Sam Farr

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I think this is probably a good conference report, but I really want to take issue with my colleagues on the block granting to local law enforcement. I was in local law enforcement, local board of supervisors, when we had the revenue sharing program. I will tell my colleagues that a lot of these cities and counties just misuse these funds. They did not put them into the programs that are really trying to fight crimes. I think it is unfortunate that the demand out there is in issues like drug courts. And this was level funded for drug courts. That is where we need these monies. Just to go out and buy more equipment, more fancy stuff to spruce up, that ought to be the object of local government. The big salary costs are where we can really help. I think that the grants program is not the way to end crime in America. The way to do it is to pour more people, more personnel where the problem is. I wish the committee would put more into that effort and certainly more into the drug courts program.

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2670. It includes sufficiency language removing the taking of listed salmon in Alaska from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). A wholesale waiver from ESA is unacceptable for any state because it undermines the purpose of the Act and for this reason alone it will probably draw a Presidential veto. This bill is also inadequate in its funding of our nation's ocean research, fisheries and conservation needs. The observers' program received no increase in funding; marine sanctuaries are funded $10 million below the President's request; fisheries habitat restoration was zeroed out--that's $23 million below the President's budget. Now is not the time to be neglecting the oceans or reducing our commitment to understanding their processes. Not now, when we have disasters occurring around the country and we do not understand the causes nor can we suggest solutions. In Alaska, Stellar Sea Lions continue to decline despite decreased interference with the pollack fishery and we don't know why. The Bering Sea ecosystem has changed in some way resulting in the deaths of 10 percent of the Gray Whale population, but we don't understand what the changes in the ecosystem are that have led to this. On Long Island Sound, lobster men and women began reporting dead lobsters last month. From 8 percent to 13 percent of the lobsters caught in traps are dead or dying, and a total of as many as a million lobsters may have died. Although die-offs have occurred in other years, this appears to be the worst in nearly a decade. Why are the lobster dying? No one knows. Runoff from Hurricane Floyd has resulted in a 350 square mile dead zone off of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina and no one has any idea what the lasting effects will be. In the Gulf of Mexico, we have a dead zone the size of the state of New Jersey. Some say this is the result of nutrient runoff, but no one really knows. We have insufficient funds to study this disaster. In the Northeast, the groundfish population declines while the Canadian seal herd population climbs. Is there a relationship? We don't know because there are no funds to study the factors decimating the groundfish population in New England. In my own district the Pacific Fishery Management Council is about to reduce the catch for my fishermen by 75 percent because of overfishing. However, there is a dispute between the fishermen and scientists on whether or not management decisions are based on data collected from the right fish populations. No one really knows for sure because fishery management studies are under funded. In Florida we have 3 toxic, deadly, and unexplainable red tides. Red tides have become much more common in the last decade, but we do not know what causes them. Mr. Speaker, we do know that the sea drives climate and weather, regulates and stabilizes the planet's temperature, generates more than 70 percent of the oxygen in the atmosphere, absorbs much of the carbon dioxide that is generated, and otherwise shapes planetary chemistry. We also know that ocean community is in crisis. Therefore, I must oppose this bill that places our oceans as such a low priority. Equally as troubling as the shortfall in funding for our oceans, is lack of adequate funding for the COPS program. It is unconscionable that this year's federal budget contains only $325 million for the COPS program. COPS has awarded state and local law enforcement agencies with nearly $6 billion to fund hiring and redeployment of more than 100,000 officers. I have heard repeatedly from local law enforcement officials on the Central Coast that the need for continued robust federal funding for the COPS program is critical to help them continue highly successful crime-fighting initiatives. But providing Central Coast residents with safe communities requires resources beyond local capabilities. Several of my communities have been awarded special COPS grants including the Youth Firearms Violence Initiative and the Community Policing to Combating Domestic Violence. These programs have helped local law enforcement officials implement highly effective community policing strategies to target specific problems, neighborhoods and crimes. If all politics is local, certainly all crime is local. Crime doesn't wear a political button identifying party affiliation. Republican conferees shouldn't be playing politics with highly effective anti-crime programs. Furthermore, conferees shouldn't be playing politics with arrearage funds. The United States currently owes more than $1 billion in unpaid dues to the United Nations--giving our country the dubious distinction of being the single largest debtor nation to the U.N. Tying those funds to an authorization bill that hasn't been signed into law since 1994 is a sham. The United Nations provides educational and economic assistance to people around the world, working to reduce hunger and malnutrition, improve education, and provide assistance to refugees. In short, the role of the U.N. in world affairs is critical and invaluable, and our unwillingness to contribute our fair share to the U.N. threatens the health, welfare, and security of our country and others. I encourage my colleagues to oppose this bill and demand that conferees address these issues that affect our national security, safety and environmental health.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Mr. Gallegly's bill H.R. 1887. I would like to congratulate the Crime Subcommittee for producing this excellent legislation and I look forward to working with them on my own bill to end the cruel treatment of elephants in circuses. H.R. 1887 will put a stop to the production and sale of ``crush videos'' which feature women crushing small animals to death with their feet. Kittens, hamsters, and birds are taped to the floor while the women, sometimes barefooted, and sometimes in spiked heels, step on the animal until it dies. The videos sell for $30-$100 and more than three thousand titles are available for sale nationwide. The acts of animal cruelty featured in animal ``crush videos'' are illegal under state law. However, it is difficult to prosecute these acts under state animal cruelty laws. First, a District Attorney must identify the individual in the video. This is a difficult task given the fact that most of the time, only the actress' legs are shown. Second it is difficult to prove that the act featured in the video occurred within the statute of limitations. Third, local animal cruelty laws do not prohibit the production, sale, or possession of the video. There are no applicable federal laws. H.R. 1887 is narrowly tailored to prohibit the creation, sale or possession with the intent to sell a depiction of animal cruelty in interstate commerce for commercial gain. The bill does not preempt state laws on animal cruelty. Rather, it incorporates the animal cruelty law of the state where the offense occurs. The bill would provide prosecutors with the tool they need to prosecute people for making ``crush videos.'' By targeting the profits made from this disgusting video, we will put a stop to its production. Mr. Speaker, there is no place for this kind of cruelty in the entertainment industry. I am pleased to support Mr. Gallegly's bill, H.R. 1887, and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1791, the Federal Law Enforcement Animal Protection Act. This is a good bill because it enables us to convict criminals for harming police animals. As part of their job, police animals risk their lives side-by-side with their human partners in law enforcement. These animals patrol our national parks, our national borders, our airports, and even our United States Capitol is guarded by 30 K-9 units. Police officers depend on these animals to do their job and therefore, it is critical that we protect them. The U.S. Border Patrol uses 164 K-9 Teams, which in 1998 alone detected over 4 tons of cocaine, 150 tons of marijuana and over $2 million in drug money. Unfortunately, last year 8 K-9 dogs were killed and many more sustained injuries from attacks while on the job. Mr. Weller's bill would appropriately penalize this misconduct. Under current Federal law, Federal K-9s and horses are only protected by the U.S. statutes that govern destruction of government property. Current law places fines of up to $1,000 if the act is under $1,000 with the option of jail for up to 1 year. If the damage exceeds $1,000, then the fine would be in excess of $1,000 with the option of jail for up to 10 years. The Federal Law Enforcement Animal Protection Act makes it a Federal crime to willfully harm any police animal, or to attempt to conspire to do so. This would include simple assaults, bites, kicks, punches, and plots to injure animals. The penalty would be a fine up to $1,000 and mandatory jail for up to 1 year. The bill also recognizes the important law enforcement function these animals perform, the cost of training to the government, and the bond between handler and animal. Twenty-seven States have passed similar legislation. The bill passed the Judiciary Committee by voice vote with 25 bipartisan cosponsors. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Mr. Weller's bill.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise because I heard during the debate on the rule that we do not want to spend our money abroad, that we should not be spending all these tax dollars. Well, I suggest that we spend more money here at home that will have an effect all over the world. I suggest that we do that by spending more money on the Peace Corps. It may sound like a broken record, but the Peace Corps has been our most effective and most popular foreign aid program. The President requested more money for the Peace Corps because of the demand out there by the countries in which it serves up. The countries want us and American citizens want to participate in the Peace Corps. The only thing that is holding us from supplying that demand is the money that we appropriate. Now, it is not the fault of this House. It has been terrific. The chairman of the committee has been terrific. But it is the appropriators on the other side. I suggest that those Americans who are interested in the Peace Corps and want more money in the Peace Corps ought to be petitioning the Members on the other side, particularly the appropriators, to put at least as much money in the budget as the House has.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Senior Network Services. A private nonprofit agency, Senior Network Services has facilitated the delivery of services to seniors in Santa Cruz County since 1974. Senior Network Services is a community resource that links senior citizens with support services essential to their physical and mental well-being. The focus of this establishment is to help elderly individuals continue to lead independent, fulfilling lives at home by giving them access to necessary information and resources. Over the years, Senior Network Services has grown to house several programs in addition to their core information and assistance services. These programs aid senior citizens with numerous facets of everyday life including Medicare, health insurance, housing options, home care and maintenance, fiduciary matters as well as advocacy on behalf of older adults. Furthermore, Senior Network Services was recently selected to provide Linkages, a new state-funded case management program that will ensure that senior citizens and functionally impaired adults will have access to resources and receive assistance coordinating services to maintain independent living. It is with great pleasure that I commend Senior Network Services on its 25th anniversary. For its exemplary record of service to senior citizens and their families, I would like to extend best wishes for success in the future as this establishment continues to make invaluable contributions to our community.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I have known the Reverend Darling for many years. He is a friend, he is a counselor, he is a confidante. His family is not new to this Chamber. Reverend Darling and his wife, Karen, are the parents of Adam Darling, who we all know died in the ill-fated crash with Secretary Ron Brown on a mountain in Croatia. Reverend Darling is a long-time resident of Santa Cruz, California. Known locally as Darrell Darling, he is a man known for his spirit, for pursuit of civil rights, peace, and justice. In his ministry, Reverend Darling has taken seriously the admonition and invitation to feed the hungry, shelter the strange, forgive the enemy, and visit the prisoner. He is someone who lives what he preaches, and the community is made stronger for it. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to host Reverend Darling. He brings with him today a message of peace, a message of tolerance, a message of hope. I commend him to my colleagues and hope that you will hear his words, read his words, and take them to heart.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and acknowledge Bob Mattson. He passed away after 38 years of service and contribution as athletic director and coach at Hollister High School. Bob was born in Oakland, CA, on November 29, 1925. He served 2 years in the U.S. Navy in World War II and earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from Stanford in 1950. Bob then completed his teaching credential at San Francisco State and a master's degree from San Jose State. Mr. Mattson moved to Hollister in 1953 as a teacher, coach, department chairman and athletic director. He retained those responsibilities until 1983 and then worked as part-time athletic director until full retirement 3 years later. Bob and his wife of 47 years, Diane, are the parents of two children, Bo and Maureen. Bob had a distinguished career as athletic director and coach of the basketball, wrestling and football teams at Hollister High School. Devoted and well respected, Bob Mattson was an ``intense coach of high moral character and he tried to instill that in his players'' (Principal Larry Williams, Hollister High School). As a member of the Hollister Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, Bob enjoyed local and district involvement. He served on a variety of club committees including being appointed to the San Benito County Board of Education as a representative, vice president, and president. Bob had also been appointed to the South County Regional Occupational Program Liaison and devoted several years of service to the community. Bob contributed greatly to our community through serving 25 years as a director for the Root-Hardin Youth Fundraising. On January 1, 1994, Bob was honored with the dedication of the Mattson Gym at the High School. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me and our colleagues in recognizing the valuable contributions of Bob Mattson, spanning 38 years, to our community. His leadership and commitment as a role model, teacher and coach as well as an involved member of the community is certainly worth noting. Bob's presence as athletic director will be missed and his years of achievement and devotion will not be forgotten.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1934, the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act. I commend once again, almost every week now, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), for his leadership on this important issue, another one of our important issues relating to the oceans of this great country and the world. This legislation is critical to anybody who has coastal shoreline where the populations of marine mammals exist, because this goes to how do you serve those marine mammals when they are in trouble; how do you get them when they are stranded; and why do you do that. Do you know that Megatrend says that the leading development in America has been what they call watchable wildlife? More people are watching wildlife than all of the national sports in this country, than all the professional sports. That wildlife, a lot of it is marine wildlife. Marine wildlife is important to the ecology of the ocean, the health of the ocean and the coastal communities, but it is also important for tourism, because people come to the coastlines and they want to see the wild animals that are in that coastal zone; and the wild animals in many cases are endangered. I happen to represent an area where we have the southern sea otter population. It is not recovering very well. The recovery rate for the southern sea otter is unacceptable since 1995. Researchers have documented an increased rate in mortality, an 11 percent reduction in the population. In fact, last year 10 percent of the total population of this endangered animal was found dead, stranded on beaches in my district. That is 213 of the 2,090 animals left in this population were found dead, washed up on beaches just last year. The southern sea otter is vital. It is vital to the health of our sea mammal community. It is vital to the tourism in our area; and I think it is just vital that we have beautiful animals like this to understand, protect, and to study. Fortunately, the bill of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) will provide funds for the preparation and transportation of tissues from the deceased animals so the researchers can determine the cause of death and turn this trend around. Mr. Speaker, my only reservation is that we not decrease funding for research and assistance for other existing marine mammal programs. In fact, we need to fully fund what is authorized in this bill. The majority of marine mammal strandings occur on the West coast; and, unfortunately, the strandings are increasing. So I hope that we will begin to be able to have enough money for the marine mammal recovery and not take this money from other marine mammal protection programs. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I ask that we increase funding for marine mammal protection and research. We need to support the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act, but not at the expense of other national marine fishery services programs.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man who with boundless energy and enthusiasm spread laughter throughout the nation with his long-running TV show ``Candid Camera.'' Allen Funt died at his home in Pebble Beach on September 5, 1999 at the age of 84. Born on September 16, 1914 in New York, Allen attended Cornell University graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in fine arts. As an undergraduate student, Allen was a scholar of human nature and conducted psychology experiments which began his interest in people's reactions. Mr. Funt also worked as an assistant for an Eleanor Roosevelt radio show from which he began to engender ideas about combining spontaneous reactions of people with radio. During World War II, Allen was enlisted in the Army and served in the Army Signal Corps where he continued to study his idea about combining spontaneous reactions and radio as he experimented with location recording and concealment techniques. After leaving the Army, Allen founded ``Candid Microphone'' on ABC in 1948. In 1960, CBS picked up the show for a 7- year run and for the year 1960-1961 it was the seventh-best rated show in the nation. CBS now airs ``Candid Camera'' with Allen's son, Peter Funt, as the host. For half a century Allen Funt loved to make people smile. He was a visionary who pioneered what has become an entire programming genre, but who also genuinely cared about people and appreciated the healing power of laughter. In the late 1960's, Allen donated his entire Candid Camera film library to the psychology department of his alma mater, Cornell University, in order to share his insights into the human psyche and his work with the students. After settling in the Monterey peninsula in 1978, Allen held fundraisers to support Carmel schools in the 1980's and donated ``Candid Camera'' tapes to hospitals and the homes of the terminally ill as well as started the ``Laughter Therapy Foundation.'' Allen Funt was truly a remarkable man who will be fondly remembered for his ingenuity and enthusiasm. His appreciation of laughter's power to heal provided for 52 years of good comedy for the entire nation. Allen will be missed by the countless numbers of people he touched both personally and through his ``Candid Camera'' show around the world.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Captive Elephant Accident Prevention Act to make circuses more humane for the animals and safer for the spectators. I would like to make it clear that I am not interested in seeing the circus industry unduly hindered or encumbered. My bill is a practical, reasonable one that addresses a fundamental wrong in the entertainment industry. When an elephant rampages it can injure and kill spectators, not to mention damage property. There is simply no stopping a rampaging elephant until the animal is dead, a tragedy which is obviously a symptom of a larger problem. Because of circuses and elephant rides, we've grown accustomed to seeing elephants perform tricks or being ridden as if they are domesticated animals such as horses. But these are not domesticated creatures. Elephants are wild animals--animals for whom all the coaxing in the world will not encourage them to let you ride on their backs, or get them to stand on their heads, rear up on their hind legs, walk a balance beam, or any of the other unnatural stunts they perform in circuses. To get a 5 ton, 10 foot tall animal to perform these stressful, often painful stunts 2 or 3 shows per day, animal trainers use fear and torture. In his arsenal, the elephant trainer has devices such as high- powered electric prods, ancuses, bull hooks (long sharpened metal hook at the end of a handle), and Martingales (heavy chains binding an elephant's tusks to his front feet). To get these giant, willful, wild animals to behave like trained dogs, elephants are brutalized. It is therefore understandable that when they get the chance, they kill people. Since 1983, at least 28 people have been killed by captive elephants performing in circuses and elephant ride exhibits. More than 70 others have been seriously injured, including at least 50 members of the general public who were spectators at circuses and other elephant exhibits. In fact, 9 states have banned elephants from close contact with the public. This includes giving rides or even photo ops, because of the danger of rampages. Why do we continue to use taxpayer dollars to murder endangered species in the middle of our major metropolitan areas when we could simply address the problem by removing elephants from these tragedies waiting to happen. My bill proposes to exclude elephants from traveling shows and to eliminate elephant rides, not to close down circuses. I ask my colleagues to join me as a cosponsor on the Captive Elephant Accident Prevention Act. I also want to thank game show host Bob Barker for coming to Washington, D.C. to support this bill H.R. 2929.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, first of all, to thank game show host Bob Barker for coming to Washington, D.C. in support of the bill I am introducing today and sorry that he had to have emergency surgery. We all wish him well as he recovers from this. Today I am introducing the Captive Elephant Accident Prevention Act, H.R. 2929, to make circuses more humane for animals and safer for spectators. I am not interested in seeing the circus industry unduly hindered or encumbered. My bill is a practical, reasonable bill that addresses a fundamental wrong in the entertainment industry. The problem is that we have to break the will of wild beasts, big beasts that are 10 feet tall, weigh several tons, in order for them to perform stunts at circuses. They use high-powered electric prods. They tie them up. And we can see that when an animal goes wild, as this one did in Honolulu, that the only way to stop them from injuring people is to shoot them. That is what happened in this case where an animal had 57 rounds shot into him before he was brought down. Animals like elephants are not horses or dogs. They cannot be trained for those purposes. I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring H.R. 2929.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, Mother Nature beckons our notice as she shakes the earth in Taiwan, destroying cities and killing thousands. She bombards the east coast with wind and water, leaving hundreds without a livelihood, home, or lifetime collection of possessions. There is hardly a community in the Nation that hasn't on some level taken notice of the eerie weather patterns striking the planet. And in my own home district, a brilliant and awe inspiring lightning storm witnessed throughout the area on September 8, leaves its mark in the form of numerous wildfires setting the northern portion of the scenic Los Padres National Forest ablaze. The Northern Los Padres National Forest, which encompasses the Ventura Wilderness, is comprised of about 326,000 acres of rolling, forest covered mountains and open valleys, and is refuge to myriad wildlife and forage. Seventy-five percent of the park is protected as wilderness, and it is home to several of the nearly extinct species of the California Condor and houses a variety of native Indian sacred pictographs. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean along the Big Sur Coast and contained in the east side by the San Antonio Mountain range, the area, visited by 5.4 million per year, is both a national preserve and a local institution. The rough terrain and a particularly dry season, coupled with excessive growth due to last years El Nino, has commanded the occupation of a small army of firefighters. What began with four separate blazes consuming 3,000 acres and requiring 900 firefighters, with hopes of full containment within the week, has now burned over 30,000 acres and has in excess of 3,500 fire fighters on the ground. There are now two main fires racing across the landscape, jumping fire lines and stream beds, and forcing crews to retreat into a primarily defensive position. Although the fires are considered 20 percent contained, expected total containment is unknown. The fire now threatens residences, businesses, and retreats, and has forced the evacuation of several hundreds of people. The fire men and women hold the areas, strategically fireproofing positions, hoping to win any direct confrontations with the blaze. Included in their arsenal are 26 helicopters, 17 air tankers, and 121 fire engines. Ground fighters who were originally restricted to drawing fire lines only with shovels, chain saws and other hand tools, due to Federal wilderness regulation, now utilize 34 bulldozers, with which they can protrude up to 20 miles into the national wilderness. The project, which averages a cost of half a million per day, has now totaled $20.5 million. Firefighters work 24 hour shifts, flanking the fire in crews of 2 and 4, each containing 8 to 24 members. The National Forest Service, Air Force ``hot shots,'' the State Department of Forestry and other professional and volunteer firefighters attempt to contain the inferno. Smoke jumpers repel off helicopters into remote areas, cut heli-spots which allow the helicopters to bring troops in and out, and begin cutting fire lines. Thus far 17 fire fighters have sustained injury, though none serious. Fort Hunter Liggett personnel work to provide a base camp for approximately 1,500 people and 10 helicopters, while another camp just west of the small town of Greenfield provides a mini ``tent city,'' housing over 2,000 personnel and equipment. A Zen Buddhist retreat, the Tassajara Zen Center, plays host to 80 fire fighters, housing and feeding them their common vegetarian fare, even granting them the use of their famous sulfur hot springs. It's a common story. Mother Nature, whose nourishment provides for us daily in a quiet and steady manner, seems to have a change of heart. Suddenly we are forced to take notice, and the heroes emerge. Men and women risk life and limb, the potential cost a paycheck will never cover, working to ensure our safety and protection. The whole incident is only a far away story of interest to us, and yet any one of us could find ourselves that homeowner; watching the ash cover our life's work, the smoke looming in the sky and the intense yellow glow over the horizon. As we pack only what we can carry and say goodbye, we hope our home will still be there when we return. Or perhaps we could find ourselves under 1,200 pounds of rubble, praying we are discovered, or boating through a canal that the day before was our home street, hoping for a hero to rescue us, because we will not survive alone. Regardless of the incident, we find ourselves dependent on the courage and strength of others. And so we must ask ourselves, where is the lesson in all of this? How can we ever truly thank the heroes of our district, our Nation and our world? We must support their efforts. We must honor their efforts, and we must remember their efforts. We must find the courage and the strength within ourselves to follow their lead. Because Mother Nature is talking to us. She is demanding we take notice. The fire now racing across our world in the form of war and oppression, hunger and disease and injustice and suffering demands immediate attention and decisive action. It demands selfless preservation and protection, perfectly analogous to that of these men and women tackling the towering blazes of the Los Padres. It requires heroes. And so, I would ask that in strength and comradery, in thought and in action, we honor those who have honored us. Today I thank the firefighters for their efforts in the Los Padres. We salute you.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to note the passing of a prominent American citizen, George W. ``Will'' Gahagan, who died in Carmel, California on December 8, 1998 at the age of 86. Will was a man of broad interests, and notable achievements. He was well-educated, graduating in 1949 from Dartmouth, and worked as a newspaper reporter, federal public relations officer and foreign press liaison officer at the 1945 inaugural United Nations conference in San Francisco. Will attended Harvard during his graduate years, and in 1957 received his master's degree from Stanford University. During his Dartmouth years he met the poet Robert Frost, who was on the faculty, and later founded the California Friends of Robert Frost, a non-profit organization that helped establish Frost Plaza in San Francisco, Mr. Frost's birthplace. Will was an educator as much as he was a student. He taught English for 15 years at high schools, including Tularcitos, Junipero Serra High School and Santa Catalina School in Monterey. He also taught at an international school in Rome, His students benefited greatly from his tutelage and enthusiasm for learning. Will's contributions to Monterey County were as far-reaching as his range of interests. He wrote a column ``Word Wise'' for the Monterey Herald, produced and hosted a foreign affairs television program in Salinas, and wrote a guidebook about the Monterey Peninsula. He worked with many local organizations including the Carmel Foundation, the World Affairs Council, the Carmel City Planning Commission and the Carmel Library. Will helped create the Dennis the Menace Playground in Monterey, and helped raise $250,000 for the Robinson Jeffers Tor House in Carmel. He was a member of the senior and super-senior national tennis teams, successfully competing in tournaments in Canada and Europe. Will has been inducted into the Dartmouth College Athletic Hall of Fame. No list of accomplishments can represent the generosity of spirit, the vitality, and the intelligence that Will demonstrated every day. Will is to be remembered as an exemplary human being. He is survived by his wife Lorna; his sons Michael and Mark; his daughters Tappy and Lissa; his brother John; and, seven grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton). I am here to really praise the chairman of the committee. He is an avid supporter of ocean issues and coastal issues and sanctuary issues and it is very pleasing that we have one of the bills that relates to that issue here on the floor today, the reauthorization of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. We have 12 national marine sanctuaries, as the chairman indicated. One of those, the biggest one in the whole system, is in my district in Monterey Bay, and it goes almost down to the home of the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) in Santa Barbara and up to San Francisco. It is a bottom's up process. The people in the local community decided they wanted to have one of these designations, and it has worked very well. In fact, we celebrated the anniversary of the system just last weekend. I would be remiss in standing and praising the action of the committee and the support for this legislation without pointing out to my colleagues and particularly my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the chair of the full committee and the Republican leadership in this House, that we cannot talk about an ecosystem such as a sanctuary without talking about what is also related, which is the ocean on the outer side and the coastal zone which is on the inland side. What we are seeing here is a politic that is cherry picking, it is taking that which is very popular with the people and certainly noncontroversial, like the National Marine Estuary and Reserve Program, which belongs in another jurisdiction but is being removed and put into this bill because this bill is going to pass. What we ought to be dealing with is really two major comprehensive pieces of legislation. One is the oceans in general. We had a national oceans conference, a bipartisan support of that conference in California last year. This Congress is remiss. I mean, the last time we asked for interest in the oceans, to ask a professional body to come back and make recommendations to this, was when the Stratton Commission was created, 33 years ago. So our policy on the oceans seems to be ranking that long ago, and we ought to be updating that with a new type of Stratton Commission. I have introduced a bill. It is in the Committee on Resources. It remains stagnant there because the committee does not want to take up oceans bills. It does not want to take up coastal zone management bills. But it does, and I am proud of that, it is taking up the marine sanctuary bill. Let us get on with the whole program. We just cannot fix the ocean by essentially saying all the land in America can be fixed by just saving a few national parks and the rest of it could all go to naught. So if we do not pay attention to the whole system, even the marine sanctuaries will not survive. Fifty percent of the Nation's population lives within 50 miles of a coastal zone. The coastal zone is where the land and water meet. It is the freshest of our ecosystems. It has half of the Nation's threatened and endangered species living in that coastal area. The Food and Agricultural Organization, known as the FAO, concludes that most of our fish stocks are fully fished, over fished, or depleted or recovering. So we are living on the ocean. We are taking stuff out. We are dumping what we do not want into it, and we are not solving the whole big program. Thank God, Congress invented a program called the National Marine Sanctuaries Program because at least we can pay attention to 12 zones of the ocean in the entire continental United States and do something about it, but the rest of it we ought to get on with the more important bigger pieces of legislation, both the Coastal Zone Management Act and the Oceans Act. And I commend the chairman for his interest and hope that he can release those other bills from full committee as soon as possible. I thank the chairman very much, thank him for his good work. I look forward to working with him.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I rise with concerns on this bill. It is obviously a very smart idea. Congress decided to set aside resources along the coastal areas, the barriers and said look, it does not make any sense for us to put a lot of federal aid in there like flood insurance for the private developers to go in and develop and then come back and ask that the risk for development in these highly sensitive areas should be borne by the general taxpayer. So we set aside these resources, and we asked the Department of the Interior to draw the maps for us, and those maps yet have not been completed. At the same time, people who have developed, because one can develop in the barrier areas privately, but with that private development they also have private risk, not federally-supported risk. So people are coming in and saying, we are developed now. Now we want to back out of the barrier area because we want this Federal flood insurance and coastal protection kinds of issues, where Federal money comes in. We ought to stick to our guns of the original intention, that there are sensitive areas on the coast of the United States of America, including Alaska, that should not be developed. We ought not to give resources to encourage development along those zones. The Act does not buy the land, it says people can put their land in voluntarily. The problem is, when we get to dealing with it, really they have been short on anything on the Pacific coast, where the majority of the population lives. So in 1990, the Secretary of the Interior directed Congress to map the boundaries of undeveloped coastal areas along the Pacific coast south of 49 degrees latitude, and to examine the need for protecting these areas. Yet, 9 years later we do not even have the final maps. So this bill is well-intentioned and has been brought to the floor for good reasons, but it certainly raises a lot of concerns that Members are hearing from us today. I just commend the chairman of the committee because he is in a tough position. I appreciate the politics that he has had and that he has been able to bring these coastal zone bills to the floor. I hope the rest of them can come, as well.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the passing of William Barker, a leader in the California agriculture community. A fifth generation Monterey County native, Bill served for forty- three years as the manager of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, guiding the agriculture community through years of profound change. He became manager of the local farm bureau chapter in 1958, when the Salinas Valley had, for the most part, dairies and dry bean farms. Salinas Valley is now a salad bowl, as well as producing wines, cut flowers, organic crops and herbs. Other significant changes developed in environmental and labor regulations, and in the urbanization of farmlands. Bill never failed to keep farmers aware of what was on the horizon and what would be best for the industry. Bill's emphasis on education programs helped to keep the community- at-large aware of the role that agriculture plays in their daily lives. He was an early supporter of Monterey County Education Inc.; he was deeply involved with local and Statewide 4-H programs and the Future Farmers of America Programs in high schools; and he was founder and Chairman of the County's COLA (Coalition of Labor, Ag and Business). Bill took a leadership role in the community as well: as President of the Salinas Chamber of Commerce; as a member of the Board of the United Way of Salinas Valley; as director of the Monterey County Fair for 12 years and president of the fair for 3 years; and as President of the Steinbeck Foundation Treatment Center. He was on the Board of Directors of the Monterey Resource Conservation District, and in the 1980's he assisted with the establishment of the Monterey County General Plan. Bill died January 21, 1999, leaving his wife Norma; two sons, Bill and Tom; two daughters, Carole and Susan, and three grandchildren and a host of friends and admirers. Bill was always an advocate for and champion of the agricultural community. His vision and leadership will be greatly missed.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall), the outstanding new Member of Congress. (Mr. UDALL of Colorado asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske). (Mr. GANSKE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining on each side?

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chairman, I hope our Members are listening to this debate, or more importantly, are reading what this campaign finance reform bill is all about. It is about reform. It is about campaign reform. It is not about doing what the American public does not want us to do, getting more money into politics. We just had a break. Most of us were home. I never had one question, somebody coming up and saying, the problem with America right now is you are not spending enough money in your campaigns. Why do you not spend more money? I find it ironic that the party that wants to cut, squeeze, and trim government, comes here and says, ladies and gentlemen, we want to cut Federal Government, but when it comes to electing Federal Members of Congress, just spend all the money you can, just making it obscene. We do not need to raise the limit, we need to limit what people are going to spend. So look at this amendment. Look at what it says. There are people that say, well, if we raise more money, we spend less time. We just have to make fewer phone calls. That is not true, this is an arms race out there. We spend as much time raising money as the process allows. Unfortunately, it allows too much. We find that a candidate's spending has gone up at a rate of 50 percent greater than the rate of inflation since 1974, two to three times the rate of increase in the wages of ordinary citizens. Large donors in America are, listen to this, are disproportionately white, male, and from high status occupations, and more conservative. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this first Whitfield amendment, the first amendment we are considering, because this is a poison pill. It breaks apart the coalition of support for the Shays- Meehan by tripling the individual contributions. This same amendment was defeated in a bipartisan vote last year on a vote of 102 to 315. I ask Members to repeat last year's action and defeat this amendment.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a beloved and remembered man. Ernest Dillon, a long-time benefactor of Santa Cruz county passed away this last July at the age of 90. Born July 29, 1909 in Oregon, Mr. Dillon moved with his family to Santa Cruz in 1921 when he was eleven years old. Aside from his highly decorated service as a captain in the U.S. Army during World War II, Ernie resided in Santa Cruz until his death. As a local business-owner, Mr. Dillon led improvement campaigns in downtown Santa Cruz to help protect local businesses from competing shopping centers further north. For over three decades, Ernie Dillon contributed to the community through a lifetime of civic accomplishments in the areas of education and health care in Santa Cruz county. Ernie worked tirelessly to raise monies for Dominican Hospital and was also instrumental in acquiring the funding for constructing Cabrillo Community College. As an avid global adventurer and for his devoted service to promoting the welfare of the people in Santa Cruz county, Ernie Dillon will be sorely missed and always remembered for his great contributions spanning an entire lifetime. My thoughts remain with his family.

Mr. FARR of California

Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a greatly respected and remembered man. Tony Aguirre, a captain and former fire chief with the Hollister fire department and community role-model, died this last July after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 61. Tony was a committed and professional firefighter who selflessly devoted himself to the welfare and safety of the members of the community for nearly half a century. Tony Aguirre was a long-time resident of Hollister who returned to the community after serving in the National guard and attending San Jose State University. He is remembered by many as one of the real heroes in the community. Recently, Tony had been honored as the Man of the Year by the Mexican American Committee on Education and also served as the first president of the San Benito County League of United Latin American citizens. We will always remember Tony Aguirre for his courage and compassion. My thoughts are with his family.