Cleo Fields

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I want to commend her also for her hard work and enthusiasm and working for seniors and working for not only her constituents, but working for people all across this country. We certainly thank you for having this special order. Let me also echo something that the gentleman from Virginia said. He talked about those people who are clothed with responsibility of regulating the Social Security have already stated that it will only need about $90 billion cut, yet Members of the other side of the aisle choose to cut it by somewhere in the neighborhood of $270 billion. So that goes to show you how far we are apart, not only Democrat- Republicans, but Republicans as relates to those individuals who are clothed with responsibility of even regulating these programs. Also, I wanted to make mention of the fact that this is not the first time we have had a budget impasse. We have had budget impasses year after year after year. As a matter of fact, over the past 12 years, we have had 57 CR's, where we continue to operate the Government, and in the process of operating the Government we had budget negotiations. I just find it to be totally irresponsible. It is irresponsible for the Members on the other side of the aisle to hold working people in this country, Federal employees, hostage, while we try to do and complete the business of this country. If you really look at it in the real sense, you will find it is our responsibility to run the Federal Government. We have tried, Members of this side of the aisle have tried time after time after time to try to pass CR's, to get the Government back moving, to get people back to work. We have even said listen, it is irresponsible of us as Members of Congress who are clothed with responsibility of running the Government, and half of the Government is not running, it is irresponsible of us to continue to receive pay. So Members of this side of the aisle even went so far to say we are the last people who ought to be paid, because it is our responsibility, our fiduciary responsibility, to run this Government. If anybody should be affected by this closure, by these pay cuts, it should be us. But Members on the other side of the aisle chose not to do that. I would hope there would be some agreement tonight in the Committee on Rules, and on tomorrow I would hope we could step on this floor and pass a CR and get this Government moving again. The gentlewoman is right. You are talking about seniors. Seniors are affected by this. I receive calls everyday from my district. Ms. Bass, who works for the Social Security office in my district, in Louisiana, she calls every day. She had a very boring Christmas. These people live paycheck to paycheck. They do not have the luxury of having thousands upon thousands of dollars in the bank and in savings. Every nickel, every penny counts. And we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. It is all right to negotiate and it is all right to have an impasse as long as negotiations are taking place. But it is not all right to take bread off of working people's tables in this Nation. Let me close by talking a little bit about Meals on Wheels. The gentleman who spoke before me is absolutely right. That program is affected. In my own state, they are running out of money, and January 15, the gentleman is right, the state will not have the money to subsidize this program. So a lot of seniors in my district will go without food. These are real issues affecting real people. So I just wanted to thank the gentlewoman for taking this time and continue to fight, and I would hope that tonight some meaningful resolution will occur in the Committee on Rules and tomorrow we can get this government moving again and get people back to work.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to state my opposition to the GOP welfare reform conference report on which we are about to vote. I am appalled at the way we have addressed welfare reform without consideration for the health and well-being of our children. Welfare reform should be about getting people off welfare and into jobs. Welfare reform should not be about punishing our children for the mistakes and misfortunes of their parents. Welfare reform is not about mothers. It is about children and making sure they do not go hungry. It is about helping the less fortunate. Mr. Chairman, I though you would want to know it is estimated in the March 5, 1995, Parade magazine cover story: ``Who are Americans in Need?'' that over 5 million children already go hungry each month. This story further reported that 24 percent of our children live in poverty and that almost 46 percent of American children who are hungry live in one-wage-earner households. This welfare reform conference report should not be about allowing children to go hungry if their mother is under 18 years of age. This welfare reform conference report should not be about telling a child that his mother cannot receive money to feed, cloth, or house him because he was born while his mother was already on welfare. This welfare reform conference report should not be about denying benefits to children if their parents don't have a job after 2 years, especially if we are not going to provide desperately needed job training. How can we reform welfare when we intend to deny 46,000 Louisiana children benefits because the were born to current welfare recipients? How can we talk about reforming welfare when we are proposing to deny 100,000 Louisiana children benefits because their parents have been on welfare for more than 5 years? How can we reform welfare when we expect our children to care for themselves while we mandate their parents must work? This bill decreases child care services for 400,000 Louisiana children, but simultaneously requires their parents to work in order to receive benefits. We cannot afford to let our children go unsupervised. In today's society our children need all the care they can get. Yet, this plan denies them that care. It is an absolute shame that today we seek to punish mothers and fathers by punishing their children. Welfare reform must not be about taking food out of the mouths of our children. Capping funds for recipients and offering bonuses to States for reaching quotas will only lower the quality of life for our children. With this welfare reform conference report our children are hit from every angle. The first hit comes at home and the second comes in their schools. Capping the amount of money our school lunch programs receive is going to jeopardize the health of our next generation. How many children are we going to let go hungry and unsupervised before we realize welfare reform is not about forcing children to suffer? When is this body going to realize welfare reform is about assisting the less fortunate families in our communities in their quest to become productive members of our society? I urge my fellow Members to vote ``no'' on the welfare reform conference report before us today.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to state that I am not from the State of Michigan, but I have had the opportunity to serve with John Dingell for the past 3 years I have been here in the House of Representatives, and I just wanted to take a moment, just a few minutes, a few seconds, actually, and just stop by and say John, I want to thank you for your years of service, 40 years. I am only 33, but I tell you, you have been serving the people of this country as long as I have been living, and it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to meet you, not only meet you, but also to develop a friendship with you, and I want to thank you for the time that you have given me in your office and talked to me about the oil and gas industries and issues relative to my State. As a young Member of this Congress, I want to thank you for taking out the time with me. I want to also thank you for giving me the opportunity to be in your district. It was encouraging to see a Member like the gentleman from Michigan, John Dingell, at a rally at the University of Michigan, to see young students rally around a Member of this institution. Martin Luther King once said, ``The measure of a great man is not where he stands in moments of confidence; it is where he stands in moments of challenge and controversy.'' Through your 40 years of service, I am sure you have been through a lot. I just want to say, thank you so much; on behalf of not only the college students in Michigan, but across the country, thank you for your years of service.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Let me just say to the gentleman, he mentioned the 12 years of Republican leadership as relates to how they dealt with the budget and how they dealt with spending. The gentleman makes a very valid point. I think they used to call it voodoo economics. Basically what took place for 12 years, and one of the reasons, not the only reason, but one of the reasons why we find ourselves in the mess that we are in today is because for 12 years the Republican philosophy was if you give the rich a tax break, then we have something called a trickle-down effect. If you give rich people a tax break, give the corporations a tax break, it will trickle down and create jobs. What happened was it did not trickle down. The rich just got richer and the poor got poorer and now we find ourselves with this big deficit. Let me go back to the educational piece, because I think that is a core part of my debate and my resistance in terms of this budget, is because the way we penalize the elderly with Medicare, but also how we penalize people who are trying to better themselves. You take the national service program for example, AmeriCorps, a program that you and I both are strong advocates of. We know that there are so many parents in America who are right now caught in the middle. They make a little bit too much money to qualify for government assistance but do not make enough money to send their kids to college. So we came up with the idea of a national service program so that kids could go to college and earn their way through college, pay their student loans after they finish college by participating in the national service program. They eliminate that program. The issue is not whether or not we balance the budget tonight. The issue is how we balance the budget. Do we have a balanced approach in balancing the budget? Drug-free schools and communities, the gentleman from Chicago, he knows the problems that we have. He knows about the problems that we have in schools. I recall many times visiting his district as a college student, and we both went from school to school speaking to kids about staying away from drugs and alcohol. This budget eliminates, a cut over half of the drug-free schools and communities money, $466 million; it cuts $266 million, not when drugs in our schools and communities are going down but going up. So those are some of the real problems that Members on our side of the aisle have with this budget agreement. The other thing I wanted to talk about, and that was the CRA. This budget, if you are a bank, for example, with under $100 million in assets, you do not have to comply with CRA standards. So you are going to have less investment in communities across this Nation as a result of this budget. There are real problems with this budget. If the gentleman is familiar with the Head Start Program, and I will be happy to yield to the gentleman after I talk about this Head Start Program. Head Start cuts, for example, 135 million in 1996 alone and it freezes funding that would deny 180,000 children the opportunity of Head Start. I am a product of the Head Start Program. Here again, I take a moment of personal privilege. I do not know how many Members of Congress actually participated in the Head Start Program, but I did. I know what the Head Start Program did for me. Cutting it like we are doing in this budget is wrong. The summer jobs program. I do not know if the gentleman from Chicago participated in the summer jobs, but I qualified for a summer job when I was going to school. The first time I was able to punch a clock was when I received my first summer job. It taught me personal responsibilities on the job, gave me job training. Every Saturday, every Monday through Friday I had to get up in the morning during the summertime and go to work, taught me job ethic. We wipe it out in this budget.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the environment, if the gentleman would bear with me just for a moment, because that is another issue that is very important in this budget. EPA cuts: EPA enforcement alone is cut by 25 percent. To cut EPA enforcement by 25 percent at a time that more companies are polluting and at a time that we need to be more environmentally conscious, not only in the country but in the world. Certainly you can have the best department of environmental quality or environmental protection that you want, but if you do not have the law enforcement officers out there enforcing the law, then what difference does it make? We can pass all the rules and regulations we want in this Congress, but if we do not have the enforcement mechanism to go out and make sure that companies abide by the laws and rules and regulations to make our environment safe, make our water clean, our air clean and our soil clean, then it matters not what kind of legislation we pass--not to mention--safe drinking water and clean water fund, cut by 45 percent. I mean, almost 50 percent of those dollars are cut. I am talking about moneys that are being cut with no studies, no rhyme or reason, just sitting around the table, saying cut it for the sake of cutting it because we want to give people who make $100,000 and people who make $200,000 a year a tax break. We want to give the wealthiest people in this country a tax break. That, I suggest to you, my friend, is wrong. I would hope that in the remaining weeks of this year, I would hope that we could sit down and talk about real solutions to a real problem. We have a real problem in this country. Neither you nor I are naive to the extent that we do not realize we a budget problem. I did not create this problem. My colleague certainly did not create it because he just got here. I got here about 3 years ago. But I want to solve it. I want to be a part of the solution. And in order for us to solve this problem, we have to do it with a clear conscience. We have to sit around the table, and we have to cut some programs that, quite frankly speaking, need to be cut. I am not standing at this mike, and neither are you, saying, do not cut. Yes, we need to cut. We need to reorganize the way we do business in our country. We want to balance our checkbook. We want to do that. Seven years, 5 years, 10 years, we want to balance it. But we have got to balance it with conscience and we have to balance it in the most appropriate way and not just be punitive in nature. I mean not just pull seniors out of nursing homes, not just cut people who fought for this country, the veterans in this country, and close some of their hospitals. Not just take kids' summer jobs, for crying out loud, and taking away a little drug-free schools and communities program that benefits communities and schools. Not snatching milk from babies in the food stamp program and then give it to a big millionaire or a big corporation and then hold a press conference and say we balanced the budget. I think that is the biggest problem. Those are some of the problems that we have with balancing the budget. If the gentleman wishes me to yield, I will be happy to yield, but I wanted to make those comments.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Chicago. I want to thank him for his time tonight. Again, I welcome the gentleman to this august body. I enjoyed participating in this colloquy with the gentleman and want to thank him once again. Let me just conclude by saying, we, as Members of this Congress, and as well as the executive branch of Government, we should, we must sit down and talk about balancing this budget and get this train moving again. Let me tell my colleagues, it is almost like a driver of a bus and a mechanic, a bus just breaking down on the side of the highway. And you have got a bunch of people on the bus. And the mechanic and the driver get into a big fight about what to do to get the bus moving again. The people on the bus do not really care about the differences between the driver and the mechanic. They just want to get to their next destination. The American people really want to get to the next destination. We as grown men and women in this Congress, we must sit down and get this Government moving and open and balance the budget. But we must come to grips with the fact that we will not and we should not do it on the backs of the most defenseless people in this country, the elderly, the poor, and the young. And those people who are in the middle, who are trying to make a living, who are trying to do better, who are benefiting from the earned income tax credit. I would hope and pray that this Congress, this institution with all of its great wisdom, with its infinite wisdom would come to the conclusion that yes, we need to open our Government up. Yes, we need to move our Government forward. Yes, we need to balance our budget, and need to do it in a fair and equitable way.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. FIELDS

Mr. FIELDS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to salute Bill Zak, radio pioneer who will soon retire after 45 years as a newscaster and host of ``Gardenline,'' a 6 day-a-week call-in gardening show on radio station KTRH Houston, TX. Bill Zak joined the staff of KTRH in 1951--a year before I was born-- after graduating from Texas A&M University, which I now proudly represent. Early in his career, Bill was assigned to the KTRH news department, and for a time he anchored the ``KTRH Morning News'' show with another budding journalist: Dan Rather. But it was gardening knowledge that Bill had, and it was gardening advice Houstonians needed. Few relationships have been so mutually beneficial. As you may know, gardeners in the greater Houston era endure torrential rains that can last for days; flooding; hurricanes; harsh heat and high humidity; and, occasionally, freezing cold. This variety creates a great many potential gardeners, but prevents many more from ever turning a spade of soil. For many, many years Bill Zak has rescued frustrated gardeners from botanical catastrophes, and has turned potential gardeners into actual gardeners. His expert advice and guidance have helped tens of thousands of Houstonians turn bare, sun-scorched lawns into oases of beauty. But Bill has done far more during his four and a half decades of broadcasting. During Hurricane Alicia, which hit Houston hard in 1983, Bill served as one of KTRH's primary voices--providing hundreds of thousands of listeners with life-saving information that enabled our community, and its residents, to get through that disaster. It was just one more instance of journalistic excellence that has made KTRH the authoritative radio news station in the Texas Gulf coast region, and it was just one more example of Bill Zak's commitment to his station and his community. I'm not sure how he managed to find the time, but Bill is also an author. His book, ``Critters,'' is a popular pictorials encyclopedia of the native insects of Texas--and there are plenty of them. He also has authored a similar publication in Florida. Mr. Speaker, Bill Zak's last day on the air at KTRH will be Friday, Dec. 22. I know that you join with me in wishing Bill and his wife of many years, Jean, well in the years ahead as they enjoy their retirement in the Houston area. I understand that following his retirement, Bill plans to spend his time reading, traveling, possibly writing another book and--not surprisingly--gardening. While he claims to be retiring, there are many Houstonians who know that old habits are hard to break and who suspect Bill's voice may yet be heard again on KTRH--providing news or gardening advice to his tens of thousands of loyal, longtime listeners.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome to the House our newest Member and my long-time friend Jesse Jackson, Jr. I first met Jesse during his father's 1984 presidential campaign. During that time Jesse and I had the opportunity to register people to vote together, rally together, encourage young people to stay in school together, and we always had the dream to serve in this House, the United States House of Representatives, together. I will never forget the many trips we made to Washington as young college students, and we would pass the House, the Capitol, the United States Capitol, and look at each other and say, one day we will serve in the House of Representatives together and shape national public policy. I recall the great words of Benjamin Mays when he said, ``The calamity of life is not failing to reach your dream. The calamity of life is having no dreams to reach for.'' Jesse Jackson, Jr., is not only a dreamer but one who works night and day to accomplish his dreams. The people of the Second Congressional District of Chicago and young people all across this Nation should be very proud to have such a great public servant like my friend and now my new colleague Jesse Jackson, Jr. I welcome you, my friend, and together we will keep hope alive.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to introduce to the House and to the American people a man who has had a great impact on many lives through his good work, his teaching, and his message of good will. Bishop Dwight Pate is from my home of Baton Rouge, LA, where he leads Church Point Ministries, a large church of over 4,000 members, as well as an academy where teaching prepares and inspires many people who have lost their way to live meaningful and good lives. Homeless people, those addicted to drugs, and all who have lost their way in our society can find the path to healing through Bishop Pate's ministry. Bishop Pate's hard work has built an institution that is invaluable to his community, and his teaching has healed and inspired. His ministry brings his community together for worship and dedication to make their lives better. His work is the work that helps make America great. I want to thank Bishop [[Page H 14176]] Pate for his great service and welcome him to the U.S. Congress.

Mr. FIELDS

Mr. FIELDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment today to recognize a very special woman--Mildred Cheek Brown of Brandywine, MD. Mrs. Brown celebrated her 80th birthday on November 15, and I know you and all of my colleagues join with me in sending her and her family our very warmest wishes of friendship on her birthday. Four years ago, I had the opportunity to stand here on the floor of the House and recognize Mrs. Brown's husband, Horace F. ``Buddy'' Brown, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. At the time, I considered it a privilege to have the opportunity to recognize Mr. Brown--if only because he had the good sense to marry Mrs. Brown. I consider it just as great a privilege to bring Mrs. Brown's upcoming 80th birthday to the attention of my colleagues. Mrs. Brown was born in Hillsborough, NC, a small town located near Durham, one of nine children of Thomas and Electa Cheek. In 1937, Mrs. Brown came to the Washington, DC, area seeking employment. She rented a room in a boarding house and enjoyed meeting many of her neighbors. One neighbor in particular--``Buddy'' Brown, who maintained a room in a boarding house next door to the then Miss Cheek--enjoyed her company. After a whirlwind 2-month courtship, Miss Cheek made Mr. Brown a very happy man by agreeing to be his wife. While many marriage counselors contend that long, happy marriages are the result of long courtships, Mr. And Mrs. Brown might disagree. On October 29, they celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary--proving once again that we should listen more closely to our hearts, and less to counselors. Throughout most of their married life, Mrs. Brown worked as a homemaker--raising her three children, caring for her husband, and making some of the best vegetable soup, chicken and dumplings, and Pennsylvania Dutch filing ever to come out of a kitchen. In 1965, with her children grown, she went to work fulltime as a bookkeeper for Western Auto, a position she held until she retired in 1980. For a portion of her life, Mrs. Brown suffered health problems. She survived three bouts of tuberculosis, which required two extended stays at Glen Dale Santorium in addition to one prolonged recovery period at her home. But as anyone who knows her knows, Mrs. Brown is a tender women who can be tough when necessary--such as when confronting a threat to her health. In a battle between tuberculosis and Mrs. Brown, the disease didn't have a chance. Since her retirement, Mrs. Brown has remained extremely active in her church, Immanuel United Methodist, where she has served as president of the United Methodist Women chapter, and on many church committees. She has also enjoyed spending time with her husband at their home in Brandywine, where they have lived for the past 25 years. The Brown household is often the scene of many happy family gatherings at which several generations of family members join together. Those family members include Mrs. Brown's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Expected to join Mrs. Brown for her 80th birthday and her children: Frank Brown of Greensboro, NC, and his wife, Sue; Vicki Peckham of Washington, DC, and her husband, Arnold Levine; and Robin Bridges of Churchton, MD. Also expected are Mrs. Brown's grandchildren--Frank Spasoff and his wife Anne; Chris Brown; Vicky Hawks and her husband Brad; and Emily and Andrew Bridges--as well as her great-grandchildren--Nick and Drew Hawks and Sean Spasoff. Another great-grandson is due in January. Mr. Speaker, in this age when commitment is not as common as it once was, the 58-year marriage of Mildred and ``Buddy'' Brown remind all of us of its enduring value. In this age when love for others is often regarded as less important than love of oneself, Mrs. Brown's legacy of caring for her husband, her children, her extended family and her neighbors inspires all of us. And in this age when many proclaim that America's religious tradition is dying, Mrs. Brown's long and distinguished service to her church and its members--particularly its less fortunate members--proves that Christian faith and values are still alive and well. Mr. Speaker, please join with me in wishing Mrs. Mildred Cheek Brown of Brandywine, MD, a very happy 80th birthday and continued good health. And let us all wish her husband and her family many, many more kettles of Mrs. Brown's delicious vegetable soup.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote Nos. 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, and 670 I was unavoidably detained in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on 664, ``aye'' on 665, ``aye'' on 666, ``no'' on 667, ``aye'' on 668, ``no'' on 669, and ``aye'' on 670.

Mr. FIELDS

Mr. FIELDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to salute the fine work of the United Chios Societies of America on the occasion of the organization's upcoming second international convention. That second international convention will be held in Chios, Greece, from August 9 to 13. Members of the Chios Societies of America work for the betterment of the citizens of Chios, a Greek island that played a prominent role in Greece's war for independence in 1822. But through their membership in the Chios Societies of America, individuals of Greek descent celebrate their identity while also preserving their ancient heritage. Chian societies date back to the early 20th century, when they were founded chiefly as social groups for men with common interests and a common heritage who found themselves living in a new land thousands of miles from their native Greece. Scattered throughout the northeast, the organizations had little contact with one another until the 1930's, when Andrew Poutos, a young and dynamic Chian, established a national organization. In the years since the national organization was founded, its members have joined together to help the men, women, and children of Chios in a variety of ways--as well as to strengthen and preserve their heritage of which they are so justifiably proud. America is understandably proud of being the world's melting pot. But all Americans, whatever their nationality retain a special emotional tie to the lands of their ancestors--and the members of the Chios Societies of America are no different. Mr. Speaker, please join with me in wishing the members and officers of the Chios Societies of America--especially Mr. Nick Marinakis of New York, who will serve as convention chairman, and his brother, Markos Marinakis, also of New York--well as they hold their second international convention next week.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, does the chair expect to take any more recorded votes tonight? Will we roll votes until tomorrow morning? There are many Members who wish to know the answer to that question.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Can the Chair roll votes until tomorrow morning if it is not a privileged motion?

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Will the Chair exercise the prerogative to roll votes?

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I will not use the entire 5 minutes.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I am going to insist that the point of order is not timely. I will not proceed but for a few minutes, if the distinguished chairman would allow me.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, what is the ruling of the Chair? It is my understanding that the ruling of the Chair was that the gentleman's point of order was not timely.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I would like to bring some attention to an issue that is very important to me as a young Member of this Congress and as a Member who had the opportunity to go to college and participate in various programs to pay my way and finance my education. This bill totally eliminates the national service program. I feel it is very important to the young people of this country to have a program like the national service program because this program actually goes at those individual students who are caught in the middle. Their parents are caught in the middle. They make a little bit too much money to qualify for government assistance to send their kids to college but do not make enough money to where they can afford to send their kids to college on their own. The year before last, the President came up with a unique idea. That idea was a program called national service that would give young people an opportunity to earn their way through college by participating in a nonprofit organization and not only during their college career but also give them an opportunity to pay for their college tuition or pay for their student loans even after they graduate from college. So I feel that this program is a very, very vital program. It is a good program. This amendment is a very simple amendment. All it does is to take $819 million from NASA. I do have a great deal of respect for the NASA program, but I could not find money anywhere else. This amendment had to be budget neutral in order for it to be in order. Therefore, I took $819 million out of the NASA budget and put this money into the national service program so that we will not turn our backs on the tens of thousands of young people all across this country who are dependent on this program to get their college education. This is a very simple amendment. That is all the amendment does. I am not going to insist on a vote on this amendment. But I would like to tender it to the Members because I do not think that this debate ought to end on a bill that does not include national service. At some point in this debate, it probably will not happen on this floor, but I would hope at some point, be it in conference committee or be it in the Senate, somebody put the young people of this country before us and not eliminate a program that is serving a very vital need to young people all across this country. I thank the chairman and members of the committee. I have no speakers because I do not request a recorded vote on this amendment.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I have a parliamentary inquiry.