ability to save Social Security and Medicare for our Nation's seniors and would prevent us from making needed investments in better education for our children. Mr. Speaker, the first bill I introduced as a Member of this House cut the inheritance tax for small businesses and small families. This year I have written and introduced, cosponsored by 90 Members, a bill to provide Federal tax credits for local school construction. I strongly support paying down the national debt and providing responsible tax relief for our families. The Republican bill would hurt the middle class and return us to the days of out-of-control deficits and skyrocketing inflation.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, as a strong proponent of equal enforcement and protections under the law, I rise today to call the attention of the Congress to North Carolina Senate Bill (SB) 76, ``Traffic Enforcement Statistics'' legislation introduced by North Carolina State Senator and Deputy President Pro Tempore Frank W. Balance, Jr. Governor James B. Hunt of North Carolina signed SB 76 into law on April 22, 1999. SB 76 will greatly assist in determining whether minorities are treated fairly by highway patrols along North Carolina roads and highways by requiring troopers to record the race, age and sex of every driver stopped as well as to cite the reason for particular stops. The collected data will be presented by the Attorney General's Office in a biennial report to the General Assembly. As the chief sponsor of the bill, Senator Balance argued that ``there should not be a crime called `driving while black.` '' Mr. Speaker, SB 76 can serve as a viable model for other states experiencing similar concerns about equal enforcement of traffic laws as well as for our nation. To provide you with more detailed information regarding this important legislation, I am submitting the text of SB 76 along with an article from the Raleigh News & Observer. I encourage my colleagues to read this article and consider SB 76's applicability for your states and on the federal level.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule which will return us back to the deficits of the 1980s. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this risky tax scheme and urge my colleagues to vote against it. Through the hard work of America's families and with responsible fiscal policy, our nation has produced an economic engine that would have been unimaginable a few short years ago. Just this week, officials in my state reported that the unemployment rate is the lowest it has ever been. And this risky tax scheme would cut the legs out from under that accomplishment and deny us the opportunity to address the challenges we face in the years to come. Mr. Speaker, we need to save Social Security and Medicare for today's senior citizens and for future generations, but this bill would prevent us from doing that. We need to invest in education, research and technology to keep this nation's economy strong. This bill would return us to the bad old days of massive deficits, crushing inflation and a weak economy. We need to pass balanced targeted tax relief for hard working middle class families, and this bill benefits the wealthy special interests at the expense of the middle class. Now that we have balanced the budget, we must provide for a sound future for America's families. We need to save Social Security and Medicare for our seniors, provide targeted tax relief for middle class priorities like school construction and pay down the national debt to keep our economy strong. The Rangel substitute achieves these goals, and we should support it. I urge my colleagues to vote against this risky tax scheme.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee for rural education. This amendment is essentially the Clayton bill for rural needy schools, which I strongly support and which I am an original cosponsor. I commend my home State colleague for her leadership in this important area. Mr. Chairman, I grew up on a farm in rural Johnston County, and I know that we have some wonderful teachers in our rural schools. But as a former State superintendent, I also know that rural schools often face the most daunting challenges for quality education. Rural schools often lack the tax base to support investments in strong schools. They also lack the population base needed to gain many of the formulas for government assistance. That is why this amendment is so important and we must pass this vital assistance for rural schools. Mr. Chairman, I must say though that I oppose this underlying bill because, as I have said before, block granting needed investments, cutting funding and disenfranchising State education agencies and shifting the government structure over to governors is the wrong way to improve our schools. But, as this bill moves forward, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment for rural schools so that the final legislation can produce the best possible bill for our children.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for yielding the time; and, Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this block grant bill and urge my colleagues to vote for the Martinez substitute against H.R. 1995. I do not need to remind my colleagues that I have spent a number of years working in the public schools, certainly in my State for 8 years as State superintendent of schools; and I know firsthand what challenges our teachers face, and I commend both sides of the aisle for the work on this bill. I just wish they had gone farther to make it right. If America is going to make the most of the opportunities in the 21st century, we must improve academic performance for all of our children, all of our children, not just a few. Quality instruction is absolutely critical in this effort. The three proven keys to improving education are, 1, reduce class sizes; 2, improving the quality of instruction; 3, a rich curriculum with assessment and accountability so that continued progress can be made. And this bill, 1995, does not do that. Federal support is critically necessary in achieving effective professional development in class size reduction. We cannot put it together. H.R. 1995 fails to live with that needed support, and for me it really creates a problem when they fail to reauthorize the Board for Professional Teachers Standards that has made a difference in this country, and my State has an awful lot of teachers certified under that. If we do not reduce class size and we lump it together in the block grant, I know what will happen; my colleagues know what will happen. The Committee on Appropriations will start cutting the money, and we will not see it again; it will be gone. Reducing class size and expanding professional development will be doubled under the Martinez substitute over the next 5 years. That is how to improve the opportunity for education for all children. Do not flat-line the appropriation and lump it together; that is how to make a difference. Mr. Chairman, that is how to improve education. The substitute does that. H.R. 1995 greatly reduces the targeting of Federal resources to the neediest districts in America, for the highest poverty areas, for the largest class sizes and the greatest shortage of qualified teachers. We are going to improve the number of teachers in this country when they truly believe there is a commitment at every level to make sure that we are going to be there year in and year out; and if we pass a 5-year bill and block grant it, I can assure my colleagues of one thing: they will send a message across America that reducing class sizes are not important once again. That is a mistake; I hope we do not do it. Finally, let me say to my colleagues that this bill says that an education authority is the State. Do my colleagues know what the State is? It is the governor or whomever has designed it. Every bill that I have ever seen says the State education agency. This bill works subtly, moves it to governors who serve 4-year terms, and it takes it out of the education department, and, Mr. Chairman, that will be the biggest mistake we have made beyond block granting. We will rue the day if that should pass.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the City of Rocky Mount, North Carolina for earning the designation of an All- America City. I have the honor of representing Rocky Mount in the U.S. House. Founded in the early part of the Nineteenth Century, Rocky Mount is now a city of more than 57,000 people located in the heart of eastern North Carolina. Its name derives from the rocky mound situated at the falls of the Tar River, which was the site of a new post office and one of the first cotton mills in North Carolina. In 1907, Rocky Mount, then with a population of about 7,500 people, was incorporated as a city. Following decades of growth and achievement, Rocky Mount was first named an All-America City in 1970. Almost 30 years later, Mr. Speaker, Rocky Mount continues to stand out for its civic excellence. The National Civic League, which has given out the All-America City Awards for the past 50 years, commended Rocky Mount as a community that teaches the rest of us how to face difficult situations and meet those challenges in innovative and collaborative ways. According to the organization, Rocky Mount is a city in which citizens, government, businesses and voluntary organizations work together to address critical local issues. Specifically, the National Civic League cited three examples of this type of cooperation in Rocky Mount. The city developed the Down East Partnership for Children, which is dedicated to achieving the fundamentals of quality child growth and development. It annually reaches more than 12,000 children, parents, and agencies. Rocky Mount also formed the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, a nationally recognized non-profit corporation partnership with 190 investors, which has secured commitments worth $170 million that will eventually create 2,300 jobs as it seeks to promote economic development in the area. In addition, Rocky Mount became part of the Rocky Mount-Edgecombe- Nash Educational Cooperative, which was designed to coordinate the resources of business and education for the betterment of both schools and students. Thus far, the Cooperative has funded more than 935 creative teaching grants worth about $500,000 that have affected thousands of students. I would like to take a point of personal privilege in adding that I am profoundly grateful and proud of the Nash-Rocky Mount Public School system for its leadership in teaching character education in the classroom, yet another reason why Rocky Mount is an All-America City. Finally, I want to thank the Leadership Rocky Mount Alumni group and the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce for all their hard work over the past few years to bring this outstanding recognition to Rocky Mount. Mr. Speaker, it is both an honor and a privilege to represent Rocky Mount and her 57,158 All-American citizens in the U.S. Congress. I encourage all my colleagues to read the following article from the Rocky Mount Telegram celebrating this well-deserved honor. [From the Rocky Mount Telegram, June 27, 1999] Rocky Mount is All-American!! `All-America City' designation captured at Philadelphia event (By Tom Murphy) PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--There's something about ``Rocky'' and Philadelphia. In the city famed as the home of Sylvester Stallone's fictional movie boxer, another Rocky--Rocky Mount--captured All-America City status Saturday in the 50th annual awards sponsored by the National Civic League and Allstate Insurance Co. The other nine winners were Stockton, Calif.; Union City, Calif; Tallahassee; Fla.; Wichita, Kan.; Shreveport, La; Lowell, Mass.; Tupelo, Miss.; Green Bay, Wisc.; and Tri- Cities (Bristol, Va.; Johnson City and Kingsport, Tenn.). Two other North Carolina finalists, Hickory and Morganton, failed to make the cut. The awards honor communities that show exemplary grassroots community involvement and problem-solving. The original field of 93 applicants was cut to 30 finalists. As a winner, Rocky Mount is eligible for a $10,000 award from Allstate. Mayor Fred Turnage, in accepting the All-America City Award, reflected on another delegation from Rocky Mount that stood on the All-America City stage in Philadelphia 30 years ago. They also proclaimed that Rocky Mount was a community that was walking to the beat of a different drum, and how it had focused on racial harmony, quality education and job opportunity, Turnage said. Turnage added in subsequent years and certainly in the most recent decade, many citizens have worked diligently to accomplish those goals. ``In recent years, the formation of partnerships has enabled us to make significant strides in all of those areas,'' he said. ``The Down East Partnership for Children is a tremendous example of what cooperation can accomplish with its total focus on giving our young people Smart Start and a quality education. ``The Gateway Partnership has demonstrated what cooperation and teamwork between the private and public sectors can truly accomplish, and is helping provide quality job opportunities and economic stability for our community.'' Turnage said the third partnership, which was a part of Rocky Mount's presentation, is a great example of what the business and education community can and must do to achieve quality education. ``It would be my hope that as pleased and humbled as we are to have received this award that we, as well as other award- winning cities, would simply use it as an opportunity for even greater cooperation and basis for addressing many of the challenges that still confront us,'' he said. ``It is important to recognize that the All-America City Award does not mean a community is perfect, but that it is attempting to meet challenges and solve problems in innovative and cooperative ways at the ground level of democracy.'' Turnage commended the Leadership Rocky Mount Alumni group for initiating this process some two years ago, and for the Chamber of Commerce for carrying the process to its conclusion. ``There is a tremendous amount of work and effort that goes into this process, and it takes a great deal of planning and commitment to see it to a successful conclusion,'' he said. ``We are particularly proud of our young people, who were a part of that delegation and who brought so much enthusiasm. The Jazzy Jaguars from D.S. Johnson School particularly kept us pumped up with their performances and energy.'' Chamber President Charlie Glazener agreed. ``It's just unbelievable,'' said Glazener. ``We wish every city here tonight could feel the pride our city feels. ``Mayor Turnage was so right when he accepted our award and said it's time to start more projects for the next generation.'' City manager Steve Raper said the city is extremely proud of its citizens across the entire Nash Edgecombe community. ``The people in Nash and Edgecombe are truly reflective of the work we can do and all the work we've completed together to improve our community,'' Raper said.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a unique event in the Second Congressional District of North Carolina, the Spivey's Corner Hollerin' Contest. Every third Saturday in June thousands of people from across the globe travel to the town of Spivey's Corner in Sampson County to hear and participate in the National Hollerin' Contest. June 19th marked the 31st anniversary of this special event. Each year, the event is held for the benefit of the Spivey's Corner Volunteer Fire Department. The now-famous contest originated from a chance comment made by Spivey's Corner resident Ermon Godwin, Jr. in 1969 on a weekly radio talk show that he co-hosted. Mr. Godwin mentioned the tradition of hollerin' in Sampson County to the radio show's other host, John Thomas. Mr. Thomas half-jokingly suggested that the two hold a hollerin' contest. Much to their surprise, about five thousand people showed up on that June Saturday in 1969. The Hollerin' Contest has evolved into a daylong event, featuring live music, food, and five separate hollerin' events. They are: the Whistlin' Contest, the Conch Shell and Fox Horn Blowin' Contest, the Junior Hollerin' Contest, the Ladies Callin' Contest, and the National Hollerin' Contest, the main attraction. In addition, many also participate in the watermelon roll, in which contestants attempt to run barefoot carrying a watermelon across a distance of about 20 yards as a member of the Volunteer Fire Department tries to knock the participant off his or her feet using a high-pressure hose. Winners of the different events has garnered national recognition over the years, including appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman. Sports Illustrated, The Voice of America, and documentary films have all featured the contest and its winners. As would befit its local roots, 30 of the 31 winners of the National Hollerin' Contest have been natives of Sampson County, including this year's champion. Tony Peacock, who now resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. To further honor this unique event, I have sponsored the Spivey's Corner Hollerin' Contest in the Library of Congress Bicentennial Local Legacies Project. I am hopeful that the colorful tradition of hollerin' will now be preserved in the American Folklife Center of the world's most reknown library so that everyone can have a chance to celebrate this North Carolina unique cultural event.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Michael Hooker, the Chancellor of the University of North Carolina. This Nation has lost a great educator, and I have lost a good friend. Chancellor Hooker passed away Tuesday in the midst of his own service to the public after a courageous battle with cancer. He was just 53 years of age. Our prayers go out to his family. In his 4 years at UNC, Chancellor Hooker established a reputation as a driven leader with a firm vision for North Carolina's future. He was committed to making UNC the best public university in the Nation. Hooker earned the respect of students, faculty and the citizens of North Carolina with his confidence and enthusiasm. Chancellor Hooker forged a strong bond with many students by meeting them on their own turf. He was a regular at UNC's dining halls and recreation centers and even was spotted crowd surfing in the student section during a UNC basketball game against their rival Duke University. Mr. Speaker, as the former superintendent of my State and as the father of a UNC graduate, I know firsthand what an outstanding man Michael Hooker was. I worked with him on many projects. His vision and leadership will have a lasting impact on both the University and the citizens of North Carolina for years to come. Rest in peace, Michael Hooker. He is survived by his wife, Carmen; his daughter, Alexandra; his mother Christine Hooker; and two stepdaughters, Jennifer and Cyndi Buell. Our prayers go out to his family. Michael Hooker grew up in the coal country of Southwestern Virginia, where he quickly leaned the value of education. Michael once said that his parents decided to have only one child to better commit their attention to his education. His parents' commitment paid off, as Michael earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from UNC in 1969. After his graduation, he went on to great success, rising from a teaching post at Harvard University to the Presidency of Vermont's Bennington College at the young age of 36. Hooker then spent six years leading the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and another three years as the president of the University of Massachusetts system before returning to North Carolina to lead his alma matter into the 21st century.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of the Congress to State Controller of North Carolina Edward ``Ed'' Renfrow of Smithfield, NC. On March 19, 1999, the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) presented Mr. Renfrow with the distinguished 1998 Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award for Distinguished Leadership in Financial Management Improvement at their 28th Annual Financial Management Conference in Washington, DC. The JFMIP is a cooperative initiative of the General Accounting Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management to improve financial management practices and policies in the public sector. The Scantlebury awards were named for the former Chief Accountant of the GAO, and were established to give the highest recognition to government executives who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and improvement in financial management in the public sector. The award was presented to Mr. Renfrow by David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States. Governor James B. Hunt of North Carolina nominated Mr. Renfrow for the award stating, ``Throughout his distinguished career, Ed Renfrow has served the citizens of North Carolina by providing sustained, high quality leadership in financial management at both the state and national levels. Ed has been a strong voice for fiscal accountability and responsibility within government and has been instrumental in reducing costs and promoting the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of government operations. The awards committee could not have recognized a more accomplished leader in the area of financial management and I congratulate him on this prestigious award.'' Mr. Renfrow has distinguished himself through a lengthy career of public service to the people of North Carolina. I am proud to say that I share personal and professional paths with Mr. Renfrow, both of us having grown up in Johnston County and serving together on the North Carolina Council of State from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Renfrow began his career of elective public service in 1974 when he was elected to the North Carolina General Assembly, serving three 2-year Senate terms. In 1980, Mr. Renfrow began his first of three 4-year terms as North Carolina's State Auditor. Mr. Renfrow's current position as North Carolina's State Controller began in 1993 with his appointment by Governor Hunt and subsequent confirmation by the General Assembly. His current term as State Controller ends on June 30, 2001. I encourage my colleagues to join me in congratulating Edward ``Ed'' Renfrow on this most recent award, continuing recognition of his long career of public service.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also want to thank the gentleman for holding this special order on dairy legislation this evening as it comes up before Congress tomorrow. We will be marking it up. I thank the gentleman for his leadership. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of 1402 as it is scheduled before the committee tomorrow. The gentleman talked about 1-A, how important it is. It is critical, it is significant, and, as the gentleman indicated, over 200 Members of this body would not have signed it otherwise. It simply provides an incentive for farmers in small regions of the country to continue to produce fresh milk. That is really what it is all about. The gentleman has talked about the dollars, and the same would be true for my region. In the last 10 years, we have lost half of our farmers, our dairy farmers. Let me say this evening, we are talking about dairy farmers, but this is symptomatic of the problems throughout agriculture today in a lot of areas, because every commodity is down, but this is one we can do something about tomorrow or start the process with. As the gentleman indicated, it is unlike many of the other agricultural issues we deal with, because many of those go from spring to fall, and with this one it takes awhile to build that herd and sustain that herd and the investment that goes into it. My dairy farmers and yours already are reeling from the volatility of the fluid market over the last several months. We have seen tremendous drops. I hope that over the next few weeks we also get a chance to deal with another piece of legislation dealing with dairy, and that is 1604, which is the ratification of the Southern Compact and reauthorization of the Northeast Compact. Our friend from Maine just touched on that a few moments ago, how that levels out the price that dairy farmers get and how important that is, because they need to have that to plan as they invest in herds, as they invest in equipment and they pay their bills. Let me say to the gentleman and the folks listening in this evening, it is a shame, while the executives of some of the large conglomerates, and we talked about it earlier and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson) did, about the difference in what farmers are getting now and what they have got even over the last 10 or 12 years, and the difference in that price and the cost of milk. The cost of milk has gone up about 35 percent since 1980, and we saw from the chart what farmers get has been pretty flat. It is pretty obvious, the farmers are not getting it. They are producing more, but the costs of their input of what they are paying for feed, for labor and everything else is going up, and they are getting squeezed by the cost of raw milk they are getting. What 1-A does, it says that we are not going to adopt the 1-B that they talked about, which is going to subsidize just a few producers in one small area of the country and flood that milk to the other parts of the country and drive our people out of business, so we do not have fresh raw milk for our processors nor the fresh raw milk to go to the grocery stores. So the people who would benefit under this are not only the farmers we are going to keep in business, but it benefits the consumer, because they are going to have a fresh supply of milk at the store every day, and milk is an important product in this country for the very young and for the very old. Those of us in between like to enjoy some too. But it is important. I think sometimes we forget that when we are talking about the other issues. It is an important consumer issue and it is important to the American people. As I said, since 1980, the retail price of milk has risen 35 percent. The farmers would feel pretty good if they had gotten 35 percent increase in their cost of milk at the farm, but they have not gotten it. It has been driven down. That is what this is about, at least about stabilizing, so when they go to the bank to borrow money, and do not ever forget, that dairy farmer borrows money just like any other farmer in this country, but at least they know there will not be spikes in the price they are getting, so that they can do some planning. The importance of this legislation cannot be overstated. The thing that I fear if we do not pass it, and this is why I think it is so important and I thank you for your leadership and having the opportunity to work together, if we, if we continue to lose our dairy farmers, we will have more and more concentration in a very few hands, and ultimately then the American consumer will wake up one morning, and all of a sudden the price of milk will be up and there will be no way to get it down because there will be so few producers, they will control the market. They are not able to do that at the current time. I think we have a chance now to take care of that. Milk is just too important to let that happen. This piece of legislation is not only important to the farmers, it is important to all of us. But right now our farmers, certainly in my part of the country, are bleeding. We can do more than put a tourniquet on, we can do more than put a band-aid on, we now have the opportunity to take care of that bleeding for the long term, if we will deal about it. I look forward to the work we are going to do tomorrow. Let me finally say that some folks say it is easy for them to get up and say let the free market work, it is all about the free market working. I am all for the free market, if it is free. The problem is, the foreign governments are subsidizing their farmers in a variety of ways. We cannot get products in Europe because of tariffs, and it is true in every other part of the country, and our farmers are paying the price. We have the most open market in the world, in the United States, right now, and if our farmers benefited from that on the free market, then we would not need to be able to make sure they stay in business. But this is about our farmers getting a fair shake, getting a fair chance at the marketplace. I thank the gentleman for it, and I look forward to working with you so we can say to our consumers they are going to get a fair price in the market price, they can go in the grocery store and know they are getting fresh milk, and our farmers are going to be in business for the long haul and we can encourage the next generation of dairymen to get into it, because if we do not give them the tools to work with today, we will continue to see the auction of cows, auctions of farmland, and we are going to be turning our dairy farms into shopping malls and housing projects. Not only do we lose the benefit of the production, we also lose a green way and environmental part of this country and a way of life we will not be able to replace. I thank the gentleman for his leadership.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to call to the attention of my colleagues and the House to the urgent problem of juvenile diabetes. Today, I was visited in my office by one of my 9-year-old constituents, Ruth Hendren of Raleigh, North Carolina. Ruth came to Washington with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation to lobby Congress to provide needed funds for diabetes research. We in Congress are used to being lobbied all of the time by high- priced hired guns and other big-time lobbyists who represent any number of special interests in this body. But when one looks into the eyes of a child, whose daily battle with this terrible disease is truly the embodiment of bravery, one cannot help but be moved. Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease that affects every organ system, every age group, both genders, and all ethnic minorities. Sixteen million people suffer from diabetes. Eight hundred thousand Americans and children will be diagnosed this year alone. Victims of diabetes, of juvenile diabetes, must endure as many as six injections of insulin a day and eight finger-prick blood glucose tests every day. It would be tough for an adult to do that, but it is especially tough to see a child. We in Congress need to do what is right on behalf of the victims of juvenile diabetes in every congressional district in the country. Diabetes is a disease in search of a cure, a problem in search of a solution. Medical research has brought us close to the cure of diabetes. I call on my colleagues to step up to the plate and support increased funding for the National Institute of Health for diabetes research. On behalf of Ruth and all of America's victims of diabetes and their families, I trust that Congress will do it this year. Education and School Construction Mr. Speaker, while I am talking on this issue of education and funding, it is important that I cover an issue that is also very important for this Congress to deal with, and that is school construction. It is an urgent problem all across this country. I want to thank my colleagues in the New Democratic Coalition for their leadership and help in this issue of school construction. As a former State superintendent of schools in North Carolina, I have been working to help pass a school construction bill since I arrived in this Congress in 1997. The statistics tell the tale. Today, there are nearly 53 million students in schools in America, more than at any time in our Nation's history. Schools are busting at the seams. Children find themselves in trailers, gyms, closets, bathrooms, and other make-shift classrooms and gyms and on stages. Substandard learning environments are unacceptable. We want higher standards for our children in academics and places for our teachers to teach. If we are to succeed in the next generation and the new millennium, our children must have world-class education; and to have that, we must have quality facilities. In my district alone, we have places that have grown almost a third since 1990. Wake County, our capital county, will add about 3,500 to 4,500 new students to enrollment rolls every year. That is 3,500 to 4,500 students every year. The crisis is getting worse. What kind of example do we set for our children when we neglect their schools? Over the next 10 years, more than 1.5 million more public school children will show up at the schoolhouse door. In North Carolina alone, our high schools are projected to grow by 21.4 percent over the next 10 years; and that will be third in growth in the United States. I have introduced a school bill, School Construction Act, that will provide $7.2 billion in school construction bonds across the United States for our fastest growing school districts. I am working with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and the administration, and I will work with anyone else who wants to work to make sure that we have school funds for our children. Our legislation uses Federal resources to leverage more local financing for schools. This does not take place with local money. It leverages it. Local systems get to make the decisions. We will only provide the avenue to do it. Taxpayers get more bang for their buck, and young people get good education environments, exactly the kind of assistance that local schools need. The Etheridge School Construction Act now enjoys more than 88 cosponsors in the House and many members of the New Democratic Coalition. I invite others of my colleagues to join me. My bill has been endorsed by the National Education Association, by the Chief State School Offices, and many other organizations who realize that we must act and we must act now. I join my colleagues in calling for the congressional leadership in this House to bring up school construction now so that we can act on it and we can have the resources next year.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support this amendment to help put character education in our Nation's schools. As the former superintendent of my State's schools, I know firsthand that character education can make a difference to teach our children values and make our students well-rounded and prepare them for good citizenship. We installed character education in the schools of North Carolina in the 1992-1993 school year. Across my congressional district today, school leaders have developed character education initiatives that are making a difference for stronger schools and better communities. Wake County, our capital county, has become a leader through its innovative effort called ``Uniting for Character.'' In Johnston County, the principal of Selma Elementary School directly attributes 59 fewer suspensions between the 1995-1996 school year to their character education program. And CBS News in the last couple of weeks has profiled the successful character education program on their national program in the Nash-Rocky Mount school system. Mr. Chairman, character education works because it teaches our children to see the world through a moral lens. Children learn that their actions have consequences. Teachers work with parents and the entire community to instill the spirit of shared responsibility. Character education emphasizes values such as courage, good judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance, respect, and self-discipline. As the father of two public school teachers, my heart aches for the victims of the recent violence in our public schools. Character education will help build solid citizens and safe schools. This amendment will allow State and local educational agencies to form partnerships designed to implement character education. These programs will reflect the values of parents, teachers, and local communities. They will incorporate elements of good character, as I have said, which include honesty, citizenship, courage, respect, personal responsibility, and trustworthiness.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on this House to pass a new investment in character education. As the former superintendent of my State schools, I know firsthand that character education can make a difference in teaching our children values and to make sure our children are well rounded and prepared to become good citizens. Across my Congressional District, school leaders have developed character education initiatives that can make a difference in strong schools and better communities. In Wake County, North Carolina, they have become a leader through an innovative effort called ``Uniting for Character.'' In Johnston County, the principal of Selma Elementary School attributes 59 fewer suspensions between the '95 and '96 school years due to their character education program. And CBS News recently profiled a successful character education program in the Nash-Rocky Mount school system. Mr. Speaker, character education works because it teaches our children to see the world through a moral lens. Children learn that actions have consequences. Teachers work with parents and the entire community to instill the spirit of shared responsibility. Character education emphasizes values such as character, good judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance, respect, and self-discipline. This Congress needs to act on this and act now.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, this past week it was announced that North Carolina farmers' earnings had dropped by $1 billion in 1998 over 1997. I was astounded when I read the article. But similar problems are being experienced all over America by our farmers. The farm crisis in America should be a concern for every American. I have said many times that the people in this country must realize that food does not just come from the grocery store or from the supermarket. It comes from the blood, sweat, and tears and hard work of some of the hardest-working, God-fearing people in this country, and their families work hard. We cannot stand by and allow the farmers of this country to go out of business and let our farms be turned into strip malls and parking lots. Whether it is the wheat farmer in the Midwest, the cotton farmer in Texas, the vegetable farmer in Florida, or the tobacco farmer in North Carolina, farmers help build this country, and they deserve to have us stand by them in times of crisis. If we do not, we will pay the price through the devastation of our rural communities and higher prices at the grocery store ultimately. I am committed to working with Congress to find solutions that will restore profitability to agriculture in America and allow mothers and fathers to pass on this honored professional farming to their sons and daughters, because a lot of young people in this country are getting out of the profession because they cannot make a living. We must restore the farm safety net in this Nation before more farmers and their families fall through the cracks. Mr. Speaker, the bumper crop of wheat last year and again this year that is now being harvested and is being seen in many parts of the country are suffering from some of the lowest prices in recent years. Farmers are finding out that they cannot produce themselves into prosperity with the low prices we are having. In some parts of the country, some farmers are already reeling from drought. This Congress must do something before it is too late for our farmers and their families. We must start by reforming crop insurance, breaking down trade barriers, providing greater access to low-interest loans and credit for new and struggling producers, and provide support to farmers in times of dramatically low commodity prices like we are seeing now, all commodity prices. However, the first thing we need to do is to realize, and my colleagues in this Congress need to understand, that American agriculture is in a crisis, and it requires action now. Just last week this Congress passed an agriculture bill at a time of crisis in agriculture, and what did it do? It cut $102 million out of it. That is how we care about farmers. I want my colleagues to know I voted against it, because I think it was the wrong thing to do at the wrong time. North Carolina farmers and the North Carolina economy cannot afford another loss like we had in 1998, and I am going to continue to call on my colleagues in this body to stand up and be counted, because the farmers of this country cannot be allowed to go broke. Another $1 billion loss over last year's economy would put most farmers out of business. Mr. Speaker, I want to share just a few comments out of an article in the Wilson paper this week. It talked about a farmer who was harvesting his wheat. He had the best wheat harvest he has had in years on winter wheat. He had reduced his production from 200 acres to 160 acres. For the folks in the Midwest, that might not sound like a lot of wheat. In North Carolina it is a considerable crop. He planted wheat because all of the other commodities were so low, and he could double-crop and put in soybeans behind it. Well, when he put it in for market this past week, it was $2.15 a bushel. A loaf of bread is about $1.65 a loaf, so I can tell you who is making the money, and it is not the guy who is producing the wheat, it is someone in between. Here is what he had to say. He said, all of the other commodities were also down other than wheat, but we had to plant something, and wheat was a good crop to plant when one wants to double-crop and plant behind it. He was fortunate. Even in the drought times we are now feeling in North Carolina, he got three-tenths of an inch of rain on Sunday and is now planting soybeans behind the wheat. Anyone that knows anything about agriculture knows that if it is dry and you get three- tenths of water, that will settle the dust maybe, but not much more. My friends, we have to pay attention to American agriculture if we want to continue to eat and have the farmers continue to produce.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of the Congress to commemorate the excellent medical and educational, political and community service rendered by the late Dr. Henderson D. Mabe of Erwin, North Carolina. I also commend the generosity and the personal integrity of Dr. Mabe who passed away in Erwin recently. Dr. Mabe was born in Kinston, North Carolina. He received his graduate degree in medical sciences at Wake Forest College. At Watts Hospital in Durham, under the supervision of Dr. Ralph Fleming, he served his residency duty. Relocated to Erwin as a temporary substitute for a local doctor recovering from illness, Dr. Mabe became very much attached to the Erwin community. In fact, he spent his entire life at Erwin except when he served his country as a medical doctor in the United States Navy during the Korean Conflict. In addition to his valuable medical contribution, Dr. Mabe was an influential politician. Having demonstrated his leadership skills as president of the student body and president of his senior class, Dr. Mabe ran for the State Legislature where he served one term from 1963 to 1964 as one of the most respected officials. Dr. Mabe was highly regarded as a distinguished doctor and scholar, politician and community member. He was loved and respected by the community not only because of his excellent medical service but also because of his personal integrity. As the former U.S. Senator Robert Morgan, a close friend of D. Mabe stated: ``Long before Medicaid and Medicare programs were available for the aged and needy, Buster Mabe cared for them and never asked or expected pay. He never turned anyone away if he had to stay at the office until late in the evening, as he often did. We also pay tribute today to one of the most remarkable family doctors this country has ever seen. Dr. Mabe will be sorely missed, but his influence will be felt forever.'' Dr. Mabe's thoughtful dedication and contribution to advance the progress and education in the medical field as well as to strengthen the Erwin community lives on. In his bequest, Dr. Mabe made a gift worth $2 million to the North Carolina Community Foundation for the establishment of the Henderson D. Mabe Jr. Endowment Fund with a special emphasis on the Erwin community. The gift is the largest charitable donation in the history of Harnett County. In his spirit, this fund will be used to provide college scholarships for Harnett area high school seniors with preference to those living in or around Erwin who have planned to pursue a degree or certification in the medical field at a college, university, community or junior college, technical school, nursing school or other post secondary school training. The fund will also support graduates from Harnett County high schools especially from in or around Erwin who are full time students at Bowman Gray, the Medical School of University of North Carolina, East Carolina Medical School or Duke Medical School. In addition, Good Hope Hospital and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Erwin where Dr. Mabe has been an active member will benefit as well. Mr. Speaker, I commend the high achievements and personal integrity of Dr. Henderson D. Mabe. Dr. Henderson D. Mabe lived a rich life as a remarkable and distinguished doctor and scholar, public servant and community member of Harnett County, North Carolina. Dr. Mabe will be sorely missed, but he has left a legacy that will live on for many years to come.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. I will not take all the time. I think most of us know where we are going to be on this bill or this amendment. It is a lot like a lot of the others. The proponent may have his own agenda, but I think we need to have the agenda for America. If we did away with all the research in every bill that makes a difference in America, where would America be today? Where would we be without research for transportation, research in medical technology, research that comes from our science programs, and all the research for our farmers? Where would we be today in terms of opportunity for food and fiber? I strongly oppose this amendment. The peanut farmers are really the backbone of our economy in some of the poorest counties in the southern and eastern part of this country. For people to come to this floor and say that they are not going to hurt farmers, they just do not understand what they are talking about, or otherwise they are attempting to mislead. This Congress, this Congress in 1995, when some of the very Members were offering these amendments to distribute to farmers the research to help them stay in business, passed the farm bill, they entered into a contract with the farmers. They said, for 7 years we are going to keep stable prices and they are going to go down. And they said to the peanut farmers, we are going to lower the rates. Where you are getting cut off, quotas are going to be reduced. Number three, the program will be open to new producers. Number four, out-of-State quota holders will be eliminated. They voted on that, and now they want to come to this floor and eliminate that contract. In my opinion, that is a breach of faith, and this Congress ought not to do it. I do not think we are going to do it. In return, they gave the farmers a farm bill that had virtually no safety net. We are seeing what is happening now across America; our farmers are in deep trouble. Let me speak very quickly to peanut farmers and what this research money does. Peanut farmers face many obstacles and should not have to worry about paying the bills the way they do. If we get too much rain, they get soggy peanuts, and there is a loss. If they get a drought, they get dust instead of peanuts. There is no one there to help them. They are hardworking people. They take great chances. They are the foundation of this country like every other farmer, whether they be in the Midwest, whether it be in the West or whether it be in the East or the South. As I said yesterday when I took this floor very briefly, I am embarrassed for this Congress that we would take a bill that is here to make a difference for agriculture, and we are talking about research to make a difference in our future and the future of our children, to produce food and fiber at a cheaper price with less disease to help not only our people, but to help the people around the world, and we are saying we are doing it to save money. I learned a long time ago, we can be penny wise and pound foolish. When my colleagues cut research, they are penny wise and pound foolish. If they do it in research for medical technology and everything else, we could carry ourselves right back to the Stone Age. I am opposed to this amendment, and I ask every Member in this body to vote against it.