Bob Etheridge

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, at this very moment, halfway around the world, our troops are engaged in battle, at a time that we are here talking about doing in the commander-in-chief. I deplore that, because they are trying to do away with a dictator who has weapons of mass destruction that he will use. As a Vietnam veteran, a veteran of the Vietnam era, I know what it means to serve and have the Commander in Chief under siege. I voted in October for the committee to move forward. I am ashamed that they did not come back with a joint resolution without it being partisan and unfair and politicized, and I am ashamed of this body. I came here to do the people's business. Tonight we are not doing the people's business, we are doing partisan business, and that is unfair. The American people will recognize it is unfair, and they are going to make us pay the price for being unfair and for being partisan. I say if we could vote our conscience, we would vote for censure. The Speaker-elect said we should vote our conscience, and you are not allowing us to do it, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of our Commander in Chief, the President, and our soldiers who are on the front line today in the Gulf and in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the military strike by American and allied forces against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. For far too long, Saddam Hussein has felt free to defy the international community. For far too long, he has menaced his own people and threatened his neighbors in the region. For far too long, he has failed to live up to his obligations under the terms that ended the Persian Gulf War. For far too long, he has sought to develop weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. Our exertion of military strength against his regime is an appropriate step to communicate to Saddam that he cannot continue his outlaw ways with impunity. All Americans should pray for the safe return of our men and women in uniform as they embark on this inherently dangerous but necessary, mission. Let me state clearly that no one bears any ill will toward the Iraqi people. In fact, the actions of Saddam Hussein and his regime have long constituted the greatest threat to the security of the Iraqi people. In the spirit of the holidays, let us all hope that today's action may advance the day when Peace on Earth can become reality. As a veteran of the United States Army, I know that our military personnel will perform their duties with professionalism, diligence and bravery. I am also confident that the leadership of my fellow North Carolinian, General Hugh Shelton, will help bring this action to successful conclusion. I call on all Americans to support this mission and our men and women in uniform.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an outstanding North Carolina educator, Mr. Lion Cleo Williams. Mr. Williams passed away on July 16, 1998 at the age of 81. While pursuing his undergraduate teaching degree from North Carolina Appalachian State Teachers College, he interrupted his studies to serve in the United States Army during World War II. He later received his master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cleo Williams began his 35-year career as an educator with the Lee County School System in 1947. He served 19 years as a teacher and athletics coach at Broadway School. He taught a variety of subjects, including social studies, physical education, bookkeeping, and typing. He coached football, girls and boys basketball, baseball, girls softball, and volleyball. Mr. Williams was also the very first driver's education instructor in Lee County. In 1966, he became the principal of Broadway School and held that position until he retired in 1982. Mr. Williams touched the lives of many people in the Broadway community throughout his career. He influenced numerous students and served as a mentor to other teachers and school administrators. He held other leadership positions in the community, including President of the Broadway Lions Club and a board member of the Broadway United Methodist Church. I send my sincerest condolences to his family for the loss of such a great man and cornerstone of the Broadway community.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I think the point you made earlier is so true. I could not help but think as you were talking about schools and how things have changed, I think unless you have been there a lot, you forget. I think of the community I grew up in that I happen to represent in Congress now. The school I was in was a very small union school that you stayed in. I went there for 12 years. That same community today has built schools, and they are running behind. I went there last year and they had 30 trailers outside of a new school, it is growing so rapidly. I talked with one of the financial people, a banker in that community today, Johnston County down in North Carolina, and he said, ``You know, we have passed two bond issues. We have the state bond money on a match,'' like California. He said, ``I do not know how we are going to make all these things fit with the tremendous growth we have without some help.'' The Wade County superintendent, where our state capital is, I was on a conference call with him two days ago with the Secretary. They are gaining 3,500 students a year in new students. He said, ``We are spending $3 million a month on construction and renovation and can't come close to keeping up.'' These are the kinds of things where we need that partnership that you were talking about. No one entity is going to be able to take care of these tremendous burdens of cost, and if we will take care of the need for facilities, the technology will be there, it will be readily available. But, more importantly, the other issues that we struggle with here, the issue of crime, the issue of drugs, the issues of violence and safety in our schools, they will tend to go away, because when you have a good clean learning environment, academics go up and discipline problems go down. Statistically that is true. There is no question about it. It certainly happened in my state, and I think we are no different than any state in this country. Because when children have a nice place to come to, a nice building, in some of our communities, and it makes no difference whether it is an upscale community or otherwise, when you have a nice school building, that one school building becomes the community center for that community. And then pride comes. If you build a nice new school, academics improve and you start seeing reinvestment in that community all over again. So it is a good piece for investment in America. If you build a school, you put a lot of people to work, but, more important, you put a lot of people to work around that school building.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank my colleague. I was listening to what the gentleman from Wisconsin said about his child and being in school, and all of us can relate, having children. And I visited in 8 years, the State Superintendent, an awful lot of classrooms, some very good ones and some that sadden me greatly to see them. I have been in classrooms that water was in the basement, that we needed to move children out of the basement and out of harm's way, and in buildings that were fire codes that we had to move them out of. And I was listening earlier to our friends on the other side of the aisle, and they were berating bureaucrats, et cetera, and I could not help but think that it was a partisan issue. And 2 years ago in my State we had raised a lot of awareness on the need for school facilities, and we are not unlike any other State. North Carolina still has tremendous needs. We have grown very rapidly, and you were talking about the growth of students in the public schools, and we are now in the midst of what is being called the baby boom echo, the largest number of children showing up in the public schools over the next 10 years, and that is true today we have ever had, and North Carolina will be the fifth fastest growing State, the fifth; New York being the fourth; California being the first; Texas being second and Florida, number 3, over the next 10 years of students because of this phenomenon of growth. But the point being that we argued with our general assembly, and I happen to believe the public is well ahead of us in Congress and many of our State legislatures; the reason being, they know what their children need. They know that they need good safe environments, they need a good education, and we finally convinced the general assembly with the help of educators and parents, PTAs and others, put a $1.8 billion bond issue on the ballot in North Carolina. We put it on at the same time that the general election was, and many of the politicians said, Oh, we don't want that on the ballot when we're on it.'' Well, I happen to have disagreed with them. I thought it was the proper time to have it. And guess who got the most votes in the general election? It was not any candidate running for statewide office, from the Governor all the way down to our judges and all the counsel of State. It was that vote on the ballot that parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles could go to the ballot box and vote for the next generation of young people who were going to run this country, who were going to sit in these halls of Congress and the legislatures and teach our children and be our doctors and nurses and all the professions. It got over 60 percent of the vote, the largest bond issue in the history of our State by the largest margin ever of any statewide bond issue passing. That tells me that the people in my State, and I think that is reflective of America, will say to this Congress, you are not keeping up with the times when you refuse to say we are going to pay, we are going to allow you to sell bonds, and we are going to pay the interest on it so you can repair those run down buildings, so you can build a new building for growing population of young people who will be coming in so that the prisons are not better than the place we send our children. As I said the other night, children are not stupid either. You know, we tell them how important education is, we want you to get a good education, we want you to do better. And at a young age is, as you talked about your four year old a few minutes ago, every parent feels that way whether they are a United States Congressman or Congresswoman or whether they work in a sweat shop in Anywhere U.S.A. They want their child to have the very best. They want them to have a opportunity to burgeon out in them, whatever they have, they can be the best they can be. That is what they want. If that is true, and I happen to believe it is, then we ought not to say we cannot do it because we can if we have the will. There was a time when we did not provide water and sewer to our cities and our rural areas, and we are still doing it, as we should. You mentioned it earlier. The reason we did not do it, there was not a great need. This country was very rural. I grew up in rural North Carolina. I remember before we had running water. We had a well and an outhouse. Well, today that is not acceptable. It is only acceptable to have running water and the other things. And we invested. The Federal Government did not become the major partner. We became a little partner and provided leadership, and what we are talking about, the Democratic alternative here that we cannot get on the floor, and right now does not look like we are going to get it in a package, and we ought to have, and the President is fighting for it with us. I introduced a bill and join Representative Lowey on her bill because I think it is important in all across this country to have facilities. I also signed a bill for reducing class sizes. I know from personal experience what that will do. We have done that in North Carolina. Children are coming to school today different than the children were 20-25 years ago. They come from backgrounds and homes where they have great needs. They do not get that love and nurturing they should have, not because parents do not want to, that is not the issue. They really want their child to have the best. Many do not know how and cannot, and for some others, they are working two jobs just to keep their lives a float, and they do not have the time, they come home worn out. And that small a class size allows that teacher to teach that child to read and do math before they get to the third grade, and if a child learns to read by the third grade, and these statistics are true all across America and around the world, if a child reads by the third grade, they are going to make it, they will not be a dropout. And we cannot afford dropouts. Dropouts cost all of us. Eighty percent of the people-- well, it is 85 percent now, 85 percent of the people who are incarcerated in American prisons today by and large are dropouts. The drug culture goes with dropouts. Cannot afford it, absolutely cannot afford it, and I am very proud of the job that my colleagues on the Democratic side are working so hard to help bring this issue of education to the forefront so that we can be a partner with the States, with the local jurisdictions and with parents and business community, as we have done in our State and you have done in your state. And I am proud to join with you this hour to talk about two issues that are so important, and there are a lot of others. We cannot solve them all, but these are two we can do something about before we go home, and we should.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. If the gentleman will yield, you are absolutely correct, because what it would amount to is a school system, let us say, well, I will use my own state, North Carolina, let us say when it is approved by Congress, assuming it is approved this week, let us say North Carolina is allocated, as an example, $200 million for the state, whatever that number is. That is an easy figure to work with. Then the state would in turn allocate that to the local systems based on whatever need formula they use. Then they would in turn sell those bonds at the local level to build the schools or renovate as they needed, and the Federal Government would pick up the interest, and the people who buy it, of course, would check that off on their taxes, would be one way to do it. But however it works out, it would mean that the local unit of government, and that is the important thing, you are passing down, we are allowing at the Federal level building that partnership that I think is so important. We are not taking away any of the authority at the local level. We are becoming a partner. We are not the senior partner in this situation, we are the junior partner, and doing it on a one time basis. For those who want to talk like we are the big brother, in this case we are the little-bitty brother, because they are doing about 90 percent of the work at the local level, and the truth is of the Federal funds flowing to the local level, in my state it is about 7 percent, and I think it varies from state to state, but it is somewhere around 9 percent maximum of Federal dollars flowing to the local level. Education has always, will be, and continue to be a local issue, and so are facilities. But all we are talking about is helping those who have the greatest need at a time when they are really struggling. They are trying to put as many dollars as they can into curriculum offerings and in teachers, and all we are doing is supplementing two pieces, the facility for a little while, to give them a jump start. It is like having a car alongside the road and the battery is weak, but the engine will run. So we are going to give them a jump start until they can get far enough to the next station to buy them a new battery. That is all we are talking about with these funds, to renovate and get those schools running. Then when you get the vehicle running, people say it looks pretty good, I am going to loan you enough money to buy you a new battery. That is what we really are talking about with the bonds to renovate and build some new buildings.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) for organizing this hour and I am proud to have an opportunity to spend a few minutes with my democratic colleagues talking about this whole issue of education. It is interesting to me. Education really should not be a partisan issue, but unfortunately in this Congress it is. Children show up at the public schools. They do not come as Democrats or Republicans. When they start, they only know what they get, not what they need, and that is unfortunate. Many times children, depending on the income of their parents or what part of town they may come from, that is what they may wind up with in terms of their opportunity for education, which in turn dictates to the quality of life they may have later, and certainly dictates the quality of life their family will have because education really is the one thing that levels the playing field, and I mean public education because depending on the State, in this country roughly 90 percent of the children are in public schools. In some States, in my home State, it is almost 95 percent and it varies from State to State. That is why we need to do everything we can to support the public institution that has really made a difference in this country of providing an economic opportunity for so many people to move into the middle class in America. That has been public education. Let me ask a question: How did we get here? How did we get to the condition we are in? Because most of the people who want to take the public school money in this Congress and turn it into vouchers and give it to private schools, to those that already have it, came through the public schools in this country. So they had an opportunity to step up to the plate and enjoy that great smorgasbord we call public education in America that many around the world would love to have the opportunity to get, who come to our shores on a daily basis and walk into the doors of our public schools. Many of them cannot speak the English language, and we need to do a better job of making sure they have that opportunity. There are many in this Congress, of the majority party now, in this Congress, who would like to take away that opportunity. It amazes me the challenge that we face in trying to improve the quality of education and the fights we have had this year to gain every inch of ground we have gotten. The President has asked for funds for teachers. We just passed a higher education bill that provides for training of our teachers, the change that needs to be made. Many of us, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of the legislation that incorporated character education, really to put back in the training of our teachers, which is an important component. I mention that only to say in the sixties when the Sputnik went up, and we had challenges in this country in math, in science, et cetera, we poured the dollars in at the higher education level to train engineers. We trained doctors. We put the dollars in and paid for it because that was part of our national defense. We saw that as a mission, something we should do. Today that is still true in our public schools. That is the foundation that we build on, and yet there are those that would say to us, in the Republican Party, that is not a responsibility of Congress. Why, of course it is a responsibility. Our first challenge is to defend our borders, and our national defense, and our military. If we are going to compete in the world economy, our next challenge is to make sure our children, all of our children, no matter what their economic or ethnic background is, that they get an opportunity to get an education. As we put those teachers out there, we need to make sure they have a quality place to go to school, and that is why we need to build buildings. I have been into probably more school rooms than any other person in the 8 years I was superintendent of the schools of North Carolina, and we have spent a lot of money. We spent $1.8 billion in a bond issue we passed at the State level 2 years ago, and who knows how much the locals have spent, but we are still behind. We have children in trailers, and yet there are places in this country where we have children in classrooms that a person would absolutely not operate a business. They would not operate a business because the buildings are in that kind of a condition. How do you say to a child that education is important when they ride by a prison on the way to school that is nicer than the building they are going into to get an education? Children are not dumb. They are pretty bright. They can figure things out. They know what is important in their community. That is why it is important that we pass, before this Congress goes home, and we ought to stay no matter how long it takes, to put some money out there to supplement, only to supplement, what locals are doing; to build the buildings that need to be built; to repair the buildings that are decaying. We have classrooms that the windows are out. We have got classrooms that are cold in winter when they ought to be heated. We have got classrooms that are in deplorable conditions across this country and it varies from community to community. For someone to stand on this House floor and say to the children of America, that is not the role of the Federal Government, I can remember when it was not the role of the Federal Government, if I read my history, to build roads. I remember when it was not the role of the Federal Government to put money in water and sewer because we did not have water and sewer. There were so few people in this country, they had a house out behind the house they went to, but we have changed in America. In America, we have water and sewer. We have treatment plants. There are places where we do not have enough because we need to put more to clean up our water, but we have changed as a country. Education is among the highest priorities we have in America today and, yes, we have a role in it. We can argue about how we are going to get it there. I happen to believe that if we are going to put 100,000 teachers out there, they ought to go to the schools and we ought not to let a bunch of people decide what they are going to do with that money. They ought to go to the classroom where the children are. I was a superintendent and there are some mighty good people out there and I trust them. I was in business for 19 years, too. I had my books audited every year by a CPA. I trusted my people, but I did not trust them that much. I do not think this Congress is going to trust dollars to be thrown out. We ought to require that it be in the classroom where children are, because I believe it is that important to reduce class sizes. I do not need to stand here this evening and share with my colleagues and the American people that it is important to reduce class sizes. Teachers know it is. Parents know that it is. The PTAs across this country support it. It is amazing to me, I never cease to be amazed when I come on this floor, when people have all the answers about all the issues and yet we have professionals in our classrooms that have gone, and I assume our colleges are doing a good job, most of them, training teachers, they know what children need and yet we are going to tell them what they need. They do know. They know that their children need a good, warm, comfortable place to learn. They need a smaller class size. It is not necessary to be a college-educated person to understand if there are 29 students in a classroom or 16, which class is going to get more attention from the teacher. The President is right. We need smaller class sizes. If it is done in kindergarten through the third grade, the data is there. It is absolutely irrefutable, that if it is put there it can be seen. It has been done in Tennessee. We are doing some of it in North Carolina; not enough. We are trying to get it in all the kindergarten through the third grades, but I can say this evening if a child cannot read by the time that child is in the third grade, they are in deep trouble. It is more likely the child will be a dropout. That child most likely will drop out of school. If they do not drop out of school, they struggle and they struggle. They will become a discipline problem and there are all kinds of problems in the schools. Others want to say it is a school problem. It is not the school's problem. It is our problem. Those children are all our children. Whether they are our biological children or not, they are children of America, and they have a right to a good education. We have the resources. We ought to be doing it. There are a lot of things we do that are important, but nothing is more important than the dollars that this Congress ought to put in, before we go home this week, to make sure we have a decent classroom, where we can, for children to go to, and that they have a reduced class size where teachers can do the job they have been hired to do. We talk about we want academic standards, and I happen to believe it is important to have it. We are going to get it if we reduce those class sizes and allow teachers to do the job they were hired to do. Last year, I served as co-chair of the Caucus on Education. We laid out a whole package of things that we thought were important for education that would strengthen our schools all across this country, first class public schools with academic excellence, and we get there by doing these and many other things. We talk about getting parents involved. Parents get involved when they are proud of the schools their children go to. It is easy to have pride in a building that is nice. It is easy to have pride in a building where the teacher knows the children and when the principal is engaged and when computers are involved, and that will happen. Public tax dollars will improve public education if the dollars go to the schools and do not wind up in vouchers for private schools. I said, when I was state superintendent, I would fight for the right, I still say that as a Member of Congress, for any person who wants to send their child to a parochial or private school. That is their right. But I will fight just as hard to make sure they do not take one penny of tax money to be used for that because we do not have enough money in our public schools. The last time I checked the public schools in my State, the PTAs were having bake sales to make sure they have enough money for the schools. We do not need to be taking the hard earned tax dollars from the citizens of my State or this country, in America, and not putting them back where they are well spent, in our public schools. There are more things I could say about it because I believe very strongly our public schools are the foundation, really it is the foundation, that our democracy is built upon. Jefferson said if we expect to remain a free and democratic society, we must be a well educated society, and I still believe that.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of manufactured housing in America and H.R. 3899, the American Homeownership Act of 1998. As the co-chairman of the House Manufactured Housing Caucus and as an original cosponsor of H.R. 3634, the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 1998, I am pleased that a negotiated version of H.R. 3634 is included in Title VII of H.R. 3899 that we consider today. Manufactured housing is a large and growing component of our efforts to address the shortage of affordable housing across North Carolina and the nation. The economic impact of the manufactured housing industry in North Carolina is remarkable: over 15,000 people are employed by the industry in manufacturing facilities and retail operations, providing a total economic pact of over $3 billion each year. The manufactured housing industry also generates hundreds of good paying jobs at about one dozen plants in my district alone, perhaps the most of any Congressional District in the country. This industry's economic presence is an essential component of many North Carolina communities, and makes a big difference in our quality of life. The experience of North Carolina mirrors that of communities across America. Manufactured housing represents one-third of all new single- family homes sold in the U.S., and it is the fastest growing segment of the housing industry. The manufactured housing industry provides quality homes at a price that is within reach of almost every American family, about $38,300, without land. At a time when home ownership is becoming harder to obtain, when more than 5.3 million Americans are paying over 50% of their incomes on rent, and when we have a renewed focus on transferring people away from dependency on public housing, it just makes sense to support the manufactured housing industry. However, the industry is being regulated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under a 24-year old Federal manufactured housing program statute. Manufactured homes have changed tremendously during this period and in many cases are virtually indistinguishable from other types of homes. I am pleased that officials at HUD and the manufactured housing industry have negotiated acceptable language in H.R. 3899 that will help revitalize the federal manufactured housing industry program at HUD, address impediments to growth of this vital industry, and help achieve our national priority of increasing home ownership opportunities for many more Americans. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call on this Congress to pass legislation to strengthen our neighborhood public schools. We have heard people talk on the floor this morning about volume. Our children are told in the classroom it is the quality of their work, not the volume of the documents they produce. That ought to be true for this Congress as well. To go home without passing legislation to strengthen public education and to provide more teachers at the K-3 level, we have not put the quality in the legislation that we ought to pass. I know that because we have done it in my State. A lot of places we have not done it. A lot of places do not have the money. To say it is not needed is like saying we do not have a responsibility for our roads and a lot of other things we do. We need to pass legislation to provide decent, safe, quality classrooms for our children. We can be accountable to the taxpayers, we can be accountable to our communities, but we can only be accountable if we do the job we were sent here to do. Our neighborhood public schools need our help now.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring the attention of the Congress to the Montagnard refugees from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Montagnards were loyal allies of American Special Forces and served bravely with our U.S. military troops during the Vietnam War. Montagnards have suffered terribly in Vietnam for their religious and political beliefs at the hands of the Vietnamese Communists and they continue to suffer. I strongly support human rights and strongly oppose persecution throughout the world; values at the heart of our faiths and our American democracy. Since 1986, my state of North Carolina has been privileged to receive several hundred Montagnard refugees from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. There are over one thousand Montagnards who now live in Greensboro, Raleigh, and Charlotte, thanks to the hard work and compassion of people of faith and human rights activists such as Lutheran Family Services of North Carolina. The Department of State has called the resettlement of this new immigrant community one of the most successful resettlement programs in the United States. The Montagnards have become U.S. citizens, they enrich our nation, they are productive, proud people who love freedom and the chance for survival that this nation has offered them. The Montagnards stood by our nation and now we should do all we can to insure that their family members are allowed to emigrate from Vietnam. I am encouraged by the emphasis Ambassador ``Pete'' Peterson, himself a former Vietnam Prisoner of War and Member of Congress, has promised to place on the plight of the Montagnards. Our nation must strengthen its efforts in gaining measurable Vietnamese cooperation in processing applications for emigration under the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) and the Resettlement Opportunity for Vietnamese Returnees agreement (ROVR). We should expect and demand progress on all of the Montagnard cases. These families have waited too long to be reunited with loved ones.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Massachusetts for yielding this time to me. I wanted my friends on the other side of the aisle to know that before I came to this Congress I was a State Superintendent of Schools for 8 years, prior to that I spent 19 years in business, and I want them to also understand that I received the Chamber of Commerce award this year, and fourthly, I want them to understand that I voted for the balanced budget last year. That will set the tone for what I am about to say about this do-nothing Congress for education, because let me say to my colleagues the day I am here to speak for special interests, I make no bones about it; the children of America are not being spoken for. I ran for this Congress because I was appalled when I was a superintendent at the sorry education legislation that I saw coming through, cuts in doing away with child nutrition programs, cuts in every education program that made a difference for poor children in this country. And my colleagues can argue about all the issues they want to argue about, but I am here to tell them if a child does not have a decent classroom to go to, they understand that education is not important. And they really do not care whether the money comes from the Federal Government, whether it comes from the State government, if it comes from the local government or from private sources; they just know that someone does not care. And there is a big slip between the cup and the lip. Congress must not abandon our schools. Over the next 5 years in this country, we will have the fastest growing population at the high school age in the history of this country, and my State will be the fifth fastest growing State. We have just passed a $1.8 billion bond issue. I was on the telephone yesterday with a superintendent. He gets 3,500 students every year. We must help them, we can help them, and we should not go home until we do.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two young men in my district who have earned the distinguished rank of Eagle Scout, Mr. Joshua Westly Robinson and Mr. Loren Christopher Robinson. These twin brothers from Coats, North Carolina exemplify leadership and community service, serving as a bright hope for the future of America. Joshua Westly Robinson began his Scouting career as a member of Cub Scout Pack 779 in 1989. As a Cub Scout, Joshua earned the God and Me and God and Family Religious Awards, his WEBELOS Badge, and nineteen Activity Badges. In January of 1993, he earned his Arrow of Light Cub Scout Badge and bridged over to Boy Scout Troop 779. He has served as a Troop Guide, Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader as a member of Troop 779. To date, he has earned a total of 56 Merit Badges. Joshua is currently a Brotherhood Member in the Order of the Arrow, and Honor Camper's Organization. Joshua embodies the idea of a student athlete, earning many academic awards while participating in four team sports at Erwin Triton High School. Currently, Joshua is a junior at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. He earned his Eagle Scout Award on December 12, 1997 and is currently eligible to wear a Gold Palm. Loren Christopher Robinson also began his Scouting career as a member of Cub Scout Pack 779 in 1989. He earned both the God and Me and God and Family Religious Awards, and nineteen Activity Badges on his way to becoming a WEBELOS Scout in 1992. He became a Boy Scout in 1993 after achieving the Arrow of Light Award. As a member of Troop 779, Loren has served as Patrol Leader and as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. To date, Loren has earned 50 Merit Badges and is currently a Brotherhood Member of the Order of the Arrow. Loren is currently a Junior at Erwin Triton High School where he excels in the sport of swimming. He has won many state and local awards, including representing the state of North Carolina in national competition. Loren earned his Eagle Scout Award on August 17, 1998. As a former Scout leader myself and a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, I know the difference that Scouting can make in young lives. I congratulate Joshua Westly Robinson and Loren Christopher Robinson on their momentous achievements. I wish them both all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), my friend, for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in strong support of this legislation that will, in my opinion, have a very positive impact on the problem of school violence in this country. I want to thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Maloney) for being the sponsor of this legislation on the House side, and I appreciate him allowing me to be a cosponsor. Mr. Speaker, the recent tragic incidents of violent crime in our schools violate the very values that define us as a people. We cannot tolerate violent crimes no matter where they occur and no matter who commits them. Violent crimes must be punished, and school violence requires an urgent response, because the aftereffects of school violence poison the learning environment for our children and for our teachers. These recent incidents must serve as a call to action. Congress must respond with effective means to prevent and combat school violence. The School Resource Officer legislation will help provide the response that is needed to attack the problem of school violence in a very effective manner, in my opinion. This bipartisan bill will apply the proven principles and techniques of community policing to the school environment. School resource officers are highly trained law enforcement officers with expertise in tackling the unique challenges of school-based crime and violence, and they certainly are unique. Mr. Speaker, prior to my election to this Congress, as the gentleman from Virginia has just shared, I served for 8 years as the elected State superintendent of schools in my State. North Carolina has pioneered the use of school resource officers to provide our children's safety in our schools. Mr. Speaker, 78 percent of the high schools in my State now have school resource officers, as do about half of the middle schools. We now have more than 450 school resource officers serving our schools throughout the State of North Carolina. These officers are making a difference in keeping our communities and school environments safe and helping our children have a good learning environment. North Carolina can serve as a model for the Nation, and this legislation will codify the good work the Justice Department is now doing in channeling law enforcement resources directly into our schools across this land. It is really very simple. Our children cannot learn if they are not safe. We cannot expect our children to learn geometry if they are scared to death about the possibility of gunfire. We cannot expect our teachers to teach effectively when the scourge of drugs invade their classrooms. And we cannot expect parents to have any faith in our schools as learning institutions without providing them the kind of peace of mind that the schools are free of crime and drugs and violence and gangs. School resource officers are a tremendous asset to this effort, and this bill will provide a uniform standard, while maintaining local flexibility. Let me repeat that again: A uniform standard with local flexibility. Congress must respond to the concerns and fears of our students and parents and pass this innovative approach to fighting school crime. Earlier this year, a report in a national magazine, U.S. News and World Report, documented the success of school resource officers in my State. As the editorial points out, and I quote, ``In the past 2 years, reported firearm possessions have dropped 50 percent in North Carolina schools, and principals identify school resource officers as the single most important factor in deterring crime.'' I was honored to join my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Maloney), as an original cosponsor of the House version of this bill, and I am pleased this legislation has received the support of the National Education Association, the International Brotherhood of Police, and a long list of other groups that I will not categorize here tonight. Mr. Speaker, I urge this Congress to pass this bill without delay so that we can provide this safety for our children and our teachers in our schools.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished North Carolinian, former Campbell University coaching great, Fred McCall. He is an important figure on that legendary Tobacco Road where basketball is considered more a spiritual event than just another team sport. Coach McCall led the Fighting Camels to five state junior college championships in eight years, and through their first eight years at senior level competition. After leaving the head coaching position in 1969, Coach McCall remained at Campbell University as Vice- President for Institutional Advancement for a decade, after which he served as Vice-President for Administration until his retirement in 1986. During his tenure at the University, Coach McCall started the internationally respected Campbell Basketball School. That school is now the nation's oldest and largest continually running basketball camp, with over a thousand young men enrolled and a coaching staff of over 100, including the legendary UCLA coach, John Wooden. Coach McCall is not only a coach, teacher, administrator, and mentor, he is also an inventor. He saw a need for a more accurate way to evaluate a player's rebounding ability, so he took the initiative to invent a machine that measures reach, stretch, and jumping ability of the players, while developing strength and control in their fingers, hands, arms, legs, and torso. The McCall Rebounder can be considered nothing less than revolutionary to the teaching of rebounding skills. Most of the nation's top coaches have employed the machine as standard equipment, and it can be found in gymnasiums throughout the country and around the world. While attending Lenoir-Rhyne College, Fred McCall excelled in three varsity sports. As a member of the basketball team for four years, he was a phenomenal scorer and rebounder who made all-conference for two years. He also played for three years as an end-tackle on the football team and two years as a pitcher on the baseball team. Coach McCall graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1948 and later received his master's degree from Peabody College. Coach McCall also proudly served our country for four years during World War II as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His many honors include being named ``Tarheel of the Week'' by the Raleigh News and Observer in 1969, and being profiled in the ``Who's Who in American Colleges and Schools'' for 1948. The great state of North Carolina has inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame. Then there are the unmentioned tributes that come from the thousands of lives he has touched and the countless young men that consider him a mentor, myself included. I am honored to have played under Coach McCall at Campbell University. His esteemed colleague, John Wooden once remarked that Fred McCall was, ``As fine a man as I have ever met.'' I wholeheartedly agree.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great North Carolinian, Mr. Carlie C. McLamb. Mr. McLamb recently received the Distinguished Service Award of the Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He has been a leader in scouting all his adult life. Carlie C. is a popular businessman and community leader in Dunn, NC. He is the top IGA grocery retailer in North Carolina and one of the largest independent dealers in the Nation. He has touched many lives in this small community where he is considered a role model as a hard worker. Carlie C. McLamb is a founding director of the Standard Bank in Dunn and will soon join the board of the Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital. He is also largely responsible for the success of the annual Community Pride event, attended by thousands of area folks. His reputation for hard work inspired loyalty among his employees. When Carlie C.'s store was destroyed by fire and rebuilt 5 months later, every single employee returned to work. Carlie C. is always willing to help people in need, even if he does not know them personally. Youth in the community respect him as a role model and many experience their first jobs in Carlie C.'s store before striking out in search of their own career. I am honored to call Carlie C. a friend. I congratulate him on his much deserved Distinguished Service Award.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this Republican raid on Social Security. Millions of American families in my district and across the country depend on Social Security for their economic survival in their retirement years. Without Social Security, the majority of our older citizens would fall into poverty. This bill would imperil the Social Security Trust Fund, and I urge my colleagues to vote against it. Let me state clearly that I support tax relief. The burden of taxation on America's families and our country's businesses needs to be reduced substantially. The very first bill I introduced as a Member of this House provides relief from the inheritance tax for family farmers and small businesses, and I am tremendously proud that last year's bipartisan balanced budget included similar provisions. I also strongly support the bill's tax relief for America's families who are struggling to pay for college education, which holds the key to the American dream. I have introduced legislation to provide tax credits to help local communities afford to build new schools to relieve overcrowding, reduce class sizes and improve education. And I support many of the specific tax cuts contained in this bill. But fiscal responsibility demands that we pay for any revenue losses, and this bill utterly fails to meet that standard. For thirty years, Washington politicians irresponsibly mortgaged our nation's future by running up a $5.5 trillion debt. I sought this office to help put our fiscal house in order and restore the promise of the future for working American families. Last year, this Congress finally stood up for America' values by balancing the budget for the first time in a generation. This bill violates those values and puts Social Security at risk to finance an election-eve tax cut. I urge my colleagues to exert the courage to oppose this political gimmick that threatens Social Security, our senior citizens and America's future prosperity.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I also rise this morning to pay tribute to a friend of this institution, a friend of the American people, and a dear friend of mine, the gentleman from California (Mr. Vic Fazio). He is a dedicated public servant and a leader who not only has served as chair of our Democratic Caucus but as a senior member on the Committee on Appropriations in making sure that the people's business was done in an appropriate manner. This year I had the privilege to serve as co-chair of the Education Task Force for our Caucus. I worked closely with the gentleman on our education reform plans to strengthen public education for our children. Vic, I want to thank you for your leadership and putting together plans to build new schools for our children, to reduce class sizes, to improve the teacher quality all across this country and to increase academic standards for all children wherever they may happen to live. As a member of the Juvenile Justice Task Force, the gentleman had the same kind of vision of making sure that we had tough but fair laws, that we had smart approaches to crack down on violent juvenile offenders and prevent juvenile crime before it occurred. Even on issues that the gentleman and I did not agree on, that affected my State, he had the willingness to listen, which is a hallmark in the tradition he has had. As my colleagues have already heard, that is why he is so effective, not only in our caucus but in this body. His quick smile, his quick wit and his deep understanding of issues. The American people owe the gentleman from California (Mr. Vic Fazio) a debt of gratitude for his years of service to this Nation, and I give my deepest personal thanks and profound admiration for his unwavering friendship and outstanding service and leadership.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I rise this morning in support of this amendment and in strong opposition to this bill. Let me tell my colleagues why. Dollars for the classroom is nothing more than a hollow sound and it is a joke, because what we are talking about is cutting the allocation to where every single district in my State would lose $12 million of money they badly need, and every other State loses money. These are the statistics I have read and have come from the department. I served at the State level. I know what it takes. I hear this talk about paperwork, and it is true. But the truth is, usually it is not Federal paperwork, it is either State or local. People want to point to and use that as a reason not to send money. Let me tell my colleagues what happens with block grants. I have been out there where block grants come from. But before I was the State superintendent of schools, I chaired the Committee on Appropriations of my State for 4 years, so I know how to use block grants. We send them out, and that is the best way I know; the next time comes there is a nice fat cut and we say oh, by the way, we are going to cut you this much and it is your job to reduce the administrative cost in it. And then pretty soon if you cannot get any more, you say well, you know, the problem with this program, we do not have enough accountability or enough money, so we are just going to cut out the program. Well, I am here to tell my colleagues, we are here at the point where children are coming out of our schools at a greater number than at any other time in our history. As a matter of fact, over the next 5 years we will have more people showing up in this country than ever in the history of America, and in my State, we will be the fifth fastest growing State in the Nation. Do not tell me we need to cut education money. We ought to be about finding a way to put additional money in it and reduce class sizes, because statistics prove when we reduce class sizes, educational opportunities for children increase and learning improves. There is abundant data available on that. Tennessee did the first study, and in North Carolina today we are reducing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade and we are doing it with State money. Do not tell me we cannot blend these dollars at the State level and make it available to the local level without cutting and reducing the paperwork. It can be done, it is being done. This is just another way to cut the money for the public schools, and I oppose it and I think every Member of this body ought to vote against the bill.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to promote the Drug-Free America Blue Ribbon Campaign. As part of a resolution detailing how our children are at risk, the U.S. House of Representatives has declared September 13-19, 1998, as Blue Ribbon Week. This selected week, shortly after most children return to school, allows Americans to join together in waging a strong campaign to win the War on Drugs by the year 2002. We must protect our children from drugs and we must support our law enforcement community in the fight to keep our streets safe. The efforts to reduce the incidence of substance abuse, including abuse of alcohol and illicit, drugs is a major public policy issue in the United States. An estimated 52 million Americans experience a mental health or substance abuse problem every year, with less than half obtaining treatment. According to the state health department, 343,000 residents of North Carolina are in need of comprehensive substance abuse treatment. Over the last 30 years, Congress has initiated a variety of federal efforts supporting the prevention and treatment of, and research relating to, substance abuse and mental illness. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for supporting mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services throughout the country by providing technical assistance, categorical grants, and block grants to the states. This vital agency was created in 1992 and provides funds to states for alcohol and drug prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs and activities. Providing sufficient funds to states for drug prevention is vital to winning the war on drugs. Without adequate funding, states will not be able to provide the necessary treatment and assistance to those in need. The Administration has requested a proposed funding level of $17.1 billion next year in National Drug Control Funding, a 6.8% increase over the estimated $15.9 billion provided in Fiscal Year 1998. In addition to increased funding, the Administration has also proposed a National Drug strategy. The drug initiatives in the new strategy build on five goals: (1) Motivate youth to reject illegal drugs & substance abuse; (2) reduce drug-related crime and violence; (3) reduce health, welfare, and crime costs resulting from illegal drug use; (4) shield the U.S. frontiers from the drug threat; and (5) break foreign and domestic drug supply sources. Congress must do its part and support the Administration's efforts. Protecting our children from drugs and supporting safe streets and communities are top priorities for me. I strongly believe we must not retreat in our battle to save people from the scourge of alcohol and drugs that destroys so many precious lives. As the former two-term Superintendent of North Carolina's public schools, I know firsthand the importance of strong anti-drug abuse programs. I supported and worked on the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program during my tenure as Superintendent, and I oppose the effort of some Republican Members to terminate Safe and Drug-Free Schools. As the Representative of the Second District of North Carolina, I am committed to continuing to work to protect our nation from the dangers of drug abuse. I am also strongly committed to assisting the state and grassroots organizations in my district who know first hand how to combat the devastation of drug use. I believe that it is vitally important to keep an open line of communication with hospitals, treatment programs, and other grassroots organizations to gain valuable input into how we can move forward together in this fight to erase drugs from our streets. Since taking office, I have been honored to visit many groups and organizations in the Second Congressional District who are diligently working to rid their communities of drugs. In order for us to claim victory in this effort, we must break the cycle of drugs and crime and help state and local governments implement drug testing and treatment for drug abusers. In December of last year, I met with the Sanford Chamber of Commerce Drug Action Committee located in Sanford, North Carolina. This group, comprised of concerned citizens, meets on a regular basis to coordinate programs and provide information to combat the substance abuse problems in Lee County. The group's goals include involvement of local students to increase community awareness and communications with area legislators to keep us informed of breakdowns in the judicial system and sentencing for offenders. Earlier this year, I met with staff and toured the Triangle Residential Options of Substance Abusers (TROSA), located in the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina. TROSA is a two year residential self-help initiative serving drug and alcohol abusers. For some, TROSA serves as an alternative to incarceration. The only program of its type in the Triangle, TROSA serves men and women at no cost to the individual. Residents reside in a highly structured environment for two years. The initiative emphasizes vocational training, education, and interpersonal communication skills. There are three major rules governing all TROSA residents: there is to be no use of drugs or alcohol; no threats of violence; and no acts of violence. TROSA is known throughout North Carolina for its success rate and works closely with North Carolina universities to provide valuable educational and self-help programs for its residents. In July of this year, I joined the Johnston County Drug Action Coalition (JCDAC) in the National Drug Control Policy Town Meeting Anti-Drug Campaign with the President and the Director of the Office of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) General Barry McCaffrey. JCDAC, which is located in Smithfield, North Carolina and is run by Dr. Judith Coats Kolcum, joined the Johnston Community College family, law enforcement officials, drug groups and students in this national discussion on drugs. JCDAC's mission includes a comprehensive, long range educational approach addressing not only problems but offering solutions. Its their belief that the use of illegal drugs, the abuse and/or misuse of alcohol affects every citizen of their County and the state. The ugly results of addictions are seen through the loss of health, lost of income, increase in crime, broken homes and quality of life in general. As a solution, JCDAC offers that the cycle of addiction and drug abuse can be broken, by providing effective prevention policies to assure that addiction treatment is available and accessible to all who need it. Also participating in the Town Meeting was the Day By Day Treatment Center. The Day By Day Center is located in a peaceful rural area of Johnston County, just outside of the town of Selma, North Carolina. Day By Day is a grassroots organization that has been instrumental in delivering treatment services to those individuals struggling with substance abuse issues. The Center is a modern facility which offers an intensive concentrated program of drug and alcohol addiction recovery education, based on the traditional Twelve Step Programs of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. At this time, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement prepared by Ed Ward, Executive Director of the Day By Day Treatment Center of Johnston County, Inc. Many believe that legalization is the answer to efforts to control drug use. I strongly disagree with this observation, and based on recent polls 70% of Americans also disagree with drug legalization. According to the ONDCP Director General McCaffrey, lacking the present combined social disapproval, illegality, and law enforcement efforts against illicit drugs, the number of chronic addicts would skyrocket from an estimated 4 million or less addicts today to 15 to 20 million. I strongly agree with General McCaffrey, and believe that drug legalization would increase drug use in the public schools, create higher numbers of drug addicts and overdoses, and more drug-related crimes. The House is expected to vote this week on legislation to promote an agenda of zero tolerance of drugs. These bills which I strongly support, take necessary steps to win the War on Drugs. They are as follows: H.J. Res 117, Opposing Medicinal Marijuana. The measure expresses the opposition of Congress to legalizing marijuana for medical use. H.R. 4006, Lethal Drug Abuse Prevention Act. The measure revokes the right to prescribe drugs for doctors who have dispensed drugs for the purpose of assisting a suicide. H.R. 4300, Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act. The bill is expected to strengthen international efforts to combat the trafficking of illegal drugs into the United States. H.R. 4550, the Drug Demand Reduction Act. The measure would authorize funds for a national anti-drug media campaign; creates programs to promote drug-free workplaces, prisons and schools, and to reduce drug use by teenage drivers; provides market incentives for drug companies to develop anti-addiction medications; and consolidates certain Federal anti-drug programs. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to close by saying that we have a tough battle ahead in order to reach our goal of total eradication of drugs by the year 2002. We must work with school groups, civic organizations, and anti-drug coalitions to increase public awareness about America's drug crisis and establish a consistent ``no-use'' drug message. I pledge to do my part in supporting legislation that will further our goals, and protect our nation from the perils of drugs. I urge my colleagues to join this effort and show the world that we are committed to work together on a bipartisan basis to wipe out drug use in America. A great number of reliable statistical studies* show and prove that addiction disease (alcohol and drug dependency) is our nation's number one health problem. Approximately 18 million Americans are addicted to alcohol. Almost 13 million Americans over 12 years old have used illegal drugs within the last month and another 11 million abuse tranquilizers and other psychotropic medications. Addiction disease costs every citizen of our nation about $1,000 a year for unnecessary health care, added law-enforcement, automobile wrecks, crime, and lost productivity. The tragedy that the disease inflicts upon the emotions and psychological well-being of families is immeasurable. Public policy toward addressing addiction disease is aimed too heavily at cutting supply rather than toward prevention, education and treatment. Addiction disease continues to be viewed with stigma, its victims seen as morally weak, often criminal or bad rather than sick people suffering from a chronic biopsychosocial illness. In my own district, I'm brought face to face with the reality of untreated addiction disease and the difficulty of persons getting appropriate treatment. I recently conversed with representatives from Day By Day Treatment Center located in Selma, North Carolina who informed me that the treatment facility faces tremendous economic pressure due to cutbacks in Medicaid funding, managed care denials of appropriate services, ongoing stigma, and other adversities. This occurs when there is great need and existent studies pointing to the reality that treatment works. Without appropriate treatment, victims of addiction disease are cost shifted to the criminal justice system or more expensive medical care to address other diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver which are secondary to untreated addiction disease. It costs about $6000 to treat a victim of addiction disease as an inpatient at Day By Day Treatment Center or about $2500 for an outpatient program when appropriate. The tragedy is that our health care system cost shifts to the criminal justice system where the cost is up to $37,000 annually to keep one person in prison who wouldn't be there in the first place had addiction disease been addressed initially. As a nation we must: Treat addiction disease on an equal basis with treatment of other diseases. Provide for a more well educated citizenry in addiction disease from layman to professional. Provide for more research aimed at better treatment and more appropriate outcome studies. Today, so many of our society's ills can be traced directly to addiction disease. Let us all not only be acutely aware of the tremendous amount of work that needs to be done in addressing addiction disease, but also of the enormous opportunity and possibility to enhance all of our lives if we will make the effort. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Note that some statistical references were obtained from: Treatment Addiction/Advancing the Common Good a Join Together publication.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, during yesterday's proceedings, I was inadvertently absent from the Chamber during two votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``No'' on both Rollcall votes 423 and 424. I ask that this statement be included in the appropriate place in the Record.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friends Frank and Tina Lee of Smithfield, North Carolina. On August 17, 1998 at 3:33 p.m. they welcomed into the world their first son, William Frank Lee, Jr. There is nothing more wonderful and joyous than watching a child grow and I know that they will treasure every new day with their son. Faye joins me in wishing the Lees great happiness during this very special time of their lives.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this anti-English education bill, and I urge my colleagues to defeat this misguided piece of legislation. As most know, prior to my election to this body two years ago I served for eight years as the elected state superintendent of the schools of North Carolina. North Carolina has experienced tremendous growth in our Spanish-speaking population, and our professional educators, in my opinion, have done an outstanding job in providing these students with special attention to their educational needs, and this includes other students who have deficiencies in English. This bill would destroy that progress and replace it with a one-size- fits-all Washington-knows-best approach. Do not forget that. You cannot impose an arbitrary time limit and expect children to learn. Anyone who knows anything about education knows children learn at different speeds, and it just does not work that way if you want to set an arbitrary limit. This Congress should leave that decision to the professionals, the teachers. H.R. 3892 would jeopardize the progress that we have made and many other students have made with educational help by violating the agreement between the Department of Education and local school districts in their instruction of English. When I first was elected superintendent of North Carolina in 1988, we had 3,000 students not proficient in English in our state. Last year that number was 25,000, and growth has been close to 30 percent in the last five years. My state's English-as-a-second-language classes are taught in English. Students do not spend their entire day in these classes, but these classes provide them with the specialized attention they need to overcome the barriers to their learning, and they cannot do it in just two years and be cut off. Can North Carolina improve its education of limited English proficient students? Of course they can, and so can other states. But this bill does nothing to improve English education, and it deserves to be defeated. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding this time to me. Mr. Chairman, I served as superintendent of schools for 8 years. I ran for this House for this very reason. My Republican colleagues ought to be ashamed of themselves. If they think it is such a good idea, they should make it for their hometown schools. They should make it for their hometown schools. The children of this country deserve better. My colleagues take on the teachers. They punish the schools. They talk about public education. It is the one thing that levels the playing field for all kids and gives them an opportunity. It gave me an opportunity and it gave them one, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves for what they are trying to do. I know what it takes to improve education. It is a good curriculum, it is funding the system, it is providing for educational opportunities, and it is measuring what children do. It is not taking away the opportunity, and it is not providing for just a few. It is making sure that many have the opportunity. And my colleagues ought to vote against this amendment.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, as a former Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of North Carolina, I closely follow matters related to the quality of public education in my district and state. Nothing gives me more pleasure than acknowledging a joint public- private initiative at the local level that is having a positive impact on the quality of classroom instruction. In North Carolina, our community-minded electric cooperatives have a grant program for teachers called Bright Ideas. It was established in 1994 while I was Superintendent to improve classroom instruction by encouraging innovative teaching techniques. Bright Ideas has been a great success. Bright Ideas awards up to $2,000 to teachers K-12 with no restrictions on subject matter. This year they received almost 2,000 applications and made more than 400 grants. North Carolina's electric cooperatives, which provide power to 22 percent of my state's population and operate in 93 out of the 100 counties, made an early decision to consider any school's application regardless of its power supplier. In 1994, North Carolina's electric cooperatives authorized $225,000 a year for a statewide Bright Ideas Program, which would have put the program over the $1,000,000 mark by the 1998-99 school year. However, through generous additional funding in their respective areas, the cooperatives were able to reach $1 million a full year ahead of schedule. I congratulate them for their achievement. Chuck Terrill, Executive Vice President and CEO of the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, says that the program will break $1.5 million by the end of the 1998-99 school year, making the title of ``Bright Ideas Classroom'' a badge of honor in our schools. In my district I have many cooperatives and thousands of cooperative members whom I count as friends. I salute these fine corporate citizens for their extraordinary contributions; more than $1 million benefiting more than 400,000 students and still counting.