Eni Faleomavaega

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, this piece of legislation was introduced by the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle], and the bill is intended to facilitate the sale of about 35 acres of Federal land in the Tahoe National Forest in California, Placer County. The prospective purchaser intends to use the property for a public park. The Forest Service has the authority to sell this land under current law and testified that the bill is unnecessary, but the legislation serves the purpose of highlighting this as a priority matter for Forest Service attention. It does not, however, alter the responsibility of the purchaser to pay fair market value for the land. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation introduced by the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle]. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, this is the first of four national forest bills on the floor today which are sponsored by our Republican members. Along with other Democratic members of the Committee on Resources, I am pleased to support this legislation introduced by the gentleman from Colorado. This bill would correct an erroneous land survey which has resulted in the encroachment of 1 acre of private land on the Raggeds Wilderness area in the White River National Forest. The legislation is without controversy, and it is supported by the administration. A similar bill passed the House in the last Congress. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation of the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. McInnis]. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. At this time I would be remiss if I do not express my sense of commendation to the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Hinchey] certainly for his contributions and his attentiveness to these measures, three measures previously that we passed and H.R. 79 that is now up for consideration. I certainly thank the ranking Democrat on this side of the aisle, the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller]. It is my understanding, Mr. Speaker, that this is the first opportunity that the gentlewoman from Idaho [Mrs. Chenoweth], the chairman of the subcommittee, has had to manage these four pieces of legislation, and I want to add my commendation to the gentlewoman for her leadership and certainly for successfully bringing these four pieces of legislation to fruition. Certainly I have a very strong feeling that it will have the support of our colleagues here on the floor of the House. Again, I commend the gentlewoman for her fine leadership in bringing these pieces of legislation for consideration. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, as mentioned earlier by the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from Idaho [Mrs. Chenoweth], this legislation was introduced by the gentleman from California [Mr. Riggs] and a similar piece of legislation was also introduced by Senator Boxer of California. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 79 would transfer almost 2,640 acres of land currently within the Six Rivers National Forest in California to the Hoopa Valley Tribe to be held in trust for the tribe. This language includes an operating campground that is adjacent to the southern boundary of the reservation. There is question as to whether or not this land was intended to be part of the original reservation boundaries, but by looking at a map of the area one can conclude that may have been the case. Regardless, the Forest Service has testified that it supports this transfer and believes that the tribe has the resources and expertise to effectively manage the area. In fact, the Hoopa Valley Tribe is well-known as environmentally sensitive toward the stewards of their land. The tribe operates under a forest management plan which was adopted for the years 1994 through the year 2003. This management plan was developed with the collaboration of the World Wildlife Fund. In March of this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a biological opinion finding that the Hoopa forest management plan would not jeopardize the northern spotted owl or any of the other listed endangered species. Attached to my statement, Mr. Speaker, I include two letters from the tribe's representative. The first is to the office of the Secretary of the Interior, and the second is to Mr. James Lyons, the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the Department of Agriculture. These letters explain the tribe's forest management plan and how we can expect the transfer of lands to be managed. H.R. 79 makes clear that the roads within this area will be made part of the Indian reservation roads system within the Bureau of Indian Affairs assuring public access through the area and to the Trinity River. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Idaho [Mrs. Chenoweth] and her staff for working with Democrats on this side of the aisle and for bringing to the floor this legislation for consideration. I hope that this will benefit the Hoopa Valley Tribe in the future, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I include the following letters for the Record: Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C., Attorneys at Law, Washington, DC, April 15, 1997. Re H.R. 79 Hoopa Reservation boundary adjustment. Heather Sibbison, Esq., Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC. Dear Heather: Attached is a letter to Agriculture Department Under Secretary James Lyons regarding the Hoopa Valley Reservation boundary adjustment legislation. It is in response to a draft proposal (also attached) from the Forest Service to amend H.R. 79. As the letter explains, the Hoopa Valley Tribe strongly disagrees with the proposed amendments. Also attached is Resource Committee Chairman Don Young's March 11 letter to T.J. Glauthier at OMB offering to move expeditiously on the bill. This followed Chairman Young's February 10 letter to Secretary Babbitt with the Committee's routine request for a bill report. In addition to those letters is T.J. Glauthier's October 2, 1996, letter to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs clearing the bill for passage in the 104th Congress. Please consider the following as you evaluate H.R. 79: The bill would transfer 2641 acres from the Forest Service in trust to the Tribe; Prior Forest Service sales harvested 915 acres of that total; and Under the Tribe's Forest Management Plan (FMP) (which has received a non-jeopardy biological opinion from the Fish and Wildlife Service as to any listed species, including the northern spotted owl). Approximately 620 acres will be protected by the FMP's stream side protection zones (Class 1: 400 feet; Class 2: 200 feet; Class 3, 100); 330 acres will be subject to the FMP's wild and scenic river designation; 310 acres will be in the Trinity view shed; and 102 acres will be in northern spotted owl activity zones. The portion of the 2641 acres designated as Late Successional reserve in the President's Forest Plan totals 1264 acres. By restoring the land to the Hoopa Valley Reservation and placing it under the Hoopa FMP, 1362 acres will be protected; that is, more than would be protected by the Late Successional Reserve designation in the President's Forest Plan. If you have any questions about this, please give me a call. Sincerely, Joseph R. Membrino.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor to speak before you during this month celebrating the rich and diverse heritage of Asian-Pacific Americans. I am very proud of the deep and enduring contributions of my fellow Americans--those whose roots extend from the soil of nations in Asia and the Pacific islands. I have served on the House Committee dealing with Foreign Affairs for 8 years, and as a member of its Asia-Pacific Affairs Subcommittee have long argued that U.S. foreign policy has been overly preoccupied with Europe and the Middle East--to the neglect of the Asia-Pacific region. With two-thirds of the world's population and gross domestic product originating from the Asia-Pacific, America cannot afford to neglect its interests in this important part of the globe. Looking at the Asia-Pacific region today, perhaps no country figures to have a greater impact on the United States than the People's Republic of China. The emergence of China as a major world power is one of the historic events of the late 20th century. As we enter the 21st century, the Pacific century, China is projected to become a true great power. Thus, it is fitting that we take this occasion to examine the very complex subject of Sino-American relations. I would like to share with you my thoughts on the major issues affecting our relationship. While not so long ago Asia-Pacific issues were being given shortshrift, now, the region is buffeted by a whirlwind of attention from Washington. At the center of the vortex is China, where suddenly all roads seem to lead. Vice President Gore recently traveled to China, the first visit of an American President or Vice President since 1989. Last month, the highest ranking official in the House of Representatives, Speaker Newt Gingrich, lead a congressional delegation to China. Preceding their visits was that of Secretary of State Albright. And President Clinton will also visit China, shortly after his summit meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Washington later this year. All of this attention on China is well-founded. With 1.3 billion people, China is the most populous nation and the most promising market on the planet. With the world's third largest economy and dynamic growth over 10 percent for several years running, China's possesses foreign exchange reserves exceeding $100 billion--second only to Japan. With the world's largest military, over 3.2 million strong, which is undergoing modernization and has nuclear arms, China is a force not to be taken lightly. All of these factors underscore why America's relationship with China is one of the most crucial in the world, and why it is growing in importance. China Engagement I have long been a supporter of maintaining broad and comprehensive ties with the People's Republic of China. This policy of China engagement has been upheld in a bipartisan fashion by five previous administrations and I support President Clinton in his efforts now for comprehensive engagement with China. We cannot allow America's board- ranging, multifaceted relationship with China to be held hostage to my particular issue or interest. As for those that advocate a policy of China containment, I believe that this is dangerous and shortsighted. China is not what the former Soviet Union was--an ideological and military expansionist threat to democracies around the world, that was also closed to external trade. United States attempts to isolate China will not be supported by our allies and will only result in friction with our trading partners. Moreover, a containment policy would result in China responding with hostility and noncooperation directly targeted toward the United States. Our World War II ally, China, is not our enemy and we should not force China into responding like one to protect itself. The quickest way to transform China from friend to foe would be adoption of a containment policy. It is in America's national interest to have a productive relationship with a China that is strong, stable, open, and prosperous--a China that is increasingly integrated into the international community and global marketplace as a responsible and accountable partner. Since China opened her doors to the West in the 1970's with President Nixon's initiative, we have seen tremendous strides forward on several fronts. Business, social, and political ties with the west have blossomed, allowing a torrent of information, technology, and Western values to stream into China. This has resulted in a profound improvement of life for the Chinese people, giving them new-found freedoms in employment, travel, and housing, with expanded access to information and democratic participation in village elections. Over the past two decades, political and individual freedoms, along with an increased standard of living, have significantly changed for the better for the average Chinese. While in our eyes much remains to be done for human rights, we should not forget that it was not so long ago--during Mao's rule and the cultural revolution--that hundreds of thousands of Chinese were murdered or imprisoned from political persecution; while untold numbers fought starvation, sometimes through desperate acts of cannabilism. The progress from the China of Mao Tse-tung, yesterday, to the China of President Jiang Zemin, today, is, indeed remarkable. China may be the first example of a Communist system that will succeed in meeting the long-term economic needs of her people. Feeding China's 1.3 billion hungry people--five times more than all the people in America--has by itself been a monumental accomplishment. In a nation of such huge size, which adds 12 million new mouths each year, I can understand why some say that providing food and shelter and stability may be preservation of the most basic yet important of human rights, particularly at this stage of China's development. Clearly, America's engagement with China has played an invaluable role in this transition. It has been a long road from the 1950's and 1960's, when China opposed virtually all United States foreign policy goals. Then, China supported North Korea's attack on the south and ultimately entered the conflict to fight against us. It fired artillery at Taiwan on its islands of Quemoy and Matsu. China fought border wars with India and the Soviet Union. And it attempted to subvert nations friendly to us by sponsoring revolutionary movements in Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Today, the picture is very different. In Korea, China has played a crucial role in providing stability on the Peninsula, including assistance to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons program and diplomatic efforts to prevent the outbreak of a war between the Koreas. Far from subverting its neighbors, China now seeks investment from their business leaders. Rather than oppose our foreign policy goals, it has acceded to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, signed onto the comprehensive test ban treaty, taken part in the security dialogue at the ASEAN regional forum, worked toward international environmental protection accords and cooperated with us at the U.N. Security Council. With strong ties to the West, China is evolving into a more open society with a government that is increasingly sensitive to international opinion and willing to work with fellow nations and the United States. Hong Kong One of the most important issues to soon test United States-Sino relations is the transfer of Hong Kong from Britain to China this July 1. America has substantial interests in Hong Kong, including $14 billion in United States investment and two-way trade exceeding $24 billion. Some 37,000 Americans reside in Hong Kong, with United States Navy ships making 60-80 port calls a year. The Government of Hong Kong works closely with the United States to combat narcotics trafficking, alien smuggling, and organized crime. Under the joint declaration signed in 1984, Britain and China agreed for Hong Kong's reversion to China and the orderly transfer of power. The agreement holds that for 50 years China will extend Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy to control its own affairs, except in the areas of national defense and foreign relations. China's policy has been dubbed the ``one country, two systems'' approach. It is designed to preserve the unique economic environment that has made Hong Kong a capitalistic success story, and permits activities and freedoms in Hong Kong that are not allowed in the rest of China. While some in Washington bemoan the reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese control and predict Hong Kong's demise, I am not one of those. I view the return of Hong Kong to China as just, proper, and long overdue. It is the end to a long period of national humiliation for China. For 157 years, the British have ruled over the Chinese People of Hong Kong as a colony of imperialism. It began in the 1840's, when China resisted Britian's efforts to sell China opium. Rebuffed, England started a war, called the opium war, which China lost and for which Britain took Hong Kong Island as a Prize. Twenty years later, England initiated another conflict, the arrow war, and defeated China again. Its prize this time was Kowloon, the mainland part of Hong Kong. In 1898, Britain gained another large amount of land by 99-year lease, the new territories, which is vital to Hong Kong's operations. With the expiration of that lease this July, the British had no choice legally but to return Hong Kong to its rightful owners, China. While China is undergoing accusations of undermining democracy in Hong Kong, I find it ironic that no one said anything during the 150 years of British Imperial rule when democracy never existed in Hong Kong. The Governor of Hong Kong, always British, was appointed by London, without an election nor the input of the citizens of Hong Kong. There was no democratically elected legislative council. All of the top civil servants were British. And the major companies in Hong Kong were kept in English hands. The British were the elite, and the native Chinese were second-class citizens in their own homeland. It was not until recently in 1990, at the 11th hour before Hong Kong's return to China, that Britain took steps to turn Hong Kong into a democracy. After a century-and-a-half of colonial rule and imperialism, I find it hypocritical that Britain is preaching to China about preserving democracy. While some have argued that these late democratic reforms were in response to the Tiananmen Square tragedy, others in Hong Kong feel that they were undertaken solely to dress up Britain's legacy in Hong Kong; to make Britain look good in history after being forced to leave its colony--a practice repeated with its other former colonies. The Western media have focused on the disbanding of the existing elected legislative council for a provisional legislature and the effort to retract the 1992 civil rights ordinances as signaling Hong Kong's looming problems. What is often not mentioned, however, is that Britain unilaterally undertook election reforms and legislative changes in violation of the 1984 joint declaration with China, which held Hong Kong's legal system in existence then was not to be changed. Britain's unilateral action was perceived as an arrogant insult to China, reopening wounds on an already sensitive matter. In rolling back these legal changes, China is merely holding Britain to its commitment to retain British laws followed for decades in Hong Kong. While the media portrays dark storm clouds gathering over Hong Kong, I see rays of light. The appointment of C.H. Tung as chief executive of the new Hong Kong Government has been widely applauded, as he is a man of integrity that commands great respect not only in Hong Kong and Beijing but in Washington and throughout the international community. Another very positive sign is that Mr. Tung has retained the senior leadership of the civil service and the Hong Kong Administration. He has also made clear that the provisional legislature's term shall be brief, as he will secure the election of a new legislative council soon after his government is in place. Public confidence in Hong Kong about the transition is high, with recent polls showing that almost two-thirds of Hong Kong residents would voluntarily choose to join China if the decision were up to them. This confidence is reflected in the real estate market, where within the past year residential property prices have increased 20 to 40 percent and luxury homes have doubled in price. Hong Kong's stock exchange has also reflected this confidence, achieving several record highs in recent months and increasing in value by 34 percent over the year prior. I believe that there is reason for optimism that the transition will go well. China, more than any other country, has the greatest stakes to lose if Hong Kong's autonomy is threatened and its economy strangled. First, Hong Kong is the central engine that drives 60 percent of foreign trade and investment in China, fueling China's economic reform process which is vital to its stability. Half of China's exports, over $140 billion, go through Hong Kong, with Chinese investments there exceeding $50 billion. Quite simply, undermining international confidence in Hong Kong will deal a fatal blow to China's own economic development. Second, China knows the world is watching and it needs Hong Kong to succeed to gain legitimacy as a responsible and mature nation in the eyes of the international community. A smooth transition will immeasurably enhance China's credibility and that of its Communist Government's ability to govern. Last, as Beijing is well aware, Hong Kong is a test case for Taiwan. The failure of the ``one country, two systems'' approach with Hong Kong would spell doom for peaceful reunification with Taiwan. Moreover, a crackdown on Hong Kong could result in international support for Taiwan's independence. China's highest priority has always been to reunite with Taiwan and I do not believe it will jeopardize reunification by a failure to handle Hong Kong properly. In short, I don't think we'll be seeing anytime soon Chinese PLA troops on the streets of Hong Kong beating demonstrators. Congress passed the Hong Kong Policy Act in 1992 and the Hong Kong Reversion Act just months ago. They send the message to China that the United States is concerned about Hong Kong's freedoms, that we are monitoring the transition, and will take steps to terminate our relationship with Hong Kong if it is no longer autonomous. While I supported these bills, we must be careful not to intervene too much in Hong Kong, a matter that is totally within China's sovereign right. Micromanagement of the transition process may prove to be counterproductive. At this point, I think we need to step back and give China and the new Hong Kong Government of Chief Executive Tung room to breathe. Certainly, Mr. Tung deserves the opportunity to show that he can effectively lead Hong Kong and China must be given the chance to demonstrate that it will keep its promises. in honor of asian-pacific americans While China may be the magnet in the Asia-Pacific region attracting much of United States foreign policy attention today, China along with the other nations of the Asia-Pacific have played another role by contributing offspring to the rich ethnic diversity of the United States. Americans of Asian-Pacific descent, almost 10 million strong, are the fastest growing demographic group in the United States today. Over the last decade, the Asian-Pacific American community has more than doubled and this rapid growth is expected to continue well into the next century. As many of you are aware, immigrants from the Asia-Pacific region are amongst the newest wave to arrive in the United States in recent years. However, they are merely the latest chapter in the long history of Asian-Pacific Americans in our Nation. During this month for celebration, it is only fitting that we honor our fellow citizens of Asian-Pacific descent--both from the past and the present--that have blessed and enriched our Nation. I submit that Asian-Pacific Americans have certainly been an asset to our country's development, and it is most appropriate that our President and Congress have proclaimed May as Asian-Pacific heritage month. The people of the Asia-Pacific have contributed much to America's development in the sciences and medicine. Nothing exemplifies this more than Time magazine's selection of a Chinese-American, Dr. David Ho, head of the prestigious Aaron Diamond Aids Research Center, as its ``1996 Man of the Year.'' Dr. Ho's journey from being a 12-year-old immigrant to being honored as ``Man of the Year'' for giving hope to millions of people affected with the HIV virus is a testament to the significant contributions that Asian-Pacific American immigrants have made in America. Dr. David Ho, scientific director and chief executive officer of the Aaron Diamond Aids Research Center at New York University Medical School, is one of the foremost aids scientists in the world. While unraveling how the aids virus causes death after infection, Dr. Ho pioneered a treatment for HIV infection that has shown promise in beating back the deadly disease. In focusing treatment research on the early stages of infection, using cocktails of antiviral drugs to combat the aids-causing virus, HIV, Dr. Ho has fundamentally changed the approach to combating aids, stated Time magazine. Dr. Ho's accomplishments are a credit to the Asian-Pacific American community and more importantly give renewed hope to millions of patients around the world suffering from the HIV virus. Dr. Ho's scientific advances continue a long record of service by Asian-Pacific Americans. In 1899, a Japanese immigrant arrived on the shores of this Nation. After years of study and work, this man, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, isolated the syphilis germ, leading to a cure for the deadly, wide-spread disease. For decades, Dr. Makio Murayama conducted vital research in the United States that laid the groundwork for combatting sickle-cell anemia. In 1973, Dr. Leo Easki, an Asian immigrant to our country, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his electron tunneling theories. and, in engineering, few have matched the architectural masterpieces created by the genius of Chinese- American, I.M. Pei. Major contributions to U.S. business and industry have also been made by Asian-Pacific Americans. Wang laboratories, the innovative business enterprise in computer research and development, was founded in 1955 by Chinese- American, An Wang. This Nation's largest tungsten refinery was built in 1953 by industrialist K.C. Li and his company, the Wah Chang Corp. And, in 1964, an immigrant from Shanghai, China, Gerald Tsai, started from scratch an investment firm, the Manhattan Fund, which today has well over $270 million in assets. In the entertainment and sports fields, American Martial Arts Expert Bruce Lee entertained the movie audiences of this Nation, while destroying the stereotype of the passive, quiet Asian male. World-class Conductor Seiji Ozawa has lead the San Francisco Symphony through brilliant performances over the years. A native-Hawaiian named Duke Kahanamoku shocked the world by winning the Olympic Gold Medal in swimming seven decades ago; followed by Dr. Sammy Lee, a Korean-American who won the Olympic Gold Medal in high diving. Then there was Tommy Kono of Hawaii, also an Olympic Gold medalist in weightlifting. And, yes, perhaps the greatest Olympic diver ever known to the world, a Samoan-American by the name of Greg Louganis--whose record in gold medals and national championships will be in the books for a long time. Japanese-American Kristi Yamaguichi's enthralling gold medal ice-skating performance at the Winter Olympics continues the legacy of milestone achievements by Asian-Pacific Americans. In professional sports, of course, we have Michael Chang blazing new paths in tennis, Pacific-Islanders Brian Williams and Michael Jones of world rugby, and the tens of dozens of Polynesian-Americans--like All- Pro Samoan Linebacker, Junior Seau, and Jesse Sapolu of the San Francisco Forty-Niners--who have made their mark as players in the National Football league. We also have Asian-Pacific Americans who are making their mark on history, not in our country, but in the Far East. Samoan-American Salevaa Atisanoe is a 578-pound Sumo wrestler in Japan who goes by the name of Konishiki. Salevaa, or Konishiki, incidentally, also happens to be a relative of mine. Konishiki was the first foreigner in Japan's centuries-old sport to break through to the rarified air of Sumo's second-highest rank. Another Somoan/Tongan-American, Leitani Peitani-- known in Japan as Musashimaru--has also gained prominence as a Sumo wrestler. Native-Hawaiian Chad Rowen, or Akebono as he is known in Japan, has scaled even greater heights by attaining the exalted status of Yokozuna or grand champion. Until this Polynisian-American arrived on the scene, no foreigner had ever been permitted to fill this sacred position, as the Japanese associate the Yokozuna with the essence of Shinto's guardian spirits. The ascendancy to grand champion status goes to the heart of the Japanese religion and culture. In honoring Asian-Pacific Americans that have served to enrich our country, I would be remiss, as a Vietnam veteran, if I did not honor the contributions of the Japanese-Americans who served in the United States Army's 100th Battalion and 442d Infantry Combat Group. History speaks for itself in documenting that none have shed their blood more valiantly for America than the Japanese-American that served in these units while fighting enemy forces in Europe during World War II. The records of the 100th Battalion and 442d Infantry are without equal. These Japanese-American units suffered an unprecedented casualty rate of 314 percent, and received over 18,000 individual decorations, many posthumously awarded, for valor in battle. With the tremendous sacrifice of lives, a high number of medals were given the unit. I find it unusual, however, that only one medal of honor was awarded, while 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, and 9,480 Purple Hearts were given. The great number of Japanese-American lives lost should have resulted in more of these ultimate symbols of sacrifice being awarded. Nonetheless, the 442d Combat Group emerged as the most decorated combat unit of its size in the history of the U.S. Army. President Truman was so moved by their bravery in the field of battle, as well as that of black American soldiers During World War II, that he issued an executive order to desegregate the armed services. I am proud to say that we can count the honorable Daniel K. Inouye and the late, highly-respected Senator, Spark Matsunaga, both from Hawaii, as Members from Congress that distinguished themselves in battle as soldiers with the 100th Battalion and 442d Infantry. It was while fighting in Europe that Senator Inouye lost his arm and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest medal for bravery. These Japanese-Americans paid their dues in blood to protect our Nation from its enemies. It is a shameful black mark on the history of our country that when the patriotic survivors of the 100th Battalion and 442d Infantry returned to the United States, many were reunited with families that were locked up behind barbed-wire fences, living in concentration camps. You might be interested to know, my colleagues on the Hill, Congressman Robert Matsui and former Representative Norman Mineta, were children of the concentration camps. The wholesale and arbitrary abolishment of the constitutional rights of these loyal Japanese-Americans will forever serve as a reminder and testament that this must never be allowed to occur again. When the miscarriage of justice unfolded during World War II, Americans of German and Italian ancestry were not similarly jailed en masse. Some declare the incident as an example of outright racism and bigotry in its ugliest form. After viewing the Holocaust Museum in Washington, I understand better why the genocide of 6 million Jews has prompted the cry, ```never again.'' Likewise, I sincerely hope that mass internments on the basis of race will never again darken the history of our great Nation. To those that say, well that occurred decades ago, I say we must continue to be vigilant in guarding against such evil today. Not long ago we had the case of Bruce Yamashita, a Japanese-American from Hawaii who was discharged from the Marine Crops in an ugly display of racial discrimination. Marine Corps superiors taunted Yamashita with ethnic slurs and told him, ``We don't want your kind around here. Go back to your own country.'' After years of perseverance and appeals, Mr. Yamashita was vindicated after proving he was the target of vicious racial harassment during his officer training program. The Secretary of the Navy's investigation into whether minorities were deliberately being discouraged from becoming officers resulted in Bruce Yamashita receiving his commission as a captain in the Marine Corps. I am also greatly disturbed by recent events involving campaign funding, where the integrity of the Asian-Pacific American community has been unfairly tarnished by the transgressions of a few. With the intensity of a witchhunt, the national media have obsessively fixated on political contributions from Americans of Asian-Pacific descent. This singling out of one ethnic group has led to the unfair characterization that all Asian-Pacific American political contributors are ``Asian foreigners buying up America.'' I find this racial scapegoating to be repugnant and morally objectionable. Playing up fears of the ``Asian connection'' serves to alienate Asian-Pacific Americans from participating in our political process. Moreover, this negative reporting acts to marginalize Asian- Pacific Americans political empowerment at a time when we are coming of age in American politics. Lost in the barrage of hysteria has been the fact that our community has 75,000 newly registered voters, greater numbers of immigrants becoming citizens, and more Asian-Pacific Americans candidates running for political office than ever before-- culminating with the first Asian-American Governor elected in the continental United States, Gary Locke of Washington State. Perhaps these attacks are a convenient way to ostracize a growing American political force. When Caucasians raise money from Caucasians, it is called gaining political power, but when Asian-Pacific Americans begin to participate, we are accused of being foreigners trying to infiltrate U.S. policymaking. Now that Asian-Pacific Americans are finally at the table and our opinions heard, we are once again being cast as outsiders and not as true Americans. This is nothing new. One need only look at the history of this country to see that the scapegoating of Asian-Pacific Americans as foreigners has been used as an excuse to burn down our communities in the 1880's, deny us the right to own land, marry our own kind and practice many professions in the early 1900's, and put us in concentration camps in 1942. To protect America's greatness, we should all be sensitive to the fact that democratic participation by people of all races and backgrounds, including Asian-Pacific Americans, is crucial to our Nation's health and vitality. In concluding, I think Bruce Yamashita's case and the hysteria surrounding Asian-Pacific Americans political contributions bear implications not just for the military and the media but for our society as a whole. It asks the question, how long do we have to endure the attitude of those who consider Asian-Pacific Americans and other minorities as lesser Americans? I applaud Captain Yamashita and others like him who have spoken out to ensure that racial discrimination is not tolerated. During this month as we recognize the diverse experiences and contributions of the Asian-Pacific Americans community to our great Nation, I would hope that we all take inspiration from his example. With that in mind, I would like to close my remarks by asking what is America all about? I think it could not have been said better than on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial when Martin Luther King said, ``I have a dream. My dream is that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.'' That is what America is all about, and Asian-Pacific Americans wish to find a just and equitable place in our society that will allow them--like all Americans--to grow, succeed achieve, and contribute to the advancement of this great Nation as we enter the ``Pacific century.''

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a distinguished Pacific leader, the late Uifa'atali Peter Coleman, former Governor of American Samoa, who passed away last month after a long battle with cancer. A dedicated public servant with more than 50 years of public service, Governor Coleman was our first American Samoan statesman, a Pacific American with a truly regional vision. It is that vision for which he will always be remembered by our people. He was someone important for whom I had tremendous respect. Governor Coleman was always cordial and courteous to me and always extended the hand of friendship. Although we disagreed on certain issues, we agreed on many others, and among them the importance of a strong American presence in the Pacific region. I learned from him how to handle the stress of political life, how to take the storms in stride and never make a disagreement into a personal matter. He was the kind of individual of whom political opponents like former Governor A.P. Lutali could say, ``Uifa'atali and I may have been adversaries in politics, but in life we were always friends.'' Mr. Speaker, Governor Coleman exemplified all the traits of a true Samoan leader. He was a soldier and a warrior, a pioneer and a man of vision, a statesman and a man of wisdom. He possessed that quality which Samoans value most in our leaders, that of tofa mamao, which denotes a leader with a sense of vision or understanding and anticipating future events. Above all, Governor Coleman was a humble person who thought less of how he would be remembered in the future than of what he could accomplish today. Uifaatali Peter Coleman was born on December 8, 1919, in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He received his elementary school education in Tutuila and graduated from St. Louis High School in Honolulu, where he joined the National Guard and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the beginning of World War II. Assigned to the Pacific theater, he was stationed in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Hawaii. By the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of captain. In 1982, for his military service, he was inducted into the U.S. Army Officers' Candidate School Hall of Fame in Fort Benning, GA. After the war, Governor Coleman enrolled in Georgetown University, and in 1949 he received a bachelor of science degree in economics from that institution. While in college he worked as a staff secretary to a Member of Congress, became a member of the U.S. Capitol Police Force and in what was then the Office of Territories at the U.S. Department of the Interior. He became the first Samoan to my knowledge to receive a law degree from a major U.S. university. After that, he returned to American Samoa, where he became the first Samoan to serve as public defender and later became attorney general. In 1956, he was appointed Governor of American Samoa by President Eisenhower, one of the first Pacific Islanders to serve as governor in the Pacific. he held that position until 1961. During those years he chaired the Convention which drafted American Samoa's Constitution and his administration laid the foundation for what has later become known as the American Samoa Government. To properly understand his achievements, Mr. Speaker, we must remember that at that time he had limited resources and hardly any staff to speak of--i.e., there were no younger, educated American Samoans to fill the positions in government. All that came later. From 1961 until 1965, Governor Coleman served as Administrator of what is now the Republic of the Marshall Islands. So great was the regard in which he was held that he became, by special act of the Nitijela (the Marshallese Parliament) the first U.S. citizen ever accorded an honorary Marshall Islands citizenship. During his subsequent 17 years in the northern Pacific, Governor Coleman served as Deputy High Commissioner of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and, subsequently, as Acting High Commissioner, which position he held until 1977. His performance firmly established him as a regional statesman. When American Samoa held its first gubernatorial election in 1977, he ran for office and became the first elected Governor, a position which he held three times. During his elected years in office, he continued to forge close ties between the territory government and Washington DC and with Federal and State agencies and institutions. He was responsible for American Samoa's membership in both the National Governors Association and the Regional Western Governors Association. In 1980 he became the first territorial Governor to serve as chairman of the Western Governors Conference. He was elected a member of the executive committee of the NGA in 1990. As a regional leader, Mr. Speaker, Governor Coleman's record is equally distinguished. He co-founded the Pacific Basin Development Council in 1980 and was its first elected President in 1982. In 1982 he hosted and chaired the South Pacific Commission's annual conference in Pago Pago, American Samoa. At a special SPC meeting in 1983 and later in a conference in Saipan, he argued Strenuously for equal membership in SPC for Pacific territories. This he ultimately was successful in obtaining for the territories. He was two times a member of the standing committee of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders. He was on the founding board of the Pan- Pacific Alliance for Trade and Development and a founding member of the Offshore Governor's Forum, which he chaired from 1992 to 1993. Governor Coleman was loved and respected by the people he served-- both in American Samoa and in the region. I know that everyone who ever had the privilege of working with him had tremendous respect for his common sense, his intelligence, and his decency. His generosity of spirit was well-known. He was a role model and a mentor to many young people, myself included. As he gained political stature, he helped younger aspiring leaders--he opened up windows of opportunity and it is as a mentor that many of us will remember him best. From the ``teaching stories'' he shared to the examples of achievement which his own life offered, he inspired many of us to consider public service. As my distinguished colleague from Guam, Congressman Robert Underwood, has said, ``He accurately saw himself as a developer of indigenous governments, bringing Pacific islanders to full recognition of their right to self-government and their capacity to implement the same.'' His regional stature was widely acknowledged, Mr. Speaker. In 1970 he was granted an honorary degree by the University of Guam, who cited him as a ``Man of the Pacific.'' In 1978, he received an honorary doctorate from Chaminade College in Hawaii, Pacific Magazine called him, ``a man who is probably on a first name basis with everybody from the heart of the Pacific islands to their most distant corners.'' This stature as a regional leader led to a number of special assignments. He was a member of numerous U.S. delegations to treaty negotiations, observances and regional conferences, among them the U.S. delegation which negotiated the 1981 Treaties of Friendship with Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tokelau and the Cook Islands, the second Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders in Rarotonga in 1985, the Pacific Democrat Union Conference in Fiji in 1987, the centenary observance of the U.S. Tonga Treaty of Friendship in 1988, and the American Samoa delegation to the Wellington Conference which banned driftnet fishing in the South Pacific in 1989. In the words of his longtime political rival, former Governor A.P. Lutali, ``I am proud that my friend Uifa'atali earned a place in history for his devotion and service to our people and the peoples of the Pacific.'' Whether we remember the dedicated public servant, the leader, the regional statesman, the role model for Pacific youth, the good friend whose personal warmth was always evident--or any of his other remarkable aspects, we all mourn his loss. What stands out in my mind is Governor Coleman's regional stature. Here was a man, a Pacific islander, who saw beyond the shores of his own island--a man who clearly saw the link between the welfare of American Samoan and the welfare of other Pacific islanders. He fought for a responsible U.S. presence in the region, he cofounded, encouraged, and nurtured regional organizations and he inspired a whole generation of young Pacific islanders to strive to better themselves by following his example and his vision. Mr. Speaker, I recently attended the funeral services which were held for Governor Coleman in Honolulu, HI. I am very glad to also note that our Governor Tauese P. Sunia and his lovely wife, Faga, were in attendance at the services. Additionally, the President of the Senate, High Chief Lutu Tenari Fuimaono and his wife Sinira, the Speaker of the House, High Chief Mailo Sao Nua, the Commissioner of Public Safety, High Chief Te'o Fuavai, plus a special honor guard from the Department of Public Safety in American Samoa were present. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my condolences to Governor Coleman's wife, Nora, and his children and grandchildren. I am sure that the proud legacy which he left them will live on in their hearts and in the hearts of all the people of the Pacific. Mr. Speaker, I recently attended the funeral services which were held for Governor Coleman in Hawaii. I am very glad to note that our Governor Tauese P. Sunia and his lovely wife Faga were in attendance at the services. Additionally, the President of the Senate, High Chief Lutu Tenari Fuimaono and his wife Sinira, the Speaker of the House, High Chief Mailo Sao Nua. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my condolences to Governor Coleman's dear wife Nora and his children. I am sure that the proud legacy which he left them will live on in their hearts and in the hearts of all the peoples of the Pacific. proclamation Pursuant to the authority vested in the Governor of American Samoa, under the flag code prescribed by the Congress of the United States of America shall be flown at half staff as a mark of respect and a tribute to the memory of Uifatali Peter Coleman, former Governor of American Samoa, and one of the fathers of the government and the territory of American Samoa from April 28, 1997, until May 28, 1997. Furthermore, by the authority vested in me by the constitution and laws of American Samoa, as executive head of this territory, I hereby order the flag of American Samoa to be flown also at half staff. I would also like to ask all the departments, agencies, and offices of the American Samoa to observe in the most appropriate manner and custom befitting the occasion of the passing of this great leader. In witness whereof I set my hand and seal on the 28th day of April, 1997, at Utulei, American Samoa. Tauese P.F. Sunia, Governor of American Samoa.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a distinguished Pacific leader, the late Uifa'atali Peter Coleman, former Governor of American Samoa, who passed away last month after a long battle with cancer. A dedicated public servant with more than 50 years of public service, Governor Coleman was our first American Samoan statesman, a Pacific American with a truly regional vision. It is that vision for which he will always be remembered by our people. He was someone important for whom I had tremendous respect. Governor Coleman was always cordial and courteous to me and always extended the hand of friendship. Although we disagreed on certain issues, we agreed on many others, and among them the importance of a strong American presence in the Pacific region. I learned from him how to handle the stress of political life, how to take the storms in stride and never make a disagreement into a personal matter. He was the kind of individual of whom political opponents like former Governor A. P. Lutali could say, ``Uifa'atali and I may have been adversaries in politics, but in life we were always friends.'' Mr. Speaker, Governor Coleman exemplified all the traits of a true Samoan leader. He was a soldier and a warrior, a pioneer and a man of vision, a statesman and a man of wisdom. He possessed that quality which Samoans value most in our leaders, that of tofa mamao, which denotes a leader with a sense of vision or understanding and anticipating future events. Above all, Governor Coleman was a humble person who thought less of how he would be remembered in the future than of what he could accomplish today. Uifaatali Peter Coleman was born on December 8, 1919, in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He received his elementary school education in Tutuila and graduated from St. Louis High School in Honolulu, where he joined the National Guard and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the beginning of World War II. Assigned to the Pacific theater, he was stationed in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Hawaii. By the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of captain. In 1982, for his military service, he was inducted into the U.S. Army Officers' Candidate School Hall of Fame in Fort Benning, GA. After the war, Governor Coleman enrolled in Georgetown University, and in 1949 he received a bachelor of science degree in economics from that institution. While in college he worked as a staff secretary to a Member of Congress, became a member of the U.S. Capitol Police Force and in what was then the Office of Territories at the U.S. Department of the Interior. He became the first Samoan to my knowledge to receive a law degree from a major U.S. university. After that, he returned to American Samoa, where he became the first Samoan to serve as public defender and later became attorney general. In 1956, he was appointed Governor of American Samoa by President Eisenhower, one of the first Pacific Islanders to serve as governor in the Pacific. He held that position until 1961. When American Samoa held its first gubernatorial election in 1977, he ran for office and became the first elected Governor, a position which he held three times. During his elected years in office, he continued to forge close ties between the territory government and Washington DC and with Federal and State agencies and institutions. He was responsible for American Samoa's membership in both the National Governors Association and the Regional Western Governors Association. In 1980 he became the first territorial Governor to serve as chairman of the Western Governors Conference. He was elected a member of the executive committee of the NGA in 1990. As a regional leader, Mr. Speaker, Governor Coleman's record is equally distinguished. He co-founded the Pacific Basin Development Council in 1980 and was its first elected President in 1982. In 1982 he hosted and chaired the South Pacific Commission's annual conference in Pago Pago, American Samoa. At a special SPC meeting in 1983 and later in a conference in Saipan, he argued strenuously for equal membership in SPC for Pacific territories. This he ultimately was successful in obtaining for the territories. He was two times a member of the standing committee of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders. He was on the founding board of the Pan- Pacific Alliance for Trade and Development and a founding member of the Offshore Governor's Forum. His regional stature was widely acknowledged, Mr. Speaker. In 1970 he was granted an honorary degree by the University of Guam, who cited him as a ``Man of the Pacific.'' In 1978, he received an honorary doctorate from Chaminade College in Hawaii. Pacific Magazine called him, ``a man who is probably on a first name basis with everybody from the heart of the Pacific islands to their most distant corners.'' Mr. Speaker, I recently attended the funeral services which were held for Governor Coleman in Hawaii. I am very glad to note that our Governor Tauese P. Sunia and his lovely wife Faga were in attendance at the services. Additionally, the President of the Senate, High Chief Lutu Tenari Fuimaono and his wife Sinira, the Speaker of the House, High Chief Mailo Sao Nua. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my condolences to Governor Coleman's dear wife Nora and his children. I am sure that the proud legacy which he left them will live on in their hearts and in the hearts of all the peoples of the Pacific. proclamation Pursuant to the authority vested in the Governor of American Samoa, under the flag code prescribed by the Congress of the United States of America shall be flown at half staff as a mark of respect and a tribute to the memory of Uifa'atali Peter Coleman, former Governor of American Samoa, and one of the fathers of the government and the territory of American Samoa from April 28, 1997, until May 28, 1997. Furthermore, by the authority vested in me by the constitution and laws of American Samoa as executive head of this territory, I hereby order the flag of American Samoa to be flown also at half staff. I would also like to ask all the departments, agencies, and offices of the American Samoa Government and the people of American Samoa to observe in the most appropriate manner and custom befitting the occasion of the passing of this great leader. In witness whereof I set my hand and seal on the 28th day of April, 1997, at Utulei, American Samoa. Tauese P.F. Sunia, Governor of American Samoa.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Chairman, today we will hear this bill is good for the environment, good for the dolphins, good for other species of fish, and good for the U.S. consumers. I respectfully disagree with such an assessment. Mr. Chairman, when annual dolphin deaths were 100,000 per year, the U.S. consumers revolted and said they would not buy tuna caught while dolphins were being killed in record numbers, I remind my colleagues. Mr. Chairman, this came about not because of the politicians, not because of the environmentalists, not because of the scientists, but the American consumers. They were the ones that were up in arms. The record numbers that I mentioned, 100,000 recorded dolphin deaths per year, an estimated 7 million dolphin deaths total, and dolphin stocks depleted to 25 percent of prior levels with no signs of increasing numbers, these numbers were and are staggering, Mr. Chairman. As a result of the U.S. consumer boycott of canned tuna, the major tuna companies took the lead in changing the methods and locations in which tuna were caught. The result of these changes has been a significant reduction in the number of dolphin deaths from 100,000 per year to less than 2,500 this year. This has been accomplished under current law, and every indication is that the number of dolphin deaths will continue to decline under current law. With a record like that, Mr. Chairman, I find little reason to change the current law. Mr. Chairman, the history of this legislation is clear. It resulted from negotiations between foreign governments in Central and South America and five environmental groups. Why do these foreign governments support this legislation? Because they want the money that can be earned from selling their canned tuna in the United States. In fact, Mexico is so concerned about its perceived right to sell canned tuna in the United States that it is prepared to renew a trade action against the United States because our laws currently do not permit tuna caught by chasing and encircling dolphins to be sold here. Mr. Chairman, from Mexico's perspective our effort to protect the lives of dolphins is an illegal trade barrier, and the Mexican Government has told the United States Government in no uncertain terms that if we do not change our laws, and I want to emphasize, if we do not change or amend our laws so more dolphins can be killed each year, Mexico will file an action against the United States with the World Trade Organization. Mr. Chairman, I submit, Congress is presented with the agreement, and is told now, take it or leave it. I respectfully ask my colleagues, vote this legislation down. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 408, a bill which will legalize an increase in the number of dolphin deaths and deceive U.S. consumers who have learned to trust the dolphin safe label as a sign that dolphins were not harmed during the capture of tuna canned carrying that label. H.R. 408 nearly doubles the number of dolphins which can be killed, and lowers the standards behind the dolphin-safe label. The supporters of this bill say we need this legislation to further reduce dolphin mortality in future years. If that is true, then I ask why does the legislation permit dolphin deaths to rise to 5,000 per year? This increase will not benefit the dolphins, so I ask you who will benefit from this provision? I said earlier that one way the dolphin mortality was reduced significantly was that the U.S. tuna fleet changed its location. U.S. tuna boats stopped catching tuna in the eastern tropical Pacific, where the tuna swim under the dolphins, and moved to the western tropical Pacific, where the tuna do not swim under schools of dolphins. The supporters of this legislation want you to believe that if their legislation is adopted, the fishing fleet will return to southern California, and that tuna canning plants will reopen in southern California. The truth is that cleaning and canning tuna is a labor- intensive industry, and those jobs are not going to go to southern California as long as NAFTA and GATT are in force. In fact, the U.S. tuna industry is one more example of well-paying jobs currently held on U.S. soil which are expected to move to foreign soil over the next few years. If this legislation is enacted into law, the U.S. tuna fishing fleet will move to Mexico, new cleaning and canning plants will be constructed in Mexico, and then the canned tuna will be shipped into the United States duty-free under NAFTA. Now I ask you, who do you think will benefit from that development? In an effort to ease tensions between Mexico and the United States, the administration is supporting this agreement, an agreement to which they weren't even a party. Mr. Chairman, this legislation is about saving dolphins, this is trade legislation masquerading as environmental legislation. What makes the bill even worse is that from the U.S. perspective, this is bad trade legislation. Who benefits from this legislation? Not our constituents. What the U.S. consumer gets is a watered down definition of the dolphin safe label. Keep in mind that the label does not change, only the meaning of the label. So the typical American consumer will be able to go to a grocery store and see a variety of canned tuna for sale. Some will have the current dolphin safe label and some will not. Unfortunately, because the dolphin safe label will not have changed, many consumers will be deceived into believing that the tuna was caught in a truly dolphin safe manner when in fact that is not the case. So, I get back to my recurring question: Who benefits from this legislation? Well, the immediate beneficiary of this bill would be Mexico. The Mexican fishing industry gets access to the lucrative United States market for canned tuna. This means more jobs for Mexican fishermen, more jobs for Mexican fish cleaners, more jobs for Mexican truck drivers, more business for the Mexican ports which translates to increased fees paid to the Mexican state and federal governments. It turns out a lot of people will benefit from this legislation. Unfortunately, none of them are our constituents. What do we get out of this legislation? We get fewer jobs and increased dolphin kills. Some call this win-win legislation. Last year when we considered this legislation I spoke at length about Samoan culture and my personal experience with dolphins. I mentioned then that the dolphins were not able to speak for themselves, so I would try to look out for their safety. The dolphins still don't have a representative here in Congress. The dolphins didn't have a representative in Panama either when this agreement was negotiated. Maybe that's why some call this win-win legislation. The Mexican fishing industry wins. And I guess, since many of the modern Mexican fishing boats are owned by known drug traffickers, they win too. So all along I've been asking who wins, when maybe the better question is who loses with this legislation? The U.S. worker loses, the U.S. consumer loses, and the U.S. cities where tuna is shipped from and landed lose, too. That sounds pretty one-sided to me. Is this win-win legislation? I guess it depends on your perspective, doesn't it? Mr. Chairman, I include for the Record a letter from Gwen Marshall. The letter referred to is as follows: In Re: H.R. 408 regarding the Dolphin Safe Tuna issue Scheduled for House Floor Vote, Thursday, May 22, 1997 Attn. those dealing with Environmental & Foreign Trade Issues Congressional Quarterly has had two great articles on this issue recently, April 12th page 841-2 and April 19th page 908-9 that are required reading for anyone new to this issue. The main reason for this vote is to bring a popular U.S. environment law into compliance with GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). Both articles were under the title of Environment so as one considered both an environmental and trade activist I'm hoping to help clarify the environmental position on this issue. As you know, Greenpeace was one of the larger environmental groups opposed to NAFTA. I worked for them as a canvasser out of the Cincinnati office the summer of the NAFTA campaign. The word at that time was that Greenpeace was feeling financial pressure from the large grantors because of its stand against NAFTA. The environmental community was considered split during the NAFTA campaign but in general the local grassroots type groups were opposed to NAFTA and the larger grant funded groups were in support of NAFTA--the money trail was obvious. Greenpeace has closed its Cincinnati office and many other local offices so they are obviously hurting for money. As sad as it is, it came as no surprise that Greenpeace was willing to sell out their previous position against allowing foreign trade agreements to weaken U.S. environmental law by condoning the results of the 1995 Panama Agreement regarding the Dolphins. Environmental groups, like politicians, can be guilty of finding ways to justify a position for the right amount of money. I'm glad that I've been able to arrange my finances so that I'm not likely to get myself in that unfortunate position. I know that supporters of H.R. 408 say it will be better for dolphins if the U.S. market is changed as it recommends but they don't account for the fact that the main reason the foreign countries support H.R. 408 is that it would increase their tuna exports to the U.S. market. Increased fishing for tuna in the tropical waters will increase the dolphin mortality over current numbers because more tuna will be caught to sell to the large U.S. market. As you know from the CQ articles, it is not likely that the observer system will actually work since one observer can't be everywhere he needs to be and for financial reasons could probably be paid to look the other way anyway. I apologize for my cynicism but I just can't condone the position that H.R. 408 is what is right for the dolphins. As a mammal, dolphins don't reproduce at the abundant rate that fish do and each dolphin mother has to spend time feeding and raising its young, as do all mammals, so dolphins do need to be protected from fishing techniques that basically mine the sea. The real reason for H.R. 408 is to help the U.S. avoid embarrassing WTO (World Trade Organization) sanctions and/or fines. Those of us who opposed NAFTA and the creation of the WTO and expansion of GATT said that it would be no time at all before the U.S. started changing its laws to comply with lower international standards. During the debate over GATT expansion, one pro-GATT trade staffer assured me that she was sure the U.S. would pay the fine before they'd ever consider overturning the popular Dolphin Safe Tuna laws. It appears she was wrong. As you know the U.S. Clean Air Act lost in the recent WTO challenge regarding gasoline refined in foreign countries and the EU lost the U.S. challenge regarding their refusal of hormone laden beef. A vote for H.R. 408 is a vote for the U.S. Congress to give away their right to make laws that are popular with the U.S. public. I understand that some people have adopted ``free trade'' as a religion just as I have adopted ``the right to a healthy existence for all species'' as my religion. Free trade agreements' ability to change popular national, regional, and local laws is the real reason for this vote. The complaint with the current Dolphin Law is not that it kills too many dolphins, but that it is in violation of GATT. There is no definite proof that a vote for H.R. 408 would be better for the dolphin as its proponents claim. As an environmentalist, I know we need to look for the truth behind the rhetoric and ask you to do the same and oppose H.R. 408. The religion of ``free trade no matter what'' does need to be challenged objectively. We can't afford to sacrifice our popular laws to the alter of free trade. Please vote against H.R. 408. Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss this further. Leave a message on my answer machine and I can return your call after 3:30 PM. Your support would be appreciated. Sincerely, Gwen Marshall.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, it is a real pleasure and a distinct personal honor for me to prepare this special order of the House to inform my colleagues of a very special occasion that will take place this week on the campus of one of Hawaii's smallest public high schools. Small in number maybe, Mr. Speaker, but dynamic in terms of the quality of its academics, its ethnic social mix, and a high school marching band that has won top awards throughout the State of Hawaii for years. The band even marched at the Rose Bowl and was rated among the top high school bands in the Nation; and yes, its athletic program is also among the best in the State of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, the high school I am referring to is none other than the pride of the North Shore on the Island of Oahu, Kahuku High School. As they say among the locals in Hawaii, ``Imua Kohuku High School on your 100th birthday.'' Mr. Speaker, the Hawaiian word ``Kahuku'' has a special meaning among the ancient Hawaiians. The first four letters, ``Kahu'', means guardian, or royal keepers or protectors. The last two letters ``ku'' are in reference to an ancient Hawaiian god named Ku. According to ancient Hawaiian tradition, the god Ku was a member of the godhead of three gods, and their names were Kane, Ku, and Lono. Those three gods were all powerful. They created the heavens and the earth and, yes, from red earth they made man in their express image, and they even breathed into his nostrils and man became a living soul. Mr. Speaker, if one wants to give specific meaning to the word, Kahuku, after which the location and high school are named, it means one is a guardian of the god Ku. Rightly so, Mr. Speaker, because not far from Kahuku is another place called Laie, which according to Hawaiian tradition was an ancient city of refuge, a special place of sanctuary where offenders may escape to seek refuge and be reinstated by the priests who preside over the sanctuary. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to share this portion of Kahuku's history because I suspect many people are not aware of its meaning and its significance as far as ancient legends are concerned. As far as the record is known, the first classes ever held at what was unofficially known as Kahuku school began in 1893. The classes were held under shaded trees or in someone's yard. The school was first organized by a Hawaiian lady named Mrs. Hookana. Four years later in 1897, and this time with an appropriation of only $984 provided by the republic, or then the sovereign nation of Hawaii, a one-room schoolhouse was built. An enrollment of 36 students was noted and a Mr. Brightwell served as the first principal. By the 1920s the school had grown and was educating children from the Campbell and Laie plantations, plus a pineapple camp known as the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. During this period the school moved to its present location. In 1939, the high school was added and the school was renamed Kahuku High and Elementary School. The next year, the first senior class graduated 16 students and they took home the school's first yearbook, the Ke Koolau. In the 1940's the Laie area was still almost exclusively plantation, and the area from which it drew its students had grown considerably. The list of plantations and other activities reads like who's who in the North Shore during the 1940's. Attending Kahuku during this period were the children from the Marconi Wireless Station, the Paumalu Pineapple Camp, Waialee-a Hawaiian settlement, and several camps of the Kahuku Sugar Mill. The Kahuku athletes became known as the Red Raiders because they wore red uniforms donated by Iolani High School in 1950. Prior to this time the unofficial nickname was the Ramberiers. Through the 1940's Kahuku had developed sufficiently and there was competing in sports events against other high schools on the North Shore and the Windward sections of the Island of Oahu, and it won its first football championship in 1947. This was the first in a long line of championships that began the development of many championship players as well. In 1988, Kahuku High and Elementary School became the Kahuku High and Intermediate School, and the elementary level was separated. Today, Kahuku High School has only about 1,100 high school students from grades 9 through 12. Supporting the students are its 136 faculty members, four administrators and the supportive staff of 42. The school has developed into an athletic powerhouse and students from other parts of the island travel to Kahuku just to participate in their academic, social and sports programs. This is considered a considerable achievement, given the diversity of the school's population. From the well-to-do residents of the famous Sunset Beach and the neighboring golf course communities to the low-income housing development on the North Shore and everything in-between, there is ethnic and economic diversity at Kahuku. Unlike some areas, this diversity has been the strength of Kahuku. As one of the last undeveloped areas of the island of Oahu, the North Shore has experienced significant growth in recent years, and this has challenged State planners and the State board of education. For the most part, the area is not as sufficient or as affluent as the southern portion of the island, and for that reason the adults and the children are supposedly less sophisticated than the more populated areas of the State. This diversity, however, Mr. Speaker, has given Kahuku its own charm and uniqueness. Mr. Speaker, music is one of the many areas in which Kahuku has excelled. Mr. Michael Payton started the band as a musical instructor in 1968 with only 10 members. With his retirement in 1995, the band has grown to 100-plus members and won many State and national awards. In 1980, the Kahuku High School marching band was rated among one of the top 10 marching bands in the Nation by the National Band Association. In 1983 the marching band won a Class A championship in the Florida Citrus Bowl and were the Class A champions and overall sweepstakes winner in the Parade and Field Show Competition. In 1991, Kahuku's marching band won international fame as they won first place in the international division of the Midosuji Parade in Osaka, Japan. Both in 1981 and 1984 the band was one of four featured bands in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Band Festival and marched in the world famous Tournament of Roses parade. Among the dignitaries the band has performed for were the late Emperor Hirohito in Japan, former President George Bush, and Governors John Burns, George Ariyoshi and John Waihee of the State of Hawaii. The list of accomplishments of Kahuku students is too long to repeat here, Mr. Speaker, but I am appending a partial list at the end of this statement. I do want to note, however, that the list includes 13 scholastic State championships and nine athletic State championships. There are also 76 other athletic championship titles, a record difficult to match by any small school of this size. In the last 10 years there have been 2 State winners, 11 runners-up, and 41 finalists in the Sterling Scholar Awards. Recent awards received by the administration and faculty of Kahuku include the Milken and Crystal Apple Awards for Contributions to Education awarded to the principal, Mrs. Lea Albert, and social studies teacher, Mrs. Linda Smith. Music teacher Beth Kammerer has been chosen as the 1997 State Teacher of the Year by the Department of Education and the Polynesian Cultural Center. Mr. Speaker, one graduate of Kahuku high school who recently made the national news is Chris Naeole. Chris is a 6 foot, 4 inch, 310-pound offensive guard from Kahuku High School where he played football. Chris went on to the University of Colorado where he played for four years. Last week Chris was the tenth player chosen in the first round of this year's NFL draft. Selected by the New Orleans Saints, Chris is one in a line of many professional football players who have graduated from Kahuku High School. Another professional football player of note is Junior Ah You, who made all-State in football, basketball and track while at Kahuku high school. Junior played professional football for the Montreal Alouettes for over 10 years and made all-pro status for several years as defensive end. Earlier this year Junior was admitted to the Canadian Football League's Hall of Fame. The football legacy of Kahuku High School is legendary, Mr. Speaker,. Generation after generation of many families have played football in this school and the family names are enshrined in local record books. Among these notable family names are: Thompson, Reed, Ka'anana, Santiago, Fonoimoana, Compoc, Kaaihue, Akiyama, Tollefson, Leota, Maiava, Ah You, Nawahine, Broad, Enos, Barros, Kaahawaii, Caneda, Suzuki, Furuto, Oyawa, Anae, Lolotai, Tatum, Kim, Harrington, Finari, Funaki, Tupou, Taylor, Finai, Atuaia, Tufaga, Niumatalolo and others. Mr. Speaker, while the list goes on, I would like to recognize a few more of Kahuku high school's graduates that have done well and have contributed substantially to the communities in Hawaii as well as to our Nation. We have Mr. Leo Tanoai Reed, a former Kahuku High School graduate and a graduate of Colorado State University, who served formerly with the elite force of the Honolulu police department. Mr. Reed is currently serving as the national director for the Teamsters Union relative to transportation issues affecting the entire motion picture industry in the United States. There are approximately 72 unions that are involved with the motion picture industry, and Leo Reed plays a very important and key role relating to contract disputes and in important negotiations on behalf of some 4,000 union members whose jobs depend on the movie industry. Mr. Speaker, Kahuku also proudly claims the important contributions made by Dr. Lokelani Lindsey who not only serves as an educator but as an administrator and trustee of perhaps the most prestigious trust foundation in the State of Hawaii; namely, the board of trustees of the Bernice Panwahi Bishop Foundation. This foundation provides funding and administration of Kamehameha Schools which serve specifically the educational needs of students of native Hawaiian ancestry. Dr. Lindsey's educational background and profession as an educator will go a long way to assist her native Hawaiian people while serving as a trustee of the Bishop Trust Estate. Mr. Speaker, another Kahuku High School graduate who has made his mark in the area of the culinary arts is none other than Mr. Sam Choy, Jr. Known throughout the State of Hawaii as one of the top chefs in the hotel industry but who now has a very successful restaurant business in the State of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, a couple of Kahuku graduates have also served with distinction in State administrations. There was Mr. Sus Ono, who for many years served as the right-hand man for former Governor George Ariyoshi. Mr. Ono also later served as a leading member of Governor Ariyoshi's cabinet. Currently under the administration of Governor Ben Cayetano, another Kahuku graduate, Mr. Earl Anyai is the State's chief financial officer and treasurer. Mr. Kamaki Kanahele, another Kahuku graduate, a former member of the board of trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, currently is the statewide chairman of the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, a consortium of Hawaiian groups put to serve the needs of some 30,000 native Hawaiians in the State of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, Kahuku has also had its fair share of graduates who are in their given professions in the fields of law, medicine, engineering, education, and many other fields of endeavor. Kahuku has also sent its share of her sons and daughters in the fields of battle to defend America against its enemies. Many were wounded and some never returned. And as a Vietnam veteran, Mr. Speaker, I pay a special tribute to the thousands of Kahuku graduates who served honorably in the armed services of our Nation. Mr. Speaker, as you may have guessed, I, too, am a graduate of Kahuku High School. The education I received while at Kahuku, even though it was many years ago, gave me the foundation to go to college and law school. Having seen this school rise from plantation school to a State powerhouse has given me great pride, and it is with pleasure and an honor that I stand here today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and say, I salute you, Kahuku High School. You have provided sound educational guidance for the last century. You have fought many battles, but I know your past will serve you well as we move forward. You have provided inspiration to thousands of us as generation after generation returns to you asking for help in meeting the educational, economic and social needs of Hawaii and our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I end my remarks with the words to a very simple song that is always in the minds and hearts of all Kahuku graduates. The words to the song go like this: In old Kahuku stands our alma mater Where the salt winds blow day after day Where her doors flung wide for our sons and daughters true. While the flag of freedom proudly waves above Hail Kahuku, hail our alma mater Hail to our colors red and white. We will cherish, love and honor thee. All hail Kahuku, hail. Mr. Speaker, I include the following for the Record: Kahuku High School Athletic Championships Football OIA champions: 1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1972, 1989, 1993, 1994, & 1995. Football East/West Conference Champions: 1971, 1972, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990, and 1992. Boys OIA Volleyball Champions: 1995. Boys Volleyball East Champions: 1992. Girls Volleyball OIA Champions: 1992 & 1993. Girls Volleyball East Champions: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1992 & 1993. Girls Basketball State Champions: 1983. Girls Basketball OIA Champions: 1980, 1983, 1984, & 1985. Girls Basketball East Champions: 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985 & 1991. Boys Basketball East Champions: 1987. Wrestling State Champions: 1969, 1983, & 1985. Wrestling State Runner-ups: 1981, 1982, 1988, 1990-1992. Wrestling OIA Champions: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, & 1992. Wrestling OIA Dual Meet OIA Champions: 1993. Wrestling East Champions: 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987- 1992. Golf State Champions: 1969, 1972, 1973, 1976. Golf OIA Champions: 1971, 1978, 1993, & 1994. Golf East Champions: 1974, 1978, 1988, 1993, & 1994. Girls Tennis OIA Champions: 1994. Judo East Champions: 1989, 1990, & 1991. Boys Swimming Varsity East Champion: 1995, 1997. Water Polo Public School State Champions: undefeated. Kahuku High School Scholastic Championships Citizen Bee State Champion: 1993. American Legion State Champion: 1991 & 1993. We the People State Champions: 1993 & 1994. History Day State Winners: 1994. State JV Debate Champions: 1993 & 1994. SLEP (ESLL) State Speech Champions: 1991-1994. Spelling Bee State Champions: 1991. Kahuku High School Band Accomplishments The Kahuku High School Learning Center ``Red Raider'' Marching Band and Color Guard was under the direction of Mr. Michael J. Payton. Mr. Payton was a graduate of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Mr. Payton retired June 1995, having taught at Kahuku High and Intermediate School for the past 27 years. He was the Coordinator and Director of the Kahuku High School's Performing Arts Learning Center Program, focusing on marching band and color guard, and he was the Director of the Annual All-State Marching Band Camp. Mr. Payton had been the backbone of the marching band program at Kahuku. He established and built a band from an existing band of ten (10) members in 1968 to a superior award winning band of a hundred plus (100+) members. The Kahuku High School Marching Band, under Mr. Payton's direction for 27 years, has always won superior ratings at local and national competitions. In 1980, the Kahuku High School Marching Band was rated as one of the top ten (10) marching bands in the nation by the National Band Association. In 1983, the Kahuku High School Marching Band won the Class A Championship at the Florida Citrus Bowl Band Competition. In 1986, the Kahuku Band attended the Sea World Holiday Bowl Band Competition and was the Class A Champions and Overall Sweepstakes Winner in the Parade and Field Show Competition. In 1991, the Kahuku High School Marching Band won International Fame as they won 1st Place: International Division at the Midosuji Parade in Osaka, Japan. Both in January, 1981, and in January, 1993, the band was one of the four featured bands at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Band Fest and marched in the world famous Tournament of Roses Parade. The Kahuku High School Marching Band has played for many important dignitaries. Among these important people are: Emperor Hirohito, President Bush, Governor Burns, Governor Ariyoshi, and Governor Waihee of Hawaii. Band 1976: Aloha Week Parade Hon, HI--1st Division-Highest Scores. King Kam Parade Hon, HI--1st Division-Highest Scores. S. Pacific Bi-Centennial Parade--Hawaii's Bi-Centennial Band. Int'l. Lions Convention--Brazil's Honor Band; State Band. Kauai Island Concert--Guest Band. OIA Marching Band Festival--1st Division-Highest Scores. 1980: Rated by National Band Assoc.--One of Top 10 Marching Bands in USA. Selected to the 1981 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade-- Guest Band. 1983: Aloha Week Parade--1st Division. Kam Tournament of Bands--Overall Sweepstakes Award. All Caption Awards. Annual Pahu Award. Citrus Bowl Band Competition--1st Place Overall Trophy Class A. Outstanding Rifle Corp. Drum Major Award. Citrus Bowl 1983--Bowl Pre-Game Guest Band. Citrus Bowl Parade Participant. Disney World (FL)--Guest Band. Epcot Center--Guest Band. Knott's Berry Farm--Guest Band. Magic Mountain--Guest Band. Disneyland (CA)--Guest Band. Arlington Nat'l. Cemetary--1st Hawaiian Band to participate in wreath laying ceremony at Tomb of Unknown Soldiers (D.C.) 1986: San Diego Holiday Bowl--1st Division Rating. 1st Place: Parade Competition. 1st Place: Field Show Competition. 1st Place: Drum Major. 1st Place: Percussion. 1st Place: Color Guard. 1989: Florida Citrus Bowl Band Competition--1st Place: Percussion. 1st Place: Drum Major. 1st Place: Color Guard. Superior & 1st Division Rating. Class A Field Show Champion. 1990: USA President Bush-Hawaii Visit--Only High School Band invited to perform for President of USA. 1991: Midosuji Parade--Osaka, Japan--1st Place Winner Int'l. Division. 1993: Tournament of Roses Parade--Pasadena, CA--One of four (4) marching bands to participate in Band Fest at Pasadena City College. 1994: CBS Thanksgiving Day American Parade--Featured Band and Dancers on national television. Oceanic Cable Television--Featured band during school pride advertisement. Holiday Bowl Parade--2nd Place. 1996: Holiday Bowl Field Competition--1st Place--Category 2. Grand Champion Overall.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Indian Federal Recognition Administrative Procedures Act of 1997, a bill to simplify and objectify the existing procedures for extending Federal recognition to Indian tribes. This bill is identical to legislation that I introduced in the 104th Congress, and is similar to legislation that the House passed in the 103d Congress. The reason I am introducing this bill is because the process by which the Federal Government traditionally chooses to recognize Indian tribes is broken. It is broken because it is biased, it is too expensive, it is incomprehensible to all but the most trained technicians, and the BIA which makes the recognition determinations has applied its criteria in an uneven manner. In fact, in the only appeal of a negative recognition decision to be decided to date involving the Samish Tribe of Washington, the Interior Department's own board of appeals found that the BIA's recognition process ``did not give [the tribe] due process'' and rejected the BIA's position ``as not being supported by the evidence.'' But even more interestingly, a Federal court found in the same case that the attorneys for the United States who had been arguing against recognizing the Samish violated the law and the constitutional rights of the Samish Tribe. The court lambasted the actions of the Interior Department--including both the Solicitor's Office and the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs--because they had conspired to alter key findings of the Department relating to Samish land claims in closed- door meetings. The court found that the tribe's case had been ``marred by both lengthy delays and a pattern of serious procedural due process violations.'' Sadly, all of this could have been avoided--much of it at public expense--were it not for a clerical error of the Bureau of Indian Affairs which 27 years ago inadvertently left the Samish Tribe's name off the list of recognized tribes in Washington. With a record like this, it is little wonder that many tribes have lost faith in the Government's current recognition procedures. Even the President recognizes the problem. In a letter last year to the Chinook Tribe of Washington, the President wrote, ``I agree that the current Federal Acknowledgment process must be improved.'' He said that some progress has been made, ``but much more must be done.'' My bill will finish the job. If we can pass my bill then the Federal recognition process will be impartial, easy to understand, open to public scrutiny, and more affordable. then finally, perhaps, we can begin doing justice to the hundreds of tribes that we wrongfully terminated, forgot about, or accidentally left off some list. I hope that Congress and the President will support my efforts to address these problems. Let me go into some detail why the recognition process is broken and why it needs to be fixed. First, it is too expensive for Indian tribes. Experts estimate that the cost of producing an average petition ranges from $300,000 to $500,000. Over the past 16 years, the BIA has spent more than $6 million to evaluate petitions. Second, it takes too long. Since 1978, when the BIA recognition regulations were put into place, only 14 tribes have been acknowledged, and 15 have been denied. During the same period, the BIA has received over 160 petitions or letters of intent to petition. In 1978, there were already 40 petitions pending. Bud Shapard, the former head of the Bureau of Acknowledgment and Research and primary author of the existing regulations testified before this Committee that ``the current process is impossibly slow. [The BIA's acknowledgment rate] works out statistically to be 1.3 cases a year. At that rate, it will take 110 years to complete the process.'' Third, it is subjective, flawed, and has been applied in an uneven manner. The BIA's handling of the Samish case demonstrates the lack of fairness in the process. The Federal courts and the Interior Department's own board of appeals found that the BIA's recognition process ``did not give [the tribe] due process'' and rejected the BIA's position ``as not being supported by the evidence.'' This was compounded by the fact that the Solicitor's Office and the BIA attempted to hide from the public the judge's findings that the BIA's tribal purity test was flawed, that the BIA's research and methods were ``sloppy and unprofessional'', and that the BIA had ``prejudged'' the Samish case in violation of due process. Furthermore, Bud Shapard testified before Congress that, [b]ecause there is no clear definition of what the petitioners are attempting to prove and what the BIA is attempting to verify, the regulations require nonsensical levels of research and documentation. This results in regulations full of vague phrases requiring subjective interpretations. By my count the 1978 original regulations contained 35 phrases that required a subjective determination. The 1994 revised and streamlined regulations not only doubled the length of the regulations, they more than doubled the areas that required a subjective determination. Fourth, it is a closed or hidden process. The current process does not allow a petitioning tribe to cross-examine evidence or the researchers, and does not allow the tribe to even review the evidence on which the determination was made until the end of the process. Fifth, it is biased. The same Department responsible for deciding whether to recognize a tribe is also institutionally biased against recognition. An earlier House report recognized that the BIA has an ``internal disincentive to recognize new tribes when it has difficulty serving existing tribes and more new tribes would increase the BIA workload.'' My bill addresses these problems. First, to eliminate any conflict of interest and institutional bias, my bill establishes an independent presidentially appointed three- member commission outside of the Department of the Interior to review tribal recognition petitions. The bill also allows the new independent commission to give research advice to petitioners, and provide financial assistance to petitioners. Tribes currently receive little, if any assistance with their applications. Second, my bill gives petitioning tribes the opportunity for formal, on-the-record hearings. Such hearings will open the decisionmaking process giving petitioners a much better idea of what their obligations are and more confidence in the ultimate decision. Such hearings will also focus the examination of the Commission and the staff in a manner that is completely lacking in the present process. Furthermore, my bill also makes clear that the Commission itself will preside at both the preliminary and adjudicatory hearings. Third, my bill makes clear that records relied upon by the Commission will be made available in a timely manner to petitioners. In order to facilitate proper and accurate recognition decisions, it is important that the Commission and its staff provide petitioners with the documents and other records relied upon in making preliminary decisions. Fourth, my bill explains the precedential value of prior BIA recognition decisions and to make the records of those decisions readily available to petitioners. The BIA has stated that it views its prior decisions as providing guidance to petitioners. Tribes, however, have found it very difficult to gain access to copies of the records relating to those decisions. If those prior decisions are considered precedent, the records of those decisions should be made available to petitioners. Fifth, my bill would make several changes to the Federal recognition criteria. The bill would eliminate the requirement of descendence from an historical tribe. Compelling petitioners to demonstrate descendence from a historic tribe violates policy established by Congress--section 5(b) of the act of May 31, 1994, Public Law 103-263. In that statute, Congress acted to remove any distinction that the Department might make between historic and nonhistoric tribes. In addition, the genealogical requirements inherent in showing descendence from a historical tribe seem to emphasize race over the political relationship that really should be at issue in deciding whether to recognize a tribe. In addition, the bill would reconfigure the present recognition criteria to more closely follow the so-called Cohen criteria. Before 1978, the Department of the Interior made acknowledgment decisions on an ad hoc basis using the criteria roughly summarized by Assistant Solicitor Felix S. Cohen in his ``Handbook of Federal Indian Law'' (1942 edition) at pages 268-72. In 1978, the Department issued acknowledgment regulations in an attempt to standardize the process. Both the process and the criteria established in the regulations were different than those used before 1978. Under the Cohen criteria, a tribe needed to show at least one of the following: it had treaty relations with the United States; it had been called a tribe by Congress or Executive Order; it had communal rights in lands or resources; it had been treated ads a tribe by other Indian tribes; or it had exercised political authority over its members. My bill would require a petitioning tribe to prove: that it and its members have been identified as Indians since 1934; that it has exercised political leadership over its members since 1934; that it has a membership roll; and that it exists as a community by showing at least one of the following: first, distinct social boundaries; second, exercise of communal rights with respect to resources or subsistence activities; third, retention of a native language or other customs; or fourth, that it is state-recognized. Finally, my bill sets strict time limits for the Commission to act, thus eliminating delay. It requires the new Commission to publish petition in Federal Register within 30 days of receipt. It requires the Commission, within 60 days of receipt, to set a date for a preliminary hearing. It requires the Commission, within 30 days of the preliminary hearing, to decide whether to extend recognition or require a trial- type hearing. And it requires the Commission to hold the trial-type hearing within 180 days of the preliminary hearing and make a decision within 60 days after the hearing. These are all important measures and I hope that my colleagues will support me in my endeavor to set right much of the injustices that the United States has visited upon the Indian tribes.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, the level of drug corruption in Mexico is indeed a real and serious problem. I sympathize with many of our colleagues who are frustrated with America's own drug addiction and are in search of quick solutions. However, Mr. Speaker, humiliating Mexico with the threat of decertification is not the answer. Neither is cutting off Mexico's bilateral aid and access to multilateral bank loans, which decertification mandates, while thrusting Mexico in the company of Iran, Burma and Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, I believe that Mexican President Zedillo has acted in good faith in stating narcotics trafficking is the greatest threat to Mexico's own national security. Certainly his administration has taken steps to combat the tremendous drug trade. Mr. Speaker, in February, Mexico's appointed drug czar, General Rebollo, was arrested for ties to drug lords. While many of our Members were outraged and saw this as a sign of pervasive corruption in the Mexican Government, I see it differently. I believe President Zedillo should be commended for his courage in revealing this embarrassing and damaging incident at a highly sensitive time, and his administration's commitment to pursue corruption at the highest levels should be recognized and commended. Mr. Speaker, in examining the situation in Mexico, it raises doubts in my mind about the entire drug certification process conducted by our own country. I find it hypocritical that we sit here and condescendingly judge other sovereign nations on their anti-drug efforts while America constitutes one of the largest consumer narcotics markets in the world. Mr. Speaker, I ask, how many Americans, not foreigners, how many American drug lords have we prosecuted lately? How would it sit with us if other countries suddenly based their relations with our Nation on foreign assessments of how rigorously and successfully we are combating drug consumption in America? Is it any wonder that this month the Mexican Congress voted unanimously to condemn the United States certification process as being insulting to their national dignity? Mr. Speaker, decertifying Mexico will only deny the real accomplishments of President Zedillo, discourage Mexican cooperation in the future for joint narcotics interdiction, and alienate the good people of Mexico.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding me this time. I am honored to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 750, which expresses United States support for the autonomy of Hong Kong and establishes requirements to determine whether the People's Republic of China is honoring commitments under the Joint Declaration of 1984 to retain Hong Kong's autonomy. I would be remiss if I did not express my appreciation to my good friend from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] for introducing this legislation, and I certainly would like to commend both the chairman of our committee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] and the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], the ranking Democratic member of the full committee for their sponsorship and support of this important measure. Mr. Speaker, this legislation has bipartisan support. The transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese sovereignty on July 1 will indeed be a historic event. In ending Britain's colonial rule of Hong Kong, I am hopeful that China will abide by its commitment under the Joint Declaration to extend a high degree of autonomy to Hong Kong under the one-country, two-system policy. Although the recent actions taken by China regarding Hong Kong are troubling, as raised by some of my colleagues, I would hope that we would allow China some breathing space, Mr. Speaker, as the transition occurs. On that note, I would like to associate myself with the comments made earlier by the gentleman from California [Mr. Campbell] regarding the fact that Hong Kong was literally a British colony. Now, all of a sudden we are talking about protection of democratic principles, personal freedoms, and more autonomy for the residents of this British colony, when years before they never had the privilege. Mr. Speaker, what happens in Hong Kong will have serious implications on Taiwan. What happens with Taiwan's future will determine the stability of the entire Asian-Pacific region. If China does not comply with its obligations for Hong Kong's autonomy, under the Joint Declaration, H.R. 750, will give our Government a mechanism for determining whether the current United States laws and policies toward Hong Kong should be maintained. Again, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Nebraska, for his introduction of this important measure. I ask my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank my good friend for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this resolution which reaffirms that the security treaty between the United States and Japan remains the anchor of American engagement and the foundation for regional stability in the Asia-Pacific region. I would commend the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], the ranking member of the Committee on International Relations, for introducing this excellent piece of legislation. I would further commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], the full committee chairman; the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter], chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; and the gentleman from California [Mr. Berman], the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, for their strong support and work on this measure. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 68 sends the message that although the cold war era has ended, the security alliance between the United States and Japan remains more critical than ever--and is in the best interests of both countries as well as the nations of the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Speaker, this measure underscores the important role that United States Armed Forces deployed in Japan and the Pacific have played in ensuring peace, that our allies have welcomed our presence, and that the regional stability provided by our forces have materially contributed to Asia's tremendous growth and economic prosperity. The resolution further recognizes, Mr. Speaker, the vital contributions of Japan as the host nation. I find it very appropriate that the people of Okinawa, who have borne the heaviest burden in supporting the American bases, are honored by this measure through special recognition and thanks for their sacrifices and invaluable contributions. Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to adopt this excellent resolution which supports the United States-Japan security alliance, thereby furthering peace and stability for all throughout the Asian Pacific region.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this resolution which congratulates the Governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal for their diplomacy and cooperation on water treaties that will improve the lives of over 400 million people that live near the Ganges and the Brahmaputra River Basins. I would commend the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter], the chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, for introducing this legislation. I further would like to commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], the full committee chairman; the gentleman from California [Mr. Berman], the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; and the gentleman from New York [Mr. Ackerman], and the gentleman from California [Mr. Royce] for their support of this measure as original cosponsors. Mr. Speaker, this resolution supports the efforts of the Governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal over the past year to cooperate in sharing the waters of the Ganges River, as well as the joint development of the resources of the Mahakali River. Their efforts in negotiating treaties will help in the future to control water resources in the region, reducing flooding during rains, and providing water during droughts. Through this admirable cooperation by these Governments, it is projected that deaths and property destruction will be substantially reduced for the region's 400 million residents. Mr. Speaker, the resolution further urges international financial institutions and the world community to assist the Governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal in this worthy endeavor. I strongly endorse this measure that supports progress to improve the lives of close to half a billion people in South Asia, and certainly would like to commend the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], the senior ranking member of our Committee on International Relations, for his full support of this legislation.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman from Wyoming, the chairlady of our subcommittee, that has taken the initiative and leadership in passing unanimously by our Committee on Resources this very important piece of legislation. I thank my good friends from Puerto Rico and our Democrat ranking member of the subcommittee for bringing to the attention of the Members what I consider to be a little oversight in the fact that the National Geological Mapping Reauthorization Act did not include the insular areas. I am very happy that the gentlewoman from Wyoming has taken the initiative, with my good friend from Puerto Rico, to see that the proper amendments are made to change this reauthorization act. Mr. Speaker, I am also happy to see my good friend from Nevada. Who could be a better expert than a person who is knowledgeable about geological issues, a geologist himself, my good friend,the gentlewoman from Nevada [Mr. Gibbons]. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to consider his expertise and the importance of this piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 709.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like to commend the gentleman from Hawaii for being the chief sponsor of this piece of legislation, and I thank the gentleman from California for his cooperation in bringing this piece of legislation to the floor. This legislation passed unanimously the House Committee on Resources last week, and I am very happy that we are now bringing it for floor consideration. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Joint Resolution 32, a resolution providing congressional consent to certain amendments proposed to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920. This consent is required by the 1959 Hawaii Statehood Admissions Act. Mr. Speaker, I have risen often on this floor to speak out in support of native Hawaiians and against some of the more oppressive actions taken by the United States against the native Hawaiians. Our illegal and unlawful support of the overthrow by force of the lawful Kingdom of Hawaii is not one of the proud moments of our history, I must submit. However, Congress did have the foresight at least to make a commitment to preserve some of the traditional lands in the Hawaiian Islands for native Hawaiians. Under current law, a native Hawaiian with a leasehold interest in Hawaiian homelands can designate that interest to a spouse or child who is at least 25 percent native Hawaiian. But to designate that same interest to a grandchild, the grandchild would have to be at least 50 percent native Hawaiian. To tell you honestly, Mr. Speaker, this blood quantum really boils me to no end. I have never heard of a human being given blood quantum, 50 percent, 25 percent. As far as I am concerned, they are human beings. This legislation would consent to a change adopted by the legislature of the State of Hawaii to permit a designation to a grandchild who is at least 25 percent native Hawaiian, the same criterion applied for spouses and children. Another section of this resolution provides congressional consent to a 1993 Hawaii State law which established the Hawaiian Hurricane Relief Fund. While it is not clear that congressional consent is required for this State statute to be valid, the Department of the Interior, in its usual cautious fashion, has indicted that the prudent approach would be to obtain congressional consent. From my perspective, Mr. Speaker, the policy implemented by the State law is sound, and Congress should act promptly to alleviate any possibility of the State statute being found invalid by reason of a lack of congressional consent. One final comment, Mr. Speaker, while I am in full support of the legislation we are considering today, I do not want my statement to be interpreted as a change of my position on blood quantum requirements. We did it with the native Indians, we did it with the native Hawaiians and we did it with Samoans. I continue to find eligibility criteria based on blood quantum abhorrent, and I continue to oppose any such restriction. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a very special member of our Samoan community here in these United States of America, heavyweight boxer David Tua, who was recently honored in Honolulu as the Samoan professional athlete of the year. Mr. Speaker, David Tua, now only 23 years old, became heavyweight champion of New Zealand at a very young age and subsequently represented New Zealand at the Barcelona Olympics, where he was awarded a bronze medal. This young athlete has a most impressive record as a professional boxer. David Tua is the first Polynesian and the first Samoan to be ranked 8th in the world in the heavyweight division. He has won every single one of his 26 professional fights, 22 by knockouts, and 11 of those were knockouts in the first round. The great fighter, Mr. Mike Tyson, currently holds the record, Mr. Speaker, with 15 knockouts in the first round. David Tua is an inspiration and a champion role model for the Samoan community, working with and encouraging our youth to maintain strong ties with their families and to study hard in school. Keep an eye on David Tua.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, at the outset I would like to first express my appreciation to the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Ballenger] for the opportunity he extended me to join a congressional delegation visiting our neighboring countries in the Central American region. It certainly has been a real educational experience for me to see how beautiful democracy works in these countries that we visited, including Nicaragua. As a cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 18, I certainly would like to commend our good friend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Houghton] as the chief sponsor of this legislation; and also the chairman of our full committee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman]; and the gentleman from California [Mr. Gallegly] as chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. I am also grateful to our senior ranking Democratic member of the full committee, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton] for being a chief sponsor also of this legislation; and our good friend, the ranking member of our subcommittee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Ackerman]. Mr. Speaker, I had the honor of visiting Nicaragua on January 10 for the inauguration of President Aleman. It was clear the people of Nicaragua are dedicated to the principles of democracy. The election was a success. Domestic and international observers declared them to be free and fair, and it was certainly a true expression of the desires of the voters and the people of Nicaragua. It was a large voter turnout--the kind that we dream about having in the United States. The attempts by the opponents of the democratic process to sully the results of the process were unsuccessful. I am also pleased, Mr. Speaker, by the development of institutions in Nicaragua that will help consolidate that country's democratic system. The Supreme Electoral Commission has successfully conducted a number of free and fair elections. For the first time there is a civilian Defense Ministry, run by a civilian Minister of Defense. This is an exciting and critical time for the country of Nicaragua, and I am pleased that we are taking this opportunity to support this democratic country. There are still many challenges for the Nicaraguans to overcome, however. It remains the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and it faces an enormous challenge in resolving its property problems. The Nicaraguans have chosen to address these problems as a democracy, and that is a giant--and commendable--first step. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to show their support for this government by adopting this resolution commending the Government of Nicaragua for this milestone achievement.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation which will afford U.S. nationals the opportunity to participate in Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship programs. Under current law, American Samoans born in American Samoa are considered U.S. nationals. These are persons who owe their allegiance to the United States, but are not U.S. citizens. Persons born in American Samoa are the only persons in the world who are given this status, as persons born on all other United States soil may become United States citizens by right of birth. Also under current law, only U.S. citizens are authorized to enlist in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or ROTC for short, scholarship programs, and only U.S. citizens are eligible to become military and naval officers. The legislation I am introducing today would require U.S. national residents residing in a State of the United States and desiring to apply for a ROTC scholarship program, to file an application to become a naturalized citizen within 60 days of being accepted into the program. The legislation would also require U.S. nationals who are not residents of a State of the United States, to become a resident of a State, and to file an application to become a naturalized citizen within 60 days of becoming a resident as defined in our immigration laws. Mr. Speaker, I believe this legislation strikes a fair balance between two competing interests. On the one hand, it gives the residents of American Samoa the same opportunities to become military and naval officers as the residents of the States and the other territories. On the other hand, while keeping the requirement that all military and naval officers be U.S. citizens, it requires U.S. nationals to prove their willingness to serve our country in a timely manner, thereby ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not spent on someone who will later prove ineligible for service. Mr. Speaker, I am submitting a copy of the legislation with my statement.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation to include American Samoa in the Federal Home Loan Bank Act. For decades there has been inadequate capital available to provide home loans to the qualified residents of American Samoa wishing to make loans to build homes or additions. As Samoa moved toward a credit economy, the mainland financial community had many questions which needed to be answered before they were willing to lend money in Samoa: Would the Samoans pay back their loans? Would the local courts enter judgments against locals in favor of banks? would the chiefs of communal lands permit purchasers of leasehold interests to reside on communal properties? Each question seemed insurmountable, but over the years we have overcome these hurdles, and today there is only one impediment left--a lack of funding at reasonable rates for home loans. Other rural areas have solved this problem by membership in a Federal home loan bank. In fact, the Federal Home Loan Bank Act makes membership available to banks in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. In enacting the original legislation, remote American Samoa, one of the areas most in need, was again left in the woods. The legislation I am introducing today makes a technical change to the definitions section to include American Samoa within the definition of a State. This small change will enable the FDIC-insured local banks to join a Federal home loan bank and gain access to a new source of funding to make loans to the residents in American Samoa. I hope my colleagues will join me in making this small change in the law which will have a significant, beneficial impact on American Samoa.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the American Samoa Development Act of 1997. Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to discuss with American Samoa's new Governor, the Honorable Tauese P.F. Sunia, the current economic status of American Samoa, and the direction he would like to move the territory's economy. It is no secret that of all the U.S. insular areas, American Samoa has the weakest economy. The growing population coupled with its limited industrial base has hastened an economic downward spiral which if not checked, could result in the financial collapse of the local government. This would not be in the interests of the residents of American Samoa, the local government, or the United States. American Samoa currently receives annual Federal assistance for both the operations of its government and for the construction of capital assets. Every elected Governor of American Samoa has attempted to develop a larger and broader economy for Samoa, but each has met with limited or no success because of Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. To his credit, former Gov. A.P. Lutali negotiated a mutually beneficial agreement with an apparel company during his most recent term in office, and that company is now in operation and employing hundreds of American Samoans. The addition of this company gives American Samoa a total of three major businesses operating in the territory. I am concerned that with the termination of section 936 of the Internal Revenue Code, the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the phase out of tariffs under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the few trade incentives the United States has given American Samoa and the other insular areas are rapidly losing their value. As of today, no new businesses in American Samoa, or any other insular area for that matter, can obtain the benefits of section 936. Should Federal law concerning the importation of canned tuna into the United States under the dolphin safe label be amended as proposed, I do not believe the two tuna canning plants in American Samoa will remain in Samoa beyond the end of this century. Should they leave, and I expect them to be forced to do so because of changes in the economics of international production of canned tuna, Samoa will lose fully one-third of its total economy. This will be devastating. This legislation is a start toward addressing this problem. The commission established will be directed to examine, among other things, recent changes in trade law and the current and future impact these changes will have on American Samoa.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and my good friend from New York. I also would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio, and Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California not only as the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, but someone not only as a national leader whom I have the highest regard and respect. I certainly appreciate this opportunity of sharing my sentiments concerning Black History Month. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to echo the sentiments expressed earlier from the gentleman from Illinois, [Mr. Jackson], as he paid a special tribute to my good friend and colleague from Georgia, Congressman John Lewis, certainly one of the living giants of the civil rights movement. Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago the gentleman from Georgia invited me to join him to visit Selma, AL, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of that famous march from Selma, and it was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had in my life. I would like to urge and encourage my colleagues to go to Selma, AL. It will give you a real sense of what the civil rights movement is all about. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for the opportunity this afternoon to speak at this year's congressional recognition of Black History Month. The idea of celebrating black history began in 1926, where noted educator Dr. Carter Woodson set aside a special period of time in February, February because that was the birth month of Frederick C. Douglass and of Abraham Lincoln, to recognize the heritage, the achievements and the contributions of African-Americans. African-American history is of course, Mr. Speaker, a much larger subject than 1 month could possibly encompass. We all know the names of famous African-Americans, artists, performers, and writers such as Paul Robeson, Lena Horne, James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Imamu Amiri Baraka, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, Jessye Norman, Duke Ellington, and William Grant Still. African-American athletes like Jackie Robinson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Wilma Clodean Rudolph broke records and barriers in their striving for excellence. African-Americans have expanded all of our horizons as explorers: Guion S. Bluford, Jr. was the first African-American to fly in space. Mathew Alexander Henson, a member of Adm. Robert Peary's fourth expedition, may have been the first person to set foot on the North Pole. From George Washington Carver, recipient of the Roosevelt Medal for Distinguished Service to Science, to George Carruthers, the physicist and the designer of the Apollo 16 lunar surface ultraviolet camera/spectrograph that was placed on the moon in April 1972, African- Americans have made significant contributions in the areas of science and technology. African-American political activists like Nat Turner and Fannie Lou Hamer changed the course of history. Leaders such as Adam Clayton Powell, Joseph Hayne Rainey, the first African-American Member of Congress, Ralph Bunche and Shirley Chisholm, and activists like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and A. Philip Randolph and Sojourner Truth moved their people forward with them. All of these stories are inspiring to all of us. Mr. Speaker, the contributions of African-Americans to all aspects of U.S. culture have been significant, and all of us as Americans have been moved forward by the achievements of these great individuals. However, the history of African-American people is much more than simply the stories of great and famous individuals. The people whose names we never hear, the women who participated in the Birmingham bus boycott led by the late Dr. King, the many individuals who, inspired by the actions of Rosa Parks, refused any longer to sit in the back of the bus; the people who sat in at segregated lunch counters; the people who stood firm in the face of fire hoses and growling dogs; the people who registered for college and went to their classes; the people who registered to vote and came to the polling places on election day, these are also people worthy of celebration and worthy of a place in history. Mr. Speaker, not all children will grow up to be Martin Luther King, Jr., or Shirley Chisholm, but all children should grow up knowing that their greatness is a part of our heritage, that its celebration is not confined to only 1 month out of the year, and that the dreams and aspirations of African-Americans are as worthy of fulfillment and as likely to come true as the dreams and aspirations of all of our fellow Americans. So as we celebrate Black History Month, Mr. Speaker, let us also keep in mind those whose names are not in the books, those whose private and unpublicized heroism in word and deed also contributed to this story which all Americans should celebrate and all of which all Americans can be proud.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to join my good friend from California for his kind remarks made about our great friend and colleague, Congressman Frank Tejeda. I remember Frank once saying that he was just a grunt. As a Vietnam veteran, I would like to join my friend from California in saying we were just grunts compared to Frank's accomplishments and certainly for his value and bravery for which he was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Marine Commandant's Trophy, the Marine Corps Association Award, and the Colonel Phil Yeckel Award for the best combined record in leadership, academics, and physical fitness during the time which he was in Officer's Candidate School, where he maintained an academic average in the 99.6 percentile, the highest ever recorded in Marine Corps history. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Tejeda was a warrior and a true hero of our Nation. Because of his tenacity, because of his leadership, and because of his generosity, and because he never forgot where he came from, Congressman Tejeda was loved and respected by the people he served. One of his constituents said of him, and I quote: Even though he spent many years in Washington, his heart was always in San Antonio. He was a community man. Congressman Tejeda never lost touch with the family, friends and constituents who worked on behalf of his political success. He continued to make a home in the neighborhood where he grew up. He was generous with everyone, generous with his time and generous with his talents. There are countless stories of how he took money from his own pocket to provide uniforms for local baseball teams, how he cosigned notes to pay power bills so that the lights could remain on at the field, how he took out loans to meet medical expenses for his friends, how he bought the furniture for the day care center at the local church. Mr. Speaker, the list of his good deeds goes on and on. His generosity of spirit is well known. He was a mentor to many young people. He has gained political stature. He had made sure he helped young, aspiring leaders. He opened up windows of opportunity. As Under Secretary of the Army, Joe Reeder said of him, and I quote: He was a great role model, a great advocate for Hispanics, and a great advocate for veterans. The gentleman from Texas [Mr. Bonilla] concurred by adding this remark, and I quote: Frank Tejeda represented all that is good about America. He always led by example, and his character, dignity inspired all who met him. He was a genuine American hero, Mr. Speaker. Our good friend and a dean from the Texas delegation, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Gonzalez], members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and chairman, my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from California [Mr. Becerra], the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Ortiz], Henry Cisneros, and many other distinguished leaders have all spoken of a great loss, both personal and communal, because of this untimely death. The Hispanic community has lost a great man, Mr. Speaker, a great leader and a great warrior. As former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros said, and I quote: You do not find many public officials who stand for anything. Frank Tejeda took stands, end of quote. Whether we remember the war hero, the antipoverty activist, the brilliant attorney, the crusading State legislator and the dedicated U.S. Congressman, Mr. Speaker, the role model for our youth, the compassionate and general member of the community, the fighter for justice and equality, the good friend whose personal warmth was always evident, and of any of the other remarkable aspects of this man, we all mourn his loss. So, Mr. Speaker, we mourn the loss to Texas, the loss to the Hispanic community, the loss finally to all of America. We will all miss the presence and the leadership of my good friend and colleague, the late Congressman, Frank Tejeda.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I think it is most appropriate that this body does all it can to make sure that the post office that is now for purposes of discussion being named in the memory and honor of this great colleague of ours, Congressman Frank Tejeda. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a good friend, the very distinguished colleague, the late Congressman Frank Tejeda of Texas, who passed away Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He was a man whose life was entirely dedicated to serving his community and certainly to our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I met Congressman Tejeda when he first came to the Congress after being elected in 1992. He was someone for whom I had tremendous respect and affection. He always extended the hand of friendship to me, and I always appreciated the fact that he made me feel welcome every time I saw him on the House floor. Congressman Tejeda had a distinguished career in public service when he arrived in Washington. After having served for a decade in the Texas House and for 6 years in the Texas Senate, he was an accomplished academician, with graduate degrees from my own alma mater, the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California in Berkeley, the Yale Law School, and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Tejeda was a warrior, as far as I am concerned, of the first order. He was as great a battler for the rights of individuals as he was a courageous marine on the field of battle, and he never gave up. When he believed in something, he fought for it. I know that everyone in this body who had ever had the privilege of working with this gentleman had tremendous respect for this gentleman. He was the kind of person that you looked forward to working with because you knew that, once he was committed to a course of action, he would not rest until he succeeded. Congressman Tejeda made a career of battling injustice, and he never faltered. He was generous to everyone, generous with his time and generous with his talents. There are countless stories of how he took money from his own pocket to provide uniforms for the local baseball teams, how he co- signed notes to pay power bills and the lights could remain on the field, and how he took out loans to meet medical expenses for his friends, how he bought the furniture for the day care center at the local church. The list of his good deeds goes on and on, Mr. Speaker. I realize my time is short. I certainly want to extend on behalf of our Samoan community our condolences to Mrs. Tejeda and the members of his family. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I rise to honor the memory of a good friend and a very distinguished colleague, the late Congressman Frank Tejeda of Texas, who passed away Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He was a man whose life was entirely dedicated to serving his country and his community. Mr. Speaker, I met Congressman Tejeda when he first came to the Congress after being elected in 1992. He was someone for whom I had tremendous respect and affection. He always extended the hand of friendship to me, and I always appreciated the fact that he made me feel welcome every time that I saw him on the House floor. Congressman Tejeda already had a distinguished career in public service when he arrived in Washington, having served for a decade in the Texas House and for 6 years in the Texas Senate. He was an accomplished academician, with graduate degrees from my own alma mater, the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California in Berkeley, Yale Law School and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Congressman Tejeda was a decorated veteran who joined the Marines and served in Vietnam from 1963 to 1967. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Marine Commandant's Trophy, the Marine Corps Association Award and the Colonel Phil Yeckel Award for the best combined record in leadership, academics and physical fitness during the time when he was at officers candidate school, where he maintained an academic average of 99.6--the highest ever recorded in Marine Corps history. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star by the U.S. Navy for risking his life under enemy fire to save a wounded fellow marine. Congressman Tejeda was a warrior of the highest order and a hero to our country. In the Congress, Congressman Tejeda was a warrior as well. He was as great a battler for the rights of individuals as he was a courageous marine on the field of war, and he never gave up. When he believed in something, he fought for it. I know that everyone in this body who ever had the privilege of working with him had tremendous respect for the gentleman. He was the kind of person that you looked forward to working with because you know that once he was committed to a course of action, he would not rest until he succeeded. Congressman Tejeda made a career of battling injustice, and he never faltered. Because of his tenacity, because of his leadership, because of his generosity and because he never forgot where he came from, Congressman Tejeda was loved and respected by the people he served. One of his constituents said to him, ``even though he spent many years in Washington, his heart was always in San Antonio * * * He was a community man.'' Congressman Tejeda never lost touch with the family, friends and constituents who worked on behalf of his political success, and he continued to make a home in the neighborhood where he grew up. He was generous with everyone--generous with his time and generous with his talents. There are countless stories of how he took money from his own pocket to provide uniforms for the local baseball teams, how he cosigned notes to pay power bills so that the lights could remain on at the field, how he took out loans to meet medical expenses for friends, how he bought the furniture for the day care center at the local church. The list of his good deeds goes on and on. His generosity of spirit was well known. He was a mentor to many young people. As he gained political stature, he made sure he helped younger aspiring leaders--he opened up windows of opportunity. As Undersecretary of the Army Joe Reeder said of him, ``He was a great role model, a great advocate for Hispanics and a great advocate for veterans.'' Congressman Henry Bonilla concurred, adding, ``Frank Tejeda represented all that is good about America. He always led by example, and his character and dignity inspired all who met him.'' He was a genuine American hero. Representative Henry Gonzales, congressional Hispanic caucus chairman Xavier Becerra, Representative Solomon Ortiz, Representative Henry Bonilla, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros and many other distinguished leaders have all spoken of their great loss--both personal and communal--because of this untimely death. The Hispanic community has lost a great man, a great leader and a great warrior. As former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros said, ``You don't find many public officials who stand for anything. Frank Tejeda took stands.'' Whether we remember the war hero, the anti-poverty activist, the brilliant attorney, the crusading State legislator, the dedicated U.S. Congressman, the role model for our youth, the compassionate and generous member of the community, the fighter for justice and equality, the good friend whose personal warmth was always evident, or any of the other remarkable aspects of this man, we all mourn his loss. And so, Mr. Speaker, we mourn the loss to Texas, the loss to the Hispanic community, the loss, finally, to all of America. We will all miss the presence and the leadership of Congressman Frank Tejeda.