Bob Etheridge

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise President Clinton's appointment of Army Gen. Hugh Shelton as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee's vote to confirm the nomination. General Shelton's career is the embodiment of North Carolina values: hard work, service to country, respect, and commitment to excellence. He has earned the opportunity to service as the highest ranking member of the U.S. Military, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Shelton grew up with his hand in the dirt as we say in North Carolina, and is head in the books. He comes from the small town of Speed, in Edgecombe County in eastern North Carolina, a county I have the honor of representing as the Representative of the Second Congressional District of North Carolina. As a veteran myself of the U.S. Army and a farm boy from eastern North Carolina, I have the utmost respect for General Shelton, who grew up working tobacco as a school boy, days on end. He went on to earn his degree in textile engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and his commission through the University's ROTC program. General Shelton is a leader. his distinguished career of leadership and service to our Nation began in 1963, when he joined the U.S. Army. Her served with the 5th Special Forces Group from 1966 to 1967 and from 1969 to 1970 with the 173d Airborne Brigade. His service in the campaign against the Viet Cong and Communist North Vietnamese in the highly volatile back country of Vietnam won him the respect of his colleagues for his personal sacrifice and service to our Nation. In the Persian Gulf war, our largest military confrontation since Vietnam, General Shelton served as assistant commander of the 101st Airborne Division (air assault) ``when it made the largest, longest helicopter assault in history.'' He has commanded Fort Bragg and the 18th Airborne Corps and the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. Currently, he serves as commander of U.S. Special Forces at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, which is home to the Army's Green Berets and the Navy's Seals. One of his greatest attributes has been his experience and effectiveness in bringing together the Armed Forces as he did at the Pentagon and as the task force commander for Haiti. He has sacrificed, served, and fought to keep our Nation free. God has blessed him with these great skills which will serve him and the United States well as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I commend the President for appointing General Shelton to this most important position, and I congratulate the general on this outstanding accomplishment. I urge the full Senate to complete his confirmation as soon as possible.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call on this Congress to support our public schools. As the first member of my family to graduate from college, I know firsthand that quality public education is the key to the American dream, an opportunity for all children, not just the privileged few or those who have funds. As a former superintendent of my State's schools, I know that educating all of our children is the key to America's strength and our Nation's security. There is a lot of arguing in Washington today about the role of the Federal Government in education. But I have spent many hours in the classrooms of my State. No child has ever asked me who paid for the books, who paid for the building or who paid for the computer. Children only know what they have received or whether or not they have been denied an education. We must stop this bickering over the role of the Federal Government. These are our children. They are America's children. We have a responsibility to make sure that they have the opportunity for a good education. We must build new schools, rebuild old ones, raise education standards, involve parents in education, improve the quality of our teachers, and make our schools safe. We can become the education Congress.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. I agree.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. It actually accentuates the fact that there is considerable need. It is going to continue. We have just passed the tax credits and other things for young people to make it beyond high school. But the point is that we now have an opportunity to go back and rework that foundation. No house is ever stronger than the foundation you put under it. We have a chance to really strengthen that foundation, provide for some infrastructure needs that are badly needed, and I would agree with the gentlewoman from Connecticut. All these things are important and we must do them. But certainly children being able to read, compute, do math, safety, those are givens. We all agree that has to be done. But I hope we can now do some of the same things for the other needs that our K-12 children have that we were able to force together for those beyond high school and provide that dream of an educational opportunity. I think to do it we have to keep reminding people that the job is not finished, that we did not get done just because we went home in July and took a break. We have got a lot yet to do. It is going to be here next week, next month, next year. Until we get the job done, we are going to still be there knocking on that door, and the children are waiting for us to take that action.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. If the gentlewoman will yield, what we are really talking about is making funds available for buying down the interest, which will, in turn, encourage that local jurisdiction, State or school district to proceed with a bond issue, or however they want to do it, then to acquire resources to do what they want to do right now, but because of the extra costs are unable to do so in many cases, for a variety of reasons. It may be a community that has seen industry move out over the last several years. It may be a community does not have the tax base to be able to do it, but if we leveraged it and brought the interest rate down, it would be to a point they could do it. And ultimately, the gentlewoman knows as well as I do, if we have a good strong education system in a community, economic growth will follow. As sure as the sun comes up tomorrow morning, we will see economic growth and prosperity will move very quickly.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. If the gentlewoman would yield, the point she has made is so well taken. Because really what she is talking about, there was a time, and many people like to talk of it as if it were yesterday, but it has been a little more than that, but the truth is when the textbook was so important, that was the one thing we had to pass knowledge on to the next generation, if we did not have the one-to-one ratio. As I have said, the best learning takes place when the teacher is on one end of the log and the student on the other. But we have to have more than that today. But the truth was, it was the textbook. Then we added the video to the classroom. But today the Internet provides an opportunity. We really do not know what the dimensions of it really are because we have not had the opportunity to access that in a classroom. The schools that have it, by and large have it in a media center, or what we used to call a library. Some have it in the classroom, depending on where they are, but very few. But that, with broadband networks available to transfer a tremendous amount of information for long distances, will at least allow a classroom, a group of students to be in a classroom in the most remote part of this country, and they can access information anywhere in the world they can receive. As a matter of fact, just this spring we had a four-school hookup, one in Massachusetts, one in Ireland, one in England, and I forget where the other one--oh, it was in Swift Creek Elementary in Wake County. Each group of students, rather than just hook up and chat, had a research project on the Internet. They had already had the access to the Internet, had done their research project, then they put the project up on the Internet and shared it with the other three schools, two in foreign countries; and then other schools did it, who took it to Australia, et cetera. The point being these students were dealing with some very complicated things, I mean the European Common Market. I am not talking about high school students, I am talking about elementary school students, 5th and 6th graders. Well, these were 3rd and 4th graders. Now, they were communicating, some of them, with a group. I said in Ireland; it really was in Brussels, because I remember at the end, the students in North Carolina had done research on lighthouses along the eastern seashore, and particularly the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, about its getting pretty close to the edge and a lot of debate about how to move it. The point being they had done it, but the youngsters in Brussels, when they finished their dialogue on their projects, they started communicating back to the students in the United States in French. We are talking about something that is so vast, and the point the gentlewoman was just making, how important it is that no child, and this happened to be a school that had a lot of business partnerships. What about those communities that have no business partnerships, that have no large corporate sponsors? Whose responsibility does it fall upon then to make sure that that child in that community has access to the same kind of opportunities? Because they are as much a citizen of the United States, or whatever State they may be in, as these other students are. And if we deprive them of that opportunity, I think we have cheated ourselves. And that was the point the gentlewoman made so well is how we level the playing field and provide the opportunity for the child and families in the future to move into the middle class in America. And education is the only way we will do it unless they come from privilege and money to start with.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for organizing this special order. I think it is important, what we are about, and the gentlewoman from Connecticut touched on something I want to expand on, if I may. As you are talking about school quality and quality of the air in the buildings, I think a lot of our people who are looking in tonight around this country many times do not think about the energy crisis we went through over the last 15, 20 years. In many of the buildings we now occupy, the quality of the air is not what it should be because buildings were not built to be as secure as we have those buildings in a lot of places across this country today. So we closed the buildings. We have done a lot of things to save energy. But in the process of doing that, we have cut out a lot of cross ventilation where we do not have air-conditioning, where we do not have air moving in those buildings. If you are in after lunch and the child has had lunch, and that is true of us as adults, if you have lunch and you go to a place where the air is not moving, guess what is going to happen? You become sedentary, you nod off, you get sleepy. You do not pay attention. We wonder why children are not as alert as they should be. That is why in most of schools now, your toughest courses, they organize them so you can have those early in the morning. And the point you talked about, it is so true, we have a lot of inadequate facilities all across this country, depending on where you are, rural areas or in urban centers, for that matter, where the tax bases have been stretched. We have not had the resources in recent years. And I mentioned this last week, and I believe it very strongly, I have been in probably more schools than anyone who is currently serving in Congress, but certainly over the last 8 years, on a regular basis, I was in the public schools in North Carolina. And I have yet to have a child come to me and ask me who paid for their school building, who pays their teacher or buys their books or anything else. They only know what they get. I think we have to get beyond that. We have a responsibility for all the children. And the responsibility is great, I think. But when we look at the facilities, we need to look also at the growth areas of this country, because I went into a building today in my State. I looked at the list. California is projected in high schools to grow 36 percent in the next 10 years. North Carolina, a 27-percent growth in high schools. That is not speaking to the problem in kindergarten through the eighth grade. What is really happening is this is the echo of the baby boom. In other words, the baby boomers are now having babies. And when they have them, they tend to show up in school eventually. When they show up in school, they are allowed to have good facilities. What is happening, we have not been able to build those infrastructures because of a number of issues over the last several years. But as you look, I went into a school this morning, a new elementary school that is in its third year. Nice school, the kind of building with all the modern conveniences, computers, et cetera, that you would want. Did not have enough. The school was built for less than 600 elementary children, a community that is booming. And that is true of a lot of places in North Carolina because of the economic growth in the research triangle. This school has 1,200 children, 1,200, an outstanding principal, a great staff, but they have 18 portable classrooms on that school ground. They have expanded the physical properties twice in terms of permanent buildings. And one of the teachers showed me one of the classes where they were teaching art and English, and it was in the hall of a new building. Some of this money could have made a big difference in buying them bonds so they could expand. This county just passed the largest bond issue in their history. Our State, last November, on the general election ballot passed a $1.9 billion bond issue, largest bond issue in our State's history and, I might say, by the largest majority. And that would not come close to meeting our needs. I think that could be repeated 50 other times across this country, whether it be urban or rural. The point is that, as the gentlewoman from Connecticut has pointed out and our colleague from New York, not only do we have inadequate facilities that need upgrading, refitting, prepared for computers that are not there, and have air quality that is substandard in a lot of cases, but we need buildings for children who are showing up at schools that do not have buildings, do not have desks, and a lot of other things. I would acknowledge that, by and large, historically that has been a local or State issue, but I come back to the point at one time that was also true of water and sewer in this country. And then we realized that there was a national responsibility to leverage and we leveraged. And there are a lot of other things we leverage to make a difference when it becomes a national priority. As the gentlewoman from Connecticut has so adequately pointed out, I do not know of anything that is a greater national priority today than to have a well-educated citizenry to occupy the jobs of the 21st century, when roughly two out of three will require education beyond high school. And if it is going to require education beyond high school, it seems to me commonsense dictates we should get them through high school first. And to get them through high school we have to start them right, encourage them, get them reading and doing math and a lot of those things that have been talked about. It will not be easy, but it is a tremendous investment in the infrastructure of this country that will make a significant difference for children. We have talked about the numbers, and it is repeated. I was looking at some statistics today in terms of different States, of how the growth is growing. It is not even, but the States that tend to be growing faster were States that have had some economic opportunity. But the problem we have is it is growing so rapidly in many of those States they have a difficult time keeping up with the infrastructure, too. So I think if we could help, we could leverage that. We had an opportunity with the budget deal that did not happen, but we have not adjourned yet. Last time I checked, we have not adjourned. We still have an opportunity to correct some of those problems, and I trust that we will. Because there are going to be a lot of young people, and I think a lot of voters will ask us when we go home, what did we do on this issue that we left hanging. And I trust we can say to them before we adjourn, in October or November or whatever it is, that, yes, we were good stewards; yes, we did leverage; yes, we did realize there was a tremendous need. We did not stick our heads in the sand and say it was someone else's responsibility, it was someone else's duty. We did do our part on it. And I trust we will. As for me, as the old saying goes, as for me and my house, I plan to vote, if I get a shot at it, as I did before, because I think our children are waiting for us to take that action. I thank the gentleman for putting this special order together because it is important. One final point I will make, my colleague from Connecticut touched on it, and that is this whole issue of infrastructure in the buildings, of computers, and we talked about the Internet. We have so few schools today that have the wiring, as she has pointed out, but more importantly, we do not even have the telephone lines in a lot of cases to carry that Internet access that is so important that each of us in this Congress has access to. If it is important for those of us who are making public policy decisions, I think the Vice President was right, and the President, when they said we want to make it available to the schools, because it is available in a lot of our schools that have money. It is true in most States around this country. If it is true for those that have the resources, then certainly it ought to be true and the opportunity ought to be there for every single child, because who knows which ones will the doctors, the lawyers, who will find the cure to the problems in the world; and we need to give them the same opportunity no matter where we live. I yield to my colleague from Connecticut.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I regret that I cannot be there all in person today for these special events in Rocky Mount wishing Buck Leonard a happy 90th birthday and unveiling a historical marker in his honor. Everyone in Rocky Mount knows of the many talents of Hall of Famer Buck Leonard. I recently read a description of Buck Leonard. It said that ``trying to sneak a fastball by Buck was like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster.'' Buck Leonard began his baseball career as a semipro star right there in Rocky Mount, but was soon forced to leave Rocky Mount during the Depression to chase his dream of playing professionally. What he accomplished is truly amazing. Buck Leonard led his team to nine consecutive Negro National League championships from 1937 to 1945. Buck led the Cum Posey Grays to back-to-back World Series Championships in 1943 and 1944. In 1947, he batted .410, and in 1948, he led the league in batting and tied for the lead in home runs while leading his team to yet another World Series title. He was always a fan favorite and became a fixture in the annual East-West All-Star classic, setting yet another record by playing in 11 All-Star games. I only wish that the whole world could have seen the talents of Buck Leonard in the major leagues. Although that national recognition came too late for Buck Leonard, he is enshrined today in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. There is no player more deserving of that great honor than Rocky Mount's own Buck Leonard. Though Buck was forced to leave Rocky Mount to pursue his professional career, he never forgot his beloved hometown. It is only fitting that today, the city of Rocky Mount honors Buck Leonard not merely for his many baseball talents and accomplishments, but also for what he has done for this fine community. Buck, I wish you a happy birthday. Though I missed this celebration, reserve me a seat for your 100th birthday celebration.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New Jersey for organizing this special order and the opportunity for me to participate this evening and to the Speaker and the others for being here, and as he knows I had the distinct privilege before joining this special body, people's House, to serve as the elected Superintendent of Schools for 8 years in the State of North Carolina, a State that has really been actively involved in setting high quality educational standards statewide, and that is really showing some promise in our State, and I know firsthand from having visited with students and their family how important education is and what a major security issue it is for this country and how it will pull us forward, and I am grateful that the President, and I was very pleased to be here in my first session and make it a national priority for our Nation, because I truly believe that education is the one thing that levels the playing field for all young people, and there is still an awful lot of young people in this country who will be the first in their family to attend an institution beyond high school, and I was awfully pleased that the bipartisan balanced budget, that it contained a significant investment in education. Truth is, it was the largest investment, as you know, in education for education beyond high school since the GI bill in 1945. Roughly $35 billion, and that GI bill, of course, in 1945 enabled an entire generation of Americans who came home from the war and others who fought during Korea and other times. It really laid a groundwork for an unprecedented economic growth in this country, and it allowed for upward social mobility, and ushered in an era that has really been called the American century in the world. And I truly believe that the educational investment that the Democrats helped push, the President laid out, and was enacted will lay the groundwork for providing for a lifetime of learning opportunities for all American citizens as they approach the 21st century and really will make the 21st century, again in my opinion if we follow through with it, the American century again. And I think this balanced budget package with the tax cuts is good news for middle class families and students. As I said, it contained $35 billion in tax relief for higher education, and it will help break down the barriers of opportunity for many families because there are a lot of children who would not have had that opportunity. And as you talked about it a little earlier, the HOPE scholarships, I will not get into them, but $1,500 will actually pay for a community college education for a lot of children. In our State, we have about 64 of them plus 16 public universities and a large number of private. So it will make a difference there. And the tax credits beyond the first and second year will provide for a lifetime of learning for adults. But they also provide for an opportunity to get good quality jobs because we know an education translates into economic opportunity for the people who have it, and if you do not believe it, just look at the people who have an education and look at their economic opportunity, how it improves the health and quality of life for their children, et cetera. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, three out of five jobs in the 21st century, those jobs that will be created, certainly beyond 2005, are going to require education beyond high school. So I think the passage of this legislation and the commitment the Democrats made in this Congress really continues their legacy of a commitment to education in making sure those who have not had the opportunity will have an opportunity to benefit and realize the American dream and the opportunity for a quality education. During the recess that we have just completed, I had the privilege of joining Secretary Riley in traveling in my district. We really participated in a forum on quality education, and then we traveled to a community college, met with students and administrators to talk about the positive difference that these investments will make in the lives of real people, people who are in school, people who want to go to school, and as we met with a number of students and administrators at Vance-Granville Community College outside our capital city in Raleigh, it was really refreshing to hear how this would impact students. But let me share with you, if I may, Mr. Speaker, what Stacy Marshburn, a 23-year-old mother of two children who is going to college full-time and working part-time, what she had to say, and I quote: ``The tax cut is wonderful. It will help my family, and me, and many others, at Vance-Granville Community College.'' She continued, ``I thank the Congress for passing the tax cuts. I think it will really help people who are trying to raise a family and still go to school. Being a full-time student with two small children to support, I feel that these will go a long way toward helping me achieve my educational goals.'' The truth is, for Stacy Marshburn, it will allow her to finish her education and get a job and change the lifestyle she is enjoying, but more importantly, it will change a whole generation for her children who will now have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a mother who is well educated, the quality of life she can attain from better income. And the president of that community college, Dr. Ben Currin, said, ``I think the changes we see in this agreement are perhaps the most important educational changes that we have seen since the Pell grants were started,'' because, as you know, the Pell grants for our colleges and community colleges are really the dollars for those most-needy students. We haven't talked about it this evening, but this package, with the President's request and commitment and standing behind it and the Democrats pushing it, we have the largest Pell grant increase in history. So what we have done is made sure that all students, those in the middle, those at the bottom, those who have the great need, all will be beneficiaries of this legislation. Let me cover a couple of more points before I turn it back to you, if I may. As you know, we have an Educational Task Force in the House, and I have had the distinct privilege of having cochaired that. We met many, many times. We have generated a great deal of ideas and a lot of support, with your help and your sharing the bully pulpit here in the House and others talking about education and the President using the power of his office. And I am grateful for that this evening, because without him standing up and making it a major issue, as he did in the State of the Union Address, and sticking by his guns and negotiating for sound, secure educational policy, I am not so sure we would be standing here talking about it this evening. Democrats can take a great deal of pride in leadership and standing up. Let me say a word before I sit down on the things we need to do, because I think as we talk about where we are, we need to talk about what we have yet to do. As we move forward in education, I see that there is a lot that needs to be done, and these are some things that certainly are local responsibilities, but we at the Federal level can't walk away from. I learned, as superintendent, we can stand here and argue about whose role it is, but last time I checked and went into a classroom, a student never asked me who paid for their textbooks or who built the building or who paid their teachers or who provided any of the services they get. A child only knows what they do not get or what little they may get. I think sometimes those of us in public office get too carried away by whose responsibility it is and forget that it is all of our responsibility. With that, I am talking about the crumbling schools that we have in some of our inner cities and some of our rural areas across this country; that we have to get beyond the dialog of whose responsibility it is and say, it is all of our responsibility, it is our country and they are our children. We have to deal with that. There are some communities that cannot do it without some help, without some leveraging. I think that is an issue we have to grapple with, and we had better get on with the business of dealing with it, because if we do not, those are the young people that I think will not get the opportunity they need. Certainly the issues of providing support for our teachers and our communities who are working to build a strong base for character education in our schools, to help our young people deal with the challenges, that is important. We have to take advantage, I think, of the ground-breaking research on early childhood development. We know what works; we need to get beyond the dialog and get involved. The sooner we have children, the better off they are going to be later on. They have to come to school ready to learn. I have been there, talked with too many teachers and know the problems, as you do, that we have to help them early, because they are not getting it in many cases. I think we also must support educational standards of excellence. On another day I would like to talk about that in length, because North Carolina has invested about 8 years, while I was superintendent and they are still in it. And the NAEP scores that came out, National Assessment of Educational Progress and sampling you volunteer for, North Carolina was one of the leading States in the Nation in terms of growth. I believe our fourth graders are about three times the national average, and the eighth graders, about four times. It really is a focus. And I think we have to give our children that focus and help our teachers and others. I have drafted a resolution for a number of these things on educational standards, and a lot of Members have already signed it. We haven't dropped it in yet, but we plan to, because in North Carolina, we have achieved results as it relates to standards, and I happen to believe that it is important. We are one of several States that have already volunteered to do the statewide, when the nationals come out, because we are on the sampling now. What we are really talking about in this is extending the sampling to every student. That is really what you are talking about. We do the fourth and eighth grades on a sampling basis. We are talking about doing it for every student. Let me close by saying that North Carolina was the one State that was singled out this past spring on the national assessment. We are quite proud of it. But the truth is, the people who deserve the credit are the students and teachers, because North Carolina was the one State that received the most improvement award of all the States because of their progress in that over the last several years. I think it is important. But it is not important that we talk about that; it is important that we go about the business of helping every student in every State and every community, every child, no matter where they live, to be a part of that progress of being part of the most improved as the time goes on. Because achievement is some evidence that raising standards will work to raise performance; if you expect more, you get more. We must learn that lesson and support educational standards of excellence. I think it is important. The last time I checked, when we look at batting averages, we measure the batting average of all players against the standard. I played a little bit of basketball in college. They did not lower the hoop because you were shorter, they did not raise it because you were taller. You played against the same hoop at the same height, and the basket is the same size. And the same is true of all our students. We do them a disservice if we do not help them achieve the highest level, because when we do not do that, we do not open the door of opportunity to the whole world.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. If the gentleman will yield, you touched on a point that is important, because when you think in terms of standards, I certainly agree and understand where we are headed. When you think in terms of facility quality and where people go to work every day, I have been into buildings where teachers worked. We forget, they are our employees. We are paying them Federal and State moneys, depending on how you look at it, or local funds. I say to Chambers of Commerce, I have said to any group I speak to, when they say to me, the quality of building does not make any difference, I say, well, if that is true, then the next time you invite an industry in and you really want to impress them, take them down to the docks down here or down to one of the warehouses that you have closed up, and say to them, it really does not make any difference, the quality of the building you make your products in, and we want you to move in here, and see how many of those industries you get to come to your business. They will not come. I think it is important that children see the quality, that you do care about where they go, and that they do have the quality of facility they need, because it does have an impact. I know. I have seen it, I have been there. It has an impact on their attitudes, their learning. There is a whole list of things we do not need to go to. But you are absolutely right, and I think that is one we should revisit. I plan to be a part of that. I think we should. That, in conjunction with standards, is an important place. I thank the gentleman for taking the time to be here.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce a resolution to provide a commemorative stamp for Ava Gardner, one of America's most accomplished actresses and native of the town of Smithfield in the Second Congressional District of North Carolina. I would like to submit the text of this resolution for the Record, and I strongly urge my colleagues to sign on as cosponsors of this resolution: Whereas Ava Lavinia Gardner is one of America's most accomplished actresses this century; Whereas her work was world renowned, taking her around the country and globe, residing in New York, California, Spain, and England, spreading the goodwill of the American people and setting the mark in film, radio, and television for aspiring actresses and actors to follow; Whereas, her movie career was recognized by her peers and industry, receiving the Golden Globe Best Actress in a Drama nomination for ``Night of the Iguana'' (1964), the Academy of Motion Pictures Merit for Outstanding Achievement Best Actress nomination for ``Mogambo'' (1953), and the Look Film Achievement Award for her performance in ``The Hucksters'' (1947); Whereas, her work personified and led the true golden age of Hollywood, when stories were of the heart and when values dictated one's performance such as her role as Sarah in ``The Bible . . . in the Beginning,'' recognized as the best picture of the month for the whole family with the Box Office Blue-Ribbon Award (1966); Whereas, her patriotism was unparalleled, recognized by the United States Armed Forces for her spirit of public service, and distinguished performance as guest star of the Armed Forces radio network's production of ``Victorious Lady''; Whereas, Time Magazine, one of the world's most widely read publications, recognized her achievements in 1951, dedicating its from cover to Ava Gardner, and becoming the first female from her home State of North Carolina ever to grace its cover; Whereas, though she rose to great heights from humble beginnings, living the American Dream through hard work and perseverance, she never forgot the needs of people as she worked tirelessly for cancer research funding, nor the people of Johnston County, North Carolina, where she was born the youngest of five daughters and two sons of Jonas and Mary Elizabeth Gardner, later attending high school in the Rock Ridge Community and on to the then Atlantic Christian College (Barton College) in Wilson, North Carolina; Whereas, citizens from every State in the United States and across the world revere her work, visiting the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, North Carolina, and her numerous related worldwide web Internet sights, as well as on television, enjoying her work in episodes of the hit television series ``Knots Landing'' and her life story through biographical television movies; Whereas, her work carries on, despite her passing from this earth January 25, 1990; Whereas, Ava Lavinia Gardner is one of America's most accomplished actresses this century, leading the Hollywood golden age, spreading the goodwill and patriotism of the American people around the globe, and setting the mark in film, radio, and television of aspiring actresses and actors to follow; Whereas, the ``Ava Gardner 2000 Stamp Committee,'' spearheaded by the Ava Gardner Museum and the work of its indefatigable volunteers in Smithfield, North Carolina, to celebrate her life has targeted the decade anniversary of her passing of January 25, 2000, for the publication of a commemorative stamp by the United States Postal Service: Therefore, be it Resolved, that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued by the United States Postal Service in honor of Ava Gardner; and that the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee of the United States Postal Service should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a postage stamp be issued.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Foundations Bible College and Schools in Dunn, NC on the recent dedication of its Anvil House. The president and founder of the Foundations Ministries and Schools, Dr. O. Talmadge Spence, announced the official Day of Dedication of Anvil House on May 15 with a 4-day celebration which culminated with the 23d graduation class of the college. The vision of this learning center around a worship sanctuary results after some 30 years of thought, and more energetically after Dr. Spence attended Oxford University. Six years and nine months of actual building has been involved with a little over 2 years in acquiring furnishings, furniture, decor, and art pieces for the learning laboratory experience. Anvil House phase 1, has been completed with 30,300 square feet of floor space including: 8 divinity halls on the north and south; exterior and interior gothic walks; the first floor Founder's Foyer, and the Whitefield Sanctuary which seats 950 persons. The second floor consists of a gallery, balcony, and the colonnade walk which leads from the balcony to the podium above the first floor chancel. The cantilever pulpit projects out into the sanctuary some 30 feet with the first floor sanctuary and the second floor balcony surrounding the entire pulpit area. The Anvil House is dedicated to three histories as pictured by its historical time and decor: World civilization, church history, and remnant Christianity. These three historical views are seen in a parallel chronology running throughout the facility. World civilization is seen in all of the rooms and areas. Church history, mingled with the parallel history of world civilization, is illustrated by the gothic walk of 46 nitches and over 100 art pieces. The divinity halls are designated by the following geographies, noting the ingredients of remnant Christianity: The French Room, noting the times of the Huguenots and the Waldensians; the Bohemian Room, the Hussites and Moravians; the Colonial Room, puritans and pilgrims; the English Room, Oxford Holy Club; the Welsh Room, the Welsh revival; the Swiss Room, the Swiss brethren and Zwingli; the Ulster Room, the dissenters and separatists; and the German Room, the Reformers and Luther. The second floor balcony and colonnade will be the regular processional walk for the graduation class each year as they proceed to the pulpit of Whitefield Sanctuary to receive their diploma or degree. In each of the rooms and other areas of Anvil House there is historical meaning everywhere. There are over 1,600 art pieces from all over the world. There are 688 fixed gothic arches in Anvil House besides another 500 other such arches in the art pieces themselves. This facility has one of the largest collections of Christian etchings found anywhere. The next addition will be phase two, and it will commence immediately to add seven three- and four-story towers, using castle rock as was used for the north Calvin Pavilion. The south tower will be called Wesley Tower, and the other six east and west towers will be identified by other personalities of church history, such as Robert Murray McCheyne, Jonathan Edwards, John Wycliffe, J. Gresham Machen, Brainerd, and Zinzendorf. The building itself will occupy about 1 acre of land. In phase two, east and west gardens will be planted to resemble the distinct kinds of gardens in the Orient and the western world as particularly viewed from the perspective of Christianity and missions. Dr. Spence, who is the president and founder of Foundations Schools as well as the original designer of the Anvil House, speaks glowingly of the project: ``We believe genuine history is being lost or neglected in the progress of modern man,'' says Dr. Spence, ``and history is being rewritten with a different presupposition than the facts of the past. We are losing the experience we have learned of the past.'' President Spence continues: ``As a Christian educational institution leaning into the twenty-first century, Foundations believes history must be protected as truthfully as we protect the Bible. To the Christian, the first authority is the Bible, the Word of God, then history, then philosophy, and then languages,'' said Dr. Spence, ``and all truth must be proclaimed, defended, and practiced by Christians no matter which compartment of life they live in during their daily activities.'' Dr. Spence, concluded his remarks at the opening ceremonies by saying, ``The two Christians who are most appropriate to speak in these early hours of Anvil House are Dr. Bob Jones, Chancellor of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina; and Reverend Michael N. Riley, pastor of the Killian Hill Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.'' Dr. Spence was led to Christ through D. Jones and Reverend Riley has been a cherished friend in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ of unusual gifts for interior decor. May 15 through May 18 involved the first 4 days of worship, open house, lectures, and graduation Sunday. Personal RSVP invitations were extended for this first occasion. A commemorative publication called ``Anvil House'' and a reproduction of a 300-year-old text entitled ``The Principle Reformers'' were produced to honor this historic event. Foundations Bible College and Seminary is located off Interstate 95, Exit 77 in Dunn, NC, on a 65-acre campus of 12 building facilities. The school also operates the radio station WLLN of Lillington, NC through the Christian Purities Fellowship for its outreach ministry program. Over its past 23 years, 100 divinity students from 15 countries and 31 States have been ordained to the Christian ministry by the Foundations School.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for this time, and also for his hard work. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this middle-class tax relief bill. I sought this office to fight for North Carolina values, to look out for our farmers, and to help our families and provide quality education for all of our children. This bill makes significant strides in each of these goals. The first bill I introduced as a Member of this people's House provides estate tax relief for our family farmers and small businesses. I am very pleased that this bill contains immediate relief for our family farmers and small businesses from the heavy burden of estate taxes. This bill is good news for North Carolina farmers. In addition to the $500-per-child tax credit, this bill will help families in North Carolina and throughout this country to obtain educational opportunities for their children. As a former two-term superintendent of my State's public schools, I know that education is the key to a brighter future for all Americans. For middle-class families and for those families struggling to make it into the middle class, education is the pathway to the American dream. This bipartisan budget agreement represents the most significant investment in education in a generation. We have more to do, Mr. Speaker. We must raise education standards. We must rebuild our crumbling schools. We must help put more police on the street and make our communities safer. We have more work to do, but this is a day to celebrate for the American people. On behalf of the North Carolina farmers, small business people and families struggling to provide a decent education for our children and who want to achieve the American dream, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Gutknecht] for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the hard-working farmers of North Carolina. I want to thank my colleagues that voted yesterday to preserve crop insurance for tobacco farmers. Defeating the amendment this week could not have come more timely. Just this week, rain and wind from Hurricane Danny damaged thousands of tobacco farms in North Carolina as farmers prepared to go to market. As insurance adjusters began to survey the damage, farmers will count on crop insurance to pay the bill as they try to salvage what they can. If crop insurance were not available to these small farmers, not only would this year's crop be a near total loss for them, but others would be forced off the farm entirely. Many of these very farmers are still repairing the damage to curing barns, irrigation equipment, and other farm equipment received during Hurricane Bertha and Hurricane Fran just last year. Others are just now recovering to pay off farm loans and bank debts that they sustained during that period. And their families also faced damage from blue mold just last year on their tobacco. Yesterday's vote was a huge victory for small farmers, especially poor, minority, and disadvantaged growers. Tobacco has been in the news a great deal lately. It has been the source of quite a bit of controversy. However, there is one fact about tobacco that is indisputable. The golden leaf has helped build the State of North Carolina, and it has helped transform the Tar Heel State into an international force in business, technology, education, research, medicine, and the arts. Before the turn of the century, North Carolina was known as the Rip Van Winkle State, devoid of good education, economic wealth, and many other things that others enjoyed. Jobs were hard to come by, and a week's pay at a textile mill never seemed to be quite enough to pay the bills at the town general store. Education was a privilege only for a very special few people. At the turn of the century, most children left school early to work on the farm or in a textile mill, and only a lucky few graduated from high school, and even less went on to college. Health care was atrocious. But because of the geography and climate, North Carolina farmers found that they could grow a variety of crops and especially one that turned a good crop, flue-cured tobacco. Tobacco has helped educate our children, help establish our community college system, build our roads, and send thousands of young people to a public university system that is the rival of any in this Nation and around the world. Tobacco and the tax revenues and economic development it has generated has provided the State and local government the resources necessary to foster an environment of technological achievement in our State that would not have been deemed thinkable just a few decades ago. North Carolina boasts the best research universities that exist anywhere. Our community college system is the model used by States all over the country. North Carolina boasts more miles of State maintained highways than any State in this Nation. And the Research Triangle Park has become a research technological manufacturing center that has put North Carolina ahead of the pack in the creation of new jobs and economic development opportunities as we look forward to the new millennium. Just over 50 years ago, tobacco was the economy of North Carolina. And it remains an important part of our State today, but it is a less important part. North Carolina has a well-diversified, multifaceted economy, thanks to the sweat and toil of the farmers all over our State. But tobacco is extremely vulnerable to the fury of nature. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and other acts of nature that have visited North Carolina in recent years have devastated our family farmers. Crop insurance would have made it more difficult had farmers not had to insure themselves against nature's fury. So let me thank my colleagues again for casting a vote on behalf of family farmers. I also want to thank my colleagues that voted to preserve the peanut program and the reforms that were made to it in the 1996 farm bill. Because had they not voted against the Neumann- Kanjorski amendment, peanuts would have been in trouble. Peanuts have also played a big role in the agriculture economy of North Carolina. Before tobacco became the king crop, peanuts sustained the fragile economies in many of our poorest counties in North Carolina, as it still does today. Peanut farmers face many obstacles, as do others. Too much water turns them to mush. Too much drought turns them to dust. Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank my colleagues for casting their vote to help our farmers yesterday. The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Burr]. The gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Gutknecht] is recognized and has 42 minutes remaining.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment. Peanut farmers are the backbone of the economy in the poorest counties in the South. They agreed to the reforms in the program just last year. Loan rates were reduced, quotas were reduced, programs were opened to new producers, out-of-State quota holders were eliminated. In return they have been given a farm bill, a 7-year promise of stability. Mr. Chairman, peanut farms face many obstacles without having to worry about whether or not they can pay their bills. Too much rain gives soggy peanuts, drought turns them to dust. Peanut farmers are hardworking people. They need stability. They do not need to face this problem. Proponents claim they are fighting for consumers. Hogwash. Candy manufacturers have said they will not pass on any of the savings to consumers. Savings will be passed on to a few of the multibillion- dollar companies, and the price of candy bars will not go down. If there is any integrity left in this Congress, we will live up to the commitment that was made last year to the peanut farmers and defeat this amendment.

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment on behalf of the small farmers of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this attack on farmers. If not for insurance-- floods in the Midwest would have devastated wheat farmers; cold would have destroyed Florida orange growers; droughts would have ruined western farmers; southern farmers would not have survived hurricanes in 1996. Yesterday, rain from Hurricane Danny flooded tobacco fields in North Carolina as farmers prepared to go to market. As adjusters survey the damage, farmers will count on crop insurance to pay the bills as they try to salvage what they can. Singling out these farmers is discriminatory and unfair. This assault on farmers threatens their last safety net. Secretary Glickman opposes the amendment because insurance is a safety net, not a subsidy. Proponents claim concern for public health and teen smoking. I understand that this amendment impacts neither. It will not stop teen smoking; will not hurt manufacturers profits; and will not reduce cigarette production. The demagoguery of this amendment is shameful. It threatens the balance reached in a tobacco settlement which includes the most extensive public health proposals on smoking in history. Eliminating insurance for tobacco will devastate victims of Hurricane Danny, hurt poor, minority farmers and do nothing for public health. Vote for fairness. Vote ``no'' on this amendment.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen hero in Sharpsburg, NC, in my congressional district. Wayne Hathaway, Sharpsburg's chief of police, was brutally slain in the line of duty last Thursday. Chief Hathaway served 25 years, more than half his entire life, enforcing the law and keeping the peace in Sharpsburg. Last week, the chief made the ultimate sacrifice while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. The accused killer did not end his crime with the chief but turned his gun on his own wife and tragically took her life as well. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, I joined 1,200 mourners in Sharpsburg to pay tribute to Chief Hathaway's quarter century of service, leadership, and friendship. Law enforcement officers serve each and every day across this country in the battle against the criminal element to keep our streets and communities safe. We in Congress must give our police the support they need so that the service and sacrifice of Wayne Hathaway and all the dedicated officers like him are not made in vain. Nothing is more important to our people than safe streets and communities in which they can life, work, and raise a family. Wayne Hathaway provided that public safety to Sharpsburg for 25 years, and we are in his debt. Jesus teaches us ``Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.'' (John 15:13). Mr. Speaker, on Sunday Sharpsburg buried a fallen hero who laid down his life for his friends and neighbors. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Wayne Hathaway.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the Mink-Morella-Sanchez amendment to ensure gender equity in vocational technical education. I urge my colleagues to support this important amendment. Mr. Chairman, immediately prior to my election to this body, I served for 8 years, or two terms, as the elected State superintendent of the schools of the State of North Carolina. As a former State school chief, I know firsthand how important gender equity is in vocational education. According to the 1990 census data, there were more than 15.6 million homemakers in this Nation that were displaced, and a half a million of those homemakers live in North Carolina. In North Carolina single mothers care for more than 130,000 children. In my State an estimated 128,000 families with children live in poverty, and 81,000 or 63.6 percent of those families are headed by women. We must empower these women to succeed in today's economy. Mr. Chairman, gender equity has produced significant and positive results in female enrollment and work force development in North Carolina. In 1986, there were 140,000 women enrolled in vocational education. Today in North Carolina that number is 190,000. These students have a 98 percent completion rate; 84 percent go on to post- high school education or training at our technical schools or in the job market. Female participation in the apprenticeships have an 87 percent completion rate in their efforts to prepare workers for the work force. Finally, in North Carolina our gender equity is linked, or maybe I should say partnered, with our local community groups and with business groups to match their skills when they come out of the public school. This arrangement provides for effective use of our resources and effectively and efficiently expands opportunities. This amendment would protect efforts serving these displaced homemakers, single parents and pregnant women. The amendment would simply require that localities maintain funding at the same level as they did in 1997 and restore current law with respect to the vocational education equity coordinators that oversee, coordinate and make sure that equity is there. Mr. Chairman, public education is the great equalizer in our society. By equipping people with the tools they need to make the most of their God-given talents, we must empower them to achieve the American dream and to succeed. Every American citizen deserves no less. Not a guaranteed result, but a guaranteed opportunity. That is what this Congress ought to do. Sadly, without gender equity, women and girls will be shortchanged. If we are going to keep raising the bar, we better make sure that people can jump. Equity access to education initiatives help women become self- sufficient and stay off welfare. Gender equity helps women attain higher skills, higher technical training that is necessary to land the best jobs in today's economy and will be essential to America's economic prospects in the 21st century. Without this amendment to H.R. 1853, it would fundamentally change our vocational education policy and threaten to roll back the clock against gains women have made in the workplace. The effect of this change would be to reward localities that have lagged behind the effort to expand educational opportunity to girls and women. It would send a signal that this Congress no longer believes that efforts for girls and women, for displaced homemakers and single parents should be a priority. That is exactly the wrong signal that we should be sending in 1997. Under H.R. 1853, a State can serve no displaced homemakers, no single parents, no single pregnant women and no individual training for nontraditional employment and under this bill it would be OK. That is wrong. Mr. Chairman, during the previous Congress, Members of this House launched an all-out attack on public education that was devastating to the morale of the people who worked in the public schools. I stood with them shoulder to shoulder. I am here to tell my colleagues today, that is not going to happen in 1997. We need to stand up for girls and women and pass this amendment.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I stand before my colleagues today, immensely frustrated and troubled by the judicial system in Costa Rica and the lack of enforcement authority by the United States of America. One of my constituents, a father from Southern Pines in the Second Congressional District of North Carolina, has been waiting patiently for years for justice to be done. He is awaiting the return of his 6- year-old daughter, Holly Dantzler, from the country of Costa Rica. Many people watching today may know Mr. Farriel Britt's story. He was the subject of a ``Prime Time Live'' story that was aired in May of this year because his daughter had been kidnapped by his ex-wife, Terry Dantzler, and taken to Costa Rica. The State of North Carolina and the State of South Carolina, where Mr. Britt's ex-wife lived, both agreed that Mr. Britts should have custody of his daughter and both States have granted him custody of his daughter. But Mr. Britt's' ex-wife kidnapped her and fled to Costa Rica where she has thus far escaped American justice. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Dantzler has an international kidnapping warrant outstanding against her. An international kidnapping warrant. One would think that the State Department would be working night and day to make sure that this woman is arrested and her child returned to her father in the United States, but apparently the United States of America is powerless in the face of one Costa Rican judge. Mr. Speaker, I am frustrated because Mr. Farriel Britt turned to me for help when he could not fight this fight alone anymore. I have to say, I thought the fact that I was a U.S. Congressman, elected by the people of the Second District of North Carolina, would be of some help to him. But I have since learned that while I may get my phone calls returned by the State Department more quickly these days, the State Department apparently is powerless because they have not responded to my needs nor Mr. Britt's. Our State Department issued a request for extradition to the Costa Rican Government. That means that Mrs. Dantzler was supposed to be arrested by the Costa Rican Government and sent back to the United States. Mr. Britt flew to Costa Rica because Holly would need someone to care for her when her mother was arrested and taken into custody. As my colleagues may expect, Mr. Britt thought his daughter would soon be returned to him. He waited during the weekend of Father's Day on June 17. I cannot imagine the agony of waiting in a hotel room during Father's Day for the return of a daughter whom you have not seen for 3 years. But he waited to no avail. While Mr. Britt was waiting, the judge in Costa Rica was meeting behind closed doors with Mrs. Dantzler's attorney. They met not once but twice. Some sort of deal was worked out so that Mrs. Dantzler could keep her child and only be held under House arrest. House arrest is a sham in the country of Costa Rica. There is no method of enforcing house arrest in Costa Rica. No officer is assigned to guard Mrs. Dantzler's door, no one watches her house, so she is able to come and go as she pleases. If that is the case, I wonder what exactly prevents her from fleeing Costa Rica and going to some other destination. Mr. Speaker, I am troubled that a judge charged with enforcing an extradition order from the United States of America is flaunting her authority in the face of this country. This is a criminal case and she would be, in this country, removed from office. The State of North Carolina already decided the custody case. As far as this judge is concerned, Mr. Britt should just wait indefinitely for his daughter to be returned to the United States, but Mr. Britt has been waiting for his child. Mr. Britt has been waiting for 3 long years. Now that he has finally located her in Costa Rica, why should he be subjected to the whims of one judge in Costa Rica? The U.S. Department of State has asked the Government of Costa Rica to arrest this woman and send her home so that Holly Dantzler can be returned to her father. This simple justice is being subverted by one judge in Costa Rica who is flaunting the law. Today I request that the State Department demand the Government of Costa Rica to remove this judge from Mr. Britt's' case and enforce this extradition order so that this child can be returned to the United States of America and be reunited with her father as the law demands. I thank the Speaker for allowing me this time to speak in behalf of a father who is being unjustly denied the companionship of his daughter.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Det. Paul Hale of the Raleigh Police Department who was killed in the line of duty last Friday. Detective Hale is survived by his wife, Connie, and their daughters, Jessica Anne, age 10, and Stephanie Lynn, age 7. Mr. Speaker, I did not know Detective Hale personally, but I know well of his work and that of his brother police officers. Law enforcement officers in North Carolina serve day-in and day-out on the frontlines in the battle to secure safe streets and communities. As this tragic event illustrates, too often this battle is waged against long odds. Paul Hale excelled at his dangerous, often thankless, job. His 7 years of exemplary service won him a promotion just last week to the esteemed rank of police detective. Recognized for his skills in pursuing lawbreakers, Detective Hale was hot on the trail of a murder suspect when a 9-millimeter bullet to the head snuffed out his young life. The perpetrator of this terrible crime is reported to be a teenager with a history of criminal activity. Mr. Speaker, the tide of youth violence is rising at a rapid rate. I have spent several days in recent months on patrol with North Carolina's men and women of law enforcement as they endeavor to thwart this growing threat. Although statistics tell us overall violent crime is down some 5 percent nationwide, youth violence has risen by 6 percent in my home State. We must adopt a tough and smart new approach to stem this rising tide of youth violence. Law enforcement is struggling hard to do the job, but they cannot do it alone. They need and deserve our help and support. Mr. Speaker, last week, Paul Hale made the ultimate sacrifice to serve and protect the people of North Carolina. I call on this Congress to take aggressive action to crack down on violent criminals and demonstrate that this North Carolina hero did not die in vain.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the most thoughtful, caring, and courageous women I ever knew, Jane Smith Stewart, who lived in my hometown of Lillington, NC. Tragically, Jane Stewart passed away June 7, the very same day that here in Washington and in North Carolina's capital city of Raleigh, thousands participated in the ``Race for the Cure'' to raise money for cancer patients. Jane was a registered nurse by training, educated at East Carolina University, and she was active in the Spring Hill United Methodist Church where she extensively worked with the youth program. Jane always cared about young people. Jane Stewart was an amazing person, and for those who had the joy of knowing her, would have been hard pressed to point to a single characteristic or quality that defined her character. Maybe it was her rare courage. Despite her painful illness, she remained active in the community and most of all with her three children. Though doctors told her she was too sick, she would go and watch her children participate in baseball and basketball and other activities. Her actions were and still are an inspiration to other cancer patients who knew her. Or maybe it was her inner strength or faith that enabled her to carry on her activities in life despite being sick. She was always worried and concerned about the needs of others even as she faced her own battle with cancer. She never stopped caring for her church, her community, or her family. Mr. Speaker, I count myself as lucky because I knew Jane Stewart. She is survived by her husband Frank, and their three sons, Greg, Doug, and Brad Stewart, and her parents Bill and Donna Smith of Rocky Mount. Their loss is also our loss. Her memory will continue to inspire us. Indeed, our community will surely miss Jane Smith Stewart.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call on my colleagues in this House and the negotiators on the tax bill to put support for educational opportunities and tax relief for middle-class families at the top of their priority list. As a former two-term State school chief, I know firsthand how important education is to our children's futures. In this modern economy, high school diplomas are no longer enough to ensure workers can achieve economic success. We must support opportunities for lifelong learning. Education is a journey, not a destination. Unfortunately, according to the Education Department, the Republicans' tax bill would shortchange 186,000 North Carolina students out of relief from educational expenses. In addition, the tax bill the House passed would actually raise taxes on some college students and penalize retired teachers, and that is absolutely wrong. Today, college students from across this country are rallying here at the Capitol to protest tax policies that shortchange them. We must heed their call and pass meaningful tax relief for education. Mr. Speaker, I call on this Congress to support educational opportunity for all of our children and meaningful tax relief to middle-class families.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a North Carolina hero who made us all proud to be Americans. Yesterday Charles Kuralt was laid to rest in Chapel Hill, NC. His award winning-broadcast career celebrated not the lifestyle of the rich and famous, but regular ordinary Americans off the beaten path. He inspired us not with stories of glitzy stars or flashy celebrities, but the common men and women whose everyday lives and work made this country great. It was North Carolina's values that sent Charles Kuralt on the road to discovery, and it was our good fortune that he took us along for the ride. Born in Wilmington, raised in Charlotte and educated in Chapel Hill, Charles Kuralt lived and breathed North Carolina even as he reported to us from around the country and across the world. He took North Carolina values with him wherever he went, and his road was our road. Yesterday under a scorching sky of Tarheel blue this North Carolina hero made his final trip. Rest in peace, Charles Kuralt.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose this Republican bill. Let me tell my colleagues why. Fifty-one percent of the children in North Carolina will not be eligible for benefits under this plan. That is 1.1 million children. Hard-working families in my district and across America deserve a break from the burden of Federal taxes, but it should be fair. Unfortunately, this bill neglects the needs of our North Carolina families and provides an unfair windfall for the wealthiest of Americans. I strongly support a balanced budget. I voted yesterday for spending cuts that will make that happen. I strongly support helping our middle class families, and I have written legislation to provide estate tax relief for our farmers and small businesses, and I strongly support education tax relief under the Rangel substitute to help families put their children through college. I am a Democrat, and I am for tax cuts, but I am for tax cuts that are fair to all the people in this country, and this bill is absolutely not fair to the children in America.

Mr. ETHERIDGE

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to House Joint Resolution 79, the resolution to disapprove extension of MFN for China. I have serious concerns about China's overall human rights record. However, if we do not have engagement we will be doing more harm than good--how do we isolate 1.2 billion people? We have tried isolation and it did not work. In arriving at this decision, I found particularly compelling the words of Rev. Billy Graham who said ``we must do all we can to strengthen our relationship with China. It is far better to treat it as a friend, than to treat it as an adversary.'' I believe it is in North Carolina's best interest to engage China and build on our strengths rather than damage a trade relationship which other nations will vigorously pursue in our absence. Exports, especially in the agriculture sector, are essential to North Carolina's economy. China represents a large and growing market for our goods and services. This market supports thousands of jobs here at home. Agricultural exports to China from the United States have grown from $333 million in 1993 to $2 billion in 1996 and the prospect of future growth is tremendous. Every $1 billion in additional exports creates nearly 20,000 new, high-wage jobs in the United States. For North Carolina, which exports $544 million--ninth among U.S. States--in goods a year to China--$297 million--and Hong Kong--$247 million-- engaging China through trade will provide jobs for North Carolina's workers and help ensure our economic success into the next century. I also believe it will allow us to press for better human rights policies as we increase our economic involvement.